It is common for companies to organize various informal events where workers can come with their partners. One of those... Mai Samih walks through the streets of Cairo to see if people are really saving enough water Many Cairo shop-owners traditionally have one of their staff clean the shop with water in the morning, sometimes flooding the street outside. However, these habits may be changing as a result of the need to save water. Walking off Faisal Street in Cairo recently at around 8:30am, I could only see a couple of shops opening, and only one young man was throwing a bucket of unwanted water on the ground after using an old towel to shine the shop floor. Could these sectors of society be reducing their consumption, particularly in the light of the current situation regarding Egypts negotiations with Ethiopia over the Nile water once Ethiopias Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has been completed? I rent a flat in Cairo, and I think that water use depends on the tenants conscience. Some people use too much water, more than they need just because they give the owner the rent every month. They take water for granted since it is free of charge. I only use the water I need, nothing more, as I think that this is the best way to save, commented one retired government employee living in Cairo. I heard advertisements on the radio telling people how to save water and the dangers of not saving it. We need more advertisements on TV and the radio that speak the language of ordinary people and we need them to be repeated to drive the message home so that people use less water, he added. Reda Suleiman, an employee in a nearby school, agreed. People who use hoses to clean their shops and cars should have it on their conscience. It is forbidden in every religion to waste a gift from God, and water is a very precious gift we should save. I pay LE400 in water bills and LE200 for electricity, so water is much more expensive than electricity. I dont know why I get such high bills, as I try to use water as sparingly as I can, he said. One young lady working in the Downtown area told Al-Ahram Weekly that it is very important to save water before we have no water to use, then we will be sorry. She said that some writers on social media had accused the government of spreading rumours about a future state of scarcity or even a lack of drinking water. However, the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation has taken measures to ensure that this will not occur. There are now projects in different governorates to save water, and a media campaign is hoping to raise peoples awareness of the issue through a competition between young journalists. It is also working on correcting misconceptions about the water situation in Egypt, helping people to understand what water resources there are and the uses that are made of them. The ministry is correcting the mistakes in the numbers that go around. These include the length of the River Nile inside Egypt, which is 1,550km including the two branches of Damietta and Rosetta in the Delta. Its overall length is 6,853km, and it is one of the longest rivers in the world. The ministry also supervises 55,000km of canals and smaller rivers, 3,500km of sea coast on both the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, and 48,000 irrigation facilities, said head of the Central Authority for Awareness on Water Hisham Saber at the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation. We supervise reserve canals that are about 2,000km long, monitor about 3,300 wells and 1,038 drinking water stations, as well as 225 industrial stations that depend on water, 583 sanitary lifting stations in Cairo, and 495 underground water tanks. We also have 21 protection canals in South Sinai and 16 artificial lakes under our supervision, he said, adding that the ministry is committed to preserving and protecting Egypts water reserves. According to statistics issued by the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the most important renewable source of water for Egypt is the River Nile. Egypt shares the water of the Nile with 10 other countries, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and South Sudan. Egypt receives 55.5 billion cubic metres of water from the Nile every year, according to the 1959 Agreement between Egypt and Sudan. The Nile provides Egypt with 94 per cent of its water resources. Another source of water are deep wells that yield 2.45 billion cubic metres per year. In addition, there is rainwater that yields about 1.30 billion cubic metres, making a total of Egypts real water resources of some 59.25 billion cubic metres. Water Use Egypt uses 80.25 billion cubic metres of water per year, however, divided into 10.7 billion cubic metres for drinking water, 5.4 billion cubic metres for industry, 61.65 billion cubic metres for agriculture and 2.5 billion cubic metres lost in evaporation. The 21 billion cubic metres gap is bridged by sea-water desalinisation, which yields about 0.35 billion cubic metres, superficial well water at 7.15 million cubic metres, and reusing agricultural wastewater and sanitation waste water at 13.5 million cubic metres. The share of each citizen in the countrys water in 1995 was 1,000 cubic metres, but in 2017 this had fallen to 570 cubic metres. The ministry had been working with the Ministry of Agriculture on implementing a four-pillar approach to dealing with the problem of the scarcity of water. The first pillar is the treatment of ground water used for agriculture, especially wheat. The second pillar is the improvement of irrigation systems, which involves farmers changing their methods for more modern techniques as has been implemented in some areas of Upper Egypt. The third pillar is developing water resources through the desalinisation of water from the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The fourth pillar is raising awareness among the general public of correct water use. This has been done through the ministrys campaigns, TV advertisements, workshops for journalists, interviews, radio competitions and door-to-door awareness campaigns. It also has a Facebook page called Hafez aleyha telaqiha (preserve it and you will find it) that advises people on how to save water. According to the minister, by 2037 a single persons share of renewable water in Egypt is likely to decrease by 35 per cent. If this occurs, Egypt will witness water scarcity, and the increase in the countrys agricultural area from 5.8 million feddans in 1980 to about 8.7 million feddans in 2015 also spells the need for more water. Water use in industry has increased from 2.2 billion cubic metres in 2000 to 5.4 billion cubic metres in 2015. In 2007, the ministry partnered with the European Union to ensure better water services for Egyptian citizens and to take measures to save water. It has been working on 16 projects in 12 governorates with a fund of approximately one billion euros. Approximately 11.5 million people have benefited. In April 2018, the ministries of agriculture and irrigation sent a draft law to parliament amending Law 53/1966. The new law says that the minister of agriculture, after consulting with the minister of irrigation, has the right to ban farmers from planting certain crops (such as rice, bananas and sugar cane) in certain areas. The minister also has the right to determine the areas for planting certain crops, all with a view to using water more efficiently. Governmental farms and farms in which experiments are conducted are exempted from this article. A farmer who breaks the law could be sentenced to a period of six months in jail and fined up to LE20,000 per feddan of land as well as having to pay to have the illegal crops removed. Head of planning at the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation Eman Sayed said the ministry has other projects to reuse waste water. The amount of reused water is 53 per cent of the overall amount of waste water at the moment, and we plan to increase this over the next four years through our current projects, she said. Most of the reused water projects are in the Nile Delta, where agricultural wastewater is being reused. The biggest project is the Al-Salam Canal, she added, saying that the ministry has banned 54 types of crops and given alternatives that use less water. We also have a project in Fayoum in which crops are watered via spray irrigation, she said. We need more people to live in empty desert areas, and this will only happen through projects using water. We are conducting studies to predict the effects of climate change on the Delta, the Nile and our water supply in general, Saber commented, adding that to ensure there is enough water to go round agriculture water must be used more sparingly. One feddan of rice can use the same amount of water as 500 feddans of other crops. And it is for this reason that the new agriculture law is being discussed in parliament, she said. I think that peoples consumption of water will only be reduced when people themselves decide to do so as a result of their conscience, Suleiman concluded. It cannot happen just as a result of a government campaign. *A version of this article appears in print in the 13 September 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Are people saving water? Search Keywords: Short link: More than 11 000 new companies have been licenced to operate in Zimbabwe since January 2018 almost a double the number recorded in the same period last year. The development signals renewed business confidence in Zimbabwe since President Emmerson Mnangagwa assumed the mantle in November 2017. President Mnangagwa subsequently won the July 2018 Presidential elections on the back of a campaign to turn Zimbabwe into a middle-income economy by 2030. Principal examiner (companies section) at the Department of Deeds, Companies and Intellectual Property, Mrs Martha Chakanyuka, told The Sunday Mail: By this time last year we had registered 6 335 companies and by end of year it was 9 518, which is a huge gap compared to this year where, so far, companies which registered from January to this month are 11 337. Most of the companies that registered are private firms and there are also public companies as well as foreign companies. President Mnangagwas rise has restored confidence in the domestic and international business community, as seen by the expansion of existing companies and opening of new ventures. The President is steering through a Zimbabwe is Open for Business agenda that has included streamlining laws to facilitate ease of doing business. The Office of President and Cabinet is spearheading an all-stakeholder process for a national branding strategy that is aimed at informing the world on business propsects in Zimbabwe. Sunday Mail Government has secured funding commitments worth $940 million from China to overhaul Harares water and sewer system, which is in a state of disrepair and has been blamed for the current cholera outbreak. Part of the funding, which also covers technical assistance, will go to bulk water supplies, purification works, sewer plants and waste water reticulation. Overall, the overhaul of Harares water and sewer system involves rehabilitation of existing infrastructure; and construction of new dams, sewer plants, treatment works, storage and distribution facilities. Cholera has killed 28 people and infected 4 600 others, most of them in Harare, making the need to invest in water systems all the more urgent. Secretary for Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Mr George Magosvongwe told The Sunday Mail last week that, US$600 million of the funding will go towards construction of Kunzvi Dam, treatment works, conveyance system and storage reservoirs in Harare. US$180 million is for rehabilitation and upgrading of portions of water distribution network, among other works which include replacement of a 54km transmission network (primary mains), and replacement of 208km of distribution mains (secondary and tertiary mains), said Mr Magosvongwe. Rehabilitation of two distribution pumping stations and rehabilitation and installation of security facilities at 26 reservoir sites will also be covered on the US$180 million. The remaining $160 million, he said, would be used to spruce up the main pumping lines from Warren Hills Control Station to all reservoirs. Zimbabwe had ran into challenges in accessing money from China owing to loan arrears, but the recent elevation of diplomatic relations between Harare and Beijing from a Friendly Partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership after President Emmerson Mnangagwas State Visit in April unlocked funding for key projects. While Government had previously secured a $144 million facility through which China National Machinery and Equipment Import and Export Corporation (Camec) was supposed to refurbish water and sewer treatment plants, bungling by the Harare City Council derailed the project. Camec began work in 2010 and was supposed to have been completed in 2014, but the project stalled amid allegations of mismanagement and abuse of funds. Reinventing cities Experts say most existing water infrastructure is old and incapable of supporting the capital citys ever-burgeoning population. Harares oldest suburb, Mbare, for example, was established 111 years ago, while Highfield, the second-oldest, came into being 88 yearsago. The overhaul of the capitals water and sewer system is part of a grand masterplan to modernise standards of living. Mr Magosvongwe said Government had lined up massive infrastructure developments over the next five years. Command Housing, he pointed out, would be an aspect of the modernisation drive, with Mbare being one of the first ports of call for the regeneration project that is being undertaken via the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe and the Urban Development Corporation. Mr Magosvongwe said: Its not just Mbare; we have Makokoba, we have Dulibadzimu, we have Kariba, Mutare and many other dilapidated flats around the country. The Command Housing programe will definitely start in Mbare We will substitute the current dwellings with new buildings with better facilities and amenities for the benefit of those currently occupying the dilapidated structures. We want to create a Mbare where you can get every facility there churches, clinics and recreational facilities. Udcorp will play a lead role in regularising unplanned settlements. Local government will be revitalised through modernising and harmonising systems within local authorities. The revamp includes service level benchmarking, programme-based budgeting and up to date council audits. The constitutional imperative of devolution, Mr Magosvongwe added, was at the centre of the masterplan. We are also having preparations for devolution just as the President announced. The Constitution is very clear that devolution can only be done where council is ready. We cannot send a basic service to a council that is not ready to deliver. Sunday Mail President Emmerson Mnangagwa has thrown a lifeline to his fellow comrades-in-arms whom he dropped from his Cabinet more than a week ago by giving them plum jobs at the Zanu PF headquarters, complete with perks similar to those enjoyed by his ministers. The Daily News on Sunday can report that during a politburo meeting held at the ruling partys main office in Harare on Monday, Mnangagwa promised to give a golden parachute to those left out of his Cabinet. Instead of leaving them out in the cold, these would be given full time employment at the so-called Shake-Shake Building, where they are expected to work towards the rejuvenation of Zanu PF, while also playing an oversight role on government. As part of their perks, the Zanu PF functionaries are tipped to get top-of-the-range vehicles similar to those given to Cabinet ministers, a driver, an aide, a monthly salary and other featherbeddings that cement their superior status to full Cabinet ministers. While addressing the media after the ad hoc politburo meeting, Zanu PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo said the decision to employ full time party bigwigs was meant to ensure that the ruling party remains strong while those in Cabinet focus on government issues. The politburo has reassigned some comrades to work full time at the party headquarters to ensure that the party continues to function smoothly as others concentrate on government business, Khaya Moyo said. Mnangagwas Cabinet is noticeably free of the majority of old guard that had dominated government for decades. The more familiar names from former president Robert Mugabes era that could not make the grade includes Obert Mpofu, Patrick Chinamasa, Khaya Moyo, Josaya Hungwe, David Parirenyatwa and Simbarashe Mumbengegwi. Zanu PF honchos such as Mpofu (secretary for administration), Khaya Moyo, Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana (legal secretary), Mumbengegwi (secretary for foreign affairs), Christopher Mushohwe, Douglas Mahiya (Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association spokesperson) and Lewis Mathuthu (youth league deputy secretary) will now work full time at the party, joining national political commissar, Engelbert Rugeje. An admirer of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Mnangagwa seems to be taking a leaf from the nearly century old East Asian party founded by Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao. CCP has inspired most liberation movements on the African continent, including South Africas ruling African National Congress which adopted a similar model at Luthuli House. In China, the CCP leads the work of government although it remains distinct from government. An elite membership-driven organisation about 48 million members which is less than five percent of Chinas total population CCP employs party members on a part-time basis. At the apex of the CCP is the national party organisation headed by a standing committee of its politburo, the politburo, and the central committee, which are served by a secretariat and other departments. At provincial, municipal, and county levels there are similar leadership bodies and staff offices. Every agency of CCPs national, provincial, and county governments has within it a party committee. Although some members of these party oversight bodies play two roles, as both government and party officials, these bodies are clearly defined as part of the CCP. While liberation movements in Africa admire the CCP model, they remain torn between their former colonial masters in the western world who would want them to embrace democracy, and the Leninist political system does not measure up to the western values. Zanu PF insiders told the Daily News on Sunday that the ruling party was banking on donations extended to it by well-wishers in the run-up to the July 30 polls to fund the bureaucracy. They said Zanu PF still has more than $15 million remaining in its coffers after running a well-funded campaign that exposed its rivals poverty. While Zanu PF owns a number of businesses, these have been haemorrhaging owing to the difficult operating environment. On their own, these businesses are unable to fund the partys operations. Political analyst Maxwell Saungweme said the deployment of deadwood at the Zanu PF headquarters, also known as the Shake-Shake Building because of its resemblance to Delta Beverages Chibuku Shake Shake a type of sorghum beer sold in cartons was a clear testimony that deep down Mnangagwa was still a student of patronage which kept his predecessor in power for 37 years. This shows that the issue is complex and taking these out from government was just a facade, a veneer of a transformed Cabinet while underneath the old form holds, said Saungweme. With party-State conflation, there is no doubt that these guys will be paid from the public purse. This may also weaken the party as the old guys have no new ideas for the party, but a weak Zanu PF is good for the country. Professor of World Politics at the London School of Oriental and African Studies Stephen Chan said there was a danger that such a setup would create confusion as the party might end up meddling in government and thus creating confusion. Chan said Zimbabwe must avoid creating a dominant party state, where the ruling party will begin to direct the government, especially if there are parallel portfolios in the party. This happened in Kenneth Kaundas Zambia and governmental decision-making was always ponderous and ineffectual as a result, he said. He said if the bigwigs are going to occupy parallel positions to the Cabinet positions, this would be a bad omen for efficient and transparent public administration. If they are doing something else, that is not something of great concern to the general public, although it might be to other party members who might see a bloated party headquarters as not addressing their needs, said Chan. Namibia-based scholar and researcher Admire Mare said the new Zanu PF style was just another method the ruling party is using to loot the State. Zanu PF has transplanted the Chinese Communist Party of the two centred cabinet system...one based at the HQ and the national one which does the national duty. We have the latent and manifest cabinet system essentially. This tells us that Zanu PF is planning to entrench its rule for a long time to come. They are already planning for future elections and the rejuvenation of the party, said Mare. Daily News We are going to tour the whole country, we need to give them an ear on the challenges they have in their various sectors and they also will share with us other areas that we can work on as a ministry to improve the state of affairs. I feel also that there are a lot of bottlenecks in industry that we can be resolved now. We need to seek ideas on ways to incentivise struggling industries in the city and beyond because it all has an effect on the value chain, said Cde Ndlovu. (Newser) Typhoon Mangkhut, which CNN labels "the world's strongest storm this year," barreled into southern China on Sunday after lashing the northern Philippines with strong winds and heavy rain that left at least 36 people dead and dozens more feared buried in a landslide. Ahead of the massive typhoon, nearly half a million people had been evacuated from seven cities in China's Guangdong province, the gambling enclave of Macau closed casinos for the first time, and the Hong Kong Observatory warned people to stay away from the Victoria Harbour landmark, where storm surges battered the sandbag-reinforced waterfront. Mangkhut made landfall in the city of Taishan, reports the AP, packing wind speeds of 100mph. Authorities in southern China issued a red alert, the most severe warning, as the national meteorological center said the densely populated region would face a "severe test caused by wind and rain." story continues below On Sunday morning, the typhoon packed sustained winds of 96mph and gusts of up to 118mph. The Hong Kong Observatory said although Mangkhut had weakened slightly, its extensive, intense rainbands were bringing heavy downfall and frequent squalls. Hundreds of flights were canceled. All high-speed and some normal rail services in Guangdong and Hainan provinces were halted, the China Railway Guangzhou Group Co. said. In Hong Kong, a video posted by residents showed the top corner of an old building break and fall off while in another video, a tall building swayed as winds blew. The storm also broke windows, felled trees, tore bamboo scaffolding off buildings under construction, and flooded areas with sometimes waist-high waters, per the South China Morning Post. The paper said heavy rains brought storm surges of 10 feet around Hong Kong. (Read more typhoon stories.) (Newser) Anna Kendrick told a surprisingly off-color story on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Friday about an encounter with President Obama, TooFab reports. Asked by the host to explain a photo of Obama doubled over with laughter while shaking her hand, the A Simple Plan actor explained: "I got an email saying, 'Hey, do you want to meet the president?'" she says. "Naturally, I said, 'Of what?' and they were like, 'The country, you idiot.'" So Kendrick attended an LA meet-and-greet with around 30 people when Obama, giving a talk, praised her 2009 film Up in the Air for dealing with the US recession, reports Mashable. "I was like, 'This such an inconvenient time to be having a full stroke, which is obviously what's happening,'" says Kendrick. story continues below Shaking Kendrick's hand later and having a photo taken, the president said, "I hope I didn't embarrass you earlier." Recalls Kendrick: "I was like, 'Yeah, you're such an ***hole.' He kind of laughs and he says, 'Oh and you're from Maine, aren't you?' .... I said, 'Yes, and actually I was the first person here.' And he goes, 'Are people from Maine really punctual?' And I was like, 'You didn't know that? You're the president.'" (Read more President Obama stories.) (Newser) Two dancers were fired from the New York City Ballet on Saturday amid accusations that they were part of a ring of male dancers who inappropriately shared nude photos and videos of women. The ballet company said principal dancers Amar Ramasar and Zachary Catarazo, as well as a third dancer, Chase Finlay, who resigned last month, "engaged in inappropriate communications, that while personal, off-hours and off-site, had violated the norms of conduct that NYCB expects from its employees." The firings came after a woman who had dated Finley, Alexandra Waterbury, said in a lawsuit that he sent explicit videos and photos of her taken without her knowledge to other men including dancers with the company. Waterbury charged in her lawsuit against City Ballet and Finlay that the company tolerated a "fraternity-like atmosphere." story continues below The lawsuit said a male donor wrote to Finlay suggesting that the men should tie ballerinas up "and abuse them like farm animals," to which Finlay replied, "or like the sluts they are." Ramasar and Catarazo, who were identified in the lawsuit as having shared nude photos with Finlay, were initially suspended without pay before the company moved to terminate them Saturday. A union representing Ramasar and Catarazo said it would challenge the firings. "Based on all the information received from the company, the allegations relate entirely to non-work-related activity and do not rise to the level of 'just cause' termination," the American Guild of Musical Artists said in a statement. "As AGMA would do for any of its members, we will soon be filing for arbitration to enforce our members' employment rights." (The AP has statements from Ramasar and Catarazo.) (Newser) The writer of a letter that accuses Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault has come forward. Speaking to the Washington Post, Christine Blasey Ford said a "stumbling drunk" teenage Kavanaugh held her down and groped her as his classmate at the elite Georgetown Preparatory School looked on in what she would later describe to a therapist as an attempted rape. Ford, now a respected professor of clinical psychology in California, told the Post that Kavanaugh "was trying to attack me and remove my clothing" before she was able to run away and lock herself in a bathroom. Ford's letter is the undisclosed "information" Sen. Dianne Feinstein passed on to the FBI without divulging any significant details. Kavanaugh has "categorically" denied the allegation. story continues below I thought he might inadvertently kill me, Ford, now 51, tells the Post of the encounter in the 1980s. She said Kavanaugh held his hand over her mouth when she tried to scream. Ford also said Kavanaugh's classmate finally stopped the assault, which she says took place in a bedroom at a house party, when he jumped on them and sent all three sprawling. After the Post published its story about Ford, Senate Republicans reiterated that they plan to move forward with Kavanaugh's nomination despite Democrats' demands that it be postponed. "For too long, when woman have made serious allegations of abuse, they have been ignored," said Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, per the Hill. "That cannot happen in this case." (Read more Brett Kavanaugh stories.) (Newser) Embattled FEMA Administrator Brock Long made a side remark on the Sunday talkies that kinda outshone the main conversation, the Hill reports. Suggesting that the reported 3,000 extra Puerto Rico deathsa number President Trump is heavily disputingmay have been byproducts of Hurricane Maria beyond anyone's control, he said on NBC's Meet the Press: "Theres all kinds of studies on this that we take a look at. Spousal abuse goes through the roof. You cant blame spousal abuse after a disaster on anybody." Asked about byproduct deaths, Long says they may happen "because people have heart attacks due to stress, they fall off their house trying to fix their roof," or die driving through "intersections where the stop lights aren't working." For more around the Sunday dial, including Brett Kavanaugh, Paul Manafort, and Democratic Socialists: More Long: Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen "has never asked me to resign," says Long on Meet the Press about his job security amid allegations he misused government vehicles, per CNN. "We have a very functional and professional relationship. We talk every day. We are both solely focused on Florence." story continues below Pie in the sky? "These systems are not just pie in the sky," says Congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on CNN's State of the Union about her proposed plans, including housing as a federal right, a federal jobs guarantee, tuition-free public college, and canceling all student-loan debt, per CNN. "Many of them are accomplished by every modern civilized democracy in the Western world." But host Jake Tapper wasn't satisfied by the difference between her proposed $2 trillion tax hike and her plans' estimated $40 trillion cost over 10 years. "We'll have you back and go over that," he says. "These systems are not just pie in the sky," says Congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on CNN's State of the Union about her proposed plans, including housing as a federal right, a federal jobs guarantee, tuition-free public college, and canceling all student-loan debt, per CNN. "Many of them are accomplished by every modern civilized democracy in the Western world." But host Jake Tapper wasn't satisfied by the difference between her proposed $2 trillion tax hike and her plans' estimated $40 trillion cost over 10 years. "We'll have you back and go over that," he says. Too late? "[Paul] Manafort, if he was going to make a deal, shouldve made it before he was convicted," says Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz on Meet the Press, per the Hill. "He wouldve gotten a better deal." He says Trump and Manafort "acted too late." "[Paul] Manafort, if he was going to make a deal, shouldve made it before he was convicted," says Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz on Meet the Press, per the Hill. "He wouldve gotten a better deal." He says Trump and Manafort "acted too late." Sorry, no : "Well, I never say never to anything but no," says JP Morgan Chief on ABC's This Week when asked whether he might run for president, per ABC News. He also repeated his backtrack from an earlier contention that he's smarter than Trump: "I shouldn't have said it. ... It also proves I wouldn't be a good politician." : "Well, I never say never to anything but no," says JP Morgan Chief on ABC's This Week when asked whether he might run for president, per ABC News. He also repeated his backtrack from an earlier contention that he's smarter than Trump: "I shouldn't have said it. ... It also proves I wouldn't be a good politician." If we meet: "Oh, I'm sure I will, if I get a chance to meet," says Sen. Doug Jones on State of the Union when asked if he would question Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh about sexual-assault allegations against him, per Politico. "It's a very serious allegation, but at this point, its an anonymous letter. ... If I get a chance to meet, obviously I obviously would have to bring that up." "Oh, I'm sure I will, if I get a chance to meet," says Sen. Doug Jones on State of the Union when asked if he would question Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh about sexual-assault allegations against him, per Politico. "It's a very serious allegation, but at this point, its an anonymous letter. ... If I get a chance to meet, obviously I obviously would have to bring that up." The Koreas : "We were really close to having to make that hard decision," says Sen. Lindsday Graham on CBS' Face the Nation about pulling troops out of South Korea, per the Hill. "Now we have some time. Are they playing us? I dont know. If theyre playing Trump, we're going to be in a world of hurt because hes going to have no options left. This is the last best chance for peace." : "We were really close to having to make that hard decision," says Sen. Lindsday Graham on CBS' Face the Nation about pulling troops out of South Korea, per the Hill. "Now we have some time. Are they playing us? I dont know. If theyre playing Trump, we're going to be in a world of hurt because hes going to have no options left. This is the last best chance for peace." The terror: "Clearly the Trump Team is terrified of what [Manafort] has to say," says Rep. Adam Schiff on Meet the Press about their reaction to Manafort's plea deal, per NBC News. "Im surprised that we are where we are, that Manafort is cooperating." Did Schiff think Manafort would flip? "I thought he would hold out for pardon." (Read more Sunday morning talk shows stories.) (Newser) A Wisconsin postal worker has pleaded guilty to charges she stole over 6,000 greeting cards from residents on her route in the city of Wauwatosa. As part of a plea deal, Ebony Smith of Milwaukee admitted to taking the cards and pocketing between $50 and $100 per week. Per the Journal Sentinel, Smith said she took the money in order to pay bills and support her four children. Smith's actions were discovered after suspicious residents contacted the USPS and an investigation was opened in January. Per the Atlanta Journal Constitution, a special envelope was planted with Smith's deliveries for the day along with a $20 bill. When Smith opened it, the investigators were alerted. Dozens of cards were subsequently found in her possession. story continues below At some point thereafter, a minivan was towed to a lot where mechanics decided to scrap it in July. Inside, authorities say they found a massive trove of USPS mail, along with several pieces that bore Smith's name and address. The van reportedly contained 6,625 greeting card envelopes and 540 personal checks. Smith is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date. (Read more mail stories.) An Israeli missile attack targeted the Syrian capitals airport late Saturday, activating air defences which shot down some of the projectiles, state news agency SANA reported. Our air defences responded to an Israeli missile attack on Damascus International Airport and shot down a number of hostile missiles, said a military source, quoted by SANA. The agency, without giving any information about casualties or damage, posted footage and images of air defences being activated. In the shaky video, a small, bright explosion is seen in the night sky, with city lights in the distance. Agence France-Presses correspondent in Damascus heard a loud blast late on Saturday, followed by several smaller explosions. The Israeli military declined to comment on the incident. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, said Saturdays strikes hit a weapons depot outside the airport. The missiles, suspected to be Israeli, destroyed an arms warehouse near the Damascus International Airport, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. He had no immediate information on casualties. Israel has vowed to prevent Iran, which is a main backer of Syrias government, from gaining a foothold in neighbouring war-torn Syria. Earlier this month, Israel acknowledged having carried out more than 200 strikes in Syria over the past 18 months, mainly against Iranian targets. It has also admitted to striking Syria to prevent what it says are deliveries of advanced weaponry to Lebanons Hezbollah, an armed movement backed by Iran which fights alongside Syrian troops. The last reported Israeli strikes on Syria took place on 4 September, when Syrian state media said the militarys air defences downed several missiles in the coastal province of Tartus and in central Hama. The Observatory also reported those raids and said they killed three Syrian soldiers. Syrias conflict erupted in 2011 and has since killed more than 360,000 people, with millions more displaced internally and to neighbouring countries. After losing swathes of territory to rebel groups, President Bashar al-Assads troops have regained the upper hand and are now in control of around two-thirds of the country. They were bolstered by nearly three years of air strikes by their key ally Russia, and Iranian, Iraqi, Lebanese and other foreign fighters on the ground. Soldiers and other loyalist fighters had been amassing around Idlib, the largest rebel-held zone left in Syria, for several weeks. But Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov denied that Syrian troops were planning a major offensive for the area. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe New Delhi: A massive fire broke out in the wee hours of Sunday at a shoe factory in Delhias Udyog Nagar area. However, no casualties have been reported into the incident so far. Soon after the blaze started rolling up to the building, 30 fire tenders were pressed into service. The blaze-fighting operation was underway when the last reports came in. aDelhi: Fire breaks out in a factory in Udyog Nagar area, 30 fire tenders at the spot,a the news agency ANI reported. Delhi: Fire breaks out in a factory in Udyog Nagar area, 30 fire tenders at the spot. pic.twitter.com/EEFHuG4lxI a ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2018 The fire officials were informed about the incident at 4:30 am. However, the reason behind the fire is yet to be ascertained. Earlier in the day, a similar incident rocked the central part of the Kolkata's congested Bagri Market on Canning Street, after the multi-storey building, which houses over 400 business establishments, including several medicines and perfume shops, was gutted in the fire. Los Angeles: Eva Mendes says she is not ready to come back to Hollywood as she feels her children are "still so little". The 44-year-old actor, who has daughters Esmeralda, four, and Amada, two, with partner Ryan Gosling, said she wants to focus on bringing up her kids. "I'm just so obsessed with my kids that I don't want to leave them. They're just still so little," Mendes told E! News. Also Read | Cher opens up about her fling with Tom Cruise The actor said being a parent is no mean feat and raising her children without her and Gosling's families' support would not have been the same. "I don't feel like I have it balanced at all. I kind of have been figuring it out as I'm going along and it's just important to have a support system. I have my family, I have Ryan's family and that's just like, invaluable to have family around supporting you," she said. Also Read | Drake not dating model Bella Harris Mendes was last seen in 2014's Lost River. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Hollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Sunday arrested three people, including one of the main accused Nishu, in connection with the alleged rape of 20-year-old Haryana CBSE topper. Besides Nishu, two other people who were arrested were the owner of the borewell store-room where the crime was committed and a doctor who had been called to check the victim. However, two other main accused, including the Army man, were still absconding four days after the crime took place. Addressing a press conference at Rewari, SIT chief Nazneen Bhasin said that within 30 hours of its formation, the SIT team arrested borewell owner Deen Dayal and doctor Sanjeev, while one key accused Nishu was also being brought to Rewari. Also Read | CBSE Topper Gang-Rape Case: Rewari SP Rajesh Duggal transferred, 1 arrested While Deen Dayal helped the accused Army man Pankaj, Manish and Nishu by providing keys of the storeroom where the student was gang-raped, Dr Sanjeev was called by one of the three accused to check the condition of the victim. But he didnt inform the police, therefore, arrested. Dr Sanjeevs involvement is proved as it was in his knowledge that the girl was held by three boys and she was not conscious about the things happening. He was part of the plan till the end but didnt inform any authority, Bhasin said. On being asked about the serving soldier, the SIT chief said, He is absconding but he will be arrested soon. With the arrest of the two, the police got some vital clues about the whereabouts of the other accused and they will be arrested soon. We will produce Deen Dayal and Dr Sanjeev in a court on Monday and seek police remand for further investigations, she added. Also Read | Army man among three accused in Haryana CBSE topper's gangrape The 20-year-old former CBSE Class 10 topper from Haryanas Rewari district was allegedly abducted and gang-raped by three men while she was on her way to a coaching centre in Kanina town of Mahendragarh district on September 12. The woman and the accused knew each other. The victim said that they offered her water to drink which was laced with a sedative. The accused then took her to Deen Dayals farm where they took turns to rape her in a storeroom there. After the rape, they allegedly dumped her near a bus stop in her village. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: A newly married 23-year-old man from a scheduled caste community was hacked to death in the Miryalaguda division of Nalgonda district in Telangana in a suspected incident of honour killing. A private hospital CCTV footage shows the victim, Peramalla Pranay Kumar, is being attacked from behind by a tall man in safari suit with a weapon on Friday afternoon.Kumar was his with his mother Premalatha and wife Amrutha Varshini. The man died before he could be administered emergency care, reported The Hindu. We had gone to the hospital for Amrutha Varshinis prenatal check-up, said his mother. Also Read | Honourable agreement reached with BJP on seat sharing for 2019 Lok Sabha polls, says Nitish Kumar The report added that Kumar belonged to Mala sub-group, while Amrutha, 19, was from upper class Vysya community. They knew each other from their school days, and had eloped in January and married at Arya Vysya Samaj in Hyderabad against the wishes of Amruthas parents. In the first week of February, the two had approached the Inspector General-Hyderabad Stepehen Raveendra seeking protection. "My father said you abort the baby now. Live with him (Pranay) for 2-3 years, after that I will accept the marriageI have no intention of aborting my baby. Pranay's baby is my future...he was such a nice person. He looked after me so well, especially after I became pregnant. I don't know why caste is so important in this time and age," Amrutha told NDTV. Also Read |CBSE Topper's Gang-Rape: Rewari SP Rajesh Duggal transferred, Rahul Sharma takes charge Amrutha's father Maruthi Rao and uncle Shravan have been taken into custody. The police suspect they may have hired the contract killer.Teams have been sent to trace the absconding father and another accused Sravan. Police have announced a reward for information leading to their arrest, added The Hindu. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. A large shipment of humanitarian relief aid will delivered to Yemeni people as per the directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Honorary President of the Royal Charity Organisation (RCO). HM the Kings Representative for Charity Work and Youth Affairs and RCOs Board of Trustees Chairman, HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, extended sincere thanks and appreciation to HM the King for his humanitarian initiatives and interest in supporting stricken peoples all over the world. HH Shaikh Nasser lauded the support enjoyed by RCO from His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier. Smuggling gold from GCC countries to South Asia has been on the rise and several arrests were made at the airports in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh in recent months. Sources say it is the price difference that is tempting these smugglers to carry large quantities of gold illegally into South Asian countries. Two Indian travellers who landed in India from Bahrain recently were arrested for smuggling gold worth a combined value of more than BD 25,000. They were arrested in separate instances by the Indian authorities after they attempted to smuggle gold from Bahrain. The first incident involved an Indian man in his fifties who was arrested at Kempegowda International Airport in the city of Bangalore. The man, who lives in a village in Kodagu district, hid the gold in his trousers pockets. He had cut the gold into small pieces before concealing it in his pockets. According to sources, the value of the gold smuggled was close to BD 6,000. The second case which also took place recently occurred in Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the city of Delhi. A man was arrested for smuggling 11 bars of gold. The value of the gold was estimated to be over BD 20,000, sources said. Indian authorities have also confirmed the incidents. Further details were revealed by Amandeep Singh, additional commissioner of customs, Indira Gandhi International Airport to Hindustan Times. We arrested another Indian who had landed from Bahrain. He was arrested after 11 gold bars worth Indian rupees 39 lakh were recovered from him. A security staff of an airline was also arrested for facilitating him, Singh said. Seventeen Bahrain fine artists participated in the Art Bahrain Across Borders (ArtBAB 2018) exhibition, held at the Grand Palais building, in the presence of French officials, as well as prominent intellectual, literary and artistic figures from various countries. Director of the Office of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of HM the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), Shaikha Maram bint Isa Al Khalifa, said that holding the expo in Paris aims to promote the authentic and contemporary Bahraini art, as Paris is a major European city, hence easy access to other parts of Europe. Erdogan will meet Putin on Monday Erdogan will meet Putin on Monday Istanbul : Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday, officials said, amid rising international concern over a looming Syrian government assault on a rebel-held province bordering Turkey. President Erdogan will meet with Mr Putin on Monday, Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a televised press conference on Friday. The meeting will take place in the Russian resort city of Sochi, a senior Turkish official told AFP. President Donald Trump's administration decided on Saturday to cut a $10-million aid for the so-called Conflict Management and Mitigation (CMM) grants for Palestinians. According to the website of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the CMM program is "part of a worldwide effort to bring together individuals of different backgrounds from areas of conflict in people-to-people reconciliation activities." Involving cooperation between Palestinians and Israelis, the program funds projects that tackle a wide range of issues, including economic development, environment, health, education, sports, music and information technology. USAID and US Embassy Tel Aviv have invested in 113 CMM grants, according to figures issued by the former. Tim Rieser, foreign policy aide to Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, said that USAID officials "did not want to cut programs with Palestinians, but had to accommodate a White House that does not want to send American funds to Palestinians", the New York Times reported on Friday. Rieser added, based on the same report, that funding will only be maintained for Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs, which is "contrary to the tradition of the funds and intent of the Congress." "Both Palestinian and Israeli kids will lose, and these programs will be meaningless, if the PA [Palestinian Authority] continues to condemn a plan they havent seen & refuses to engage on it. Hopefully the PA will lead... lets see...", tweeted Jason D. GreenTrump's assistant and special representative for international negotiationson Saturday. This is one out of several punitive measures that have been recently taken by Trump against the Palestinians due to the rejection of the latter to start a peace process, which has been stalled since 2014. I think the president has basically said that he doesnt want to give any additional funding until the Palestinians are agreeing to come back to the negotiation table, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said in January. Were trying to move for a peace process but if that doesnt happen the president is not going to continue to fund that situation. Earlier this month, being criticised by Arab League chief Ahmed Abul Gheit, the US administration decided to shut down the Palestine Liberation Organisation's (PLO) office in Washington. In January, the administration cut hundreds of millions of dollars that go to fund the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Speaking to Ahram Online in July, UNRWA Spokesperson Christopher Gunness said the United States vowed last year to fund UNRWA with US$ 365 million, though they have now cut the sum by $305 million. This escalation is putting the health, education and social safety services offered by UNRWA to the Palestinian people "at stake", said Pierre KrahenbuhlUNRWA's commissioner-generalin a Cairo briefing on 11 September. Meanwhile, Protests in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have taken place in past months following the decision of Trump to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, leading to the deaths of around 60 Palestinians and the injury of thousands others. The Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. Search Keywords: Short link: The WHO has recently revised its demographic indices and asserted that the 18 to 65 age group is considered young. In the 21st century, when healthcare is powered by new technological and medicinal advances and a better nutritional profile, this is understandable. Middle age has been revised to span the 66 to 79 age group while elderly will be 80 to 99 years. The growing group of 100+ age group will be called the long-lived elderly. Well, this news certainly makes me happy as it has extended my youth, even though I have not reached 60 yet! But jokes apart, have you ever considered this irony: when we speak about the future progress and potential of a country, we always refer to the millions of youth who make up that countrys market, ready to deliver profits to the companies who ply them with all kinds of products and services, from flavoured sodas to university courses and other options. But when measuring social security and health standards, it is always about the well-being of the ageing population how well they are treated and cared for socially, the health care facilities available for geriatric care, life-expectancy and quality of life. Nothing puts fear into policy-makers more than the words ageing population. It conjures the image of ..what? Immobility? Dementia? Disruptive challenge of family care? And yet, population ageing is something that we cannot wish away it is a phenomenon affecting the whole world. In order to keep our promise to our past, represented by our parents generation and as much as to sow the seeds for our own geriatric future, we need to develop robust policies for elderly care today. The GCC is expected to see a 400+ % increase in its aged population by 2030. We have barely 12 years to put in place a care system that will take into account the changing technology of elderly care, the changing expectations of an elderly generation that really grew up seeing how the impact of technology changed lives and who expect that to translate into commensurate quality of care for their old age. It is a fact in Bahrain that geriatric care is still not as widely discussed as it should be. We are at a stage when we are ticking boxes. Do we have dedicated geriatric hospitals and wards in general hospitals? Check. Do we have elderly leisure care resources? Yes, a couple of elderly day care homes. What about home nursing options that will allow the elderly sick to fade away in dignity, surrounded by their loved ones? Now this last option is offered by some private hospitals but mostly, families opt to admit their elderly ones to hospital for any care more complicated than taking the body temperature. The fact that Bahrains population increasingly represents a nuclear family where both, husband and wife are working, puts enormous strain on the natural care-givers. While many families opt for trained nurses or domestic workers to take on this burden, this is an economic strain and also, it denies the elderly the emotional connection and psychological support that they naturally expect Old age need not be defined as a health crisis. Even wheelchair-bound elderly can lead productive and happy lives with just a tweak to their care approach. This includes mandatory health checks, visits and assessment by trained geriatric care social workers and a system of productive voluntary work for those who dont wish to continue in the office rat race. Ours is a caring society. We need to put in place a system that will give care-givers the opportunity to fulfil their duties towards their parents with minimum stress. Fresh clashes and air strikes have killed 32 rebels around Yemen's Red Sea city of Hodeida, hospital sources said Sunday, as the UN envoy kept up peace efforts in Sanaa. A military source told AFP the Saudi-led coalition fighting alongside the Yemeni government against Shia Houthi rebels carried out an air raid on a radio station tower in the port city of Hodeida. Three people died in Sunday's raid, he said, while Houthi-run Al-Masirah television said four people were killed, three security guards and a station employee. According to medical sources in Hodeida province, which is controlled by the Houthis, a total of 32 insurgents were killed and 14 others wounded in clashes and air strikes since Saturday. The coalition accuses the Tehran-aligned Houthis of smuggling arms from Iran through Hodeida and has imposed a partial blockade on the port, which the rebels seized in 2014. In June, pro-government forces launched a major operation to retake both the city and its port, the entry point of most of the impoverished country's imports and aid. The troops, backed by coalition air strikes, have retaken a number of towns across Hodeida province but have not yet breached the city. The coalition in July announced a temporary ceasefire in Hodeida to give a chance to UN-brokered peace talks. The UN's Yemen envoy, Martin Griffiths, arrived Sunday in the rebel-held capital Sanaa, without making any statement to the media. Griffiths is pushing for new peace talks after a failed attempt to bring the two sides together in Geneva earlier this month. The rebels kept away from the talks, accusing the UN of failing to guarantee the return of their delegation from Switzerland to Sanaa and to secure the evacuation of wounded rebels to Oman. Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in 2015 in the conflict between embattled Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, whose government is recognised by the United Nations, and the Houthis. *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. Austria and Germany agree that everything possible must be done to avoid Britain leaving the European Union without a trade deal, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Sunday before a meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel. Kurz and Merkel said they were meeting to discuss a range of issues, including Britain's planned departure from the bloc in 2019, immigration and efforts to bolster EU border security ahead of an informal summit of EU leaders in Salzburg next week. "We have the same view that we must do all we can to avoid a hard Brexit," Kurz said in a statement before the meeting. Search Keywords: Short link: Egypt's Minister of Civil Aviation Younes El-Masry congratulated officials and workers at Luxor International Airport for receiving first place in the Airport Council International (ACI) classification, topping all African airport's in the implementation of safety regulations. According to a statement, Minister El-Masry said the award is testament to the success of the Egyptian civil aviation system and will contribute to increasing the volume of investments in the aviation sector. The minister pointed out that the achievement is also an indication that the Egyptian airports apply the highest standards of air safety and security measures in accordance with international standards. According to the statement, the ACI praised the Luxor Airport, saying the selection was based on an intensive evaluation process in terms of infrastructure, air traffic operations and safety procedures. The ACI announced that the award will be presented during the General Assembly of the Council, which takes place from 14 to 17 October in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Egypt is set to host in the semi-annual ACI Conference and Exhibition in March 2019 in Luxor. Search Keywords: Short link: The Egyptian archaeological mission stumbled upon a sandstone statue of a Sphinx during excavation work that was being carried out at the Kom Ombo temple in Aswan to reduce the ground water level. Mostafa Waziri, general secretary of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, told Ahram Online that the discovered statue likely dates to the Ptolemaic era as it was found in the south-eastern side of Kom Ombo temple, the same location where two sandstone reliefs of King Ptolemy V were previously uncovered 2 months ago. Abdel Moneim Saeed, general director of the Aswan and Nubia antiquities council said that the mission will conduct more archaeological studies on the Sphinx to discover more information about its history and the king it belongs to. The previously discovered reliefs of King Ptolemy V were engraved in sandstone and inscribed with hieroglyphic and demotic writings, and upon their discovery, were transferred to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat for conservation and display inside the museum. Search Keywords: Short link: Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called on the army and police on Saturday to maintain utmost cautiousness, vigilance, and combat readiness during a meeting with the Supreme Council of Armed Forces. In an official statement, Egyptian Presidency spokesman Bassam Rady said El-Sisi, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, chaired the meeting in the attendance of Minister of Defense Mohamed Zaki and the armys Chief of Staff Mohamed Farid, as well as other members of the council. According to Rady, the meeting discussed the security conditions nationwide, with a revision on security measures and plans executed by the armed forces to track and arrest terrorists, who target the security of citizens and aim to shake the stability of the country, especially in North Sinai. Since February, the Egyptian armed forces have been conducting an extensive anti-terrorism campaign titled Operation Sinai 2018 to implement the plan of comprehensive confrontation of terrorist and criminal elements and organisations in north and middle Sinai and other areas in the Nile Delta and the desert areas west of the Nile valley. El-Sisi praised the armed forces role in combating terrorist and criminal operations in the country in cooperation with the police, hailing their sacrifices for the countrys safety and security. The Egyptian president called on both police and army to continue undertaking necessary measures to secure vital facilities and state institutions nationwide; ensuring the safety of the country and foiling terrorist groups attempts to threaten the safety of citizens. Search Keywords: Short link: We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Professor Shibley Telhami, will give his perspective on "What is happening in America" in a talk on Thursday 20 Sep organized by the AUC school of global affairs The American University in Cairo's School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, will host Professor of Government and Politics at University of Maryland, Shibley Telhami, on Thursday, Sep 20 at 6:00pm to talk on "What is happening in America?" The talk will be moderated by Karim Haggag, director of the center for American Studies and Research at the AUC. Mohamed Kamal, director of the center of International Area Studies at Cairo University will also participate in the talk. The talk is part of the AUC School of Global Affairs "Tahrir Dialogue Series". The event will be held at 6:00pm at Sofitel E-Gezira Hotel at Opera Ballroom. Search Keywords: Short link: A one-day, comparative law symposium on "Patent Litigation in Japan and Germany" will be held on October 4, 2018 at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (GPTO) in Munich, Germany. Experts on patent litigation proceedings from Japan and Germany will be speaking at the event, providing an overview of the current case law in both countries. Further, this event will offer a practice-oriented comparison of current legal issues such as claim construction and doctrine of equivalence or the protection of confidential information in patent litigation. The language of the symposium will be English. Additional information regarding the symposium can be found here. While there is no cost to participate in the program, advance registration is required. Those interested in attending the webinar can register here. News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism. Five participating financial institutions under the One District One Factory (1D1F) Programme have committed various amounts of funds towards some 73 businesses submitted to them by the Secretariat. On top of the list is EXIM Bank of Ghana, which funded 38 projects, the Agricultural Development Bank, gives conditional approval to 28 projects, GCB Bank has funded the Kete Krachi Timber Recovery Limited Project to harvest submerged trees in the Volta Lake in addition to four others. Additionally, the UMB and the Standard Chartered Bank have funded one project each. Mrs Gifty Ohene-Konadu, the National Coordinator of the One District One Factory Programme, announced this on Friday in Accra. She said the factories would be commissioned as and when President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo made time to cut the sod and commission them. She urged Ghanaians to be optimistic about the programme and be assured that the IDIF is something that is real and it is going to work. Speaking to journalists on the side-lines of a stakeholder engagement involving business enterprises on board the 1D1F programme on the Requirements and Standards, Mrs Ohene-Konadu said, currently, work on the projects was ongoing at various sites all over the country. Among the stakeholders that participated in the forum were promoters under the 1D1F who have submitted their business plans and whose projects have either been approved and received funding or are in the pipeline and ready to receive funding. The 1D1F Secretariat, in collaboration with the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), organised the engagement for the participants to discuss issues related to standards, certification and other related matters that affect their upcoming businesses under the 1D1F programme. Mrs Ohene-Konadu said the achievement of the goal of economic development through industrialisation, would require strict adherence to standards, since it formed the fundamental building blocks for product development. She said standards also helped to establish consistent protocols that could be universally understood and adopted and that would help engender accessibility to both local and international markets, while simplifying product development. This is because it is only through the application of standards that the credibility of the new products to be churned out of the factories can be verified. The bottom-line is that the consumers will have confidence that the products are safe, reliable and are of good quality. 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. Featured Video OmniBank Ghana Limited ("OmniBank) and BSIC Ghana Limited, trading as Sahel Sahara Bank ("BSIC) are pleased to announce that in a letter dated 14th August 2018 the Central Bank informed the two banks as follows: The Bank of Ghana (BOG) has "no objection" for merger talks between BSIC Bank (Ghana) Ltd. and OmniBank Ghana Ltd. to commence. You are, however, to note that the final approval of a merger will only be considered after all the necessary documentation has been submitted for review. By this arrangement, the banks have since signed a Heads of Terms (Memorandum of Understanding) to govern their intention to merge and commenced the process to meet all requirements for final BOG approval. In view of this, we are grateful to the Bank of Ghana, our cherished customers and all other stakeholders for their support and cooperation. We are committed to supporting the Bank of Ghana in its quest to ensure stability, confidence and growth in the banking sector. We also wish to assure our customers and the investing public that this merger when finally completed, will position our Bank as a major player in the banking industry to support private sector growth and Ghanas development agenda. Thank you. Dated: Monday, 15th September 2018 2 Please contact the persons below for further information Philip Oti-Mensah Email: [email protected] Tel: 050 125 7892 Dr. Kojo Aboagye-Debrah Email: [email protected] Tel: 0244 337 312 Investor Relations: M. Nana Sarfo Email: [email protected] Tel: 0244 362 687 End Additional Information The shareholders, Directors and Management of the two Banks took a decision to merge due to, among others, the following reasons: 1. The two Banks are of similar balance sheet sizes and similar business models, and would like to continue serving the SME market due to the huge potential and impact on the economy of Ghana. The merger will create a bigger Bank with the capacity to manage the opportunities and risks thereof. 2. The combined entity will have 46 branches, spread across the country to improve service delivery to our over 150,000 customers. 3. The two banks have maintained and published unqualified audited financial statements as required by the Bank of Ghana, and have Capital Adequacy Ratios (CAR) above the BOGs minimum requirement of 10%. 4. The two Banks have never received liquidity support from the central Bank. 5. In support of the merger, existing and potential shareholders have shown commitment to increase capital to fill the shortfall in the new Minimum Capital Requirement of GHS400 million, before the 31st December 2018 deadline. The Banks have also agreed to ensure that there will be no job losses for the permanent staff due to the merger. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Two persons, including a banker at the Takoradi branch of the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), have been put before an Accra Circuit Court for conspiring with nine others to steal an amount of GH1.158 million from the bank. Ferdinand Kofi Amponsah and Issah Alhassan were charged for conspiracy and 23 counts of stealing from GCB from June to September 2016. They both pleaded not guilty to all the charges and were subsequently granted bail in the sum of GH400,000.00 with four sureties, one of which is to be justified. As part of the bail conditions, the accused persons are to deposit their passports at the registry of the court and to report to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) every Wednesday. A bench warrant has also been issued by the court for the arrest of the nine others who are currently on the run. The prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) George Amegah, told the court that Ferdinand is the Corporate Manager of GCB Bank in Takoradi, while Issah is a mechanic and a customer of the bank. He said between September and November 2016, the management of the bank received complaints from customers about fraudulent withdrawals, which were carried out with cloned cheques drawn on accounts at the branches of the bank in Accra. He said it was established that while the true account holders had their genuine cheque books intact, replica copies of leaflets bearing the serial numbers of leaflets, which were not yet used by the account holders were procured with forged signatures. DSP Amegah said: These cloned leaflets are drawn on the bank and presented at branches outside Accra and various withdrawals made. It was established that four accounts of the bank had fraudulent withdrawals made on them. Investigations revealed that Ferdinand even though stationed in Takoradi at the Corporate Banking Department, used his identification number FC07072, which was assigned to him at Mampong, his previous station, to make several enquiries on the accounts prior to or after the cloned cheques were presented. During police investigations, Ferdinand admitted the offence and told the police that it was upon the request of Issah that he made enquiries on the accounts. Ferdinand further told the police that he took pictures of signature mandates, cheque book serial numbers and other confidential details of High Valued Account Holders, which he forwarded to Issah and others. DSP Amega said Ferdinand was not permitted to check or query individual customer accounts of the bank but he was engaged in this activity secretly, in collaboration with Issah and his nine accomplices to steal monies from the bank. He said between the said dates, it was found that the cloned cheques presented at the various branches of the bank resulted in the theft of GH365,100.00. The fictitious counter cheques resulted in the theft of GH422,000.00, while the figure obtained for the fictitious payment order resulted in the theft of GH184,448,000.00. Additionally, an amount of GH48,000.00 was stolen by means of fraudulent transfers from one of the affected accounts. He said out of the audit report compiled by the public accounts committee, the act engaged in by the accused persons and their accomplices resulted in the theft of an amount of GH1.158 million from the bank during the period as contained in the charge sheet. Ferdinand also admitted receiving an unspecified sum of money from Issah. Ferdinand has also built two houses at Adenta and Kasoa, which were suspected to have been built with proceeds from the crime. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The daughter of the late Egyptian Nobel Laureate, Naguib Mahfouz (1911- 2006), announced plans to publish 18 unreleased short stories written by Mahfouz in the 1990's. Um Kulthum, the only surviving daughter of Mahfouz, said in a statement that the short stories were discovered by culture journalist Mohamed Shoair while he was working on a book that chronicles the publishing history of Mahfouzs controversial novel Awlad Haretna (Children of Gebelawy). Shoair embarked on a multi-year mission of diving through thousands of archives, books, magazines, newspapers from the last 50 years to tell the story of the story, from the events that preceded the novels publication to Al-Ahram Newspapers serialization of the book in 1959, and the story of its banning and the critical reception of the novel. While researching through the archives, Shoair came across some of the short stories published in Nisfeldunia magazine, issued by Al-Ahram, right before the failed assassination attempt on Mahfouz in 1994. Shoair told Ahram Online that while he was researching the Mahfouz archives, he found a file of 50 short stories entitled "for publishing 1994. Most of the stories were published in Nisfeldunia magazine and some of them were included in the short stories collections he published later. After reviewing Mahfouzs bibliography, he and Um Kulthum discovered that 18 of the 50 stories were not published before and were absent from the bibliography. Um Kulthum is currently looking for a publisher for the new collection, and a release date has not yet been announced. Shoair said that he hopes the collection is published by Mahfouz's birthday anniversary next December. Search Keywords: Short link: President Nana Akufo-Addo will from today embark on a 4-day tour of the Central Region. The tour scheduled to end on Monday, September 17, 2018 forms part of the Presidents ongoing nationwide tour, which has seen him visit the Brong Ahafo, Western, Ashanti, Volta and the 3 Northern Regions. The President is expected to interact with Chiefs and people of Komenda, Gomoa Assin, Gomoa Ajumako, Mankessim and Effutu Traditional Areas. He will also engage Regional Party Executives, MMDCEs, and Regional Security Council in separate meetings. The President will be inspecting the Komenda Sugar Factory, Peterfield Citrus Factory, 300 acres sweet potato farm under 1D1F as well as the 20 megawatts Solar Farm. There will also be a sod cutting for Tourism Enclave Re-development Scheme, introduction of the Vice Chancellor and commissioning of the largest lecture theatre in Ghana at the University of Education Winneba. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Wife of late former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan is set to leave Ghana tonight for Switzerland. Nane Lagergren, together with her family will be seen off at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) by the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo later in the evening. Nane Lagergren together with her family came to Ghana last Monday with the remains of Kofi Annan who died on August 18, 2018, in Switzerland after a short illness. The late international diplomat was buried at the Military Cemetery last Thursday after lying in state for three days. Kofi Annan married Nane, a former lawyer, in 1984 after divorcing his first wife. They have three children, all from their previous marriages. Ama Annan and Kojo Annan from Kofis first marriage and Nina from Nanes previous relationship. Nane, a former lawyer, is the niece of Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who helped thousands of Jews to escape from the Nazis during World War II. Source: Citi Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Gunmen have attacked a cinema in Nigeria's north-western Zamfara State, killing 11 people and injuring more than 20, witnesses and hospital sources told the BBC. The suspected armed bandits opened fire at a village hall, where residents gather at night to watch films. The cinema-goers panicked, many escaped with multiple gunshot wounds or broken bones, according to witnesses. Amnesty International has warned about the escalating violence in the area. It is not clear why the cinema was targeted, but villages in Zamfara State have come under heavy attack from armed bandits in recent months. Witnesses say the attackers arrived in the village of Badarawa on foot on 12 September before heading to the hall, known as a viewing centre. Hospital sources says some of the victims' injuries are life-threatening, while the dead have already been buried. The police say security personnel have been deployed to track down the assailants. Nearly 400 people have been killed in the state this year amid an increase in robbery, killings, and kidnappings for ransom, according to the rights group Amnesty. Source: BBC Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Member of Parliament for the Tarkwa Nsuaem, George Mireku Duker has asked sympathizers of Menzgold to stop blaming government for the recent happenings regarding the gold hub. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) wrote to Menzgold Ghana Company, demanding that all trading in gold without licence be ceased. It also asked the company which has been on the warpath with the Bank of Ghana, not to take new contracts (investments) and also halt the broadcast and publishing of all its adverts forthwith. Speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' on Thursday, September 13; Menzgold Chairman, Fred Ohene Frimpong stated they are not aware of contravening any laws regarding their operations and so, questioned why the SEC would come after them, asking them to shut down. He however assured customers and the general public that Menzgold is "prepared to deliver and then were going to deliver . . . Whatever it is well find a way to negotiate with them, sit down with them and find a permanent solution to this problem because well not fail. And well not fail Ghana." The company's assurance appears not to have sunk well with the Tarkwa Nsuaem MP who addressing the issue on Friday edition of 'Kokrokoo' told host Kwami Sefa Kayi that Menzgold deserves the action from Bank of Ghana and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Hon. Mireku Duker asked Ghanaians to leave government out of the issue because Menzgold has created its own woes. He narrated that Menzgold begun in October 2014 as Menzbank and when the Bank of Ghana got wind of it, therefore cautioned the management to halt operations till it's given a licence and has acquired the right documentation. According to him, the management of Menzbank subsequently changed to Menzbanc and now Menzgold despite forewarnings from the Central Bank. He wants the general public to know that "it is the activities of the institution (Menzgold) itself that have resulted into thisIts the behavior of some people which wont augur well for the nationIt is not the government. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Charles Nii Armah Mensah known in showbiz circles as Shatta Wale has admonished Ghanaians to be patient with the government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo The Ghanaian music star said this on Abusua FM in Kumasi where he granted an interview on his upcoming album The Reign which will be launched on 13th October 2018 at the Fantasy Dome in Accra. Shatta Wale in answering a question from host Austine Woode on whether he thinks some people malign him without fully appreciating his views on issues said Austine, I believe so and its because of the way the issues are presented in the media. They make it seem Im always trouble Some Ghanaians talk too much about issues they have little knowledge of. They are always complaining and they do same to even the President Shatta Wale further said We Ghanaians said we wanted Mahama but didnt give him time to execute his policies and these same people are complaining about Nana Addo. To him, Ghanaians should take it cool with leaders of the country including Nana Addo instead of always bashing them even when their tenure of office has not ended. When quizzed whether he was suggesting Ghanaians who voted for a government cant complain if they are suffering, Shatta Wale responded by saying I am not saying people cant complain but their complaints should have a basis and not just because they dont like the President and want him to fail Source: Zionfelix Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video KAMPALA While addressing the nation last week, President Yoweri Museveni is said to have lashed out at Ugandans for refusing to extend gratitude to NRM for immunising them against killer diseases, but instead turned it their hobby to criticise his Government. The NRM has protected Ugandans in health by immunising them, protected them from war and terrorism. but now no one cares, the President remarked. However, Musevenis remarks seem to have come back to haunt him following revelation by United States Mission in Uganda, which seem to paint a picture that the Fountain of Honour was peddling fake news. T his morning, the Mission took to its official Twitter handle announcing the trillions United States has been injecting in Ugandas health sector, with the World Power claiming a huge share in immunising Ugandan children. Under the hashtag; #HandsinHandWithUganda, the Mission wrote that the nation has injected a tune of USD501M in Ugandas health sector, which amounts to Shs1.8Trn: In 2017, U.S. assistance helped immunize more than 1.5 million Ugandan children. Ugandans who have been nursing wounds and bruised egos following Musevenis immunisation remarks pounced on the information, demanding clarification from Government to substantiate on the figures availed by the US Mission. One Twitter user, Gerald Mawanda noted: Museveni recently boasted that his 32+ years old government has immunized Ugandans and they should be grateful to him, for it. It turns out, its the Americans immunizing Ugandan children. What is Museveni, without the US? Another muzukulu argued that the money invested by the Super Power is too much and wondered why Uganda doesnt have enough drugs in hospitals questioning if all spent on immunization? A one Kihika thanked the Mission for the generosity and questioned if the money was in form of a loan or donation, We need more such info from across development partners, he asked. Vincent Kizza wrote: Thank you so much for the big American heart. The US Missions revelation left one twitter user by the names of Omugishu with more questions than answers, Why are foreigners trying to interfere with Uganda healthy system? Our beloved President said NRM immunised us the Bazzukulu. Did he lie? or they are the ones lying? The development comes at a time when a report by the 26 member Health Committee of Parliament on the 2018/2019 Ministerial Policy Statement and Budget estimates alluded to risks Ugandas health sector stands due to dependency on foreign funding. The Committee warned in May that the dependency on external financing puts lives of Ugandans at risk in the event the donors withdrew the funding. The Health Committee highlighted that in the 2018/2019 budget allocations donor funds would account for 45% while Government will meet the other 55% of the budget for the Ministry of Health. The report further noted that 73.2% of the external financing is earmarked for HIV, TB and Malaria, with MPs arguing that these should have been priority for Government, with the report highlighting: This overdependence exposes lives of Ugandan to high health risk in the event that donors withdrew their support, the report highlighted. According to the report, whereas a number of donor-financed projects require counter-part funding to the tune of Shs64bn only Shs26bn has been earmarked in the next financial year. The MPs cautioned that the financing gap will result in delayed disbursements of donor funds, leading to delays in project implementation as well as budget absorption challenges as has been the case in the previous years. Related Harris Corporation has been selected to provide an enhanced county-wide public safety communications solution that serves more than 1,300 users in Hialeah, Florida. Harris will supply a state-of-the-art P25 Phase 1 and Phase 2 system to provide citywide coverage and modern services based on Harris' VIDA platform. Hialeah dispatchers will use the award-winning Symphony dispatch consoles. Harris says Hialeah will experience an enhanced level of interoperability with Miami-Dade County and neighbor municipalities Miami, Miami Beach, and Coral Gables since all have or are in the process of installing Harris P25 systems. "Harris' advanced P25 technology will and applications to the 900-plus system users who serve their communities," said Nino DiCosmo, president, Harris Public Safety and Professional Communications. "We look forward to building our partnership with Hialeah and are dedicated to providing first responders in our home state with the best equipment and technology they need to serve our communities every day." Harris Public Safety and Professional Communications is a leading supplier of communications systems and equipment for public safety, federal, utility, commercial and transportation markets. The business has more than 80 years of experience in public safety and professional communications and supports more than 500 systems around the world. For more information, visit harris.com. Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), a leading K-12 school gunshot detection solutions provider, and CentralSquare Technologies, a leading public sector software and information technology solutions provider, announced plans to develop and install what they're calling the first gunshot detection sensor system with integrated 911 call automation designed specifically for a school campus at Phoenix Academy, a charter school located in High Point, N.C. Programmed to reduce response time and save lives in the event of an active shooter incident, the advanced platform is expected to be fully installed and activated in early 2019, with the support of integration partner Johnson Controls. The first-of-its-kind scholastic detection and response system aligns SDS Guardian Indoor Active Shooter Detection System with CentralSquares Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) System, offering Phoenix Academy a comprehensive and streamlined security upgrade that notifies both individuals inside the school and local police and responders of an active shooter. Initially, Phoenix Academy plans to integrate the SDS and CentralSquare joint technology across three campus buildings, with additional installations possible at a later date. Together, with our partners CentralSquare and Johnson Controls, we applaud the Phoenix Academys commitment to introducing state-of-the-art technology as a part of its evolving safety plans, said Christian Connors, CEO of Shooter Detection Systems. As the first public venue in North Carolina and first school in the nation to combine the Guardian and CentralSquare CAD Systems, Phoenix Academy places itself and the city of High Point on the cutting edge of readiness to respond faster and more effectively to an active shooter incident. Should gunfire occur on school property, the SDS Guardian Systems sensors use acoustic and infrared technologies to detect and distinguish the shot. Upon receiving a shooter alert, CentralSquares interface automatically posts the incident to the CAD open-call queue and requests immediate dispatch without requiring human intervention. By directly contacting the High Point 911 Center, the automated gunshot detection technology system empowers an immediate response and saves valuable minutes that otherwise might be lost through manual alert and dispatching processes. The SDS Guardian Systems sensors and CentralSquares CAD technology also synchronize to provide real-time situational information to police and first responders mobile computer terminals and pagers. In the event of an active shooter at the Phoenix Academy, emergency teams will instantly be alerted to the location and frequency of gunshots and note the areas on campus that require the most immediate attention. Every second makes a difference during an active shooter incident, and both school officials and local responders cannot afford to lose time waiting for notification and estimating the scope of the situation, said Simon Angove, CEO of CentralSquare. By combining our best-in-class CAD technology with SDS Guardian detection sensors, we can automate the alert and dispatch processes and get needed personnel to affected individuals faster and more efficiently. We look forward to working with our partners to set the new standard for school safety and protect lives during these devastating occurrences. The SDS and CentralSquare joint installation is part of a grand-scale overhaul of the Phoenix Academys security protocols and technologies following several prominent nationwide school shootings during the 2017-18 academic year. In addition to becoming the first school in North Carolina to implement an active shooter detection system, the Phoenix Academy will install new surveillance cameras, safe-egress door locks and an access control entry system for its staff as part of a coordinated effort with the city of High Points government, police department, first responders and 911 call center. Ensuring the safety of our students and staff is our undisputed priority, and we recognized opportunities to build upon our existing lockdown and evacuation processes with more capable and responsive technology, said Kim Norcross, Superintendent of the Phoenix Academy. While we hope that we never have to use this system at its fullest capacity, we are honored to be the first school to work with SDS and CentralSquare to bring this landmark installation to life. To learn more about SDS Guardian technology, visit www.shooterdetectionsystems.com. For more information about CentralSquares CAD System and complete public safety technologies lineup, visit www.CentralSqr.com. If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Welcome Guest! You Are Here: AP, August 16, 2018 A man who was injured in a suicide bombing that targeted a training class in a private building in the Shiite neighborhood of Dasht-i Barcha is placed in an ambulance, 15 August 2018. (Photo: AP) A man who was injured in a suicide bombing that targeted a training class in a private building in the Shiite neighborhood of Dasht-i Barcha is placed in an ambulance, 15 August 2018. (Photo: AP) Isis has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that targeted a Shia area of the Afghan capital, killing 34 students. The militant group said through its affiliated news agency Amaq that its bomber, identified as martyrdom-seeking brother Abdul Raouf al-Khorasani carried out the attack in Kabul. Afghanistan's health ministry has released a revised casualty toll, saying 34 students were killed and 57 were wounded. The attack targeted a building where students were preparing to sit university entrance exams. The bomber had walked into a classroom at a Shia educational centre in Dasht-e-Barchi. Most of the victims were young men and women who had recently graduated from high school. Authorities launched an investigation to determine how the bomber had managed to sneak into the compound in the area, which has its own guards. Afghan president Ashraf Ghani condemned the terrorist attack, saying it martyred and wounded the innocent. The Dasht-e-Barchi area is populated by members of Afghanistan's minority ethnic Hazaras - a Shia community that has in the past been targeted by similar large-scale attacks. Isis, which considers Shia Muslims to be heretics, frequently targets them, attacking mosques, schools and cultural centres. In the past two years, there have been at least 13 attacks on the Shia community in Kabul alone. Grieving families have gathered to bury their dead after the atrocity, but even amid the sombre atmosphere there was no respite from violence in the city. Gunmen besieged a compound belonging to the Afghan intelligence service in a north-western Kabul area, opening fire as Afghan security forces moved in to cut them off. Two gunmen who attacked the compound were killed by security forces after a six-hour siege. A spokesman said police finally took control of a partially constructed building where the gunmen had holed up in order to shoot at the nearby compound. The attacks, which come at the end of more than a week of assaults that have left scores of Afghan troops and civilians dead, show how militants are still able to stage large-scale attacks - even in the capital, Kabul - and undermine efforts by Afghan forces to provide security and stability on their own. Afghanistan's IS affiliate is known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province. Khorasan is the ancient name for an area that encompassed parts of present-day Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia. PAN, September 5, 2018 Mehdi Arash Yama, son of Nader Yama, the Afghanistan charge de affairs in Canada, allegedly raped a Canadian girl in late February, 2018. He was expelled from school following the incident and is under investigation by the Canadian police. (Photo: PAN) Mehdi Arash Yama, son of Nader Yama, the Afghanistan charge de affairs in Canada, allegedly raped a Canadian girl in late February, 2018. He was expelled from school following the incident and is under investigation by the Canadian police. (Photo: PAN) Canada has formally asked the Afghan government to allow the arrest of a son of the Afghanistan acting ambassador to that country for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl. A credible source told Pajhwok Afghan News that Mehdi Arash Yama, son of Nader Yama, the Afghanistan charge de affairs in Canada, allegedly raped the Canadian girl in late February, 2018. Arash Yama was above 18 years of age when he was expelled from school after the case. Nader Yama kept the case secret for five months and had hired a lawyer, the source added. After Nader Yama refused to hand his son over to the Canadian government for investigation hiding behind diplomatic immunity, the Canadian government in protest shared the issue with the Afghanistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and gave the Afghan government a deadline to either submit the offender or they would act directly and end the diplomatic impunity, the official said. Another official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who also wished to go unnamed, said Arash Yamas case had reached the ministry. The son of Nader Yama is accused of raping a 16 years old girl in his fathers vehicle with diplomatic number plate. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs received a letter about the case from the Canadian government on July 25, 2018, the source said. In the letter, the Canadian government has requested an end to the diplomatic impunity enjoyed by the family member of the Afghanistan Charge de Affairs, Nader Yama, and his son be submitted to police for investigation, the source added. The official said the ministry wanted to extend legal support to Nader Yama, but he had already hired a lawyer for the case. He said the son of Nader Yama has surrendered to police and he is currently under investigation. Pajhwok Afghan News also obtained a copy of the letter the Canadian police had sent to the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The letter (XDC-9298) was sent to the foreign ministry on June 20. The letter requests the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs to submit Arash Yama for police investigation. On June 27, Ottawa police sent a second email to the Afghanistan Embassy in Canada and said they did not receive a response to the letter (XDC-9298). The email said Arash Yamas lawyer had talked to police investigators about the case but police wanted Arash Yama to be present in the investigation and the Afghan Embassy should cooperate in the matter. But Sibghatullah Ahmadi, foreign ministry spokesman, told Pajhwok that the issue had not yet been shared with the ministry. If such a case is happened, it is personal, it does not relate to our diplomat, but his son should be responsible, he said. Pajhwok tried to contact Nader Yama and Canadian police for details, but neither side responded. The Afghanistan law on Combating Human and Migrant Trafficking considers sexual assault as one of serious human trafficking issues and recommends up to more than 12 years in jail punishment for the offender. The Afghanistan penalty code article 429 says if the victim of a sexual assault is aged less than 18 years, the perpetrator is sentenced to 10 years in jail. According to 271st article of the Canadian penal code, if the victim is immature, the perpetrator is sentenced to two to four years in jail, but if the victim is physically harmed, then the punishment is extended. You know that tired old argument where some internet commando inertially spouts the it's called a slide stop, not a slide release line? Well, you can hear it once more when you head into your local Tango Down dealer to scoop up one of the new Vickers Tactical Gen5 slide stops for your Glock. Even if you're one of the slide stop isn't a slide release people you might appreciate the added functionality of the Vickers Tactical part. Not only should it make locking the slide open easier, but it should also make it easier to use the slide lock as a slide release thanks to a unique profile and some deep serrations added to improve purchase on the tiny metal part. Tango Down says that the Vickers slide stop is stamped from 4130 chrome moly steel and is then heat treated the same way as the OEM slide stop is. After all of that is done, Tango Down finishes it with a non-reflective black finish that they refer to as a hard coat finish. The new Vickers Tactical Gen5 Glock slide stop carries an MSRP of $27.95 and is available now at your local Tango Down dealer. Visit the Tango Down website for information on the rest of the Vickers Tactical lineup. More from Tango Down: 'The greed for power of the BJP and its allies is exposed to the fact that they can't even give charge to a trusted lieutenant in the absence of the CM.' IMAGE: Ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee has appealed to Governor Mridula Sinha to give the Congress an opportunity to form a stable government in the state. In a statement issued by GPCC President Girish Chodankar, the party stated, 'The Congress has never hesitated to play the role of a constructive and effective Opposition but we will not hesitate to come forward and take responsibility to form a government.' 'We have already cautioned Honourable Governor Her Excellency Dr Mridula Sinha about a possible ploy by the BJP to fraudulently impose President's Rule in Goa, through the back door,' it said. 'We urge her (Governor Sinha) once again, that the Congress should be given an opportunity to form a stable government in Goa, in view of the prevailing political chaos in the state,' the GPCC added. The Congress also criticised Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who was rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi on Saturday, September 15, for not handing over charge of the administration to any of his cabinet colleagues. 'We would like to remind the people of Goa that their well-being is the last thing on the minds of the ruling political parties who are unleashing the ugly game of power and clamouring for their benefit,' the Goa Congress stated. 'The greed for power of the BJP and its allies is exposed to the fact that they can't even give charge to a trusted lieutenant in the absence of the CM,' the Congress added. The Congress accused the BJP of creating a mess in Goa over last 16 months. 'While we sympathise with the chief minister as far as his health is concerned, his act of snatching away the mandate given to the Congress in the 2017 assembly elections and his total mismanagement of all major issues in Goa, including mining, formalin, food adulteration, pollution, CRZ, TCP, Casino, unemployment etc had already driven Goa to the edge,' it stated. 'No one in Goa is happy, the BJP is not happy, (its) allies are not happy, the people of Goa are unhappy, bureaucrats and government officers are unhappy, even the CM and ministers are unhappy.' 'This happens when you don't respect people's mandate. (The) BJP and its allies should take up the responsibility for this mess created in Goa over the last 16 months,' the Congress statement said. 'This current confusion of epic proportions which we are witnessing is only going to hurt the prospects of the state further, especially when the BJP, does not even have a second-in-command to succeed Parrikar in his absence,' the Congress stated. 'The very fact that a second-in-command was never allowed to be groomed by the BJP shows how selfish interests have sacrificed the interest of the party and the state of Goa.' Parrikar underwent treatment at a hospital in the United States earlier this year. He returned to the US on August 10 for a follow-up and returned on August 22, but was later admitted to a hospital in Mumbai the next day due to health complications. He once again left for the US on August 29 and later returned to India. On September 15, Parrikar, who is suffering from a pancreatic ailment, was flown to the AIIMS for further treatment. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday urged all opposition parties to unite to oust the Bharatiya Janata Party and said if the saffron party is defeated in Uttar Pradesh, it can be stopped from coming to power in the Centre. The Congress has the biggest responsibility and it should show a big heart by taking everyone along. It should hold discussions with all opposition parties, he said. The opposition will choose its leader after the Lok Sabha polls and it should set aside differences to achieve the larger goal of ousting the BJP, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said. We will choose our leader (of the grand alliance) after the elections. We have to stop the BJP. If we can stop the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, we can stop them in all of India, Yadav said at the NDTV Yuva conclave. Taking a dig at BJP chief Amit Shah over his claim that his party will rule for the next 50 years, he said, Forget 50 years, people will give their verdict in 50 weeks. The Congress has the biggest responsibility today, they need to open their hearts and should take everyone along. I am in constant touch with (Bahujan Samaj Party chief) Mayawati ji, he said. Yadav said for the sake of a crucial alliance to be put in place, I am willing to play a supporting role. Speaking at the conclave, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav said, I am here to save the country. He said he opposed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-BJP ideology and not individuals. They say we only oppose Prime Minister Modi, we have no other agenda. Did we not oppose the BJP and the RSS earlier? Our fight is against the ideology not individuals, the RJD leader said at the conclave. Tejashwi Yadav alleged that currently, there is a practise of vindictive politics and either one has to stand with folded hands or else face harassment by the present dispensation. Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag Paswan claimed that Modi will come to power and will be the prime minister again in 2019. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the Samajwadi Party lost in Uttar Pradesh because the RSS misled people, but people have now seen through them. He said the faith of opposition parties has been shaken. Not just our parties, but to save the country we have to stay away from the RSS. RSS creates a divide between us based on religion, caste. That is why I am against them, he said. The BJPs plan was to keep the youth fighting among themselves over religion and caste so that they do not ask for jobs and income, Akhilesh Yadav said. Asked about the alliance with the Congress ahead of the Uttar Pradesh polls, he said, My alliance with Rahul Gandhi in UP was the right thing to do at the time, people did not understand our message, we were not able to communicate our message properly. India will not lower its guard along the Line of Actual Control with China, while maintaining border peace in sync with the Wuhan spirit, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said. Nearly a month after talks with her Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe, Sitharaman said both sides recognised that the broad decisions arrived at the informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan should govern management of the border. Absolutely, she said when asked whether India is still on guard and not lowering it despite the Wuhan sprit. At the Wuhan summit in April, Modi and Xi resolved to open a new chapter in ties, and directed their militaries to boost coordination along the nearly 3,500 km Sino-India border, months after the most serious military faceoff in decades between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in Doklam triggered fears of an war. Asked whether the decision of Modi and Xi at the summit to issue strategic guidelines to their militaries to maintain peace along the border is working, she said, I want to believe it is working. At the same time, she added that as defence minister of the country she was conscious of the fact that the she will have to keep the border guards alert. Then I would also be, as Raksha Mantri, I would also be conscious that I have to keep (them) alert... Wuhan spirit, yes, she said during an interaction. When asked if Army Chief General Bipin Rawats comments earlier in the year that the time has come for India to shift focus to its northern border from the western frontier, she said, I cannot afford to say, at the cost of one border, I will be more alert, more ready in another. A border is a border. I have to be conscious of both my borders. I will also have to be conscious of my sea. It is less talked about, she said. Last month, Sitharaman and Wei held extensive talks during which they decided to work towards firming up a new bilateral pact on defence cooperation and agreed to increase interactions between their militaries at various levels to avoid Doklam-like standoffs. It is this (Wuhan) spirit, which both the Chinese and we recognise, will have to govern our borders. The Chinese minister referred to the Wuhan spirit more than twice and said we expect the sprit to be governing everything which happens to the last company which comes to the border, Sitharaman said. The defence minister also referred to Modis speech at Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in June, saying his views about the region was even welcomed by China. In his address at the premier defence and strategic affairs conference, Modi said Asia and the world will have a better future when India and China work together with trust and confidence while being sensitive to each others interests. Talking about the Line of Actual Control, Sitharaman said as it is not completely demarcated, there are differing perceptions about it by both sides. There are several areas where the border is not completely defined and demarcated. As a result, the perception of where the border is one thing for us and completely differnt for them. So they come to a point where we think they should not be coming and we go to a point where they think we should not be going. So periodically this becomes cause for the flare up, she said. When asked about the army officers, who have approached the Supreme Court to present their views on cases relating to the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, she said she has no grudge against them. The defence minister said the officers have chosen to go to the court as there is a certain sense of worry in their minds which she can understand. In an unusual move, around 700 army officers and soldiers have approached the Supreme Court, requesting it to protect the bonafide action of soldiers under AFSPA, and voicing concerns over reported move to dilute some provisions of the law which protects the security forces from prosecution without the Centre's approval. Grievance redressal is a right. I will never want to say if you have a grievance, you should not voice it. I will never say that, she said when asked about the issue. There are institutional mechanisms available for grievance redressal within the army, navy and air force. So it is possible for men or officers to have grievance redressal institutionalised within the forces. But if in the case of AFSPA, they have chosen to go to the court, there is a certain sense of worry in the minds of men and officers and I can understand that, she said. Sitharaman said AFSPA law was brought to address situations which are absolutely unique and very challenging. Now, if that is, from the point of view of human rights, taken to the court and the court is giving a full hearing and justice to hear everybody out, and if the officers and men felt they also would want to give their argument, I cannot grudge that. I really cannot grudge that. We are speaking up for the men and officers who are on the field and that is why the advocate general, attorney general appear on behalf of the governments position. So we will hope that the court gives a good comprehensive hearing, she said The Supreme Court has been hearing cases relating to alleged extra-judicial killings in Manipur by the security forces. Army Chief General Bipin Rawat disapproved of the move by the serving officers and soldiers to approach the top court in their personal capacity. At the same time, he had said the armed forces and the defence ministry are steadfastly behind all officers who have conducted operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the north east. In a virtual snub to Bhim Army founder Chandrashekhar Azad, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Sunday denied any association with him, days after he had claimed that he and his bua (aunt) Mayawati have the same blood. IMAGE: Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati addresses a press conference, in Lucknow. Photograph: Nand Kumar/PTI Photo The Bhim Army was set up around three years ago in Saharanpur and has gained considerable popularity among members of the Scheduled Castes. The group champions empowerment of Dalits, especially those apparently disenchanted with former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati. Azad, 31, walked free from Saharanpur district jail in the wee hours of Friday after the Uttar Pradesh government decided to release him before the completion of his detention period. Some people in order to realise their vested political interests, some in their defence, while some in order to look young are trying to forge different relationships such as brother-sister and bua-bhatija (aunt and nephew) with me, Mayawati told reporters. Her comments came against the backdrop of the Bhim Army founder, who is also known as Ravan, reportedly claiming that, We (he and Mayawati) both have the same blood. She may have some issues with me, I have none with her. It is not in my values to speak ill of my bua (aunt). Our only aim is to defeat the BJP. Referring to attempts made by Azad to forge the relationship of bua with her, Mayawati said she cannot have any respectable relationship with such people. For the past few days, a man who was recently released from jail is trying to call me bua. If these people were really interested in the welfare of Dalits, then instead of resurrecting their organisation, they would have joined the BSP, she said. Sources say Azads release could be Bharatiya Janata Partys strategy to lessen the influence of the BSP in western Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. In the recent by-elections in the region, the BJP lost its two seats -- Kairana Lok Sabha and Noorpur assembly seats -- to joint opposition candidates. Mayawati had taken several digs at the Bhim Army, suggesting it was a product of the BJP and the party was using it to target the BSP and block its attempts to forge an alliance of all castes in UP. The Bhim Army chief was detained under the stringent National Security Act in connection with the 2017 Saharanpur violence. He was arrested in June 2017 in connection with the May 5 clashes between Thakurs and Dalits in which one person was killed and 16 others injured at Shabbirpur village in Saharanpur. On November 2, 2017, the Allahabad high court had granted bail to Azad. However, a day before his release, he was booked under the NSA, thus preventing his release. Under the NSA, he was to be detained till November 1. Making international commitments is one thing. Ensuring they are delivered and reflected locally is quite another. That much we know. Now during the past few weeks, some inspirational remarks were made publicly both locally and internationally. Coming from this nations leaders, some of them instill hope, others though demand scrutiny. Lets talk a little bit about them. At the Lowy Institute in Australia for instance, Prime Minister Tuilaepa told the world that climate change posed an existential challenge to low lying islands in the Pacific. He demanded that developed countries like Australia needed to reduce pollution in order to address what he described as the biggest challenge of modern time. While climate change may be considered a slow onset threat by some in the region, its adverse impacts are already being felt by Island communities, Tuilaepa said. He also fired a shot at world leaders who question the existence of climate change. We all know the problem, we all know the solutions, and all that is left would be some political courage, some political guts, to tell people of your country there is a certainty of disaster, Tuilaepa said. So any leader of any country who believes that there is no climate change, I think he ought to be taken to mental confinement. He is utterly stupid. And I say the same thing to any leader here. Well these are pretty strong words for a leader of any country to say, but then if you know Prime Minister Tuilaepa, you shouldnt be surprised at all. By and large, Prime Minister Tuilaepa hit the nail on the head in relation to the issue of climate change. While he couldve been wiser in his choice of words, there is no doubt that his message reverberated throughout the region and was widely reported, so that his frustration about the lack of action from some of the biggest countries to address climate change was well and truly felt. Good on him. Three weeks later, Tuilaepa is back in Samoa. Hes returned to a major tragedy, which has shocked this nation and has sent out shockwaves to the world. On Monday, one of the worst disasters in recent memory in the history of this country killed three men at Tafua Savaii. Reports tell us that five men working for a brick making company were mining soil from the area when a landslide occurred. All five were buried, only two survived. The deceased men have been identified as 34-year-old Meki Matau of Tafua and Puipaa, 37-year-old Fogalefatu Tiatia of Gataivai and 42-year-old David Laloata from Tafua. A preliminary police investigation has found that the constant mining of the area may have caused the nearby embankment to cave in and bury the workers. The theory appears to be supported by a retired Geologist who has alleged that continuous excavation work on the rugged side of a volcano in Savaii triggered the deadly landslide. In fact Tuapou Warren Jopling said he wasnt surprised that there was a landslide. Simple reason, they were excavating and digging it deep, I think too deep. Im pretty sure the excavators underwent a problem of trying to cut through the rock face which caused instability, he said. Which is what we find ironic. Lets accept the fact that a coronial enquiry to investigate the cause of deaths is set to begin on 24 October. We will know a lot more about what led to this tragedy by then. But its hard to ignore the feeling that maybe the lives of these men could have been spared, if some lessons were learnt and best practices were used, in relation to such activities. For example, we know the Tafua area has been the subject of soil mining for the past many years. Did the Government not notice this? What was done about it? Speaking of climate change and its impact, did the Government not know that the quarrying, soil and rock mining cause landslides? Did they not know that deforestation, which has been happening all over Samoa, contributes to and exacerbates the impact of climate change? By the way, the Tafua landslide was not the first in Samoa. In February this year, we all saw the biggest landslide to have occurred in Samoa at Aleipata. Its a miracle that no one was killed. There is no doubt that was triggered by irresponsible soil and rock mining. What was done about that? And did the Government hold anyone to account for what triggered that particular landslide? What about the companies that had been mining the area for years? Are they responsible? Could the lessons from Aleipata if the Government cared to - perhaps have been used to avoid what has now happened at Tafua? These are questions we need to ask. They are hard questions but necessary. We say this because we see such an apathetic attitude towards the digging and mining of soil and rocks all over Samoa. They are being done at will, with some cases involving major companies, exploiting the Governments ignorant attitude towards the enforcement of the law. Lets be reminded today that three people have died, which is such a waste of precious lives. What guarantee do we have that no more lives will be claimed by such carelessness, especially given the prevalence of cases where irresponsible soil and rock mining is happening in Samoa? Which brings us back to the point we made earlier about the need to ensure that promises and announcements made internationally are delivered locally. Its true that climate is the biggest challenge of our time. We need all the help we can get to fight it. But looking at a lot of disasters happening, they are man-made. Indeed, it is not climate change that killed those three men in Savaii. It is the lack of local action and the poor enforcement of laws if there are any which allowed it to happen. There is more to this of course. When our leaders go off and blast other countries about climate change, they should make sure they do the right thing in Samoa first. Think emission, solid waste and pollution. Now think of the growing number of vehicles, many of them not fit for Samoan roads, being dumped here, contributing to the problem of climate change? This country is not getting any bigger, if climate change-related developments are anything to go by, it is sinking. Where are all these vehicles going to end up? But then perhaps thats a story for another day. In the meantime, have a restful Sunday Samoa, God bless! Dear Editor, I have worked with Joe for over 30 years and would like to express my appreciation for his quiet attentive presence in our work together. Joe was the first Samoan pilot to fly a turbojet aircraft in commercial operations in Samoa he was also the first local turbine captain and it was with great pride in 1975 that we flew the first all Samoan crewed flight. Joe worked for his pilots licence he broke the glass ceiling and did it in his usual understated way as if it is what was expected. Many of todays pilots emulate what Joe did but he made it seem a reasonable cause. He understood the value of money as he earned what he got. I enjoyed working with him and really appreciated his quiet support particularly in the Polynesian era of my life. We worked in many countries and cities in the development and growth of Polynesian during that period and Joe was always quietly there lending the occasional wise advice but generally just supporting. Our trip to Kuwait was a case in point. We travelled to pick up the B767 for Polynesian and Joe and I spent a couple of weeks there getting it. Joe had a habit of using a very firm handshake to say hello and this got around the management of Kuwait Air very quickly. So when we met a new manager he would look at me, look at Joe and give him their hand. The look on their faces when Joe gripped their hand was priceless. Then they would look at me and be extremely reluctant to shake my hand as they felt it was a Samoan tradition. They all knew about the Samoan from the WWF and all asked if we knew Maiava and the wrestling Samoans and of course we said yes as they were related. All Samoans are separated by 2 degrees of separation. We inspected the aircraft and its records and got all the information together to have it put on the Samoan (New Zealand) register. It was an interesting exercise and I really was thankful that Joe was there with his aviation experience as we were able to split the workload and work a lot faster. Everything went well till we got to the departure lounge and were advised that Kuwait Air had changed the engine on the aircraft due to the fact that it was not the engine that they had offered. This was not the truth but we could not change what was happening, as we could not talk to their management from within the departure lounge. Joe was determined he would address the issue but we just could not get out of the lounge and in the end departed Kuwait a little soured. However Joe has been a good friend and I shall miss you and have a good last flight Joe. Grant Percival Another clipped wing The International Press Institute (I.P.I.), a global network of editors, publishers and leading journalists for press freedom, has called on the government of Samoa to repeal a criminal libel law it reintroduced late last year. I.P.I. Deputy Director Scott Griffen made the call during a banquet on Friday, August 25, in Apia, Samoa, honouring the Samoa Observer newspaper, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The Samoa Observer is the leading source of independent news in the South Pacific state. Repealing criminal libel isnt a cure-all for press freedom but it is an important step, Mr. Griffen told an audience that included Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi. Journalists should never face jail for doing their jobs. The Samoan government had repealed criminal libel in 2013 following years of campaigning by journalists in the country, only to reintroduce it following what the government has said is growing online defamation. While officials have not indicated plans to use the measure against journalists, Griffen noted that the previous law had been used to target the Samoa Observer and its founder and editor-in-chief, Gatoaitele Savea Sano Malifa, whom I.P.I. named as one of its World Press Freedom Heroes in 2000. The Samoa Observer has been subject to harassment and intimidation throughout its history for its coverage of corruption and other forms of wrongdoing, with a low point occurring in the late 1990's when the Malifa family received death threats and the papers printing press was burned down under suspicious circumstances. Fridays event lauded Gatoaitele Savea Malifas commitment to independent journalism through the Samoa Observer, which he founded in 1978 shortly after returning to Samoa from the United States, where, as a young poet, he worked in a bookshop not far from the White House. Malifa described his time in Washington, D.C., during the Watergate scandal as formative for his future work in journalism. We are so proud to count Savea Sano Malifa as one of our esteemed members, Mr. Griffen said in his remarks. Together with his wife, Jean, Savea has worked for our over four decades with unshakeable conviction and at great personal risk to bring the news to the Samoan public and act as a fearless watchdog of those in power. A whos who of politicians, journalists, business leaders and foreign diplomats gathered at the event in downtown Apia, a sign of the respect the Samoa Observer, despite its fiercely guarded independence and critical coverage of power in a country of just under 200,000 people, has cultivated over decades. Samoas Head of State, Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II, and the Chief Justice of the countrys supreme court were among the guests. Both the Head of State and the Prime Minister also praised the Observer in columns for the papers Friday edition. Here at the Samoa Observer, we will always acknowledge Samoas support of our work, Malifa told the audience. But then as journalists, we know that words can either harm of heal; indeed, its a tough line to follow, especially in a comparatively small society such as ours. But then, as we also all know, the truth is sacrosanct; in other words, it is holy, which follows that it must be told no matter what, and never mind the consequences. Malifa attributed the papers success to the trust it enjoyed with readers. The truth is that, it is because of your loyal and relentless support of the Samoa Observer over the years that we are still here today, he said. Griffen also praised the papers dedication to press freedom near and abroad, highlighting that the Observer regularly dedicated valuable space to press freedom developments around the globe. On behalf of I.P.I., I would like to congratulate the Samoa Observer on its 40th anniversary and thank Savea Malifa and his team for their unwavering support for press freedom and quality journalism in Samoa, in the South Pacific and around the globe, he said. He added: We look forward to many more years of this newspapers strong, independent voice. Commissioner of Police, Fuiavaiiliili Egon Keil, has been given until December to remove police officers involved in extra marital affairs and defacto relationships within the Samoa Police Service. Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi gave the directive during the graduation of 114 policemen and women at the Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi building. Tuilaepa, who is also Minister of Police, said it is the duty of the police officer to enforce the law and keeping the peace in the country. The uniform you are wearing comes with authority, which sometimes is abused and used in reckless ways and at times you forget that you are a public servant, he said. The police officers were also reminded by the Prime Minister to be aware that Samoa is a Christian state and everyone should be treated equally. Your judgement should be fair and based on the law. Also youll be tempted by your families to bend the law, but you should avoid that any way possible. Dont let compassion be a factor in your decision making and always utilize wisdom and foresight, thats where the Holy Spirit resides, especially when honesty is at the forefront of what you do, he said He also noted the extra marital affairs within the Ministry of Police. This happens everywhere, where a female officer gets pregnant by another officer, back then if you dont get a girl pregnant in the Ministry of Police, you are not a real male police officer. An ego boost for the men in the Police force, which to this day is the source of many problems in the Ministry, he added. The Prime Minister reminded the ultimatum placed on married couples within the Ministry of Police, which went into force last year. More than 30 police officers were removed as a result and this was specifically highlighted for the Ministry of Police, given your duties deals with wrongdoing in the country. Tuilaepa, in a correspondent to the police commissioner last year, outlined how couples will be removed from the police force, including those in defacto relationships. However you did not remove those defacto relationships; they should be removed before the year ends. The Prime Minister also urged police officers to live within their means. I am looking at your salaries, and if I see that after the deductions there is only $10 left in your check; yet you make close to $2,000 biweekly; that means this officer is receiving bribes on the job. It tells me that anyone can come to you asking to throw away criminal files, and thats why the judges end up making the wrong decision, because the files cannot be located at times cases cannot be prosecuted, he added. The Government, church and the Village fono (Council) are the three most important institutions in Samoa, and much of the responsibility to curb family violence rests among them, says the ombudsman. In its inaugural national inquiry, the Office of the Ombudsman investigated family violence in Samoa and launched its inquiry report last week, which included nearly 40 recommendations, eight of which focus on the village fono. Despite being traditionally expected to maintain village harmony, village fono often contribute to the growing problem of family violence, the report stated. 84 percent of male respondents and 76 percent of female respondents felt that the village fono should be leading advocacy efforts to stop family violence, the report stated, referring to a 2017 Ministry of Women study into family safety. The Commissioner recommended all village fono urgently consider how to directly include women and other vulnerable groups in their councils and decision making. Absence from the decision-making process means that those groups cannot provide their insight into the true nature of violence, nor help deliver justice, the report states. Women make up 11 percent of matai in Samoa, may not hold a title in 8 percent of villages, and in 36 villages, female matai may not attend fono meetings. Council policies and by-laws are barring women from participating and affecting the culture of silencing violence, the inquiry found, and changing this is the first step towards ending a culture of family violence. The report recommended by-laws be introduced to ban family violence, introduce community based punishments for committing violence and for alcohol abuse, and to make reporting family violence to the police mandatory. Villages should be required to consult with the Sui Tamatai o le Nuu and the Faletua ma Tausi. In January, the village of Asau approved a zero tolerance of violence against women policy, and now ban men who assault their wives from the village, a move the inquiry commended. Institutionalizing the prohibition of family violence and its consequences would send out a strong warning to all village habitants of the social behaviour that is expected of them, the report stated. The absence of such laws (with the exception of Asau) is a damning indictment of the general attitude towards family violence by the Village Fonos of Samoa and reflects an overwhelming lack of action on their part to play a preventive role in the spread of family violence. A major recommendation of the inquiry was for each village to establish Village Safety Committees legislated under the Village Fono Act 1990, which should be amended to include family violence as an area of concern. These committees would be empowered to monitor protection orders and parole orders, obligated to report instances of family violence to the police and should establish designated shelters for victims of family violence. The danger to be avoided in establishing such a committee is that it consists only of female representatives and is used as yet another mechanism for marginalising the issue, the report warned. To be truly effective, such a committee would have to include church ministers, Sui Tamaitai o le Nuu, senior members of the village fono and of the womens committee. Fono should discontinue the practices of requiring victims to report violence to them before the police, unhelpful monetary punishments, and should consider ending banishment as punishment, the report recommended. When victims are obligated to report abuse to the fono first, they could find themselves facing their very abuser to ask permission to report to the police. Even if the perpetrator does not sit in the village fono, it is still possible that reporting to the police is blocked because the perpetrator has close or family ties with those sitting on the village fono. As a consequence, a victim may not even try to report a matter as they know it will not go any further, the report stated. Expensive fines imposed on the perpetrators and their families exacerbate financial pressures, which trigger more violence and victims often bear the weight of the punishments, rather than the perpetrator, the inquiry found. In a public inquiry hearing, a matai shared how a golden rule in their village is the fine of 40 boxes of tinned fish and $2000 tala for pregnant unmarried women, regardless of whether the pregnancy was a result of rape. Similarly, banishment punishments apply to the entire family of a perpetrator, which often means the victims leave their village with their abuser. This punishes the victim but more worryingly means they all have to move to another village where their history is unknown and the perpetrator is free to continue their abusive behaviour with even less scrutiny than before, the report states. Faalavelave contributions are too competitive which results in financial stress, which was identified as a trigger for family violence. Village by-laws to limit the contributions families have to make would go some way towards reducing that financial stress, the report said. Finally, the report recommended a violence free village programme, a financial incentive based programme where villages would be rated according to their compliance with all recommendations. The financial incentives are intended to bridge the income gap created by reducing or removing altogether monetary fines on families affected by family violence. Whilst fines imposed by village fono should not be a means of income generation, the reality is that many have become accustomed to a life of reward arising from punishments handed out, the report stated. The more a village complied with the eligibility criteria, governance and programmes a village should have, the more funding they would receive from a V.F.V.P. fund. These recommendations should be implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development, the Office of the Attorney General and the Ministry of Justice and Courts Administration, the report said. PR - Samoa Airways has further expanded its sales and travel agency reach, with its availability in the Sabre global distribution system. This means that it will be easier for customers to access Samoa Airways flights through any travel agent or travel portal in New Zealand or Australia that processes reservations and tickets using Sabre. The connection to Sabre follows significant testing and integration works between the Airline, its central reservation system provider Radixx and the GDS. Chief Executive Officer, Tupuivao Seiuli Alvin Tuala, said that the connection represents a major achievement in the National Carriers distribution strategy, which will support trade engagement efforts and make it easier for travellers to book Samoa Airways flights. Sabre is a publicly listed travel technology company based in Texas, U.S.A. As the largest Global Distribution System provider for flight bookings in North America, Sabre is also the preferred travel commerce platform for many meta search engines, online travel agencies, tour companies, travel agencies, travel consolidators and travel management companies around the globe. Earlier this year, Sabre was selected as the global technology partner to Flight Centre and thousands of travel agents across Australia and New Zealand adopted Sabre to shop and book travel for leisure and corporate customers Flight Centre is a major global travel brand and through the connection, Flight Centre at a retail, consolidation and wholesale level will be able to book Samoa Airways range of inclusive fares and directly process e-tickets for travel between Apia, Auckland, Sydney and Brisbane. Tupuivao added that the connection comes at a strategic time in the airlines history as it prepares to fly direct between Apia and Brisbane. Having access to Sabres network will provide an added boost. Sabre becomes the third global distribution system which the National Carrier is connected to. Samoa Airways is also available in Amadeus and Travelport Galileo. Samoa Airways is the designated national carrier of Samoa. It operates scheduled international air services using a Boeing 737-800 aircraft offering both business and economy class. The airline offers daily flights between Apia and Auckland and twice weekly flights between Apia and Sydney. From 13th November, the airline will operate twice weekly direct flights between Apia and Brisbane. Samoa Airways also operates a fleet of Twin Otter turbo-prop aircraft which fly multiple times daily between Fagalii and Pago Pago, in addition to domestic services within American Samoa. Samoas very our very own, Samoa Rum, will soon make its debut on the international airport duty free shelves. This was announced by the Government in a statement issued on Friday. Samoa Rum is the latest achievement by the Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa (S.R.O.S.) at Nafanua. Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi said this is a very positive step. I encourage S.R.O.S. to continue to deliver and come up with more added value products for exports and our local market and most importantly to use our local agricultural produces, he said. I have been informed the S.R.O.S. is continuing their research for more liquor products such as liqueurs. The possibilities are endless Government has not been blinded by the strict overseas quarantine regulations and S.R.O.S. is our answer. And to complete the equation for a joint successful export drive between government and the private sector, Prime Minister again challenged the business community to develop partnership with S.R.O.S. by investing in the new added value products developed by the organisation. Government has done its part through S.R.O.S. by developing these products. We now need private businesses to come in and commercialize the flour, the oil, the subsequent butter and margarine from local crop staples, said the Prime Minister. Introducing Samoa Rum through the international Duty Free exit is also a perfect promotional vehicle for national carrier, Samoa Airways, added Tuilaepa. Travellers will certainly inquire where Samoa Rum originates from. And when told its from the home of Samoa Airways that will be more than enough to attract their attention and spread the word. Samoa Airways profile is slowly but surely picking up pace. And every little bit of positive promotion will go a long way, he added. There will always be people with doubts. The world would not be the same without them. But that is their prerogative and it will not discourage the government because Samoa Airways was created to address the peoples call for affordable airfares. And less than a year since Samoa Airways started flying, the Prime Minister says the national carrier is flying high. Samoa Airways will be launching her twice a week service to Brisbane, Australia in November and if all goes well, the national carrier will have a second aircraft in the coming months. In the meantime, S.R.O.S. will be officially launching the Samoa Rum soon. A family at Salua, Manono-uta has a lot to be thankful for. Thirty-one-year-old Asosa Tanuvasa and her family were featured in the Village Voice section of the Samoa Observer in January this year, where she spoke of her familys struggle with a consistent water supply. On Friday, their prayers were answered. The Director of Henderson Cars Ltd in Auckland, New Zealand, Muliagatele Shiu Singh responded by donating a water tank worth more than NZ$5,000 (T$8,777.23). Muliagatele said a member of Ronin Group in New Zealand, Anthony Frost, helped him locate Mrs. Tanuvasas family after reading their story in the Samoa Observer. Im very happy and pleased to be here helping the family who really need help here, said Muliagatele. I was initially introduced by Anthony Frost who is here with me, he came to my office back in Auckland and when I heard from him that this family has been waiting for water for the last seven years and nobody helped them, straight away I said okay. When I heard the story, I immediately said yes and I told him as well that I will personally come to Samoa to help the family. So it is a great feeling to help someone and I am thankful to Anthony for coming around and for giving me the opportunity to help this poor family especially with their need for water as I was told they had to walk very far just to fetch water. Muliagatele also surprised the family with grocery shopping, which would last them for some time. You and your family never gave up despite the challenges that you went through, you kept your faith in God, you kept on trying with the hope that one day someone will come and help, so its not me but God who helped you through me. Looking at the families out here and the people back home in New Zealand and Henderson Cars, we do support a lot for the Samoan community back home. But there is a lot of help needed here in Samoa and people like Anthony Frost has introduced me to families over here and there are many more families who are in need of help and whatever we can do, we should put our shoulders together and help our people here. Muliagatele said when he returns to New Zealand, he will organize a team to fundraise and support people who genuinely need help. Mr. Frost said he requested people to help the Tanuvasa family, but no one agreed. It has been a long hard slog and it has been difficult, but we didnt give up and eventually we got here, so its fantastic, he said. Our group, Ronin Humanitarian New Zealand, got together and made the connection to Muliagatele and I turned up to his office and within five minutes he said yes. Mr. Frost said its always good to give a little back because it will surely go a long way for those who genuinely need it. A lot of churches are distributing water tanks but this family they have been patiently waiting for seven years and so once I saw the story, I came out to see their living condition. They are trying and this is the family that grows crops to sell and they have young children and the father of the family is constantly working and doing everything he can to help his family, and water is a necessity of life, if you dont have water you struggle definitely. Mrs. Tanuvasa acknowledged the help of Muliagatele and Mr. Frost. I cannot find the right words to describe how I feel at the moment, she told the Sunday Samoan. I no longer have to walk far to fetch water and most especially my children. God has seen our struggle and He has sent an angel to help us. But none of this would happen if it wasnt for the Samoa Observer programme that we were able to tell of our struggle. We all know our people; they are so embarrassed to tell of their struggle but if there is one thing Ive learned from this, is that there are people who are willing to help. Mrs. Tanuvasa said there is nothing wrong with asking for help. So I want to especially thank the newspaper for the programme as well as the good Samaritans who bought not only a water tank, but also food. To offer assistance, Help Samoa is offering free scheduled delivery to all Upolu Village Voice families. Maiavatele Timothy Tanielu Fesili, 32, of Siumu, Letogo, Falealupo and Papauta, is the newest lawyer to be admitted to the bar. He was admitted before the Chief Justice, His Honour Patu Tiavasue Falefatu Sapolu in the presence of families, friends and colleagues on Friday. From today and everyday here after, you will be known and deserve to be known as a lawyer, Chief Justice Patu said. It is as a lawyer that you will from now onwards present yourself to the public. It is what you do with your God-given talent that will define you as a lawyer. Chief Justice Patu said becoming an accomplished lawyer requires a lot of hard work, perseverance and good character. You will also find that to be truly effective in the practice of the law requires continuous study of the law, he said. In an interview with the Sunday Samoan, Maiava said his admission is the culmination of hard work and the support of everyone who helped him along the way. The father of three graduated with a law degree from the University of Auckland in 2015. He said he has relatives who are lawyers and they motivated him to also follow in their footsteps. I guess it started from a young age, Maiava said. There are lawyers in my family as well and there are a lot of people that I look up to and I told myself that one day I will be exactly like them and thats what really got me into it and I want to see if I can help the community in any way. Another reason he wanted to be a lawyer is because it changes the way he sees things. You can have one scenario and just like what the Chief Justice said that no cases are ever the same and its amazing how you see different lawyers interpret this one scenario. And both can be convincing and those are some of the things I learned even in New Zealand. I learnt things there and then I come here and I learnt a lot of things here. Im just amazed with the caliber (of lawyers we have). Maiava was born in New Zealand, however he and his family moved here a year ago. He now works at the Public Service Commission. He is the son of Poiva Fesili and Malaefono Iakopo. Its been a year since we moved back to Samoa and it really is a change of lifestyle and also to see where I can contribute here. That was one reason I went straight to the Public Service Commission. The justice system in Samoa is good and its just like the justice system in New Zealand, I mean its functioning and thats the main thing, Maiavatele said. Think a minuteHave you ever thought how easy life would be if you did not have to deal with people? But it would also be very empty! In spite of our problems with people, they are what make our life worth living. Think about it. Without people, we have no love...and what is life without love? Its so true that at the end of our life, all that really matters are the people we shared it with. The sooner we learn how to live happily and successfully with people, the sooner we will have our best life possible. But the first step in learning is to unlearn our unhealthy, bad habits and ways of relating to others. We need to open our mind to new, better attitudes in getting along with people. If we ourselves are not willing to change, we cannot change our life. Fortunately, its never too late. I have seen people 80-years-old turn and learn how to better love and live with people. One of our bad habits of dealing with people is playing the blame gamewhether it is a husband and wife blaming each other, a brother blaming his sister, or when we blame other races and cultures for our problems. Adolf Hitler blamed the Jews for Germanys problems. The Roman Empire blamed the Christians for its failures and decline. But until we honestly face the facts, and take responsibility for our wrong attitudes and ways of living, we cannot change our relationships and life for the better. Another bad habit we have is judging people. We think we know what is wrong with everybody else, but we do not see whats wrong with ourselves. We put labels on people just because they are a little different than us, and we do not have to do any real thinking or care enough to truly get to know that person. Even though we hate it when someone labels and judges us like that! Remember, The soft skills are the hard skills. Smashing rocks with a hammer is much easier than precisely cutting and polishing diamonds. It takes a bigger heart and mind to truly understand and love people as they really are and need. It takes more wisdom, strength, and social skill to see peoples good and bad qualities, yet accept them without conditions and love them in such a way that they want to change and improve. After all, that is what we need them to do with us! Wont you ask Jesus to start changing you? He wants to help you grow a bigger, more compassionate heart toward other people? He will also broaden and deepen your mind to start understanding and loving each person as He does you. Just think a minute Dear Editor, I will not hide in the shadow of the tree. Let the truth be out and right be done. Transparency International stated on 19 August 2016 that `Grand Corruption occurs when: A public official or other person deprives a particular social group or substantial part of the population of a State of a fundamental right The alienation of Aiga customary land rights by registration under Section 32 of the Land Titles Registration Act 2008 fits the definition of grand corruption because it deprives all Samoans of our fundamental rights guaranteed by Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution of Samoa and the protection of our land rights under Articles 102 & 109 of the Constitution of Samoa. Article 2 of the Constitution of Samoa renders the Land Titles Registration Act 2008 void, yet the fascist totalitarian dictatorship of the Human Rights Protection Party ignores this fact and must be removed to protect our constitutional rights. On August 17 a legal challenge was filed in the Supreme Court at Apia. Those called to answer are the Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Malielegaoi, the Attorney General Lemalu Hermann Retzlaff, the former Attorney General Aumua Ming Leung Wai, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and Samoa Land Corporation Limited. On 22 October 2018, they are required to present themselves to answer at the Supreme Court in Apia. An order is sought to declare by way of judgment that the Land Titles Registration Act 2008 is inconsistent and in breach of the Constitution of Samoa 1960 and void as it was created, drafted and eventually passed into being the Land Titles Registration Act 2008 (LTRA 2008), with the intent to violate articles 2, 14, 15, 102 and 109 of the Constitution of Samoa (the Constitution), which prohibits the alienation of customary lands and the rights of customary landowners through the imposition of a Torrens system of individual title upon a communal kinship land ownership system, as follows: Article 102: Section 32 of the LTRA 2008, breaches article 102 of the Constitution as registration of customary land, limits the number of owners of interest to customary land to only those named and therefore not accommodating all the legal owners who, under traditional customary land ownership, includes living members of the family as well as those to be born, causing intergenerational injustice. Article 15: Section 32 further violates the equal protection of all customary landowners rights to customary land in violation of Article 15 of the constitution by discriminating against the majority of legal owners and arbitrarily advantaging an individual. Article 14 and 102: Section 32 arbitrarily eliminates the ownership rights of the majority of legitimate customary landowners affected without their consent, notice or compensation, by operation of law thus violating Articles 14 and 102 of the Samoa Constitution and the principles of equity. This was particularly applicable for customary lands registered between 2008 to 2015 (prior to the commencement of the Land Titles Amendment Act 2015), which were made pursuant to the original Part 3, Section 9(2) of the LTRA 2008 and therefore unlawfully affecting customary land tenure during this time. Article 109: Prior to the passing of the Land Titles Registration Bill 2008, the respondents failed to direct the proposed bill to be put to the poll of electors on the rolls for the territorial constituencies which is what article 109 requires. Given this Bill proposed to amend the Constitution by allowing customary land to be alienated, it affected the provisions of Article 102, thus required the support of at least two-thirds of the valid votes cast in such a poll or referendum, prior to it being passed. The LTRA 2008, was prepared, drafted and passed to unlawfully extinguish land rights of customary landowners without their informed consent. The motion for a declaratory judgement is made pursuant to article 4 of the Constitution, whereby any person may apply to the Supreme Court to enforce the rights conferred under Part 2 of the Constitution (particularly the rights outlined in articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution) and that the Court shall have the power to make all such orders as may be necessary and appropriate to secure to the applicant the enjoyment of any of the rights conferred under the provisions of this Part. Section 32(d) of the LTRA 2008, transfers sovereignty from the people to the State, as it allows the State to have absolute control and ownership over the property rights of a registered proprietor, including (but not limited to) the right to enter land; recover taxes, duties, charges and rates in respect of land; expropriate land; and/or restrict the use of land. Through the respondents direction and administration of the Land Titles Registration Amendment Act 2015 (LTRAA 2015), which limits customary land required to be registered to only leases and licences, they knowingly and deliberately breached article 102 of the Constitution. The LTRAA 2015 alienates ownership rights of traditional customary landowners when leases are registered, as it favours a single owner or the name(s) of those registered on the lease that affects particular customary land. through the respondents direction and enforcement of the LTRA 2008 and the LTRAA 2015, there has been a flagrant disregard and continued violation of the Constitution, in particular, article 2 which states The Supreme Law (1) This Constitution shall be the supreme law of Samoa. (2) Any existing law and any law passed after the date of coming into force of this Constitution which is inconsistent with this Constitution shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void. The application of the Property Law Act 1952 (PLA) applies to the LTRA 2008 violating and subjecting customary land rights to the impact of Lenders and mortgagees remedies thereby which can alienate customary lands from its customary landowners. So how does Section 32 of the Land Titles Registration Act 2008 take customary land from all Aiga members alive and give it to the HRPP Government? Why wont the HRPP and ADB talk about it at all? 3 groups of people are in this section: 1. AIGA rely on Articles 2, 102 & 109 of the Constitution and Sections 9(4)(5) of the Land Titles Registration Act 2008 to retain customary land ownership and sovereignty of the land, and agree to a customary land lease believing the Sao will hold the land for the Aiga in trust. 2. SAO relies on S.32 and 33 LTRA 2008 to claim individual title, so that he may sell it as freehold land, which is no longer customary, even if he promises Aiga to hold it in trust for them. Section 79(2)(e) LTRA 2008 specifies that the loss or damage [arising] from the breach by a registered proprietor of any trust cannot be compensated by the government. In total, there is no protection against breaches of trust; a matai who is the registered proprietor could alienate the land and the beneficiaries will not be compensated by the government. As the trustee of all land leases and registered proprietor, MNRE, the HRPP government claims immunity from all compensation claims. According to Ruiping Ye, LLM Victoria University, Wellington, section 33 of the LTRA, specifies that knowledge that a trust or unregistered interest is in existence is not fraud, and trust includes registered trust, as opposed to trust as a type of unregistered interest. Ye argues, purchasing the land with the knowledge of a registered trust may still not constitute fraud, as is the case in purchasing the land with the knowledge of unregistered interest. This may be so even where there is some dishonesty involved. Therefore, the practical effect of sections 32 and 33 would constitute alienation, breaching the substantive law, and therefore be illegal, but the bona fide purchasers title will still be unimpeachable. Articles 102 & 109 do not apply anymore because the land is freehold and not customary and the Sao can sell it without any consequence by law. When the Sao registers the land, he gains a freehold title. Freehold property can be defined as any estate which is free from hold of any entity besides the owner. Hence, the owner of such an estate enjoys free ownership forever and can use the land for any purposes subject to local laws. The person that has his/her name registered on the title is considered the true owner of the land: personal private property registration absolutely free from all claims (no more Aiga land rights) not recorded except: 3. The HRPP Government escapes all the protections of Article 102 & 109 & Sections 9 (4) (5) by claiming that the Constitution permits by the proviso in Article 102 the granting of a lease without a National Referendum: ` an Act of Parliament may authorize- (a) The granting of a lease or license of any customary land or of any interest therein; (b) The taking of any customary land or any interest therein for public purposes. And as the land is no longer customary by the effect of S.32 LTRA 2008 but freehold land of the registered Sao, subject to any laws passed by the State: the State can pass an Act to do any act under S.32 (d) (i -iv): (i) to enter, go across or do things on land for the purpose specified in the Act, (ii) to recover taxes, duties, charges, rates or assessments by proceedings in respect of land; (iii) to expropriate (take) land; or (iv) to restrict the use of land. FSM Taua The report from the national Inquiry into family violence has several demands of the Government, which, if accepted, will help Samoa defeat family violence. Last week, the Office of the Ombudsman, Samoas national human rights institution, released its final report into a two-year national inquiry into family violence. Ombudsman Maiava Iulai Toma said if all the findings and recommendations in the report are accepted, Samoa can defeat family violence and violence as a whole. The price of power, belligerence and ignorance is not worth the pain and suffering of those people and everyone else who is fated to endure violence in their lives. Neither is it worth the damage that it will do to the Faasamoa and to faith in the long term if these value systems cannot adapt to prove their worth and defeat this social illness, the report stated. At the launch, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malilegaoi called on the nation to take action to address this issue head on at last. This piece highlights just some of the many recommendations the commissioners made to Government for immediate or urgent action. Cost is no barrier to enacting the recommendations in this report, Ombudsman Maiava said in his report conclusion. They will pay for themselves over time; such is the drain on our economy family violence causes. It is not just a drain on our resources, but a drain on our moral compass and values. We need to take meaningful action before it is too late. The first of 39 recommendations is that Government should establish a family violence Prevention Office with gender equality at the forefront of all its objectives. The office, alongside a national family violence prevention strategy and communications strategy and council and taskforce, should provide the foundation for a coordinated inter-agency response to family violence. Established under the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development, the office would be responsible for the overall implementation of the National Family Safety Strategy, coordinate agency responses and activities, implement and participate in activities, facilitate training for key actors, awareness raising, data collection and monitoring and evaluation, the report states. Some of these key actors are schools, police and healthcare providers, which should be sites of safety for victims of violence, the report said. Government should strengthen the corporal punishment ban, not weaken it, and educate society on the impacts of violence. Police and health services should be trained to recognise family violence as a national issue requiring plans for their roles in attending to victims and perpetrators. The report recommended both institutions undergo training into the causes and impacts of family violence, as well as improving their data collection, documentation and developing formal referral systems. Furthermore, the state is obligated to provide universally accessible shelters to victims. The report recommends an independent party should assess the level of need in Samoa and whether N.G.Os, Government, or some combination of the two should provide the shelters. As Samoas national human rights institution, the office of the ombudsman would be the monitor of standards for these shelters. As well as shelters, Samoa should be establishing a national family violence crisis centre with certified in house counsellors, alongside a national qualification for counsellors. Currently, N.G.Os does not receive support or coordination by Government. A national service standard should be established and standards should be monitored by government to ensure quality of service, the report said, and N.G.Os should expect training and financial/technical support from government, and they all need a standardised data collection system. Furthermore, the commissioners want Government to further investigate the rates of violence against faafafine, the elderly, and persons of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics. For the safety and welfare of students, all schools should heed the advice from the Government to start classes at 9am. Thats the message from Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi as the country prepares for daylight savings which begins on 30 September and lasts until April next year. Some teachers just have thick brains, they are not thinking properly, said Prime Minister Tuilaepa, adding that daylight savings is important to Samoa. Tuilaepa is unclear why some private schools dont heed the advice by the Government to change their starting time from 8am to 9am, similar to the working hours for the government. The Prime Minister was concerned about the safety of young girls who leave their homes while its still dark to catch the bus to school. All government schools have been given directives to change the time school starts but some schools are not heeding this advice, he said. The problem is that no matter the explanation I give to change the starting time for classes, some people just dont want to understand. Tuilaepa said another reason Samoa opted for daylight saving is because it saves electricity and money. Daylight saving was approved by Cabinet in pursuant to the Daylight Saving Act 2009. The businesses and the general public are hereby advised that daylight saving time ends on Sunday, April 1, 2018, a public statement by the Ministry of Commerce Industry and Labour said. The public is therefore advised that when the standard time strikes the hour of four oclock (4:00am) on April 1, 2018, then all instruments used to measure standard time are to be adjusted/changed to three oclock (3:00am). However, we advise that you adjust your time an hour back before you retire to bed on Saturday night, March 31. Think a minuteYou may have heard the saying, Joy shared is joy doubled. Giving isnt a sacrifice, its an investment. We actually get back much more than we give. So dont give until it hurts, give until it feels good. The American President, Calvin Coolidge, said: No person was ever rewarded or honored for what he received. Honor is always the reward to people who give. What you and I do just for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others lives on even after we die. So its smart to invest in the success of others. Its when you help someone else up a mountain that you yourself end up closer to the top. The principle of giving is simply a law of life that works. Just like money can only get good things for you when it is used and circulated. But if you do not use your money or give it away, you cant get any enjoyment or thing of value out of it. Its only when you give out that you make more room inside to receive. You know that the Dead Sea is dead because it only receives and never gives. It does not flow out or give to other bodies of water, so it just dies. In the same way, when we dont give to others we plug up the natural flow of life in us. This is why selfish, stingy people are never really happy, and seldom healthy. A successful man said: You will be remembered for two things: the problems you solve and the problems you cause. Each of us is created to be an answer and help to someone elses life. A famous man put it this way: You cannot live a successful day until youve done something for someone else who cannot pay you back. The Jewish people have an important holiday every year which celebrates the giving of gifts. Everyone, including the poor, must find someone poorer than himself and give him a gift. You see, If God can give gifts THROUGH you, He will give them TO you. In fact, God loves us so much that He gave His own perfect life to pay for our wrongs, just so He could share His life with us. So why not give your life to Jesus Christ today? Then you can start enjoying His successful way of giving and living every day, for the rest of your life. Just Think a Minute CITY COUNCILS CARLSBAD The Carlsbad City Council met in closed session Tuesday to discuss litigation. In regular session, the council heard a report on the McClellan-Palomar Airport and discussed how the city can work with the county to address community concerns about the airport, such as enforcing noise regulations, adding landscaping. The council also directed staff to bring back information to discuss working to lobby Sacramento. Peter Merz was appointed to the Planning Commission. ENCINITAS Advertisement The Encinitas City Council canceled its meeting scheduled for Wednesday. SAN MARCOS The San Marcos City Council met Tuesday and approved the final map for the Rancho Coronado development. The project has two lots for attached condos with a maximum of 220 units at the southwest corner of South Twin Oaks Valley Road and South Village Drive. A closed session will follow to discuss litigation. SOLANA BEACH The Solana Beach City Council met in closed session Tuesday to discuss litigation. In regular session at 6 p.m., the council discussed its proposed Fire Mitigation and Park Development impact fees. VISTA The Vista City Council met in closed session Tuesday to discuss labor negotiations. In regular session, the council voted 3-2 to add one sheriffs deputy rather than two park officers. The council held a public hearing and approved changing the zoning and density for the MLC Vista Sycamore Condominiums project, 56 single-family detached condominiums at Sycamore Avenue and Watson Way. The council held a public discussion about the California Values Act and the councils June 26 3-1 decision to file a letter of support for the federal lawsuit against the state of California. Dozens of people spoke for and against the vote. When Councilman Joe Green moved to withdraw the letter, no other councilmember seconded the motion, so there was no vote and the motion failed. SCHOOL DISTRICTS CARDIFF The Cardiff School District board met Thursday and approved its 2017-18 unaudited actual financial report. The board also received its public notice of contract articles to be included in negotiations with the Cardiff Elementary Teachers Association, and heard a report on Measure GG expenses. A closed session to discuss negotiations followed. CARLSBAD The Carlsbad Unified School District board met in closed session Wednesday to discuss personnel and ligitation. In regular session, the board approved a notice of completion for the Performing Arts Center at Sage Creek High School. The board also approved its 2017-18 unaudited actuals financial report, and approved revised board policies on sexual harassment and nondiscrimination in district programs and activities. Jon Yonemitsu, a member of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association, was approved to the Prop P Oversight Committee to replace outgoing member Jon Walz. The 2018-19 student board representatives were approved: Katy Cruz, Sidney McClellen and Alexis Petty. ENCINITAS The Encinitas Union School District board met Tuesday and heard a report by the district Media and Communications Coordinator on the communications and implementation that will be used during the school year. The board approved a resolution opposing Proposition 5, a property tax transfer initiative. The board heard a report on Ocean Knoll Elementary Schools Dolphin Store Business Development Club, run by students. Club participants learn how to create and run a business, manage money, and buy and market products. A report on the 2017-2018 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress was postponed. The board also met in closed session Wednesday to discuss the superintendents evaluation. On Friday, the board met to approve an increase in the weekly ASPIRE Intersession fees from $160 to $200. ESCONDIDO The Escondido Union School District board met in closed session Thursday to discuss litigation, property negotiation and personnel. In regular session, the board held a public hearing before approving an energy savings contract with Cenergistic. The board also approved naming the Central School kindergarten playground after kindergarten teacher Connie Blackburn, who recently retired. The Escondido Union High School District board met Tuesday and heard a Career and Technical Education presentation. Student Board Members Mona Miraftab and Arturo Velasco were appointed. The board accepted information on the College and Career Access Pathways program, a dual enrollment partnership between the district and Palomar College. The plan would allow dual enrollment courses at Orange Glen High School and Escondido High School. The board also agreed to join in the California Energy Commission School Bus Replacement Program. FALLBROOK The Fallbrook Union Elementary School District board met Monday in closed session to discuss personnel and litigation. In regular session, the board agreed to apply for the California Energy Commission School Bus Replacement Program, which provides grants to replace old diesel school buses with all-electric, zero-emission vehicles. The board also approved adding several new positions, including four part-time special education program assistants. OCEANSIDE The Oceanside Unified School District board met Tuesday in closed session to discuss litigation, labor negotiations and personnel. Eileen Frazier was announced as the new principal of El Camino High School. In regular session, the board approved its annual unaudited actuals financial statement for 2017-2018. The report represents the final financial status of the district for the previous fiscal year. POWAY The Poway Unified School District board met in closed session Thursday to discuss litigation, labor negotiations and personnel. In regular session, the board held a public hearing and approved its School Facilities Needs analysis. The board also adopted alternative school facility fees and approved its 2017-2018 unaudited actuals year-end financial report. The board agreed to participate in the California Energy Commissions school bus replacement program. SAN DIEGUITO The San Dieguito Union High School District board met in closed session Thursday to discuss personnel. In regular session, the board announced the appointment of Dr. Robert Haley as the new superintendent, pending negotiation and approval of an employment contract. The board also approved its 2017-18 unaudited actuals financial report, and a tentative agreement with the California School Employees Association, Chapter #241, and salary increases for all classified employees effective July 1, 2017. Approval was given to the issuance and sale of special tax revenue bonds in seven community facilities districts. SAN PASQUAL The San Pasqual Union School District board met in closed session Tuesday to discuss personnel and litigation. In regular session, the board approved its 2017-18 unedited actuals financial statement. The board also agreed to apply for a grant to participate in the California Energy Commissions School Bus Replacement Program. VALLECITOS/RAINBOW The Vallecitos School District board met Tuesday and approved its annual unaudited actuals financial statement for 2017-18. Superintendent Dr. Maritza Knoeppen gave a facilities update report. A new playground has been designed and work will begin sometime in October. The project will be looking for volunteers to help dig out the ground. The kitchen remodel will necessitate a new freezer and refrigerator. New LED lighting at the school is 75 percent complete, and all the HVAC units will be installed by November. VISTA The Vista Unified School District board met Thursday for a transportation update. The board approved its 2017-18 unaudited actuals financial report. The board also approved an application by the Career Technical Education department to receive Prop 51 funds for new construction, modernization and facilities. Vista High will request funds for VHS Agriculture; Rancho Buena Vista is looking at career pathways for Patient Care-Dental Hygienist, Health Care Administrative Services, Marketing, Engineer Design, Machining and Forming Technologies, and Residential and Commercial Constructions. The district would provide a required match, some of it funded from the CTE grant, but most of the funding would need to come from other sources such as bond funds if voters agree. laura.groch@sduniontribune.com More than 100 men, women and children paid money to get crushed by waves in Coronado Sunday morning. All in the name of fun and charity. Urt Womp, an annual bodysurfing competition in Coronado, raised money for One More Wave, a nonprofit that aims to reduce veteran suicides by making custom-made surfboards for wounded vets. The event itself was named after what happens to people who get caught inside a six-foot wave. Advertisement Womp is basically the feeling you get when youre thrashed around in the water like a washing machine, said event organizer Ian Urtnowski. It creates this womp, womp, womp. Apparently thats a good thing. Theres something to be said about being rag-dolled but also in control of the situation, he added. Its all about comfort and chaos. Urtnowski, who founded a clothing and lifestyle brand, Urt, in 2009, held the first Womp nine years ago. About 22 people showed up, mostly friends and family, he said. Sundays event offered spectators free donuts and breakfast burritos. Some competitors came to Coronado from as far as Newport Beach, and more than 100 onlookers attended, saying a collecting, oof, whenever a body surfer got crushed by a particularly powerful wave. The clothing company hosts community events throughout the year to build a sense of community around the water, said Urtnowski, who also works as a lifeguard in Coronado. We are a lifestyle brand that tries to live by what we do, he added. That doesnt mean sitting behind the computer and packing shirts. That means being out there and getting wet. Swimmers, surfers, and most notably, Navy SEALs have embraced Urts logo, which is of a seal. A patch of the Urt seal recently appeared on the Amazon Prime television series, Jack Ryan, in part because of a consultant on the show who is a former Navy SEAL. That military connection is also how the company got involved with One More Wave. The nonprofits founder, Alex West, and Urtnowski have been friends for a couple of years. West, who was a Navy SEAL for 20 years, founded the nonprofit in 2015. Alex West, a former Navy SEAL, founded his company, One More Wave, to build adaptive surfboards for injured veterans and help vets suffering from PTSD and depression get out on the water. (Chadd Cady) Our main goal is to get veterans out into the ocean for ocean therapy to impact the veteran suicide rate of 22 a day, he said. He originally got the idea while volunteering as a surf instructor at Balboa Naval Hospital, also known as the Naval Medical Center San Diego. The program uses foam boards to get people in the water but some disabled veterans like those with spinal cord injuries or amputations were limited in what they could do in the water. One More Wave builds custom surfboard tailor-made to an individual veterans needs. The nonprofit flies out injured veterans from all over the country to San Diego where board makers can study their surfing styles and create find the perfect board of them. Surfing helps veterans strengthen back, shoulder, arm, core and neck muscles. Being active and in the water also helps people suffering from PTSD or clinical depression, West said. Every time Ive come out of the water, Ive always felt better than when I went in, he said. Even if the conditions were horrible or even if the conditions were great but I performed badly. Sundays event raised about $3,000 for One More Wave. Most of the money came from a $40 entry fee for competitors. That should be good enough for a few new boards, Urtnowski said. Spectators look on as Hudson Marovush, 14, catches a wave in the URT Womp youth bodysurfing competition. (Chadd Cady) Contact Gustavo Solis via Email or Twitter With his mohawk hairdo, handmade Love Trumps Hate T-shirt, guitar and protest anthem, the late-afternoon performer fit right in with the simultaneous music acts on five other stages at KAABOO Del Mar Saturday. But Iron Chef victor Marc Forgione wasnt there to give a concert. The New York restaurateur was Saturdays headliner on the festivals Palate stage, where rock star chefs offered tips on making mussel stock, lobster butter, multicolored pasta and charred Romaine salad. Forgione, who showed a crowd of about 300 festival-goers how to prepare pink snapper three ways, started his demo with Little Stevens I Am a Patriot so he could tell his friends back home hed performed a song onstage at the sold-out KAABOO festival. In its fourth outing at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, KAABOO has raised the star wattage in its culinary showcase to the highest level ever this year. Chef stars this year include Ludo Lefebvre, Michelle Bernstein, Daniela Soto-Innes and Jessica Koslow, as well as San Diego restaurateurs and Top Chef stars Richard Blais and Brian Malarkey Advertisement San Diego Magazine food critic and TV food show regular Troy Johnson did his own presentation on the Palate stage Saturday, a fast-paced and humor-filled demonstration of more than 60 of his own cooking hacks. Hes come to KAABOO as a spectator for the past three years and was impressed by the level of the culinary lineup this year. The first few years, KAABOO was still in its puberty as they worked things out, but now that its grown up and it keeps selling out, they were able to bring in a great mix of both national and local chefs, Johnson said. Audience members watch San Diego chef Ryan Gilbert prepare a charred Romaine salad on the Palate stage at the KAABOO Festival on Saturday. (Pam Kragen/San Diego Union-Tribune) Kicking off the afternoon on the Palate stage was San Diego native Ryan Gilbert, 37, who has served as executive chef at the Lafayette Hotel, Swim Club & Bungalows in San Diego since 2014. Gilbert who prepared pan-cooked red snapper with banana mole, charred Romaine salad and bacon said he was honored to be invited to join such an impressive lineup of chefs. Ive grown up watching these guys on TV and to be able to cook on the same stage is a dream come true for me, said Gilbert, who said the rustic, simple dish he prepared was inspired by his childhood growing up in a big Sicilian family. Also featured Saturday was Joe Sasto III, a Top Chef season 15 finalist known for his well-manicured handlebar moustache. In tribute to the music festival, he prepared a handmade tri-color psychadelic-hued pasta with Bolognese sauce and vaporized essence of lavender, fennel seed and star anise. Top Chef finalist Joe Sasto III teaches the audience how to make homemade pasta on the Palate culinary demonstration stage Saturday at the KAABOO Festival in Del Mar. (Pam Kragen/San Diego Union-Tribune) Sasto recently left his position at the Beverly Hills pasta restaurant Cal Mare. He plans to open his own restaurant, either on the L.A. coast or in his former home of San Francisco, where he said the diners are more open-minded and the produce is unmatched. On Friday night, Sasto said he had a great meal at El Jardin, the new Liberty Station restaurant helmed his by friend and fellow Top Chef contestant Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins. He said he hopes to return to El Jardin on Nov. 1 for a Dia de Los Muertos-themed dinner with Zepeda-Wilkins. When Forgione asked the audience for a show of hands during his demonstration, about half of the crowd were local residents and the other half were from outside San Diego, including sizable groups from L.A., New York and Philadelphia. Among those seated in the audience for Gilberts presentation were Encinitas residents Rachel Tyler, Rick Allan and Kelly Barger. Theyve come to KAABOO every years since 2015, but this was the frist time theyve sat down to watch a culinary demonstration. We made a point to come early and watch this and we liked what Ryan was cooking. It looked healthy and delicious, Tyler said. We also liked that he is a local chef. We like to go to support local restaurants and now we have a new place to go and try his cooking. Sundays Palate demonstration schedule 12:30-1:15 p.m.: Evan Estrada, a 13-year-old chef who appeared on Master Chef Junior season 6. 1:45-2:30 p.m.: Jessica Koslow, owner of Sqirl in Los Angeles and a James Beard Award best chef semifinalist. 3:10-3:50 p.m.: Brian Malarkey, chef/partner of Herb & Wood, Herb & Eater, Green Acre and Farmer & the Seahorse restaurants, all in San Diego. 4:15-5 p.m.: Daniela Soto-Innes, James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef of the Year and chef at Cosme and Atla in New York City. 5-5:45 p.m.: Ludo Lefebvre, French-born founder of Trois Mec, Petit Trois and Trois Familia restaurants and the famed food truck LudoBird, all in Los Angeles. pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com While womens rage has taken the global stage since the #metoo movement dawned last year, its been festering and hiding in plain sight for a long time. Take, for example, Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. Its an incendiary 2014 drama by English playwright Alice Birch that made its San Diego premiere on Saturday. The raw, funny, wildly imaginative and gripping 70-minute play opens InnerMission Productions third season at the Diversionary Black Box Theatre in University Heights. InnerMission co-artistic directors Carla Nell and Kym Pappas are committed to producing diverse new work and Revolt is one of the most provocative and experimental pieces theyve ever staged. Advertisement The play is a call to arms for women who struggle under the weight of words, attitudes, physical violence and paternalistic traditions in male-dominated society. Birchs free-form script doesnt have named characters or assigned lines. Nor does it give the director much in the way of stage directions, except for a bold-face note at the bottom of page 2 that reads: Most importantly, this play should not be well-behaved. Director Pappas has imaginatively staged the play with a limited color palette of black and white, with red ropes, strings, scissors and stilettos used to represent the ties that bind women into marriage, sexual submission, dead-end careers, self-loathing and cycles of abuse. The productions eye-catching and cohesive design features stunning ritualistic choreography by Patrick Mayuyu, scenery by Ashley Rauras and Robert Malave, lighting by Eric Ward, sound by Carla Nell and projections by James M. McCullock. The play is divided into six sections. The first four encourage women to revolt against misogynistic language, the repression of marriage, sexism in the workplace and body-shaming. Theres also a scene where a woman confronts her long-lost mother, a battered wife who abandoned her children decades before, causing irreparable damage to their psyches. It ends with a crazed eruption of scattered word soup, like a fragmented mass of womens tweets, memes and Facebook videos, followed by a repeated, and seemingly defeated, plea for revolution. The talented cast, dressed entirely in black by assistant director and costume designer Alanna Serrano, is a tight, well-rehearsed ensemble. Kirstiana Rosas has a moving scene as a woman fighting to free and fortify herself from a history of self-mutilation, bulimia and anorexia. Carla Navarro is fierce as a woman who sees her lovers marriage proposal as an invitation to identity-destroying subjugation and suicide. Charly Montgomery is fearless and very funny as a woman who turns the tables on her lover, challenging the language of control and domination men use during sex. Claudette Santiago is bold and uncompromising as an office worker who firmly but politely demands time off from her misogynistic boss. Kathi Copeland is icy-cold and empty-eyed as the mother who abandoned her children. And as the only male actor in the show, Salvador Velasco has a big job, which he performs in various scenes with honesty, sensitivity, machismo and cartoonish callousness. Although it may sound like Revolt is purely anti-male, its not. Most of the women in the play are fighting battles with themselves brought on by their struggles to live in a mans world. Its a provocative and sometimes profound preview of the long-simmering fury that gave birth to the #metoo movement in 2017. Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again When: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, plus Sept. 24. 4 p.m. Sundays. Through Sept. 29. Where: Diversionary Black Box, 4545 Park Blvd., University Heights. Tickets: $25 with discounts for active military, students and seniors. (For mature audiences) Phone: (619) 324-8970 Online: innermissionproductions.org pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com. Twitter: @pamkragen Cal State Northridge senior Angelo Mutia is a straight man who admits hes used a slur to describe gay men. Hes joked about transgender people. Hes dismissed as ridiculous any gender identities besides male and female. His attitudes changed, he said, two years ago, when he took a class to fulfill a campus requirement for coursework in comparative cultural studies. In his gender and womens studies class, he learned about LGBTQ struggles, the spectrum of human sexuality and how insecurities about his own masculinity led him to denigrate others. I didnt realize how homophobic I was, but this is what this campus loves to teach: how to interact in a diverse world, Mutia said. Advertisement Mutia is among the students and faculty members now worried that their universitys rich array of courses on gender, race and ethnicity could be threatened by systemwide rules concerning graduation requirements. Many of them protested Thursday, disrupting an outdoor welcome ceremony for new students at Oviatt Lawn outside the main library. They interrupted speakers in academic regalia with chants against the rules, pumped their fists and waved signs that read Keep Diversity in Our University and Defend Sacred Knowledge. Cal State administrators say there is no threat to the courses. Last year, Cal State Chancellor Timothy P. White issued a revised executive order to clarify the systems general education course requirements and, in part, to bring all 23 campuses into alignment with them. Northridge had developed some of its own policies over the years. It required that all students take at least two courses about gender, culture or languages of other peoples; most other campuses require only one course in those areas. The campus gave students freedom to fulfill upper-division general education requirements with a broad range of courses; Whites order specified one course in science, one in the arts or humanities, and one in social sciences. Among other things, White wanted to streamline graduation requirements and make sure that students who transfer from one campus to another dont have to fulfill different or additional requirements, according to a spokeswoman with the chancellors office. But Northridge opponents saw Whites order as cookie-cutter education imposed from the top, a threat to campus diversity and independence. White eventually compromised, allowing CSUN to retain its own policy on diversity classes. Diversity is in the DNA of the CSU and we are not taking that away, said Cal State spokesman Mike Uhlenkamp. We believe in this. Some Northridge faculty and students, however, are concerned that the systemwide course requirements will narrow opportunities for students to take comparative cultural courses. If students have less room in their schedules for culture courses, they say, enrollment could drop and classes could be canceled, diminishing the breadth of campus offerings. Were concerned that this will shift resources away from ethnic, gender and queer studies and reduce access for students to these classes, said Kathryn Sorrells, a communication studies professor who co-chaired a campus task force this year on the issue. Given the unpredictability, the executive order is experienced as an assault on the struggles, communities, histories and knowledge of students of color. Stella Theodoulou, Cal State Northridges interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, acknowledged that enrollments could shift. But she said ethnic and cultural studies departments all have courses that students can take to meet the systemwide requirements. We understand that there are still questions about implementation, she said in a statement. But campus leaders, she said, are all absolutely sincere in CSUNs commitment to the universitys comparative cross-cultural studies programs and the positive impact they have not just on our students but the community at large. Whites order took effect this fall; Northridge was given a one-year extension to meet all requirements. Cal State Northridge students and faculty members are rallying to protect cross-cultural studies courses. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) This year, the San Fernando Valley campus of more than 38,000 students is offering about 135 courses in comparative cultural studies. Subjects include Asian American immigration, African American personality development, American Indian philosophy, Armenian women, the Central American diaspora, modern Italian culture, European geography, Jewish history, Middle East civilization, queer health and disability studies. Several student protesters described how the courses dramatically influenced their perceptions and inspired their activism. Christian Valenzuela, a senior who emigrated from Mexico when he was 4, said he was raised with ignorance about Asian Americans. But he learned in Chicano and Chicana studies courses that Filipinos and Mexican farmworkers struggled together and that Chinese laborers were attacked and eventually banned from entry into the United States in the late 19th century. I identify so much more now with Asian American communities because weve had the same struggles, he said. Karen Loong, a senior, said the courses changed her career ambitions. Loong planned to become a lawyer until she took her first Asian American studies course. She was stunned to learn about Vincent Chin, a Chinese immigrant who was beaten to death in Michigan in 1982 by two men who thought he was Japanese and blamed him for layoffs in the auto industry. The attackers were convicted of manslaughter. After taking the course, Loong switched her major from political science to Asian American studies. She now wants to join a nonprofit to help victims of violence and promote civil rights. A course on Men, Masculinity and Patriarchy made Brittney Harvey, a senior, more empathetic toward men. After learning that close male friends in the 1800s used to hold hands and link arms, she said, she realized that societys current norms of masculinity have deprived many men of the chance to express such intimacy. The course made me realize that everyone is a victim, even men, she said. Crystal Rose Waters, a third-year transfer student who watched the protest on Thursday, didnt need to be convinced of the protesters arguments. Theres value in those courses, just to be a better human, said the music therapy major of Slovakian, German, French, Irish and Scottish descent. Isnt that the whole point of college to learn to function in society surrounded by other cultures? teresa.watanabe@latimes.com Twitter: @TeresaWatanabe Aaron Motola combines his experience in business with his passion for the environment in his role as president of Pick On Us, a Vista company that provides tableware and other serving ware for chefs and caterers. While he started out as an intern for a local wholesale flower company, which eventually purchased Pick On Us, he continued moving up and was given the opportunity to lead the newly acquired business. In response to the desire for plastic alternatives, the company recently released a line of bamboo and paper drinking straws, continuing along their path of creating sustainable products. Motola, 38, lives in Carlsbad with his wife, Jennifer, and their young daughter, Vivian. He took some time to talk about his companys commitment to the environment and how he keeps that commitment in both his professional and personal lives. Q: Why did you want to work for Pick On Us? A: I saw Pick On Us as a unique opportunity a company that was ready to grow. It had a strong platform, interesting product line, loyal clients and solid team members who really loved the business. Running a business had been a longtime goal of mine, and I felt very fortunate for the opportunity. Advertisement Q: Do you see the company as an environmentally-friendly one? And what does that term mean to you? A: Yes! Our mission is to provide eco-friendly products. We use raw materials like bamboo, palm leaf, wood and sugarcane. These are natural products that can be composted. One of our most popular materials is bamboo, which is one of the most renewable resources. Its a grass that grows back every time its cut. Environmentally-friendly means that our business and products exist without making a negative impact on our earth. Over the years, we have turned away many customers looking for plastic cocktail picks, even some really large orders from big casinos. Although we could easily source these plastic products and make the sale, its not what we do. Q: What led to the recent development of bamboo and paper straws in place of plastic straws? A: Right now, there is a significant push for plastic alternative across many industries. For us, we had a handful of customers in the cruise and hospitality industries ask for alternatives. We extensively researched and tested a lot of materials from hay to pasta to plant-based plastics and more. We are really happy with our new line of bamboo and paper straws. These straws are eco-friendly and have a simple and sleek design. What I love about Carlsbad ... I love the stretch of coast between Cardiff and Leucadia. We have our favorite coffee shop, dinner stops, sunset viewing spot, first date hang out and more, all within a few mile stretch along Pacific Coast Highway. We live in south Carlsbad and love our neighborhood parks, afternoon breeze and our neighbors. We moved here from Encinitas over a year ago and this neighborhood has been so welcoming. Q: Whats your response to concerns from people who are disabled and, for a number of health and/or safety reasons, cant use these sorts of alternatives to plastic straws? A: These are valid concerns from this community. Some of the issues raised (i.e. that these alternatives are not flexible enough, would be too easy for people with limited jaw mobility to bite through, or that reusable straws require washing which some people with disabilities arent able to do) are not applicable to our products. However, we are always innovating and looking to expand our product offerings. Q: Youve mentioned that you love that our business sits right at the intersection where the ideals of both foodies and environmentalists collide and coexist . How would you describe the ideals of foodies and environmentalists? And how is your company addressing those ideals and providing for both groups? A: I believe foodies value flavor, texture and presentation. Culinary experiences that are socially shareable are also important. Environmentalists are focused on being good to our planet and not making a profit from her destruction. We always assess our products from an environmentalists perspective: Are our materials eco-friendly? Are they recyclable? Able to be composted? From there, we produce products that help chefs and caterers menu offerings shine and add a fun, interactive experience. Q: Do you consider yourself someone who cares about/is passionate about the environment? A: Growing up in Hawaii and spending so much time outdoors had an important influence on me. My parents were, and still are, missionaries, and because of that, Ive traveled extensively. I have visited many countries and communities where respect for the environment was not practiced. Seeing that first-hand shaped my passion for caring about our planet. Q: How do you work that passion into your life at work and outside of work? A: At work, we make decisions based on our values and staying true to those values. If we do that, we know that profits will come. Outside of work, our family tries, like a lot of families, to reduce our use of single-use plastics by using reusable water bottles, lunch containers and washable utensils. Whenever Im surfing, if a piece of plastic or a balloon floats by, Ill grab it and tuck it into my wet suit to throw away later. I see a lot of surfers doing this; its like an unwritten code if you love the ocean. Q: What is the best advice youve ever received? A: Get out and walk the floor often. Never manage from the ivory tower. And if I ever have to deliver bad news to a client, always call, dont email. Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you? A: In high school, I boxed and played the violin. I still have my great grandfathers violin, and I play it on occasion. Q: Describe your ideal San Diego weekend. A: Id wake up without an alarm clock when its still dark out, and head into the ocean in Encinitas at first light. I would surf really good, uncrowded waves for a few hours and then get home as my wife and daughter are waking up. Breakfast with the family, followed by a hike at Torrey Pines. Then, Id take my daughter swimming, take a nap, and end the day with a barbecue with a few close friends. Email: lisa.deaderick@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @lisadeaderick September 16, 1964 The San Diego Union The San Diego Union-Tribune will mark its 150th anniversary in 2018 by presenting a significant front page from the archives each day throughout the year. Wednesday, September 16, 1964 In 1964 a $21.5 million Community Concourse was dedicated in downtown San Diego with the opening of Convention Hall, an exhibit hall and parking garage. Here are the first few paragraphs of the story: Gala Ceremonies Open Concourse Dedication Rites, Dinner Inaugurate $21.5 Million Municipal Complex By Joe Brooks San Diego yesterday unwrapped a sparkling new municipal gem which is expected to prove one of its brightest civic assets. With pomp and pageantry, with speeches and songs, the city dedicated its Community Concoursea $21.5 million complex in the center of the city which will serve as a center for conventions, cultural events and for the city government. An estimated 3,000 San Diegans gathered outside the massive complex in what soon will become the Concourse plaza to hear Mayor Frank Curran say the event culminates a lot of hard work, determination, concentration and even consternation. They also heard Guilford H. Whitney, chairman of the Community Concourse advisory board, describe the public facility as the most conveniently located on the Pacific Coast and one of the most beautiful. At the conclusion of the hourlong opening ceremony, Curran and former Mayor Charles C. Dail pulled two long white cords to release a mass of balloons which soared into the blue sky, signalling the opening of the Convention Hall, Exhibit Hall and Parking Garage. Then the doors were thrown open and curious and proud San Diegans surged into the gleaming new buildings. They browsed through the San Diego Products and Economy Exhibit, the first show to be staged in the Exhibit Hall, which occupies the main floor and the terrace level of the parking garage. Shortly afterward, 1,000 members and guests of the San Diego Convention and Tourist Bureau inaugurated the Convention Hall by attending the bureaus annual dinner. Morley H. Golden, chairman of the mayors committee for the opening, set the keynote for the occasion when he told the audience today the sky is the limit. This legend was repeated in a large sign hanging from the terrace level of the Convention Hall. Golden said the occasion opened a new era for San Diego, adding stature to its metropolitan center and serving its residents for meetings, shows, displays and cultural events. PRIVATE FUNDS Both Golden and Whitney noted that San Diegans can be particularly proud of the Community Concourse because they contributed $1.6 million of the cost by private subscription. Whitney said the money was raised in six weeks by citizens who did what seemed impossible. The speakers addressed the audience from a bunting-draped stand which faced the now-abuilding 14-story city administration building. They were flanked by the Naval Training Center Band and the Recruit Training Command Choir from the center. Part of the crowd locked down on the festivities from the terrace level of the Convention Hall and Parking Garage. There also was a cluster of watchers across the street at the Security National Bank. The bank bore a large sign which said. Congratulations City of San Diego from Security Bank. SPURT FORESEEN Milton R. Cheverton, president of the Convention and Tourist Bureau, explained what the convention buildings will mean to San Diego. He said within three years convention spending here will almost double, from $22 million in 1963 to $50 million by 1966. Before the speeches, the flags of all 50 states were marched onto the terrace level of the Convention Hall by Navy bluejackets. On the reviewing stand were city officials, county officials, representatives from Baja California, state officials and various persons who have been associated with the Concourse project. PRAISE FOR DAIL In his talk, Curran said particular praise should go to former mayor Dail, the individual who gave us the direction and the leadership in working out the program. Dail was given a standing ovation. The administration building will be open in December and the 3,000-seat Civic Theater in January. View anniversary front pages online at sandiegouniontribune.com/150-years. For more from the Union-Tribune digital archives, go to newslibrary.com/sites/sdub. Searching is free, with registration. A fee is required to view full stories. A dispute on Facebook led to a shooting that left two injured on Saturday afternoon in the Harvard Park neighborhood, police said. The victims, both 18-year-old men, showed up at the parking lot of a liquor store at the intersection of Hoover Street and Gage Avenue around 2:45 p.m. to settle the online fight in person, said Los Angeles police Sgt. Ali Kaspian of the 77th Street station. Two men were at the parking lot when the teens arrived, and one of the men pulled out a handgun and shot both teens in the torso, Kaspian said. Both victims were stable as of 7 p.m. Saturday, and police were still searching for the suspects, Kaspian said. They are believed to be 18 to 20. Police are investigating the motive but believe it may have been gang-related, Kaspian said. Advertisement Anyone with information can call the LAPD 77th Street station at (213) 485-4164. Reach Sonali Kohli at Sonali.Kohli@latimes.com or on Twitter @Sonali_Kohli. The people in the church wanted to know how the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department would improve the jails, give deputies more training and end all interactions with immigration agents. Retired Sheriffs Lt. Alex Villanueva addressed the crowd gathered for the sheriffs election forum Saturday, glancing to his right toward the space left open for his opponent, Sheriff Jim McDonnell. But McDonnell never showed up. Instead, the 59-year-old incumbent who is fighting an unusual reelection battle tweeted a photo of himself at an event at the beach. The only sign of McDonnells face inside the Ward African Methodist Episcopal Church was a picture of him stamped in red with the word, Missing. Advertisement The awkward scenario was another episode in a high-powered election thats left many scratching their heads. Villanueva, who jumped in the race with little money and even less name recognition, shocked observers when he edged the normally safe incumbent into a runoff. Villanueva, 55, held forth at the event hosted by the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and a coalition of other organizations, promising to rid the department of corrupt officers and bar U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from having access inside the jails. We will march [inmates] out ourselves and give them to ICE outside of the view of the other inmates, Villanueva said of those being released from jail custody who may be on immigration officials watch lists. When pressed if such an arrangement would signify a more intense link with ICE, Villanueva said the transfers would happen in a secure courtyard adjacent to the jail and reasoned that it would be a better solution than allowing immigration agents to have access to office space inside the county jail, as they currently do. He criticized McDonnells effort in handing prosecutors a so-called Brady list of about 300 deputies with histories of lying, sexual assault and other types of misconduct, calling it a product of unfair investigations under the previous administration. After considerable back-and-forth with the moderator, KPCC reporter Frank Stoltze, Villanueva said he would support giving prosecutors information about deputy wrongdoing whenever it occurs. The event played out as a Q&A for Villanueva instead of the lively debate community members hoped for. It was at least the third time McDonnell declined to appear at an election forum, having missed two events hosted by the ACLU before the primary. Im disgusted, said Velvet Victorian, who runs a reentry program for people being released from custody and said she took off from work Saturday to attend the forum. I feel McDonnell doesnt respect the voters. McDonnells campaign manager, Steve Barkan, sent a statement saying the sheriff will not appear at events alongside a candidate who routinely makes false statements about the department, its policies and the sheriff himself. Villanueva denied making false statements. McDonnell tweeted Saturday that he was spending time at the 2018 Beach Walk in Long Beach to support health and life skills programs. He also tweeted a picture of himself at an event with volunteers inside jails. The election is Nov. 6. maya.lau@latimes.com Twitter: @mayalau From broken bones and teeth to punctured lungs and lacerations requiring plastic surgery injuries from riding dockless electric scooters have, according to medical professionals, landed people in emergency rooms all over California. While San Francisco and Los Angeles are rolling out strict rules for start-up scooter companies operating in their jurisdictions, city officials in San Diego havent been able to agree on how best to address rising concerns. The City Council has repeatedly brushed aside calls from some elected officials to impose regulations on dockless scooter companies operating locally, including Razor, Lime and Bird. By contrast, pilot programs in Southern California and the Bay Area are instituting fees, collecting ridership data and requiring safety plans from startup scooter companies, which are flush with hundreds of millions of dollars in investor cash. Advertisement Mayor Kevin Faulconers office recently told the Union-Tribune in an emailed statement that the city was looking into developing a set of rules that focus on rider safety and operator responsibility that will allow for the natural growth of this alternative form of transportation. However, spokesman Greg Block said the mayor was skeptical about adopting a permitting system similar to those being piloted in other major cities. We dont want to do anything thats going to stop them from doing business here, but we want to figure out ways to make people be more responsible and safe with how theyre riding, he said. Councilwoman Barbara Bry, who has been calling on Mayor Faulconer and members of the City Council for months to reign in dockless scooter companies, called the citys current hands-off approach naive. Theyre using our streets and illegally using our sidewalks to make money and provide a service that I believe is valuable but needs to be regulated, she said. Were not going to scare them away, she added. We are the eighth largest city in the country. We have sunshine every day. Were a tourist mecca. Theyre going to be delighted to pay fees and have money upfront to pay for infrastructure. Treatment of scooter injuries have been mounting at Scripps Mercy Hospital, said Dr. Vishal Bansal, the hospitals medical director of trauma. Were having these electric scooters that can travel very fast, where theres no safety restraint, no effort to know if the riders are intoxicated, he said. To me thats a public-health disaster in the making. Scripps Mercy is now spearheading an effort to collect data on scooter injuries to quantify the issue and get a better sense of the circumstances that lead to the worst accidents, Bansal said. Its a serious issue, he said. Its getting worse, not better, and we dont see any effort to improve safety of these devices in San Diego. Emergency physicians at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center have launched a similar effort, which ultimately envisions working with law enforcement to collect and catalog detailed injury reports. Were creating this huge surveillance database were we link ambulance, police and hospital data all together so that we get as complete a picture as we can, said Catherine Juillard, trauma surgeon at the hospital. We dont want to be divisive about it, she added. Its more about figuring out if theres some low-hanging fruit in terms of safety that we could implement to make things safer. In the meantime, San Francisco recently announced it has chosen scooter companies Scoot and Skip for their permit program, in large part because the city approved of proposals by the businesses to improve public safety. Specifically, they have pledged to deploy safety ambassadors and offer in-person training to the public. The companies are also deploying scooters in under-served neighborhoods and offering discounts to low-income users. The program, which is administered by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, is recovering costs through an annual permit fee of $25,000 and a $10,000 endowment. The city of Los Angeles is rolling out similar rules that require all scooters to have a posted notice, in at least 40-point font, telling users not to ride on the sidewalks. The city is also requiring scooter companies to limit vehicle speeds to 15 miles per hour. Companies must pay $20,000 a year for a permit to operate in Los Angeles, and a $130-per-vehicle fee. Operators are also required to maintain a 24-hour hotline for complaints, specifically for improperly parked or broken scooters. In San Diego, where long-promised bike lanes throughout the city have yet to fully materialize, many scooter users have also taken to riding on sidewalks, frustrating business and unnerving pedestrians. However, its unclear how, if at all, the city plans to address the situation. The police department has said that ticketing scooter riders is a low priority given limited resources. At the same time, Lime and Bird, according to disclosure reports, have paid local lobbyists tens of thousands of dollars in recent months to meet with the mayor and City Council and, at least in part, oppose regulations that would limit where the scooters could operate. All three scooter companies operating in San Diego, Lime, Bird and Razor declined multiple interview requests for this story. Lime issued this email statement: Safety is our top priority, which is why we urge riders to practice safe riding not only for their own protection, but also for the safety of the larger community. We also urge riders to wear helmets both through notifications on the app and on the actual scooter. One of the most vocal opponents of regulating scooter companies has been Councilman Chris Ward whose District 3 includes some of the areas most popular among scooter riders, from downtown to North Park, Hillcrest and Little Italy. Ward, who also declined interview requests for this story, led the charge against a recently proposed ban on scooters on the boardwalk in Mission Beach and Pacific Beach. Circulate San Diego, a nonprofit that advocates for bicycle safety and public transit, has also taken a dim view of imposing regulations on the new industry. Maya Rosas, advocacy manager with the transportation nonprofit, said that the best way to protect scooter riders and get them off the sidewalk is for the city to follow through on plans to build bicycle lanes. Building safe travel lanes and removing conflicts between cars and other modes is what saves lives and eliminates risk, she said. The treasurer of Circulate San Diegos board of directors, Clarissa Falcon, has been hired by Bird to lobby City Hall. She deferred a request for an interview to her client. Councilman Chris Cates office said that it plans to address concerns at the City Councils Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee on Wednesday. Representatives for scooter companies are scheduled to give presentations and take questions from elected officials. Twitter: @jemersmith Phone: (619) 293-2234 Email: joshua.smith@sduniontribune.com Luis Cruz, the Union-Tribunes video content director, talks about the immigration project in todays newspaper and online that takes a deep look at the foreign-born population in San Diego County through personal stories and demographics. Q: What were the origins of this project? A: Michael Rocha, the arts editor, wanted to talk about the arts through the immigrant experience for the annual fall preview section and suggested exploring the concept beyond the arts section. Jeff Light, the editor, said, Why dont we do this on a much larger scale? We started talking about reflecting the population here through the stories of real people. Our page designers figured out how many photographs of people we could reasonably put on the front-page layout and still have it be useful to be able to see their faces and include their names, that kind of thing. The number they came up with was 60. Advertisement Then Kate Morrissey, our immigration reporter, and some of our data people looked at census information and said if were going to have 60, heres how many you should have from Mexico, heres how many from the Philippines, and so on. Q: How did you find the immigrants to interview? A: We partnered with the New Americans Museum and they were very helpful in providing us with leads to first-generation immigrants. Through personal contacts, being out in the community, I knew of people as well. So did Kate. I put a call out to the newsroom about what we were doing. Also, since Mexico was a big chunk of the immigrant population that we needed, we reached out to the Mexican consulate. And the people we interviewed led us to others. We wound up interviewing 76. Q: For people reading this in the newspaper, there is a large online component to the package. Tell us about that. A: Creative Director Beto Alvarez helped create a unique, interactive experience where youll be able to click on a certain immigrant and a short video, edited by Lauren Flynn, will pop up of his or her story. Well also have podcasts, a five-part series, and that will have deeper conversations with some of the immigrants. And then well have maps and graphics and information on the different countries where our immigration population comes from. Q: What do you hope people take away from this project? A: I was looking at a Facebook post from Aug. 2, when I wrote, We are looking for immigrants in San Diego County with personal stories of resilience, courage and achievement to profile for this special series. At the time, resilience, courage and achievement were just adjectives I was using to find people. Looking at the people we interviewed, I think we achieved that goal. These immigrants hit on one of those characteristics, and in many cases all of them. We may be criticized for interviewing the high achievers, but for me it was really about telling inspirational stories. They all said they want to contribute to society. They want opportunities, they want to feel sate, they want a better future for their children. Who doesnt want that? Q: Do you have your own immigrant story? A: I was born in San Francisco but my parents are from Mexico. Shortly after I was born, my parents moved back. I was raised in Mexico and then returned to San Francisco when I was about five years old. I think I caught the tail end of kindergarten, the last month and half or so. I already knew the alphabet, I knew basic math, but I didnt know English. So when I heard about the challenges the immigrants here faced as kids or adults learning a new language, I could totally relate to what they were talking about. And to the culture shock. Q: One of the immigrants you interviewed arrived in America for the first time on Halloween. Talk about culture shock. A: Oh, what a story. Can you imagine? john.wilkens@sduniontribune.com A U.S. Border Patrol agent suspected of killing four women was arrested early Saturday after a fifth woman who had been abducted managed to escape from him and notify authorities, law enforcement officials said, describing the agent as a serial killer. Juan David Ortiz, an intelligence supervisor for the Border Patrol, fled from state troopers and was found hiding in a truck in a hotel parking lot in Laredo, Texas, around 2 a.m. Saturday, Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar said at a news conference in the border city about 145 miles southwest of San Antonio. Cuellar said investigators have very strong evidence that he is responsible for the deaths of the four women. He said all of the women worked as prostitutes. We do consider this to be a serial killer, Webb County Dist. Atty. Isidro Alaniz said. Advertisement In a statement, Andrew Meehan, assistant commissioner for public affairs for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said his agencys Office of Professional Responsibility, the U.S. Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General are fully cooperating with all investigators. Our sincerest condolences go out to the victims family and friends. While it is CBP policy to not comment on the details of an ongoing investigation, criminal action by our employees is not, and will not be tolerated, Meehan said. He referred questions about the investigation to authorities in Webb County and the Texas Department of Public Safety, whose Texas Rangers are also investigating. A Texas Department of Public Safety sergeant did not return messages seeking comment on Saturday. Authorities didnt immediately disclose the victims names or nationalities. The manner in which they were killed is similar in all the cases from the evidence, said Alaniz. But both Alaniz and Cuellar declined to discuss the evidence or how the women were killed. Alaniz said investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the killings. Cuellar said investigators believe Ortiz acted alone. Alaniz said his office plans to charge Ortiz with four counts of murder and one count of aggravated kidnapping. Authorities planned to provide another update on the investigation on Monday. Home Just In From the Kathmandu Press: Sunday, September 18, 2018 Like in past few weeks, the most highlighted issue in major Nepalil and English broadsheet dailies published from Kathmandu is the public pressure on the government and the police to conclude the investigation on Nirmala Pant murder and provide justice to the victims family at the earliest. At the same time, they have also reported updates in an investigation launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Other political activities including the rush of Federal Parliament to endorse various bills related to fundamental rights and statements of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli have made it to the front pages today. There are some other economic and social issues featured on the cover pages. Important Thousands rally demanding justice for Nirmala More than 50 days have passed since the rape and murder of 13-year-old Nirmala Pant in Bhimdatta Nagar of Kanchanpur. However, the government has failed to conclude an investigation and book the culprits. In this contexts, rights activists and members of the public organised rallies in many places across the country including Baneshwor of Kathmandu, according to newspaper reports. Parents of the victim had addressed the gathering in Kathmandu. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs suspended five more police staff suspecting their involvement in hiding the evidence. Whats going on with fundamental right laws? Gorkhapatra, The Himalayan Times and Republica have published reports informing that the Federal Parliament is in a rush as it has to endorse all laws required to implement the fundamental rights mentioned in the constitution by Tuesday, the third anniversary of constitution promulgation. Meanwhile, Kantipur and The Kathmandu Post report that the Parliament meeting yesterday passed the Bill on Individuals Right to Privacy after some key amendments as stakeholders including media organisations feared the violation of their rights under the new law. Bamdev Gautam expedites constituency search After failing to convince Dolpas House of Representatives member Dhan Bahadur Budha to resign so as to create a vacancy for him, senior leader of the Nepal Communist Party, Bamdev Gautam, has targeted Banke Constituency-3 to const a byelection so as to become a lawmaker, according to Annapurna Post. Meanwhile, Naya Patrika reports that Gautam is eyeing Dailekh as well, as the districts incumbent representative Rabindra Raj Sharma has already expressed his readiness to quit so creating a vacancy for Gautam. Ignored Govt to turn tough on diplomatic passport use As the government is preparing to amend the existing passport law, it is turning tough on the use of diplomatic passports following complaints from stakeholders about their misuse, reports Annapurna Post. Foreign Affairs Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali told so during a meeting of the International Committee in Parliament on Saturday. Kathmandu will not get Melamchi water this Dashain too Naya Patrika reports in a snippet that the governments target to complete the construction works of Melamchi Water Supply Project by upcoming Dashain festival next month is being missed as a 12 kilometre section of a tunnel is yet to be fixed with concrete. The projects Executive Director Surya Raj Kandel, however, has claimed the works are going well at a good speed. Staff unhappy with contribution-based pension system Government staff have expressed their displeasure at the governments decision to introduce contribution-based pension system as it will make them pay for the pension themselves, Nepal Samacharpatra reports in a brief story. The report informs that the new system has already been implemented since the beginning of this fiscal year. Nepal slips four positions in HDI The Himalayan Times reports in its anchor story that Nepals position in the Human Development Index of the United Nations has come down four positions this time. The new Human Development Report of the United Nations Development Programme has put Nepal in 149th position among 189 countries. Nepal was in the 144th position last year. Among South Asian counties, Sri Lanka has been ranked at the top. Interesting Tricountry transmission line to sell Nepals energy to Bangladesh After signing a power trade agreement with Nepal, Bangladesh has announced to purchase 9,000 megawatt electricity from Nepal in next 22 years. For this, a transmission line involving Nepal, India and Bangladesh has to be constructed, according to a four column story in Karobar. The government of Nepal has already floated a proposal to construct the transmission line, but its feasibility study is yet to be done, the report informs. A registered sex offender has been charged with kidnapping and killing a pair of Arizona girls whose murders had stumped the community for years. Christopher Matthew Clements, a career criminal locked up since 2017, was indicted by a grand jury Friday on 21 criminal counts, including first-degree murder and kidnapping, Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus said in a press conference. The update comes years after the deaths of 6-year-old Isabel Celis and 13-year-old Maribel Gonzalez. Isabel Celis (pictured) was abducted from her bedroom in April 2012. Her body was found in 2017. (A.E. Araiza / AP) Advertisement Celis was snatched from her Tucson bedroom in April 2012, and her body was found in a rural desert area five years later. Her murder came just one month after Clements was released from a stint in prison for failing to register as a sex offender. His conviction was overturned on a technicality, according to the Arizona Daily Star. Gonzalez, meanwhile, was found dead in June 2014 three days after she vanished while headed to a friends house. Authorities have not revealed how Celis and Gonzalez died, nor have they said how they connected Clements to the killings. They did, however, note that the FBI was tipped off to Clements in 2017, and told that he might have information pertinent to the murder investigations. Magnus said it was Clements who helped lead authorities to Celis body in 2017. Clements has a lengthy rap sheet that includes charges of burglary, theft and possession or distribution of child pornography ranging 20 years and at least four different states. He was forced to register as a sex offender after he was charged and convicted in Oregon in 1998, and was later charged twice in the mid-2000s with failing to register. Clements has been in jail since April 2017 on charges of suspicion of burglary, theft and fraudulent schemes. He is currently being hold on $2 million bond. A high school fight over a boy has left one 16-year-old girl dead and a 17-year-old in jail. Tanaya Lewis was charged with first-degree murder after she allegedly stabbed a classmate with a steak knife and then began laughing at her heinous act of horror, reported Detroit TV station WXYZ. The gruesome misdeed occurred Wednesday morning inside Fitzgerald High School in Warren, Mich. Victim Danyna Gibson suffered at least two body punctures one to the heart and another to the lung, said authorities, reported heavy.com. A bleeding Gibson tried to flee after the first stab but Lewis chased her down to slice her a second time in the back, which pierced her lung, according to WXYZ. Advertisement The attack, which occurred in a classroom during a class changeover, was witnessed by at least 20 students. A resource officer stationed at Fitzgerald High immediately tried to resuscitate Gibson with CPR. Warren Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer stated at a press conference that the girls had been pals but steered clear of each other after an argument over a boy they had both dated. Gibson died less than an hour after the attack, noted Dwyer. Despite being 17, Lewis faces the murder charge as Michigan residents are considered adults over the age of 16. The boy trapped in the lethal love triangle, who was not identified, is cooperating with the criminal probe, said Dwyer. The commissioner also referred to both girls as straight-A students who had never gotten into trouble. Lewis was denied bond on Friday and did not enter a plea. She is expected to appear in court later this month, WXYZ reported. Wanda Barzee, who kidnapped and tortured Utah teen Elizabeth Smart in 2002 with her then-husband, is slated to be released from prison Wednesday. And Utah residents are terrified. Barzee, now 72, has completed the 15-year sentence she received in a plea deal when she testified against her partner Brian Mitchell, who kidnapped Smart from her Salt Lake City bedroom at knifepoint. It was initially believed that Barzee would spend six more years in prison, but authorities say they miscalculated her sentence. Mitchell is serving a life sentence. The public kind of got screwed there, Ralf Czerny, who lives in Murray, Utah, told The Salt Lake Tribune. There should be some kind of intervention from the social workers or whatever, and restrict this person somehow. Advertisement Elizabeth Smart speaks to reporters. (Jeffrey D. Allred/AP) Smart was horrified by last weeks announcement, and she is not alone. Residents in the Salt Lake City area and Barzees relatives dont want to be anywhere near her. Federal agents say they have found a place for Barzee to live when she starts her five-year supervised release. Officials would not get more specific, but emphasized that she will not be homeless. Brian Mitchell is serving life in prison. (Colin E. Braley/AP) From what I know, no family can take her in or would take her in, Barzees niece Tina Mace said. Mace said that Barzee played the organ at her wedding decades ago. She said Barzees criminal behavior just makes you ill. How could anyone do that? Smart was held for nine months by Mitchell and Barzee, forced into a polygamous marriage and raped nearly every day. She was found walking with Barzee and Mitchell on a street in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy. She is a woman who had six children and yet could co-conspire to kidnap a 14-year-old girl, and not only sit next to her while (she was) being raped, but encouraged her husband to continue to rape me, Smart said last week, according to CNN. So, do I believe she is dangerous? Yes, but not just to me. I believe that she is a danger and a threat to any vulnerable person in our community. Smart, now a 30-year-old speaker and activist, said it is troubling that Barzee refused mental health treatment in prison. Wanda Barzee saw me as her slave, Smart said, according to CNN. She called me her handmaiden and she never hesitated to let her displeasure with me be known. There were times when, yes, absolutely, she was manipulated by Mitchell. But she in her own right abused me as much as he did. With News Wire Services Thousands of people displaced by a gas leak in Massachusetts can now return home. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency gave the all-clear to residents in Andover, North Andover and Lawrence Sunday morning after power was restored to about 15,000 homes. Its been a difficult and grueling weekend for the residents of Andover, North Andover and Lawrence. I often say the people of Massachusetts are resilient and this devastating situation is no exception, Gov. Charlie Baker said at a press conference Sunday. At least 25 people were injured in the blasts Thursday night and one was killed, a high school junior in Lawrence. Leonel Rondon, 18, who had just got his license, was in the drivers seat of a car in his friends driveway when an explosion toppled a house and sent a chimney crashing down on top of the car, killing him. Advertisement Officials shut off about 8,600 gas meters in the area, which will be turned back on over several weeks as technicians clear the system. The National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday that it will begin looking into Columbia Gas, the company that ran the pipelines that exploded, and its procedures. At least a dozen Lawrence families have been displaced permanently. Mayor Daniel Rivera said Sunday morning that a relief fund for those families has already raised $100,000. Bostons explosions come four years after a gas blast in East Harlem killed eight people and injured dozens more later blamed on failings by Con Edison and the city. A PG&E pipeline explosion in 2010 near San Francisco killed eight. Five years ago, investigators with the U.S. Navy knocked on the door of a San Diego hotel suite with a sweeping view of the citys harbor, waiting for the 6-foot, 5-inch Malaysian businessman inside to answer and in the process launch what has become the worst corruption scandal for the Navy in decades. Since the arrest of businessman Leonard Glenn Fat Leonard Francis that day, federal prosecutors in San Diego have methodically filed charges or secured indictments against 32 defendants, including 27 Navy officials, for their roles accepting bribes from Francis, owner of the ship servicing firm Glenn Defense Marine Asia. Hundreds more Navy personnel who had interactions with Francis or his company have had their cases reviewed internally by the Navy, with several facing court martial. And while the tally of the accused has continued to rise, nothing has been heard from Francis until a three-day period in San Diego in July, when he answered questions behind closed doors. Francis, who pleaded guilty in January 2015 and agreed to cooperate with investigators probing his bribery network, testified for the first time in a deposition taken for a court martial case for Cmdr. David Morales, an active duty fighter pilot charged with conspiracy and bribery. Advertisement A transcript of the deposition was provided to The San Diego Union-Tribune by Morales attorney after the court martial ended Sept. 1, when the deposition became a public record. Francis testified at length and in detail about his interactions with Morales, who fought the court martial charges filed against him. But the defense lawyer who questioned him asked for a mistrial at the court martial because he said Francis committed perjury. The military judge hearing the case did not agree, but he acquitted Morales of the most serious charges against him, which relied in part on Franciss version of events. A lawyer defending a Navy officer now under indictment for accepting bribes from Francis, attended the court martial and said later that the deposition could put Franciss credibility as a witness in play in future cases. It was clear to everyone in the courtroom the judge had serious questions about Leonard Franciss credibility as a witness, said Joseph Mancano, a lawyer representing retired Capt. David Newland, facing charges of conspiracy and bribery. I think the words the judge used were possible embroidery of his testimony and how Leonard Francis had trouble answering questions directly. Francis also testified about his current status at the deposition. The 54-year-old Malaysian businessman is suffering from an renal cancer, and for months has been under the care and treatment of unidentified physicians in San Diego, according to the transcript and court records in San Diego federal court. Hes no longer in the custody of the U.S. Marshals, nor in a federal lockup, but is on a medical furlough requested by attorneys and approved by the federal judge overseeing his case late last year. Instead, Francis is living in a small, studio-like apartment above a garage at the home of one of his physicians. He is under guard 24 hours a day by private security guards, which his family is paying for. They are allowed to visit with him for up to three to four hours at a time, he said. Hes allowed to go to church once a week. As part of a plea agreement Francis entered into in January 2015, he agreed to forfeit $35 million to the government a measure of how much he profited from the bribery scheme. Yet Francis has paid only $5 million of the amount, and did so as the agreement required in the first 90 days after he pleaded guilty. Theres no indication of when the rest will be paid. That may not be unusual. For all his time in custody and the years since he pleaded guilty, Francis has yet to be sentenced for his crimes. Typically, cooperating witnesses like him in multiple-defendant cases are not sentenced until all the cases against other defendants are finished. At that time, prosecutors can ask for a reduction in sentencing based on the cooperation of a witness. Francis is working for that. At the deposition, Frank Spinner the attorney for Morales read from the five-page cooperation agreement Francis has with the government that spells out the possibility of a lesser sentence, then asked Francis if he was counting on that. I hope so, yes, he answered. Spinner also pressed about the money owed. He asked: With respect to the forfeiture agreement of $35 million, was there a schedule set for you to pay the balance of that $35 million or is it your hope that that amount will somehow be reduced by cooperating? I paid the $5 million as part of my plea agreement, Francis responded, and the rest of my restitution is, Ill do my best at the end, sir. The US Attorneys Office in San Diego, where the investigation is anchored, declined to comment for this story. When the end comes in the Fat Leonard scandal is an open question. Just last month, federal prosecutors indicted three more people. Another nine defendants indicted in 2017 still have active cases that may go to trial. If any do, Francis will likely testify. So far the 21 people who have admitted guilt did so by plea bargains and without a trial. Spinner, the attorney for Morales, said he argued Francis lied during the deposition about a June 2013 trip he took with Morales to Bangkok. Francis said it was a pre-arranged sex trip, where he went to a fancy club and procured prostitutes for himself and Morales. Navy prosecutors argued it was part of a string of gifts, meals and lavish hotel rooms he provided Morales, expecting in return Morales would give him inside information on Navy command deliberations, identify other personnel who would be open to bribes and favors, and provide confidential schedules on planned ship movements and what ports they were headed to. That was the core of Franciss decade-long bribery scheme: bribe Navy personnel with sex, booze, cash and gifts, then have them use their influence to get ships to dock in ports his company controlled. Once there, he gouged the Navy for providing services like fuel, waste removal, fresh water, land transportation and security. Spinner argued other evidence, including some internal emails and texts from Francis and his employees, showed that Francis actually went to Bangkok to meet another officer, Capt. David Haas, who was indicted in August in federal court. Spinner didnt deny Morales had accepted freebies from Francis but disputed he gave classified information or agreed to do him favors in the future. Morales was convicted of conduct unbecoming an officer and not reporting foreign contacts on his security form, but not of conspiracy and bribery charges. He was sentenced to 165 days in the brig, forefeited $30,000 in pay far fewer penalties than he originally faced, Spinner said. He lied under oath, Spinner said of Francis. That goes to his credibility, which is always an issue. Im sure there are some ways attorneys in other case could use that. But Devin Burstein, Franciss lawyer in San Diego, disputed Spinners characterization. I was there for the deposition, Burstein said. He was entirely credible. There was nothing lacking. Everything he said was consistent with the documentary evidence. Mancano, the lawyer for Newland, said the deposition testimony from Francis raises serious questions about his credibility, and the government reliance on him as a witness. Burstein discounted that critique, and noted that the case against Morales as well as every other defendant also relies heavily on text messages, financial records, emails and other information that back up Francis claims. Burstein, as well as the U.S. Attorneys Office, also declined to discuss Franciss medical situation or his living arrangements. Court records show that his health and care have been discussed in a series of sealed court hearing since last fall. He was admitted to a hospital in December and his medical furlough has been extended at least twice. In June the Navy subpoenaed Francis to come to Norfolk, Va. to testify at Moraless court martial. But U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino balked at the latest request and refused to sign the order, citing security concerns and wondering aloud about Franciss health. Its sort of outrageous if hes not well, and Im questioning that right now, if hes not well to go across the country and back, she said, according to a heavily redacted transcript of a May 16 court hearing. But Burstein said his client was extremely sick. Hes a man who can barely walk at this point, he told the judge. In the end, Navy officials decided to take his deposition in San Diego, eliminating the need for travel. Apparently, Franciss illness is beyond the capability of the Marshals Service to address. Because he has not been sentenced he is not in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons, which has medical facilities and can treat most prisoners. Court records show other defense lawyers werent told of Franciss arrangements until late May. Twitter: @gregmoran greg.moran@sduniontribune.com A man died after his car slammed into a tree on the Campo Indian Reservation early Sunday. The crash happened just before 5 a.m. along state Route 94 near Church Road, just south of the Campo Reservation fire station, according to the California Highway Patrol. The man, a 20-year-old Campo resident, was behind the wheel of a 2013 Honda Civic when the crash occurred, the CHP said. He died before he could be taken to a hospital. Advertisement Twitter: @karenkucher (619) 293-1350 karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com The death of Frederick Jefferson, who hanged himself in his cell less than a day after being sentenced to seven years in prison for punching a police officer, was the third jail suicide this year, sheriffs officials said. San Diego County jails have seen more than 120 deaths since 2007, including dozens of suicides. After a City Beat investigation determined the average mortality rate in local jails over six years was the highest among Californias 10 largest lockups, the department put new measures in place to better identify and monitor suicidal inmates. This years suicides up from the one that happened last year suggests the possibility that more could be done. Unfortunately, its difficult to determine what improvements might look like, since the department has been tight-lipped about how its personnel monitored the three inmates who killed themselves this year. Advertisement When asked whether Jefferson had been identified as a suicide risk and was being monitored, a spokeswoman for the department said, The specific medical and mental health care of (Jefferson) is confidential. However, we have a comprehensive mental health screening and treatment process. Anyone who is identified as having an increased risk of harming themselves would be treated and monitored accordingly. The first person to take his own life inside a jail in San Diego County this year was Michael Patrick Sullivan, who died March 28. The 61-year-old was convicted of committing lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age by force or fear. The former El Cajon and Lakeside resident was sent to prison in 1992 and released in 2007, the state database shows. County records show he was charged in October with failing to re-register within five days of relocating. Jon Nelson, 52, killed himself about two months later on May 24. He had been convicted of a drug-related offense, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Jefferson was found dead in jail on Sept. 1. A San Diego Superior Court jury convicted Jefferson of assault on a peace officer and two counts of felony resisting arrest with force or violence in a confrontation that erupted Feb. 3, near dueling rallies at Chicano Park. The Sheriffs Department has identified a number of suicide risk factors to watch for, including being a defendant in a high-publicity case and receiving a severe sentence. Twitter: @LAWinkley (619) 293-1546 lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com For some, the name Pechanga is synonymous with gaming, thanks in part to the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians Temecula resort and casino, which is among the largest in California. But an example of the tribes focus on both economic diversity and initiatives designed to ensure the vitality of a culture that stretches back 10,000 years, is its small academic press launched four years ago. Great Oak Press named for the largest naturally grown indigenous coast live oak tree in the Western United States was founded in the spring of 2014 to bring the California Native American point of view to academic works in the fields of California Indian Studies, American Indian Studies, California Studies and the American West. The publishing house is led by Lauren Kirschke, under the guidance of the Pechanga Tribal Council. A graduate of California State University, San Bernardino, Kirschkes education in anthropology and ethnobiology and experience as the editor of a historical journal led to her appointment as a consultant to Great Oak Press in the fall of 2014. Today, she serves as interim director and editor-in-chief of Great Oak Press. Advertisement In a recent interview, Kirschke talked about the vision, goals, challenges and simple pleasures embodied by this small but growing local press. What drew you to Pechanga and Great Oak Press? I have always been passionate about history and wanted to make a difference, right wrongs and correct the historical narrative. Through our publications, we are doing just that and I am honored to play a part in it. What do you think Great Oak Press will bring to the region? Fundamentally, we strive to bring the California Native American point of view to educational and scholarly works. Locally, the region is rich with California Indian history. Great Oak Press provides a very unique perspective, insofar as it is owned and operated by a local tribe with deep ties and commitments to the region. What is the biggest challenge facing the press? Great Oak Press has received a lot of support from the tribe and the community. However, through our publications we are correcting and rewriting history and this is not always received well. Although many educators welcome and embrace our publications, some dont like the perspective that differs from the Westernized version of history they themselves have been taught in school. This is and will remain our biggest challenge. With each publication we hope to spark a dialogue that corrects the historical record where it is wrong. Can you tell us about Great Oak Press first publishing endeavor? Great Oak Press first book, Resurrecting the Past: The California Mission Myth, by Michelle M. Lorimer, recounts the history of the California missions from a native perspective, to deconstruct how the romanticized version of the missions have become the popular narrative in classrooms and contemporary culture. What Great Oak Press goals or projects are you most excited about? We are an academic press. However, Great Oak Press is not focused solely on producing scholarly titles that only the academic and higher community find accessible. Rather, we are committed to producing books of exceptional quality including educational books for children, from first readers through high school, with a local emphasis on California Indian history, cultures and languages. Publishing books for our youth brings us the most joy. Getting the opportunity to hear the children read our books in their own language is both exciting and rewarding. Can you tell us more about the First Readers? The following books are a collaborative effort by the Pechanga Chammakilawish School, Pechanga Cultural Resources and Great Oak Press: Potaaxaw (Shapes); Wooyiwuncha (Lets Count!); Chuxillaxish (Colors); and Hiycham Sum ivim? (What Animals are These?). They are all Luiseno First Readers with an English translation in the back for reference. And these books will be shared with children, parents or teachers? We hope to work with alocal school districts to make materials available for use in area classrooms. Is there a vision of how these books will make a difference? When the next generation of children read/learn about the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians it will be in the Luiseno language and as told through the eyes and experience of California Native Americans, not distant academics who derived their knowledge from other history books and interpretations of the historical record. temecula@sduniontribune.com Judge Brett Kavanaughs nomination to the Supreme Court faced potentially damaging delay Sunday after a woman who has accused him of sexually assaulting her when they were in high school publicly identified herself. Her decision to step forward confronting Kavanaugh with a named accuser sharply changed the dynamics of the nomination. It set the stage for what could be a deeply bruising partisan battle, coming less than two months before the midterm election in which Republicans already fear they may suffer heavy losses, to a large extent because of opposition from female voters. At least two Republican senators said Sunday that they wanted the allegation to be more thoroughly investigated before voting on Kavanaughs nomination a significant setback for the Republican strategy of pushing President Trumps choice for the high court rapidly forward. The accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, a psychologist and professor at Palo Alto University, identified herself in a Washington Post interview published Sunday four days before the Senate Judiciary Committee was to vote on whether to endorse Kavanaughs lifetime appointment to the nations court, which would in turn pave the way for a vote by the full Senate. Advertisement Kavanaugh has denied the allegations, which came to public light last week. Ford initially made her allegation in a letter delivered in July to Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. At the time, however, she insisted that she did not want to be identified. Ford also contacted the Post in July, the newspaper reported. Feinstein did not tell other committee Democrats about the allegation until last week. She said she withheld the information out of respect for Fords desire to remain anonymous. Late last week, when the existence of the letter became public, Feinstein said she had referred it to the FBI. On Sunday, Feinstein, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and other Democratic senators quickly called for the judiciary panels vote to be set aside and for the FBI to investigate the allegations. A few hours later, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), an influential member of the Judiciary Committee, issued a statement saying he was open to hearing directly from Ford and would gladly listen to what she has to say. Graham said any testimony to the committee would have to take place immediately so the process can continue as scheduled. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), also a member of the committee, told several news organizations that he thought the committee needed to hear from Ford before it could vote on the nomination. Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, like Flake a prominent Republican critic of Trump who is retiring after this year, also called for a delay. The Judiciary Committee chairman, Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), appeared determined at least for now to stick with the schedule and hold the vote Thursday. His spokesman, Taylor Foy, said Grassley was trying to set up follow-up calls in which committee staff could question Kavanaugh and Ford, describing that as routine practice when updates are made to nominees background files. A full hearing on the new allegations would almost certainly cause some delay in the fast-track schedule that Republicans have adopted with an eye toward getting Kavanaugh confirmed before the midterm election. Grahams support for a hearing could make it difficult for other Republicans to oppose the idea. The developments threw into disarray Kavanaughs nomination, which could, if hes confirmed, place Trumps stamp on the nations highest court for a generation, after the ascent of Justice Neil M. Gorsuch last year. Before Grahams statement, Republicans on the Judiciary Committee had given no sign of yielding to demands for a delay, instead putting out a statement that defended the nomination and seemingly sought to impugn Democrats motives. The White House declined to make any new statement in response to Fords allegation, referring reporters to the statement put out by committee Republicans. Kavanaugh, 53, issued a brief statement last week when the allegations came to light, without the accusers name attached. I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time, he said. At about the same time, the White House released a testimonial letter from 65 women who knew Kavanaugh as a teenager saying that in their experience, he had always treated women with respect. The dispute now creates a dilemma for the GOP leadership as well as Republicans facing election challenges in November. GOP loyalists will be loath to break with Trump on such a high-profile nomination, but are uneasily mindful of a changing political climate on matters of sexual misconduct. Two Republican women, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, have not yet announced how they would vote on Kavanaughs nomination. If both of them were to oppose it, the nomination would probably fail. The two had already been under heavy pressure from supporters of Roe vs. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Supporters of the decision fear Kavanaugh would seek to erode abortion rights. Ford, providing the first public account of the alleged assault, told the Post that Kavanaugh and a friend, both of whom she described as drunk at the time, cornered her in a bedroom during a house party in Maryland in the early 1980s. She said Kavanaugh held her down on a bed, tried to pull off her bathing suit and the clothes she wore over it, and covered her mouth when she tried to scream. She said she managed to break free when Kavanaughs friend fell or jumped on them and all three tumbled to the floor. Ford now a 51-year-old research psychologist and professor at Palo Alto University who also teaches at Stanford said she feared for her life during the attack and was still traumatized by it decades later. I thought he might inadvertently kill me, she told the Post. According to the Post, Ford talked about the incident in 2012 when she was in couples therapy along with her husband. The paper reviewed the therapists notes, which do not mention Kavanaugh by name. However, Ford described her assailants as students from an elitist boys school who went on to become prominent in Washington. Kavanaugh and the other male student, Mark Judge, were then students at the exclusive Georgetown Preparatory School. Judge has said he does not recall any such episode taking place. He has written about his experience with alcoholism and heavy drinking as a young man. The accusers husband, Russell Ford, said his wife had mentioned Kavanaughs name around the time of the therapy, noting that he was a federal judge and even expressing her fears that he could someday be nominated to the high court. With the #MeToo movement that has emerged over the last two years, allegations of misconduct, some of which fell far short of the kind of assault Ford has alleged, have derailed the careers of powerful men in Hollywood and in politics. Notably, though, Trump himself has survived repeated accounts of sexual misbehavior, including the detailing by his former lawyer Michael Cohen of a hush-money payment to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels, and accusations of sexual misconduct from more than a dozen other women, some dating back decades. Even the Access Hollywood tape, with its captured audio of Trump making a profane reference to grabbing women by the genitals without their consent, did not prevent him from winning the 2016 election. Feinstein, in her statement, said that from the outset, I have believed these allegations were extremely serious and bear heavily on Judge Kavanaughs character. I support Mrs. Fords decision to share her story, and now that she has, it is in the hands of the FBI to conduct an investigation. This should happen before the Senate moves forward on this nominee, Feinstein said. In response to Fords coming forward, Schumer called on Grassley to put off the vote at least until the allegations, which he described as serious and credible, were investigated. For too long, when woman have made serious allegations of abuse, they have been ignored. That cannot happen in this case, the New York Democrat said. Judge Kavanaughs credibility has already been seriously questioned . and now his credibility is even more suspect, Schumer said. To railroad a vote now would be an insult to the women of America and the integrity of the Supreme Court. Republicans on the Judiciary Committee said the timing of the allegation was suspicious. Foy, Grassleys spokesman, said Sunday that it was disturbing that these uncorroborated allegations from more than 35 years ago would be put forward with the vote only days away. It raises a lot of questions about Democrats tactics and motives, the statement said. Among the Democrats joining in calls for a delay was Sen. Kamala Harris of California, who during confirmation hearings emerged as one of Kavanaughs most stringent questioners. Christine Blasey Ford courageously stepped forward to tell her story it is a credible and serious allegation, Harris tweeted. A vote on Kavanaughs nomination must be delayed until there is a thorough investigation. Another notable Democrat urging that the vote be put off was Doug Jones, the Alabama Democrat whose special election win over Roy Moore marked another pivotal moment in the #MeToo saga. Moore was accused of sexually pursuing teenage girls while he was a prosecutor in his 30s. This was a very brave step to come forward, Jones wrote on Twitter. It is more important than ever to hit the pause button on Kavanaughs confirmation vote until we can fully investigate these serious and disturbing allegations. Jones added: We cannot rush to move forward under this cloud. Staff writer Jennifer Haberkorn contributed to this report. laura.king@latimes.com @laurakingLAT UPDATES: 6:30 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from Sen. Corker. 4:26 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from Sen. Flake and additional detail. 3:30 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from Sen. Graham and additional detail. 2:25 p.m.: This article was updated with additional background and reaction. The article was initially published at 1:40 p.m. It was an off-the-cuff remark from Californias enigmatic chief executive, one that might have faded with the laughter it sparked if it werent a sharp reminder of why a global audience trekked to San Francisco for advice on combating climate change. A reporter asked Gov. Jerry Brown about complaints that he hasnt done enough to wean the state off fossil fuels. Brown scoffed, lumping his liberal critics together with those on the other side who think his policies go too far. Thats the right view, Brown said, rebuking conservatives. Then you have the left view, the center view and then my view. Which is the one that counts. The crowd chuckled, but the point was clear. Whatever the reason the federal governments environmental retreat or the governors insistence that a state can go its own way when Brown speaks, climate change leaders listen. Advertisement And they clamor for access: The hottest ticket at last weeks three-day summit was a private meeting with the governor of California. Hes very good at drawing people together, said Nicholas Stern, a climate change professor at the London School of Economics. People want to talk to him because hes so interesting to talk to. Stern met Brown more than a decade ago when the governor called him to talk about his research. He said his own private conversation with Brown last week explored how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. The focus, he said, was on efforts in China to improve battery technology. Both the Chinese and Jerry are very clear about that, Stern said. California is uniquely important among American states. That is why a California governor who is truly an international figure matters so much. Similar praise was common at the summit. A convention hall crowd applauded when New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, who had his own private audience with Brown, recounted seeking out the veteran Democrats advice after being elected last year. I said to him on the call I wanted New Jersey to be the California of the East Coast, Murphy told the audience. Other Democrats were no less effusive. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called Brown a brilliant strategist. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he was indispensable. Michael Bloomberg, De Blasios predecessor as mayor and a co-host of the climate summit, said Browns most lasting legacy may be how to blend scientific advice with political action. He figures out where he thinks the world should go, and then he tries to explain to people why and bring them along, Bloomberg said. At the summit, that effort played out mostly behind the scenes. A list provided by Browns office shows 22 invitation-only meetings, including conversations with government officials from four states and 17 foreign countries. He talked about land use and forest management with a group representing provinces around the world. The conversation turned to technology and innovation with business leaders including Kevin Johnson, chief executive officer of Starbucks. As Trump retreats, businesses assume new prominence in fighting climate change And Brown didnt just offer advice he sought it out. In meetings with former Vice President Al Gore and former Secretary of State John Kerry, talk turned to ways the governor could stay engaged once he leaves office in January, Browns office reported. Brown, who turned 80 in April, seemed energized by the discussions. He insisted, though, that he was more messenger than messiah to those who sought his counsel. They are looking to California as an example of very imaginative and aggressive climate action, he said in an interview. Nor did the governor see his role as different from that of other California leaders over the past half-century. Earlier in the week, Brown pointed out that he stood on the shoulders of other people who led California before him, pushing for anti-pollution policies to fight smog in the 1960s and 70s and the rise in greenhouse gas emissions in the early years of the 21st century. Weve developed the institutional capacity and the bureaucratic understanding to combat pollution and carbon emissions, he said. So we are positioned well to deal with the problem. Not everyone agrees that Brown has done his fair share. While his decision to keep a low profile at the summit reflected his personal style, it also allowed him to largely sidestep the counter-narrative of protesters. Hundreds marched on Thursday to criticize the governors oversight of the states oil industry. They accused him of being too generous with drilling permits and too unwilling to better protect the health of low-income communities near those operations. Brown bristled at the accusations, insisting that environmental policy is still constrained by whats politically possible. Without a doubt, California has the most aggressive green energy plans in the Western Hemisphere, he said on Thursday. In the world of dreams, you can do a lot of things. In the world of practicality, theres a way it works. By the time he made a Friday appearance on the events main stage, when protesters were poised to possibly disrupt the proceedings, Brown spoke for only 75 seconds just long enough to announce that California will make plans to launch its own damn satellite, as he called it, to collect climate data. The governors of other states who attended the climate conference said Brown had blazed an important trail, even if some dont think hes done enough. I understand that people in California always want better, Connecticut Gov. Dannel Molloy said after an event with Brown on Thursday. But theres nobody who compares. Nor do many elected officials so quickly shift from policy to philosophy and spirituality when discussing environmental danger. Likening the change in human behavior needed to reduce global warming as akin to a religious conversion, Brown told representatives of indigenous populations on Wednesday the path forward is as much about ambition as it is government action. We will make this reality come true if we can make it true in our immediate surroundings, Brown suggested as several in the group nodded in approval. Thats what Im doing in California. john.myers@latimes.com Follow @johnmyers on Twitter, sign up for our daily Essential Politics newsletter and listen to the weekly California Politics Podcast Kathmandu, September 16 Nepal Communist Party senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal has objected to the party General Secretary Bishnu Paudels official proposal on the formation of lower committees of the party formed after the merger between then CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centre. When Paudel presented the proposal that he prepared in consultation with two chairpersons KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal during a recent Secretariat meeting, Nepal objected to the criteria for leadership selection. In particular, Nepal is more concerned about the criteria of seniority included in the proposal. While Paudel proposed that individuals seniority be a basis for the leadership selection, Nepal demands those who were in leadership positions of the UML or the Maoist Centre be given a chance to lead the party committees. It has been learned that Nepal has garnered the support of majority leaders in the nine-member Secretariat. Nepal, Jhala Nath Khanal, Bamdev Gautam, Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Ram Bahadur Thapa are on one side whereas the other side includes Oli, Dahal, Paudel and Ishwar Pokharel. Few Californians will have any idea why theyre being asked to vote this fall on workplace conditions in the private ambulance industry. But the backstory is a reminder of how ballot measures are the ultimate Plan B for those who dont get satisfaction from the Legislature. The track record for such efforts is mixed. The key question will probably be whether the proposals low profile so far under the mainstream political radar makes it seem harmless and easy for voters to support, or too obscure and not worth the risk. Coverage of California politics Proposition 11 asks voters to give private ambulance companies the power to keep their workers on duty during meal and rest breaks. If a 911 call comes in, those workers could be required to put away their lunch and respond to the emergency. Advertisement The topic has its roots in a 2016 ruling by the California Supreme Court that on-call rest breaks are illegal under the states labor laws. That case involved employees of a security company who were required to keep their radios on when taking their scheduled breaks. Similar lawsuits had been filed by emergency medical technicians and paramedics against ambulance companies. In response, labor unions promoted legislation at the state Capitol in 2017 requiring employers to provide rest periods or pay employees extra for any break that has to be skipped. That last provision extra pay was a sticking point, given the potential cost to businesses. In turn, some suggested the companies might avoid the costs by cutting back on ambulance crews. Or the companies might compensate for higher worker wages by demanding to renegotiate the payments made to counties as part of ambulance service contracts. That in turn could shrink local government budgets. Representatives for the workers disputed that the costs would outweigh the benefits and said employees were sometimes pushed to exhaustion. Both sides in the debate said theyd try to work toward a compromise. But the legislation stalled. And so the industry seeking not only to close off its exposure to lawsuits, but also to avoid future efforts by organized labor to enshrine the work rules in state law decided to take its chances with voters. American Medical Response, one of the countrys largest ambulance companies, spent $2.8 million to gather the voter signatures needed to qualify for what became Proposition 11. Last week, the company put an additional $5 million into a campaign account in support of the ballot measure. For the private ambulance industry, the math here is pretty simple: Even if the entire campaign signature gathering, consultants, mailers and other materials ends up costing $10 million, its a good investment. A report by the independent Legislative Analysts Office cited a possible loss in revenue statewide of $100 million a year if the new mandatory rest breaks were imposed on ambulance employees and paramedics. As for opponents, theyve largely been silent. The California Democratic Party voted to formally oppose Proposition 11, but theres been little else said. Perhaps the most surprising moment came when no one not even a member of the public submitted any written argument against the measure to be included in the statewide voter information guide. At the very least, that seems to suggest voters will never hear more than one side of the argument before election day. john.myers@latimes.com Follow @johnmyers on Twitter, sign up for our daily Essential Politics newsletter and listen to the weekly California Politics Podcast FEMA administrator Brock Long defended President Trumps recent statements about Puerto Rico on Sunday, claiming the numbers relating to the death toll from Hurricane Maria have been all over the place. Trump had mocked one study that said that nearly 3,000 people have died from the disaster. An initial estimate found that 64 people had lost their lives. The numbers are all over the place, Long told Chuck Todd of NBCs Meet the Press. FEMA doesnt count deaths. And if you take whats going on with Florence, the deaths that are verified by the local county coroners are the ones that we take. A study done by George Washington University found that 2,975 deaths were connected to Hurricane Maria. The study had been commissioned by the Puerto Rican government. Advertisement Trump took aim at the study, tweeting that 3000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico. When I left the Island, AFTER the storm had hit, they had anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths, he wrote on Thursday. As time went by, it did not go up by much. Then a long time later, they started to report really large numbers, like 3,000. He blamed Democrats, writing that they wanted to make him look as bad as possible. If a person died for any reason, like old age, just add them onto the list, he wrote. Bad politics. I love Puerto Rico! Long told NBC News on Sunday that he did not know why the studies were done. However, he said it is important to distinguish between direct deaths and indirect deaths. You might see more deaths indirectly occur as time goes on because people have heart attacks due to stress, they fall off their house trying to fix their roof, they die in car crashes because they went through an intersection where the step lights werent working, he told Todd. Re Supreme Court selection: We deserve to know more about Brett Kavanaugh (Sept. 12): Im dont dislike Dianne Feinstein, but she has to play fair. Feinstein has introduced a letter describing Brett Kavanaughs sexual misconduct in high school. No one is safe from such a charge. Anyone can write a letter. Sorry, but high school has always been a lab for sexual conduct. Unless there is an arrest record, or something other than hearsay, dont encourage such a smear. Judge him by his actions as a judge. Dont look for agreement with every cause. Free people are free to disagree. It may seem like the student council is in charge but leave high school in the past. Advertisement Rich Marcell University City It appears that our two senators are engaged in a friendly rivalry. After Sen. Kamala Harris was awarded four Pinocchios for her crudely edited recording of Judge Kavanaugh, Sen. Feinstein countered by releasing an anonymous letter alleging an incident that occurred when Kavanaugh was in high school. Cmon ladies. You can do better than that. Paul Determan Point Loma Letters and commentary policy The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy. You can email letters@sduniontribune.com or leave a comment below. Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook. Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Home Just In Pant murder probe: Home Minister, police chief at odds over officials suspension Kathmandu, September 16 Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa and Nepal Police Inspector General Sarbendra Khanal have been at odds over the suspension of five police officials that the Ministry decided on Saturday. Upon a recommendation from the probe committee formed to investigate into the rape and murder of Nirmala Pant in Bhimdutta Nagar of Kanchanpur, the Ministry had decided to suspend the officials. IG Khanal, however, has objected to the decision claiming suspending those involved in the investigation process without verified evidence does not give a right message. Khanal says it will discourage other investigators and hence directly affect the probe. Instead, he states that the officials can be expelled from the job after their involvement is proved. But, Thapa wanted to suspend the officials so as to control nationwide protests demanding a speedy investigation and legal action against the culprits, according to sources. The protesters have been accusing police of destroying the evidence. Those suspended include DSPs Angur GC and Gyan Bahadur Seti, Inspectors Ekendra Khadka and Jagadish Bhatta, and ASI Ram Singh Dhami. Earlier, then Chief of Kanchanpur District Police Office Dilli Raj Bista, was suspended. Kathmandu, September 16 Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has claimed his government will bring a qualitative change in the countrys education sector. Inaugurating the seventh general assembly of the Fer-Western University at his official residence in Baluwatar as the Universitys Chancellor, the Prime Minister also stressed result-oriented performance of government bodies as well as other institutions. He said, I do not look at peoples faces. What I am concerned about is results of their performance. In another context, Oli stated that the far-western region was full of potentials and stakeholders should invest their hard work for its development. He instructed the University officials to produce required human resources for the development of the region. Meanwhile, the meeting formed two committees to investigate into controversies regarding its constituent colleges and financial transactions. China has been proactively consulting with South Korea to help ease its supply shortage of urea water solution needed in diesel vehicles, Beijing's foreign ministry said Tuesday. ... An employee of the scandal-ridden state housing developer Korea Land & Housing Corp. (LH) was acquitted Tuesday of land speculation using insider information. The LH employe... The labor ministry has recognized that a workplace bullying incident occurred within e-commerce giant Coupang Inc. early this year, refuting a finding reached by the company throug... Some sleet was witnessed on the mountains on the outskirts of Seoul on Tuesday due to a sudden drop in temperatures but fell short of being recorded as the first snow of the season... Typhoon Mangkhut rips through Hong Kong as Philippines toll rises Hong Kong, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2018 Typhoon Mangkhut rocked Hong Kong en route to mainland China on Sunday, injuring scores and sending skyscrapers swaying, after killing at least 30 people in the Philippines and ripping a swathe of destruction through its agricultural heartland. The world's biggest storm this year left large expanses in the north of the main Philippine main island of Luzon underwater as fierce winds tore trees from the ground and rain unleashed dozens of landslides. In Hong Kong weather authorities issued their maximum alert for the storm, which battered the city with gusts of more than 230 kilometres per hour (142 mph) and left over 100 injured, according to government figures. As the storm passed south of Hong Kong, trees were snapped in half and roads blocked, while some windows in tower blocks were smashed and skyscrapers swayed, as they are designed to do in intense gales. The Philippines was just beginning to count the cost of the typhoon, but police confirmed at least 30 were killed when it smashed into northern Luzon on Saturday. In the town of Baggao it demolished houses, tore off roofs and downed power lines. Some roads were cut off by landslides and many remained submerged. Farms across northern Luzon, which produces much of the nation's rice and corn, were sitting under muddy floodwater, their crops ruined just a month before harvest. "We're already poor and then this happened to us. We have lost hope," 40-year-old Mary Anne Baril, whose corn and rice crops were spoilt, told AFP. "We have no other means to survive," she said tearfully. Nearly five million people, almost a quarter of whom survive on just a few dollars per day, live in the storm's path. - Flooding in Hong Kong and Macau - An average of 20 typhoons and storms lash the Philippines each year, killing hundreds of people. The latest victims were mostly people who died in landslides, including a family of four. In addition to the 30 killed in the Philippines, a woman was swept out to sea in Taiwan. The Philippines' deadliest storm on record is Super Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,350 people dead or missing across the central part of the country in November 2013. In Hong Kong, waters surged in Hong Kong's famous Victoria Harbour and coastal fishing villages, from which hundreds of residents were evacuated to storm shelters. Some roads were waist-deep in water with parts of the city cut off by floods and fallen trees on Sunday afternoon as the rains continued. In the fishing village of Tai O, where many residents live in stilt houses built over the sea, some desperately tried to bail out their inundated homes. "Floodwater is rushing into my home but I'm continuously shovelling the water out. It's a race against time," Tai O resident Lau King-cheung told AFP by phone. The government warned people to stay indoors but some ventured out, heading to the coast to take photos. A couple and child were seen by an AFP reporter taking pictures on a pier known as a popular Instagram spot as waves surged into it and almost submerged it. Others stayed at home but were terrified by smashing windows in their apartments. "The entire floor and bed are covered in glass," one resident told TVB after her bedroom window shattered. "The wind is so strong." Almost all flights in and out of Hong Kong were cancelled. In the neighbouring gambling enclave of Macau, all 42 casinos shut Saturday night and businesses were shuttered Sunday morning, some boarded up and protected by piles of sandbags. As the storm moved south past Macau, its streets became submerged under water gushing from the harbour. Rescue workers navigated the roads on jetskis, rescuing residents trapped in their shops. The government and casinos are taking extra precautions after Macau was battered by Typhoon Hato last year, which left 12 dead. Preparations were in high gear on China's southern coast, including in Yangjiang, which is not often hit by major typhoons and where the city's 2.4 million people were bracing for a direct hit. Further down the coast preparations were also underway in Zhanjiang, where some villagers feared for the worst. "I couldn't sleep last night, I saw the typhoon on television and how intense it was," said 55-year-old Chan Yau Lok. burs-jm/sm Many can only dream of living life fully to reach a hundred years but Nusa Pili Aisoli Alaiasa is living that dream. She celebrated her 100th birthday yesterday with her relatives, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. Nusa was born on 15 September 1918 on Nusa Island in Papua New Guineas New Ireland Province to Methodist missionaries, late Petelo Aisoli Alaiasa and Sileitofia Alaiasa from Falefa. Due to her parents missionary commitments back then in New Guinea (now P.N.G.), she was raised in Samoa by her fathers cousin Milovale Wong. She is the mother of nine children, who were all present yesterday to witness the historic occasion, when she joined the centenarian club. Her youngest child is 59 years old and she was married to the late Pili Tanuvasa. According to one of Nusas granddaughter, Marlena Vaifale, Nusa was raised by her paternal aunt, Milovale in Nofoalii, because her aunt did not have any children at the time and also it was difficult for Nusas parents to take her on missionary assignments because she was still a toddler. My grandmother met her husband Pili Tanuvasa in Nofoalii, they have nine children, says Ms. Vaifale. My grandfather Pili Tanuvasa passed away when my mother was five years old (sometime around 1955), if I recall correctly my grandmother remarried and several years later had a child but the baby died. The marriage or union dissolved and my grandmother became a single mother in her mid-30s. Ms. Vaifale added her grandmother was strict when she was living with them in the United States. As a young child I thought she was so strict, but as I got older I appreciated her upbringing, she said. Being raised in the States, she forbade us from speaking English, when we walked through the front door we had to speak only Samoan. My Samoan was very good at that time, now Im embarrassed that I cannot speak it well. Speaking to the Sunday Samoan yesterday, Nusa said she is thankful to God for letting her live 100 years. I am blessed to have lived until now, she said. When I was young I used to weave, take out the trash and all those things, but now I just eat and sleep. I can no longer do those things because I cannot see properly, but I am thankful to God for my children and family. Nusas youngest daughter, Masina Pili, spoke highly of their mother. She is such a beautiful lady on the inside and the outside, she told the Sunday Samoan. When our father passed away she took care of us all by herself. She was able to put us through school all on her own and while we were growing up, there are only two things that matters to our mother the most - church and school. She made sure that all nine of us attended school every day and ensure we were all attending church every Sundays. Life was so hard for our mother and I have seen it when I was young, but she never gave up on us, she made sure that all of us succeeded in life. Masina said the celebration is for them to give back to their mother. This celebration is for us to not only show her how thankful we are to have her in our lives, but most especially to give God all the glory for giving our mother these many years, she said. She is a wonderful and hardworking mother. The ceremony to mark Nusas 100th birthday was led by Reverend Tupou Tanielu of the Congregational Christian Church of Nofoalii. Amazon probing staff data leaks: report San Francisco, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2018 Amazon is investigating allegations that some of its staff sold confidential customer data to third party companies particularly in China, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. According to the newspaper, which did not give figures, employees of the online giant sell internal data and other confidential information -- usually through intermediaries -- to merchants who sell their goods on the US giant's website. On Amazon, customers can buy products sold directly by the company along with goods from many other merchants. The practice under investigation is a violation of company policy. It is particularly present in China, the paper said, citing the example of intermediaries in Shenzhen working for group employees and selling information on sales volumes for payments ranging from 80 to more than 2,000 dollars. Reached by AFP, Amazon did not immediately respond. Fake reviews by purported customers are among the concerns of the internal probe, the report said. According to WSJ, Amazon has been investigating this topic for months. Amazon employs approximately 560,000 people worldwide. jc/mdl/mdo Israeli missiles target Damascus airport: state media Damascus, Sept 15 (AFP) Sep 15, 2018 An Israeli missile attack targeted the Syrian capital's airport late Saturday, activating air defences which shot down a number of the projectiles, state news agency SANA reported. "Our air defences responded to an Israeli missile attack on Damascus international airport and shot down a number of hostile missiles," a military source said, quoted by SANA. The agency, without giving any information on casualties or damage, posted footage and images of the air defences being activated. In a shaky video, a small, bright explosion is seen in the night sky, with city lights in the distance. AFP's correspondent in Damascus heard a loud blast late Saturday, followed by several smaller explosions. The Israeli military declined to comment on the incident. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said Saturday's strikes hit a weapons depot outside the airport. "The missiles, suspected to be Israeli, destroyed an arms warehouse near the Damascus international airport," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. He had no immediate information on casualties. Israel has vowed to prevent its arch-foe Iran, which is a main backer of Syria's government, from gaining a foothold in neighbouring war-torn Syria. Earlier this month, Israel acknowledged having carried out more than 200 strikes in Syria over the past 18 months, mainly against Iranian targets. It has also admitted to striking Syria to prevent what it says are deliveries of advanced weaponry to Lebanon's Hezbollah, an armed movement backed by Iran and which fights alongside Syrian troops. The last reported Israeli strikes on Syria took place on September 4, when Syrian state media said the military's air defences downed several missiles in the coastal province of Tartus and in central Hama. The Observatory also reported those raids and said they killed three Syrian soldiers. Syria's conflict erupted in 2011 and has since killed more than 360,000 people, with millions more displaced internally and to neighbouring countries. After losing swathes of territory to rebel groups, President Bashar al-Assad's troops have regained the upper hand and are now in control of around two-thirds of the ravaged country. They were bolstered by nearly three years of air strikes by their key ally Russia and Iranian, Iraqi, Lebanese, and other foreign fighters on the ground. Soldiers and other loyalist fighters had been amassing around Idlib, the largest rebel-held zone left in Syria, for several weeks. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied that Syrian troops were planning a major offensive for the area. Colombian navy rescues 28 Jamaican castaways Bogota, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2018 Twenty-eight Jamaican sailors who escaped a fire were alive and well after being rescued by the Colombian navy in the Caribbean, authorities said Saturday. The sailors were traveling on the fishing boat "Real Magic" when it caught fire late Thursday or early Friday, and they took to life rafts to await help, Rear Admiral Juan Francisco Herrera, a navy commander in Colombia's San Andres and Providencia area, told AFP. The captain of the boat managed to alert the Jamaican embassy using a satellite phone. The embassy contacted Colombian authorities and asked them to search for the shipwrecked sailors south of Cayo Serranilla Island, which they did with the support of US aircraft. A merchant ship from Singapore that had just emerged from the Panama Canal "managed to find them, boarded (and) hydrated them," before leaving the sailors with the Colombian navy ship that traveled to the area, Herrera said. Several of the sailors had first and second degree burns on their extremities, as well as symptoms of dehydration, the Colombian military said in a statement. Mideast peace hopes at Camp David 40 years ago Paris, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2018 Four decades ago the leaders of Israel and Egypt reached a deal at an epic summit that led to the first peace treaty between the Jewish state and an Arab nation. The Camp David Accords, thrashed out over days of talks hosted by then US president Jimmy Carter, were signed on September 17, 1978. Here is a look back at that key moment in history. - Series of wars - In 1973, Egypt and Syria launch a surprise attack on Israel with the aim of forcing it to return territory seized from them in 1967. Egypt makes a significant advance, even though it is eventually repelled. Empowered, it agrees to attend a peace conference called in December in Geneva under the auspices of the United States and Soviet Union. It brings Israelis and Arabs together for direct negotiations for the first time. Syrians and Palestinians do not attend, however, and the meeting adjourns. - First Arab leader in Israel - On November 9, 1977 Egypt's president Anwar Sadat announces -- to the general surprise of all -- that he is prepared to visit Israel in a bid for peace. "I am ready to go to the end of the world if this would prevent the wounding, let alone the killing, of a soldier or an officer," he says. After receiving a formal invitation from Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin, Sadat arrives in Jerusalem on November 19, making the first visit by an Arab head of state to the Jewish nation. Sadat shakes hands with his foes in the Israeli leadership and calls for a "just and permanent peace" in the entire region. But it takes 10 more months of tough diplomatic exchange before further negotiations can take place. - Agreement at Camp David - In August 1978, Carter invites Sadat and Begin to meet in the United States. Their summit gets underway on September 5 at Camp David, the presidential weekend retreat 100 kilometres (60 miles) from Washington, in a forested area with about 20 chalets. For 13 days the three talk, surrounded by their diplomatic and military advisors, cut off from the rest of the world. They sketch out and discuss 23 versions of an eventual peace accord, making countless revisions. The negotiations continue into the night and at times the summit teeters on the edge of breakdown. Carter is in a constant back-and-forth between Sadat and Begin. Eventually, it all comes together. - Warm embrace - Sadat and Begin sign the Camp David Accords on September 17, a determined Carter pushing negotiations until the very last minute. The two foes embrace, stunning the world. There are two documents: the "Framework for Peace in the Middle East", which outlines the basis of a peace settlement between Israel and its Arab neighbours, and "Framework for the Conclusion of a Peace Treaty between Egypt and Israel". Included are "side letters" confirming that Egypt and Israel remain in disagreement on the status of the holy city of Jerusalem and on the future of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. - From Nobel to assassination - Other Arab nations are enraged with Egypt, believing that the truce agreed by the military and political heavyweight, also the historical leader of pan-Arabism, has upended the regional balance of power in favour of Israel. They protest that the deal ignores the Palestine Liberation Organisation and the rights of the Palestinian people. In November, Sadat and Begin win the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts at Camp David. In Washington on March 26, 1979, they sign the first Arab-Israeli peace treaty, which sets the terms for Egypt recovering the Sinai from Israel in 1982. Arab countries slam the treaty as a "separate peace" and a betrayal, and break off relations with Egypt, suspending it from the Arab League. Sadat, also criticised in his own country, is assassinated in October 1981. In 1994, Jordan becomes the second Arab nation to normalise ties with Israel. Moon seeks to break nuclear deadlock at Pyongyang summit Seoul, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2018 South Korean President Moon Jae-in travels to Pyongyang this week for his third summit with Kim Jong Un, looking to break the deadlock in nuclear talks between North Korea and the United States. Moon -- whose own parents fled the North during the Korean War -- flies north on Tuesday for a three-day trip, following in the footsteps of his predecessors Kim Dae-jung in 2000 and mentor Roh Moo-hyun in 2007. No details of the programme have been announced, but Pyongyang is likely to pull out all the stops to create a good impression, with tens of thousands of people lining the streets to welcome him. The visit comes after the North put on its "Mass Games" propaganda display for the first time in five years. The new show featured imagery of Kim and Moon at their first summit in April in the Demilitarized Zone that divides the peninsula -- prompting the unusual sight of tens of thousands of North Koreans in the May Day Stadium applauding pictures of Seoul's leader. One diplomatic source predicted the visit would see "Kim and Moon together receiving the same sort of applause". But while the Panmunjom summit was high on headline-grabbing symbolism, with Moon stepping briefly into the North and the two sharing an extended one-to-one woodland chat, pressure is mounting for substantive progress. Moon was instrumental in brokering the historic summit between US President Donald Trump and Kim in Singapore in June, when Kim backed denuclearisation of the "Korean peninsula". But no details were agreed and Washington and Pyongyang have sparred since over what that means and how it will be achieved. At the same time the US and South have sometimes moved at radically different speeds in their approach to the North. Moon will try again to "play the role of facilitator or mediator", said his special advisor on foreign affairs Moon Chung-in. "He believes that improved inter-Korean relations have some role in facilitating US-DPRK talks as well as solving the North Korean nuclear problem," he told reporters, using the North's official acronym. Last month, Trump abruptly cancelled a planned visit by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Pyongyang, after the North condemned "gangster-like" demands for what it called its unilateral disarmament. Washington has been adamant that the North carry out a "final, fully verified denuclearisation" first, while Pyongyang is demanding a formal declaration from the US that the Korean War is over. But Kim has since sent Trump a letter seeking a second summit and held a military parade for his country's 70th birthday without showing off any intercontinental ballistic missiles, prompting warm tweets from the US president. - Special guests - North Korea will want to exploit Trump's eagerness to declare progress before the US midterm elections in November to secure concessions, said Go Myong-hyun, an analyst at the Asan Institute of Policy Studies, and will view "every meeting as a viable political opportunity" towards that goal. But whether Pyongyang is willing to offer something concrete in return has yet to be seen. Moon may try to convince the North Korean leader to verbally commit to providing a list of the country's existing nuclear programme, said Shin Beom-cheol, another analyst at the Asan Institute. "It won't be South Korea that inspects and verifies so if we can get something out of Kim Jong Un's mouth, that will be significant," Shin said, adding the next step could be a summit between Kim and Trump sometime in October. Despite the deadlock in denuclearisation talks, since the Panmunjom summit the two Koreas have sought to pursue joint projects in multiple fields. But North Korea is under several different sets of sanctions for its nuclear and missile programmes, hampering efforts to revive cross-border economic schemes. The dovish South Korean president has invited the heads of the country's largest conglomerates -- including Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motors -- to accompany him to Pyongyang. "He is sending a message to the North to speedily complete denuclearisation, conclude talks with the US so that South Korea can begin full-fledged economic cooperation," said analyst Go. And special advisor Moon Chung-in added that the South Korean president could look to convince Kim to come up with a "somewhat radical and bold initiative", such as dismantling some nuclear bombs, and press the US for reciprocal measures. "And the United States should be willing to come up with major economic easing of economic sanctions," he said. US expert says Trump should pare Korea peace talks from nuclear issue Washington, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2018 One of the top US experts on North Korea says President Donald Trump should agree to separating talks for a formal peace on the Korean peninsula from the issue of Pyongyang's denuclearization. In an interview with AFP, Victor Cha, who was Trump's pick for a new ambassador to Seoul last year before the White House changed its mind, said Trump should get on board with the effort by North and South Korea to craft a declaration to end the 68-year official state of war between the two countries when their leaders meet in Pyongyang next week. "The Chinese will probably support that," said Cha. "That puts Trump in a very awkward position, because there are three other parties that want a peace declaration, and he's the one who wants the credit, for the Nobel prize." Doing so would mean Trump backing off his demand that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un first take concrete steps toward giving up his nuclear weapons. But Trump should insist on something concrete in return, Cha said. "The sequencing issue is not new," he said. "They want a peace declaration and lifting sanctions first, we want steps towards denuclearization first." "We have to split up the negotiations." - Demand demilitarization move by North - Since Trump met with Kim in a groundbreaking summit in Singapore in early June, Washington has rolled together the two issues of denuclearization and an official end to the hostilities that began with the 1950-53 Korean War. Since then there has been no sign of Pyongyang truly moving on denuclearization, says Cha, now head of Korean issues at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "We want a declaration (of nuclear facilities), we want verification, we want a timeline.... There is nothing that I've seen that shows North Korea wants to do any of those things." If North and South Korea do move toward a peace declaration, Cha said, Trump should get something in return for his endorsement. Cha says that could be a North Korean agreement to pull its artillery back from the heavily militarized border, from where it can easily strike densely populated Seoul. "If we're going to do a peace declaration, we have to get something, something that's valuable," Cha said. Trump "might be very tempted to do it, to follow them and then to take control of it, to say 'it was all my idea, this is all going really well,'" he said. As for denuclearization, Cha is less optimistic that a strong deal can be achieved. Pyongyang wants the US to lift economic sanctions first, and so far is only willing to take modest measures like closing testing sites. "It's not real denuclearization," said Cha. He noted recent US intelligence reports that indicate Pyongyang is actually now making more fissile material and more weapons. "The real question is can we get a good deal, one pretty comprehensive and that is verifiable? That's a much harder question to answer, because I don't think the North Koreans are interested in giving up their weapons." Trump retains some leverage, he notes: Trump's agreeing to the summit brought Kim out on the world stage. "Before he was an isolated leader, he was ignored, nobody cared about him," said Cha. "Is he willing to make a deal because he doesn't wanna go back to being isolated? We don't know." Iran hails Iraq parliament selections Tehran, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2018 Iran on Sunday hailed the selections made by Iraq's parliament a day after the body elected candidates backed by a pro-Tehran bloc as speaker and first deputy. "The Islamic Republic of Iran supports decisions made by the (Iraqi) people's elected representatives," foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said. "The Islamic Republic of Iran has always supported Iraq's democracy, territorial integrity and national sovereignty," he added. Iran is a key power broker in neighbouring Iraq and many of the militias that played a central role in ousting the Islamic State group are known to be close to Tehran. Iraq's national politics has been in paralysis since the May 12 national elections, but Saturday's appointments were expected to solidify new alliances and pave the way towards forming a government. "We hope we soon witness the election of the president and prime minister to form a new Iraqi government," said Ghasemi. Lawmakers appointed as speaker former Anbar governor Mohammed al-Halbusi, a Sunni politician backed by a pro-Iran bloc led by Hadi al-Ameri's Conquest Alliance -- a coalition of anti-jihadist veterans close to Tehran. The post of first deputy speaker was given to Hassan Karim, put forward by populist Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr whose list won the largest share of seats in the election. Baghdad and Tehran, which fought a brutal war from 1980 to 1988, came closer after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 and the rise of Iraq's Shiite majority on the political landscape. After Damascus raid, Israel says working to keep weapons from foes Jerusalem, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2018 Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday his country is taking action to stop its foes from acquiring sophisticated arms, hours after Damascus said Israeli missiles targeted its airport. Israel has not officially confirmed or denied a report by Syrian state news agency SANA of an attack late Saturday on Damascus international airport. "Israel is constantly working to prevent our enemies from arming themselves with advanced weaponry," Netanyahu's office quoted him as saying at the start of his cabinet's weekly meeting. "Our red lines are as sharp as ever and our determination to enforce them is stronger than ever." SANA quoted a Syrian military source as saying that air defences "shot down a number of hostile missiles" during the attack. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the strikes hit a weapons depot outside the airport. Israel has vowed to prevent its arch-foe Iran, which is a main backer of the Damascus government, from gaining a military foothold in neighbouring war-torn Syria. Earlier this month, Israel acknowledged having carried out more than 200 strikes in Syria over the past 18 months, mainly against Iranian targets. It has also admitted to striking Syria to prevent what it says are deliveries of advanced weaponry to Lebanon's Hezbollah, an armed movement backed by Iran and which fights alongside Syrian troops. The last reported Israeli strikes on Syria took place on September 4, when Syrian state media said the military's air defences downed several missiles in the coastal province of Tartus and in central Hama. Netanyahu was speaking two days before the start of Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement, and the anniversary of the outbreak of the Yom Kippur war. The 1973 conflict started with a surprise attack by Egypt and Syria that Israel was only able to defeat after setbacks that caused severe losses. "Forty-five years ago, intelligence erred by holding to a mistaken assessment regarding the war intentions of Egypt and Syria," he said. "When these intentions became clear beyond all doubt, and when the danger was on our very doorstep, the political leadership made a grievous mistake by not allowing a pre-emptive strike. We will never repeat this mistake." Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty in 1979, but the Jewish state and Syria are still officially in a state of war. Bir-Lehlou, September 16, 2018 (SPS) - President of the Republic, Secretary-General of the Frente POLISARIO, Brahim Ghali, has sent a congratulatory message to his Nicaraguan counterpart, H.E. Jose Daniel Ortega Saavedra, on the occasion of the 197th anniversary of his country's independence. On behalf of the people and Government of the Sahrawi Republic and on my own behalf, allow me to convey to you and to the Government and brotherly people of Nicaragua my sincere congratulations on the occasion of the 197th anniversary of the Declaration on the Independence of Nicaragua and wish your country further peace, progress and prosperity, said the President of the Republic. I would also like to take this opportunity to express to you the sincere gratitude of the Sahrawi people to the Government and the people of Nicaragua for their support and assertion of the right of the Saharawi people to self-determination and independence. I also express to you our readiness to further strengthen the deep-rooted bonds of cooperation and friendship between the two brotherly peoples and countries, the President of the Republic concluded his message to his Nicaraguan counterpart. (SPS) 062/SPS/TRA by Our Diplomatic Editor ( September 15, 2018, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian) In an interesting move of the bilateral relation between India and Sri Lanka, the policymakers in New Delhi are now advocating to form the new alliance between the incumbent President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena and his predecessor former President Mahinda Rajapaksa who was in New Delhi to address an event organised by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, last week, reliable sources based in New Delhi told Sri Lanka Guardian. In an earlier attempt the New Delhi wing on Sri Lanka was mapping to support the booming young leaders in the United National Party to further shrink Rajapaksas political power but the recent comment by its leadership gave a negative signal. Prime Minister Wickramasinghe, the leader of the UNP reaffirmed that he will hand over the leadership of the party to young leaders in 2030. Therefore, the Indian strategies on Sri Lanka are redesigning the next move where they have decided to take Rajapaksa into the larger picture. However, nothing has been finalized, sources added. We are passing the hour of need to re-engineer the political structure in Sri Lanka to enhance our friendship, sources further added. Meanwhile, how you are going to win the heart and mine of the Tamil people if you are planning to come back to govern your respective nation, a top man who met with Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in New Delhi asked, a reliable source said. Rajapaksa as a politician who never kept zipped mouth in any situation, responses quickly with detailed answers about the help he has done to the Tamil Community. But, unfortunately, the answer was not well received. Meanwhile, there was a detailed discussion with Rajapaksa about the Chinese influence in the Island. Imagine the next presidential poll in 2020, President Sirisena as a candidate promoting Rajapaksa as his Prime Minister, a key level political source in New Delhi nodded. by Tisaranee Gunasekara Without liberty, the understanding would be to no purpose, and without understanding, liberty (if it could be) would signify nothing. ~ Locke (An Essay Concerning Human Understanding) ( September 16, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) doesnt always get it right. In May 2018, it predicted that Nawaz Sharifs party, PML-N, will win Pakistani elections scheduled for July. That was wrong. In April 2016, it predicted that Hakainde Hichilema will win Zambian elections scheduled for August. Wrong again. According to the EIU, the SLPP win most parliamentary seats and form a government while an associate or relative of Mahinda Rajapaksa will win the presidential election. A reasonable prediction given how badly the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government is failing. More than 600,000 Lankans in 11 districts are severely affected by the drought. One wouldnt think so, listening to President Sirisenas cashew-diatribe or watching Premier Wickremesinghes antics, from Gam Peraliya to turning the Temple Trees into a wedding destination for a brief hour of ignominy. This is not good-governance, not even by the most generous stretch of the term. This is stupid-governance, characterised by ineffective policies and clownish acts. The dangerous disconnect between politico-social liberalism and politico-economic democracy seems to be informing many of the governments economic policies. Sans popular support, democracy cannot survive. To gain and maintain that popular support, democracy must be able to satisfy the relatively modest expectations of everyday life. [i] Austerity measures work politically only if they are perceived to be shouldered by all. When a disproportionate share of the burden of budget cuts and tax increases are imposed on those at the bottom of the income totem pole, austerity can undermine governments and destabilise political systems. The Sri Lankan government should undertake an assessment of the human rights impact of both its economic reform policies and infrastructure projects. [ii] Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky, the Independent UN Expert on the Effects of Foreign Debt on Human Rights, opined after his recent visit to Sri Lanka. He also talked about the need to maintain social spending and implement progressive taxation. Excellent advice, if only the government has the brains to understand. In this month alone, the price of flour and all flour-based products went up; the government increased the price of fuel, again, and announced an increase in train fares, two measures which will further burden the already overburdened segments of the populace, including the drought-stricken. There is not even an acknowledgement about the economic pain of the people. The President, the PM, the Finance Minister and the ministers sound tone-deaf whenever they speak, as if they inhabit a different plane of existence. Into this breach, the Rajapaksas will step in. Racial and religious fears find fertile grounds in high prices and emptying pockets. The Rajapaksas will exacerbate this discontent with fake news and extremist rhetoric, direct it and ride it to power, proving the September forecast of the Economist Intelligence Unit right. Who will wear the crown? Thomas Paine said, It is the pride of the kings which throws mankind into confusion. [iii] In our times, it is often the idiocy of democrats which enables kings to re-emerge and throw mankind into confusion. A curious statement by the Director of the governments Information Department indicates the irrational landscape on which next elections will be waged. The statement debunked a piece of fake news being disseminated over the internet that 250 Indian families have been settled in the Nedunkerni village. [iv] Sri Lanka has no real immigrant problem, the way the West has. Yet an issue is being manufactured out of this non-existent problem, adding new layers to old Sinhala-Buddhist insecurities. What we are witnessing is the deliberate irrationalisation of the political discourse, and, through that, the electoral landscape. When fake news is used to generate fear, and that fear is used to sow confusion in public spaces, the door is opened for politics of salvation, and for that mythical strong leader who can deliver us from evil aliens. The leader as exorcist and saviour a role tailor-made by the Rajapaksas for the Rajapaksas. My son [Namal Rajapaksa] cant be a presidential candidate since they have now raised the minimum age to 35 years, instead of 30, so he cant be considered in 2019, Mahinda Rajapaksa told The Hindu. My brother is certainly a contender. Had the 19 th amendment not included that clause, Mahinda Rajapaksa would have anointed his eldest son as the SLPPs presidential candidate. Given the monumental stupidity of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration, Namal Rajapaska could have become the next executive president in Sri Lanka. A sobering thought, that. According to Manthri.com, a website monitoring the performance of Lankan parliamentarians, Namal Rajapaksa is not among the top 10, 50 or even 100. He is ranked 146 out of 225 [v] , which places him firmly in the category of non-performers. He did no better in the theatre of street politics. The Janabala Meheyuma and its inevitable failure is symbolic of a young man who tries to stride like a colossus in shoes way too big for his dainty feet. During his years in the political limelight, the eldest Rajapaksa scion has said or done nothing to demonstrate even a minimal capacity to hold a position of power with responsibility. Yet, according to his father, age is the only factor which renders young Namal unsuited to presidency. That is how politics of hereditary rule works. Whether the 19 th Amendment can save Lankan democracy or not remains to be seen. But it has saved Sri Lanka from the burlesque rule of a Baby Doc. A Namal Rajapaksa presidency would have degenerated into a deadly farce within weeks. That tragicomic future of a president swaggering about, on paternal stilts, need not be feared, at least not till 2025. The Rajapaksas remain today what they always were, a Family Inc. There might be others in the SLPP more suited to the position of presidential candidate than a Rajapaksa offspring or sibling, but like in any monarchy, they are disqualified by the fact of birth. Whatever the Rajapaksas occupy, be it a political party or a country, it becomes their fief, a wholly family-owned entity which can be ruled only by a born-and-bred member of the family. However hard the non-Rajapaksa leaders of the SLPP labour, they will always be debarred from the summits by a feudal-ceiling. Had the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government stayed halfway loyal to its mandate, the Rajapaksa spectacle would have been nothing more than a source of amusement. Safe in a democratic Sri Lanka, it would have been possible to laugh at the shenanigans of fathers, sons, brothers, uncles and nephews, our very own political reality show. But the government has lost all sense of direction; it has no political, economic or moral compass. Abandoning ones own mantle and trying to steal the opponents mantle doesnt work, as the disastrous performance of the Swedish Social Democrats demonstrates. These are unsettled times for democratic politics, Chantal Mouffe wrote commenting on Sweden [vi] . In countries like ours, where when bedrock institutions are absent or weak, times are dangerous. If the Rajapaksas return to power and they have an excellent chance of doing so Sri Lanka will cease to be a democracy, again, this time probably for a long time. The Exorcist-Saviour The DA Rajapaksa museum case is indicative of how dictatorial rule works in reality. The Rajapaksas, in pursuance of their dynastic project, created a museum for their parents in Hambantota. [vii] It would have been non-controversial, commendable even, had they used their own money or raised funds via the Rajapaksa Foundation. Instead public funds were used for the purpose to the tune of more than Rs. 80 million. [viii] A part of this money was repaid by the Rajapaksa Foundation, but only after the family lost power. There is 40 million more due. That is how efficient dictators work in practice. The myth of the efficient dictator is just that a myth, deliberately created by actual or would-be dictators. It seems to have originated in Italy, with Mussolinis promise to turn the Italian Railway into the best in Europe. He didnt. But in an audioscape where counter-voices were criminalised and banned, any lie could flourish and even become embedded in the collective memory as facts. The Strong Leader myth really flew with the birth of Asian Tigers. The main reason for the miraculous development achieved by East Asias NICs (Newly Industrialising Countries) was geo-politics. Sans the Cold War, the Chinese Revolution and the Korean War, the Tigers might have been just ordinary cats. The West needed economic successes to counter the gathering Communist influence in East Asia. A version of Marshall Plan was implemented, especially in South Korea and Taiwan. Taiwan became a key post on the Wests defence perimeter Over the 1950s economic aid equalled about 6% of GNP and nearly 40% of gross investment. [ix] American aid financed more than 80% of South Korean imports in the 1950s. [x] Americans, so hostile to land reform in the rest of the world, championed sweeping land reforms in South Korea and Taiwan, which did much to settle the peasant question and combat rural poverty. The NICs could become industrialised in such a short time because a super power was willing to provide them with investments and markets. Thanks to American generosity, the NICs could undertake developmental measures without imposing politically destabilising burdens on the masses. That was how Chiang Kai-shek became transformed from a failure in China to a spectacular success in Taiwan. Most of Asia, Africa and Southern America lived under civilian or military dictators until the 1990s; none of them reached the developmental heights achieved by the NICs. That in itself should suffice to debunk the mythical nexus between dictatorship and development. But in the politically motivated populist retelling of the Asian-Tiger story, these facts are ignored; sole focus is on tough rulers and obedient people. If you want to become the next Tiger, get yourself a good dictator, the aspirant dictators (and their supporters) tell populaces tired by the ineptitude of democratic governments. This is essentially what Ashok Pathirage of the Softlogic fame did at a forum organised by the International Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka (and names Fireside Chats, in imitation of former American President Franklin Roosevelts series of radio shows.) We need a strong leadership; what we need is a little bit of a dictator. [xi] Mr. Pathirage did not say who he had in mind to play the role of a little bit of a dictator. There was no need. Mr. Pathirage, like Vendaruwe Upali Thero, is obviously waiting for the return of the Rajapaksas in general and a Gotabhaya Presidency in particular. It is instructive to remember that the Hitler analogy was birthed not by the critics of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, but by one of his most fervent admirers. The love affair between dictators and crony capitalists is both old and universal. Dictators have their favourite capitalists. Such favoured ones can grow, at the expense not just of the general public but also of the rest of entrepreneurs, especially the less/non-connected ones. Like in every other sphere, in the economy too, dictators will enact policies which are good for themselves and their entrepreneurial cronies. They will implement those policies with little regard to public sentiment or rules and regulations. Adolf Hitler mesmerised the land of Goethe and Beethoven to the mouth of abyss and beyond. Fortunately for Sri Lanka, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa lacks such powers of mesmerisation. He cannot win the presidency without the charisma of Brother Mahinda and the organisational capacity of Brother Basil. Like in any family-centric organisation, the various kin-rivalries will plague the SLPP for a while. The comedic failure of Namal Rajapaksas bird-brained attempt to capture governmental power by bringing busloads of supporters to Colombo was a result of just such a rivalry. But in the end, the family is likely to unite, offering some brother as the exorcist-saviour of the nation. Driven to insanity by the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administrations misrule, the voters would trample to the ground the not inconsiderable democratic achievements of the last three years, and rush to embrace the good dictator. [ix] Models of Development: A Comparative Study of Economic Growth in South Korea and Taiwan. Edited byL Lawrence Lau and Lawrence Kilen [x] Two Koreas, One Future? edited by John Sullivan and Robert Foss The U.S. Navy finally got an upgrade to the F-35 version of the JHMCS (Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System) that fixed a serious problem that was only noticed once less experienced F-35 carrier pilots began using JHMCS during night carrier landings (night traps). Carrier pilots did not begin using the F-35s on carriers until 2014 and the pilots involved were veteran carrier pilots who found the F-35 JHMCS worked fine and these veteran carrier pilots adapted to it quickly. But once new carrier pilots (with less than a few dozen night traps) began flying the F-35C (the carrier version) there were reports that at night some green light leaked from the JHMCS in such a way that it was difficult to see the landing lights on the carrier deck that pilots had to constantly check to make a successful night trap. For F-35C pilots with more than a few dozen night traps this was not considered a major problem but for novice F-35C pilots it was seen as a potentially fatal distraction, especially during night traps carried out in bad weather. So until the problem was fixed only carrier pilots with fifty or more night traps could perform night traps with the F-35C. That problem has been fixed by using OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) displays in the JHMCS helmets in place of the older LED tech. The first of these OLED versions went to the F-35C pilots with fewer than 50 night traps and eventually, all F-35C pilots will have them. OLED was a planned upgrade for JHMCS and aircraft flight instruments in general, but there was not a lot of urgency for the more powerful F-35 version of the JHMCS. This version had a lot more data available on the helmet visor and was used differently than other versions of JHMCS. The LED light leak problem was one of the things noted (as a minor problem to be fixed eventually) after a major advance in the design of these helmets appeared in 2012. This new version entered service as JHMCS II and, like JHMCS I allowed the user to fire weapons at wherever their eyes are pointed, no matter what direction the helmet is pointed. This new version did everything the older version did but faster and with less effort by the pilot. Version II used better hardware and software to track the movement of the pilot's eyes. The new JHMCS was better balanced and much more comfortable to wear and use. The new version was more reliable and cheaper as well. Still, a JHMCS II costs about a million dollars. It's an expensive way to cover your head. The cost of JHMCS includes additional equipment to be installed in the cockpit, training and technical support. The JHMCS also allows a pilot to see critical flight and navigation information displayed on their visor. Sort of like a see-through computer monitor or Head Up Display. This enables the pilot to look around more often without having to look down at cockpit displays or straight ahead at a HUD (Head Up Display). This kind of freedom gives an experienced pilot an extra edge in finding enemy aircraft or targets and maneuvering to get into a better position for attacks. JHMCS is also useful for air to ground attacks. Systems like JHMCS have been very effective but JHMCS II was lighter and easier to wear (weight was a major problem in the past), easier to use, and more reliable (if you don't bump into the canopy). The Israelis firm Elbit took the lead in developing this technology and made many technical breakthroughs with their earlier DASH (Display and Sight Helmet) system. Elbit teamed up with American firms to develop and market JHMCS, which is largely an improved DASH system. This also led to the F-35s JGMCS. The first helmet mounted sights were developed in South Africa in the 1970s. The Russians noted this development when they lost several jet fighters in Angola to South African pilots using these helmets. The Russians went to work and five years later had one of their own. It proved very effective and scared NATO air forces when the Russian helmet was demonstrated by German fighter pilots from the former East German (the Germanys united in 1991) against experienced American F-16 pilots. Israel was the first Western air force to develop one of these helmets and is still a leader in the field. Since the 1980s these helmets have come to handle more data and chores while also being easier to wear. But these helmets are still heavy. That's why the better balance of JHMCS II was important. Even so shortly after September 11, 2001, the U.S. Air Force introduced a new neck muscle exercise machine in air force gyms frequented by fighter pilots. This was because the new helmets weighed 2 kg (4.3 pounds), which was about fifty percent more than a plain old helmet. That extra weight may not seem like much but when making a tight turn, the gravitational pull (or "Gs") makes the helmet feel like it weighs 17.3 kg (38 pounds). You need strong neck muscles to deal with that. For decades now fighter pilots have had to spend a lot of time building upper body strength in the gym, in order to be able to handle the G-forces. Otherwise, pilots can get groggy or even pass out in flight, as well as land with strained muscles. Before the helmet mounted displays and aiming systems were available, pilots had to keep checking instruments in the cockpit and use fixed targeting systems. Not having to keep looking at the cockpit displays saved valuable seconds in jet fighter combat that was often over in less than ten seconds. Repeated combat exercises (and actual combat) between pilots with the helmets and those without has made this unequivocal. Its been a revolutionary development in air combat. In the air combat community, the innovation is recognized as real and, for those not using it, a deadly disadvantage. To make the most of tech like this you must allow your pilots to spend hundreds of hours in the air practicing with the helmets. This is one reason why China and Russia adopted the more expensive Western style of training pilots over the last few decades. In 2015 U.S. again upgraded the JHMCS II "look and shoot" helmet displays used by F-35, F-15, F-16 and F-18 pilots. The F-35s also got the latest version (the U.S.Israeli HMDS, Helmet-Mounted Display System) included a new VR (Virtual Reality) feature. These new helmets can display graphics in real time and the VR feature enables the helmet display to show what is beneath the aircraft (via six infrared cameras on the fuselage beneath the cockpit) when the pilot looks down with this VR feature turned on. This can be very useful in combat, ground attack or simply landing. This feature proved particularly effective when operating at night. HMDS is also closely integrated with the very capable F-35 avionics and thus will enable to the F-35 to be the first modern jet without a standard HUD (mounted above the cockpit instruments in front of the pilot). Basic features of these "look and shoot" helmet displays include information displayed on the visor, and sensors in the helmet, which enables the pilot to look at the target (either another aircraft, or something on the ground) and fire a weapon (missile) that will go after the target being looked at. Recent upgrades allow the pilot to also put "head up display" (HUD) information on the helmet visor visual system. This is a big advantage in air combat, where it's always been a problem having to look down at some display or instrument reading, and take your eyes off the surrounding airspace. This makes it safer for pilots (especially when flying on the deck, at high speed) and in combat. Another recent enhancement allows each pilot to customize what information is shown on their helmet visor. These helmets are one of the major, and little mentioned, revolutions in air combat. Enabling a pilot to look and shoot as well as keep their heads up more of the time and more quickly make decisions in air-to-air combat is a big deal. This dramatic change has not gotten much publicity because there has been such little air-to-air combat in the last few decades. But in realistic training exercises, the difference has been noted. This has been documented in detail (and classified) in the United States because since the 1970s, American combat pilots have done regular training in instrumented airspace, where every move by aircraft and decision by pilots is recorded. This provides all sorts of data on how the aircraft and pilot performance has evolved over the decades. The new helmets have turned out to be a major innovation in air combat. Ooyala Flex Media Platform to Support Interoperable Master Format for Simpler Workflows, Lower Costs and Time-to-Market Ooyala Among First Media-Technology Firms to Provide Support for Important SMPTE-Developed Standard Across All Stages of Content Value Chain Amsterdam and San Jose, Calif.( ) Ooyala will provide extended support for the Interoperable Master Format (IMF) with the Ooyala Flex Media Platform , Ooyalas flexible and configurable content supply chain optimization platform that automates tasks, simplifies workflows and speeds up the time-to-market for content creators and distributors. With IMF support, customers of the Ooyala Flex Media Platform -- the worlds fastest growing media asset management and workflow automation solution being used by the worlds most innovative content owners to simplify millions of video workflows -- can significantly reduce the costs and improve the efficiency of their multi-version, multi-platform distribution needs. IMF is a file-delivery standard created by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) that reduces the number of different versions of a video file required for distribution to viewers in different markets and on different platforms around the world. Prior to IMF, thousands of different versions of a widely distributed motion picture reflecting various combinations of subtitles, metadata, audio, formatting and other features -- would be required in order to support multiple-market-segment distribution. The efficiencies offered by IMF increasingly embraced by major studios and SVOD services -- have been estimated to achieve savings of 25% or more in storage and versioning costs. Ooyala is precisely aligned with IMFs goals, helping content creators and distributors streamline their operations to be more profitable, said Jonathan Huberman, Ooyala CEO. Unlike other technology partners, Ooyala provides end-to-end support for IMF across the entire content supply chain. And with seamless integration of existing tools into the Ooyala Flex Media Platform, were enabling IMF strategies for companies who would otherwise lack the necessary technology. The technology community has been listening to content providers, and were equipped to help them truly capitalize on global monetization opportunities. The Ooyala Flex Media Platform will enable an IMF workflow while still working with existing business-critical technologies. Among other features, the platform natively supports receipt of Interoperable Master Packages (IMPs) and transcodes them into renditions required for streaming to customer devices. Ooyala will provide clients IMF support across all stages of the content supply chain -- addressing a range of IMF requirements from asset management through processing, distribution and digital playout. Ooyala, a leading provider of software and services that simplify the complexity of producing, streaming and monetizing video, developed the Ooyala Flex Media Platform to connect the entire video content supply chain for broadcasters and content owners, from production to profit. The Ooyala Flex Media Platform provides central workflows, shared metadata infrastructure and open APIs to integrate with existing systems and to provide a single source of truth for the content owners. About Ooyala: For over 10 years, Ooyala has been at the forefront of shaping the OTT and media workflow revolutions as a leading provider of software and solutions that optimize the production, distribution and monetization of media. National Rugby League, Dell, SkySports and Media Prima are global customers that rely on the Ooyala Flex Media Platform to successfully produce, manage, and distribute media and become more efficient, more open and more extensible to meet the evolving needs of their viewers. US Coast Guard member reassigned over 'white power' gesture Washington, Sept 15 (AFP) Sep 15, 2018 A US Coast Guard member assigned to hurricane duty has been removed after being caught on television making a gesture which some viewers alleged was a white power symbol. "We are aware of the offensive video on Twitter -- the Coast Guard has identified the member and removed him from the response," the US Coast Guard said on its official Twitter account. "His actions do not reflect those of the United States Coast Guard," one of the federal agencies responding to Hurricane Florence which has since weakened to a tropical storm and killed at least six people in the southeastern United States. The incident occurred during an interview on MSNBC with a Coast Guard member discussing Florence. In the background sat another member, with short hair, who turned toward the camera and moved his right hand alongside his head. His thumb and index finger approached each other while the other fingers were upright. Twitter users including Jann Gobble, a computer programmer, interpreted it as a racist message. "Did you all see this guy flash White Power on TV?" Gobble wrote, calling for an investigation. Racial tensions have intensified in the United States since President Donald Trump assumed office early last year. Killer storm far from over, US officials warn as 'epic' rain falls New Bern, United States, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2018 Authorities on Saturday warned residents displaced by a killer hurricane that its devastation was far from over, as Florence dumped "epic amounts of rainfall" across the southeastern United States, bringing catastrophic flooding and at least nine deaths. Most of the fatalities occurred in North Carolina, where officials confirmed eight victims. They included three who died "due to flash flooding and swift water on roadways," the Duplin County Sheriff's Office reported. A woman and her baby were among the first casualties, when a tree fell on their house, contributing to a toll which US media said had reached 11. Florence made landfall Friday as a Category 1 hurricane but has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, even as it continued to wreak havoc along the East Coast, downing trees and power lines and forcing 20,000 people to flee to shelters. On Saturday some residents tried to return home, driving through flooded highways armed with chainsaws to clear fallen pine trees that covered the road. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper warned against such behavior as roads became increasingly dangerous. "All roads in the state right now are at risk of floods," he said. "As rivers keep rising and rain keeps falling, the flooding will spread. More and more inland counties are issuing mandatory evacuations to get people to safety quickly." He earlier said the storm system "is unloading epic amounts of rainfall: in some places, measured in feet, not inches." In a separate briefing, Steve Goldstein of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said some areas have already received two feet of rain and could expect up to 20 inches more as the system moved "slowly, nearly stationary" over eastern North Carolina. In New Bern, a riverfront city near the North Carolina coast that saw storm surges up to 10 feet (three meters), residents took stock of the damage after flood waters began receding and authorities rescued hundreds of people who had been stranded. Charles Rucker, a retired teacher, had only spent five nights in his newly-purchased house, built in 1830, when Florence struck. It was like a bullet train coming through the living room. Nothing I ever experienced before, I was truly scared," he told AFP. "We have 4,200 damaged homes," Mayor Dana Outlaw told CNN. The doors of many homes suffered so much wind damage they appeared to have been kicked in, while the city's beloved fiber-glass bear statues, which are sponsored by local businesses, were floating down streets. In one piece of good news, authorities said 16 wild ponies of hurricane-struck Ocracoke Island, located off the North Carolina coast, were safe. - Deadly path - South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster on Saturday announced the death of a 61-year-old woman who died when her car hit a downed tree on a highway. US media said a man in Lenoir County died after heavy winds knocked him down as he tried to check on his dogs. President Donald Trump tweeted late Saturday that "five deaths have been recorded thus far," and expressed sympathy to the victims' families. The White House said Trump would visit hurricane-hit areas next week "once it is determined his travel will not disrupt any rescue or recovery efforts." More than 800,000 customers in North Carolina were without power and 21,000 people were being housed in 157 shelters across the state. As of 8:00 pm (0000 GMT), maximum sustained winds had weakened to near 45 miles (75 kilometers) per hour, but the NHC continued to warn of "catastrophic" flooding from excessive rainfall. The military announced Saturday it was deploying nearly 200 soldiers to assist in storm-related response and recovery efforts, along with 100 trucks and equipment. Besides federal and state emergency crews, rescuers were being helped by volunteers from the "Cajun Navy" -- civilians equipped with light boats, canoes and air mattresses -- who also turned up in Houston during Hurricane Harvey to carry out water rescues. - Tornado warnings - Hurricane Florence made landfall Friday in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, after stalking the coastline for days. Tornadoes remain a threat, with the NHC saying that "a few tornadoes are possible in southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina." About 1.7 million people in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia are under voluntary or mandatory evacuation orders, and millions of others live in areas likely to be affected by the storm. Killer storm Florence turning into 'flood event' Kinston, United States, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2018 Catastrophic floods raised the threat of dam breaks and landslides across the Carolinas Sunday, prolonging the agony caused by a killer hurricane that has left more than a dozen dead and billions of dollars in damage in the southeastern United States. Downgraded to a tropical depression, Florence slowly crawled over South and North Carolina, dumping heavy rains on already flood-swollen river basins that authorities warned could bring more death and destruction. Local media have tallied 13 deaths since Florence made landfall Friday as a Category 1 hurricane over Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. "Unfortunately we've still got several days to go," Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told Fox News. Long said more havoc lays ahead as the storm broadens its geographic scope over regions deeply saturated with water. Of particular concern were the risks to dams, already stressed by heavy rainfall from a tropical storm earlier in the month. "That water has got to come down and make its way to the coast and it's traveling south. So the rivers are pretty saturated which exacerbates this problem. "What we have to focus on are there any dams that are going potentially going to break." He urged citizens to remain vigilant and heed officials warnings, adding that Florence had now turned into a "flood event." "People fail to heed warnings and get out or they get into the flood waters trying to escape their home. And that's where you start to see deaths escalate," he told CBS News. "Even though hurricanes are categorized by wind it's the water that really causes the most loss of life." - 'Billions in damage' - A woman and her baby were among the storm's first casualties when a tree fell on their house. Others killed included three who perished "due to flash flooding and swift water on roadways," according to the Duplin County Sheriff's Office, and a 61-year-old woman who died when her car hit a downed tree. At least two people died from electrocution while attempting to connect their generators while one couple died of monoxide poisoning from running their generator indoors, according to reports. Even as some residents began returning to their homes, officials warned a long road to recovery ahead. "I think that the storm is likely going to produce impacts greater than Hurricane Matthew," Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina said on Fox News, referring to a Category 5 storm that struck in 2016. "The agriculture industry, the largest industry in our state is hard-hit. We will have to sort out the crop damage," he continued, adding: "I think that it's fair to say in terms of economic impact rebuilding that we are talking in the billions of dollars." A dull, leaden sky was hanging over the town of Grifton, North Carolina on Sunday morning. Days of heavy rainfall have turned the surrounding farmland into soggy marshland. Localized flooding persisted in some areas, with Grifton fire chief Justin Johnson warning of more deluges in the days ahead. "People who need to be evacuated have been evacuated. We continue to patrol the area, but people have already been through Matthew hurricane and know what to expect," he told AFP. The number of customers without power across North Carolina fell slightly to 700,000. Thousands meanwhile were being housed in 157 shelters across the state. US Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Karl Schultz meanwhile told ABC 28 aircraft had been deployed as well as 35 "shallow water rescue teams." The army previously announced it was deploying nearly 200 soldiers to assist in storm response and recovery efforts, along with 100 trucks and equipment. Besides federal and state emergency crews, rescuers were being helped by volunteers from the "Cajun Navy" -- civilians equipped with light boats, canoes and air mattresses -- who also turned up in Houston during Hurricane Harvey to carry out water rescues. Killer storm Florence turning into 'flood event' Grifton, United States, Sept 16 (AFP) Sep 16, 2018 Catastrophic floods raised the threat of dam breaks and landslides across the southeastern United States on Sunday, prolonging the agony caused by a killer hurricane that has left more than a dozen people dead and billions of dollars in damage. Downgraded to a tropical depression, Florence slowly crawled over South and North Carolina, dumping heavy rains on already flood-swollen river basins that authorities warned could bring more death and destruction. "A lot of people have evacuated already," said Denise Harper, a resident of Grifton, a small North Carolina town threatened by rising water levels in a nearby creek and the River Neuse. "It's worrying to watch the water slowly rising." Local media have tallied 13 deaths since Florence made landfall Friday as a Category 1 hurricane near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina -- with ten deaths confirmed by officials in that state alone. "Unfortunately we've still got several days to go," Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told Fox News. Long said more havoc lays ahead as the storm broadens its geographic scope over regions deeply saturated with water. Of particular concern were the risks to dams, already stressed by heavy rainfall from a tropical storm earlier in the month, he said, urging citizens to heed official warnings about what was now a "flood event." "What we have to focus on are there any dams that are going potentially going to break." "People fail to heed warnings and get out or they get into the flood waters trying to escape their home. And that's where you start to see deaths escalate," he told CBS News. "Even though hurricanes are categorized by wind, it's the water that really causes the most loss of life." A dull, leaden sky hung over Grifton on Sunday. Days of heavy rainfall have turned the surrounding farmland into soggy marshland. Grifton fire chief Justin Johnson warned of more deluges in the days ahead. "People who need to be evacuated have been evacuated. We continue to patrol the area, but people have already been through Matthew hurricane and know what to expect," he told AFP. Harper recalls Hurricane Floyd in 1999. "We got cut off, there was nowhere to go, water everywhere, the military had to come to bring us some food," she said. - Electrocution risk - North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper told reporters "the strongest storm bands are dumping two to three inches of rain (5 - 7.5 centimeters) per hour" over regions that had already received up to two feet of rain. "That's enough to cause flooding in areas that have never flooded before until now. The risk is growing as well in the mountains, where rains could lead to dangerous landslides," he said. A woman and her baby were among the storm's first casualties when a tree fell on their house. Others killed included three who perished "due to flash flooding and swift water on roadways," according to the Duplin County Sheriff's Office, and a 61-year-old woman who died when her car hit a downed tree. At least two people died from electrocution while attempting to connect their generators while one couple died of monoxide poisoning from running their generator indoors, according to reports. - 'Billions' in damage - Even as some residents began returning to their homes, officials warned of a long road to recovery ahead. "I think that the storm is likely going to produce impacts greater than Hurricane Matthew," Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina said on Fox News, referring to a Category 5 storm that struck in 2016, killing 26 in the state. "The agriculture industry, the largest industry in our state is hard-hit. We will have to sort out the crop damage," he continued, adding: "I think that it's fair to say in terms of economic impact rebuilding that we are talking in the billions of dollars." The number of customers without power across North Carolina fell slightly to 700,000. Fifteen thousand meanwhile were being housed in 158 shelters across the state. US Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Karl Schultz meanwhile told ABC 28 aircraft had been deployed as well as 35 "shallow water rescue teams." Some 2,800 North Carolina National Guardsmen were actively aiding rescue and relief efforts Sunday with another 1,000 on standby. Besides federal and state emergency crews, rescuers were being helped by volunteers from the "Cajun Navy" -- civilians equipped with light boats, canoes and air mattresses -- who also turned up in Houston during Hurricane Harvey to carry out water rescues. When Malcolm Turnbull wrote to his electorate last week outlining his achievements he listed economic growth, jobs, same-sex marriage and a number of really big construction projects including the Western Sydney airport, Melbourne to Brisbane inland rail, and Snowy Hydro 2.0. Some people will like those and other big projects, some will not. But, combined, they are going to cost more than $75 billion over the next ten years, so it is worth asking as a separate (threshold) question whether they are likely to be value for money. For some of them, such as the National Broadband Network or the Gonski education reforms, its worth asking whether we might get better value if we spent even more. Turnbulls downsizing of Labors original NBN plan made it cheaper, but not necessarily better. For goods provided for a social purpose, value for money is about more than profit. But social returns often get left out of the equations because they are harder to measure. In a paper to be launched on Monday night as part of the University of NSW Grand Challenge on Inequality, we put forward a mechanism for considering both together. How its done in the private sector In the private sector any significant investment decision requires a summation of future costs and benefits discounted (cut) by a few per cent each year to accord with the reality that future costs and benefits matter less to us than immediate payoffs or costs. If the project makes sense when the discount rate is set at or above the firms cost of capital (or hurdle rate of return) it is worth agreeing to. If its benefits are so far into the future that they only make sense with a very low discount rate it is said to be not worth proceeding with. There is no reason why we cant do the same for public sector projects as well, although assessing the benefits is complicated. This is where the revolution in empirical economics and social science over the last two decades comes in. How to measure whats hard to measure Consider a proposal to lengthen the school day by two hours. The costs are relatively easy to calculate: some more teacher time, slightly larger utility bills. Maybe some more pencils. The benefits are more complex. Does a longer school day lead to better educational outcomes? What does that lead to late in life? How can we tell? Modern social science has a well-refined method for answering these questions the randomised controlled trial. Take 50 randomly selected schools and lengthen their school day, then compare the outcomes on standardised tests to a group of control schools. This reveals the true, causal impact of a longer school day on test scores. Test scores are obviously not an end in themselves, but these can then be mapped all the way through into high school and post-secondary outcomes, and then into labour market and later life outcomes. This would naturally involve understanding the impact on earnings, but also outcomes such as crime and physical and mental health. Answering these questions persuasively is what modern social science, armed with amazing data and great computing power, does extremely well. Just as a pharmaceutical trial gives one group, say, heart medication and another group a placebo, randomised trials can increasingly guide public policy. Trying it out Our study includes a demonstration of that sort of analysis on the money that will spent on the National Broadband Network and the National Disability Insurance Scheme. We find that, taking into account social benefits such as telemedicine and the expansion of skills, the money being spent on the NBN will make sense even at a very high discount rate of 15.2%. Labors original more expensive fibre-to-the-premises model would have made sense at an even higher discount rate of 21.1%. The benefits of the National Disability Insurance System are harder to measure. But, when account is taken of the value of reducing stress in carers and value of independence to those being cared for, it too becomes worthwhile at reasonable discount rates. Politics, and political debate, will still need ultimately to control these sorts of investment decisions. But the debate would be far better if we had a common language for assessing the relevant costs and benefits, and a more principled way of prioritising the competing demands on the public purse. >> BACK TO THE NEWSLETTER: Click here to read other articles from this weeks newsletter Pubished by The Conversation Authors: Rosalind Dixon, Professor of Law, UNSW Richard Holden, Professor of Economics and PLuS Alliance Fellow, UNSW Chanel No. 5 and the little black dress are about to come with a British twist. In a show of confidence for post-Brexit UK, French fashion icon Chanel Ltd. is leaving its global headquarters in New York for a new home in London. Rather than add to its Paris roots, the company will base its international team in London in a move thats said to involve dozens of jobs, according to a BBC report. Chanel cited the citys central location and its strong corporate governance standards, according to the report on the broadcasters website. Read also: Lagerfeld reaches for immortality with Chanel Paris show Great that Chanel are moving their global HQ to London from New York, Margot James, UK minister for digital, wrote in a tweet this week. A real vote of confidence in the U.K. and its amazing creatives. Great that @CHANEL are moving their global HQ to London from New York. A real vote of confidence in the UK and its amazing creatives #CreativityIsGREAT https://t.co/0O4xguvpah Margot James (@margot_james_mp) September 10, 2018 The move comes a few months after the closely held French fashion house opened its books for the first time, reporting almost $10 billion in sales last year. That puts Chanel at a level which rivals luxury leader Louis Vuitton -- which, it should be said, still calls Paris its global headquarters home. In the Brazilian state of Para, every week, authorities receive alerts showing them which parts of the Amazon forest have been chopped down, with photos to back it up. The pictures are taken every day at 10:30 in the morning by American satellites, offering a detailed view of every three to five meters on the ground. An algorithm helps reveal automatically where logging has taken place. The authorities send agents to investigate and potentially apprehend the suspects before they do any more damage. "It used to take six days, sometimes two or three months without images," said Iara Musse Felix, CEO of SCCON, the company which distributes the alerts. "Now we have daily images." This revolution in forest surveillance, and the Earth in general, comes from a constellation of satellites run by a company called Planet. Founded in San Francisco in 2010 by three former NASA scientists, Planet is a leader in small satellites, which are easier to produce and replace, and tend to have mission lives of between three and five years. This economic model is vastly at odds with the traditional aerospace industry, which builds large, sophisticated satellites that are far more powerful but take hundreds of millions of dollars to build. Planet has placed 298 satellites in orbit since 2013, and half of those were launched last year. Some 150 are active today, 130 of which are nanosatellites. The rest have fallen back to Earth and burned up on re-entry to the atmosphere. Read also: Scientists urged to 'speak the same language' as public on climate - 'Doves' - These so-called "Dove" satellites are made in San Francisco, at a new building presented this week during the Global Climate Action Summit here. "One technician can build three Dove spacecrafts in a day," said Chester Gillmore, 33, vice president of manufacturing at Planet. "You need about 10 tools to build one of our satellites." There is no "clean room" here. Visitors walk in and out freely. Electronic components are brought in on one side of the room, then tested, then assembled. Doves are a format known as "Cubesat 3u," including a 30-cm cylinder, equipped with an internal camera and two solar panels which unfold in orbit. Six completed Doves wait on a cart to be sent to India, where they will be loaded onto a rocket and sent into orbit, some 300 miles (500 kilometers) above Earth. We "just keep updating it," said co-founder Robbie Schingler, a former employee of NASA. "And that's what we mastered, the ability to take the latest chips, and technologies, from other industries like automotive and consumer devices, take the 50 chips that are inside here... and then make them work in aerospace." The result is a daily image of every square kilometer of the Earth's surface, accessible on the Internet. The company still doesn't turn a profit. But future opportunities abound for companies that want to launch Earth surveillance across the world, whether to track humanity's actions on a global scale or to understand the prevalence of drought. Another project financed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen involves surveilling coral reefs. Cameras on board the small Planet satellites allow researchers to see whether they are bleaching, dying, or growing. When it comes to the Amazon rainforest, illegal loggers know that every day at 10:30 am, the "doves" are watching. Japanese author Haruki Murakami has asked for the withdrawal of his nomination for an alternative to the Nobel Prize in Literature, postponed this year over a sexual misconduct scandal, saying he wanted to concentrate on his writing. One of Japan's most successful literary exports, Murakami's Nobel prospects are the subject of intense annual scrutiny in his home country. Murakami expressed gratitude at the nomination, but said he wanted to "concentrate on writing, away from media attention", the organizers of the New Academy Prize in Literature said while announcing his withdrawal on social media site Facebook. It gave no further details of Murakami's decision. Read also: Murakami delights fans with radio show debut The replacement award was set up by a group of Swedish cultural figures after this year's Nobel Prize in Literature was postponed following a sexual misconduct scandal at the Swedish Academy. The other nominees for the alternative prize are British-born author Neil Gaiman, Guadeloupe-born Maryse Conde and Vietnam-born Kim Thuy. They have all "expressed enthusiasm for their nomination," the organizers' statement added. The winner will be announced in October. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Bambang Muryanto (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta Sat, September 15 2018 Indonesian Womens Congress (Kowani) chairwoman Giwo Rubianto Wiyogo has lambasted the derogatory use of the word emak-emak, a colloquial reference for women whose role is confined to household work . Giwo, who spoke during the 35th General Assembly of the International Council of Women in Yogyakarta, suggested that the public use mothers of the nation instead. People should not use the term the power of emak-emak to describe us, Giwo said to a crowd of cheering women on Friday. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 16, 2018 13:56 1150 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877313717 4 National drug-abuse,Makassar,student Free A 12-year-old elementary school student in Makassar, South Sulawesi, has turned himself in to the police after being a fugitive for a month. The student, identified only as RK, was wanted by the police after a friend, 14-year-old junior high school student AR, was arrested for selling two packets of methamphetamine in early August. According to ARs statement to the police, the packets were owned by RK, who told AR to sell them for Rp 200,000 (US$13.50) and then split the profits. However, the police apprehended AR before any drugs were sold. After ARs arrest, RK had been wanted by the police and allegedly moved from one relatives place to another to avoid getting caught. Accompanied by his parents, he turned himself in on Friday. RK surrendered himself after the police approached his family. He is now residing in the Makassar Integrated Women's and Children's Center (P2TP2A), Tallo district police head Amrin AT said on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com. He said the police named RK a suspect when he was still on the run. Authorities will process the case in court despite RKs statement that the two packets of meth were found in an integrated health services post (Posyandu) near his house. The elementary student also said that, besides selling the drugs, he and AR had also consumed them in the last two months. RK and AR will enter the juvenile justice system and be subjected to child protection laws. Amrin added that the police were still searching for the adult that allegedly supplied the meth to the students. (ris) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Damascus Sun, September 16, 2018 07:57 1150 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087730d66e 2 World Syria,Israel,Damascus,conflict,missile-launch Free An Israeli missile attack targeted the Syrian capital's airport late Saturday, activating air defences which shot down a number of the projectiles, state news agency SANA reported. "Our air defences responded to an Israeli missile attack on Damascus international airport and shot down a number of hostile missiles," a military source said, quoted by SANA. The agency, without giving any information on casualties or damage, posted footage and images of the air defences being activated. In a shaky video, a small, bright explosion is seen in the night sky, with city lights in the distance. AFP's correspondent in Damascus heard a loud blast late Saturday, followed by several smaller explosions. The Israeli military declined to comment on the incident. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said Saturday's strikes hit a weapons depot outside the airport. "The missiles, suspected to be Israeli, destroyed an arms warehouse near the Damascus international airport," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. He had no immediate information on casualties. Israel has vowed to prevent its arch-foe Iran, which is a main backer of Syria's government, from gaining a foothold in neighbouring war-torn Syria. Earlier this month, Israel acknowledged having carried out more than 200 strikes in Syria over the past 18 months, mainly against Iranian targets. It has also admitted to striking Syria to prevent what it says are deliveries of advanced weaponry to Lebanon's Hezbollah, an armed movement backed by Iran and which fights alongside Syrian troops. The last reported Israeli strikes on Syria took place on September 4, when Syrian state media said the military's air defences downed several missiles in the coastal province of Tartus and in central Hama. The Observatory also reported those raids and said they killed three Syrian soldiers. Syria's conflict erupted in 2011 and has since killed more than 360,000 people, with millions more displaced internally and to neighbouring countries. After losing swathes of territory to rebel groups, President Bashar al-Assad's troops have regained the upper hand and are now in control of around two-thirds of the ravaged country. They were bolstered by nearly three years of air strikes by their key ally Russia and Iranian, Iraqi, Lebanese, and other foreign fighters on the ground. Soldiers and other loyalist fighters had been amassing around Idlib, the largest rebel-held zone left in Syria, for several weeks. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied that Syrian troops were planning a major offensive for the area. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 16, 2018 20:36 1149 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087731a87e 2 City jakarta,police,e-ticketing,regulation Free The Jakarta Polices Traffic Directorate is set to issue a regulation on Electronic Traffic Law Enforcement (E-TLE) in early October. Jakarta Police traffic director Sr. Comr. Yusuf said the police would use advanced surveillance cameras that could capture vehicle license plate numbers. The cameras will be connected to the Jakarta Polices system, so that it can automatically identify vehicle owners, he said. Yusuf added that with this evidence, the police would ticket errant drivers by calling on them or sending them letters. We will try the policy out along Jl. MH Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman, Yusuf said on Saturday as quoted by tempo.co. The police are set to disseminate information about the electronic ticketing regulation for one month before enforcing it.(cal) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan Sun, September 16, 2018 18:59 1149 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877317cd3 1 National flood,Medan Free Flood waters inundated many parts of Medan on Sunday after torrential rain swept across North Sumatras provincial capital over the weekend. Waters inundated hundreds of houses in residential areas and several major thoroughfares in the city, including Merdeka Square, Jl. Sudirman, Jl. Imam Bonjol, Jl. Gatot Subroto, Jl. Thamrin, Jl. Sei Padang and Jl. AR Hakim, causing traffic congestion. The worst cases reported included floods in Medan Baru, Medan Selayang, Medan Johor and Medan Maimun districts, in which thousands of residents were forced to take shelter. Religious activities at some houses of worship, including Gunung Timur vihara on Jl. Hang Tuah and the Protestant church in the Padangbulan housing compound, were canceled. According to the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), the rain had caused water levels in basin areas to rise rapidly, while the drainage system was overwhelmed. Medan Mayor Dzulmi Eldin apologized to residents, acknowledging that the floods were partly caused by the dysfunctional drainage system. We are repairing the drainage system, but it hasnt been completed. I apologize on behalf of the Medan administration, he said during an inspection on Sunday. Dzulmi said the administration would also prioritize normalizing clogged rivers. BPBD coordinator M Yunus said the agency had established a number of shelters to accommodate thousands of evacuees. He also warned that it might take some time until the water receded as the wet weather lingered. We will be on standby, he said. (swd) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 16, 2018 16:01 1150 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877315457 4 National Prabowo-Subianto,#2019PresidentialElection,PAN,Sandiaga-Uno,young-voters Free Gerindra Party chairman and presidential hopeful Prabowo Subianto is looking to project a laid-back public persona to attract young voters ahead of next year's election. "Pak Prabowo will appear with a contemporary image, not just a change of clothing," National Mandate Party (PAN) deputy secretary-general Faldo Maldini said on Saturday as quoted by tempo.co. Faldo said Prabowo would focus on how to carry himself and present his views in a way that would appeal to millennials, but declined to go into the details on the new Prabowo. "Just wait for it," he said. Previously, Prabowo's running mate and former Jakarta deputy governor Sandiaga Uno had said that the former general would unveil "the new Prabowo" during the campaign to attract the youth vote. According to data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), about 80 million people under the age of 40 will be eligible to vote next year, making up nearly half of the electorate. During the 2014 presidential race that Prabowo lost by around 8 million votes, he gained a reputation for being hot-headed and lashing out at journalists for what he perceived to be unfavorable coverage. Reports even claimed that he once threw a cellphone at a fellow politician. "Pak Prabowo is a fun person. The new Prabowo is someone who is very relaxed," Sandiaga said. "Pak Prabowo has experienced our political dynamics and he understands that the democratic process must unite us, instead of tearing us apart. (kmt) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Stefanno Reinard Sulaiman (The Jakarta Post) News Desk Sun, September 16, 2018 13:42 1150 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087731370b 1 Business ConocoPhillips,pertamina,oil,oil-block Free State-owned energy holding company Pertamina has sent a proposal for South Sumatra's Corridor block, which is currently under the operation US-based oil firm ConocoPhillips, a government official said on Friday. "I received the initial proposal yesterday," the ministry's director general for oil and gas, Djoko Siswanto, said. Under the prevailing ministerial regulation No. 23/2018 on the oil and gas block's contract, which is set to expire in 2023, Pertamina and the existing contractor both have the right to bid for the extension. Previously, Deputy Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arcandra Tahar said the government would evaluate the extension of Corridor block this month. "We will have discussions about data, future potential, economic value and other prospects," he said. According to Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force data, as of April, the block produced 6,666 barrels of oil per day and 949.65 million standard cubic feet of gas per day. (evi) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Johor Bahru Mon, September 17 2018 Indonesia is the second-largest contributor of tourists to Johor, Malaysia, and the state is aiming to attract more visitors from the archipelago, according to Johor Tourism Board steering head Abdul Malik Ismail. Last year, 1.3 million Indonesian tourists visited the state, while 10.6 million came from Singapore. In total, 14.4 million people traveled to Johor in 2017. Malik said the Johor Tourism Board wanted to cooperate with the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (ASITA) to boost tourist arrivals in the state. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, September 16, 2018 18:49 1149 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308773173ce 1 SE Asia MigrantCare,human-trafficking,Indonesia,Singapore,Carousell-App Free The Migrant CARE advocacy group hit out at the recent discovery that Indonesian migrant workers were being put up for sale in advertisements found on Carousell, an online retail platform from Singapore. Migrant CARE executive director Wahyu Susilo said on Sunday that he strongly condemned the exploitative practice of enslaving humans and demanded legal action against the perpetrators. There must be standards and a code of conduct in providing job openings and employment information for migrant domestic workers in accordance with human rights requirements, he said in a statement on Sunday. In online listings placed by user @maid.recruitment, who joined Carousell on Aug. 15, the profiles of several domestic workers, allegedly from Indonesia, were being advertised, the Straits Times reported on Saturday. Some profiles even indicated that the workers had been "sold". In spite of the public outrage that may ensue, Wahyu acknowledged that the practice of selling migrant workers like commodities was nothing new. For example, he said there had been many advertisements offering Indonesian maids "for sale" on the streets in Kuala Lumpur dating back to 2012. There was also a case in Singapore where migrant workers were offered and put on display in stores. This is certainly very unfair and demeaning to the dignity of Indonesian migrant domestic workers, he said. The Foreign Ministry's overseas citizen protection director, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, said on Sunday that the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore had expressed its concerns about the practice to Singapores Ministry of Manpower (MOM). Tomorrow [Monday] on the first working day, the Indonesian Embassy will also send a diplomatic note to the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressing concern that similar incidents have occurred several times in Singapore and will request a thorough investigation of such cases, he said. According to its Facebook post on Friday, the MOM said it was investigating these cases and had arranged for these listings to be taken down. A Carousell spokesman said such listings were not allowed on the marketplace, and that they violate its community guidelines. While it allows agencies to advertise services, personnel listings are not allowed, it said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Jolo, Philippines Sun, September 16, 2018 19:55 1149 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877319aef 2 SE Asia Philippines,abduction,Indonesia,fishermen,release Free Three Indonesian fishermen held by members of a notorious Islamist kidnap-for-ransom group have walked free 18 months after they were abducted off the southern Philippines, the military said on Sunday. The men were kidnapped in January 2017 while on board a speedboat off the southernmost island group of Tawi-Tawi, which together with the nearby Sulu archipelago are preyed on by Abu Sayyaf militants. The Indonesians were freed in the town of Indanan in Sulu on Saturday and "turned over" to authorities following "intensified military operations" against the Abu Sayyaf, a regional army spokesman said without giving details. Asked if a ransom was paid, Lieutenant Colonel Gerry Besana told AFP: "No, there was definitely no ransom given. (They) were pressured by our operations." The Abu Sayyaf has been known to behead hostages unless ransom payments are made. The group is a loose network of militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network. It has earned millions of dollars from banditry and kidnappings-for-ransom, often targeting foreigners. The Abu Sayyaf is based in strife-torn southern islands but its members began in 2016 to kidnap sailors in the waters between Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. The rise in abductions sparked Indonesian warnings that the region could become the "next Somalia" and pushed the three neighbours to pledge joint naval patrols. On Sunday the Philippine military identified the three Indonesians as Hamdam Bin Salim, 34, Subande Satto, 27, and Sudarlan Samansung, 41. The hostages were brought to a military hospital and turned over to the Indonesian ambassador who was to accompany them to the Philippine capital Manila, a military statement said. The Abu Sayyaf is still holding 11 hostages, including a Dutch bird-watcher abducted in 2012 and a Vietnamese captive, according to Besana. Tourism in Nigeria is nothing if not earned. It takes eight hours by bus to travel the 250 kilometers from Lagos to Idanre on a road strewn with potholes and other obstacles. Then there's the negotiations with unscrupulous police officers and a climb of 620 steps in the sticky, tropical heat. But those who've made the trip say it's worth it just for a selfie in front of the sumptuous Yorubaland hills with Chiamaka Obuekwe, Nigeria's self-styled "Queen of Tours". "I always wanted to have a picture with her! We've seen so many on her page," said one traveler on the organised weekend, as Chiamaka poses with the 15-strong group of 20 to 35 year-olds, all of them in bright "Social Prefect Tours" T-shirts. Behind them, the hills stretch out as far as the eye can see, trees rising upwards from the rocks below through a light mist in a scene worthy of "Jurassic Park". Chiamaka, as everyone calls her, never intended to found a travel agency but the followers of her blog and Instagram account persuaded her to, asking if they could come along. Since its creation in 2015, Social Prefect Tours has become an institution for well-connected young professionals in Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos. Chiamaka's Instagram page currently has more than 40,000 followers, whose goal is to post a precious hashtag from across Nigeria in the same way pins were once put on a map. "This is the Instagram age," she told AFP. "If you didn't take a picture, it's like it never happened. So, it's better you didn't even go there." Read also: Facebook and Instagram likes are influencing our travel decisions, study shows - Likes and emojis - Beyond collecting "likes" and heart emojis, the internet has also helped Nigerians to discover and better understand their own country. With Nigeria's economy almost exclusively based on oil and gas, tourism development is lacking, even at local level. There are few wild animals left for safaris and a lack of quality hotels, while inadequate roads make many places hard to reach and entire regions have been devastated by conflict. Few people are equally going to be enticed by the oil slicks that have polluted beaches in the southern Niger delta region. Yet Africa's most populous nation has real hidden treasures. "Obudu Mountains, at the Cameroonian border, are just breathtaking," said Lola Daniyan, the 28-year-old head of Unravelling Nigeria. Her online travel agency, where participants post their photos from trips, is one of those that has lit up social media, making up for a lack of official tourism promotion in the last 30 years. Daniyan decided to set up her business on a family holiday in London, when she saw hundreds of people flocking to Queen Elizabeth II's official residence, Buckingham Palace. "I thought, 'Why don't people come to see our royal palaces? We have so many but people don't know about them'," she said. "Actually, we don't know each other. If you have been in Lagos all your life and you go to Kano (in the north)... it's like, 'wow!'. We don't know about the north, we don't know how they live. "Traveling makes you humble and empathetic," she added. Nigeria as a single entity dates back to 1914, when British colonialists brought together their northern and southern protectorates purely for commercial reasons. The West African nation is home to more than 500 ethnic groups and is almost evenly split between a Muslim majority north, and a largely Christian, more prosperous south. Religious tensions are rarely far from the surface and each side regards the other with suspicion or, in the best case scenario, disdain and indifference. Read also: Tourists are swapping their Japan guide books for Instagram - 'Thirst for discovery' - Georgina Duke and Emeka Okocha weren't any of either. They decided to discover their country after spending a large part of their childhood studying abroad. They took to the road, trusting their own instincts -- and dismissing stereotypes and those who said it couldn't be done -- by founding Nothing To Do in Lagos, an internet platform which lists organised trips and gives tips to solo adventurers. "We are Nigerians. Nigeria is our country. We can't live in Nigeria and not see it ourselves," said Okocha. "We want to be part of it, owning our space and fighting social restrictions." Best friends before being associates, they started from scratch in Lagos in 2014. Duke described it as "a bit like exploring our backyard". From 2015, they gradually ventured farther afield -- north to Kaduna, west towards Lome in Togo and east to Enugu -- driven by curiosity and a "thirst for discovery". But there were sometimes disappointments. "Once, we flew to Anambra State for a wedding, and saw that the Ohum caves were just two hours away by road. It looked great so we decided to extend our trip," recalled Okocha. But he added: "When we got there, people (in the area) said that we should have told them 24 hours in advance that we were coming. "On which phone number? Well... I don't know!" Unfortunately for them, not everything was on the internet. Beats pumped and strobe lights beamed across the desert in ex-Soviet Uzbekistan into the early hours of Saturday as festival-goers danced beside rusting boats beached miles from the shrinking Aral Sea. The event, called Stihia or Element in Russian, was the first electronic music festival ever held in the Central Asian state, which has recently moved to open up to international tourism. It was staged in an area of desert caused by one of the world's largest man-made environmental catastrophes, the shrinking of the Aral Sea that borders Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, caused by Soviet irrigation projects that diverted its tributary rivers. "Lets fill the Aral Sea with an ocean of sounds. If we cannot fill it with water right now, let's start with the sounds," implored Otabek Suleimanov, one of the organizers of the festival that ran overnight from Friday. The venue for the festival, Muynak, was once a fishing town on the shores of the sea, formerly the world's fourth largest freshwater lake, known for its "graveyard" of beached boats. The rare music event drew DJs from across the former Soviet Union and Europe as well as 60 foreign tourists and around 7,000 locals, according to organizers. Perhaps more notably, it did so with the blessing of Uzbekistan's authoritarian government and the conservative mainly Muslim population in this dust-swept patch of the Central Asian country. "I wanted to witness the concert and the light show," said Guldona Turakulova, a 25-year-old nurse who works at Muynak's state hospital. "This is the first time I have seen anything like this. I really want my Muynak to become a place that attracts (people) again," she said. Her generation has lived with the after-effects of the Aral Sea disaster including lost livelihoods from fishing and tourism. "My father tells me stories about the sea, about how they used to fish and swim here," Turakulova told AFP. At the heavily-policed festival, a mock-up lighthouse loomed over revellers as a reminder of the receding sea, close to where a real lighthouse once stood. Now, each year, tens of thousands of tons of salt-laced dust blow from the dried-up seabed, much of it contaminated by pesticides, affecting health. This May one such storm blew across the region and into neighboring Turkmenistan, seriously damaging crops according to international media reports that were not confirmed by the secretive government in Ashgabat. Read also: Uzbekistan to start visa-free entry for Indonesians this month - Tourism boost - Uzbekistan's government endorsed the music festival in the country's nominally autonomous republic of Karakalpakstan, hoping it will help attract tourism to the economically depressed region. Under President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who took over after the death of Soviet-era leader Islam Karimov in 2016, Uzbekistan has lifted or relaxed visa restrictions for citizens of dozens of countries as it looks to diversify away from exports of water-intensive crops such as cotton that played a key role in the Aral Sea's downfall. Organiser Suleimanov told AFP he was hopeful of holding Stihia again next year, despite logistical challenges. "This was just a pilot. We hope more and more people will come next time," he said. The lineup included Ukraine-born Germany-based artist Dasha Redkina who staged an ambient dance set and describes her music as "experimenting with cosmic signals". Speaking to AFP before her set, Redkina said the performance would be "a sacrifice to the Gods of water and rain, to bring the region the energy it needs to summon the Aral Sea back here." For the moment, the rebirth of the Aral looks unlikely. By 1997, the inland sea was a tenth of its size prior to major irrigation works beginning in the 1960s and in 2014 NASA satellite images showed its eastern lobe had dried up completely. Most progress on regenerating the Aral has been in its northern section in Kazakhstan, where World Bank funding helped build a dam. Arina Osinovskaya, a travel writer who was visiting from Kazakhstan, said the Stihia festival's main draw was the "captivating" backdrop of the former fishing town and its stark environmental message. "It is a good reminder to think about what is important. The Aral Sea concerns not only Uzbekistan but the neighboring countries and the broader region," she told AFP. Verdict: worth seeing for fans of the franchise, but don't get your hopes up too high. Right from the title sequence makes it clear that it is paying homage to the testosterone-fuelled, almost timeless 1987 original. It works both for against director Shane Black, who played Hawkins in and was the first major character to be killed by the beast 30 years ago. In his gleeful hack and slash quest for revenge, he sometimes forgets to make the story worth telling. A lone predator comes to Earth (again) and this time the humans think they are ready for it. What they dont know is that this lone hunter is being hunted itself by a gigantic predator, and that it is what will cause most of the gut spilling and carnage in the movie. Its another case where some highly equipped, mean streak humans think they are prepared when (spoiler alert) they arent. The plot therefore is hardly revolutionary, even if some of the finer details like the rift between the two groups of humans and the hybridisation thread do come off quite well. The problems start right from the word go. The discovery of the predators crashed ship in the jungle is an entertaining opening but ruins the spectacle early on. Too much is revealed too soon, the same problem that bugged Alien vs Predator (2004). The first Predator slowly turned the screw as far as alien involvement was concerned, but here Black is in a hurry to deliver the money shots early and in quick succession. As such, while the quick pace of the film later is spot on, the first 20 minutes feel desperately rushed as we are led towards the spectacle of an 11-foot super predator. Unfortunately, the big predator is just not great. The predator is an alien best played by a tall guy in a suit with loads of prosthetics, because it looks strangely real. You can instantly tell that the big brother is not it is disappointingly lathered in CGI, as are his space mutts. The blood (both human and otherwise) can look comical, like a cheap B movie, which stops The Predator being super immersive. The best sequences are those featuring the regular rogue hunter, his thrilling breakout from a laboratory easily being the best part of the film. Naturally for a movie penned by Black, the dialogue is often snappy and intelligent. This makes the interplay between the main characters feel grounded and entertaining, especially between Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook) and Nebraska Williams (Trevante Rhodes). The priorities are all wrong though. Black tries to throw in some throwbacks to the original film that arent subtle enough to be clever nor dwelled on long enough to be stupidly satisfying. The crude sex jokes and language also fail to hit the mark nothing more than an unintelligible flexing of limited male vocabulary. The biggest bum note must be the lack of screen time for Sterling K. Brown, despite his turn as agent Will Traeger being the standout performance along with that of Jacob Tremblay as McKennas autistic son. The Predator is gory, occasionally interesting and often a lot of fun. Black has said in the past that he wanted to make the predator an event again with this new entry into the series. Unfortunately, so much effort was made into making an event that the team behind The Predator have forgotten to make a movie. Fans will still find it acceptable, but it is nonetheless a disappointment. The Predator is in cinemas now. The PredatorPredator The spinoff stars Kelsey Grammer as radio psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane, a pompous and self-absorbed snob whose upper-class lifestyle is well out of reach to the average young adult. Beyond the presence of an adorable Jack Russell named Eddie, its initially hard to see what the show could offer millennials twenty-five years after it first aired. CheersYet when you look closer, Frasier has a number of qualities that resonate with young adult audiences. The shows whole premise hinges on what its like to be an adult living with a parent, a situation that many millennials can empathise with. A significant number of millennials leave home and then return, often as a way of avoiding debt in an increasingly competitive job market. With this return comes the renewal of old family dynamics, with frequently negative and restrictive consequences. Although it approaches the issue from a different angle, Frasier understands the difficulties of being thrown back into cohabitation with your parents after years of relative independence. Moving in with his father Martin, a retired police officer whose hip injury means he can no longer live alone, puts serious limitations on Frasiers lifestyle and sense of freedom. He reluctantly welcomes Martin, his battered recliner, and his dog into his sophisticated world despite their rocky relationship. The move is an act of guilt and convenience rather than love alone. Likewise, Martin finds his new dependency on Frasier humiliating; I had plans too, you know, he tells Frasier in the pilot, ones that clearly didnt involve relying on his son for physical aid. For the young adults who relinquish the independence of life at university for familial support, Frasier and Martins struggle to adjust to this new situation is all too familiar. Whether or not they still live with their parents, economic uncertainty is a universal experience for all but the most privileged millennials. Despite the obvious wealth of Frasier and his brother Niles, they both experience financial precarity at certain moments in the series. Frasier loses his job at the radio station for a period in season six, and his stint of unemployment coincides with his brothers messy divorce. Drained dry by his ex-wifes lawyers, Niles moves out of his lavish apartment to a dingy flat in the Shangri-La complex.While the Crane brothers are hardly impoverished, the show explores how living without financial security can damage your self-worth. A whole episode is dedicated to Frasiers grief at his sudden unemployment, and whilst giving up his apartment Niles admits that the building was meant to signify that he could succeed alone without his millionaire ex-wife. The impact of money on self-image, as well as the ability to provide for yourself, are not prominent enough within discussions of millennials among the commentariat. Although Frasier is richer than most millennials could ever dream of becoming, the show understands the profound link between financial woes and unhappiness far more than stream of opinion pieces about millennials from Gen X journalists. In its own way, Frasier is also a show about the non-traditional families that millennials are now forming. Unlike Martin, whose marriage only ended when his wife died, Frasier and Niles have been unable to replicate the nuclear family they were brought up in. Frasier has been divorced multiple times, as Niles by the end of the series. As shown by Frasier, millennials arent the first generation to deviate from this model of family life, but an increasing number of them are waiting to settle down or are rejecting the idea altogether. Characters like Frasier and his producer Roz, who dont end up happily married off by the end of the series, are a reminder than fulfilment doesnt have to come in the form of a wedding. Frasier consistently lost its ratings war with Friends, the titanic 90s sitcom that is a clear favourite with millennials. But Rozs pregnancy in the shows fifth season bears comparison to that of Rachel Green, and Frasiers portrayal of life as a single parent may have aged better than its illustrious rival. The divisive ending to Friends (spoiler alert) sees Rachel choose Ross over a promising new career in Paris. In recent years, theres been considerable criticism of their relationship and of Rosss character in general, particularly from millennial women. In contrast, Frasiers pregnancy plot has a much more modern conclusion. Rick, the father of Rozs baby, is coincidentally also about to move to the French capital when he learns of Rozs baby. When he suggests staying in Seattle to marry Roz, she shuts him down instantly and never feels as though she needs a man to support her and the baby. By the end of the series, Rozs career has reached new heights and its never suggested that she would give this up for a man. This message, rather than the somewhat problematic one suggested by Rachels sacrifice, is perhaps more aligned with millennial tastes than the Friends finale ever was. The enduring quality of Frasier cannot be explained by its strange parallels with millennial life alone; much is owed to the ageless appeal of farce and screwball comedy, as well as its witty dialogue and genuine emotional core. Frasier didnt become the most successful comedy series at the Emmy awards for no reason, after all. Like the father-son relationship that anchors the show, an unexpected connection might be found between Frasier and millennials. Twenty-five years on from its first episode, Frasier deserves to find a place in the hearts of young adult audiences. Strange fellows they may be, but one thing is clear: Frasier has far more to offer millennials than just a cute dog. Southern Pines, NC (28387) Today Abundant sunshine. High near 75F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear early then increasing cloudiness after midnight. Low around 45F. Winds light and variable. From the well-trodden Historic Route and rock-hewn churches of Lalibela to the jawdropping landscapes of the Danakil Depression and Simien Mountains northern Ethiopia packs in some of Africas most incredible sights and experiences. Factor in the rich culture and gastronomy and this under-visited gem, which has been labelled the cradle of humanity, delivers a might wallop of experiential travel opportunities. Heres our look at the regions ten best experiences: Lalibelas rock churches Best known for its complex of rock-hewn Mediaeval churches the town of Lalibela is one of the undisputed highlights of Ethiopias northern Historic Circuit. https://www.instagram.com/p/BXKxZy9hxep/ Most of the complexs 11 rock-hewn churches date from the 12th-century rule of King Lalibela, who sought to build a New Jerusalem there. While entrance costs a weighty US$50pp its a must-see, with highlights including the remarkable Bete Giyorgis, its cruciform-shaped design carved down into the bedrock. You can also hike to historic churches outside the complex such as Yemrehanna Kristos. Cap the day with a scenic sundowner or meal at the quirky Ben Abeba, overlooking the valley then head to Torpedo Tejbet to sip Ethiopian honey wine, Tej, while enjoying the resident masinko-playing Azmari as he wanders the room conjuring comical songs about the patrons. Great fun. Aksums Ark This fascinating city was once centre of the powerful Aksumite Kingdom (circa 100-940 AD), the monumental carved granite monoliths of its Stellae Park a reminder of past glories. Locals say Aksum was home to the fabled Queen of Sheba and her son, King Menelik I, brought the biblical Ark of the Covenant here from Jerusalem. To this day its said to reside at St. Mary of Zion Church. While the Ark is kept firmly out of sight you can experience a candlelit procession called Mihla, or Mehelela, where priests carry a replica of the Ark through the streets accompanied by thousands of chanting, white robed devotees. Occuring on the first seven days of each month, according to the Ethiopian calendar, its an incredibly moving experience. Be sure to arrive at Daro Eila square in good time before the procession leaves at around 5am. Glorious Gondar Back in the 17th century Emperor Fasil centred his Empire on Gondar and his Fasil Ghebbi, or Royal Enclosure, remains one of the citys key attractions (entrance costs Birr 200pp). Wandering the enclosure and exploring the buildings makes for a pleasant morning or afternoon while January 19 sees Fasils Pool, a sunken bath in the grounds, become the focal point for Gondars spectacular celebrations for Timkat, the Ethiopian Orthodox equivalent to Epiphany. Gondar also boasts some impressively frescoed churches such as Debre Birhan Selassie and its a good place to get a feel for the rich culture of the north, from the traditional dress to the music and dance. Try the cultural performances at the Four Sisters restaurant. Hike the Simiens Ethiopia is home to around 70 per cent of Africas mountains and the Simien range is one of the most spectacular. This lofty plateau peppered by peaks, deep gorges and sweeping valleys offers up epic scenery and excellent hiking, whether on multi-day treks with a tour company or short guided hikes from lodges such as the excellent, recently opened Limalimo. More than 180 bird species call this area home, along with a staggering array of animals, including endemics such as the Gelada baboon, Walia Ibex and Ethiopian wolves the Worlds most endangered canid. Aim to visit outside the main rainy months of June to August. Also read Trekking the Bale Mountains Gheralta Churches Of the 30 chiselled-out cave churches secreted amongst Gheraltas reddish rocky outcrops and tabletop mountains Abuna Yemata is my clear favourite. The scramble up to the unassuming entrance of this still functioning church, hidden in a rock pillar some distance above the ground, culminates in a sketchy rope climb up a seven-metre rockface and some precarious shuffling along narrow ledges while local guides offer some well-needed encouragement. Once inside the exertions are soon forgotten however as the obliging priest hands out candles to better observe the impressive frescoes. Exiting the church the sweeping views over the parched plains bring further reward until you realise you have to repeat the earlier journey, this time in reverse. More accessible Gheralta churches include nearby Maryam Korkor. The Gateway to Hell From the northern town of Mekele multi-day guided tours strike out for the Danakil Depression, an impressively infernal slice of volcanic badlands. Much of the Danakils striking landscape lies more than 100 metres below sea level and the region regularly records some of the Worlds hottest temperatures. With its baked saltscapes, sulphur lakes and volcanos such as Erta Ale, whose crater nurtures a constant lake of lava, locals have dubbed the region the gateway to Hell. Conditions on tours are less than luxurious too but dont let that put you off as the experience is unparalleled. Fall for Lake Tana Laidback Lake Tana, Ethiopias largest lake and source of the Blue Nile, makes for a relaxing extension to an Historic Circuit tour. Fishermen in traditional papyrus boats ply Tanas waters while boat tours take in the many islands with their hidden thatched monasteries, known for their elaborate paintings and murals. As elsewhere in the country, however, many monasteries will not admit female visitors. The surrounding Tana Basin is perfect for exploring on foot, tour or by hire bike. If aiming to visit the nearby Blue Nile Falls set your alarm for August and September when their cascades truly come into their own, swollen by the rainy season. Harar: poets, qat & hyenas Out east towards Somalia the fascinating walled Muslim settlement of Harar makes a nice counterpoint to the Orthodox north. Many call Harars insanely Instragrammable old town, established more than a thousand years ago, a living museum although its inner tangle of streets, courtyard houses and mosques pulsates with life, the colourful vibrancy of the walls and spice market surpassed only by the striking outfits of the local female vendors. Theres an interesting museum dedicated to the life of the French poet Arthur Rimbaud, a former resident (entrance Birr 50), while nightfall sees many visitors take a tour, taxi or tuk tuk to watch the nightly feeding of the local hyena. You can also help the hyena man feed the skittish beasts by proffering chunks of fresh meat draped on a short stick, although opting to clench said stick betwixt your teeth, as he sometimes does, wont be for everyone. Eat injera Want to eat like a local? Then get your mitts on some injera. The spongy, slightly sour tasting flatbread, made of teff flour, makes a showing at most meals accompanied by one or more type of wat such as shiro wat (a stew of chickpeas, beans or lentils). Hearty specials see injera served with a selection of both wat and tibs small piles of sauteed meat or veg with the diner tearing off sections of injera to scoop up the goodies. Injera even does a star turn at breakfast in fir fir where chopped up rolls of the stuff are added to stew and then served on (you guessed it) another injera. Classic Ethiopian ingredients include clarified butter (niter kibbeh) and berbere, a mix of chilli and spices, while other popular dishes include kitfo. This dish of raw or slightly warmed minced beef with spices and clarified butter is typically served with injera or the thicker flatbread, kocho, accompanied by ayib cheese. Drink local The coffee ceremony forms one of the pillars of Ethiopian culture. Seated sellers roast the beans over a fire or stove before brewing up in jebanna clay pots and serving in teeny cups, typically accompanied by a tasty side snack of kollo grains or popcorn. Trying Tej a fermented sweet or dry honey wine served up at Tejbet (Tej houses) and the cultural nights held by establishments such as Yod Abyssinia in Addis Ababa is a popular option. Then there are the great beers such as Habesha and local wines made by Awash and French firm Castel, with its Rift Valley and Acacia brands. More acquired tastes worth a try include Araqe, the clear local firewater, and Tella, an unrefined beer-like homebrew made from millet or sorghum served in makeshift bars called Tellabet. Fact File FLY: Ethiopian Airlines domestic network links Historic Route centres such as Gondar (or Gonder), Lalibela and Aksum with the capital Addis Ababa. The Simien Mountains National Park is a 70-mile drive from Gondar Airport while Mekele Airport is the jumping off point for both the cave churches of Gheralta and tours of the Danakil Depression. For Lake Tana fly to Bahir Dar while Harar is a 90-minute drive from Dire Dawa, which has an airport and is a stop on the new Chinese-built railway linking Addis Ababas Furi-Lebu station to Djibouti. MANZINI Hold your horses, the future looks brighter. This was how the anxiety among the over 15 000 members of the Eswatini Mobile LTD reward shareholders were calmed down yesterday after their first ever Annual General Meeting. The company had, during inception, dangled a reward shareholding carrot to about 100 000 customers, whose only contribution was to purchase E600 airtime for their own use and qualify to be shareholders. Yesterday, it emerged that there were only 15 995 emaSwati who cashed in on the package, which was the brainchild of slain Eswatini Mobile boss Victor Maradona Gamedze. This means if the shareholders were to share the E5 million equally, each of them would get E312. Rightly so, a moment of silence was observed by the over 2 000 shareholders who attended the meeting held at the main hall of the Mavuso Exhibition and Trade Centre. The shareholders were informed that a shareholding company - Swazi Mobile Trust (MST) was registered for the 15 995 Eswatini Mobile subscribers who qualified for the offer and it adds to the likes of Stage One, Cherry bite, SNPF, SIDC, Maphando and ESJ. Incumbent Eswatini Mobile Chief Executive Officer CEO Jeff Penberton, Chief Customer Executive Gciniwe Fakudze, Registry of Companies Msebe Malinga and newly-appointed Curator of the Reward Shareholders Company MST, Bonginkhosi Magagula, were present at the meeting. shareholders in a state of confusion Prior to the much-anticipated meeting, it emerged that the shareholders were in a state of confusion following the uncertainty over their shares in the company, ever since they were declared shareholders in January this year. It was disclosed that there were attempts by some individuals to swindle the members, by forcing them to pay money to improve their share values. It was alleged that they did it while posing as agents of Eswatini Mobile. Chief Customer Executive Gciniwe Fakudze then disclosed that upon discovering that, they opted to register a company specifically for the Reward Shareholders with government, and the latter appointed lawyer Bonginkhosi Magagula as the Curator, who will hold the hands of the over 15 000 shareholders until they obtain their certificates. The value of the MST Company in the bigger Eswatini Mobile Limited cake is 1.0 per cent. Eswatini Mobile Limited is now valued at E500 million and the target is to invest more, so that we can reach the E1billion mark where we can be in a position to break even, Fakudze said. Registrar of Companies Msebe Malinga explained the rationale behind the registration of the shareholders company and the appointment of Magagula as the curator. SITEKI Deal clinched! Those who had hoped to acquire the vacant old bus rank in Siteki, which is situated along the towns main street, should forget about the acquisition of this crown land - a resource that belongs to the Government of Eswatini. It has been reliably established that government has offered the land, measuring 8 922 square metres, to Buy N Save to venture into a business project. Buy N Save Group is famous for its chain of supermarkets, including Spar. Documents seen by the Times SUNDAY reflect that Buy N Save could be given the land on a 50-year lease agreement. It is stipulated in the papers that government will be paid E259 000 per year in rentals. The current value for the land is E357 000. It has been learnt that the company, whose proprietors are the Mansoors who happen to own other businesses such as Zara Investments (Pty) Ltd, also acquired crown land lot number 172 situated in Manzini. Section 4 of the Crown Lands Regulation Act of 2003 spells out the general regulations that shall apply in all the different forms of land disposal namely; sale, lease and grant. These also include any type of land allocation, individual sale, bulk sale, commercial sale and community facility sale. Impeccable sources close to the matter said the fourth regulation could pose a great challenge to the director or directors of Buy N Save if it was to be found to be true and provable that their different companies acquired government land through sale and leases. Seasoned attorney Sipho Gumedze was asked if the Crown Land Regulations could be used to deal with a situation in which companies with the same directors bought crown land. In response, the attorney said it was true directors who took this path had obviously bypassed the law but judges, in most cases, would consider the purpose of the law or provision that one person or entity should purchase government land. He said people could form 10 companies to acquire crown land by circumventing the law if the purpose of the legislation was not considered. puporse of the law The purpose of the law in interpretation is vital for the court to pronounce its judgement accurately and fairly, said Gumedze. Sithembile Simelane, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Siteki Town Council, confirmed that the land has been offered to Buy N Save on a lease agreement. The CEO was asked if she was aware of the issue. She had been asked if it was true that the land had been sold. Giving clarity on the issue, she refuted those allegations, pointing to the fact that the property was actually leased out to Buy N Save. The land still belongs to government. What has happened is that it has been offered to Buy N Save through a 50-year lease, she said. Asked what benefit the council would derive from the investment, Simelane said they would charge rates on the structure and building. She mentioned that they were contemplating negotiating with the government to allow the council to collect the rent from the leasee (Buy N Save). She said the investment would also create jobs for the people. MBABANE The plot thickens.The retirement house for former Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini, whose construction is at the taxpayers expense, is being built on property that belongs to a company owned by the erstwhile premier and his youngest daughter, Busisiwe. In essence, the house belongs to the owners of the property on which it is being built. This is despite Finance Circular No.2 of 2013 the instrument that guarantees Dlamini the house at the end of his term of office stipulating that the house shall belong to the Prime Minister whether built on nation land or title deed property. There is now concern that the former PM could turn the house into a business venture by either renting it out or turning it into a guest house. As earlier revealed, the house is a four-bedroom double-storey mansion that has an outdoor swimming pool and an indoor sauna. It has been aptly named lidlokolo after the ex-PM said a E3 million house did not fit his status and likened a residence of this worth to lidlokolo, which could be interpreted to mean a village hut, a dwelling he said he did not deserve. The land, which is situated at Lugaganeni near Hhelehhele in Manzini, is owned by M&M Properties (Pty) Ltd a company that is under the directorship of the former PM and Busisiwe. Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development Clifford Mamba claims no amount of money has been paid by government to M&M Properties for the land on which the retirement house is being constructed. Initially, the company (M&M Properties) was owned by the ex-PM and his late wife Jane Busisiwes mother, who relinquished directorship on December 14, 2012 following her death. As revealed by this publication last week, Busisiwe, her brother Muzi and sister Fikile are linked to Elima Properties - the company responsible for constructing their fathers retirement house. The link is through one of Elima Properties registered directors Sifiso Shabalala, who happens to be the manager of Peacock Transport a company owned by the ex-PMs three children. Land bought for E1.5 million Documents seen by the Times SUNDAY indicate that M&M Properties bought the land at a price of E1.5 million on November 10, 2011 from a company that was owned by the late Deputy Prime Minister, Dr Sishayi Nxumalo. International collaboration and sharing of best practices and ideas of Sea Scouting Greece will host European Sea Scouting Seminar, Eurosea 2020, the biennial meeting of sea scout leaders from Europe and New Zealand, according to ANA. The decision was made in Barcelona, where the Eurosea took place this year. 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: Nzeemin License: CC-BY-SA The visitors also proposed that a one-stop shop be set up, with its own digital platform, that wold provide information on how to set up business in Greece instead of having entrepreneurs having to run around among several agencies Taxation of American companies in Greece is not as major an issue as the lack of a stable taxation system, Greek-American business managers told Deputy Foreign Minister Terens Quick at a meeting in Thessaloniki on Friday, ANA reports. The meeting took place in the context of the 83rd Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), where the United States is honored country. On his side, the Greek minister proposed two things for the US, a clearinghouse for Greek imports to facilitate distribution in the American markets and an American-Greek chamber of commerce that would contribute to encouraging Greek exports. 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: Rennett Stowe License: CC-BY-SA The latest deal comes after similar ones with the ports of Shanghai and Tsingao Cosco-managed Piraeus Port Authority signed its third MoU with a major Chinese port this week, with Guangzhou Port officials on hand at Greece's largest and busiest port. The contract was signed by PPA CEO Capt. Fu Chengqiu and Guangzhou Port general director Chen Hongxian, and deals with personnel training, exchange of know-how and developing environmental protection plans. Read more at naftemporiki.gr 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: Nikolaos Diakidis License: CC-BY-SA El Mercado Village, a mixed-use retail and residential project by First Bahrain Real Estate Development Company, has signed up as the strategic sponsor for the Gulf Property Shows first mall event, to be held at The Avenues - Bahrain in November. The boutique showcase for the real estate and property development sectors in the Northern Gulf, Gulf Property Show will run from November 21 to 24 showcasing the best of real estate projects in the region, said the event organiser Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions (HCE). El Mercado Village is a beautiful mixed-use community in the Janabiya area of Bahrain, offering 42 villas and townhouses integrated with an upscale neighbourhood market. The El Mercado development in Block 575 is located just off Shaikh Isa Bin Salman Highway near the Saudi causeway, it stated. Announcing the tie-up, First Bahrain's chief financial officer Daniel Taylor said: "We are very pleased to showcase El Mercado Village at the upcoming Gulf Property Show at The Avenues. Our first homeowners have taken up residence and are creating community within the recently completed development, making full use of the services offered at the El Mercado market next door." Gulf Property Show has been a positive platform for the showcase of First Bahrains projects over the years and we are fully expecting that we will find future homeowners during the upcoming show in November, stated Taylor. Gulf Property Show at The Avenues Bahrain is the first mall edition of the kingdoms leading real estate event. "Our first shopping mall event will take place at 'the place to be', The Avenues - Bahrain. Our first mall event will provide a more direct route to investors at Bahrains leading shopping and leisure destination supported with detailed product information and marketing to potential visitors around the GCC," remarked Jubran Abdulrahman, the managing director of HCE. "First Bahrains confidence in supporting the Gulf Property Show at The Avenues Bahrain is an endorsement of the value that Gulf Property Show provides to the real estate sector in Bahrain," stated Abdulrahman. "With El Mercado Village, First Bahrain has set standards in its development for quality and excellence. It is only by working closely with such developers that we can deliver on our mission to establish Bahrain as the hub for national, regional, and international real estate and property investments," he said. "El Mercado Village and First Bahrain, as strategic sponsors, will look to lead from the front with a number of announcements as they gear up to promote the exciting lifestyle and investment opportunities at the Gulf Property Show at The Avenues - Bahrain," added Abdulrahman.-TradeArabia News Service A high-level delegation from Bahrain-based Gulf Petrochemical Co (GPIC) recently visited Abu Qir Fertilizers Company, a leader in the field of nitrogen fertilizer industry in Egypt, a media report said. Chairman Saad Abu Al-Maati, who received the delegation, said the visit comes from the company's keenness to benefit from and provide support and advice in the field through its expertise, reported Bahrain News Agency (BNA). GPIC president Dr Abdulrahman Jawahery said that such visits help develop GPICs operational staff and give it the opportunity to interact with experts overseas while benefiting from their experiences and acquired practices. The members of the delegation thanked Dr. Jawahery for his continuous efforts to promote and encourage such reciprocal visits. These visits, they said, would increase the experience of employees and introduce them to the practices adopted in other companies. The Egyptian company currently contributes about 70 per cent of the Countrys production and helps the national economy while assisting in solving important issues facing Egypt, particularly that of food shortages. The company constantly develops its production lines and provides all relevant production requirements. It also sets up new projects through a team of professionals supported by the best international expertise. Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), one of the leading employers in Bahrain, has won the coveted 2018 Brandon Hall Human Capital Management Excellence Silver Award in the category Best Advance in Competencies and Skills Development. Alba was recognised for its remarkable work and advancement in employees competencies and skills development through engagement, evaluation, gap analysis and training, said a company statement. Alba, a leading aluminium smelter globally, is well-known in the region for its employee training and development programmes that are specifically designed to provide nationals with meaningful careers and opportunities to grow within the company, it said. Albas chief executive officer Tim Murray said: We believe that nothing is more valuable than education and our success is closely linked to the success of our people. From the very beginning, Alba has invested in the education and training of its human assets to yield the best results. We are pleased to win this prestigious award, which underscores our philosophy of providing opportunities of continuous learning and development for our employees to be effective leaders tomorrow. Alba will be felicitated along with other award winners during the Human Capital Management Excellence Conference 2019 from January 22 to 25, 2019 in Florida, US. Florida-based Brandon Halls Excellence Awards recognise the best organisations that have successfully deployed programmes, strategies, modalities, processes, systems, and tools that have achieved measurable results for the company. TradeArabia News Service Abu Dhabi government has rolled out the Dh50-billion ($13.6 billion) development accelerator programme which will be based on four main tenets: business and investment, society, knowledge and innovation, and lifestyle. HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, gave approval to the three-year 'Ghadan 21' (Arabic for tomorrow) development plan during a meeting with members of the Abu Dhabi Executive Committee, reported state news agency Wam. Around Dh20 billion ($5.4 billion) would be allocated to the 2019 development package, stated Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. "The aim of Ghadan 21 is to enhance the competitiveness of Abu Dhabi, based on four main tenets: business and investment, society, knowledge and innovation, and lifestyle. The first phase includes over 50 initiatives that reflect the priorities of citizens, residents and investors," he added. The first tenet's objective is to stimulate business and investment and promote economic development in Abu Dhabi by creating an attractive and conducive environment for enterprise growth, competitive work environments, developing the private sector and SME (small and medium enterprise) growth, as well as stimulating industry projects including the renewable energy sector. Society, the second tenet of Ghadan 21, aims to develop the UAE community by ensuring the employment of its citizens, the launch of housing projects, the provision of quality education at reasonable costs, and the establishment of social welfare and other development initiatives that ensure that UAE citizens are well provided for. The third theme focuses on developing the knowledge and innovative systems in the emirate by encouraging emerging companies in the field of technology, attracting talent to Abu Dhabi, supporting research and development centres, and training and developing talent and expertise. Building a knowledge-based society and economy will contribute to Abu Dhabi's progress in global innovation indicators and knowledge-based economic indicators, which in turn ensures the sustainability and sustainability of the Emirate's growth. As for lifestyle, the overarching objective is to enhance the quality of life in Abu Dhabi by improving all services by activating the participation of individuals in recreational, cultural, sporting and active initiatives, as well as developing infrastructure including transportation, communication and urban development, said the report. Sheikh Mohamed praised the efforts of the Abu Dhabi Government and expressed his confidence in the success of Ghadan 21, via partnerships between the government, the community and the business sector with the aim to ensure success for all, it added. Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) will be joining a tourism delegation from the UAE led by the Ministry of Economy to visit three Scandinavian cities as part of the Visit UAE roadshow. The delegation comprising eight government officials, Emirates airlines, and 29 representatives from the hotels and travel agencies across the UAE, will visit Stockholm, Oslo, and Copenhagen from September 17 to 21. SCTDA will showcase the enriching tourism experiences in Sharjah with its diverse culture and heritage to encourage more people from these cities to visit the emirate. Participating in the roadshow is one among the number of activities the authority intends to implement in the next couple of months to help further drive tourism growth. The workshops to be held during the roadshow will provide a platform for SCTDA and the UAE delegation to strengthen partnerships with their counterparts in the Scandinavian cities and build on networks for possible collaboration in the future. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, chairman, SCTDA, said: The tourism sector is a major pillar in the UAEs efforts in economic broadening, a key strategy for the countrys transition to the post-oil economy and the Visit UAE roadshow is an important initiative which significantly contributes to achieving this vision. The Authority supports this initiative by showcasing Sharjahs unique beauty which reflects the wide range of tourism opportunities in the UAE. Al Midfa added: We look forward to capitalising the opportunity to present our market offerings in these European cities and strategically position Sharjah as a destination of choice as part of the UAE. Our country has continued to gain popularity across the world as a leading destination in the Middle East. We look forward to a productive and enjoyable experience in Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen. SCTDA will be promoting the emirates distinctive tourism offerings, which include family-friendly packages, tourism products and events that highlight Sharjahs rich culture and heritage, in line with its goals set under the Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021. Through intensive efforts, the authority maintains its mission to meet the target of attracting 10 million tourists by 2021. - TradeArabia News Service Aurangabad, Maharashtra, Sep 16 (UNI) In a major haul, Jalna police raided at various godowns of banned Gutkha in Jalna city and seized a total worth Rs 50 lakh various brands of Gutkha on Saturday night. Reports from Jalna stated that,the police superintendent Samadhan Pawar who himself and teams of police last night raided at four godowns owned by Gutkha mafia Satish Jaiswal and seized banned Gutkha worth of Rs 50 lakh from four godowns located at various places in the city. Police also arrested four persons in this connection. Later, the police informed to the Food Drugs and Administration (FDA) team which reached the spot and inspected the Gutkha. "Police stations of Chandan zira and Sadar bazar has been registered separate cases against the accused," they added. UNI VKB JA1036 Richard R. C. Shih speaking at Taiwan Excellence 2018 In the 4.0 era, how important are smart technology applications in our day-to-day lives? Are these applications suitable for use in Vietnam? We have various emerging technologies that impact our lives in different ways today. Take smart technology for example, it makes use of artificial intelligence (AI) to enable a level of cognitive awareness. The technology employs machine learning and Big Data analysis to perform functions that have traditionally been done by humans. This boosts the efficiency, productivity, and functionality of almost anything it is applied to, hence creating a smarter and more comfortable life for us. Vietnam is both qualified and motivated to take the lead in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Smart applications can be applied in various fields in Vietnam, ranging from manufacturing and healthcare to education or home appliances. It also attracts great attention from users in Vietnam. In Vietnam, real estate developers are now more proactive in integrating smart home technology into their development projects. The adoption of smart home applications has received positive feedbacks from Vietnamese consumers about the economic benefits and efficiency that it brings. Although consumers are still familiarising themselves with smart home applications, we believe that they will embrace more advanced and specialised solutions in the near future. Vietnam has been doing its utmost to make use of Industry 4.0. Could you share some of your or Taiwans experiences in catching up to this trend? Taiwan is in a very good position to join the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Success in Industry 4.0 requires expertise in sophisticated machinery development and information and communications technology, two fields that are among Taiwans greatest strengths. Apart from our strong supply chain, Taiwan is also one of the most important production hub for industrial computers, which can be a stepping stone to developing Industry 4.0. Moreover, the manufacturing sector has always been at the centre of Taiwans economic development. Machine tool makers in Taiwan are ramping up efforts to utilise smart manufacturing technologies in their production processes and product development so as to boost their international competitiveness. We have also established a committee consisting of representatives from the industry, research institutes, and the academia to guide the development of intelligent machines. Through this hard work, our aim is to equip young talents with the skill sets and competencies required to succeed in the Industry 4.0 era. TAMI (Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry) has been promoting Industry 4.0 as the main axis of the machinery industry by holding forums to keep manufacturers abreast of the latest technologies and trends, hence successfully attracting many companies to join and follow. What investments did Taiwan make to prepare for Industry 4.0? How did Taiwanese firms receive and use government assistance? Industry 4.0 has attracted enormous attention from governments and businesses around the world in recent years. The Taiwanese government has long been urging the industry to boost spending on research and development to create an innovation-driven economy. Policymakers and business leaders are now pinning their hopes of industrial transformation on the emerging Internet of Things (IoT). As part of the governments plan to stimulate the economy, one of the preeminent applications for IoT devices is smart citiescities that are able to make use of big data to improve their living environment. In addition, the Taiwanese government has also committed to invest a huge amount of resources in the so-called 5+2 Industrial Transformation Plan to promote the development of several industrial 4.0 sectors, such as IoT, biomedicince, green energy, smart machinery, defence, high value-added agriculture, and circular economy. However, the government has also realised that most Taiwanese firms are small and medium-sized enterprises and may lack the funds to adjust and follow this emerging trend of Industry 4.0. Take smart machinery for instance, most firms use machines that are rather traditional and outdated, not to mention lacking the capacity for more advanced functions like collecting Big Data. In order to solve this problem, our Industrial Development Bureau under the Ministry of Economic Affairs works with industries to develop and provide Smart Machine Box (SMB) services to our firms. By connecting this device to existing machines, SMB can collect data from all the machines in the factory and produce useful information that are helpful for business owners, thereby helping firms to make a big leap towards achieving full-scale smart machinery. This year the governments goal is to assist firms to install 1,000 SMB devices in total. Therefore, Taiwanese firms are in a very good position to profit from this opportunity, particularly in the IT industry. Under this trend, a lot of Taiwanese firms can obtain new overseas orders, not to mention securing existing ones, thereby gradually gaining good reputation and recognition around the world. What do you think about the opportunities for co-operation between Vietnamese and Taiwanese businesses after Taiwan Excellence 2018? By facilitating networking and exchange, TAITRA hopes for co-operation in talent cultivation as well as brand building between the two sides, in addition to boosting trade opportunities. After Taiwan Excellence 2018, there will definitely be more partnerships between the two sides businesses, but they need to seize this opportunity and make good use of it smartly. Furthermore, Vietnam and Taiwan have become major trading partners to each other throughout the years. In addition, Taiwan stands ready to adopt measures to promote two-way exchange in the areas of investment, agriculture, education, technology, and tourism. I do believe that the bilateral relationship between Vietnam and Taiwan will continue to flourish and generate more benefits for the two sides in the upcoming years. The international campaign, Taiwan Excellence, has been held for the eighth time in Vietnam. How was Taiwan Excellence 2018 different from the previous ones? As Taiwan Excellences core strategy is to increase focus on product development, our products have indeed achieved remarkable improvements in recent years, not only just following but also leading the latest technological trends in the world. In this sense, this year we want to honour the results that these brands have achieved throughout their years of development. Hence, all of our events in Taiwan Excellence 2018 are product-centric, showcasing a wide range of cutting-edge products and solutions. What is really special about this years products is that we focus on the aspect of innovation, which is represented through three key product characteristics, including innovative function, premium quality, and high accessibility. As such, all of our products from 57 brands this year are focused on smart technological fields, highlighting outstanding and breakthrough technology, but also cater directly to the daily lives of consumers. Vietnamese consumers have long been familiar with the innovative and trustworthy image of Taiwan Excellence. By returning to Vietnam this year, we aim to further reaffirm our image in the hearts and minds of Vietnamese consumers by enhancing the living standards of our friends here. An Iranian oil facility on the Gulf island of Khark is seen in a file picture taken on March 12, 2017 AFP/ATTA KENARE "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are turning OPEC into a tool for the US and consequently the organisation has not much credit left," Iran's OPEC governor Hossein Kazempour Ardebili told the Shana newswire, affiliated to Iran's Oil Ministry. "It is a fact that OPEC is losing its organisational character and becoming a forum," he added. In a move heavily opposed by Iran, OPEC and other oil producers including Russia agreed in June to boost crude output by around a million barrels a day, reversing course after supply cuts that had cleared a global glut and boosted prices. Iran, a founding member of the cartel, had been against the move which came as the country faces renewed US sanctions after Washington's decision to leave the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. The US decision had stoked supply concerns on world markets. Ardebili also accused Saudi Arabia and Russia of taking the market "hostage" through increased production and said that OPEC's responsibility is to restore market balance, not to boycott its founding members. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged the cartel to raise its production and said that other countries must stop buying oil from Iran or face US sanctions. Meanwhile, output from Iran has hit its lowest level since July 2016 as top buyers India and China distance themselves from Tehran due to looming US sanctions on Nov 5, according to the International Energy Agency. There is no better place to witness the growing demand from technology firms and co-working operators than Vietnam, according to Stephen Wyatt, country head of JLL Vietnam. The country is catching up fast with its regional peers, due to a young, dynamic, tech-savvy, entrepreneurial population. We have seen a dramatic increase in demand from technology firms and co-working and flexible working operators over the past three years and anticipate this will be one of the key trends over the next five years, said Wyatt. Technology firms are driving office space demand in major cities Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City now have around two million square metres of office for lease each, and also limited co-working space. It is high time for developers to focus on this investment field, Wyatt told VIR. Technology and e-commerce will dominate the market As growth in Southeast Asias online economy gains pace, JLL projects that technology companies will drive office occupancy, potentially accounting for 15 to 25 per cent of annual gross office leasing volumes in the next decade, compared to about 5-10 per cent three years ago. Technology companies have become a key office occupier group in the region, and they are frequently the earliest tenants to pre-commit to newly constructed buildings, according to JLLs report Technology firms transform Southeast Asia. Given that technology firms will become a key source of office occupancy, this is an opportunity for real estate investors and developers to create space that will meet this need, said Regina Lim, head of Capital Market Southeast Asia Research, JLL. Last year, the tech sector attracted over $6 billion in funding, and the industrys growth will contribute significantly to the future office leasing volume, which we estimate will rise at 6 per cent annually amid a GDP growth rate of around 5 per cent, said Lim. Southeast Asian economies are forecast to expand at 5 per cent annually until 2020, exceeding the global rate of 3.5 per cent. The regions internet economy could be worth more than $200 billion by 2025, with e-commerce seeing the fastest growth. Along with an expanding middle class, this segment is predicted to rise at 30 per cent in the next five to 10 years to reach $88 billion by 2025, based on a Google-Temasek study. As internet companies developed their presence rapidly in the region in the last decade, e-commerce firms have been flourishing in the past two years. The biggest global technology companies, including Alibaba, Facebook, Google, and Sea, currently each occupy a total of 20,000 to 50,000sq.m spread across three to five cities. Many of these companies have increased their headcount by 30 to 50 per cent annually over the last five to 10 years, says the JLL report. Office demand accelerates in developing countries Separately, co-working and flexible workspace operators have also contributed to the regions office demand. Flexible workspaces have climbed by an estimated 40 per cent annually in the last three years and now take up 2 per cent of office stock in the region, compared with the 0.5-1 per cent in 2015. We think in the next decade, e-commerce companies will continue to grow, together with flexible workspace and co-working operators, said Lim. As e-commerce firms spread their footprint, we predict that gaming and e-sports platforms may become the next driver of office occupancy in Southeast Asia." According to JLL, the acceleration in office take-up by technology firms in the last three years has occurred mainly in Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila, and Ho Chi Minh City. Lim explains that the sustained growth of these companies has been driven by strong socioeconomic trends. Oktoberfest 2018 will be held from October 11 to 13 in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City The Oktoberfest event is co-hosted by the German Businesses Association (GBA) and the Delegation of the German Industry and Commerce in Vietnam (GIC/AHK Vietnam) under the patronage of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Hanoi. The GBA Oktoberfest Vietnam 2018 will start in Ho Chi Minh City and last four days from September 19-22 at Hotel Nikko Saigon. In Hanoi, the festival will continue to take place at the lakeside area of JW Marriott Hanoi Hotel for more than three nights between October 11 and 13, from 6pm to 11pm. This year marks the 5th cooperation between the German Business Association (GBA) and JW Marriott Hanoi in organising the traditional German cultural eventGBA Oktoberfest in Hanoi. Thomas Debelic, chairman of the GBA said, We are happy and proud to announce the 26th GBA Oktoberfest in Vietnam, continuing the tradition founded by the German business community many years ago. We have continuously worked on improving the setting in order to create an authentic atmosphere in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. For the past three years, the GBA Oktoberfest in Ho Chi Minh City has been upscaled with an original German beer tent, with German beer, German music, and German food. We are looking forward to welcoming you at the original German Oktoberfest. GBA Oktoberfest 2018 in Hanoi will bring you an opportunity to enjoy the original festive atmosphere with German dishes, authentic German beer, and join in the Lucky Draw with many valuable prizes. Come to GBA Oktoberfest 2018 at JW Marriott Hanoi, guests will not only be able to enjoy the 5-star quality hospitality services, but the unique facility that provide spacious open ground where the large big tent Festzelt will be set-up, just like in Germany. It is one of the main factors creating the authentic Bavarian party experience right here in Vietnam and can accommodate large groups of up to 1,200-1,500 guests per evening. To enhance the genuine atmosphere of the real Oktoberfest, this year we introduce a premium German beer brand and exclusive Oktoberfest brew in Hanoi. Coming to our GBA Oktoberfest 2018, guests can enjoy a buffet of premium German cuisine that will delight and excite the taste buds, as well as free-flowing premium beers in your very own Oktoberfest beer mug. Authentic music and entertaining show-acts will be performed by the popular Munich-based AntonShow Band. Marko Walde, chief representative of the GIC/AHK Vietnam, said: We are pleased to invite you to the GBA Oktoberfest Vietnam 2018a highlight of our annual social events in Vietnam where German, Vietnamese, and international business communities celebrate with their colleagues, partners, and friends. We wish all our guests cheerful moments and hope that the GBA Oktoberfest Vietnam 2018 will be a kick-off to new partnerships for them as well. There is no doubt that JW Marriott Hanoi is definitely the best and biggest venue in Hanoi, with the stunning scenery to host one of the most successful events, highlighting the detail-oriented services provided by our experienced chefs. In our 5th year, our team will continue to serve a variety of Bavarian specialties typically associated with Oktoberfest, including German Sausages, Pretzels, and of course a mug of cold beer; along with fun games and prize draws, said Mark Van Der Wielen, general manager at JW Marriott Hanoi. 26 years ago in 1992, the German business community in Vietnam gathered together and brought to Vietnam one of the most popular social and cultural events from Germany, the Oktoberfest. This set an important date on Vietnams event calendar, and Oktoberfest has now become one of the most awaited celebrations of the year. Smart use of pesticides plays an important role in promote modern agriculture Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc recently called for the Vietnamese agricultural sector to become one of the 15 most developed agricultures in the world in just ten years. The PM emphasised that more innovation is needed to generate new drivers for growth to ensure macroeconomic stability. Unleashing the possibilities of modern agriculture to support sustainable and inclusive development requires enormous investment, collaboration, and a stable policy and regulatory environment. All three factors are critical when Vietnam harnesses cutting-edge technology to accelerate its development. Over the recent decades, more and more exciting new technology has been reaching the hands of farmers. More people have access to safe, quality food than ever before because farmers now have access to technology developed over the years. CropLife and member companies will continue to introduce cutting-edge technologies to Vietnamese farmers, enabling and empowering them through technologies, such as safe and effective crop protection products, to produce more food, use less input resources, achieve better lives, and help propel the national economy. To date, crop protection tools, such as pesticides, play a critical role in producing more food with fewer resources. Without these tools, more than half of the worlds crops would be lost to insects, diseases, and weeds, leading to enormous economic and environmental damage. To increase the competitiveness of Vietnamese farmers as well as to ensure the future investment in innovation, Vietnamese farmers should be encouraged to have access to safe crop protection products supported by high-quality training and education. This will ensure that farmers continue to produce safe, affordable, and nutritious food for the community and export. Against this backdrop, firms and organisations operating in the agricultural sectors call on the government to ensure that crop protection tools are properly assessed through a consistent, scientifically rigorous process in line with internationally-accepted methods and standards. Such assessments need to be conducted by scientific experts and a suitable timeline should apply to allow for a thorough review. This is consistent with the direction recently set by the prime minister when he called for the removal of unnecessary government procedures that can stifle production and trade while reinforcing the need for transparency. The industry takes its responsibilities seriously and offers its commitment and support to help the government achieve its food safety objectives. This includes continuing to research alternative natural products, promoting the responsible use of crop protection products in the Vietnamese agricultural sector, as well as providing a scientific and international standards-based approach towards achieving the governments objective of 30 per cent reduction of product registrations by 2021 without sacrificing the sustainability and competitiveness of the Vietnamese agriculture. Also, it is important that proper police controls are put in place to prevent illegal imports to Vietnam. CropLife supports and encourages the government to ensure that crop protection tools are properly assessed through a consistent, scientifically rigorous process in line with internationally accepted methods and standards. Such assessments need to be conducted by scientific experts and a suitable timeline should be applied for a thorough review, a representative of CropLife said. CropLife and member companies will continue to introduce cutting-edge technologies to Vietnamese farmers, enabling and empowering them through technologies, such as safe and effective crop protection products, to produce more food, use less input resources, achieve better lives, and help propel the national economy. Along with the introduction of new advanced technology and farming solutions, CropLife maintains a committed partnership with the Vietnamese government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to continue implement stewardship programmes, where they continue to promote the responsible use of crop protection products to the Vietnamese agricultural sector. Super Typhoon Mangkhut smashes into Philippines, at least 3 dead, photo AFP At least three people have been killed - two of them landslide set off by the typhoon, Philippine police said, the first reported deaths in the massive storm. "As we go forward, this number will go higher," Ricardo Jalad, head of the nation's disaster agency told reporters, referring to the death toll. The category 5 storm entered the province of Cagayan in the early hours and sent winds and rains across the entire main island of Luzon. Disaster authorities have yet to complete damage assessments from Mangkhut, the 15th and most powerful storm to hit the Philippines this year, which had maximum gusts of 305 kph, and was expected to clear land after 10am on its way towards southern China and Vietnam. The massive storm hurled debris and knocked out power lines when it made landfall on Luzon in the pre-dawn darkness. "Almost all of the buildings here have been damaged, the roofs were blown away," said Rogelio Sending, a government official in Tuguegarao, the capital of Cagayan. "There has been no electricity supply ... communications were also down. "We've received reports that many trees were uprooted and electric posts toppled and are blocking the roads. This makes the clearing operations really difficult." Television footage and videos posted on social media showed bursts of rain, trees thrashed by winds, shop signs torn down and metal sheets peeled off roofs. Authorities said some people had opted to stay home and ride out the storm to protect their properties. Mangkhut, locally named Ompong, has a diameter of about 900km and gathered pace as it reached the Philippines, but has since slowed, with wind speeds falling to 180 kph. It caused blackouts and left hundreds homeless when it struck US Pacific territories in Micronesia earlier. Residents started lashing down their roofs and gathering supplies days before the arrival of the storm that forecasters said is the most powerful of 2018. "WE ARE TERRIFIED" An average of 20 typhoons and storms lash the Philippines each year, killing hundreds of people and leaving millions in near-perpetual poverty. Thousands of people fled their homes in high-risk areas ahead of the storm's arrival because of major flooding and landslide risks. "Among all the typhoons this year, this one (Mangkhut) is the strongest," Japan Meteorological Agency forecaster Hiroshi Ishihara told AFP on Friday. "This is a violent typhoon. It has the strongest sustained wind (among the typhoons of this year)", he added. After blasting the Philippines, Mangkhut is predicted to hurtle towards China's heavily populated southern coast this weekend. "They (authorities) said this typhoon is twice as strong as the last typhoon, that's why we are terrified," Myrna Parallag, 53, told AFP after fleeing her home in the northern Philippines. "We learned our lesson last time. The water reached our roof," she said, referring to when her family rode out a typhoon at home in 2016. BETTER PREPARED The country's deadliest on record is Super Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,350 people dead or missing across the central Philippines in November 2013. Philippine authorities have said they are better prepared than in 2013. It was too soon to know the extent of Mangkhut's devastation, said Francis Tolentino, an adviser to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and disaster response coordinator. "I talked to the president last night. His clear and concise marching order was 'Save lives, save lives,'" Tolentino told news channel ANC. Military, medical and emergency response teams were on standby, with more rescue teams ready to help first-responders in trouble, Ricardo Jalad, head of the disaster agency, told a televised meeting. Winds, strong rain and power outages hit Manila, the capital, which is among more than three dozen northern and central provinces facing storm warnings. About a quarter of the estimated 4.2 million people affected by the storm live in poverty and the United Nations estimated about 1.4 million farmers and 100,000 fishermen were hit by the typhoon. Poor communities reliant on fishing are some of the most vulnerable to fierce typhoon winds and the storm surges that pound the coast. "The rains will be strong and the winds are no joke ... We may have a storm surge that could reach four storeys high," Michael Conag, a spokesman for local civil defence authorities, told AFP. A second generation St. Clair barber will have to resort to another tactic if he hopes to cut hair on Clinton Avenue. At its regular meeting on Sept. 4, the St. Clair City Council voted 5-2 to deny barber Evan Roods request to rezone his property at 602 S. Eighth St. from single-family residential, or R-1A, to mixed use, or MD-2. Council member Tom McCartney made the motion to deny the rezoning request, supported by Steve Ellery. Mayor Bill Cedar, McCartney, Ellery and fellow council members Mike LaPorte and Butch Kindsvater voted to deny the rezoning request. Council members Bill Klieman and Mitch Kuffa voted against the denial. The council followed the recommendation of the St. Clair Planning Commission, which voted 5-0 on July 11 to recommend to the council that it deny the request. State law requires if you are going to change zoning, it must meet the master plan, said planner Dave Scurto, planning commission meeting minutes state. The master plan is the foundation for any zoning changes. The subject area is part of a larger area called traditional neighborhood. It is the intent of that district to continue with (single-family) residences. Scurto added that the R1A zoning allows for home-based residential businesses. To qualify for a home-based business, the business owner must live in the home in which the business is located. Roods application to amend the zoning sthows he does not reside at 602 S. Eighth St. Roods plan is to meet the citys guidelines for a home business and open the shop. Im planning to open as a home occupation, Rood said Sept. 13. Scurto warned of legal problems if the zoning had been approved. MD-2 is not supported by the master plan, Scurto said. Based on that, we recommend the future land use map be updated before making any changes to zoning If we do not follow the process, we are opening up the city to a lawsuit. Scurto noted that the citys master plan is supposed to be reviewed every five years and should have been reviewed and updated, if necessary, in 2017. A one-chair barbershop would not appear to be inconsistent with the makeup of the neighborhood along Clinton Avenue, which is a mix of businesses and homes from M-29 west to Carney Drive, including a salon and a insurance agency at Sixth Street and Clinton Avenue, currently zoned as a downtown redevelopment district. A tax business sits directly west of the proposed barbershop on the southeast corner of Ninth Street and Clinton Avenue, and Silks Florist is kitty-corner from Roods on the northeast corner of the intersection. Both parcels are zoned commercial in a sea of R-1. The insurance office of Aitken and Ormond between 11th and 12th streets on the south side of Clinton Avenue is zoned commercial in a sea of R-2. A number of commercial buildings, an industrial firm and the American Legion hall are clustered near the railroad tracks and Clinton Avenue, all within a residential neighborhood. Two residents complained about the barbershop at the Aug. 20 council meeting. He has already put up a barber pole that lights up the street, said neighbor Paula Campbell, who added that the one-chair shop would contribute to traffic congestion. Campbell said the barber pole violated the home occupation ordinance, which said any signage should be small and inside a window of the business. But the citys code of ordinances appears to exempt barber poles from the sign guidelines for a home business. Rood said his business was unlikely to cause traffic on Clinton Avenue, particularly compared to the Coney Island restaurant under construction at Clinton Avenue and Fourth Street and the major apartment complex approved for wooded property west of 10th Street on the north side of Clinton Avenue. Another resident said the changes to the building go way past home occupation. He said the two new windows give off too much light. Thats a beautiful sight at night its full fluorescent lights lighting up the whole intersection, said neighbor Joe Rosentrater. Rood cut hair at Fraleys Barbershop on Fred Moore Highway for 15 years until Gaius Fraley retired Aug. 31. He was still cutting hair in the shop alone Sept. 13. Theyve been kind enough to let me work here for a while, Rood said of the propertys new owners. Meanwhile, Rood cannot understand the opposition to his one-chair shop, which is ready to open. Its been a long, stressful summer, he said. Roods father, Don, now 81, cut hair in St. Clair for 45 years, most of them in Riverside Plaza. Don completed his internship at Eisens Barbershop, the two-chair barbershop that now is Aitken and Ormond Insurance, three and a half blocks west of the proposed shop. Jim Bloch is a freelance writer. Contact him at bloch.jim@gmail.com. Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin. Photo: BG024/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images Despite eager reports to the contrary, Hailey Baldwin wants to inform everyone that, no, she hasnt already married Justin Bieber. But she appreciates your interest, thanks! Per TMZ, Baldwin issued a statement to politely deny the nuptial claims. I understand where the speculation is coming from, she explained, but Im not married yet! What we do know for sure, however, is that the duo visited a New York City courtroom last week to apply for a license in the Marriage Bureau, with sources saying during the visit they discussed an imminent trip to Canada. An imminent trip to marry in Canada, maybe? Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Special Agents are investigating an incident involving an inmate at the Lincoln County Jail that happened earlier today. According to TBI Officials the inmate, 50-year-old William B. Hawk, assaulted a corrections officer when attempting to escape. TBI tells us that as officers were trying to gain control of Hawk, he refused to comply and continued to struggle. They then say at some point during the confrontation, Hawk became unresponsive. WAAY 31 has learned from Lincoln County Officials that Hawk was transported to Vanderbilt Hospital for treatment. At this time, the investigation is active and ongoing and we are working to find out more information regarding the victim's current condition and the investigation. (ABC News) Florence's dangerous flooding "is only going to get worse," North Carolina's director of emergency management warned Saturday as massive amounts of rain devastate the state. "We have never seen flash flooding like this in our state," state Transportation Secretary Jim Trogdon added at a press conference Saturday afternoon. Trogdon said flash flooding will last for several days and river and marine flooding could last up to a week. "We just don't want people to think this thing is over, because it's not," North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper added Saturday of Florence, which made landfall near Wrightsville Beach Friday morning as a hurricane and has since been downgraded to a tropical storm. "We know the water is rising fast everywhere -- even in places that don't typically flood," Cooper said. Catastrophic flooding has already wreaked havoc on parts of eastern North Carolina, which sustained 2 feet of rain in some areas, and up to 40 inches in other hard-hit spots. Newport, North Carolina, reported 23.75 inches of rainfall by Saturday morning. Hoffman, North Carolina, has seen 19.96 inches and Conway, South Carolina, has seen 8.68 inches -- with two days of rainfall to come. At least 13 people were reported dead in the storm, with three in South Carolina and the other 10 in North Carolina. Among the fatalities are a mother and her baby killed in Wilmington, North Carolina, by a falling tree, and an 81-year-old man who fell and struck his head while packing to evacuate in Wayne County, North Carolina. President Donald Trump tweeted his condolences to the storm's victims Saturday evening. There were nearly 800,000 people without power in North and South Carolina combined Saturday evening. As the water levels rise, dire rescues are ongoing. First responders and volunteers are going door to door, by boat and air, navigating dangerous currents to get to those who are trapped. "It's pretty dire right now," trapped resident Jackie Mallard told ABC News. "The streets are almost like you need gondolas." "When you can help your fellow man, you can get out there and do what you're trained to do, that's a great thing," Bill Reddon of the New York Fire Department said. Heavy rain is expected to continue in North and South Carolina over the next few days. That will bring additional water to the already-soaked states as well as additional threats like possible landslides near the Appalachians and electrocution threats with downed power lines. The rain and flooding expected Saturday could double the 10 to 20 inches that have fallen so far. Cumberland County, North Carolina, ordered a mandatory evacuation of homes along the Cape Fear River Saturday over flooding concerns. The Cape Fear River in Fayetteville could crest at 62 feet -- 4 feet above major flood stage. Fayetteville's mayor called the potential flooding a serious, life threatening matter and that anyone who anyone that stays should contact next of kin because of the possible loss of life. Flooding is even anticipated in Charlotte -- more than 200 miles inland -- as well as Fayetteville and Columbia. Storm surges could reach 11 feet Saturday along coastal areas, particularly between Cape Fear and Cape Hatteras. ABC News' Josh Hoyos, Gio Benitez, Dan Peck and Whitney Lloyd contributed to this report. By Wayne Walden, Paducah Independent Schools Sep. 16, 2018 | 01:43 PM | PADUCAH Troy Brock, Director of Pupil Personnel for Paducah Public Schools, has been named 2018 KDPP of the Year by the Kentucky Directors of Pupil Personnel (KDPP) Association. The award was presented at the KDPP fall conference at Lexington, Kentucky, on September 13. The award recognizes the work of Kentucky directors of pupil personnel who demonstrate a passionate commitment to the welfare of children, involvement with the local community to promote education, and commitment and effectiveness in their work as a DPP. "Mr. Brock stood out for not only what he does in his district but for the contributions he has made to the KDPP organization as a whole and the policy and work he has been a part of as he has advocated for all the youth across the state," said Sarah Wasson, past president of KDPP. Brock has been a Director of Pupil Personnel for 11 years. In addition to serving as DPP for Paducah Public Schools, he also served as Facilities Director and was responsible for food services, transportation and health services. He helped bring mental health services to the district through Four Rivers Behavior Health and also worked to organize the Baptist Health Clinics in all schools, which allows students to have health care provided on site. He assists with enrolling students into the Job Corp program located in Morganfield, KY, and participates with his local FAIR team as the district representative. Brock served as president of KDPP in 2016. While serving as President and as a board member, he has been a strong advocate for the role of the DPP in regard to Senate Bill 200 and the FAIR Team process. He has worked with the Administrative Office of the Courts and the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board to advocate for making the process of the FAIR teams efficient for school personnel. He was instrumental in organizing a team of DPPs to work with the Administrative Office of the Courts on revising the truancy processes with the courts and made it more efficient to get services to students and their families. "Mr. Brock's commitment to excellence in his work has earned the respect of his peers and admiration state-wide," said Superintendent Dr. Donald Shively. "Each day he pursues our district's vision to know each and every child by name and need with fidelity and integrity. I'm honored to work with him, and grateful to the KDPP for their recognition of his efforts." By West Kentucky Star Staff Sep. 15, 2018 | 11:46 PM | WATER VALLEY According to Kentucky State Police, the investigation began on September 6th. They learned that some of the stolen firearms were at a Hickman County home, and they obtained a search warrant on September 14th for that location. Troopers arrested 35-year-old Brandon R. Davis, of Fulton, charging him with receiving stolen property, (firearm), 1st degree trafficking in a controlled substance, (methamphetamine), and possession of drug paraphernalia. Another search warrant was obtained in relation to the investigation, in Mayfield. Troopers arrested 22-year-old Ashley D. Dixon, of Mayfield, charging her with 1st degree trafficking in a controlled substance, (methamphetamine), and possession of drug paraphernalia. They also arrested 35-year-old Derek F. Brown, of Mayfield, and charged him with 1st degree trafficking in a controlled substance, (methamphetamine), possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, tampering with physical evidence, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Davis was taken to the Fulton County Detention Center, and both Dixon and Brown were taken to the Graves County Jail. Three people have been arrested as a result of a burglary investigation of a home in Water Valley. The Wells Business Park is ready for, well, business. At their regularly scheduled Wells City Council meeting, Mayor David Braun brought up the topic of the Wells Business Parks advertising plan. Now that weve got a business park, whats the plan to get it filled? asked the mayor of his council. City administrator CJ Holl stated the Wells EDA had planned to discuss the topic during their meeting later on in the week. It was also noted the original signs Wells had put up for advertising were taken down by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The council is still unsure as to why the original sign was taken down. Councilwoman Brenda Weber asked if the lots had their prices set, to which EDA president Brad Heggen, who was present at the Wells City Council meeting, said yes. The estimates of the lots are anywhere between $25,000 and $45,000, said Heggen. Councilwoman Crystal Dulas asked whether or not there were any incentive packages for lot buyers, such as landscaping. Holl stated there were programs like that available to the city, and it was something the EDA should explore with local incentive packages. Later on in their agenda, the city approved pay estimate No. 7 for the Wells Business Park at the cost of $249,294.94. They also approved payment of pay estimate No. 4 for the Sixth Street project at $183,328.64 and pay estimate No. 3 for the Third Street project at $9,371.52.The council also approved a change order for the Sixth Street project based on the Wells Public Utilities (WPU) recommendation, which will run utilities up to Sixth Street. The change order was in regards to the agreement the city has with land owner Mike Weber. Councilwoman Weber asked whether the contract with the city runs with Weber or if it runs with the land. City attorney David Frundt stated the agreement is for Webers entire ownership of his property. If Nordaas Homes is interested, are we required to bring service to them, too? asked Councilwoman Weber. To which Frundts response was, no. Mayor Braun, who works at WPU and is on the WPU board, stated it was best to honor the agreement and be done with the issue. The change order was passed by the council with the WPUs recommendation. Dulas abstained from a number of the councils decisions on construction payments due to her protected personal interests with Dulas Excavating. Regarding Sixth Streets progress, city engineer Travis Winter stated crews still have progress to be made, including finishing the project before winter. He stated there was an area of 600 feet where there was black muck which needed to be removed and regraded to improve soil conditions. Third Street is almost ready to roll, with gravel on its road bed, except Winter says he has been having issues getting hold of the paving crew for the project. The clock is ticking, said councilman John Herman, to which Winter responded he was well aware. But are they (paving crew) aware? asked councilwoman Dulas. I would not feel comfortable giving them any additional time for this project. I dont want this to be another business park incident. In other portions of the meeting, the council was visited by a representative of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF), who discussed what SMIF?was and what types of projects they are focusing on. SMIF also requested a donation from the city of $250, with every $1 generated, $7 goes back into the communities SMIF?supports. With eastern Faribault Countys new SMIF community foundation, Our Town USA, the SMIF team has slowly become more present in the Wells community. Before approving the $250 donation, councilwoman Dulas had some strong feelings about SMIFs support of the Wells community in the past. Id like to see them come to town a little more often than asking for money. I know they come to town when they want money, said Dulas. Both the citys attorney and the citys administrator were quick to respond to Dulas comment. You heard from Katie, our representative from SMIF, earlier. Theyve been doing a lot of work on the childcare topic. In fact, they had a conference in Mankato a month ago and Tiffany Schrader from our office went to that, said Holl. SMIF is working across the state to talk to communities that have childcare issues. Wells is about 103 slots short right now with daycare, so it is a big issue not just here, but everywhere. My experience with SMIF is if you have a reason for them to come to town, and of theyre available, they will. If you ask. So once you have this community foundation relationship going, well have much more of a presence, said Frundt. They have an annual meeting coming up, perhaps that is something the council would be interested in having a representative at. I know Rick Christianson has been working with Tim Penny fairly closely, was John Hermans response to Dulas hesitation to donate to SMIF. SMIF is a well-known organization. I havent had much work working with SMIF, but I worked with their sister programs the West Central Initiative, which I set up two community foundations with, and the North West Foundation, informed Holl. I believe we have ample room in our budget to be able to donate the requested monies, if the council is interested in doing that. Childcare is absolutely essential right now, said councilwoman Whitney Harig, putting a motion on the table to approve the donation. Its something we obviously need and we should support them in their efforts to help us. It was passed unanimously. The council also: Accepted the resignation of part-time police officer Tyler Linde, Moved into closed session for the purchase or sale of the Paragon Bank property. Adopted resolutions 2018-19: opposing the sale of strong beer, spirits and wine in grocery and convenience stores, and 2018-20: setting part-time and non-union wages for 2019, Approved a flat rate permit fee for air conditioning and furnaces at $50, and water heater installation at $30. City attorney Frundt stated the fees were required by state, while city administrator Holl stated flat-rating the fees would just simplify the process for consumers. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Whitesboro, N.Y. - September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and once again this year, the Mohawk Valley Chapter for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is doing its part to support the cause. About 300 participated in the 3rd annual Whitesboro 5K Walk/Run to end Childhood Cancer on Saturday. 250 walked, 50 ran. Nicole Spath, the Managing Director for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital here in New York State came over from Albany on Saturday to witness the effort in Whitesboro firsthand. Spath says the Whitesboro event is one of more than 60 taking place on this day across the country, "So we may be 300 strong from here, but across the nation there are thousands of people supporting childhood cancer awareness." Heather Pezdek of Whitesboro says this is such a great cause, and such a great event to be a part of, "Cancer is an awful, awful disease and childhood cancer just really hits home. I have two kids of my own, and I teach, and it's just devastating to watch children go through cancer, so anything we can do to try to help get rid of this awful disease." According to the American Childhood Cancer Organization, more than 15,000 children under the age of 21 are diagnosed with cancer every year in the U.S., and about a quarter of them will not survive the disease. Jim Miner, Chairperson for the Mohawk Valley for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital says fighting for children is such a great cause and he says he was very moved when he went to St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis to see what it was like, "Tremendous, just tremendous. I've been to the hospital, I saw what it's all about, and it's a great feeling to do this." Spath says she expects about $40,000 to be raised here in Whitesboro this year and she says it all goes to help children, "St. Jude, if you are a patient, you never receive a bill. So we cover your treatment, your travel your food and your housing because I always feel like a parent should worry about is helping their child live." Spath says if you would like to donate to St. Jude, you can do so at www.stjude.org. China News on Women Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page Next Match: Central Washington University 9/20/2018 | 7 p.m. The Western Oregon Wolves volleyball team got back to .500 in conference play on Saturday with a 3-1 (25-23, 14-25, 25-23, 25-22) win over the Saint Martin's Saints at Marcus Pavilion.Tightly contested in all three of their set wins, the Wolves' offense came out swinging, earning the first four points of the match to take an early 4-0 lead in set one. That lead held until the 12-12 mark when Saint Martin's earned its first tie. Trailing 21-19 late in the set, Western Oregon (5-6, 2-2 GNAC) outscored Saint Martin's (2-8, 0-4 GNAC) 6-2 over the last eight points to put it away.delivered two critical late kills to push the offense forward beforesealed the set win with a kill on the assist fromHolt provided a double-double in the win, picking up 21 assists along with 12 digs and one kill.also accomplished the feat Saturday, putting together a team-high 12 kills and 11 digs.The Saints had trouble striking to open the match with just a .100 hit percentage and eight attack errors in the first set. They responded with a very different tone in the second set, taking it 25-14 to even the match at one set apiece. The Saints would not trail in the second set and were led by the nine kills of Megan Vernoy and a noteworthy team .625 hit percentage.Western Oregon was unfazed by the sudden turnaround and proceeded to finish the match off with two more tight game wins.The Wolves had to survive a late Saints rally to earn the win in set three. Leading 23-19, Western Oregon struggled to close the door. Saint Martin's rattled off four straight points including two service aces from Ililani Kamaka. Kamaka then committed a service error to break the 23-23 tie and put WOU within a point of the win. Vandenkooy didn't miss on the opportunity, delivering her 10th kill of the night.Western Oregon's attack showed marked improvement throughout the match with a consistently higher hit percentage in each game, culminating in a .216 mark in the fourth.led the defense with five blocks alongside her four kills and one dig. It is Haskett's fourth match of the year with five or more blocks. She has picked up at least four blocks in five of her last six appearances.With the win, the Wolves have topped the Saints in six consecutive matches.Western Oregon now returns home for a Sept. 20 meeting with Central Washington University in Monmouth. Opening serve is set for 7 p.m. at NPE Gym. Move to double jail terms for those who assault emergency service workers welcomed by North Wales Police Federation This article is old - Published: Sunday, Sep 16th, 2018 Individuals who assault or attack emergency workers face longer jail terms as a new law backed by government receives Royal Assent. The Bill makes it an aggravating factor to assault or sexually assault a police officer or any other member of the emergency services, punishable by up to 12 months in prison, double the existing six-month maximum sentence for common assault. This covers police, prison officers, custody officers, fire service personnel, search and rescue services and paramedics. The new law will also mean that judges must consider tougher sentences for a range of other offences including GBH and sexual assault if the victim is an emergency worker. The move has been welcomed by the North Wales Police Federation, with branch secretary, Mark Jones, describing it as a significant day on the journey to better protect our emergency service workers. For a long time the Police Federation has been campaigning tirelessly that there should be tougher sentences for those who choose to violently attack those whose job it is to protect others, he continued. I continue to repeat that an attack on an emergency service worker is an attack on society as a whole and will never, ever be acceptable. We now need to see the courts utilising this new legislation to the maximum effect so that a strong, clear message is sent that we must Protect the Protectors and we will be holding the Courts to account should they fail our dedicated and hard-working frontline workers. The Police Federation will continue to put pressure on those with responsibility to ensure our members are adequately equipped, trained and in position to protect our communities but, importantly, protect themselves when under attack. Home Office figures show there were more than 26,000 assaults against police officers (including British Transport Police) in England and Wales during 2017/18. However the Police Federation believes the true figure to be significantly higher, due to under-reporting. The measures will come into force in November. Wrexham Glyndwr Universitys careers team celebrate national award win This article is old - Published: Sunday, Sep 16th, 2018 A summer careers programme boosting the employability of students from Wrexham Glyndwr University has won a national industry award. The teams Make Summer Work for You programme beat entrants from across the UK To win the Supporting Student/ Graduate Employability category for this years AGCAS (Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Service) Awards for Excellence. The awards, which took place earlier this month, recognised the hard work of careers professionals from universities across the UK including Glyndwrs winning team. Make Summer Work for You an extracurricular programme which strengthens students employment prospects over several months by providing flexible careers related support and guidance was commended by judges for its innovation, engagement and impact. The programme was built after the careers team ran consultations with students and found that working to boost their confidence, resilience and wellbeing would help them secure the career they were looking for. Wrexham Glyndwr Work Experience Officer Lucy Jones, who was one of two members of the team who picked up the award on the night, said: Make Summer Work for you was designed by listening to students, and by listening to those who took part, we already knew it had been a success so its great to have the leading professional body in our industry agree. Having the work you do recognised with an award from a national organisation like AGCAS is absolutely brilliant. The AGCAS Final Judging Panel said: Wrexham Glyndwrs careers service took a holistic, innovative approach identifying through research what the issues were. There was clear engagement with students and an innovative use of feedback. There was clear impact and a focus on the whole person. Staff were willing to up-skill and step out of their comfort zone The team at Wrexham Glyndwr University have worked with hundreds of undergraduates to ensure their studies lead to employment. A graduate destinations survey showed that 93.5% of Glyndwrs UK undergraduates were in work or further study six months after completion of their studies. Careers and Employability Adviser Neil Pritchard, who was the second team member to pick up the award this week, added: The whole team here at Glyndwr are dedicated to helping students boost their career prospects. That means designing a series of programmes like Make Summer Work for You, which has just completed its second successful year. This award recognises that achievement, and we are all thrilled to have won. The whole team are delighted, and well continue working with students here at the university to ensure theyre ready for their chosen career. Find out more about Wrexham Glyndwr Universitys Careers Service here. The Trump administration's extreme approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is making a difficult situation far worse. Since at least the early 1990s, there has been broad agreement among Israelis, Palestinians and the entire international community that the only way to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is through a negotiated two-state agreement. Conflicts and wars Continents and regions Donald Trump Gaza Government and public administration Government bodies and offices Immigration, citizenship and displacement International relations International relations and national security Israel Israeli-Palestinian conflict Middle East Middle East and North Africa North America Palestinian Territory Political Figures - US Refugees The Americas United States Unrest, conflicts and war US federal government West Bank White House The parties may have been sharply divided on many of the issues that need to be settled in such negotiations -- but at least they agreed on that. Now, President Donald Trump is taking a wrecking ball to the very concept of negotiations. He seems to be advancing a delusional narrative that a peace agreement can be imposed on the Palestinians -- mimicking the way that Israel's right-wing settlement movement has acted for years to impose its own policies on the Palestinians and entrench its occupation and control over the West Bank. One of the first major signs of this drastic change in the US approach was when Trump broke decades of bipartisan US policy by moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, declaring at the time and on several occasions since that he had taken the issue of Jerusalem "off the table." There are new reports that the administration is about to seek to redefine who it regards as a Palestinian refugee so that he can take that issue off the table as well. They are expected to drastically reduce the amount of Palestinian refugees the United States will recognize. It would accomplish this by declaring that it no longer accepts the definition of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, the UN body responsible for dealing with Palestinian refugees, which states that refugee status is passed from one generation to the next. The United States already took a major step in this direction by announcing earlier this month that it would cancel all funding to UNRWA -- which normally totals over $100 million annually. That drastic move follows the announcement in August that the administration would cut virtually the entirety of direct bilateral aid to the Palestinian people, most of which supports vital humanitarian and economic projects in the West Bank and Gaza. And in a move to further silence and marginalize Palestinian voices, the Trump administration announced this week that it would close the main mission of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in the United States, effectively removing any Palestinian diplomatic presence from Washington. All this appears to be the prelude to the long-awaited unveiling of the so-called "peace plan" being worked on by Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner. But by declaring that two of the core issues to be negotiated by the parties -- Jerusalem and refugees -- are no longer on the table, Trump has essentially removed the table itself. There is virtually nothing left for the Palestinians to negotiate. This is no peace plan at all -- it's a peace sham. This approach fits perfectly into two other dominant themes of the Trump presidency. First, a callous disregard of the needs of refugees, and open cruelty toward them -- women and children included. Cutting UNRWA funds and bilateral aid is not an abstraction. It means depriving desperate people in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza of food, employment, education and health care. But what would one expect from an administration that had no qualms about ripping toddlers and infants from the arms of their parents, who crossed the US border with Mexico seeking asylum? Secondly, it fits into Trump's general approach to international relations. He apparently sees little value in meaningful diplomacy and negotiation. Instead, his method is invariably to try to bully other parties, whether friends or adversaries, into doing what he wants. We've seen it in trade issues with China and the European community; we've seen it in relations with our NATO allies. We've seen with the Iran nuclear deal, which Trump irresponsibly ripped up. And now we're seeing it with the Palestinians. On many of these issues, Trump is due for a rude awakening. No matter how powerful the United States is, it cannot so easily enforce its will on other nations and peoples. Palestinian nationhood has been forged through conflict and suffering over many decades and there is no way they will simply surrender their legitimate rights. Trump's policy is actually much more likely to hurt Israel by taking the two-state solution off the table, leaving Palestinians and the international community no alternative but to demand equal democratic rights for all people living under one state. That would mean the end of a Jewish majority in Israel and the end of Israel itself as a Jewish homeland. Trump and his supporters should beware the law of unintended consequences. The rest of us should fiercely oppose this cruel and destructive policy. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The Capital City is home to a number of ethnic groups and Saturday, the Filipino community celebrated its heritage and culture downtown. This was the 7th annual Fiesta Filipino. Hundreds of people of all ages walked around, checking out the food, vendors and, performances at Kleman Plaza. Clyde Diao, founder of the event, says it's important to share the Filipino culture with everyone in Tallahassee. "It has always been our dream to have a festival that basically showcases a culture, because we are so diverse," said Diao. "The Filipino culture is so diverse, because we have the Spanish influence, we have the American that actively stayed for almost 60 years, so we have those east, west kind of mixture of cultures." There was even a karaoke contest. The winner got of the adult contest got $75 and the kids contest, $50. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - As National Drive Electric Week continues, the Capital City showed off several ways to do that Saturday. Sustainable Tallahassee hosted the city's first annual Electric Vehicle Expo at Saint Paul's United Methodist Church. More than 50 electric vehicles, including a StarMetro bus, SUVs and bikes, were on display, while ReThink Energy Florida and Creation Care at Saint Paul's UMC set up information tables. Several car owners and dealers explained the benefits of driving electric, from helping the environment to saving money. Organizers told WTXL they were only expecting about 30 cars, and that next year, they'll need a bigger place to showcase everything. Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen (2nd R Front), Austrian Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs Margarete Schrambock (4th R Front), Chinese Ambassador to Austria Li Xiaosi (1st R Front) and other guests inspect a new China-Europe freight train from Chengdu to Vienna at the Vienna South Freight Center in Vienna, Austria, on April 27, 2018. (Xinhua/Pan Xu) by Xinhua Writers Xu Xiaolei, Ma Jianguo UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Outgoing UN General Assembly President Miroslav Lajcak has said that he is "cautiously optimistic" about world peace but cautioned against undermining multilateralism. Speaking in a recent interview with Xinhua shortly before the end of his tenure, Lajcak warned that the alternatives to multilateralism is "either rules imposed by the most powerful ones or anarchy. "We really need to protect multilateralism," he said. The senior diplomat from Slovakia was elected president of the 72nd General Assembly in May last year. He is expected to step down this month when the current 12-month session of the General Assembly ends. Miroslav Lajcak, President of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, speaks during his end-of-presidency press briefing, at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) Lajcak highlighted efforts by the General Assembly over the past year in building peace, particularly the time and efforts it has dedicated to promoting conflict prevention, an approach reflected in the discussions at the UN High-level Meeting on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace in April. "We managed to put this issue of prevention of conflict and sustaining peace on the agenda of the UN, making sure that there will be a report next year and the year after that," he said. The two-and-half-year old concept of "sustaining peace," which is really focused on preventing conflicts, represents a shift in emphasis from the current system, which centered on "what to do once peace has been lost," like sending peacekeeping missions, he said. "We need to keep peace while peace is still there. And this is what sustaining peace is about," Lajcak said, stressing the need to act when there are warning signs flashing. Despite the efforts by the UN system in building peace, the world is far from free of conflict. "I'm a cautious optimist, because last year showed that if we work together we can achieve a lot," he said, referring to the Korean Peninsula issue. He praised China for its role in promoting multilateralism which the UN stands for. Lajcak visited China twice since elected as General Assembly president. China's commitment to multilateralism and support for the UN was clearly proven, he said. He affirmed China's contribution to the world body, highlighting the fact that "China is now number three provider of the regular budget, number two provider of the UN peacekeeping budget." Under the current scale of assessments, China contributes 7.92 percent to the UN regular budget (about 210 million U.S. dollars yearly) and 10.25 percent of UN peacekeeping budgets (over 810 million dollars yearly). "China is ... a global leader when it comes to implementing our commitments related to the Paris climate agreement, when it comes to implementing 2030 development agenda," Lajcak said. The diplomat also said that the Belt and Road Initiative led by China, aimed at building economic linkages between Asia, Europe and Africa, and the concept of community of shared future for mankind put forward by China, "are exactly projects that support the ideas on which the UN are built." The South-South Cooperation, in which China is an active participant, is "instrumental for the future of this planet," he added. Lajcak cautioned against some current developments that potentially undermines multilateralism. "Let us not forget that multilateralism was built after catastrophes," he said, referring to the founding of the League of Nations after the World War I and the UN after the World War II. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 07:51:59|Editor: ZX Video Player Close 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next Aerial photo taken on Sept. 6, 2018 shows farmland in Hanjiaoshui Township of Zhongning County, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. In 2004, a project diverting water from the Yellow River eased Hanjiaoshui's water shortage. Since then, arid land of the town were converted into farmland. Many migrant workers returned hometown to plant corn and watermelon in an effort to develop cultivation industry. (Xinhua/Guo Xulei) Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 07:25:01|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close LA PAZ, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Three bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of a light aircraft in Bolivia's eastern Amazon region, said Cristhian Camara, department director of the Emergency Operations Center (COE), on Saturday. "Rescuers searched for the crew of the airplane, which was damaged on Friday, for four hours," Camara told a local radio station. "Close to midnight, we came across the lifeless bodies of the three crew," added the director. State government of the northern department of Beni confirmed on Saturday that they had transported the bodies to department capital, Trinidad. Local rescuers believed the light aircraft crashed around 10 minutes after taking off from Trinidad's Jorge Henrich airport. The flight was heading to Santa Rosa del Yacuma, around 220 kilometers northwest of Trinidad with the three people on board. Once legal proceedings have been completed, the bodies of the deceased will be handed to their families, Camara added. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 09:40:08|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close 1 2 3 4 5 Next 1 2 3 4 5 Next Children are dressed as pirates to celebrate the International Talk Like a Pirate Day in Vancouver, Canada, Sept. 15, 2018. The International Talk Like a Pirate Day which is observed on Sept. 19 annually is a parodic holiday. (Xinhua/Liang Sen) Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 10:05:26|Editor: ZX Video Player Close YINCHUAN, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The distance between the southern edge of the Tengger Desert and the city of Zhongwei in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region was once just a few kilometers, but the distance has been expanding over the past several years. Tengger, the fourth largest desert in China, is mostly in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and stretches to parts of Ningxia and Gansu Province. Residents of Zhongwei, which neighbors Inner Mongolia and Gansu, have suffered from desertification and land degradation for decades. They said that in the 1950s, the distance between the desert and the city was around 5 kilometers. A breeze would bring dust and sand from the desert into their homes. The situation has now been improved significantly. Desertification is under control and the desert no longer moves towards the city. The distance between the desert and Zhongwei has expanded to more than 20 kilometers. A World Bank desertification control project has played an important role in leading to these huge changes. The Changliushui Project started in 2013, with a World Bank loan of 300 million yuan (44 million U.S. dollars) to address desertification and land degradation. "First we established straw checkerboards to halt the movement of shifting sand dunes. Then we sowed grass seeds and planted shrubs. Eventually, we turned the desert into an oasis," said Tang Ximing, who is in charge of the project. Lin Xiuxia, 45, a resident of Heilin Village, has been making straw checkerboards for more than three years. "Making straw checkerboards is a laborious and difficult task. Women usually wrap scarves around their faces and heads tightly to avoid sunshine and sand, while men wear straw hats," Lin said. From March to October, Lin and other residents work around 12 hours per day in the desert. "Sometimes, we need to eat five meals a day, because it requires so much physical effort." But Lin and her colleagues' hard work has been repaid with a good income and a better living environment. In the village, over 200 residents make straw checkerboards. They work not only in Zhongwei but also in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and Shaanxi Province. The average income is around 70,000 yuan per person annually. "It's not only a desertification control project. It has become a poverty alleviation project as well," said Tang, adding that the Changliushui Project has paid local residents more than 70 million yuan over the past six years. As the project continues, straw checkerboards placed in the project area years ago are now covered by thriving sandy soil plants. "I was born and grew up in the city. Desertification control is vital to sustain the city's development. We have received assistance from the international society, therefore, we should work harder by ourselves," Tang added. The 52-year-old invented a seeding machine, which could plant seeds in the desert achieving a higher survival rate and lower labor cost. The "straw-checkerboard mode" has prevented the desert from engulfing the city and the city's environment has become much better. The project aims to bring 23,000 hectares of the desert under control when it ends in 2019. So far, more than 20,000 hectares have been harnessed. The Changliushui project is part of the World Bank's desertification control and ecological protection project in Ningxia, one of the most ecologically fragile areas in northwestern China. The region has been struggling with droughts, wind and sand, water and soil loss, and soil salinization. Statistics showed that the desertified land in the region reached nearly 3 million hectares in 2012, accounting for 57.2 percent of the total area of the region. The World Bank approved a loan of 80 million U.S. dollars to help control desertification and land degradation in Ningxia. Since 2013, projects covering an area of over 55,000 hectares have been started in Zhongwei, Lingwu, Qingtongxia and Wuzhong cities, as well as Yanchi County. "Ecologically fragile areas in northwest China are always economically less-developed areas. Introducing international aid programs can obtain supplementary financing for indigenous ecological improvement projects," said Li Zhigang, director of the Ningxia management center for international forestry cooperation projects. "The significance of the World Bank's project goes beyond ecological benefits. It has also increased local residents' incomes and accelerated social development," Li added. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 10:50:32|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Sunday urged Taiwan to immediately stop infiltration and sabotage activities against the mainland. "Taiwan authorities must avoid any further damage to the increasingly complicated and intense cross-Strait relations," said An Fengshan, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, in response to media inquiries. Taiwan's intelligence agencies have significantly increased their steal of intelligence, infiltration and sabotage activities targeting the mainland for a certain period of time, An said, citing related authorities. The mainland's security organs have launched a special campaign to crack down on these activities by Taiwan, he added. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 10:50:32|Editor: ZX Video Player Close by Raimundo Urrechaga HAVANA, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese characters, sunflowers, traditional landscapes and a wide range of colors mark the prolific work of a Cuban artist of Chinese descent, Flora Fong, who is one of the most sought-after painters on the island and abroad. Fong identifies herself as a genuine Cuban painter who never forgets her Chinese roots, which is apparent in her works. In her western Havana home, also the site of her gallery and studio, Fong spends most of her mornings on painting new art pieces either for future personal exhibitions or at the special requests from both cultural institutions and friends. "As an artist, there is always an idea to portray and a new concept to work on and that is what keeps me painting every day," Fong told Xinhua while putting finishing touches on an oil painting of sunflowers. China has always been a very important reference for Fong, both in her paintings and sculptures. "My academic preparation was of Western-style painting, but as a personal choice, I decided to learn about oriental and particularly Chinese arts," she said. After her first trip to China in 1989 to reconnect with her father's family in China's southern province of Guangdong, Fong discovered that learning the significance behind some Chinese characters could help her give new meanings to her paintings. As time passed by, the curiosity about her ancestors' culture became a passion. "I began to study Chinese calligraphy, pictograms and started to incorporate those elements into my paintings. After learning about it for about 10 years, I discovered it could be linked to a truly Caribbean theme like hurricanes," she said. Many art critics in Cuba believe Fong has appropriated artistic elements from China and the uniqueness of Cuban symbols and landscapes to propose a new way of admiring reality. By doing so, Fong also began to use playful, vivid colors that contrasted with the solemnity of Chinese calligraphy. "I mainly use black and sometimes white and red to trace the character and later I add lively colors like blue and yellow, which depict Cuba's appeal as an island as well as its infinite horizon," she said. In her artwork, viewers will find that she is always questioning and analyzing the relationship between man and nature. "Nature gives me strength, it is my inspiration. I like to paint the sea because of its tranquility and hurricanes for their inner strength," she said. The Cuban painter is also defined by humility, discipline and perseverance, qualities inherited from her hard-working and persistent ancestors. "It's definitely a legacy that is expressed in my artwork, in my everyday life," she said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 11:00:34|Editor: ZX Video Player Close NAIROBI, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Cooperation between China and Africa will benefit the continent and its people, an analyst has said, dismissing criticism from the West. Mohamed Hussein Abdille, director of the Confucius Institute at Kenya's Egerton University, told Xinhua in a recent interview that with China's backing, African leaders have resolved to steer their nations to prosperity without consulting former colonial masters. As the cooperation between China and Africa has been steadily growing in recent years, some voices in the West say that China is a predatory lender bent on saddling Africa with debt to obtain political influence and greedy for the continent's natural resources. "The Chinese government never forces anyone to borrow their money. The African governments have willingly signed their agreements and know they are borrowing for development issues for progress," said Abdille. He said that for a long time, Africa received aid and loans from Western countries, but the continent did not progress to the level of development it has reached today. Also, Abdille said that Africa was colonized and severely mistreated by the West. Moreover, he said there is plenty of propaganda in the West against China and that the Western countries have tried their best to contain China's economic and political progress. Chinese investment in Africa has been rising steadily over recent years. At the end of 2009, the total sum was 93.3 billion U.S. dollars. Now it is more than 100 billion dollars, covering almost every single country on the continent. China has become an important source of financing for African nations thirsty for funds to fuel their development. While the Western nations have laid strict restrictions on their loans and grants to malnourished Africa, the continent now enjoys subsidized loans without any strict restrictions on it to develop itself, Abdille said. The analyst said that African nations which have made use of the loans from China are progressing. "Charity for all and malice towards none is the concept China is advancing. Africa is open for business on win-win partnership," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 11:00:34|Editor: zh Video Player Close NAIROBI, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Rugby Africa will have two regional rugby sevens tournament in Burundi and Cote d'Ivoire bringing together 12 countries and regions in September to select teams that will be promoted to Africa Men's Sevens 2019 and contest for the 2020 Olympic qualifiers. Rugby Africa President, Abdelaziz Bougja said the two regional rugby sevens tournaments in Abidjan, and Bujumbura will mark the first step in the continent's long campaign to select teams that will compete in the men's tourney at the Olympics. "We are getting ready for a celebration of rugby in Abidjan and I congratulate all the federations present, which, for the most part, have limited resources and have made enormous efforts to mobilize their teams and make the trip. Their passion of rugby is strong and the stakes are high for the teams participating in the tournament," Bougja told Xinhua on Saturday. Bougja said the new format will open the competition as wide as possible to give the greatest number of players and team the opportunity to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. "An invitation was sent to all Rugby Africa federations not already qualified for the main African rugby tournament. Those who accepted were entered into the competition for the first round of the Olympic qualifications for the men's rugby sevens," said Bougja. The teams heading for the West Africa include Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Benin, Guinea, Niger and Mali. The eight teams will compete in Abidjan for the tourney that starts Saturday to Monday. "Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire) and Nigeria will be keen to prove that they deserve to return to the African tournament where they used to play. However, all of the other teams will be doing their best to stamp their authority and carve their own niche. Guinea will be participating for the first time in our competitions after joining Rugby Africa in 2016," said Bougja. The second tournament, which will be staged in Bujumbura will be played on Sept. 29-30. It will bring together teams from host Burundi, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Lesotho. In addition to being promoted in the Africa Men's Sevens 2019 tournament and a shot at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games qualifiers, these tournaments represent an opportunity for Rugby Africa's technical staff to evaluate talent and provides a gateway to the first level of competition for the fifteens and joining the Rugby Africa Bronze Cup. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 11:10:37|Editor: ZX Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A major fire broke out in a five-storey building in eastern city of Kolkata in the wee hours of Sunday, local media reported. Over 30 fire tenders have been pressed into service to douse the fire. No injuries have been reported so far. The fire broke out in the city's Bagri Market area. The fire broke out at 2:45 am in the congested area on the Canning Street, "India Today" news website reported. "We are trying our best but firefighting operation is tough here because of the number of buildings. No injuries have been reported," the media quoted Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee as saying. More than 30 fire tenders were rushed to the spot, and the area has been closed to traffic, according to traffic police. A senior traffic cop tweeted, "Due to a fire incident Rabindra Sarani in between M.G. Road and Podder Court and Canning Street in between Brabourne Road and Rabindra Sarani is closed to traffic." Further reports of the fire incident are awaited. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 11:20:39|Editor: ZX Video Player Close GAZA, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian teenager on Saturday succumbed to wounds he sustained on Aug. 3 after being shot by Israeli soldiers during the anti-Israel protests of the "Great March of Return" in the eastern Gaza Strip, medics said. Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qedra said in a press statement that Suhaib Abu Kashef, 16, died of his wounds in the hospital in the southern Gaza Strip, close to the border with Israel on Saturday night. Al-Qedra said that since the "Great March of Return" and defiance against the Israeli siege in the eastern Gaza Strip started on March 30, the Israeli army had killed 178 Palestinians and wounded more than 19,000. Earlier on Saturday, Israeli soldiers stationed on the border between Israel and east of Rafah town in the southern Gaza Strip shot and wounded an Islamic Jihad militant who approached the fence of the borders, medical sources said. Later on Saturday evening, Ayman Sahabani, head of the emergency department at Shifa Hospital in Gaza city, said that two Palestinian demonstrators were shot and injured by Israeli soldiers' gunfire in eastern Gaza city close to the border with Israel. Over the past few days, Gaza activists formed groups calling themselves the battle units, cut the barbed wire of the fence of the border between the eastern Gaza Strip and Israel, infiltrated into Israel, burnt tires and got back to Gaza. Ibrahim al-Madhoun, a pro-Hamas political analyst, told reporters that the Gaza battle units aim to drain, exhaust and disturb the Israeli occupation forces during the night. "This kind of protest is to (put) pressure on the occupation to keep the Gaza Strip question on its agenda and remind the occupation that as long as the siege goes on, marches and protests will go on too," he said. Efforts mediated by both Egypt and United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov have so far failed to broker a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Gaza Hamas-led militants and thus end the months-long violence. The "Great March of Return" protests, which peak every Friday, demand the return of Palestinian refugees, who were forced to leave their cities during the Arab-Israeli war of 1948, as well as lifting the blockade Israel has been imposing on Gaza since 2007. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 11:25:42|Editor: zh Video Player Close MEXICO CITY, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Interpol agents have detained a man wanted for sexual abuse of minors in northern Mexico, the Mexican Attorney General's office (PGR) said Saturday. The fugitive, Lorenzo "B," was apprehended without the use of violence in the northern state of Chihuahua bordering the United States, the PGR said. The man is wanted by the 168th District Court in El Paso, Texas, for alledged sexual abuse of minors. Interpol and Mexican police sought the man's arrest after an extradition order was drawn up by a Mexican judge at the request of the U.S. government, the PGR said. Mexican authorities will decide whether to extradite the fugitive. Mexican security forces regularly capture fugitives from the United States who have fled across the border in an attempt to escape punishment. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 11:35:45|Editor: zh Video Player Close HONG KONG, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Observatory issued the No. 10 hurricane signal, the top level warning, at 9:40 a.m. on Sunday. This means that winds with speeds of 118 km per hour or more are expected. The No. 10 hurricane signal will remain in force for a few hours, according to the observatory. At 10:00 a.m., severe typhoon Mangkhut was centered about 150 km south-southeast of Hong Kong, near 21.0 degrees north and 114.5 degrees east, and is forecast to move west-northwest at about 30 km per hour towards the coast of Guangdong province in the Chinese mainland. Mangkhut continues to move steadily towards the coast of western Guangdong, edging further closer to Hong Kong with a high threat. According to the present forecast track, Mangkhut will be closest to the Pearl River Delta around noontime, skirting about 100 km to the south of Hong Kong. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 11:35:45|Editor: zh Video Player Close BOGOTA, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Colombian President Ivan Duque said Saturday the army has gravely injured Walter Patricio Arizala, leader of the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) dissident group, during a military operation in the country. Arizala, also known as "Guacho," has been sought by Colombian authorities since March. "Guacho was injured this morning and the military and police are, at this moment, searching the area to find him ... I hope that in the next few hours we will have definitive news about this impeccable work," said the president. According to the Colombian Ministry of Defense, Arizala was injured but managed to escape with his bodyguards. Arizala headed the break-away FARC group, Oliver Sinisterra Front, which was responsible for the kidnapping and murder of three employees of the Ecuadorian daily "El Comercio." The group was also behind a car bomb attack on a police headquarters in Ecuador's northwestern Esmeraldas Province earlier this year, which injured 28 police and civilians. They are also accused of drug and arms trafficking and terrorist activities. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 11:45:49|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close A journalist works in rain in Macao, south China, Sept. 16, 2018. Macao has upgraded its typhoon signal to highest No.10 level on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. local time, as Typhoon Mangkhut approaches with raging storms. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka) MACAO, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Macao has upgraded its typhoon signal to highest No.10 level on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. local time, as Typhoon Mangkhut approaches with raging storms to the special administrative region (SAR). Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau had hoisted Signal No.10 and said that severe Typhoon Mangkhut is located about 160 km southeast of Macao and moves toward the Pearl River Delta. Macao's all land, marine and air transport were canceled. Macao's water and power supply still went well and mobile phone signal functioned as usual. As of 10:30 a.m. local time, there were 938 people moving into Macao's 16 emergency shelters, where food and drinkable water were provided. Some 26 incidents of falling trees and advertisement boards were reported so far, said Macao's Civil Emergency Response Center. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 12:15:53|Editor: ZX Video Player Close MANILA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The death toll in the wake of powerful super typhoon Mangkhut that swept through the northern end of the Philippine Luzon Island has climbed to 25, authorities said on Sunday. Presidential Political Adviser Francis Tolentino said in an interview with local radio that the 20 deaths were from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), four from Nueva Vizcaya province, and one from the Ilocos Region. Two others were reported missing also in CAR, he added. Tolentino said no deaths were so far reported in Cagayan province, where early on Saturday, the typhoon made landfall, and nearby Isabela province. The 25 deaths include a family of six in Baguio City whose house was reportedly buried in a landslide, a resident in Kalinga province hit by a rock, a family of four in Nueva Vizcaya province whose house was also buried in a landslide and a man in Ilocos Sur province who was pinned by a fallen mango tree. The typhoon also uprooted trees, ripped off roofs, shattered windows and triggered landslides and floods in many parts of the main Luzon Island from the northern Philippines. Ricardo Jalad, the executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said nearly 64,000 families or 250,000 people in 1,403 villages mainly in Luzon have been affected by the typhoon. The NDRRMC, the government's main disaster agency, has not released an official number of deaths. The agency said the typhoon also forced airport authorities to cancel a total of 127 international and 125 domestic flights. More than 4,000 passengers, 609 rolling cargoes, 89 vessels and 75 motorboats were also stranded in several ports across the country, the agency said. NDRRMC said there had been more than 50 landslides in the northern Philippines due to the super typhoon Mangkhut. The typhoon also toppled 77 transmission lines, causing widespread power outages in many areas including in Metro Manila. According to Philippines News Agency, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will visit the affected areas super typhoon Mangkhut as soon as local airport authorities give him the green light. The storm is now moving towards southern China, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said on Sunday morning. Typhoon Mangkhut, is the 15th typhoon to ravaged the Philippines this year. Typhoons hit the Philippines around 20 times in a year, bringing strong winds and heavy rains, resulting in flooding, great damage to crops, houses and building, and deaths. In 2013, super typhoon Haiyan devastated Leyte province in the central Philippines killing more than 6,000 people and another 1,700 are registered as missing. In 2009, typhoon Ketsana also caused massive flooding in Metro Manila, killing more than 700. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 12:25:54|Editor: ZX Video Player Close MANILA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Philippine military troops have rescued three Indonesian kidnapping victims in the southern part nearly 20 months in captivity, the military said on Sunday. Lt. Col. Gerry Besana, the spokesman for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Western Mindanao Command, said the Indonesians were rescued around 4:00 p.m. on Saturday in a remote village in Indanan town in Sulu province. Besana said the rescued victims were kidnapped on Jan. 18, 2017, while on board a speedboat off the waters of Taganak Island in Tawi-Tawi province. Besana said the victims were brought to a local hospital for medical check-up and custodial debriefing before they will be flown to the main headquarters of the AFP Western Command in Zamboanga City. "They will then be turned over to the Indonesian ambassador at the Western Mindanao Command (later on Sunday)," Besana said. Besana did not say who abducted the Indonesians. The military has blamed the Abu Sayyaf militants in previous kidnapping incidents involving foreign nationals in the area, including Indonesians. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 13:06:00|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close TEGUCIGALPA, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- A series of huge marches took place across Honduras on Saturday, with thousands taking part to mark 197 years of Honduran independence. Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez watched the capital's celebrations in front of the headquarters of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE). "Today we have a clear route toward economic development and social justice, particularly for those compatriots who live in extreme poverty," said Hernandez in his speech. Honduras gained its independence from Spain in 1821, however, the Central American country has always been plagued by social and political instability. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 13:11:01|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close Photo taken on Sept. 16, 2018 shows a tree damaged by strong wind in Hong Kong, south China. The Hong Kong Observatory issued the No. 10 hurricane signal, the top level warning, at 9:40 a.m. on Sunday, as severe typhoon Mangkhut is near. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai) HONG KONG, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Observatory issued the No. 10 hurricane signal, the top level warning, at 9:40 a.m. on Sunday, as typhoon Mangkhut hit Hong Kong after it has left at least 25 people dead in the Philippines. The top level warning means that winds with speeds of 118 km per hour or more are expected, and most public transport services will be suspended. All buses, trams, and ferries have suspended services. A limited service is being maintained on the underground sections of the railway. The Airport Authority Hong Kong reported that most flights have been canceled or delayed. The Home Affairs Department has so far opened 48 temporary shelters in various districts and about 600 people have sought refuge at the shelters. No landslide and flooding have been reported. At 10:00 a.m., severe typhoon Mangkhut was centered about 150 km south-southeast of Hong Kong, near 21.0 degrees north and 114.5 degrees east, and is forecast to move west-northwest at about 30 km per hour towards the coast of Guangdong province in the Chinese mainland. Mangkhut continues to move steadily towards the coast of western Guangdong, edging further closer to Hong Kong with a high threat. According to the present forecast track, Mangkhut will be closest to the Pearl River Delta around noontime, skirting about 100 km to the south of Hong Kong. The No. 10 hurricane signal will remain in force for a few hours, according to the observatory. From 1946, the Hong Kong Observatory has issued such top level warning for 16 times. Before this warning, the previous one was issued in in Hong Kong in August last year. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 18:01:44|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close BELGRADE, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- The 57th October Salon, Serbia's biggest international art exhibition, kicked off here Saturday, offering visitors a diverse selection of artists through a set of carefully curated works by internationally recognized masters. This year's salon, titled "The Marvelous Cacophony," and staged at five venues across Serbia's capital, is curated by Gunnar B. Kvaran and Danielle Kvaran from Oslo, Norway in an attempt to bring together works that express diversity from the contemporary art world. "The concept of this exhibition is based on the fact that there is no common denominator in contemporary art. There is not only one center of the world, there are centers in all countries and all continents. In this exhibition, we tried to give a humble representation of this diversity that we can see in different international art groups," Gunnar, who is also the director of the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art in Oslo, said at the salon's opening ceremony held at the Belgrade City Museum. According to the curators, "The Marvelous Cacophony" puts the Serbian and the Belgrade art scenes into an international context, whilst referring to the complex cultural, social and political situation in the region. The exhibition aims to explore artistic production worldwide by looking into diverse art scenes, uniting different generations, and compiling a constellation of works that express, through their forms, structures and content, the diversity and the richness of cacophonic expression. Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, who attended the opening event and toured the exhibition, expressed her satisfaction with the selection of artwork. "Creative industries are a major opportunity for Serbia's development. Culture is what makes one society modern, successful and competitive, and I am glad that the October Salon contributed to Serbia's international reputation," Brnabic said. Among the 72 prominent artists whose works have been selected for the 57th October Salon are Serbian painters Vladimir Velickovic and Dusan Otasevic, German painter and sculptor Anselm Kiefer and U.S contemporary artist Tom Sax. The Chinese art scene is represented by young painter and sculptor Cui Jie, with her painting "Bank of China Building," as well as Cao Fei, whose 42-minute-video "La Town" highlights both the mundaneness and vice of contemporary society through the creation of an obviously fake, alternate world modeled on our own. Conceptual artist Hu Zhen from Shanghai exhibited his marble sculpture "Eternity-Six Dynasties Period Painted Earthenware Dragon, Sleeping Muse." Some of the international stars whose works found place at the exhibition are Japanese painter Takashi Murakami with his "Daruma the Great," and Icelandic painter Gudmundur Gudmunson, better known as Erro, with his "Silver Sable Saga." The biennial October Salon is also on exhibition at the Gallery of the Academy of Science and Arts, Cultural Center of Belgrade, Remont Gallery and the Museum of Contemporary Art. It will run until Oct. 28. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 18:11:46|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close JERUSALEM, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A knife-wielding Palestinian youth seriously wounded an Israeli man in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Sunday morning, the military said. The incident took place at the Harim shopping center at the Gush Etzion Junction, a major settlement bloc in the central West Bank. "A terrorist arrived at a mall adjacent to the junction armed with a knife and stabbed a civilian, severely injuring him," a military spokesperson said in a statement. Another civilian at the scene "neutralized" the assailant, the spokesperson added without elaborating. Israeli emergency service identified the injured as a man in his 40s. He was rushed to a hospital in Jerusalem in a critical condition, according to a statement released by the service. Israeli media reported the assailant is a 16-year-old boy from the Palestinian village of Yatta. "IDF (Israel Defense Forces) troops are operating at the scene," the military said. The incident came amidst tensions between Israel and the Palestinians over anti-Israel protests which killed at least 176 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the U.S. defunding of the UN Palestinian refugee agency of UNRWA, and the long-stalled peace talks. Students from the University of Zambia perform kung fu during the preliminary round competition of "Chinese Bridge" in Lusaka, Zambia, May 28, 2018. The Zambian preliminary round of the 17th "Chinese Bridge" language proficiency competition for university students took place here Monday, with the students showcasing their knowledge of the Chinese language. (Xinhua/Peng Lijun) LUSAKA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Young Zambians are happy and excited over China's decision to introduce a capacity building initiative for Africa. The young Zambians are excited and hopeful that young Africans will have an opportunity to access education as well as be afforded an opportunity to be trained in entrepreneurship. This, they feel, will go a long way in ensuring that young Africans contribute effectively to the socio-economic development of their respective countries. During the recently held Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit in Chinese capital Beijing, China announced eight initiatives to run for the next three years and beyond aimed at building a closer China-Africa community with a shared future in the new era. Among the initiatives is the capacity building initiative in which China will share more of its development practices with Africa and support cooperation with the continent on economic and social development planning. On the capacity building initiative, China will establish 10 Luban Workshops in Africa to provide vocational training for young Africans as well as support opening of a China-Africa innovation cooperation center to promote youth innovation and entrepreneurship. Under the initiative, a tailor-made program will also be carried out to train 1,000 high-caliber Africans. China will also provide Africa with 50,000 government scholarships and 50,000 training opportunities through seminars and workshops. China will also invite 2,000 young Africans to visit China for exchanges. "Of the eight initiatives which they plan to implement to enhance and deepen the ties between Africa and China, I feel of personal interest to me is the fifth initiative that is talking about capacity building," Jacob Longwe, a third year student pursuing Cultural Studies with Chinese Language at the University of Zambia said. He said that capacity building is the prerequisite for other pursuits such as industrial production, infrastructure connectivity and health care service. According to him, the capacity building initiative will result in the building of African expertise which will be able to push Africa's development agenda forward. He said it was gratifying that China wanted to share its development practices with Africa, adding that getting best practices on how China has developed will result in Africa jump-starting its development as well. Lazaruous Lombe, another third year student pursuing Education Psychology with Chinese Language at the same university is also elated by China's decision to build the capacity of African countries. According to him, equipping Africans with innovation and entrepreneurship skills will help the continent take its development agenda to another level. "With regard to the fifth point that has been raised which has to do with capacity building, that is targeting the young people. Personally I believe that it is a very good move in that I believe that every country's success in terms of development or improvement in any sector of development starts with skills," he said. He added that Africa was currently grappling with the problem of high youth unemployment as well as lack of education opportunities for many young people, many of whom were engaged in vices such as drug abuse. Kerris Habwacha, another third year student also welcomed the initiative, saying it will bring a lot of benefits to the African continent. "The idea of promoting this capacity building is actually welcome and it is very important to the African continent in the sense that it is going to create employment to the young Africans and also innovation in the young people," he said. The initiative, he said, will also bring development in the education sector because of the vocational trainings program, adding that China will be able to impart into Africans its technological and innovation advancement. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 19:32:00|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close KAMPALA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Saturday announced several interim security measures to curb crime, including the spate of recent murders in the east African country. Museveni, in an address telecast live, said that 24,000 soldiers in the reserve force would be deployed in the capital Kampala and other areas. He said the police should use radios rather than mobile phones for efficient coordination, adding that the police is being cleaned to rid it of criminal and corrupt elements. For the public, he said that they should be vigilant to report to any "new" persons, motorcycles and cars that linger around their area, urging private citizens to install security cameras at their homes or business premises. He called for quick coordination among the police with each police station making a telephone number known to the public in case they wished to report anything suspicious. The president also urged the intelligence agencies not to neglect information provided by the public, noting that this information could lead them to the criminals. These measures came barely a week after the killing of a controversial senior officer Muhammad Kirumira. Several senior officials have also been gunned down in the recent past. "I am annoyed and pained by these unnecessary deaths of Ugandans, but I am confident because we have the capacity to respond," Museveni said. In June, Museveni announced 10 measures to beef up security in the country. The announcement followed the murder of a legislator by gunmen. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 19:32:00|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Wheelchair-bound female writer Zhang Haidi was re-elected as chairperson of the China Disabled Persons' Federation at the organization's seventh national congress on Sunday. Zhang was first elected chairwoman in 2008 at the organization's fifth national congress. Deng Pufang was re-elected as the federation's honorable chairman at the congress, which ran from Friday to Sunday morning. Eight vice chairpersons were also elected or re-elected at the congress, attended by more than 600 representatives nationwide. State Councilor Wang Yong attended the closing ceremony and called for development of the country's programs for people with disabilities. "Poor disabled people in rural areas must be lifted out of poverty as planned. Education and employment of disabled people should be enhanced, and public services, including disability prevention, rehabilitation and construction of barrier-free facilities, should also be improved," Wang said. Wang also stressed the deepening of international communication and cooperation on disability. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 19:37:01|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close HAIKOU, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Senior lawmaker Wang Chen stressed the importance of marine environment protection, during an inspection tour examining enforcement of the marine environmental protection law in south China's Hainan Province from Sept. 11 to 15. Wang, vice chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, called for more effort to preserve clear oceans and skies, to build a "Beautiful China." Wang said the province must actively implement the marine environmental protection law, as well as publicize it. "It is especially important for Hainan to well protect the marine environment as this island province administers nearly-two thirds of the country's total sea area," he said. The inspection team, led by Wang, listened to law enforcement reports, visited Haikou, Danzhou, Yangpu, and Sanya, and inspected local breeding bases, an environmental monitoring station and the urban wastewater system. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 19:42:02|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close TEHRAN, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia and Russia have held "hostage" the oil market as the U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to impose new sanctions on Iranian oil sales, senior Iranian energy official said on Saturday. "Russia and Saudi Arabia claim they seek to balance the global oil market, but they are trying to take over a part of Iran's share," Iran's governor of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Hossein Kazempour Ardebili, was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency. "Trump's efforts to cut Iran's access to the global crude market has prompted Russia and Saudi Arabia to take hostage the oil market," Kazempour Ardebili said. On Saturday, he accused Moscow and Riyadh of welcoming sanctions against Iran for their own gain, and warned that such actions would damage the credibility of OPEC, according to Tasnim. Ardebili also said "Saudi Arabia and UAE are turning the OPEC into a U.S. tool." U.S. sanctions on Iran snapped back on Aug. 6, a move after U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal on May 8. The sanctions would include targeting Iran's automotive sector, trade in gold, and other key metals. The remaining sanctions will snap back on Nov. 4. These sanctions will include targeting Iran's energy sector and petroleum-related transactions, and transactions with the Central Bank of Iran. Washington's withdrawal from the landmark Iran nuclear deal was criticized across the world. Some of its major European allies have been working to prevent the 2015 deal from falling apart. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 19:57:05|Editor: Yamei Video Player Close by Mahmoud Fouly CAIRO, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The recent and recurrent decisions made by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump against the Palestinians and in favor of Israel have proved that Washington's mediating role as a peacemaker in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has gone, said Egyptian political experts. In late August, the United States decided to stop funding the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). A few days later, it announced shutting down the office of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Washington. According to some experts, Washington has never been a fair mediator in the major Middle East conflict but it only orchestrates it in a way that achieves Israeli interests. PEACE PROCESS "MYTH" Going on for decades now, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict erupted following the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and the Western-backed creation of Israel in 1948. Peace talks between the two sides have been frozen since 2014 due to Israel's settlement expansion policy, which is met by regional and international rejection. "It is not a peace process in the first place. It is just U.S. pressures ... in favor of Israel," said Mohamed Gomaa, researcher at the Arab and Regional Unit of Cairo-based Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies. He cited that Israel desires, through Trump's unlimited support, to put an end to outstanding issues such as the situation of the disputable holy city of Jerusalem, the Palestinian refugees, the Israeli settlement expansion, the issue of state identity and others. In December last year, the United States vetoed a UN draft resolution that aims to protect the status of Jerusalem, and halt Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem despite regional and international outcry. Although vetoed and blocked by Washington and the embassy was later relocated, the draft resolution was backed by all 14 other members of the UN Security Council, indicating Washington's isolationist position on the Mideast chronic conflict. "At this stage, there is no real peace process going on for the conflict nor are there expected negotiations in the near future to talk about a U.S. role," Gomaa said. "The United States sees the conflict with Israeli eyes." The term "deal of the century" has recently rose as a reportedly Trump-proposed settlement for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by settling Palestinians outside their occupied territories and dropping their refugees' right of return, which is strongly rejected by the Palestinians. "I believe that the United States knows beforehand that the Palestinians will not approve the so-called deal of the century. So, it will not announce the deal publically, but will work on achieving its goals on the ground," the expert told Xinhua. CONFLICT NOT SETTLED "I'm looking at the two-state and one-state, and I like the one that both parties like," Trump said in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a month after he stepped in the Oval Office in early 2017. The Palestinians pin hope on the UN-proposed two-state solution for the future establishment of their own independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital based on the pre-1967 borders. Trump thus made it clear from the very beginning that his administration would not pressure Israel for the two-state solution and would rather take the conflict to a different direction in line with Israeli interests. "The United States has turned the so-called peace process into a matter of procedures where the conflict is administered rather than settled," said Hassan Nafaa, a political science professor at Cairo University. "Washington is completely biased to Israel and it attempts to use its weight to run the conflict in the way that achieves Israeli interests," the professor told Xinhua, adding that none of the U.S. and Israeli proposals can be accepted by any Palestinian. The moves made by Trump over the past few months regarding the Israeli-Palestinian crisis were fast and frequent, using the ongoing international anti-terror war and the disunity of the Arab world to achieve Washington's vision for a settlement. "There is terrorism in the region for real, but the United States did not have real interests to fight terrorism but employed it to serve its regional projects and interests," Nafaa said. The Arabs, to illustrate, hold different positions on the priorities, the basic sources of threats and the map of alliances in the region, which has created a sort of convenient environment for Washington's vision on the Middle East. The professor believed the disunity and division of the Arab world and the various conflicts in several Arab states represent one of the biggest regional weaknesses that paved the way for U.S. recurrent pro-Israel moves. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 19:57:05|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close by Naim-Ul-Karim DHAKA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh's overseas job boom is showing signs of cooling as weaker than expected employment growth was reported in the first eight months of this year. Over half a million Bangladeshis found overseas jobs during the eight months of 2018, a decline of about 27 percent over the same period last year, an official who spoke on condition of anonymity, said here Sunday. The official of the country's Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) told Xinhua that a total of 500,694 people found jobs abroad in the January-August period this year, down from 690,046 during the same period in 2017. Of the total overseas employment in the January-August period of 2018, the BMET official said more than two-thirds of Bangladeshi workers found jobs in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Singapore. He said Saudi Arabia alone recruited 172,379 workers to engage in infrastructure development and the service sector in January-August period. Malaysia emerged as the second largest destination for Bangladeshi workers in January-August period after the country received 125,819 workers, he said. The official further said Qatar received 50,952 workers while Oman recruited 47,658 from Bangladesh which is well known across the world as a cheap source for labor. Sector insiders said demand for blue collar jobs in the Middle East shrank sharply after the top hosting nations in the region squeezed their doors for fresh workers in recent months. According to the BMET official, overseas job market for Bangladeshi workers marked a robust rise in 2017 after years of slump caused by the world economic recession. Bangladeshi Minister of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Nurul Islam told journalists earlier this year that they had expected 1.2 million overseas jobs for the country's skilled and semi-skilled workforce in 2018. The expectation came after over one million Bangladeshis found overseas jobs in 2017. In 2016, the country's overseas employment was more than 600,000, the BMET record showed. Despite the recent employment slowdown, momentum in inflow of remittances, one of the key sources of foreign exchange for the impoverished nation was maintained. The inflow of remittances from some 10 million Bangladeshis in the 2017-18 fiscal year which concluded in June reached 14.98 billion U.S. dollars, 17.32 percent higher than the same period a year ago, the Bangladesh Bank data showed. Most of the remittances came from the Gulf countries, according to the bank. The President of the Acropolis Museum Dimitrios Pandermalis (L) guides the Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos (C) at the opening of the exhibition "From the Forbidden City: The Imperial Apartments of Qianlong" in Athens,Greece, on Sept. 14, 2018. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos) ATHENS, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- An unprecedented exhibition on Chinese Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) was inaugurated on Friday evening at the Athens Acropolis Museum in the context of cultural exchanges between Greece and China. During the opening ceremony Greek and Chinese officials expressed confidence that the exhibition which opens on Saturday to the public and runs until Feb. 14, 2019 will contribute to the better understanding of Chinese culture and bring the two peoples, as well as East and West closer. The 154 artefacts which were put on display at the Acropolis museum on loan from Beijing's Palace Museum left the Forbidden City for the first time ever and were not open even to the Chinese audience for many years, organizers said. Visitors of the exhibition "From the Forbidden City: The imperial apartments of Qianlong" will have the chance to admire ceremonial robes, thrones, his study desk, his bedroom and other furniture and functional objects from the Emperor's private apartments at the Palace of Many Splendors (Chonghua gong). Strolling through the halls they will get a glimpse into the life of the longest serving emperor (1735-1796) in Chinese history who put a significant mark on his country, doubling its soil, its population, bringing prosperity to people and promoting culture, organizers explained. Addressing Friday's ceremony Greek President Prokopios Pavlopoulos stressed the importance of the dialogue between civilizations in boosting understanding across the world. "Only through the dialogue of civilizations can this world find peace... I believe that each time our two civilizations meet in such events here, in China and anywhere in the world the contribution is significant not only to culture, but peace worldwide and we need to support this exchange," he said. "Both China and Greece are great civilizations, culture exchange is an important part of the bilateral relations," Zhang Qiyue, Chinese ambassador to Greece, said on her part, delivering a speech. "This exhibition reminds us that no bilateral relationship can be complete, if it does not include cultural exchanges, if t does not open up to the deeper understanding between the two peoples, their history and civilization," Greek Deputy Culture Minister Konstantinos Stratis said. Addressing the event Li Xiaocheng, Deputy Director of the Palace Museum in Beijing, and the President of the Acropolis Museum Dimitrios Pandermalis explained why the two sides chose to bring to Greece a part of this unique collection from the Forbidden City. "Chonghua witnessed the life of Qianlong, so it is a special building complex with deep feeling... This exhibition is based on the archive of Chonghua. We selected 154 pieces. It recounts his life, and also works as a window for Chinese tradition culture," Li said. "The goal of the Acropolis museum is to bring Greeks and the museum's Western visitors closer to the Chinese civilization and offer them an opportunity to understand the difference and charm of this culture and eventually find the common characteristics between the East and the West," Pandermalis added. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 20:57:16|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close JERUSALEM, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday his country is determined to prevent "enemy countries" from acquiring precision weapons. "Israel is constantly working to prevent our enemies from arming themselves with advanced weaponry," he said in a weekly cabinet meeting. "Our red lines are as sharp as ever and our determination to enforce them is stronger than ever," he added. His remarks followed an alleged Israeli missile strike on Syrian capital Damascus airport late on Saturday, which reportedly targeted an Iranian airplane carrying weapons for pro-President Bashar al-Assad Iranian forces in Syria. Israel has not officially commented on the attack or confirmed its involvement. Israel sees Iran as a major threat and has carried out dozens of airstrikes against Iranian targets and weapon convoys in Syria over the past years. People walk at the Hawassa Industrial Park in Hawassa town, 275 kilometres south of Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, July 13, 2016. TO GO with Xinhua Headlines: Chinese support propelling Africa's solid progress toward industrialization. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde) ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia is set to commission two Chinese-built industrial parks by the end of September. The Adama and Dire Dawa Industrial Parks are expected to be operational by the end of the month, Lelise Neme, chief executive officerof Ethiopia Industrial Parks Development Corporation (IPDC), told Xinhua. The commissioning of the two industrial parks, being constructed by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, is expected to boost Ethiopia's manufacturing ambitions, Neme said. Ethiopia hopes to become a light manufacturing hub and a middle-income economy by 2025. The country plans to raise its manufacturing share of the economy from the current 5 percent to 20 percent and bring the number of commissioned industrial parks to 30 by 2025. "Sixty percent of Ethiopia's estimated 100 million population is young. This demographic group is easily trainable, eager to learn foreign languages and can cope with technological shifts in the industrial sector," Neme said. The IPDC now provides students of tertiary educational institutions on-the-job training in the four industrial parks that are fully operational in the east African country. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 21:07:18|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close ISTANBUL, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- As global and regional powers are wrestling over how best to deal with rebels from their last major stronghold in the Syrian province of Idlib, Turkish analysts warn that a final offensive against the rebel stronghold would risk further deepening divergences between Turkey and Russia. "The Tehran summit has already amply revealed the differences between Ankara and Moscow over Idlib," said Haldun Solmazturk, a former army general. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's call for a cease-fire in the province was not accepted by Russia or Iran at the tripartite summit in Tehran on Sept. 7. Days before the meeting, the Syrian and Russian forces began pounding some rebel positions in Idlib in northwestern Syria, drawing criticism from Ankara. Ankara, Moscow and Tehran are partners in the Astana process aimed at ending clashes and setting the stage for a political settlement in Syria. Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet again on Monday in Russia's Sochi, which indicates that tension is building up over Idlib and things are getting serious, said Solmazturk, who chairs Incek debates at the Ankara-based 21st Century Turkey Institute. "The failure of the Tehran summit to address the very issue probably marks the end of the Astana process," said Faruk Logoglu, a former Turkish diplomat. Noting that Moscow turned down Erdogan's proposal for a cease-fire, he said "the gap between Turkish and Russian positions on Syria is therefore likely to continue to widen so long as Moscow backs (Syrian President Bashar) al-Assad and Ankara refuses to talk to al-Assad." The Syrian army, backed by the Russian air force and Iran-linked militia, is preparing to launch an all-out offensive to wipe out the rebels from their last major stronghold in Idlib. Remarks made by top Turkish officials in the wake of the Tehran summit suggested that Ankara would not remain silent in case the Syrian army launches a full-scale attack on Idlib. Erdogan cautioned at the summit that it was vitally important to maintain Idlib's current status as a de-escalation zone. A Syrian offensive would collapse the ongoing Astana process. In Solmazturk's view, Erdogan would try to talk Putin out of launching an offensive against the Idlib rebels at the Sochi summit. "It's more probable that Putin would persuade Erdogan," he said, arguing that Putin would not have flatly rejected Erdogan's proposal for a cease-fire if Moscow were not determined to eliminate the terrorism threat in Idlib. Both Russia and Iran are aware that Erdogan sees eye to eye with the United States over a medium-term game plan in Syria, said Solmazturk. Moscow and Tehran have been staunch supporters of Damascus in the war, while Ankara backed, together with the U.S., the rebels in efforts to topple the al-Assad government. "Ankara must understand that Idlib is a Syrian territory and the best path to follow is to help restore Syrian sovereignty there without harm to civilians and without a bloodbath," said Logoglu. "This requires getting in touch with the Syrian government," he added. Ankara has so far refused to officially get in touch with the Syrian government on the grounds that it is killing its own people. Turkey favors a political solution in Idlib, in which Ankara-backed so-called moderate rebels in the region should be spared from any attacks. The al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance controls much of the Idlib province, while Ankara-backed rebels hold the rest of the territory. "All in all, if Ankara persists in its present course, it will be painting itself into a corner and face increased isolation in Syria," said Logoglu. Based on a deal concluded last year with Moscow and Tehran as part of the Astana process, the Turkish military has set up a total of 12 observation posts in Idlib, which have been reinforced with tanks and artillery since last week, according to media reports. A commander of the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army claimed in the past week that Ankara told them the Turkish military would not withdraw from the observation posts and they would be supplied with weapons and ammunition in case of a Syrian offensive. Solmazturk does not expect, however, that the divergences of opinion would lead to a Turkish military confrontation either with Moscow or with the Syrian army on the ground. "It's not possible to rule out such a possibility, but it's very unlikely," he said. "I don't think neither Turkey, nor Russia nor Syria could afford to take such a risk. All the three parties would carefully avoid that." Ibrahim Kalin, Turkish presidential spokesman, had argued that the presence of Turkish soldiers in Idlib was probably the only guarantee to prevent any major assault. "Because the Russian jet fighters and the regime ground forces cannot afford attacks while Turkish soldiers are there," he said about a week ago. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 21:12:20|Editor: Shi Yinglun Video Player Close PUL-E-KHUMRI, Afghanistan, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Two pro-government militiamen were killed and their commander injured after unknown armed men opened fire on them in Baghlan-e-Markazi district of the northern Baghlan province on Sunday, provincial police spokesman Zabihullah Shija said. The unidentified armed men, according to the official, opened fire on Sayed Mohammad, a pro-government militia commander, injuring him and killing two of his bodyguards on the spot. The official didn't rule out the involvement of Taliban militants in attacking the commander, saying the Taliban fighters were attempting to terrorize locals. Taliban militants, who are active in parts of Baghlan province with Pul-e-Khumri as its capital 160 km north of Kabul, haven't commented. Locals in Baghlan-e-Markazi district told Xinhua that Taliban militants began to return to the district after leaving their bases a couple of weeks ago. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 22:57:42|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close by Maria Vasileiou THE HAGUE, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A fierce political row over migration policy triggered in Germany following violent anti-immigrant clashes in the city of Chemnitz, underlines a new line of conflict emerging within the European Union (EU) between nationalists and cosmopolitans, experts say. "We have always defined much of European politics along the differences between Left and Right, but there is now a new line of conflict coming to the forefront, between nationalists and cosmopolitans, between those who are against migration and prefer closed borders and those, who are in favor of internationalism and openness," said Ben Crum, professor in political science at the Vrije University (VU) in Amsterdam. MIGRATION POLICY ROW REIGNITED According to Crum, the political debate currently evolving in Germany, where the violent clashes in the city of Chemnitz reignited a row over migration policy, could be seen along this new line of conflict. "The political debate in Germany is actually a fight over Angela Merkel's legacy, and it remains to be seen how German politics will evolve after the Chancellor concludes her term in office in some four years," the political expert told Xinhua, noting that "what happens in Germany is essential to the EU." Violent right-wing protests broke out in Chemnitz late in August, in the eastern German state of Saxony, following the killing of a German man for which two immigrants from Syria and Iraq were arrested. The clashes have deeply shaken German politics, reviving strains in German Chancellor's Angela Merkel's government and sparking an intense debate about Merkel's open border 2015 policy to let in more than a million refugees. "In German politics a lot depends on how Merkel's Christian Democrats and their allies, the Christian Social Union (CSU), succeed in becoming a stable alliance again, managing to win back voters they lost in last September's elections to far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)," said Mark Elchardus, Emeritus professor of sociology at the Vrij University of Brussels (VUB). Angela Merkel's government faced its deepest crisis since she became chancellor, when a dispute on migration policy between her party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its ally, the Christian Social Union (CSU) broke out in June. Anti-immigration sentiment, which according to Elchardus is on the rise across the EU despite a sharp drop in the actual number of migrants arriving to the European Union to pre-2015 level, holds a key role in the emerging line of conflict between nationalists and cosmopolitans in Europe. "Today the migration crisis is more about how people react to new arrivals and not about how to actually manage the number of those reaching the EU," said Elchardus. The rate at which migrants are arriving has dropped sharply in Europe since the huge inflows in 2015. According to latest data available by Frontex, the EU's border and coast guard agency, in the first eight months of 2018 the number of irregular border crossings into the EU fell 40 per cent from a year ago to about 86 500. In 2015 more than one million refugees and migrants crossed into Europe. ORBAN VS MACRON "On the European scene the emerging extremes of the nationalist position versus the cosmopolitan one are best embodied by Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orban on one side and by French president Emmanuel Macron on the other," said Crum. "Europe looks very much a struggle between what Macron stands for and what Orban stands for," agreed Elchardus, noting that it is unclear how this battle for influence will evolve, especially in regards to party alliance making in the run-up to European Parliament (EP) elections in May 2019. "The opposition between them is very clear, Macron stands for liberal democracy, he is pro-European, whereas Orban advocates illiberal democracy, he is Eurosceptic and against immigration, but it is completely unclear how this is going to translate in alliances within the European parliament," the sociologist said. Macron framed next year's European elections as a strong opposition "between nationalists and progressives" late in August, following statements by Italy's far-right Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and Orban, who labelled the French president their number one enemy. Critical to further developments is whether Orban's Fidesz party remains within the conservative European People's Party (EPP), currently the largest grouping in the European Parliament. "It is doubtful whether Orban's party will remain in the EPP," said Crum, noting that "it will be more natural to either be boosted out or to be moved to a more right-wing nationalist group within the EP." Orban said in June he would prefer Fidesz to stay within the EPP and try to reform the group from the inside, but EPP members, including Merkel's Christian Democrats, have criticized some of Orban's policies. Macron's strategy for the European elections is decisive on how the balance of political powers along the conflict of nationalists versus cosmopolitans will evolve within the EU. "Macron has not affiliated himself to any of the European political families and hasn't attempted to create his own group either," said Crum. Moreover, big questions loom over Europe's Social Democrats. "The decline of social democracy and the inability of those parties to regain their initiative, is an important factor because they have the potential of stopping the rise of far-right, anti-immigration forces," said Elchardus. While Europe has seen a rise in support for far-right, anti-immigrant parties in recent national and regional elections, social democrats have experienced a sharp drop in popularity in several countries across the Continent, underlined by recent developments in Sweden. In last week's national elections in the Nordic country the Social Democrats' vote share fell to its lowest level since 1911, while the anti-immigration nationalists Sweden Democrats made gains. Elchardus anticipated further rise in support for anti-immigration, nationalist forces but he saw no majorities in Western European countries, where mainstream democratic parties "manage to contain the rise of far-right by getting tougher on migration and European integration positions". Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-16 23:27:45|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close SANAA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths arrived in Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa on Sunday, a week after Geneva peace talks collapsed following the Houthi rebels' absence. Griffiths appeared well guarded, leaving the plane in a hurry and refusing to speak to journalists. His convoy drove quickly down the city. Sources told Xinhua that Griffiths immediately met top rebel officials upon his arrival at his residency. The UN envoy's visit to Sanaa aimed to revive the peace efforts, but no further details have been reported yet. On Tuesday, Griffiths told a Security Council meeting on the situation in Yemen that the war has been escalating across all fronts. "The level of confidence is at its lowest and the human and humanitarian cost is ever rising," he said. Griffiths' arrival in Sanaa came days after holding intensified meetings with the representatives of the Sunni Saudi-backed Yemeni internationally-recognized government and their foe Shiit Iranian-allied Houthi rebels in neighboring Oman. Sanaa streets appeared Sunday almost empty of movement due to unprecedented severe shortage of fuel. Following the collapse of peace talks in Geneva on Sept. 8, the government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition warplanes advanced into the edges of rebel-held Red Sea port city of Hodeidah. The forces tightened siege on the city and main roads linking the port with Sanaa, causing a sharp economic crisis on the rebel-controlled northern cities. Hodeidah port is the entry point of about 70 percent of the country's food, medicines, aid and fuel. In 2016, a similar UN-backed peace negotiations between the Yemeni rival parties in Kuwait have failed to achieve peace progress after several months of talks. Yemen has been locked into a civil war since the Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including capital Sanaa, in 2014. Saudi Arabia is leading an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after the Houthi rebels forced him into exile. According to the UN, Yemen is now undergoing the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with an estimated eight million of Yemenis remaining precariously close to famine. The war has killed more than 10,000 people, mostly civilians, and displaced three million others. According to a latest statement by the World Food Programme, intensified conflict is worsening the humanitarian situation, particularly in Hodeidah, the key port which is a lifeline for millions in northwestern Yemen. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-17 00:53:06|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close Pedestrains walk past broken branches at Nanshan District in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 16, 2018. According to China's National Meteorological Center, Mangkhut is expected to land in Guangdong between Sunday afternoon and evening. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian) GUANGZHOU, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Super Typhoon Mangkhut landed at 5 p.m. on Sunday on the coast of Jiangmen City, south China's Guangdong Province, packing winds up to 162 km per hour, according to the provincial meteorological station. More than 2.52 million people have been relocated, and over 48,000 fishing boats called back to port in the province as of 6 p.m. on Sunday. Work has been suspended at more than 29,000 construction sites and 640 tourist spots were closed. All flights were cancelled in airports of Guangzhou and Shenzhen and will be resumed starting 8 a.m. on Monday. All high-speed train services and some normal-speed rail services have been suspended in Guangdong and Hainan provinces. According to the National Meteorological Center, Mangkhut has entered Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, moving northwestward at a speed of 30 km per hour as of 11 p.m on Sunday. About 228,000 people have been relocated in the region, and 98 flights were cancelled in Nanning, the region's capital city, as of 7 p.m. on Sunday. All rail services between Guangxi and Guangdong were suspended on Sunday. In the region's coastal cities of Beihai, Qinzhou and Fangchenggang, over 8,000 fishing boats have returned to port, and schools will close on Monday. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-17 01:33:12|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close TRIPOLI, Sep. 16 (Xinhua) -- UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Sunday welcomed the municipal council elections in Libya, describing them as "important step for Libya's democratic practice." "UNSMIL welcomes the holding of the Bani Walid and Derj municipal council elections. The Central Committee for Municipal Council Elections deserves applause for conducting these elections under major constraints," the Mission said in a statement. "Local elections are an important step for Libya's democratic practice," the statement said. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Libya on Saturday revealed that Germany will provide 2 million euros (2.33 million U.S. dollars) to Libyan election programs between 2018 and 2020, as Libya's Central Committee for Municipal Elections (CCMCE) announced the start of the municipal elections in the cities of Bani Walid and Derj in southwestern Libya. Libya has more than 100 municipalities representing different cities and regions of the country. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-17 03:08:28|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close TIRANA, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The airline companies operating in Albania that cause delays in flights risk facing severe penalties, the chief executive of the Albanian Civil Aviation Authority Krislen Keri has said. The Civil Aviation Authority's report for August 2018 depicts the month as the worst performing in the year in regards to delays and cancellations of flights from and to Tirana's International Airport. The official data show that the company with the highest number of delays is "Fly Ernest" company, with 10 cancellations in 31 days, and with delays ranging from 3 hours to more than 6 hours. "Albawings" is the company came the second in worst performing punctuality. According to Keri, currently the two companies are under investigation, and they risk having their flight schedules reduced due to lack of adherence to the timetable. The official warned that all companies must operate to the required performance standard. "The authority has started administrative processes to investigate these cases and have kept us informed what will happen next; and thanks to the cooperation with Italian authorities, we have agreed that continuity will be allowed only on the basis of performance," said Keri. The main reasons for flight delays are related to the capacity of companies and their fleets of aircraft. According to Keri, in recent months there has been an increase in complaints. "We have 1,500 passengers who have applied for refunds using our form. We have evidence that up to 50 percent of these passengers can be refunded with a monetary value or tickets that companies provide in exchange for travel," said Keri. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-17 03:28:33|Editor: mmm Video Player Close ALGIERS, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel will pay an official visit to Algeria on Monday at the invitation of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the Presidential Office said Sunday. "At the invitation of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Angela Merkel, will pay an official visit to Algeria on Monday, as part of bilateral high-level consultations," the presidential office said in a statement. "The visit aims at strengthening the friendly relations and cooperation between Algeria and Germany, which is witnessing significant development in all fields," the statement added. According to the statement, Merkel is expected to discuss with Bouteflika ways to "promote bilateral political dialogue," especially the "establishment of an important bilateral economic and trading partnership." Other major issues of mutual concern, including illegal immigration, cross-border terrorism, will also be on the agenda. Algeria is working on diversifying its economy, as part of the government plan to reduce dependence on hydrocarbon revenues. More than 200 German companies are operating in Algeria, while the trade between the two countries hit 3.07 billion U.S. dollars in 2016, according to official figures. The oil rich North African country aims at attracting more German companies to launch industrial projects in different fields, including renewable energies, car assembling, as well as the chemistry and pharmaceutical industry. . 05 , , . " . , , ", ... Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-17 03:33:35|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close BERLIN, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her visiting Austrian counterpart Sebastian Kurz agreed Sunday to better safeguard European Union's (EU) external borders ahead of the bloc's informal summit next week in Salzburg, Austria. At the joint press conference before the two leaders' meeting Sunday evening in Berlin, Merkel said the issue of migration was a very important topic and Berlin shared the priorities of Austria's EU Presidency -- EU's external border protection. "Jean-Claude Juncker has made further proposals for this, which I warmly welcome," said Merkel, referring to the European Commission President's plan for strengthening EU's external border protection, including expanding the border agency Frontex to 10,000 troops by 2020. Kurz said that on the imminent withdrawal of Britain from the EU, a "hard Brexit" must be prevented in any case. Merkel emphasized that the EU must also speak in Salzburg about a timetable for the European elections in May 2019. The cooperation with Africa in a bid to fight the causes of migration is also to be improved, said the two leaders. Kurz also said the EU will host a summit with African countries together with the African Union in December in Vienna. The EU informal summit will be held on Sept. 19-20 in Salzburg, during which migration and Brexit will be the two major focuses. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-17 03:38:38|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close RIYADH, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia on Sunday intercepted a missile fired from Yemen toward the border city of Jazan, Saudi Press Agency reported. The latest attack has brought the number of missiles shot from Yemen targeting various Saudi cities to 197. Turki Al Maliki, spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, said the missile was launched by Houthi militias from Yemen's Saada Governorate at 4:49 p.m. (1349 GMT) and destroyed by the Saudi air forces. Although the frequency of the missile attacks has increased recently, most of them were intercepted and destroyed without causing injuries. Saudi Arabia has been targeted by Yemeni Houthi rebels for having been leading a war against them since 2015. The Houthis say their missile attacks were launched in response to the coalition airstrikes on Houthi-controlled lands in Yemen. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-17 04:13:45|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close LONDON, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Emergency services have been called to a restaurant in Britain's Salisbury Sunday after two people fell ill. Wiltshire Police said the area surrounding Prezzo restaurant has been closed while they work to establish what caused the "medical incident" involving a man and a woman. The police said the ambulance service alerted detectives at about 6:45 p.m. and firefighters were also in attendance. "As a precautionary measure, the restaurant and surrounding roads have been cordoned off while officers attend the scene and establish the circumstances surrounding what has led them to fall ill," said the police. A witness named Sam Proudfoot told Daily Mail he saw a person in a hazardous material suit go between the restaurant and the ambulance. "I've been told two people were taken ill in there," he said: "There's a man in a full white body suit with a mask to his mouth going in and out of the back of the ambulance and the restaurant." Some local reports said the Prezzo restaurant is not far from the restaurant where Sergei and Yulia Skripal were poisoned earlier this year. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-17 04:43:50|Editor: mmm Video Player Close Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi (C) meets with European Council President Donald Tusk (L) and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz in Cairo, Egypt, on Sept. 16, 2018. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said on Sunday that Egypt has not recorded a single case of illegal immigration from its territories since 2016. Sisi's comments came during his meeting with Donald Tusk and Sebastian Kurz, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement. (Xinhua/MENA) CAIRO, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said on Sunday that Egypt has not recorded a single case of illegal immigration from its territories since 2016. Sisi's comments came during his meeting with visiting President of the European Union Council Donald Tusk and the Chancellor of Austria Sebastian Kurz, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement. Sisi reviewed Egypt's efforts in combating illegal immigration and securing its land and sea borders amid instability in neighboring countries, the presidency said. Sisi and his guests also discussed the latest developments in the Middle East especially in Libya and Syria, the statement said, adding that they all agreed that political settlements can put an end to fighting as well as illegal immigration. Egypt used to be a favored destination for illegal immigrants, who try to cross Egyptian territories to neighboring Libya on their way to Europe through the Mediterranean Sea, driven by difficult economic conditions back home. In October 2016, the Egyptian parliament voted for a cabinet bill combating illegal immigration and human smuggling. The 34-article bill stipulates a penalty of between 50,000 Egyptian pounds (2,789 U.S. dollars) and 200,000 pounds, or a prison sentence. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-17 04:53:52|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close ATHENS, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A Taiji (Tai chi) center was launched here Saturday at Greece's University of West Attica in cooperation with the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (SHUTCM), making Greece the first host of an overseas university-based Taiji center. University of West Attica President Constantinos Moutzouris and SHUTCM Vice President Hu Hongyi jointly unveiled the nameplate of the Taiji Health Center. Hu stressed the significance of health promotion, as is also underscored by the World Health Organization, and noted that the focus is shifting from treating a disease to preventing it. Taiji helps construct better health and make humans more resistant to diseases, he explained. The joint venture by the two universities, which also had the support of the Greek embassy in Beijing, is in the context of a Memorandum of Understanding that Greece and China signed in August. A woman speaks into a cellphone asking for help at her flooded residence in Lumberton, North Carolina, the United States, on Sept. 15, 2018 in the wake of Hurricane Florence. (AFP Photo) WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 people have been killed in North Carolina and South Carolina in the United States as a result of Hurricane Florence which is downgraded to a tropical storm. The weakened Florence is still battering the region with heavy rain on Sunday, causing "catastrophic" flooding and leaving more than one million homes without power. More than 900 people have been rescued from the rising floodwaters by local authorities, volunteers and the U.S. Coast Guard since Friday morning. The storm surge of up to 13 feet (3.9 m) will be "life threatening" and rainfall of up to 40 inches (101.6 cm) will mean "catastrophic" flooding, according to the National Hurricane Center. According to the U.S. National Weather Service, there are 5.25 million residents in areas under hurricane warnings or watches, and 4.9 million in places under tropical storm warnings or watches. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-17 05:49:04|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close RABAT, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- A speedy car on Sunday collided with two others running from the opposite direction on a road near the southern Moroccan city of Inezgane, killing four people, Hespress.com news site reported. The head-on collision also injured four others, two of them in serious condition, the news site said. The injured were rushed to hospital for necessary health care, it added. An investigation is underway to shed light on the cause of the road accident. A total of 3,499 people were killed in road accidents in Morocco in 2017, down 2.62 percent from a year earlier, according to the Moroccan Transport Ministry. In 2016, the Moroccan government adopted a new national road safety strategy aiming at reducing the fatalities in road accidents by 25 percent in 2021 and 50 percent by 2026. A Palestinian cameraman is carried to an ambulance after being shot near the maritime border with Israel, in the northern Gaza Strip, during a demonstration calling for the lift of the Israeli blockade on the coastal Palestinian enclave, on Sept. 10, 2018. (AFP photo) RAMALLAH, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday that "killing, expanding settlement, destruction and uprooting of the Palestinian population will not bring peace or security" in the region. Abbas made the remarks during a meeting at his office with an Israeli delegation representing former left-wing members of the Israeli parliament, according to the official news agency WAFA. Abbas reviewed the latest political developments, and the serious deadlock facing the political process as a result of the policy of the Israeli government and the biased U.S. support, according to WAFA. "This (Israeli) government's policies and the biased U.S. decisions contradict with the international resolutions and are harming the chances of making just peace based on the two-state solution along 1967 borders," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-17 06:09:10|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ADEN, Yemen, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Yemeni government forces beefed up military presence in Hodeidah as part of the preparations for a wide-scale offensive against the Houthi rebels in the Red Sea coastal city. Heavy reinforcements of the southern pro-government Giants Brigades kept arriving in Hodeidah as the Yemeni government, backed by the Saudi-led Arab coalition, is bracing to expel Houthis from the strategic city. An army commander of the government forces told Xinhua by phone that "more military gears with many newly-recruited soldiers arrived in the frontline areas in Hodeidah and began preparations for zero hour." The army units arrived from Aden and other government-controlled provinces, with the maximum readiness to storm Houthi-held areas, especially the areas located near the strategic port of Hodeidah, the commander said on condition of anonymity. There is high coordination and contact with high-ranking officials of the Saudi-led coalition, he revealed, saying the government forces are waiting for orders from Yemen's Presidency to liberate the whole province of Hodeidah. Another officer of the pro-government forces confirmed to Xinhua that warships of the Saudi-led coalition will participate by a naval military operation to support the final push aimed at seizing Hodeidah. "Intensified airstrikes and naval bombardment will be launched to destroy the Houthi-controlled sites and provide support for the ground troops in the forthcoming battle," the officer said, who also asked to remain anonymous. Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels started consolidating their positions in an anticipation for a major confrontation with the government forces backed by forces from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A source close to the Houthi group said scores of soldiers belonging to well-trained battalions named as "Death Battalions" arrived in Hodeidah to confront the "invading forces." Observers based in Yemen's Aden said a major military operation is looming on the horizon as UAE-backed Yemeni government forces received hundreds of armored vehicles amid preparations to seize the strategic Red Sea coastal city from Houthis. On Wednesday, the Yemeni government troops, backed by the UAE, succeeded in cutting off the "Kilo16 road," the only supply route linking Houthi-controlled areas in northern provinces with the port city of Hodeidah. Offensives and counter-offensives between Yemeni warring rivals gained momentum across the war-torn Arab country, just days after the failure of the UN-sponsored negotiations in Geneva, leaving scores killed and injured. The UN-sponsored talks between the Yemeni warring rivals failed Saturday after two days of delay because of the absence of a delegation representing the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, raising fears among Yemenis about the future of their country. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government seeks to expel the Houthi rebels out of the strategic port city of Hodeidah militarily despite warnings issued by international humanitarian agencies. On the other side, the Houthis built many underground trenches and vowed to defend Hodeidah to remain their control of its key port along the Red Sea. On June 13, the Arab coalition, backing the internationally-recognized government of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, declared a major assault to recapture Hodeidah and the Yemeni western Red Sea coast from the Houthis. The Yemeni government and Saudi Arabia have repeatedly accused the Houthi rebels of using Hodeidah's port to smuggle Iranian weapons. Both Houthis and Iran, however, denied the accusation. Hodeidah is the single most important point of entry for food and basic supplies to Yemen's northern provinces controlled by Houthis, including the capital Sanaa. The Arab coalition intervened in Yemen's conflict in March 2015 to roll back Houthi rebels and reinstate Hadi. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close The Virginia Zoo welcomed two male Red Panda cubs in June. Born to two-year-old mom Masu and three-year-old dad Timur, the cubs were born at the Zoos Animal Wellness Campus. Red Panda cubs weigh approximately five ounces at birth, but each cub now weighs just over one pound. Photo Credit: Virginia Zoo Red Panda cubs are particularly vulnerable during their first month of life, and zoo staff members intervene with the cubs as little as possible. We wanted to give Masu the best chance possible to successfully birth and raise healthy cubs, said Dr. Colleen Clabbers, the Zoos Veterinarian. We decided to move Masu to the Wellness Campus while she was still pregnant to give her the privacy and space she needed with as few disturbances and distractions as possible, Dr. Clabbers added. Red Panda experts have found this species has better success when the mothers are able to give birth and provide the initial few months of care of their cubs off exhibit. First-time mom Masu gave birth in an indoor, climate-controlled den where she has been nursing and bonding with her cubs in a quiet environment. The den is off view to the public and is monitored by staff. As Masu gets more comfortable allowing people to be near her cubs and the boys can safely navigate the trees and other exhibit features, the three will make their way to the original Red Panda exhibit off the main pathway. The cubs have not yet been named. This is a significant birth for the species as there are less than 10,000 Red Pandas left in the wild, said Greg Bockheim, Executive Director of the Virginia Zoo. There has been a sharp decline in their population due to a loss of nesting trees and food resources in their native region, they are also hunted for their pelts. We are excited for the terrific care Masu has been providing for her cubs and look forward to having them on exhibit later this year, Bockheim added. Red Pandas are tree-dwelling mammals native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. Slightly larger than a domestic Cat and with markings similar to Raccoons, Red Pandas have soft, dense reddish-brown and white fur. They feed mainly on bamboo, but also various plant shoots, leaves, fruit, and insects. Red Pandas are shy and solitary except when mating. Red Pandas are listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Natures Red List of Threatened Species. Q: Are there any cars that have a front bench seat anymore? I'm looking for a late-model used sedan that can accommodate six passengers. Do any of the auto manufacturers make any? B.G., Burbank, Ill. A: To the best of my knowledge, the 2013 Chevy Impala was the last car to offer a front bench seat. Many pickup trucks still offer them, though. Q: I grew up back in the day when oil was changed every 3,000 miles and the tires rotated every other oil change. Now that cars can go 5,000-7,500 miles before an oil change, when should tires be rotated? Thanks for the information in your column. I love passing on articles to my deployed Marine who is in the Motor T! D.B., Lombard, Ill. A: The more often you rotate your tires, the more evenly they wear. When it comes time to replace them, you will install four matching hoops. That's good. Rotating your tires at every oil change would be ideal, but every second oil change is OK. Semper Fi. Q: Randomly, my 2014 Camry tells me beep-beep. Originally thought it might be coming from my phone, but it has happened when the phone was not present. No other indications of a problem, just the sound. I did call a Toyota service manager, but did not ring any bells. Any ideas? G.R., Chicago, Ill. A: Check the back seat or trunk for a roadrunner. If you don't find one, see if he left any evidence such as an Acme brand anvil or dynamite. Finding a coyote (wearing Acme powered roller skates) is a sure sign of trouble. Q: My husband and I have a dispute and we need some professional intervention. My husband drives a Porsche Cayenne with individual area climate controls. He likes to use the auto function set at a particular temperature and I enjoy the lowest setting with the fan on low always. My husband is certain that his compressor is being damaged from overuse because I constantly use the lowest temperature. You are our voice of reason. Am I damaging the compressor from overuse? J.R., Chicago, Ill. A: No, the compressor will not be damaged by overuse. In fact, we have seen compressors fail from lack of use due to lack of lubrication. Compressors have no sump, or oil pan. Oil tags along with the refrigerant as it courses through the system and that is how the compressor stays healthy. Q: I have a Toyota Camry with 34,750 miles. It was blowing blue smoke every time I started it. The dealer informed me that it needed valve guides. I was surprised since the car has such low mileage, but the service manager said it is due to the car's age. The repair cost over $650. R.B., Chicago, Ill. A: Age is less of a factor for hard engine parts other than soft engine parts like gaskets and seals. For $650, we believe they will replace the valve guide seals, not the guides themselves. There is no way to predict when other such parts will wear out, but driving the car regularly seems to keep those soft parts in better shape since they are constantly bathed in oil. Bob Weber is a writer and mechanic who became an ASE-certified Master Automobile Technician in 1976. He maintains this status by seeking certification every five years. Weber's work appears in professional trade magazines and other consumer publications. His writing also appears in automotive trade publications, Consumer Guide, and Consumers Digest. Send questions along with name and town to Motormouth, Rides, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Fourth Floor, Chicago, Ill. 60611 or motormouth.tribune@gmail.com. Christina Fuscellaro as Evita Peron, with the cast of "Evita," through Oct. 7 at the Broadway Theatre of Pitman, N.J. Read more The rise of Eva Peron is on my short list of the most mind-boggling events of the 20th century. Who was Eva, and why was she so adored as Evita by untold millions of Argentines? Evita, the musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice (book and lyrics), gives their version of the story. Under director John Stephan, the Evita now running at Broadway Theatre of Pitman comes up with a mixed result. Wearing his choreographer hat, Stephan keeps his stage awash in movement. Up to a point, that makes sense. There is a lot of choral music in Webber's score. ("Don't Cry for Me Argentina" is the only memorable melody.) Constant stage movement also jibes with the near civil war clash of the Peronists with the military elite and the Anglo-loving upper crust in Argentina. While Stephan captures the mayhem of Evita as a kind of sociological event, we never get into the exotic mystery of how Peron managed to take her country on a magical joyride. The show touches on core events in her life. When Peron was a dance hall girl she dumps tango partner Magaldi (Garrick Vaughan) to take up with Juan Peron, kicking Peron's mistress (Victoria Mozitis) to the curb. But Eva Peron herself stays strangely undelineated, largely a preamble to the next big choral and dance sequence. Christina Fuscellaro belts out Peron's songs in a clear mezzo, sometimes overpowering Juan Peron (baritone Andrew Jarema). With her looks and presence, Fuscellaro could do more. But the show plays down her character's festive side. We see little of her wacky European tour, where the blond bombshell advocated for the poor while dressing up like a Christian Dior diva, faced down the English monarchy, and was mobbed by exuberant millions on her return. A similar lack of joy pervades Geoffrey Desiato's Che Guevara, a Greek choral figure who personifies critical intelligence. Always looking as if he just ate a pickle, Guevara shows up with clock-like regularity to scold Eva Peron and followers. He could be played as a rascally, impish figure who pops up unexpectedly, as capricious and whimsical as the events he decries. The Pitman show is a grand spectacle that just tries too hard to sum up Eva Peron. But the truth of the Evita phenomenon is that it defies rational explanation. To this day, Eva Peron is a revered woman throughout Latin America, a dream catcher and repository of hope and aspiration, second only to the Virgin of Guadalupe. A man whose body was found on the side of a road in Lower Merion on Saturday morning is believed to have died at another location and was "placed at the scene" where he was found, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said in a news release. According to investigators, officers responded just before 7:30 a.m. to reports of a male on the side of the 1600 block of Spring Mill Road, near the Philadelphia Country Club in the Gladwyne section of Lower Merion Township. Police found a dead man along the roadway's grassy shoulder. The DA's release said that "initial investigation revealed the victim died at another location and was placed at the scene" but it gave no further details on why authorities believe that to be the case. Investigators were attempting to identify the man and an autopsy has been scheduled. A DA's spokeswoman said no further details were available Sunday afternoon. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Lower Merion police at 610-649-1000 or the Montgomery County Detective Bureau at 610-278-3368. Meek Mill, at left, was brought on stage by Drake, at right, for a guest performance Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center during Drake's Aubrey & The Three Migos tour. Read more The beef between Meek Mill and Drake is officially well-done. Fans attending Drake's show at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philly on Saturday night were treated to a performance by Philly's own Meek Mill when Drake brought him on stage to perform his hit "Dreams and Nightmares." The hometown crowd was litty. The discord between the rappers dates back to 2015, when Meek Mill accused Drake of not writing his own lyrics. That led to diss tracks by both musicians. In May, the men said they'd ended their feud and earlier this month, Drake surprised fans at a Boston concert when he brought Meek Mill on stage with him. "This really gave me peace of mind tonight. Healing and moving forward created one of the most electric and gratifying moments of my career," Drake said in a caption of a photo of them shaking hands on stage together. It's unclear why Drake chose to invite Meek Mill to perform with him in Boston before Philadelphia. While some fans had conspiracy theories, most were just happy to catch Meek Mill's surprise performance at Drake's Philly leg of his Aubrey & The Three Migos Tour. Meek Mill has been free on bail since April while his ongoing legal battles which have prompted him to become an outspoken advocate for criminal justice change continue. Following the performance Saturday, Meek Mill posted a photo of himself sitting on the steps of the Fu Xin House Chinese takeout restaurant in South Philly. The caption read: "You just gotta respect it! "Mom I'm gone just a store run" lol #philly get money stop the violence get over the drama even if people died! SAVE YASELF AND GET MONEY AND CHANGE YA LIFE FOR THE BETTER!! THE STREETS KILLED MY DAD I GOT OVER IT BECAUSE IT MADE ME STRONGER!!! #facts" No was word on whether Meek Mill was to make an appearance at Drake's second performance at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday night. One of the 700+ chicks recovered by the PSPCA at an Olney lot Saturday. Read more In what may be the most unusual fowl play in Philly history, a city man put 2,500 baby chicks in a substandard "pop-up chicken farm" on an Olney lot he didn't own and quickly discovered that being a chick magnet is not all it's cracked up to be. Of the 2,500 chicks the man told investigators he started with, Pennsylvania SPCA officials found just 700 alive when they responded to the site Saturday, said Nicole Wilson, director of humane law enforcement for the PSCPA. Wilson said one of her colleagues who has been on the job for 35 years said he'd never seen anything like it. "Sure, we've dealt with chicken farms outside the city and individual chickens in the city, but to have someone think that they could create some kind of pop-up chicken farm operation in city limits on a lot adjacent to a shopping center" is highly unusual, Wilson said. According to Wilson, the man whose identity was not released purchased 2,500 chicks outside the city early last week, intending to flip the birds and sell them for food. He erected a makeshift cage out of chicken wire and a plastic tarp under a billboard on the 5500 block of Whitaker Avenue near the Northeast Tower shopping center. "He did not own the property," Wilson said. "He read theories on the internet how you could rehab a property and take over the lot." Wilson said the enclosure was too small for all the chicks and did not contain a heat source, which the birds require at this time of year. Many of the chicks succumbed to the elements, overcrowding and predators, Wilson said, but a few flew the coop and succumbed to Philadelphia's streets. Realizing he'd made a foul call, the man then tried to give away the remaining chicks by posting about them online, which prompted concerned citizens to call the PSPCA. Human enforcement officers arrived on scene Saturday morning to spring the chickens and took custody of the surviving birds. Of the surviving 700 or so, six had to be euthanized and 30 remain in the SPCA's shelter hospital, Wilson said. The rest are being housed in the PSPCA's rear transport center, which had been set up to take in victims from Hurricane Florence but has been modified to maintain the chicks. The PSPCA even purchased heat lamps to keep them warm, Wilson said. While the PSPCA officers were on scene, the owner of the birds showed up with egg on his face. "I think he was happy to see us there," Wilson said. "Obviously, he at some point recognized this was a completely ill-conceived plan." The PSPCA's investigation is ongoing but Wilson said the man will face charges for such things as providing insufficient medical care and insufficient shelter, which would likely result in fines. As for the freed birds, there are a number of farm rescues, such as the Indraloka Animal Sanctuary, that are working with the PSPCA to place the chicks where they will not be used for dinner or reproduction, the PSPCA said. H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest will be remembered and celebrated with music and words in a ceremony at the Academy of Music on Oct. 17. Among those scheduled to speak about the late civic leader are associates in the realms of education, culture, business, media, and philanthropy. The orchestra of the Curtis Institute of Music will perform. Lenfest, who died Aug. 5 at the age of 88, made his fortune in the cable industry and spent the last dozen and a half years of his life giving it away to numerous causes in Philadelphia and beyond. He was the owner of Philadelphia Media Network, which publishes the Inquirer, Daily News, and Philly.com, and donated the property to a new nonprofit now called the Lenfest Institute for Journalism. The general public is invited to the celebration. The event starts at 11 a.m. (doors open at 9), and advance tickets are not required. Questions and further information, please email: GerryRemembered@lenfestgroup.com. Daniel J. Dye, senior deputy attorney general, reaches over and comforts Judy Deavena, mother of Joey Behe, a victim of sexual abuse by a Catholic priest. Read more HARRISBURG As in the Batman reruns he grew up watching as a kid, the battle between good and evil has something that, even as an adult, Daniel Dye can't seem to shake from his conscience. Maybe it's because in those stories, someone shows up, flaws and all, when duty calls. Or maybe it's because those people are unafraid and unabashed at feeling righteousness. Dye, 38, muses openly about such things. On social media, where his posts often cite famous men in history or discuss the fight for justice. In a coffeehouse on an overcast weekday afternoon. And in a grand jury room, where as a senior prosecutor for state Attorney General Josh Shapiro's office, he's spent the last five years building the cases that led to the damning report on Catholic clergy sexual abuse in Pennsylvania once even quoting Scripture to a defrocked priest he was questioning. It is a crusading style that elicits fierce admiration from friends and colleagues and skepticism from adversaries who privately question whether he's for real, and what his end game is. And as the lead prosecutor behind the clergy sexual abuse case that has spurred a wave of similar law enforcement investigations across the country, he has no shortage of either. As cases go, it is big. Though at the center of a furious legal fight centering on due process that has reached Pennsylvania's highest court, it's repeatedly been described as the nation's most sweeping inquiry into sexual abuse of children and its systemic cover-up in the Catholic church. Not since the Boston Globe exposed widespread abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston in 2002 has the church been so shaken by scandal. The investigation in Pennsylvania exposed 70 years of abuse in nearly every Catholic diocese: more than 1,000 victims, 301 predator priests, and dozens in the church hierarchy who knew about the abuse but buried it to shield the institution. Through it all, Dye has been the one constant. He's appeared at every grand jury session to lead the questioning and traveled the state to meet victims in person and urge them to share their painful stories. "It's like radiation exposure and he's had a million rads," former state prosecutor Clarke Madden, a friend and former colleague of Dye's, said of the emotional drain that child sexual abuse cases cause. He added: "It's like having the abyss look back into you." At the start, Dye did not go looking for the case. It landed on his desk in 2013, just two years after he joined the Attorney General's Office, when a local district attorney referred the matter of an abusive friar. He shelled out $90 of his own money to buy a book on the canon law of the Catholic Church, which lays out rules and principles that govern its operations including the provision that every Catholic diocese must maintain a secret archive to store files detailing inquiries into criminal or "moral" accusations. That archive became the foundation of the case. Dye said that as the months, and then the years, passed, it became clear to him and the small team of investigators assigned to the case that it was far more than an isolated episode. The investigation became as much about exposing crimes though most were so old they could no longer be prosecuted as it was about righting a wrong. "The more people I met and the more living rooms I sat in all across the commonwealth, this concept started coming to mind of like an oppressed people an entire population who were silenced and oppressed and could not be heard," said Dye. "It was a profound thing to experience." But it was not a foreign experience. If life is a series of meaningful markers, for him, the year he entered fifth grade is etched as the one that ushered in the end of his childhood. His parents, who by then had moved to a sprawling farm in a rural town in eastern Ohio, decided to homeschool him. But instead of spending his days learning at the kitchen table, he said, he was forced to work day in and day out on their farm. The hours were long and the work could be backbreaking. He had little contact with other kids his age. He felt isolated and struggled with hopelessness. He found hope in watching Batman reruns because in those mighty struggles between good and evil, the good guy almost always prevailed. He calls it a "dark period" in his life. At 19, he landed in the hospital after spending a night working in freezing rain. It was there that he decided to leave home. His parents were not supportive, he said. Hurtful words were exchanged. With no money, no schooling, and no real-life experience, he found a friend in his grandmother, who cosigned for his first apartment and helped pay his first few months of rent. He earned his general education diploma while working as a land surveyor, and took the ACTs and went to Kent State. "He grew up the hard way," said Louella Irwin, Dye's grandmother, who calls memories from that time "painful." Dye is estranged from his parents. Several family members who agreed to be interviewed confirmed details about his childhood. In an interview Monday, Dye's mother, Kebria Dye, said that she believes she and her husband provided adequate "educational and spiritual experiences" that have helped him "accomplish positive outcomes for society." She also said three of Dye's siblings still live on the farm, helping to run it, and they believe growing up there provided a "constructive way of life." She added: "We are very proud of our son." After college, Dye migrated back to Pennsylvania (where he had lived for a short period as a child) for law school at Penn State Dickinson Law, working for several years as an assistant district attorney in Lancaster County, handling domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse cases. "It is a very difficult area of the law," said former state Attorney General Bruce Beemer, who first assigned Dye to the church case. "It takes a unique skill set to deal with victims. You have to have a significant amount of passion and empathy and truly understand how difficult it is for people to talk about the most difficult memories in their lives." Dye, who is married and has two young sons, said he developed a passion for such cases. In dealing with children, those countless Batman reruns he had watched informed his work. "They were corny shows, you realize that when you are an adult," he said. "But when you're dealing with kids everybody understands that Batman doesn't have superpowers in that he can fly or hang off walls. What he can do is the right thing." They are lofty words not often heard from the mouths of prosecutors. As a group, they tend to be reticent. Though they may feel that they are a force for justice, they don't openly discuss it. Dye sheds the mask. During the grand jury investigation, a defrocked priest who had confessed to abusing children contended that he was unaware of the serious impact of his actions. Dye's response, quoted in the report: "You didn't know that Scripture itself says it is better to put a millstone around your neck and be cast into the sea than harm a child?" On social media, Dye's posts advocate for breaking down the barriers of silence surrounding sexual abuse and holding abusers and their enablers responsible for their actions. He talks about the importance of public service and fighting for change. He has a website, created last year in advance of a fund-raiser to aid a nonprofit helping child victims; critics say it has the feel of a campaign vehicle. (His name has been bandied about in political circles in Lancaster County, where he lives, as someday running for district attorney.) "He wears his heart on his sleeve," said one lawyer who has worked alongside Dye over the years and asked not to be identified because the case is still being challenged in court. "It is unique, it is different but it opens you to criticism. Prosecutors speak in a courtroom." A small army of lawyers who represent a small group of former and current clergy members have also attacked his work on the report. They have argued in court papers that the grand jury method used denied their clients due process. They also contend that the report, which was temporarily redacted to black out their clients' names, contains inaccuracies or unjustly tarnishes their clients' reputations. Said one such lawyer, who requested anonymity because it is a pending case: "I have no problem with Dan. He's a pro. He's a zealous advocate. I think he's ethical. But I and other lawyers have issues with the work product and the accuracy of the work product." Dye declined to address the criticism because the case remains unresolved. But Shapiro, who has championed the investigation since taking office last year, told the editorial board of the Inquirer and Daily News on Friday that the report is based on the church's own internal documents, papers hidden in secret archives that documented not only allegations of abuse, but also how church leaders often shuffled accused priests around to shield their wrongdoing. "They'd write it all down," Shapiro said. Jim VanSickle, a clergy abuse survivor who testified before the grand jury, said that even after years of hearing stories of depravity and horror, Dye never coddled him or treated him with kid gloves. "Dan Dye at that time to me was this ridiculously professional, well-groomed machine," said VanSickle. "I was like `Oh my God, this guy is serious.' " Only in the hours before the report's release last month, said VanSickle, did he see emotion. "And I wanted to reach out and give him a hug," said VanSickle. "Because I know it was hard. I know it was overwhelming." For Dye, the case is not over. Since the report's release, the Attorney General's Office has received more than 1,000 calls from people reporting abuse. "Right now," he said, "that is the only thing I am focused on." Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story said Dye's parents declined comment. After it was first posted online, his mother, Keidra Dye, contacted The Inquirer and Daily News and gave an interview Monday. Coun Perez reiterates warning to barangay leaders involved in drugs 07 Aug 2017 Hits:37 Comments(0) Liga ng mga Barangay President, Councilor Jerry Perez yesterday reiterated his warning to all barangay officials from using or selling drugs. Perez said he is closely monitoring the activities of all the barangay officials and vowed sanctions against erring leaders. Aqui gane na mio barangay ya quita ya iyo na puesto cunel dos barangay leaders quien mas temprano ya sale positivo na... Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Sunday reiterated attack on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments in different states and at the Centre, accusing them of trying to hide their failures using diversionary tactics. She further accused the ruling part of using the demise of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for political gains. Addressing a press conference, the former chief minister said, BJP governments in states and in the Centre are trying to hide their failures by diversionary tactics. They have not fulfilled their election promises. They are trying to use Atal ji's death for political gains. Referring to the issue of strengthening the opposition against the BJP might, the BSP chief said that her party is willing to for alliance in any state and any election. She, however, added that the BSP must be given a respectable share of seats. We will agree to alliance anywhere and in any election only when we get a respectable share of seats, otherwise BSP will contest alone, said the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister. The BSP chief also hit out at Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar, who had referred to her as bua (aunty), saying she had no relation with such people. I have no relation with such people. I am only related to the common man, Dalits, adivasis and people from backward castes, said the former UP chief minister. NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram has mocked the BJP and its chief Amit Shah over assurances that the rise in fuel prices would be arrested soon. The former Finance Minister raised questions over how realistic such promises are. Chidambaram's chide came in a tweet on Sunday, in response to Amit Shah's statement that the government would soon announce measures to stem the rise in fuel prices. " "Government says will not cut fuel prices. BJP President says 'Centre will soon arrest fuel prices'. BJP must have found a crude oil source that will supply crude oil free!" Chidambaram said in a tweet. Government says will not cut fuel prices. BJP President says 'Centre will soon arrest fuel prices'. BJP must have found a crude oil source that will supply crude oil free! P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) September 16, 2018 The policy wonk in Chidambaram seems to be attacking the BJP using the chink in its reasoning. The ruling party has repeatedly said the rise in fuel prices to record levels is outside of its control. It has blamed the international financial scenario and the rising prices of crude oil for the jump in domestic fuel prices. By that logic, there are only a limited number of ways in which the fuel prices could come down. The government would either have to resort to slashing taxes on fuel, which would lead to loss in revenues, or it would have to find new and cheaper sources of crude oil. "The increasing petrol and diesel prices and sliding rupee against dollar are a cause of concern for both the BJP and the government. It was due to some developments that took place globally. (The) Trade war between US and China and issues between the US and oil producing countries. Because of these global reasons these developments are taking place," said the BJP president. "We are also concerned about this. Solution is also being found out. Within short time, the government will take a stand on these issues and come out," he further said, adding that the impact on rupee was "far less" than compared to other currencies. Chidambaram is yet to pick on Amit Shah's reference to the impact of the international scenario on the currency. ALLAHABAD: Another BJP leader has said that the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya would begin before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. This time, it was a usual suspect, former BJP MP and the chief of the Ram Janambhoomi Nyas president Ram Vilas Vedanti. Vedanti's remarks came in Allahabad on Sunday, reported news agency ANI. "The BJP has resolved to build the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The construction of Ram Mandir will begin before the election of 2019 takes place," Vedanti declared. He joins a list of BJP leaders which includes party chief Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath who have reportedly promised a similar thing. While Adityanath's remarks had come at a public forum, Shah had reportedly told a meeting of party leaders in Telangana in July that the construction would begin before the 2019 polls. However, the BJP scrambled to deny he had made such a statement, and claimed he had been misquoted. The construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya at the site of the now-demolished Babri Masjid is seen as a key election plank of the BJP. While some within the ruling party may see it as a lightning rod that has the potential to galvanise the BJP's support base in the Hindi belt, opposition leaders have decried such statements as a bid to polarise voters before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's re-election bid. However, the matter is presently pending in the Supreme Court. The assertions from the BJP camp also stand in stark contrast to the stand of some opposition voices that would like to see the matter put on ice till the 2019 elections are over. Congress leader Kapil Sibal, representing the Sunni Waqf Board in the title suit, had appealed to the Supreme Court to reserve judgement on the case till after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, on the grounds that it would lead to polarisation and politicisation of the issue. The argument that the verdict would affect the Lok Sabha elections was brushed aside by the Supreme Court. Sibal also found himself without support from his party, which quickly distanced itself from his remark saying he was speaking as a lawyer and not as a Congress leader. Sibal also found his client in complete disagreement with what he had asked the court. Chandigarh: Haryana Police on Sunday arrested three other accused in connection with the Rewari gangrape case. Earlier in the day, the Special Investigation Team (SIT), who is probing the matter, arrested another accused. The SIT team is being headed by Mewat Superintendent of Police (SP) Naazneen Bhasin. On Saturday, Haryana Police released photographs of three accused. They were identified as Manish, Nishu and Pankaj - a defence personnel stationed in Rajasthan. A bounty of Rs one lakh was also announced on the accused and for helping the police in cracking the case. The accused, who were stated to be in the age group of 20-25 years, belong to the same village as the survivor, said Inspector Anirudh, the SHO of the Kanina Police Station. According to the FIR, a 19-year-old woman was allegedly kidnapped and gang-raped at Kanina in Haryana's Mahendergarh district on Wednesday. The father of the young woman said she could have been raped by eight to 10 men. The young woman had gone to attend a coaching class when she was abducted on Wednesday while she was waiting at a bus-stop in Kanina. She was allegedly kidnapped by the accused who arrived in a car and was taken to a secluded place where she was gang-raped after being offered a drink laced with sedatives, the survivor alleged in her complaint. The accused left her near a bus stop in Kanina later that day. Meanwhile, the victim was admitted to a hospital in Rewari after she complained of pain in the abdomen. Union minister Ramdas Athawale has clarified his remark on rising prices of petrol and diesel, saying he did not intend to hurt sentiments of people. Speaking to news agency ANI, the minister said that he was aware of the problems faced by common man. Clarifying his previous statement, the Republican Party of India leader said, "Journalists had asked me prices of petrol and diesel are rising, if I have any problem with it. I had said I've no problem, I'm a Minister, we're provided govt vehicles. But people do face problems and prices should be brought down. I didn't say this to insult anyone." "If it has hurt people's sentiments, I express my apology. I had no intention to do this. I am a common man who became a Minister. I know the problems people face. I am a part of the government and I demand that the price of petrol-diesel should be brought down," the Union minister added. Athawale had earlier said that he was not affected by the fuel price hike as he was a minister. I am not suffering from rising fuel prices as I am a minister. I may suffer if I lose my ministerial post, he had said during a visit to Jaipur in Rajasthan. The minister had, however, acknowledged the fact that the common man was suffering due to the hike in fuel prices. Its understandable that people are suffering from rising fuel prices and its the duty of the government to reduce them, the Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment had said. He had also assured that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government was working on the matter. The price of fuel can be reduced if the states cut the tax on it. The Centre is seriously working on the issue, he had said. NEW DELHI: Tech Mahindra has sacked the employee, who had been accused by a former employee of harassing and discriminating against him on grounds of sexual orientation, according to a tweet by the IT major. "@gauravpramanik, arising out of an investigation carried out in the matter, the concerned employee has been separated from the employment of the company with immediate effect," Tech Mahindra said in a tweet late Saturday. @gauravpramanik,arising out of an investigation carried out in the matter,the concerned employee has been separated from the employment of the company with immediate effect. At Tech Mahindra,we believe in diversity & inclusion & condemn discrimination of any kind in the workplace Tech Mahindra (@tech_mahindra) September 15, 2018 It further added that the company believes in diversity and inclusion, and condemns "discrimination of any kind in the workplace". This tweet was re-tweeted more than 400 times and liked over 900 times. Pramanik, in a statement, said: "The path to my vindication hasn't been easy over the past week. I have been abused, threatened, maligned and my character been questioned. But I knew it would have been this way all this while, and I was prepared for it to rain on me...However, I hadn't realised how mentally exhausting all of this was. Thank you to all who have supported me steadfastly". He added that he would like to know the steps that policymakers at Tech Mahindra are taking to ensure that such incidents don't occur in the future. "How are you, as an organisation going to put in place stricter and more stringent policies to keep a check on discrimination against sexual and religious minorities. How are you going forward with sensitising your employees about gender sensitivity? I would love to hear from their HR team in this regard," he said. Last week, Tech Mahindra had said it would conduct a thorough probe after a former employee, just days after the Supreme Court decriminalising homosexuality, alleged harassment and discrimination by his then team manager in 2015. In a recent mail written to his previous manager after the SC's landmark order, Gaurav Probir Pramanik had cited a 2015 incident where the manager concerned, during an address in a training room, had allegedly made "sweeping generalisation and stereotyping of someone's sexuality". Pramanik accused the manager of making "mocking judgements" on how his purported "effeminate" nature had affected his work. He also alleged that the manager made "a mockery out of a religious minority and a sexual minority" despite being a leader at a company that prides itself for inclusion and diversity. In his mail, Pramanik said that he had "promised" to write to the manager "the day IPC Section 377 was scrapped and being a homosexual in a country as great as India was legal". On September 6, the apex court in a historic ruling had said that consensual gay sex is not a crime, while striking down a British era law that it said violates the right to equality. Tech Mahindra had faced online criticism after the former employee went public with the charges against his former team leader. Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra said the company is investigating the matter and "will ascertain the facts and see that the outcome is fair and just". He had also assured that the group celebrates diversity at a workplace and "fairness and dignity" of an individual are enshrined in core value of the company. Kolkata: A major fire broke out in the wee hours on Sunday at Kolkata's Bagri Market in Canning Street. As many as 30 fire engines have been pressed into service to douse the fire in the building that houses over 400 business establishments at the wholesale market. The multi-storey building houses mainly medicine and perfume shops. Kolkata: Fire breaks out at Bagri Market in Canning Street; 20 fire engines present on the spot. #WestBengal pic.twitter.com/nLgykP2jTv ANI (@ANI) September 15, 2018 "As the area is very congested, we are finding it difficult to work. We are using hydraulic ladders and gas cutters to cut through grills of gates and small windows to enter the building," the senior official said. The fire broke out around 2.30 am on the ground floor of the building on Canning Street and spread to other floors quickly, he said. "Even after six hours, we are finding it difficult to contain the fire. A forensic team will be visiting the site to ascertain the cause of the fire. As innumerable inflammable articles were stacked inside the building, the blaze spread quickly," he added. Kolkata: Latest visuals from Bagri Market in Canning Street where a fire broke out in the early hours today. No injuries reported. #WestBengal pic.twitter.com/L28XjP0JRg ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2018 "We are trying our best but firefighting operation is tough here because of the number of buildings. No injuries have been reported," said Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told reporters at the airport, "Nobody is trapped in the building. Also, no report of any casualty or injury has reached us". Unconfirmed reports said people, who resided in the top floor of the building, managed to escape as soon as the fire broke out. A few angry shop owners alleged that the fire officials took time to start the operation. Anil Mehta, one of the shop owners, said, "I have lost everything in the blaze just before Durga Puja. My store, as well as a godown, was gutted in the fire." Traffic restrictions have been imposed in the area owing to the fire. The Kolkata traffic police department tweeted, "Due to a fire incident, Rabindra Sarani in between M.G. Road & Podder Court and Canning Street in between Brabourne Road & Rabindra Sarani is closed to traffic." (With inputs from PTI) New Delhi: The auspicious festival of Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated on September 13 this year. Also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi, the festival celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesha. The festivities go on for ten days and people welcome Lord Ganesha to their homes in the form of an idol and worship him by offering their prayers. Superstar Shah Rukh Khan also welcomed Lord Ganesha to his place along with his family. King Khan is married to Gauri Khan and the couple is blessed with three children, Aryan, Suhana and AbRam. On Sunday, SRK took to Twitter to share an adorable pic of his younger son AbRam, praying to Lord Ganesha's idol. The caption of the pic reads, Our Ganpati Pappa is home, as the lil one calls him. Our Ganpati Pappa is home, as the lil one calls him. pic.twitter.com/G7pSAgeQlj Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) September 16, 2018 Well, the pic is indeed too cute for words! Ganesh Chaturthi falls in the month of August or September and the preparations are done well in advance. The pandals and the mandaps are decorated with flowers and lights. Lord Ganesha is offered prayers by the devotees along with 'Modaks' that are believed to be his favourite sweet. Ganpati Utsav is the major festival celebrated in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Goa and Eastern parts of Odisha. Devotees in different parts of the country offer their prayers by conducting Puja at their home. PUNE: A week-long military field training exercise for seven member nations of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) concluded on Sunday. Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre, while attending the concluding ceremony spoke to the participating countries addressing the security concerns amid the growing menace of terrorism across the globe. India accords highest priority to regional cooperation within the BIMSTEC framework which is consistent with the country's "neighborhood first and Act East policy", Bhamre said. Members BIMSTEC are in favour of regional cooperation to address security concerns amid the growing menace of terrorism across the globe, he said. Contingents of India, Srilanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan took part in the week-long exercise while Nepal and Thailand skipped it and sent their observers instead. Bhamre was attending the concluding ceremony of the BIMSTEC multinational military exercise (MILEX) here. "Our leaders agreed to intensify the regional cooperation in key sectors of security, counter-terrorism, disaster management, connectivity and trade, agriculture and poverty elevation and people-to-people contact," he said. The Act East policy is an effort by India to boost its influence through economic and strategic linkages with the neighbouring Southeast Asian sub-region. It was originally conceived as an economic initiative, but has gained political, strategic and cultural dimensions including establishment of institutional mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation. Noting that terrorism has shown its presence in every corner the world, Bhamre said BIMSTEC forum is aware of the ill-effects of this menace. "MILEX 18 was a useful forum which provided the opportunity to discuss the issue from a military point of view with an endeavour to create synergy, better understanding and evolve as an institutionalised multi-lateral forum for regional cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism operations," he said. Calling the exercise as a significant event, Bhamre said that with such activities, BIMSTEC has evolved as an effective multi-lateral forum. "This reflects the growing desire among members for regional cooperation to address shared security concerns," he said. Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat was also present on the occasion. (With PTI Inputs) 112 Agency Authorities of Kropyvnytsky city signed an agreement on a loan of 282 million hryvnia for the reconstruction of the trolleybus network with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. This is reported by Ukrinform. The signing of the agreement between the representatives of the EBRD and the mayor of Kropyvnytskyi Andriy Raikovych took place in the central office of the bank in Kyiv. "The funds allocated by the EBRD in the amount of UAH 282 million will be spent for the modernization of traction stations, the contact network and the renewal of trolleybuses. We will be able to purchase about 20 trolleybuses, but we will be able to tell you about the exact number later," said the head of the Electrotrans company Olexander Lutsenko. According to the terms of the concluded agreement, the EBRD will send a commission to Kropyvnytsky, which will make technical conclusions and leave recommendations for modernization and reconstruction. "They should recommend what to update and change. When there is a vision of the number of substations that need to be modernized, as well as trolleybus lines, we will see how many trolleybuses we can buy, "Lutsenko explained. Earlier it was reported that in Lviv they intend to purchase buses and trolleybuses abroad in 2019 instead of domestic producers. Related: Ukraine announces Jeremy Corbyn's adviser persona non grata Open source Ukraine could lose up to $ 3 billion, or 3% of GDP due to the Nord Stream-2. This was stated in a speech at the Yalta European Strategy (YES) forum by the Naftogaz of Ukraine board chairman, Andriy Kobolev, reports Ukrainska Pravda. Nord Stream-2 is a much broader issue than just a gas issue. It concerns the security of Ukraine. And it will not be an exaggeration to say that for us this is a matter of survival ... If we do not have gas transit, this will open the door for a full-fledged military invasion of Russia to Ukraine. This is not only a matter of money for Naftogaz of Ukraine, but also a security issue. Not only ours, but of the whole EU, "said Kobolev. According to him, Ukraine receives about $ 3 billion a year through transit. "If Nord Stream-2 is to start now, then in 2 years the project can be completed, and as soon as this happens, all calculations show that there will be no gas transit through Ukraine," Kobolev said. He stressed that in this case part of the transit will go to the "Turkish flow", all the rest - to the "Nord Stream-2". "For us, this will be a huge loss - $ 3 billion, or 3% of our gross domestic product, this is a huge amount," summed up the head of Naftogaz. It should be noted that the company is engaged in the construction of the gas pipeline, 100% of shares of which are owned by Gazprom. One of the foreign investors of the pipeline is the Austrian OMV. Earlier, its head said that sanctions against Nord Stream-2 would be an "unfair step." The construction of Nord Stream-2 was one of the topics discussed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a joint statement to the press before the talks, Merkel said that Ukraine must remain a participant in the process of gas transit to Europe after the launch of the North Stream-2. Related: French filmmakers declare hunger strike in support of Sentsov It is not specified, they mean the direct exit of Great Britain from the EU or the completion of the interim period British MIA is not intended to introduce sanctions against Russia in the case of Skripal until the process of the country's exit from the EU completes. Ben Wallace, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs claimed this, The Telegraph reported. The decision of the MIA is explained by the fact that the amendments to the British version of "Magnitsky Act", adopted earlier, should be made after Brexit completed. This will also allow developing new methods of sanctions pressure unacceptable right now when Great Britain must follow internal agreements of the EU. Related: EU and Great Britain to hold unscheduled Brexit summit The outlet notes that Wallace didn't specify the exact time of the introduction of the sanctions. The Brexit is scheduled for March 19, 2019, although, the transition period has to last till the end of 2020. As it was reported earlier, Sadiq Khan, Mayor of British capital called to hold another referendum on Brexit. Members of French society of cinematographers and intellectuals are holding action next to the Russian Embassy to France A single tent was set up in front of the Russian Embassy in 16th arrondissement. The members of the French society of cinematographers and intellectuals who have recently declared a "chained" hunger strike in the support of Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, decided to alternately spend the night in the tent, RFI reported. According to the message, the point of the action is that every of its participant spends 24 hours near the Russian Embassy to engage more attention to the issue of Oleg Sentsov. Related: Merkel talked with Putin about Sentsov, - Russian Foreign Minister The action is indefinite, the organizers note that they are intended to sustain the ritual until after the release of Sentsov. All they are trying to tell: if the hunger strike of the Sentsov's supporters can last long, then the time of the Ukrainian filmmaker is getting closer and closer to the release. The first who stayed in the tent is Christophe Ruggia, a prominent art house director. 'Nights here are too short - the police wakes you up all the time, made it fall asleep for four hours. The atmosphere here is very ascetic - two mattresses, two pillows, discharged laptop and water,' he claimed. As we reported earlier, Oleg Sentsov, the Ukrainian political prisoner, has been starving in Russia penal colony of Labytnangi for 100 days now. He announced a hunger strike in May 2014, demanding to release him and the rest of Ukrainian political prisoners illegally held by the Kremlin. Sentsov already survived three health crises; the medics warn that the fourth one, which might involve the breakdown of the body's internal organs, could begin anytime. The native of Crimea, film director, and political activist, Sentsov was illegally detained in Crimea in 2014, then taken to Russia. They judged him and sentenced him to 20 years of imprisonment at a high-security penal colony. The prosecutors charged Sentsov with preparing terrorist acts in the occupied Crimea. Sentsov denies his guilt. Ukraine's government, common citizens and the international society - politicians, artists, public figures - urge the Kremlin to release him. Sentsov's photos from Labytnangi penal colony were published on August 9. Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will consider a draft resolution at the session in October, the draft calls Russia to return the wreckage of the aircraft of former Poland President Lech Kaczynski groundlessly held for eight years in Smolensk. Arkadiusz Mularczyk, MP of Polish Parliament from ruling party PiS claimed this, Onet.pl reports. 'This is a very important event from the political and legal points of view. For the first time, an international authority, I hope will call Russia to return the aircraft,' Mularczyk stressed. Related: Dutch parliament supports decision on Russia's responsibility for MH17 plane crash He added, Poland would use this resolution in other international institutions, in particular, in NATO and UN. The draft resolution reads that in accordance with the Annex 13 of Chicago Convention, every country where a plane crash took place has to return the wreckage of the plane and all material values to the country it belongs after the completion of the investigation. The investigation in Russia was completed in 2011 when the report of the Interstate Aviation Committee on the accident circumstances was published. The discussion on the draft resolution to take place on October 8-12, 2018 Related: Russia has to admit its responsibility for MH17 plane crash, - Stoltenberg As it was reported, on April 10, 2010, a Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft of the Polish Air Force crashed near the city of Smolensk, Russia, killing all 96 people on board. Among the deceased was the-then President of Poland Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria, many Polish top-rank officials and relatives of the 1940 Katyn massacre victims. The Polish side suspects that Russian flight dispatchers could be behind the catastrophe. Russia, on the other hand, insists that the airliner crashed due to the pilots error as the plane was landing amidst the thick fog. - : 9 000 , - . : -? - : 9 000 , 185 31 . 25 , 24 . 83, 82 32- . . 185 93 , 92 . 39 , 88 . 92, 76 . : ? - : , , , , , . . , . , , , , , , . , , , , . , . : ? - : , . . , . . : ? - : 191 . 106 , 85. Open source American President Donald Trump claimed that the investigation of the possible interference of Russia in the US elections decreased his rating by 25 percent. He claimed this on Twitter. 'While my (our) poll numbers are good, with the Economy being the best ever, if it werent for the Rigged Russian Witch Hunt, they would be 25 points higher! Highly conflicted Bob Mueller & the 17 Angry Democrats are using this Phony issue to hurt us in the Midterms. No Collusion!' the President claimed. Related: Trump threatens sanctions for interference in U.S. elections According to the joint survey of Harris X and The Hill, as of the end of July 2018, Trump had support from Americans in 48%. Earlier, the U.S. authorities pressed charges against 12 Russians who are suspected of hacking email accounts of the Democratic Party leaders during the presidential election campaign in 2016. According to the investigation, the officers of the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate were included in the list. They are accused of organizing the cyber-attacks, hacking the mailboxes, stealing the documents and their further spreading in the network. 112 Agency Ukraine declared British politician Andrew Murray, who is one of the main advisers to the leader of the opposition Labor Party, Jeremy Corbyn, the persona non grata, reports Daily Mail, referring to the SBU data obtained in cooperation with Apostrof. In particular, the Security Service of Ukraine noted that Murray was banned from entering the country for a period of three years due to the fact that it poses a threat to national security. The corresponding decision was made by the department in June this year. In addition, the SBU commented that the British politician was declared persona non grata, as "is considered part of the global propaganda network of Putin, which sells Russian lies, especially against Crimea and the war in the east of Ukraine." The publication stresses that Corbyn's advisor, who was a member of the British Communist Party for 40 years, created Solidarity with Anti-Fascist Resistance in Ukraine (SARU) in 2014 to conduct propaganda against the Ukrainian authorities in the countries of the West. After Russia annexed Crimea, and also deployed troops to Donbas, Murray used the SARU to inform Europe that the conflict in Ukraine is a "war conducted by the Kyiv government" against "the people exercising their right to self-government." He also said that Kyiv in the conflict in Donbas indulges the wishes of the European Union and NATO. In addition, Murray repeatedly expressed doubts about Russia's involvement in the tragedy with the MH-17 Boeing in Donbas. Earlier, the State Border Service reported that after illegal visits to temporarily occupied territories 740 foreigners were banned from entering Ukraine this year. Related: Ukraine to lose $ 3 billion a year because of Nord Stream 2 Voice of America Special Representative of the US State Department for Ukraine Kurt Volker is convinced that the Ukrainian authorities need to extend the law on the peculiarities of local self-government in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. He stated this during a briefing at the Yalta European Strategy forum, which was broadcasted by 112 Ukraine TV channel. "A year ago, the Verkhovna Rada extended this special status and now, after it was extended, Russia did nothing to ensure that the conflict was resolved in accordance with the terms of the Minsk agreements. And I understand Ukraine: it adheres to the terms of the acgreements but Russia does not take them seriously, so Ukraine can use this as an excuse to extend the special status of Donbas, "he said. At the same time, Volker recalled another thing: the key sanctions against Russia in the European Union are tied to the implementation of the Minsk agreements, which, inter alia, mention the need to preserve the special status of the uncontrolled part of Donbas. "You know that there are many votes in the European Union to lift sanctions, even if Russia does not take a step. The non-extension of the law on the special status of Donbas will give arguments to those who promote the idea of lifting sanctions, "he stressed. We recall, the validity of the rule on the peculiarities of local government in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions expires in October 2018. Related: French filmmakers declare hunger strike in support of Sentsov Crimean Human Rights Group Evidence of beating of the Ukrainian political prisoner in Crimea Volodymyr Balukh will be transferred to the courts. This was reported by the Speaker of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Marian Betza in Twitter. "The beating of V. Balukh, who is in hunger strike for 181 days, is beyond the limits of good and evil. The evidence of the crimes will be transferred to the courts, "she said. In turn, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Lyudmila Denisova, demands from the Russian authorities to allow her immediately to visit the political prisoner. "At my request regarding visits of Balukh and Vyshinsky on the conditions of synchronization, Tatyana Moskalkova assured that she applied for permission to all the organs involved. I'm waiting, but I understand: only Putin can make such a decision, therefore, I demand immediately to allow me to Volodymyr Balukh. Any minute I'm ready to go to vist him!" she wrote on her Facebook page. Earlier, the deputy chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Ahtem Chyigoz, reported that Ukrainian political prisoner Volodymyr Balukh was beaten up and threatened to get killed in the Simferopol remand center. According to the Deputy Chairman, Balukh was taken out from his cell, severely beaten up and is threatened to get killed.' As it was reported earlier the February 26 case is the infamous case of several Crimean Tatar activists detained by the Russian authorities of Crimea in 2014; the protesters are suspected of organization and participation in the mass disturbances in Crimea on February 26, 2014, when the Crimean Tatars tried to prevent the occupation of the peninsula by Russian troops and the overthrowing of the Ukrainian authority there. Ali Asanov and Mustafa Degermenji were arrested in April and May 2014, respectively. Related: Police car knocked pedestrian in Chernivtsi, victim died on the spot The missile was targeted at the residential areas of Industrial City of Jizan The security forces of Saudi Arabia intercepted and destroyed a missile launched from the area of the border by Houthis, it was aimed at the Industrial City of Jizan. Reuters report this. The missile was targeted at the residential areas of the Industrial City of Jizan but was intercepted by the security forces of Saudi Arabia. No casualties or damage were recorded when the missile was intercepted, Colonel Turki al-Maliki said. Related: Saudi Arabia intends to buy Tesla for $82 billion, - media The Iran-aligned Houthis regularly announce they have fired missiles over the Saudi-Yemeni border into Jizan province in an effort to hit important facilities, including an oil refinery operated by Saudi Aramco. The Houthis say their missile attacks on the kingdom are in retaliation for air raids on Yemen by the Western-backed coalition, which entered Yemens war in 2015 to try to restore President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. 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!) The Churro and the Navajo: One Family's Journey... 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!) Raise money for the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science with prizes for winning runners and best dinosaur costumes. Annual Dinosaur-Themed 5K Run/Walk and 1K Fun Run to Raise Money for the NMMNHF, with Prizes/Medals for Winning Runners and Best Dinosaur Costumes The New Mexico Museum of Natural Historys 2nd Annual Dino Dash will be taking place on Sunday, September 16th providing a fun day for kids, adults, and dinosaur-lovers of all ages while raising funds to support the New Mexico Museum of Natural History Foundation. The event combines a 5K Run and Fitness Walk, 1K Kids Fun Run and Dinosaur Costume Contest with winners, prizes, and awards given out in a number of different age divisions in what has become an annual tradition in Albuquerque. The 2018 Dino Dash will begin at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, located at 1801 Mountain Road NW in Old Town Albuquerque. The events kick off with the 7:30 a.m. 5K Run & Fitness Walk, followed by the 9:00 AM Kids 1K Fun Run, which is a non-competitive run for kids 10 years and under. Participants in the 5K Run/Walk can either be individuals or teams (5K teams must be made up of a minimum of 5 members, with no max limit.) The 5K Overall Male and Female first place winners will receive a $250 prize and a plaque, with the first place 5K Team receiving a $100 gift certificate to any West Downtown restaurant of their choice and a plaque. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers in each 5K Male and Female age division will also receive a medal. All participants and spectators are encouraged to come to the Dino Dash dressed in their most authentic dinosaur costume adding to the days fun, as well as to enter themselves in the Dino Dash Costume Contest. Costumes will be judged by audience feedback at the conclusion of the Kids 1K Fun Run, with prizes awarded to the loudest audience feedback for the adult male, adult female, and different age categories for kids. In addition, participants and spectators can bring their own personal vintage Dino Dash t-shirts to the race to be entered into a raffle, with the winner receiving a one-year Family Membership to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, valued at $100. TO REGISTER FOR THE 2018 Dino Dash, a schedule of the days events, visit click for details All registrations should be mailed to: TCR Productions Attention: Dino Dash 2018 ]PO Box 25671 Albuquerque, NM 87125 Please note if you download the registration form and mail it in the mailing address is different from the museum address. All paper registrations must be postmarked no later than Saturday, September 8th, 2018. Tags: Charity, Fundraiser, Run, Fundraiser, Family Friendly, Kid Friendly, Kids, Family, 5k, 1k AllAfrica publishes around 700 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us. By using the site you agree to our Privacy, Cookies, and Terms of Service Policies. YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. In an interview to the French Le Monde newspaper, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed Armenias foreign policy, emphasizing that the relations with Russia are based on mutual respect. Le Monde noted that Pashinyan has already met with Russian President Vladimir Putin three times since taking office, and asked if Armenia might conduct a foreign policy entirely independent from Russia. We are neither pro-Russian, nor anti-Russian, nor pro-American, nor pro-European, nor pro-Iranian. Armenia is a sovereign state, and my government is proceeding exclusively from the interests of our people and our country. This was clear after my first talks with the Russian president, where his respect towards our right to conduct our own foreign policy of our national sovereignty was emphasized. When I was the opposition, he [Putin] did not interfere to prevent our revolution. He did not interfere also after I took office as Prime Minister. Our relationship is based on mutual respect, Pashinyan told Le Monde. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. Armenias permanent representation to the Council of Europe and the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) organized an event on September 14 in the Council of Europe Strasbourg headquarters dedicated to the upcoming La Francophonie summit in Yerevan and cooperation between the Council of Europe and the OIF, the foreign ministry said. The OIF was represented by Ambassador Stephane Lopez, the permanent representative of the OIF in the Council of Europe and the European Council. Armenias Permanent Representative Paruyr Hovhannisyan presented the priorities of the Armenian chairmanship in the OIF, the agenda of the upcoming summit and the events which will take place within its framework. Ambassador Lopez presented the OIFs approach regarding cooperation with the Council of Europe. The cultural dialogue, the main component of the organizations agenda, was addressed, noting that the main efforts are aimed for human rights protection and prevention of crises, which is fully in line with the Council of Europes democratic security concept. Ambassadors of Council of Europe member states and observes, diplomats and representatives of the Council of Europe and OIF secretariats attended the meeting. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. Armenias deputy minister of foreign affairs Armen Papikyan had a meeting on September 14 with Chinas Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Zhang Hanhui in Beijing. The meeting was followed by political consultations between the Armenian and Chinese foreign ministries, the Armenian ministry said. During the consultations the sides reiterated commitment to further deepening, development and continuation of the Armenian-Chinese relations Agreements were reached over carrying out political dialogue and mutual visits of high ranking officials, partnership between the foreign ministries, realization of the commercial cooperation potential, encouraging tourism, further facilitation of entry visa procedures for citizens, cooperation in international organizations, technical assistance from China to Armenia and other areas. Deputy FM Papikyan briefed the Chinese officials on the latest developments in the NK conflict and thanked the Chinese sides stance for supporting the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs for the exclusively peaceful settlement of the conflict. The Armenian deputy FM also met with Qian Hongshan, the deputy director (Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs) of the International Department of Chinas Communist Party Central Committee. Issues of bilateral cooperation were addressed at the meeting. Both sides stressed the need for deepening and interconnecting the development strategies of Armenia and China. On September 15, the Armenian deputy FM and his delegation departed to Shanghai to meet local officials. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan Most read of the week YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan rallied today in support of Hayk Marutyan, the mayoral candidate of My Step bloc for the upcoming Yerevan City Council election. Pashinyan himself is a Member of the Board of the Civil Contract Party, which is part of the alliance. Speaking at a campaigning event today in a Yerevan district, the PM said that they want to create a government which will enable the people to earn bread, rather than a government which will simply give it to the people. We want to have the kind of government which will look straight into the eyes of the people. Oligarchs do not exist in Armenia, because oligarchy means the power of the few, whereas the power in Armenia belongs to the people. There is no higher title in Armenia than the proud citizen of Armenia title, the PM said. The Premier called on businessmen to serve the country, get rich and enrich, but not to humiliate others with their wealth, but on the contrary to make them prouder. Businessmen and entrepreneurship are extremely important institutions for Armenia. These very people will earn huge respect by paying their lawful taxes, displaying respectful attitude towards other citizens, perceiving themselves as equal citizens with others, because the businessmen class creates result and jobs in the country, Pashinyan said. Pashinyan stressed that Armenia is a place where it is possible to work and get wealthy. So, be law abiding and in this case our children will no longer want to be like some nicknamed oligarch, these children will want to become like Tigran Mansurian, Armenak Urfanyan, their ideals will be Komitas and Tumanyan, Martiros Saryan and Minas Avetisyan. Their dream will be the universe, education and powerful future, Pashinyan said. Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan New hiv infections 2015 The world is unquestionably getting better, but there are still a raft of risks we face in the future. Earth TimeLapse, an interactive platform created by global security expert Robbert Muggah and Carnegie Mellon University researchers, shows those risks in a new light. The platform uses big-data sets from a number of sources, including the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, to visualise humanity's most pressing challenges, like climate change, new cases of HIV infections, and displacement due to violence. Here are some of the most mesmerising maps in the collection. Temperature anomaly events One way to see signs of climate change is to look at how many temperature anomalies have taken place over the years. Scientists define anomalies on a scale of degrees. Any fluctuation is considered bad for maintaining a stable climate. Timelapse marks stability in white, colder temperatures in blue, and warmer ones in red. The darker the colour, the more extreme the temperature event. Compared to the light blues and pale yellows of the late 19th century, data for 2017 show huge dark red portions indicating fluctuations of 10 degrees or more -- a sign the globe is getting hotter, and less hospitable, with each passing year. Global flow of refugees In 2015, the Syrian refugee crisis became by far the biggest source of displaced persons. More than a million people have arrived in Europe, and a similar number in South Africa. The moves reflect ongoing threats to global security in some of the most fragile countries in the world. Global terrorist attacks Earth Timelapse's data for terrorism go back all the way to 1984. The larger the red circle, the greater amount of terrorist activity in a given area. In 2015, unrest in Nigeria and Cameroon led to thousands of deaths caused by Boko Haram forces opening fire on civilians. Bombings in Turkey and Yemen also produced hundreds of deaths. Story continues While terrorist acts represent a small cause of death relative to disease, the fact they are political in nature can undermine developing governments and threaten stability. The good news: Terrorism worldwide continues to decrease over time. Fires at night Data from 2016 showed just how much the world was burning -- and spewing stored carbon back into the atmosphere. Earth Timelapse offers two years' worth of data, which shows consistent burning in sub-Saharan Africa, South America, and south Asia. In the US, oil refineries and power plants lit up North America alongside the wildfires of California. In sub-Saharan Africa, Muggah says most of the fires are due to commercial logging operations that slash and burn thousands of acres of forest. New HIV infections Timelapse shows 2015 data for how many new people are infected with HIV each year. The lightest dots indicate roughly 1,000 new cases. The darker dots indicate roughly 100,000 new cases. The late 1990s had the worst HIV pandemics in history, peaking at 3.47 million new infections in 1997. In 2014, rouhgly 2.1 million were newly infected. In total, 37 million people live with HIV/AIDS around the world, government data show. Roughly 8% of those infected are younger than 15 years old. The ongoing fight to develop more effective treatments, and hopefully a cure, puts tremendous strain on global resources. Urban fragility In 2015, the Igarape Institute ranked the world's cities based on their fragility. It assigned a score to each city, from 1.0 to 3.1. Higher scores meant greater fragility. The most fragile cities were mainly in Africa and the Middle East, in countries like Somalia, Afghanistan, and Iraq. 'All cities are fragile to some degree,' Muggah tells Business Insider. But what separates a city like New York from one like Mogadishu, Somalia is generally the extent to which local government delivers basic services to its citizens. Fragile cities don't offer equality, safety, affordable access to health care, or adequate resources during environmental disaster. Obesity Obesity is a risk factor for a slew of fatal issues, including heart disease and stroke. Around the world, 2013 data show countries are tending toward unhealthier lifestyles. The US, parts of Africa, and Australia all show obesity rates of 30% or more. Nearly 30 years ago, there was just one country in that range. Most fell at 15% or below. Two of Australias major supermarkets have pulled strawberries from shelves over needle contamination fears. Coles says it is withdrawing all brands of Queensland grown strawberry punnets from shelves across the country, except in Western Australia. A spokesperson for the supermarket said in a statement the safety of customers was the top priority and added they would be working with suppliers and growers to offer support. Police are urging anyone who finds strawberry punnets containing foreign objects to contact the police in their home state, the Coles spokesperson said. A thin piece of metal seen among a punnet of strawberries. Source: AAP Image/Queensland Police Meanwhile an Aldi Australia spokesperson said on Saturday the German chain had taken the proactive step of withdrawing all strawberries for sale in ALDI stores across Queensland, NSW, ACT, South Australia and Victoria. The spokesperson said it would seek guidance from the Queensland Emergency Coordination Centre before returning the fruit to shelves. Food safety investigation ordered Health Minister Greg Hunt has ordered the national food safety watchdog to assess the states handling of strawberry contamination. It comes as police investigate claims that needle sabotage has now spread to six brands of strawberries in four states. Berry Obsession, Berry Licious and Donnybrook Berries-branded fruit have recalled their strawberries nationwide. In Queensland, these are the only three brands which have been confirmed as contaminated. Empty shelves, normally stocked with strawberry punnets, are seen at a Coles Supermarket in Brisbane on Friday. Source: AAP Police are also investigating contamination of fruit sold by Delightful Strawberries, Love Berries and Oasis in NSW, Queensland, Victoria, and the ACT stores. This is a very vicious crime and its a general attack on the public, and its also an attack on a specific industry, he told reporters on Sunday. Mr Hunt said while it was primarily a problem for the states, he had asked his department to request Food Standards Australia New Zealand make an immediate appraisal of the situation. Empty shelves at a Coles Supermarket in Brisbane on Friday. Source: AAP Queenslands Chief Health Officer Dr Jeanette Young said the department was working closely with our local and interstate counterparts as the investigation continues and are committed to keeping the public informed as this progresses. Story continues If you still have Berry Licious, Berry Obsession and Donnybrook-branded strawberries at home you should return them to the store or throw them away, she said. For all other brands, our advice remains that you can continue to eat strawberries, but you should cut them up before eating. Remember if in doubt, throw them out. Otherwise, make sure you chop before you chomp. A $100,000 reward has been offered for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone responsible. With AAP Macedonians must choose between a new name or a future of isolation and instability, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev told AFP ahead of a September 30 referendum on the issue. The proposed change, which would rename the country the Republic of North Macedonia, is Zaev's effort to end a 27-year-old dispute with Greece and usher his Balkan nation into NATO and the European Union. Long seen as one of Europe's most stubborn deadlocks, the name row is a tussle over history, identity and land. Athens has blocked the former Yugoslav republic from joining NATO and the EU since 1991 because it considers the country's name an encroachment on its own province called Macedonia. Greeks also accuse Skopje of appropriating their history and culture, notably by erecting huge monuments to Alexander the Great, the king of ancient Macedon. But there was a breakthrough between Zaev and Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras in July -- a rare detente in a region tangled in complex disagreements. Zaev must now convince the country of 2.1 million people to accept the new name despite a widespread feeling that they have been bullied by Greece. A pro-Europe politician who helped topple a nationalistic government, Zaev has framed the name-change as a painful but historic opportunity for Macedonia to link arms with the West. If the deal unravels, it will mean "hopelessness, total isolation of the country, probably another chapter of insecurity and instability in the whole region", the 43-year-old told AFP after a campaign speech in the western city of Kicevo. Alternatively, a 'yes' vote could make the accord a model for other regional disputes, said Zaev, an economist who has sought to revamp Macedonia's foreign relations since coming to power more than one year ago. "Other types of identity problems can be solved through deals like this," he said. - Where's the name? - Zaev and his Social Democrats party must tread lightly to avoid inflaming nationalists who feel they are being robbed of their identity. He has avoided uttering the new name during townhall-style debates around the country. "North" is also nowhere to be seen on government billboards that encourage the public to "Go vote for a European Macedonia". The referendum question itself asks: "Are you for EU and NATO membership by accepting the agreement between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Greece?" Zaev is trying to reach the majority of Macedonians -- 80 percent, he says -- who want to join those Western institutions. But critics have chafed at what they perceive to be a misleading question. And while NATO membership is all but assured, the road to the EU will be longer for a country still mired in corruption. The appetite for EU enlargement is also shrinking among some members of the bloc, who voted to push Macedonia's accession talks back to June 2019 despite the hard-won deal. EU officials and leaders like Angela Merkel have nevertheless been passing through Skopje almost daily to whip up support. The Russians, meanwhile, "told me that they have nothing against Macedonia's accession to the EU but that they are opposed to NATO integration", said Zaev. - #Boycott campaign - A July survey conducted by the US-funded Center for Insights in Survey Research found 57 percent supported the accord. "I am so strongly convinced that the referendum will succeed that I'm not even looking into other options," Zaev told AFP. The right-wing opposition, VMRO-DPMNE, has stopped short of advocating a boycott, urging the public instead to act "according to their conscience". Civic groups have taken up the torch however, with the hashtag #boycott rippling across social media. Zaev said detractors are using "disinformation as a tool" to defeat the proposal. The biggest challenge may be generating sufficient turnout in a country where even supporters are only grudgingly in favour of the deal. "I don't think it's a fair deal, but I will vote for it," said Sasho Ilioski, 45, because he wanted a chance to join the EU. "There is a certain amount of disappointment here, that people will lose a part of their identity, their national pride. They will still vote for this deal, but these feelings cannot be hidden." The proposed change would rename the country the Republic of North Macedonia Greeks who oppose the deal have accused Skopje of appropriating their history and culture German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) has tried to help Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev (L) win a referendum on changing the country's name so it can pursue EU membership Civic groups have taken the lead in opposing the name change, making turnout a key question Women should play a greater role in the training of priests to fight the child abuse "crisis" that has engulfed the Catholic Church, Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet has said. More must be done within the church to tackle the root causes of the latest wave of global abuse scandals to rock the institution, said Ouellet, the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops. "We would need participation of more women in (training) of priests," he told reporters on Saturday on the sidelines of a meeting in the Polish city of Poznan. Better care must be taken when choosing bishops, he said, adding that more women should select candidates for priesthood and assess their suitability for the job. His comments at the four-day assembly of the Presidents of the Bishops' Conferences of Europe come amid a slew of devastating assault allegations spanning several continents. People in Australia, Europe, and North and South America have charged they were sexually abused by clergymen and lay people, in what German Archbishop Georg Gaenswein has called the church's "own 9/11". "We are facing a crisis in the life of the church... And also to certain extent a rebellion," Ouellet said. "This is a very serious matter that has to be dealt with in a spiritual way, not only in a political way," he said, but added that direct attacks against the pope over the scandals were "unjust". The US Catholic Church has been shaken by the publication of a report on sexual abuse by clergy in Pennsylvania and by the resignation in July of US Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Pope Francis met US bishops and cardinals on Thursday to discuss the Vatican's response after McCarrick was accused of sexually abusing a teenager while working as a priest in New York in the early 1970s. That meeting took place a day after Germany's Catholic Church said it was "dismayed and ashamed" by the revelation of decades of child sex abuse by priests, with a leaked report showing that thousands of minors were assaulted. A separate report published on Saturday said more than half of the Netherlands' senior clerics were involved in covering up sexual assault of children between 1945 and 2010. 'We are facing a crisis in the life of the church,' says Canadian cardinal Marc Ouellet, pictured here in 2013 More than 300 doctors and nurses rallied Sunday in the rebel-held Syrian province of Idlib, urging the international community to protect them against an expected offensive by President Bashar al-Assad's forces. Brandishing roses and wearing white coats and blue surgical uniforms, the demonstrators gathered in front of the hospital in Atme, near the border with Turkey, an AFP correspondent reported. Backed by its ally Russia, the Syrian regime has targeted several areas of Idlib with artillery and air strikes, sometimes hitting hospitals and rescue centres in the country's last major opposition stronghold. But the intensity of the Russian air strikes has dropped off in recent days, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor that gets its information from sources on the ground. The protesters in Atme, both men and women, waved the flag of the Syrian revolution as well as placards in English that read "UN, protecting us is your responsibility". Another directly addressed UN Syria envoy Staffan De Mistura, telling him "protecting health worker in Idlib is part of your mission". "We call for an end to the strikes against hospitals and our protection by the United Nations," said nurse Fadi al-Amur. "Medical staff are neutral. We treat civilians affected by the Russian and Syrian air strikes," he told AFP. The United Nations said an air strike on September 6 struck an NGO-backed hospital in Kafr Zita, a town in the neighbouring province of Hama, putting it out of service. It said information on the location of the hospital had been provided to parties whose aircraft are involved in the conflict in order to avoid such incidents. Two days after the attack on the hospital in Hama, a strike hit and damaged an underground hospital on the outskirts of Hass in Idlib, according to the Observatory. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that the Syrian regime was not preparing a major offensive on Idlib, and that his government would do everything to protect civilians. The United Nations and non-governmental organisations have repeatedly warned that such an offensive would unleash a "bloodbath" and "humanitarian catastrophe" in Idlib, which is home to three million people. The Syrian civil war erupted in 2011, when the Assad regime waged a vicious crackdown on pro-democracy protests that evolved into a complex conflict involving jihadists and world powers. It has killed an estimated 360,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes. Syrian health workers hold opposition flags and roses as in the village of Atme in northern Idlib province on September 16, 2018 Medical staff in Atme, a town in the rebel-held Syrian province of Idlib, urge the international community to protect them from an expected regime offensive Leftist ELN guerrillas have kidnapped a 15-year-old girl in northwestern Colombia, officials said Saturday, even as peace talks with the government of President Ivan Duque are on hold until all rebel hostages are released. Guerrillas abducted the girl on September 7 from her home in Orupa, in the jungle region of Choco, said Modesto Serna, a peace advisor to regional government officials. "It is especially important that the minor returns as soon as possible to her home and family," Serna said in an interview with Blu Radio. The date is important because it was the deadline set by Duque to see if the guerrillas were serious about re-starting peace talks in Cuba that began under former president Juan Manuel Santos. A National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel fighter by the name of Comandante Uriel, who heads the regional guerrillas, told reporters that the teen was kidnapped because she was "an armed forces informant," and that she would be released after "routine procedures." The ELN rebels on Wednesday freed six people they had kidnapped in August, so Duque was especially angered by news of the teen's abduction. "To kidnap a 15-year-old girl, after releasing some other hostages, and to say that the girl is an informant... is an outrage against children in Colombia," he said Saturday. The government believes the ELN -- Colombia's last guerrilla force with about 1,500 fighters -- is holding at least 10 hostages. Duque, who took office on August 7 promising to take a hardline against the ELN guerrillas, maintains that in order to resume peace talks the rebels must release all their hostages and end "all criminal activities." The ELN is seeking a deal similar to the peace arrangement reached with much larger Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels in 2016 under Duque's predecessor, Juan Manuel Santos. - Dangerous ex-FARC rebel wounded - Not all FARC guerrillas put down their arms in the 2016 peace deal. Among the dissidents was Walther Arizala, a fighter of Ecuadoran origin nicknamed "Guacho" who authorities say is operating with his gang in the wild Colombian-Ecuador border region as an enforcer for Mexico's powerful Sinaloa drug cartel. Duque said that "Guacho" was wounded in a gunfight with Colombian soldiers in a jungle region of Narino province, on the border with Ecuador. Soldiers and police have cordoned off the area where Arizala was wounded and are closing in to find him, Duque said. A Colombian soldier died in the fighting, a military source told AFP. Arizala is believed to have ordered the abduction and murder of reporters from Quito's El Comercio newspaper in March and April. A National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla carries a machine gun in a camp on the banks of the San Juan River in the Choco department, in northwestern Colombia More than $16 million in cash and luxury watches were seized at an airport in Brazil in the luggage of a delegation accompanying the son of the president Equatorial Guinea, local media reported. Teodorin Nguema Obiang, vice president of Equatorial Guinea and son of its longtime president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, arrived Friday on a private plane at Viracapos airport near Sao Paulo as part of an 11 person delegation. O Estado de Sao Paulo reported on its website late Saturday that federal police found $1.5 million in cash in one bag and watches worth an estimated $15 million in another. TV Globo said Obiang was the only member of the delegation who had diplomatic immunity as the group was not on an official mission. The bags of other delegation members were inspected as Obiang waited outside in a car, it said. Brazilian law prohibits people from entering the country with more than 10,000 reais, or about $2,400, in cash. Brazil's foreign ministry told AFP that it was "in permanent coordination with the federal police and the customs service over the case and to decide what measures should be taken." The embassy of Equatorial Guinea in Brasilia did not respond to questions about the matter. O Estado de Sao Paulo quoted a diplomatic source from Equatorial Guinea as saying the money was to pay for medical treatment Obiang was to undergo in Sao Paulo. As for the watches, they were for the "personal use" of the president's son, and were engraved with his initials, the report said. Accused of using public funds to support a lavish lifestyle, Obiang was sentenced in France to a three-year suspended sentence in October 2017 for money-laundering. He has visited Brazil several times, attending the 2015 Carnival in Rio de Janeiro when a samba school won top honors for a Equatorial Guinea-themed parade but was heavily criticized because of alleged funding for it by the Obiang regime. Obiang, an autocrat with broad powers to rule by decree, has been in power for 38 years. Teodorin Nguema Obiang is vice president of Equatorial Guinea and son of its longtime president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Hollywood's A-listers will don their black-tie best on Monday for the 70th Emmy Awards, which honor the best in television. After a year off, HBO's wildly popular fantasy epic "Game of Thrones" -- which earned a whopping 22 nominations -- is expected to make a big comeback. It already won seven Emmys in technical categories. But evergreen NBC sketch show "Saturday Night Live" is close behind with 21 nominations, and it too scooped up seven awards ahead of the main ceremony. And "The Handmaid's Tale," Hulu's flagship drama based on Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel of the same name and last year's best drama winner, is certainly in the hunt for more statuettes, with 20 nominations and three awards so far. Here are five things to watch for on Monday night: 1. How will #MeToo be handled? The #MeToo movement erupted after last year's Primetime Emmys, meaning it is likely to hover over this year's event. The departure from CBS of its powerful CEO Les Moonves under a cloud of sexual misconduct allegations will not go unnoticed at Monday's gala. Female-driven programs like "The Handmaid's Tale," "The Marvelous Mrs Maisel" and "The Crown" are among the top nomination getters this year. But earlier this month, the Women's Media Center released a report showing that 70 percent of the non-acting nominations went to men -- and only six percent of the nominated directors were women, down from 10% in 2017. 2. How much will Trump weigh on gala? With "SNL" stars Colin Jost and Michael Che hosting the Emmys, and Alec Baldwin once again nominated for his portrayal of President Donald Trump, this year's gala is once again likely to be a political one. Jost told Vanity Fair that he and Che hope to make the show "less political than normal," but if recent awards shows are any indication, that might be difficult in resolutely Democratic Tinseltown. At the Tonys in June, Robert De Niro got a standing ovation for using an expletive to condemn Trump. At the Oscars in February, Mexican director Guillermo del Toro made a plea for immigrants. 3. Will Netflix break through? In July, the streaming giant finally wrested the top spot from premium cable network HBO in terms of most nominations -- 112 to 108. But will that translate into more actual trophies? Last year, HBO took home 29 Emmys, to Netflix's 20. After the Creative Arts Emmys -- the technical awards handed out ahead of the main event -- HBO had a slim lead, 17 to 16. HBO has "Game of Thrones" and "Westworld" in its stable, while Netflix heads into battle with "The Crown," "Stranger Things" and 1980s women's wrestling comedy "GLOW." 4. Can stars of 'The Americans' win? Critical darling "The Americans" -- a sweeping saga about sleeper Soviet agents in America -- has earned 18 nominations over its six-season run, but only two wins -- both for guest actress Margo Martindale. Series stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys are both nominated for the third time this year for their work in the acclaimed drama. Can one -- or both -- of them finally take home a final hurrah Emmy, as Jon Hamm did for "Mad Men"? Awards prediction site Gold Derby currently has Rhys as the odds-on favorite, but Russell is only in 4th place, lagging behind last year's winner Elisabeth Moss ("The Handmaid's Tale"), Sandra Oh ("Killing Eve") and Claire Foy ("The Crown"). 5. Another big night for Donald Glover? On the comedy side of the Emmys, the field is wide-open, with perennial winner "Veep" out of the picture. Can "Atlanta" -- Donald Glover's funny take on the rap scene in the Georgia capital -- take top honors? Last year, Glover won twin statuettes for acting and directing, after capturing two Golden Globes. It's been another big year for the multi-talented 34-year-old, who raps under the name Childish Gambino and took home a Grammy in January for best traditional R&B performance. He lit the internet ablaze in the spring with his controversial single "This Is America" and its wacky video. He co-starred in the latest "Star Wars" movie. And last week, he launched a US concert tour. A few more Emmys, including the best comedy prize, could be the icing on the cake of a ferocious 2018. The 70th Emmy Awards take place on September 17 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles Female-driven programs like "The Handmaid's Tale" -- star Elisabeth Moss is shown here -- are among the top Primetime Emmy nomination getters this year, but a new study shows 70 percent of the non-acting nominations went to men Actor Alec Baldwin -- shown here at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month -- is up for another Emmy for his portrayal of Donald Trump on "Saturday Night Live" For the first time, Netflix this year led all other platforms with 112 Emmy nominations, besting perennial heavyweight HBO Actors Matthew Rhys (L) and Keri Russell -- shown here in Hollywood in May -- are both up for Emmys for their work on the final season of "The Americans" US actor Donald Glover -- shown at the BET Awards in Los Angeles in June -- could have a big Emmys night on Monday Leah and Simha Goldin have been thrust into an unwanted spotlight -- but all they want is finally to be able to bury their son who served in the Israeli army. From their living room in central Israel, surrounded by books and family photos, they have waged a years-long campaign to bring back the remains of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, a soldier killed in the 2014 Gaza war. Their efforts have received increased attention in recent weeks as mediators seek a long-term truce between Israel and Gaza's rulers Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist movement believed to be holding his body. "This thing that's in our hearts -- to run around with a knife in our hearts -- has been forced upon us," said Leah, a computer scientist. "We're not diplomats. We're not legal experts," she said at her home in Kfar Saba, north of Tel Aviv. The Goldins argue that Israel's government has not done enough to bring back the remains of their son. The couple met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on September 2, along with the family of another soldier killed in the war, but they accuse the premier of "still doing nothing significant". They say a long-term truce deal with Hamas that does not guarantee the return of their son's remains would be a mark of shame for Israel and an insult to the family. Netanyahu told them "there would be no arrangement in the Gaza Strip without the return of the boys". - Pressure on Hamas - Hadar Goldin's remains and those of another soldier killed in 2014, Oron Shaul, are believed to be in the hands of Hamas. Two Israeli civilians -- both reputed to be mentally unstable -- are also believed to be in Hamas custody after entering the blockaded Gaza Strip. The Islamist movement has mooted the possibility of an exchange, but the price would likely be high. In 2011, Israel traded over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for the release of Gilad Shalit, a soldier held captive in Gaza for more than five years. The Goldin family says Israel's government should instead find ways to further pressure Hamas. Last year, partly in response to the Goldins' campaign, Israel imposed new restrictions on the Islamist group, including refusing to return the bodies of its militants. "It's first and foremost the Israeli prime minister's responsibility, the same one who sent Hadar to war," said Leah. The family has organised events to raise public awareness, including exhibitions of Hadar's colourful paintings of landscapes and people. They attend parliamentary discussions on their cause and meet with ministers and lawmakers. Supported by former Canadian justice minister Irwin Cotler, they have participated in sessions at the United Nations Security Council and the European Parliament. Leah has vowed to keep up her efforts -- "even if I have to reach Gaza" -- not just for her son, but for soldiers "who will fight the next war". - Gaza assault - Hadar Goldin was part of a team of Israeli soldiers in the southern Gaza Strip on August 1, 2014 trying to find and destroy militant tunnels. A 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire had been declared that morning, and as a result Israel says Goldin's team was prohibited from using weapons during their search except in the case of immediate danger to their lives. According to Israel's military, the soldiers came under fire from Gaza militants who killed Goldin and took his body into a tunnel. Two other soldiers were also killed. Israel's military did not know at the time if Goldin was dead or alive, and it launched a massive operation to find him and attack militant posts. The assault came to be known as "Black Friday". Rights groups say more than 130 Palestinians civilians died, while Israel's army acknowledges that up to 70 civilians were killed unintentionally. The war would end later in August without Goldin's body being recovered. Netanyahu "could have conditioned the end of the war on returning the soldiers", said Simha. Missing soldiers evoke particular emotion in Israel, a country of around nine million people where military service is compulsory for most Jewish citizens. "The initial deed of granting a dead soldier a Jewish burial is an act of true grace," said Simha, a history professor. "Any Jew in the world knows that's the first thing to do, and it hasn't been done." Lean Goldin holds a picture of her son Hadar (L) in the family home in Kfar Saba, central Israel Hadar Goldin was killed on August 1, 2014 while serving with the Israeli army Leah (L) and Simha Goldin have campaigned for four years to recover the remains of their son Hadar, who was killed in the 2014 Gaza war Luxembourgish Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn drew the ire of Italy's Matteo Salvini Sunday after accusing the far-right interior minister of using "fascist" methods, in a worsening spat over immigration between the two men. The pair first clashed Friday at an EU meeting in Vienna when Salvini referred to African migrants as "slaves". His remarks prompted an angry outburst from Asselborn who has defended immigration as necessary to counter Europe's ageing population. Salvini later shared a video of the row on his Facebook page along with comments aimed at further taunting the Luxembourgish minister. In an interview with German media, Asselborn denounced Salvini for using "the methods and tone of the fascists from the 30s". "I stand by what I said," he told Spiegel Online this weekend, adding: "It was a calculated provocation." Salvini, whose anti-immigration League party is part of Italy's ruling coalition, hit back Sunday. "The Socialist minister of the fiscal paradise of Luxembourg calls me a 'fascist' today after comparing our Italian emigrant grandparents to today's illegal migrants and after interrupting my speech," the 32-year-old tweeted Sunday. "If he likes immigrants so much, he can have them all, we've already received too many in Italy." Despite a sharp fall in the numbers of asylum-seekers in Europe since the crisis erupted in 2015, the issue remains one of the most contentious within the EU and is expected to be high on the agenda at an informal EU summit in Austria this week. Frontline state Italy has adopted a much tougher anti-migrant stance since the League formed a government with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement in June. "In Italy we feel it's necessary to help our children make more children. And not to have new slaves to replace the children we're no longer having," Salvini was filmed saying at Friday's EU meeting, which was closed to the press. Asselborn, seated two places down from Salvini, can be seen exclaiming in the video: "That's going too far!" Unfazed, the Italian interior minister continued: "If you in Luxembourg need more immigration, I prefer to keep Italy for Italians and that we start having children again." Asselborn, visibly agitated, interrupted Salvini at this point. "In Luxembourg, sir, we have dozens of thousands of Italians! They came as migrants, they worked in Luxembourg so you in Italy would have money for your children," he said, adding "merde alors (goddammit)!". The spat erupted Friday after Italy's Matteo Salvini (L) referred to African migrants as "slaves", drawing an angry response from Luxembourgish Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn (R) Texas police arrested a 35-year-old man who is suspected of killing four women within the past two weeks and kidnapping a fifth. Juan David Ortiz, who has worked for the US Border Patrol for a decade, was found hiding in a Laredo parking lot after a woman he allegedly abducted was able to escape and alert law enforcement, officials said. We feel that our efforts have gathered strong evidence against this killer. Our community is safe from this killer, Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar said in a statement. Ortiz was charged late on Saturday with four counts of murder, aggravated assault and unlawful restraint, Texas Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz said in a tweet. Law enforcement officers gather near the scene where the body of a woman was found near Interstate 35 north of Laredo, Texas on Saturday. Source: The Laredo Morning Times via AAP It was unclear if Ortiz had an attorney or if bond was set. The four victims names were not immediately disclosed. Local media in Laredo, 240 km southwest of San Antonio, said they had been working as prostitutes. The bodies of two of the women were discovered this month along Interstate 35 in rural northwest Webb County, the Laredo Morning Times reported, while the third and fourth were found in the same area this weekend. DAs Office reports Juan David Ortiz, BP agent has been arrested for a series of murders & charged with aggravated assault, unlawful restraint & 4 cts of murder. We will continue working diligently w/ WCSO, DPS & Texas Rangers during this investigation. Isidro R. Alaniz (@WebbZapataDA) September 16, 2018 A senior US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official, Andrew Meehan, said in a statement the agency was cooperating fully with the investigators. While it was not agency policy to comment on the details of an ongoing investigation, Mr Meehan said criminal conduct by CBP employees was not and would not be tolerated. Our sincerest condolences go out to the victims family and friends, Mr Meehan added. South Korean President Moon Jae-in travels to Pyongyang this week for his third summit with Kim Jong Un, looking to break the deadlock in nuclear talks between North Korea and the United States. Moon -- whose own parents fled the North during the 1950-53 Korean War -- flies north on Tuesday for a three-day trip, following in the footsteps of his predecessors Kim Dae-jung in 2000 and mentor Roh Moo-hyun in 2007. No details of the programme have been announced but Pyongyang is likely to pull out all the stops to create a good impression, with tens of thousands of people lining the streets to welcome him. The visit comes after the North staged its "Mass Games" propaganda display for the first time in five years. The new show featured imagery of Kim and Moon at their first summit in April in the Demilitarized Zone that divides the peninsula -- prompting the unusual sight of tens of thousands of North Koreans in the May Day Stadium applauding pictures of Seoul's leader. One diplomatic source predicted the visit would see "Kim and Moon together receiving the same sort of applause". But while the summit at the Panmunjom border truce village was high on headline-grabbing symbolism, with Moon stepping briefly into the North and the two sharing an extended one-to-one woodland chat, pressure is mounting for substantive progress. Moon, who met Kim again in May, was instrumental in brokering the historic summit the following month between US President Donald Trump and Kim in Singapore, when Kim backed denuclearisation of the "Korean peninsula". But no details were agreed and Washington and Pyongyang have sparred since over what that means and how it will be achieved. At the same time the US and South have sometimes moved at radically different speeds in their approach to the North. Moon will try again to "play the role of facilitator or mediator", said his special adviser on foreign affairs Moon Chung-in. "He believes that improved inter-Korean relations have some role in facilitating US-DPRK talks as well as solving the North Korean nuclear problem," he told reporters, using the North's official acronym. Last month Trump abruptly cancelled a planned visit by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Pyongyang, after the North condemned "gangster-like" demands for what it called its unilateral disarmament. Washington has been adamant that the North carry out a "final, fully verified denuclearisation" first, while Pyongyang is demanding a formal declaration from the US that the Korean War is over. But Kim has since sent Trump a letter seeking a second summit and held a military parade for his country's 70th birthday without showing off any intercontinental ballistic missiles, prompting warm tweets from the US president. - Special guests - North Korea will want to exploit Trump's eagerness to declare progress before the US mid-term elections in November to secure concessions, said Go Myong-hyun, an analyst at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, and will view "every meeting as a viable political opportunity" towards that goal. But whether Pyongyang is willing to offer something concrete in return is yet to be seen. Moon may try to convince the North Korean leader to verbally commit to providing a list of the country's existing nuclear programme, said Shin Beom-cheol, another analyst at the Asan Institute. "It won't be South Korea that inspects and verifies, so if we can get something out of Kim Jong Un's mouth, that will be significant," Shin said, adding the next step could be a summit between Kim and Trump sometime in October. Despite the deadlock in denuclearisation talks, since the Panmunjom summit the two Koreas have sought to pursue joint projects in multiple fields. But North Korea is under several different sets of sanctions for its nuclear and missile programmes, complicating Moon's desire to promote cross-border economic schemes. The dovish South Korean president is taking several South Korean business tycoons with him to the North, including Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong and the vice chairman of the Hyundai Motor Group, whose founder was a wartime refugee from the North. "He is sending a message to the North to speedily complete denuclearisation, conclude talks with the US so that South Korea can begin full-fledged economic cooperation," said analyst Go. And special advisor Moon Chung-in added that the South Korean president could look to persuade Kim to come up with a "somewhat radical and bold initiative", such as dismantling some nuclear bombs, and press the US for reciprocal measures. "And the United States should be willing to come up with major economic easing of economic sanctions," he said. South Korea's Moon Jae-in will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the third time in Pyongyang this week The visit comes after the Moon's visit to Pyongyang comes after North Korea put on its "Mass Games" propaganda display for the first time in five years After years of tensions, Portugal and its one-time African colony Angola are seeking to put relations back on track, with high-level visits planned to push economic ties and repair their troubled past. Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa arrives in Luanda on Monday, while Angola's President Joao Lourenco is due to visit Lisbon on November 23 and 24. The diplomacy marks an effort to move beyond the legacy of colonial rule over Angola that ended in 1975 when Portugal withdrew without handing over power and Angola sank into civil war until 2002. Angola also entered a new era last year when Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who ruled the country with an iron fist from 1979 to 2017, stepped down and was replaced by Lourenco. "Angola and Portugal are emerging from a difficult phase. What's important is that both sides are able to identify the obstacles and troublesome elements in order to overcome them," Angola's Foreign Minister Manuel Augusto said last week. A key source of friction was removed in May when a Portuguese court decided that Angola's former vice president Manuel Vicente can be tried in Luanda, rather than in Portugal, on corruption charges. Lourenco had demanded that the trial take place in his country, "so that relations between Angola and Portugal can return to the level of the recent past." On the eve of his visit, Costa said the legal breakthrough presented a major opportunity. "Ties were good economically but there was frustration related to a judicial issue. Now that has passed, nothing impedes our relations," he told a Portugese paper on Sunday. Angola is a key trading partner with its former colonial master, and the third largest recipient of its investments. - 'Very important step' - Portugal, battered by the global financial crisis, avoided bankruptcy with a bailout from the European Union, while Angola has become the tenth largest foreign investor in Portugal. The visit by Costa, which has been postponed several times, is a "very important step" toward normalising relations, said analyst Alex Vines of Britain's Chatham House think-tank. Vines said rocky relations with Luanda had provoked "a great deal of anxiety" at Portugal's foreign ministry as Angola seeks to broaden its diplomatic horizons and establish other global ties. During a recent European tour, President Lourenco had voiced interest in Angola joining the British Commonwealth and the International Organisation of Francophonie, the association of French-speaking nations. "The animosity between the two countries seems to have dissipated, but the damage remains which, even though it can be fixed, will be felt for some time," Victor Silva, director of the Jornal de Angola, said in an editorial. - Ex-president's daughter dismissed - Lourenco has pledged to fight corruption and rebuild the economy of the second-largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa, which has still not recovered from the plunge in oil prices in 2014. He has ousted relatives of his predecessor, dos Santos, from leadership positions at institutions and public companies in a move to boost transparency, But his removal of dos Santos' daughter Isabel from the top job at national oil giant Sonangol raised fears that Sonangol could withdraw its stakes in Portugal's energy company Galp or the BCP bank. Angolan investigative journalist Rafael Marques de Morais said "the Portuguese and Angolan governments are still complicit in the looting of Angola". "With Joao Lourenco as president, it is to be hoped that these relations will enable them to collaborate in the repatriation of the funds stolen in Angola and placed in Portugal, by Angolans as well as by Portuguese," he told AFP. Lourenco has pledged to fight corruption and rebuild the economy Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa arrives in Luanda on Monday Syrians in government-controlled areas cast their ballots on Sunday in the first local elections there since 2011, when the country's ill-fated uprising erupted against President Bashar al-Assad's rule. Seven years since the last vote, the conflict has killed more than 360,000 people, forced millions more to flee, and left the economy in tatters. Now, Syrian troops are back in control of around two-thirds of the country after a string of victories, most recently around Damascus and in southern Syria. More than 6,550 voting centres opened at 7:00 am (0400 GMT) across government-held parts of the country, state media reported. They will be open for 12 hours, with a potential five-hour extension depending on turnout, reported state news agency SANA. It said more than 40,000 candidates would compete for 18,478 seats on local administrative councils. In Damascus, election posters mostly featuring incumbents were plastered across public squares, including in the Old City. Mohammad Kabbadi, a 42-year-old government employee, cast his ballot in the Bab Sharqi district of the capital for a candidate from his neighbourhood. "I know exactly who I am going to vote for -- he's young, active and his victory will bring good things to residents of this area," said Kabbadi. - 'Change for the better' - By the afternoon, authorities had not published any official turnout data. But there appeared to be fewer people heading to the polls than in previous presidential or parliamentary elections, particularly as Sunday was a regular work day. Still, Syrian state television broadcast footage of voters around Damascus and in the coastal government bastions of Tartus and Latakia dropping their ballots into plastic boxes as election officials looked on. Voting was also under way in areas recaptured by the government over the past year, including the eastern city of Deir Ezzor, recaptured in full last October by Syrian troops after fierce battles against the Islamic State group. Mohammad Tah, 36, said he was happy to vote but hoping for an improvement in the city's ravaged infrastructure. "I'm optimistic that the incoming council will rebuild and recover the city after the huge destruction suffered by years of fighting," he told AFP by telephone from Deir Ezzor. East of the capital Damascus, people trickled into a school being used as a voting centre in the town of Jisreen. Jisreen was overrun by government troops this past spring as they seized the broader area of Eastern Ghouta from rebels in a blistering two-month assault that left the suburb in ruins. "These are the first elections that happen in Jisreen since the problems began," said Abu Haytham, a 64-year-old voter. "We hope these elections will change things for the better, to pave the streets and improve the electricity." - 'Why vote?' - No voting was taking place in areas outside government control, including Kurdish-held parts of the northeast and the largest rebel-held piece of territory, northwest Idlib province, home to some three million people. Syrian troops have amassed around the opposition bastion for weeks, although an expected assault appears to be on hold for now as regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey try to hash out a deal on Idlib. A vast majority of the candidates are members of the ruling Baath party or affiliated to it, which deterred some people from casting their ballot. "Why vote? Will anything change? Let's be honest," said Humam, a 38-year-old working in the capital's Mazzeh district who opted to stay at home on Sunday. "Everyone knows the results are sealed in advance for a single party, whose members will win in a process that's closer to an appointment than it is to an election." The number of seats had slightly increased from the roughly 17,000 available posts in the last elections, as smaller villages had been promoted to fully fledged municipalities. Council members serve four-year terms at the municipal level and are mostly responsible for service provision and other administrative matters. Those elected in this round are expected to have more responsibilities than their predecessors, particularly linked to reconstruction and urban development. Syria last held local elections in December 2011, just nine months into the conflict. It held parliamentary elections in 2016 and a presidential vote in 2014 that renewed Assad's reign for another seven years. A voter dips her finger in ink at a polling station in Eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus on September 16, 2018 Women walk past a poster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus during local elections on September 16, 2018 A man votes in Syria's first local elections since 2011 on September 16, 2018 in Eastern Ghouta on the outskirts of Damascus A motorist has captured on camera the moment what appears to be an unrestrained toddler standing on the back seat of van as it drives along a busy highway in Perth. The footage was shot at about 3.30pm on Friday afternoon on the Kwinana Freeway at Cockburn. The child can be seen gazing out of the rear window of a silver vehicle before ducking down. The toddler was seen standing up gazing at the traffic behind. Source: 7News In WA children need to be strapped into a car seat or booster until they are seven years old. Yahoo7 News has contacted WA Police who are looking into whether a report has been made to police over the incident. Fresh clashes and air strikes around the Yemeni city of Hodeida have killed 32 rebels, hospital and medical sources said Sunday, as the UN envoy kept up peace efforts in Sanaa. A military source told AFP the Saudi-led coalition fighting alongside the Yemeni government against Shiite Huthi rebels carried out an air raid on a radio station tower in the port city of Hodeida. Three people died in Sunday's raid, he said, while Huthi-run Al-Masirah television said four people were killed, three security guards and a station employee. According to medical sources in Hodeida province, which is controlled by the Huthis, at least 32 insurgents have been killed and 14 others wounded in clashes and air strikes since Saturday. The coalition accuses the Tehran-aligned Huthis of smuggling arms from Iran through Hodeida and has imposed a partial blockade on the port, which the rebels seized in 2014. In June, pro-government forces launched a major operation to retake both the city and its port, the entry point of most of the impoverished country's imports and aid. The troops, backed by coalition air strikes, have retaken a number of towns across Hodeida province but have not yet breached the city. The coalition in July announced a temporary ceasefire in Hodeida to give a chance to UN-brokered peace talks. The UN's Yemen envoy, Martin Griffiths, arrived Sunday in the rebel-held capital Sanaa, without making any statement to the media. Griffiths is pushing for new peace talks after a failed attempt to bring the two sides together in Geneva earlier this month. The rebels kept away from the talks, accusing the UN of failing to guarantee the return of their delegation from Switzerland to Sanaa and to secure the evacuation of wounded rebels to Oman. The Huthis' foreign minister, Hisham Sharaf Abdallah, said his side supported the UN's peace efforts and urged it to pressure the coalition to stop "targeting civilians", the rebel-run news agency Saba reported. He called for confidence-building measures such as the reopening of Sanaa airport to commercial flights and the payment of civil servants' salaries in all areas of Yemen. Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in 2015 in the conflict between embattled Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, whose government is recognised by the United Nations, and the Huthis. Nearly 10,000 people have since been killed and the country now stands on the brink of famine. United Nations special envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths is pictured upon arrival at Sanaa airport Map of Yemen locating Hodeida, where at least 32 rebels were killed, hospital and medical sources said Some Democrats, namely U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, have been pushing for universal health insurance a Medicare-for-all system that would ensure every American has comprehensive coverage for medical needs. Dana Balter, a Democrat challenging Republican U.S. Rep. John Katko in the 24th Congressional District race, supports Medicare-for-all, but her vision of the program is different than Sanders', whose proposal would effectively eliminate the need for private health insurance companies. At a town hall meeting earlier this month in Auburn, Balter explained her stance on Medicare-for-all. The big takeaway: She wants Medicare for all Americans that would provide a basic level of coverage, but believes private health insurance companies would and should continue to play a role. "There certainly is a place for private insurance," Balter said in an interview with The Citizen. "I think that one of the things that works well about our current Medicare system is your ability as a Medicare recipient to purchase private insurance to supplement your Medicare plan." She continued, "I think there is value in that for a number of reasons. I value the idea of a person's ability to make choices about what's best for themselves and I recognize that a standardized plan like we would see in Medicare may not suit everybody's needs for a number of reasons. They may need specialized care that's not covered, but they may also just have a different preference." That preference, Balter said, could be a "luxury plan" that provides a much higher level of coverage than they would receive from a traditional Medicare plan. Private insurance companies, she added, could offer those plans and others for people who want more than what Medicare offers. Balter doesn't believe Medicare-for-all should "force people into something they don't want." She doesn't support the notion that Medicare-for-all needs to eliminate private options for people. The goal, she said, is to guarantee that there is an adequate level of insurance. "Beyond that, if you want more than adequate, have at it," she said. "Those two things are not mutually exclusive. Our current system shows that they work together very nicely, as do systems in other places around the world. That's the model that I think is going to suit the American context the best." There is another reason Balter views her plan as a better approach for establishing a Medicare-for-all system: She believes it could have a better chance of receiving congressional approval if Democrats win control of the House and Senate. One of the arguments against Sanders' plan, she noted, is that people like market-based activity. Those who oppose a Medicare-for-all system usually cite the free market as a reason why a single-payer health insurance program should be rejected. But her plan would have another benefit: It would be easier to establish this version of Medicare-for-all administratively because it builds on what's in place now. "We're not talking about building something entirely new," she said. "We're just talking about giving more people access to what we already have. We do need to make improvements to the current Medicare system. It is good, but it's not good enough. We need to make improvements to it, but we don't have to revamp the essential structure of it. "It's there and it's functioning, and we know how to do it. So let's just make it bigger." What committee assignments would Balter pursue? In her wide-ranging interview with The Citizen, Balter revealed the committee assignments she would seek if elected to the House of Representatives. At the top of her list: A spot on the House Agriculture Committee. New York has two members on the committee: U.S. Reps. John Faso, a Republican, and Sean Patrick Maloney, a Democrat. The last Syracuse-area member of Congress to serve on the committee was U.S. Rep. Jim Walsh. Walsh's successors, former Reps. Dan Maffei, Ann Marie Buerkle and current Rep. John Katko, pursued other committee assignments. Katko, R-Camillus, serves on the House Homeland Security and Transportation and Infrastructure committees. Balter said she would pursue seats on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The Education and the Workforce committee, she explained, focuses on policy areas that are "central to improving the well-being of people here in central and western New York." And the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee would be important, she said, because of the role infrastructure will play in revitalizing the region's economy. "I want to make sure that central and western New York voices are at the table as those policies are being crafted so that our needs are represented and the programs that we initiate have the kinds of elements in them that are going to bring the best results for us here at home." Love 6 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 3 For the historian, a local author can be a treasure trove of information. Facts can be gleaned, a way of life can be learned, or one can get a sense of place. Port Byron has had a few authors who have left us small treasures from the past, and then there are the regional authors can also help to give us a sense of what life was like in the old days. Here are a few that I return to over and over again. Clara Barrus was the daughter of a prominent local man, and she went off to college in the late 1880s to study medicine at Boston University, graduating in 1888 as one of a very few woman doctors of the time. She wrote a fan letter to naturalist John Burroughs in 1901, and became his nurse and companion for the rest of his life. She wrote many books about Burroughs, and in the early 1920s, she wrote one about her life in Port Byron. It is titled "A Life Unveiled by A Child of the Drumlins." Published in 1922, the book states that all the people are fiction, but the names used are so close to the actual names of the people that the claim is nonsense. Its great snapshot of what life was like in the middle part of the 1800s and what life was like for a young, single female doctor. Copies are rare, but can be found quite cheaply. "Grams Story" (1955) by Eva Burdick Blauvelt is a straight-out memoir presented as a older lady (Gram) speaking with a younger school teacher who happened to rent a room in the Blauvelt home. If you want a taste of life, this is it. A 1956 review in a Rome paper states that although this book was intended for a younger audience, it would have strong appeal for anyone born before the 1900s since it is such a nostalgic look backward. Miss Carrie Belle Root wrote a interesting book about the village in "The History of Home" (1948). Called an epic poem in many of the press releases, the fact-based verse runs almost 90 pages, through which the reader is taken from the beginning of settlement up to World War II. She even included a name index. If you can find an original copy of this paperback book, you will find that even the photographs are of decent quality. Carrie was a member of the class of 1922 and was working for the government in Washington when she wrote the book, and left the sales to the local folks, who ran ads asking that people please buy it so they could pay the printing bill. Evrand H. Kerns wrote a pamphlet history. Titled "The History of Port Byron and Mentz" (1922), this very thin book runs 12 pages, which is why I call it more a pamphlet than a book. An insurance man from Weedsport, Evrands family was from Port Byron and he had quite the collection of historical documents in his personal collection. Evrand does repeat many of the mistakes passed down through history, but the book is a decent starting place for research. In 1948, his collection was donated to the New York State Library. If you wish to range out a bit to the western sections of New York, the collection of books from Arch Merrill will take you on a pleasurable trip back in time. Arch was a writer for the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, and these books began life as Sunday feature stories. In total, he wrote 23 books filled with stories from the past, and if you enjoy history, you will certainly enjoy these. I suggest you start with "The Towpath" or "Slim Fingers Beckon." In "Grandfather Stories" (1955), Samuel Hopkins Adams started as a muckraker, but not of the black earth west of Port Byron. Instead, he exposed the worthless patent medicines of the late 1800s and early 1900s. In the opening chapter, Samuel introduces us to his two grandfathers: Samuel Miles Hopkins, of Auburn, and Myron Adams, of Rochester. Samuel visited both homes and picked up stories and experiences from both places, and these he passed along to us in the pages of this really good book. It is clear that he loved Grandfather Myron's stories, but he also speaks about the great ginseng harvest along the shores of Owasco Lake. Unlike his book "Canal Town," "Grandfather Stories" is a work of nonfiction, although since it contains folklore, it seems to be regarded as fiction. This book might be a final farewell from Adams, as he died shortly after it was released. Michael Riley is the Mentz town historian and the president of the Lock 52 Historical Society. The Lock 52 blog can be found at portbyronhistorical.org. Riley can be reached at mriley20@twcny.rr.com. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 JORDAN Despite the picturesque images farms may conjure, the agricultural industry is fraught with danger. That's why the Elbridge Fire Department wanted to get involved in a training for emergency situations, farm first aid and quelling potential hazards before they happen, chief Paul Czarnecki said. Personnel from the Elbridge, Howlett Hill and Warners-Memphis fire departments and agriculture professionals attended the training at the Elbridge fire station Saturday. People from organizations such as the National Farm Medicine Center and the New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health spoke at the event before everyone headed out to Blume Again Dairy facility for a tour. People split into groups to inspect different parts of the Jordan farm, determining the safety of elements such as tractors, looking at factors such as if there are protective features on it, the quality of the equipment and the amount of dirt on it. Farm co-owner Doug Blumer said he believes it's important for safety personnel and the general public to be aware of possible hazards on a farm. While he noted even minor incidents can happen at any farm, he said that he once got stuck in a grain bin. Even though he was fine afterward and people were there to help him, he acknowledged that he should have had a rope with him at the time. Blumer said he wants firefighters to have information to keep them safe during a farm emergency and to avoid accidentally getting someone else hurt. "I think it's important for first responders and other people like that to have the knowledge of standards involved in a working farmstead," Blumer said. Earlier at the training at the Elbridge station, Casper Bendixsen, associate research scientist with the medicine center, talked about resources such as a website with digital maps of farms so personnel can familiarize themselves themselves with the area. Jim Carrabba, agricultural safety specialist with the center for agricultural medicine, gave suggestions for first responders such as assessing if a scene is safe to approach. For example, if a tractor has toppled over on top on someone, Carrabba said, it is important to see if the machine is still on and moving or not. Carrabba and Bendixsen said they believe it is critical for farmers to identify possible issues before they occur, as they said measures such as safety guards on a tractor can potentially decide whether someone will survive a hazard or not. Czarnecki said he wants the department to be able to work with farmers to identify identify potential safety issues on farms, ways those elements can be addressed and to get an idea of a farm's layout so personnel will be able to know their way around and handle a possible problem safely. He said he believes it is important for firefighters and firefighters to work together on safety concerns. "We're trying to build a trust and help for them so they trust us to come on and help them find a safer way to do what they've been doing," Czarnecki said. Staff writer Kelly Rocheleau can be reached at (315) 282-2243 or kelly.rocheleau@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @KellyRocheleau. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Earlier this year, a state Supreme Court judge ruled that the Department of Environmental Conservations clean water permits for livestock farms in New York did not meet federal regulations and must be reworked. Now, the public will have the opportunity to give input on the department's first draft of new permits. In April 2017, several New York environmental groups filed a complaint against the DEC in state Supreme Court in Albany County arguing the updated Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFO, permits released by the state agency that same year violated the federal Clean Water Act. CAFO permits regulate medium and large animal farms that discharge into protected watersheds, mostly dairy farms. The permit requirements are reviewed every five years by the state. According to the complaint, while farms were required to develop a nutrient-management plan to receive a CAFO permit, those plans were allowed to be developed and then reviewed for compliance by private contractors, not DEC experts. The plans also were not easily accessible to the public. All of those things violated federal laws, the groups argued, and by omitting those mandates, failed "to ensure that the manure is kept out of surface waters." A year later, in April 2018, state Supreme Court Justice David Weinstein handed down a ruling in favor of the complainants and found the DEC's new regulations did in fact violate the Clean Water Act. In his decision, Weinstein said the use of private contractors to both develop and review nutrient management plans was a conflict of interest. He also agreed that the process lacks public participation and disclosure. During a phone interview with The Citizen Friday, Owasco Lake Management Council Chair Ed Wagner said he is in support of the judge's decision. "I think it was a wise decision and it was appropriate," Wagner said. Now, the DEC is in the process of revising the permits to be federally compliant. The agency this month released a first draft, as well as a fact sheet. The public can review those documents and submit any comments on them to the DEC in writing by Oct. 11. The public comment period opened on Sept. 7. Wagner said he feels it is important for people to be active and get involved by giving their comments to the department. "If you want to make change, you've got to get involved," Wagner said. "It's important to voice your concerns." The city of Auburn intends to review the new regulations and send comments to the DEC, members of the city council decided at their weekly meeting Thursday. The Owasco Lake Management Council will meet on Tuesday and will discuss the matter during its meeting and decide whether or not to offer comments to the state, Wagner said. According to a schedule released by the DEC, the final permits will be issued by Feb. 7, 2019, and go into effect on July 8, 2019. They will expire in July 2022. Farms that were covered by the previous CAFO permits must submit a notice of intent and nutrient management plan to the DEC at least 60 days before July 8 to continue to be covered under the new permits. Comments about the permits should be mailed to Douglas Ashline, NYSDEC Division of Water at 325 Broadway, 4th floor, Albany, New York, 12233. Ashline can be reached for questions at (518) 402-8247 or cafoinfo@dec.ny.gov. The draft and fact sheet can be found on the DEC's website at dec.ny.gov/enb/20180912_not0. Staff writer Natalie Brophy can be reached at (315)282-2239 or natalie.brophy@lee.net. Follow her on Twitter @brophy_natalie. Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 2 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. I am supporting John Mannion for New York state Senate because he will be a champion for the New York Health Act which will be life-saving for my patients and businesses. Health costs are crushing businesses, which spend $2 billion each year simply selecting health care plans for employees (www.infoshare.org/main/Economic_Analysis_New_York_Health_Act_-_GFriedman_-_April_2015.pdf). John's opponent has no health care plan except the wonders of the marketplace. This has never worked for health care. The most efficient form of health care financing is traditional Medicare's 2-percent administrative costs as reported by the Medicare trustees every year in both Republican and Democrat administrations. Even right-leaning organizations predict trillions in savings with Medicare for All models, though they vastly underestimate savings (www.pnhp.org/news/2018/august/the-mercatus-centers-estimate-of-the-costs-of-a-national-single-payer-healthcare-sy)! Mercatus released one last month. With the Milliman index predicting average health care costs for a family of four being $28,000/year, we need a new strategy (www.pnhp.org/news/2018/may/cost-of-health-care-for-a-typical-family-of-four-now-over-28000). Overall health care spending actually decreases even when you cover everyone according to libertarian Mercatus model. So instead of sending your private insurance company money, paying for bureaucracy and their efforts to deny you care for higher profits, you simply pay your taxes with this model. There would be no further costs for health care, taking away the risk of medical bankruptcy. All those living in New York would then be covered for less overall spending. This would free employees from job lock keeping jobs that are miserable because of benefits. Businesses would be freed from the escalating costs of health care, with small businesses paying far less than current rates. Imagine having all your customers and employees covered so they could focus on buying what they actually need. John's opponent simply likes to continuously say he will raise taxes. Of course, we know that it's Republican tax cuts for billionaires and corporations followed by cuts to services like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security that will raise working class costs. If we rely on his opponent's free market philosophy what shape will we be in when the next market crash happens? John Mannion isn't confused about what is best for central New Yorkers: universal health care to protect our businesses and citizens. Dr. Sunny Aslam Jamesville Love 5 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Czech politicians support Babis: We will not accept any Syrian orphans 16. 9. 2018 cas cteni 1 minuta "Why should we be taking care of Syrian orphans, of all people?" - Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis puts in a strong entry for this year's Zero Compassion Award https://t.co/4ARgEdkJnV pic.twitter.com/oTgMuiVoPC Andrew Stroehlein (@astroehlein) September 15, 2018 The proposal that the Czech Republic should accept 50 Syrian orphans was made recently by the Czech catholic party (KDU-CSL) euroMP Michaela Sojdrova. Her proposal has earned condemnation from the Prime Minister Andrej Babis, ("I do not want a single refugee here, not even Syrian orphans") but his refusal has been supported by the statements of a number of other Czech politicians: "Mrs Sojdrova obviously does not realise what accepting those orphans would bring about! We have enough of our own orphans!" (Radovan Vich, the extreme right wing SPD Party) "Orphans, that is a very broad concept. In my view, a political debate must be started." (Petr Pavek, STAN, Lord Mayors and Independents group) "It is exactly child soldiers who put on belts with explosives and explode themselves!" (Pavol Luksa, former deputy chair of the TOP 09 party) "This is a combination of emotional blackmail and salami tactics," (Jaromir Basta, Czech Social Democratic Party) "It is again before the elections. This time for the European Parliament. This whole thing is totally unnecessary," (Jiri Koskuba, formerly the Czech Social Democratic Party) "If Mrs Sojdrova wants to put these orphans up in her own home, why not?" (Petr Hanning) Source in Czech HERE However, Babis's refusal to accept any Syrian orphans in the Czech Republic has earned much condemnation from many people on Facebook and also from some public figures. 0 The revelation that Google had been secretly creating a censored, surveilling search product (codenamed Project Dragonfly) in order to re-enter the Chinese market prompted more than 1,000 googlers to sign a letter of protest and a high-ranking resignation from the one of company's top scientists. According to Buzzfeed, who cite three sources, seven more engineers have left the company in protest over Project Dragonfly. Tech companies cite the inability to hire and retain technical staff as a greater barrier to success than access to capital. A list that names seven employees who say they quit their jobs at Google over a lack of corporate transparency is circulating within the company's ranks. The departures follow the controversial revelation of Google's work on Project Dragonfly, a censored search app for the China market. Employees shared the list of names on an email list dedicated to discussions of ethics and transparency issues at Google. While current employees declined to provide the list itself or to specify most of the names on it, three sources familiar with the matter confirmed the existence of the list, which is made up largely of software engineers whose experience at Google ranges between one and 11 years. Google declined to comment on the list. Google Employees Are Quitting Over The Company's Secretive China Search Project [Caroline O'Donovan/Buzzfeed] (via Naked Capitalism) Even before the election of Donald Trump, America's pearl-clutching class has been invoking James Madison and his fear of "impetuous majorities" and his desire for "majority rule based on reason rather than passion," worried that the "adults" in the political halls were losing their grip and being forced into "extremism" by mob rule. This concern is on full display in Jeffrey Rosen's latest Atlantic piece, and masterfully rebutted by Slate's Jamelle Bouie. Bouie points out that the extremist evils of our age are the result of anti-democratic action from the very institutions created to preserve the elite veto over "mob rule." * The Electoral College an anti-majoritarian institution put Donald Trump in the White House, trumping the majority vote. * The Civil War driven by the narrow, parochial priorities of elite enslavers killed more Americans than any of the "populist" parties since. * The Senate Congress's anti-majoritarian upper house is the home of the filibuster, dominated by politicians elected by a minority of the population, pursuing policies that gridlock Washington and preclude compromise on urgent issues like background checks for gun purchases, funding for public services, or immigration reform. Yet we continue to misdiagnose America's political disease as "mob rule" rather than "elite rule." This misdiagnosis matters, because it leads to prescriptions that merely heighten the grip by elites: rather than reforming the electoral college or campaign finance, DC elites want to regulate social media and fund "civic education provided by wealthy citizens with a vested interest in defending existing institutions." An honest examination of democratic decline would look at the ways in which our counter-majoritarian institutions are thwarting the public willas expressed through its elected representativesand how that can create support for truly destabilizing forces. It would account for how the Republican Party itself has made Madisonian institutions unworkable by abandoning the commitment to compromise and fair play that makes them work. The transformation of the GOP into a parliamentary-style party primarily responsive to donors, right-wing activists, and conservative media is arguably the central problem for American governance. What declinist arguments like Rosen's actually fear is the waning influence of elites. And what these arguments seem to seekin voicing nostalgia for early American politicsis an era where elites could steer governance with only the cursory affirmation of a narrow and exclusive public. But if political and economic elites have lost their stature in American life, it's only after a generation of profound mismanagement, from misguided foreign adventures to wage stagnation and broad economic collapse. Their failure, and the extent to which they've never been held accountable, is the shadow looming over our politics. And if we've seen light, it's in those places where ordinary people have organized and begun to build new movements and new ways of democratic living, like Occupy, Black Lives Matter, Fight for 15, the immigrant rights movement, and the massive mobilization of women that followed the inauguration of Donald Trump. Democracy didn't create our problems, but it may solve them. The Threat to Democracy Isn't Coming From Its People [Jamelle Bouie/Slate] This week's most talked about news included the death of a man who was caught in bed with another man's wife, the birth of 5 healthy babies, Doctor Khumalo's bitter divorce battle, 'that' outfit Lady Zamar wore on Idols and Sbahle's first video since her crash. It was a crazy week to say the least. Here are Briefly's top 5 stories for this week, in case you missed it. PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Briefly.co.za News on your News Feed! 1. Husband dies while fighting man he caught in bed with his wife There is trouble in paradise as man caught his wife on their matrimonial bed with another man. A Kenyan man simply known as Dickson Samba was alleged to have caught his wife in bed with another man when he came home without informing her beforehand. The man unfortunately died in the fight that ensued after the confrontation. Briefly.co.za learned that Dickson, on returning home, caught his wife on another man. As the man of the house, he bagan fighting the man over what is his in a fierce exchange of punches at their home in Umoja Estate, Nairobi. But alas, he fell off the balcony of his house during the fight and unfortunately died from the injuries he sustained from the fall. 2. Update: Meet mom who gave birth to 5 babies: Prudence Ndlangisa The lucky mom who gave birth to rare quintuplets recently in Vosloorus, Ekurhuleni, is Prudence Dlangisa. As Briefly.co.za reported, the Buthelezi quintuplets were born at the Clinix Botshelong Empilweni Private Hospital. Prudence and her husband Joe Buthelezi named them Siyanda, Sibahle, Simesihle, Silindile and Sindisiwe. PAY ATTENTION: Save mobile data with FreeBasics: Briefly is now available on the app 3. Doctor Khumalo forced to auction assets as part of bitter divorce settlement Legendary Bafana Bafana and Kaizer Chiefs star, Doctor Khumalo has faced the humiliation of having 26 of his household items sold at auction as part of his increasingly bitter divorce settlement with ex-wife Nolly-Blanch. Khumalo was reportedly forced into the auction after he failed to keep to his side of the payments which he was due to make to his ex-wife as part of their divorce settlement. 4. Lady Zamar comes under fire for her blue catsuit on Idols SA Lady Zamar cant catch a break from the fashion police after they once again attacked her for the blue lace catsuit that she wore on last Sunday nights episode of Idols SA. During the shows Top 10 reveal, Lady Zamar took to the stage to perform in the catsuit that got tweeps talking. While her fans were excited to see her sing, her performance was overshadowed by the sheer lace jumpsuit that the Charlotte hitmaker was wearing. 5. Sbahle Mpisane thanks fans for support in 1st video since horror crash Sbahle Mpisane appeared in her first video since she cheated death after crashing her car in August. Sbahles brother and sister posted a video on Instagram of their sister wishing their parents a happy anniversary, and this is the first time that the public has seen her since her accident. In the video, Sbahle also thanks her friends, family and fans for all of the gifts and support that she has received during this difficult time. The video has since been removed and her family distanced themselves from it. Do you have a story to share with us? Inbox us on our Facebook page and we could feature your story. Kim Kardashian And Donald Trump: What Does Unite Them? Subscribe to Briefly Cartoons for more Animated Jokes! To stay up to date with the latest news, download our news app on Google Play or iTunes today. Source: Briefly.co.za News / National by Staff reporter Reputedly 'Zimbabwe's richest' man, no amount has been attached to Mnangagwa's wealth, which has allegedly also been supplemented by illicit mine deals in the DRC Congo.Zanu-PF heir-in-waiting Emmerson Mnangagwa was a few years ago described as 'Zimbabwe's richest man' by Wikileaks cables written by a US ambassador in 2001. The cables, however, shied away from estimating his wealth in numbers."Regarded as the wealthiest individual in Zimbabwe, Mnangagwa has close business links with Colonel Lionel Dyck, a white officer from the old Rhodesian army who founded Mine Tech, a landmine clearance company that secured lucrative contracts from the Zimbabwean government to clear landmines in Zimbabwe border areas after the war," Wikipedia said in a post updated after Mnangagwa was appointed vice-president in December 2014.Various sources, including Zimbabwean and UK media outlets, allege Mnangagwa made much of his money while he was secretary for finance in Zanu-PF.This, according to the the United Nations Security Council reports in 2002 and 2003, was supplemented by his involvement as one of the illegal mineral exploiters in the Congo. The report named Mnangagwa in a long-standing United Nations investigation into the looting of the Congo's mineral wealth.The Wikileaks exposed lend credence to claims that as finance secretary, Mnangagwa controlled Zanu-PF's octopus-like business empire spanning motor vehicles, duty-free shops, banking, airline catering, mining, retail, food processing, agriculture and manufacturing.In the past, it was also reported Zanu-PF owned companies such as M&S Syndicate, Zidco Holdings and Zidlee Enterprises. In turn, the two companies reportedly owned stakes in FBC Bank, Lobels Bread, SMM Holdings, Catercraft and Tregers, among others.Like most of Mugabe's trusted lieutenants, he also allegedly seized a farm from a white owner called Koos Burger. Burger was forced to claim political asylum in the US due to death threats when he contested the seizure, the New Statesman reported at the time. Zimbabwe media also previously reported that Mnangagwa previously seized the 1 600-hectare Sherwood farm in Kwe Kwe without compensating its white owner.Reports carried by Zimnowmedia and an author named 'Amelia Johnson' indicated that Zanu-PF acting president Mnangagwa's private interests include retailers Jaggers and Metropeech, farms and mines. It was also alleged a lot of his businesses are run in partnership with white, ex-Rhodesian businessmen.In 2004, the Zanu-PF politburo launched an investigation into reported massive theft of party funds. Former army commander General Solomon Mujuru was appointed to lead the investigations. Before he could present his final report to the politburo, Mujuru died in a mysterious inferno that has been blamed on Mnangagwa.Mnangagwa's wealth was amassed while he earned an annual salary of $17 336 136 (about R243 304 000) as speaker of the Zimbabwean parliament, and reportedly also received $22 980 (about R322 460) representation allowances annually. News / National by Unicef Government has said raw and processed cannabis can now only be moved in and out of Zimbabwe via Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.Zimbabwe early this year legalised production and processing of cannabis for medicinal and scientific purposes.This is designed to unlock the scientific and economic value inherent in the plant. Recreational use of marijuana remains outlawed.To monitor and control movement of regulated marijuana, Government on Friday gazetted a Statutory Instrument to amend the Dangerous Drugs (Production of Cannabis for Medicinal and Scientific Use Regulations) Act.According to the notice by Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Obadiah Moyo Government, in terms of Section 6 of the Dangerous Drugs Act (Chapter 15:02) the regulations may be cited as the "Dangerous Drugs (Production of Cannabis for Medicinal and Scientific Use) (Amendment) Regulations, 2018 (No 1).""For the purpose of these regulations, the designated port of entry or exit of fresh or dried cannabis, cannabis plants, cannabis seeds or cannabis oil shall be Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, Harare," the Government Gazette says.Any production or use of cannabis requires a licence from the Health and Child Care Ministry. News / National by Staff reporter The fast-approaching rainy season will most likely worsen the cholera outbreak in the country, health experts have warned.The rainy season is closely linked to the spread of cholera as sewage and soil components containing the bacteria are most likely to be transferred from one place to the other by flowing water.Zimbabwe Environmental Health Practitioners Association(Zehpa) President Patrick Mirirai said studies have proven a strong relationship between the rains and cholera, hence the ministry of Health and Health Services Board should employ environmental health personnel as a matter of urgency to manage new outbreaks during the rainy season."Increased rainfall is associated with increased cholera. There is need for government to increase environmental health practitioners on the ground for continued surveillance and monitoring."We also urge the ministry of Health and local authorities to improve the staff complement of environmental health practitioners which is extremely thin at the moment," he said.Mirirai said these professionals are important as they are able to manage the outbreaks because the rainy season is very challenging. He said his organisation has trained people who can easily be absorbed into the system.He urged Zehpa staff members to strengthen health and hygiene education, strengthen water quality monitoring, strengthen food quality and hygiene monitoring in the community, monitor and professionally supervise burials of cholera victims.Zimbabwe Association of Doctors, vice chairperson Fungisai Mazhandu concurred with Mirirai saying the approaching rainy season will increase the spread of the cholera because the clean water will mix with the dirty water. "We are talking about the water table being currently compromised in terms of the boreholes, the cause being the issue that people have built their sewer drainage systems, their own personal sewer drainage systems and the boreholes are close together so when the rains come, it will lead to more spread of cholera," she said.Mazhandu urged people to demonstrate the things that they have been taught by health experts which include washing their hands under running water, boiling water and making sure they are hydrated. News / National by Staff reporter In May this year, President Emmerson Mnangagwa set up a team of lawyers and prosecutors to form the Special Anti-Corruption Unit as part of his pledge to deal with corruption.months later, the unit finds itself fighting wars from many fronts, including court challenges from citizens who are questioning its impartiality.To date, the only people who have been hauled before the courts consequent to the unit's efforts are sacked ministers and business people who did not have same political views as Mnangagwa.Ex-Cabinet ministers Walter Mzembi, Walter Chidakwa, Samuel Undenge, Ignatius Chombo and Saviour Kasukuwere have since appeared in court and some of them have pending cases.In one of the cases, Chidakwa is jointly charged with Civil Service Commission permanent secretary Francis Gudyanga.This case has given rise to concerns over what appears to be conflict of interests because a Harare law firm which is defending Chidakwa and Gudyanga has a member who is part of the unit.Advocate Sylvester Hashiti told the Daily News on Sunday that it was highly irregular, unethical and unlawful that the same law firm gives defence assistance to an accused person and a partner of that law firm prosecutes."This is an issue which must be addressed," he said.Legal expert Jeremiah Bamu said the way the unit was operating clearly reflected that corruption was permissible as long as one is still in power because only sacked ministers were brought to court."The anti-corruption prosecution unit as set by the Constitution is patently unconstitutional. It undermines the independence and role of the National Prosecuting Authority and such a unit cannot and should not have powers to prosecute."Their prosecutions are not at the public instance but pre-determined to please the palate of the president. Naturally this undermines the very precept of a fair trial as the accused is deprived of an independent prosecution," he said.Bamu said what the president has done through this unit was pure political grandstanding at the expense of constitutional supremacy.He said nothing would be resolved by creating unconstitutional units instead of making use of the existing institutions which were especially put in place to deal with exactly such matters.He added that having the unit violated provisions of the Constitution to rights to free and fair trials."If the president had been sincere, he would not have appointed (David) Parirenyatwa a minister post November 26, 2017 and this so-called special unit should not have waited until he ceased to be a minister."The message being portrayed intentionally is that corruption is permissible for as long as one is a minister and it only matters when one ceases to hold a government position," said Bamu.Parirenyatwa, the former Health and Child Care minister, was hauled before the courts on Thursday, charged with criminal abuse of office.He was at the helm of the Health ministry between 2013 and July this year.Barely a week after losing his job to Obadiah Moyo, the State is now baying for his blood, accusing him of prejudicing the National Pharmaceutical Company of Zimbabwe of $15 003.Suspended University of Zimbabwe Vice Chancellor Levi Nyagura who is being accused of fraudulently awarding former first lady Grace Mugabe a PhD is challenging the duties of the unit saying their terms of reference were inconsistent with the provisions of the law on the conduct of prosecutors and their independence.Nyagura argued that instead of being independent and not taking direction from anyone, the special unit officials take direction from the president, were bound by the Official Secrecy Act, and were not employed by the National Prosecuting Authority as should be in the case of prosecutors.However, the court ruled other wise in that case."Prosecutors must be independent and professional. Housing a prosecuting unit in the office of the president creates a perception of lack of independence."How can prosecutors be independent if they are under the effective control of the president?" lawyer Kudzai Kadzere said."A perception of political bias will obviously come into play when the matters come before the courts." News / National by Staff reporter A number of opposition political parties are likely to collapse before the next polls in 2023 primarily as a result of lack of funding and their failure to gain traction at the just-ended polls.Zimbabwe has over 150 registered political parties of which over 120 took part in the July 30 harmonised elections, controversially won by Zanu-PF.A record 23 candidates contested for the presidency.All the minor political parties failed to garner enough votes to give them a voice in the National Assembly, leaving Zanu-PF and the MDC Alliance as the only formations entitled to access funding under the Political Parties Finance Act.With unemployment estimated at over 90 percent and poverty levels worsening, opposition parties are struggling to survive because their membership apart from being too thin cannot make any meaningful contributions towards their survival through payment of subscription fees.The donor community, which used to contribute generously towards advancing democracy in Africa, has also stiffened its hand, partly aggrieved by the abuse of their largesse.Having failed to garner decent votes more than a month ago, disgruntlement has also set in, with officials deserting some of the opposition parties.For instance, former vice president Joice Mujuru's National People's Party is reportedly on the brink of collapse, with a chunk of its leadership tendering in letters of resignation.The National Patriotic Front, formed by sacked Zanu-PF members has also suffered huge setbacks, with former Cabinet minister Jonathan Moyo blaming former first lady Grace Mugabe for the party's collapse due to her quest for power.Analysts told the Daily News on Sunday that emerging opposition parties will find it difficult to survive to the next elections due in five years because they have no political lifeline and lack ideology.Political analyst Ibbo Mandaza said there are no opposition parties in Zimbabwe and Africa, adding that with high unemployment in the country, individuals have resorted to the political field for personal gains.He said it is not surprising therefore that political parties built from such backgrounds failed to survive."It's a problem we have in Zimbabwe and Africa in general."There are no political parties to talk about, like there is in the first world, where they have long lived parties like the Labour Party, Democrats and the Republicans," said Mandaza."What we have in Zimbabwe are election or political platforms which call themselves parties. At the end of the day, one gets to a conclusion that they only proliferate as businesses, for personal gains not as political parties."One weighs between being unemployed and being an MP."Imagine as an MP one is entitled to a monthly salary of between $2 500 to $3 000."Another political analyst, Maxwell Saungweme said most political parties in Zimbabwe resemble Zanu-PF as they lack internal democracy."What is lacking in almost all parties in Zimbabwe is internal democracy. As long as the small parties have no different ideological agenda from Zanu-PF and lack internal democracy, don't do congresses to elect leaders, but are owned by an all-powerful president who appoints and 'disappoints' party structures, in Zanu-PF fashion, then they will neither garner support nor follower-ship as their programme is essentially a Zanu-PF programme and are just out of Zanu-PF due to personal differences," said Saungweme."You don't expect them to survive as opposition. They would have to join the undemocratic Zanu-PF."Saungweme said even the main opposition party, the MDC Alliance led by Nelson Chamisa, has adopted the Zanu-PF fashion of imposing leaders and failing to address issues of gender parity, especially in the composition of its presidium."But even with bigger parties like MDC Alliance copying and pasting Zanu-PF ways of appointing leaders and even surpassing Zanu-PF on an all-male bloated presidium of four men a president and three deputies, it is just a matter of time such a project implodes from within," he said."To oppose a ruling party you need to have more internal democracy they lack, you need to have learner and efficient leadership structures elected on meritocracy not appointed by an all-powerful president who was also appointed through manipulating party constitution and processes." News / National by Staff reporter Just when the rest of the country thought all love had been lost between the former and current first families, it seems President Emmerson Mnangagwa managed to hit the right cords to melt especially Grace Mugabe's heart.Grace's love for finer things has never been doubted, but it was the hiring of a Gulfstream 650 aircraft so she could attend her mother Idah Marufu's funeral that melted Grace's heart, declaring that she loved the man who was responsible for removing her husband from power in November 2017.Interestingly, former President Robert Mugabe has over the past months been singing a different song; a song which suddenly changed with the death of his mother-in-law.Just before the July 30 elections, Mugabe had expressed dismay over the way his family was being treated by the Mnangagwa government, even vouching for opposition MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa to become the country's president.But it was the gesture by Mnangagwa to fly Grace from Singapore so she could attend her mother's funeral that seems to have softened the Mugabes' hearts.After the much-appreciated gesture, Grace who used to pour insults at Mnangagwa when she was first lady began singing a different tune, as she expressed gratitude over the way the president was treating the family."And I thought what am I going to do, how am I going to mourn my mother, mother did you leave, meanwhile I'm far. Now, baba (Mugabe) was supposed to join me when I had the operation and I said to him please talk to the authorities that I should come there instead of you coming here," said Grace during the funeral of her mother."I was called by the people who are responsible for communicating with us and they said 'mom I'm coming from Mnangagwa now he said hold on tight we are sending a plane to come fetch you from there'."The plane arrived, I have never been in such a plane, it's beautiful, when I was getting in the crew said I was the first passenger to use it. They had chartered an aircraft from Qatar airways called the Gulfstream if I get money I will buy one like that, it's called Gulfstream 650. I felt comforted, vaMnangagwa you really comforted me. You did good to me, if my mother's death will heal our friendship then let it be so. I have said it before, we were great friends to even sharing milk, which is a sensitive product but we used to share that."Grace said Mnangagwa and his administration help with taking care of Mugabe. "They help us take care of baba (Mugabe), even now that my mother has died they are footing the bills, they wrote to us and said don't be troubled I am going to China but Chiwenga will take care of your needs."They love us and they know we love them, we pray for them because he was chosen by God to be the leader of the country, so let's pray that God gives him wisdom to rule this country."Then she went on to thank Mugabe, describing him as a "very loving person."It is not just Grace who appreciated Mnangagwa as Robert Junior also took time to congratulate the president for the first time.But Zimbabweans came out guns blazing, angry with the way Grace had been treated to an estimated $1, 4 million trip back to Zimbabwe from Singapore. News / National by Staff reporter Supa Mandiwanzira arrested while trying to border jump into Zambia, I drink another Supa Chibuku today after that one when the Chap was not appointed into Cabinet. William Zambezi (@williamzambezi) September 15, 2018 MP for Nyanga South, and past minister of ICT and Cybersecurity, Hon Supa Mandiwanzira has scoffed at online reports alleging that he is on the run and skipped the country, fearing prosecution. Some social media posts have gone on to allege that the minister has been apprehended at the Zambian border post while tying to flee the long arm of the law.Speaking to TechnoMag during a telephone conversation, Mandiwanzira said that he also learning on social media that he has been arrested."I'm actually in Zimbabwe and flying out of the country late this afternoon, I will be back in good time for the official opening of parliament by HE the president," said Supa.The minister could however not be drawn to details of where he was flying out to, but had indicated that he is willfully making a personal visit out of the country and will be back soon. BEIJING (Reuters) - Battling the spread of African swine fever in China is "very complex and challenging", the country's agriculture ministry said after chairing a meeting of over a dozen major government bodies. The meeting on Thursday came as more than a dozen African swine fever outbreaks have been reported across China since early August, mostly on small farms. Two new outbreaks of the disease, which can be deadly to pigs, were reported on Friday in the Inner Mongolia region and Henan provinces. "All relevant departments must ... understand the importance of doing a good job in the prevention and control of African swine fever," the agriculture ministry said in a statement published on its website late on Thursday. Attendees included the foreign ministry and the National Development and Reform Commission. The agriculture ministry said an inspection team would be formed to patrol major provinces that could be under threat from the disease. There is no vaccine for African swine fever and mortality rates can be as high as 100 percent. The virus is also hardy, surviving for months in pork, feed or swill. It is not harmful to humans. (Reporting by Yawen Chen and Se Young Lee; Editing by Joseph Radford) The introduction of a private health-care clinic in Halifax is a signal to the province's public system that it needs to take vigorous steps to improve, a spokesperson for Doctors Nova Scotia says. The professional association that represents about 3,500 or so physicians in Nova Scotia met Saturday to discuss the issue, said Dr. Kevin Chapman. "It was an enthusiastic discussion, I can say that," he said. The Unified Health Community Triage Centre, which opened in August, underlines the ongoing lack of access to primary health care for many in Nova Scotia, he said. "I don't want to say I applaud this clinic. I am quite concerned about the introduction of private care. But they see a need and they are stepping in to fill it when the public system can't do it and we need the public system to be able to do it." CBC Doctors Nova Scotia has some specific concerns about the clinic, Chapman said. "At least on the surface, it seems to create a two-tiered system ... for medically insured services. One of the concerns is, is this a slippery slope in the erosion of a publicly funded health care system?" The association is drafting a series of questions for both the clinic and the Nova Scotia Health Authority to find answers to questions such as who oversees the delivery of services at Unified Health. "Physicians are governed by the college of physicians and surgeons, the Nova Scotia Health Authority is responsible for delivering care across the province in its facilities. We don't have an understanding of what that oversight [for the clinic] might be," Chapman said. The clinic's access to diagnostic services, such as laboratory tests and x-rays, is another concern for Doctors Nova Scotia. Lots of questions "If an individual comes in and needs diagnostic tests, are those done through a private clinic or are they done through a public clinic? Will the patient be charged for those? We had a lot of discussion around that," he said. Story continues "The bottom line is, there were lots of questions. At the end of day, we certainly see this clinic trying to provide services that are needed. Access to primary care certainly is a challenge in Nova Scotia, but our focus would be on strengthening the public system rather than trying to concurrently put a private system in place." Nova Scotians can currently get a type of triage through 811, where they speak to a nurse or nurse practitioner, Chapman pointed out. "It is essentially the same kind of thing where they may just talk to me about over-the-counter kinds of [medications] or refer me to a walk-in clinic or emergency room. It is recognized that the system does need a gateway with so many unattached patients." The profit motive is another concern, where naturopathic and other non-traditional treatments are attached to Unified Health, that are not insured through the public system, he said. "It's the same reason why physicians aren't allowed to prescribe and sell medications at the same time." More access to locums Meanwhile Doctors Nova Scotia wants changes made to licensing regulations that make it difficult for physicians to practise outside their own provinces, a major barrier to finding locums to fill in for other doctors. "Ideally a locum, in a perfect world ... we would pay to fly them down here, we would pick them up at the airport, we would taken them to the clinic, they would practise, we would pick them up, take them back to the airport and they would fly home," Chapman said. A locum working group including members of Doctors Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Health Authority was reconvened about a month ago to deal with some of the administrative obstacles. "I think we have to get to a place where we find nine ways to say yes, before we have to say no. We make it easy for someone to come. If you've been practising in Canada, and you're licensed by New Brunswick, I think we need to work with our college (of physicians and surgeons) to facilitate that more easily ... portability across the country has to be easier. " Three senior members of Justin Trudeau's cabinet have been found in violation of ethics rules in the past year a list that includes the prime minister himself. And that's raising questions about whether the conflict rules are tough enough, or effective enough, in elevating the public's trust in politicians. Conflict of Interest Commissioner Mario Dion ruled this week that Dominic LeBlanc violated conflict rules by awarding a lucrative fishing contract to a company set to be run by one of his wife's first cousins. He was not fined. Leblanc reacts after commissioner's ruling: Neither was the prime minister when Dion's predecessor, Mary Dawson, ruled last December that Trudeau shouldn't have accepted a free vacation on the private island of the Aga Khan. On the other hand, Finance Minister Bill Morneau did pay a fine of $200 for failing to report that he and his wife owned a French villa through a private company. The Conservatives insist that all three cases are linked by a common theme of Liberal arrogance, a sense of entitlement what party leader Andrew Scheer called "a well-entrenched pattern" of behaviour inside the Liberal government. All three ministers accepted the commissioner's findings and promised to work more closely with his office to ensure their actions will withstand the closest public scrutiny. But compliance with the rules is only part of the issue at play. The broader question is what these infractions, and how they are being dealt with, tell the public about the state of political ethics in Ottawa in 2018. Truth and 'consequences' Dion is already on record saying penalties could be more severe than the current maximum of $500. "They help to focus the mind. They also provide Canadians with the assurance that there are consequences that are more serious than what has been been called 'naming and shaming'," he told the Commons ethics committee in February. Story continues "Sanctions could go some way to rebuilding the trust relationship with the Canadian public." Lori Turnbull sees the issue a little differently. She's the director of the school of public administration at Dalhousie University and has written extensively on ethics in politics. Her concern is that conflict laws tell politicians how not to behave but are silent on how they should behave. "The problem is that it applies a totally minimalist standard for what it means to be ethical. We're not thinking of things like what it means to have integrity. What does it mean to be honest?" How should the government treat ethics violations?: Too often, she said, there's a gap between what politicians consider to be ethical behaviour and what their constituents want to see from them. That makes it difficult, if not impossible, to legislate integrity, she added. "I would say the conflict of interest rules that apply to ministers, that is not an instrument to encourage public trust. Anytime there's a violation found, that could possibly take another hit on public trust." There's also the matter of the rules themselves, which haven't been updated since they were brought in just over a decade ago and aren't as clear as they could be. For example, Leblanc insisted that his wife's cousin, Gilles Theriault, wasn't a "relative" within the meaning of the act because she has 60 first cousins, and the two of them didn't socialize with Theriault or invite him to family gatherings. Dion didn't accept that view. "Based on the evidence gathered, there is no question that Mr. Theriault is Mr. LeBlanc's relative by affinity and that Mr. LeBlanc was aware of this family relationship at the time of the decision." Contrast that with the ruling issued last December by Dion's predecessor, Mary Dawson, when she concluded Justin Trudeau violated the conflict rules by vacationing on the private island of the Aga Khan. The prime minister tried to argue that the Aga Khan was a family friend and that his "gift" of a vacation was, therefore, not covered under the Conflict of Interest Act. Dawson spent a good deal of time explaining that while the Aga Khan had been a friend of Justin Trudeau's father, there was little interaction between him and the younger Trudeau before he became Liberal leader in 2013. Excuses, excuses So what is the public supposed to make of this? One cabinet minister argues a cousin by marriage is not really a "relative" as defined by the act, while another argues that a man he had little contact with since childhood is a close family friend. According to the commissioner's office, both ministers were wrong. Turnbull said the two rulings demonstrate the difficulty involved in interpreting these rules. "How do we square those things? That's where the public perception comes in. Do people believe that? Do people think that the cousin's not that close? Do people believe that the prime minister and the Aga Khan are friends or not? There's a lot of interpretation." Trudeau insists Canada's conflict laws are among the toughest in the world, and that he and his ministers always follow the conflict commissioner's recommendations. Dion, in an interview this week with The Canadian Press, pointed out that he doesn't have the legislative authority to recommend anything, and that the Trudeau government has shown no inclination to change the law. And that, said Turnbull, opens the door for the ministers to insist they didn't really do anything wrong, notwithstanding the conflict commissioner's conclusions as both Trudeau and Leblanc did this week. "There's lot of room for the government to spin this any way they want. Since there's not even a fine in this case, it's easy for Leblanc to say, 'This is over, I've learned from my mistakes.'" In the turbulent recent history of the Middle East, has there ever been a time when Israel has seemed more powerful militarily, diplomatically and economically? Israel has the fulsome support of the Trump Administration and also has common strategic interests with Saudi Arabia and Arab nations preoccupied with perceived threats from Iran. HARDtalks Stephen Sackur speaks to Israels ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon. Is Israel making wise choices from its position of strength? 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. . ..BBC Watch..14 September '18..The September 5th edition of the BBC programme Hardtalk was devoted to an interview with Israels ambassador at the UN, Danny Danon.The interview which was aired on the BBC World News channel, the BBC News channel and on BBC World Service radio, with a clip also posted on the BBC News website followed the usual format employed by presenter Stephen Sackur in which he lays out pre-prepared lists of things he considers to be wrong with Israel in front of an Israeli official or public figure based on claims from a particular brand of sources in this case including Michael Sfard, UNRWAs Chris Gunness, the EU, Amnesty International and the FMEPs Lara Friedman.However, one section of this programme is particularly noteworthy because it once again provides evidence of the BBCs efforts to rewrite the narrative concerning one particular recent news story in the minds of its audiences. Photo - Old wooden church Manor from Heaven turning a church into a home was the title of a recent article in The New Daily by Max Opray who claimed that once churches converted people, now people are converting churches. Max Opray warns the unwary, that transforming a house of worship into a plain old house is no ordinary renovation job, it comes with a vast tangle of heritage regulations and unexpected challenges ready to trip up the unprepared. In NSW for example, unauthorised work to an item listed on the State Heritage Register is punishable with fines of up to $1.1 million or six months imprisonment. Ouch! But having said that, he cites architect David Brown who says that they are truly amazing spaces for someone who wants something a bit different and open plan, with tall windows that offer good natural light . they offer the closest thing we have to that New York-style loft dream. The four second test He notes that sermon halls (the church structure) are designed to carry noise as far as possible, church soundscapes are one of the hardest issues to manage. Where a noise in a modern house will reverberate for roughly half a second, in churches sound will bounce around the walls for an average of four seconds. Choirs were big years ago, every church had their own choir, whether that was a larger group of parishioners or a small group such as a choir ensemble, the church design accentuated the voices being heard in their full tone all the way to the vestibule of the church. Even today, such churches are remarkably good for such acoustics with modern church bands with their electronic instruments from key boards to trumpets to guitars - the architects of church buildings of yesteryear knew their business. The question then becomes, when converting a church into a home, how best to deal with this four second test and it needs to be handled well. Photo - Old wooden church Well documented In October 2012 I wrote in this column about a select number of churches that had been given a make over and were now homes. I cited a Sydney Morning Herald illustrated article how a 1876 one room Presbyterian church in Laggan, 250 kilometres south-west of Sydney, 57 years later was sold to a farmer who turned it into a sheep pen and now, has become a you-beaut weekender retaining all its classical church like features. Trisha Croaker concludes her article with: The building's fourth life? Hopefully as respectful as the lives that have gone before. There are numerous churches around Australia that were sold and became transformed into homes. I recall one such visit for an afternoon tea. We were shown around the various nooks and crannies that had been turned into a kitchen, bathroom, dining area, lounge and bedrooms. It got me wondering about those who had long gone but had worshipped in that church building, who had given liberally and sacrificially and in most cases, help construct the building. Moreover the congregation members and where they might have disappeared. Surely the children of those families would have grown up and moved away, mostly to the cities. As in many such situations, as the congregation got older so too the numbers dwindled. Checking the internet and typing into Google Churches turned into homes, expecting a number of entries, but was somewhat astonished at the pages after pages of references to this subject. Photo - Old wooden church Europe is awash Images of Churches turned into homes - this site has photographs of approximately 1050 churches that have been turned into homes. These images range from huge Gothic buildings to much smaller stone edifices that were once churches. Many of the photographs were of 'internal' images of these churches turned into homes and they are something to behold. Some are simply a living home, whereas others are clearly 'statements' of the well-healed. Clearly, one needs to have a flair for this type of conversion. With tongue in cheek, whereas crazy old houses get reputations of spooky ghost legends, perhaps old beautiful churches have angels. Photo - Old wooden church Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children. Dr Tronson writes a daily article for Christian Today Australia (since 2008) and in November 2016 established Christian Today New Zealand. Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html Photo: ABC 11 News screengrab Salvation Army teams have been deployed in eastern US to provide immediate relief for people affected by Hurricane Florence. A 17-strong team and five mobile feeding units have been sent to the region from The Salvation Army Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi Division in anticipation of Florence. The storm has prompted evacuation orders across North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, affecting up to 1.7 million people. The Salvation Army USA said two additional mobile feeding units were being prepared for deployment to assist post-landfall over the weekend. Terry Lightheart, Director of Emergency Disaster Services said, 'The ALM Division of The Salvation Army continues to participate in daily coordination calls with its counterparts in the North & South Carolina Division (NSC) to determine gaps and unmet needs for the area. 'This storm is slated to be a catastrophic event which will likely overwhelm local resources and require several months of service. 'We are all partners in the effort to provide disaster relief to those in need and will continue to provide personnel and equipment, such as mobile feeding units to NSC, for as long as needed.' Salvation Army response units are staged in Roanoke, Virginia and Charlotte, North Carolina. In addition to food and shelter, the units will also provide spiritual support to people affected by the storm. Major Jim Arrowood, Divisional Commander for The Salvation Army in Kentucky and Tennessee, said, 'This holistic approach is part of what makes The Salvation Army unique and meaningful in everyday lives, but particularly in times of disaster.' Storm surges have already started along the coast of North Carolina, and the eye of the storm is predicted to make landfall on Friday morning. Christians are praying that the storm will not reach catastrophic levels as predicted. Dr. Ronnie Floyd, pastor of Cross Church and president of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, said, 'As many of our fellow Americans brace themselves for the coming of Hurricane Florence, I want to urge Christians and churches to pray for the protection of life in the next several days. 'If there's even the remotest possibility, let us ask God for a miracle for this storm to pass without causing the catastrophic damage that's been forecasted.' He asked Christians to pray 'whatever the outcome' for families seeking shelter during the storm, as well as first responders who will be away from their own families. 'To all who have evacuated and find themselves in the projected path of this storm: know that you're in our prayers, but even more important, know that God is with all who call and rely on him,' he said. Major roadworks were being conducted across the island, particularly in the business and commercial districts. These road construction projects were part of the Jamaican Governments ambitious plan to improve an aging, poorly maintained road network. These projects were, they said, part of preparing the country for economic progress, for which reliable transportation networks were key. But the works resulted in closure of many roads and diverting motorists to minor roads, many that were longer, more circuitous routes. It was Tuesday, September 4, 2018: back-to-school time for kindergarten, primary, high school and tertiary level students. This meant traffic gridlock as students made their way to and from school. Concerned about the potential for traffic chaos, scores of police officers were deployed at major roads and intersections in Kingston and the dormitory communities surrounding the bustling capital city. I was driving home that afternoon and breathed a sigh of relief that I had made it through nearly two hours of traffic- a journey that, without traffic, is 20 minutes long. I was only about 4 minutes from home. I made a right turn at the gas station, then crossed into the lane on my left. I was greeted by an officer in the middle of the road with his palm towards me and a stern look on his face. He had just stopped a silver Subaru Impreza hatchback in front of me- a shade darker and model older than my car. I watched as another officer beckoned that car on. It was me they wanted. Pull over, the officer in the road said. Hello, officer, I said cheerfully as soon as I got onto the soft shoulder. You know why I stopped you? Its a routine spot check, right? I say while searching for my car papers: insurance, registration. I frowned when I realised Id left my drivers licence at the office. I had no form of identification on me. No maam. He pointed in the direction I had come from. I still was not following. He saw the confusion on my face and said: Did you see a line in the road back there? I wasnt sure what to say. Was there a line? There was an unbroken line, miss, and you crossed it. Ohhhhh I said softly as I realized what I had done. And you will be prosecuted, he added, solemnly and with finality. I had visions of appearing in a hot, cramped courtroom, sitting and waiting for hours before the matter came up for mention, pleading my case to an unfeeling judge, paying a hefty fine. I had never gotten a traffic ticket before. I was scheduled to leave the island in two weeks and would have to change my travel plans. Please officer, I didnt realise there was a line just give me a chance. I promise I wont --- You know how many people this afternoon have been swearing on Jesus that itll be their last time? Well, I wont swear on Jesus, officer, though I am a Christian and Im an officer of the law - like you. An attorney. I say, hoping he will show me professional courtesy. Well then, you would know that ignorance of the law is no excuse. I said nothing. I was in a panic and didnt know what to say. My throat was dry. You do know that, right? he asked. I nodded yesBut His eyes told me to go no further. After a long pause, he said: Alright. Im going to just let you go with a warning. Its your lucky day. Thank you so much, officer! I trembled with relief. I hurriedly put away my car papers and before he could change his mind, I drove awaynot too fast, as he was still watching. I then saw the other officer across the road and realised they are a tag team. The officer across the street was a spotterhis eyes were fixed on the broken line and oncoming traffic. As I drove off, he yelled: Black car! and then his colleague walked into the road again and stopped the law-breaking motorist. The Unbroken Line in Life On the way home, apart from thanking God (note: I am not advocating that you break the traffic laws and then expect God to get you out of it), I did something else. I thought about how I could have made such a big mistake. I had driven that way countless times. I go on autopilot when I am in that area. I thought about how unthinking I had been. I had developed a habit I wasnt even conscious of. I didnt set out to cross the line. I have seen others do it routinely too - I just didnt even think about. Over time, I didnt even see the line anymore and that stunned me. It stunned me because the line was there, plain as day. Since then, I have been sure never to cross that, or any other unbroken line, in the road. I became more conscious of these lines. I noticed them, for the first time, on roads Id travelled on before. Have you ever experienced something similar? Youre cruising along, not realizing until the stark reality is pointed out to you: that you have gone horribly wrong? Youve broken the line. How many little compromises of your values do you make, incrementally, and justify enough times, until you outright are no longer adhering to those values? For Christians, these compromises may come in our personal relationships or maybe our behaviour at work. One minute, you and that guy or girl you are dating are kissing, next its touching, then more and more. You used to feel some guilt about it but now, as long as youre not fully having sex you justify that it is okay. Or maybe that good-looking co-worker keeps flirting with you, even though they know youre married and it feels good, seems harmless and soon you are texting them late at night, sometimes racy pictures, thinking about them, going to lunch one-on-one, hiding it from your spouse, pulling away from your partner until you are in a full blown emotional affair? Maybe you start to get to work a few minutes late, now you are routinely late and spend hours online or on social media doing anything but work? These are just three examples but this behaviour can manifest in a myriad of ways. A Day of Reckoning One day, though, there will be a reckoning. There always is when we break the law. The good judge, God, will point out the gap between what we know to be right and what we are actually doing. At that point, we will ask- no, beg and plead desperately for mercy. It will be too late. The consequences of your decision will mean eternal separation from God after you die. And it will surprise you because you didnt expect it. You didnt see that outcome coming. You thought you were a Christian. In Matthew Chapter 7 verses 21-23 New King James Version (NKJV), Jesus describes it like this: Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! The lawlessness you practice, you cannot escape its results. The good news is: mercy is available and its available to all now. You dont have to receive the punishment you deserve. Repent. Seek God. Accept Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to change your behaviour. Listen to His urgings, respond to his nudge. Do what is right. Gods mercy is unending. You can start over. Dont wait. You may not get another chance. Sharma Taylor is a corporate attorney with a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Law from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. This year, she is committed to believing for bigger things. She was the 2017 Basil Sellers International Young Writers winner in the young writer program. The young writer program is coordinated by Press Service International (PSI) in conjunction with Christian Today with over 80 young writers from Australia, New Zealand and around the world. Sharma Taylor previous articles may be viewed at: www.pressserviceinternational.org/sharma-taylor.html The Supreme Court of Alabama has reversed and remanded the death penalty sentence for a man convicted of robbing and fatally shooting a man in 2009. Anthony Lane was convicted in 2011 of capital murder during the commission of a robbery in the death of 57-year-old Frank Wright, who was killed off Messer Airport Highway while en route to pick up his wife at Birmingham's airport. Based on the jury's recommendation , Circuit Judge Clyde Jones sentenced Lane to death. The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed Lane's conviction and sentence and the Alabama Supreme Court denied Lane's request to review his conviction on Jan. 30, 2015. Now, the Alabama Supreme Court has reversed the judgement of the Court of Criminal Appeals, which upheld his sentence, and remanded the matter to the trial court to sentence him to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the court said in a ruling issued Friday. "Based on Atkins, Hall, and the apparent reasons behind the United States Supreme Court's vacation of the Court of Criminal Appeals' judgment, we must reverse the judgment of the Court of Criminal Appeals and remand the cause to that court with directions to remand the matter to the trial court," the state supreme court said. On Oct. 5, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated Lane's sentence and remanded it back to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama for further consideration. The high court asked the Alabama appeals court to look at the case in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2014 ruling that declared unconstitutional Florida's method of determining whether a capital murder defendant is intellectually disabled. Florida law says an intellectual disability is defined as an IQ test score of 70 or less. But the supreme court justices held that that Florida's "rigid rule ... creates an unacceptable risk that persons with intellectual disability will be executed, and thus is unconstitutional." Lane had a full-scale IQ of 70. The Florida case focused on the medical community's interpretation of the significance of an IQ test score. Because Lane was afforded a hearing on his intellectual disability, the trial court was not barred from considering other evidence in determining whether Lane was intellectually disabled, the appeals court stated. Therefore, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals ruled, Lane is due no relief under the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Florida case. Associate Justice Greg Shaw dissenting on the Supreme Court of Alabama's ruling, saying the court is acting prematurely in vacating Lane's death sentence. Shaw said the court should more closely examine whether Atkins v. Virginia, a Supreme Court case which determined intellectually disabled people are not eligible for the death penalty, applies to lane. Specifically, the court should look at whether Lane exhibits subaverage intellectual functioning and whether he exhibits deficits in adaptive behavior, which problems manifested themselves before the age of 18, Shaw said in his dissent. "The trial court ruled that he failed to prove that he exhibited significant or substantial deficits in adaptive behavior--the second part of the Atkins analysis described above," he said. Shaw said he agreed no strict IQ score cutoff was used in this case and said Lane was afforded the full opportunity to present exactly the type of adaptive-skills evidence. After the state supreme court granted certiorari review, the state and Lane filed a "joint motion" indicating that they had "reached an agreement" and asking this Court to remand the case to the trial court with instructions to resentence Lane to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Both parties later also told the court they both agreed "that death is not the proper sentence" in this case and that "[t]his agreement was reached after a thorough review of the existing record and an examination of additional evidence that is outside the record." Shaw called the joint motion improper. "But there is a better, more procedurally proper way to do this; I thus respectfully dissent," he said. Associate Justice Kelli Wise concurred. | 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 Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! "One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde Hyderabad: A second bus accident, within a week, was reported in the state on Sunday, caused mainly by poor maintenance. A TSRTC Express bus belonging to the Yadadri depot packed with over 105 passengers swerved into agricultural fields adjacent to the road near Nagarkurnool after its front wheels came off. More than 15 passengers who were sitting on top of the bus fell down and were injured. The passengers included students heading for Sundays test to recruit village revenue officers. Last week, a bus having maintenance issues fell off a ghat road killing 57 passengers at Kondagattu. In Sundays incident, the drivers quick action prevented casualties. A highly placed source said, The incident occurred mainly due to overloading of passengers. There were people sitting even on the roof of the bus. Due to the weight, both the front tyres of the bus were dismantled and got stuck in the rear tyres. The driver was smart and diverted the bus into the fields and prevented it from overturning. Elsewhere, two persons were killed when a RTC bus hit their two-wheeler. In the last 10 days, there have been four incidents involving RTC buses and two of them could be traced to maintenance issues. Mr Lakshma Reddy, a retired road transport officer, said RTC used to run its buses for six to eight years which had gone up to 15 years now. The new buses are sent on long distances routes while the older buses are deployed on less important destinations. The bad roads in rural areas deteriorates the condition of the buses further, eventually leading to accidents. He added, These old buses are also being overcrowded due to lack of sufficient number of bus services. There are many problems regarding the buses which needs the immediate attention. Russia has offered to train Indian astronauts for its future space missions. The Russian state space corporation, Roscosmos, during a meeting with Indian delegation on Friday, made a proposal for the participation of Russian specialists in the selection and training of Indian astronauts for a spaceflight, a source in the rocket and space industry told Sputnik. India had earlier announced plans to send a national crew into orbit in 2022. "Talks were held with the Indian side. A proposal was made about Russian specialists' assistance in conducting various stages of selection of candidates for the flight, as well as (the candidates) passing a training course in Russia and assistance in the subsequent training of Indian astronauts in India," the source said. India and Russia have close collaboration in the field of space. India's first astronaut Rakesh Sharma had travelled to space on board Soyuz T-11 spacecraft along with Russian commander Yuri Vasiliyevich Malyshev and Russian flight engineer Gennadi Mikhailovich Strekalov. In 2015, India and Russia signed an agreement to pursue joint programmes in a few areas of space research. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the expansion of cooperation in the field of the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes. This new MoU provides scope for developing joint activities in areas of mutual interest, including satellite navigation, launch vehicle development, critical technologies for human spaceflight programme, remote sensing of Earth, space science and planetary exploration, and use of ground space infrastructure. Specific cooperation proposals for further processing are also included in the MoU. Joint projects, sharing of expertise and resources, development of space systems and components, exchange of scientists, training and scientific and technical meetings are listed out as the forms of cooperation. India and Russia have four decades of strong space relationship. The former Soviet Union also launched India's first two satellites, Aryabhata and Bhaskar, into orbit from Baikonur Cosmodrome. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Rescue workers clear a road of debris and toppled electric posts caused by super Typhoon Mangkhut as they try to reach Baggao town. Photo by AFP/Ted Aljibe At least 25 people have died as Super Typhoon Mangkhut swept through the Philippines, and the death toll could go higher. Of the 25 deaths, six people were reportedly buried by landslides, a girl drowned and a security guard was crushed by a falling wall. "As we go forward, this number will go higher," Ricardo Jalad, head of the Philippines' national civil defence office, told reporters about the biggest storm of the year in the region. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), a U.S. Department of Defense agency responsible for issuing tropical cyclone warnings for the Pacific and Indian Oceans, said the typhoon will head towards southern China and make landfall early Monday. As the powerful storm left the Southeast Asian archipelago and barrelled towards densely populated Hong Kong, Philippine authorities began sending search teams to remote areas hit by communication and power outages, AFP reported Sunday. Mangkhut forced thousands to flee their homes and seek temporary shelter from powerful winds and heavy rains. Photo by AFP/Noel Celis In the northern town of Baggao, the storm had collapsed houses, torn off roofs and downed power lines. Shell-shocked villagers could be seen picking through the debris from their homes. But the full extent of the storm's destruction was only beginning to be known, with reports of dozens of rain-soaked hillsides collapsing, torrents of out-of-control floodwaters and people being rescued from inundated homes. More than 105,000 people fled their homes in the largely rural agricultural region, which is one of the nation's top producers of corn and rice. Mangkhut was packing sustained winds of 145 kilometers (90 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 180 km/h early Sunday as it hurtled across the sea towards China's heavily populated southern coast. In addition to the 25 killed in the Philippines, a woman was swept out to sea in Taiwan. "Among all the typhoons this year, this one (Mangkhut) is the strongest," Japan Meteorological Agency official Hiroshi Ishihara told AFP on Friday. "This is a violent typhoon. It has the strongest sustained wind (among the typhoons of this year)." As the storm is set to hit China's southern coast on Sunday, Cathay Pacific airlines warned travelers that it expected more than 400 flight cancellations over the next three days. At least six flights between Vietnam and Hong Kong have already been canceled. National carrier Vietnam Airlines has cancelled four roundtrip flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Hong Kong on Sunday and one HCMC-Hong Kong flight on Monday. Jetstar Pacific also cancelled two Hanoi-Hong Kong roundtrip flights on Sunday. The typhoon is forecast to directly impact the northern region of Vietnam, causing heavy rains until next week, posing flashflood and landslide threats in the northern uplands and north central region. Forecasters have called Super Typhoon Mangkhut the strongest storm so far this year. Photo by AFP/Noel Celis Philippine metereologist Ariel Rojas said that even though the storm had passed the Philippines, it would continue to bring heavy rain, possibly causing more floods and landslides until Monday. But the storm was unlikely to get any stronger, Rojas said. "It could likely maintain its current intensity or even weaken," he told AFP. The Hong Kong government said Mangkhut will pose "a severe threat to the region." Many residents in Hong Kong and neighbouring Macau have stocked up on food and supplies. Volunteers also helped residents of low-lying Hong Kong fishing village Tai O hoist their furniture and appliances to higher ground. The president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, told citizens to be ready as powerful waves pounded the shore. "The typhoon is powerful and even (if) it's not expected to make a landfall in Taiwan, we should be well prepared and not take it lightly," she wrote in a Facebook post. The Banh Beo Hue stall in Ben Thanh Market is very popular among the locals. Photo by Linh Nguyen Asias top foodie cities have for long been Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong. Saigons a new kid on the block. Australian magazine Traveller has included Saigon in its list of top ten foodie cities in Asia beyond Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong. The magazine says Saigon is one of the best places in Asia to take to the streets and eat like a local. It recommends street stalls around the famous Ben Thanh market that serve chicken and mushroom soup, pancakes, and seasoned beef with peanut sauce wrapped in leaves, all washed down with freshly sugarcane juice or cold beer. Foreign tourists enjoy Vietnamese dishes at a food stall in Ben Thanh Market. Photo by VnExpress Other places on the magazines list include Taipei, Phnom Penh, Chiang Mai, Melaka, Mumbai, Kyoto and Seoul. Last June, a survey by Booking.com, an e-commerce travel site, found that Saigon was among the best places in the world to take a local cuisine tour. It was also named among the best global food destinations. Vietnams largest city has several plaudits from global gourmets. Last year, Saigon was named among the worlds best food destinations by Caterwings, a site that offers online food ordering service in Europe. Some of the dishes found on Saigons street corners have made it to all corners of the world, like the banh mi, a sandwich, is one of the top 20 must-try street foods in the world, according to Fodors Travel. The iced coffee with condensed milk has also become a global hit, featured in leading publications like NatGeo and The New York Times. You cannot go wrong, going to Ninh Thuan Most unusual sights and experiences await visitors to Ninh Thuan Province in south-central Vietnam Ninh Thuan has been in the news recently as an ideal location for generating renewable energy. It was also in the news a few years ago as the site for nuclear power plants, plans for which have since been shelved. But this south-central province is notable for many other features that sets it apart from other locations in the country. One of the driest provinces in Vietnam marks the curve on the S-shaped nations coastline. Given its proximity to famous tourist destinations like Nha Trang and Da Lat, Ninh Thuan is surprisingly unspoilt. This arid land does not just boast a highly picturesque coastal route, it has a topographic diversity that situates it between the desert and the sea. It also carries vestiges of the Champa Kingdom, underlining the provinces historical importance. Two provincial routes are part of Ninh Thuans 107km long coastal road: DT701, from Ca Na to Phan Rang; and DT702, from Phan Rang to Binh Tien. One day on each route, visiting several tourism spots on the way will open your eyes to Ninh Thuans charms. Photo by VnExpress/Linh Sea Day 1 Top on the days agenda are impressive sea landscapes on the DT 702 route. It starts from Phan Rang city and runs 50km or so towards Khanh Hoa Province. Photo by VnExpress/Linh Sea The first stop on this route is Vinh Hy Bay, one of the most beautiful in the country. Glass bottom boats allow visitors to see its coral treasures. Fresh seafood is a perk, here. Boat rentals range from VND50,000 - 100,000 ($2.14-4.29) per person. The Binh Tien beach on the border of Ninh Thuan and Khanh Hoa provinces, with a long coastal line surrounded by rocky mountains, is as picturesque as it can get. The beach is quite serene, with small waves and light breezes. Apart from the fresh seafood, services for visitors to get to pristine beaches that cannot be reached by road are a specialty. On the way from Phan Rang to Binh Tien, there are several secluded beaches to choose from, including Ninh Chu, Bai Rua, Bai Thung, Bai Chuoi, Bai Kinh and Nuoc Ngot. The coral reef cave The Rai Cave is an old giant coral reef surrounded by high rock ranges eroded gradually by the waves. As the water occasionally surges above the reef and crashes down, "the waterfall on the sea" takes shape, much to the delight of photographers. Locals explain the name of the cave in two ways. It could be derived from otters (which are called rai in Vietnamese) that used to inhabit the cave in large numbers. On the other hand, the cave was also home to the "rai" plant (Dipterocarpus alatus) from which oil was extracted to waterproof boats. Another coral reef treasure in Ninh Thuan can be found on Do Island. Around 16km from the Rai Cave, this large area has many reefs and green mossy rocks. To get there, take directions from My Hiep village in Thanh Hai commune, Ninh Hai District. A sandy trail through a poplar grove leads to Do Island. It is a tough one for motorbikes to tackle. A large area of Do Island is covered with sharp rocks, so care must be taken while walking, or the feet can get hurt. A lot of the time, this island is not crowded, and you can meditate against the rhythm and sound of waves crashing against the rocks. Grapes grow here A lush vineyard in Ninh Thuan. Photo by VnExpress/Minh Duc Ukraine's gas giant Naftogaz estimates possible losses after Nord Stream 2 launch The construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2019. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter Days after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to cooperate with Tehran to rein in the United Sates, Irans OPEC Governor has accused Moscow and Riyadh of embracing Washingtons sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic. Trump's efforts to cut Iran's access to the global crude market has prompted Russia and Saudi Arabia to take the market hostage, Hossein Kazempour Ardebili said. In an interview with a news website affiliated with Iranian Oil Ministry, SHANA, Kazempour Ardebili said on Saturday, September 15, Russia and Saudi Arabia claim to be seeking to balance the global oil market, but they are trying to take over a part of Irans share, adding, Sadly, Irans warnings have fallen on deaf ears. By approaching Washington, Kazempour Ardebili argued, Moscow is seeking the utmost gain in the current situation. Meanwhile, Irans OPEC Governor lambasted Iraq, Kuwait and United Arab Emirate for increasing their oil output. Admitting that OPEC is losing its power, he lamented, "It is a fact that OPEC is losing its organizational character and is becoming a forum", adding, "Simply said, nobody is afraid of a toothless lion that growls from time to time, and does not harm anyone." Renewed U.S. oil sanctions on Iran are scheduled to kick in in November and substantially curtail its crude exports as a way to put financial pressure on the Islamic Republic. Non-OPEC Russia, along with Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members have repeatedly insisted that they could easily compensate the drop in the output of other oil producer countries. Nevertheless, Tehran says that only the countries whose output had been reduced below their quota should be allowed to increase their exports. Russia has recently increased its oil production by nearly 300,000 barrels per day (bpd), taking it to a total of 11,250,000 barrels and has announced its intention to increase its output to 11,700,000 barrels per day, next year. US Energy Secretary Rick Perry said on Friday, September 14 that the U.S., Russia, and Saudi Arabia can make up for any shortfall in Iranian oil exports. President Donald Trumps administration is set to penalize countries who buy Iranian oil by blocking their access to the U.S. market and U.S. financial institutions starting Nov. 4. Nevertheless, the Islamic Republics Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, earlier in his September 7 meeting with Putin in Tehran, had urged Russian President to cooperate with Iran to restrict U.S. power and freedom of action. Khamenei told Putin that Syria is a good example of restraining America, where he insisted the U.S. has been defeated. Iran is currently OPEC's third-largest producer, but the US wants to cut its exports down to zero by November as part of sanctions it has re-imposed on the country. US officials are pressing allies in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, to adhere to the sanctions, which are aimed at pressuring Iran to negotiate a new agreement to halt its nuclear program. Iran's former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has levelled damning charges against IRGC Intelligence Chief calling him "psychologically imbalanced" and thus not fit for the job. In a video released on the ultra-conservative former president's page on the popular messaging service Telegram on Sunday September 16, Ahmadinejad lashed out at Hossein Taeb, the hard-line cleric who chairs the notorious intelligence organization of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and said all he does is "fabricating cases." Ahmadinejad added in the video that during his presidency, he was against Taeb taking the job, saying, "All state officials know that he is imbalanced and everyone knows what he has been up to." He said he believed at the time that if Taeb was appointed the IRGC intelligence chief he would sow discord between powers of the government and state institutions. Ahmadinejad also revealed that Taeb who was a deputy intelligence minister under former President Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani was removed from his post for instigating disputes among various officials. "They kicked him out of the Intelligence Ministry, but later they gave him a top post with full authority elsewhere, violating the law," said Ahmadinejad. The IRGC intelligence has been in charge of nearly every controversial security case including those involving the detention of a dozen environmentalists and scores of Sufis, charging all of them with espionage and other accusations. Iran's Supreme Leader elevated the former IRGC Intelligence Unit, which was established in 1997 to clamp down on reformist activists, to the higher level of an Organization with a broader mandate and appointed Taeb as its chief in 2009 following the unrest after the disputed 2009 presidential elections. Before 1997, IRGC Intelligence mainly dealt with breach of security within the ranks of the Guards Corps. The IRGC Intelligence unit has arrested hundreds of political and civil right activists, particularly after 2000. Taeb has been sanctioned by EU because of "gross violation of human rights" of Iranian citizens and is barred from entering EU countries. Ahmadinejad said the IRGC Intelligence Organization has its own prisons, and this is "unlawful." (AFP) - The presidents of Russia and Turkey, which are backing different sides in the Syrian conflict, were due to meet in the Russian Black sea resort city of Sochi on September 17 for talks on an expected Syrian government offensive on the last rebel stronghold in the country's northwest. The meeting comes 10 days after a summit between Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and their Iranian counterpart, President Hassan Rohani, failed to produce a compromise in a bid to avert an assault in Idlib Province which the Turkish president has warned would ignite a "bloodbath." Moscow and Tehran have given Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's crucial support throughout the war, which began with a government crackdown on protesters in March 2011. Speaking in Berlin on September 14, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow will keep bombing militant targets in Idlib if need be, but would also open humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to flee. Turkey is backing rebel groups and has troops in Syria's north. It fears that a large-scale assault on Idlib, which lies on its southern border, could trigger a massive flow of refugees onto its soil. The country is already home to more than 3 million Syrians who have fled the war. While backing separate sides, Turkey, Russia, and Iran have launched a negotiations process last year in the Kazakh capital, Astana, mainly dealing with battlefield issues, such as cease-fires and de-escalation zones. A separate UN-led round of talks addressing political issues has taken place in Geneva. A possible compromise from the ongoing negotiations could take the form of a "limited military operation or surgical strikes" targeting the Al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, which is believed to be the dominant force among rebels in Idlib Province, Abdul Wahab Assi, an analyst at the Syria-based Jusoor Studies Center, told the AFP news agency. Assi said the sides could also agree to modify the borders of the de-escalation zones to keep armed rebels from certain sectors. Moscow may be open to such a plan as long as it would secure the Aleppo-Damascus highway and put an end to drone attacks launched from Idlib against Russia's Hmeimim air base in the neighboring province of Latakia, the analyst said. Turkish military analyst Metin Gurcan said the lack of an agreement with Ankara could push Moscow and the Syrian regime to stage an operation that will last months" rather than a full-fledged attack. The United Nations expects up to 900,000 people to flee if Syrian government forces launch a large-scale offensive on Idlib, home to some 3 million people. The 7 1/2-year war has killed more than 400,000 people and displaced millions. With reporting by AFP Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 16 Trend: Today, Turkish-Azerbaijani relations are at the highest level, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said at a solemn parade marking the 100th anniversary of the liberation of Baku. I think there is no other example in the world today for two countries to be so close to each other and support each other, he noted. Our unity is manifested in all spheres. This year alone, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and I we have met six times twice in Azerbaijan, twice in Turkey and twice in international events. Our meetings are of regular nature, and each of them is of great importance. Our political ties are at the highest level. We carry out successful economic cooperation, Ilham Aliyev added. Our trade turnover is increasing. Investments amounting to billions of dollars are placed from Azerbaijan into Turkey and from Turkey into Azerbaijan. Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 16 By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend: The liberation of Baku on September 15, 1918 is an extremely important event in the history of the Azerbaijani statehood, department head at the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), doctor of philosophy in political sciences, Associate Professor Elshad Mirbashir oglu told Trend. The scientist noted that at that period, complicated processes were taking place both in the region and in the world. It was very difficult and even impossible to create an independent state in these conditions, he said. However, despite this, after the resignation of the Transcaucasian Seim (parliament), the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) was created. Naturally, existence of a state requires, first of all, the presence of all necessary conditions that would preserve its existence. Among these conditions, the factor of a capital took the central place. Mirbashir oglu noted that the occupation of Baku questioned the future fate of the newly created ADR. He added that Baku was of great strategic importance due to its geographical location, trade and economic potential and, most importantly, political weight. Situated on the Caspian coast, the city was located on the main communication lines of that time, he said. From this point of view, both the Bolsheviks and the British tried to keep Baku in their hands at all costs, Mirbashir oglu added. Thats because this would make it possible to control all the processes taking place in the Azerbaijani territories, and at the same time created convenient access to Central Asia, which in subsequent years would result in getting serious political and economic dividends. In his words, against the backdrop of all this, the liberation of Baku from occupation with direct military support of the Islamic Army of the Caucasus led by Nuru Pasha should be regarded as a golden page in the history of the Azerbaijani statehood. Namely after the liberation of Baku from the occupation, the new state got the opportunity to function in different spheres, the Azerbaijani scientist added. For example, the adoption of effective steps to create a national army, the formation of the education system, etc. became possible after the government moved to Baku, he said. The scientist reminded that 100 years have passed since the liberation of Baku from the occupation. For this time, complicated and contradictory processes have taken place in the world, but historical justice has triumphed, he said. This is reflected in todays friendship and brotherhood between such absolutely independent and powerful states as Azerbaijan and Turkey. These two fraternal countries are once again beside each other. On September 15, Azerbaijan marks the centenary of Bakus liberation from the Bolshevik-Dashnak occupation. On this day in 1918, the Islamic Army of the Caucasus, which included the Azerbaijani corps, entered Baku, liberating the city from the Bolshevik-Dashnak occupation. The liberation of Baku is an event of exceptional importance for the Azerbaijani-Turkish friendship and brotherhood. Despite that during 70 years of the Soviet rule this event was purposefully explained in an erroneous context, the Azerbaijani people never forgot the heroism of Turkish soldiers. Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 16 Trend: An oath taking ceremony has been held for young soldiers at a military unit of the State Security Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and family members attended the ceremony. Chairman of the State Security Service, Lieutenant General Madat Guliyev reported to President, Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev. President Ilham Aliyev and first lady Mehriban Aliyeva put flowers at a statue of national leader Heydar Aliyev. Military unit commander reported to the Commander-in-Chief about the preparations for the oath-taking ceremony. President Ilham Aliyev saluted the personnel. The combat flag was brought to the square to the accompaniment of the military march. Then a minute`s silence was observed for servicemen who fell for the Motherland, the state anthem was played. Young soldiers then swore their oaths. The Azerbaijani President`s son Heydar Aliyev, who is doing his military service here, was among the young soldiers who took oaths. Congratulating the personnel, President, Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev said: Dear soldiers, I heartily congratulate you on swearing an oath and wish you success. The personnel of the military unit marched past the tribune. Parents of young soldiers met and spoke with President Ilham Aliyev. Then photos were taken. Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 16 By Anvar Mammadov - Trend: VTB Bank (Azerbaijan), a subsidiary of Russias VTB Bank PJSC in Azerbaijan, intends to expand entrepreneurs opportunities for export of Azerbaijani products, Chairman of the Board of VTB Bank (Azerbaijan) Yevgeniy Kirin said in an interview with Trend. He said the bank plans to launch an international factoring product until the end of 2018. "We are working on an international factoring product and are planning to launch it this year," Kirin said. "The product will be in demand and promising for clients engaged in trade with Russia." The use of factoring will enable Azerbaijani producers to work with Russian importers on deferred payment terms and receive payment for products on the day of shipment, he noted. "Undoubtedly, we are interested so that the signing of this document will allow us achieve our goal - facilitate the growth of export of Azerbaijani products to Russia, simplify and increase the transparency of payments," Kirin added. VTB Bank (Azerbaijan) has been operating in Azerbaijan since 2009. (1.7 AZN = 1 USD on Sept. 5) --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Anvar_Mammadov Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept. 16 By Anvar Mammadov Trend: The Czech companies aim to expand their presence in Azerbaijan and strengthen cooperation with Azerbaijani entrepreneurs, Chairman of the Board of the Czech Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the CIS Countries Frantisek Masopust, who took part in the Azerbaijani-Czech business forum in Baku, told Trend Sept. 13. He noted that about 25 Czech companies have arrived in Baku, which aim to find partners in Azerbaijan to establish joint businesses. "For 10 years, our companies have been coming here at an enviable regularity. During this period, we managed to spread information about your country in the Czech Republic, and our companies are very pleased to respond to the offers of trip to Azerbaijan and search for partners here. First of all, we are attracted by the economic stability and security in your country. When we first entered the Azerbaijani market 12-15 years ago, we felt that, as compared to your neighbor countries, more prospects for business activity are awaiting us in your country. And now we are convinced that at that time we made the right step. The economy of Azerbaijan is developing steadily, and coming here almost every year, we witness this with our own eyes. There is a good potential for the development of relations between the business entities of the two countries, so we want to gradually expand our presence in Azerbaijan," Masopust said. He noted that the Czech entrepreneurs are ready to establish contacts with Azerbaijani partners for joint activities in a number of areas. "We are interested in the development of our relations in such areas as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, transport, tourism, construction, as well as in the implementation of various infrastructure projects. We are ready to provide Azerbaijan with various technologies and equipment within our joint activities. In general, we would like the level of our business cooperation to be higher, therefore we bring more and more new companies here," he said. Referring to the format of cooperation, Masopust noted that the Czech companies mainly prefer export-import operations. "We have several joint ventures and partner companies, but the Czech companies mainly prefer partnership at the level of export-import operations. We are interested in increasing investments, but the fact is that the financial capacity of the Czech companies is not so great in order to implement major investment opportunities. For example, an average German company is much richer than the Czech companies. State support is necessary for us to be able to increase our investments in Azerbaijan," Masopust said. There are currently 25 Czech companies operating in Azerbaijan. Over the past period, the Czech Republic has invested $30 million in the economy of Azerbaijan. The Czech companies are contractors in eight state projects, the total value of which exceeds $2 billion. According to the data from the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, trade turnover with the Czech Republic in January-July amounted to $473 million, of which almost $394.3 million fell on the export of Azerbaijani products to the Czech Republic. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Sept. 16 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: The government delegation of Turkmenistan headed by President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov will visit New York Sept. 29-Oct. 2 to participate in the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, the Turkmenistan State News Agency reported. As part of the visit, it is also planned to hold a meeting in the Turkmen-US Business Council format, which has a significant role in the development of mutually beneficial cooperation between Turkmenistan and the biggest business structures of the US, the report said. This issue was discussed at a meeting of the Turkmen Cabinet of Ministers. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on February 19, 1992. The legal framework of bilateral relations consists of 59 documents, including 53 interstate and intergovernmental documents, and six interdepartmental documents. During this period, relations were established with companies working in such areas as oil and gas and chemical industry, computer technology, energy, agriculture, transport and logistics. These include Boeing, General Electric, John Deere, Microsoft, Caterpillar, Coca-Cola and other companies. The US-Turkmenistan Business Council was established in 2008. As of May 1, 2018, 156 projects with the participation of US companies totaling to $2,573.43 million and 0.3 million euros have been registered in Turkmenistan. Washington's unilateral measure of imposing more tariffs won't solve its trade deficit problem, Gao Feng, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC), said Thursday, according to Xinhua News Agency. Speaking at a press conference, Gao noted that fluctuations of the US' trade surplus or deficit are decided not by the White House, but by the market itself. He pointed out that despite the trade wars, Beijing's trade surplus with the United States widened by 7.7 percent (about $181 billion) in the first eight months of 2018. China's exports to the United States increased by 6.5 per cent, he noted. According to Gao, the increase in exports is mainly due to higher demand in the US domestic market. Also, since Chinese exporters are worried about changes in US tariff policy, they have sought to close their deals before such changes could cost them. The spokesperson also said that "the US trade deficit is related to its low savings rate, the status of the US dollar as the reserve currency and the country's control on exports to China," Xinhua reports. Gao called on the White House to recognize that unilateral tariffs won't solve the problem and to take a pragmatic approach to ensure the "healthy and stable" development of bilateral trade. The Trump administration's unilateral tariffs have prompted China, Canada, Mexico, the European Union and others to impose retaliatory tariffs on US goods, particularly agricultural exports. The China-US trade tensions sharply escalated in March, after US President Donald Trump announced import duties on steel and aluminum. Since then, Washington and Beijing have exchanged several rounds of tit-for-tat tariffs, with bilateral trade consultations failing to resolve the dispute. A super typhoon made landfall in Chinas Guangdong on Sunday, the countrys most populous province, after wreaking havoc in Hong Kong and Macau and killing potentially more than 50 people in the Philippines. Packing winds of more than 200 kph (125 mph), tropical cyclone Mangkhut is considered the strongest to hit the region this year, equivalent to a maximum Category 5 intense hurricane in the Atlantic. Thats more powerful than the maximum sustained winds of 150 kph (90 mph) when Hurricane Florence roared into North Carolina in the United States on Friday. The eye of Mangkhut, the Thai name for Southeast Asias mangosteen fruit, skirted 100 kms (62 miles) south of Hong Kong but the former British colony was still caught in the typhoons swirling bands of rain and gale-force winds. Hong Kong raised its highest No. 10 typhoon signal at mid-morning as ferocious winds uprooted trees and smashed windows in office and residential buildings, some of which swayed in the gusts, residents said. It swayed for quite a long time, at least two hours. It made me feel so dizzy, said Elaine Wong, who lives in a high-rise tower in Kowloon. Water levels surged 3.5 m (12 ft) in some places, waves swamped roads and washed up live fish, washing into some residential blocks and a mall in an eastern district. Its the worst Ive seen, resident Martin Wong told Reuters. Ive not seen the roads flood like this, (and) the windows shake like this, before. The plans of tens of thousands of travelers were disrupted by flight cancellations at Hong Kongs international airport, a major regional hub. Airlines such as flagship carrier Cathay Pacific canceled many flights last week. In the Philippines, casualties reported by various agencies on Sunday evening indicate the death toll from the impact of Mangkhut could exceed 50, with most killed in landslides in or near mountainous areas of the Cordillera region. Francis Tolentino, an advisor to President Rodrigo Duterte and head of the governments disaster coordination, said the latest number of casualties was 33 dead and 56 missing. But the head of the militarys Northern Luzon Command, Emmanuel Salamat, told Reuters that at least 19 more were killed in landslides in one part of Benguet province. The 19 who died were part of a bigger group of 43 people, likely miners, and those who were still alive were feared to be trapped in an old mining bunkhouse that had collapsed under rubble, according to Tolentino. Search and rescue missions were ongoing, and a local mayor in Benguet, Victorio Palangdan, said he feared the number killed there could be more than 100. Separately, the coastguard said it had recovered the bodies of three people. In Macau, which halted casino gambling late on Saturday and put Chinas Peoples Liberation Army on standby for disaster relief help, some streets were flooded. The suspension is for the safety of casino employees, visitors to the city, and residents, said authorities in the worlds largest gambling hub, who faced criticism last year after a typhoon that killed nine and caused severe damage. A shootout at a Mexico City tourist site has left at least four people dead, officials said on Saturday, a day after gunmen said by witnesses to be dressed as mariachi musicians opened fire with rifles and pistols in a plaza noted for its mariachi bars, Reuters reported. A foreign man was among nine people who were injured in the incident at the Plaza Garibaldi in the capitals historic downtown, the city prosecutors office said in a statement, without disclosing identities of any of the victims. Local media reported that two died of injuries after the incident, which would bring the death toll to five. One of the injured who died was included in the officials count. Mexico City has experienced less of the drug violence that plagues the countrys cartel strongholds in other regions. However, since 2014, homicides have surged to record levels in the capital, presenting a major challenge to an incoming city government that has vowed a clean-up. People at Plaza Garibaldi screamed and ran when they heard shots around 10 p.m. on Friday, although some appeared unfazed by the barrage of gunfire. A video posted to social media showed a musician at a colorful Plaza Garibaldi eatery strumming Mexican tune La Cucaracha on a harp, not pausing for a moment as the multiple shots loudly ring out nearby. Dozens of people stayed in the area to drink and listen to live music, even as police cordoned off the shooting site, placing yellow markers where bullet casings fell. Police blame much of the capitals crime on retail drug dealing and protection rackets run by violent gangs, though the government says at least one of these has links to a major national trafficking group, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Plaza Garibaldi borders one of Mexico Citys most notorious neighborhoods, Tepito, home to La Union gang, which police say is behind a spurt in drug-dealing and protection rackets. Russia does not plan to lay trunk pipelines along the bottom of the Caspian Sea, the Russian Foreign Ministry's ambassador-at-large Igor Bratchikov, Sputnik reports. "Actually, Russia and other littoral countries have already laid thousands of kilometers of pipes of different purposes in the Caspian The number of such technical pipelines will only grow. As for the trunk, trans-Caspian pipelines, we don't have the plans to build them," Bratchikov said in an interview with the Kommersant newspaper. He said the laying of pipelines along the Caspian Sea bottom is ruled out in case of objections on the part of Caspian states. Igor Bratchikov also expressed hope that the process of ratification of the convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea would not be dragged on. "I think nobody will artificially delay the ratification process. The convention is a balanced and equitable document. It takes full account of the national interests of all littoral countries. Its early entry into force meets the needs of all parties," Bratchikov told the Russian Kommersant newspaper in an interview. However, the diplomat did not rule out that the procedure of ratification might be affected by electoral cycles in certain countries. "It is important to prevent the convention from becoming a hostage of pre-election battles," Bratchikov noted. The diplomat added that non-regional players, including the United States, had been trying to influence the negotiation process during all 20 years of talks, "up to the last moment." The status of the Caspian Sea, which is rich in hydrocarbon deposits, had been regulated by agreements reached between Iran and the Soviet Union until the dissolution of the latter and following the emergence of five new independent states surrounding the body of water, namely Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. On August 12, the leaders of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan signed a convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, a historic document that has been 22 years in the making. According to the document, the main area of the water surface of the Caspian remains in the common use of the parties, and the seabed and subsoil are divided by neighboring states into plots by agreement between them on the basis of international law. Shipping, fishing, scientific research and laying of pipelines are to be carried out according to the rules agreed upon by the parties. On Tuesday, police were seen conducting investigations and checking CCTV footage at a hotel in Fort Kochi where the four riders had attended a party before their fateful journey. NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi launched the 'Swachhata Hi Seva Movement' in order to promote celanliness and to make India clean. Swachhata Hi Seva Movement : PM Modi to interact with Swachagrahis from across the country. At the launch of this event PM Modi addressed people and appealed citizens to join the mission in order to keep country clean . He said that "From today till Gandhi Jayanti, let us re-dedicate ourselves towards fulfilling Bapu's dream of Clean India. 'Swacch Bharat Mission' that began four years ago has reached an important stage today, where we can proudly say that people from all sections have joined us in the mission. Davis cup: Ramkumar, Pranjesh suffer defeat as Serbia lead India 2-0 Four year Earlier PM launched Swacch Bharat Mission which has shown the result and India got the rid of waste and garbage to a great extent. He thanked women and youngsters for their contribution in Swacch Bharat Mission and said that The contribution of India's Nari Shakti in the Swachh Bharat Mission is immense. Youngsters are ambassadors of social change. The way they have furthered the message of cleanliness is commendable. The youth are at the forefront of a positive change in India." In order to promote the movement Pm wrote letter to celebrities, Bollywood stars, industrialists the youth, former judges, retired government servants, gallantry award winners, medal winners in the Common Wealth and Asian Games, spiritual leaders, film personalities, journalists of leading media outlets, sportspersons, writers, Governors, Lieutenant Governors, Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers of all states and urge them to support the movement. HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Sept. 15, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canadas lead Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel the future HMCS Harry DeWolf, was launched today, Sept. 15, 2018, marking a significant milestone for the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) and the revitalization of the Royal Canadian Navys combatant fleet. At 103 metres and 6,615 tonnes, the future HMCS Harry DeWolf is the largest Royal Canadian Navy ship built in Canada in 50 years. The ship was transitioned from our land level facility to a submersible barge yesterday, Sept. 14, 2018, and launched in the Bedford Basin today. The lead ship in the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship program is now pier side at Halifax Shipyard where our shipbuilders will continue working to prepare the ship for sea trials in 2019. HMCS Harry DeWolf is scheduled to be turned over to the Royal Canadian Navy in summer 2019. Construction of the second and third ships, the future HMCS Margaret Brooke and Max Bernays, are well underway at Halifax Shipyard. Later this month, the first two major sections of the future HMCS Margaret Brooke will be moved outside. The National Shipbuilding Strategy was created to replace the current surface fleets of the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard. Through a competitive, open and transparent process, Irving Shipbuilding was selected to construct the Royal Canadian Navys future combatant fleetArctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels followed by Canadian Surface Combatants. As a result of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, Irving Shipbuilding has become one of Atlantic Canadas largest regional employers, with thousands of Canadians now working in skilled, well-paying jobs. The Halifax Shipyard, long at the centre of Canadian shipbuilding, is now revitalized and home to the most modern, innovative shipbuilding facilities, equipment, and processes in North America. Quotes Congratulations to our more than 1,800 shipbuilders on todays successful launch of the future HMCS Harry DeWolf. This is a significant milestone and the first of many more launches that will take place at Halifax Shipyard over the next few decades as we work to revitalize the Royal Canadian Navys fleet as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy. Kevin McCoy, President, Irving Shipbuilding About Irving Shipbuilding Inc. Irving Shipbuilding Inc., Canadas National Shipbuilder, is the most modern shipbuilder and in-service ship support provider in North America. Headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, our skilled team and innovative facilities provide efficient building, fabrication, conversion and servicing of vessels and offshore platforms. As Canadas chosen shipbuilder, Irving Shipbuilding Inc. is working with the Royal Canadian Navy on the next class of Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) and Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) vessels under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). We are proud to continue our long history as a trusted partner in Canadian shipbuilding. Irving Shipbuilding Inc. is a member of the J.D. Irving, Limited group of companies, a diverse family owned company with operations in Canada and the United States. Learn more at www.IrvingShipbuilding.com or www.ShipsforCanada.ca . Media Contact: Sean Lewis Director, Communication Irving Shipbuilding Office: 902-484-4595 Mobile: 902-240-6964 Email: Lewis.Sean@IrvingShipbuilding.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e222d0ff-80f3-494d-9712-f7312f51c489 English French World premiere: Alstom's hydrogen trains enter passenger service in Lower Saxony Bremervorde, 16 September 2018 It was a world premiere being celebrated by Alstom, one of Europe's largest railway manufacturers, the Minister of Economy and Transport of Lower Saxony, the Federal Ministry of Transport and the transport authorities of Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen (LNVG) and Eisenbahnen und Verkehrsbetriebe Elbe-Weser (EVB) in Bremervorde on Sunday 16 September. Before the many guests and members of the press from Germany and abroad, the world's first hydrogen fuel cell train rolled into the station. The Coradia iLint, built by Alstom in Salzgitter, Germany, is equipped with fuel cells which convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, thus eliminating pollutant emissions related to propulsion. From 17 September onwards, two such trains will enter commercial service according to a fixed timetable in Lower Saxony. For the time being, it is travellers in EVB's Elbe-Weser network who can look forward to a world-first journey on the low-noise, zero-emission trains that reach up to 140 km/h. On behalf of LNVG, the Coradia iLint trains will be operated on nearly 100km of line running between Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervorde and Buxtehude, replacing EVB's existing diesel fleet. The new trains will be fuelled at a mobile hydrogen filling station. The gaseous hydrogen will be pumped into the trains from a 40-foot-high steel container next to the tracks at Bremervorde station. With one tank, they can run throughout the network the whole day, thanks to a total autonomy of 1000 km. A stationary filling station on EVB premises is scheduled to go into operation in 2021, when Alstom will deliver a further 14 Coradia iLint trains to LNVG. "This is a revolution for Alstom and for the future of mobility. The world's first hydrogen fuel cell train is entering passenger service and is ready for serial production," emphasises Henri Poupart-Lafarge, Chairman and CEO of Alstom. "The Coradia iLint heralds a new era in emission-free rail transport. It is an innovation that results from French-German teamwork and exemplifies successful cross-border cooperation." Dr. Bernd Althusmann, Lower Saxony's Minister of Economy and Transport, whose department has supported LNVG's purchase of another 14 hydrogen trains with more than 81 million, is impressed: "With the test operation starting today, Lower Saxony is performing real pioneering work in local transport in cooperation with Alstom and EVB. The emission-free drive technology of the Coradia iLint provides a climate-friendly alternative to conventional diesel trains, particularly on non-electrified lines," he explains. "In successfully proving the operability of the fuel cell technology in daily service, we will set the course for rail transport to be largely operated climate-friendly and emission-free in the future. The state government of Lower Saxony is proud of putting this trendsetting project on the track together with LNVG." The federal government has actively supported the development and testing of the new drive technology in Lower Saxony by providing funds from the National Innovation Programme for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology. Enak Ferlemann, Federal Government Commissioner for Rail Transport and Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, puts it in a nutshell: "A world premiere in Germany. We are putting the first passenger train with fuel cell technology on the track. This is a strong sign for the mobility of the future. Hydrogen is a real, low-emission and efficient alternative to diesel. These trains can be operated cleanly and in an environmentally friendly way, especially on secondary lines where overhead lines are uneconomical or not available yet." He added: "We therefore support and fund this technology, in order to expand it." For LNVG chief Carmen Schwabl, whose authority organizes the rail passenger transport between the North Sea and the Harz mountains and therefore pays annual compensation of around 300 million to the railway companies, the entry to fuel cell technology is also a strategic decision. She sees LNVG in a national pioneering role: "With the two Coradia iLint trains and with the use of another 14 hydrogen trains from the end of 2021, we are the first passenger rail transport authority to replace existing diesel vehicles by emission-free vehicles, thus contributing better to the fulfilment of the climate protection goals." LNVG's Managing Director looks further into the future: "We also do this because about 120 diesel trainsets in our vehicle pool will reach the end of their lifetime within the next 30 years, meaning we will have to replace them. The experience gained with this project helps us find a sustainable and practical solution." With around 2 million rail passengers and around 4 million bus passengers per year, EVB figures among the largest mobility providers in the Elbe-Weser triangle. The traditional company, which boasts a history of more than 100 years and around 550 employees, is looking forward to the "train of the future". Dr. Marcel Frank, Managing Director of EVB, emphasizes: "It is a great milestone that we will use the world's first hydrogen-powered train in our Elbe-Weser network in passenger service between Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervorde and Buxtehude, not only for the region and for us, but also for passenger rail transport worldwide. For EVB, this is the entry to emission-free mobility." Pictures of the event: reneframpe.com/clients/evb Further Information on Coradia iLint: https://als.ptn.rs/a/158013 Contacts for press: Description Please join Long Island Sierra Club, Plug In America, and Electric Auto Association for our 7th Annual Drive Electric event. This Sunday, At Tanger Mall One, Riverhead, NY (by the Charging station) Between the hours of 10am-4pm Admission is free Come see electric and hybrid electric vehicles currently available in the greater NY market. Come talk to the owners and see what electric cars are right for you. Description 7th Annual Drive Electric Show and Drive See and Test Drive the Cars of the Future Details: - See many all-electric and plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles. - Get information about manufacturers and models currently available in the greater NY area. - Talk with enthusiastic vehicle owners to learn why they love their vehicles. - Talk with dealer representatives to learn about the features of the new vehicles. - Find out how easy it is to re-charge vehicles and how to find a charge station location. - Take a ride in or drive one or more of the vehicles on display. Organized and Presented By non-profit organizations: - Sierra Club Long Island Group - Plug In America - Electric Auto Association Judging by the stock market reaction to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cracking down on electronic cigarettes, you'd think this was a good thing for tobacco companies. Shares of Altria (NYSE: MO), British American Tobacco (NYSE: BTI), and Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM) all jumped on what analysts described as a "clear positive" signal from the agency. Yet as Inigo Montoya says in a famous scene from The Princess Bride: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." The crackdown is not a good indicator from the regulatory agency, certainly not if the major cigarette companies are looking for e-cigs to lead them to their next stage of growth. Male blowing vapor from an electronic cigarette. Image source: Getty Images. A sweeping assault on teenage e-cigarette use The FDA has been warning for some time that it's concerned about teenage use of electronic cigarettes. Earlier this year, the agency admonished leading e-cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs over teenagers using its device. An enforcement wave saw 40 retailers, including national chains like 7-Eleven and Cumberland Farms, receive warnings for allowing underage individuals to buy these products. Juul, which commands 55% of the e-cig market, was asked to turn over documents about the design, marketing, and ingredients found in its product, as the FDA sought to understand why teenagers liked its device so much. In the latest broadside against the industry, it wasn't just Juul that was pointedly attacked. Altria, British American, Imperial Brands, and Japan Tobacco were also told the FDA "won't tolerate a whole generation of young people becoming addicted to nicotine as a trade-off for enabling adults to have unfettered access to these same products." The FDA noted the brands of these five companies -- British American's Vuse, Imperial's Blu, JUUL, Altria's MarkTen XL, and Logic from Japan Tobacco -- comprise 97% of the U.S. e-cig market. The FDA wants the companies to submit, within 60 days, detailed plans on how they're going to prevent teens from using their products. Story continues The agency also issued 1,300 warning letters and civil monetary penalties to retailers that have allowed teens to purchase electronic cigarettes, which the FDA declared was "the largest coordinated enforcement effort in the FDA's history." A stacked deck? Earlier this year, Juul Labs committed to spending $30 million over three years to finance research, education programs, and community outreach efforts to stop teens from using its products, while also supporting initiatives to raise the tobacco-buying age to 21. While it's only been a few months, it's obviously going to be a hard goal to achieve. The problem for the manufacturers is that the solution is really out of their hands. When the devices are on a retailer's premises, the manufacturer has no control over who buys the product. Go to any manufacturer's website and they'll clearly tell you they don't want you buying their products if you're under the legal age. It's up to the retailer to ensure compliance, but if it doesn't, the manufacturer might still be held liable. Which is why it's not good news for manufacturers that the FDA is threatening them. The agency has warned that if manufacturers don't do more to prevent underage use, the FDA will fall on these companies with its full weight, perhaps even pulling their products from store shelves. An ill wind that blows no one good The FDA's pronouncement was apparently seen by some as a chance for rivals to gain on industry leader Juul, but such thinking clearly ignores the danger that potentially, no one's product will be allowed on the market. Certainly a company that owns half the market has the most to lose from such actions, but all the tobacco companies risk losing, since the electronic cigarette market is their sole hope at the moment for future growth. Traditional cigarette sales continue their decades-long decline, and only price increases have kept tobacco companies' sales growing. E-cigs promise a real opportunity to reverse that trend, one that will be crushed if the FDA carries out its broad-based threats. More From The Motley Fool Rich Duprey has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / September 14, 2018 / On September 15th, 2018, South Korea's first grand opening of the PLUS TOKEN Global Launch Ceremony was held at the Landing Shinhwa World Hotels on Jeju Island, South Korea. The conference is sponsored by the global block chain alliance "WBF,'' and the PLUS TOKEN foundation of the United States is naming this event. Participants included Zhou Jie, founder of Yu'ebao, Shi Yanqiang, founder of Blockchain Technology, An Xinxin, partner of Gold Finance, Zhao Sheng, sponsor of WBF New York World Block Chain Conference, and Yang Linke, founder of Bitcoin in China. Moreover, representatives and members from more than 20 community representatives of PLUS TOKEN witnessed the event together. At the beginning of the ceremony, LEO, co-founder of PLUS TOKEN, delivered a speech in which he shared the following achievements PLUS TOKEN has made: PLUS TOKEN has successfully applied for a Singapore fund licence. Other countries' bank and fund digital currency licences are also in the process of application. PLUS TOKEN became the world's top three digital asset wallet in less than five months. The users of PLUS TOKEN are in more than 30 countries all over the world. Any success in the world is no accident. The achievements of PLUS TOKEN are mainly due to the early experience of the core members of PLUS TOKEN team in Samsung, the international team and experience. This enabled PLUS TOKEN to lay out and defend from the point of view of product experience, technical fluency and data security from the beginning. At the same time, in the process of market promotion and product popularization, many early communities were Samsung's business partners which ensured that the market could develop rapidly and win trust in many countries and regions. After the speech, LEO signed an investment cooperation agreement with zhao sheng of Silicon Valley Venture Fund, lldar of Dows Fund and Yi Dao. In this investment, PLUS TOKEN's appraisement achieves $5 billion, both from the digital currency market value and corporate valuation, which is in the forefront of the global digital money market. Story continues In addition to LEO's occasional speech on stage, Kim Jong-un, the normally low-key south Korean co-founder, stepped up to the stage for a brief communication, as well as met with representatives from all over the country and took photos. The communities that participated in the meeting included: High Sea Club, Sky Foundation, Seoul Community, Shengshi Alliance Community, Moscow Community, Siam Foundation, LT Foundation, Running Alliance, Whampoa Community, Kawasaki Alliance, No. 1 Community, Block Got Talent and other representatives from more than 20 countries. The act of community representatives appear on the stage successfully demonstrates PLUS TOKEN's achievements, global operational capabilities and experience, and fully reflects PLUS TOKEN's unparalleled strength in the current global digital Money Wallet field. Such a platform, which is heavily favored by capital and the market, is naturally also supported by many authorities in the industry. So during the launch ceremony of PLUS TOKEN in Jeju Island, South Korea, founder of WBF, Zhao Sheng, founder of Silicon Valley Venture Fund, Xu Gang, Assistant Director-General of World Block Chain Organization (WBO), Brother Dao, founder of Bikuaibao, Sister Mi, founder of Meijer Community, Yuan Zhengzhong, founder of Yidao Fund, and Mr. Meng, founder of Liaotong Science and Technology jointly participated and witness. PLUSTOKE global kick off ceremony, Jeju Island, Korea! As the title said, we set sail. Now that we have sailed, we will brave the wind and waves and create brilliance. Email: info@globalnewsonline.info SOURCE: PLUS TOKEN https://www.accesswire.com/512029/Plus-Token-and-WBF-Jointly-Started-the-Global-Startup-Conference-the-First-Stop-in-South-Korea-Was-Grandly-Held Special Counsel Robert Mueller now has a chance to question one of the key figures who has eluded him so far in his Russia probe former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Manafort struck a plea deal Friday with prosecutors that requires him to cooperate fully, truthfully, completely, and forthrightly with investigators in any and all matters as to which the government deems the cooperation relevant. That includes being fully debriefed by prosecutors, handing over any relevant documents, testifying at any proceedings and even participating in undercover activities. Mueller is likely to have a wide spectrum of questions for the former campaign chief, from his involvement in the infamous Trump Tower meeting where dirt on Hillary Clinton was promised to his intimate knowledge of Russian oligarchs with whom he has done business. The former FBI chief also is sure to have mined the trove of emails, bank records and documents already seized in his investigation for material to ask about. While its unclear whether Manafort has damaging information on President Donald Trump, the plea deal opens a potentially rich vein of information for Mueller to try to tap. Manafort joined Trumps presidential campaign in March 2016 and was its chairman from May to August. The veteran Republican strategist has known Trump since the 1980s, when Trump was a client of his lobbying firm. He also long has had ties to other Trump associates, including the presidents close friend Tom Barrack and political adviser Roger Stone, who Mueller is also investigating. Barrack and Stone advocated for Manafort to join the campaign. Trump Tower Meeting Perhaps the most important line of questioning Mueller will have for Manafort is what went on at a June 9, 2016, meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer and a Russian-born lobbyist. Mueller has been questioning other witnesses about what they knew of the meeting where damaging information was promised on Democrat Clinton. Trumps eldest son, Donald Jr., arranged the session and invited Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Manafort. Story continues The meeting is of interest to Mueller because it could be a touchpoint between the Trump campaign and Kremlin-linked associates even as Russia was intensifying its efforts to meddle in the 2016 election. Mueller has sought interviews with other people involved in the meeting, including the London publicist who set up the gathering and the lobbyist who also attended, according to media reports. Mueller also has been asking witnesses about the crafting of a misleading statement about the meeting given to the New York Times. Manafort has never spoken publicly about what took place at the meeting. Trump Jr. and Kushner testified to Congress that the session provided no value and no damaging information was shared. They claim the Russian lawyer spent the bulk of the time talking about the Magnitsky Act, which imposed sanctions on a number of Russian oligarchs. Notes taken by Manafort on his iPhone and turned over to congressional investigators contain a number of key words and phrases related to that law. But the notes were ambiguous, and Manafort may be able to fill in the blanks. Mueller may also ask Manafort whether the Russians were discussed at a separate meeting on June 7, two days earlier, between several of the same people, including Manafort, Trump Jr., and Kushner. Trumps lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, told CNN on July 30 that the earlier meeting was on an unrelated subject. GOP Platform on Ukraine Manafort could also be a source of information about a change to the Republican Partys position on Ukraine made at the Republican National Convention in July 2016, where Manafort was leading the campaigns efforts to secure the nomination. Mueller has questioned witnesses about how the pro-Russia tweak was made to the partys platform during the convention. The original language proposed that the party commit to sending lethal weapons to arm Ukrainians fighting to fend off Russian aggression. That language was softened in the official platform to provide appropriate assistance to Ukraine. Manafort made more than $60 million working as a consultant in Ukraine for pro-Russian politicians before his time on the Trump campaign, according to court records. Manafort also figured prominently in the controversial dossier assembled by former British spy Christopher Steele. In it, Steele says Manafort managed a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia and specifically used foreign policy adviser Carter Page as an intermediary to communicate with Russians. Trump and Republicans say the dossier, which was funded largely by the Clinton campaign and Democrats, was a pretext used to start the Russia probe now run by Mueller. Russian Oligarchs Manafort spent a decade working for the pro-Russian political forces in Ukraine. But after Manaforts main patron there, Viktor Yanukovych, was driven from the countrys presidency in 2014, Manaforts cash stream dried up. A bid to work with Ukraines Opposition Bloc, the political successor to the ex-presidents Party of Regions, went nowhere, leaving the international political strategist adrift. He came to work for Trump, first as convention manager, and then as campaign chairman and he reportedly did it for free, but perhaps not without strings. Manafort had done business with Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, who is said to have close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The campaign chairman offered to privately brief Deripaska in 2016, and attempted to convey that proposition through an intermediary, Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian-Ukrainian political operative who is believed to have ties to Russian intelligence. Mueller added Kilimnik to a superseding indictment of Manafort in June. Deripaska denied receiving the proposal or ever being briefed. Theres believed to be ill will between the men, stemming from Manaforts alleged squandering of almost $19 million the Russian man provided a Manafort-led private equity fund attempting to acquire a Ukrainian cable TV network. Deripaska filed a lawsuit in a New York State court in Manhattan in January, although it was put on hold until the criminal proceedings were over. In a note to Kilimnik floating the briefing idea, Manafort mused, how do we use to get whole? according to the Atlantic. Obstruction of Justice Mueller is believed to be looking into whether Trump broke the law by obstructing the Justice Departments probe into his campaigns ties to Russians, along with whether those ties violated U.S. law. Some episodes the special counsel is looking into came during Trumps presidency, well after Manafort was gone. But Mueller may have some questions about how Trump family members and campaign officials responded to the disclosure of the Trump Tower meeting with Russians. Mueller may also want to ask Manafort whether the president or his aides sought to keep him or others silent in exchange for a possible presidential pardon or commutation. Now that Manafort has agreed to provide the special counsel with unfettered cooperation, the likelihood of a Trump pardon may have diminished. But last month Trump publicly lauded Manafort in a tweet for refusing to break. Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump I feel very badly for Paul Manafort and his wonderful family. Justice took a 12 year old tax case, among other things, applied tremendous pressure on him and, unlike Michael Cohen, he refused to break make up stories in order to get a deal. Such respect for a brave man!Giuliani also acknowledged this week that the presidents defense team was cooperating with Manaforts. Such joint defense agreements are common, but Manafort would be well-positioned to provide details, if his cooperation with the president went beyond legal boundaries. On Friday, Giuliani dismissed the significance of Manaforts cooperation deal. Once again an investigation has concluded with a plea having nothing to do with President Trump or the Trump campaign, he said in a statement. The reason: the president did nothing wrong. Giuliani declined to comment on whether Trump is considering a pardon. He added that the presidents view that Manafort is a good man whos been treated unfairly hasnt changed after the plea deal and cooperation agreement. New York, NY, Sept. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zion Market Research has published a new report titled Smart City Market by Application Area (Transportation, Construction, Power Management, Water & Waste Management, Healthcare, and Others) and by Component (Hardware, Software, and Service): Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, and Forecast, 2017 2024. According to the report, the global smart city market accounted for USD 955.3 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach USD 2,700.1 billion globally by 2024, growing at a CAGR of around 16% between 2018 and 2024. The smart city is an urban area that uses technology for the efficient management of its resources. The smart city provides a systematic lifestyle ensuring that it fulfills the needs of citizens with respect to economic, social, and environmental aspects. Request a Free Sample Report of Smart City Market: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/sample/smart-city-market Usage of advanced technology in the construction sector is preliminarily driving the smart city market. This has led to significant growth in the construction sector. The global construction sector was valued at USD 8.8 trillion in 2016 as compared to USD 7.9 trillion in 2012. Countries such as the U.S., China, India, and Japan contributed almost 40% to the rise of the construction sector. Major factors contributing to this growth are increasing adoption of technology in various processes. The government of various nations such as the U.S., Canada, China, and India is providing tax incentives to endorse construction of green buildings. The U.S. government provides a 30% tax credit for investors and project owners for the installation of designated renewable-energy equipment. Canada has regional incentive provisions such as the city of Hamiltons property tax benefits of up to 75% to construct a new green building. Thus, the construction sector will contribute significantly to the growth of the smart city market during the forecast period. Download for Free Report Brochure: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/requestbrochure/smart-city-market The smart city concept provides solutions to optimize traffic conditions in a holistic manner and offers faster transportation options. The global automotive industry is growing at a rapid pace. About 86 million cars were sold in 2017 as compared to 84 million in 2016. This number is projected to grow due to the increasing demand in the Asia Pacific. Developing countries with the high population such as China and India were major contributors. Rising number of vehicles developed a need for optimization in traffic conditions, boosting the evolution of smart cities. Hence, the governments of the countries have opted to invest heavily in their smart city projects with a focus on smart transportation. Thus, the global smart city market is expected to propel during the forecast time frame. On a contrary, securing data collected from various components and controlled by numerous government organizations is a major hurdle for the smart city market. However, advancements in technology to have smart city operation centers may open new avenues for the market in the near future. Based on the application area, the global smart city market is fragmented into transportation, construction, power management, water & waste management, healthcare, and others. The transportation segment is expected to hold a significant market share during the projected timeframe. Hardware, software, and service are the component segment for the smart city market. Software segment is projected to grow at a substantial rate during the forecast period. Request for Discount on This Report: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/requestdiscount/smart-city-market North America is anticipated to hold a significant share of the smart city market during the analysis timeframe. The presence of recognized companies such as Microsoft Corporation, IBM Corporation, and Honeywell International Inc., among others is majorly contributing to the high market share. These expenses are expected to rise due to the advancements in technology and the involvement of more cities in the projects. Thus, it is anticipated that North America will dominate the market over the forecast period. The European smart city market is preliminarily driven by the rising investments in the transportation sector. In 2016, about 18% of the sales of global vehicles were in Europe. In 2017, the number of vehicles sold in Europe grew by almost 3.3%. This number is predicted to rise during estimated the time frame. Due to an increase in the number of vehicles, the European Commission proposed an investment of about USD 3.1 billion in transport projects and about USD 1.6 billion in transport infrastructure for 2017. Thus, the transportation sector in Europe is predicted to fuel the growth of the smart city market. Browse the full "Smart City Market by Application Area (Transportation, Construction, Power Management, Water & Waste Management, Healthcare, and Others) and by Component (Hardware, Software, and Service): Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, and Forecast, 2017 2024" report at https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/smart-city-market The Asia Pacific is expected to grow at a substantial rate from 2018 to 2024 in the global smart city market. Developing economies such as China and India have a great potential for the smart city market. Investments in Chinas construction industry grew by about 2% in 2017 from 2016. The Indian government is also taking initiatives to boost the construction sector by allocating a budget of about USD 92 billion in 2018 as compared to USD 59 billion in 2017. Further, the foreign direct investment in the Indian construction sector has also increased. In 2018, The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank announced an investment of USD 200 million in Indias construction sector. This quantum is projected to rise during the forecast period. Indian governments investments in smart city project rose by almost 54% in 2018 from 2017. Government initiatives are expected to drive the market in this region. Thus, the growth of the smart city in the Asia Pacific will be imminent. Latin America is projected to contribute substantially to the growth of the smart city market. As per the standards of Smart City Organizations such as ISO (37120), healthcare sector plays a vital role in measuring the overall smart city score. The Government of Chile is also focusing to associate KPIs with the citys medical infrastructure. Thus, medical applications in the smart cities are expected to witness significant investments from the respective governments. Brazil and Argentina are anticipated to be the key contributors to the growth of this market in Latin America. Smart city market in the Middle East is expected to propel owing to the economic development of countries such as UAE and Saudi Arabia. Some of the major participants in the smart city market are Honeywell International Inc., ABB Group, General Electric Company, Cisco Systems Inc., Siemens AG, SAP SE, Schneider Electric SE, Microsoft Corporation, IBM Corporation, and Alstom SA, among others. Inquire more about this report before purchase @ https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/inquiry/smart-city-market The report segments the global smart city market as follows: Global Smart City Market: Application Area Segment Analysis Transportation Construction Power Management Water & Waste Management Healthcare Others Global Smart City Market: Component Segment Analysis Hardware Software Services Global Smart City Market: Regional Segment Analysis North America The U.S. Europe UK France Germany Asia Pacific China Japan India Latin America Brazil The Middle East and Africa About Us: Zion Market Research is an obligated company. We create futuristic, cutting edge, informative reports ranging from industry reports, company reports to country reports. We provide our clients not only with market statistics unveiled by avowed private publishers and public organizations but also with vogue and newest industry reports along with pre-eminent and niche company profiles. Our database of market research reports comprises a wide variety of reports from cardinal industries. Our database is been updated constantly in order to fulfill our clients with prompt and direct online access to our database. Keeping in mind the clients needs, we have included expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends in this database. Last but not the least, we make it our duty to ensure the success of clients connected to usafter allif you do well, a little of the light shines on us. Follow Us LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zion-market-research Follow Us Twitter: https://twitter.com/zion_research Blog: http://www.intenseresearch.com | http://www.mrsresearchgroup.com | http://www.marketresearchtrade.com | https://qyresearchgroup.com | http://marketnreports.com | https://zmrnewsjournal.us | http://www.e-marketresearch.com Contact Us: Joel John 244 Fifth Avenue, Suite N202 New York, 10001, United States Tel: +49-322 210 92714 USA/Canada Toll Free No.1-855-465-4651 Email: sales@zionmarketresearch.com Website: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com A broker reacts while trading at his computer terminal at a stock brokerage firm in Mumbai, India, December 28, 2017. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui/File Photo (Reuters) - Sensex and Nifty ended higher for a second session on Friday, as investors sentiment turned positive after government officials said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting later in the day with the finance ministry to discuss economic issues. Modi will hold a meeting with finance ministry officials on Friday to discuss the fall in the rupee and other economic issues, a government source told Reuters. The broader NSE Nifty closed 1.28 percent higher at 11,515.20 while the benchmark BSE Sensex ended 0.99 percent firmer at 38,090.64. For the week, the NSE Nifty weakened 0.64 percent while the BSE Sensex was down 0.78 percent, its biggest weekly fall since the week ended May 18. Financials accounted for nearly half the gains, with Housing Development Finance Corp Ltd closing 2.5 percent higher. At close, only four stocks were in the red on the NSE Nifty while two ended lower on the BSE Sensex. (Reporting by Krishna V Kurup in Bengaluru; Editing by Vyas Mohan) The longest bull market in history we are experiencing right now may be unprecedented, but to Robert Shiller, the moment of irrational exuberance is coming back. The renowned Yale economist used the title of his 2000 bestselling book to describe an overheated market on Yahoo Finance on Friday. In 1996, the phrase became well known after then-Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan warned that the stock market might be overvalued. The burst of the internet bubble ended the previous record bull run from October 1990 to March 2000. Shiller voiced his concern back then, and now takes the bearish case again. Are you sensing a little irrational exuberance here? Yahoo Finances Alexis Christoforous asked. Well yeah, I think so. I like that term, Shiller said. The reason the phrase is so famous, by the way, is not because its so eloquent. Its because the markets all over the world dropped about 4% when [then Fed chairman Alan] Greenspan said those words. People said, No, this is absurd. If Greenspan uses some colorful language, should the stock markets of the entire world lose? It became a good word to describe the kind of craziness that happens in our markets. Though Shiller clarified that he was not predicting an imminent market crash. The market looks overvalued, he said. Im glad Im a professor and not a portfolio manager. You cant predict these things a boom can go on for longer than youd ever imagined. Robert Shiller speaks at a Wharton conference in New York about the impact of the 2008 financial crisis. (Credit/Shira Yudkoff) Story continues Shillers formula for stock valuation, known as the CAPE ratio, which is the price divided by a 10-year earnings average, has been on the rise in the past few years and now stands at 33. It got up to 45 at the height of the 2000 tech bubble. CAPE, while widely considered a useful metric in asset allocation, doesnt always work well in the short run. Last year, Shiller suggested investors look into emerging markets, which have better value than U.S. stocks. But the markets have seen a divergence in performance. While the U.S. continues its bull run after small corrections, emerging markets like Turkey, Italy, and China have experienced major meltdowns. The CAPE ratio a year ago made me think I want to underweight the U.S. In the last year, it wasnt a successful strategy, said Shriller. But I still believe it in the long run. U.S. Stock Markets 1871-Present and CAPE Ratio. (Credit/Robert Shiller) As populism rises worldwide, the strong capitalism in the U.S. encourages winners to win and ignore losers, which may help support the high valuation of big-ticket stocks, Shiller said. Like many economists, Shiller sees a recession following the historical bull run. I think its highly likely that well have a recession, he said, adding that most recessions in history are mild. The Nobel Prize-winning economist has been trying to understand market behaviors beyond metrics. He said the trigger for the next recession doesnt have to be anything concrete. The market pulled back sharply at the beginning of this year, but didnt tumble into a big correction. That didnt happen because people werent in the mood for further recession Its mainly psychological, Shiller said. Krystal Hu covers technology and the economy for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter. Read more: El-Erian: Trump has a 75% chance of winning the trade war Laffer: Trumps trade war pushes China to behave like a proper country Walmart buys from US suppliers, but that doesnt protect it from tariffs When most people think about oil and gas drillers, they think about integrated majors like ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) or maybe a producer whose name they've seen on a gas station, like Hess (NYSE: HES). One most don't think about is Apache Corporation (NYSE: APA). That's natural: Independent oil and gas exploration and production companies don't exactly need to advertise to the public, since your average consumer doesn't have much need for a barrel of unrefined crude oil or a thousand cubic feet of natural gas. But what really shocks me is how few investors are talking about Apache, which not only looks like one of the best buys in the oil patch right now but has major growth potential. Here's why you should be thinking about Apache, even if nobody's talking about it. Small oil drums, a pool of black liquid, coins and currency bills, a paper with graphs, and a pen sit on a wooden surface. Although the stock market hasn't rewarded Apache, the oil and gas driller seems like a top candidate for outperformance. Image source: Getty Images. A screaming bargain In August 2016, in the depths of the oil price slump, the stock market was valuing Apache at just under $20 billion. At the time, Apache had major operations in the North Sea and Egypt, plus some lower-margin North American assets, including Canadian tar sands projects. But in September, Apache made a major announcement: It had been quietly picking up acreage in an area of West Texas called the Delaware Basin -- a subset of the large Permian Basin shale formation. Because nobody expected much oil or gas in the region, Apache had been able to grab some 300,000 acres at a bargain price of just $1,300 per acre. The company had done extensive testing in the region and stunned the energy world with its findings. Far from being empty of oil and gas, Apache's initial testing indicated that there were at least 3 billion barrels of oil and 75 trillion cubic feet of natural gas underneath its play. Almost overnight, Apache's market cap soared to about $24 billion. Land prices in the region shot up as well, with companies paying between $30,000 and $40,000 per acre to get in on the action. Story continues But ironically, Apache's share price -- along with its market cap -- has trended lower since then, even as the company confirmed the existence of more and more oil and gas in the play. Today, the company has a market cap of about $17 billion...less than it did before the West Texas play -- dubbed Alpine High -- was announced. Here's why that seems completely crazy. It doesn't add up As I mentioned, Apache owns about 300,000 acres at Alpine High, and adjacent land has been selling for $30,000 per acre to $40,000 per acre. Let's use the more conservative $30,000 figure. That puts an approximate sale value for Alpine High of $9 billion...just for the land alone. In other words, it's worth more than half of Apache's market cap. But remember, those sale prices were for undeveloped land, and since its big announcement in 2016, Apache has been devoting a lot of capital to building out the oil and gas infrastructure in the region. By the time 2018 is done, Apache will have spent nearly $1 billion in capital on Alpine High infrastructure. That increases Alpine High's value; even if we say that the capital expenditures are worth half of what Apache paid for them, it implies a market value of about $9.5 billion for Alpine High. Apache has made other changes to its operations since the Alpine High announcement, notably selling off its underperforming Canadian assets to focus on the Permian Basin. But if Alpine High -- again, just the 300,000 acres of land and existing midstream infrastructure alone -- is worth about $9.5 billion, then that means the market is assigning a value of just $7.5 billion to the entire rest of the company, including its profitable overseas operations, its exploration blocks in Suriname -- which are adjacent to ExxonMobil's and Hess's massive finds in the region -- and the other 2.5 million acres of Apache's Permian Basin holdings. From a value perspective, Apache looks incredibly cheap. Leaps and bounds Of course, Apache isn't going to sell Alpine High: it's going to continue to produce oil and gas from the play. A lot of oil and gas. In fact, Apache is projecting its overall Permian operations -- including Alpine High -- will be generating at least 315,000 barrel of oil equivalents per day (BOE/d) by 2020, about double the 158,000 barrels it produced in 2017. That will help boost companywide production to an estimated 475,000 BOE/d to 510,000 BOE/d, up from 350,000 BOE/d last year, a double-digit compounded annual growth rate (CAGR). At Alpine High, the company is projecting a production CAGR of more than 150% through 2020! So why isn't the market taking notice? One concern might be that Permian Basin production is ramping up so quickly that it might soon outstrip transportation capacity. Apache, though, is on top of the problem, recently announcing it would form a new $3.5 billion publicly traded midstream corporation with Kayne Anderson Acquisition Corp. that will be called Altus Midstream. Apache will own about 71% of Altus. Through Altus, Apache is investing in Kinder Morgan's Permian Highway pipeline, which will transport up to 2 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day from the Permian Basin to refining facilities on the Gulf Coast. Apache is also signed on as one of the primary shippers of product through the pipeline (along with ExxonMobil). Apache's management has been very effective at deploying its capital, to the point that its return on capital employed is the highest in its peer group and even bests ExxonMobil's. These investments in future production growth and transportation should keep the company well positioned for the future. Why Apache deserves some attention There are some risks to investing in Apache, of course. If oil prices drop suddenly, like they did in 2014, increased production might not be enough to keep the wolf from the door. But of course, that's a risk for the entire industry, not just Apache. Perhaps the bigger risk is that the market will continue to inexplicably ignore Apache regardless of its performance. But Apache's excellent value and strong production projections should make the market stand up and take notice. Everyone should be talking about Apache. However, until they do, investors in the know can pick up these shares at a price that looks like an incredible bargain. More From The Motley Fool John Bromels owns shares of Apache and Kinder Morgan. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Kinder Morgan. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The Iranian economy has plunged even further since the United States pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal and re-imposed sanctions - and the fallout is affecting Iran's war-torn neighbor, Afghanistan. This is because up to three million Afghan refugees live in Iran, most without legal documents, and many of them are now being forced to return to their strife-ridden country. VOAs Ayesha Tanzeem reports. Online trolling. It isnt always despicable. Sometimes its magical. When Steve Harter, minister of music and arts at First United Methodist Church, answered his phone in December, he didnt expect to come away with a chance for his high school auditioned chorale to perform at New Yorks Carnegie Hall in November. While surfing online, a representative of the Distinguished Concerts International New York, a concert producer in New York, found a livestream of Harters 12-person choir performing Lessons and Carols and was impressed. She asked permission to submit the video as an audition piece to their board in hopes of including the kids in a concert this year. It was a success. The group will perform Nov. 26 with conductor and composer Mark Hayes. Theres certainly pressure that goes with this, said Harter. I need to have them prepared. Its an honor because, quite honestly and unfortunately, a lot of places look down on church music as second-rate. This helps to put some validity to our work, being invited to do this. The 12 students, plus three who were auditioned into the group in the spring, will join an auditioned choir at Carnegie Hall composed of 250 kids and adults from around the country to perform two of Hayes major works: Gloria and the world premiere of his latest piece, Hodie Christus Natus Est, which features the classic Christmas carols Angels We Have Heard on High, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. Thats the carrot being dangled out in front, said Harter. Often when well-known composers have new work, it will be performed in a series at Carnegie Hall. Local audiences neednt feel left out. Harters adult choir and the high school chorale will perform those same pieces three weeks later at a Christmas concert at FUMC. It will be the Colorado premiere of Hayes new work. Contact the writer: 636-0270 Who should win, who will win at 2018 Emmys A resident walks beside toppled structures as Typhoon Mangkhut barreled across Tuguegarao city in Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines early Saturday. The typhoon slammed into the Philippines northeastern coast early Saturday, its ferocious winds and blinding rain ripping off tin roof sheets and knocking out power, and plowed through the agricultural region at the start of the onslaught. Built in 1928 as a summer home for Colorado Springs philanthropist Alice Bemis Taylor, the Ponderosa Lodge is the focal point of La Foret Conference and Retreat Center in Black Forest. After Taylors death in 1942, her foundation deeded the property to the Colorado Congregational Church, now known as the Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Church of Christ. Taylors pine-log estate and its surrounding amenities, including nine cabins and six yurts, now are operated as a nonprofit organization by the conference. The heavily forested Shoup Road facility, with grand views of Pikes Peak, attracts about 13,000 visitors annually from the UCC, other churches and religious groups, educational and nonprofit groups, business and family retreats, receptions, weddings and team-building events. It has hosted the full 10-year run of the popular MeadowGrass Music Festival. The lodge, along with the Taylor Memorial Chapel, built on the site by noted Santa Fe architect John Gaw Meem for Taylors private worship, are on the National Register of Historic Places. The lodge is also on the Colorado Register of Historic Properties. A $200,000 grant awarded in 2015 by the History Colorado State Historical Fund, from which some gaming taxes are disbursed, and a matching $83,000 from supporters, paid for renovations to the lodge that were completed in 2017. Our tagline is: We provide sanctuary for all to consider the transcendent issues in life. Thats what we do, Larry McCulloch, executive director of La Foret Conference and Retreat Center, told The Gazette recently. Info: laforet.org If you want to understand the big shadow the military casts on the Pikes Peak region, just follow the money. A recent state study into the economics of the military here shows that the Pentagon pumps more than $18 billion per year into the El Paso County economy making up half of the military cash that comes to the entire state. The Pikes Peak region is home to five military bases that collectively are responsible for nearly 50 cents of every payroll dollar handed out here. The military also touches a lot of lives here, with 40,000 active-duty troops and 80,000 veterans. The most populous of those bases is Fort Carson, home to 25,000 troops including the Armys 4th Infantry Division. There are two Air Force bases: Peterson and Schriever. The county is also home to the underground Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, the nations nuclear-proof bunker, and the Air Force Academy, where 4,000 cadets train to be officers. With the North American Aerospace Defense Command, the county has the largest permanent foreign deployment of Canadian troops, with more than 200 families from north-of-the-border living here. El Paso County is also the hub for the nations military space efforts. Air Force Space Command controls the militarys constellation of communications as well as navigation and missile warning spacecraft. If the other jobs werent enough, troops here with U.S. Northern Command are responsible for protecting the continent from attack. The regions bases and missions have a big bottom line, the study sponsored by Colorados Department of Military and Veterans Affairs found a grand total of 100,000 total direct, indirect and induced jobs. KEMP, Texas, Sept. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Industrial lighting leader, Larson Electronics LLC, has released a no-drill magnetic steel mounting plate for use with magnetic base lighting fixtures up to 30 pounds. This lightweight mounting plate requires absolutely no drilling to install and is compatible with 2011-2016 Ford F250, F350, F450 and F550 Super Duty aluminum body pickup trucks, offering fleet and utility vehicle operators a convenient mounting location for security, property management, construction and farming operations. The MMP-V3-FSD-2011 from Larson Electronics is a no drill magnetic steel mounting plate designed for 2011-2016 Ford F250, F350, F450 and F550 Super Duty aluminum body pickup trucks. The mount works for any light with a magnetic mounting base up to 30 pounds, including spotlights, flood lights, strobe lights, beacons, warning lights, signal lights, flashers, turn signals, brake lights, hunting lights, fishing lights, off-roading lights and more. This mount requires absolutely no drilling, so vehicles are left damage-free. Constructed of durable power-coated aluminum and steel this magnetic mounting plate is rugged and built to last in harsh outdoor conditions. A weatherproof seal ensures the installation is dry and secure and protects the body of the vehicle against scratches. Additionally, this mount features windload okay for highway speeds. The magnetic mounting plate is installed via the third brake light on the back of the vehicle by simply removing the brake light, positioning the bracket and reinstalling the light through the bracket. This magnetic no-drill mounting plate gives operators the ability to install and remove the mount with no damage to their vehicle, said Rob Bresnahan, CEO of Larson Electronics LLC. Utility workers who need a temporary light source on their Fords will find this mounting plate convenient and easy to use. About Larson Electronics LLC: Larson Electronics LLC is a manufacturer of industrial lighting equipment and accessories. The company offers an extensive catalog of industry-grade lighting and power distribution products for the following sectors: manufacturing, construction, food processing, oil and gas, military, marine and automobile. Customers can benefit from the companys hands-on, customized approach to lighting solutions. Larson Electronics provides expedited service for quotes, customer support and shipments. For further information, please contact: Rob Bresnahan, President and CEO Toll-free: 1-800-369-6671 Phone: 214-616-6180 Fax: 903-498-3364 E-mail: sales@larsonelectronics.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cbeb08d9-abc1-4c66-a23e-57158a873cfd At the foot of Americas Mountain is the home of the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo, Norris-Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs. Philanthropist Spencer Penrose financed its construction after hosting a bustling first rodeo where the stadium capacity was 500. The rodeo drew such a large crowd that Penrose was prompted to expand his stadium. This outdoor stadium two miles from downtown is now capable of seating up to 10,000 spectators. Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo has been an annual event since 1938, except for the years between 1942-1945. Following World War II, the rodeo resumed to commemorate those who lost their lives in the war. The rodeo is held over two weekends every July, and all proceeds are donated to military charities in appreciation. Norris-Penrose is welcoming a Womens Living Expo Sept. 22-23. This Love your Lifestyle event featuresrunway fashion shows, makeovers, and experts in health, fitness, families and more. Colorado Pro Rodeo Association Finals will be taking place Oct. 5-7 at the centers outdoor stadium. CPRA is the leading rodeo association in Colorado, originally established in 1975. Events include barrel racing, bull riding, and steer wrestling, plus many more activities of the old west. The Tanner Gun Show will be appearing not one, but two weekends in case you miss your shot. The first round takes place Oct. 13-14, and the second on Dec. 8-9. Visitors are guaranteed to see the largest gun selection in Colorado. Decorate yourself for a Haunted Brewfest on Oct. 20, and have I.D. ready. For those 21 years and older, 70 local breweries, distilleries and wineries will be featured. Costumes are highly encouraged. Info: www.norrispenrose.com Dining on the West side of Colorado Springs is like taking a trip around the world without the expense of an airline ticket. Just about every global cuisine is represented. Looking for a spot otea? Head to the British Pantry and Tea Room, 2403 W. Colorado Ave., for a traditional U.K. experience. This business offers an authentic afternoon tea complete with finger sandwiches and savory pastries without the cost of an airline ticket to London. Have an Asian adventure at Yellow Mountain Tea House, 2616 Colorado Ave., No. 21. Owner Tanya Baros, a native of China, serves dim sum Cantonese for hearts delight a variety of small, mouthwatering dishes like steamed or fried dumplings, shrimp balls, pot stickers and Chinese pastries that are standard fare at traditional Asian teahouses. Enjoy an Ethiopian dinner at Uchenna, 2501 W. Colorado Ave., No. 105. You eat with your hands using pieces of injera, a crepe-like bread made with tiff, a grain thats ground into flour. Try the Doro Wat chicken, the national dish of Ethiopia. Tuck up to a plate of pupusas for a taste of El Salvador at Monses Pupuseria, 115 S. 25th St.. Owner Monse Hines from Chalchuapa, El Salvador, serves the handheld delights that are like corn quesadillas stuffed with fillings such as beans, cheese, zucchini and sweet corn, then topped with curtido, a fermented cabbage salad. Thats just a hint of the tantalizing cuisines to be savored traveling westward along Colorado Avenue. Spread your wings west of I-25 to dive into cuisine from other countries, including Greek (Jake & Tellys Greek Taverna), Italian (Paravicinis Italian Bistro), Spanish (Tapateria), Japanese (Nara Sushi & Grill), Indian (Little Nepal Restaurant & Bar), French (La Baguette), German (Edelweiss German Restaurant), Cajun (Momma Pearls Cajun Kitchen), Vietnamese (House of Saigon), Thai (Wild Ginger Thai Restaurant), and Mexican (Crystal Park Cantina). Other attractions: Miramont Castle Museum Experience life as it would have been in Victorian times, seeing 30 rooms resplendent in authentic Victorian furnishings, and the Queen's Parlour Tea Room where you can feast on Victorian (and modern day) fare. Info: 685-1011 or miramontcastle.org Experience life as it would have been in Victorian times, seeing 30 rooms resplendent in authentic Victorian furnishings, and the Queen's Parlour Tea Room where you can feast on Victorian (and modern day) fare. Info: 685-1011 or miramontcastle.org Red Rock Canyon Open Space A favorite escape from the city, this 789-acre park in the foothills off U.S. 24 features canyons, ridges and views of Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods. Open year-round. redrockcanyonopenspace.org Explore more neighborhoods from the FYI series: Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Re: Despite the warnings that tobacco companies are now required [ #permalink 1 Bookmarks The US cannot halt Chinas march to global tech supremacy The Asian superpowers record shows its ability to modernise and adapt James Kynge The moment may one day be glorified in propaganda art. As the mist rolled off the Yangtze river, Xi Jinping stood on top of the Three Gorges hydropower dam in Yichang, a proud symbol of engineering prowess, and proclaimed that China would blaze its own trail to become a technology superpower. The Chinese presidents immediate audience in April was a group of smiling workers in blue overalls. But his remarks were directed at the White House, from which rumblings of a trade war on China were emanating. In the past, we tightened our belts, gritted our teeth and built the two bombs [atomic and hydrogen] and a satellite, Mr Xi said. In the next step of tackling technology, we must cast aside illusions and rely on ourselves. Such rhetoric from the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong carries crucial weight. But, as a visual metaphor, the Three Gorges dam is more revealing than Mr Xi was prepared to acknowledge. Although the dam walls were built by Chinese companies, the turbines that generate its electric power were supplied at least initially by foreign companies. The contradiction encapsulates Chinas dilemma as it ramps up a techno-nationalist agenda. Its official Made in China 2025 programme calls for global leadership in various technological sectors by 2025, but its progress up the value added ladder has to a significant degree relied upon foreign technologies and intellectual property. Thus, Chinas response to the trade war is set to be carefully calibrated. Chinese companies are being told by Beijing to cut reliance on US technology and intellectual property in their supply chains, replacing them where possible with alternatives from Europe, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and elsewhere. The US is fundamentally an unreliable economic partner, said one senior official at the State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the Chinese state-holding company with combined revenues last year of Rmb26.4tn ($3.8tn). It is just too risky to rely on them. Can China really live without America? The answer supplied by financial markets appears to be no, as reflected in the slide in the renminbis value against the dollar and a concurrent fall in Shanghai stock prices. But over the longer term, China looks likely to prevail in two important ways. It may be able to de-risk its supply chain by reducing reliance on US imports, notwithstanding difficulties in key areas such as semiconductors. It may also attain its goal of global excellence in tech sectors including artificial intelligence, 5G telecoms, the internet of things, self-driving cars and battery technology by 2025. One point in Chinas favour is that its de-risking activities may be applied only to imports from the US and not to components made by US companies in China. This is a significant factor: the value of products that US companies made and sold in China was about $250bn last year, almost double the $130bn in products imported from America. The other consideration is the ready availability of alternatives to US tech products. Research by Haitong, a Chinese securities company, finds that in eight of 11 technology sectors the sales in Asia of products made in the EU, Japan, Korea and Taiwan outstrip those of products made in the US. The three sectors in which the US has clear dominance are semiconductors, semiconductor equipment and aerospace. The semiconductor industry, therefore, is the lightning rod for US-China tech rivalry. Chinas vulnerability was laid bare in April when the US banned ZTE Corp, a Chinese telecoms company, from buying American semiconductors and other technology for seven years. The sanction brought ZTE to its knees, before Washington offered a reprieve. Yet semiconductors are also the area in which Chinas ambitions are clearest. Of some $300bn committed to help deliver Made in China 2025, some $150bn is earmarked to upgrade Chinas capacity in semiconductors, according to Dan Wang of the research group Gavekal. And even in semiconductors, the US chokehold is far from total. If the sanctions on ZTE had been applied to its Chinese competitor, Huawei, the damage would have been easily contained. Huawei designs its own chips through a wholly owned subsidiary called HiSilicon, which ranks as the worlds seventh largest chip design company. Chinas record also underlines the foolishness of betting against its modernising verve. A decade ago, few would have predicted global dominance in smartphones. But last year, companies such as Huawei, Oppo and Vivo accounted for 43 per cent of global smartphone sales, eclipsing Apple in the US and Korea s Samsung. It seems clear that, while US opposition will make its ascent up the technology ladder slower and more painful, China will continue its climb. Perhaps the story of the Three Gorges dam does after all point the way. Although its first turbines were supplied by European and US power equipment groups, two Chinese manufacturers raised their game quickly enough to participate in the projects later stages. Harbin Power Equipment and Dongfang Electrical Machinery are now taking business off their European and US rivals in other countries. QZ wrote: Flor is choosing three of five colors of paint to use for her art project at school. Two of the colors, Green and Yellow, cannot both be selected. How many different ways can Flor choose the colors for her project? A. 7 B. 9 C. 10 D. 13 E. 17 There are three cases: 1) green is one of the five colors chosen, but yellow isnt, 2) yellow is one of the five colors chosen, but green isnt, and 3) neither green nor yellow is chosen. Lets analyze each case.Case 1: Green is one of the five colors chosen, but yellow isnt.If green is chosen but yellow isnt, then we have to choose 2 more colors from the 3 remaining colors. The number of ways to do that is 3C2 = 3.Case 2: Yellow is one of the five colors chosen, but green isnt.This is analogous to case 1, so there are 3 ways for this case..Case 3: Neither green nor yellow is chosen.If neither color is chosen, then we have to choose 3 colors from the 3 remaining colors. The number of ways to do that is 3C3 = 1.Thus, the total number of ways Flor can choose the colors for her project is 3 + 3 + 1 = 7.Alternate Solution:We can use the formula:Total number of ways to pick 3 colors = number of ways where yellow and green are both included + number of ways where yellow and green are not both includedSince we are choosing 3 colors from 5 available colors, there are 5C3 = (5 x 4)/2 = 10 ways of doing this when there are no restrictions.The number of ways where yellow and green are both included can be found easily by observing that yellow and green occupy two of the three slots; any one of the remaining three colors can occupy the final slot. So, there are 3 ways to choose colors where yellow and green are both included.Thus, the number of ways to pick colors where yellow and green are not included together is 10 - 3 = 7.Answer: A_________________ I am offering the solution to a problem most Republicans don't know they have -- that they can be outmaneuvered and thrown on the defensive endlessly, on nearly any issue, because they accept as true Democrat lies about the Republican Party. To correct that misperception and to help the Republican Party get 'back to basics' is why I'm a man on a mission. A few years ago, after one of my speeches, a man told me "Do you know what your problem is? You're too far ahead of your time!" My efforts to show Republicans how they would benefit from celebrating the heritage of our Grand Old Party have been arduous, but if this were easy someone else would have already done it. Among my speech topics are Reconciling the Tea Party and the GOP; Barack Obama, the Worst President Ever; Socialism, the new Slavery; Appreciating the Heritage of our Grand Old Party; Returning to the Founding Principles of the United States; The Womens Rights Achievements of our Grand Old Party; Abraham Lincoln, Republican; Frederick Douglass, Republican; Martin Luther King and the Republican Civil Rights Legacy. As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ It was probably supposed to send a message to the Kurdish people fighting for independence from Iran. However, Reza Shafiee, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), argues that in actual fact, these actions only showed the Iranian Regime to be desperate. After all, this is one of the first times in recent years that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have actually claimed credit for a terrorist attack on an opposition group in Iraq. Why would the Regime feel desperate? Well, its currently under intense pressure from both the Iranian people, whose nationwide uprising caught the attention of the US president, and the US, who pulled out of the nuclear deal and imposed sanctions against Iran. The Regime also needs to distract from its multiple proxy militia campaigns. This is hardly the first time that the Iranian Regime has targeted political opposition or dissident groups at home and abroad. In fact, the mullahs have been targeting the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in Iran and elsewhere, since 1979 and they will not stop until the popular opposition is destroyed. But the Regime should understand that the rules have changed. No longer can they attack with impunity, which should have been made clear by the reaction to the missile attack. Uprising When the Iranian uprising began in late December, the mullahs were quick to blame the MEK for inciting the protests. The MEK was helping the protesters and guiding them, but it is purely a result of the MEK and the Iranian people having the same goal: the overthrow of the Regime. It is not, as the Regime tried to portray it, a foreign force intervening in the domestic affairs of Iran, but rather all Iranians coming together to fight a common enemy. Shafiee wrote: Many analysts believe that the Iranian regime will not weather its current predicament. Economic failures as the bedrock fueled with four decades of absolute suppression are recipes for disaster. It is certainly true but it is missing a major component, which should be taken into the consideration and that is the role of an organized resistance. The Iranian Regime has also been at the heart of three foiled terrorist plots in the US and Europe this year, each one targeting the Iranian Resistance. The first in Albania, where many MEK members are refugees from attacks on them in Iraq, was foiled in March. The second, targeting an NCRI gathering in France attended by 100,000 people, was thwarted in June and an Iranian diplomat is under arrest for planning the attack. Then, in August, two Iranian agents were arrested in the US for spying on the MEK and providing information about members to the Regime. Next week, the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly will open and allow the international community to question Iran for its actions, including meddling in the affairs of its neighbours; attacks on its opposition abroad; proliferating weapons such as ballistic missiles and suppressing its own people at home. The UN Security Council should take the opportunity to hold Iran to account. United States President Donald Trump has been particularly outspoken about Irans belligerence and he has taken decisive action to curb its malign influence. Saudi Arabia and other Arab states have also been outspoken about Irans dangerous activities and measures have been taken to deal with the threat. Iran, on its own, has absolutely no chance of being able to confront Saudi Arabia without enlisting many of its mercenaries across the region. And elsewhere, namely Syria, Lebanon and Gaza, the Iranian regime is completely incapable of forming a military force that will have any chance when confronted by the international forces that will become involved to defend these countries. Iran uses a complex network of proxy groups and militias and it has thousands of mercenary fighters at its disposal. They are spread out across the Middle East and even beyond. But they are all losing ground. For example, the once influential Houthis in Yemen are not being allowed to send a delegation for the United Nations-sponsored peace talks being held in Switzerland. Also in Yemen, the legitimate nationalist forces are being supported by the Saudi Arabia-led Arab coalition that is working towards legitimacy in the country. The nationalist forces are gaining ground rapidly and are taking control of more and more areas that were once under control of the Iranian militias. The Houthi rebels once enjoyed the freedom of being able to receive weapons and arms from Iran in the ports and maritime passages that it controlled. But these are no more under their control. The Iranian regime has also been accused of undermining security in a number of Latin American countries. Hezbollahs interests were looked after there where the smuggling of cocaine was a major operation. In Syria, Iran had significant influence and it poured a huge amount of resources into propping up Syrian President Bashar al Assad. But this has changed too and Iran does not have the right or freedom to do as it pleases there anymore. Iran is quite simply running out of ways to destabilise the Middle East with its plots and malign activities. And in the latest blow, the people of Basra have made it explicitly clear that they do not want Iran around. In a message that couldnt be any clearer, the Iranian consulate in the city of Basra was torched. Iran wanted to completely change the demographic structure of the city and it was once moving towards its goal. It had control over the countrys oil supplies and at the Umm Qasr port a major strategic location for Iran. To make matters worse for Iran, it was the Shiites and the Sunnis that have been outspoken about Irans presence in the country. Iran is stuck. It cannot change its goals of regional hegemony and it has no other way to turn. Lifestyle Swiss father ready to die in climate hunger strike Fernandez said his children were proud of his actions. "They understand that saving their future now requires a struggle. And in struggles for justice, you might die and they know it," he said, close to tears. - Kita Kita director Sigrid Bernardo gave a hint about the participation of Claudine Barretto in her movie - When asked if the actress is still part of the film, the director just became silent - However, she shared the date when the shooting for the movie will commence PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see KAMI news on your News Feed Pinay Director Sigrid Andrea Bernardo excitedly discussed the developments in her upcoming movie under Viva Films. KAMI learned that actress Claudine Barretto is part of the film since she posted about it on her social media account few months ago. Claudine even expressed that she is ready and excited for the new project and that she is humbled to work with the talented director. (We) will be shooting the movie in France by July. This is it Im so excited to work with the very talented director, she wrote. Just recently, Direk Sigrid was asked by PEP.ph about the status of the her movie with the veteran actress. The promising director, who led the successful "Kita Kita," quipped that she has just finished the script and that they are set to leave the country for shooting later this year. Kakatapos ko lang po nung script. Tapos aalis po kami baka sa end of November, she said. However, when asked if Claudine is still part of the project, Direk Sigrid just mummed and changed the topic. Here is the video: PAY ATTENTION: Using free basics app to access internet for free? Now you can read KAMI news there too. Use the search option to find us. Read KAMI news while saving your data! In a previous article by , the Kailangan Kita star expressed the good things about cutting ties with certain people in her life. Born on July 20, 1979, Claudine is Filipino film and television actress, entrepreneur, and product endorser. She already starred in several high-grossing movies such as Sukob, Milan, and Etiquette for Mistresses. POPULAR: Read more news about Claudine Barretto! Imagine that youre walking down streets of the Philippines, thinking of your work, friends, and family. Suddenly a man walking in front of you drops his wallet. He continues walking, without realizing that he has just lost all his money. What would you do in this situation? Social Experiment: How Honest Are People Around You? on HumanMeter! Source: Kami.com.ph The American company Amazon.com is one of the biggest businesses in the United States and around the world. Now, the company is said to be negotiating with the government in Chile on a plan to reach for the stars. The Reuters news agency reports that Amazon hopes to store and use information collected by huge space telescopes in the South American nation. Amazon is in talks with Chilean officials to store and mine what is called astrodata -- information gathered by the telescopes. If an agreement is reached, the company may be able to use the information to develop artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Chiles government recently announced plans to combine data from all its telescopes and store it in a cloud computing system. This means the information would be stored over the internet instead of a computer hard drive. The government has yet to provide details of the astrodata possibilities. It did not say which companies might operate the computing cloud. Amazon has been talking with Chile for two years about a possible data center. An official at InvestChile said such a center would provide services for local businesses and the government to store information on the cloud. American astronomer Chris Smith said the negotiations have included talk about the possibility of Amazon Web Services (AWS) storing astrodata. Smith was involved in email exchanges between AWS and Chilean officials over the past six months. At the time, Smith was with AURA observatory, which leads three of the U.S. financed telescope projects in Chile. Amazon Web Services Jeffrey Kratz has met with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera. Kratz confirmed the companys interest in astrodata, but said that, for now, Amazon was making no announcements. Chile is a very important country for AWS, he said in an email. We kept being amazed about the incredible work on astronomy and the telescopes," Kratz wrote. He said the Chilean telescopes can benefit from the cloud by easing the difficulty of dealing with information technology. Why Chile? Northern Chile is known for having clear skies, not much rain, and large areas without bright city lights. This makes it a perfect place to observe the night sky. Because of this, seventy percent of the money spent on astronomy in the world goes to Chile. Many of the worlds most powerful telescopes operate in Chiles Atacama Desert, the driest desert on earth. Chris Smith said that within five years, three of the worlds four next-generation billion-dollar telescopes will be in the South American country. Powerful telescopes produce large amounts of information about the universe. If a deal between Chile and Amazon is reached, AWSs cloud computing program could help. Economy Ministry officials are leading Chili's effort to store astrodata in the cloud. They said there are ways such data could help with more Earth-bound issues. One ministry official, Julio Pertuze, said tools developed for the astrodata project could have other uses, such as identifying persons stealing goods from stores or helping to protect endangered animals. Pertuze spoke at an event announcing Chiles aim to build a virtual observatory on the cloud. Amazons founder and leader Jeff Bezos is known for his interest in space. His company already provides a cloud platform for data from the Hubble Telescope and the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research in Australia. As Amazon explores the possibilities in Chiles astrodata, another technology company, Google, is already a member of Chiles Large Synoptic Survey Telescope. It will be fully operational in 2022. Google also has a data center established in the country. Just last month, crews started work on the telescope at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. The Giant Magellan Telescope is expected to give humans a view of the edge of the universe. The project will cost $1 billion to complete. The huge device will have seven round mirrors that will be 24 meters around. The telescope and its computer will make the Giant Magellan Telescope 10 times as accurate as the American space agencys Hubble Space Telescope. The Giant Magellan Telescope should be ready for use in 2024. Scientists hope to be able to collect more light than any telescope ever built. They hope they will be able to see all the way back to the earliest days of the universe. Im Anne Ball. Anne Ball wrote this story for VOA Learning English with information from the Reuters news agency. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit us on our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Quiz - Amazon Reaches for the Stars Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story mine - v. to search for something valuable artificial intelligence - n. an area of computer science that deals with giving machines the ability to seem like they have human intelligence benefit - n. to be helped by something virtual observatory - n. an observatory that exists or occurs computers or on the Internet view - n. the things that can be seen from a particular place mirror - n. a piece of glass that reflects images accurate - adj. free from mistakes or errors Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories. Our weekly program is about the words, expressions and idioms we use in American English. In any language, idioms can be difficult. Sometimes, you need to know a lot of cultural backstory -- the meaning behind the words -- to understand these sayings. And using them the right way can cause problems for English learners. But do not worry. Even people who grew up in the United States speaking English have problems with some of these idioms. On another Words and Their Stories, we told how the idiom "blood is thicker than water" is misunderstood. This week we talk about another expression Americans usually get wrong. That expression is: Curiosity killed the cat. I know. It does not sound very nice. But trust me. Its not that bad. First, let's start with the word curious. The word curious means to want to know things you don't know; to investigate. So to be curious is not a bad thing. Adults and teachers often praise children with curious minds for asking questions -- sometimes a lot of questions! Curious people can be very interesting. They want to know more about the world around them. Another way of saying curious is inquisitive. The verb "inquire" means to ask one or more questions. However, prying is a form of curiosity but not in a good way. Someone who is said to be prying into other peoples business wants to know about things that do not concern them. And often prying is an effort to find out secrets by looking for them in improper ways. We often use it this way. We say to someone, Look, I dont mean to pry and then we go ahead and pry by asking them a personal question that is none of our business. Sometimes when we pry we are simply concerned about someone. But it can still start trouble. So, as we said, curiosity is usually a good thing. But it can also put you in harm's way. "Curiosity killed the cat" is an idiom we use to warn people. Being curious can get you into trouble. We often use this expression when others ask prying questions. People asking such questions are trying to find out something that is none of their business. They are being nosy. Okay, so now, let's hear an example of a nosy person asking prying questions by putting their nose where it does not belong. So, last night I saw Tom out with a woman and it wasnt Jessica! Really? They havent broke up, have they? I dont think so. You know, Im having lunch with Jessica tomorrow. Maybe Ill ask her. I wouldnt do that if I were you. Why? Arent you curious? A little. But its not a good idea to stick your nose into other people's business. Im not being nosy. Im just curious. Well, you know what they say, Curiosity killed the cat. Just leave it alone. Ahh maybe youre right. Heres the problem. Curiosity killed the cat" is only part of the expression. The whole idiom goes like this: "Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back." That last part really changes the meaning. The cat gets to live. Curiosity does not kill it. So, we use the first half of the saying as a warning: Be careful of the dangers of unnecessary investigation or experimentation! But the second part -- "satisfaction brought it back" -- shows that the risk might be worth it. Not many English speakers know that in the original idiom the cat survives. But now you do! In the end, the way most Americans use the idiom is as a warning and they simply say "curiosity killed the cat." And that's the end of Words and Their Stories for this week. I'm Anna Matteo. Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. The song at the end is The Cure singing Love Cats. We missed you hissed the lovecats We missed you hissed the lovecats We're so wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully Wonderfully pretty! Oh you know that I'd do anything for you... _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story idiom n. an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but that has a separate meaning of its own inquisitive adj. tending to ask questions : having a desire to know or learn more pry v. to try to find out about other people's private lives nosy adj. wanting to know about other people's lives, problems, etc. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has reconfirmed his support for changing the countrys constitution to permit the creation of a military force. "Lets fulfill our mission by clearly writing in the constitution the Self-Defense Forces that protect peace and independence of Japan," Abe said. He spoke in a televised speech to members of his Liberal Democratic Party. Grant Newsham is a top researcher at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies in Tokyo. He told VOA that the Japanese government already understood the constitutions Article 9 as permitting the creation of a self-defense force. Now, he said, Abe wishes to officially change it. He wants the constitution to recognize Japans Self-Defense Force as a legal organization with the aim and position of protecting the country. Why pursue Article 9 revisions? Article 9 was added to Japans constitution after Japans involvement in World War II. It states that the country surrenders its right to an armed force. However, Sejong University professor Yuji Hosaka says there is some good to the idea of changing the constitution. First, he said, the Japanese can have legal military forces in their country, adding that the current force violates the constitution. Also, Hosaka said legalization would permit the country to send troops overseas and take military action. The language of Article 9 limits Japans offensive abilities, said Jonathan Miller an expert with the EastWest Institute. He said the possible threats from both North Korea and China are important reasons for Japan to change its constitution. Some of the capabilities Japan feels it needs to defend itself are becoming complicated by its constitution, Miller said. Upcoming party election Japan holds elections on September 20. Experts told VOA that support for Abe among LDP members is high and will likely result in another three-year term. This would make Abe Japans longest-serving prime minister. Abe's closest competition is former defense minister Shiguru Ishiba, but he is not expected to beat Abe. Evan Rees, an Asia-Pacific expert with STRATFOR, told VOA, nearly 80% of lawmakers will vote for Abe in the internal elections, and thats matched by another 60% rank-and-file party members. Getting the revision passed Abe has said he hopes his party can present a proposed change to Article 9 before the end of the year if he is reelected. Rees said revising Article 9 is a complex issue in Japanese politics. Currently, the LDP holds about 60 percent of the seats in parliament. It takes a two-thirds majority to present any constitutional changes to the public for a vote. The LDP will need support from its coalition partner, the Komeito, to get such action. However, the Komeito has been historically opposed to constitutional change, said Rees. If the measure passes parliament, a public vote is then held, and a simple majority must vote in favor of it. But Rees said the public is divided on the issue, with research showing about 44 percent in favor and 46 percent opposed. Im Phil Dierking. This story was originally reported by Steve Miller for VOANews.com. Phil Dierking adapted this story for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story capability - n. the ability to do something despite - prep. used to say that something happens or is true even though there is something that might prevent it from happening or being true interpret - v. to explain the meaning of (something) mission - n. a task or job that someone is given to do offensive - n. relating to or designed for attacking an enemy scandal - n. an occurrence in which people are shocked and upset because of behavior that is morally or legally wrong Tim Piazza and Marquise Braham told their parents they just wanted to make some new friends by joining college social groups called fraternities. Neither of them got much of a chance. The two young men died after taking part in extreme rituals for admission into the all-male student groups. They were not even 20 years old. Now, their parents are launching a campaign to end these rituals across the United States. They are joined by the parents of Max Gruver and Brian Kowiak, two students who died in similar ways. And they have partnered with national leaders of fraternities, and of female student social groups called sororities. Fraternities and sororities are private social groups common to many colleges and universities in the U.S. They have a long history as part of the American higher education experience. Students pay membership fees. The groups hold parties and other social events. Some offer shared housing. Members usually also must take part in community service programs. And members often help each other find jobs after they graduate. But there is a darker side to Greek life, as involvement in fraternities and sororities is often called. The term comes from the letters of the ancient Greek alphabet the groups use to make their names. The process of becoming a member sometimes involves what is called hazing. This is when current members force pledges, those interested in joining, to take part in dangerous, abusive or possibly illegal activities. Last week, Tim Piazzas father, Jim, and Marquise Brahams father, Rich, began preparing for a number of television appearances. They would use those appearances to announce their anti-hazing campaign. I know it might seem strange to some people that families who lost their children to fraternity hazing are now working with fraternities and sororities to eradicate hazing, Jim Piazza told the Associated Press. But, he added, we will do anything that we can to save a life and to prevent another shattered family. His 19-year-old son died last year after his fraternity brothers ordered him to drink a huge amount of alcohol. He became severely intoxicated. He fell repeatedly, including down stairs and into an iron fixture. It was almost 12 hours before the fraternity members called for medical help. He received treatment at a hospital but it was too late. Tim Piazza died from his injuries. Police arrested almost 30 members of Piazzas Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Pennsylvania State University in Centre County, Pennsylvania. All higher level charges have been dropped. Three people have since admitted their guilt to lesser charges and one is already under house arrest. The Piazzas have reached a settlement with the fraternity to end the civil legal action the family had sought. Eighteen-year-old Pennsylvania State University student Marquise Braham killed himself in 2014. His suicide took place after a series of extreme Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity hazing rituals, about which he had protested to school officials. Currently the system and thats the police, the district attorneys, the judges they seem to view hazing as its kind of like kids stuff, said Brahams father, Rich. These fathers say they are happy to have found allies at the top of the North American Interfraternity Conference and the National Panhellenic Conference. Together, these organizations represent nearly 100 fraternities and sororities nationwide. And their leaders are ready and willing to work with Piazza and Braham. Judson Horras is the president of the North American Interfraternity Conference. He said a first goal of this new joint effort is to press lawmakers in all 50 states to strengthen anti-hazing laws. They want lawmakers to make it a felony to force a student to drink alcohol. Some state governments have been slow to strengthen such laws in the past. But Horras said he believes Greek organizations can get them to change their policies. Keep in mind fraternities and sororities have 9.1 million students and alumni as members, Horras said. Thats part of the network were building now to make this happen across North America. His organization is also trying to solve the alcohol issue itself. By this time next year, he said, highly alcoholic drinks will be banned from all fraternity housing of organization members. We can do more together than we can alone to address this societal problem, said Carole Jones, Chairman of the National Panhellenic Conference. The fight against hazing requires that an entire community step up, including sorority women, who can and must do our part to create safer campus cultures. The Greek life leaders also plan to have parents like Piazza and Braham speak to as many as 25,000 college students this school year. They will talk about the dangers of hazing. And members of fraternities and sororities will be asked to speak to high school and middle school students. We realize that it takes many years to change a culture, said Piazza. Were not going away. Well be here next year, the year after, the year after that. Im Pete Musto. And Im Dorothy Gundy. John Rogers reported this story for the Associated Press. Pete Musto adapted it for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. How should schools and local governments deal with the issue of hazing? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Quiz - Parents, National Leaders Work to End Hazing at US College Fraternities, Sororities Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story ritual(s) n. an act or series of acts done in a special situation graduate v. to earn a degree or diploma from a school, college, or university eradicate v. to eliminate or destroy something harmful shattered adj. very shocked and upset intoxicated adj. affected by alcohol or drugs district attorney(s) n. a person who is responsible for starting legal cases against people accused of crimes in a given U.S. state or county felony n. a serious crime, such as murder or rape alumni n. someone who was a student at a given school, college, or university network n. a group of people or organizations that are closely connected and that work with each other address v. to give attention to something campus n. the area and buildings around a university, college, or school realize v. to understand or become aware of something North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in are preparing to meet Tuesday in the Norths capital. It will be their third meeting since April. The talks are to last three days. The meeting comes a week after North and South Korea expanded military talks and opened a joint communications office near the border. Those are the most recent in a series of steps both sides have taken to reduce tensions. Observers say the talks this week are likely to build on the Panmunjom Declaration. The declaration is a set of goals the Korean leaders agreed to at their first meeting on April 27. Moon Chung-in is special advisor to the South Korean President for Unification, Foreign Affairs and National Security. On Thursday, Moon said the meeting would continue the ideas that resulted in the Panmunjom Declaration. He added that the president believes that improved inter-Korean relations have some role in facilitating US-DPRK (North Korea) talks and solving the North Korean nuclear problem. The nuclear issue and military tensions Cheon Seong Whun is a researcher with the Asan Institute for Political Studies in Seoul. He said the international community should pay attention to the nuclear issue. He also said it remains to be seen if North Koreas leader is really willing to give up nuclear weapons and return to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. That international agreement, first signed in 1968, is meant to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. However, Kim Dong-yub of Kyung Nam University says nuclear weapons are not the most important issue right now. He said the goal of the Pyongyang talks should be to put an end to military conflict between the North and South. Kim said it is likely that the meeting will mainly deal with military issues. The opening of the joint inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong was one of the measures noted in the Panmunjom Declaration. A spokesman for the South Korean presidents office called it a stout bridge connecting the two Koreas. Some observers, however, believe it will take time to build trust between the sides. Bold decision needed? Last week, Moon Jae-in said a lot depends on Kim Jong Un and United States President Donald Trump. He said that they would need to make bold decisions to remove nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula. North Korea should abolish its nuclear program and the United States should foster such conditions with corresponding action, Moon said. He spoke after U.S. officials announced that Trump had received a letter from Kim seeking a second meeting between the two sides. Trump and Kim met in Singapore on June 12. A Trump administration spokesperson said that a second meeting is something that we want to take place. Later in the week, Moon Chung-in suggested that the North Korean leader should make a bold move on his own. One possibility might be to surrender 15 to 20 nuclear weapons and missiles. In return, the U.S. could remove economic restrictions on the North, or possibly establish a liaison office in Pyongyang and negotiate an official end to the Korean War. Im Mario Ritter. Steve Miller reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted his report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story role n. a part that someone or something has in an activity or situation facilitate v. to help something run more smoothly or effectively liaison n. a relationship that allows different organizations or groups to work together and provide information to each other stout adj. thick and strong bold adj. showing or needing confidence or lack of fear abolish v. to officially end or stop foster v. to help grow or develop corresponding adj. matching something else We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. Zambias government has denied that the country faces an economic crisis. Yet many Zambians suspect that the money it owes China is reaching unsupportable levels. Amos Chanda, a spokesman for President Edgar Lungu, told VOA that while Zambia may have economic issues, it is far from a debt crisis. The economy is going at four percent. But that is not to say there is no economic problem. There are economic problems, but you cant call them a crisis, Chanda said. He also denied reports that Chinese companies were taking control of government property. There is no single Chinese company taking over, he said. Chanda noted that Zambia received a $30 million interest-free loan and $30 million grant at the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation. The meeting was held last week in Beijing. Chinese takeover? Concerns remain high that China is seeking what some observers call debt-trap diplomacy, with the goal of taking control of Africas strategic assets. One such example comes from the Africa Confidential website. It published a story on Zambias national broadcaster, ZNBC, earlier this month. It said that the state-owned TV and radio news channel ZNBC is already Chinese-owned. However, investigative reports from local media show the reality is more complex. In 2017, another website, called Tumfweko, reported that the Zambian government and China created a joint project to digitize Zambias broadcast services. It is called TopStar Communications Limited. The Chinese company Start Times owns 60 percent of TopStar, while ZNBC owns 40 percent. The company is overseeing the set-up of about 1.25 million set-top boxes throughout Zambia. The money it earns is being used to repay a $273 million Chinese loan for the project. Nick Branson is an expert on African economics, and a doctoral candidate at the University of Londons School of Oriental and African Studies. He told VOA that it can be difficult to know which stories coming out of countries like Zambia are true. While the government would not like to sell assets, he said, it is not in complete control of its public finances. He added that Zambia is struggling to control the debt it has built up during the past three years. Dynasty ties China has longstanding relationships with political leadership in Africa. While such ties are often seen as a sign of Chinas loyalty to Africa, they often do more harm than good. That is because African leaders often use these connections to seek out projects that only help the wealthy class. These countries usually face few protests from opposition activists, the public, or China itself, Branson said. Governments with well-defined national planning documents have had better success negotiating good deals with China and paying off their debts. The more a country understands its infrastructure needs, the more negotiating power it has, Branson said. A lack of openness also leads to problems, he noted. Branson said that neither China nor African countries want the details of their agreements made public. Resource-rich countries like Angola, a longtime China partner, have been successful because they are able to export materials that China wants. That makes it easy for them to get loans from China. In Angolas case, thats trade oil for infrastructure loans. But for smaller countries, repayment plans can be difficult. For example, some African nations may struggle to repay billion-dollar loans for railroad projects that will take many years to pay for themselves. Branson says it is possible that China might seize African assets. Still, he says, African countries unable to export farm products or other commodities will likely struggle to repay their debt in the long term. Im Phil Dierking. Salem Solomon reported this story for VOANews.com. Phil Dierking adapted the report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story strategic asset - n. Assets that are needed by an entity in order for it to maintain its ability to achieve future outcomes. digitize - v. to change (information or pictures) to digital form grant - n. an amount of money that is given to someone by a government, a company, etc., to be used for a particular purpose resource - n. something that a country has and can use to increase its wealth class - n. a group of people in a society who are at the same economic and social level infrastructure - n. the basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) that are needed for a country, region, or organization to function properly doctoral candidate - n. a student pursuing their PhD degree set-top box - n. a box-shaped device that converts a digital television signal to analogue for viewing on a conventional set, or that enables cable or satellite television to be viewed. commodity - n. something that is bought and sold San Jose, CA - A California contractor and her husband were arrested in Maricopa this month and now face at least 79 charges, including 33 felonies. Constance Ruth Gabriel, 51, and William Ernest Gabriel, 65, were taken into custody Aug. 9 by Pinal County Sheriffs Office on fugitive warrants after an investigation by the Contractors State License Board in Santa Clara County. They are charged with grand theft and elder abuse, among other accusations. Their bail was set at more than $580,000. The Gabriels were returned to California today and are due to be arraigned Friday in San Jose. The Pinal County Sheriffs Office will always support any agency that needs help getting criminals off the streets, said Sheriff Mark Lamb. Our deputies worked hard to track down and arrest Mr. and Mrs. Gabriel and are thankful were able to bring justice to their victims. The Gabriels are accused of stealing more than $855,000 from at least 33 victimes in a scheme to construct sunrooms. According th CSLB, in many cases they collected illegally large down payments and then either never did any work or did very little work before abandoning the jobs. They operated Sunrooms America, Inc., Sunrooms America Direct and Gabriel Construction Company. Earlier this year, CSLB revoked the three company licenses. Contractors should never think that leaving California frees them from facing the consequences of their law-breaking actions here, said CSLB Registrar David R. Fogt. Our law enforcement partners in Santa Clara County and Pinal County, Arizona, share CSLBs commitment to consumer protection and worked closely with us to make this arrest. Charges include aggravated white collar enhancements because the two allegedly took more than $500,000 from victims and damaged or destroyed property with a value exceeding $200,000. Fibre has quickly become a preferred Internet connectivity option among consumers lucky enough to have coverage in their area. Those without trenched or aerial fibre coverage are presented with a choice between fixed-LTE and ADSL, both of which are offered through multiple ISPs. ADSL growth has slowed over time, though, as solutions like fibre-to-the-home and LTE become more accessible and cheaper. While the trend is for customers to move towards high-speed infrastructure like fibre and fixed-LTE, many users remain on their DSL connections, however, due to a lack of infrastructure or a lack of motivation to upgrade. To determine the ratio of fibre, LTE, and DSL users in South Africa, MyBroadband spoke to local ISPs about their subscriber numbers. Webafrica Webafrica did not provide its exact subscriber numbers, but said that for every LTE customer on its system there are three fibre customers, and for every ADSL user there are one-and-a-half fibre customers. Extending these comparisons shows that Webafrica has twice as many ADSL customers as it does LTE users, and fibre customers make up a large portion of its subscriber base. Cybersmart Cybersmart does not offer fixed-LTE packages, but the companys CTO Laurie Fialkov told MyBroadband that more than half of its accounts are fibre packages. These figures refer only to fibre-to-the-home users and DSL bundle packages. Between these two, 53% of the accounts are on fibre packages and 47% have DSL bundles while the revenue from DSL comprises 53% of the total, with fibre-to-the-home making up the balance. While these figures reflect an even split, Cybersmart is seeing much better growth in its fibre sector than in the ADSL market. I can tell you for certain that ADSL sign-ups have pretty much dried up, Fialkov said. Telkom During its financial results presentation for the year ended 31 March 2018, Telkom revealed its ADSL, VDSL, LTE, and fibre customer numbers. These numbers reference the Telkom ISP entity and do not include customers who use an Openserve line with a different ISP. The subscriber figures for Telkoms ISP products at the end of March 2018 were: ADSL 454,000 VDSL 139,000 LTE 518,000 Fibre 62,000 Internet Solutions Internet Solutions told MyBroadband that it estimates over half of South Africas broadband subscribers still use DSL. Actual subscriber numbers are not published for most of the operators, but if we were to estimate the split its likely to put DSL at 56%, FTTH at 32%, and the balance as Fixed LTE (excluding Telkom), Internet Solutions said. Since the launch of FTTH and LTE, we have seen an increase in migration from ADSL, as fibre coverage expands the technology swop out happens quite quickly. This migration has been aided by competitive fibre pricing and subsidised setup costs, Internet Solutions said. There has been a lot of movement with FTTH pricing as well as subsidisation of setup costs, which has certainly helped the uptake on FTTH and LTE. Bowman-Davis and Hyde named National Merit Semifinalists Two Justin-Siena students, Jordan Bowman-Davis 19 and Mary Catherine Hyde 19 have earned prestigious recognition for their academic achievements as National Merit Semifinalists, the only two students honored as such in Napa County this year. They are now qualified to apply to compete to become Finalists who subsequently compete for 7,500 Merit Scholarship awards. Semifinalists must fulfill several academic requirements in order to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. Over 1.6 million juniors in about 22,000 high schools entered the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the October 2017 PSAT/NMSQT which served as an initial screening of program entrants. This year, Jordan and Mary Catherine represent two of the 16,000 Semifinalists (the top 1 percent of PSAT/NMSQT test-taking juniors) nationwide. In the last five graduated classes (2014-2018), Justin-Siena had six National Merit Finalists, one Semi-Finalist, and 19 Commended Scholars, as well as two National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholars. 1920 2018 Resident of Napa Born on July 12, 1920, in Salinas, California, to Giuseppi and Pierina Futini, John Joseph Futini passed away at age 98 on September 2, 2018 in Concord, California. He was one of the last remaining World War II Veterans. A graduate of Salinas High in 1939, he was one of only a few to learn to type. As a young man he raised Black Angus steers for 4H. As an early PGE employee, he helped support his family during the Great Depression. He enlisted in the US Army in 1941 where he honorably served as a supply truck driver and his highly sought after typing skills were utilized in communications. As a Corporal he was assigned to a P-38 aircraft squadron in the 13th Army Air Corps Fighter Command from 1943-1945. He used to say when asked if he was a pilot, I flew a typewriter. He was awarded numerous military medals and was a designated sharpshooter. In 1948 he married Melba Lemos of Benicia and they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary this year. They lived in Vallejo with their three children before moving to Napa in 1965. John supported his family as an 18-wheeler truck driver, but later became a professional landscape architect. He was still landscaping into his 80s and was hired to design and maintain the grounds of many stately Napa properties. He knew the Latin names of all trees, plants, and flowers. In his 90s he discovered a new type of rose and received confirmation that this rose was not in the National Registry. He named this pretty pink, fragrant blossom the Melba Lemos rose after his wife. John had many accomplishments in his lifetime and at his last DMV license renewal at age 95, he had perfect vision and scored 100 on the written test. John was civic-minded, attending many public meetings and running for Napa County Board of Supervisors in 1976. He led the restoration of the historic Old Calvary Cemetery in Salinas, a 10-year project. He traveled with his family to many places in the US and abroad. His favorite place by far was the Grand Canyon. He hiked to the bottom of the canyon with his family twice and once at the age of 67 rim-to-rim by himself. One of his hobbies was photography and his photographs adorn the walls of their home. He was a devoted family man who spent all his time with his family when he wasnt working. He is survived by his wife Melba, son John S. Futini (Jaime), daughters Norma Saunders (Royce) and Andrea Murphy (Greg), sister Toni Mitchell, grandsons Greg Andrew Murphy and Trevor John Murphy, numerous nephews, nieces, and cousins. He was predeceased by his sisters Elena Bass and Mary Boekenoogen. Donations in lieu of flowers can be sent to the Old Calvary Cemetery Restoration Fund at PO Box 2048, Monterey, CA 93942. A memorial service celebrating Johns life will be held at Claffey and Rota Funeral Home, 1975 Main St, Napa, on Wednesday September 19th at 1pm with light refreshments from 2pm-3pm. John will be laid to rest with military honors at a private burial at the Sacramento Valley National Veterans Cemetery in Dixon, CA. Memories may be shared at claffeyandrota.com. 19532018 Patricia Zoan Schuh-Trifforiot, affectionately known as Tricia, was called home to heaven on August 21st. Tricia was born in Fresno but always called Napa home after moving with her family in 1956. She graduated from Justin Sienna High School in 1971. After graduation, being the independent adventurer she always was, Tricia spent time traveling all across Europe and the Middle East. She eventually settled in Paris, France where she had her sons. After 10 years in Paris, Tricia returned to Napa with her family where she worked for Beringer Wine Estates for 15 years. Throughout her life, Tricia impacted the lives of many through her time spent volunteering in church, schools, and hospice. Helping others was her passion and her gentle, patient spirit helped many during their times of need. Tricia had a larger than life personality. She was generous and loving with a splash of sass and spunk! Her memory and spirit will continue to live in the hearts of everyone she touched. Tricia is survived by her sons, Christian and Remy (Katie) Trifforiot; brothers Bill (Ernestine) and Jim (Teresa) Schuh; and sister Elizabeth (Larry) Schuh-Pina along with many nieces and nephews who adored her. She is preceded in death by her parents, Ed and Zoan Schuh, and brother Christopher Schuh. The family would like to thank the loving caregivers from Hired Hands Homecare and Collabria Hospice for their kindness and professionalism that allowed Tricia to be comfortable while she spent her final days with loved ones. Donations in Tricias name can be made to Collabria Hospice, St Judes Childrens Hospital, or the American Cancer Society. Napa County next year could take a high-profile, $2.5 million step in its disaster recovery road repair efforts by finally taming the Silverado Trail slide. A triple whammy of storms, fire and earthquake in recent years took their toll on the rural road system. The storm damage at Silverado Trail stands out because this is a major north-south Napa Valley roadway handling more than 10,000 trips daily. The storms of January 2017 caused volcanic boulders the size of a Volkswagens to fall onto Silverado Trail near Pratt Avenue north of St. Helena. The county had to remove dozens of truckloads of debris to keep the road open. Ever since then, a short section of road has been narrowed to make room for an 8-foot-tall, steel-and-concrete wall that protects drivers from further slides. The Pratt Avenue entrance to the road has been closed because of this jury-rigged safety measure. The permanent Silverado solution is at hand. Were designing a fix that will stabilize that slide, county Public Works Director Steven Lederer said. He stepped to a white board and sketched out the situation. The hill along the road has the bottom 50 feet or so carved away by slides, making the soils above unstable. The idea is to fill this gap with rock, basically creating a stronger, stable version of the hillside. A small fence or netting could be added for extra protection from small, rolling debris. Work could begin next spring and the project could be done next summer, Lederer said. Then the concrete wall would be removed and Silverado Trail would be a normal width, with the Pratt Avenue connection restored. The narrowness of Silverado Trail at the wall hasnt created an accident hot spot, according to Lederer. But, he said, it is inconvenient for cyclists. When the Silverado Trail slide stabilization work is done, Lederer will be able to tick off one more item from the countys long disaster road-repair list. The storms damaged about 40 road sites to varying degrees, county officials announced in their wake. From Mount Veeder to Wooden Valley to Pope Valley to Lake Berryessa, rain-triggered slides left their mark on rural pavement. Last year, the county began work on six storm-related projects at a cost of $9.5 million. A new county roads list shows 22 major storm repair projects remaining to be done over three years at an estimated cost of about $19 million. Several Mount Veeder residents went to the Sept. 11 Board of Supervisors meeting to talk roads. They said narrow Mount Veeder Road was bad before the 2017 storms and worse afterward, with two areas that go down to one lane because of slides. Our road is our lifeline, our safety, Vicky Van Dewark said. Our property values are all being threatened. In the wake of the October wildfires, cement trucks are coming up the road to help with rebuilding, Van Dewark said. Logging trucks are coming up. We need our road fixed, she said. The October wildfires didnt ruin road pavement, but created its own set of road issues. The 2018-19 county budget released last spring mentions replacing about a mile of fire-damaged guardrails and removing 340 fire-damaged trees, in addition to repair work already done. Some road damage from the 2014 South Napa earthquake remains to be fixed. The 2018-19 budget mentioned 23 remaining projects. Among them is replacing the damaged bridge on rural Partrick Road in the southernmost Mayacamas Mountains about a mile outside of Napa city limits. The county in November 2014 slipped a steel, military-style Bailey bridge over the top to shore the structure up until it can build a new bridge. The county is still pursing Federal Emergency Management Agency money to replace the Partrick Road bridge, Lederer said. The bridge replacement cost is listed as $2 million on the countys roads list. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. In a major upset verdict in the first round of polls in Bhutan, incumbent Prime Minister Tshering Tobgays Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been ousted from the race, and will not run in the second and final round next month, The Hindu reported. Instead, the Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) headed by Dr Lotay Tshering, and the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) will face off on October 18. The DNT won the highest number of votes. Reacting to the shock verdict, outgoing PM Tobgay said the people of Bhutan had spoken. The Peoples Democratic Party graciously accepts their decision. The will of the people must prevail in a democracy, the newspaper quoted PM Tobgay as saying. Tobgay, who is a Harvard educated leader, managed to develop good relations between India and Bhutan, including during last years tense Doklam standoff with China. President pays tribute to martyrs of recent Artsakh war Turkey defense minister stubbornly does not see Azerbaijan provocations Armenia opposition MP not elected legislature defense committee deputy chair for 11th time Armenia PM spokesperson resigns Armenia parliament speaker: We have paid very high price for our mistakes Armenia premier appoints new deputy FM 1,121 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Karabakh MFA: Artsakh will never be part of Azerbaijan Russia peacekeepers patrol Karabakh line of contact Investigative Committee: Azerbaijan soldier entered Artsakh, fired at waterline repairmen (PHOTOS) Newspaper: 114 soldiers and civilians are returned so far from Azerbaijan to Armenia US State Department issues statement on 1-year anniversary of Karabakh ceasefire declaration Armenia ruling power MPs visit Yerevan military pantheon Newspaper: Ex-police chief continues knocking on opposition Armenia Blocs door Armenia MFA: Realities created by use of force against Artsakh cannot create basis for Karabakh conflict settlement Newspaper: Russia army Southern Military District deputy commander coming to Armenia on special mission Armenia ruling power MPs visit Yerevan military pantheon Reporters are allowed into Yerevan military pantheon only after PM motorcades departure Armenia PM is at Yerevan military pantheon Erdogan congratulates Aliyev Armenia 2nd President: We're going to get rid of these authorities through barricades or elections Russia, Azerbaijan FMs discuss trilateral statement signed on November 9, 2020 Armenia FM strongly condemns Azerbaijan's provocations during phone talks with Russian counterpart armlur.am: Armenia ex-police chief: I support Robert Kocharyan, he can help get country out of this situation Council of Armenia's Tegh village: Horse that crossed over to Azerbaijani side has returned Russian and Armenia FMs continue to exchange views ahead of anniversary of adoption of trilateral statement Armenia MFA issues statement strongly condemning Azerbaijan's gross violation of ceasefire regime Armenia ruling party representative appointed Shirak Province governor Ex-deputy chief of Armenian army's General Staff Tiran Khachatryan attends opposition's rally Armenia 2nd President: Demarcation with border of Azerbaijan will predetermine status of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenia 2nd President presents 4 facts about 44-day war 168.am: Armenia ex-defense minister Vagharshak Harutyunyan to be appointed Ambassador to Russia Armenia defense minister pays working visit to Karabakh and then visits Sev Lake territory of Syunik Province Young Armenians hold demonstration in defense of Armenia and Artsakh in Athens Opposition 'Armenia' Alliance adopts declaration at end of rally at Freedom Square in Yerevan One of civilians injured in Shushi is in severe condition, 2 persons' condition is of medium severity NEWS.am daily digest: 08.11.21 Armenia police apprehend female participant of rally at Freedom Square Armenian FM receives outgoing UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia Traffic stopped at intersection near Karabakh's Shushi after gunshots fired by Azerbaijanis at water company employees Opposition 'Armenia' alliance holding rally at Freedom Square in Yerevan Police troops deployed at Freedom Square in Yerevan and nearby streets Opposition Armenia parliament faction leader: This unblocking will lead to deeper blockade Armen Sarkissian: Armenia could become a base country for Russia for development of certain directions Two of three civilians injured in Artsakh are undergoing surgeries, condition is stable but grave Sarkissian: Armenia's relations with a third country are theorem but those with Russia are axiom Hulusi Akar: Turkey expects Armenia to discuss 3+3 platform proposal Dollar quite stable in Armenia Armenia President on relations with Turkey: Nothing will work out, if there is no mutual respect Iran MFA: We hope to see development of relations with Azerbaijan as much as possible Armenian enemy uttered in every paragraph of Azerbaijan presidents address Karabakh National Security Service: Azerbaijanis shoot civilians working on water pipelines near Shushi Artsakh President gets vaccinated against Covid Mijatovic: Humanitarian and human rights protection needed following 2020 hostilities in Karabakh Armenia President states how long Russian peacekeepers will need to be in Nagorno-Karabakh Health minister: Real number of people infected with COVID-19 may be 2-3 times greater in Armenia Armenia PM sending Chief Compulsory Enforcement Officer to Dubai on business trip Peskov: Exact date of Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia leaders video-link talks not determined yet Turkey defense minister: Armenia must stop enmity, look forward Protesters submit report on crime to Armenia Prosecutor General's Office, demand sentencing PM Beglaryan: Artsakh Armenians righteous struggle continues for international recognition of their independence Armenia town womans fellow city resident is detained in connection with her death as result of severe beating Karabakh parliament to convene special session Tuesday Economy minister: Agricultures share in Armenia's total GDP will inevitably decrease 4 more persons die of coronavirus in Artsakh Armenian Genocide recognition bill to be debated on at UK House of Commons on Tuesday Demonstration against November 2020 tripartite statement being held in Yerevan 810 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Health minister: More than 890,000 people in Armenia have been vaccinated against Covid Pregnant woman dies of coronavirus in Armenia World oil prices on the rise CSTO peacekeepers military exercises kicking off in Russia Armenian monastery in Artsakh becomes target of Azerbaijan propaganda (PHOTOS) International conference on non-use of lands in Armenia being held in Yerevan Biden approval rating reaches record low Snow crab sold for about $44,000 at Japan market auction Fatal hit-and-run occurs in Armenias Shirak Province Artsakh President signs decree on winter military conscription and demobilization NASA approves idea of cross-flights into space with Russia Armenian solider fatally wounded Iraqi creates special commission to investigate assassination attempt on PM Parliament to discuss mandate for Turkish military presence extension in Azerbaijan Police detain over 20 people at a large-scale rally of eco-activists in Glasgow 19 people killed in Mexican accident Large-scale military drills begin in southern Iran Armenian ex-president's mom dies aged 93 1,417 new cases of COVID-19 infection detected in Armenia Number of hospitalized due to food poisoning at pizzeria chains 2 Yerevan restaurants rises to 122 Ex-President Kocharyan will deliver comprehensive speech at November 8 rally, says opposition Armenia Bloc MP At least 100 killed in fuel tanker explosion in Sierra Leone Russia, Iran FMs discuss situation in South Caucasus Armenia army General Staff ex-deputy chief withdraws one lawsuit filed with Administrative Court New Armenian ambassador presents copies of his credentials to head of Greece MFA protocol department US House of Representatives passes $1 trillion infrastructure development bill Azerbaijan destroys Artsakhs Madatashen village school, house of culture, monument, damages St. Astvatsatsin Church Deputy PM Papikyan is elected Chairman of Yerevan State University Board of Trustees Russia, US engaged in dialogue on strategic stability Economy minister: China on list of main export destinations for Armenia Turkey court finds word Jew offensive 12 of Million Mask March participants arrested in London YEREVAN. The Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan said he is not going to hold any secret talks with any leader, including Turkeys Erdogan. His comment came in response to speculations about his meeting with Erdogan. Such thing has not happened, the only contacts, and I told it before, took place in Brussels when the Turkish foreign minister was passing by, then he came back, said hello and left. No one is going to hold any secret talks with any leader, especially with Turkish president. We are not going to take any secret moves. If there is any conversation, public will be informed, Pashinyan told reporters in the town of Armavir. Asked whether the situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border is tense given that an Armenian villager was injured, Pashinyan said that the situation on the border has been tense for already 30 years. He also said that he had talked to the injured villager. When asked about Turkish teen who crossed illegally the Armenian border, PM urged to send inquiries to the police. Earlier Turkeys Hurriyet newspaper said that Erdogan called Armenian PM and asked to hand over 16-year-old villager Umut Ali Ozmen to Turkey. The Armenian Foreign Minister has dismissed reports about a phone call. Home | News | General | Breaking: Former finance minister Kemi Adeosun reportedly departs Nigeria - Kemi Adeosun is reported to have left Nigeria hours after her resignation letter was accepted - Until her resignation, she has been Nigeria's finance minister since November 2015 - The former minister was accused of forging her National Youths Service Corp ( NYSC) exemption letter Former finance minister, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, has reportedly left Nigeria hours after her resignation letter was accepted by President Muhammadu Buhari. Adeosun who has been Nigeria's finance minister since November 2015, stepped down from office on Friday, September 14. According to Premium Times, her associates disclosed the latest development on Saturday, September 15. READ ALSO:PDP alleges freezing of Adeleke, Davidos accounts by EFCC as activist says it was a lie She has left Nigeria, a source said. She most likely is in the UK by now. Also, following her resignation as Nigeria's finance minister Adeosun, who was accused of forging her National Youths Service Corp ( NYSC) exemption letter, risks 14 year jail term over the incident according to Shuaibu Sule, a lawyer, the news outlet reported. The lawyer listed five offences he said the minister is liable for. According to him, the offences are: 1. Forgery 2. possession of fake document 3. Altering 4. Giving false information 5. Skipping the national service Quoting the Penal Code Law and the National Youth Service (NYSC) Act, the lawyer said these offences carry jail terms of between one to 14 years. According to the news outlet, the lawyer also said Mrs Adeosun could be charged for offences under Section 140 of the Penal Code, which borders on giving false information and attracts up to one year prison term and/or fine. Going further, he submitted that the penal code which operates in the northern part of the country, including Abuja would apply to Adeosun as the offence was committed in Abuja. He argued further that sections 364 and 368 of the same law provides for up to 14 years in jail for faking a document and being in possessing of fake documents. He however added that there is provision for fine that could go either as complement of substitution for jail term. The lawyer was also reported to have claimed that Adeosun is also liable for uttering presenting fake document as genuine. He said on conviction, this could attract maximum jail term of 14 years, as provided for in Section 366 of the law. He said eligible Nigerians who skipped the service are liable to be sentenced to 12 months imprisonment and/or N2,000 fine, according to the section 13 of the NYSC law. The report added that: "Section 13 (3) of the law also prescribes 3-year jail term or option of N5,000 fine for anyone who contravenes provision of the law, as Mrs Adeosun is alleged to have. "Subsection 4 of the same section also criminalises giving false information or illegally obtaining the services certificate. It provides for up to three year jail term for such offenders." NAIJ.com had reported that President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, September 14, approved Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed as the acting minister of finance, following the resignation of Kemi Adeosun as the minister of finance over a certificate forgery scandal. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app NAIJ.com reports that before her new appointment, Ahmed was the state minister, Budget and national planning of the federal republic of Nigeria. What Should President Buhari do to Adeosun Over Alleged Certificate Forgery? | - on NAIJ.com TV [embedded content] Subscribe to watch new videos Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | FG blasts HSBC over bleak Buhari prophecy, links media outfit with Abacha loot - Federal government has hit out against HSBC for predicting that the second term of President Muhammadu Buhari would stunt the economy - The federal government accused the banking giant of supporting looting of Nigeria's treasury - It also accused the banking giant of shielding stolen funds of one of the leaders of the Nigerian Senate The Nigerian government has slammed a caveat on the prophecy by the global banking giant HSBC which predicted that the second term of President Muhammadu Buhari would stunt the economy. Dismissing the banks bleak scenario for Nigeria post 2019, government said on the contrary, what killed Nigerias economy in the past was the unbridled looting of state resources by leaders, actively supported by HSBC. Government recalled how the bank soiled its hands with millions of US dollars yet-to-be-recovered Abacha loot, and continued until a few months ago to shield the stolen funds of one of the leaders of the Nigerian Senate. READ ALSO: Former finance minister Kemi Adeosun reportedly departs Nigeria It wondered how a bank with such a reputation could wield the moral right whatsoever to project that a second term for Mr. Buhari raises the risk of limited economic progress and further fiscal deterioration. Rather, we ask them to heed President Buharis constant refrain: return our stolen assets, then see how well we will do, said Malam Garba Shehu, senior special assistant on the media, who issued a statement on behalf of the Presidential Villa. From the facts available to our investigation agencies, HSBCs put down on President Buhari is no more than an expression of frustration over the administrations measures put in place which has abolished grand corruption, the type which this bank thrives on in many countries. They may also just be out to discredit the president out of the fear of sanctions and fines following the national assets that are stolen. With the coming of President Buhari, it is not a secret that corruption, corrupt individuals, banks and other corporate entities that aided corrupt practices are under investigation for various offenses. For many of them, including their friends in the media, they would rather have President Buhari out of their way, for business as usual to return. Our investigation agencies believe that HSBC had laundered more than USD 100,000,000 for the late General Sani Abacha in Jersey, Paris, London and Geneva. Among these accounts on the records are: AC: S-104460 HSBC Fund Admin Ltd. Jersey ($12,000,000); AC 37060762 HSBC Life (Europe), U.K ($20,000,000) and AC: 38175076 HSBC Bank Plc. U.K ($1,600,000). The bank is also suspected in the laundering of proceeds of corruption involving more than 50 other Nigerians, including a serving Senator as earlier indicated. In a book, Secrecy World: Inside the Panama Papers Investigation, published in 2017, Jack Bernstein told the story of global money laundering highlighting the unenviable place of the HSBC. This is a bank that states and federal authorities in the U.S. forced to pay $1.92 billion to settle charges of money laundering; fined $1.2 billion in Hong Kong for systemic deficiencies in bond sales and was made to pay $100 million in currency rigging settlement as reported by The Telegraph of 18th January, 2018. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had also reported the federal government described the predictions on the 2019 general elections by two British-based institutions, HSBC and The Economists, as fake and a psychological warfare against the anti-corruption policies of the current administration. The minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stated this when he paid an advocacy visit to Channels Television on Friday, September 14. Nigeria Latest News: Not Too Young to Run Pay a Visit to APC and PDP - on NAIJ.com TV [embedded content] Subscribe to watch new videos Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | 2019: Former APC spokesman reacts to alleged threat to Atiku's life - Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, recently raised an alarm over death threats he and his immediate family received - Atiku said the threats were due to his decision to contest the 2019 presidential election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) - Comrade Timi Frank has given his reaction on the alleged death threats The immediate past deputy national publicity secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Timi Frank, has lamented the alleged death threats to former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, and his immediate family. Atiku recently raised an alarm over death threats he and his immediate family received, adding that the threats were due to his decision to contest the 2019 presidential election on the platform of the PDP. Reacting to the development in a statement on Saturday, September 15, Comrade Frank wondered how it become an offence to have ambition and to contest against an incumbent President in a democratic system of government. READ ALSO: Nigerian ambassador to Qatar is dead According to Frank, some of the threat messages sent to the Waziri Adamawa, his wife Mrs. Jennifer Atiku and some of his children were done to protect the presidency and to force Atiku, who is seen as one of the serious challengers out of presidential race. He said a particular telephone number had sent text messages to Mrs. Jennifer Atiku asking her to warn her husband (Atiku) from contesting presidential election against President Muhammadu Buhari. Nothing must happen to Atiku or any of his family members. In fact, we expect the federal government to ensure his protection the more at this juncture just like what former President Goodluck Jonathan did to Buhari when he was contesting the seat, Frank warned. Comrade Frank further said, if anything happen to the former vice president, the ruling party should be held responsible. I will appeal to all lovers of democracy to rise up in defence of opposition leaders and their families in Nigeria. Our foreign friends, world leaders and organisations should not close their eyes to our journey to 2019 general elections, he added. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Similarly, Comrade Frank has condemned the recent invasion of Chief Edwin Clark's house in Abuja by policemen. Frank said the illegal invasion and search of the house of the elder statesmen and Ijaw leader should attract heavy sanctions to those culpable. He also called for the sack of the Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris adding that the current police boss has shown lack of capacity, disrespect for the constitution and flagrant disregard to the rule of law in handling the affairs of the security agency. Nigeria Latest News: Atiku Abubakar - Exclusive Comments About The Elections | Naij.com TV [embedded content] Subscribe to watch new videos Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Its Ogors turn to produce Delta House of Assembly member Group As the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, primaries is around the corner, Committee of friends of Hon. Kelly Oghenekevwe, House of Assembly hopeful in Ughelli North constituency 1, has appealed to the leadership of the party to allow Ogor community produce the next House of Assembly member. Delta State House of Assembly Ogor community, it was learnt has not held any elective position since inception of democracy, hence there is this clarion call by party faithful, friends, community and party leaders to give Ogor the opportunity to produce the next House of Assembly member for Ughelli North constituency 1. The Chairman of the Committee of Friends, Comrade Donald Atatah who spoke to newsmen at the state party secretariat, Asaba, during the submission of Interest and Nomination forms, called on the party to ensure credible primaries and avoid imposition of candidates, saying PDP will be unfair to the community if they fail to give Ogor ample chance after 19 years of democracy. Throwing light on how other communities had held elective positions in constituency 1, Atatah said from the Orogun axis; 1992 to 1993, Hon. Ugono, SDP, House of Assembly, Hon. Ojefia, PDP, House of Assembly, 1999 to 2007, Hon. Friday Onojae, Council chairman, 2006 to 2007, again, 2007 to 2011, Hon. Friday Onojae, House of Assembly. Others from Agbarha; Dr Akpojaro, NPN, Bendel House of Assembly, 1979 1982, H.E. late Felix Ibru, SDP, Gov., 1992 1993, again, late Felix Ibru, PDP, Senate, Delta Central; 2003 2007, Hon. Kenneth Ibru, PDP, Ughelli Council Chairman, 2008 2011 and Hon. Kenneth Ibru, 2014 2017, while Evwreni had Hon. Samuel Mariere, PDP, House of Assembly in 2011 to 2015 and still continues till 2019. The committee said these communities around Ughelli North Constituency 1 have held several elective positions without Ogor community holding one, appealing to the leadership of the party to look inward and consider the community to produce the next House of Assembly member to represent the people of Ughelli North constituency 1. While appealing to the party leadership and the state governor, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa to consider their appeal and give Ogor community the privilege, Atatah commended other party faithful for their massive support for Hon. Emuoghenerue E. Oghenekevwe Kelly whose dream, he said will be actualized come 2019. Atatah explained that their interest to stand by Hon. Kelly after several calls by his kinsmen had beckoned on him to come and represent them since the community has not been given its fair share for elective position over the decade. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Kumuyi, Utomi to address youths in Lagos Deeper Christian Life Ministry is set to host youths, numbering 50,000, from all over Lagos State, in a one day program designed to inculcate the noblest and the highest of virtues in the youths, and steer them away from the swarm of anti-social and push-pull tendencies that are causing great distractions for them especially in this era of unbridled exposure to the social media. Kumuyi In a release issued from the office of the General Superintendent, the one day event, which will hold on Saturday, September 22 in the newly commissioned church headquarters in Gbagada, will involve strategic multi-disciplinary learning, leadership skills, entrepreneurial focus, with strong Spiritual underpinnings, and hosted by Pastor W.F. Kumuyi, the General Superintendent. The Keynote Speaker is Professor Pat Utomi. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | N4.3b pension scam: You lied, PDP tells Gov. Bello By BOLUWAJI OBAHOPO, LOKOJA Kogi State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed the claims by the state government that two former governors of the state under the party embezzled N4.3 billion pension fund, describing the allegation as baseless and an antic to hide its maladministration. Bello The party, in a statement by its Director of Research and Documentation, Achadu Dickson, said the Bello administration was only looking for avenue to hide its incompetency, especially its inability to pay workers and pensioners. The party said on the contrary, pensioners were better off under the PDP administration in the state. The statement reads apart, Once again, attention seekers and barefaced liars are on the prowl in the Confluence State. After currying public outrage over its inability to pay workers/ pensioners salaries and particularly sucking from the burden of a controversial screening and staff verification exercise, the Yahaya Bello administration has retooled its jaded and largely discredited propaganda machinery. For the umpteenth time, its target is the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and her Two former Governors in the State, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, CON and his successor, Capt. Idris Ichalla Wada. The governments latest antics is contained in a series of media reports credited to Kingsley Fanwo, Director General Media and Publicity to Governor Bello, in which he claimed government had uncovered a N4.3bn pension fraud. In short, Fanwo laboured in vain to shift the blame of non payment of gratuities and pension allowances of retirees by his boss, to the former governors. Yahaya Bellos inability or unwillingness to meet its financial obligations to workers. Pensioners and contractors is legendary. Each time the government makes an attempt to explain it away, it comes off worse and more laughable. The Nine years Alhaji Ibrahim Idris governed Kogi, still remain the golden years in the history of the State. Under him pension funds were judiciously applied and pensioners were paid their monthly allowances as and when due. His administration also introduced pension reforms that ensured retiring staffs were immediately placed on pension starting from the month they retired. In addition, he increased pension benefits through the introduction of relativity, which ensured the least paid pensioner earned a living minimum pension up from the paltry allowance they were being paid. Due to the high figure of outstanding gratuity benefits which he inherited and paucity of funds, gratuities were scheduled on the basis of first come, first served subject to availability of funds. The administration religiously implemented the gratuity time table fairly without let or hindrance. Certainly, Ibrahim Idris did not supervise the mismanagement of pension funds or any funds for that matter, as erroneously alleged by Governor Bellos garrulous spokesperson. We challenge the Bello administration to publish the names of accounts where pension funds were fraudulently paid, dates of transactions and other account details like lodgments, withdrawals and how the former governor was complicit in such scam. The party also chronicled some of the achievements of the two former governors whom they stated, dwarfed the performance of the present APC led government, It is on record that Alhaji Ibrahim Idris supervised one of the most thorough and prudent administrations in the history of Kogi State. The administrations human capital package was superb. For the Nine years he was in the saddle he cleared Three months salary and pension arrears which he inherited, paid salaries, pensions, impress, leave bonuses and other emoluments as and when due, and was the first to implement the N18,000 minimum wage in the North. The administration also paid bursary WAEC/NECO examination fees for all eligible students even as it did not default in its responsibilities to contractors. The greater Lokoja water scheme, International Market, Specialist Hospital, Confluence Stadium, State Secretariat Phase II housing estates and others too numerous to mention still set the Ibro years aside. It is worthy of note that Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, did not obtain any foreign or bank loans and could not have bequeathed any. Again, we challenge Fanwo to furnish the public with any contrary details or issue an apology to the former governor. Fanwo in his futile attempt to justify non-payment of salary/pensions in the State ended up playing the ostrich. Not surprising though, since the government has been running from pillar to post on this issue. First it was ghost workers that over bloated the wage bill, then began the longest screening and staff verification exercise in the history of any people which is yet to be concluded three years after. The administration is now blaming the non payment of salaries on inherited debts and embezzled pension funds. This government should halt the charade, stop maligning the hard earned reputation of others and face up to its duties. Kogi people who are owed between 4 27 months are wailing and tired of excuses. The Bello administration should start thinking of how to account for the Bail out funds, balance of the 20bn bond, ecological funds, Paris Club refunds, federal project refunds and the monthly allocations it had frittered away in loose living. Its death knell is close. Our great party the PDP and its Two illustrious former governors cannot be intimidated. The mission to rescue fatherland from a band of prodigals is a task that must be accomplished. We sympathize with our pensioners and hard working good people of Kogi State, urge them to read between the lines and get their PVCs ready. For the clueless administration in Lugard House, defeat is imminent. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | APC Primaries : Group appeals to Akeredolu to allow level-playing ground A youth group within the Ondo State chapter of the APC, Akoko APC-Youth Solidarity Movement (AYSM), has appealed to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu to allow a level-playing ground for all aspirants seeking the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest in the 2019 elections. Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu The group, in a statement by its Coordinator, Olatunji Akinwale, on Friday, harped on the need for transparent and credible primaries to allow for the emergence of best candidates to represent the party at the general elections. Akinwale, who commended the governor for his exemplary leadership and judicious management of the affairs of the state chapter of the party and governance in Ondo, said the call became necessary because some aspirants had started dropping the name of Akeredolu to deceive party members. We also have it on good note that some of these aspirants have started sowing the seed of discord among party members by going to town to spread falsehood that the governor has told other aspirants to step down because the political permutation does not favour them. Particular mention must be made of a committed and dedicated member of the party who we believe stands out among the aspirants to represent Akoko North East/West Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives. We call and appeal to the leader of our great party in Ondo State, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, a product and lover of democratic process, to give all aspirants, from Akoko area jostling for the APC ticket, a level-playing ground so that the best and most acceptable candidate can emerge. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | 2019: Omo-Agege will respect every worthy opponent Efe Duku By Gab Ejuwa Senior Legislative Aide to Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, representing Delta Central Senatorial District of Delta State, Mr. Efe Duku, has stated that the senator will respect every worthy opponent as he prefers healthy and robust debates on how best to advance the Urhobo peoples interests. Omo-Agege In a statement signed by Mr. Duku, he said that Senator Omo-Agege will never tolerate shenanigans, pettiness, hate and unprovoked attack from anyone, including other APC senatorial aspirants. According to him, the senator was aware of the distasteful, hateful and libelous media comments credited to an APC senatorial aspirant at an event arranged to choreograph his entry into the Delta Central Senate race. He said in the statement, while it is not unusual for unqualified lightweights to project false political strengths in election seasons, the senate aspirants choice to stray misguidedly into the senate race with only vile disrespect for his senator is just too arrogant and provocative to condone. We respect his age, but we are incapable of tolerating such daring nuisance from anyone. First, it can only take the senatorial aspirant who worships every anti-Buhari machination to naively characterise Senator Omo-Ageges fearless rejection of legislative impunity and tyranny in the senate and unqualified support for President Muhammadu Buhari as rascality. It can only take the envious APC senatorial aspirant to talk down on the politically savvy of Omo-Agege who as a senate candidate in 2015 scored almost 10 times more votes than him who was a so-called governorship candidate, he said. He disregarded our senators wise counsel on the need to follow His Excellency Comrade Adams Oshiomholes trusted leadership. Now, he is paying a price for his political naivete. He can only come out of it if he humbles himself and refrains from disruptive politics. It is in his best interest to accept this free advice and deal with reality, he added. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | President Buhari mourns Nigerias Ambassador to Qatar, Bawa Wase Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed sadness over the sudden death of Nigerias Ambassador to Qatar, Mr. Abdullahi Bawa Wase. The presidents condolence message is contained in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Saturday. While extending his condolences to the family members, the government and people of Plateau, Buhari praised the roles played by the late Wase in conflict resolution efforts in Plateau. Buhari recalled that, even before his appointment as Ambassador, Wase was very prominently involved in community peace activism. He, therefore, prayed to Allah to forgive the sins of the late Ambassador and grant his family the fortitude to bear the loss. Wase, a non-career ambassador from Plateau, died after a protracted illness on Friday night. The remains of the deceased had since been buried in Doha, Qatar, at about 7.p.m (local time).(NAN) CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Jihadists kill at least nine in Burkina Faso twin attacks At least nine civilians have been killed in twin attacks in eastern Burkina Faso, a poor West African country where jihadists have been gaining ground in recent months, local authorities said Saturday. Terror attack: Smoke billows from the Burkina Faso army headquarters in Ouagadougou on Friday File Photo Two terror attacks were carried out in the villages of Diabiga and Kompienbiga overnight Friday in eastern Kompienga province, the regional governor said in an earlier statement. An unnamed security source told AFP that one of the attacks had targeted the home of a Islamic religious leader and other Muslims. Five people including the leader were killed, he said, adding that three others were injured on the attack on the house which is next to a mosque. One of the injured later succumbed to their wounds. Meanwhile, three people belonging to the same family were killed and another two injured by suspected jihadists on mopeds, according to another security source. Since 2015, Burkina Faso has battled increased Islamist violence of the sort that plagues neighbouring Mali and Niger, and experts say the recent surge is likely the result of pressure on jihadist insurgents there. The capital Ouagadougou has been hit by three attacks over the past two years leaving a total of 60 people dead. Last week Burkinabe President Roch Marc Christian Kabore promised new security measures to eradicate the scourge of terrorism. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Israeli missiles target Damascus airport An Israeli missile attack targeted the Syrian capitals airport late Saturday, activating air defences which shot down a number of the projectiles, state news agency SANA reported. Israeli air raid in Gaza Our air defences responded to an Israeli missile attack on Damascus international airport and shot down a number of hostile missiles, a military source said, quoted by SANA. The agency, without giving any information on casualties or damage, posted footage and images of the air defences being activated. In a shaky video, a small, bright explosion is seen in the night sky, with city lights in the distance. AFPs correspondent in Damascus heard a loud blast late Saturday, followed by several smaller explosions. The Israeli military declined to comment on the incident. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said Saturdays strikes hit a weapons depot outside the airport. The missiles, suspected to be Israeli, destroyed an arms warehouse near the Damascus international airport, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. He had no immediate information on casualties. Israel has vowed to prevent its arch-foe Iran, which is a main backer of Syrias government, from gaining a foothold in neighbouring war-torn Syria. Earlier this month, Israel acknowledged having carried out more than 200 strikes in Syria over the past 18 months, mainly against Iranian targets. It has also admitted to striking Syria to prevent what it says are deliveries of advanced weaponry to Lebanons Hezbollah, an armed movement backed by Iran and which fights alongside Syrian troops. The last reported Israeli strikes on Syria took place on September 4, when Syrian state media said the militarys air defences downed several missiles in the coastal province of Tartus and in central Hama. The Observatory also reported those raids and said they killed three Syrian soldiers. Syrias conflict erupted in 2011 and has since killed more than 360,000 people, with millions more displaced internally and to neighbouring countries. After losing swathes of territory to rebel groups, President Bashar al-Assads troops have regained the upper hand and are now in control of around two-thirds of the ravaged country. They were bolstered by nearly three years of air strikes by their key ally Russia and Iranian, Iraqi, Lebanese, and other foreign fighters on the ground. Soldiers and other loyalist fighters had been amassing around Idlib, the largest rebel-held zone left in Syria, for several weeks. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied that Syrian troops were planning a major offensive for the area. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | The Federal Government Is Currently Planning To Smuggle Adeosun Out Of Nigeria PDP Explodes The Peoples Democratic Party have made a scathing allegation, insinuating that the Federal Government is about to smuggle Kemi Adeosun out of Nigeria. According to a report by SaharaReporters, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for the immediate arrest of Kemi Adeosun, Nigerias former Minister of Finance, who resigned her position on Friday. Adeosuns resignation from office followed allegations of forgery of her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) exemption certificate. A statement by Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP National Publicity Secretary, called for Adeosuns immediate arrest and prosecution, while also alleging that there were plans by the Federal Government to help her evade prosecution, by secretly moving her out of the country. The statement read: The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) notes the resignation of Mrs. Kemi Adeosun from office as Minister of Finance, but insists on her immediate arrest and prosecution for deserting national service and forging her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Exemption Certificate in addition to alleged impropriety and abuse of office as minister. The party invites Nigerians to note that President Muhammadu Buhari, whose administration has become notorious for shielding its many fraudulent and corrupt officials, could not summon the rectitude to sack Mrs. Adeosun, adding that she would have still been in office, if not for the sustained uproar by Nigerians and international creditors. Our investigations reveal that the Federal Government, which earlier made efforts to defend Mrs. Adeosun, has already perfected a plot to help her to evade prosecution following fears that she could open up on the humongous corruption going on in the financial sector under the Buhari administration. The PDP is also aware of plots by the Federal Government to secretly move her out of the country, and for that, we urge the international community to be at alert and ensure she is repatriated to face justice in Nigeria should the Federal Government succeeds in its devious plan. Furthermore, we are also aware that President Buhari was not by any measure prepared to drop her from his cabinet but for the demand by those responsible for her appointment, who protested her continued stay in office, although for their own selfish gains. A case of corruption fighting back! The PDP therefore demands an immediate open inquest into the records of the Finance Ministry under Mrs. Adeosun, to unravel all improprieties by the Buhari Presidency cabal, including alleged diversion of oil proceeds, fraudulent oil subsidy deals, leading to high fuel price; depletion of our foreign reserves, embezzling of funds retuned by Switzerland and other huge sleazes in the ministry. PDP also insisted on holding the president responsible for all infractions in the finance ministry under Adeosun, as he appointed and retained her despite having information on the certificate forgery; a situation that confirms the decadence and lack of due diligence in the Buhari Presidency. The statement continued: Nigerians already know that the Buhari Presidency is a citadel of iniquity with inherent proficiency in stealing, forgery and manipulation of processes. This perhaps explains why President Buhari has not relieved his Special Assistant on Prosecution and Chairman of the Special Investigative Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla of his appointment in spite of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) confirmation that he forged his Secondary School Certificate. Is it not clear to all that the Buhari administrations so-called anti-corruption war and purported integrity are mere orchestrations to hoodwink Nigerians and the international community, while Mr. President oversees the most corrupt administration in the history of our nation? CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Egypt court orders arrest of Mubaraks sons An Egyptian court on Saturday ordered the arrest of the two sons of former President Hosni Mubarak on charges of stock market manipulation , state media reported .The Cairo Criminal Court accuses Alaa and Gamal Mubarak of being involved in making unlawful profits of about 500 million pounds ( about 28 million dollars ) from manipulating stock market shares. Saturday s order includes three other defendants . All the defendants were being tried while they were at large after they had been released on bail in the case . The court set Oct . 20 for a trial . Egypt s long time dictator Hosni Mubarak was toppled in 2011 after nationwide protests against him . In 2015, Alaa and Gamal were sentenced along with their father to three years in prison on charges of embezzling state funds allocated for renovating presidential palaces . They were released in this case as they had already served the jail term in custody . Gamal was widely expected to succeed his father as president before the 2011 uprising . ( dap/ NAN ) CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | At least eight killed in Burkina Faso twin attacks At least eight civilians have been killed in twin attacks in eastern Burkina Faso , a poor West African country where jihadists have been gaining ground in recent months , local authorities said Saturday . Two terror attacks were carried out in the villages of Diabiga and Kompienbiga overnight in eastern Kompienga province , claiming at least eight lives , the regional governor said in a statement. An unnamed security source told AFP that one of the attacks had targeted the home of a religious leader who was killed along with four other people . Meanwhile , three people belonging to the same family were killed and another two injured by suspected jihadists on mopeds , according to another security source . Since 2015 , Burkina Faso has battled increased Islamist violence of the sort that plagues neighbouring Mali and Niger, and experts say the recent surge is likely the result of pressure on jihadist insurgents there . AFP CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | 2019: Suspense in Lagos as Ambode reportedly flies to Abuja to beg Tinubu over 2nd term bid - Governor Ambode reportedly flew to Abuja to beg Tinubu over his 2019 re-election bid - There are, however, unconfirmed reports that the APC national leader has not accepted to support the governors second term bid - Meanwhile, Muslims and Christians in Epe, Ambodes hometown, were said to have organised special prayers over his re-election The reported confusion over the re-election bid of Lagos state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, allegedly failed to clear off on Saturday, September 15 as the APC national leadership could not secure a firm commitment from its national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on the governors second term ambition. According to The Punch, the All Progressives Congress leaders, led by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the partys national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, who were said to be acting on the directives of President Muhammadu Buhari, met with Tinubu again to prevail on him to forgive Ambode his alleged infractions and back the governor to secure a second term. The newspaper said a source close to the national secretariat of the party said the effort of the leaders could not be said to have resolved the situation as Tinubu did not give Osinbajo and Oshiomhole any specific promise of supporting Ambode for a second term. READ ALSO: Breaking: Former finance minister Kemi Adeosun reportedly departs Nigeria The president asked the vice-president and the national chairman to resolve the crisis amicably so that the governor could get a second term. Osinbajo met Tinubu twice in Abuja on Friday on Ambodes matter, where he relayed the presidents message and the need to keep Lagos for the APC. He also told Asiwaju the president would not want the crisis to affect the party in the 2019 general elections. The national leader, however, maintained that there would be wider consultations back home before he would be able to accede to the request. He said the governors matter is beyond him alone. It is difficult to say what happened during the second meeting with Osinbajo but it appeared the vice-president and Tinubu were able to arrive at a meeting point, which is difficult to clarify, the source was quoted to have said. NAIJ.com gathered that Buharis foremost concern was that the crisis in Lagos state, which boasts of the highest number of registered voters, if not well-managed, could affect his political calculations for his second term bid. As the APC leaders battled to save the embattled governors second term ambition, Ambode also reportedly flew to Tinubus house in Abuja, where he appealed to the former Lagos state governor to forgive him his alleged offences. Yes, it was part of the efforts we are making from this end to save the party from the crisis in the state and the nation. The governor came to beg Tinubu in his residence in Abuja to forgive him. I think the appeal helped to reduce the tension and soften the ground for the governor. It is, however, difficult to say if that had ended the crisis. Some governors have also called the national leader, pleading with him to save their poster boy the humiliation of not getting a second term. Their fears are that such development in Lagos, which is the economic nerve centre of the country, could have a negative effect on the fortunes of the party in other states, The Punch quoted another source. The newspaper added that a source in the camp of the Lagos ex-governor confirmed the meeting between Tinubu and his political godson in Abuja. Yes, the meeting held. He (Ambode) saw Asiwaju in Abuja but I cannot give you any detail, he said. It was gathered that one of the gubernatorial aspirants believed to be backed by Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu, and his loyalists will hold Lagos declaration rally today, Sunday, September 16. It was also learnt that Tinubu returned to Lagos on Saturday, September 25 as preparations for the rally and formal declaration of an APC governorship aspirant in the state, Jide Sanwo-Olu, were being concluded. Meanwhile, some segments of Epe, the hometown of Ambode, had reportedly embarked on prayers to save the head of their son, whom they believed had positively contributed to the modernisation of the ancient town. The prayers, it was learnt, cut across Muslims, Christians and traditional worshippers. The Olu-Epe of Epe town, Oba Sefiu Olatunji Adewale, reportedly attended a special Islamic vigil organised by the Muslim Community at the Epe Central Mosque, on Friday night, September 14 and lasted till the early hours on Sunday, September 16. The prayer session is an annual programme meant to pray for the general well-being of all Epe indigenes. A resident of the community, who spoke on condition of anonymity, reportedly said that notable indigenes of the town, especially Muslims, attended the prayer session. Asked if the special prayers were offered for the governor, the source said: Definitely, he (Ambode) would be the special focus of such prayers at this time. Everybody in the town wants him to return for a second term and we are not happy with his current predicament. The Christians and traditional worshippers have also joined in the prayers. If we miss this opportunity, only God knows when Epe will have the same opportunity again. In this place, everybody is for Ambode; no division. That is why you dont see any of the chairmen from this area in the meetings that had been held on this crisis. The seven Epe chairmen were not at the Watercress Hotel meeting on Saturday either. If anyone is believed to be against Ambode, the person could go missing, either now or later," the source said. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app NAIJ.com previously reported that the controversies trailing the second term bid of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos statetook another twist as Tinubu reportedly told the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christians Church of God, Pastor Adeboye, that he (Tinubu), will not prevail on any of the aspirants to step down. New Telegraph reported that this was as one of the aspirants and former commissioner for works and infrastructural development, Obafemi Hamzat confirmed Tinubus stance on the September 26 primary, saying the national leader of the APC has no anointed candidate among the contenders. Ambode's second term is shaking, says Lagos woman - On NAIJ.com TV [embedded content] Subscribe to watch new videos Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Eat NGo to spend more on Nigerias economy EatNGo, a local company behind Dominos Pizza, a Quick Service Restaurant (QSR), says the best way it can help develop the Nigerian economy is to spend its money in Nigeria as much as possible, as it marks sixth anniversary. The companys Chief Executive Officer, Pat McMicheal, said in a statement that the company focuses on partnering with local businesses to grow the Eat N Go network of stores. Nigerian flag It is the companies target to reinvest as much as possible in Nigeria working with local suppliers and contractors to build and supply the growing store network, best way we can help develop the Nigerian economy is to spend our money in Nigeria as much as possible, McMichael stated. EatNGo is a proud Nigerian company with over 2,000 Nigerian team members spread across the country. These men and women are a major part of the success the company has enjoyed over the past 6years. Speaking, Human Resources Head for Eat N Go, Olusola Adeeko, said: The companys strategy for staff retention with the above award salaries. We are proud to make sure that we pay our team well to retain our team. There are special incentives given to store teams who go above set targets. This builds a culture of we all win at the same time CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Keyamo reacts to former finance minister Adeosuns resignation, blasts PDP - President Buharis 2019 campaign spokesperson, Festus Keyamo, has reacted to the resignation of former finance minister, Adeosun - Keyamo said there is hardly any government in the world that is free from scandals concerning its officials - He attacked the PDP over its criticisms against President Buhari s handling of the certificate forgery scandal that led to the resignation The spokesperson for President Muhammadu Buharis 2019 presidential campaign, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has defended the resignation of the former minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun. In a series of tweets posted on his Twitter page in the early hours of Sunday, September 16, Keyamo condemned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)'s criticisms over the resignation, noting that the current administration is more honest than the past government. Recall that the PDP had accused presidency of protecting Adeosun ever since the news of her forged NYSC certificate broke and equally accused the current administration of being the most corrupt in the history of Nigeria. READ ALSO: 2019: Buhari refutes endorsing any aspirant in Rivers and Abia states On Adeosuns resignation, Keyamo said that there is hardly any government in the world that is free from official scandal. Using Adeosuns case to juxtapose the former comptroller-general of the Nigerian Customs Service, Abdullahi Dikko's alleged certificate forgery case, Keyamo averred that the past government under PDP protected Dikko despite the oath taken by the person who actually forged his WAEC certificate. He said that Buhari does not want to rush into Adeosuns matter and that was why he took his time to get to the root of the case and eventually did the right thing. The tweets: PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app NAIJ.com previously reported that the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) commended Adeosun over her resignation. The secretary general of the YCE, Dr Kunle Olajide in a statement on Saturday, September 15, said Adeosun was a victim of mischievous individuals involved in the process that produced the forged certificate. Olajide urged the former minister not to be deterred by the setback, saying that her services would still be required by the country. What Should President Buhari do to Adeosun Over Alleged Certificate Forgery? | NAIJ.com TV [embedded content] Subscribe to watch new videos Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | 2019: Jubilation as Former Customs boss joins Kebbi governorship race - Political gladiators in Kebbi are scheming for positions in the state as the 2019 general elections approaches - One politician whose ambition to govern the state is attracting attention is Ibrahim Mohammed Mera - Mera, a former Customs officer, will be contesting for governor on the platform of the APC Prince Ibrahim Mera has promised the people of Kebbi that if elected governor in 2019, he will salvage the state from the stranglehold of misrule, mis-governance, maladministration and the general lack of direction of the administration in the state. The All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship hopeful stated this while addressing supporters and party leaders at the APC national secretariat recently after obtaining his expression of interest and nomination forms. The event was carnival-like as hundred of his supporters turned the party's national secretariat to a party ground as they celebrated Mera's entry into the governorship race. The retired Deputy Controller General of Custom announced that he decided to enter politics to answer the clarion call of his supporters, who have beckoned on him to contest for the number one seat in the state. READ ALSO: PDP alleges freezing of Adeleke, Davidos accounts by EFCC According to him, the fundamental duties and responsibilities of government and the local government service system had virtually collapsed in the critical sectors of education, public health, job creation, youth development, care for women and the disabled as well as assistance to senior citizens and traditional rulers. The Ciroma Kebbi told his supporters that he voluntarily retired from active service in the Nigeria Customs Service to be able to offer the state and its good people his skills, sacrifice and services in order to urgently erase the present ugly fortunes of Kebbi state. He contended that there was nothing equitable about peoples living standards in a state like Kebbi which is fondly called the State of Equity, explaining that he is in the race to intervene in the quest to arrest the appalling affairs in the state which he said had manifested in the lack of job opportunities for the critical mass of jobless youths in the state. The intervention, he noted, would renew youths confidence as a pragmatic means of salvaging their future and inspiring greater hope in the generations yet unborn. He further disclosed that as a public policy specialist of many years hands-on experience, he would, devise practical ways of developing critical infrastructure, modernize agriculture, recalibrate dormant productive sectors as well as diversify the states local economy towards increasing general productivity. Emphasizing that human resource is the most important asset capable of creating sustainable progress and lasting results, he promised to adopt inclusiveness as a state policy to enable his administration to unleash the latent potentials of the people in the development agenda of the state. He promised to create equal and equitable opportunities for the people of the state in order to meaningfully engage them in various areas of human endeavour of their choices He also promised to give adequate patronage to traditional rulers in Kebbi to enable them to contribute meaningfully to the progress of the state due to their unique position as the closest link to the people. Respected elders and scholars will also be given due recognition to lead a crusade to re-enact and restore our societys core values, he added. He then pledged to revisit the Kebbis civil service system with a view to revamping and enabling it to play its traditional role as the catalyst and engine of growth and development in the state. PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app Mera made big news as a Kano/Jigawa Customs area controller of the Customs when he led his men to the Sharada industrial area of Kano state to smash a gang of smugglers of 253,000 bales of imported textiles with duty paid value of over N4 billion. He reportedly rebuffed a bribe of over N1 billion which the smugglers offered him and the operation code-named the SHARADA SMASH, is etched in the history of the Service. Nigeria Latest News: Not Too Young to Run Pay a Visit to APC and PDP on NAIJ.com TV [embedded content] Subscribe to watch new videos Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | We must not return Nigeria to the thieving party, warns APC Ahead of the governorship election in Osun at the weekend and the general election next February, the All Progressives Congress(APC) has warned voters not to make the error of handing over the country to the thieving Peoples Democratic Party(PDP). APC publicity secretary Yekini Nabena in a release today said the thieves have resurfaced to hoodwink Nigerians to elect them into office once again. Sadly, these thieves have resurfaced to canvass votes of Nigerians for various elective positions, ostensibly to resume their stealing. Nigerians are neither gullible nor stupid. They have not forgotten the yoke they bore under the corrupt Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) regimes and deserve no more of it. Public funds that could have improved the education, healthcare sectors and provided infrastructure to develop the economic and social life of Nigerians are sadly in the pockets of these thieves. Nabena said, in contrast, the huge recovery of looted funds by the Buhari administration is testament that the administrations extensive anticorruption drive is yielding results. Compared to the past, successful prosecution of many corrupt persons, the hugely-successful whistleblowing policy and voluntary return of corruptly-acquired funds and assets have shown that it is no longer business as usual and corruption is increasingly becoming unacceptable. Corruption can no longer define how we do things as a country. There is a new realization among well-meaning Nigerians that if we dont kill corruption it will kill us. Recently, the media space has been awash with a campaign of calumny against the anticorruption efforts by the same opposition partisans and their proxies that ruined the country with their institutionalized corruption. This is expected as corruption will naturally fight back. While we alert Nigerians to the plot of some politicians to buy votes and deploy other illegal means to subvert the peoples will during coming elections, we urge relevant agencies to be proactively involved in tracking of election financing. The same people who criminally-diverted public monies to fund their political activities as brazenly displayed during past administrations, must be prevented from doing same in coming elections. We share the submission of a former United States Vice President, Joe Biden: Corruption is a cancer; a cancer that eats away at a citizens faith in democracy, diminishes the instinct for innovation and creativity it wastes the talent of entire generations. It scares away investments and jobs. We must continue to challenge corruption and its related vices. This is line with the Change Agenda the APC promised Nigerians. This is a promise we are committed to keep. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | FG sets to recruit 5,000 unemployed Nigerians for BRISIN implementation The Federal Government has disclosed plans to recruit 5,000 unemployed Nigerians in the Federal Capital Territory under the Basic Registry and Information System in Nigeria (BRISIN) scheme. Dr Anthony Uwa, the Head of BRISIN implementation in Nigeria, told Newsmen on Sunday in Abuja that more Nigerians would be recruited after the pilot phase. The BRISIN is an integrated system for the collection, storage and distribution of information to support the management of the economy. File photo: FEC Uwa said the system aimed at bringing developmental and economic growth in the country through the use of data collection of people and other relevant information. The data received will be used to plan for the management of the nations resources, he said. NAN reports that the project was initiated by the President Olusegun Obasanjo administration, while the Goodluck Jonathans administration inaugurated a Technical Committee for its implementation. According to Uwa, since BRISIN covers all aspect of the economy, the recruitment is not restricted to a particular field or discipline. He however, said the implementation would commence with the social welfare, an aspect of the project, with special attention to disability data bank. We are giving attention to social welfare and building the disability data bank to attain the actual number of disabled people in the FCT. We are recruiting 5,000 people out of which 200 will be sent to Italy for training on various aspect of the project and they will be the trainees trainers. They will be trained mainly on the use of data on every aspect of economic management with attention to health, education, economic monitoring, fiscal and revenue control, migration and human trafficking. BRISIN recruitment cuts across all cadres, from school certificate to PHD holders so the recruitment is not restricted. The recruitment will be published on e-transact by next week, the portal will be opened for about six weeks and the public will be sensitised on how to access and fill the form through the portal. Also, the 5000 people we are recruiting does not mark the end of BRISIN recruitment but just a pilot phase, as we start from FCT we will train those to work in other states, Uwa said. On the funding, he said a budget had already been allocated to the project but being as it was small, a BRISIN international Foundation was established to help source fund to supplement government effort. The budget is small so we have to look for donors from well-meaning Nigerians, corporate organisations and international donors so we do not depend on government funds alone. With this foundation, we want to see those claiming to love Nigeria come and donate generously to the implementation. When this is fully implemented, it will reduce the risk of Nigerians that engage on illegal migration, so this foundation is as important as BRISIN itself. He urged Nigerians not to consider the move as a political affair being that it was an election year, but see it as a dream come true for Nigeria to attain the height it ought to have regarding job availability. According to him, considering the economic monitoring, a lot of people will be involved, so it will create jobs and also a multiplying effect of job creation in the nation. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Adamawa Attacks : lawmaker seeks deployment of security to borders communities Mrs Sodom Daniel, member representing Numan state constituency in the Adamawa House of Assembly has appealed to the Federal Government to deploy permanent security in communities bordering Taraba and Adamawa states. The lawmaker said the move would curtail incessant invasion of bandits into the communities. Daniel made the appeal on Sunday while distributing relief materials to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) taking refuge at Numan 2 Central Primary School. She alleged that the marauders usually come from a border community called Abare in Taraba to attack Adamawa communities. She said that most border communities in Adamawa were porous due to absence of security personnel, making its inhabitants prone to attacks. The lawmaker also commended the state government for provision of relief materials to victims of the recent attacks, but urged it to intensify efforts in securing the lives and property of the people. Mr. Samuel Bolki, one of the IDPs who spoke to Newsmen called on the Federal government to bring to an end the killings and also restore peace to the affected communities to enable them return to their original abodes. He thanked the lawmaker for identifying and supporting them with items in their moment of need. NAN reports that over 27 lives were lost and scores sustained various degrees of injuries in the recent attacks that bedeviled the communities. The communities worst hit are Gon, Bolki, Nzumosu and Yanga. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | NAF destroys Boko Haram vehicles along Gudumbali-Tumbun Rego, axis in Borno The Nigerian Air Force says the Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE, has tracked and destroyed some Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT) vehicles as they were attempting to launch fresh attacks on ground troops locations at Gudumbali and Damasak in Borno. Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, who disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja, said that the operation was carried out early morning of Saturday. NAF He explained that the mission was initiated following intelligence reports indicating that a convoy of BHT vehicles had been sighted within the Damasak Gudumbali Axis. Accordingly, a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform was dispatched to search for and locate the convoy of vehicles. The ISR aircraft spotted vehicles at a location 24 Km SW of Gudumbali heading in a Northwards direction. Consequently, a helicopter gunship was scrambled to attack the convoy. The helicopter arrived the location and was vectored to the position of the vehicles, which, at the time, were about midway between Nigerian Army (NA) locations at Metele and Arege. Following communications with ground troops, the BHT vehicles were positively identified, isolated and attacked by the helicopter gunship in successive strikes. Daramola said that in the process, 4 of the vehicles were immobilized and their occupants neutralised. The ISR aircraft continued to track the remaining 5 vehicles, which initially dispersed but later regrouped and continued their retreat to Tumbun Rego. They were subsequently attacked at their harbour location by the freshly rearmed helicopter gunship; with 3 direct hits recorded on the vehicles, he said. He said that a follow-up attack on the newly discovered insurgents logistics base in Tumbun Rego was conducted by 2 Alpha Jet aircraft later in the morning of Saturday. The makeshift buildings and other facilities in the base were accordingly destroyed in the air strike. The NAF spokesman said that the NAF, working in concert with surface forces, would sustain the momentum of operations with a view to destroying vestiges of the insurgents in the Lake Chad green fringes and other areas in Northern Borno. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | EFCC asks Nigeria customs to place Fayose on watch list - The outgoing governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, has been placed on a watch list - EFCC in a letter addressed to the comptroller-general of Nigeria Customs Service said Fayose may be planning to flee the country - The anti-graft agency in it's letter to the customs asked that Fayose be watched The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has asked the Nigeria customs service to place outgoing governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, on its watch list, The Cable reports NAIJ.com gathered that Fayose, whose tenure ends on October 16, is being investigated by the anti-graft commission for alleged abuse of office, money laundering, among others. EFCC in a letter dated September 12 and signed by Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the EFCC said Fayose may be planning to flee the country. READ ALSO: 2019: Jonathan hosts Lamido, speaks on his presidential ambition The letter read: There is a reasonable suspicion suggesting that he may likely leave the country either through the land borders, airports or seaports in order to evade investigation. Hence, you are kindly requested to watch-list him and arrest him, See the letter below: EFCC writes letter asking Nigeria customs to place Fayose on watch list. Photo credit: The Cable Source: Twitter The customs in its response instructed all zonal coordinators, area commanders and comptrollers to monitor Fayose. Consequently, you are requested to monitor the subject and report to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission through the provided contact details if sighted, the customs wrote in a letter dated September 14. Nigeria customs instructs all zonal coordinators, area commanders and comptrollers to monitor Fayose. Photo credit: The Cable Source: Twitter NAIJ.com previously reported that the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti on Wednesday, September 12, described as suspicious and diversionary the offer by the outgoing governor, Ayodele Fayose, to voluntarily surrender himself to the EFCC on the day he would be vacating office. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app The APC insisted that the outgoing governor was planning to seek safe landing to enable him run away from the country. The party, through its publicity secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, questioned the rationale behind Fayoses request for the approval of N10 billion extra budget by the state House of Assembly less than one month to the expiration of his tenure. Governor Fayose Warns Nigerian Youths Ahead of 2019, Tells Them What to Do | NAIJ.com TV [embedded content] Subscribe to watch new videos Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Why I left PDP for APC- Salvador, former Lagos chairman - Former Lagos PDP chairman, Salvador, has officially defected to the APC - He said he left the opposition party because all his efforts were not appreciated - He also debunked the claims that he was working for Tinubu while he was in the PDP A former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos state, Moshood Salvador on Sunday, September 16, said he did his best to reposition the opposition party for greatness while he was chairman. Salvador, now a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) , made the claim in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos. NAN reports the ex-PDP chairman had on August 27 announced his exit from the opposition party following what he called irreconcilable differences with some elders of the party. READ ALSO: Buhari speaks on endorsing aspirants in Rivers and Abia states NAIJ.com gathers that he, along with some other former PDP bigwigs in the state, defected formally to the APC on Saturday, September 15. Salvador said he served his former party selflessly adding that he worked diligently towards the PDPs target of winning the state. He debunked insinuations in some quarters that he defected to APC after acting out Asiwaju Bola Tinubus script to destabilise and weaken the PDP. All these things are lies .White lies. I was never a mole of Tinubu in PDP. Those who are saying that are just venting their frustrations because I left the PDP. You see, I did a lot for the party, spending my personal resources to ensure that my former party breaks the jinx of winning the state for the first time. I was mobilising our members moving from local government to local government, ward to ward, towards a vision to make the party strong and win the general elections. I was really working hard to take the party to greater heights .You cant be working that hard if you are somebodys mole. But my efforts were not appreciated by some people who always wanted to reap without sowing. They were always frustrating my efforts and peddled lies that I was involved in the killing of a chieftain of the party. And I thought my continued stay in the PDP was becoming frustrating and dangerous. That was why I left with my teeming supporters to join the APC, he said. He said the defection to APC meant that the PDP was dead in the state as he had collapsed the entire structure of his former party into APC. Salvador thanked Tinubu, APC executive members and other party members for the ceremonial reception for him and his supporters . He said he felt at home in the fold of the progressives, having been with Tinubu and others in the days of the Alliance for Democracy (AD). The former PDP chairman promised to add value to his new party to garner more votes for APC in the general elections. Meanwhile, the state chapter of the PDP has described the official defection of Salvador to the APC as a face saving action. The publicity secretary of the party in the state, Taofik Gani said in a statement that the former party chairman could not have stayed longer than he did. He said Salvador had been technically expelled from the PDP as party members had passed a vote of no confidence in him. Salvador has only proactively moved to APC to avoid the imminent expulsion already concluded. He is not a figure that can be a threat to our victory in 2019. He did not even emerge chairman on merit or clout but on the benevolence of some leaders, he now maligns as undemocratic. We wish him well but we can never miss an over-ambitious politician that he is, Gani added PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had previously reported that Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, a presidential aspirant on the platform of the PDP, on Wednesday, September 12, called on party stakeholders to unite in order to defeat the All Progressives Congress in the 2019 general elections. Kwankwaso made this known while addressing party supporters at the PDP secretariat in Minna, Niger state. He urged the party stakeholders to jettison partisan sentiment and unite against common enemy. 2019 Presidency: Nigerians reveal why they prefer Atiku to President Buhari - on NAIJ.com TV: [embedded content] Subscribe to watch new videos Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General Home | News | General | Thousands gather as Davido campaigns for uncle Senator Adeleke in Osun David Adeleke better known as Davido has taken out time to visit Osun state in order to campaign for his uncle who is a governorship aspirant of the state. Senator Ademola Adeleke who is popularly referred to as the dancing senator' is seeking to become the next governor of Osun state under the umbrella of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). To show his total support for his uncle, Davido visited Osun state recently to campaign for the senator and he succeeded in pulling a large crowd out. Sharing photos from the event on his social media page, Davido reiterated that he is a son of the soil and he totally supports Ademola Adeleke. Check out some of his posts below: This is coming days after the superstar canceled his Locked Up U.S tour to return for the compulsory Nigerian Youth Service Corps program required of all Nigerian University graduates. According to a statement on his page, he decided to cancel the tour because of scheduling conflicts with the NYSC program. He wrote: " I apologize to all my Fans but Duty calls ! But I promise new dates would be announced for Houston Dallas LA and San Francisco We will reschedule and add more dates. Shout out to all the fans who sold out each city so far." PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigeria's #1 news app Lasisi Elenu Interview - What I learnt from Hushpuppi - Star Chat on NAIJ.com TV [embedded content] Subscribe to watch new videos Source: Naija.ng CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General The rise in oil prices brought about the recovery of Norways oil industry, with companies lining up plans to invest in boosting oil production on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS)surely most welcome news for Western Europes biggest oil and gas producer, which faces a decline from the mid-2020s onwards if new large discoveries are not made soon. Smaller oil firms, some of which are a result of recent mergers, plan to invest billions of dollars in Norways offshore oil and gas over the next five years, launching an unofficial race to see who will become the third-largest oil producer in Norway behind state-participated companies Equinor and Petoro, and the largest independent non-state-held company operating on the shelf. The three most likely candidates to become Norways top independent producer could be investing a combined US$20 billion offshore Norway by 2022, according to Bloomberg calculations. These companies are Aker BP, the result of a 2016 merger between Aker and BPs Norwegian unit; Var Energi AS, the company that will emerge from the merger of Point Resources AS into Enis local unit; and Wintershall DEA, the company expected to emerge from the proposed merger between Germanys Wintershall and DEA. Over the past year, Aker BP has been actively pursuing acquisitions offshore Norwayit bought Hess Norge last year for US$2 billion, and two months ago it agreed with Total to acquire its interests in a portfolio of 11 licenses on the NCS for US$205 million. Related: Gas Could Overtake Oil As The Largest U.S. Energy Source This Year Aker BP has a portfolio with potential to reach production above 330,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) from 2023 from existing discoveries, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13 percent from 2017, the company said in its corporate strategy update earlier this year. This years capital expenditure is set at US$1.3 billion. Var Energi ASthe company of the merger of private equity-backed Point Resources AS into Eni Norge AS, which is expected to complete by year-endplans to invest more than US$8 billion over the next five years to bring projects on stream, revitalize older fields, and explore for new resources. The combined companys production for this year is estimated at around 180,000 boepd from a portfolio of 17 producing oil and gas fields from the Barents Sea to the North Sea. By 2023, Var Energis production is expected to reach 250,000 boepd, with a breakeven price of less than US$30 a barrel. Wintershall and DEA, whose proposed merger has yet to be signed and approved, plan to invest US$2.3 billion (2 billion euro) each in Norway. Wintershall plans to invest a total of around 2 billion euro in exploring and developing its fields on the NCS from 2017 to 2020, the company said earlier this year, noting that more than a third of Wintershalls global exploration budget will be used in Norway. With more than 100 licenses and shares in 20 producing fields, we could increase our joint production in Norway to over 200,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in the near future, Wintershall CEO Mario Mehren said about the new Wintershall DEA company, which, he noted, would be among the top five oil and gas producers in Norway. The CEO of DEA, Maria Moraeus Hanssen, for her part, said at a conference in Stavanger last month that As part of our long-term growth strategy, we are investing more than two billion Euros in our development projects on the NCS. Related: Russia Looks To Boost Gas Sales In Tighter European Markets Within five years, at least one of those three top contenders for Norways largest non-state producer will surpass Frances oil major Total in terms of production, according to Bloomberg calculations. Last year Total was the biggest producer in Norway behind state-participated Equinor and Petoro, with 214,000 boepd. Lundin Petroleum could also join the race of smaller companies vying to become Norways top independent producer, thanks to its 22.6-percent stake in the giant Johan Sverdrup oil field in the North Sea, slated to start production in late 2019 and expected to be the main contributor to Norways rising oil production until 2023. In its corporate presentation last month, Lundin said that its production in 2022, when Johan Sverdrup production will reach plateau, will be 160,000 boepd, double the 2018 production guidance of 78,000-82,000 boepd. Lundins production could even exceed 200,000 boepd by 2023, chief executive Alex Schneiter told Bloomberg. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: For about a decade, Texas has considered the idea of erecting a coastal barrier to protect against the impacts of hurricanes. Texas A&M researchers concluded that a direct hit to Galveston from a massive hurricane could cause $31.8 billion worth of damage to homes and apartments from a storm surge. This estimate excludes the potential harm to commercial buildings and ports. The study concluded that building a coastal barrier about 60 miles long from Galveston to the Bolivar Peninsula could reduce the potential damage by 80 percent to $6 billion. Texas subsequently requested $12 billion for the full coastal spine. However, some enterprising soul recognized that this could also protect significant refining assets around the Houston Ship Channel, and a viral headline was born: Big Oil asks government to protect its Texas facilities from climate change As one person asked me, How dare these refiners ask for protection from a problem they caused? I was asked if I could defend this outrage, and indeed I did. Here was the defense. First, the vast majority of what is being protected isnt the refineries. This area is a major population center, with numerous homes and businesses. Some of those businesses happen to be refineries, but there are also wetlands, miles of coastline, and two national wildlife refuges in the immediate vicinity. And people. Lots and lots of people. Related: Major Airlines Expect Oil Prices To Rise Second, refiners didnt cause climate change. They played a role, as did everyone who helped find, extract, refine, and transport oil (as well as coal and natural gas). True, many people along the supply chain have profited as a result, but that includes the federal and state governments from oil production taxes, taxes on gasoline, property taxes, and income taxes on oil industry employees and oil company profits. But the reason refining is a major business is because there is a huge demand for the product. Every person who ever consumed fossil fuels and that pretty much covers all of us is complicit in carbon dioxide emissions. We all contribute a share. Some people like to rationalize that they only consume oil because oil companies suppressed alternatives, but thats nonsense. Oil is the backbone of transportation in every developed country in the world, not because of a global oil lobbying effort, but because oil was relatively cheap, easy to transport, and easy to use. So the notion that refiners caused climate change may enable a rage-inducing headline, but I think a fact-checker would label it Mostly False. Related: Russia Looks To Boost Gas Sales In Tighter European Markets Finally, lets say that we dont build this barrier. Who is going to suffer? Refiners? Yes, during a major storm they may go offline like they did during and after last years Hurricane Harvey. Remember what happened? Gasoline prices spiked, and there were local gasoline shortages. Does that sound like a better option? Sure, its easy to get outraged over the idea that the oil industry caused climate change and is now asking for taxpayer-funded protection from its effects. But a decision to build the barrier should be made on the basis of a sober assessment of facts, and not on manufactured outrage designed to get clicks. By Robert Rapier More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Kenyan Tourism Minister Najib Balala admitted that a transfer of endangered black rhinos between national parks had been botched Animal conservation in Africa has suffered several setbacks in recent months prompting experts at an African tourism conference this week in Cape Town to warn about the cost to the travel industry. "Obviously it's negative," said the African Tourism Association's (ATA) managing director Naledi Khabo, who spoke at the inaugural event organised by Airbnb. "Whether it's people or animals, you see them being killed or slaughtered in such a terrible mannerit has a negative impact." Kenya was thrust into the conservation spotlight when an effort to move endangered black rhinos between national parks, launched with great fanfare in June, left 11 of the animals dead. "It's very clear it was not managed well by my officersand we took action on that," said Kenya's Tourism Minister Najib Balala, who was the public face of the project. Balala insisted that tourists considering visiting would not be deterred by the incident but industry experts have warned that such setbacks could hurt the continent's appeal. "It does impact the overall pan-African perception as well, which in turn has a negative impact on tourism," added Khabo. The cost of environmental crime to developing countries is estimated to be more than $70 billion a year. Africa is at the epicentre of global poaching and trafficking of many species, with elephants coveted for their ivory tusks and rhinos sought for their horns which are used in traditional Asian medicine. The cost of environmental crime to developing countries is estimated to be more than $70 billion a year 'A very aggressive approach' Botswana, which has Africa's largest elephant population, is on the frontline of the battle against the illicit ivory trade. But it was recently rocked by a report from Elephants Without Borders that a poaching spree had wiped out as many as 90 of the animals. While the government and some scientists strongly disputed the findings and insisted they were overstated, the damage had already been done. "What is sad, particularly about the Botswana incident, is that the headlines came out about what happenedbut what we don't understand is why and what next," said travel author Anita Mendiratta. In South Africa, rangers have been forced to take ever more extreme steps to protect the country's safari endowment alongside an effort to prosecute the criminal bigwigs profiting from the lucrative trade. Khabo, who speaks for the African tourism industry, praised South Africa's anti-poaching successes which have included three high-profile arrests of kingpins linked to poaching. "It's critical that, on a policy level, the government and the tourism boards take a very aggressive approach and to have truly severe consequences to individuals who are found guilty," she told AFP. Balala, the Kenyan tourism minister, said his country's anti-poaching efforts were also proving effective. "The numbers of rhinos in terms of protection has gone upover 1,200 rhinos we have in Kenya from almost 300 30 years ago. We have 35,000 elephants, 30 years ago we had only 16,000." Africa is at the epicentre of global poaching and trafficking of many species 'Traveller activism' Mendiratta said that effective anti-poaching was increasingly being demanded by tourists. "When it comes to poaching, when it comes to elephant riding even, travellers are saying 'it's not right'," she said. "Traveller activism has become an important part of our industry." Loserian Laizer, who spent nine years as a ranger in Tanzania before joining the Safarisource service which connects travellers directly to safari organisers, said poaching can make wildlife tourism difficult. In South Africa's Kruger National Park for example, visitors have complained about the noise made by the increasing number of airborne anti-poaching patrols. "But I can say we are winning the fight against poaching," said Laizer. "There's a big up turn in people understanding we need to protect the wildlife." Tanzania was working to educate visitors about the perils of poaching and the risks of purchasing ivory and rhino horn products, he said. Laizer said the threat to wildlife and the impact on the tourism industry did not just come from poaching or conservation blunders. "A problem is people trying to build many facilities to accommodate the tourists and the impact is we are destroying the environment so we need to control that," he said. Explore further Nearly 100 elephants killed for ivory in Botswana (Update) 2018 AFP The content of useful substances in yacon and amaranth. Credit: Allen Dressen Agriculturalists from the RUDN University have developed an analysis system that allows the precise determination of the content of useful substances in vegetables. That, in turn, makes it possible to produce more useful products and to choose plants for selection based on their biochemical characteristics. The scientists also created biologically active supplements for diabetic nutrition, recovery of microflora, strengthening of the immune system and maintaining visual acuity. The results of the work were presented at the International Conference "New and non-traditional plants and prospects for their application", which was held in Sochi on June 4-8, 2018. Vegetables, teas, cereals and other products of plant origin are a source of many useful substances (vitamins and antioxidants for instance) that support health and slow aging. Scientists from the RUDN University suggested measuring the content of these substances with a chromatograph (which can be done even in the early stages of development of the plant and its fruit) in order to select the best variants for breeding and create products with maximum food and pharmacological value. Scientists also made a practical application of their technology, creating several functional products (saturated with useful substances), including a new variety of vegetables and phyto-tea. One of their developments is a food additive from the yacon - a vegetable that looks like a sunroot with sweet crunchy roots. Initially the yacon grew at the average height of the Andes, but the scientists found out that this plant is undemanding, and it can be grown in other climatic conditions. Biologists of the RUDN University bred and included in the State Register of the Russian Federation a new sort of yacon with a high content of phenolic compounds. These substances have antioxidant activity, are able to reduce the likelihood of developing cardiovascular and neurological diseases and to slow the aging process. "We developed and applied a comprehensive system for analyzing the various forms of phenolic compounds in vegetable plants. The development makes it possible to estimate the ratio of the main groups of such compounds in widely cultivated vegetables, " says the author of the report Murat Gins, doctor of biological sciences, professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences, professor of the Agro-Technological Institute (RUDN University). Also, the authors studied the biochemical indicators of the yacon and developed a line of products for diabetics, including a puree from its root tubers. This product can be used in leaven as an additional source of carbohydrates. Root tubers of the yacon are rich in inulin - a sweet organic substance, which is used in pharmaceutics as a sweetener. "We also found that in the baking of bread from a mixture of rye and wheat flour, the "standard" and hydrolyzed yacon puree may be added in the leaven preparation stage. It would improve the organoleptic (smell, taste) and physicochemical parameters of the finished products, and increase their nutritional value", - the scientist added. Also, specialists from the RUDN University for the first time created a biologically active additive in the form of phyto-tea on the basis of amaranth leaves (it is already sold in pharmacies). Amaranth is an annual herbaceous plant that grows in regions with warm and temperate climates. It is also rich in phenolic compounds, which makes it extremely nutritious and beneficial to humans. The additive is a complex of antioxidants: dehydroquercetin, quercetin, rutin, amaranthine and other biologically active substances. Phytotea based on amaranth is intended to strengthen the immune system and increase visual acuity. In addition, the supplement works as a prebiotic, stimulating the growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestine. Working on the breeding of more useful crops, biologists select vegetable plants with a high content of low-molecular metabolites that have protective and regulatory functions. Now the task of scientists is to search for metabolites that show antioxidant activity. Such compounds include, for example, ascorbic acid, phenolic compounds and carotenoids. The key function of metabolites-antioxidants is to protect the components of the cell from the destructive effect of oxidative stress. Provided by RUDN University 4 hours ago Drive Shack Crushes With New Concept Puttery Expansion To Push Drive Shack Higher The pandemic put a tailwind into the golfing industry and Drive Shack (NYSE: DS) but thats not what has us excited now. The company recently launched a new concept called Puttery that we see driving this company to new highs. Read Article Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. CALmatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California's state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to Commentary. Macedonians must choose between a new name or a future of isolation and instability, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev told AFP ahead of a September 30 referendum on the issue. The proposed change, which would rename the country the Republic of North Macedonia, is Zaev's effort to end a 27-year-old dispute with Greece and usher his Balkan nation into NATO and the European Union. Long seen as one of Europe's most stubborn deadlocks, the name row is a tussle over history, identity and land. Athens has blocked the former Yugoslav republic from joining NATO and the EU since 1991 because it considers the country's name an encroachment on its own province called Macedonia. Greeks also accuse Skopje of appropriating their history and culture, notably by erecting huge monuments to Alexander the Great, the king of ancient Macedon. But there was a breakthrough between Zaev and Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras in July -- a rare detente in a region tangled in complex disagreements. Zaev must now convince the country of 2.1 million people to accept the new name despite a widespread feeling that they have been bullied by Greece. A pro-Europe politician who helped topple a nationalistic government, Zaev has framed the name-change as a painful but historic opportunity for Macedonia to link arms with the West. If the deal unravels, it will mean "hopelessness, total isolation of the country, probably another chapter of insecurity and instability in the whole region", the 43-year-old told AFP after a campaign speech in the western city of Kicevo. Alternatively, a 'yes' vote could make the accord a model for other regional disputes, said Zaev, an economist who has sought to revamp Macedonia's foreign relations since coming to power more than one year ago. "Other types of identity problems can be solved through deals like this," he said. - Where's the name? - Zaev and his Social Democrats party must tread lightly to avoid inflaming nationalists who feel they are being robbed of their identity. He has avoided uttering the new name during townhall-style debates around the country. "North" is also nowhere to be seen on government billboards that encourage the public to "Go vote for a European Macedonia". The referendum question itself asks: "Are you for EU and NATO membership by accepting the agreement between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Greece?" Zaev is trying to reach the majority of Macedonians -- 80 percent, he says -- who want to join those Western institutions. But critics have chafed at what they perceive to be a misleading question. And while NATO membership is all but assured, the road to the EU will be longer for a country still mired in corruption. The appetite for EU enlargement is also shrinking among some members of the bloc, who voted to push Macedonia's accession talks back to June 2019 despite the hard-won deal. EU officials and leaders like Angela Merkel have nevertheless been passing through Skopje almost daily to whip up support. The Russians, meanwhile, "told me that they have nothing against Macedonia's accession to the EU but that they are opposed to NATO integration", said Zaev. - #Boycott campaign - A July survey conducted by the US-funded Center for Insights in Survey Research found 57 percent supported the accord. "I am so strongly convinced that the referendum will succeed that I'm not even looking into other options," Zaev told AFP. The right-wing opposition, VMRO-DPMNE, has stopped short of advocating a boycott, urging the public instead to act "according to their conscience". Civic groups have taken up the torch however, with the hashtag #boycott rippling across social media. Zaev said detractors are using "disinformation as a tool" to defeat the proposal. The biggest challenge may be generating sufficient turnout in a country where even supporters are only grudgingly in favour of the deal. "I don't think it's a fair deal, but I will vote for it," said Sasho Ilioski, 45, because he wanted a chance to join the EU. "There is a certain amount of disappointment here, that people will lose a part of their identity, their national pride. They will still vote for this deal, but these feelings cannot be hidden." Did Nepal snub India for China with military drill decision, or is it just a nation in flux? Nepals last minute decision to withdraw from India-led regional military drills is indicative of the struggle facing the South Asian nations new government as it tries to strike a balance in its relations with India and China, diplomatic observers said. Sandwiched between the worlds two most populous countries, Nepal is in the early stages of a new democracy and while there might have been some suggestions of a political move towards Beijing and away from New Delhi, its new leaders appear yet to have found their feet. Sworn in in February, the ruling party is a coalition of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist- Leninist) and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre), and headed by Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli. In his previous election campaign in 2015, Oli was outspoken about his desire to increase ties with China reduce Nepals dependence on India. Kathmandu had initially agreed to take part in the inaugural Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)s first ever joint military drills alongside its six fellow members (namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand). But the decision was questioned in parliament on September 5, with lawmakers saying Nepal would not join any military alliance. Olis press adviser Kundan Aryal was quoted by Xinhua last week as saying that Nepal would not join the drill, while the prime minister himself told Indias ambassador to Kathmandu that Nepal was unable to participate due to internal political pressure, according to a Hindustan Times report. The seven days of exercises got under way in India on Monday and end on Sunday. In contrast, Nepal confirmed it would take part in Sagarmatha Friendship-2 joint exercise with China, which starts on Monday in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan and runs through September 28. The exercise, aimed at improving disaster management and counterterrorism, was last held in April last year. Story continues Nepals decision to pull out of the BIMSTEC exercise came soon after China granted it access to four seaports and three land ports, which would bring an end to Indias monopoly over the landlocked countrys trading routes. Nepals defence ministry did not respond to the South China Morning Posts request for comment. Speculation as to the strategic relevance of Olis decision has been growing, although regional security watchers have said it should not be read as a clear shift in allegiance from India to China. Bhaskar Koirala, director of the Nepal Institute of International and Strategic Studies in Kathmandu, said the decision had much to do with internal disputes within the ruling party. Regional security is of high importance to Nepal. I cant see any reason for the Nepalese government wanting to oppose anything that helps with that. Apart from the fact it might make China uncomfortable, he said. There is still much manoeuvring and contradiction inside the party, and some factions lean towards India and some towards China. Looking at the broader picture, Nepal is in a period of transition, he said. It is currently a weak state with a weak government and weak leadership left over from the previous political situation. Koirala said that revoking decisions because of internal jostling for power could be a trend in the short term for the young government. [But] This is not going to be suitable for anyone, not for India, not for China. [These powers] need consistency, and trust [from Nepal]. Nepal and India have a long history of military cooperation and a joint force mans an 1,800km (1,120-mile) open border between the countries. Delhi has also been the major arms and ammunition provider to the Nepalese Army. But China has emerged as the Himalayan nations biggest investor, accounting for 87 per cent of all foreign direct investment in the first 10 months of the last financial year, according to figures from Nepals Department of Industry. Viraj Solanki, a South Asia research analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, agreed that Olis turnaround did not necessarily mean a long-term move away from India, saying that domestic concerns would reach beyond party conflicts. [The withdrawal] highlights domestic political sensitivities in Nepal towards multilateral military exercises, and its concerns over taking part in a multilateral exercise that could be viewed as being part of a military bloc, which it has refrained from doing historically, he said. Solanki said also that Nepal had much stronger and more institutionalised military ties with India than with China. Almost 300 soldiers from Nepal and India took part in the 13th annual Surya Kiran exercise, which ended in June, while only 20 will join the upcoming Nepal-China exercise. Whatever Kathmandus reasons for pulling out of BIMSTEC, the lack of an official explanation for the decision did make Olis government look bad on the diplomatic front, Koirala said. The Nepalese government could have done it in a more diplomatic way, he said. [But] they left everyone in a confused state, they did not explain why, and that is irresponsible. This article Did Nepal snub India for China with military drill decision, or is it just a nation in flux? first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018. Luxembourgish Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn drew the ire of Italy's Matteo Salvini Sunday after accusing the far-right interior minister of using "fascist" methods, in a worsening spat over immigration between the two men. The pair first clashed Friday at an EU meeting in Vienna when Salvini referred to African migrants as "slaves". His remarks prompted an angry outburst from Asselborn who has defended immigration as necessary to counter Europe's ageing population. Salvini later shared a video of the row on his Facebook page along with comments aimed at further taunting the Luxembourgish minister. In an interview with German media, Asselborn denounced Salvini for using "the methods and tone of the fascists from the 30s". "I stand by what I said," he told Spiegel Online this weekend, adding: "It was a calculated provocation." Salvini, whose anti-immigration League party is part of Italy's ruling coalition, hit back Sunday. "The Socialist minister of the fiscal paradise of Luxembourg calls me a 'fascist' today after comparing our Italian emigrant grandparents to today's illegal migrants and after interrupting my speech," the 32-year-old tweeted Sunday. "If he likes immigrants so much, he can have them all, we've already received too many in Italy." Despite a sharp fall in the numbers of asylum-seekers in Europe since the crisis erupted in 2015, the issue remains one of the most contentious within the EU and is expected to be high on the agenda at an informal EU summit in Austria this week. Frontline state Italy has adopted a much tougher anti-migrant stance since the League formed a government with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement in June. "In Italy we feel it's necessary to help our children make more children. And not to have new slaves to replace the children we're no longer having," Salvini was filmed saying at Friday's EU meeting, which was closed to the press. Asselborn, seated two places down from Salvini, can be seen exclaiming in the video: "That's going too far!" Unfazed, the Italian interior minister continued: "If you in Luxembourg need more immigration, I prefer to keep Italy for Italians and that we start having children again." Asselborn, visibly agitated, interrupted Salvini at this point. "In Luxembourg, sir, we have dozens of thousands of Italians! They came as migrants, they worked in Luxembourg so you in Italy would have money for your children," he said, adding "merde alors (goddammit)!". Typhoon Mangkhut slammed into mainland China late on Sunday after leaving a trail of destruction in Hong Kong and Macau and killing at least 59 people in the northern Philippines. The world's biggest storm this year felled trees and sent skyscrapers swaying in high-rise Hong Kong, injuring more than 200 people there before making landfall on the coast of Jiangmen city, in southern China's Guangdong province. Provincial authorities said they evacuated a total of 2.37 million people and ordered tens of thousands of fishing boats back to port before the arrival of what Chinese media has dubbed the "King of Storms". State-run China Central Television (CCTV) reported the typhoon had killed two people in Guangdong. Mangkhut left large expanses in the north of the main Philippine island of Luzon underwater as fierce winds tore trees from the ground and rain unleashed dozens of landslides. Hong Kong weather authorities issued their maximum alert for the storm, which hit the city with gusts of more than 230 kilometres per hour (142 mph) and left 213 people injured, according to government figures. As the storm passed south of Hong Kong, trees were snapped in half and roads blocked, while some windows in tower blocks were smashed and skyscrapers swayed, as they are designed to do in intense gales. The Philippines was just beginning to count the cost of the typhoon which hit northern Luzon on Saturday. The death toll jumped to 59 on Sunday evening, police said, as more landslide victims were discovered. Authorities said they would continue efforts in the morning to dig out a group of two dozen miners who are feared dead after their bunkhouse was hit by a landslide near the northern city of Baguio. In the town of Baggao the typhoon demolished houses, tore off roofs and downed power lines. Some roads were cut off by landslides and many remained submerged. Farms across northern Luzon, which produces much of the nation's rice and corn, were swamped by muddy floodwater, their crops ruined just a month before harvest. "We're already poor and then this happened to us. We have lost hope," 40-year-old Mary Anne Baril, whose corn and rice crops were spoilt, told AFP. "We have no other means to survive," she said tearfully. - Flooding in Hong Kong and Macau - An average of 20 typhoons and storms lash the Philippines each year, killing hundreds of people. The latest victims were mostly people who died in landslides, including a family of four. In addition to those killed in the Philippines, a woman was swept out to sea in Taiwan. In Hong Kong, waters surged in the famous Victoria Harbour and coastal fishing villages, from which hundreds of residents were evacuated to storm shelters. Some roads were waist-deep in water with parts of the city cut off by floods and fallen trees. In the fishing village of Tai O, where many people live in stilt houses built over the sea, some desperately tried to bail out their inundated homes. "Floodwater is rushing into my home but I'm continuously shovelling the water out. It's a race against time," resident Lau King-cheung told AFP by phone. The government warned people to stay indoors but some ventured out, heading to the coast to take photos. A couple with a child were seen by an AFP reporter taking pictures on a pier known as a popular Instagram spot as waves surged and almost submerged it. Others stayed at home but were terrified by smashing windows in their apartments. "The entire floor and bed are covered in glass," one resident told local broadcaster TVB after her bedroom window shattered. "The wind is so strong." Almost all flights in and out of Hong Kong were cancelled. Schools in the city will be shut Monday. In the neighbouring gambling enclave of Macau, all 42 casinos shut down for the first time in its history. As the storm moved past Macau, streets became submerged under water gushing in from the harbour. Emergency workers navigated the roads on jet-skis and dinghies, rescuing trapped residents. The government and casinos are taking extra precautions after Macau was battered by Typhoon Hato last year, which left 12 dead. burs-jm/ey/sm/amz/bp As Russia participates in its biggest military exercise together with China and Mongolia Vostok 2018, which began on Tuesday it is demonstrating some of its advanced weaponry. The week-long drills, in Russias far east and the Pacific Ocean, involve about 300,000 service members; more than 1,000 planes, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles; 36,000 tanks, armoured fighting vehicles and other cars; and up to 80 ships and support vessels. China has sent nearly 3,200 troops, 900 weapons and 30 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters to the exercise. Russias advanced Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, Su-34 fighter bombers, Tu-90s main battle tanks and Chinas Type 99 main battle tanks are also being practised at in the drills. Here are examples of other weapons being tried out at Vostok. Iskander-M missile The nuclear-capable Isakander-M is one of Russias hypersonic missile launch system, firing missiles travelling at the velocity of Mach 6 (six times the speed of sound), which are very difficult to defend against or intercept. For Vostok 2018, some of Iskander-M missile crews were redeployed by rail to the Astrakhan region near the Caspian Sea, far from the Tsugol training ground in the Buryatia Republic close to China and Mongolia, where the main drills are taking place, according to the Russian defence Ministry. During one of the episodes of the drills, Iskander-M missile crews will carry out a missile strike to destroy targets at a distance of several hundred of kilometres, the ministry said in a statement. Apart from a payload of 500kt-yield thermonuclear warheads, the road-mobile missile system is also able of carrying several conventional warheads, including high explosives, earth penetrators, fuel-air explosives and electromagnetic pulse devices. The system can launch 500km (310 mile) range ballistic missiles or R-500 cruise missiles. S-400 air defence missile Russias most advanced S-400 anti-aircraft missiles have been demonstrated in the drills. Story continues As one of the worlds top air defence systems, the S-400 includes missiles with different ranges, from 40km to 400km, and can hit targets from altitude of 10m to 30km to form a multi-layer full coverage of defence. It adopted advanced radar that improves its capability to detect stealth aircraft and counter electronic jamming. The maximum speed of the target it can hit is 4,800m/s, or Mach 15. One system of S-400 comprises up to 72 launchers with 384 missiles. It can track 300 targets at the same time and attack 36 at once. This year, Russia delivered to China first of S-400 regimental sets as per a contract signed in 2014. It is also set to sell the S-400 to Turkey, which has raised concerns within Nato. Tupolev Tu-95MC and Tu-22M bombers First flown in 1952, Tu-95 is the worlds only propeller strategic bomber still active. It carried out a number of important nuclear tests during the cold war, including the dropping and detonation of the most powerful nuclear weapon ever created the Tsar Bomba. Tu-95s most recent combat engagement was an air strike mission in Syria in 2015. Tu-22M was developed as a maritime and strategic bomber and introduced in the 1970s. It was used by the Soviet in combat in Afghanistan and remains the primary combat bomber in the Russian air force, playing an important role in military campaigns in Chechnya, Georgia and Syria. Although dated, the Tu-95MS and Tu-22M are still an important part of Russias strategic deterrence forces as they have resumed patrols and simulated attacks since 2007. They also frequently fly together in many Russian military exercises. Buk M2 air-defence missile Buk is one of the worlds best mid-range air-defence missiles. Its previous types have been used to shoot down a number of aircraft, including Malaysia Airlines MH-17 passenger flight over eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board. The M2 variation of Buk was introduced to the Russian military in 2008. With four multi-functional 9M317 missiles on one launcher, the Buk M2 has a 45km range and 25km altitude. Its new generation of radar can lock on targets from 95km away and attack four targets separately. It also improved to hit low-altitude targets incoming from a much larger range of angles. This article Russia rolls out advanced weapons during Vostok 2018 military drills with China first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018. More from South China Morning Post: A Turkish court has sentenced a former British soldier to seven-and-a-half years in jail for alleged links to a Kurdish militia that Ankara considers a "terrorist" group. Joe Robinson was arrested in July 2017 while holidaying in Turkey after he posted photos of himself in camouflage and posing next to fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria. A court in the western city of Aydin sentenced him for "membership of a terrorist organisation," the private DHA news agency said. The YPG is an ally of the United States in the fight against the Islamic State in Syria. But Ankara is hostile to the YPG because of its links with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which is fighting for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey. Robinson did not attend the trial for health reasons, DHA said. He is currently on bail and planning an appeal. His Bulgarian fiancee, arrested along with him, was also sentenced to nearly two years in jail for "terrorist propaganda," but she is currently in Britain, DHA said. According to British press reports, the 25-year-old Robinson is a former soldier who served in Afghanistan in 2012 and went to Syria in 2015 to work in the YPG's health unit. A U.S. Border Patrol agent was arrested Saturday in Texas on suspicion that he killed four women and prosecutors are describing him as a serial killer. The agent, Juan David Ortiz, is a supervisor for the Border Patrol. He fled into a hotel parking lot in Laredo, Texas after he fled from state troopers but was located and arrested early Saturday morning. The county, the city can rest assured we have the serial killer in custody, said Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar. Journalist Valerie Gonzalez wrote on Twitter that Ortiz confessed to all four homicides. She later posted a statement from the Webb Conty Sheriffs Office that describes Ortiz as a 10-year Border Patrol veteran. Advertisement Update: Juan David Ortiz confessed to all four homicides. He is a nine-year veteran of Border Patrol, according to Webb County DA. Still waiting on statement from BP. This would be the second homicide investigation in Webb involving a border patrol agent from the Laredo sector. pic.twitter.com/3digC0mmq2 Valerie Gonzalez (@ValOnTheBorder) September 15, 2018 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From Webb County Sheriffs Office regarding killing spree that ended with BP agents arrest: pic.twitter.com/ZLlm9yaZvX Valerie Gonzalez (@ValOnTheBorder) September 15, 2018 Advertisement Although most say all four of the victims were women, CNN reports that the bodies of three females and one male were found over the last two weeks. Authorities say they have very strong evidence that Ortiz was the one who killed four prostitutes and he is believed to have acted alone. Authorities were able to locate Ortiz after a fifth woman apparently managed to escape and notify law enforcement officers. The countys district attorney, Isidro Alaniz, said Ortiz will be charged with four counts of murder and one count of aggravated kidnapping. The motives for the suspected killings are not clear. If the Senate Judiciary Committee votes on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh on Thursday, as currently planned, it will send a clear message to the thousands of women who have spoken out about sexual misconduct in the #MeToo era: Your voices dont matter. On Sunday, Christine Blasey Ford came forward as the woman whos accused Kavanaugh of assaulting her in high school. Ford outlined the allegation in a letter to Rep. Anna G. Eshoo earlier this summer, requesting confidentiality. That letter soon made its way to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who failed to act upon it for reasons that remain hazy. When the New Yorker revealed disturbing details of the letter on Friday, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley refused to reschedule Thursdays vote. Sen. Orrin Hatch, senior member of the committee, agreed with Grassleys decision. In a statement, he declared that while every accuser deserves to be heard, a process of verification is also necessaryand if the accuser remains anonymous, no such process can occur. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now that the accuser has gone on the record, we should take Hatch at his word. Christine Blasey Ford deserves to be heard. The Senate must pause the confirmation process and hold hearingsfair hearings that heed the lessons of the Anita Hill disaster, during which senators downplayed Hills alleged harassment and refused to hear from expert witnesses who could contextualize her experience. Hearings that are not rushed, that call corroborating witnesses, and that do not let Kavanaugh paint himself as the real victim. Hearings that will allow Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski and other GOP moderates who have professed concern about rampant sexual abuse to listen to the victim and vote their consciences. A lifetime appointment to the highest court in the nation is on the line. Advertisement The Senate Judiciary Committees Republicans issued a statement on Sunday complaining about Democrats tactics and motives, implicitly questioning Fords veracity. They appear predictably resistant to delaying the committee vote. It may thus fall on Collins and Murkowski to force their party to treat Ford with respect. No senator should be complicit in a scramble to the finish line in the face of such a serious allegation. Ford told the Post that she believes the incident occurred in the summer of 1982, when she was 15 and Kavanaugh was 17. She attended the all-girls Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, Maryland; he attended the nearby all-boys Georgetown Prep. She says that she and Kavanaugh were at a house party, and that Kavanaugh was extremely drunk. She alleges that when she went to the bathroom, Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge, who was also intoxicated, pushed her into a bedroom and onto a bed. Loud music was playing. Advertisement No senator should be complicit in a scramble to the finish line that tramples the trauma of Christine Blasey Ford. Kavanaugh then allegedly held Ford down with the weight of his body and fumbled with her clothes. He and Judge were laughing maniacally. When she tried to yell, Ford says, Kavanaugh put his hand over her mouth. I thought he might inadvertently kill me, Ford told the Post. She says Judge then jumped on top of them twice; the second time, she broke free and locked herself in the bathroom. Five to ten minutes later, she fled the house. Advertisement According to the Post, Ford first spoke about the alleged attack early in her relationship with her husband, Russell Ford, whom she married in 2002, telling him she had been a victim of physical abuse. But she did not provide details of that abuse until 2012, when undergoing a couples therapy session. The therapists notes, which the Post reviewed, say Ford asserted she was attacked by students from an elitist boys school who went on to become highly respected and high-ranking members of society in Washington. (The notes describe four assailants instead of two, which Ford believes was a mistake by the therapist.) Advertisement Further notes from an individual therapy session in 2013 describe how Ford spoke of a rape attempt in her late teens. Russell Ford told the Post that his wife recounted being trapped in a room with two drunken boys, one of whom pinned her to a bed, molested her and prevented her from screaming. He remembered that his wife used Kavanaughs last name and voiced concern that Kavanaughthen a federal judgemight one day be nominated to the Supreme Court. In early August, Ford took a polygraph test administered by a former FBI agent. According to the Post, the results found that Ford was being truthful when she said a statement summarizing her allegations was accurate. Advertisement Quite understandably, Ford resisted taking her accusation public when Kavanaugh was first nominated. But she told the Post that now, I feel like my civic responsibility is outweighing my anguish and terror about retaliation. Advertisement On Friday, Hatch complained that the allegations against Kavanaugh are wholly unverifiable and do not justify postponing Thursdays committee vote, which would have sent the nomination to the full senate. Thats no longer true. These claims must be investigated; they cannot simply be waved away. Ford, now a research psychologist in northern California, has provided corroborating evidence. She has cast off her anonymity and allowed herself to become a target in an incredibly heated political battle. At a bare minimum, she deserves to tell her story to the Senate, to put forth evidence and testimony about the darkest moments of her life. Advertisement Feinstein called for an FBI investigation shortly after the Post story published, and that, too, is necessary. But sexual assault claimsespecially those that involve a decades-old incidentare notoriously difficult to prove. In the end, it may well fall upon each senator to assess the evidence and determine whether Kavanaugh deserves their advice and consent. The confirmation process is fundamentally political. Senators must exercise their best judgment based on the facts at hand, exasperatingly incomplete as they may be. The question is not whether Kavanaugh can be proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. He will not be. The question is whether Fords accusations are sufficiently serious and plausible to thwart his rise to the Supreme Court. There is only one way to find out: The Senate must slam the brakes on Kavanaughs confirmation and hold hearings on this allegation. Senators must not manipulate the proceedings in Kavanaughs favor, as they did to prevent Anita Hill from fully corroborating her claims. They must listen to what Ford has to tell themand the rest of usand decide whether she or Kavanaugh deserves their trust. Every accuser deserves to be heard, Hatch wrote, before he knew the accusers name. Hes right. And now it is Christine Blasey Fords turn. Christine Blasey Ford has decided she no longer wants to stay anonymous. The professor at Palo Alto University has been watching in horror over the last few days as the basic details of a confidential letter she wrote alleging that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in the early 1980s when they were both high school students became public. Her name had not been revealed but she feared it was only a matter of time as reporters had started to approach her and ask her colleagues about her. So she decided to come forward and speak to the Washington Post, noting that everything she wanted to avoid regarding her loss of privacy now seemed inevitable and she wanted to take control of her own story. These are all the ills that I was trying to avoid, she told the Washington Post. Now I feel like my civic responsibility is outweighing my anguish and terror about retaliation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ford recounted the incident in the early 1980sshe believes it was the summer of 1982 but doesnt remember the exact datewhen Kavanaugh and a friend, both of whom were stumbling drunk pushed her into a bedroom and then on a bed while they were at a house party. She says Kavanaugh held her down and prevented her from moving as he tried to take off her clothes and put his hand over her mouth when she tried to scream. I thought he might inadvertently kill me, Ford, a 51-year-old research psychologist, said. He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing. Kavanaugh and his friend, Mark Judge, were both laughing maniacally, Ford said. She was finally able to escape when Judge jumped on them. Ford hasnt spoken to Kavanaugh since that night and didnt actually tell anyone about what happened in any detail until 2012 during a couples therapy session with her husband. Advertisement The Post reviewed therapist notes from that session as well as from an individual therapy session the following year. In that session, Ford described the assault as a rape attempt. Her husband, Russel Ford, says he recalls that his wife used Kavanaughs name in the 2012 couples therapy session and even that she expressed concern he could one day be nominated to the Supreme Court. When she started weighing whether to come forward after Kavanaughs nomination, a Washington lawyer advised her to take a polygraph test, which she did in early August. The test results, which were shared with the Post, concluded she was being truthful. Judge didnt respond to the Post but in an interview Friday vehemently denied the incident occurred. Its just absolutely nuts. I never saw Brett act that way, Judge said. But Judge has written about his recovery from alcoholism in a book, which included tales about how he got drunk with his friends in high school. Although Kavanugh is never mentioned in the book, there is a mention of a Bart OKavanaugh, who puked in someones car the other night and passed out on his way back from a party. Advertisement Advertisement In his memoir about being a teenage alcoholic, Mark Judge writes a drinking scene about "Bart O'Kavanaugh." Could it be the Supreme Court nominee? https://t.co/RgGYgUe8Py Stephanie Mencimer (@smencimer) September 15, 2018 Kavanaugh has vehemently denied the claims and did not comment further after Fords name became public. I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time, he said. Florence weakened to a tropical depression from a tropical storm Sunday but authorities are warning the danger is far from over as even more flooding is expected as it turns northward into Virginia. At least 14 people have been killed in storm-related incidents11 in North Carolina and three in South Carolina, according to the News & Observer. The way people were killed illustrate the scope of hazards facing people in Florences broad path, notes the paper. One, for example, was electrocuted while a mother and a baby were killed by a tree falling on their home. Early Sunday morning, a couple in South Carolina died of carbon monoxide poisoning after using a generator inside their home, according to the Associated Press. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even as some areas along the coast allowed residents to return to their homes, authorities warned that some who may feel they dodged a bullet could still face problems over the next few days as the rain continues. This is still a catastrophic, life threatening storm, said Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Centers Weather Prediction Center. Authorities are warning that there is now imminent danger from what could amount to the most destructive flooding in the history of North Carolina. Flash flooding is also expected in northern South Carolina and southwest Virginia. Advertisement [5 AM Sunday] Catastrophic, life-threatening flash flooding risk today across much of NC, portions of SC, & southwest VA. Additional rainfall amounts of 5-10" inches are expected, which will produce flash flooding, river flooding and possible landslides in the mountainous areas. pic.twitter.com/HpqNjtM4U5 NWS WPC (@NWSWPC) September 16, 2018 Advertisement Florence already dumped as much as 30 inches of rain in parts of the Caorlinas with more to come, said Taylor. Almost 800,000 customers have been left without power in the Carolinas since Florence crashed ashore Friday morning as a Category 1 hurricane. Authorities along Florences path are telling residents to prepare for the worst if they arent evacuating. If you are refusing to leave during this mandatory evacuation, you need to do things like notify your legal next of kin because the loss of life is very, very possible, Mitch Colvin, the mayor of Fayetteville, North Carolina, said at a news conference. The worst is yet to come. Advertisement White House counselor Kellyanne Conways husband, George Conway, harshlyand directlycriticized the president on Twitter after the commander in chief mocked his predecessor for a decade-old blooper. It all started when President Donald Trump criticized Obama for a comment he made at a 2008 rally that he had been to 57 states while on the campaign trail. When President Obama said that he has been to 57 States, very little mention in Fake News Media. Can you imagine if I said thatstory of the year! Trump had written in a tweet. And it wasnt a lie. Obama really did say that. Advertisement When President Obama said that he has been to 57 States, very little mention in Fake News Media. Can you imagine if I said that...story of the year! @IngrahamAngle Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2018 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is wonderful to be back in Oregon. Over the last 15 months, weve traveled to every corner of the United States. Ive now been in 57 states, Obama said in May 2008. I think one left to go. Alaska and Hawaii, I was not allowed to go to even though I really wanted to visit, but my staff would not justify it. The video of the comment shows people burst out laughing when he said itand Obama himself recognized his error shortly afterward. At another campaign stop he talked to reporters and said he was concerned he misstated the number of people who had died in a cyclone in Burma. I hope I said 100,000 people the first time instead of 100 million. I understand I said there were 57 states today. Its a sign that my numeracy is getting a little, uh Obama said before an aide cut him off. Advertisement George Conway took to Twitter to blast Trump for his tweet, writing there is a huge difference between what Obama quickly recognized was an error and Trumps ceaseless, shameless, and witless prevarication on virtually all topics, large and small. He has since pinned that tweet. Advertisement Advertisement Needless to say, theres a huge difference between an isolated slip of the tongue and ceaseless, shameless, and witless prevarication on virtually all topics, large and small. https://t.co/mvV8cgZLyp George Conway (@gtconway3d) September 15, 2018 George Conways tweet came mere days after he shared a number of tweets about polls showing Trump with a low approval rating. He also shared the now-infamous anonymous op-ed published in the New York Times. Advertisement Last month, the Washington Post profiled Kellyanne Conway and her husband in a piece that seemed to make it pretty clear she is not a fan of her husbands constant desire to tweet against her boss. It is disrespectful, its a violation of basic decency, certainly, if not marital vows, she said, although she asked that quote to be attributed to a person familiar with their relationship. The reporter refused, saying they were on the record. Well, people do see it this way, she said. People do see it that way, I dont say I do, but people see it that way. Clearly, her work in the administration has caused tensions in their marriage at the very least. I feel theres a part of him that thinks I chose Donald Trump over him, she said. Which is ridiculous. One is my work and one is my marriage. President Donald Trump is set to announce new tariffs on some $200 billions in Chinese goods as early as next week in a move that could risk deepening the trade war between the two economic powers. Sources told the Wall Street Journal an announcement is being planned for Monday or Tuesday. The move would amount to one of the most severe economic restrictions ever imposed by a U.S. president, points out the Washington Post. The tariffs would take effect within weeks and would be lower than initially expected. Although the administration had said it was considering a tariff level of 25 percent, it will probably be about 10 percent. But officials warned Trump could decide to hike the tariff level up to 25 percent again if he feels China isnt showing progress to change its economic policies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lower tariff level appears to have been a result of administration officials being swayed by the public hearings on the issue and fear that the tariffs could end up increasing prices on American consumers ahead of the holiday shopping season. Its still far from clear how much prices could increase in the United States as a result of the new tariffs. But Apple had recently warned some of its products would inevitably increase in price if the trade war between China and the United States escalates. Word of the tariffs comes mere days after Trump wrote on Twitter that China is under pressure to make a deal with us, implying Beijing would be the one to lose out if there was no progress in negotiations. Our markets are surging, theirs are collapsing. We will soon be taking in Billions in Tariffs & making products at home. If we meet, we meet? Advertisement The Wall Street Journal has it wrong, we are under no pressure to make a deal with China, they are under pressure to make a deal with us. Our markets are surging, theirs are collapsing. We will soon be taking in Billions in Tariffs & making products at home. If we meet, we meet? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 13, 2018 Advertisement The way in which Trump appears to have decided to move forward with the new tariff even as he authorized aides to try to begin new negotiations with China reflects divisions in his administration over handling escalating trans-Pacific trade tensions, with some urging an ongoing tough line and others hoping to keep open a dialogue that could foster compromises before the spat turns into a full-fledged trade war, notes the Journal. But analysts also pointed out the new tariffs appear to be part of a move to make clear to China that Washington wants more than just talks and negotiations. For the near term, this combination of tactics seems to signal that unless and until China comes to the table with significant actions on the issues the U.S. is hammering, the U.S. will keep tariff pressure going, Claire Reade, a former U.S. trade negotiator, tells the Washington Post. Talks without action wont do the trick. The open question, of course, is how much action is enough and can China find a way to move that will be seen as being in its own interest, not kowtowing to the U.S. Typhoon Mangkhut, the worlds strongest storm this year, continued down its deadly path Sunday in Southeast Asia as it reached the southern coast of China Sunday. The storm battered Chinas most populous province with winds of up to 100 miles per hour Sunday. The Philippines appears to have been hit the worst as the category five super-typhoon hit the northern end of the island of Luzon early on Saturday morning. Officials feared Sunday the death toll was higher than they expected due to widespread landslides and flooding. Rescue workers in the Philippines were searching for bodies as landslides crushed a church and a bunkhouse for miners. Most of the casualties in the country appear to have been in the mountainous Cordillera region in northern Luzon but the rain and mud are still so intense that it hampered rescue operations. At least 64 people were killed in typhoon related incidents in northern Philippines but everyone seems to agree the number will rise and officials warned the death toll could surpass 100 in the Philippines alone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Francis Tolentino, a senior adviser to President Rodrigo Duterte, said an estimated 5.7 million people had been affected by the storm. The Philippine Red Cross posted videos early Sunday showing rescue operations and how they managed to evacuate people on boats. Advertisement PRC staff and volunteers rescued affected families and individuals at neck deep floods brought by typhoon #OmpongPH in Brgy. Sagud-Bahley, San Fabian in Pangasinan. PRC Pangasinan Chapter rescued an 8-month old baby and 43 individuals. pic.twitter.com/OMYQ6Gd0lB Philippine Red Cross (@philredcross) September 15, 2018 More than 2.4 million people had been evacuated in Chinas Guangdong province by Sunday as Mangkhut, which weakened overnight, is expected to move inland. Although Hong Kong avoided a direct hit, more than 100 were still injured as high winds swayed buildings, smashed windows and caused flooding. In neighboring Macau, casinos were ordered to close for the first time in its history. Advertisement After an action packed Friday card that saw eight races with implications for next weeks Night of Champions at Hawthorne, eight more races on Saturday were contested to help shape next weeks big card. The evening began with leg four action in the Beulah Dygert Memorial trot for Illinois-bred, three-year-old fillies as a field of nine lined up to contest the action. Trotting Grace was sent away as the heavy favourite with Kyle Husted driving. Leaving for the lead was White Pants Fever as Trotting Grace tucked in just behind through the quarter in :29.2. On the backstretch, Trotting Grace took over from White Pants Fever as the Searle trained duo passed the half one-two in :59.2. On the turn, Trotting Grace remained in command, passing three quarters in 1:28.3. In the lane, White Pants Fever tired as Trotting Grace faced a fresh challenge from New Queen. On the wire, Trotting Grace held on by a half-length over New Queen. Maui Mama got up for third. The final time for the mile was 1:57. Trotting Grace is owned in partnership by Bill Wright, Mystical Marker Farms LLC and trainer Steve Searle. Race three was the first of two divisions of leg four of the Plum Peachy for Illinois-bred, three-year-old filly pacers. A field of eight contested the race as Allbeastnobeauty was sent away favoured. Leaving for the lead was The New Americana as Kyle Husted guided her through the opening quarter in :28.2. Chased by JBs Shooting Star, The New Americana passed the half in :57. Cruising along through three quarters in 1:24.3, The New Americana went unchallenged through the wire, winning in 1:52.4. JBs Shooting Star finished second while Allbeastnobeauty was third. The New Americana is owned by Dave Falzone, James Molitor and Steven Leita and trained by Harold Herrera. Race four was the first of two divisions of leg four of the Kadabra Stakes for Illinois-bred, two-year-old colt and gelding trotters. The field of six saw Foxvalleysrushhour go off as the favourite with Juan Franco driving. Making the lead was Fox Valley Cruise with Kyle Husted driving as they passed the quarter in :30. On the backside, For Trots Sakes ranged up to challenge, through a half in :59.1. The challenge did not last for long though as Fox Valley Cruise regained the lead on the turn, covering three quarters in 1:29.4. In the stretch, Foxvalleysrushhour tipped out to challenge but the move was too late as Fox Valley Cruise held on. For Trots Sakes finished third. The final time for the mile was 1:59.4. Fox Valley Cruise is owned by Phil Langley, John Schwarz, Jr., and trainer Jim Eaton. Race five was the first of two divisions of leg four of the Incredible Finale with a field of six, led by Maximus and driver Kyle Wilfong. Getting away quickly was Cooter Luke, but Maximus moved up from the outside to challenge through the quarter in :28.4. After a half in :59.3, Maximus was pushed into the turn by Fox Valley Julius. The duo passed three quarters in 1:28.3 as Fox Valley Julius put his head in front turning into the lane. After a long stretch drive, Maximus dug in and battled back, winning over Fox Valley Julius in 1:56. Riley The Mooss finished third. Maximus is owned by The Panhellenic Stable Corporation and Ken Rucker and trained by Kim Roth. Race six on Saturday was the second division of the Kadabra with Louscardamon favoured for driver Mike Oosting. Shortly after the start Louscardamon broke stride and dropped to the back of the pack as Trixies Turbo inherited the lead in :30.1. On the backstretch, Trixies Turbo cruised along as second-choice Fox Valley Picaso also broke stride. Passing the half in 1:00.3 and three quarters in 1:30.2, Trixies Turbo led the field into the lane through the easy fractions. A clear winner at the wire, Trixies Turbo rolled home in 1:59.3. 85-1 shot Frontier Manard got up for second while Big Garcia Vega finished third. Trixies Turbo is owned by Charles Doehring and is trained by Jared Finn. Race eight was the second division of leg four of the Incredible Finale with seven horses led by the duo of The Bucket, with Casey Leonard driving and Meyer On Fire, driven by Mike Oosting. At the start, it was longshot Coming Up who was able to grab the lead, backing the pace down through an opening quarter in :30.3. Chased by Meyer On Fire through a slow half in 1:00.2, Coming Up maintained his advantage into the turn. After three quarters in 1:29.1, Coming Up and Ridge Warren led the field into the lane as Meyer On Fire tipped out and The Bucket began to move from the back of the back. Late in the lane Meyer On Fire took over, winning in 1:56.3. Coming Up was game, holding on for second while The Bucket finished third. Meyer On Fire is owned by Engel Stable of Illinois LLC and is trained by Erv Miller. Race nine was the second division of the Plum Peachy as the field of eight was led by favoured Fox Valley Jazzy, driven by Ridge Warren. Leaving for the lead was Rollin Coal, as she passed the quarter in :28 and half in :58. Chased by Fox Valley Jazzy into the turn, Rollin Coal kept her advantage, covering three quarters in 1:26.2. Into the lane, Rollin Coal was challenged by Party Belle and Travis Seekman, while Fox Valley Jazzy altered course to the outside. At the wire, Party Belle got up in time, winning in 1:54.2. Fox Valley Jazzy finished second while Skeeter Machine was third. Party Belle is owned by Ladavie Spann, along with trainer Tyler George. Race ten was the elimination for the Tony Maurello for Illinois-bred aged filly and mare pacers. The top eight qualify for the final as Fox Valley Charm was the favourite with Mike Oosting in the bike. Getting away quickly was the favourite as she carved out the early fractions of :28.2 and :58 for the half. After three quarters in 1:25.4, Fox Valley Charm turned into the lane with a brief lead as a wall of challengers lined up behind her. Rallying late in the stretch to take over was Fancy Creek Jolene and Robert Smolin as she got up in the shadow of the wire for the victory. Char N Marg closed to finish second while Fox Valley Charm held on for third. The final time for the mile was 1:52.4. Fancy Creek Jolene is owned by Michael Wolf and Set The Pace Racing LLC and trained by Kim Hamilton. (Hawthorne Park) Freehold Raceway hosted two more legs of the NJSDF and one final over the weekend. The $7,500 second leg for two-year-old colt trotters took place on Friday (Sept. 14), while Saturday (Sept. 15) saw the second leg for two-year-old pacing colts and the NJSDF final for two-year-old pacing fillies contested. The second leg for the two-year-old trotting colts was won by Bordogna for Julie Miller. Bordogna defeated his competition in 2:01.1 from Post 4. The Trixton colt earned his sixth lifetime win and increased his earnings to $11,375 for owners Rick Huffman, Caroll Huffman, Larry Mather and Alan Eden. Apocalypse came in second and Holiday Hangover finished third. On Saturday, Freehold held the seventh annual Open Space Pace with the featured $50,000 NJSDF final for two-year-old filly pacers. Odds-on favourite Surreality left from the two hole to take the lead and never looked back, as she went on to stop the clock in 1:56.2. The Mark Harder trainee finished her New Jersey series off with a win and a second in the two legs and a big win in the final. She notched win No. 5 and lifetime earnings of $64,625 for owners Joseph Jannuzzelli, Mark Harder and Dawn Colucci. Hurrikane Lori Ann finished second and Surrealism third. Later in the card, another odds-on favourite, Trente Deo, won the second leg of the NJSDF for two-year-old colt pacers. The Michael Hall trainee nosed out Mark Witha K to stop the clock in 1:58. The Captaintreacherous colt earned his second lifetime win and raised his bankroll to $34,316 for owners Michael Hall, David Hamm, and CTC Stable. Downtown Cruiser finished off the trifecta. Live racing will resume Friday, September 21 with a post time of 12:30 p.m. (SBOANJ) The Delaware County Fair has announced that Cindi Johnson, the recently retired award winning outrider, will be honoured as the 2018 Lady Pace Honoree, and Gary King and William Bill Cawley will be honoured as the Joseph Neville Memorial Award Recipients. Johnson started as an outrider in 1997 at Floridas Pompano Park. She moved to Ohio in 2003 and started working at Ohio tracks. She served as the Delaware outrider from 2007 through 2017. Unnoticed by many until an accident occurs, an outrider assists the drivers and trainers on the track prior to and sometimes during the races. Johnson was considered by many to be the finest outrider. In 2010, Johnson was honoured by the United States Harness Writers Association with its LeeAnne Pooler Unsung Hero Award. The Ohio Harness Horsemens Association honoured Johnson with a special award in 2017. Johnson retired in 2017 along with her horse and partner of 17 years, Beau. Gary King was a longtime realtor and broker for his own company, King Realty, since 1971. He had a lifelong love of horses and for many years he was the stallman during Little Brown Jug week. Gary and his wife also announced the All Horse Parade. Bill Cawley was a life-long supporter of the Delaware County Fair and the Little Brown Jug and worked in the log cabin for 20 years. Professionally, he worked over 20 years as store manager for Woodhouse Lynch and went on to found his own business, Cawley Clothiers. King passed away on March 28, 2018 at the age of 73 and Cawley passed away on January 3, 2018 at the age of 74. Cindi Johnson and Beau in action at the Delaware County Fair (Little Brown Jug) Bay of Plenty You will be driving the Roller and also required to help out the team hands on. You will be working around Tauranga, for... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz Its game on for the more than 500 teachers and school support staff who have registered for the upcoming Teachers Games, September 30 to October 3 in Mt Maunganui. The Games were first held in 2017 to help re-engage teachers and school staff from across the country in the fun and value of sport via a range physical activities, professional development sessions and networking opportunities. Gareth Yates, Sport Bay of Plentys team leader of school sport, says a 2013 census by the NZ Secondary Schools Sports Council showed a slow decline in the numbers of teachers involved in coaching and managing sports. Kids want to play sport, but unfortunately a lack of time, a jam-packed curricula and an ageing teacher population is preventing many educators from getting involved and supporting kids with those opportunities. The NZ Teachers Games is a great way to re-engage education professionals in the fun and value of sport, and empower them with new ideas and knowledge to help support sporting opportunities in their local school communities. Rachel Colby from Stonefield's School in Auckland attended the Teachers Games last year and says the experience gave her and her colleagues a chance to rediscover the underlying fun of sport and a way to connect across their teaching disciplines. As a physical education teacher, I loved the opportunity the Teacher Games provided to include other staff members into the activities. This not only gave them a taste for how fun sports can be in a safe, developmentally appropriate setting, it also allowed us to connect as colleagues and lift staff moral back at school. The NZ Teachers Games is open to any paid staff member in early childhood centre, or a primary or secondary school. Activities at the Games include options for all abilities and fitness levels. Registration close 22 September. Visit sporty.co.nz/nztg to register. Mountain Shadows in Wayanad is just the place for a dreamy vacation Hurricane Florence is at present reported having claimed the lives of four civilians throughout North Carolina, including an infant. The first casualties were reported after a large tree toppled into a family home in Wilmington at around 9.30 pm Friday morning, according to The Daily Mail. A family of three were crushed by the tree, with a mother and her infant child being fatally wounded. A third man was removed from the scene on a stretcher. Despite desperate attempts from rescuers to haul the tree off the property, the National Guard had to be called before it could be shifted. Later on Friday afternoon, according to WRAL.com, at 2.58 pm the storm claimed its third victim when a woman in Pender County suffered a heart attack. Due to the conditions, she was unable to be reached by emergency services in time. A fourth victim lost their life at around 3:15 pm in Lenoir County while plugging in a generator, a press release from the governor's office confirmed. Hurricane Florence showing no signs of slowing down The eye of the storm first made contact with North Carolina's shores early on Friday morning after marking its path across the outer banks and southeastern coast of the state. According to forecasts, it is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. In just a seven day period, it is anticipated that as much as 18 trillion gallons of rainwater will hit Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Maryland and both North and South Carolina. Officials have warned civilians to stay on alert as the worst is yet to come. Speaking to ABC news, Wilmington Police Chief Ralph Evangelous stated: "'I see a biblical proportion flood event that's going to occur. I see the beach communities being inundated with water and destruction that will be pretty, pretty epic in nature." Hurricane Florence leaves 620,000 homes and businesses without power The latest figures released reveal how at present as many as 620,000 homes and businesses have been left without any electricity. Around 26,000 evacuees have sought refuge in storm shelters to wait out Florence's devastating destruction. Many of those who ignore evacuation warnings have been left trapped and are currently waiting for rescuers to free them. Officials have revealed how around midmorning on Friday, in the North Carolina city of New Bern alone, around 200 people had to be rescued from rising waters, as an average 150 more had to wait as conditions worsened and a storm surge reached 10 feet. The New Bern city spokesperson Colleen Roberts revealed how volunteers are using private boats to pitch in and help, those who have been left stranded. Speaking to Good Morning America, New Bern Mayor Dana Outlaw stated that Florence "is twice the size of Hurricane Hugo, which tore through the Carolinas in 1989. He went on to say that the residents of New Bern "need America's prayers". N'DJAMENA (Reuters) - Chadian army helicopters killed two civilians in bombing runs over a gold mining town along the Libyan border, where government forces have clashed with a fledgling rebel movement, a family member of the victims and an intelligence official said. Two helicopters attacked the town of Kouri Bougoudi on Thursday and the two men died from their wounds on Friday, the family member, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters. Two other civilians were wounded in the attacks, the person said. An intelligence source, also speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that two civilians were killed in the raids. Chad's army spokesman declined to comment. The rebel movement, the Military Command Council for the Salvation of the Republic (CCMSR), was founded in 2016 and has fought Chadian forces several times near the Libyan border since last month. The group, which claims to have several thousand fighters, says its goal is to overthrow President Idriss Deby. Deby took control of Chad in 1990 in a rebellion that toppled then-President Hissene Habre. Deby has faced several rebellions since then but there has been relative calm since 2009. The CCMSR's ranks include former rebels from the Darfur region of neighboring Sudan and former political allies of Habre, who is in prison in Senegal for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The nascent rebellion is the latest security challenge for Deby, a close ally of the West against Islamist militants in the Sahara. Chad closed its border with Libya in January of last year in an effort to stop militants from entering. Chad is also threatened by groups with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State in the lawless, semi-arid Sahel band as well from Nigeria-based Boko Haram militants. (Reporting By Madjiasra Nako; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Alessandra Prentice and Andrew Bolton) See Also: TOKYO (Reuters) - One of Taiwan's representatives stationed in Japan's western city of Osaka committed suicide this week, the government of the self-ruled island said. The official had been an excellent diplomat "keen to offer help to junior colleagues", Taiwan's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement on Friday, expressing its "deepest sorrow and regret over the unfortunate incident". It added, "Su Chii-cherng committed suicide at his official residence this morning." Taiwan's Premier William Lai was saddened by the news, he said in a statement. Taiwan's official Central News Agency said the 61-year-old had only taken up the Osaka post in July, having previously led the island's office in Naha, the capital of Okinawa. An official of the Osaka prefectural police declined to comment to Reuters when reached by telephone on Saturday. Taiwan media said Su had faced harsh criticism over his handling of Taiwan nationals stranded in Japan in the wake of typhoon Jebi, which killed 11 and injured hundreds this month. Thousands were marooned at a flooded airport in Osaka. Reuters could not independently verify the comments cited by several news groups and published on social media accounts. Taiwan cabinet spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka praised Su's performance as a diplomat and urged its citizens to give more support and encouragement to frontline diplomats. (Reporting by Mari Saito in TOKYO and Yimou Lee in TAIPEI; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) The White House is set to announce new tariffs on as many as $200.0bn-worth of Chinese-made goods, probably towards the start of the coming week. That was according to reports at the weekend from Reuters and the Journal. Significantly, according to the latter of those two reports, published on Saturday, the tariff rate that would finally be applied "within days" would probably be of approximately 10% and not the 25% which the US administration had originally threatened. According to one observer cited by Reuters, the reduction in the tariff rate finally chosen might be the result of the 'feed-back' received during the government's public comment period on its tariff proposals. Nevertheless, should the reports prove to be correct, there was some concern in markets that the announcement of new tariffs might hinder US Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin's, attempts to restart talks with Beijing. On Sunday, the Journal also reported that Beijing was studying the option of snubbing the White House's offer of talks. As an aside, and also at the weekend, at an event hosted by The Economist, ex-Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, Larry Summers, and ex-Bank of England deputy governor, Minouche Shafik, appeared to agree that US trade policy vis-a-vis China should perhaps focus more on aspects such as safeguarding intellectual property rights in the Asian giant. Alejandro Henriquez was convicted of murdering two children and a young woman in 1992 and was sentenced to 75 years in prison. He continues to claim that he is innocent, however. Henriquez sat down with Piers Morgan and denied his involvement, accusing the NYPD of making him a "scapegoat" for the ITV series "Serial Killers." The Daily Mail reported that Piers Morgan entered the Sullivan Correctional Facility in New York State to interview Henriquez. Piers identified psychological ticks in the Bronx killer's behavior and attitude, which explained his motives. Henriquez serving multiple life sentences The 57-year-old received three consecutive life sentences in 1992 for the killing of Jessica Guzman, Shamira Bello, and Lisa Ann Rodriguez. They were all strangled and beaten to death with rocks. Henriquez has refused to acknowledge what he's done or show any remorse. Henriquez told Piers Morgan that his life and his family's life have been destroyed, ye he's innocent. Morgan's documentary focuses on the national outcry over the death of Guzman in 1990. Her death led the NYPD to form a task force to solve a series of murders over the previous two years in the Bronx. Henriquez became the prime suspect as he was the last person to be seen with Jessica. Henriquez was also known by the other two victims. Piers Morgan worked alongside FBI legend James Fitzgerald According to The Sun, Piers Morgan called on James Fitzgerald, the man responsible for catching "The Unabomber" Theodore Kaczynski, as they explored the case and investigation. Fitzgerald analyzed Alex's behavior. Fitzgerald said that psychopaths are control freaks and want to control others through lies and manipulation. Discuss this news on Eunomia Fitzgerald was recently called in by the FBI to assist with the Austin bombing case. Fitzgerald said that he kept going after these girls, which indicated that maybe his activities with women closer to his age were not going quite the way he would have liked. Piers Morgan attempted to get a confession from Alejandro Henriquez. At one point during the interview, Alejandro Henriquez lost his temper as Piers Morgan continued to interrogate him. Morgan and Henriquez were discussing a fact that only the killer would know and Morgan pressed him on it, resulting in Henriquez getting frustrated with Morgan and calling those who analyzed the evidence liars. After a heated moment, Piers Morgan branded him a masterful liar -- a sentiment shared by many involved in the investigation. Ellsworth: Shortness of breath, fatigue are signs your heart can't keep up columns Prev 1 of 3 Next Members of the Albuquerque Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority are gearing up for a push to the polls, registering voters, educating voters, making them aware of early and absentee-voting opportunities or urging them to get to the polls on Nov. 6, Election Day. Twelve of our members have become voter-registration agents, said Kirsten Ray, the chapters recording secretary and chairwoman of its political awareness and involvement committee. Sonya Morring Smith, chapter vice president, said the chapter also will be doing Politics 101 presentations to teach people about the voting process as we march toward an election in which local, state and national offices are at stake. We dont want people to register and then not vote, she said. This is important locally and nationally. Doing their part Delta Sigma Theta, a sorority dedicated to public service, especially through programs aimed at the African-American community, was founded on Jan. 13, 1913, by 22 women students at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Less than two months later, on March 3, 1913, Delta Sigma Theta members were participating in the Womens Suffrage March in Washington, D.C. Since then, Deltas throughout the world have continued to commit ourselves to be agents of change for disenfranchised people, said Jasmyn Madison, Albuquerque Alumnae Chapter president. And our chapter will continue to do our part to make sure we are at the forefront of helping our community become a better place. In recognition of all they attempt and all they accomplish, the Albuquerque Alumnae Chapter was presented two program awards one for community impact and one for social action work during Delta Sigma Thetas Southwest Region Conference in July in Dallas. The southwest region is made up of more than 140 chapters in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Jamaica. Delta Sigma Theta has a five-pronged program of action economic development, educational development, international awareness and involvement, physical and mental health, and political awareness and involvement. In working toward those goals, heres a sampling of what doing their part looks like in the Albuquerque Alumnae Chapter. Last year, the Albuquerque Deltas teamed up with the Albuquerque branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to sponsor an Albuquerque mayoral forum and this past Friday they again joined the local branch of the NAACP to sponsor a gubernatorial forum. It is important that as part of the black community, we get our concerns about economic development, crimes in neighborhoods and education out there, Madison said. But often these concerns are not unique to the black community. During the past year, the chapter also distributed several $1,000 scholarships to Albuquerque-area young people, worked with health organizations to present a fair advising the community about access to health care resources, assisted forums discussing various paths to education and financial literacy tools, supported the local refugee community and worked with programs such as Habitat for Humanity, the Roadrunner Food Bank and Socks for Tots. Over the next year, in addition to its voting drive efforts, the chapter has plans for English-as-a-second-language tutoring, economic development workshops and trying once again to persuade the state Legislature to pass a state anti-hazing law. We are proud of our unified accomplishments as a chapter, Smith said. It is our hope and intent to continuously stretch for maximum impact and strong social activism. Sisterhood and service Committed, persistent and unflappable, sorority members now number more than 300,000 in more than 900 chapters, not only in the United States but also in the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, England, Germany, Jamaica, Japan, Liberia and South Korea. The organization is a sorority of college-educated women, but it is open to any woman regardless of race, religion and nationality as long as they meet requirements. Women may join through undergraduate chapters at a college or university or through an alumnae chapter after earning a college degree. The Albuquerque Alumnae Chapter was chartered on March 18, 1967, with 15 members and more than 50 years later has a membership of 49. A lot of them came to Albuquerque from elsewhere. Madison, 37, grew up in Memphis. She attended Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta and joined Delta Sigma Theta after graduating. Smith, 51, is from Norfolk, Va., attended Norfolk State University and, like Madison, joined the sorority after earning her degree. Ray, 52, from Portland, Ore., joined Delta Sigma Theta 30 years ago while she was a student at Spelman College in Atlanta. And Florence Bowers, 70, from Aiken, S.C., joined the sorority nearly 50 years ago when she was enrolled at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C. Bowers has been in Albuquerque for 40 years and a member of the Albuquerque Alumnae Chapter for more than 30. Madison said other members of the sorority refer to Bowers as the sister they want to be when they grow up. The immediate past chairwoman of the chapters arts and letters committee, Bowers has worked the past eight years with the University of New Mexicos Popejoy Hall to get young people involved with the arts, primarily by providing them with discounted tickets to Popejoy performances. It has made a difference, she said of the efforts. It has made the African-American community a presence (at arts programs). Bowers said she values Delta Sigma Theta for the sisterhood and the satisfaction of providing service. Ray, who develops computer software for a living, concurs. Part of joining is wanting to serve, and its nice when I am able to do that with other people, she said. Its hard to get things done by yourself. Its easy for me to develop software by myself. But I cant do social action by myself. When Albuquerque police Sgt. Jim Edison saw a homeless man panhandling from a broken wheelchair at a busy intersection Saturday morning, he decided to help out. Edison said police received several calls from concerned drivers who saw Timothy Scott precariously positioned on the median at Montgomery and Wyoming NE. The median was really just the width of his wheelchair, maybe a couple of inches on either side, Edison said. Unable to reach out far enough, he said Scott had a cup on a stick to collect donations from passing drivers. I went there just to check on him, and talk to him, see if I couldnt move him out of traffic, Edison said. He ended up getting Scott food, water and out of harms way. When Edison went to move Scott to the sidewalk, he noticed the wheelchair was old and one of the wheels was bent, causing Scott to have a difficult time getting around. Scott told Edison of a nearby church, Faith Lutheran Church, that could possibly help out. He heard that they have wheelchairs for people in his predicament, so I offered to go see if I could get one if the church was open, Edison said. Faith Lutheran partners with the organization Joni and Friends, Wheels for the World that gives wheelchairs, refurbished by prison inmates, free of charge to those in need. They are the ones who make this happen, he said. If they didnt have something like this in place, theres nothing I couldve done for this man. Edison returned from the church with a new wheelchair exchanging it with Scott for the old one, which will be refurbished and donated again. He said Scott was really thankful and pleased with the quality of the refurbished chair and how well it moved on its own. The look on his face was certainly something I wont forget, Edison said. The 11-year veteran of the Albuquerque Police Department said he was just doing his job. I dont think I really did anything that anybody else wouldnt do, he said. Edison said he instills two guiding principles as a leader in the department: to go home safe and to make your momma proud. One of my jobs is to set that example, he said. This is what we do, this is how we do our job. I dont think its anything special I certainly feel that mom would be proud. PHOENIX Arizona wildlife officials say two endangered Mexican gray wolves, including one in New Mexico, have died. The Arizona Game and Fish Department said in a news release Friday that both animals were found dead in August, bringing the total number of documented deaths to eight. Authorities did not release any details about the circumstances or where exactly the wolves were found. Their deaths are under investigation. The wolf in Arizona was part of a pack in the eastern part of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. The one found dead in New Mexico was part of a pack based in Arizonas Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. Efforts to reintroduce the endangered wolves in Arizona and New Mexico have been ongoing for two decades. On June 5, 1967, Reies Lopez Tijerina and several armed members of the Alianza Federal de Mercedes burst into the Tierra Amarilla Courthouse, and land-grant politics in New Mexico has never been the same. Many New Mexicans are familiar with this story, but oddly seem to be unaware that much has changed since then. Today there is a new land grant movement seeking to advance land recovery and economic development for rural communities. It employs different tactics and is achieving different results. Last week marked an important event: A U.S. House subcommittee considered H.R. 6365, a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., to establish a commission to review the poorly administered adjudication of community land grants from over a century ago. This is not your grandfathers land-grant movement. About 40 land grants in New Mexico also known by the Spanish term mercedes have active boards of trustees; two dozen community land grants function as units of government. They have engaged both the state and federal government and are uniquely positioned to recover some of their lost lands. The buzz around H.R. 6365 is not the only sign of progress. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., introduced H.R. 6487, a bill to require federal agency consultation with mercedes and acequias. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M., and U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., each have introduced amendments to the Farm Bill to make land grants eligible for conservation program funds. U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich is working with land grants to return ancient cemeteries on federal lands. The U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have invited land-grant representatives to participate in forest revision plans, the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument management plan, and the resource management plan for San Juan and Farmington. This modest progress with the federal government builds on 15 years of previous work with the state. In 2003 the Legislature established the Land Grant Committee, recognizing that mercedes are a vital component of the states heritage and its rural communities. Community land grants became eligible to function as units of government. Common lands are now immune to adverse possession. Between 2006 and 2009 the New Mexico Land Grant Consejo, a statewide consortium of land grants, and the New Mexico Land Grant Council, a state board that provides various services to land grants, were established. More recently, the Abiquiu and Tome grants have seen the return of modest acreage of lost common lands the first occasion when any land grant saw any land recovery since the 1960s. None of these efforts have gone as far as we and other land grant activists would want, and we are a long way from recovering access for traditional uses, much less ownership, of former common lands now managed by the state or federal government. We are even further away from acquiring the necessary resources to purchase some of the lands lost to private owners. But much has changed, despite the commonly held views that land grants-mercedes have disappeared completely or that land-grant leaders still pursue the tactics of the 1960s. The hearing last week in Congress will not produce a straight-line resolution of the historic injustices of faulty 19th-century land-grant adjudications, but it, and other ongoing efforts, represent the most positive steps we have seen at the federal level in 20 years. We know this is long-term work. We hope to generate public support to correct an injustice and provide opportunities for some of the poorest residents of the state. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal Immigration remains a hot-button political issue, but a majority of Americans have a favorable view of immigrants, according to surveys by the Pew Research Center. Over time weve seen public opinion about immigrants become overall more positive, said DVera Cohn, a senior editor with the Pew Research Center. However, underneath that overall trend, theres also growing division by political party. Cohn will discuss attitudes about immigration and the changing face of immigrants coming to the U.S. as part of the Albuquerque International Association lecture series Sept. 21 at the University of New Mexico Continuing Education Conference Center in Albuquerque. A growing percentage of immigrants who are here who are unauthorized immigrants are not people who crossed the border without permission but are people who came here with legal visas and they overstayed, she said. Many of those immigrants are from Asia. Much of the political debate about undocumented immigration focuses on enforcement along the southwest border and people crossing illegally from Mexico. Maybe its something people from New Mexico wouldnt think about as much because youre so near the border, Cohn said. The focus on the border has led to misperceptions about who is coming to the United States and how they get here. Pew opinion surveys show many Americans dont know whether a majority of immigrants are in the country illegally or not, Cohn said. Three-quarters of all immigrants in the U.S. are legal. Cohn will discuss historic trends, including the impact of immigration on population growth in recent decades. That is, more than half our population growth since mid-60s has been due to new immigrants and their children and grandchildren, she said. And as the population in America ages, younger immigrants will be key to economic growth and productivity. Our own numbers indicate if the labor force grows, it will be because of immigration, Cohn said. That could change if U.S. policy curtails legal immigration and enforcement reduces the number of undocumented workers, she said. Public opinion about immigrants remains split along political party lines over the question of whether immigrants are a burden or strengthen America, as well as whether the U.S. has a responsibility to accept refugees. Half of Democrats or those who lean Democrat say yes. Forty-three percent of those surveyed who identify as Republicans or Republican-leaning say the U.S. does not have a responsibility. Since immigration issues will be part of the political debate on the campaign trail ahead of the November midterm elections, the nonpartisan Pew Research Center is focused on providing facts and information. Our mission is to talk about public opinion and public data to help people make their own opinions to sort through some of the complexity and emotions that this very important topic brings up, Cohn said. SANTA FE Two southern New Mexico lawmakers are pushing for the state to create an office of outdoor recreation, which they say would help the state flaunt its natural landscapes and tap into a lucrative industry. But the ultimate success of the idea could hinge on New Mexicos gubernatorial election this fall. A number of other Western states including Utah, Montana, Colorado and Wyoming have in recent years created similar state government offices that vary in size and scope. Sen. Jeff Steinborn, a Las Cruces Democrat, said such an office in New Mexico could further bolster an economic sector that already generates $9.9 billion in annual consumer spending and an estimated 99,000 jobs, according to the Outdoor Industry Association. Its something that can bring economic development to all parts of the state, said Steinborn, who along with Rep. Nathan Small, D-Las Cruces, introduced a legislative memorial last year calling for a study of the cost and impact of an office of outdoor recreation. However, Gov. Susana Martinezs administration opposes the idea, saying it would be redundant because the existing state Tourism Department and Economic Development Department already promote New Mexicos outdoor recreation industry. Theres no need to create more government jobs to perform work thats already being done, said Mary Elizabeth Robertson, a spokeswoman for the state tourism agency. She also said state leisure and hospitality job numbers have increased steadily since 2011. But with Martinez scheduled to leave office at the end of this year, Steinborn and other proponents of the idea say they plan to pursue the issue under a new governor. Democratic gubernatorial nominee Michelle Lujan Grisham has indicated her support for the plan, while GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Pearce has expressed skepticism but hasnt ruled it out. Meanwhile, Steinborn said he envisions the office of outdoor recreation would be staffed by four to six employees and be housed within an existing agency. Its unclear how much that might cost. Overall, New Mexico contains 9 million acres of national forest land and roughly 13 million acres of land managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management. The state is also home to multiple ski areas, bike races and hiking trails. State agency mergers or eliminations have to be authorized by the Legislature, though governors have in the past used their executive authority to create state offices. For instance, then-Gov. Bill Richardson ordered that a state office be created in 2010 to deal with the implementation of Obamacare. Cats and space. Cats and space not to be mistaken with cats in space were the subject matter of two science fair projects in New Mexico that have been named among the tops in the country. Broadcom MASTERS, a national science, technology, engineering and math competition for middle schoolers, selected 12-year-old Gianna Nilvo and 13-year-old Olivia Cole to be among the top 300 of 2,537 applicants nationwide earlier this month. Twenty-four students in the state applied. Charlie and Pepe Gianna, a student at School of Dreams Academy, a charter school in Los Lunas, studied digestion by looking at how much cat food eaten is actually absorbed and digested by a kitty. She was inspired to do the project by her late cat, 18-year-old Charlie, who had digestive issues. This reflects off of me, she said, referring to her project. With cat earrings clinging to her earlobes, the seventh-grader spoke about her project as if working with hydrochloric acid was a typical thing for someone her age to do. Describing a homemade laboratory in her garage, she talked about the procedure for the project, which got her first place in the animal science category at the regionals and eventually the Grand Award, the highest prize, in Life Sciences at the state contest. Wearing lab coats, protective eyewear, gloves and masks, the 12-year-old and her mom put different types of cat food into beakers, adding hydrochloric acid and eventually pineapple juice to replicate a cats digestive system, since they werent allowed to work with real animals. She became animated while describing her project and said that conducting the research was her favorite part of the process that took over two weeks. Gianna had hypothesized that more expensive cat food would have the highest percentage of food digested and absorbed, but it turns out that fancier food doesnt mean more digestible ingredients. Through this experiment, she was also able to find the best cat food for her pet Pepe. He used to be grumpy, but now hes energetic, she said about the 2-year-old cat. Unsurprisingly, the seventh-grader wants to be a veterinarian to help more critters like Pepe. She has set her sights on Colorado State University because of its animal science program. Gianna said she was surprised her project has been getting so much attention. I wasnt expecting this, she said, her face lighting up as she described her work. Its an honor. For her next project, Gianna thinks she will do a similar experiment using digestive powders. I just love science, she said. But thats not all she loves. Her other hobbies include building robots, making jewelry and working at her dog-walking business. Quasars and bagpipes Olivia Coles project analyzed things that were a little farther from home: quasars. Her interest and love for quasars, which she described as matter being funneled into black holes, was born from the pages of a book. A character talked about celestial oddities and from there she was hooked. I interviewed the 13-year-old in the Yarn Store in Nob Hill where she sells homemade bracelets for charity which seemed fitting because understanding her project was not unlike untangling a ball of yarn. But essentially the eighth-grader studied what makes up a quasar, finding hydrogen to be the most common element along with carbon and helium, which make up stars and nebulae. Olivia used the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database to find quasars in space and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey database to find what elements make up the quasars she was studying. While she learned a lot about space, she also learned the importance of perseverance, because she had to alter and restart her project several times before getting anywhere. When I put data into the database and got a result, it was the most glorious feeling, she said with a sigh of relief, a shake of her head, then a smile. Olivia received a first place award in her category at regionals and second place at the state competition. She reflected on how far shed come since her first project a fairly basic science fair project on microbiology. When Olivia described what she wanted to study next, you may have thought she was describing what she wanted for Christmas. Rather, she just really, really, really wants to study black matter. The Jefferson Middle School student wants to be an astrophysicist and one day attend Columbia or the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. For now, shes busy playing the bagpipes or the tabletop game Dungeons & Dragons, or joining school clubs like the Gay-Straight Alliance and the school newspaper. Both girls have an opportunity to advance to the top 30, which will be selected Tuesday by a nationally ranked panel of scientists, engineers and educators. The 30 finalists will head to Washington, D.C., to present their research and compete in challenges against other kids with the chance to win money and prizes. In its eighth year, the Broadcom MASTERS has brought in a slightly higher number of girl contestants than boys every year. In the top 300, 51 percent were girls. Maya Ajmera, who is the CEO and president of the Society for Science and the Public which founded Broadcom MASTERS is a self-proclaimed science fair junkie. And while she said she never had something like the MASTERS when she was growing up, she said the competition is not just about science but a way for kids to gain confidence, build relationships and get support from other students. Now the New Mexico students are just days away from finding out if they get to go to the nations capital to garner more of those skills. An opportunity that was the result of hard work, cats and space. UpFront is a front-page news and opinion column. Comment directly to Shelby Perea at 823-3913, sperea@abqjournal.com or follow her on Twitter @shelby_perea. Go to www.abqjournal.com/letters/new to submit a letter to the editor. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham has a solid lead over Republican Steve Pearce in a high-profile New Mexico gubernatorial race that has already seen millions of dollars spent by both candidates, a new Journal Poll found. Fifty percent of proven, likely voters surveyed last week said they would vote for Lujan Grisham, while 43 percent said they would vote for Pearce. The remaining voters surveyed would not say which candidate they planned to vote for or were undecided. Its still a competitive race, but when a candidate is at 50 percent, it means that her opponent is going to have to pick up all the remaining undecided voters and also peel away some supporters in order to win, said Brian Sanderoff, president of Albuquerque-based Research & Polling Inc., which conducted the poll. This years race for governor is wide open because incumbent Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican, is barred from seeking a third consecutive term in office. She will step down at the end of the year. Both Lujan Grisham and Pearce are members of the U.S. House who are forgoing re-election bids to run for governor. Its believed to be the first time two sitting members of Congress have faced off for New Mexico governor in a general election. Lujan Grisham, who lives in Albuquerque and was a state Cabinet secretary under three governors before running for Congress, won a bruising three-way primary election in June, with roughly two-thirds of the votes cast in the race. However, she spent large amounts of money fending off attacks from Democratic rivals and as a result has less money in her campaign account than does Pearce, a retired oil field services company executive from Hobbs who was unopposed in the Republican primary. Pearce had roughly $1.9 million in his campaign war chest, according to campaign reports filed last week, compared with $1.3 million for Lujan Grisham. However, Lujan Grisham has raised significantly more money than Pearce in recent months. Regional support The Journal Poll found that Lujan Grisham had a significant lead over Pearce in the states north-central region, while Pearce held a similar advantage in the states more conservative east side. But Lujan Grisham had a potentially key edge in the states largest city, as Albuquerque voters were more likely to vote for her 53 percent to 41 percent than for Pearce. For Pearce to win, hes going to need to really hold his own in Albuquerque, Sanderoff said. Lujan Grisham also held a decisive advantage over Pearce among Hispanic voters, while Pearce had a narrow edge among Anglo voters. The sample sizes for other racial groups werent large enough to provide statistically meaningful numbers. With registered Democrats outnumbering Republicans in New Mexico, successful GOP candidates in statewide races have typically been moderate Republicans, Sanderoff said. Pearce has sought to portray himself as a moderate in this years race, criticizing some Martinez administration policies and appealing to public school teachers in TV campaign ads. However, voters who identified themselves as moderates were nearly twice as likely to say they would vote for Lujan Grisham than for Pearce 63 percent to 32 percent. Although both candidates enjoy high name recognition levels due to their time in Congress, the unpopularity of President Donald Trump among many New Mexico voters could be another advantage for Lujan Grishams campaign, Sanderoff said. This is a challenging political environment for Steve Pearce, he said. New money Whoever is elected governor in November will take the reins of a state suddenly flush with cash but still facing deeply rooted challenges. Revenue estimates released last month by legislative and executive economists forecast the state will have $1.2 billion of new money or revenue in excess of current spending for the budget year starting in July 2019, due primarily to unprecedented oil production in southeastern New Mexico. However, the states two large public retirement systems are both facing sustainability questions, and New Mexico could be on the hook for damages in a long-running water dispute with Texas. In addition, the state has long had one of the nations highest poverty rates, and the new governor will inherit a looming deadline to approve a plan that ensures that Native American, Hispanic and other at-risk students receive an adequate education after a judge ruled the state was failing to meet its constitutional obligations. Lujan Grisham, who would be the states first Hispanic female Democratic elected governor, was the first candidate to enter the race in December 2016. She has touted her state government experience on the campaign trail, saying it would allow her to hit the ground running as governor and make changes to the states public education system and minimum wage law. For his part, Pearce has focused his message largely on job creation and schools. He has also sought to make inroads with voters in traditionally Democratic strongholds, such as Espanola and Bernalillo Countys South Valley. Poll methods The Journal Poll is based on a scientific, statewide sample of 966 registered voters who cast ballots in the 2014 and 2016 general elections and said they were very likely to vote in this years election. The poll was conducted Sept. 7-13. The voter sample has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. The margin of error grows for subsamples. All interviews were conducted by live, professional interviewers, with multiple callbacks to households that did not initially answer the phone. Both cellphone numbers (69 percent) and landlines (31 percent) of proven general election voters were used. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal In an unusual three-way race, Democrat Martin Heinrich has grabbed a substantial lead in his bid for re-election to the U.S. Senate, placing him well ahead of two challengers, according to a Journal Poll. His closest competitor was Republican Mick Rich, an Albuquerque contractor who has never held office before. In third place is former Gov. Gary Johnson, a Taos Libertarian well-known to New Mexico voters. Heinrich had support from 47 percent of proven, likely voters in the telephone survey, conducted by Research & Polling Inc. Rich had support from 26 percent of those surveyed, and Johnson was at 16 percent. Its the first Senate re-election campaign for Heinrich, who also served in the U.S. House and on the Albuquerque City Council. I think Heinrich is benefiting from having two candidates in the race rather than one, Brian Sanderoff, president of Research & Polling, said in an interview Saturday. Johnson and Rich are splitting the conservative vote. Rich, for example, had support from just 62 percent of Republicans well behind Heinrichs level of support among Democrats, at 82 percent. Among voters who identified as conservative, Rich had support from 55 percent. Heinrich had support from 82 percent of liberal voters. Altogether, Rich was in second place, according to the Journal Poll, even though he isnt as widely known as Johnson, who served two terms as New Mexico governor, from 1995 to 2002, as a Republican. Since then, Johnson has run twice for president as a Libertarian. Some people always stick with their party, Sanderoff said. Although Mick Rich is not well-known among Republican voters, he picks up a lot of their support by virtue of the party label. Johnson, in turn, shows strength among voters who arent Democrats or Republicans. He had support among 37 percent of that group, about seven points ahead of Heinrich, who was second. Heinrich led the three-candidate field among both Hispanic and Anglo voters. The sample sizes for other racial groups were too small to report their results with accuracy. Heinrich also has an enormous financial edge. He reported nearly $4 million in cash on hand through June 30, according to the Federal Election Commission. Rich reported about $198,000. Johnson entered the race in August, well after the reporting deadline, but his campaign said three weeks ago that he had pumped at least $100,000 of his own money into the race. Poll methods The Journal Poll is based on a scientific, statewide sample of 966 registered voters who cast ballots in both the 2014 and 2016 general elections and said they were likely to vote in this years election. The poll was conducted Sept. 7-13. The voter sample has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. The margin of error grows for subsamples. All interviews were conducted by live, professional interviewers, with multiple callbacks to households that did not initially answer the phone. Both cellphone numbers (69 percent) and landlines (31 percent) of proven general election voters were used. Heinrich, 46, first won election to the Senate in 2012, succeeding Democrat Jeff Bingaman. Hes New Mexicos junior member of the U.S. Senate. Tom Udall, also a Democrat, won election to the Senate in 2008 and was re-elected in 2014. When the first shots were fired inside Building 197 at the Washington Navy Yard, Lori Lee Stultz huddled beneath a desk with two colleagues, gripping their hands and trying to stay quiet, certain theyd be killed. All around her, glass shattered, fire alarms blared, desk phones rang incessantly, and a colleague screamed, Help me! The shooter, Aaron Alexis, gunned down 12 Navy civilian personnel and contractors that morning in September 2013, including too many of Stultzs friends and colleagues from 15 years at the Navy Yard. Stultz, of Arlington, Virginia, and about 20 other survivors from Building 197 plan to gather Sunday to mark five years since the mass shooting. You become part of a strange community that no one else understands. Were not crying; were just remembering, Stultz said. You cant really talk to other people about it. Its just upsetting, and they dont know what to say. The anniversary comes as a group of victims relatives and survivors, including Stultz, have reached settlements in their negligence lawsuits against two private companies that employed Alexis, who was fatally shot by police who flooded the scene. The agreements close a chapter for the 15 plaintiffs who went to federal court in Washington seeking a combined $189 million in claimed damages. Among them are relatives of Mary DeLorenzo Knight, a cybersecurity expert from Reston who taught computer science management at Northern Virginia Community College; Frank Kohler, a government contractor from Maryland and ardent Pittsburgh Steelers fan; Richard Mike Ridgell, a former Maryland state trooper who worked as a security guard at the Navy building; and John J.J. Johnson, of Maryland, a contractor and avid Washington Redskins fan. The ones who lived have suffered post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and flashbacks. Some never returned to work at the Navy Yard. Stultz, 59, escaped Building 197 in 2013 by crawling out of a maze of cubicles behind one of the first responders, a naval officer. She passed dead bodies. The stairwell reeked of human flesh. But Stultz kept her eyes fixed on the back of the officers jacket that displayed his name Brandon Denison a name that later would later provide inspiration for a new path. The physical injuries, while notable, were not necessarily permanent, but the emotional scars remain to this day, said David M. Schloss, the lead attorney representing eight of the 15 plaintiffs. The details of the settlement agreements, finalized in the past month, are confidential. A federal judge in 2016 allowed the lawsuits against the two employers The Experts Inc. and HP Enterprise Services to proceed. In an 81-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer cited allegations that the companies had an obligation to keep Alexis out of the workplace after his earlier erratic, dangerous behavior suggested he might harm others. Despite Alexis history in the Navy of troubling behavior and arrests, the Defense Department allowed him to keep his secret-level clearance, which helped him get hired as a computer technician with The Experts. In the month before the shooting, Alexis exhibited paranoid and delusional behavior during a work trip to Rhode Island. Independent reviews commissioned by the Pentagon faulted the department in 2014, but also The Experts for failing to seek assistance from mental health professionals or guidance from the Pentagon when colleagues became alarmed about Alexis. Mark Chopko, an attorney for The Experts, said in an email that the company had denied any wrongdoing or liability during litigation. The case was resolved through mediation, he said, without any resolution or judgment of wrongdoing or liability on anyones part. Lorraine Corcoran, a spokeswoman for Perspecta, a new company that absorbed the remnants of HP Enterprise Services, said in a statement that the settlement does not involve any admission of wrongdoing or liability. For the survivors, moving on has been difficult, with their trauma resurfacing during subsequent mass shootings. In the months that followed the horror at Navy Yard, Stultz felt like the walking dead, she said. She began therapy for PTSD, which helped her cope with a shame she felt. I felt, I still feel, so horrible for not doing anything that I lived, that they all died and I just walked home, said Stultz, who lives with her husband and daughter. I am the lucky one. I got to go home. For a time, she returned to work at the Navy Yard as a systems engineer. The bullet holes were patched, the walls were painted and the layout of the office was redesigned. But she hated it. Instead, Stultz pursued her long-held passion for linens and fine china. She had the naval officer who rescued her in mind when she created a business she calls Dennison Lane. Stultz learned to sew, created a website and cuts her own stamps to design napkins, tea towels and table runners. The hands-on repetition in those tasks was therapeutic. Denison, a master-at-arms senior chief now stationed in South Korea, was recognized with a Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his response to the shooting, as were two dozen others. He has moved several times with the military since 2013 and thinks often of that day, hoping everyone affected has been able to heal in their own way, Denison said in an email. He was unaware he had helped inspire the name for Stultzs company. I am so very happy that she has been able to reconcile some of her feelings and been able to come out of it better, Denison wrote after learning from a reporter about the linens company. It takes a strong will and courage to do what she has done in this short time. To raise awareness about gun violence prevention, Stultz recently donated money to the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety in the name of the attorney who handled her lawsuit. She said she wants to work on a survivors guide to help others like her. I dont think this goes away. Its like gray hair. I can color it, but it doesnt go away, she said. It breaks something. Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier? Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. Breaking News Columbia Breaking News Greenville Breaking News Myrtle Beach Breaking News Aiken Breaking News N Augusta Breaking News Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Success! Please click the 'Allow' button in the 'Show Notifcations' alert in your browser if one is available. Thank you for signing up! Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page. A UN official warned this week that an all-out military assault on Idlib, which has nearly 3 million residents, risked the potential for the worst humanitarian conflict in the 21st century. Idlib also presents a terrorist threat comparable to Raqqa or Mosul, the previous strongholds of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. The al-Qaeda linked Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham controls 60% of Idlib province and has as many as 10,000 fighters; there also are other jihadi groups and armed gangs there. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a Sept. 10 op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, argued against an attack on Idlib, instead arguing for a more comprehensive international counterterrorism operation involving moderate rebels who have played a crucial role in Turkeys fight against terrorists in Northern Syria. Unfortunately, neither Erdogan nor the moderate rebels call the shots in Idlib. As we reported here last week, given the international communitys efforts to prevent an attack, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the other armed Salafi groups and foreign fighters in Idlib have no incentive to cooperate. No country will take them, so in the end, they have nowhere to go. They face their last stand in Idlib and thereby benefit from the current reprieve. The people of Idlib, in the meantime, face continued misery under the harsh rule of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other Salafi groups and armed gangs, who consider civilians to be human shields and prevent their departure. The militant groups have jailed and executed so-called collaborators who would otherwise be inclined to take up Erdogans offer. Since last weeks column, in what might be connected to the American remembrance of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaeda attacks on the United States, several prominent voices on both the left and right have questioned why the United States might risk a confrontation with Russia over a terrorist enclave in northwest Syria. Tucker Carlson on Fox News asked why the United States should be involved in Syria at all to protect al-Qaeda sympathizers. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, tweeted that by threatening to use force against Syria and Russia, the United States was simultaneously acting as protectors of AQ in Syria/Idlib. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., tweeted, Let's not turn Syria into another perpetual war like Afghanistan and Iraq. Erdogans outreach, and the US signal that it would respond with force to the use of chemical weapons, seems to have put an all-out assault on hold, at least for now, and perhaps in anticipation of a final diplomatic flurry around the UN General Assembly meetings that convene in New York on Sept. 18. The consensus among Western sources who closely follow the seven-year Syrian conflict is that Ankaras goal is not to ignite a new rearguard battle from its borders over the last rebel stronghold. It is rather to convince the regime that it is ready to do so, to deter the latter from launching an all-out assault on Idlib, reports Amberin Zaman. Turkish officials believe theres a chance to bring the Trump administration around, arguing among other things that renewed support for the rebels would hem in the influence of pro-Iranian militias as well. And it's entirely conceivable that some administration officials may be encouraging such thoughts if only to drive a wedge between Ankara and Moscow, much in the same way Moscow has sown divisions between Ankara and Washington by supporting Turkish moves against US-backed Syrian Kurds in Afrin, adds Zaman. Maxim Suchkov writes that the differences among the Astana parties Russia, Turkey, and Iran is barely news since they have long been admitted and voiced at different levels. ... Still, the language and posture of the three leaders help provide an understanding of the complexity of the personal chemistry between the three, their leadership styles and the lengths to which each has to come to promote his countrys interests within this 'alliance.' Suchkov adds, Despite the differences, Moscow, Ankara and Tehran continue to value the Astana format as a setting that, in the absence of a better mechanism, helps them promote their own agenda and coordinate efforts in moving the course of action in Syria. But while concessions dont come easy for Russia, Iran and Turkey, the logic that continues to glue together the three ambitious presidents is one based on pragmatic some would argue cynical calculations that each need the other two at this very moment. While the alliance is ad hoc, the principles of its functioning have remained intact despite major crises. The Idlib challenge doesnt erode the relationship by itself, but is yet another stress test the three need to pass to continue bearing the fruit of the trilateral cooperation. One reason the alliance continues to hold, according to Suchkov, is that the US presence remains a problem for all three actors. In Syria, America has come to be seen as the threat to Iran, the spoiler for Russia and an irritant for Turkey. Erdogan, referring to US backing of the Syrian Democratic Forces, which is composed primarily of the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, said, We are incredibly concerned with the US continuing to support a terrorist organization. Although Daesh [the Islamic State] is no longer posing a threat, America sent several thousand of planes with arms. This is illustrative of how they 'support' the region. Both the United States and Russia seek to defeat and destroy Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, al-Qaeda affiliates and foreign fighters; prevent a catastrophic humanitarian crisis that would impose a heavy burden on Turkey, Russias Astana partner; deter chemical weapons use; and prevent an inadvertent military escalation. These should be more than enough for a start on a comprehensive solution that leverages the authority of the UN Security Council. That al-Qaeda and their like would benefit, and the people of Idlib suffer even more, because the United States and Russia cant agree on these seemingly self-evident shared interests seems to us an avoidable tragedy. Al-Monitors 2018 lobbying series Al-Monitor has posted the latest annual update of its lobbying series, which received the Online Journalism Award for Explanatory Reporting. The series summarizes hundreds of lobbying and financial records to bring you the most comprehensive resource available on Middle East lobbying in Washington, including weapons contracts, foreign aid, trade deals and financial sanctions, as well as updates on the latest lobbying contracts and registrations. The series also measures impact with an account of lobbying wins and losses through careful analysis of congressional action and State Department and Pentagon budgets. You can access all of the current data as well as past years series, as well as access to Al-Monitor archives, over 20,000 stories in all, by registering here. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Knesset member Benny Begin are both esteemed veterans of the Likud. They were both raised on the values of the old Herut party (antecedent of the Likud) and the teachings of revisionist leader Zeev Jabotinsky. Today, however, they are little more than a disparaged minority in the modern-day Likud, and certainly in the party as it is represented in the Knesset and the government. On Sept. 5, the two men stood side by side to deliver a resounding critique of the Nationality Law (anchoring the Jewish nature of the State of Israel) and the incessant attacks on the Supreme Court by various members of the government, including the Likuds own Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It was only natural that they offered their stinging rebuke at the center designated to carry on the legacy of Begins father, former Prime Minister Menachem Begin, for whom respect for the official institutions of state ran deep. Unlike his previous public statements, this time Begin chose sharp, aggressive language in response to remarks by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked one day earlier, on Sept. 4, attacking the Supreme Court. In a gathering of the Israeli Bar Association to mark the beginning of the legal calendar, Shaked attacked the Supreme Courts decision that it would not immediately dismiss suits brought against the Nationality Law. As she put it, this is part of a constitutional revolution, which has caused Israel to make the transition from government of the people to a government of legal sages. Just one month earlier, on Aug. 5, Shaked made a statement threatening the Supreme Court, when she said that if the court overturns the Nationality Law, there would be a war between the legislative and judicial branches of government. This kind of talk is the kind of nonsense that threatens our ability to preserve the only vital institution that protects the fundamental rights of Israeli citizens, said Begin, in a direct retort to Shakeds remarks. These crude comments touch on the very fundamentals that hold us together. There are those among us for whom universal values are like thorns in their eyes, and these include the justice minister. The concept of universal values has become an abomination to them, which they use in falsehoods attacking the towering stronghold of our democracy, the Supreme Court, as if its members are not attentive enough, are not nationalistic enough or patriotic enough, or in other words Id better stop here. Begins father was vehemently opposed to any criticism of the Supreme Court. As prime minister, he coined the idiom, There are judges in Israel. Over time, it became a symbol of the official institutions of government, which preserve the independence of the Supreme Court. Similarly, his successor Yitzhak Shamir was totally committed to these official institutions and ideals. The event at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center was held to celebrate the launch of a new book by journalist Yoaz Hendel, based on his conversations with Rivlin. Rivlin, who was the guest of honor, chose to use his speech to attack the Nationality Law, which was passed by the Knesset last July. In its current iteration, Rivlin said, the law is bad for Israel and bad for the Jewish people. He argued that the law could be used to describe and categorize Jews as more Jewish and less Jewish. The president continued, The law is part of a wider trend perhaps global that strives to silence the debate that seeks a reality in which there are two possibilities: Either you are with me or you are against me, either you are with me or you are a traitor, an enemy, whether you are a leftist or a president. These comments were a not-so-subtle hint at the way Rivlin is treated by several right-wing activists, who constantly berate and excoriate him publicly. On his Facebook page, for example, he is called an impure man and worse than the members of the Arab Joint List party. Begin was the most outspoken opponent of the Nationality Law from among the coalition. Before the Knesset vote, he said, Nationalism that does not preserve human rights deteriorates into violence. At the start of the Knessets winter session in October 2017, Rivlin delivered a scathing speech denouncing the governments planned legislation and its attacks on the countrys gatekeepers. In it, he said, We are witness today to winds of a second revolution. This time, its the rule of the majority as the exclusive ruler. The idea of official institutions benefiting all has departed from the land, so that after us, the deluge. Former Knesset member Haim Oron (Meretz) believes that the liberal positions held by these two men are what distinguish them from most other Knesset members from the Likud Party. Rivlin has a deep and fundamental liberal aspect to him, Oron told Al-Monitor. In that sense, he is part of the same circle of Likud members that includes Dan Meridor, Mickey Eitan and Benny Begin. They have a consistent position regarding the rule of law, the separation of the branches of government and civil rights. Take a sensitive issue like [opposition to] the pardoning of Elor Azaria [convicted of murdering an incapacitated terrorist]. Is that a left-wing position? If you defend the Supreme Court, are you a leftist? Positions held by Rivlin and Begin, which were once accepted in the Likud, and particularly among its more liberal wing, have led to their isolation, along with the isolation of other Likud members who support them. The Likud Central Committee is now dominated by power groups, including groups of settlers, as Mazal Mualem described in an Al-Monitor article. Anyone who wants to succeed in the primaries (for the party list) before the next Knesset elections cannot allow himself to clash with them. Alongside the isolated Knesset members from the Likuds liberal wing Begin, Yehuda Glick, Sharren Haskel and sometimes Amir Ohana there is also a group called the New Likud. This is made up of people who register for the Likud but whose explicit agenda is that the Likud is a center-right party and not just a right-wing party. Their goal is to preserve liberal democracy, in accordance with the spirit of the Declaration of Independence and the constitution of the Likud Party. We will support the establishment of a centrist, liberal Zionist government, which can fulfill the wishes of most people in the political center. Today, this group is the only difference between the Likud and pro-settler national-religious HaBayit HaYehudi, or in other words, between a small niche party and a big-tent national party capable of including a wide variety of opinions and positions, particularly when it comes to responsibility and commitment to official norms and institutions, since these traits are necessary for a party to govern. The group will face its test in the upcoming primaries. Netanyahu hopes to win 40 seats in the next election. If, however, he continues trying to be more like HaBayit HaYehudi on the right, he will lose the support of those seats closer to the liberal center. Then, at most, he will simply suck votes from those parties to the right of the Likud. RAMALLAH, West Bank Amid buildings teetering on the brink of collapse under a sky torn by snipers, Palestinian filmmaker Mai Masri walks with her husband, the Lebanese director Jean Chamoun, to document the destruction of the 1982 Lebanon War. The couples walk, with both carrying cameras, is one of the memorable scenes in a 27-minute portrait of Chamoun. The documentary about about the cinematic and personal journey of Chamoun and Masri was screened for the first time at a commemorative festival in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Aug. 28, a year after Chamouns death on Aug. 10, 2017. The festival, organized by FilmLab: Palestine, screened Chamoun's best-known films and included a series of seminars and debates that explored his career, his political views and his stances on the Palestinian cause right up until his death in Lebanon last year. The event featured a number of the joint productions between Masri and Chamoun, including In the Shadows of the City (2000), War Generation Beirut (1989), Suspended Dreams (1992) and 3000 Nights (1995). Preserving Jeans cultural and cinematic heritage means continuing to work according to the principles we established, Masri, originally from the northern West Bank city of Nablus, told Al-Monitor. Chamoun and Masri formed a cinematic duo whose work focused on the Palestinian cause, producing films and documentaries that approached the Palestinian issue from various perspectives. Their collaboration began during Israels 1982 invasion of Lebanon and derived its importance from a cinematic focus on the Palestinian cause," Masri said. She said she first met Chamoun in 1980 at the Palestinian Film Institute, which Chamoun co-founded, in Beirut. She went back to San Francisco to complete her studies, and then the couple reunited when she came back to Lebanon, where they lived and worked together. They got married four years later. Filmed during the invasion of Beirut, Under the Rubble (1983) was their first joint work. We lived through difficult times for filmmaking, especially the 1982 siege of Beirut, she said. Yet despite the gravity of events, we continued to focus on our work. Chamouns association with the Palestinian issue predated his acquaintance with Masri. He participated in establishing the Palestinian Cinema Institute in Beirut and successfully wrote and produced a number of documentaries on the Palestinian cause, including the 1976 film Tel al-Zaatar, which deals with the massacre in the Tel al-Zaatar camp in Lebanon. Chamoun and Masris partnership led to a total of 15 films all conveying the voice of the Arab peoples and disadvantaged social groups. Their work became an instrument of change as well as creativity. The 1986 film Wild Flowers: Women of South Lebanon addressed the role of women in southern Lebanon during the Israeli occupation, while Beirut War Generation narrated the stories of those growing up in a time of conflict. Chamoun also participated in the production of several of Masris documentaries that dealt specifically with children, such as Children of Shatila (1998) and Frontiers of Dreams and Fears (2001). Masri told Al-Monitor that she is currently working on the script for a feature film about Palestine but declined to reveal the details of the project, which she said was "still crystallizing." She explained that it will be her first movie since Chamouns death and confirmed her commitment to continuing the journey undertaken with her companion. Chamouns cinematic legacy provides historical context for a highly eventful era and Masri sees herself as tasked with preserving this cultural heritage. The task will not be left to Masri alone. The couples daughters, Hana and Nour, will also share in the responsibility, having inherited a love of cinema. They were exposed to acting, filming and directing as children. At age 6, Hana acted in In the Shadows of the City (2000), Chamouns only fictional feature movie. She returned to the screen alongside Nour in their mothers 2015 film 3000 Nights, which tells the story of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Hana acted the part of a Palestinian detainee who gave birth in prison, while Nour played the role of another prisoner. I started my work as a director with Jean, but now I will complete it with my daughters, said Masri. It feels wonderful to continue Jean's project and preserve a legacy that they will complete. The commemorative event in Ramallah attracted a large audience, especially young people, despite the historical nature of many of the films screened. This impressed Masri. There is increasing interest in history and memory among young people. So the films we produced also have a heightened interest as a record of that era, she said. Masri continued, After Jean passed away, I felt keenly aware of his value and of people's love for him. His impact was not only in Palestine but around the world. This is because his primary message was about defending humanity and human and social rights, whether through the Palestinian issue, or the great upheavals that Lebanon experienced during the civil war and wars with Israel. A joint press release Aug. 27 by the two organizers of the event, Ramallah Municipality and the FilmLab underlined that "honoring [Chamoun] comes from a belief in the importance of his work as an Arab cinematographer who made a great contribution to Palestine, culturally, artistically and cinematically. Masri said at the ceremony, The appreciation from Palestine carries a lot of meaning and significance, because it is the cause Jean defended throughout his life. This appreciation [from Palestinian people] brings me great happiness, strength and pride. The Palestinian tribute is a gesture of affection for Jean's role in supporting the Palestinian cause through cinema, she continued. Cinema is a very effective means of expression. So Jeans films have been disseminated worldwide, screened in cinemas, on television and in international cultural festivals. This has had an emotional, political, cognitive and cultural impact. FilmLab:Palestines founder and artistic director, Hanna Atallah, told Al-Monitor, The tribute to Jean is a homage to someone considered to be among the first Arab filmmakers to adopt the Palestinian cause, and a pioneer and founder of the Palestinian Cinema Institution in Beirut, where he first met Masri. Atallah further noted Chamouns commitment to documenting the lives of Palestinian people and the various milestones of Palestinian history in a positive manner, which differed from the negative image typically promoted around the world. "So he also preserved the culture of the Palestinian people, their identity and their stories," Atallah said. Deborah Storey for AL.com That which does not kill us makes us stronger, they say. It may have helped make the founder of Canvas Inc. of Huntsville a success. When Jami Peyton was a freshman at the University of Alabama in Huntsville she was in a car wreck that did almost kill her. She took a year off college before returning to work at a building company and taking classes at night. It was slow going and she wasn't even making enough to pay for books. Her manager offered to pay her tuition and she switched from teaching to accounting. That degree led to positions with other building companies. Then came another twist on her path to entrepreneurship. A friend called needing someone to be a cost estimator and analyst at SAIC. "It's all about relationships," she noted. Jami Peyton is CEO of Canvas Inc. "I was a cost analyst for a couple of businesses that supported Army or missile programs for 10 years," said Peyton. Peyton found that she "loved working with engineers" and became fascinated by learning what types of materials went into various parts. She earned an MBA at Auburn University then a systems engineering certificate from Georgia Tech, later supplemented by engineering classes at UAH. "To be an effective cost estimator you have to understand how systems work," she said. "I'm not an engineer but I have a pretty strong understanding of requirements and the products we need to deliver." She used her technical expertise to start a company called Canvas in September of 2007. "An artist at heart, Jami thought the name 'Canvas' was appropriate, as she hoped to use her same passion and energy in the world of engineering and defense as she had in her art," according to a Canvas press release. Her husband Mike, a former Teledyne Brown engineer and SRS technologies director, joined her as consultant and ultimately became chief engineer and president. "This is not a husband and wife company," said Erin Bloxham Curtis, Canvas marketing director. "It is a true woman-owned small business." That woman-owned business now has 110 employees in seven locations, including 80 in Huntsville. It will finish FY 2018 with 21 active contracts worth $20 million. At the Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce 33rd Annual Small Business Awards in August, Canvas won Government Contracting Technology Company of the Year and Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year a record two awards in one night. In late 2008, "we could fit our entire company in one booth at Little Rosie's" restaurant, according to a company press release. An early success was supporting the Missile Defense Agency Sensors Directorate to combine X-Band Radars into one program office with common software programs. By 2010 Canvas had contracts supporting hypersonic weapons, the cruise missile defense system and more. With almost 15 employees, the group had outgrown even the large tables at Rosie's. The contractor specializes in systems engineering and test and evaluation for missile systems, as well as acquisition management and product integration. Their blue-chip customer roster includes the FBI, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Command, U.S. Navy and NASA. One current focus is helping the Army and MDA become audit ready, "sort of like forensic accounting," Peyton said. A year ago the corporate office located in downtown Huntsville in the old Huntsville Times building on Holmes Avenue and earned the Small Business Association's Historically Underutilized Business Zone certification. Six employees work in Washington, D.C., two of whom travel to the Pentagon daily. Other employees are in Kansas City; Fort Greely, Alaska; White Sands, Utah; Dahlgren, Va. and Colorado Springs. Most branches support missile programs near a test facility or missile range. As the company grew through the years, Canvas developed its own software for managing accounting, billing and contract management. That turned out to be so successful that they started marketing it, too. Employees who support the Lojix enterprise resource planning tool are on a separate floor of the Times Building. Peyton is understandably proud of the company's "steady, progressive growth" of about 10 percent a year in a work atmosphere that employees seem to love. (It was a Chamber Best Place to Work in 2015.) The company's retention rate tops 97 percent. Canvas provides 100 percent health care coverage, tuition reimbursement, bonuses and profit sharing and has promoted 31 of its employees. So far 95 percent of the millennial employees have received tuition reimbursement. If an employee expresses interest in advancing, Peyton tries to make it happen. "It's a vote of confidence to grow leadership from within," said Bloxham Curtis. "I absolutely love working at Canvas because I really feel like part of a family, as cliche as it sounds," said Andrew Melton, 30, a proposal manager at Canvas. "There is great communication from the leadership about the decisions that Ms. Peyton and the rest of the leadership team regarding things that will affect the employees." Melton said he feels lucky to "do work that I feel matters and to make my mark on the successes of the company." The appreciation goes both ways. On its 10-year anniversary, Canvas employees received a dollar for every day they had worked there and a commemorative coin. On his or her one-year hiring anniversary, each employee receives a mug and a funny nickname such as "Biggie Smalls" or "Payday." Peyton is "The Base." It's partly a reference to her past position on the cheerleading squad at Athens High School, an achievement she prefers to downplay. Instead of cheering the Golden Eagles, these days she likes to generate enthusiasm within her own company for the power of "positive persistence." "We truly believe that providing a valuable service or product begins with creating an atmosphere where employees are genuinely happy and excited about what they do," she said. Since the Small Business Awards were announced, quite a few people have contacted Canvas. In case you're interested: they currently have six job openings. Alabama Sen. Doug Jones called Sunday on the Senate Judiciary Committee to "hit the pause button" on the vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Washington Post published a story Sunday afternoon in which California professor Christine Ford publicly accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault while the two were in high school more than 30 years ago. After the story ran, Jones tweeted that the vote shouldn't take place "until we can fully investigate these serious and disturbing allegations." He said Ford took "a very brave step" in coming forward with the accusation. This was a very brave step to come forward. It is more important than ever to hit the pause button on Kavanaughs confirmation vote until we can fully investigate these serious and disturbing allegations. We cannot rush to move forward under this cloud. https://t.co/SIHzdnnOFJ Doug Jones (@SenDougJones) September 16, 2018 As a Democratic senator in a deeply Republican state, Jones could be a swing vote in Kavanaugh's nomination. But, as he told AL.com on Sunday, he wants to see the Senate Judiciary committee to halt the vote to give enough time for a "full and fair" investigation of the allegations. "Even though they were a long time ago, they're still very disturbing," he said. "There is credibility to them, from someone coming forward knowing the backlash that's going to happen." Jones pointed out that he'd been critical of the nomination process before the sexual assault accusation against Kavanaugh, expressing frustration at the "rush" and lack of time senators have had to review a mountain of documents relating to Kavanaugh's career. Jones reflected on his unique situation, having defeated Senate candidate Roy Moore nearly one year ago after the Washington Post published a story in which four women publicly accused Moore of sexual assault. "We had some people that said it was a last ditch effort to derail (Moore's) candidacy, but those allegations had serious credibility and disqualified Roy Moore from being in the U.S. Senate," he said. "We're not there just yet with (the accusation against Kavanaugh). This is all breaking news today, but it's exactly the reason why we need to hit the pause button and not rush this to judgment." Earlier Sunday, before the story published that publicly revealed Ford as the writer of the accusation letter, Jones told CNN's Jake Tapper that he doubted the then-anonymous letter would play much of a role in the confirmation process unless the accuser came forward publicly. "You're not going to be able to really test it unless somebody comes forward with more information," he told Tapper. The Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans appear to be moving forward with a vote on Kavanaugh. They issued a statement through spokesman Taylor Foy Sunday, saying in part, "It's disturbing that these uncorroborated allegations from more than 35 years ago, during high school, would surface on the eve of a committee vote," and blamed Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats for not bringing them up earlier. Jones refused to give details on his calculus for deciding which way to vote on Kavanaugh. But, he said, it wouldn't be fair to the Kavanaugh or the American people to nominate someone to a lifetime appointment "with a cloud over his head." "This is an incredibly important nomination," he said, "and our constitutional duties require we give a full and fair investigation." An inscribed Middle Kingdom block from the tomb of Intef in Lisht, Egypt. The tomb was one of 800 discovered by UAB archaeology professor Dr. Sarah Parcak. (Photo by Sarah Parcak, University of Alabama at Birmingham) An expedition co-led by an archaeology professor from the University of Alabama at Birmingham has discovered more than 800 tombs at an ancient burial site in Egypt. The discovery is one of the largest sites of Middle Kingdom tombs in Egypt and dates back 4,000 years, according to UAB Public Relations. Dr. Sarah Parcak, an archaeology professor at UAB's College of Arts and Sciences, co-led the joint expedition between UAB and the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities at Lisht, an ancient burial ground in southern Egypt. "We were able to gain insight into ancient Egyptian life from the tombs based on artifacts we found," said Parcak in a press release. "The Middle Kingdoms artifacts were looted, much like other sites we have seen. However, we learned more about the underground network of tombs that connect individuals from the afterlife." Parcak, an Egyptologist, has been documenting tombs and collecting images and GPS coordinates to assemble a database to answer questions about ancient Egyptian life. National Geographic partially funds Parcak's work for the database. Her discoveries, including the tombs at Lisht, will be recognized with the 2018 Lowell Thomas award at a dinner in October at The Museum of Science in Boston, Mass. Parcak won a TED Prize in 2016 and has discovered 17 lost pyramids, more than 1,000 tombs and more than 3,100 ancient settlements in Egypt. In March of 1965, Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace vowed that civil rights demonstrators would not be allowed to march from Selma to Montgomery and ordered state troopers to stop them. On the 50th anniversary of the now-famous march in 2015, Wallace's daughter, Peggy Wallace Kennedy, stood at the Edmund Pettus Bridge and spoke on the same stage with U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who was beaten while leading the march during that "Bloody Sunday." In her remarks she said, "There is no better time than now for Americans to hold hands, rather than hold down the inherent rights of all mankind. One can never measure the worth of a mended heart that beats again because someone cared." Kennedy, daughter of two Alabama governors, George and Lurleen Wallace, "stands apart from her past and is recognized as one of the most important voices for peace and reconciliation," says the Alabama Humanities Foundation. For her continuing work for equality, Kennedy will be among nine people named an Alabama Humanities Fellow by the foundation. National Public Radio's Michel Martin will moderate panels featuring the nine Alabama Humanities Fellows during The Alabama Colloquium Oct. 1 at the Birmingham Museum of Art. Joining Wallace in the 2018 class of Alabama Humanities Fellows are: Troy native Nall Hollis, known simply as Nall, a Southern American artist with an international following. Gina Locklear, founder of Zkano, an online retailer of organic cotton socks manufactured in Fort Payne that is revolutionizing the industry. Montgomery architect Bobby McAlpine, whose firm has offices in Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and New York. His popular McAlpine Home furniture is available nationwide. Dr. Martha Bouyer, executive director of Historic Bethel Baptist Church Foundation, also heads the My Father's House Foundation in Birmingham, which provides service to youth aging out of foster care. She also serves as vice president of the Jefferson County Board of Education. Mary Margaret Pettway, a third-generation quilter and member of the internationally renowned Gee's Bend Quilters Collective in Wilcox County. Birmingham native Margot Shaw, founder and editor of "flower," the only floral lifestyle magazine in the country. Joyce Vance, former U.S. attorney in Alabama, professor at University of Alabama School of Law and regular contributor of political analysis on MSNBC. Dr. Andrew Westmoreland, president of Samford University since 2006, who also teaches political sciences courses at the university. The colloquium's morning session features Kennedy, Pettway, Vance and Westmoreland. Bouyer, Nall, Locklear, McAlpine and Shaw will speak during the afternoon session. Want to go? Tickets to the Alabama Colloquium are $85 each. For more information or to order tickets, go to: http://www.alabamahumanities.org/colloquium-tickets-2018/ London, England The South Sea Company did not trade in fish, says Alice Procter, as she shows visitors around Queens House, a maritime museum in Greenwich, southeast London. They traded in something far more valuable to the English monarchy slaves. The 23-year-old Australian art historian is behind the Uncomfortable Art Tours, a series of museum visits in the capital exploring history with a twist. She focuses on what she describes as racist narratives and an ideology that underpins the objects displayed in European exhibitions from the colonial period, which isnt always mentioned. On the Queens House tour, portraits, botanical records, curios and engravings commemorating various European expeditions are analysed and put into context, sometimes to the discomfort of some of her tour group, who are mainly young white women like Procter herself. It is no longer possible for Britain to present itself as a world power, and people arent willing to pretend any more, says Procter. They are interested in the stories that arent being told. Admiral Nelsons lifelong opposition to the abolition movement, the English Crowns financial involvement with slavery and the lack of evidence to support lurid tales of cannibalism all come as a bit of a shock. Museums provide almost a Trojan horse type of space to confront the official narratives were told, says Procter, who started the tours in 2013. I started them out of a sense of frustration over the lack of self-awareness that white British people have over their pasts and history and that lack of attention is part of the shadow of white supremacy and racism thats hanging over our heads right now. Museums provide a biased view of the past, she claims. While museums continue to argue that they are neutral spaces, the fact is that they are not. There is always one side of the story that has been privileged over the other in these spaces, and we need to be more honest and open about that. This challenge to the official narrative comes at a time when Europe is facing a renewed debate over returning African art, much of which was acquired as colonial-era loot. Museums and galleries across Europe have faced repatriation claims for decades. The counter-argument has always been that these objects are now presented as part of a global history. Our Britishness is based on an erasure of history, and the 'Great Britain' narrative is based on ignoring the bad in the past. It's important to look back to understand what's happening now. Kemi, Uncomfortable Art Tours visitor Last year, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Europe had a responsibility to return artefacts. African heritage cant just be in European private collections and museums, he said during a speech in Burkina Faso, later appointing two experts, one of whom is Senegalese, to oversee the repatriation process. Other European nations followed suit. In May this year, Germanys culture minister and the association of German museums released a code of conduct which included guidelines on how to research artefacts in collections, and how to repatriate colonial-era objects. In the United Kingdom, the director of Londons Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) made headlines when he suggested that the museums Maqdala collection, around 80 artefacts looted from the palace of the Abyssinian Emperor Tewodros II in 1868 by British and colonial troops, could be returned to Ethiopia on a long-term loan basis. The country had filed a claim for their return in 2007. We believe that long-term loans are the quickest way to get these objects in front of the communities they came from, says Tristram Hunt, V&A director. The point about the Maqdala exhibition was to highlight the contentious provenance of the objects and we decided to speak to the embassy about loaning these objects back because we need to be open and transparent about the collections. Formed in 2016, the Benin Dialogue Group, a consortium of European museums, discuss how best to return the Benin Bronzes, antiquities looted in 1897 during a punitive British military expedition to crush the dissenting West African Kingdom of Benin, in present-day Nigeria. There is great value in presenting objects from the Kingdom of Benin in a global context, alongside the stories of other cultures, a spokesperson for the British Museum, which is part of the group, told Al Jazeera. [The museum] will always consider loan requests subject to usual conditions. The British Museum currently possesses 700 artefacts from Benin which were plundered in 1897 and has faced restitution claims from both the Nigerian government and the Benin Royal Court. Are long-term loans the solution? Long-term loans have been greeted with reservation, due to the legal precedent they may set. In order for a loan to go through, the country requesting the objects would first have to recognise the institute possessing the artefacts as being their legal owner a contentious prospect when it comes to looted art. This has fuelled concern over a potential whitewashing of the painful history behind how these artefacts were acquired by European nations during the Scramble for Africa in the 19th century. Writing in the Modern Ghana journal, former UN legal adviser Kwame Opoku said long-term loans represented Europes perceived God-given right and obligation to supervise Africans and their activities, including what obviously is African property and resource. Some activists, however, have conceded that the loans might be the best way for the artefacts to be returned for now. Many of my Ethiopian friends and colleagues are uneasy about a clear endorsement of a long-term loan on the grounds that that would be recognising the legitimacy of the loot, says Alula Pankhurst, a social anthropologist and member of AFROMET The Association for the Return of The Maqdala Ethiopian Treasures. However, there are some who recognise the need for a pragmatic approach, building trust between museums in the UK and Ethiopia. Personally, I am more inclined to the latter view. Professor John Picton, emeritus professor of African art at Londons School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), said repatriation sets an uncomfortable precedent that no museum will easily agree to, whatever the moral considerations. The ownership of the Benin Bronzes clearly lies with the Kings of Benin but that argument wont convince museums to return them, he told Al Jazeera. What will is long-term loans, the construction of museums in Benin and increased cooperation between European museums and Africa to understand their collections better. Back on the Queens House tour, visitors are forced to reflect on Britains colonial past. Our Britishness is based on an erasure of history, and the Great Britain narrative is based on ignoring the bad in the past, says Kemi, a journalist attending the tour. Its important to look back to understand whats happening now. Hamas and other Palestinian factions in Gaza have launched rockets at Israel in what they call a response to aggression. More than a month has passed since the last significant exchange of fire between the Israeli military and Palestinian factions in the occupied Gaza Strip. Thus, despite a number of significant and deadly flare-ups, the summer passed without a new large-scale Israeli assault on the blockaded territory materialising. While Israeli military strategy has long relied on deterrence the idea that short, sharp shocks to enemy forces and civilian population will secure periods of quiet events this summer beg the question whether Hamas and other factions in Gaza have established their own deterrence. Hamas is trying to avoid escalation as much as possible, and to give a chance to the rehabilitation of the Gaza Strip, Basem Naim, a member of Hamas international relations bureau, told Al Jazeera. But at the same time, Hamas has been trying, on different occasions, to send the message that we have the right to defend ourselves, the right to resist the occupation, and the moral duty not to accept dying in silence. On 29 May, al-Qassam Brigades and Islamic Jihads al-Quds Brigades claimed joint responsibility for mortar fire that they said was a response to Israeli aggression over the previous 48 hours including the killing of members of both groups. We will not let the enemy impose a new equation involving killing our people for free. The equation we will keep says: shelling for shelling and blood for blood, the groups stated. Members of al-Qassam Brigades, Hamass military wing in Gaza [File AP Photo/Adel Hana] Again, on 20 June, Israeli attacks were the trigger for a retaliatory burst of rocket fire by Hamas, which itself prompted further Israeli air strikes. A Hamas statement at the time declared a new approach of a bomb for a bomb, and rejected Israels attempts to impose any new equations. Similar dynamics played out in other rounds, including on 14 July, when Hamas retaliated to punitive Israeli air attacks with rocket fire, and on 7 August, when the last and most serious escalation began with Israel killing two al-Qassam members in what was later said to have been an error. According to Gaza-based Hamas spokesperson Hazim Qasim, while the Palestinian factions agreed that the Great Return March, which started on March 30, should be popular and peaceful, Israel harshly targeted the peaceful protesters and additionally struck resistance sites and the fighters. He told Al Jazeera: Hamas position was that the protests were peaceful and must remain peaceful, so Hamas decided not to let the occupation turn the protests [not] peaceful. Therefore, it decided that any military attack must have a military response. Despite the huge power gap between Hamas and Israel, Qasim added, Hamas, along with the other factions, were able to establish this deterrence equation. Palestinians inspect the damage after an Israeli air attack in Gaza City (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) But did the summer mark a significant shift in tactics by Hamas? For Tareq Baconi, Palestinian scholar and author of Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian Resistance, these events, in fact, reflected a longer-standing policy of deterrence adopted by Hamas and other factions, who for the most part, have responded to Israeli assaults with rocket fire. If there was a shift in Hamas resistance strategy, Baconi told Al Jazeera, it was most palpable over the course of the Great March of Return it was during this period that Hamas held back; there was not a single rocket fired over the official six weeks of protests, up to Nakba Day. Naim described the Great March of Return which was not initiated by Hamas, but attracted its support as a message for the Israelis and international community that, despite having the capability to respond to Israeli aggression, we preferred to exhaust all peaceful ways to raise our voice against the Israeli siege. With respect to the rounds of escalation post-Nakba Day, meanwhile, Naim told Al Jazeera that it is clear they were only a message, with the rockets being fired into the area immediately around the Gaza Strip, as opposed to larger Israeli cities further away. Hamas has the ability to harm Israel, but showed great restraint, based on political responsibility towards our people, Naim added. Israeli soldiers fire tear gas at Palestinians protesters in Gaza in June [EPA-EFE/Mohammed Saber] No one rushing into war Israeli security officials and analysts acknowledged that Hamas acted with caution during the summers rounds. According to Haaretz defence correspondent Amos Harel, Netanyahu is keen to conclude indirectly an arrangement with Hamas and achieve a stable ceasefire. No one is yet rushing into war, Harel stated. The picture is more complex than one of simple military deterrence, however. While Israel, and Netanyahus government specifically, is quite sensitive to losses incurred because of Hamas, said Baconi, Israel also benefits tremendously from having Hamas in power in Gaza, for a host of reasons, including demographics, divide-and-rule, stabilisation of the coastal enclave as an autonomous region and the containment of the ideology of resistance. Thus, Israeli officials have had to walk a fine line between deterrence and defeating Hamas. Hamas, too, has considerations beyond basic deterrence. According to Adnan Abu Amer, political analyst and dean of the faculty of Arts and Humanities at Gazas Ummah University, some in al-Qassam Brigades worry that the continuation of the siege and the failure of efforts to secure a long-term truce might lead to anti-Hamas demonstrations in Gaza a risk that could compel the Brigades to direct public anger towards Israel. Further complicating matters is the ongoing bad blood between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah on the one hand, and Hamas on the other. Recent reports suggest that efforts to secure a long-term truce between Hamas and Israel, and a lifting of the Gaza blockade, have come unstuck over how to resolve the bitter national division that continues to play out on a routine basis through accusations and arrests. I think the resistance movements here in Gaza are trying to find a balance between creating a deterrence and finding an outcome or exit for the catastrophic situation, said Hamas Naim. The main idea now is that we have the capability to defend ourselves, but at the same time, we see that our moral and political responsibility is to give a chance to any political efforts by the United Nations, Egyptians, the Europeans, anyone to improve the dire situation on the ground. Palestinians in Ramallah call for the Palestinian Authority to lift sanctions on Gaza [File AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed] Baconi, while recognising Hamass desire to achieve a long-term ceasefire and loosened blockade, is pessimistic about a political breakthrough any time soon. I think until something fundamentally shifts on the ground, post-Abbas, the current situation is likely to persist, with the predictable escalations, he told Al Jazeera. Such escalations carry inherent risks. Hamas has been seeking to use the recent military escalations to pressure Israel, Egypt and the UN to respond to its demands for calm, and in particular, breaking the siege, said Abu Amer. But at the same time, Hamas does not want an open confrontation. However, no one can guarantee that these rounds will remain only limited escalations, and the road is fraught with danger. Nothing in US National Security Adviser John Boltons furious attack on the International Criminal Court (ICC) earlier this week can be of much surprise to anyone. Not that he prides himself on being a self-declared foe of the Court he already demonstrated that when he served in the administration of George W Bush and engineered dozens of bilateral agreements preventing other countries from delivering US personnel to the ICC. Nor that in his first seminal address as US national security adviser, he played fast and loose with the facts claiming falsely that the Courts next step would be to exercise universal jurisdiction (it does not have such power) and that US soldiers might be prosecuted for the crime of aggression (they cannot be). Disregard for facts seems emblematic of the administration in which he serves. Nor even that his justifications for opposition to the Court seemed contradictory: on the one hand, he presented the spectre of potent, many-tentacled Court, liable to reach out and grab ordinary, patriotic Americans. On the other, he argued that the Court was all but irrelevant, some effete product of the Europeans, unsupported by most of the world. Again, incoherence is likely only to endear him to his principal. But what was perhaps surprising, or at least ironic, is seeing someone of Boltons political orientation attempt to rehearse, with some sympathy, what has been called the African-critique of the ICC: that it is just the latest European neocolonial enterprise to infringe upon their sovereign rights. Particularly, when in the same speech, Bolton asks rhetorically of his audience, the conservative US Federalist Society, whether they would consign the fate of American citizens to a committee of other nations, including the likes of the Democratic Republic of Congo? Still, if the idea that the DRC should have as much say in respect to the fate of American citizens as the US has in respect of the citizens of the DRC seems obviously scornful to Bolton and his audience; the DRC is apparently not so odious that he wouldnt seek to make common cause with it in protesting the ICC. But what will African states make of this attack? In recent years, much of the most scathing criticism of the Court has come from Africa. Currently, 10 of the 11 investigations being pursued by the Court are centred in Africa. All 37 of the named defendants are from Africa. Its hard not to agree with the conclusion that the Court has disproportionately focused on Africa, even accepting that many of the investigations before the Court come to it by way of self-referrals from African states themselves. And this imbalance has provided rich pickings for those on the continent who have real reason to fear accountability. Name a strongman in Africa, and he has made some politically pointed criticism of the Court. Spokesman for Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza called it a political instrument and weapon used by the West to enslave, in advance of Nkurunziza staging Burundis exit from the Court. Then-President Yahya Jammeh of the Gambia called it the International Caucasian Court. Sudans Omar al-Bashir, indicted by the Court for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur, has said the Court should eat his arrest warrant and Ugandas Yoweri Museveni has described the Court as useless and praised efforts by states to exit the Court. But it would be a crude caricature to suggest that opposition to the ICC in Africa stems only from those who fear the Court may have them in its sights. In recent years, arguably, the most powerful antagonism has come from South Africa, which under President Nelson Mandelas leadership had played a critical role in the Courts formation helping build the consensus needed among states to enact the Rome Statute but also, in championing the institution, lending it significant moral stature. {articleGUID} South Africas threats to leave the Court came about after it failed to effect an arrest of al-Bashir when he attended an African Union meeting in the country. After domestic Courts censured the government for allowing al-Bashir to leave the country without securing arrest, South Africa resolved to exit the Court. Currently, an International Crimes Bill aimed at securing South Africas withdrawal from the Court is before Parliament, although yet to be voted on. While a change in presidential administrations may mean that there is now less fervour for such exit, there isnt any certainty that South Africa will change course. And it is by no means just a conveniently constructed ruse to cover a diplomatic snafu, when South Africa insists before both local Courts and the ICC that its ICC obligations potentially undermine its peace-building efforts and conflict with regional undertakings towards the African Union. But if various African states may share Boltons antipathy for the ICC (it is important to underline that several African states remain key supporters of the Court), there are several recent developments that might give them pause. A recent referral to the ICC by the Palestinian Administration to cover crimes committed in the occupied West Bank a function certainly of the desperately few available avenues for justice in this region must go some way to countering the insistence by some African detractors of the Court that it is only interested in securing Western interests and putting African leaders in the dock. So, too, the much-anticipated authorisation likely to come from the Court for investigation into crimes committed in Afghanistan, implicating offences committed not only by the Taliban and Afghan military but also US service personnel, and almost certainly the direct trigger of Boltons most recent fury. As things stand, this could make for some fairly interesting global alliances advocates for justice in Afghanistan and in Palestine looking to engage the Court and willing it to succeed while several prominent African states are arrayed outside, alongside the likes of the US and Israel, hoping for its defeat. {articleGUID} The ICC is the flashpoint of the struggle for the new global order promised by the unprecedented international cooperation that characterised the late 1990s, but now looks increasingly to have been still-born. Bolton makes out that the emergence of this new regime was at the behest of an effete European elite of the European Union where the global governance dogma is strong. Theres no question that whatever vestigial hope of such an order remains can be powerfully resisted by an alliance of states like the US and various African countries. Their shared colonial histories give particular resonance to claims of the inviolability of national sovereignty: it offers powerful polemical and potentially real protection against outside interference. But not that long ago a different vision captured African states. Twenty years ago, when the Rome Statute for the ICC was negotiated and agreed, Africa represented the largest voting bloc in support of the Court. The US was one of only seven countries to vote against the treaty. Its position has remained fairly consistent throughout. African states might want to consider long and hard before they concede that the US was right all along The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Aid groups strain as Venezuelan refugee crisis spills over Nearly two million Venezuelans are seeking better lives in neighbouring countries in Latin America and aid groups and local humanitarians are struggling to bear the load. Hong Kong and southern China under maximum alert as biggest storm of the year kills dozens in the Philippines. Hong Kong and southern China took cover on Sunday as strong winds and heavy rain from Typhoon Mangkhut lashed the densely populated coast, a day after the biggest storm to hit the Philippines this year left at least 64 people dead. Two more people were killed as the storm made landfall in southern China, according to Chinese state broadcaster CGTN. More than 2.4 million people had been evacuated from seven cities in Guangdong province of China, according to The Associated Press news agency. In Hong Kong, authorities warned people to stay away from the Victoria Harbour landmark, where storm surges battered the waterfront reinforced with sandbags. The gambling enclave of Macau, meanwhile, closed its casinos for the first time, according to the South China Morning Post, as nearly 50,000 fishing boats were called back to port. Mangkhut made landfall in Guangdong around 5pm local time (09:00 GMT) on Sunday, packing wind speeds of 162 km/h, while 10-metre-high waves battered the coastline. The national meteorological centre said southern China will face a severe test caused by wind and rain and urged officials to prepare for possible disasters. The national meteorological centre urged officials to prepare for possible disasters [ Jason Lee/Reuters] The Hong Kong Observatory said although Mangkhut had weakened slightly, its extensive, intense rainbands were bringing heavy downfall and frequent squalls. Hundreds of flights were cancelled. All high-speed and some normal rail services in Guangdong and Hainan provinces were also halted on Sunday, the China Railway Guangzhou Group Co said. Footage posted on social media showed fierce winds throwing people to the ground, swaying buildings, smashed windows and serious flooding. A video reportedly filmed in Hong Kongs Kowloon area showed scaffolding collapsing at a building site. In Fujian province and elsewhere, tens of thousands of fishing boats returned to port and construction work came to a stop. Fuelled by the warm waters of the South China Sea, the typhoon will begin to lose power now it is overland and will be reclassified as a tropical storm. However, flooding over its forecast path is expected to be extensive as heavy rain falls out of the declining cyclone. In Gyangdon, 250mm of rainfall is expected over the next 24 hours, with some pockets of 400mm. Philippines hit hard In the Philippines, the death toll of Mangkhut jumped to 64 on Sunday as more landslide victims were discovered. Most were killed in landslides in or near the Cordillera mountain region, AP reported. At least 40 people, mostly gold miners, got trapped in a landslide in the countrys north. {articleGUID} Police superintendent Pelita Tacio told AP that a part of a mountain slope collapsed on the miners homes in a far-flung village of Itogon town in Benguet province as winds and rain pounded the gold-mining region on Saturday. Rescue efforts are being hampered by rain and mud but search operations are expected to resume at daybreak on Monday, according to Victorio Palangdan, the mayor of Itogon. Palangdan told reporters that up to 100 people in the Philippines are feared dead as a result of the typhoon. Al Jazeeras Jamela Alindogan, reporting from Cagayan province, said the storm cut off power and communications in the city of Tuguegarao and devastated rural communities in the region. About 87,000 people had evacuated from high-risk areas of the Philippines [Jes Aznar/Getty Images] We saw homes and farmland destroyed throughout rural communities. Access into these areas is difficult, which means aid may be slow to arrive, too, she said. They barely had anything before the typhoon, and now they have even less. Among the fatalities were an infant and a two-year-old child who died with their parents after the couple refused to immediately evacuate from their high-risk community in a Nueva Vizcaya mountain town, said Francis Tolentino, an adviser to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. They cant decide for themselves where to go, he said of the children, expressing frustration that the tragedy was not prevented. We ventured out and drove past rural communities. One of the many areas that we saw the devastation in the town of Bagao. No reported casualties so far, but quite a number of civilians lost their homes. @AJEnglish @tedregencia @AJENews #Mangkhut pic.twitter.com/vyjuJNPIJK Jamela Alindogan (@jamelaaisha) September 15, 2018 About 87,000 people had evacuated from high-risk areas of the Philippines. Tolentino and other officials advised them not to return home until the danger had passed. Typhoon Mangkhut left at least 28 dead as it passed through the northern Philippines [ Jes Aznar/Getty Images] In Cagayans capital, Tuguegarao, where the typhoon hit land, Associated Press journalists saw a severely damaged public market, its roof ripped apart and wooden stalls and tarpaulin canopies in disarray. Outside a popular shopping mall, debris was scattered everywhere and government workers cleared roads of fallen trees. The Tuguegarao airport terminal was also damaged, its roof and glass windows shattered by strong winds. The typhoon struck at the start of the rice and corn harvesting season in the northern breadbasket, prompting farmers to scramble to save what they could of their crops, Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba said. Reports suggest rival cartels may be fighting over turf in capital after clashes involving gunmen dressed as mariachis. Five people have died after a shoot-out at Mexico Citys Garibaldi Plaza, a tourist hotspot known for its mariachi bands. On Friday evening, gunmen dressed as mariachi musicians opened fire before making a getaway on motorcycles, officials said on Saturday. The assailants, who were armed with rifles and handguns, injured at least nine people, including a foreign national. There is still no official information about what caused the violence but local reports suggest it might have been a confrontation between cartels fighting over the city centre. {articleGUID} Plaza Garibaldi borders Mexico Citys Tepito neighbourhood, home to La Union gang, which police say is responsible for a number of drug-dealing and protection rackets. The historical site is also blocks away from El Zocalo, a square where thousands went on Saturday night to see outgoing President Enrique Pena Nieto deliver his farewell Independence Day speech. The capital is on track to register a record number of homicides this year, and reversing that trend will be a priority for incoming President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. The former Mexico City mayor, who will take office in December, is confident that new strategies under the citys incoming mayor, Claudia Sheinbaum, will be effective. I am sure they will resolve the problems that are being suffered in Mexico City Claudia will restore peace, he told local media on Saturday when asked about plans to halt violence in the capital. In a recent interview, Sheinbaum said her priorities are to end police corruption and implement US-style justice reform. For the past 12 years, Mexico has fought violent drug gangs by deploying thousands of police, soldiers, and intelligence officers to crack down on cartels and their leaders. Last year was the deadliest year in two decades, with over 23,000 homicides, an increase of 10.7 percent compared with 2016. In 2018, there have been 18,994 murders in seven months, a 20 percent jump on the same period in 2017, according to the Ministry of Public Security. If the trend continues, 2018 is set to be the most violent year ever in Mexico. Dozens of high-ranking members of the Dutch Catholic Church reportedly knew of sexual abuse and actively covered it up. High-ranking members of the Dutch Catholic Church have been accused of taking part or actively covering up child abuse between 1945 and 2010. More than half of Dutch bishops, cardinals and auxiliary bishops knew about the abuse allegations, an investigation by Dutch newspaper NRC showed. Four of them were accused of having sexually abused children. According to the report, high-ranking clergy moved priests who had been accused of abuse to other parishes where they could start anew. Sometimes, clergy members were moved more than once to cover up their abuse. {articleGUID} They also kept quiet about allegations and destroyed the files of accused members of the clergy. According to organisations dealing with victims of abuse, these practices led to many more victims over the years. The Netherlands is not the only country where abuse scandals have rocked the Catholic Church. In recent years, institutionalised cover-ups of child abuse have popped up in the United States, Australia, Ireland and Germany. Last month, the US state of Pennsylvania released a report detailing the abuse of more than 1,000 children over a period of decades. More than 300 clergy members were implicated in the report. In May, Chiles 34 bishops were summoned to Rome by the pope after Vatican investigators produced a 2,300-page report alleging that senior Church officials in Chile had failed to act on abuse claims and in some cases hid them. Pope Francis has accepted the resignations of five of those bishops. In Australia, a former archbishop was recently convicted of failing to disclose abuse by a priest to the police after being told about it by two of the survivors in the 1970s. He was spared jail time when he was ordered to serve his one-year sentence at home due to a range of health issues. In July, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of 88-year-old US Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, ordering him to lead a lifetime of prayer and penance amid allegations that McCarrick had for years sexually abused boys and young adult seminarians. Pope Francis came under scrutiny himself for his actions in the McCarrick case. {articleGUID} A senior Vatican official wrote a statement in which he called on Pope Francis to resign, accusing the pontiff of failing to act sooner on the sexual abuse allegations. During a visit to Ireland in August, Pope Francis told tens of thousands of people gathered in Dublin: None of us can fail to be moved by the stories of young people who suffered abuse, were robbed of their innocence and left scarred. Francis also met privately with eight victims of clerical, religious and institutional abuse, saying he would seek greater commitment to eliminate the scourge. Denuclearisation and sanctions expected to be on the table at upcoming inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang. Seoul, South Korea South Korean President Moon Jae-in, joined by more than 200 officials, is set to embark on a high-stakes trip to Pyongyang for talks with his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un. On an exceptionally rare occasion in the reclusive country, the first moment of the two leaders encounter in North Koreas capital, as well as the summits key events, will be beamed live to the rest of the world. Moons three-day trip, which starts on Tuesday and is only the third of its kind for a sitting South Korean president since the division of the Korean Peninsula, comes amid a diplomatic quandary over stalled nuclear disarmament negotiations between North Korea and the United States. Washington wants to see a concrete timetable and actions for North Koreas denuclearisation before beginning to dole out any rewards to the country, which has a track record of defaulting on previous nuclear deals. North Korea, on the other hand, has called for the US to provide a security guarantee through a joint declaration of a formal end to the 1950-1953 Korean War, which ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty, and left some international sanctions imposed on impoverished North Korea. Irreconcilable gulf? In late August, US President Donald Trump cancelled Secretary of State Mike Pompeos planned visit to Pyongyang at the 11th hour, citing a lack of sufficient progress made since his historic summit with Kim in Singapore in June. The impasse presents an enormous challenge to pro-engagement Moon, who has been asked by both sides to play the role of mediator. If it becomes clear that the talks with North Korea are stuck, the hardliners in Washington and Seoul, especially in Washington, will have an upper hand and probably will start to demand a speedy return to their hardline maximum pressure policy, Andrei Lankov, professor at Kookmin University in Seoul, told Al Jazeera. {articleGUID} Lankov, who is among the many long-time North Korea watchers who are sceptical about the authenticity of the pledged nuclear disarmament, argued that South Koreas delegation would work hard to put on a theatrical performance that would create a sense that everything was fine. It is smart diplomacy, because it creates an environment where hardliners would have problems in pushing through their bellicose policy, he said. Denuclearisation and sanctions Denuclearisation is generally understood to be a time-consuming process, involving many stages before the dismantling of nuclear weapons. If you do this step by step, it becomes virtually impossible to achieve the denuclearisation within two-and-a-half years, Moon Chung-in, special adviser to the South Korean president, told foreign media in his personal capacity, referring to Kims recent offer of Trumps first term as a target timeframe. {articleGUID} The adviser argued the upcoming summit could serve as an opportunity for South Koreas leader to persuade his counterpart on a simultaneous exchange approach, which he would later propose to Trump, too. He floated one possible scenario that would see North Korea agreeing to an extraordinary concession such as allowing the US to take out some if not all nuclear weapons, and in return the US would be willing to ease some economic sanctions. Agenda points At the upcoming summit, another important matter on South Koreas agenda would be improving its own relations with North Korea. In the economic field, there are relatively innocuous projects such as cooperation in the forestry sector -that would not violate a string of sanctions from the United Nations Security Council, Bong Young-shik, a research fellow at Yonsei University Institute for North Korean studies, told Al Jazeera. The two leaders are also expected to discuss ways to ease tensions along one of the worlds most fortified borders, a follow-up on the Panmunjom Declaration after their inter-Korean summit on April 27. {articleGUID} The militaries from both sides have been holding meetings to discuss removing army guard posts and landmines inside the Demilitarised Zone and setting up a maritime peace zone in the West Sea, a scene of numerous deadly military skirmishes in the past. It would be tangible achievements of this summit if the two leaders agree on measures for conventional arms reduction, Bong added. Experts have long acknowledged that it would be quite inconceivable for either country to use nuclear arms as its first choice of weaponry in modern-day warfare due to catastrophic consequences, yet warn of the possibility of an accidental clash rapidly escalating into an uncontrollable situation. In an editorial for the Observer newspaper, the Labour Party politician said Brexit would cause job losses. Londons Mayor Sadiq Khan has called for a fresh referendum on Britains membership of the European Union, warning that leaving the bloc could lead to job losses and worsened economic prospects. In an editorial published in the Observer newspaper, Khan slammed the British government for its handling of negotiations with the EU. At every stage, [Prime Minister Theresa Mays] government has looked unprepared and out of its depth, resulting in a litany of wrong turns, Khan wrote, before criticising his predecessor as London mayor, Boris Johnson, for prioritising his political ambitions. It seems the debate has become more about Boris Johnsons political ambitions than whats good for the country. The United Kingdom has until March 2019 to secure a deal with the EU over the terms of its exit from the organisation, known as Brexit, but Prime Minister Theresa May only agreed to a unified negotiating platform with her cabinet in July. That has led to worries that Britain is heading for a no-deal Brexit that would see the country revert to World Trade Organisation rules on trade and force it to pay tariffs on goods imported from the EU. Critics of Brexit warn that failure to reach an agreement would result in mass job losses as costs increase and see businesses shift their operations to the EU. The British government has already admitted to stockpiling medicines in case the country leaves the EU without a deal. Anti-Brexit feeling Khan said that the scenarios for the British exit from the EU were a million miles from what was promised during the referendum campaign in 2016. I dont believe its the will of the people to face either a bad deal or, worse, no deal. That wasnt on the table during the campaign. People didnt vote to leave the EU to make themselves poorer, to watch their businesses suffer, to have NHS wards understaffed, to see the police preparing for civil unrest or for national security to be put at risk if our cooperation with the EU in the fight against terrorism is weakened, Khan said. The comments by the London mayor come amid rising political pressure on both the government and the opposition Labour Party to call for a second referendum. Both parties are divided on the issue and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has so far resisted pressure from within his party and from trade unions to publicly call for a new vote. Mays ruling Conservatives are divided between those who support a soft approach to leaving the EU, those who wish to remain in the bloc, and others who want a complete separation from the organisation. Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir A photograph showing Indian soldiers dragging the bloodied, half-naked body of a rebel has triggered outrage in and outside Indian-administered Kashmir, with rights activists calling it a barbaric act which violates international humanitarian law. The incident took place on September 13 in the Kakriyal forests in the Reasi area of Jammu in the southern part of the disputed territory after a seven-hour gun battle in which the army killed three rebel fighters. Soon after the fighting was over, the image of Indian soldiers dragging the dead fighter with his face down and his feet chained surfaced on social media, attracting widespread condemnation. Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), demanded an immediate inquiry into the disgraceful action by soldiers in Kashmir who, apparently fearing rigged explosives, dragged the body of a slain militant with a rope. This shows poor training and utter failure to respect rights, Ganguly posted on Twitter. The Geneva Conventions, of which India is a signatory, prohibit the mutilation of dead bodies in a conflict. Barbaric. This explains Indian army's human rights conduct pic.twitter.com/TTb5Ud3cp4 Khurram Parvez (@KhurramParvez) September 13, 2018 Even the dead have no respect in Kashmir, Mubashir Naseer, a 35-year-old local, told Al Jazeera. When these things come in the media, it creates deep hatred. It does not change anything. It only exposes how the army is acting in Kashmir, he added. Another picture shared widely on the social media purportedly showed Rakesh Sharma, member of a right-wing Hindu organisation called Bajrang Dal, taking a selfie with the dead rebel lying in the background. The authenticity of the photograph could not be independently verified. Normal operating procedure But a senior Indian army officer, speaking to Al Jazeera on Sunday on condition of anonymity, dismissed the criticism. I dont know why should it create a discussion. You have to see for what cause the person came for. This should be done to him, he said. The army officer said the dragging of a rebels corpse after a gun battle is part of their normal operating procedure and a safety measure since explosives could be attached to their bodies. We dont physically touch the body. A rope is tied to the feet and it is dragged. Sometimes, they can be alive also. There could be booby traps, explosives and grenades tied to the body, which has had happened many a times, he said. B arbarism and hatred For close to three decades, since separatist violence intensified in the disputed region, the Indian army has frequently faced allegations of human rights violations. The Indian army, as usual, defends itself with one or the other pretext. According to the international humanitarian laws, just like the prisoners of war, a dead body is also to be preserved and respected, Khurram Parvez, a Kashmir-based human rights activist, told Al Jazeera. {articleGUID} Parvez said such desecration of the rebels body only shows the barbarism and hatred of the Indian army and has been going on in Kashmir for the last 28 years. Not many times has it been captured on camera. But it happens here, he said, claiming that the dead bodies of three rebels were burned after a gunfight in south Kashmirs Pulwama region last year. The Kashmir region, meanwhile, continues to witness gun battles between separatist fighters and Indian forces. On Saturday, five rebels and a civilian were killed in Kulgam village of south Kashmir. This week, 10 rebels were killed in three separate fights. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the violence after the armed rebellion against Indian rule began in the early 1990s. Both India and Pakistan make a full claim over the territory and have already fought three wars over it. The separatist fighters are demanding either a merger with Pakistan or an independent state. In July, India rejected a first-ever report by the United Nations Human Rights Council, which had suggested setting up a commission of inquiry to conduct an independent international investigation into allegations of human rights abuses in Kashmir. Scores call for Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oos release in Yangon as reporters across globe voice solidarity on social media. Activists and journalists in Myanmar have rallied against the jailing of two Reuters news agency reporters amid a growing international outcry over threats to press freedom in the Southeast Asian country. At least 100 demonstrators, including high school students, on Sunday gathered in central Yangon, Myanmars largest city, chanting slogans denouncing the guilty verdict against the pair, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo. Protesters held signs that included the messages Murder is not a state secret and revealing the truth is not a crime, and released black balloons emblazoned with photos of the two jailed reporters. The two journalists were sentenced earlier this month to seven years behind bars for breaching a law on state secrets during their reporting of a massacre of the stateless Rohingya minority. Thar Lun Zaung Htet, a journalist involved in organising the protest, said the sentencing against reporters who were just doing their job would stifle reporting in Myanmar. Losing press freedom means our democratic transition is going backwards, he told Reuters. The ruling caused international uproar and condemnation, with human rights organisations, the United Nations and a number of governments calling for the reporters release. We are very angry. We are disappointed in the new government. Shame on them, activist Maung Saung Kha, 25, told AFP news agency. The civilian government of de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi assumed power in 2016 following a landslide election victory after more than 50 years of rule by the countrys powerful army. Global solidarity Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 29, were arrested in December while investigating the extrajudicial killing by security forces of 10 Rohingya men during last years military crackdown against the persecuted minority. The incident was later acknowledged by the army. At a public event in Hanoi last Thursday, Aung San Suu Kyi appeared to back the courts decision and denied the men had been jailed for their journalism. In response, six Myanmar journalist organisations published a rare statement on Friday saying they were disappointed with Aung San Suu Kyis comments. Journalists and writers across the globe have also taken to social media to post messages of solidarity with the jailed reporters. Author Margaret Atwood called the judgment against them a travesty of justice in a post on Twitter on Sunday. Staff at the New Yorker magazine, Time magazine and Pro Publica website, as well as editors in Bangladeshs eastern city of Chittagong also posted messages calling for the reporters immediate release. The conviction of Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo is a travesty of justice. I support @PENamerican and Myanmar activists in calling for their immediate release. #FreeWaLoneKyawSoeOo @PENCanada @englishpen @pen_int @IndexCensorship #HumanRights @CJFE Margaret E. Atwood (@MargaretAtwood) September 16, 2018 The New Yorker stands with @Reuters and the reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who were sentenced to seven years in prison in Myanmar for exposing the execution of Rohingya. Journalism is not a crime. #FreeWaLoneKyawSoeOo #PressFreedom pic.twitter.com/1g7OqlpQFT The New Yorker (@NewYorker) September 12, 2018 https://twitter.com/seapa/status/1041276503512608768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Federica Mogherini, European Unions foreign policy chief, on Thursday urged Myanmars government to free the two reporters, saying observers saw their trial as a test for democracy in the country and that it is pretty clear that the test has failed. The UN says a campaign of widespread murder, rape and arson forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee over the border into Bangladesh. Myanmar has denied the allegations. UN investigators say the violence merits the prosecution of top generals for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Greek authorities have accused the rescue workers of a host of crimes, including espionage and people trafficking. Athens, Greece Three years ago, Sara Mardini and her sister rescued 18 refugees in the Aegean Sea, diving into the water and guiding their sinking dinghy to dry land on Greeces Lesbos island. Mardini and her sister Yusra, who went on to swim in the 2016 Olympics, were subsequently lauded as heroes and gained international notoriety. She went on to work with the Emergency Response Centre International (ERCI), a nonprofit organisation on Lesbos, before eventually continuing their journey to Germany. In late 2017, she returned to Lesbos to volunteer with ERCI again. But now 23-year-old Mardini is behind bars in Korydallos Prison, a high-security facility in the capital, Athens, and three of her ERCI colleagues have been arrested, as well. Authorities arrested them on August 21 and dealt them daunting charges ranging from people smuggling to espionage and membership in a criminal organisation. Under Greek law, they can be held in pre-trial detention for up to 18 months. Greek police detained Mardini at the islands airport as she prepared to travel back to Germany for university studies. Her lawyer, Haris Petsalnikos, maintains that she was not in Greece during many of the incidents detailed in the allegations and has called for her release. The accused individuals include ERCI field director Nassos Karakitsos, a Greek citizen, and volunteer Sean Binder, a 24-year-old German national. A third individual who was charged has requested that his name be withheld, according to the organisation. {articleGUID} In a press release, Greek police said the NGO facilitated the illegal entry of aliens into Greek territory and provided direct assistance to organised illegal immigration networks. The statement added that police are investigating 30 individuals in connection to the case, which includes allegations of human trafficking, money laundering, spying and counterfeiting, among others. A week after the arrests, the ERCI published a statement dismissing the unfounded claims, charges and accusations. I knew I had to do something Panos Moraitis, a 39-year-old Greek national who founded the ERCI in December 2015, said he plans to present himself to authorities in Lesbos in the coming days and expects to be arrested, as well. Rejecting the allegations, Moraitis explained that he decided to join a swell of volunteers heading to Greek islands as the refugee crisis unfolded in 2015. Each morning, while commuting to work, he would listen to the radio and hear updates from Lesbos as tens of thousands of refugees reached the island. I heard the news every morning, and I saw the photos, he recalled, speaking to Al Jazeera by telephone. What really tipped me over was what convinced thousands of people to volunteer: the photo of Aylan Kurdi, he recalled, referring to a Syrian toddler whose lifeless body washed up on Turkish shores in September 2015. At the time, images of Kurdi went viral and made international headlines. My wife was pregnant with my daughter then, and I knew I had to do something, Moraitis said. Advocates say the arrests are part of a broader wave of clamping down on volunteers, aid workers and activists who have worked with refugees and migrants fleeing warzones and economic devastation in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. In 2016, Greek police arrested a pair of Spanish activists who were attempting to help transport refugees from the country, in the port city of Igoumenitsa. In March, Italian authorities launched an investigation into Proactiva Open Arms and seized a rescue ship, accusing three individuals of criminal activities related to facilitating migration to the country. Two months later, three Spanish firefighters were put on trial for helping refugees enter the EU on Lesbos. Those charges could land them behind bars for 10 years. In Hungary, far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orbans government passed into law in June a measure prohibiting individuals and NGOs from providing aid to refugees and migrants entering the Central European country. {articleGUID} Nassim Lomani, an Athens-based activist who came to Europe from Afghanistan two decades ago, said the effort to crack down on rescue workers, NGOs and refugee solidarity activists comes at a time when the EU seeks to stem the flow of refugees and migrants to the continent. Its getting worse, he told Al Jazeera, and I have the feeling it will continue to get much worse. Arrivals continue In recent months, several European countries, among them Germany, Austria and Italy, have sought to limit the entry and movement of asylum seekers. Last month, Germany struck a deal with Greece to return asylum seekers to the Mediterranean country if it was their first port of entry into the bloc. In Italy, the newly appointed far-right interior minister, Matteo Salvini, has prompted outrage across the continent by refusing to allow refugee boats to disembark on the countrys shores. In late August, Salvini initially blocked a boat carrying some 177 people from unloading, leading to a nearly week-long standoff. But in Greece, boats continue to arrive, despite declining living standards in the overcrowded camps, particularly on the islands, and the apparent attempts to discourage rescue workers and activists. According to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), more than 21,000 refugees and migrants have reached Greece in 2018, a number that pales in comparison to the nearly million who passed through the country three years earlier. On Thursday, the Greek coastguard retrieved 65 people on a boat in the Mediterranean near southwestern Greece, according to the local daily Ekathimerini. Arrivals have also swelled on the countrys land border with Turkey, where a growing number of people cross the Evros River to enter Greece. {articleGUID} Meanwhile, with the charges pending against four of its members, the ERCI has suspended all its operations indefinitely. Among those services was a clinic in Moria, a cramped refugee camp on Lesbos, and programmes in the nearby Karatepe camp. Based on what Ive seen till now, our people are being prosecuted for doing nothing wrong, Moraitis said. It feels like the authorities want to make an example out of us to scare others from doing search-and-rescue, he concluded. In the end, they [authorities] will say, Oops, our bad, but lives will have been ruined already. More than five million refugees and six million internally displaced people will not be able to cast their ballots. Syrians in government-controlled areas have cast their ballots in the first local elections since anti-government protests in 2011 spiralled into a full-blown war between rebels, government troops and foreign backers. Polling booths opened at 7am local time (04:00 GMT) on Sunday across government-held parts of the country where more than 40,000 candidates would compete for 18,478 seats on local administrative councils. Sunday is a regular working day in Syria but voting was extended by five hours until midnight (2100 GMT) because of high participation, state news agency SANA said, without giving turnout figures. Voting was similarly extended in 2014 when President Bashar al-Assad won a landslide victory with 88.7 percent of the vote, renewing his reign for another seven years. The US, EU and Gulf Cooperation Council all dismissed that election as illegitimate. Syrian state television broadcast footage of voters around Damascus and in the coastal government bastions of Tartus and Latakia. The footage showed voters dropping their ballots into plastic boxes as election officials looked on. The channel also showed images of voting in Deir Az Zor, the eastern city recaptured in full last year by Syrian troops after fierce battles against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group. No voting was taking place in areas outside government control, including Kurdish-held parts of the northeast and the largest rebel-held piece of territory, northwest Idlib province, home to some three million people. According to the AFP news agency, there appeared to be fewer people heading to the polls than in previous presidential or parliamentary elections. Mohammad Kabbadi, a 42-year-old government employee, cast his ballot in the Bab Sharqi district of the capital for a candidate from his neighbourhood. I know exactly who I am going to vote for hes young, active and his victory will bring good things to residents of this area, said Kabbadi. Why vote? A vast majority of the candidates are members of the ruling Baath party or affiliated to it, which deterred some people from casting their ballot. Why vote? Will anything change? Lets be honest, said Humam, a 38-year-old working in the capitals Mazzeh district who opted to stay home on Sunday. Everyone knows the results are sealed in advance for a single party, whose members will win in a process thats closer to an appointment than it is to an election. Mazen Gharibah, a researcher with the London School of Economics, said the Syrian government was looking to use this election to send the message that the country was on a path towards recovery. This election is an integral part of the Syrian governments propaganda, that its heading towards a recovery, that the community is healing, that the Damascus-based government is still a functioning government and that its heading towards a better place. The second reason its holding this election is for logistical reasons. After the vast military gains, the forced displacements in Eastern Ghouta, Aleppo, Deraa, Homs, etc, the regime is trying to increase its presence in these areas and appoint local council members. IDPs and refugees cannot vote The number of seats in this years elections had slightly increased from the roughly 17,000 available posts in the last elections, as smaller villages have been promoted to fully fledged municipalities. Council members serve four-year terms at the municipal level and are mostly responsible for service provision and other administrative matters. Those elected in this round are expected to have more responsibilities than their predecessors, particularly linked to reconstruction and urban development. {articleGUID} However, Gharibah said with the law prohibiting displaced Syrians and refugees from voting, turnout was likely to be low. The general election law in Syria, whats known as law number five for 2014, says the right to vote in local elections can only be done where you were born or the place you have your civil registry. So, if youre from Aleppo and you have been living in Damascus for the past 30 years, you cannot vote for the municipality for Damascus, you have to physically cast your ballot in Aleppo to be able to participate in these elections. With more than six million IDPs, they wont have the right to vote unless they can physically cast their ballots in their areas, and thats not possible for a lot of areas. And with the law also prohibiting absentee voting and voting by proxy, refugees people living outside of Syrias borders also cannot vote. Syria last held local elections in December 2011, just nine months into the seven-year war which, according to UNHCR figures, has seen nearly 500,000 people killed and displaced more than 11 million. The last parliamentary elections were held in 2016. About the show A weekly programme that examines and dissects the worlds media, how they operate and the stories they cover. Watch The Listening Post every Saturday at 0830GMT Sweden (Still) Resists the Right Don't know why, there's no sun up in the sky, stormy weather. The concern about an increase in the popularity of the far-right political party and national populism was the theme song of forecasters and commentators of the parliamentary general election on September 9, 2018 in Sweden. The general belief was that the far-right Sweden Democrat party, anti-immigrant and anti-establishment, would increase its share of the vote, perhaps to about 30%, and become the leading party in the country. The forecasts were only partly correct. The party did increase its share of the vote by 4.7% but obtained only just under 18%. Different conclusions may be drawn; the optimistic one is that Sweden only partly followed the path of far-right parties in other European countries in recent years. Far-right populist movements have grown in strength in European countries in Italy, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, as well as in Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria, and France. The biggest threat to the European Union's program comes from Viktor Orban, prime minster of Hungary, who has refused to accept E.U. refugee quota arrangements and challenged the leadership of E.U. Orban has been rebuked by the European Parliament, which approved a report that he threatened the rule of law by hampering press and academic freedom and then voted to censure Hungary. Nostalgia isn't what it used to be with the arrival in Europe of immigrants bringing uncertainty and often violence. Sweden, if no longer a socialist utopia, with its broad liberal consensus, generous welfare state, and social peace, ruled for long periods by Social Democrats, seemed to typify Newton's law of inertia: an object at rest will stay at rest. For most of the world, Sweden is a country best known for Nobel Prizes; Abba, the pop group quartet, who started in 1972; Ingrid Bergman, who left Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca; film director Ingmar Bergman; playwright August Strindberg; and IKEA, founded by a 17-year-old in 1943, the firm of modernist designs appliances and furniture and now the world's largest furniture retailer, delicious meatballs, and pickled herring. Sweden is an affluent and progressive country with a strong welfare system and high tax rates. The country is now also one of fragmented political landscape and voter volatility. At the general election on September 9, 2018, about 41% of voters said they voted for a different party from 2014. In a high turnout of 84%, the result was inconclusive, with eight parties being represented in the parliament, leaving the country in political uncertainty about the formation of a coalition government, with the two major blocs almost equal and the far-right Sweden Democrats an outsider. One bloc is center-left (consisting of Social Democrats, Left, Greens), getting 40.7% and 144 seats, and the other is center-right (Christian Democrats, Moderate, Liberals, Center), getting 40.3% and 143 seats. The Sweden Democrats, the far-right party outside the blocs, who got 6% in 2010, got 17.6% of the vote in 2018, the third largest proportion, and 62 seats. Both of the two blocs are short of a majority, and any government will need support from the opposite bloc for policy approval since neither wants support from the Sweden Democrats. The major parties all lost votes and seats in the new Riksdag of 349. The Social Democrats, the largest party, often got 45% of the vote in the past but this time received only 28.4% of the vote, down 3% since 2014, and won 101 seats. It is still the largest party. The opposition Moderates, who adopted some of the far-right ideology, had 30% of the vote in 2010 but now, with 19.8%, lost 3.5% and got 70 seats. Thus, there was less support for mainstream politics and parties, in spite of the fact that they had accepted a moratorium on asylum-seekers, the deportation of illegal aliens, and stronger rules for citizenship. The Sweden Democrats did better, though the party's increase was less than the rise of 7.2% between 2010 and 2014 and less well than expectations. What, then, explains the rise in far-right support, the increase in populism, the dislike of globalization? A number of issues disturbed the country: shortage of doctors, teachers, police; and violence in the city of Malmo, especially in the foreign-populated Rosengard area, that some regard as a no-go area, with its violent anti-Semitic outbreaks, general lack of safety, increase in gangland shootings, crime, rape, and murder. In 2017, there were 320 shootings and 7,226 rapes, over half committed by foreigners, the immigrants. The key is immigration, stress on identity politics, and concern about crime and lack of law and order. One fifth of Sweden's 10 million have foreign roots, and many are not well integrated. Unemployment is 4% among natives but 16% among foreign-born and 23% for non-European immigrants, who are accused of a disproportionate number of crimes, terrorism, and lack of Swedish values of tolerance and openness. Clearly, the most important factor is criticism of immigration. In 2015, Sweden admitted 162,000 immigrants, the second largest number of migrants per capita of any E.U. nation. As a result of public criticism, the number dropped to 26,000 in 2017. The Sweden Democrats party, founded in 1988, is led by 39-year-old Jimmie Akesson, a charismatic speaker, usually casually dressed, a college dropout and heavy gambler. The dilemma remains for a period of negotiation, and the evidence is mixed because of the relative weakness of the mainstream parties, which must now deal with the immigration issue. The country now has a fragmented legislature and possibly a weak government. It will take some time to agree on a new coalition government. Already the present prime minister, Social Democrat Stefan Lofven, P.M. since 2014, has rejected a demand from Ulf Kristersson, leader of the opposition center-right Moderates since 2017, to help form a coalition. One problem is that if the two blocs joined in a grand coalition, the Sweden Democrats could claim they are the only opposition group. But this does not indicate that the far right will play a role similar to that in other European countries. Akesson, the party's leader since 2005, insists that the Muslim population is the biggest foreign threat to Sweden since World War II. With the existing concentration on immigration and opposition to refugees and migrants, the far right will have some influence until the mainstream parties deal with the issue. It is gratifying that the Sweden Democrats did not do as well as some had feared. The question for the country is whether the glass is half-full or half-empty. When the worst are full of passionate intensity, for a healthy political system, the center must hold. As Mark Twain once wrote, if your job is to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. Vitriolic hatred of President Trump has sprung America into an Afghanistan-like "state of collapse, civil conflict, ethnic and disintegration locked in a self-perpetuating cycle that may be simply beyond outside resolution." An example is California versus America over energy. California has chosen 100% renewable energy by 2045 when it's proven that renewable energy doesn't work on a scalable, affordable basis now or in the coming decades without immense fossil fuel backup and billions in taxpayer subsidies. On April 22, national security adviser John Bolton said , "It's Open Season for Foreign Influence Operations. It's not just Vladimir Putin's Kremlin that is trying to influence our elections. So are communist China and sharia-supremacist Iran ." Thankfully, the United States embraced fracking, allowing the U.S. to overtake Russia and Saudi Arabia as the world's number-one oil producer. Meanwhile, California dooms its economy to poverty for its citizens with higher energy prices and depressed job growth. This example illustrates that America's democratic process is under attack, but it's against each other and not from foreign interference. Why? Because if the Democrats take Congress, they will impeach President Trump and don't have a plan to actually govern. This is now Venezuelan-style socialism that only wants power. These people mostly unserious Democrats "are vile, disgusting people. There is no lie they won't tell, no person they won't smear to advance their agenda," as evidenced by the Judge Brett Kavanaugh hearings. They will return America back to the anemic growth it endured under Obama, and our enemies will only grow more emboldened. America will go the way of California-type leaders like Tom Steyer and Gavin Newsom plus the lies coming from the #Resistance and #NeverTrump crowd. Seemingly, this is exactly what the Deep State, the Democrats, establishment Republicans, and President Obama want. According to Dr. Victor Davis Hanson, the Robert Mueller investigation is a mockery of justice full of Democratic partisans. It was never intended to root out Russian collusion; instead, it is to take down the duly elected president, his family, and anyone associated with his past life. Ask yourself, would this sham collusion narrative be happening if Hillary were in the White House? Of course not. Hanson is correct when he writes: No President has ever faced impeachment for supposed wrongdoings alleged to have taken place before he took office. With effort to go back years, if not decades, into Trump's business and personal life, we are now in uncharted territory. We will have a shooting, civil war on our hands if Trump is impeached over an investigation that has never proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump colluded with Russia. The Democratic Party of Truman, Kennedy, FDR, Scoop Jackson, and Governor Pat Brown is gone. Back then, Democrats wanted a thriving middle class, single-family homes, great schools to achieve upward mobility, and world-class infrastructure. Now it's spying on your political enemies through the unelected intelligence fiefdoms of the Deep State that Trump is trying to destroy. Issues have come to light revealing the extent of Obama's troubled presidency and former top officials reckless disregard for unlawfully spying on Trump and thousands of Americans that is destroying America. Moreover, Obama's glee at making a nuclear deal with Iran has unleashed Hell on the Middle East by creating a hegemonic Iran. To illustrate, Politico did an extensive investigative report titled "The Secret Backstory of How Obama Let Hezbollah off the Hook," because "[a]n ambitious U.S. task force targeting Hezbollah's billion-dollar criminal enterprise ran headlong into the White House's desire for a nuclear deal with Iran." Additionally, The Atlantic reported that Obama and former high-ranking intelligence officials knew that Iran and al-Qaeda were working together (Hazma, Osama bin Laden's son, got married in Iran), and more damning was a 19-page document from the 2011 raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan that killed bin Laden, showing that "al-Qaeda and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Tehran touched on funding and arming the Sunni terror outfit so it could strike at American targets." Former CIA director Mike Pompeo "suggested" that this al-Qaeda-Iran pact was an "open secret during the Obama administration." Maybe these revelations are why the Deep State, Obama, Democrats, and negligent Republicans are trying to destroy Trump and the Rule of Law. It can certainly justify why Trump de-certified the Iran nuclear deal. Unfortunately, "Obama did spy on Trump," according to former CBS reporter Sharyl Attkisson. She was also illegally spied on by the Obama administration for writing unflattering stories. Ms. Attkisson then credibly alleges, "It means U.S. intelligence agencies secretly surveilled at least a half dozen Trump associates. And those are just the ones we know about." Former senior-level Obama officials Susan Rice, James Clapper, John Brennan, Sally Yates, and Samantha Power all admitted to reviewing or "unmasking" political figures. Obama intel agencies were caught "secretly monitoring Congressional conversations while the Obama administration negotiated the Iran nuclear deal." Brennan and Clapper were both found lying to Congress in 2013 and 2014. And Ms. Attkisson is still fighting the Justice Department in a federal lawsuit over hacking her CBS computer, causing CBS to publicly announce: Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson's computer was hacked by "an unauthorized, external, unknown party on multiple occasions," confirming Attkisson's previous revelation of the hacking. Global intelligence firm Stratfor verified this claim in a September 21, 2010 email: John Brennan [then an Obama Homeland Security adviser] is behind the witch hunts of investigative journalists learning information from inside the beltway sources. This Deep State behavior grew when the intelligence community "expanded its authority in 2011 so it can monitor innocent U.S. citizens." Then, in January 2016, a top-secret inspector general report "found the NSA violated the very laws designed to prevent abuse." Also in 2016, Obama officials "searched through intelligence on U.S. citizens a record 30,000 times up from 9,500 in 2013" during an election year. Two weeks before the 2016 presidential election, NSA officials before a FISA court hearing overseeing government surveillance "confessed they'd violated privacy safeguards with much greater frequency" than previously admitted. The presiding judge accused the NSA of "institutional lack of candor and a very serious Fourth Amendment issue." If it weren't for Congressman Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence the public would be in the dark "about the unethical and often illegal behavior of the FBI, CIA, National Security Agency and Department of Justice" under the former administration. Chairman Nunes also exposed the politicized leak of former NSC director Michael Flynn's contact with the Russian ambassador in a January 2017 Washington Post column. Nunes's investigation further uncovered that Clinton's campaign paid for an unverified dossier in 2016 from former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele that was used by Obama's FBI and Justice Department to obtain a warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) for illegal surveillance on former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. What Brennan, Clapper, Rice, and others have done is "monetize access" to classified intelligence for political and private financial gain. Obama intelligence chiefs and now the Deep State weaponized intelligence. Past and present high-ranking intelligence officials believe that it was correct to revoke Brennan's security clearances and that others should follow. These Obama-era officials and current Deep State employees are pursuing political agendas via the anti-Trump media, with the U.S. Department of Justice standing back and doing nothing while America is destroying Trump, the office of the president and the freest, greatest country in the history of mankind. Image: Ari Levinson via Wikimedia Commons. Former U.S. Commerce Secretary Bill Daley will announce Monday that hes going to run for a job once held by his brother and father mayor of Chicago. Chicagoans already have been able to talk about their Mayor Daley for 42 years, considering the 10 two-year terms served by Richard J. Daley, and the 11 terms served by his son, Richard M. (Richie) Daley. But now, a new Mayor Daley may emerge from political scramble following the announcement that Rahm Emanuel will not run for re-election. Bill Ruthhart reports for the Chicago Tribune : Daley would mark the first big-name candidate to officially jump in the race since Mayor Rahm Emanuel made the stunning announcement earlier this month that he would not seek a third term. Daley, whose nascent campaign confirmed Friday he would run, succeeded Emanuel as then-President Barack Obamas White House chief of staff after Emanuel left the job to run for mayor in 2010. He also worked as commerce secretary for more than three years under former President Bill Clinton. William Daley official portrait as White House chief of staff Bill Daley has two significant advantages in the primary race. One is sheer name recognition, which is very important in a field that is likely to include at least a dozen candidates. The second is that he will get massive support from Chicagos corporate sector, as the sane alternative to fiscally reckless progressives and identity politics candidates. Daley is a guy that the moneybags feel confident about: Daley worked as a lawyer and later as president of Amalgamated Bank of Chicago before his first round working in Washington. After his years in the Clinton administration, he ran Al Gores presidential campaign before being named president of SBC Communications (now AT&T), where he was in charge of strategic planning and lobbying. Daley then became JPMorgans Midwest chairman in 2004 and later was named the companys head of corporate responsibility, where he oversaw lobbying efforts. Daley left JPMorgan to serve in the Obama White House. He also stepped down from positions on corporate boards at the time, including Boeing Co. and Abbott Laboratories. In 2014 he was named head of U.S. operations for the Switzerland-based hedge fund Argentiere Capital. He would enter a race with a dozen or so candidates, many of whom have struggled to raise money so far. That would not figure to be a problem for Daley, who has strong ties to New Yorks Wall Street and Chicagos LaSalle Street. He also has personal wealth he could tap, though not to the extent of Gov. Bruce Rauner or the self-funding Democratic nominee for governor, J.B. Pritzker. Chicago has a nonpartisan jungle primary system in which the tow highest vote-getters rub in the general election, regardless of party. With a large field and a strong pull in the direction of ethnic solidarity in the current fashion of the left, Chicago may well revert to dynastic politics. There is almost no chance that Daley, 70 years old, would come anywhere close to the tenure of his father or brother. Chicago continues to epitomize whats wrong with politics in the current political era. Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) is defending her support for the armed forces after a CNN investigation uncovered her past criticism of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The flyers, first reported by a K-File investigation, were created by a group Sinema co-founded to protest the two wars and sharply criticized the Bush administration and U.S. policy in the Middle East. One flyer depicts a U.S. soldier as a skeleton marching against protesters. "This is not about the United States doing the right and moral thing by a toppling an evil dictator," she said during a local news interview in 2004. "This is more about the United States having access to the oil and the power and control and world stature that it's seeking. It's not about the individuals in Iraq." Rhetoric on the posters and in Sinema's interview, which largely remains aimed at the Bush administration's invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, seems to contradict Sinema's congressional record and her public stance as a moderate and member of the Blue Dog Democrats. Sinema's campaign spokeswoman Helen Hare told The Hill in an email that Sinema "did not review or approve the flyers." The campaign also pointed to several statements from Sinema explaining that the protests were to "respect and honor" lives lost as a result of the wars. "This is to respect and honor those who would be killed. We want those lives to not be sacrificed," she said in 2003, according to The Arizona Republic. Just because sharia law based on the sacred texts of Islam commands violence against Jews and other infidels, and imposes demeaning humiliations on non-Muslims permitted to live as second-class dhimmis, if they pay discriminatory taxes, theres no reason to fear the growing presence of Muslims who refuse to assimilate to local culture in Germany. The German and European media establishment is outraged that a prominent business and political leader has written a best-selling book warning against problems with Islamic religious doctrine. The criticisms, which are pervasive, seem to amount to this: Thilo Sarrazin, a former senator in the Berlin government, and a former member of the board of the Bundesbank, has written a book on Islam that quickly rocketed to best-selling nonfiction in Germany. The book, titled Hostile Takeover: How Islam Impeded Progress and Threatens Society, has been subject to withering criticism by the German and European press. American media, so far as I have seen, has been silent so far. The Financial Times called it An Islamophobic diatribe disguised as a work of scholarship Sunday Times of London headlined: German author Thilo Sarrazin is fuelling fear of Muslims The German government-owned Deutsche Welle asked an expert to comment: He explores Islam through the Quran, which he claims to have read in its entirety. Even though this approach sounds correct, his claim to be able to determine the core statements of Islam by reading the Quran without any knowledge of Arabic or theological background is an absurd presumption. Sarrazin openly admits that his analysis "exclusively" follows his own "direct understanding of the text," as if the Quran were really to be understood without taking into account the context of its origin and the history of its reception. "If you take it literally, it leaves little room for misunderstanding," writes Sarrazin about the Quran. His reading does not see a separation of politics and religion in Islam as possible. "The more literally one takes the Quran, the clearer it appears that the world's governance can only find its legitimacy through God," he writes. Like many other Islam critics, Sarrazin picks up one of the Islamists' core arguments; he presents their interpretation of the Quran not only as a conclusive view, but also as the exclusive one. Now, I am not an expert on Islam, nor have I ever received a grant from an Islamic nation or charity to fund my explorations of Islamic theology, but one thing I am pretty confident about is that Muslims regard the Holy Koran, as they always call it, as the infallible word of Allah. I also believe that it is settled doctrine that the later-written more militant passages, the Medina suras written after Mohammed was driven out of Mecca supersede or replace the earlier-written Mecca suras. Now, it is true that all sorts of scholars find other interpretations beyond the seemingly clear literal injunctions against infidels and other threatening passages, but what matters in the real world is what millions of ordinary, non-scholar Muslims think and act upon. A substantial portion of Muslims worldwide support the imposition of sharia as the law of their nations: The fact that groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS are able to attract large numbers of committed jihadis, and that polls indicate a significant fraction of Muslims resident in Western countries feel support for such violent jihadi groups us what matters. In the U.K.: The 615-page survey found that more than 100,000 British Muslims sympathize with suicide bombers and people who commit other terrorist acts. Moreover, only one in three British Muslims (34%) would contact the police if they believed that somebody close to them had become involved with jihadists. In addition, 23% of British Muslims said Islamic Sharia law should replace British law in areas with large Muslim populations. Nonetheless, other experts were equally devastating: Filled with "ideological warheads" (Stern magazine), "apocalyptic," (newspaper Bild) and written with "master race views," (Suddeutsche Zeitung): These are just some of the reviews of Thilo Sarrazin's new book, Feindliche Ubernahme: Wie der Islam den Fortschritt behindert und die Gesellschaft bedroht(which literally translates as Hostile Takeover: How Islam Impedes Progress and Threatens Society; no English version of the book is available). His publishers see things differently, describing it as a work that draws parallels between statements from the Quran and the Muslim mentality, using the arguments to explain the peculiarities and problems of Muslim states and societies as well as the attitudes and behavior of Muslims who immigrated to the western countries. Another expert summarizes the book this way: "In an overwhelming pretense of objectivity, he justifies why the bogeyman he had already described in Deutschland schafft sich ab (Germany Abolishes Itself) can only be attributed to Islam," writes a Freiburg University Islamic Studies professor, Johanna Pink, in her review for the weekly Die Zeit. All of these experts know that we Westerners dwell in what Muslims call the Dar al Harb, literally, The House of War, meaning that we have not yet been subdued into to submission to Islam (which literally means submission.) I truly wish that their understanding of Islam as a benign and peaceful ideology were embraced by all Muslims worldwide. But I dont think it is possible to make the argument that this is the case right now. Living in an imaginary world in which people behave as we wish they would is never a sound policy, yet seems to be the approach of Western establishments toward Islam. The Lefts curtain malfeasance began when an unnamed Obama Administration official made the $52,701 curtain purchase for the US Ambassador to the UNs Residence in June of 2016 (before Trumps election), a fact that the New York Times buried deep in its explosive expose entitled, "Nikki Haley's View of New York is Priceless. Her Curtains? $52,701. Yet another conspiracy between the Democratic Party, former Obama Administration officials, and the media has been exposed, this time regarding the government purchase of overpriced curtains that the Left tried to pin on Nikki Haley. This time, the NYT did not rely on a Steele Dossier, but rather on the fact that the fixtures for said curtains were installed in 2017, to give the impression that Nikki Haley, and not the Obama Administration, was indeed the Curtain Culprit. The Left only needed an unscrupulous congressman to further perpetuate this lie in order to spur a congressional investigation. It is counting on Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu of California, who jumped at the bait and tweeted, This is not okay. As a Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I call on @HouseForeign Chairman @RepEdRoyce to hold an oversight hearing on @StateDept spending on @nikkihaley and her deputy. The FBIs role in Curtaingate remains unclear at this time. The medias unethical tactics during Curtaingate echo those used in the infamous Koi Fish Feeding Scandal of 2017, when Trump visited Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on November 6, of that same year. To those who need a refresher, below is a famed description of what happened on that fateful day: It was a perfect day for a media lieTrump raised a wooden box to the cameras, in it koi fish food, quite the symbol of pride and victory for the Japanese people. And then the horror; he dumped out all the fish food, nearly killing Japans precious koi fish. Screen grab from YouTube Or so the media would have you believe. The truth is that CNN edited its coverage to conceal the fact that Prime Minister Abe dumped his fish food first and that Trump merely followed Abes suit. In spite of this, the media continued to lambast Trump for his substandard and dangerous koi fish feeding technique. Of course, there are far more serious examples of media misdeeds, like those associated with SPYGATE that aim at overthrowing a duly elected US President or those that propagated the Hands Up, Dont Shoot media lie which worsened race relations and helped bring Micah Johnson to shoot twelve Dallas policemen, five of whom died, in July of 2016. However, Curtaingate and the Koi Fish Feeding Scandal of 2017 offer something that SPYGATE and the Hands Up, Dont Shoot media lie do not. What is that? Both Curtaingate and the Koi Fish Feeding Scandal of 2017 are pathetically funny. Humor is good for the soul, as well as an extremely effective persuasive tool. While some would have you pay no attention to the koi fish behind Nikki Haleys curtains, I recommend you smile and never forget them If you talk with Latin American presidents and top diplomats as I did in recent days you will conclude that President Donald Trumps recent remark that he may consider a U.S. military intervention in Venezuela was a moment of monumental stupidity that is already hurting the cause of freedom in that country. Trumps reckless comment has already given Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro a magnificent propaganda victory. It has allowed Maduro to turn the conversation in Latin America away from Venezuelas fall into a full-blown dictatorship, and toward the possibility of a U.S. military intervention. Today, the talk has gotten just a bit different. Get a load of this from the Associated Press: CUCUTA, Colombia The head of the Organization of American States has joined President Donald Trump in holding out the threat of a military intervention in Venezuela to restore democracy and ease the country*s humanitarian crisis OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro delivered the sharp warning in a visit Friday to Colombias border with Venezuela in which he also denounced President Nicolas Maduro*s socialist dictatorship for spurring a region-wide migration crisis. With respect to a military intervention to overthrow Nicolas Maduros regime, I dont think any option should be ruled out, Almagro said at a press conference in the Colombian city of Cucuta. What Nicolas Maduros regime is perpetrating are crimes against humanity, the violation of the human rights and the suffering of people that is inducing an exodus. Diplomatic actions should be the first priority but we shouldnt rule out any action. So Trump was right all along, when he brought it up the first time. And now he's getting a rather big endorsement from an organization that purports to represent the entire hemisphere. It's not a big surprise: Latin America is being flooded with millions of desperate Venezuelan refugees, fleeing for their lives. Venezuela's brand of socialism has brought them no food, no water, no electricity, no medical care, no livelihood (Maduro just put 40% of Venezuela's companies out of business with his minimum wage hike), along with an onslaught of shakedowns, corruption, gang brutality, murder, and human rights violations. Rule of law is gone. And the regime is there by naked electoral fraud. The flood has made Venezuela's problems Latin America's problems. As many as six million refugees have fled now, the creme de la creme flying to the U.S., Spain, and Canada, and the poor, sick, and unemployable traveling on foot to Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Curacao and anyplace that serves as the next stop. With big refugee floods, there are always criminals nestled in the crowds, and those criminals have wrought havoc in Brazil, Colombia, and through the Caribbean, which is why those nations are shutting their doors. Here's what I wrote last year: Latin American states, particularly Colombia and Brazil with their long borders to the country, are terrified of the disintegration now taking place in Venezuela. They fear floods of refugees and massive exports of crime. They would probably like nothing better than to see a Marine invasion and might even send troops of their own to help out. Even if they didn't, the reality is that they are terrified and would at a minimum probably say nothing. Now they're singing a different tune, as if the fires have finally gotten hot enough under their feet for it. Why shouldn't they? Trump has projected an image of strength, as well as won many victories on other foreign policy fronts, watching tyrants step into line and allies come forward (take a look at battered Greece's military step-up), so it makes sense to go with a winner, and what we are seeing now is Latin American nations lining up. It's an absolutely gargantuan sea change. The OAS, which is the clubhouse of all of Latin America's states (it used to be a clubhouse of Latin American democracies, but during the Obama administration, they scrapped that idea and let Cuba in, following their failure to throw the dictators in democracy's clothing - Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, out.) They've been on a long slide to irrelevance downward for decades. The OAS's main forum, the Summit of the Americas, is the place where in 2005 then-lefty Argentina saw fit to seat then-President George W. Bush at a table with Hugo Chavez and hosted anti-American rallies on the side at the time. The OAS went downhill even further in 2009 when a very naive newly-elected President Obama and his then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton went to Trinidad and Tobago to shake hands with Hugo Chavez and got taken for a ride as Chavez pressed an anti-American book into his hands at the time. What an image of weakness. Later on in 2009, the OAS sanctioned tiny Honduras for throwing off a socialist wannabe dictator, saying the freedom-loving Hondurans were in violation of the OAS charter on democracies. Do you get a sense of how disgusting this organization has been? Time and again they have taken the side of Venezuela in the tired claims to respecting national sovereignty and going along with the country's pretense to being a demcoracy and now one of their own is echoing President Trump and saying an invasion is not off the table? It's an amazing break from the soggy "narratives" about the U.S. being the bad guy in the region and national sovereignty being all important. Most of these lies, by the way, were the work of the Cuban propaganda machine. You can read about these narratives in the Guide to the Perfect Latin American Idiot , by Alvaro Vargas Llosa, Plinio Apuleyo Mendoza and Carlos Alberto Montaner, which clarifies the thinking. What we are looking at here is consolidation and a course shift, which is frankly the work of President Trump and his team. Everyone loves a winner, everyone loves a strong horse. That the U.S. is now seen as the strong horse throughout the hemisphere is clearly Trump's doing. Compare and contrast to all the flak and obstacles Presidents Bush and Obama got - because they projected weakness by always trying to get along as good global citizens. After driving millions of Venezuelans out of their country through starvation, state terror, crime, corruption and lack of medical care, Venezuela is planning to sue Colombia, Peru and Ecuador for ... not treating them well enough. In recent days, [President Nicolas] Maduro and his cabinet have said they might sue Colombia, Ecuador and Peru for their xenophobic treatment of Venezuelan migrants. And on Tuesday, Maduro ordered his justice department to sue Colombia to claw back money he says his administration has spent providing social services to millions of Colombians living in Venezuela. Whuhhh? It sounds like the sort of thing Mexico would do - to us, after driving out its own citizens from their fair land. And of course, it has. In Maduro's case, it's not a matter of keeping the elites' 'safety value' of illegal immigration open, but of actually being out of money, given that socialism is a guaranteed formula for national bankruptcy, and in Venezuela's case, it's happened. First they starved their people out - and Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chavez, actually ordered them out, and now so many have left that the nations in the line of fire are doing all they can to keep them out. It's gotten so bad the Organization of American States is literally threatening military force against the miscreant hellhole. Now Maduro says they're not treating them well enough - as if he cared the least about such things back at home. Being crooks, the Maduro regime is now looking to obtain cash in a way that comes natural to them -- by shakedown. According to Wyss: The legal threats come as Venezuela seems increasingly desperate for cash. Once wealthy, the country is being slammed with chronic food and medicine shortages. Its foreign cash reserves are at their lowest levels since the 1980s. And oil output, the countrys lifeblood, is down to levels not seen since a 2002 oil-worker strike. In addition, U.S. sanctions have been keeping the country from finding fresh funds. And just as they've learned from Mexico and its illegals, it's also likely they're taking a cue from Ecuador, which tried to shake down Chevron for billions through lawsuits over its own state oil company's jungle pollution. Government by shakedown didn't exactly do them any good and the regime that did it recently got thrown out. There are additional layers upon layers of chutzpah throughout this, and not just in the maltreatment of refugees claim. In the second, Colombian clawback, lawsuit, which apparently they are getting ready to file soon, it's laid on thick. More than a million Colombian refugees, who came in during Colombia's FARC wars with communist terrorists, were actually invited in by Maduro's predecessors, including the late unlamented Hugo Chavez, according to the Wyss report, and others that came before him. They were invited, so in they came, and as Wyss notes in his report, Hugo Chavez went his predecessors one further and gave them voting rights, too, to assure his continued rule, much in the same way Democrats seek to give voting rights to illegals. It was no secret at the time that Chavez shoveled the goodies on them in order to get their votes to save himself from a 2004 recall referendum, as Wyss notes. Maduro himself has actually been accused of being one of these Colombians. Can Colombia be sued for shipping over Maduro? Now they want to shake money out of Colombia for it, despite them being the ones who not only invited the Colombians in, but who financed the terrorists who drove them out. In 2006, Colombia struck a major blow to FARC by blowing away its most odious commander, Raul Reyes, who was hiding out in Ecuador with a bunch of leftist Mexican students. When the Colombians recovered his laptop computers, they found massive evidence that Venezuela was bankrolling the FARC communist narcoterrorists to the tune of $300 million. Those were the same rebels who were driving Colombia's poor to seek refuge in Venezuela. Wyss, by the way, finds that there aren't many of such Colombians left, something like 174,000 as of 2017, probably a lot less now. The Colombians have likely fled Venezuela for the same reason millions of Venezuelans have fled Venezuela. Colombia, by contrast, is now caring for more than a million Venezuelan refugees fleeing socialism. Venezuela's the one that ought to be paying the bill for that. But we have never seen a lawsuit filed in that direction, either from us on Mexico and Central America, or Colombia on Venezuela. Funny how these lawsuits work with socialism. Having propagandized the public that they are all a nation of victims as part and parcel for the justification of socialism and its class warfare, they then make themselves the victims on the world stage, seeking to lawsuit their way out of their economic disasters as victims. It just goes to show why socialism is such a parasite on the global politic, making its living off the cash and labors of others when the money pot runs out. WaPo still clownishly horrified at Trump's Jerusalem embassy move The Washington Post editorial "No relief" (9/6/18) states that an "angry Palestinian leadership turned its back on the United States" after the United States moved the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. But how can the Palestinian leadership turn its back on America when its back has already been turned on us? In order for there to be a "turn," it can't already be there. The Washington Post now blames the current administration for cutting funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), saying the cutoff "risks worsening an already terrible humanitarian situation in Gaza, with unpredictable consequences." The U.S. was never obligated to fund UNRWA. America did so voluntarily, for seven decades, because of the hope that the economic aid would encourage Palestinians to build a peaceful society instead of attacking Israelis. The plan only helped turn the U.N. agency into a force of Palestinian radicalization. How about mentioning that much of the overall money (free ride) that the Gazans get is utilized by their democratically elected totalitarian regime (Hamas) to dig terror tunnels and make rockets and mortars to terrorize and murder and maim Israelis? Further, why not mention that the "education" dished out by the U.N. is in and of itself an obstacle to peace, as the U.N. teaches that Israel isn't Israel, but "occupied Palestine" and that Palestinians should not lose hope, but continue to demand that they and their descendants have a right to flood Israel legally, enough so that Israel is destroyed through demographics? What would a Washington Post editorial be without the libel that the creation of Israel created the Palestinian displacement? Here is proof that that wasn't the case at all: right after the U.N. resolution of November of 1947, which divided Palestine into an Arab state and a Jewish state, the Jewish Palestinians accepted the plan, but the Arab Palestinians launched a war to conquer all the land for themselves. This shows that the Arabs resorted to war as long as six months before Israel even declared independence. Then, after Israel declared independence in May of 1948, the neighboring Arab countries joined the Palestinian Arabs in the war against the nascent Jewish state. Had the Arabs won the war, the Palestinians wouldn't have been displaced. But they lost, and the displacement occurred. So it was the war that caused the displacement, not the act of Israel's creation, and the war started before Israel was created. In addition, there were people displaced on both sides, with the Jews absorbed by Israel and the Palestinians left to live in squalor as political pawns. Blaming the victim as the instigator matters, reversing causation and complicity a pure fabrication of history. The Post includes Israel along with the Palestinians and Arab states for failing to "reach an agreement to settle the refugee question." What bunk! Is the Post not aware of the three nos of Khartoum by the Arab countries in 1967: "no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiation with Israel"? The Arab nations have never wanted to settle the refugee issue. It serves as the perfect distraction to its citizens who are kept living in squalor but united over this cause. Israel cannot solve the problem only the Arabs can. But they clearly don't want to. It doesn't serve their motives. The Post can't help but bring up how the current administration claims that the U.S. is unfairly burdened by paying over one third of the UNRWA budget. Never mind that the Palestinians have been stomping on our flags and burning our presidents in effigy for decades. Shouldn't they consider themselves lucky that they get anything with that response? Now they won't. Then we get to read in the editorial about how the "shortfall could have acute humanitarian effects." Why not give the Palestinians some responsibility for their lot? Why do they keep attacking Israel? They elected a terrorist organization to run their country! And the Post exclaims that part of the blame should go to Israel and the United States? The Washington Post is judge and jury? Its reporters write articles, not briefs! And not very good ones at that. The Post ends its editorial by claiming that ending support of UNRWA "will serve only to further diminish US influence in the Middle East if it does not precipitate a disaster." The Post always has a doomsday approach of anything the United States or Israel does vis-a-vis the Palestinians. And they have been wrong every time. With all the articles in the Post on how an Israeli or American action is one more nail in the coffin of the peace process, there is not a millimeter of wood left showing! Page has never been charged with any crime, much less with espionage. That is a salient fact because to get a FISA warrant on an American citizen, the FBI is required to show that the citizens activities on behalf of a foreign power violate federal criminal law. The FBI and Justice Department went to the FISA court four times over nine months, from October 2016 through June 2017, claiming to have grounds that Page was involved in heinous clandestine activity. Why isnt he in handcuffs? I believe it is because they never had a case. All they appear to have had were the 2013 attempt by Russian spies to recruit Page as an asset, and the Steele dossier. Now here's what I want to make clear. The original FISA order, when the target is a US Person (USPER) such as Carter Page, lasts for 90 days. A FISA order can be renewed, but the renewal is NOTgranted on an "if at first you don't succeed, try try again" basis. To get an extension on a FISA--and let me say here that I completely agree with McCarthy that the initial FISA was pure BS--the FBI has to either: 1) make a reasonable showing that it is making progress in its investigation as a result of its use of FISA, i.e., it is moving forward with additional evidence gained through FISA that tends to confirm the presentation of the case that was made in the initial application, or 2) in the absence of such progress, the FBI must make a reasonable showing that the extension is likely to produce progress. No extension should be granted unless one or the other condition is met; if not, the FISA should be shut down. Yet in this case three extensions were granted--despite the fact, as McCarthy convincingly shows, that there is absolutely no reason to suppose that either condition was ever met. We'll know for sure if/when President Trump finally declassifies these documents, but any fair reader of the redacted versions will be forced to McCarthy's conclusion: The FBI never had a case. Prescinding from the corruption involved in the initial application, the fact that there were three extensions requested and granted is astounding--it should truly shock any normally aware citizen. That the top levels of both the FBI and DoJ should approve the extension requests, having nothing to show for their previous supposed investigative efforts, and that four separate Federal judges should approve such threadbare--not to say facially deficient and therefore bad faith--applications in a case that is so consequential for our Constitutional order strains credulity. And yet that, barring truly shocking new revelations that contradict all that we've learn thus far, is exactly what happened. In light of this I would go beyond [Scott] Johnson's characterization [in Powerline here]of this as "scandal"--the only suitable word, not to be lightly used, is "crisis." And it's a continuing crisis. The reaction of both Democrats as well as NeverTrump Republicans in the House and Senate has been bad enough, but the lackadaisical, dilatory, response of DoJ in the face of such scandal has simply been shameful. There are any number of excuses Democrats can use to put the country through the ringer on impeachment. There's a case for obstruction of justice - a weak case but Mueller may decide that's all he's got and recommend indicting the president for firing James Comey. Or there may be some unknown charge that Mueller is considering, perhaps connected to the Stormy Daniels payoff. If the Democrats take control of the House, Donald Trump is likely to be impeached. It doesn't mean he's guilty of an impeachable offense, all it means is that the political realities and hyperpartisan climate in Washington make impeachment almost inevitable. You will note I have not mentioned that Trump will be impeached for colluding with Russia to win the election. That's because, despite desperately hopeful commentary from the left as Trump associates plead guilty and are granted immunity,the opposition tells itself that Trump is trapped, or a dead duck, and will be charged with treason for conspiring with a foreign power, even though there isn't a shred of evidence to make that case. What's going to happen when Mueller's final report doesn't recommend indicting Trump for collusion? In an interview with Hugh Hewitt, Watergate reporter and recent author of the Trump book "Fear," said that in his two years investigating the president, he found no evidence of collusion - none. RealClearPolitics: In an interview with Hugh Hewitt on Friday, Bob Woodward said that in his two years of investigating for his new book, 'Fear,' he found no evidence of collusion or espionage between Trump and Russia. Woodward said he looked for it "hard" and yet turned up nothing. "So lets set aside the Comey firing, which as a Constitutional law professor, no one will ever persuade me can be obstruction. And Rod Rosenstein has laid out reasons why even if those werent the presidents reasons. Set aside the Comey firing. Did you, Bob Woodward, hear anything in your research in your interviews that sounded like espionage or collusion?" Hugh Hewitt asked Woodward. "I did not, and of course, I looked for it, looked for it hard," Woodward answered. "And so you know, there we are. Were going to see what Mueller has, and Dowd may be right. He has something that Dowd and the president dont know about, a secret witness or somebody who has changed their testimony. As you know, that often happens, and that can break open or turn a case." "But youve seen no collusion?" Hewitt asked again to confirm. "I have not," Woodward affirmed. Hewitt would once again ask Woodward about collusion at the conclusion of the interview. "Very last question, Bob Woodward, I just want to confirm, at the end of two years of writing this book, this intensive effort, you saw no effort, you, personally, had no evidence of collusion or espionage by the president presented to you?" Hewitt asked. "That is correct," Woodward said. Mueller has never said that the president is a target in his investigation. There is no witness who has come forward with any testimony or evidence of Trump colluding with Russia. There has been no leak from the special counsel's office that suggests collusion. No congressman or senator on the intelligence committees has said there is any evidence of collusion. There has been no leak from congress that would point to collusion. Why then, the gleeful celebrations every time a Trump crony pleads guilty and is promised immunity? The plea deal made by Paul Manafort in exchange for his testimony illustrates this point. Trump is "cornered." He's "nervous." He's losing his grip. Manafort, or some other aide will "bring Trump down." Where does this optimism come from? As you can guess, it is wishful thinking. And the basis for this magical thinking is the Democrat's continuing denial of the reason Hillary Clinton lost the election. It is comforting for the left to believe in the collusion narrative. It means they don't have to face the hard fact that they nominated the worst presidential candidate in modern history - a woman who had nothing to say, nothing to offer the voters except that she was a woman. A woman who disdained ordinary people, who insulted the electorate, and whose own shady dealings made her the least trusted presidential candidate ever. But it wasn't her fault! It was the Russians who elected her! What happens when there are no collusion charges presented by Mueller will be the Second Great Awakening as the left tries to come to grips with their own epic failure. We will never forget, is the phrase that has been famously repeated over and over again since the devastating attack on New York City on September 11, fourteen years ago. Yet, this giant monument erected on the shores of Bayonne, New Jersey, just 16 km from New York City has been largely forgotten. To the Struggle Against World Terrorism also called The Tear Drop Memorial stands at the end of the former Military Ocean Terminal in Bayonne, New Jersey, and is the first thing you see as you approach New York City by ship from the Atlantic, well before the Statue of Liberty comes into view. It is a 30-meter-tall slab of steel and coated in bronze, with a large jagged crack running down the middle. An immense stainless steel teardrop hangs inside the crack. The eleven sides of the monument's base bear granite name plates, on which are etched the names of those who died in the September 11 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Photo credit unknown Some people have likened the monument to the female sexual organ, but lets not get too obscene. It was a gift an expression of grief from the people of Russia to the US. Vladimir Putin was himself there when construction began and Bill Clinton attended the dedication ceremony in 2006. Since then, it has been forgotten. The Tear Drop Memorial was made by Moscow-based sculptor Zurab Tsereteli, who designed the controversial three-hundred-foot-tall statue of Peter the Great that dominates the skyline of central Moscow. Peter the Great is a monstrosity it has been called one of the ugliest building in the world. Thankfully, The Tear Drop Memorial is graceful. Tsereteli flew to New York shortly after the September 11 attacks and visited Ground Zero. He decided that he wanted to create a memorial to the victims, but felt that building one on top of the bones of the dead on Ground Zero would be inappropriate. Instead, he found and settled on a never before seen area of the peninsula at Bayonne. From this vantage point, the Twin Towers looked almost as if they were in fact one building. His bronze monument reflects that image with a jagged tear through the center, and a 4-ton nickel tear hanging from the top, reads the description from the monuments official website. The monument cost $12 million to build which was paid by the artist himself. Also see: The National 9/11 Memorial Museum Photo credit Photo credit Photo credit Photo credit Photo credit Photo credit Photo credit Photo credit Sources: The New Yorker / Wikipedia / The Daily Mail Amazon is currently discounting the Anker PowerWave Fast Wireless Charging pad for just $23 right now. That is down from $28. However, you do need to use the promo code WIRELESSNEW at checkout. that makes this wireless charging pad a really good option for those looking for a new wireless charging for the Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S9, LG V30 ThinQ or another Qi-enabled smartphone. The PowerWave Fast Wireless Charging Pad is compatible with Qi-enabled smartphones like the LG G7 ThinQ, V30 ThinQ, Galaxy Note 9 and many more. There is also support for fast wireless charging up to 7.5W. Which is technically the speed for the iPhones, with Samsung doing 10W, but it will still charge faster than the 5W that other smartphones utilize for wireless charging. This is a great wireless charger to pick up, since it is a nice looking charging pad that can sit on your desk or your bedside table and charge your smartphone pretty easily. This has a soft-touch cover on the wireless charger so that your phone will stay on the charger and not slide off in the middle of the night. There is also a LED ring on there that will indicate when it is charging versus when it is not. So you can tell when it was charging or not. This item is also eligible for Amazon Primes free shipping. Which includes free two-day shipping, and pretty cheap (usually $3.99) next-day shipping if you need it extra fast. If you are not an Amazon Prime member yet, you can sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime. Youll get 30 days free (if youre a student, you get 6 months), and then its $119/year (or $59/year for students). Prime members do get a whole lot more than just free shipping though, so be sure to check out the full benefits. Do it yourself if you can We accept in principle that private equity can deliver (somewhat) excess returns over most other asset classes. But there are a lot of qualifications attached to that, and most of them are very relevant to whether and how pension funds should invest in private equity. John03 said: Length of Stay: three months from the date of each arrival. Travel: Multiple entries We intend to return to the Philippines to visit her family for a short period every three months. Is this the intended usage, or is immigration likely to regard this usage as abusive? My girlfriend's visa is:We intend to return to the Philippines to visit her family for a short period every three months.Is this the intended usage, or is immigration likely to regard this usage as abusive? Click to expand... The intended usage is for tourist purposes. If you keep leaving and trying to re-enter after a short period of time off shore, they may not allow her re-entry after that. You might be ok with one trip off shore, but after that, it will be touch and go. I did two trips offshore without an issue. On my third re-entry, I was pulled up at Customs and questioned extensively. At that point, we were told that we wouldn't be allowed another re-entry on the ETA visa...that I had to apply for a more permanent visa (which we did). Of course, I'm no expert and this is my personal experience. Just be prepared for it. In fact, we've brought along a compilation that showcases multiple examples of the Rennsport Neunelfer doing their thing on the infamous German track. Keep in mind that the footage we have here was captured during Touristenfahrten (Tourist Days) events.We can't talk about this without mentioning the jaw-dropping Ring lap time of the 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS. To be more precise, the Zuffenhausen machine managed to blitz the circuit in 6:56.4.Sure, advances in tire technology deserve plenty of credit, but it's still amazing that the 3RS managed to one-up the all-mighty 918 Spyder - keep in mind that the hybrid hypercar set a Nurburgring lap record back in 2013, thanks to a 6:57 lap.And the achievement is even more impressive if you think about the fact that the Gt3 RS packs a not-so-extreme 520 hp output.Then there's the joy delivered by the machine - with its naturally aspirated motor, the Porscha allows the drive to easily balance the rear end while blasting through the bends. As for the soundtrack, this is probably the sweetest voice in the current Neunelfer lineup.The examples os the track special showcased in the video come in various colors, from the vibrant Lizard Green that served as a launch hue to tamer shades.Now, you'll notice one of the 911s being chased by hot hatches. This is a moment delivered by Ring Wolves . We came up with the term after noticing drivers who track-tune their machines and fly on the Ring, knowing the layout of the track like the back of their hands. Most of the clip at the bottom of the page is dedicated to the Neunelfer, which is why we'll focus on it. If, on the other hand, you're willing to know more about the all-electric Taycan, feel free to check out this dedicated story.Unlike the Turbo and the GT3, which should land next year, the Carrera incarnations of the 992 are set to make their debut by the end of the year, which is why the German carmaker has no problem with parading naked prototypes on the Green Hell. This means the red test car will allow you to check out the retro-futuristic styling cues of the next-gen model.To us, this looks like a remastered 993, albeit with the thing packing uber-modern LED front and rear light clusters, along with an active rear wing that reminds us of the 959.Then again, you'll also see the 2020 Porsche 911 Turbo doing its testing thing on the Ring in this clip. The clues that give it away include the wider body, the air intakes on the rear fenders and the also-active rear wing, that's not fully integrated into the body as in the case of the Carrera.While the base models will use evolutions of the current 3.0-liter turbocharged boxers, we're expecting the Turbo to receive an all-new flat-six. In fact, with Porsche having confirmed the hybridization of the 992, we could even see the Turbo S transforming into the Turbo S E-Hybrid, as it has been the case with the Panamera and the Cayenne. However, there are greater chances of the carmaker introducing a 4 E-Hybrid model that would deliver Carrera S levels of performance with a focus on efficiency, but we can't rule out the possibility of these two plug-in hybrids coexisting.If you happen to be a fan of naturally aspirated motors, Zuffenhausen might also have something for you. And that's because the GT3 and the GT3 RS are expected to maintain their atmospheric motors. Until we get our hands on more info, here's a 2020 GT3 testing on the Nurburgring. In a controversial move, China and the Vatican are preparing to sign a landmark deal this month allowing each side a voice in choosing the church's bishops in China, reports the Wall Street Journal. The details: Pope Francis will recognize excommunicated Chinese bishops that were approved without the Vatican's green light, and China will acknowledge the Pope as leader of the nation's Catholics and allow the Vatican a voice in bishop selection moving forward. The deal comes with controversy as China's current regime is largely atheist and authoritarian. The agreement is also seen as China recognizing religious autonomy something the government has notably refused to do in the past. However, WSJ notes the deal "could still fall through or be delayed due to unforeseen events." The number of undernourished people around the globe increased to nearly 821 million in 2017, the third straight year of growth and the highest figure since 2009, according to a new report from the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization. Expand chart Adapted from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, "The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World"; Chart: Axios Visuals Why it matters: Along with conflict and instability, this rise in global hunger is driven increasingly by climate change and related extreme weather events, putting some of the world's most vulnerable citizens at even greater risk. Food insecurity was found to be significantly worse in countries where people are dependent on agriculture for their livelihood, especially when they don't have systems in place to counter the effects of climate shocks. "It is shocking that, after a prolonged decline, this is the third consecutive year of rising hunger. The inescapable fact is that climate change is now leaving people around the world without enough to eat," Robin Willoughby, head of food and climate policy at Oxfam GB, told The Guardian. The big picture: Climate change has the potential to erode the gains made toward fighting global hunger over the past decade which were largely due to political stability, economic growth and greater social protections in the developing world as extreme weather kicks off more and more societal crises around the world. Some specific weather trends are triggering the worst climate shocks on food stores: Higher temperatures and spikes in temperature anomalies can affect crop yields. Severe droughts and floods linked to climate change have both seen an uptick in recent years most notably, flood-related disasters spiked 65% in the last quarter-century. Changes in seasonality, especially in the developing world, throw off rainfall patterns and growing seasons. Of the 51 countries that faced food crises in 2017, 34 had climate shocks, per the UN report. The food security threat deepened in the 14 countries that simultaneously faced conflict and regional instability in addition to climate shocks. Yemen, where 22 million out of 27 million citizens are in need of humanitarian assistance, perhaps best represents this horror. Already one of the world's poorest countries, Yemen faces the combination of an ongoing civil war and serious famine that led UN Ambassador Nikki Haley to remark "no one should ever have to live the way the people of Yemen are living." The bottom line: Without significant action to address climate change, some of the world's most vulnerable citizens may face increasing risk from global hunger, which was on a marked downward trend just 5 years ago and the UN had hoped to eliminate fully by 2030. Go deeper: Several nuclear power plants in North Carolina and nearby states are bracing for Hurricane Florence, including a plant right in its path with the same design as the Japanese reactors that melted down in 2011 when a tsunami knocked out backup power. Why it matters: While the probability is very low, the risk of a storm-fueled accident at a nuclear plant could be devastating and threaten the health of tens of thousands of people living nearby. Between the lines: All kinds of energy production and generation get attention only when things could go wrong or have gone wrong but particularly nuclear given its controversial reputation. Its worth pointing out that nuclear plants have "consistently proven hardy against hurricanes," according to an in-depth Raleigh, North Carolina, News & Observer piece published Wednesday. Driving the news: Florence is the first big test of Duke Energys Brunswick plant near Wilmington, North Carolina, since it installed additional safeguards in response to the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan, the Observer reports. The details, per the Observer: The plant is 4 miles inland and built to withstand maximum sustained winds of a Category 5 hurricane, over 200 miles per hour. The biggest risk is flooding, the newspaper notes: "Brunswick is built at an elevation of 20 feet above sea level and designed to withstand a storm surge of 22 feet, which would leave the plants emergency generators high and dry." Since 2011, federal regulators required Brunswick to install flood barriers in advance of a hurricane, along with other upgrades. At least 2 inspectors from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will ride out the storm in the plant. "They were safe then. They are even safer now. We have backups for backups for backups." Kathryn Green, Duke spokesperson, referring to post-Fukushima improvements, per Fox News Reuters Go deeper: Hurricane Florence to cause "unbelievable destruction" in Carolinas The bill on the extension of the period of stay of the Turkish military in Azerbaijan, signed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will be discussed on November 9 at a meeting of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Trend reports. By Trend Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is "sine qua non" for mending relations with Armenia. Speaking at an event to mark the 100th anniversary of the liberation of Baku by the Caucasian Islamic Army, Erdogan recalled the 1992 Khojaly massacre that killed hundreds of Azerbaijani citizens. "Those who cannot explain what happened in Khojaly 26 years ago, the massacre in the Nagorno-Karabakh, and declare the killers heroes, should not give Turkey any kind of history lesson," Erdogan said, referring to Armenia. Erdogan also added that "those who occupy 20 percent of Azerbaijani lands and prevent over 1 million Azerbaijanis to return to their land should not expect Turkey to open its borders". Erdogan said Caucasian Islamic Army protected the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in 1918 and laid the foundation to Azerbaijan's independence in 1991. "Since the early periods of Azerbaijan's independence, Turkey supported the brother country in every way and we will continue to do so," he said. The Turkish president also highlighted that there are lots of projects to be realized in near future, including Baku-Ceyhan-Tbilisi Oil Pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum Natural Gas Pipeline and Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) projects. "Turkey is one of the biggest investor countries in Azerbaijan, hopefully Azerbaijan will become too in Turkey soon," Erdogan said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend President Ilham Aliyev has said projects Azerbaijan is implementing together with Turkey redraw the energy and transport map of Eurasia. Addressing a solemn parade celebrating the 100th anniversary of the liberation of Baku from the Dashnak-Bolshevik occupation, President Ilham Aliyev hailed the Turkish-Azerbaijani energy and transport projects. Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum oil and gas pipelines, the inauguration of TANAP this year are historic projects. By implementing joint projects, Azerbaijan and Turkey redraw energy and transport map of Eurasia, the President said. The head of state referred to the launch of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway in Baku last October, which was attended by the Turkish leader. This railway is a new transport artery. The volume of goods transported through this railway is increasing and will increase. The importance of our countries is growing, the President added. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Following a solemn parade to mark the 100th anniversary of the liberation of Baku, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in front of the Maiden Tower. The heads of state signed the single-valued memorial block and first day cover themed The 100th Anniversary of Caucasian Islamic Army`s Entry to Baku, which commemorated the saint martyrs who fell to the ground for the liberation of Azerbaijan. Then, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani first lady Mehriban Aliyeva posed for photographs together with parade participants in front of the Maiden Tower. Residents and guests of Baku welcomed President Ilham Aliyev and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with great enthusiasm. Photos were taken. The heads of state then walked along Baku Boulevard. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend An oath-taking ceremony has been held for young soldiers at a military unit of the State Security Service of Azerbaijan. President of Azerbaijan, Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, first lady Mehriban Aliyeva and family members attended the ceremony. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend Today, Turkish-Azerbaijani relations are at the highest level, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said at a solemn parade marking the 100th anniversary of the liberation of Baku. I think there is no other example in the world today for two countries to be so close to each other and support each other, he noted. Our unity is manifested in all spheres. This year alone, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and I we have met six times twice in Azerbaijan, twice in Turkey and twice in international events. Our meetings are of regular nature, and each of them is of great importance. Our political ties are at the highest level. We carry out successful economic cooperation, Ilham Aliyev added. Our trade turnover is increasing. Investments amounting to billions of dollars are placed from Azerbaijan into Turkey and from Turkey into Azerbaijan. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Trend The liberation of Baku on September 15, 1918 is an extremely important event in the history of the Azerbaijani statehood, department head at the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), doctor of philosophy in political sciences, Associate Professor Elshad Mirbashir oglu told Trend. The scientist noted that at that period, complicated processes were taking place both in the region and in the world. It was very difficult and even impossible to create an independent state in these conditions, he said. However, despite this, after the resignation of the Transcaucasian Seim (parliament), the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) was created. Naturally, existence of a state requires, first of all, the presence of all necessary conditions that would preserve its existence. Among these conditions, the factor of a capital took the central place. Mirbashir oglu noted that the occupation of Baku questioned the future fate of the newly created ADR. He added that Baku was of great strategic importance due to its geographical location, trade and economic potential and, most importantly, political weight. Situated on the Caspian coast, the city was located on the main communication lines of that time, he said. From this point of view, both the Bolsheviks and the British tried to keep Baku in their hands at all costs, Mirbashir oglu added. Thats because this would make it possible to control all the processes taking place in the Azerbaijani territories, and at the same time created convenient access to Central Asia, which in subsequent years would result in getting serious political and economic dividends. In his words, against the backdrop of all this, the liberation of Baku from occupation with direct military support of the Islamic Army of the Caucasus led by Nuru Pasha should be regarded as a golden page in the history of the Azerbaijani statehood. Namely after the liberation of Baku from the occupation, the new state got the opportunity to function in different spheres, the Azerbaijani scientist added. For example, the adoption of effective steps to create a national army, the formation of the education system, etc. became possible after the government moved to Baku, he said. The scientist reminded that 100 years have passed since the liberation of Baku from the occupation. For this time, complicated and contradictory processes have taken place in the world, but historical justice has triumphed, he said. This is reflected in todays friendship and brotherhood between such absolutely independent and powerful states as Azerbaijan and Turkey. These two fraternal countries are once again beside each other. On September 15, Azerbaijan marks the centenary of Bakus liberation from the Bolshevik-Dashnak occupation. On this day in 1918, the Islamic Army of the Caucasus, which included the Azerbaijani corps, entered Baku, liberating the city from the Bolshevik-Dashnak occupation. The liberation of Baku is an event of exceptional importance for the Azerbaijani-Turkish friendship and brotherhood. Despite that during 70 years of the Soviet rule this event was purposefully explained in an erroneous context, the Azerbaijani people never forgot the heroism of Turkish soldiers. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Contact The Californians Robert Price at 661-395-7399, rprice@bakersfield.com or on Twitter: @stubblebuzz. His column appears on Sundays, Wednesdays and Saturdays; the views expressed are his own. Police at the scene of a shooting in north Belfast. Pic Presseye/Stephen Hamilton Police have said a shooting in north Belfast was not a paramilitary-style attack. A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following the early Saturday morning attack. Police responding to reports of gun fire found a man aged in his 20s with a gunshot wound to his abdomen and facial injuries. He is ins a stable condition in hospital. Detective Sergeant Corrigan said: A 23-year-old man was arrested earlier today on suspicion of attempted murder. He remains in police custody. A man in his 20s was found in the New Lodge road area in the early hours of yesterday and was treated at the scene for a gun-shot wound and facial injuries, before being transferred to hospital. Although we are not treating this incident as a paramilitary-style attack, we are appealing to anyone who was in the area, around 1.30am yesterday morning and saw what happened, to get in touch with us on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 94 of 15/9/18. The man remains in hospital and is being treated for his injuries. His condition is described as stable. The "elaborate hoax" left at an address on the Andersonstown Road. Pic Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph Police deal with a suspect object outside the office of Alex Maskey (Connolly House) in west Belfast on September 15th 2018 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Police deal with a suspect object outside the office of Alex Maskey (Connolly House) in west Belfast on September 15th 2018 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Police deal with a suspect object outside the office of Alex Maskey (Connolly House) in west Belfast on September 15th 2018 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Police deal with a suspect object outside the office of Alex Maskey (Connolly House) in west Belfast on September 15th 2018 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Police deal with a suspect object outside the office of Alex Maskey (Connolly House) in west Belfast on September 15th 2018 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Police deal with a suspect object outside the office of Alex Maskey (Connolly House) in west Belfast on September 15th 2018 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph) Police are investigating after a suspicious object - later described as an "elaborate hoax" - was left outside the office of a Sinn Fein MLA. It's the second incident at the offices in recent weeks. On Saturday night police warned of two devices left in different areas in the west of the city. One was at Connolly House, the Andersonstown Road office of Alex Maskey, and the other in the Poleglass area. Graffiti was also daubed in the area which had initially been thought to have been linked. However it is understood that related to a sudden death in the area and police are not considering a connection. Police cordoned off an area around Connolly House after receiving a report at around 10pm of a device being left in the area. They conducted searches of the streets in the area. The security cordon remained in place into Sunday while police carried out their investigation. The device at the Andersonstown Road office was declared an elaborate hoax. The police warning for the public to be vigilant and to not touch anything in the Poleglass/Pantridge Road area remains in place. Police said they are working to establish the location of the item following the report at 6pm on Saturday. Stephen Magennis appealed to anyone who knew of the location of any device to provide more details. He said: "I don't want the community in danger as the Pantridge Road is a long road and would need to know exactly where to go. "I am appealing to the people who came forward and claimed there was a device in that area to come forward again with an exact location. I don't care how you get the message to me it is important this community is not at risk. All I want it this dealt with safely." Expand Close Alex Maskey / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Alex Maskey Police have appealed for information. As we work to keep people safe, I would re-emphasise to the local community and people travelling through it that they should be mindful of their own personal safety. If anyone comes across anything suspicious, they should contact police immediately on 101, Chief Inspector Gavin Kirkpatrick. In August the Connolly House offices were target in an arson attack and paint was also thrown over the front of the building. At the time MP Paul Maskey described it as an "attack on democracy". The attacked happened in Lurgan park. [File image] A child was attacked by a man thought to be aged in his 30s in a Northern Ireland park. It happened in Lurgan Park at around 1.20pm on Saturday. The boy was pushed off his bike. The suspect is described as being between 25-35 years of age, with a beard and short dark hair. "Someone will know something," said police in an appeal for information. A "Mayday" alert was sent out on Sunday morning to vessels in the area off the Ardglass coast after a fisherman fell into the water. The Coastguard received multiple 999 calls just after 8.30am of an angler falling in the sea from the rocks near Ardglass and was seen drifting out to sea. Rescue teams from Newcastle and Portaferry were sent, as was the Coastguard helicopter and the RNLI lifeboat. A Mayday relay was broadcast to vessels in the area as the search expanded. The man was found by a local vessel in the area and transferred to the ambulance service care. The rescue teams were stood down at around 9.40am. It was the second call out in the area over the weekend after two men got into difficulty off the eastern shore of Strangford Lough while out on jet skis. Simon Rogers, the Lifeboat Operations Manager for Portaferry RNLI, said: "We can go for weeks without any callouts, but during those quiet periods our volunteer boat and shore crew members train hard every week, preparing for situations such as this. "It is thanks to their dedication and hard work that we are able to respond so quickly an as often as required to help those in trouble at sea." The "elaborate hoax" left at an address on the Andersonstown Road. Pic Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph A device planted in west Belfast has been described as an elaborate hoax. On Saturday night police warned of two separate devices having been left in the Andersonstown Road area and Pantridge Road/Poleglass areas. They warned the public not to touch anything suspicious. On Sunday police confirmed one of the "devices" left at an address on the Andersonstown Road was an elaborate hoax. While it appeared to be a bucket with empty bottles discarded in it, police are understood to be taking account of other factors around the placing and reporting of the item as a factor in order to consider it as "elaborate". The warning for the second device continues. Police are investigating and are appealing for information Police are warning residents in west Belfast not to touch any suspicious objects in the Pantridge road/Poleglass area after a report a device had been planted in the area. The warning comes after a report was made to police on Saturday evening of a device left in the area. Police said if anything is found to immediately call 101. Wing mirrors of a police Land Rover are damaged in the incident. One person can be seen slashing the tyre of a police Land Rover. A man and a 16-year-old girl have been arrested after crowd trouble in the New Lodge area of north Belfast. Violence broke out on Friday evening at around 6pm. Video of the incident was posted on social media. It showed a large crowd of people gathered in the area. In it youths can been seen attacking police vehicles with various missiles including bikes. At one stage one person slashes the tyre of a police Land Rover and another can be seen trying to rip off a wing mirror. Police said a 28-year-old man has been charged with assault on police. He is due to appear at Belfast Magistrates Court on Thursday, October 11. As is normal procedure, all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service. A 16 year-old-girl who was arrested on suspicion of assault on police and resisting police has been released, pending a report to the PPS. The Garda Commissioner and Government ministers have condemned online threats made against a Garda member in Dublin. It is understood the gardas identity was shared on social media after a contentious gardai operation against housing protesters last week. A number of people were arrested on Tuesday night amid disturbances when balaclava-wearing gardai attended an unoccupied property in the citys North Frederick Street accompanied by masked private contractors to evict demonstrators. A protest was staged on OConnell Street the following night, accusing the gardai of heavy-handed tactics. Expand Close Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said appropriate supports had been put in place (Liam McBurney/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said appropriate supports had been put in place (Liam McBurney/PA) Commissioner Drew Harris said the online intimidation was completely unacceptable. He said appropriate supports had been put in place to protect the welfare and safety of the garda targeted. Commissioner Harris added: Threats and intimidation against Garda members who are only doing their job to keep people safe and uphold lawful order are completely unacceptable. I utterly condemn it. Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said: This serves to highlight the challenges facing gardai in upholding the law on our behalf and the importance of all right-thinking people supporting them in doing that. Threats against them are threats against the rule of law and not acceptable. I expect the matter will be fully investigated by gardai. Expand Close Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy said he was disgusted by the threats (Niall Carson/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy said he was disgusted by the threats (Niall Carson/PA) Housing minister Eoghan Murphy said he was disgusted by the threats, telling RTE: It is utterly wrong. We talked about this earlier in the week when the protests were happening, about the safety of the gardai and that has to be paramount as they go about protecting the public. And I do hope that anyone involved in these protests, any political organisations or protesting organisations while of course they have a right to protest they distance themselves from this immediately. Because its completely wrong. MEP Liadh N Riada at a press conference in Dublin, where it was confirmed that she will be the Sinn Fein party candidate in the Irish presidential election. Sinn Feins candidate for Irelands presidential election has pledged to be a new president for a new Ireland. MEP Liadh Ni Riada also vowed to initiate an inclusive citizens conversation on Irish unification if elected head of state in Octobers poll. The 51-year-olds anticipated selection was confirmed at a meeting of Sinn Feins ruling council, ard chomhairle, on Sunday afternoon. The former TV producer, who is daughter of legendary Irish trad musician and composer Sean O Riada, is a vocal Irish language advocate and one of Sinn Feins four MEPs. Expand Close Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald (right) with the partys presidential candidate Liadh Ni Riada (Tom Honan/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald (right) with the partys presidential candidate Liadh Ni Riada (Tom Honan/PA) Married mother-of-three Ms Ni Riada, who has faced personal adversity with the death of both parents at an early age and the death of her first husband in her 20s, said she would be a positive voice for Irish unity. Ireland has radically changed since the last presidential election, she told supporters in Dublin after her nomination was confirmed. Weve become a more caring and inclusive society. A global inspiration when it comes to progressive social change. But we are only at the beginning of this new chapter. Its time for all of us, particularly our younger generation, to write our own story, to shape a new and United Ireland. Ireland needs an energetic president to support and encourage this journey. Ms Ni Riada becomes the fifth name in the mix for next months poll. Sitting president Michael D Higgins, who was first elected in 2011, has already announced his intention to run for a second term. Expand Close Irish Presidential candidate Gavin Duffy pictured at the Galway Summer Festival at Galway Racecourse (Brian Lawless/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Irish Presidential candidate Gavin Duffy pictured at the Galway Summer Festival at Galway Racecourse (Brian Lawless/PA) Two businessmen who were both investors on the Irish version of Dragons Den, Sean Gallagher and Gavin Duffy, are running as independent candidates, as is mental health advocate Senator Joan Freeman. The Sinn Fein candidate vowed to champion a caring and fair Ireland. An Ireland where every child has a home. An Ireland that leaves no one behind, she said. She said she would launch a presidential initiative to recognise employers who paid fair wages and would lead a drive to bring home emigrants who left during the economic crash. Ms Ni Riada said she wanted to take action on mental health issues and also promote the need to share the nations prosperity. My vision for a new Ireland is a pluralist and inclusive one, a United Ireland that respects the identities and traditions of all, she added. I will be a positive voice for Irish unity, leading by example and demonstrating the outreach and inclusivity needed to bring the people of this island together. The Euro MP said Brexit would have a major impact on the countrys political and constitutional future. Increasingly the prospect, shape and nature of a united Ireland will be a feature of public discussion and political decision making, she said. As president, I will initiate an inclusive citizens conversation on a future united Ireland. The past seven years have witnessed the disappearance of a lot of Irelands of old certainties. Partition too will be overcome. The tide of history is with those seeking to build a new, progressive and inclusive future. She said reconciliation would be a theme of her presidency. I am asking you to take that journey with me as I stand here before you today, as one of us, a proud Republican woman, asking you to help me become a president for all of us, she told supporters wearing t-shirts carrying her name. Together we can win. Together we can make history. Together we can ensure that we have a new president for a new Ireland. Expand Close Sean Gallagher and Senator Joan Freeman are independent candidates in the presidential race (Niall Carson/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sean Gallagher and Senator Joan Freeman are independent candidates in the presidential race (Niall Carson/PA) Mr Gallagher, Mr Duffy and Ms Freeman all secured the required endorsement of four local councils in order to officially become candidates. As incumbent, Mr Higgins is able to nominate himself while Sinn Fein had the necessary political strength in the Irish parliament to name its own candidate. The two biggest parties, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, are both backing Mr Higgins for a second stint, as is the Labour Party. A range of other would-be independent candidates still retain hope of convincing undeclared councils to back their bids before the September 26 deadline. They could also secure a nomination with the backing of 20 independent members of both houses of the Irish parliament, the Dail and Seanad. The election is taking place on October 26. Expand Close Irish President Michael D Higgins has announced his intention to run for another term (Maxwells/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Irish President Michael D Higgins has announced his intention to run for another term (Maxwells/PA) As incumbent, Mr Higgins is able to nominate himself while Sinn Fein has the necessary political strength in the Irish parliament to name its own candidate. The two biggest parties, Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, are both backing Mr Higgins for a second stint, as is the Labour Party. A range of other would-be independent candidates still retain hope of convincing undeclared councils to back their bids before the September 26 deadline. The election is taking place on October 26. President Michael D Higgins at a one-day conference to formally launch the DCU Brexit Institute at The Helix, DCU. Five candidates are in the mix for next months presidential election in Ireland. Liadh Ni Riada: Liadh Ni Riada was unveiled as Sinn Feins chosen candidate on Sunday. She was hot favourite for the nomination ever since the party signalled its intent to run. CONFIRMED: @LiadhNiRiadaMEP has just now been selected by the Sinn Fein Ard Comhairle to contest the upcoming presidential election #Aras18 pic.twitter.com/vjnZnMPZmS Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) September 16, 2018 The former television producer from Dublin is the daughter of legendary Irish trad musician and composer Sean O Riada. Ms Ni Riada entered the political arena in 2011 by joining Sinn Fein. She was elected in 2014 as one of her partys four MEPs on the island of Ireland, representing the South constituency. The 52-year-old is the youngest of the five confirmed candidates and one of two women in the race. In the European Parliament, she has been a vocal advocate for the Irish fishing industry, and critical of the Common Fisheries Policy arguing the Irish have not received their fair share of the fishing quota. Before her political career, Ms Ni Riada served on the board tasked with setting up Irelands Irish language television channel, TG4. She ran her own production company for several years, and has been an advocate of the Irish language. Ms Ni Riada currently lives in the Muskerry Gaeltacht, an Irish speaking area of Co Cork. Expand Close Michael D Higgins has announced his intention to run for a second term as president (Brian Lawless/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Michael D Higgins has announced his intention to run for a second term as president (Brian Lawless/PA) Michael D Higgins: The sitting President, 77, was born in Limerick and had an academic career in the 1960s-70s, teaching sociology in Ireland and the United States. He entered the political arena in the late 1960s, joining the Labour Party and served as a senator in the 1980s before representing Galway West in the Dail from 1987 to 2011. Mr Higgins is a fluent Irish speaker and served as minister for arts, culture and the Gaeltacht in the 1990s. He is also a published poet and has presented TV documentaries. Mr Higgins was first elected president in 2011 after running as an independent candidate. He made history in 2014 when he became the first Irish President to undertake an official state visit to the UK. Earlier this year, he welcomed Pope Francis to Ireland the first papal visit in almost 40 years. As the current president, Mr Higgins is able to nominate himself as an independent candidate for another seven years in office. However, he has secured the backing of Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Labour, who have agreed not to field candidates from their own parties. Expand Close Presidential candidate Sean Gallagher came second in the 2011 election (Niall Carson/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Presidential candidate Sean Gallagher came second in the 2011 election (Niall Carson/PA) Sean Gallagher: The 56-year-old businessman and former Dragons Den star from Ballyhaise, County Cavan, finished second in the 2011 Irish presidential election. He secured more than half a million first preference votes, but lost out to Mr Higgins. Mr Gallagher has described himself as coming from the Fianna Fail gene pool, but is running as an independent. In 2002 he co-founded Smarthomes, a home technology business. The company won numerous awards for innovation, and Mr Gallagher was a finalist in the 2006 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year contest. Mr Gallagher became a public figure during his time as an investor on RTE Ones Dragons Den from 2008 to 2011. Last year, State broadcaster RTE apologised to Mr Gallagher over a fake tweet read out during a live TV debate during the last election campaign. The tweet, which accused Mr Gallagher of collecting funds for Fianna Fail, was purported to be from an official account linked to the late Martin McGuinness, who also ran for president in 2011. However, it later emerged the account was not the official campaign account of the Sinn Fein candidate. Mr Gallagher had been leading some opinion polls in the 2011 race prior to the tweet furore in the closing stages of the campaign. Mr Gallagher won the backing of Roscommon, Mayo, Leitrim and Wexford councils, and was the first independent candidate to secure a nomination. Expand Close Presidential candidate Gavin Duffy is well known for his role as an investor in the Irish version of Dragons Den (Niall Carson/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Presidential candidate Gavin Duffy is well known for his role as an investor in the Irish version of Dragons Den (Niall Carson/PA) Gavin Duffy: The entrepreneur and businessman from Sallins, Co Kildare, is best known for his role on the RTE programme Dragons Den. Mr Duffy, 58, started his career as a shareholder in radio stations, and in 1992 he co-founded a media and management consultancy. He is the former owner of HRM, one of Irelands largest recruitment companies. His early career in the media included presenting the first RTE television business programme, Marketplace; broadcasting on Morning Ireland on RTE Radio One, and founding regional radio station LMFM. Later, Mr Duffy became a serial entrepreneur and is now a veteran of over 40 start-ups. His venture capital portfolio has been concentrated on recruitment, professional development, education and media. He has been a panellist on the Irish version of Dragons Den for all eight seasons since the show began in 2009. Mr Duffy has worked in the past as an adviser to both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail. He has said he would accept the full presidential salary of 350,000 euro. The current President, Michael D Higgins, has voluntarily reduced his own salary to under 250,000 euro while in office. Mr Duffy will run as an independent candidate after securing his nomination by winning the backing of Waterford, Meath, Carlow and Wicklow councils. Expand Close Senator Joan Freeman is a mental health activist (Niall Carson/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Senator Joan Freeman is a mental health activist (Niall Carson/PA) Joan Freeman: The independent member of the Irish Seanad is a psychologist and mental health activist from Dublin. Senator Freeman has served on the Seanad since May 2016 after being nominated by the then taoiseach Enda Kenny. She is the chairperson on the committee on mental health. The 60-year-old founded Pieta House, a suicide intervention charity, in 2006 in Lucan, County Dublin. It now boasts 12 additional centres around Ireland. Senator Freeman also founded the annual fundraising event Darkness into Light in aid of Pieta House. The event began with 400 participants in 2008 and has since grown with approximately 200,000 people participating in the 2018 events held across Ireland, including at the Phoenix Park. She resigned from Pieta House in 2014, in order to concentrate on developing Solace House, a similar charity based in New York City launched in 2015. Senator Freeman will run as an independent candidate. She earned the backing of Galway City Council as well as Galway County, Fingal and Cork County councils. An elderly widow had her husbands ashes stolen after two men conned their way into her home, Scotland Yard has said. The heart-shaped silver locket and box containing the ashes were snatched from the 83-year-olds home in Greenwich, south-east London, along with her wedding ring. Police on Sunday appealed for the publics help to identify two suspects in the particularly harrowing crime. Expand Close A heart-shaped silver box containing a mans ashes that were snatched from his widows home in Greenwich (Met Police/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A heart-shaped silver box containing a mans ashes that were snatched from his widows home in Greenwich (Met Police/PA) At about 2pm on Friday, one knocked on her door under the guise of being a plumber needing to inspect a leak coming from her home in Annandale Road. The second man is believed to have entered while the pensioner was distracted. Once they had left, the pensioner noticed the priceless items had been stolen along with gold chains and cash. Detective Constable Robert Costigan said: This is a particularly harrowing crime that targeted a vulnerable member of our society. The victim had possessions stolen that are irreplaceable and this has had a devastating effect upon her. Anyone with information can contact police on 101 on Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Srinagar:Five militants were killed in a gunfight in Devsar area of Kulgam district on Saturday. A civilian from Anantnag town was also killed and at least 25 others were injured during a protest that was held by local residents at some distance from the site of the gunfight to distract the government forces and help the besieged militants escape. The deceased militants are Gulzar Ahmad Padder alias Saif, a resident of Adijan, DH Pora, Kulgam; Faisal Ahmad Rather alias Dawood of Yamrach, Yaripora, Kulgam; Zahid Ahmad Mir alias Hashim of Okai, Kulgam; Zahoor Ahmad Lone alias Rehman Bhai of Nagnad, Noorabad, DH Pora and MasroorMolvi alias Abu Darda of Fatehpora, DialgamAnantnag. At around 11pm last night, armys 9 RR, police and CRPF laid a cordon around Chowgam village of Devsar near Qazigund following inputs about the presence of militants. As the forces zeroed in on a house near primary school Chogam, militants fired at them triggering a gunfight, a police official said. He said the gunfight started at around 12:30 midnight and ended 10am on Saturday. Forces also used mortar guns during the fight, he said. The house where the militants were hiding was blown up using improvised explosive devices. Paddar who had joined militancy in the year 2016 was, according to police, a close associate of Hizb commander AltafKachroo. The police said he was involved in a series of attacks including the killing of five policemen at Pombay last year besides two bank employees. He was also involved in the killing of an SPO at KrewanChidder in Kulgam. He was also involved in weapon snatching cases reported across Kulgam and many other bank robbery cases attempted in the area, a police spokesperson said. He said that Zahid was wanted for his involvement in the killing of policeman Fayaz Ahmad of Zainapora on the day of Eid while Faisal was involved in the killing of policeman Gowhar Ahmad in Shopian last year. Zahoor and Mansoor were involved in series of offences besides attempts at recruiting (youths into militancy) in the locality, the spokesperson said, adding weapons were recovered from the encounter site. CIVILIAN PROTESTER KILLED IN FIRING Early morning, as the word spread that militants were trapped, local residents, braving heavy rains and restrictions, tried to march towards the encounter site in a bid to help the besieged militants escape. But they were stopped by the forces before they could get close. The protesters pelted the forces with stones. The forces, in turn, lobbed tear gas canisters and later fired live ammunition into the protesters, injuring at least 25. Three of the injured had bullet injuries and the rest had shotgun metal pellet injuries. One of the critically injured youth, identified as Rouf Ahmad son of MuhamadSalimGanai, 22, of Al-Farooq Colony of Anchidora in Anantnag town, succumbed to injuries en route to Srinagar hospital. He (Rouf) had sustained bullet injury in throat, a doctor at district hospital told Greater Kashmir. Two others, one with bullet in the abdomen and other in the thigh, were referred to SKIMS and Bone and Joint Hospital respectively in Srinagar. We received around 22 injured in district hospital Anantnag, five of whom were shifted to Srinagar hospitals, Anantnag chief medical officer DrFazil Ali Kochak said. He said the majority of the injured were hit by pellets, while three had bullet wounds. Two of the injured with pellet wounds were being treated at district hospital Kulgam and one at Emergency Hospital Qazigund. A doctor at the SMHS Hospital said that nine persons with pellet injuries, some with injured eyes, were being treated there. FUNERALS AND SHUTDOWN A sea of mourners shouting pro-freedom, pro-Pakistan, pro-Islam and pro-militant slogans turned up at the funeral of four militants in Kulgam district and the funeral of another militant in Fatehpora-Dialgam village of Anantnag. Militants also showed up at the funeral of some militants in Kulgam and offered gun salute to their deceased fellows. Tens of hundreds of people attended the funeral of deceased civilian Rouf at Anchidora in Anantnag. A complete shutdown was observed in Kulgam and Anantnag districts to mourn the killing of militants and a civilian. The authorities suspended internet services. Rail service along Srinagar-Anantnag- Banihal route also remained suspended. A former soldier sentenced to jail in Turkey after fighting the Islamic State terror group is begging for a firm intervention from the UK Government. Joe Robinson, 25, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years imprisonment after being accused of fighting alongside the Peoples Protection Units of Syrian Kurdistan (YPG), which the Turkish state considers a terrorist organisation. The YPG is not banned in the UK and Robinson, from Accrington, Lancashire, said he only spent a month with them in Syria while providing medical support to civilians. I'm a proud man but I am literally at the point where I am beggingJoe Robinson Robinson, on bail in Kusadasi awaiting an appeal, called on Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt to act urgently. Its got to the point now where Im mentally, physically and emotionally drained, he told ITV News. Im a proud man but I am literally at the point where I am begging, begging the British Government to do something. We havent really seen any intervention from them, we havent seen any discussions within a high scale in the Government. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said officials are ready to provide him with further assistance, adding: We have been following this case very closely and have raised it with the Turkish authorities. But Robinsons Bulgarian fiancee Mira Rojkan also called on Mr Hunt to apply pressure on Turkey. Expand Close Mira Rojkan was also arrested last year (Mira Rojkan) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mira Rojkan was also arrested last year (Mira Rojkan) Rojkan, a law student in Leeds, was also arrested during the family holiday last year. The 23-year-old was given a suspended prison sentence for supposedly engaging in terrorist propaganda, for what she said was sharing pro-Kurdistan messages on Facebook. She said the Bulgarian state provided her with more support than Britain has her fiancee. He (Mr Hunt) needs to get in touch with the Turkish authorities on a diplomatic level, she said. The YPG is considered by Turkey as a terror organisation because of its links to the Kurdistan Workers Party which is fighting for autonomy for the region. But Robinson was unaware of their ideology when he spent a month in Syria with them in July 2015 during which he did not see conflict, according to Rojkan. She said it was in the following three months in Iraq that he fought IS with the Peshmerga, the Iraqi Kurdish military. Rojkan said they had written to former foreign secretaries Boris Johnson and Alan Duncan over the case, but hope Mr Hunt will now intervene. He has stepped up pressure against Iran in the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian mother jailed on a spying charge by the Islamist regime, after Mr Johnson came under criticism. Education Secretary John Swinney has come under increased pressure to respect the result of a crunch Holyrood vote on controversial primary one tests. The Scottish Government is expected to be defeated at the vote on Wednesday as all opposition parties oppose the tests, which some teachers have said left pupils in tears. In an interview on the BBCs Sunday Politics Scotland programme, Mr Swinney repeatedly refused to say whether or not he would scrap the tests in the event of a government defeat on Wednesday. He was asked If parliament votes to scrap them, will you scrap them? He replied: Well see what parliament comes up with on Wednesday. Parliamentary motions are not binding on the government, the only thing thats binding on the government is legislation. So, well reflect on whatever parliament produces on Wednesday in the debate but we will make the very strong, evidenced argument for primary one standardised assessments because its part of the integral process of learning for young people within Scotland and its important that we identify at the earliest possible opportunity the needs of young people and support them to overcome those challenges. He was repeatedly pressed on the issue of the vote but would not give a definitive answer. The SNP is refusing to rule out ignoring the will of the Scottish Parliament if MSPs vote to end the standardised testing of Primary 1 pupils later this week. It's time for the SNP to listen to parents, pupils and teachers. These tests must be stopped. Agree? RT. pic.twitter.com/GKDyqHRkPK Scottish Labour (@ScottishLabour) September 16, 2018 Scottish Labours education spokesman Iain Gray described Mr Swinneys answers as a thinly veiled threat to ignore the will of the Scottish Parliament while Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie said they were an astoundingly arrogant intervention. Mr Gray urged the education secretary to listen to teachers who believe the tests are useless, adding: Its time for Mr Swinney to put the children of Scotland ahead of his ego and bin these tests. Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie added: Ive worked all my life for a democratic Scottish Parliament and I find it astonishing that a Government minister could contemplate plowing onward if parliament expressly instructed him to stop. Scottish Green education spokesman Ross Greer said if the parliament votes as expected against the tests, therell be no justification for John Swinney to ignore the tide of evidence and the strength of feeling against this deeply misguided government policy. Mira Rojkan was arrested alongside Joe Robinson while they were on a family holiday last year (Mira Rojkan/PA) Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt is facing calls to intervene in the case of a British former soldier sentenced to jail in Turkey after fighting the Islamic State terror group. Joe Robinson, 25, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years imprisonment after being accused of fighting alongside the Peoples Protection Units of Syrian Kurdistan (YPG), which the Turkish state considers a terrorist organisation. The YPG is not banned in the UK and Robinson, from Accrington, Lancashire, said he only spent a month with them in Syria while providing medical support to civilians. His Bulgarian fiancee Mira Rojkan is among those to call on Mr Hunt to apply pressure on Turkey to rethink its treatment of the veteran, who is on bail in Kusadasi awaiting an appeal. Rojkan, a law student in Leeds, was arrested alongside Robinson while they were on a family holiday last year. The 23-year-old was given a suspended prison sentence for supposedly engaging in terrorist propaganda, for what she said was sharing pro-Kurdistan messages on Facebook. She said the Bulgarian state provided her with more support than Britain has her fiancee. The UK should stop saying they cant do it, we know they canMira Rojkan The UK should stop saying they cant do it, we know they can. Were talking about a veteran, she said. He (Mr Hunt) needs to get in touch with the Turkish authorities on a diplomatic level. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said officials are ready to provide Robinson with further assistance, adding: We have been following this case very closely and have raised it with the Turkish authorities. The YPG is considered by Turkey as a terror organisation because of its links to the Kurdistan Workers Party which is fighting for autonomy for the region. But Robinson was unaware of their ideology when he spent a month in Syria with them in July 2015 during which he did not see conflict, according to Rojkan. She said it was in the following three months in Iraq that he fought IS with the Peshmerga, the Iraqi Kurdish military. Expand Close Both were convicted by Turkey (Mira Rojkan/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Both were convicted by Turkey (Mira Rojkan/PA) Rojkan said they had written to former foreign secretaries Boris Johnson and Alan Duncan over the case, but hope Mr Hunt will now intervene. He has stepped up pressure against Iran in the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian mother jailed on a spying charge by the Islamist regime, after Mr Johnson came under criticism. Ibrahim Dogus, the founder of UK-based think-tank Centre for Turkey Studies, said Robinson is a hero and deserves a medal not a prison sentence. The Foreign Secretary should make contact with the Turkish authorities and urge them to reverse their position on this young man, he added. Lehman Brothers bankers are expected to mark the 10-year anniversary of the banks collapse (Tim Goode/PA) Lehman Brothers bankers who once feasted on champagne and caviar during boom times will have to settle for burgers and donuts this weekend as they mark a decade since the lenders disastrous collapse. A series of staff reunions in London, New York and Hong Kong commemorating the US banks collapse in 2008 will kick off in the coming days, but many will be low-key affairs devoid of the excess that once typified the industry. Lavish parties are to be replaced by more modest get-togethers, with former Lehman staff kept on to help with the administration set to catch up over burgers and donuts. Russell Downs, the lead administrator at PwC, told the Press Association: Twenty people (are) working for me here and we will find an appropriate way to mark the 10 years next week but it will be low key and casual. Employees want to commemorate what was an important date in their lives. It was a sad day for us individually, employees at Lehman had close bonds.Ex-Lehman banker It may be donuts, it may be Danish pastries, it may be a trip to get a burger at lunch, I dont know but it will be low key and appropriate. A separate London meeting will take place on September 15 at a secret location, where hundreds of former workers have been invited to share cocktails and canapes. News of the gatherings sparked fury earlier this year, with shadow chancellor John McDonnell branding them sickening. One ex-Lehman banker, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Press Association: I dont know where people get off saying what they have, we loved the bank. The coverage has really missed the point, some of it has been callous. Employees want to commemorate what was an important date in their lives. It was a sad day for us individually, employees at Lehman had close bonds. The failure of the US banking giant became one of the most infamous and shocking moments of the crisis, spiralling the credit crunch into full-blown market chaos. The Lib Dems have signed off on a policy to give migrant spouses an entitlement to benefits from their first day in the UK without any form of means testing. The move was voted through at the Lib Dem conference in Brighton despite opposition from party HQ and warnings from activists that the party would be slaughtered on the doorstep as a result. The demand was tagged on as an amendment to a major new policy which outlined the Lib Dems approach to immigration issues. In practice it would mean, under a Lib Dem government, migrant spouses and legal partners can claim without any form of means testing or prohibition on seeking support from the state. The partys home affairs spokesman Sir Ed Davey urged delegates to reject the proposal, saying the policy had already captured the spirit of the amendment. Louise Morales, a local Lib Dem councillor in Woking, also urged members to vote against the measure, telling the conference hall the party would be slaughtered for it. She added: For the average knocking on doors I cannot go to the public and say, oh were going to give people a visa and they are instantly going to be able to claim benefits. The policy paper, which faced some opposition for not going far enough in reforming the immigration system, also calls for the abolition of the net migration target, closure of eight detention centres, allowing asylum seekers to work while their claims are decided and removing responsibility for visas and asylum from the Home Office. Further measures include making funds available to local authorities to reward community groups who develop innovative and successful ways of promoting social cohesion and enabling graduates to stay and work in the UK for two years after their course. Sir Ed said: Britains immigration system is in desperate need of reform. Families are separated by complex visa requirements. The NHS cant recruit the doctors it needs. People without documents are denied access to healthcare and housing. Confidence in the system has been shattered. We will scrap Theresa Mays damaging net migration target and hostile environment. Well strip the discredited Home Office of responsibility for visas and asylum. Well end indefinite detention and invest the money saved in community-based alternatives, lower visa fees, and a bigger, reformed Border Force. Former party leader Tim Farron brought people to their feet with his advocacy of the proposals, saying: There is an urgency to this debate we are perhaps a few weeks away from an immigration bill coming to this Parliament. If we pass this paper today we will have the most liberal, compassionate tool kit to take on the Tories, to shame Labour and help the people who need it most, if we delay we will not. Leaders from Ethiopia and Eritrea have signed a peace agreement during a summit in Saudi Arabia, yet another sign of warming ties between two nations that have face decades of war and unease. Terms of the agreement signed by Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki were not immediately clear. Saudi authorities did not respond to specific questions about the accord, which earlier had been described as being a further endorsement of a historic deal reached between the two nations in July. The peace deal resulted in restoration of normal relations between the countries, on the basis of the close bonds of geography, history and culture between the two nations and their peoples, Saudi Arabia said in a statement on Sunday, calling the accord the Jeddah Agreement. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia praised the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea for exercising leadership and courage to restore the brotherly relations between the two countries, thus forming the foundation for a new phase that will bring significant developments in the relations between the two nations in all fields, the statement added. Expand Close Eritreas President Isaias Afwerki signs a peace accord (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Eritreas President Isaias Afwerki signs a peace accord (AP) Saudi King Salman and his assertive 33-year-old son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were on hand for the summit in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah. Also attending was Emirati foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres. The Ethiopian and Eritrean leaders also were awarded for their efforts the Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud Medal, the kingdoms highest civilian honour. Mr Abiy and Mr Isaias signed a joint declaration of peace and friendship on July 9, ending 20 years of enmity and formally restoring diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Landlocked Ethiopia fought a bloody war with Eritrea from 1998 to 2000 over a border dispute that killed tens of thousands of people. Expand Close Ethiopias prime minister Abiy Ahmed signs the deal (AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ethiopias prime minister Abiy Ahmed signs the deal (AP) The conflict ended in an uneasy peace with Eritrea, which earlier fought a decades-long war of independence from Ethiopia. Yet that suddenly changed with the election of Mr Abiy as prime minister in April. A whirlwind of talks suddenly ended the long conflict between the two nations in July, with telephone calls and flights suddenly possible between the two nations. It was particularly surprising for Eritrea, a closed-off nation of five million people ruled by Mr Isaias since 1993. Eritreas system of compulsory conscription that led thousands of Eritreans to flee towards Europe, Israel and elsewhere. HRH King Salman in the presence of HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman & UN SG H.E. Antonio Guterres has awarded the highest medal in the Kingdom to H.E. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and H.E. President Isaias Afeworki for bringing peace between the two countries. #Ethiopia #Eritrea pic.twitter.com/JSeo2On7Pz Fitsum Arega (@fitsumaregaa) September 16, 2018 Ethiopia is home to 105 million people. The signing ceremony on Sunday in Saudi Arabia also served as a nod to the growing importance Gulf Arab nations put on East Africa amid the Saudi-led war in Yemen. The United Arab Emirates, also believed to have played a part in talks between Ethiopia and Eritrea, has been building up a military presence in the Eritrean port city of Assab. The strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which sits off Eritrea and neighbouring Djibouti, links the Red Sea and the Suez Canal with the Gulf of Aden and ultimately the Indian Ocean. Dozens of commercial ships daily transit the route, some 10 miles wide at its narrowest point. An opposition Israeli politician has called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to dismiss his ambassador to the United States for failing to report sexual assault allegations against a top Netanyahu aide. Karin Elharrar said Ron Dermer should be recalled from Washington for not reporting the warnings he received about David Keyes, Mr Netanyahus spokesman to foreign media. Last week, Julia Salazar, a candidate for New Yorks state senate, accused Mr Keyes of sexually assaulting her five years ago. Wall Street Journal reporter Shayndi Raice tweeted she too had a terrible encounter with Mr Keyes before he became Mr Netanyahus spokesman. I also had a terrible encounter with David Keyes once and 100% believe her. I knew this would come out about him at some point. https://t.co/u9uo4pAlHh Shayndi Raice (@Shayndi) September 11, 2018 She described him as a predator and someone who had absolutely no conception of the word no'. At least a dozen other women have since come forward with varying allegations, some of which are said to have been committed since Mr Keyes took up his current position in early 2016. Mr Keyes, 34, denies the allegations, saying all are deeply misleading and many of them are categorically false. Mr Keyes says he has taken a leave of absence amid the uproar to try and clear his name. But the scandal has since spread to the rest of Mr Netanyahus inner circle, previously rocked with accusations of sexual improprieties. Expand Close Julia Salazar said that she was sexually assaulted five years ago by David Keyes (Mary Altaffer/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Julia Salazar said that she was sexually assaulted five years ago by David Keyes (Mary Altaffer/AP) Natan Eshel, a former top aide, was forced to resign in 2012 after allegations emerged that he harassed and intimidated a woman in the prime ministers office, including taking pictures up her skirt. Earlier this year, Mr Netanyahus son Yair came under fire after a recording emerged of him joyriding at taxpayer expense to Tel Aviv strip clubs and making misogynistic comments about strippers, waitresses and other women. Over the weekend, Mr Dermer, who was perhaps Mr Netanyahus closest associate before taking office in Washington, confirmed he was warned in late 2016 by New York Times columnist Bret Stephens, then of the Wall Street Journal, about Mr Keyes questionable behaviour toward women. The New York Times reported that Mr Stephens, who said he had barred Mr Keyes from visiting the Wall Street Journal offices because of harassment complaints of women there against him, warned Mr Dermer that Keyes posed a risk to women in Israeli government offices. Mr Dermer said he did not report this further since he did not consider the harassment allegations criminal. But Ms Elharrar noted in her letter to Mr Netanyahu that Mr Dermer was unqualified to judge this. Under Israeli law sexual harassment is a crime and public servants are required to report any knowledge of it. Therefore, she said, she demanded Mr Dermers dismissal since it is unreasonable that someone holding such a prominent position would violate the law so blatantly. Mr Netanyahu has yet to comment on the affair. Michal Rozin, a legislator with the opposition Meretz party, said his silence could be interpreted as tolerance of the alleged acts and she demanded he take a clear stance against sexual assault and harassment. The flooding that has come about from tropical storm Florence could be the worst North Carolina has ever seen (AP Photo/Steve Helber) US President Donald Trump has issued a disaster declaration for North Carolina as officials warn the state could experience its most severe flooding ever. The death toll from the hurricane-turned-tropical storm has climbed to at least five. A day after Florence blew ashore in North Carolina with 90 mph winds, more than 2ft of rain had fallen in places, with forecasters saying there could be an additional one-and-a-half feet by the end of the weekend. Rivers and creeks rose towards historic levels, threatening flash flooding that could devastate communities and endanger dams, roads and bridges. I cannot overstate it: Floodwaters are rising, and if you arent watching for them you are risking your life, the states governor Roy Cooper said. Expand Close Rescuers search for people stranded by floodwaters (AP Photo/Chris Seward) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Rescuers search for people stranded by floodwaters (AP Photo/Chris Seward) In its initial onslaught along the coast, Florence buckled buildings, deluged entire communities and knocked out power to more than 870,000 homes and businesses. But the storm was shaping up as a two-part disaster, with the second stage consisting of inland flooding, caused by rainwater working its way into rivers and streams. The dead included a mother and baby killed when a tree fell on a house in Wilmington, North Carolina. South Carolina recorded its first death from the storm when officials said a 61-year-old woman was killed when her vehicle hit a tree that had fallen across a highway. Officials in North Carolinas Harnett County, about 90 miles inland, urged residents of about 1,100 homes to evacuate because the Lower Little River was rising toward record levels. Expand Close Houses are surrounded by water from Florence (AP Photo/Steve Helber) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Houses are surrounded by water from Florence (AP Photo/Steve Helber) In New Bern, along the coast, aerial photos show homes completely surrounded by water, with rescuers using inflatable boats to reach people. More than 360 people have been carried to safety since Thursday night amid rising waters. With the eye of Florence stalled near the coast, the half of the storm still out over the Atlantic continued to collect warm ocean water and dump it on land. Dahal unlikely to meet top Chinese leaders Co-chair of Nepal Communist party Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who embarked on China visit on Saturday, is unlikely to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang during his visit. The hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm but flooding is now a major issue in North Carolina (Janet S. Carter/Daily Free Press via AP) North Carolina is bracing itself for widespread, catastrophic inland flooding caused by tropical storm Florence. The death toll from the former hurricane has climbed to 11. With rivers rising towards record levels, thousands of people were ordered to evacuate for fear the next few days could bring the most destructive round of flooding in North Carolina history. Expand Close Rescuers have been going from house to house checking for flood victims (AP Photo/Steve Helber) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Rescuers have been going from house to house checking for flood victims (AP Photo/Steve Helber) More than 2ft of rain had fallen in places, and forecasters are saying there could be an additional one-and-a-half feet by the end of the weekend. I cannot overstate it: Floodwaters are rising, and if you arent watching for them, you are risking your life, governor Roy Cooper said. As of 5pm local time, Florence was centred about 60 miles west of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, inching west at 2mph not even as fast as a person walking. Think about this for a moment. The average walking speed is about 3.1mph. #Florence is moving approximately 2mph. As a result of the slow movement, Florence is producing heavy rain and flash floods. Turn Around Dont Drown! #TADD https://t.co/KiHHnhMM4r pic.twitter.com/SgiRcrg0rq National Weather Service (@NWS) September 15, 2018 Its winds were down to 45 mph. With half of the storm still out over the Atlantic, Florence continued to collect warm ocean water and dump it on land. In its initial onslaught along the coast, Florence buckled buildings, deluged entire communities and knocked out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses. But the storm was shaping up as a two-part disaster, with the second, delayed stage triggered by rainwater working its way into rivers and streams. The flash flooding could devastate communities and endanger dams, roads and bridges. #NWS Morehead City Team out for its first storm survey for #Florence. We are measuring evidence of storm surge from the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, at Bogue Sound, right at the end of the Atlantic Beach Bridge. #ScienceIsCool #NCwx pic.twitter.com/VO8qYt7dbc NWS Newport/Morehead (@NWSMoreheadCity) September 15, 2018 Authorities ordered the immediate evacuation of up to 7,500 people living within a mile of a stretch of the Cape Fear River and the Little River, about 100 miles from the coast. The evacuation zone included part of the city of Fayetteville, population 200,000. Officials in nearby Harnett County urged residents of about 1,100 homes to clear out because the Lower Little River was rising towards record levels. Expand Close Houses are surrounded by water from Florence (AP Photo/Steve Helber) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Houses are surrounded by water from Florence (AP Photo/Steve Helber) The dead included a mother and baby killed when a tree fell on a house in Wilmington, North Carolina. South Carolina recorded its first death from the storm, with officials saying a 61-year-old woman was killed when her car hit a tree that had fallen across a highway. Three died in one inland county, Duplin, because of water on roads and flash floods, the sheriffs office said. A husband and wife died in a house fire linked to the storm, officials said, and an 81-year-old man died after falling and hitting his head while packing to evacuate. New bi-lingual signs on the Glider in English and Irish will switch to just English as it travels from west to east Belfast. The cross-city service, which launched this month, will have the signs added to the vehicles in the coming months. But a spokesperson for Translink said software would be developed to ensure the signs switch to just English when it leaves west Belfast. East Belfast-based Irish language activist Linda Ervine, sister-in-law of the late PUP leader David Ervine, said the decision was "bizarre". However, east Belfast DUP councillor Tom Haire said there was no need for bi-lingual signage as people in the area had "no more interest in Irish than the man on the Moon". Ms Ervine told Sunday Life: "I run an Irish language centre in east Belfast, which has turned out to be one of the biggest in Belfast, there certainly is an interest in the language over here. "It's sad as the unionist community is interested in the language, not all of them, but it's another one of those things that says the language belongs to one community and I don't believe that. "It's unnecessary; if anyone doesn't want to look at the Irish, it's no problem, look at the English." Ms Ervine called on Translink to have both languages on the Glider regardless of the route. Mr Haire said of the decision: "I suppose with regard to the people that live on that route they have no more interest in Irish than the man on the Moon. "I don't think there is a demand for it in east Belfast, I don't think the majority of people would be particularly interested in it." He added that if bi-lingual signs were introduced along the route people may object to it and it "may be to the detriment of Translink" as they look for other forms of transport. A Translink spokesperson said: "As part of the implementation programme for Glider, route maps and signage are being updated. Name signage at Glider halts in west Belfast are already displayed in dual English/Irish language, with this being rolled out to Metro feeder services in the future. Irish language destination screen signage for the west Belfast section of the G1 route is planned to be in place in the coming months." They added that software will be developed to switch the signs to solely English as the Glider crosses into the east of the city. Cwoodhouse@sundaylife.co.uk @MrCWoodhouse One of Belfast's best-loved bars will donate all its profits from Culture Night to arts organisations and charities. For the Sunflower, on Union Street, this Friday's celebration is one of the busiest nights of the year. But owner Pedro Donald told Sunday Life he believes the profits from the night belong to the artists, musicians and actors who annually bring hordes of punters onto the streets. "My initial idea was to open and not sell any alcohol, but after discussing it with the staff, we decided to operate as normal but give the money we make to the arts," he said. "It's what the thing is supposed to be about. It's one of the busiest nights of the year and it's largely due to the artists, of every genre, so we feel the profits generated technically belong to them, not us. "Therefore we are giving it to them." Though he couldn't say what the figure might be, Mr Donald said it would be "in the thousands, not hundreds". He has yet to decide on the recipients, but one group which will be on the list is the SOS Bus. The charity's volunteers help vulnerable people in the city centre at night over the weekend, including those who have been drinking. "On the alcohol side of things, they do a lot of work all year round as well," explained Mr Donald. Earlier this year the SOS Bus, which costs around 250,000 a year to run, said its future was in doubt due to lack of funding. The Sunflower has become one of the most popular pubs in the city since it opened in 2012. Its reputation for being a laid-back boozer draws famous faces from stage, screen, journalism and politics. Fifty Shades star Jamie Dornan has sunk a few there, as has fellow actor Richard Dormer. However, it was threatened with demolition in 2015 due to a regeneration project planned for the area, just weeks after being named the best bar in the city by Pubs of Ulster. A campaign, launched in co-operation with Sunday Life, fought to save the watering hole. It was granted a reprieve when the then Department for Social Development pulled out of the 300m scheme. Cwoodhouse@sundaylife.co.uk @MrCWoodhouse Errant hydropower projects under scanner The Department of Electricity Development (DoED) has sought clarification from three dozen hydropower projects that are not on the track to meet their respective construction deadlines or have failed to make timely reports of their work progress to the department as required by the law. Reciba en su email: noticias de ultima hora, analisis tecnicos o el cierre de mercado Email no valido Nombre requerido Recibira las informaciones mas relevantes del dia en tiempo real Que informacion desea recibir? Noticias de Ultima hora Boletin Cierre de Mercado Boletin analisis tecnico Boletin Fundsnews Debe seleccionar un tipo de boletin Acepto la Politica de privacidad Debe aceptar la politica de privacidad Responsable EMPRESAS DEL GRUPO WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Finalidad La remision de informacion, novedades y promociones Establecimiento o mantenimiento de Relaciones Comerciales. Legitimacion Consentimiento del interesado. Interes legitimo en el desarrollo de la relacion comercial Destinatario Empresas del Grupo WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Derechos Acceso, rectificacion, supresion, limitacion, oposicion y portabilidad Informacion adicional Politica de Privacidad de nuestra pagina Web + INFORMACION Ex-policeman arrested for duping police job aspirants Police on Sunday made public a former police constable arrested for duping various people on the pretext of providing job in the police force. Five jets add thrust to citys cleaning drive Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) on Saturday officially launched its five new jet machines to mark the World Cleanup Day (WCD) on Saturday. Kanchanpur rape, murder case: Five police officers suspended The Home Ministry on Saturday suspended five police officers over the botched investigation into the rape and murder of Nirmala Pant. Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin has faced stinging criticism from party members over his failure to turn around the partys fortunes. At a closed meeting of party members which lasted more than four hours, Mr Howlin was severely chastised by councillors, some of whom had called on him to resign last month. At the beginning of the meeting, the leader said everyone present would be given an opportunity to speak, which led to a wave of criticism from rebel councillors. Those stinging criticisms of the party leader were audible to reporters who were in a room beside the main room and had to be escorted away from the doors. This is a closed meeting, step away from the doors, the partys chief press spokesman said. Family photo here at our #aNewRepublic think-in. We are working together to achieve our vision of a future where no one is left behind. pic.twitter.com/GtSfdQUnpg The Labour Party (@labour) September 16, 2018 Inside the room, Mr Howlin had invited councillors to join TDs and Senators to air their concerns about the state of the partys fortunes. Mr Howlin apologised to the Irish people for his partys mistakes in Government. He also admitted his failings as Minister between 2011 and 2016. Attempting to silence his critics, Mr Howlin admitted that many people had suffered when he, Joan Burton and Eamon Gilmore were part of a Fine Gael/Labour Coalition Government which inflicted savage cuts. Mr Howlin said he could only repeat the message "that we are truly sorry I am sorry that many people suffered hardship on our watch". He said Labour had "lost the argument" at the February 2016 General Election that its participation in Government had acted as a brake on the worst excesses of what Fine Gael wanted to do. It needed to accept the fact of defeat yet overall income inequality and deprivation had "fallen under our watch, despite what our opponents claim". During the meeting, Tipperary TD Alan Kelly rounded on his parliamentary party colleagues for being essentially invisible, calling on the party to reconnect with the electorate. Mr Kelly stopped short of calling for Mr Howlins head in the room. However, several opponents of Mr Howlin including Cllrs Noel Touhy and Mick Duff were stinging in their criticism of his leadership. One councillor went so far as to say he was indifferent to Mr Howlin. Others complained bitterly about the party not being relevant or visible enough and placed the blame for the malaise at Mr Howlins door. Responding to the criticism, Mr Howlin said he was proud to be elected leader and said the party must regain the lost trust of the people. "I have heard suggestions that the party is not energetic enough, or that we are not focused enough on economics, or that we are trapped by our time in Government. Wrong," he announced. "I have heard say that the first thing I want to do is jump straight back into Government with Fine Gael. Wrong again. "I sought the leadership of our party. I was proud to be elected leader. And I will continue to lead, outlining the values and beliefs of Labour in clear language," he pledged. Mr Howlin said the party as a whole needed to face political reality that it had lost the trust of many people "who should be supporting us". He admitted: "They feel we let them down in Government. I can talk about how we increased the rights of workers through collective bargaining legislation, how we blocked Fine Gael privatisations, and cleaned up the mess left by Fianna Fail. "But for too many people, the recession still isnt over. Now we have to fight to recover peoples support." It is one of the great strengths of @labour & sometimes a bit of a challenge too that we robustly debate ideas. After an open discussion, we are united in our efforts to cut poverty, not taxes. To re-elect President Higgins next month&a wave of new cllrs next summer #aNewRepublic BrendanHowlin (@BrendanHowlin) September 16, 2018 He suggested that party fortunes also depended on internal cohesion, without making direct reference to the leaderships belief that Mr Kellys supporters attempted to sow division over the summer. "The Labour Party has always had a strong tradition of internal democracy," he claimed, "and I made clear when I was elected, that mine would be an inclusive leadership. "But I will be listening carefully to what everyone here has to say." A plucky punter and staff member successfully fought off armed raiders at the Bar One Racing bookies in Glanmire in Cork yesterday. Footage of the raid which has been posted online shows three men in a bookies shop at around 6.30pm when a group of three armed and masked men burst in. Two of the raiders are carrying hammers and proceed to jump the counter, while a third man holding what appears to be a shotgun holds up the customers. However, while two of the customers willingly do not resist the robbery, an older gentleman decides to tackle the raiders. As the staff member is being attacked by the two men wielding hammers, the customer goes behind the counter where both he and the staff member tackle the raiders head on. The customer succeeds in chasing off two of the raiders, including the man with the shotgun. The staff member continues to grapple with the last remaining raider before the two runs out of the shop. The bravery of both the staff member and the punter meant that the raiders left empty-handed in a waiting black car. Bar One Racing confirmed the robbery occurred in the Glanmire shop but did not comment further on the matter. Gardai and detectives in the Mayfield district are now investigating the incident and are seeking the public's assistance in tracking down the three raiders. They are specifically looking for information or witness sightings of the three men suspects in the Riverstown, Glanmire area between 6pm and 7pm on Saturday. They are also seeking any mobile phone or dashcam footage and any witness sightings of suspicious activity by a black saloon vehicle (Audi A4 or VW Passat) in the area in the same period of Saturday evening. Anyone with any of the above information is asked to contact Mayfield Garda Station at 021-4558510 or the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666111. President Michael D Higgins is heading for a landslide re-election, according to a new poll. A Sunday Business Post/Red C poll on the presidential election released today puts the incumbent as the front-runner on 67% support. The opinion poll puts businessman Sean Gallagher in second place on 15% ahead of fellow Dragon's Den star Gavin Duffy on 6%. The as-yet-unnamed Sinn Fein candidate, set to be announced this afternoon, was chosen by 7% of the respondents, while Senator Joan Freeman comes fifth in the poll with 3% support. The poll was conducted over a seven-day period, starting on Thursday, September 6 and ending last Thursday. Brand new RedC/SBP #aras18 poll Michael D Higgins 67 Sean Gallagher 15 Sinn Fein candidate 7 Gavin Duffy 6 Joan Freeman 3 Peter Casey 1 Gemma O'Doherty 1 Hugh O'Connell (@oconnellhugh) September 16, 2018 In a separate Sunday Business Post/Red C poll which was completed ahead of the new Dail term, support for Fianna Fail was found to have dropped to its lowest support level in a year. The poll asked participants which party or independent they would give their vote to if a general election was held tomorrow. Just 22% picked Micheal Martin's party as their first choice which represents a three-point drop. Fine Gael are now on 33%, some 11 points clear of their nearest rivals, despite dropping one point in this poll. Sinn Fein are down two points in this survey to 14% while Labour remains rooted on 6%. Independents are up 4 points to 13%, with the Independent Alliance on 4%. The Social Democrats, Solidarity PBP and the Green Party have 2% support each with Renua on 1%. Digital Desk Chris Wood paid the price for a double bogey on the back nine as Wu Ashun held his nerve to win the KLM Open. Wood, who took a one-shot lead into the final round, was on course for a fourth European Tour title after opening up a three-stroke advantage in Holland. Flu-affected areas close schools for three days Schools will close for three days from Sunday in Kanchanrup and Hanumannagar Kankalani municipalities in Saptari district because of the outbreak of swine flu and Hong Kong flu, officials said on Saturday. The largest Australian shareholder in Apple remains bullish on the world's most valuable company - but is concerned it could be collateral damage in a trade war between the United States and China. Sydney-based global funds manager Magellan Financial Group holds Apple shares worth about $US2.4 billion ($3.4 billion), according to S&P Global Market Intelligence, ranking it among the company's top 40 institutional shareholders. Jony Ive, chief design officer for Apple, left, and Tim Cook, chief executive officer, view a new iPhone during Apple's annual product event. Credit:Bloomberg It used to hold even more. "We trimmed our Apple position in March, before the first announcement of tariffs on China by President Trump," says Magellan portfolio manager Chris Wheldon. Last week was a big one for Apple. Calvin Leung sells 500,000 cups of coffee a year in his six Plantation Coffee stores; that's a lot of fairly small payments. "Our main method of payment is digital, just tap and go through [payment provider] Square," he says. "Nobody really does savings or cheque any more. We do have the option for people to use it but they dont really. It's less cash handling and it is faster too, no change and no floats." Calvin Leung is the owner of Plantation Coffee. Leung's business has grown rapidly from five to 50 staff members and turnover is on track to go from $400,000 last year to $2 million this year thanks to a contract with Myer for Plantation Coffee sites inside Myers department stores around Melbourne. This growth has been accompanied by significant change in the way customers pay. When Leung opened his first cafe in Canberra more than 10 years ago, most people paid in cash, with fewer than 5 per cent paying by card. Accidental Death of an Anarchist Drama Theatre September 14 Karl Marx thought it was religion that stupefied us into obeisance. Writing 127 years later, Dario Fo astutely hit upon what had become the new mass opiate: scandal and this nearly half a century before Trump, fake news and social media! Imagine the Italian playwright's nods and winks at our own Royal Commissions into child sexual abuse and financial-sector outrages not to mention our infrastructure projects and politics. Bessie Holland, Julie Forsythe, Caroline Brazier and Susie Youssef in Accidental Death of an Anarchist. Credit:Daniel Boud Then again, however much red may stain the plush carpet of the Australian Prime Ministerial office, it is merely stage blood compared with the atrocities that characterised Italian politics in the 1960s, when the right wing looked back longingly on Mussolini, and the left looked forward to revolution. Rather than blowing up buildings, Fo opted to ridicule authority using satire, absurdism, farce and slapstick as weapons in a war to shake people out of their weary acceptance of corruption and oppression being inevitable norms. He wrote Accidental Death of an Anarchist in 1970, only months after an innocent anarchist had fallen to his death from the fourth floor of a Milan police station in which he was being interrogated for a bombing perpetrated by fascists. Francis Greenslade and Sarah Giles rejected the temptation to set their adaptation in our own scandal-prone time and place, preferring to keep the setting in the original Fellini-esque Italy, but with one crucial difference: Giles, also the director (for STC), cast females in the six male roles and has dressed them in drag. At a stroke this compounds the grotesqueness, inanity and comedy, making the production funnier than reading the text is, time having not been especially kind to Fo's brand of absurdism, which can sometimes seem merely silly compared with, say, Wilde or Stoppard's bristling wit. Fo doesn't write characters so much as mould puppets of the Punch and Judy variety, and so the more ham the actors can bring to the table the more entertaining are their performances, and this production suggests an entire piggery has been smoked. All the actors have found the epicentre of their puppet-character, yet one stands out: the consistently impressive Julie Forsythe playing the harassed, irascible, slightly loopy Inspector Bertozzo. Where the others use drag to send up male affectations and lampoon hubris, vulgarity and brutishness, Forsythe manages to make Bertozzo real and hilarious simultaneously; her body language heightened, yet disconcertingly authentic. That is to take nothing away from Amber McMahon's consistently entertaining turn as the Maniac, our protagonist, who swiftly turns the tables from being interrogated to making the dumb cops dance to whatever tune he calls. Caroline Brazier is the suave and marginally more intelligent superintendent, Bessie Holland the malevolent slob Inspector Pisani, Susie Youssef the bumbling constable and Annie Maynard the only non-puppet: a canny female journalist invading a patriarchal loony-bin. Jonathon Oxlade's set is another star of the show, cracking the code of the Drama Theatre's wide stage, while beautifully realising Fo's instructions regarding a window and Milanese skyline, and adding some delightful touches of his own, including a Sophia Loren poster. Turning a boys' school into a co-educational one involves more than building new bathrooms, as Tony Duncan, the head of the college formerly known as Marist Brothers, is finding out as he opens the school's gates to girls. There is a new, female-friendly uniform to design. New subjects in the curriculum, new sports offerings and some extra training for staff who have been working with lads for so long they're nervous about teaching lasses. Boys from Marist College North Sydney with girls from St Mary's Primary. The schools will combine to create a P-12, co-ed campus in 2021. Credit:Louise Kennerley Then of course there's the feelings of the boys, who might feel sidelined amid all the fuss over the new arrivals. "We want to make sure we don't lose sight of them," Mr Duncan said. This month, Marist College North Shore began taking enrolments of girls for Year 7, 2021. It's part of a complete overhaul of the school, which will combine with St Mary's Primary next door to become a pre-school to Year 12 campus. A 21-year-old male prisoner has been found dead in his cell at south-east Queensland's Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre. Prison staff found the man in his shared cell in the residential area at the Brisbane prison about 11.30pm on Saturday, according to Queensland Corrective Services. Officers tried to resuscitate the man and an ambulance was called but he could not be saved. QCS released a statement conveying their condolences to the prisoner's family and friends. The Queensland Police Service would prepare a report for the coroner. Thanks to our latest prime minister, the Cronulla Sharks are probably the best known of any NRL club in the country. But, as the Liberals have shown us (repeatedly), nothing lasts forever. With nearly $40 million heading its way courtesy of an 880-apartment development, management is turning its attention on how to make the most of the cash. Cronulla Sharks chairman Dino Mezzatesta is finalising an investment panel of five people to advise on where to put the money raised from the club's property development plans. Credit:Wolter Peeters CBD would blow the lot on peptides. But we hear, instead, that Sharks chairman Dino Mezzatesta is finalising plans for a five-person investment board to work out what to do as the money rolls in. At least one Macquarie banker is on the wish list, along with a number of other names drawn from the Martin Place end of the city. Police have accused a West Australian man of stealing a car with a sleeping toddler inside and ramming into the infant's father when he tried to stop the car driving off. The car which was stolen. Credit:WA Police About 15 minutes after the 27-year-old sped off from the Perth home, he pulled the car over, took the two-year-old boy out and left him on the street. The incident happened on September 1 and on Saturday WA Police arrested and charged the man with aggravated robbery, stealing and providing false details. He will appear at Perth Magistrates Court on Sunday. Kerryn Phelps, the first female head of the Australian Medical Association, will put civil rights and action on climate change at the forefront of her bid to claim the federal seat of Wentworth as an independent. Dr Phelps, a GP and Sydney City councillor, on Sunday joined other candidates including Dave Sharma, pre-selected by the Liberals in a marathon session early on Friday morning, and Labor's Tim Murray. Voters will go to the polls on October 20 in the waterside seat vacated Malcolm Turnbull after he resigned following his ouster as prime minister last month. Kerryn Phelps will challenge the Liberals hold on Wentworth at the October 20 by-election. Credit:AAP The people of Wentworth are crying out for an authentic voice who will stand up to the major parties and rise above the bitterness and backstabbing that has taken over Canberra," Dr Phelps said in a statement. Food output declines in Dadeldhura The total food production of Dadeldhura district has started to decline as the wild animals continue to destroy crops during harvesting time, according to the District Agricultural Office. Mangkhut, the Thai name for Southeast Asia's mangosteen fruit, skirted 100 kilometres south of Hong Kong and veered west towards the coast of Guangdong and the gaming centre of Macau. The typhoon killed at least two people in China after making landfall in southern Guangdong province on Sunday night, injuring more than 200 people in Hong Kong. Chinese state television reported that two people had died in Guangdong. Strong wind caused by Typhoon Mangkhut churns waves on the waterfront of Victoria Habour Hong Kong. Credit:AP Hong Kongs high rise skyline swayed under the force of Mangkhut, unnerving residents in the precipitously tall rocking buildings, as it swept through the island as a Signal 10, the highest possible typhoon warning level. Macau saw extensive flooding in the inner harbour area, and the islands famous casinos were shut, as electricity was cut for safety reasons. Videos shared on social media showed Hong Kong apartments with flooded basements, flooded sports stadiums and reams of office paper flying out into the air through punctured high-rise office windows. Scaffolding also came loose and crashed to the ground. In the mainland city of Shenzhen, the Meishawan Hotel was flooded as storm surge broke through the hotels glass doors. Women holding umbrellas walk by fallen tree branches caused by typhoon Mangkhut in Nanshan District in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province. Credit:AP Chinese media reported that more than 2.45 million people had been evacuated in mainland Guangdong province. Winds in Mangkhut had reached 162 km/hr. In Hong Kong, residents reported that buildings swayed and windows smashed as winds swept through. "It swayed for quite a long time, at least two hours. It made me feel so dizzy," said Elaine Wong, who lives in a high-rise tower in Kowloon. Water levels surged 3.5 metres in some places, and waves swamped roads and washed up live fish, flowing into some residential blocks and a mall in an eastern district. "It's the worst I've seen," resident Martin Wong said. "I've not seen the roads flood like this, the windows shake like this, before." The plans of tens of thousands of travellers were disrupted by flight cancellations at Hong Kong's international airport, a major regional hub. Airlines such as flagship carrier Cathay Pacific cancelled many flights last week. Philippine authorities said a baby and a toddler were among the dead, most killed in landslides in mountainous areas that left at least 13 missing. "The landslides happened as some residents returned to their homes after the typhoon," disaster response coordinator Francis Tolentino told DZMM Radio, adding that most of the 5.7 million people affected had made advance preparations. Typhoon Mangkhut belted Hong Kong with mammoth gales and rain as it moved along the coast of China's Guangdong province. Credit:Bloomberg "It was not so severe as we expected it to be because earlier it was noted it would also be strong," said President Rodrigo Duterte, following an aerial survey of some affected areas. The typhoon triggered floods and knocked out electricity in seven provinces in the Philippines, affecting more than 4 million people. In Macau, which halted casino gambling late on Saturday and put China's People's Liberation Army on standby for disaster relief help, some streets were flooded. "The suspension is for the safety of casino employees, visitors to the city, and residents," said authorities in the world's largest gambling hub, who faced criticism last year after a typhoon that killed nine and caused severe damage. China has ordered thousands of boats to return to harbour, and evacuated thousands of offshore oil platform workers, the state news agency, Xinhua, said. 'King of storms' The typhoon, dubbed the "King of Storms" by Chinese media, made landfall in Haiyan town at 5pm local time, packing winds of more than 160km/h, weather officials said. Ports, oil refineries and industrial plants in the area have been shut. Power to some areas were also reduced as a precaution. The storm has fuelled concern about sugar production in Guangdong, which accounts for a tenth of national output, at about 1 million tonnes. China sugar futures rose last week on fears for the cane crop. Guangdong is also China's most populous province, with a population of more than 100 million. Residents and relatives of miners in Itogon, in the northern Philippines, evacuate following landslides triggered by Typhoon Mangkhut. Credit:AP The airport in the boomtown of Shenzhen has been shut since midnight, and will be closed until 8am on Monday. Flights have been cancelled in Guangzhou and the neighbouring island province of Hainan. Moscow: Petr Verzilov, a prominent member of Russian punk band Pussy Riot, reportedly arrived in Berlin late on Saturday to continue medical treatment after a suspected poisoning. He arrived on a special air ambulance flight at Berlin Schoenefeld Airport, the tabloid Bild reported. Verzilov's partner, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, also posted a video on Twitter that appeared to show their arrival. Government critic Verzilov was taken to hospital in Moscow on Tuesday with impairments to his sight, speech and movement. It is believed that he ingested a powerful medication that suppresses the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. As the death toll from Florence grew and hundreds of people were pulled from flooded homes, North Carolina braced for catastrophic, widespread river flooding that could be the next stage of a mounting disaster. Weakened to a tropical depression early Sunday after blowing ashore as a hurricane with 145km/h winds, Florence was still spinning slowly atop the Carolinas as it pulled warm water from the ocean and hurled it onshore. The storm's death toll climbed to 14 as authorities said two people died from inhaling carbon monoxide from a generator in their South Carolina home and another died when a truck lost control on a flooded road. About 740,000 homes and businesses remained without power in the Carolinas, and utilities said some could be out for weeks. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Japanese automaker Honda can "very quickly" bring electric vehicles to India if there is enough market demand to sustain business, but multiple technologies must be considered for future mobility, according to a senior company official. The company, which is present in India through a wholly-owned subsidiary, sells eight models here. It is also working on a strategy to bring EVs into the Indian market. "As far as EVs are concerned, for some reason the impression is that we do not support such technology. It is wrong. We have EV technology and we can bring it very very quickly here," Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) Senior VP and Director (Sales and Marketing) Rajesh Goel told The company is looking at an EV strategy and it should be ready in time to get an EV here as and when the market demands, he added. Goel, however, said in a country like India it could be useful to look at various kinds of technologies, including hybrids, which help in cutting emissions and reducing air pollution. "The only thing we say is that as a step towards full battery EV...it could be a useful idea to look at multiplicity of technologies," Goel said. He added that for Honda bringing EV technology is not an issue as it already sells such vehicles across the globe. "To bring technology is not an issue but the decision will be made by the customer. Some may buy an EV for novelty value but one who wants to use it on a daily basis would look at many things to fall in place," Goel said. Mooting a road map with multiple technologies, he said: "As things progress and looking as how the energy mix progresses, one could look at phasing out hybrids and then moving to battery EVs." ALSO READ: Honda Cars India to step up auto parts export to counter falling rupee With an aim to cut and reduce pollution, the government has been pushing for electric vehicles along with biofuels, ethanol and methanol fuels. There has been demand from the auto industry to consider hybrids as a bridge between internal combustion engine and fully electric vehicles. Commenting on the company's road map in terms of sales network, Goel said Honda is looking to expand its sales network in smaller towns as it expects robust demand for its mass market products to come from these locations going ahead. HCIL sells its products from 353 touch points across the country. "We intend to increase that by especially focussing on tier 3 markets. That is where we believe demand for our products like Amaze will come from," Goel said. The company is in the process of identifying locations currently, he added. Goel said majority of the company's sales come from tier 1 cities but with products like Amaze, it would like to appeal to customers in tier 2,3 towns as well. Foreign degrees, domestic colleges Nepali students continue to leave the country in droves to pursue higher education abroad. Government records show that 60,000 such students left the country last fiscal year, nearly double the number from the previous 2015-16 fiscal year. As more and more students and their parents have come to realise the value of a quality education, one that might not be so readily available in Nepal, the number of young Nepalis leaving the country in pursuit of a university education has duly increased. has sacked the employee, who had been accused by a former employee of harassing and discriminating against him on grounds of sexual orientation, according to a tweet by the IT major. "@gauravpramanik, arising out of an investigation carried out in the matter, the concerned employee has been separated from the employment of the company with immediate effect," said in a tweet late Saturday. It further added that the company believes in diversity and inclusion, and condemns "discrimination of any kind in the workplace". This tweet was re-tweeted more than 400 times and liked over 900 times. As promised, I wrote an email to my then boss at a Mahindra company I used to work with. She was a bigot and I suffered in her hands, I hence called her out. pic.twitter.com/4uHev8MY7G GauravProbirPramanik (@gauravpramanik) September 9, 2018 Pramanik, in a statement, said: "The path to my vindication hasn't been easy over the past week. I have been abused, threatened, maligned and my character been questioned. But I knew it would have been this way all this while, and I was prepared for it to rain on me...However, I hadn't realised how mentally exhausting all of this was. Thank you to all who have supported me steadfastly". He added that he would like to know the steps that policy makers at are taking to ensure that such incidents don't occur in the future. "How are you, as an organisation going to put in place stricter and more stringent policies to keep a check on discrimination against sexual and religious minorities. How are you going forward with sensitising your employees about gender sensitivity? I would love to hear from their HR team in this regard," he said. Last week, Tech Mahindra had said it would conduct a thorough probe after a former employee, just days after the Supreme Court decriminalising homosexuality, alleged harassment and discrimination by his then team manager in 2015. In a recent mail written to his previous manager after the SC's landmark order, Gaurav Probir Pramanik had cited a 2015 incident where the manager concerned, during an address in a training room, had allegedly made "sweeping generalisation and stereotyping of someone's sexuality". ALSO READ: Tech Mahindra partners with Avaamo to develop conversational AI platform Pramanik accused the manager of making "mocking judgements" on how his purported "effeminate" nature had affected his work. He also alleged that the manager made "a mockery out of a religious minority and a sexual minority" despite being a leader at a company that prides itself for inclusion and diversity. In his mail, Pramanik said that he had "promised" to write to the manager "the day IPC was scrapped and being a homosexual in a country as great as India was legal". On September 6, the apex court in a historic ruling had said that consensual gay sex is not a crime, while striking down a British era law that it said violates the right to equality. Tech Mahindra had faced online criticism after the former employee went public with the charges against his former team leader. Chairman said the company is investigating the matter and "will ascertain the facts and see that the outcome is fair and just". He had also assured that the group celebrates diversity at workplace and "fairness and dignity" of an individual are enshrined in core value of the company. India will not lower its guard along the Line of Actual Control with China while maintaining border peace in sync with the "Wuhan" spirit, has said. Nearly a month after talks with her Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe, Sitharaman said both sides recognised that the broad decisions arrived at the informal summit between Prime Minister and Chinese President in Wuhan should govern management of the border. "Absolutely", she told PTI when asked whether India is still on guard and not lowering it despite the Wuhan sprit. At the in April, Modi and Xi resolved to open a new chapter in ties, and directed their militaries to boost coordination along the nearly 3,500 km Sino-India border, months after the most serious military faceoff in decades between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in Doklaatriggered fears of an war. Asked whether the decision of Modi and Xi at the summit to issue strategic guidelines to their militaries to maintain peace along the border is working, she said, "I want to believe it is working." At the same time, she added that as of the country she was conscious of the fact that she will have to keep the border guards alert. "Then I would also be, as Raksha Mantri, I would also be conscious that I have to keep (them) alert...Wuhan spirit, yes," she told PTI during an interaction. When asked if Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat's comments earlier in the year that the time has come for India to shift focus to its northern border from the western frontier, she said, "I cannot afford to say, at the cost of one border, I will be more alert, more ready in another. A border is a border. I have to be conscious of both my borders." "I will also have be conscious of my sea. It is less talked about," she said. Last month Sitharaman and Wei held extensive talks here during which they decided to work towards firming up a new bilateral pact on defence cooperation and agreed to increase interactions between their militaries at various levels to avoid Doklam-like standoffs. "It is this (Wuhan) spirit, which both the Chinese and we recognise, will have to govern our borders. The Chinese minister referred to the Wuhan spirit more than twice and said we expect the spirit to be governing everything which happens to the last company which comes to the border," Sitharaman said. The also referred to Modi's speech at Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in June, saying his views about the region was even welcomed by China. In his address at the premier defence and strategic affairs conference, Modi said Asia and the world will have a better future when India and China work together with trust and confidence while being sensitive to each other's interests. Talking about the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Sitharaman said as it is not completely demarcated, there are differing perceptions about it by both sides. "There are several areas where the border is not completely defined and demarcated. As a result, the perception of where the border is one thing for us and completely different for them. So they come to a point where we think they should not be coming and we go to a point where they think we should not be going. So periodically this becomes a cause for the flare-up," she said. There will probably never be a real closure there are too many loose ends to the case that rocked India in the mid-1990s. It began with the arrest of a Maldivian woman, Mariam Rashida, in October 1994, on the charges of overstaying her visa that led to the surprise arrests of Narayanan, the director of the cryogenic project lab of the Indian ... Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor A total of 1,05,299 duplicate/fake voters appeared in Jaipurs electoral rolls and all these have been deleted, said district collector Siddharth Mahajan on Saturday. had recently complained to the Commission demanding a probe into duplicate voters. The state department identified the duplicate names with the help of a software, sources said. The software once installed starts recognising faces and names which are similar. It identifies 20 such people in a group which was highlighted in the list. After reviewing its status, these were removed from electoral list, souces said. The process of identifying duplicate voters will continue till September 20 and the right figure will be known after the process is over, said official sources. Meanwhile, the duplicate/fake voter figure is 24,197 in Ajmer, 24,053 in Alwar, 32,886 in Banswara, 13,211 in Bara and 128 in Barmer. These names have also been deleted, said sources. Mahajan informed that names of 1,05,299 names have been removed from voters list in 19 assembly constituencies in Jaipur while the process is on to resolve the objections received in the matter. Meanwhile, Chief Commissioner and Election Commissioners, and Ashok Lawasa, are making a two-day tour to on September 17-18 to monitor the preparations in the state for the forthcoming Assembly elections, said chief electoral officer Assembly polls in the state are due later this year. US trade representative for south and central Asian affairs, Mark Linscott, was set to visit India, with an aim to dissuade New Delhi from implementing the tariff hike of 29 US agro products, which has been in the works from June. The move comes after New Delhi got a cold shoulder from Washington DC on its request for exempting India from higher tariffs announced by the US on steel and aluminium ... Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor Fresh protests erupt in Mahendranagar After three days of peace in Mahendranagar, following the curfew imposed by local authority, fresh protests erupted on Saturday demanding justice for Nirmala Panta. The Left Unity has established a significant lead over the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on all four positions in the Student's Union (JNUSU). After counting of 4,136 votes, the Left Unity is leading with 439 votes in the presidential election, with in the second position with 171. The Left Unity is also leading in the election for the Vice President (543) and General Secretary (479), while are trailing with 183 (VP) and 204 (GS) votes each, receptively. For the position of Joint Secretary, the Left is ahead with 419 votes while the is trailing with 243 votes. The counting of the votes, which began on Saturday, came to a standstill for a brief period after ABVP members allegedly attacked the School of International Studies building where the ballot boxes were stored, breaking the glasses of the building. The JNU Election Commission (EC) had demanded an unconditional apology from the ABVP as several EC members got injured in the attack. Results are expected to be announced shortly. The number of people killed by as it tore a path of destruction through the Philippines has risen to 25, authorities said Sunday. "As we speak... there are 25 dead," Francis Tolentino, the government's lead disaster co-odinator, told AFP as reports began to emerge from regions cut off by the typhoon. Super the biggest storm of the year smashed through the Philippines on Saturday. Mangkhut tore through the northern part of Luzon island, where it made landfall in the pre-dawn darkness, ripping off roofs, felling trees and knocking out power. The area is home to around 10 million people, many of whom live in flimsy wooden shelters. As the powerful storm left the Southeast Asian archipelago and barrelled towards densely populated Hong Kong and southern China, search teams in the Philippines began surveying the provinces that suffered a direct hit. "We believe there has been a lot of damage," said Social Welfare Secretary Virginia Orogo as thousands of evacuees took refuge in emergency shelters. Mangkhut was packing sustained winds of 170 kilometres (105 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 260 km per hour as it left the Philippines. ALSO READ: Typhoon Mangkhut lashes Phillippines, leaving 12 dead; China on alert An average of 20 typhoons and storms lash the Philippines each year, killing hundreds of people and leaving millions in near-perpetual poverty. Thousands of people fled their homes in high-risk areas ahead of the storm's arrival because of major flooding and landslide risks. A man walks as high waves hit the shore at Heng Fa Chuen, a residental district near the waterfront, as slams Hong Kong, China Photo: Reuters In Taiwan, a woman was swept away by high waves caused by the typhoon, the government said. Residents had started lashing down their roofs and gathering supplies days before the arrival of the storm. "Among all the typhoons this year, this one (Mangkhut) is the strongest," Japan Meteorological Agency forecaster Hiroshi Ishihara told AFP on Friday. "This is a violent typhoon. It has the strongest sustained wind (among the typhoons of this year)." "They (authorities) said this typhoon is twice as strong as the last typhoon, that's why we are terrified," Myrna Parallag, 53, told AFP after fleeing her home in the northern Philippines. "We learned our lesson last time. The water reached our roof," she said, referring to when her family rode out a typhoon at home in 2016. The country's deadliest on record is Super Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,350 people dead or missing across the central Philippines in November 2013. Poor communities reliant on fishing are some of the most vulnerable to fierce typhoon winds and the storm surges that pound the coast. ALSO READ: Super Typhoon Mangkhut threatens to hit Asia with $120 bn in damages "The rains will be strong and the winds are no joke... We may have a storm surge that could reach four storeys high," Michael Conag, a spokesman for local civil defence authorities, told AFP. As the storm heads for China's southern coast, Cathay Pacific airline said it expects more than 400 flight cancellations over the next three days. The Hong Kong government said Mangkhut will pose "a severe threat to the region" as many residents in the city and neighbouring Macau stocked up on food and supplies. The president of neighbouring Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, pushed citizens to be ready. "The typhoon is powerful and even it's not expected to make a landfall in Taiwan, we should be well prepared and not... take it lightly," she wrote on Facebook. Three people lost their lives after allegedly inhaling chemical fumes at a pickle factory in Daulat Nagar, Ghaziabad on Sunday morning. Sadar, Sub Divisional Magistrate confirmed the incident and told ANI that the factory was being run by a person and his son illegally. "There was a tank-like space where they used to process vegetables in chemicals to make pickles. When the father-son duo and a labourer visited the factory, they fell into the tank after suffocation due to the leaked chemicals," said the Sub Divisional Magistrate (Sadar)," he added. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem to a mortuary in Mohan Nagar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Trishakti Corps of the Indian Army and Indian Air Force jointly conducted a rescue operation for tourists stuck in North Sikkim on Sunday. A number of tourists were stuck in North Sikkim after heavy rainfall led to multiple landslides and, roads and bridges being washed away. The area has been experiencing incessant rains since the past three days. The Army sent helicopters of Army aviation and Air Force as soon as they received a request from the civil administration for evacuation of the tourists. The tourists were airlifted and some of them were provided with medical aid before being airlifted. The helicopters made several sorties from Gangtok and Sevok and evacuated around 100 people, including a pregnant woman along with her husband. As a precautionary measure, the Army also made arrangements for blankets, tentages, and food for the stranded tourists. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee has appealed Goa Governor Mridula Sinha to give the Congress party an opportunity to form a stable government in the state. In a statement issued by the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar, the party claimed, "The Congress has never hesitated to play the role of a constructive and effective opposition, but we will not hesitate to come forward and take responsibility to form a government. We have already cautioned Honourable Governor Her Excellency Dr Mridula Sinha about a possible ploy by the BJP to fraudulently impose President's Rule in Goa, through the back door." It added, "We urge her (Governor Sinha) once again, that the Congress should be given an opportunity to form a stable government in Goa, in view of the prevailing political chaos in the state." Meanwhile, the Congress has also criticised Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who was being rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi on Saturday, for not handing over the charge of the administration to any of his cabinet colleagues. Chodankar said in the statement, "The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee is keenly watching the political developments unfolding in Goa while Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is being rushed to AIIMS in Delhi for treatment." The Congress further claimed that the greed for power of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies stands exposed. "We would also like to remind the people of Goa, that their well-being is the last thing on the minds of the ruling political parties who are unleashing the ugly game of power and clamouring for their benefit. The greed for power of the BJP and its allies is exposed to the fact that they can't even give charge to a trusted lieutenant in the absence of CM," the statement reads. The Congress also accused the BJP of creating a mess in Goa over last 16 months. The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee said, "While we sympathise with the Chief Minister as far as his health is concerned, his act of snatching away the mandate given to the Congress in the 2017 assembly elections and his total mismanagement of all major issues in Goa, including mining, formalin, food adulteration, pollution, CRZ, TCP, Casino, unemployment etc had already driven Goa to the edge." "No one in Goa is Happy, BJP is not happy, Allies are not Happy, the people of Goa are unhappy, bureaucrats and Govt officers are unhappy, even CM and ministers are unhappy. This happens when you don't respect people's mandate. BJP and its allies should take up the responsibility for this mess created in Goa over the last 16 months," it added. The committee further asserted, 'This current confusion of epic proportions, which we are witnessing is only going to hurt the prospects of the state further, especially when the Bharatiya Janata Party, does not even have a second-in-command to succeed Parrikar in his absence. The very fact that a second-in-command was never allowed to be groomed by the BJP, shows how selfish interests have sacrificed the interest of the party and the state of Goa." Parrikar underwent treatment at a US hospital earlier this year. He went back to the country again on August 10 for a follow-up and returned on August 22, but he was later admitted to a private hospital in Mumbai the next day due to health complications. He once again left for the US on August 29 midnight and later returned to India. On September 15, Manohar Parrikar, who is suffering from a pancreatic ailment, reached the AIIMS for further treatment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, who is on a three-nation visit, paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi here on Sunday. "No better way to start a day than receiving blessings of Bapu! Vice President @MVenkaiahNaidu paid a floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi's bust in Belgrade," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. Naidu also laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Mt. Avala in Serbia and paid his respects. "To those who sacrificed on altar of freedom! Vice President @MVenkaiahNaidu laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier at Mt.Avala in Serbia and paid his respects. @IndiaInSerbia" Kumar tweeted. On Saturday, Naidu called for more exchange of business delegation to boost trade ties between India and Serbia. Addressing the Special Session of the National Assembly of Serbia, the Vice President talked about bilateral ties between the two countries, parliamentary democratic systems, shared history, bilateral trade, global terrorism among other things. Upon the completion of engagements in Belgrade, Naidu will proceed to Malta, where he will hold talks with President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Parliament of Malta Dr. Angelo Farrugia and Evarist Bartolo, the acting Prime Minister of Malta. The Vice President will also address the business representatives of India and Malta at a Business Forum and the Indian community during the visit. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to be suffering from "selective amnesia". The remark came after BJP President Amit Shah accused Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao of creating additional expenses by seeking an advancement of polls and dissolving the state assembly. Speaking to ANI, Owaisi said: "Not even a single communal riot has taken place in Telangana in the last four years. How can they (BJP) forget 2002, when Narendra Modi as Chief Minister of Gujarat dissolved the state assembly? They seem to be suffering from selective amnesia, but we will not forget it. There is peace and growth in Telangana now. If KCR dissolved the Telangana assembly nine months before elections, then it is a bold decision. Why are you (BJP) afraid of it?" Continuing his tirade against Shah, Owaisi asked: "If you are so much worried about taxpayers' money, then how come there's a photo with Nirav Modi in Switzerland? Who called Mehul (Choksi) as Mehul bhai? Who said about the meeting before going to London? Wasn't it taxpayers' money?" The AIMIM Chief asserted that the BJP was scared of contesting polls in Telangana, adding that the party "won't be able to spare its five seats." "They will even lose their Secunderabad Parliament seat. There is an atmosphere of peace and love in Telangana, and it will continue to be the same. We will contest elections against the TRS, but we are also saying that KCR will become the next Chief Minister of Telangana. Who is the face of BJP (as Chief Minister of Telangana)? The people of Telangana are not ready to accept even a single face of their (BJP) party," Owaisi noted. Telangana was scheduled to go to polls in June 2019, however, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) decided to go for early polls and dissolved the state assembly earlier this month, necessitating the constitution of a new government. Although KCR called for an advancement in elections, the Chief Election Commissioner asserted that the polling dates will be decided based on a report filed by the Telangana State Chief Electoral Officer. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Government hikes recruiting agencies guarantee money The government has increased the guarantee money to operate a recruiting agency to Rs 60 million, a 20-fold increase in the existing amount. Telangana's Chief Electoral Officer, Rajat Kumar on Sunday rejected the Congress' claim that there are around 70 lakh discrepancies in the state's voter list saying that the number was much higher than their analysis indicated. Speaking to ANI, Kumar said, "The figure of 70 lakh being reported is much higher than the number shown by our analysis." Kumar further stated that if the details are provided to them by any political party, they will be thoroughly examined. "Period of filing claims and objections is available up to September 25. If the details are provided to us by any political party, they will be thoroughly examined and addressed," he added. On Sunday, the Congress alleged that there are discrepancies in the Telangana voter list and sought the intervention of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the "strongest possible manner." Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said that there are at least 30.13 lakh duplicate voters in the state, while names of nearly 20 lakh voters have been deleted from the electoral rolls between 2014 and 2018 on the pretext that they have left for Andhra Pradesh. He also mentioned that as many as 18 lakh voters have been found in the electoral rolls of both the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. "The problem of duplicates, deleted votes and disqualified voters is far more acute in Telangana than could have been imagined. Close to 70 lakh voters are found to be falling in these three categories," Singhvi said. The elections for the Telangana Assembly were originally due to be held in June next year, however, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao dissolved the state assembly and decided to go for early polls earlier this month. The new election schedule is yet to be announced. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Congress on Sunday alleged that there are discrepancies in the Telangana voter list and sought the intervention of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the "strongest possible manner". Addressing the media, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said, "The problem of duplicates, deleted votes and disqualified voters is far more acute in Telangana than could have been imagined." He claimed that there are at least 30.13 lakh duplicate voters in the state, while names of nearly 20 lakh voters have been deleted from the electoral rolls between 2014 and 2018 on the pretext that they have left for Andhra Pradesh. The Congress leader also alleged that names of around 18 lakh voters are found in the electoral rolls of both the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Seeking the intervention of the ECI in the matter, Singhvi said, "The Election Commission which is charged under Article 324 of the Constitution with ensuring the sanctity of voter rolls, cannot choose to be a silent spectator on this grave issue." The party also demanded a thorough process of "verification and sanitisation of these voter rolls" before the announcement of elections. "Any election held on the basis of these deeply and deliberately flawed and inaccurate voter lists would undermine the entire process and would lead to a distorted mandate. It will not only further deepen the doubts of the common electorate in the electoral process owing to such glaring anomalies, but will further erode the faith that the people of this country need to have in the institution of Election Commission," Singhvi stressed. He further said that Congress demands that the "ECI should go all out to restore the dwindling faith by proactively attending to concerns of all the stakeholders in any election". "Failing which like many other institutions, another institution of impeccable integrity would lose its credibility permanently under the decidedly and designedly subversion being undertaken in this dark Modi Era," he added. Singhvi also attacked Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao and termed the dissolution of the state assembly a "travesty". "By dissolving the Assembly early, (Chief Minister) K Chandrasekhara Rao has interfered with the process whereby these discrepancies and inaccuracies would have been corrected. After publishing the revised electoral roll on September 10, 2018 the public and other political parties have been given a mere four weeks to identify and highlight these issues (by October 8, 2018)," he added. Though the election for the Telangana assembly would have been held in June next year, Rao decided to go for early polls and dissolved the state assembly earlier this month, necessitating the constitution of a new government. The ECI is yet to announce the poll schedule. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and Ram Janambhoomi Nyas president Ram Vilas Vedanti on Sunday claimed that the construction of Ram temple will begin before the 2019 general elections. "BJP has resolved to build the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The construction of Ram Mandir will begin before the election of 2019 takes place," Vedanti told reporters here. As per reports, BJP president Amit Shah while addressing a rally in Hyderabad in July, apparently said that the Ram temple would be built before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The party later, however, denied of Shah having said so. On June 25, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had said that the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya would be done "when Lord Ram will shower his blessings on Ayodhya". The Babri Masjid, built by Mughal emperor Babur in Ayodhya in 1528, was, on December 6, 1992, razed to the ground allegedly by Hindu activists, claiming that the mosque was constructed after demolishing a Ram temple that originally stood there. The case is in the Supreme Court now. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The mother of the victim of alleged gangrape case of Rewari has claimed that she was offered Rs 2 lakh compensation cheque from the government. However, she has refused to accept it and demanded justice for her daughter. The cheque given to the victim's family is claimed to have been signed by "Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Secretary District Legal Services Authority Narnaul." "A cheque of Rs 2 lakh has been given to the father of a girl who was gang-raped. This has been offered to us while no accused has been arrested yet. Few people from the government came to us and gave this cheque to my husband. She (the victim) is already in depression and now they are giving her money. Instead of doing justice, they have given us cheque. We were hopeful that we will get justice. We want justice, not your cheque. I am giving this back," the victim's mother told media here. She further alleged that the doctors in the hospital are "not allowing" her to meet her daughter. A 19-year-old woman was abducted and gang-raped after being drugged on Wednesday in Haryana's Narnaul area. In the FIR registered at Kanina, police have identified three accused, Pankaj, Manish and Nishu, whose pictures they released late on Saturday. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Fifteenth Finance Commission is slated to visit Maharashtra from September 17 to 19, during which they will focus on issues related to urbanisation and intra-state disparity. Ahead of the visit, the Commission reviewed various aspects of finances and issues related to socio-economic spheres from the Accountant General of Maharashtra. It had also held a consultation meeting with economists in Pune in the month of August to understand the issues in the region. Even though the state contributes around 15 per cent to India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), problems like faltering trend growth in revenue receipts and tax revenue, lack of implementation of the 4th and 5th State Finance Commission (SFC) recommendations, sharp socio-economical disparities across districts and farmer suicides mar the state. The Commission which is led by Chairman N.K.Singh, comprises Shaktikanta Das, Anoop Singh, Ashok Lahiri, Ramesh Chand and Secretary Arvind Mehta, along with other officials. The Commission will hold meetings with the Chief Minister and other officials in Mumbai. Meetings will also be held with leaders of various political parties, representatives from trade and industry sector, urban local bodies and Panchayati Raj institutions to understand the issues concerning the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The death toll in Hurricane Florence, that struck North Carolina on Friday rose to eight. The eight people, who died in the calamity, also include a mother and her child. CNN quoted the sheriff's office, as saying, that two persons died in Duplin County, North Carolina due to flash flooding. The storm, that has already battered both North Carolina and South Carolina states, has already left nearly one million people without electricity. With reduced winds, causing Florence to be downgraded as a tropical storm, the hurricane has left a trail of destruction in the Carolinas, flattening hundreds of trees and houses and torrential rains, leading to the swelling of rivers, and triggering massive flooding. Forecast of heavy downpour is expected in both South and North Carolina in the next few days, according to officials. A state of emergency has been already declared in the Carolinas, Georgia and Virginia. Rescue and relief operations swiftly began as the storm made landfall, braving the obstacles and heavy rains. Although, scores of pumps have been installed to flush out excess water, officials have requested citizens to move out to safer places. Around 9,700 National Guard soldiers and civilians have been deployed with high-water vehicles, helicopters and boats to help stranded people. The White House said that President Donald Trump approved a disaster declaration for North Carolina, ordering federal aid in the regions affected by Hurricane Florence. Trump is expected to visit the areas once the storm weakens and the conditions improve thereafter. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After the historic verdict by the Supreme Court to scrap Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that criminalised homosexuality, India has become the first-ever country to have a gender-neutral hostel. Yes! You read it right. The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai's Deonar has become the first campus in India to have a gender-neutral hostel. This comes after the efforts by Queer Collective, an informal student body advocating a safe space for LGBTQ+ students. Speaking to ANI, Akunth, Cultural Secretary on TISS student Union and a resident of gender-neutral hostel space expressed his happiness for having a gender-neutral hostel and voiced his hope that other hostels would follow the move too and become the gender-neutral space. He also hoped that the move can bring about a great social change. Akunth, a first-year student of TISS said, "It's just like any other hostel. It is a place for everyone but without the dysphoria of being segregated along the lines of gender. It is a liberal space." Akunth added that the gender-neutral washrooms are now also available in the campus. At least 17 so far students have moved into the ground floor of the girls' hostel which has been marked as a gender-neutral space. The floor has 10 twin-seater rooms that will host transgender, or gender non-conforming students. The decision was taken after the Supreme Court's historic verdict to scrap Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that criminalised homosexuality in India. The order was passed on September 6. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday hailed the contributions of the Indian diaspora, saying that they have made a mark all over the globe. While addressing members of the Indian community here, Vice President Naidu said, "Wherever the Indian community has gone in the world, they have prospered, integrated well with societies and also brought name and fame to their motherland India. Share and care is the core of Indian philosophy. The entire is one family. I am proud that the Indian diaspora is contributing to socio-economic development in Malta." Vice President Naidu also informed that the government is taking several steps to connect with the Indian communities all over the such as the introduction of the e-visa scheme, Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards for Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and foreign citizens residing in India. Calling on the Indian community to not forget their country, the Vice President elucidated, "By availing such schemes, you will strengthen the bonds of your country of origin and the country of your ancestors. Always remember your motherland. Respect the laws here. But do not forget your roots. A resurgent India will always be with you. Never forget the motherland that has given you a great upbringing." He further stated that the Indian community should feel proud of its cultural heritage, adding, "We never attacked other countries. We never believed in a colonial rule. We want to live in communal harmony. Geographical boundaries do not bind us. The Indian community enjoys the reputation of peace lovers." Stressing on India's development story, Vice President Naidu said that the country is in a cusp of transformative movement and that the entire is looking to India, as it continues to make great strides. Reiterating Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for "Reform, Transform and Perform", the Vice President added, "The Prime Minister is making everyone feel that they are a part of the developing story. We have taken so many steps like digitalisation of economy, financial inclusion, tax reforms like Goods and Services Tax (GST). Also, more than 326 million people have opened their bank accounts in the last four years." Vice President Naidu underscored that the GST is to bring a revolutionary transformation in the taxation system. He added that the Serbian president had enquired him on its progress and also asked his ministers to study and propose GST in the country. The Vice President further informed the Indian community that the government has taken some serious efforts to unearth black money, which will eventually improve economy and image of the nation. He continued, "We have jumped 30 places in Ease of Doing Business rankings. Earlier, there was red tape, and now it is a red carpet. We are inviting all to invest in the country. All of them irrespective of those from different political parties, Chief Ministers are attending global summits, investors meet. This is because, they want investment." Vice President Naidu also said that the country has witnessed a massive infrastructural development in the country such as improved roads, rail, air and port connectivities, telecommunications network and extensive health care system. The Vice President added that Prime Minister Modi's Ayushmaan Bharat programme aims to cover 100 million families. He stressed that yoga and Ayurveda are becoming increasingly popular all over the world. Vice President Naidu further said, "Many other programmes like Smart Cities, AMRUT cities, housing for all, Skill India, Startup India, Digital India and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan have been undertaken by our government. People from Africas and Americas are coming to India for treatment, making our country a health destination. Every city in India wants to have metro. Lots of activities and changes are happening now. India is now a land of opportunities for those who want to connect, innovate, trade and invest. India is the best destination." Underscoring the importance of Indian community in strengthening ties between India and Malta, the Vice President further stated, "Take the message of Indian art, culture, ethos and tradition. The size of Malta is equal to my town. India is a huge country of 130 million. Size is not important, growth is more important. Despite being a small nation, Malta has experienced a good growth. India and Malta can have a long-term relationship. I hope that you all make efforts in making Malta and India grow together and make a prosperous future." Vice President Naidu invited the Indian community in Malta to visit the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in New Delhi. He went on to say that the High Commission in Malta, which opened last year, is a step to connect with the Indian diaspora. After completing his engagements in Siberia, Vice President Naidu arrived in Malta on Sunday, where he will hold discussions with the Maltese leadership on Monday. He is also scheduled to participate in the India-Malta Business Forum meeting. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) United States President Donald Trump is reportedly mulling to axe Secretary of Defence James Mattis after the midterm elections in November this year. White House aides told The New York Times that the US President is pondering whether to appoint someone heading the Pentagon in order to be a vocal supporter of the former's policies. According to two aides, Trump wants Mattis to be more like Secretary of State Pompeo, who is a political supporter of the US president. Both Mattis and Trump are reportedly at loggerheads over a number of issues such as banning transgenders to serve in the military, resumption of military exercises with South Korea, Washington's exit from the Iran nuclear deal and US' stand on NATO policy. In May, Trump appointed Mira Ricardel as his deputy national security advisor, wherein the latter has had past disagreements with Mattis. Trump reportedly took exception to an excerpt mentioned in veteran journalist Bob Woodward's book, wherein Mattis likened Trump's intellect to that of a "fifth or sixth grader." However, Mattis has dismissed such claims, calling it as "fictitious." Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island was quoted by The New York Times as saying, "Secretary Mattis is probably one of the most qualified individuals to hold that job."He added that Mattis's Pentagon exit would "create a disruption in an area where there has been competence and continuity." Mattis aides also clarified that it is highly unlikely that the Secretary of Defence would abandon his apolitical view in leading the Department of Defence. In March, Trump removed Rex Tillerson as the Secretary of State and appointed Pompeo to the new post. Later, the US president revealed that the two had disagreed on issues such as dealing with North Korea and Iran nuclear deal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Syrian state media has said that Israeli missiles targetted the Damascus International Airport on Saturday, with the Syrian military launching projectiles in retaliation. "Our air defence systems thwarted an Israeli missile aggression, shooting down a number of enemy missiles," SANA news agency quoted a military source as saying, citing The Jerusalem Post. According to local media reports, several missiles from the Israeli side destroyed an Iranian military weapons depot that consisted of newly-arrived arms. In the past few months, Israel has been largely involved in the seven-year-long civil war in Syria and has voiced its concerns over growing presence of Iran on its border and illegal smuggling of advanced weapons to Hezbollah terror group from Iran to Syria. The Israeli government has given a stern warning to Tehran that it cannot use Syria as an operating base and cannot be used as a transit to smuggle sophisticated weaponry. Although Israel rarely remarks on foreign reports of military activity in the war-torn country, it had last month announced that over 200 airstrikes against Iranian targets were carried by its forces in Syria and fired more than 800 missiles and mortar shells in the last one and a half years. Last month, new satellite images showed the establishment a new Iranian surface-to-surface missile factory in an area in northwestern Syria, which might house weapons, and having the capacity of striking Israel, according to ImageSat International (ISI), as per the report of The Jerusalem Post. Damascus alleged that Israeli forces had carried out an attack on a Syrian army base near Aleppo. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), 22 Syrian troops were said to be killed in the incident. Syria also claims that Israel supports the terrorist groups since the civil war broke out in the war-torn country in 2011. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) House endorses revised press-friendly Privacy Bill The House of Representatives on Saturday endorsed the bill on Protection of Individuals Right to Privacy, revising the provisions that were feared to restrict the free press. The bill also ensures that the details of public figures will no longer be kept secret. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched PSLV C-42 into orbit carrying two international satellites- Nova SAR and S1-4 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on Sunday evening. The two earth observation satellites have been developed by Surrey Satellite Technologies Limited (SSTL), the United Kingdom under commercial arrangement with Antrix Corporation Limited, Department of Space. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the space scientists for the successful launch and tweeted, "Congratulations to our space scientists! ISRO successfully launched PSLV C42, putting two UK satellites in orbit, demonstrating India's prowess in the competitive space business." Both the British satellites that weigh around 889 kgs, were launched into a 583 km Sun Synchronous Orbit. NovaSAR is a S-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite intended for forest mapping, land use & ice cover monitoring, flood & disaster monitoring. S1-4 is a high resolution Optical Earth Observation Satellite, used for surveying resources, environment monitoring, urban management and for the disaster monitoring. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Jammu and Kashmir Shaleen Kabra on Sunday announced that Panchayat elections in the state would be held in nine phases, from November 17 to December 11, between 8 am and 2 pm. With the announcement of the Panchayat elections schedule, the Model Code of Conduct is already in place. Addressing a press conference here, Kabra said that polls would take place on November 17, 20, 24, 27 and 29 and on December 1, 4, 8 and 11. The counting of votes would take place on the day of polls. Voting would be held through the use of ballot paper, the CEO said adding that additional ballot boxes would be provided by neighbouring states. The final electoral rolls would be released by September end. According to Kabra, there are 4,500 panchayat halqas in the state in 316 blocks and 35,000 panch constituencies, with a total of 600 to 700 voters in most places. Therefore, Kabra noted, there would not be a requirement for more than one polling station per constituency. Voters would be facilitated with voter slips which would be in both Urdu and English to guide them. The CEO also said that migrant Kashmiris could cast their votes through posting ballots. In the elections, general observers, expenditure observers and micro observers would also be appointed and all critical events would be filmed, he added. Regarding the phasing of districts, the CEO informed that the Kashmir division would go to polls in nine phases. In the first phase, Bandipora, Baramulla, Budgam, Ganderbal, Kupwara, Srinagar, Leh and Kargil would go to polls, while the second phase would be held in Anantnag, Bandipora, Baramulla, Kupwara, Bagdum, Ganderbal and Ladakh. In the third phase, elections would be in districts of Bandipora, Baramulla, Kupwara, Budgam, Ganderbal, Leh and Kargil, Kulgam and Shopian. In the fourth and the fifth phases, all districts except for Srinagar would go to polls. In the sixth phase, people would vote in Anantnag, Bandipora, Baramulla, Budgam, Ganderbal, Kupwara, Srinagar, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian while the seventh phase would witness voting in Bandipora, Baramulla, Kupwara, Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian, Budgam and Ganderbal. In the eighth and ninth phases, elections would be held in all nine districts, including Bandipora, Baramulla, Anantnag, Budgam, Ganderbal, Kupwara, Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian. Elections in the Jammu division would be held in eight phases. On Saturday, Kabra announced four-phased municipal elections in the state. Elections would be held on October 8, 10, 13 and 16. The counting would take place on October 20. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Activist Stephen Mathew, who has been on a hunger strike for the past nine days demanding the arrest of rape-accused Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal, was hospitalised after his health deteriorated earlier in the day. A nun from Kerala has accused the 54-year-old Bishop of raping her on several occasions between 2014 and 2016 and sought help from the Vatican. Meanwhile, Jalandhar Police on Saturday served a notice to Bishop Mulakkal to appear before Kerala police on September 19. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 'Friends' actor Matthew Perry is finally heading home, spending last three months hospitalized after a gastrointestinal surgery. The actor revealed on Twitter recently about his hospital stay, writing, "Three months in a hospital bed. Check." The 49-year-old star penned his first tweet in nearly six months. A source said "He's good," reported People. In August, the news came out that the actor was recovering after undergoing a surgery. A rep for the actor told People that "Matthew Perry recently underwent surgery in a Los Angeles hospital to repair a gastrointestinal perforation. He is grateful for the concern and asks for continued privacy as he heals." A gastrointestinal perforation "occurs when a hole forms all the way through the stomach, large bowel, or small intestine. It can be due to a number of different diseases, including appendicitis and diverticulitis. It can also be the result of trauma, such as a knife wound or gunshot wound," according to Healthline. A three-month bedridden recovery is normal for Perry's condition currently. The '17 Again' actor has always been vocal about his health battles including his struggles with alcohol and Vicodin addiction. In 2013, Perry told People, "I couldn't stop, eventually things got so bad that I couldn't hide it, and then everybody knew." He has also become a voice for the people struggling with addictions. Perry told The Hollywood Reporter, "You can't have a drug problem for 30 years and then expect to have it be solved in 28 days," speaking in a video for Phoenix House, a California-based treatment center where Perry had undergone treatment. . (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Terming terrorism a "global phenomenon", Minister of State (MoS) for Defence Subhash Bhamre on Sunday called for regional cooperation to counter the menace of terrorism. "Terrorism is a global phenomenon. It is not limited to one country anymore. We are seeing many incidents of terrorism which have no justification for political or religious grounds. It is faced by every country now. The Bay of Bengal countries is our immediate neighbourhood. We want to have this group for regional cooperation and our main concern is countering terrorism," Bhamre said while addressing a press conference along with Army Chief General Bipin Rawat. Bhamre's comments come at a time when India successfully hosted the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Milex 2018 in Pune. The first joint training exercise was aimed to have practice among BIMSTEC nations in planning and conducting counter terrorist operations. Underscoring the significance of the inaugural multinational exercise, Bhamre said that the goal is to find a common platform by partnering with several countries. "The very aim of exercises like this is to find a common platform. We come together, share our experiences and that is why the group is here," he added. The BIMSTEC is a regional grouping comprising Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal, a group that accounts for 22 per cent of the global population. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Terming the alleged gang-rape in Rewari a "disgusting act", Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said that no culprit would be spared. "Three accused have been identified. It is unfortunate that they (accused and the victim) knew each other. This is a disgusting act. It is really sad that one of the three accused is an Army jawan. The investigation is on and they will soon be arrested. No culprit will be spared," Khattar told reporters here. A 19-year-old student was allegedly abducted and gang-raped after being drugged on Wednesday in Haryana's Narnaul area. In the FIR registered at Kanina, police have identified three accused, Pankaj, Manish, and Nishu, whose pictures they released late on Saturday. Earlier today, the mother of the victim said that she was offered Rs 2 lakh compensation cheque from the government, but refused to accept the same. "A cheque of Rs 2 lakh has been given to the father of a girl who was gang-raped. This has been offered to us while no accused has been arrested yet. Few people from the government came to us and gave this cheque to my husband. She (the victim) is already in depression and now they are giving her money. Instead of doing justice, they have given us a cheque. We were hopeful that we will get justice. We want justice, not your cheque. I am giving this back," the victim's mother told media here. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hundreds of protestors took to the streets of Lahore on Saturday to oppose the arrest of activists Asif Naji and Shabbir Mayar from Gilgit-Baltistan. The protestors shouted anti-Pakistan slogans and demanded the immediate release of Naji and Mayar, who were arrested by law enforcement agencies under schedule IV of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). Naji, an activist from Baltistan Students Federation, and Mayar, an activist of the Awami Workers Party were allegedly arrested for successfully mobilising the locals of Skardu on various occasions and raising their voice against Islamabad. The duo had led the anti-tax movement and the uproar against Chief Secretary Babar Hayat Tarar after he used derogatory words against the locals. Locals have often alleged that the Pakistan Army has been involved in gross human rights violations in Gilgit-Baltistan, and has been meting out brutalities on the common people of the region. "Our perception of Gilgit-Baltistan is a region clad with beautiful mountains and sceneries. You all go there to enjoy those places. The same region is reeling under such atrocities which are beyond worldly description. Numerous attempts are made to silent the reasonable voices of the region, particularly in the case of Naji and Mayar, who were first put in the list of draconian schedule IV and later these two were picked from their homes," a protestor said. Supplementing the views, another protestor added: "If somebody from Gilgit-Baltistan is found guilty of doing something wrong then he should be prosecuted in court. He should not be picked from his house and subsequently killed. Punjab, Gilgit and Pakistan by and large need to understand the pain of mothers and sisters who go through severe consequences after their loved ones are killed. You need to understand the pain of the children who are left orphaned after the deaths of their father. These people are just asking for the rights of their life and unless you support and become their voice, they are not going to get those rights." Echoing the sentiments of the locals, a protester asserted that Naji and Mayar were arrested "just because they were fighting for the rights of Gilgit-Baltistan and their own people." "We appeal to authorities to release them immediately and if they are not released, people from Gilgit-Baltistan, who are living in Lahore, will gather in front of press club and will protest again," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting his parliamentary constituency Varanasi on September 17 and 18. He will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for various developmental projects worth Rs. 500 crore. Prime Minister Modi will reach Varanasi on September 17, on his birthday. He will celebrate his birthday with children of a primary school aided by a non-profit organisation called, "Room to Read" in Narur village. Later, he will interact with students of Kashi Vidyapeeth at the DLW campus. On September 18, the Prime Minister will inaugurate various projects including Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) for Puraani Kashi (Old Varanasi), and an Atal Incubation Centre at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU). Later in the day, he will lay the foundation stone for a Regional Ophthalmology Centre at BHU, and address a gathering there. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Sunday said that Congress ruled India for 70 years but failed to give the poor and the backward people their due rights. Addressing the Other Backward Classes Sammelan, first rally on day one of his three-day visit to the poll-bound Rajasthan, Shah said, "Congress president Rahul Gandhi's great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru, grandmother Indira Gandhi, father Rajiv Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi ruled India for 70 years yet they did not give the poor and the backward people their due rights." The BJP chief also accused the Congress of suppressing the backward classes and said that it was the Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, who passed the backward class commission for the welfare of the concerned section. Shah further said that the Congress party wants to keep the illegal immigrants in the country, while his party has pledged to weed them out. "The Congress party wants to keep infiltrators in the country whereas we have pledged to evict each and every infiltrator from India," he added. Shah's remark came on the ongoing controversy on the release of the second and the final draft of the Register of Citizens (NRC) list in Assam, which left out names of nearly 40 lakh people. Ever since the final draft was released, the Opposition has been cornering the Centre for exclusion of people from the list. This is the BJP chief's second visit to the state in a month. Earlier on September 11, he addressed four programmes in Jaipur. Rajasthan is slated to go for polls later this year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Turns out, brief cognitive behavioral therapy significantly improves the mental of women overwhelmed by caring for children with severe chronic conditions. Researchers at the University of Louisville conducted a study in which participants reported significantly decreased depressive symptoms, negative thinking and chronic stressors, and experienced improved sleep quality after five therapy sessions. Lynne Hall, presented the findings said, "Women caring for children with chronic conditions such as cerebral palsy and cystic fibrosis are at high risk for depressive symptoms. They have many things to juggle, including caring for the child, administering medications and coordinating physician and therapy visits. They're stressed and overwhelmed by the amount of care their children require and the number of hours a day it takes." The study findings show that women caring for children with serious conditions should be screened for depression and that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an essential treatment for this population. Brief CBT, a short-term, goal-oriented psychotherapy takes a hands-on, practical approach to problem-solving and focuses on changing patterns of thinking or behavior to decrease negative thoughts and improve recognition of one's ability to cope. For the study, 94 female caregivers with high levels of depressive symptoms were randomly assigned to either a control group or an intervention group, which received five 45 to 60-minute sessions of CBT. The women were given homework that centered around examples of cognitive distortions with positive substitutions, a thoughts log, and instructions for practicing relaxation. The study was presented in a meeting at State of the Science Congress on Nursing Research. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) International degree at doorsteps As Nepali students continue to fly abroad in hopes of pursuing a better education, colleges in Nepal have attempted to deal with this practice on their own terms, seeking affiliations from foreign colleges and promising a foreign degree from Nepal itself. Since the very first foreign affiliation was granted in 1993 to now, around five dozen others have obtained such affiliations and now offer international degrees to thousands of students from Nepal itself and at relatively affordable fees. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Saturday embarked on a day-long visit to Kabul and met with several high-ranking Afghan officials, including President Ashraf Ghani and discussed ways of enhancing bilateral ties, including the need to tackle terrorism. During the visit, delegation-level talks were held between Qureshi and Afghan officials on various issues ranging from terrorism, border management, economy and trade, closure of the Pakistan Consulate in Jalalabad due to a security crisis and the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) deal, Geo News reported. The Pakistani foreign minister also held one-on-one talks with Ghani and Afghanistan's Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah and discussed ways of improving bilateral relations. Both Ghani and Qureshi held discussions on peace and stability in the region, jointly working together to combat terrorism and implement the APAPPS agreement, signed between the two countries in April. After the deliberations, Qureshi handed over a letter from Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, addressed to Ghani, marking the first consignment of 40,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan. Talking about his visit, Qureshi said, "Today's visit to Kabul remained very advantageous. I understand that the clouds of fear have faded away." He stated that both Islamabad and Kabul had taken a decision to strengthen its ties, adding, "we have come here for the betterment of the people of both countries and we will have to deal with mutual challenges together." Qureshi informed that Ghani and Abdullah will pay a visit to Pakistan next month. He further said that an Afghan economic commission will be visiting the country to hold talks. This came after Qureshi underscored the necessity of bolstering the economic ties between Islamabad and Kabul. When Qureshi was received by his Afghan counterpart Salahuddin Rabbani at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, the former said that establishing peace and stability is important for the two countries. "Our challenges are similar and we have to deal with them through mutual cooperation," the Pakistani foreign minister said. This is Qureshi first foreign visit to the war-torn country after assuming the role of the foreign minister. Last month, he had said that Afghanistan's development and prosperity is associated with long-lasting peace in the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With Rajasthan Assembly elections inching closer, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah will visit the state on Sunday. Shah will visit Jodhpur and Pali on September 16 to address 'Shakti Kendra Sammelan'. Later in the day he will meet the Shakti Kendra representatives. On the same day at 12:45 pm in a bid to reach out to the OBCs, the BJP chief will address the OBC Morcha Sammelan in Pali's Bangad College. At 2:35 pm, Shah will address 'Shakti Kendra Sammelan' in Jodhpur's Polytechnic College. Party workers from Pali, Jalore, Sirohi, and Jodhpur will attend the programmes. On September 16 which marks the completion of one month death anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the BJP supremo will take part in poetry recitation programme named 'Kavyanjali' to honour him at the SN Medical College in Jodhpur. Same day, Shah will also visit the famous Masuriya temple to seek blessings, ahead of polls in the state. This will be Shah's second visit to the state this month. He, on September 11 addressed four programmes in Jaipur. Rajasthan is slated to go for polls later this year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Special Investigation Team (SIT) in-charge and Nuh Superintendent of Police (SP), Naazneen Bhasin on Sunday informed that one of the three main accused in the alleged Rewari gang-rape case has been nabbed by the police. Talking to the media, SP Bhasin informed that Deen Dayal, the owner of the tube-well where the incident took place and Sanjeev, a doctor who gave first aid to the victim, have also been arrested for their alleged involvement in the case. "Within 30 hours the SIT has arrested two people - Deen Dayal and Sanjeev. The main accused Nishu has been nabbed," she said. Giving details about the involvement of the two arrested people, Bhasin said, "Deen Dayal is the owner of the tube-well where the incident took place. On basis of mobile forensics, it is proved that Nishu contacted him to inform that they need a room. Sanjeev is a doctor who was found to be involved, as per all our evidence. The main accused Nishu had planned this and then called the doctor to the spot later," she added. As per the police, the doctor, who was "part of the plan till the end" did not inform anything about the incident to the authority. Talking about the main accused, who is an Army personnel, Bhasin said that he is still absconding and have not yet reported to his base camp. She also assured that he will be arrested soon. Earlier today, Director General of Police (DGP), Haryana BS Sandhu informed Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar about the entire incident and action taken by police till now. "The Chief Minister called me and discussed this heinous crime. I briefed him about the entire incident, the investigation done by police and the action taken. The investigation is underway and the perpetrators will soon be nabbed," he said. The girl was abducted and gang-raped after being drugged on Wednesday in Haryana's Narnaul area. In the FIR registered at Kanina, police have identified three accused- Pankaj, Manish, and Nishu. Pankaj is a defence personnel stationed in Rajasthan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid the probe into the gang rape of a 19-year-old girl in Haryana, Rewari Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajesh Duggal was transferred on Sunday. Rahul Sharma took over as the new SP. Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar summoned Director General of Police (DGP), BS Sandhu to know the progress in the investigation of the case. Khattar also directed Sandhu to ensure the arrest of all accused at the earliest. The girl was abducted and gang-raped after being drugged on Wednesday in Haryana's Narnaul area. In the FIR registered at Kanina, police have identified three accused- Pankaj, Manish and Nishu. Earlier on Saturday, the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing the matter stated that one of the main accused in the case is a defence personnel stationed in Rajasthan. "We are getting a warrant against him. The other two accused will be nabbed soon," the Haryana DGP told ANI. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC) leaders on Sunday met Maharashtra Congress in-charge - Mallikarjun Kharge - and demanded removal of their president, Sanjay Nirupam. The leaders recommended name of former Lok Sabha MP, Milind Deora, for the post. According to Congress sources, Kharge assured the leaders that he will put forth their demand before Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Sources said that the MRCC leaders had sought a meeting with Rahul, however, the Congress president's office asked them to meet Kharge instead, who was in Mumbai for the past two days for a parliamentary committee meet. All the leaders put forth a unanimous demand for a change in the MRCC president at the earliest for better preparation for the upcoming Lok Sabha and the State Assembly elections due next year. Along with the MRCC leaders, supporters of late Congress leader Gurudas Kamat were also a part of the delegation, who were said to be upset with Nirupam's stance on the crucial issues related to the party's day to day functioning and the strategy for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, including ticket distribution. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah, who launched the party's poll campaign in Hyderabad on Saturday, said the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is resorting to minority appeasement and vote bank Shah, attacked TRS chief and caretaker Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao saying, "Why he has gone for early polls? If he can't form the government in May 2019. How can he win in December? TRS party is afraid of MIM party to celebrate the Telangana Liberation day on September 17. If BJP forms government in Telangana, all the BJP leaders will grandly celebrate the Telangana Liberation day on September 17." He also accused the TRS and MIM of protecting Bangladeshis and Rohingyas in Hyderabad. "KCR had made fun of Dalits in Telangana by promising a Dalit will be the first chief minister for Telangana state in 2014. Is KCR ready to make a Dalit Chief Minister this time? TRS has collaborated with the MIM party and KCR had given 12 per cent reservations for minorities.TRS and MIM parties are protecting all the Bangladeshis and Rohingyas in Hyderabad. The BJP will kick out all the Rohingyas and Bangladeshis from the state if we form the government. Rahul Gandhi was in a dream that they will form the government in Telangana," Shah added. Shah also claimed that the TRS did not utilise the fund provided by the Centre for the development of the state."The BJP-led Centre gave Telangana over Rs 2 lakh crore in the last 4.5 years, and the TRS did not utilise it well for the state's development," he stated. Telangana was scheduled to go to polls in June 2019, however, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao decided to go for early polls and dissolved the state assembly earlier this month, necessitating the constitution of a new government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) United States President Donald Trump on Sunday once again hit out at special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation on alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, saying that the latter is continuing his "search of a crime." Taking to his Twitter handle, the US President wrote a strongly-worded statement, claiming that there was no collusion with Russia and that the probe is "not allowed under the law." "The illegal Mueller Witch Hunt continues in search of a crime. There was never Collusion with Russia, except by the Clinton campaign, so the 17 Angry Democrats are looking at anything they can find. Very unfair and BAD for the country. ALSO, not allowed under the LAW!" Trump tweeted. Trump has been a vocal critic of Mueller's Russia probe and has repeatedly called it a "witch hunt" and "unnecessary." Mueller is currently investigating the possibility of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential poll and a possible collusion between Moscow and Trump's electoral campaign. While addressing a rally in Charleston, West Virginia last month, Trump questioned Mueller's probe on alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, saying "where is the collusion." Trump was quoted by CNN as saying, "Fake news and the Russian witch hunt. We've got a whole big combination. Where is the collusion? You know they're still looking for collusion. Where is the collusion? Find us some collusion. We want to find the collusion." On September 14, Trump's former campaign-chief, Paul Manafort agreed to cooperate with the ongoing Mueller's investigation into accusations of Russian intervention in the 2016 polls. Manafort was found guilty on eight charges, including tax fraud by a Virginia court last month. Meanwhile, the US president had signed an executive order authorising sanctions against foreigners who meddle in the US elections in future on September 12. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The administration is pushing forward to slap trade tariffs amounting to $200 billion of Chinese products as the between Washington and Beijing showed no signs of abetting. However, the announcement of the same is yet to be made. Earlier this week, the US president had met with top officials and has directed them to proceed with the plan to impose tariffs on CNN quoted a White House spokeswoman, Lindsay Walters, saying, "The President has been clear that he and his administration will continue to take action to address China's unfair trade practices. We encourage to address the long-standing concerns raised by the United States." The latest threat from Washington comes as US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has been working to break the deadlock to stop the escalating between the two countries. He had even extended an invitation to Beijing to resume trade negotiations even before the proposed tariffs are yet to kick in. Welcoming the US' offer, Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson Gao Feng said on Thursday, "The escalation of trade conflicts doesn't benefit either side's interests." In July, Washington had slapped 25 per cent tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese imports and imposed another $16 billion last month. retaliated by imposing 25 per cent tariffs on American goods worth $16 billion. So far, Beijing has imposed 25 per cent tariffs on $50 billion of American goods. It has also threatened Washington to impose another round of tariffs amounting to $60 billion of US products. Last month, had directed the Office of the United States Trade Representative to probe the impact of a 10 per cent tariff, which was later increased to 25 per cent. China is the US' largest trading partner, with almost $506 billion worth of Chinese products being sold to Washington last year. On the one hand, the administration recently slapped tariffs on various countries, including China, claiming that the US was "being treated unfairly in trade" and accusing Beijing of "stealing intellectual property". On the other hand, China chided the US for indulging in "trade bullying. A delegation of the Sindhi Congress (WSC) held a detailed meeting with the United Nations Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) in Geneva and flagged the issue of enforced disappearances in Pakistan's Sindh province. During the meeting, held on September 15, the delegation presented the instances and details of missing political and human rights activists, teachers and journalists from Sindh, whose whereabouts are never known. The government and security agencies turn blind eye to the problem. The UN group assured to prrovide assistance in the matter. Earlier on June 29, WSC activist Hidayat Bhutto highlighted the "rampant violations" of human rights committed by Pakistan in Sindh province at the 38th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva. Bhutto said that the Pakistani government has been using enforced disappearance of Sindhi political activists as a tool to silence the community for several years. The WSC, in June, had organised public demonstrations in three United States cities- Houston, New York and Los Angeles- against the enforced disappearances in Sindh. The enforced disappearances in the country's southeastern province have been prevalent for several years. More than 1200 people belonging to different communities have gone missing since 2010. Since last year there has been a surge in illegal detention of people in Sindh, who are just abducted with no whereabouts known and no legal proceedings initiated on them. Since February last year, nearly 200 people have 'disappeared'. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A joint military exercise between the Indian and US armies commenced on Sunday at the foothills of Chaubattia in Uttarakhand. The 14th edition of the exercise "Yudh Abhyas", which is hosted alternately by the two countries kicked off with a short yet impressive ceremony that saw the unfurling of the flags of both countries to the strains of "Jana Gana Mana" and "The Star-Spangled Banner". While the Indian contingent was represented by an Infantry Battalion of the Congo Brigade, Garud Division, Surya Command, and a Central Command, their US counterpart was represented by the 1st Infantry Battalion and the 23 Infantry Regiment, 2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 7 Infantry Division, US Army. General Officer Commanding, Garud Division welcomed the US soldiers, and in his inaugural remarks highlighted the commonly shared beliefs of democracy, freedom, equality and justice that are precious to both the countries. The two-week long event will see both the armies hone their tactical and technical skills in countering insurgency and terrorism in a UN peacekeeping scenario involving a combined deployment at a brigade level. The exercise will also witness the state-of-the-art equipment for surveillance and tracking, specialist weapons for close quarter battle with terrorists, explosives and improvised explosive device detectors, as well as the latest communication equipment are being fielded by both sides. Both the sides will jointly train, plan and execute a series of well developed tactical drills for neutralisation of likely threats that may be encountered in UN peacekeeping operations during division level command post exercise. The experts from both sides will also hold discussions to share each others' experience in varied topics for mutual benefit. The exercise will conclude on September 29. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Arpan Shrestha is a national reporter for The Kathmandu Post. Before joining the Post in 2018, he was a freelance news and documentary producer and a former editor of Republica's The Week. Shrestha has a background in media production and programming. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday that he will address the upcoming UN General Assembly on issues causing suffering to Palestinians. Abbas made the remarks during a meeting he chaired for Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Xinhua reported. "We will go to the United Nations to confront the world with the issues that our people are suffering," said Abbas, who is scheduled to deliver a speech at the UN headquarters in New York on September 27. The addressed issues include the Israeli decision to demolish Al-Khan Al-Ahmar Bedouin village east of Jerusalem, and the status of Al-Aqsa Mosque in the holy city, he added. "We are consulting with our brothers in Jordan to form a unified position to go to the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice on what is going on at the Al-Aqsa Mosque," Abbas noted. The Palestinian President said the final decision will be made by the PLO central council after he returned from the UN assembly. The United States and the Palestinians have almost severed ties since US President Donald Trump declared Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on December 6, 2017. --IANS ahm/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Afghanistan Customs Department has banned the imports of four types of Iranian products, Eghtesadonline reported on Sunday. The banned items include oil products, cement, steel products, tiles and ceramics from Iran as of Sept. 16. Ali Shariati, a member of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, said that the ban is said to be aligned with the sanctions reimposed by the United States on Iran. The Afghanistan Customs Department has asked all Afghan traders consider the new trade regulations with Iran, Shariati was quoted as saying. --IANS ahm/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The money-spinning Kerala tourism industry celebrated quietly on Sunday after receiving the first chartered flight of tourists this season following the devastating floods. The flight with 46 tourists from Australia landed at the Cochin International Airport here on Saturday night. The heavy rains and unprecedented floods that shattered the state, leaving hundreds dead and thousands homeless and causing widespread destruction, led to numerous cancellations by tourists. "Our efforts have already started paying off. Most of our tourist destinations are ready to welcome the visitors from India and abroad. The state government has accorded top priority to restoring roads leading to tourist places," said Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran. Kerala's total direct earnings from the sector in the last calendar year touched Rs 26,000 crore, up from Rs 23,098 crore, a growth of 12.56 per cent. Speaking to IANS, E.M. Najeeb, who heads the Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry (CKTI), said it was a friend who organised the charter flight from Australia. "They have planned a 21-day trip to India and had cancelled the three-day Kerala leg. When I came to know of it, I promised that they will have nothing to worry about in Kerala. "By now 90 per cent of the damaged infrastructure has been put back to place," said Najeeb. Meanwhile, the 10th edition of the Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) will be held here from September 27 to 30. "The response has been huge. Close to 400 overseas buyers and 1,095 domestic buyers have registered to take part," said Baby Mathew, President, KTM Society. --IANS sg/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Goa Forward MLAs and independent legislators stepped up pressure on BJP leaders on Sunday to demand a permanent solution to the leadership crisis, even as BJP MLAs queued up to meet representatives of the High Command in a bid to decide future course of political action in view of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's hospitalisation. Speaking to reporters before meeting BJP's central team comprising of General Secretary Ram Lal, B.L. Santosh and Vijay Puranik, Town and Country Planning Minister and Goa Forward President Vijai Sardesai said that he had the support of five other MLAs and that all of them in one voice were going to demand a permanent solution to the current crisis. "We six want a permanent solution. We do not want a temporary arrangement. This is what we are going to tell them," Sardesai said. The six lawmakers include three Goa Forward Ministers (including Sardesai) namely Fisheries Minister Vinod Palienkar and Housing Minister Jayesh Salgaokar, two Independent Ministers Rohan Khaunte and Govind Gaude and another Independent MLA Prasad Gaokar. Representatives of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, which has three MLAs in the 40-member Goa Assembly, are expected to meet the BJP central leaders later this evening. A proposal to make senior MGP leader and Public Works Department Minister Sudin Dhavalikar a Deputy Chief Minister officiating as Chief Minister has been opposed by Goa Forward. The three central leaders are in the state to find a solution to a leadership crisis, which has arisen after Parrikar was shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi on Saturday, creating a leadership void in the coastal state. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) currently have 14 MLAs in the 40-member state assembly, of which three are severely ill. And therefore, support of allies is critical to the survival of the government. BJP MLAs, who met the central observers all through Sunday afternoon, have reposed their faith in Parrikar's leadership for now and have insisted that a new leader, if needed, should come from the BJP ranks. "Within the BJP, they should find somebody and Parrikar should remain the Chief Minister till he is alive," BJP MLA Nilesh Cabral told reporters. --IANS maya/pgh/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) "Raid" actor Amit Bimrot is excited about his upcoming four projects, including "Made In China". "I'm very excited about having four upcoming projects in my hand. I'll be seen in 'Made in China', 'Simmi', 'Bard of Blood' and 'Kasaai'," Amit said in a statement. He believes that everyday is a new day and journey. "You have to work hard again and again because it's a big responsibility when people trust you. I am also doing some beautiful ad films too," he said. "I am getting promising opportunities after 'Raid'," he added. In the 2018 film "Raid", which also starred Ajay Devgn, Amit acted as a newly recruited income tax inspector of the 1980s. --IANS nn/dc/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Moroccan runner Mourad El Bannouri won the men's category at Sunday's 2018 Cursa de la Merce charity 10k fun run in Barcelona, while Miriam Ortiz of Spain won the women's category. El Bannouri finished with a time of 29 minutes, 34 seconds, and was just ten seconds shy of his record-breaking winning pace from last year, reports Efe news. Moroccan runners dominated the men's category, as El Bannouri, 38, faced stiff competition from his compatriot Zouhair Talbi, who finished second, followed by Spain's Mohamed Zarhouni in third. Ortiz finished with a time of 35 minutes, 52 seconds, and was joined on the podium by her countrywomen Marta Castroviejo and Eva Arias in second and third, respectively. The 40th edition of the race had 12,000 registered runners, 4,300 of them women, and about 10,000 on the starting line. Sunday's race was held under overcast skies with cool temperature and little wind, allowing for good races in both the men's and women's categories. --IANS kk/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The military exercise "MILEX-2018" involving BIMSTEC countries concluded at Aundh military station in Pune on Sunday, creating better understanding and evolving an institutionalised mechanism for regional cooperation in counter-terror operations. Unio Minister of State for Defence Subash Bhambre, chief guest at the ceremony, said the exercise has been a grand success and taught valuable counter-terrorism lessons to the troops of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) grouping of Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand , Nepal and Bhutan. "The exercise has provided us all an opportunity to discuss the issue of countering terrorism from the military point of view. The camaraderie and friendship developed between the contingents during the exercise will help enhance interoperability between the armies which may be called upon to collectively fight the growing menace of terrorism," Bhambre said. The BIMSTEC armies, during the validation exercise, showcased tactical drills like hostage rescue by insertion of troops from helicopters, room intervention as well as house clearing drill as part of cordon-and-search operations, raid on a terrorist hideout and neutralisation of improvised explosive devices. Bhambre along with Service Chiefs and other senior Army officers witnessed more than 250 indigenously developed defence-related equipment. Almost 20 agencies dealing with defence equipment participated in the display, including ordnance factories, Defence and Research Development Organisation, and leading private sector companies. --IANS rak/tsb (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) With Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi, a team of central BJP leaders is expected to arrive in Goa on Sunday to assess and recommend to the Centre a political roadmap for the BJP-led coalition government. Speaking to reporters, state BJP president Vinay Tendulkar said the team led by BJP General Secretary Ram Lal was expected to arrive on Sunday afternoon. "He will arrive in the afternoon after he will meet senior party leaders and coalition partners to decide on the future course of action," Tendulkar said. While a section of senior BJP leaders feel that dissolution of the state Assembly and a mid-term poll is the way ahead, instead of thrusting senior leaders at the helm of government, some legislators believe that the government should continue at any cost. A proposal mooted in the presence of Parrikar on Friday to make coalition ally and Public Works Department Minister Sudin Dhavalikar of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party a Deputy Chief Minister and an officiating CM has been shot down by another key ally Vijai Sardesai, the Town and Country Planning Minister and Goa Forward President. Ram Lal will meet officials from the BJP, allies as well as supporting Independent MLAs in a bid to forge a political strategy and finalise options for the post of Chief Minister, before recommending the same to BJP President Amit Shah on Monday. --IANS maya/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Dalit man who was hacked to death in a case of honour killing on Friday in Telangana's Miryalguda town was cremated on Sunday. A large number of people, including leaders of Dalit organisations, attended the funeral of Pranay Kumar, who was brutally murdered by his father-in-law, who belonged to another caste. Pranay's wife Amrutha Varshini, his parents and other family members participated in the funeral held at a church in Miryalguda in Nalgonda district, about 150 km from Hyderabad. The funeral procession began after Pranay's brother arrived from Ukraine. The 23-year-old man was hacked to death by a hired killer when he was coming out of hospital with Amrutha after a regular pregnancy check-up. The couple had married six months ago despite strong opposition from Amrutha's parents. The murder has evoked public outrage. The town on Saturday observed shutdown on a call by Dalit groups. Telangana's IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao on Sunday condemned Pranay's murder. He said the murder came as a rude shock. "Dismayed and anguished on how deep rooted casteism is," he tweeted. Rama Rao, who is son of Chief Minister K. Chandrahekhar Rao, promised that the perpetrators of this heinous crime will be punished. Police have arrested Amrutha's father Maruthi Rao, his brother Shravan Kumar and three others in the sensational case. Police said they were still on the lookout for the killer. Maruthi Rao allegedly paid Rs 10 lakh to the hired killer. He reportedly told police that 'honour' is more important for him than his daughter. Calling her father a devil, Amrutha vowed never to go back to him. She said she would live with Pranay's parents. --IANS ms/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actress Disha Patani says at times, it might get stressful to cope with the given pressure and so, she has a chill buddy. "As actors, we are constantly under the spotlight. We are prone to crazy work schedules and are constantly scrutinised for our actions. It might be stressful at times to cope with the given pressure. Given the situations, it becomes quite essential for us to take those small chill moments," Disha said in a statement. "I keep my chill buddy, NESCAFE Cold Coffee handy as it is a great way to take some time for myself in this fast paced busy life, and get to indulge and recharge at the same time," she added. The dairy-based beverage from Nestle India has associated with the actress. In its latest campaign, Disha feels that the memes shared in her group chat are not funny enough whereas her boss has a completely different reaction to it. She feels like reacting with her own 'meme-tastic' ideas to her boss. --IANS nn/dc/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kanchanpur rape and murder: Probe committee formed under DIG Dhiru Basnyat The government has formed a new nine-member committee under DIG Dhiru Basnyat to investigate the role of police officers involved in the probe of rape and murder of 13-year-old Nirmala Panta. Ruling out the possibility of going back to paper ballots in place of electronic voting machines (EVMs), the says it is working on a formula that will "minimise errors and maximise confidence" of the stakeholders in the working of the electronic voting machines. It also says simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and the assemblies are not possible now given the legal constraints. It says no political party has demanded going back to ballot papers at an all-party meeting with the recently. "I have been reading in the newspapers. That's why it must be coming in the media. Some editorials have come, some lead articles have come (about EVMs) that something which has eradicated booth capturing has eradicated the muscle power. The EVMs have eradicated that stigma on our voters that they cannot even vote; that so many votes are invalidated. Even at times victory margin is less than a number of invalid votes. "So all these issues have been flagged by even media that there is no point going back to that (paper ballots). Why do you want to bring back those days? When people never used to talk about campaigner or anything, now they would talk how many booths did you capture. If you captured 83 and I have captured 150. I am going to win," Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) O.P. Rawat told IANS in an interview at his office at Nirvachan Sadan, the headquarters of the of India. He was replying to a question on the opposition demand for going back to the paper ballot system in view of the apprehensions that the EVMS could be manipulated, an allegation some major opposition parties have levelled in the past few years after electoral defeats. The parties also demanded increasing the sample number of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) for physical counting to cross check whether the vote had gone to the intended candidate. Rawat also said no party demanded dispensing with the EVMs and a total return to the paper ballots during the all-party conference convened by the Election Commission last month. "Yes, I have been reading in the newspapers," he said when told about the claim of some leaders of having made such a demand. "Media has been telling that and, therefore, the Election Commission is just acting as the constitutional authority to conduct the elections and in the process the Commission has to keep all major stakeholders satisfied. Therefore, we are trying to convince them since in the all-party meeting they all said that the number (of VVPATs) should be increased (for taking up sample counting)." The CEC said at the all-party meeting basically the points raised by parties included that either more slips of VVPATs should be counted because right now the counting is done from only one randomly-selected polling station. "So as of now, VVPATs will be counted in 4,120 Assembly constituencies that form part of the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies. But since they (parties) have suggested that more should be counted, the Commission is seized of the matter. The Commission is examining. "There are two issues -- one is our stakeholders should be happy and satisfied but at the same time, since we are operating in a global environment it will be decided whether it (sample) should be one per cent, 10 per cent or 12 per cent. It will be done on a scientific basis to minimise the error and maximise the confidence level of the stakeholders.....so statistically, it will be a sample size which minimises errors and maximises the confidence level to 99.9999 per cent...that kind of thing the Commission is looking for," the CEC said. Asked what would be the ideal size of samples, he said, "if that was known, we would have ordered that. We need statisticians to work on this. So I can't predict how many days it will take but it will take more days." To another query, Rawat said "the issue was not of practicability but a solution that is acceptable to all and whenever this solution is available, say within the next two-three weeks, the Commission will take a decision." But, he said, he cannot say definitely whether the new solution could be applied in the coming round of Assembly elections in four or five states. Asked about the demand from opposition parties for a cap on the expenses on party account, Rawat said there can be no different views on this. The Commission has already submitted a reform proposal that would like a ceiling on the party expenditure like there is a ceiling on candidates' expenditure. "But this question should be put to all the parties. Because it is not that this party is in power for eternity. you were in power...you could have brought it," he said. Asked about the simultaneous elections being pushed by BJP, the CEC said it was not possible given the current laws as the Constitution had to be amended and there should be amendments in other electoral laws. He said even the Law Commission has said what the Election Commission had said in 2016. "But the Election Commission had said this in 2015 when we were asked that you (Parliament) will have to amend the Constitution. Sections of the Representation of the People Act have to be amended since you have to provide for logistics. "Logistics would have three issues. One is the number of machines, number two Central Armed Police Force because generally political parties these days insist we don't have any faith in the state police. So if you want simultaneous elections you will need more whatever is available now will not do. So more of that, then more of vehicles, more of police personnel, more of all that. So those are logistical issues that will have to be addressed before doing it." (V.S. Chandrasekar can be contacted at chandru.v@ians.in and Mohd Asim Khan at mohd.a@ians.in) Actress Eva Mendes says that she is reluctant to return to acting because she does not want to be away from her daughters -- Esmeralda, 4, and Amada, 2. "I'm just so obsessed with my kids that I don't want to leave them. They're just still so little," Mendes told eonline.com. She said that parenthood is not always easy but praised her and her partner Ryan Gosling's families for their support. She said: "I don't feel like I have it balanced at all. I kind of have been figuring it out as I'm going along and it's just important to have a support system. I have my family, I have Ryan's family and that's just like, invaluable to have family around supporting you." Mendes said she thinks motherhood has made her "care less" but "care more" too. --IANS dc/nn/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Libya on Saturday revealed that Germany will provide 2 million euros ($2.33 million) to election programmes in the country. The German contribution, announced by Ambassador of Germany to Libya Oliver Owcza, aims to assist Central Committee for Municipal Elections (CCMCE) in conducting municipal council elections across Libya between 2018 and 2020, UNDP said in a statement, Xinhua news agency. The donation from Germany will bring the total financial support for the Syrian election to 3.4 million euros, according to the statement. The CCMCE on Thursday announced the start of the municipal elections in the cities of Bani Walid and Derj in southwestern Libya. Libya has more than 100 municipalities representing different cities and regions of the country. --IANS ahm/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Sikandar Kher says that whether it's about scripts or producing films or taking advice in general, he likes to approach actor-producer John Abraham. The two will share screen space in the upcoming film "Romeo Akbar Walter (RAW)". "John keeps saying that it is one of the best scripts he has ever worked on and he has done so much of work. Other than being somebody who has been an actor for so many years and has done so well, he has even established himself as an 'A' grade producer," Sikandar told IANS. "He is a great producer and has produced some really great films. I keep asking him a a lot of questions. He is really amazing to work with. He is such a big star but when you are on set with him, he makes everyone around him comfortable. "I ask him what does he think of scripts, producing films, what goes into it. Sometimes, I ask him what type of films I should do in terms of how to go about them because he has been done it for so many years." It's not like Sikandar, son of veteran actors Anupam Kher and Kirron Kher, has a list of people that he should approach. "When you look at somebody's body of work and you have respect for them at some level... you will ask them questions. If I want advice or something, I will ask John. He is always there to help me out and give me advice," said the actor, who also thanked John by sharing a post on social media earlier this week. In the film, Sikandar acts as John's nemesis. --IANS nn/dc/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India and US armies on Sunday began a two-week joint military exercise in Uttarakhand to hone their tactical and technical skills in countering insurgency and terrorism in a United Nation peacekeeping scenario, said officials. They said that battalion-strong Army personnel from the US and an equal number from India are participating in 'Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2018' at Chaubattia in Almora district. "State-of-the-art equipment for surveillance and tracking, specialist weapons for close- quarter battle with terrorists, explosive and improvised explosive device detectors, as well as the latest communication equipment are being fielded by both sides," a Defence Ministry statement said. The two armies will jointly train, plan and execute a series of tactical drills for neutralisation of likely threats that may be encountered in UN peacekeeping operations during division-level command post exercise, said the statement. "The experts from both sides will discuss and share each other's experience in varied topics for mutual benefit." The exercise commenced with the unfurling of the national flags of both the countries to the strains of their respective national anthems 'Jana Gana Mana' and 'The Star Spangled Banner'. The US contingent was represented by 1st Infantry Battalion and 23 Infantry Regiment, while the Indian side is represented by an Infantry Battalion. "General Officer Commanding, 6 Mountain Division, welcomed the US soldiers in his inaugural remarks and highlighted the shared beliefs in democracy, freedom, equality and justice," added the statement. --IANS rak/tsb (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das embarked on a 'padyatra' here on Sunday in an effort to spread cleanliness awareness among the people. The Chief Minister reached the city's Argora roundabout earlier in the day and spoke to shop owners and others. He then swept a road, saying: "Let us come and take a vow to make India clean and healthy. We can prevent our family members from many diseases by keeping our surroundings clean." Das's remarks comes on the sidelines of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Swachhata Seva Abhiyan' launched on Saturday. The Chief Minister was joined by Rajya Sabha member Ramvichar Netam and Ranchi Mayor Asha Lakra. --IANS ns/ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As turtle doves and pigeons compete with each other to the accompaniment of cicada's flattering music to pick the fallen grain left behind in paddy fields after harvesting, the message is loud and clear - autumn, Kashmir's golden brown season of plenty, has arrived. Notwithstanding the sporadic incidents of violence, one can never have enough of Kashmir at this time. Film units from Bollywood and south India have started arriving here to capture the glory of the picture-postcard season. The unmistakable nip in the mornings and the evenings, the ripening of apples, walnuts, grapes, rice and maize are all indications that the farmers and the orchardists must make hay while the sun shines over meadows, mountains peaks and the plains of Kashmir. Nomadic goatherds called Bakerwals are hurrying with their flocks of sheep and goats down to warmer pastures in the Jammu region. The passage of these hardy souls carrying back children, tents, household goods and other equipment they needed during their stay in the alpine pastures of the Valley is a saga of human endeavour and hardship. Countryside has suddenly come to life as men and women reap the grain-laden paddy crop. Thanks to timely rains and a comparatively hotter summer, this year's paddy yield is expected to be rich. This, despite the fact that the state agriculture department had issued advisories for restraining paddy sowing to only well-irrigated areas as experts feared less than average rainfall during the summer months. Truckloads of apples of different varieties are these days despatched to markets outside the state. The rates of different varieties of apple are better than last year in markets outside the Valley. This has encouraged the local orchardists who are taking extra caution to ensure that only the best quality apples are sent to outside markets. Kashmiri apple is facing fierce competition from Himachal Pradesh where good quality apples are now grown and marketed. The glistening waters of local streams, rivers and lakes are soothing as plenty of fish, both local and exotic species, abound. Flocks of swans and ducks floating majestically on the waters of the Dal, Mansbal and the Wullar lake are a pageant of plume and cackle. The majestic chinar trees are slowly, but surely beginning to change the color of their leaves from green to crimson, eventually to turn to golden brown. Autumn is undoubtedly the best season in Kashmir as Mother Nature showers her blessings so that the locals start equipping themselves for the harsh winter that follows. Before the end of the next month, thousands of migratory birds from far off lands like China, Philippines, Eastern Europe and Siberia would arrive to ward off the extreme cold of their summer homes and spend the winter months in the relatively less harsh winter of Kashmir. Traditionally, most foreign tourists prefer to visit the Valley during the autumn months and the local houseboat owners, hoteliers and taxi owners are looking forward to host these visitors. In all its radiant glory, autumn stands to prove what the Sufi saint and poet Amir Khusrau said about Kashmir in Persian: 'Agar Firdaus Bar roo-e zameen ast/Hameen ast-o, Hameen ast-o, hameen ast' (If there is a paradise on Earth, it is this, it is this, it is this). Violence should have been so alien to this land. (Sheikh Qayoom can be contacted at sheikhqayoom@gmail.com) --IANS sq/hs/tb/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United Left alliance of four student groups on Sunday won all four top posts in the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) and declared that it was a victory for those who don't want 'Hindustan' to become a 'lynchistaan'. After violence-marred counting process, the Left easily overcame the challenge of the RSS-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), leaving it way behind and triggering noisy celebrations in the sprawling campus. The Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students Association (BAPSA) trailed at the third position for the post of President, Vice President and General Secretary. The National Students Union of India (NSUI) was the third runner-up for the post of Joint Secretary. The JNUSU Election Committee said the winners were N. Sai Balaji (President), Sarika Chaudhary (Vice President), Aejaz Ahmad Rather (General Secretary) and Amutha Jayadeep (Joint Secretary). The Friday election drew 5,185 voters were cast, marking a 68 per sent turnout, a steep hike from last year's 58.69 per cent. Of these, 5,170 votes were counted as valid. New Vice President Sarika Chaudhary received the most votes -- 2,692. She defeated ABVP's Geeta Sri by 1,679 votes. Balaji secured the highest winning margin for the President's post (1,189 votes), over ABVP's Lalit Pandey (972 votes). Left's Rather and Jayadeep got 2,423 and 2,047 votes respectively, defeating ABVP's Ganesh (1,235 votes) and Venkat Chaubey (1,290 votes). As the results became known, Left supporters in the traditional Left bastion celebrated with slogans of "Lal Salam" and "Inquilab Zindabad". A victory march was taken out from Sabarmati Hostel. The United Left is an alliance of the All India Students Association (AISA), Students Federation of India (SFI), Democratic Students Front (DSF) and All India Students Federation (AISF). The President-elect belongs to AISA, the Vice President is from DSF, the General Secretary's post went to SFI and Joint Secretary's post was grabbed by AISF. Balaji called it a "victory for the students and the people of the country who are unitedly fighting this fascist government which is imposing anti-student and anti-people policies... It is a victory for those who don't want 'Hindustan' to become 'lynchistaan'." Balaji blamed the ABVP for hooliganism in both Delhi University and JNU. "In DUSU election we saw how the ABVP Vice Presidential candidate was involved in a massive fight in Zakir Husain College. And yesterday, we saw how the common students were attacked by the ABVP in JNU. "They are trying to run away from issues like fee hike, fund cut..." --IANS sm-rak/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called for a second Brexit vote, criticising the government's handling of Brexit negotiations with the 28-member European Union. Writing in the Observer daily on Sunday, the Labour politician said that with the UK due to leave the EU in six months, it now faced either a "bad deal" or "no deal", the BBC reported. The debate had also become "more about (former Foreign Secretary) Boris Johnson's political ambitions" than what was good for the UK, he said. Khan said that although he campaigned to remain in the bloc, he had accepted "the will of the British people was to leave the EU". He said he had never expected to back calls for a second referendum but had become "increasingly alarmed as the chaotic approach to the negotiations had become mired in confusion and deadlock. "I don't believe (Prime Minister) Theresa May has the mandate to gamble so flagrantly with the British economy and people's livelihoods." Earlier this month, May said the government would not back another vote, saying: "To ask the question all over again would be a gross betrayal of our democracy - and a betrayal of that trust." However, Khan said that May had "failed to negotiate a Brexit position with her own party - let alone agree a deal with the EU". --IANS ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BSP chief Mayawati on Sunday took on Bhim Army leader Chandra Shekhar aka Ravana, saying she can "never have a relation with these sort of people". The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also made it clear that the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) must be given a fair number of seats if it was to join a broad-based alliance to defeat the BJP. The Bhim Army chief, who spent 15 months in jail after his arrest under the National Security Act (NSA) for his alleged role in the violence in Shabbirpur village in Uttar Pradesh in May 2017, was freed on Friday. He announced then that he had no differences with Mayawati, whom he considered a "bua". Addressing the media, Mayawati said: "For the past few days, a man who was recently released from jail is trying to call me 'Bua'. I can never have a relation with these sort of people." She said she was not against a grand alliance against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but would come on board only if her party was given a respectable share of seats in states where it was a minor player. "Otherwise, we will go alone," Mayawati said. The BSP is reportedly in talks with the Congress to sew up alliance in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh where it is a minor player. All three states will see Assembly polls soon. --IANS ksk/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Leadership row delays merger of lower committees The merger of lower committees of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has been pushed back further as the partys secretariat fails to resolve the leadership row.While the party secretariat has assigned two top leadersPrime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Co-chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahalto finalise the criteria, leaders said merger would take more than a month to complete. Music is not just for the sighted, as it stems from the body's rhythm, visually-impaired multi-instrumentalist Baluji Shrivastav said at his performance "Antardrishti: Inner Vision" at the British Council here. The Indo-British musician was appointed the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) -- a Queen's honour -- for his services to music in 2016. Uttar Pradesh-born Shrivastav, who has been visually impaired since he was 4, said he grew up listening to his heartbeats and the flow of his blood. "I could feel my heart is thumping, and so is everybody else's, and that was the metre of music for me," he told IANS on the sidelines of his performance, elaborating on the inner vision he developed. "Music itself is not designed only for sighted people, but the whole being," he said, adding that everything is music for him. "You're speaking, I'm speaking. That's also music." His two-hour group performance last week essayed the eleventh chapter of Bhagavad Gita, which carries the essence of the epic Mahabharata, through music, dance and audio-visual media. "I was excited to choose Mahabharata because of Dhritarashtra, who himself was blind. The eleventh chapter of Gita because it's here when Lord Krishna shows his 'Vishwaroopam' (grand avatar) to Arjuna, and makes him look beyond the obvious" the master sitarist explained. The 67-year-old artiste, who has been away from India for over 30 years, seems to be equally fluent in Hindi and English, and recites Sanskrit couplets with ease. Why the Bhagavad Gita? The widely-heard musician said that his father taught him one Gita 'Shloka' (Sanskrit verse) each day, when he was young. "It took me few years to learn the entire Gita by heart, now I can recite it fully," said the Baluji Music Foundation founder. He has also founded the Inner Vision Orchestra, UK's only blind ensemble -- which performed with him -- the idea for which occured to Shrivastav when he was learning at the blind schools in Gwalior and Ajmer. As his Orchestra played striking music at the British Council here, it was accompanied by the graceful gestures and body movements by an Indian classical dance group headed by Arunima Kumar -- all feeding into a beautiful recital of Gita's 11th chapter "Vishwaroopam Darshana". The performance held the audience's attention, as an audio-visual accompaniment played street sounds -- that of a coconut being cut, a street being swept and food items being sieved -- to which the ensemble played the tabla, sitar, flute, piano and violin. It was produced by Baluji Music Foundation with support from Arts Council England, British Council and PRS Foundation. Towards the conclusion of the performance, a poignant Shrivastav said it's a misconception that visually-impaired music artistes cannot play for a dance performance. As British Council's North India Director Tom Birtwistle put it, the performance celebrates the "equal contribution made by differently-abled people to communities". For Shrivastav, music also remains a way to instill confidence in the visually impaired community. Mentioning his India tour, which concludes next week, he also said the joy of coming back to his motherland remains unparalleled. In his usual style, the musician broke into a Sanskrit shloka to illustrate his point: "Janani Janma-bhoomi-scha Swargadapi Gariyasia", translating it to explain that mother and motherland were better than heaven. His next performance is scheduled to be held at the Royal Opera in Mumbai on Monday. (Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in ) -- IANS sj/hs/tb/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There is no food or rural job crisis, and no report of starvation from tribal and interior areas of Tripura as alleged by the opposition parties, an official said here on Sunday. "There is absolutely no food and rural job crisis in tribal and interior areas of Tripura. There is no report of starvation. Allegations of the opposition parties and reports of a section of media about crisis of food and rural jobs are completely false and imaginary," an official of Tripura government's revenue department said, quoting reports of the District Magistrates. He said that after the accusations of food and rural jobs crisis in different parts of Tripura, a team of officials led by District Magistrate of the state's interior-most district Dhalai, Vikas Singh, visited many remote tribal areas to study the situation. "Singh, in his report (which available with IANS) to the state government, has said that tribal villagers have told the officials there is absolutely no food and rural job crisis. Some of the tribal families have sufficient food stock," the official said. The district magistrate in his report said that that the tribal villagers have told the officials that there is no such instance of starvation in their and neighbouring villages. "In fact, tribals are now busy in harvesting in their paddy field and 'jhum' (shifting cultivation) in mountainous hill top. It was found food stocked for three-four months in many of the villagers' homes," the DM's report said. While talking to the media on Sunday, Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma, who holds the Finance and Rural Development department, said that there is no crisis of jobs in Tripura under the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act). "Opposition parties specially the CPI-M falsely claimed that there are crisis of foods and rural jobs in Tripura. With political motivations, this accusations are only to malign the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) led government," Dev Varma said. Recently, the opposition Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and Congress leaders alleged there is a huge crisis of food and rural jobs in interior and tribal areas of Tripura, causing starvation. "Several hundred tribals from eastern and northern Tripura went to the neighbouring mountainous areas of Bangladesh in search of food and works," CPI-M Lok Sabha member from Tripura and party's Chief Whip in the lower house Jitendra Chowdhury had told the media. --IANS sc/pgh/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are building a device that uses machine learning, and is similar to a Wi-Fi router, to tract breathing, heart rate, sleep, gait, just by sitting in one spot. The device can help people living with conditions like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, depression, and pulmonary diseases and enable their physicians to wirelessly monitor their health. According to MIT professor Dina Katabi, the novel device will be able to replace the array of expensive, bulky, uncomfortable gear we currently need to get clinical data about the body. It transmits a low-power wireless signal throughout a space the size of a one- or two-bedroom apartment (even through walls), and the signal reflects off people's bodies. The device then uses machine learning to analyse those reflected signals and extract physiological data. The device takes advantage of the fact that every time we move -- even if it's just a teeny, tiny bit, such as when we breathe -- we change the electromagnetic field surrounding us, Katabi said, at the recently held MIT Technology Review's EmTech conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It can accurately monitor sleep, including individual sleep stages, in a person's own bed, with no changes to the way they sleep or what they wear. Because the device would be installed in a home, it could track the resident over time, too, which could be useful for watching sleep-disrupting conditions like Alzheimer's or depression, she said. Importantly, the data is collected only about specific traits and only with a person's consent. In addition, it is encrypted and is limited to certain designated recipients, Katabi said. --IANS rt/pgh/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actress Taapsee Pannu says "Pink" not only gave her an audience, but also a sense of direction. "Two years of 'Pink'! The movie that not just gave me an audience but a sense of direction. What a journey it has been since then! Grateful. Proud to be the 'Pink' girl," Taapsee tweeted on Sunday. "Pink", directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, completed two years of its release on Sunday. The film, which received the National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues, revolves a girl named Minal, who after being molested tries to file an FIR against a politician's nephew. When the subsequent case gets rigged, Deepak, a retired lawyer, helps her to fight the case. Taapsee is currently busy shooting for "Badla" along with her "Pink" co-star Amitabh. It is being directed by Sujoy Ghosh. --IANS dc/nn/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Accusing the state's Congress government of encouraging radical elements, former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday claimed there was a plot to assassinate him and his son Sukhbir Badal. "I have been been informed by the police about a plot to assassinate me and my son. But we neither frighten others nor are going to be frightened by such reports or threats," Badal said at the Shiromani Akali Dal's 'Jabar Virodh Rally' in Faridkot town, nearly 230 km from here. "I am ready to sacrifice myself and my son Sukhbir (Shiromani Akali Dal chief) for the cause of peace and communal harmony in the state," Badal said. "The Khalsa Panth represents a history of sacrifices for upholding the values of peace, communal harmony and 'Sarbat da bhala' as enshrined in the teachings of Sikh Gurus," he said. The rally was held amid a standoff with the state's Congress government led by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh which had earlier refused permission for the SAD rally. The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Saturday allowed the SAD rally. A handful of radical elements protesting against sacrilege incidents reported during the previous SAD-BJP government (2007-2017) protested against the rally on Sunday. Tight security was in place at the rally venue to keep these elements away. Badal accused the Congress government of encouraging the radical elements and thus playing with fire to disturb peace in Punjab. "The Congress is in collusion with forces that put Punjab through a period of turmoil, violence and bloodshed. It is the same old nexus between the Congress and some elements rejected by the Khalsa Panth who are now masquerading as panthic. They are up to their old games and conspiracies," the veteran Akali leader said. "The Congress' objective is to fulfil its old dream of grabbing control of the Sikh shrines and historic religious institutions. The main target is the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee... that is why the Congress is using these so-called panthic outfits as their front men." He warned that all this could set Punjab on fire again and apealed to the people to be vigilant against being used as cannon fodder by "these elements who can get others' children killed to promote their own petty selfish interests". Badal claimed that violence in Punjab is on Congress agenda since its government wants to divert people's attention from its failure to fulfil election promises and come up to public expectations. SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal alleged that Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had stooped to new lows in political discourse by using derogatory words against his nonagenarian father. Amarinder Singh is a "completely unethical person" and that "everyone is acquainted with his past and character," the SAD chief claimed. --IANS js/tsb/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Haryana Police on Sunday stopped the cremation of a teenage girl in Rohtak district on suspicion that it was a case of honour killing. Police said the girl, a student of Class 11, died on Saturday under mysterious circumstances in Behbal village. Her family tried to cremate her on Sunday but police intervened after a tip-off. However, by the time firefighters doused the pyre flames, nearly 90 per cent of the body had been burnt. Police sources claimed that the girl could have been strangulated. "We have sent the remains for forensic examination," a police official said. The family claimed that the girl had complained of stomachache on Saturday, following which she died as she was on way to a hospital. --IANS js/tsb/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Some 40 prisoners broke a jail in Hpa-an township, Myanmar's Kayin state, and escaped on Sunday, an official from Kayin State Prison Department told Xinhua. The inmates took a car of a prison officer and fled the jail by breaking through the gates at 8:45 a.m. One prison officer was injured and some prisoners fleeing the jail were caught at the scene. An investigation is underway by the regional authorities. --IANS ahm/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss Syrian issues with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Russia's Sochi on Monday, the Kremlin said on Sunday. The meeting will take place at a time when the Syrian government forces backed by Russia and Iran are preparing an offensive against the rebels' last major stronghold in Idlib province, although Turkey and the US have repeatedly warned against any operation, Xinhua reported. Erdogan's call for a ceasefire in Idlib, which borders Turkey, was accepted neither by Russia nor Iran at the tripartite summit in Tehran on September 7. Last week, four Russian warplanes stationed in Syria's Hmeymim airbase attacked militants in Idlib and the Russian Foreign Ministry said it was important and urgent to eradicate terrorism in Idlib. Russian strategic bombers have simulated striking targets in Syria. Turkey and the US are opposed to the possible offensive in Idlib, citing that it could cause great civilian casualties and even a humanitarian disaster. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are expected to negotiate over Idlib on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly that will open on Tuesday. --IANS pgh/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday visited AIIMS to inquire about the health of Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer. "Also spoke to the doctors who are supervising his treatment. I pray for his good health and quick recovery," Rajnath Singh tweeted. Parrikar, 62, was on Saturday admitted at the All India Institute for Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for treatment and examination. He has been in and out of hospitals in the US, Mumbai and Goa since February. --IANS rak/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Armed robbers looted cash totalling Rs 1.72 lakh from a departmental store in Sahibabad in Ghaziabad district, police said on Sunday. The incident occurred on Saturday night in Naveen Park. The police said four robbers, their faces covered by motrocycle helmets, barged into a departmental store and at gun point decamped with the money kept in a cash box. Store owner Vikas Goel said they took away all the cash amounting to Rs 1.72 lakh. The criminals fired a shot in air to terrorize the locals before escaping, Superintendent of Police Shlok Kumar said. --IANS sps/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Man arrested for raping two minors In yet another incident of rape in Kanchanpur district, police arrested a 57-year-old man in Beldandi Rural Muncipality-2 for allegedly raping two girls, both aged six. With "Hindutva" as the central theme, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will hold a path-breaking three-day lecture series here from Monday but the top leaders in the opposition are unlikely to grace the event. The highlight will be talks to be delivered on all three days by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, presenting the Sangh's view on various contemporary issues of national importance. The programme, titled "Future of Bharat: An RSS Perspective", is slated to be attended by dignitaries including religious leaders, film stars, sportspersons, industrialists and envoys from different countries. But Congress President Rahul Gandhi, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav will not be gracing the occasion. While Akhilesh Yadav, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, has made known his decision, the CPI-M said that Yechury was travelling and in any case they had no invite from the RSS. The Congress was more derisive of the RSS. "RSS and BJP have been spreading this fake news for a while regarding sending invites as if it was some kind of a medal of honour," party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said. "No such invite has been received by the Congress party and it is not a medal of honour. Their inherently hate-filled agenda is known to one and all." The RSS, founded in 1925 and the ideological fountainhead of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), explained why the close-knit group was inviting others to an event unprecedented in nature. "RSS is being criticised by one and all, especially by the opposition," an RSS spokesman told IANS. "This event is to present our view, how we see the issues which the opposition has been using to target us and the government." Added RSS chief spokesperson Arun Kumar: "Today, Bharat (India) is moving ahead towards regaining her special and unique position in the world. The RSS is realising that there is a growing eagerness amongst larger sections of the society including the intellectuals and the youth to know and understand the RSS perspective on various issues," The lecture series will be held at Vigyan Bhavan in the heart of Delhi. Bhagwat will also interact with select audience comprising prominent citizens during the lecture series. The event follows Bhagwat's address at a recent second World Hindu Congress in Chicago where the RSS chief urged Hindus to unite. The RSS calls itself a non-political group but critics say it controls the BJP and influences its policies. --IANS and-mak/pgh/mr (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A group of over 90 South Korean officials on Sunday embarked on a trip to Pyongyang to make preparations for the upcoming summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korea's Kim Jong-un. President Moon will visit Pyongyang from Tuesday to Thursday for what would be his third meeting with the North's leader, reports Yonhap News Agency. The advance team of 93 government officials, technology-related staff and reporters, crossed the border on 19 buses. "The South-North summit talks, for which all people long, are just three days away. The advance team will make sure it's well-prepared," Suh Ho, Seoul's presidential secretary for unification policy, told reporters just before departure. Moon, meanwhile, plans to use the direct flight route over the Yellow Sea for his first trip to Pyongyang as the South's President. The North's media carried a series of reports on the upcoming summit. "Regarding the historic Pyongyang summit, expectations and interest are running unprecedentedly high in South Korea," claimed the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the country's ruling party. It said the two sides will certainly established a "unified strong country" by continuing the peace mood. The North's external propaganda websites -- Uriminzokkiri and Meari -- also released similar reports on the upcoming summit. --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Spain's Carolina Marin, Olympic champion and three-time badminton world champion, won the Japan Open women's singles title on Sunday with a victory over Japanese player Nozomi Okuhara 21-19, 17-21, 21-11. Marin, 25, played an exciting match lasting one hour and 15 minutes, in which Okuhara pushed back to win the second game only to see Marin regain control in the tie-break, reports Efe news. The Spaniard returned to the court at the Japan Open one month after being crowned world champion for the third time in her career. The Japan Open men's title was claimed by Japanese reigning world champion Kento Momota, who defeated Thailand's Khosit Phetpradab 21-14, 21-11 in a one-sided final. --IANS kk/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Syria's air defences responded to an Israeli attack near the international airport of the capital Damascus on Saturday evening, state TV reported. The air defences intercepted several missiles targeting the Damascus airport, said the report, citing a military statement. The attack is the latest in a string of Israeli missile strikes that targeted Syrian military bases during the protracted war in the country. --IANS ahm/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A US Border Patrol agent has been arrested in connection with the killings of four people and the kidnapping of a woman who escaped, officials said. Juan David Ortiz, 35, confessed to killing four people between September 3 and 15, according to a criminal complaint filed in Webb County, Texas, on Saturday. Ortiz was charged with four murder charges and one unlawful restraint with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The bodies were found over the past two weeks, a County spokesman told CNN on Saturday. He said investigators were not ruling out the possibility of more victims. Ortiz is accused of killing Melissa Ramirez, Claudine Ann Luera, an unknown woman referred to as "Jane Doe" and an unknown man referred to as "John Doe", according to an affidavit. The women were all shot multiple times in the head and the man was shot once in the back of the head. All of the women were prostitutes, the district attorney told CNN. Even male victim was believed to be a prostitute. "He was profiling certain kinds of victims... The suspect was hunting for his victims," the district attorney said describing Ortiz as a serial killer. Andrew Meehan, a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson, said in a statement to CNN that the agency is fully cooperating with investigators. "While it is CBP policy to not comment on the details of an ongoing investigation, criminal action by our employees is not, and will not be tolerated," his statement read. "Out of respect for the victims' family and friends, we ask that deference and due process be given to the investigation so that all the facts are brought to light and they can receive the closure they deserve." --IANS ksk (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Villarreal on Sunday earned its first La Liga victory of the 2018-2019 season, defeating host Leganes 1-0 at Butarque stadium. After a goalless first half, Leganes striker Guido Carrillo of Argentina missed a penalty in the 49th minute, squandering his side's best chance to get on the scoreboard, reports Efe news. Colombia forward Carlos Bacca netted the lone goal of the match in the 65th minute, securing the Yellow Submarine's first three points in the Spanish league standings. Villarreal provisionally climbed to the 12th spot in the table with four points, having earned one win, one draw and two defeats. Leganes is last in La Liga and has only managed a single point in the standings after one draw and three defeats. --IANS kk/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Ghaziabad Police on Friday arrested a wanted criminal against whom at least 30 cases were registered. Police said they got hold of Anoop Mavi following an encounter in the early hours of Friday after a patrolling team received information about his movements. When police asked him to stop at a check point, he sped away on his motorcycle. However, he was eventually forced to stop due to a hurdle in his way. After abandoning the motorcycle, he opened fire at the police team. In the retaliatory police firing, Mavi sustained a bullet injury on his right leg following which he was overpowered and nabbed. While screening his crime record, he was found involved in 30 criminal cases registered in Sahibabad and Delhi police stations. "The police recovered a pistol and motorcycle from his possession," said Superintendent of Police (City) Shlok Kumar. --IANS sps/pgh/bg (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The highest court has rendered compensatory justice to the renowned scientist by awarding him a compensation of Rs 5 million, to be paid by the Kerala government, for the injustice and custodial torture suffered by him at the hands of the state police, in a 24-year old espionage case. Even after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had filed a closure report in 1996, the then Kerala government acted vindictively, trying to reinvestigate the case by its ... Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor The stand taken by former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan is self-contradictory to say the least. On the one hand, he has submitted at the Parliamentary Committee that he sent a note to the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) in which he had argued in favour of taking action against one or two big defaulters of bank loans to make an example. Some politically motivated people are only harping on that. On the other hand, he has also said in course of his many submissions, as reported widely in newspapers, that it was not quite practicable to take effective action ... There is much confusion about the list of invitees and confirmed attendees to an event organised by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Delhi. The three-day lecture series, Future of Bharat: An RSS perspective, kicks off at Vigyan Bhavan in Delhi today. Top RSS functionaries from across the country and the world are expected to attend the event, which is aimed at helping the invitees know more about the Sangh Parivar and its ideologies and remove misconceptions about them. It was reported that the RSS had sent out invitations to Congress President Rahul Gandhi and ... Members pick 31t of waste from rivers Volunteers removed 31 metric tonnes of garbage from rivers and Ring Road in the Kathmandu Valley as part of the clean-up drive on World Cleanup Day. Cash starved and with fewer business houses willing to bet on it, at least not for the forthcoming assembly polls to five states, the Congress party on Saturday launched its crowdfunding efforts to finance its Rajasthan assembly election campaign. The website (https://contribute.inc.in/fundraiser/rajasthanpolls) showed the Congress collected a little over Rs 200,000 by the end of Sunday, which it said was one per cent of what it hoped to collect during the 77-day duration of the campaign. Party leaders concede that it would be unrealistic to expect the Congress to contest the ... The took a dig at the government Sunday over rising prices of petrol and diesel, saying they were headed towards a century and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be congratulated for it. spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said during the UPA, international crude oil prices hovered around USD 130 per barrel and still the prices were low, but now when the crude oil prices are around half, the prices of petrol and diesel are touching an all-time high. He also condemned the remarks made by Union minister Ramdas Athawale on petrol and diesel, saying they are "insensitive" and a "cruel joke" on the people of the country. "The prices of petrol and diesel are fast rising and moving towards the century mark. I congratulate the prime minister for inching towards the century and wonder when the diesel price would also touch the mark," he told reporters. He also said it seems that the meters at petrol pumps will have to be changed as there are no three digit meters installed there yet. He said petrol is sold at rate of Rs 91-92 per litre in two districts of Maharashtra and this situation is when the crude oil is at USD 68 a barrel in the international market. "Such kind of situation contextually is the reality and such kinds of comments are completely insensitive and uncalled for," he said, while training his guns on Athawale. "His (Athawale's) statement is a cruel joke. It is a very insensitive way to make a joke of the rising prices. I can only condemn it," Singhvi said. Under fire for his comments that the rise in doesn't bother him as he is a minister, Athawale regretted his remarks Sunday and said he had no intention of hurting the sentiments of the common man. In a statement issued in Mumbai, Athawale, a ally and the Union minister of state for social justice, said he understands that people are getting affected by the rising "I do understand the feelings of people who are getting affected by the rising I had no intention of hurting the sentiments of the common man," he said. Athawale, who heads a faction of the Republican Party of India (RPI), made the controversial remarks at a press conference at Jaipur Saturday. "I am not suffering from rising as I am a minister," he had said, referring to the allowances he gets. "I may suffer if I lose my ministerial post," he had said. The 42-year-old director of a vedic school in Maharashtra's Parbhani district was arrested and two juvenile students were detained for the alleged assault and ragging of two other minor students, police said Sunday. The victims, in the age group of 9 to 10 years, were allegedly ragged and their private parts tied with 'manja' (string) by the accused, Parbhani's deputy superintendent of police Sanjay Pardeshi said. The incident occurred at the Ganesh Ved Pathshala, located on Basmat Road in Parbhani, 500 km from Mumbai, between August 26 and September 12, and it came to light last Wednesday when parents of the two victims complained to the police about it, he said. The accused students allegedly ragged the boys, tied their private parts with the string and also beat them up. Following the incident, the victims suffered injury to their private parts, Pardeshi said. The boys had complained to the Ved Pathshala director, Sudhir Kulkarni, about the inhuman treatment they were being subjected to on the pretext of ragging but their pleas were disregarded, the official said. The boys then narrated the incident to their parents who lodged a complaint with the Parbhani city police following which Kulkarni was arrested on Saturday for ignoring the complaints of the victims while the two accused, who are 10 and 13 years' old, were detained, Pardeshi said. Offences were registered against the accused under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), and provisions of the Maharashtra Prohibition of Ragging Act and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, he said. Pardeshi said during the investigation, the police found that the Ved Pathshala, where only six students were enrolled, was not registered with the registrar office and was running illegally. Meanwhile, Kulkarni was produced before a local court which remanded him in judicial custody. The two accused students were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board which sent the duo to a remand home, Pardeshi said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court here has sentenced two NDFB(S) militants to death and awarded life imprisonment to two others of the same outfit for killing six persons four years ago in Sonitpur district of Assam. This is the first instance of any militant being sentenced to death in Assam. NIA special judge Mahmud Ahmed on Saturday described the case to be the rarest of rare and sentenced Bishnu Narzary and Ajoy Basumatary to be hanged to death. The judge also sentenced Sanju Bordoloi and Nitul Daimary to life imprisonment. The judge in his ruling said the injured as well as the next of kin of the deceased must be monetarily compensated and referred the matter to the Secretary of the District Legal Services, Kamrup (Metro) to quantify the compensation amount. The NIA court had convicted the four militants on August 29 and announced the quantum of punishment yesterday. Six persons were killed and two others injured by a group of NDFB(S) militants who fired indiscriminately at villagers at Santipur village in Dhekiajuli town of the district on December 23, 2014. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The number of Lesser floricans, an endangered species of migratory birds, visiting western Madhya Pradesh has increased this year due to improvement of their habitat, an official said Sunday. Ornithologist Ajay Gadikar, who has been working with the state's Forest department to attract the birds, said that 40 Lesser floricans have been spotted this season in four districts of the state. Gadikar said that 11 of them were spotted in Kharmore Sanctuary in Sardarpur in Dhar district, 16 in Neemuch district, nine in Jhabua and four in Ratlam. He said that 22 birds, also called likh or kharmore in MP, had visited the state last year. "We have spotted six male and five female kharmores in our sanctuary. Last year, we saw only one male likh here," said Forest Sub Divisional Officer Rakesh Kumar Damor. Damor claimed that the forest department's efforts to better the habitat of these migratory birds had paid off. Every year, the birds migrate to Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat in July, and live there for around four months before flying off elsewhere. They are found only in the Indian subcontinent. A 2017 survey by the Wildlife Institute of India had revealed that the number these birds from the Bustard family had nosedived by 80 per cent in the last 17 years. The survey held that construction activity, urbanisation and over-grazing of grasslands were destroying the birds' habitats, while predators such as stray dogs and other feral animals were preying on the birds' eggs. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two suspected drug-peddlers were arrested and five quintals of poppy husk was seized from their possession in Haryana's Bhiwani district on Sunday, police said. The seized narcotic substance was to be supplied to people in Sirsa, Hisar and Bhiwani districts, a police spokesman said. He said a police team, following a tip-off, raided a poultry farm in the Garwa area and seized three quintals of poppy husk kept in a car. The driver of the vehicle, identified as Pawan, a resident of Garwa village in Bhiwani, was arrested, the spokesman added. The team also seized two quintals of poppy husk from another car and arrested its driver Navdeep of Gopalwas village, Bhiwani, he said. A case under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act was registered against the duo at Siwani police station in Bhiwani, the spokesman said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The ABVP and the NSUI claimed Sunday their vote share has increased over the years in the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union election and they will continue their fight for the rights of students. The remarks of both the parties came after a united front of four Left student groups Sunday won all four central panel posts in Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) election, by defeating the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) with huge margins. The Left-backed All India Students' Association (AISA), Students' Federation of India (SFI), Democratic Students' Federation (DSF) and All India Students' Federation (AISF) came together to form the 'United Left' alliance. After the results were announced, the ABPV said it was the trust shown by students towards the party that forced the Left parties to forge an alliance. "The ABVP will continue its fight against left violence. We are thankful to the students for making us the single largest student organisation on campus. We will continue to be a constructive opposition on JNU campus, and will keep fighting for students' rights. "The biased act of the Election Commission in the JNUSU elections is against the democratic system of the university," they said. The ABVP claimed that its vote share has increased over the years. "The trust shown by students of JNU towards the ABVP forced all the Left parties to forge an alliance. The ABVP as a strong opposition will continue its work in student welfare, society welfare and nation welfare" they added. A member of the Left bloc claimed that the vote share of the ABVP declined in science schools, which have been their strongholds traditionally. "Usually, the ABVP candidate used to lead the Left candidate in the Science schools by a margin of 200-250 votes but on Saturday, they were leading by a slender margin of 30-40 votes. "Students are seeing how the ABVP indulges in hooliganism and does not take up student issues," he said. The Congress-backed National Students' Union of India (NSUI) said they will continue their fight for the rights of students. Last year, their presidential candidate had only got 82 votes but their presidential candidate Vikas Yadav polled 402 votes this year. Their candidates had even polled less votes than NOTA last year but this year the situation was different. "We will continue our fight for students. We are fighting against the RSS. Our vote share has increased and the campus has given us acceptance. Our candidate Vishnu Prasad won the councillor's post in the School Of International Studies after 14 years, which is historic," said Sunny Mehta, NSUI coordinator at JNU. Thalapelli Praveen, the presidential candidate of BAPSA (Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students Association), who polled 675 votes, said their party would extend support to the elected students' union. "BAPSA congratulates the left unity for winning the JNUSU Elections 2018-19. We extend our full cooperation to the elected students union to strengthen the students movement to defeat the Brahmanical and social fascism," he posted on Facebook. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In the run up to the 2019 general elections, the Congress will appoint a whopping one crore 'booth assistants' across the country for effective booth management, party leaders said on Sunday. After the proposal was approved by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, party general secretary Ashok Gehlot wrote to the office bearers and state presidents of the all All India Congress Committee (AICC) intimating them about it, the party leader said. Letters were sent to the state unit chiefs on September 13 asking them to ensure that they enrol at least 10 assistants at every booth with the help of district and block units of the party. Gehlot further directed them to make sure that each booth assistant visits at least 20-25 households. According to party sources, the decision was taken during the September 6 meeting of Congress state in-charges and state treasurers chaired by Gehlot and party treasurer Ahmed Patel while the Gandhi scion was on a pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar. National Secretary (Organisation) of the Congress J D Salim told PTI: "The party has decided that at least 10 assistants will be roped in at every booth. There are around 10 lakh booths across the country and we will have to appoint 1 crore booth assistants." "We are aiming to achieve the target before the upcoming assembly polls," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The American woman who was found loitering here in semi-tattered clothes claiming she had been abandoned by her Indian husband has been sent back home with the assistance of the US Consulate in Chennai, police said Sunday. "After she was taken to a government shelter, the US consulate was alerted which arranged the woman's travel back home," a senior official said. She was later taken to the Chennai airport and sent to the US by a flight, the official said without giving any detail. The woman, who appeared to be disoriented, was found loitering at Vellagate here days ago. The American was seen conversing with some auto drivers before she was spotted by a police patrol team. She reportedly told them that her spouse was an Indian national and they resided at Velachery in Chennai. The woman had claimed that her husband had left her here following a domestic quarrel and sped away in their car. When contacted by PTI, the woman's husband had Saturday declined to answer any query. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP president Amit Shah arrived Sunday in Rajasthan on a three-day visit during which he will address party workers and discuss strategy with them for the upcoming assembly elections in the state. Over the three days, Shah will be visiting Pali, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Bhilwara and Udaipur districts and party workers from three divisions of Jodhpur, Ajmer and Udaipur will attend his meetings. Shah reached Jodhpur in a chartered plane on Sunday where he was received by Union minister Gajendra Singh and other leaders at the Jodhpur airport. After a brief halt, he left for Pali in a helicopter. Union minister PP Chaudhary and others welcomed Shah at the helipad in Pali where he is scheduled to address 'Shakti Kendra Sammelan' and division-level 'OBC sammelan'. After Pali, he will be addressing 'Shakti Sammelan', division level 'Youth sammelan' and 'intellectuals' meeting' in Jodhpur the same day. The party president is also scheduled to have dinner at the house of a government scheme beneficiary in Jodhpur's Masuriya colony and a visit to the Masuriya temple before leaving for Delhi in a chartered plane is also in the itinerary. On Monday, the party president will reach Udaipur in the chartered plane and leave for Bhilwara in a helicopter. He will address a booth workers' meeting in Bhilwara and interact with kids with special needs. After a night halt in Rajsamand's Nathdwara on Monday, Shah will offer prayers at Nathdwara temple on Tuesday morning before leaving in a helicopter for Nagaur where 'Shakti Sammelan' and division-level 'kisan sammelan' have been planned. Later in the day, he will address 'Shakti Sammelan' and division-level 'ST sammelan' in Udaipur. Before concluding the three-day tour, Shah would also meet with IT and NaMo app volunteers and pay a visit to Narayan Seva Sansthan, an NGO working for treatment and rehabilitation of differently-abled persons in Udaipur. This is his second visit to Rajasthan within a week. Shah was in Jaipur where he addressed four meetings on September 11. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Minimum wage for Nepali workers raised to 1300 Riyals in Saudi Arabia Nepal government has fixed the minimum salary rate at 1300 Saudi Riyals (approximately NRs 39,000) per month for Nepali migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. Lok Sabha MP from Arunachal Pradesh, Ninong Ering has suggested to the Centre for dredging of the Siang river to solve the recurrent flood and erosion problems in the downstream areas of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. The Siang river is called the Tsangpo in China and in Assam it is called the Brahmaputra. The Congress MP from Arunachal East constituency on Saturday in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi apprised him of the large-scale soil erosion taking place along the banks of Siang river in East Siang district which has posed a serious threat to the lives of people in riverine areas. With Siang river in spate and flowing above danger level, the MP expressed deep concern over large-scale siltation in the riverbed and soil erosions in downstream areas of Borguli and Serum villages under Mebo sub-division and Pertung, Sika-Bamin and Sika-Tode in Pasighat area. To bring a permanent solution to over flooding and erosion of downstream areas, Ering pleaded the PM to initiate preventive measures such as dredging of Siang river from Rengging to Oiramghat in Assam, construction of embankments along both banks of the river till Oiramghat, and initiating dialogue with China on the release of water from the dams in Yarlung Zangpo in Tibet to solve flooding and erosion of downstream areas. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Under fire for his comments that the rise in petrol and diesel prices doesn't bother him as he is a minister, Ramdas Athawale Sunday regretted his remarks and said he had no intention of hurting the sentiments of the common man. In a statement issued in Mumbai, Athawale, a BJP ally and the Union Minister of State for Social Justice, said that he understands people are getting affected by the rising fuel prices. "I do understand the feelings of people who are getting affected by the rising fuel prices. I had no intention of hurting the sentiments of the common man," he said. Athawale, who heads a faction of the Republican Party of India (RPI), made the controversial remarks at a press conference at Jaipur Saturday. "I am not suffering from rising fuel prices as I am a minister," he had said, referring to the allowances he gets. "I may suffer if I lose my ministerial post," he had said. Athawale was asked if he was personally affected by the rising fuel prices. However, at the same press meet, the minister acknowledged that others are affected more by the rising prices of petrol and diesel. The price of fuel can be reduced if the states cut the tax on it. The Centre is seriously working on the issue, he had said at the press conference. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The massive fire at Bagree Market near Burrabazar area - the city's commercial hub- could have been averted had building owners installed adequate fire safety measures, Mayor Sovon Chatterjee said. However, some traders said the multi-storey market had fire alarm systems on every floor. Despite warnings, the market authorities did not install adequate fire safety equipment in the building, the mayor, who also holds the Fire Services portfolio, told reporters. "I visited the building on several occasions and held meetings with market authorities, asking them to take steps to ensure the safety of the building. Last month, too, a meeting was held in this regard. A water tank on top of the market did not have proper pipelines to take care of eventualities," he said. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has formed a committee to review the status of commercial buildings across the city. "Based on reports filed by the KMC, we haul up building owners. The review is carried out every year," Chatterjee explained. The fire department had in the past recommended steps to authorities, but no such measures were taken, he claimed. "The market authorities kept insisting that we extend the deadline for installing fire fighting equipment. The tragedy could have been averted if they took action on time," he maintained. Asked if he would take action against defaulters, the mayor replied in the affirmative. "The incident could have been averted if safety measures were taken on time. The market authorities will be held accountable for the blaze. As of now, we are trying our best but fire fighting operation is tough here because of the number of buildings on the street," he stated. The fire that broke out around 2.30 am on the ground floor of the building on Canning Street quickly spread to the upper floors. Thirty fire tenders have been pressed into service to contain the blaze that has been raging for over 11 hours. With just a month to go for Durga Puja, the fire has spelled doom for several traders. Anil Mehta, one of the shop owners, said, "I have lost everything in the blaze. My store as well as the godown has been gutted in the fire." Another shop owner, who did not wish to be named, said he paid for fire safety measures every year. "Every floor has a fire alarm. I and other shop keepers make yearly payments for purchase and upkeep of fire fighting equipment," he claimed. When PTI contacted Radha Bagree, one of the owners of the building,, she refused to comment on the matter. Another cloth dealer, who lost his shop in the fire, said several meetings were held on safety measures, but no initiative was taken as such. "I have no clue about what equipment was installed in the building, but I remember authorities had requested KMC for help during meetings. If steps had been taken, the mishap could have been averted," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Employees perform better at their jobs when their bosses show compassion, according to a study which suggests that benevolent leaders help businesses achieve their goals. Researchers from Binghamton University in the US wanted to determine how both the presence and lack of benevolence affects the job performance of followers. "Being benevolent is important because it can change the perception your followers have of you," said Chou-Yu Tsai, an assistant professor at Binghamton University. "If you feel that your leader or boss actually cares about you, you may feel more serious about the work you do for them," said Tsai. Researchers surveyed nearly 1,000 members of the Taiwanese military and almost 200 adults working full-time in the US, and looked at the subordinate performance that resulted from three different leadership styles. They found that authoritarianism-dominant leaders -- who assert absolute authority and control, focused mostly on completing tasks at all costs with little consideration of the well-being of subordinates -- almost always had negative results on job performance. On the other hand, benevolence-dominant leadership -- where primary concern is the personal or familial well-being of subordinates -- almost always had a positive impact on job performance. They also found that classical paternalistic leadership, which combines both benevolence and authoritarianism, had just as strong an effect on subordinate performance as benevolent-dominant leadership. In other words, showing no compassion to your employees doesn't bode well for their job performance, while showing compassion motivated them to be better workers, researchers said. The parent and child relationship is the first leader-follower relationship that people experience. It can become a bit of a prototype of what we expect out of leadership going forward, and the paternalistic leadership style kind of resembles that of a parent," Tsai said. The findings imply that showing personal and familial support for employees is a critical part of the leader-follower relationship. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Central observers of the BJP are expected to arrive in Goa Sunday to take stock of the political situation, even as the opposition Congress says it is watching the developments and will explore the possibility of forming government in the state. The coastal state, currently ruled by the BJP-led government, is witnessing hectic political activity as Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who has been ailing since sometime, has been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. BJP's central observers B L Santhosh and Ram Lal are likely to arrive in Goa Sunday afternoon to take stock of the political situation and initiate a discussion with party leaders and alliance partners for a possible merger. The Parrikar-led government is ruling the state with the support of the Goa Forward Party (GFP), the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and Independents. "The central observers will meet BJP legislators and office-bearers followed by a meeting with the GFP, MGP and Independents," a senior BJP leader said. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Michael Lobo, who is the deputy speaker of the Goa Assembly, had told PTI Saturday that the party emissaries would suggest to allies that they should become part of the saffron party. "A proposal will be made to the GFP and MGP, asking them to merge with the BJP. Only after that, we will take up issues such as who will be the next chief minister or who will take over the charge or anything related to it," Lobo said. The BJP currently has 14 legislators in the 40-member assembly while the GFP, the MGP and Independents have three each. The Congress has 16 MLAs while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has one legislator. Meanwhile, the Congress said it was watching the developments and may explore the possibility of forming government in Goa but "not by compromising the state's interest". "Our stand is very clear. We will definitely explore all possibilities but that does not mean that we will do it by compromising the ideology or the interest of Goans," All India Congress Committee secretary A Chellakumar, who is also Goa in-charge of the party, said. "We are not in a hurry to capture power by compromising the interest of the people of Goa. The Congress is accountable to the people," he added. Chellakumar said his party was watching the developments in the state. "All our MLAs are together. We are simply watching what is going on in the ruling camp. The internal bickering has already started. The cabinet ministers have started throwing stones on each other," he said. The Congress leader said all legislators in Goa, cutting across party lines, should take a stand for the sake of the state. "All this time there was no government at all in Goa since the BJP took over in 2017. The governance was totally nil. The BJP has miserably failed in all aspects. So why you (referring to allies) take onus of all these things by being part of that government?" he said. Chellakumar said it is the time for legislators who went with the BJP to rectify their mistake. "It is in their hand whether to remain in the same sinking boat or leave it. They are there against the wishes of people of Goa and against the wishes of their own voters," he said referring to MLAs of parties having an alliance with the ruling BJP. Parrikar, 62, was admitted to the AIIMS Saturday morning. He had undergone a three-month-long treatment in the United States for pancreatic ailment earlier this year. The MGP had said Saturday it was "high time" Parrikar handed over the charge to the senior-most minister in his cabinet during his absence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A three-member team of central observers of the ruling BJP arrived in Goa on Sunday afternoon to take stock of the political situation in view of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's indisposition, even as the Congress said it is watching the developments. Parrikar, 62, has been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi for treatment. Some media reports have suggested that the BJP is exploring alternatives for the chief minister's position in Goa till Parrikar gets well. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sent its national general secretaries B L Santhosh and Ram Lal and Goa in-charge Vijay Puranik to assess the situation in the state, where the party came to power with the support of regional outfits and Independents. "They will be holding a series of meetings on Sunday and Monday with BJP leaders and also the alliance partners -- the Goa Forward Party, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and the Independents," BJP state chief Vinay Tendulkar told reporters. The central observers met the party's legislators as well as Goa unit chief Tendulkar and Member of Parliament (South Goa) Narendra Sawaikar at a city hotel Sunday. Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, after the meeting, said he had given his views about the current political situation in the state and it was now for the party to take a decision. Rane, however, refused to divulge details of the meeting. "We have briefed them about the facts. Each one of us has our own views and we briefed them about it. It is not right to come out in public with what we discussed," he said. Deputy Speaker of State Legislative Assembly Michael Lobo told reporters that the meeting was centred around the functioning of the government and Parrikar's health. "The observers sent by the party high command are monitoring the situation. Let them report to the high command and come back to us with a solution to the problem," Lobo said. On being asked about what the problem was, the deputy speaker said, "There is no problem in the party. Right now, the chief minister is not well, that is the problem." The observers also met leaders of the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), allies in the Parrikar government, BJP functionaries said. Lobo had told PTI on Saturday that the party emissaries will suggest the allies that they should become part of the saffron party. "A proposal will be made to the GFP and the MGP, asking them to merge with the BJP. Only after that, we will take up issues such as who will be the next chief minister or who will take over the charge or anything related to it," Lobo had said. Following the meeting of the three MLAs of the Goa Forward Party and three Independents with the BJP's central observers, GFP chief Vijai Sardesai said that he had asked for a "permanent solution" to the situation created by Parrikar's absence. "We have put forth our points about the present political situation in Goa. We have asked them (the BJP) to provide a permanent solution," Sardesai, who is also the Goa agriculture minister, told reporters late Sunday evening. Sardesai added that the discussions at the meeting were centred around the current political situation in Goa and also preparations for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The BJP currently has 14 legislators in the 40-member assembly while the GFP and the MGP have three each. The national party is also supported by three Independents. The opposition Congress has 16 MLAs while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has one legislator. The Congress said Sunday it was watching the developments and may explore the possibility of forming government in Goa but "not by compromising the state's interest". "Our stand is very clear. We will definitely explore all possibilities but that does not mean that we will do it by compromising the ideology or the interest of Goans," All India Congress Committee secretary A Chellakumar, who is also Goa in-charge of the party, said. "We are not in a hurry to capture power by compromising the interest of the people of Goa. The Congress is accountable to the people," he said. Chellakumar said his party was watching the developments in the state. "All our MLAs are together. We are watching what is going on in the ruling camp. The internal bickering has already started. The cabinet ministers have started throwing stones at each other," he said. The Congress leader said all legislators in Goa, cutting across party lines, should take a stand for the sake of the state. Parrikar was admitted to the AIIMS on Saturday morning. He had undergone a three-month-long treatment in the United States for pancreatic ailment earlier this year. The MGP had said on Saturday it was "high time" Parrikar handed over the charge to the senior-most minister in his cabinet during his absence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A three-member team of central observers of the ruling BJP arrived in Goa on Sunday afternoon to take stock of the political situation in view of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's indisposition, even as the Congress said it is watching the developments. Parrikar, 62, has been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi for treatment. Some media reports have suggested that the BJP is exploring alternatives for the chief minister's position in Goa till Parrikar gets well. The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) sent its national general secretaries B L Santhosh and Ram Lal and Goa in-charge Vijay Puranik to assess the situation in the state, where the party came to power with the support of regional outfits and Independents. "They will be holding a series of meetings on Sunday and Monday with BJP leaders and also the alliance partners -- the Goa Forward Party, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and Independents," BJP state chief Vinay Tendulkar told reporters. BJP leader Michael Lobo, who is the deputy speaker of the Goa Assembly, had told PTI on Saturday that the party emissaries will suggest the allies that they should become part of the saffron party. "A proposal will be made to the GFP and the MGP, asking them to merge with the BJP. Only after that, we will take up issues such as who will be the next chief minister or who will take over the charge or anything related to it," Lobo had said. The BJP currently has 14 legislators in the 40-member assembly while the GFP and the MGP have three each. The national party is also supported by three Independents. The opposition Congress has 16 MLAs while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has one legislator. Meanwhile, the Congress on Sunday said it was watching the developments and may explore the possibility of forming government in Goa but "not by compromising the state's interest". "Our stand is very clear. We will definitely explore all possibilities but that does not mean that we will do it by compromising the ideology or the interest of Goans," All India Congress Committee secretary A Chellakumar, who is also Goa in-charge of the party, said. "We are not in a hurry to capture power by compromising the interest of the people of Goa. The Congress is accountable to the people," he added. Chellakumar said his party was watching the developments in the state. "All our MLAs are together. We are watching what is going on in the ruling camp. The internal bickering has already started. The cabinet ministers have started throwing stones at each other," he said. The Congress leader said all legislators in Goa, cutting across party lines, should take a stand for the sake of the state. Parrikar was admitted to the AIIMS on Saturday morning. He had undergone a three-month-long treatment in the United States for pancreatic ailment earlier this year. The MGP had said on Saturday it was "high time" Parrikar handed over the charge to the senior-most minister in his cabinet during his absence. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The AAP government Sunday accused the BJP of trying to derail the AAP government's ambitious project of doorstep delivery of public services. As per the project, the Aam Aadmi Party government will provide a total of 100 services at the doorstep of citizens. The services will be provided for an extra fee of Rs 50. Talking to reporters here, Delhi Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot said that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal held a review meeting on the scheme last night. He alleged that the BJP has hired call centres to "block" the doorstep delivery of scheme. After his minister's accusation against the BJP at a press conference, Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi, "They will block ten lines, we will start 100 more. They will block our ten mobile associates, we will add 100 more. "Their religion is destruction, ours is to serve. They will follow their religion, we will follow ours." According to the AAP minister, the chief minister has directed to increase call-lines upto 300, and also the number of executives will be increased from 40 to 600 in two shifts. The number of associates delivering services to the door-steps will be increased from 70 to 300, Gahlot said. "The BJP has hired call centres to block the project and misguide the people. However, we will not let them succeed," he alleges. As per the plan, the Aam Aadmi Party government will provide a total of 100 services at the doorstep of citizens. On September 10, Kejriwal had launched the doorstep delivery of services under which Delhiites can avail 40 service in phase phase, including driving licence, ration card, caste certificate, marriage registeration certificate among other. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A senior BJP leader has said that the party would fight the Mizoram Assembly elections on the development issue. Assembly election are due in Congress ruled Mizoram by end of this year. "Development is our agenda. In six states we have gone to the people with that agenda and in Mizoram also we will go with the same," BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli told mediapersons here Saturday. He expressed optimism that Mizoram will also join the other six north eastern states to bring development under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's slogan 'Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas'. Kohli said the BJP government at the Centre has sent Union ministers 150 times to the north east follow up the development programmes in the region. "How many times PM came and spent time here. What about infrastructure, about roads, what about the other developmental projects of connectivity, mobile connectivity, other schemes that are being started in terms of health," he said. The BJP leader claimed that in the entire NE region, states have moved away from the Congress party. "The resignation of Mizoram Home Minister is a big development," he said, adding that the minister leaving his party cannot be taken lightly. Mizoram Home Minister Lalzirliana on Friday tendered his resignation from the Lal Thanhawla government. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) State-run (BPCL), which owns Bina Refinery in an equal JV with Oman Oil Company, has shelved its IPO plans for the company as "it generates enough cash" to complete the ongoing expansion and as also "because Kuwaiti Petroleum is keen to pick up a stake", says a senior official. The 1,20,000 barrels-a-day Bina Refinery is shut since mid-August for 45 days to synchronise the newly set up units with the existing facility which will raise the capacity to 1,56,000 bpd, the official said further. The just completed expansion at Bina Refinery, or Bharat Oman Refineries commissioned in 2011, has taken its capacity throughput to 7.8 million tonne from 6 mt now in two phases at a cost of Rs 35 billion, and then to 15 mt at an additional investment of around Rs 200 billion over the next five years. "Bina is generating enough liquidity for some years now. We don't need any cash from outside to run it. In fact it has made enough cash balances to complete the just completed expansion," R Ramachandran, director-refineries at BPCL, told PTI. "So, the initial public offer which we had planned and worked does not happen now. At least for the next two-three years. The IPO was planned because our partner Oman Petroleum was not ready to infuse liquidity as the company for some years were losing money," he added. The IPO would have given Oman Oil an exit option but now they don't want to leave the JV, he said, adding "moreover, Kuwaiti Petroleum is keen to pick up a considerable minority stake in the company. We are in talks to work out the details." The past chairman, S Varadarajan, had told PTI in October 2015 that "the IPO would definitely happen next year (2016)." In financial year 2017, Bina refinery's net profit more than doubled to Rs 8.1 billion. Oil from Kuwait accounted for about 6 per cent of the country's overall imports in FY18. Kuwait Petroleum Corporation is reportedly seeking at least 25 per cent stake in the refinery, which may be divested from the present 50 per cent stake that Oman Oil owns in the venture. In 2009, Oman Oil had paid 50 per cent premium for a re-entry into the Rs 113.97 billion-Bina Refinery. The project was originally conceived way back in 1993 with the national Omani oil company as an equal JV. But it agreed to put in only Rs 750 million for a 2 per cent take, but in 2009 it came back to pick up 26 per cent stake in the project for an additional Rs 12.2 billion, which was then increased to 50 per cent. When worked out this will be yet another Gulf national oil company entering the country which already is the third largest oil consuming market and the fastest growing one as well. and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company have already picked up 50 per cent stake in the proposed 60 mt refinery and petchem complex planned in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra. also operates a 14 mt refinery in Mumbai and a 15.5 mt unit at Kochi. It also has majority stake in the 3 mt Numaligarh refinery in Assam, which will also be expanded to 9 mt over the next decade. As of March 2018, its crude processing capacity stood at 31.35 mt, at a capacity utilisation of over 117 per cent. Its gas production stood at 1.87 million metric tonnes. Mums not the word The usually voluble PMs reticence pertaining to the Nirmala Pant case is unacceptable The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will be compelled to go it alone if it does not get a "respectable" number of seats in the anti-BJP alliance that is shaping up before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati said Sunday. The BSP chief also said that instances of mob lynching in the name of cow protection were a "blot on democracy" and accused BJP governments in various states of being indifferent to the problem. At a press conference, held for the first time in her new accommodation here after she was forced to vacate her sprawling bungalow on Supreme Court orders, Mayawati made clear her party might be compelled to go it alone if it does not get a "respectable number" of seats in the anti-BJP alliance. "Our party is not against the alliance, but our stand is very clear that we will ally with a political party only if we get a respectable share of seats. Otherwise, our party feels it better to contest the elections alone," she said. On the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the upcoming Assembly elections in certain states, Mayawati said, the effort of the opposition parties will be to stop the BJP from coming to power at any cost. Maywati targeted the BJP claiming that its governments in the Centre and states had "worsened" the condition of the people by showing them false dreams. "These governments have done no good to people barring a few industrialists," she alleged adding that "both the NDA and the previous UPA governments were equally responsible for shielding the corrupt". Mayawati also said the "increasing tendency" of mobs indulging in lynching in the name of cow protection in the "BJP-ruled states" was a blot on democracy. Yet the governments (in these states) are exercising laxity and are being indifferent to it, she claimed. "These activities of the BJP governments against the Dalits, Tribals, backwards, Muslims and Christians are going on from their inception and are a result of the party's intention to go against the Constitution...This has been part of the basic policy of the BJP, which has assumed alarming proportions after they came to power," she alleged. Continuing her attack on the BJP, Mayawati claimed that the party after forming the government was trying to crush the democratic movements and resorting to "terror tactics" in this regard. "After the April 2 'Bharat Bandh' called by Dalit organisations, atrocities are going on," she alleged. Accusing the BJP of resorting to "diversionary tactics" as Lok Sabha elections were approaching, Mayawati said the saffron party was not leaving any stone unturned to "derive advantage from the demise of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee". "As the Lok Sabha elections and Assembly elections are approaching in certain states, the BJP is resorting to different tactics to hide its failures and is making lucrative announcements. In this matter, they (BJP) are not leaving any stone unturned to derive advantage from the demise of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. They never followed his footsteps, when he was alive," she alleged. "If Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP followed the footsteps of Vajpayee and ran the government accordingly, there would not have been religious frenzy and communal incidents. Nor there would have been the rule of mobocracy," she claimed. People know the campaign undertaken by the BJP and RSS in the name of Vajpayee is an attempt to hide failures, she said continuing her attack. The BJP will not get any benefit from this, she claimed. The people of the country now understand that none of the election promises made in 2014 Lok Sabha elections was fulfilled, she said. Mayawati also allehed that the Centre was not able to come clean on the Rafale deal. Referring to demonetisation, Mayawati said it was done in an unplanned manner leading to a "financial emergency". The BJP government should now at least tender an apology over the "national tragedy", she said. On the possibility of misuse of SC/ST Act, Mayawati said, "The BSP is of the view that if the current state governments follow the 'Sarvajan Hitay, Sarvajan Sukhay' policy of her party, there will be no misuse of this law. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) Sunday pitched for early introduction of the e-commerce policy as it apprehends vitiation of the market by e-commerce portals through "predatory pricing" and "deep discounting" during festive season beginning October 15. "In the absence of any policy just before the festive season beginning October 15, e-commerce portals will play their dirty game of predatory pricing, deep discounting and loss funding, which will vitiate the market," CAIT National President B C Bhartia said in a statement. "Hence, we call for early introduction of e-commerce policy as early as possible," he added. Urging Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu to restrict preferred sellers of e-commerce companies to sell products on e-commerce portals, Bhartia alleged that they were "instrumental" in indulging in all sorts of malpractices. He said the government has already issued first draft of e-commerce policy and a panel of secretaries is already in process of examining the draft policy. CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said provisions on data localisation should remain in the policy to check unauthorised infiltration of goods through e-commerce. He also said the proposal to allow up to 49 per cent Foreign Direct Investment in inventory model-based businesses amounts to "backdoor entry" of Multi National Companies in retail trade and it must be scrapped. "Traders will never accept such a provision under any circumstances," he said. Right to examine software and source-code for effective regulation is a good step as it will make sure foreign companies pay taxes properly, Khandelwal added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Defence Ministry has expressed its inability to remove unauthorised encroachments on 11,179 acres of its land, in a submission before Parliament's audit watchdog Public Accounts Committee (PAC). According to details shared by the ministry with the parliamentary panel, defence land measuring about 11,179 acres was encroached upon till October 2015. Expressing concern over encroachment of defence land, the panel in a draft report said, "What is even more disturbing for the committee to note in the ministry's submission that these encroachments cannot be removed and have to be regularised." Rather than helping in removing the encroachments, the PAC said, this attitude of the ministry will provoke the encroachers to augment their demand for regularisation. The ministry should set up an inquiry to detect all encroachments and prohibit activities and take stringent remedial action to prevent misuses of defence land, the panel recommended in its draft report on 'Defence Estates Management'. It further suggested that the ministry should take up this matter with the respective state and local governments in whose jurisdiction, the land is encroached. Strongly criticising the management of leases of defence land, the panel said it is in "dismal state" and noted that as of March 2010, 2,500 acres of land valuing Rs 11,033 crore was on lease for an annual rent of Rs 2.13 crore, which was "pittance" considering the market value of land. "Shockingly, no visible efforts had been made to renew 3,780 cases of lease renewal, in 1,800 cases no requests were received for lease renewal and in 1,081 cases the status of leases was unknown," it underlined while suggesting the government to bring out a policy for defence land leasing within six months. The Defence Ministry is perhaps the country's largest land proprietor with 17.54 lakh acres -- approximately 1.57 lakh acres within the 62 notified cantonments and about 15.96 lakh acres of land outside. This land is managed by the Directorate General of Defence Estates (DGDE). The PAC has 31 members including parliamentarians from both houses and is headed by Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Many senior bank officials who had dealt with loans given to liquor baron Vijay Mallya's may be named as accused in a CBI charge sheet which is likely to be filed within a month, sources said. This would be first charge sheet in the case pertaining to loans of over Rs 60 billion given to Kingfisher by a consortium of 17 banks led by which alone had an exposure of Rs 16 billion. The agency has already filed a charge sheet against Mallya last year in connection with a separate case related to Rs 9 billion pending loan given by IDBI bank in which senior officials of the bank were allegedly involved. The CBI had registered two cases against Mallya related to the IDBI loans in 2015 and consortium loan in 2016. Refusing to give names of the officials, the sources said the first phase of probe into loans given by a consortium of banks is almost complete and the charge sheet may be filed within a month while keeping the investigation open. Both serving and retired senior officials of the banks including the who had handled loans may be named as accused in the charge sheet as the agency has gathered enough evidence against them on misuse of official position, they said. The top brass of erstwhile including Mallya, its CFO A Raghunathan and other former senior executives will also be named as accused in the case, they said. They said the agency is also looking into the role of officials who could have influenced the decision of the bankers but their role is still be evaluated. During the probe, the agency has gathered enough evidence to show that Mallya allegedly diverted the loan funds from the purpose for which they were given, they said. The agency in its FIR has alleged that and its consortium banks had advanced various credit facilities to Kingfisher Airlines Limited during the period between 2005 and 2010, they said. During 2009-10, the company failed to meet its repayment commitments to the bank from which it had availed the credit facilities and Kingfisher Airlines did not keep its account with the consortium banks regular which became NPA, the FIR states. The consortium banks, therefore, recalled the credit facilities and also invoked corporate guarantee of UBHL and personal guarantee of Mallya, it alleged. Mallya deliberately did not repay the amount, outstanding dues payable by Kingfisher Airlines to consortium of banks, the sources said. It is alleged that there was a conspiracy among group companies promoter and unknown others to cheat the lenders, they said. SBI has an exposure of Rs 16 billion to the airline. Out of this, the bankers, which recalled the loan in February 2013, could recover only around Rs 11 billion after selling pledged shares of UB Group companies. Other banks that have exposure to the airline include Punjab Bank and IDBI Bank (Rs 8 billion each), Bank of India (Rs 6.5 billion), Bank of Baroda (Rs 5.5 billion), Central Bank of India (Rs 4.1 billion). The Centre has refused to share a copy of note sheets related to six-month extension to Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary Basant Pratap Singh, citing a provision of RTI Act that bars disclosure of "third party" information. Singh was in late June given six-month extension, till December this year, as the chief secretary of the state in the poll year. "It is also to state that note sheets and all other correspondence involved third party information under Right to Information (RTI) Act," the Ministry of Personnel said in a reply to an RTI query filed by activist Ajay Dubey. Dubey said he would file an appeal against the denial as transparency at the highest level was very important. However, the Personnel Ministry has shared a noting of the Prime Minister's Office that mentions a note (seeking extension) sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April this year by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Chouhan, in his letter to the prime minister, supported Singh's continuance in the post citing key pro-farmer initiatives being taken by his government among other reasons. "Presently, State has embarked on major policy path to provide relief to farmers and unorganised labourers. Basant Pratap Singh is leading the initiative to stabilise 'Bhawantar Bhugtan Yojana' which aims to ensure remunerative price for agriculture produce and 'Asangatith Mazdoor Suraksha Yojana' which will cover almost 1.5 crore workers in the state. His continuation shall provide stability and sustainability to the new initiative, the chief minister said in the communique. Chouhan had sought six-month extension from July to December 2018 through the letter dated April 7, 2018. The Personnel Ministry extended Singh's term after two months of receiving the Madhya Pradesh chief minister's letter to the prime minister by issuing an order dated June 22. Singh, a 1984 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, was appointed the chief secretary in November 2016. The extension in a poll year is second such instance. Earlier in 2013, R Parasuram was given extension in service. The Madhya Pradesh elections are due in November this year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Chair umpire Carlos Ramos has issued a code violation to Croatia after Marin Cilic slammed his racket to the clay and mangled the frame during a tense Davis Cup match against Sam Querrey of the United States. Since it was the first violation of the match, it was only a warning. No points were deducted and Cilic did not exchange any words with Ramos. Ramos was also the umpire who gave Serena Williams three code violations in her straight-set loss to Naomi Osaka during last weekend's U.S. Open final. The American great argued she wasn't being treated the same as some male players. The normally collected Cilic lost his cool after committing a series of uncharacteristic errors late in the third set against Querrey. After winning the opening set, Cilic wasted a 6-1 lead in the second-set tiebreak. Querrey, who played in place of Steve Johnson, won the third set to take a two sets to one lead. Croatia leads the best-of-five semifinal 2-1. Croatia's Borna Coric is due to face Frances Tiafoe in a potentially decisive fifth rubber. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taking a dig at the BJP's claim that the Centre was looking at ways to arrest the hike in fuel prices, Congress leader P Chidambaram Sunday said the ruling party might have found a way to get "free" crude oil. In a series of tweets, the former finance minister also attacked the Narendra Modi government for allegedly failing to curb the flow of black money in the economy. While the Union government has asserted that it will not cut fuel prices, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah has claimed that the "Centre will soon arrest fuel prices", said Chidambaram in a tweet. "BJP must have found a crude oil source that will supply crude oil free!," he quipped. Shah had on Saturday blamed international developments for the rising petrol and diesel prices and dipping rupee value. Speaking at an event in Hyderabad, the BJP chief had said that the Centre was concerned about the rising fuel prices and will come out with a solution soon. Petrol price last week touched Rs 81.63 per litre in New Delhi and Rs 89.01 per litre in Mumbai. Diesel prices rose to Rs73.54 per litre in Delhi and Rs78.07 per litre in Mumbai. Attacking the government for its claims that black money has been wiped out by demonetisation and GST, Chidambaram cited Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat's statement that democracy was under threat from black money. "Government claims that demonetisation and GST have wiped out black money. CEC says democracy under threat from black money. Where is the black money coming from? Crisp new Rs 2000 notes?," he asked. Participating in a symposium here on Saturday, Rawat said use of black money, data harvesting and fake were among the potential threats to democracy. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has proposed that a child separated from jailed mother must be made to visit her in prison at least thrice a week, amid incidents of such children getting trafficked. The Women and Child Development Ministry has written to the Home Ministry to include a clause in the prison manual under which children are made to visit the mother thrice a week so that she does not lose touch with them, a senior ministry official has said. "When a child is born in prison, the mother raises his/her there till five years of age and suddenly after five years of age, the child is separated from the mother. We found that half of the mothers whose children have been separated don't know whereabouts of their children. Many of them get trafficked," Gandhi said. "We are planning to add a clause under prison manual if a child is taken away then she/he has to be presented to see his/her mother thrice a week and the child should not be allowed to leave the district," she said. The proposal comes amid reports of mothers unable to locate their child after leaving prison, the senior ministry official said. "After a child is taken away from the mother, the child goes to a shelter home and the shelter home gets disconnected from the prison as a result the mother loses contact with the child," the official said. So the minister has said that there should be a system under which there is a regular interaction with the mother and for that the WCD Ministry has approached the Home Ministry, he added. Sumaira Kumar, a child rights activist, said it is a very good move to keep the child in touch with the mother lodged in prison, if it could get implemented. "There have been several such cases where the child has lost touch with the mother in prison. If such a decision is taken then it would be a blessing for the mother and the child but strict implementation has to be followed," Kumar added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Central Information Commission (CIC) has asked the offices of the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Rajya Sabha Chairman to device "legal framework" to ensure transparency, accountability, liability of parliamentarians and other organisations in the utilisation of funds under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS). In an exhaustive order running into 54 pages, the commission dwelt upon various aspects of MPLADS under which each MP is given Rs 5 crore annually to be spent on projects of choice in his or her constituency. Taking note of a report by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation that Rs 12,000-crore fund of MPLADS remained unspent, Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu recommended the offices of the Speaker and the Chairman to develop "legal frame" containing "specific duties and compulsory transparency obligations, definitions of breach of duties, prescribing rules and regulations, besides imposing liabilities for dereliction of those duties and breach of rules and regulations" related to funds. He said the framework may carry steps to curb issues such as assets claimed to have been created under MPLADS being untraceable, funds being used for private works of MP, ineligible agencies being recommended for work, diversion of funds to private trusts, and works recommended under MPLADS benefiting the MP or his relatives. Acharyulu also recommended that the framework may also include obligation of every MP to furnish information every year on the number of applications received, works recommended, works rejected with reasons, progress of works, and details of beneficiaries. He also recommended that the framework may include that every MP will have to submit a comprehensive report on MPLADS works after completion of his/her term to the Chairman of Rajya Sabha or the Speaker of Lok Sabha. Acharyulu said the report may include duty of an MP to inform the voters seeking such details under the Right to Information (RTI) Act and duty of parliamentary party to post the details on their pages in official websites and on web pages of the MP. He said the framework may have provisions for the secretarial staff of Parliament and the National Informatics Centre to aid and assist parliamentary parties in meeting these transparency obligation. "The commission recommends the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs to render necessary assistance to Chairman of Rajya Sabha and Speaker of Lok Sabha to develop legal frame for MPLADS as mentioned above and to make all parliamentary parties and MPs answerable and accountable for MPLADS funds as public authorities under the RTI Act to prevent MPLADS irregularities," he said. The case came before the CIC as two RTI applicants could not get information about the usage of MPLADS fund of their respective MP. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation told the applicants that it did not have mechanism of maintaining the constituency-wise and work-wise details and that these details can be accessed only from the district administration concerned. When the matter came up for hearing before the CIC, the ministry claimed that choosing a particular work was totally in the discretion of the MP concerned and that no authority could intervene, Acharyulu noted. "The officers or District Magistrates/Collectors of concerned districts wherein the MPLADS-related activity was taken up can provide statistical data as available with them," he noted, citing the ministry's submissions. The commission noticed that the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation does not have any information about the actual status of this work though it releases the funds, he pointed out. He directed the ministry to make necessary changes to publish MP-wise, constituency-wise and work-wise details, with names of beneficiaries, and reasons for delay, if any, after duly procuring from the sources holding such information including the district administration concerned to ensure its voluntary disclosure under Section 4 of the RTI Act. Noting that the CIC does not have jurisdiction over district administration which are under state governments but because the information under demand was concerning the progress of MPLADS, the panel has jurisdiction to that extent to seek from the authority which is holding it, he said. Exercising that power, the commission requires the district administration to furnish information about work-wise, MP-wise, year-wise progress of works regularly on its website or other means convenient to the ministry, MP concerned, parliamentary party, and the office of Parliament, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nijgadh Airport to consider environment issue: Minister Stepping into the raging controversy over the felling of thousands of trees for the development of the proposed full-fledged international airport in Nijgadh, the Tourism Ministry on Saturday clarified that the compensatory plantation of trees will be done in the ratio of 1:25, with strict enforcement. Nagpur Mayor Nanda Jichkar has kicked up a controversy for reportedly taking her son as a "private secretary" on an official visit to the United States. Jichkar was invited to the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco which took place between September 12-14. Slamming the mayor over the incident, Congress city chief Vikas Thakre said that Jichkar's son was not a staffer of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation. "The mayor has committed a mistake. The post of private secretary is an official one while her son does not work in the NMC. She has also misled her American hosts with this act and has brought disrepute to our country," Thakre alleged. He said that the opposition would not ask for her resignation but she should do so on her own. The Congress leader in the NMC, Tanaji Wanve, also condemned Jichkar's act. "The letter inviting the mayor was addressed to her private secretary and was sent on the official address of the NMC. It was inappropriate on her part to take her son along," Wanve said. Speaking on the issue, Nagpur additional municipal commissioner Ravindra Thakre said, "The expenses of the visit was borne by those hosting the summit. The mayor informed us that she is attending the Global Climate Action Summit." The BJP, meanwhile, defended Jichkar's act and said that she had taken her son along after discussing the issue with the hosts of the summit. "There is nothing wrong in it. In case there is anything wrong, we will discuss it with her," Nagpur BJP president Sudhakar Kohale said. Jichkar could not be contacted despite repeated attempts. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Czech Republic, popularly referred as the 'land of stories', is expecting to welcome more than one lakh Indian visitors by 2019-20. In 2017, 85,680 Indians visited the Czech Republic, according to data of the Czech Tourist Authority. "We have experienced significant rise in the volume of Indian visitors since 2012 and 2013. Looking at the current growth trend, we expect to host more than one lakh Indian travellers in our country by 2019-20," CzechTourism India head Arzan Khambatta told PTI here. He said Indians often combine the Czech Republic, which is an affordable premium destination, with other central European countries like Austria, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia as part of their travel itinerary for an average length of three to four days. Mostly, Indians visit the capital city of Prague, part of the popular Central Europe 'Golden Triangle' that also includes Vienna and Budapest, he said. According to CzechTourism, Indian tourists spend 30 per cent more than the average visitor with over CZK (Czech Koruna) 4,000 per person per day (approximately 160 Euros). The Czech Republic is primarily eyeing to be a popular destination for families and other travellers in the age group of 25 to 45 years, who aspire for a customised yet different holiday experience, Khambatta said. However, he said, there is huge potential in the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) and Bollywood and the Czech Republic with VFS Global Tourism Services, the official tourism partner representative of CzechTourism since 2016, will focus on promoting these two segments. "Moving forward, we will also focus on the MICE segment, which has a huge potential in India, as well as collaborate with more movie productions from the Indian film industry," Khambatta said. "As a matter of fact, many Bollywood movies have been shot in the Czech Republic, which has showcased the natural beauty of this central European country and will now be prominent medium for us to promote tourism," he said. Meanwhile, the Czech Republic, which had promoted the country as a tourist destination in metro cities including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru through roadshow, will add Ahmedabad to the list of cities this year, Khambatta said. "In 2019, we plan to expand promotions to locations like Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai to showcase the Czech Republic as an experience to remember," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Armed dacoits looted jewellery and cash worth over Rs 5 lakh from a jeweller's house in Bihar's Samastipur district Sunday morning, police said. The dacoits entered the house of jeweller Shravan Kumar around 7 am and held hostage the family members at the gunpoint and indulged in looting for two and half hours before fleeing from the house, the police said. Kumar told PTI that the dacoits looted valuables that included jewellery and cash over Rs 5 lakh at gunpoint. Confirming the incident, Superintendent of Police Deepak Ranjan said search operations have been launched by sealing the borders of town area and checking of vehicles to nab the miscreants. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Marines, the Coast Guard, civilian crews and volunteers used helicopters, boats and heavy-duty vehicles Saturday to rescue hundreds of people trapped by Florence's shoreline onslaught, even as North Carolina braced for what could be the next stage of the disaster: widespread, catastrophic flooding inland. The death toll from the hurricane-turned-tropical storm climbed to 11. A day after blowing ashore with 145 kph winds, Florence practically parked itself over land all day long and poured on the rain. With rivers rising toward record levels, thousands of people were ordered to evacuate for fear the next few days could bring the most destructive round of flooding in North Carolina history. More than 60 centimeters of rain had fallen in places, and the drenching went on and on, with forecasters saying there could be an additional 45 centimeters by the end of the weekend. "I cannot overstate it: Floodwaters are rising, and if you aren't watching for them, you are risking your life," Gov. Roy Cooper said. As of 5 pm, Florence was centered about 95 kilometers west of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, inching west at 4 kmph not even as fast as a person walking. Its winds were down to 75 kph. With half of the storm still out over the Atlantic, Florence continued to collect warm ocean water and dump it on land. In its initial onslaught along the coast, Florence buckled buildings, deluged entire communities and knocked out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses. But the storm was shaping up as a two-part disaster, with the second, delayed stage triggered by rainwater working its way into rivers and streams. The flash flooding could devastate communities and endanger dams, roads and bridges. Authorities ordered the immediate evacuation of up to 7,500 people living within 1.6 kilometers of a stretch of the Cape Fear River and the Little River, about 160 kilometers from the coast. The evacuation zone included part of the city of Fayetteville, population 200,000. Officials in nearby Harnett County urged residents of about 1,100 homes to clear out because the Lower Little River was rising toward record levels. One potential road out was blocked as flooding forced the shutdown of a 26-kilometer stretch of Interstate 95, the main highway along the Eastern Seaboard. In New Bern, along the coast, homes were completely surrounded by water, and rescuers used inflatable boats to reach people. Kevin Knox and his family were rescued from their flooded brick home with the help of Army Sgt. Johan Mackie, part of a team using a phone app to locate people in distress. Mackie rode in a boat through a flooded neighborhood, navigating through trees and past a fencepost to get to the Knox house. "Amazing. They did awesome," said Knox, who was stranded with seven others, including a boy who was carried out in a life vest. "If not, we'd be stuck upstairs for the next ... how long? I have no idea." New Bern spokeswoman Colleen Roberts said 455 people in all were rescued in the town of 30,000 residents without any serious injuries or deaths. But thousands of buildings were damaged in destruction Roberts called "heart-wrenching." Across the Trent River from New Bern, Jerry and Jan Andrews returned home after evacuating to find carp flopping in their backyard near the porch stairs. Coast Guard helicopters were taking off across the street to rescue stranded people from rooftops and swamped cars. Coast Guard members said choppers had made about 50 rescues in and around New Bern and Jacksonville as of noon. Marines rescued about 20 civilians from floodwaters near Camp Lejeune, using Humvees and amphibious assault vehicles, the base reported. In Lumberton, about 130 kilometers inland, Jackie and Quinton Washington watched water filling both their front and back yards near the Lumber River. Hurricane Matthew sent more than 1.5 meters of water into their home in 2016, and the couple feared Florence would run them out again. "If it goes up to my front step, I have to get out," Quintin Washington said. The dead included a mother and baby killed when a tree fell on a house in Wilmington, North Carolina. South Carolina recorded its first death from the storm, with officials saying a 61-year-old woman was killed when her car hit a tree that had fallen across a highway. Three died in one inland county, Duplin, because of water on roads and flash floods, the sheriff's office said. A husband and wife died in a house fire linked to the storm, officials said, and an 81-year-old man died after falling and hitting his head while packing to evacuate. The National Hurricane Center said Florence broke a North Carolina rainfall record that had stood for almost 20 years: Preliminary reports showed Swansboro got more than 75 centimeters and counting, obliterating the mark set in 1999, when Hurricane Floyd dropped just over 60 centimeters on the state. Forecasters said the storm will eventually break up over the southern Appalachians and make a sharp rightward swing to the northeast, its rainy remnants moving into the mid-Atlantic states and New England by the middle of the week. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav Sunday urged all opposition parties to unite to oust the BJP and said if the saffron party is defeated in Uttar Pradesh, it can be stopped from coming to power in the Centre. The Congress has the biggest responsibility and it should show a big heart by taking everyone along. It should hold discussions with all opposition parties, he said. The opposition will choose its leader after the Lok Sabha polls and it should set aside differences to achieve the larger goal of ousting the BJP, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said. "We will choose our leader (of the grand alliance) after the elections. We have to stop the BJP. If we can stop the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, we can stop them in all of India," Yadav said at the NDTV Yuva conclave. Taking a dig at BJP chief Amit Shah over his claim that his party will rule for the next 50 years, he said, "Forget 50 years, people will give their verdict in 50 weeks." "The Congress has the biggest responsibility today, they need to open their hearts and should take everyone along. I am in constant touch with (BSP chief) Mayawati ji," he said. Yadav said for the sake of a crucial alliance to be put in place, "I am willing to play a supporting role". Speaking at the conclave, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said, "I am here to save the country." He said he opposed the RSS-BJP ideology and not individuals. "They say we only oppose Prime Minister Modi, we have no other agenda. Did we not oppose the BJP and the RSS earlier? Our fight is against the ideology not individuals," the RJD leader said at the conclave. Tejashwi Yadav alleged that currently, there is a practise of vindictive and either one has to stand with folded hands or else face harassment by the present dispensation. Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag Paswan claimed that Modi will come to power and will be the prime minister again in 2019. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the Samajwadi Party lost in Uttar Pradesh because the RSS misled people, but people have now seen through them. He said the faith of opposition parties has been shaken. "Not just our parties, but to save the country we have to stay away from the RSS. RSS creates a divide between us based on religion, caste. That is why I am against them," he said. The BJP's plan was to keep the youth fighting among themselves over religion and caste so that they do not ask for jobs and income, Akhilesh Yadav said. Asked about the alliance with the Congress ahead of the Uttar Pradesh polls, he said, "My alliance with Rahul Gandhi in UP was the right thing to do at the time, people did not understand our message, we were not able to communicate our message properly. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan, who has been awarded Rs 50 lakh compensation by the Supreme Court for being subjected to mental cruelty in the 1994 espionage case, says he became a pawn in the case in which the conspirators were different with different motives but the victims were the same set of people. The Supreme Court Friday ordered a high-level probe into the role of Kerala Police officials in the fabricating the case and arresting and causing tremendous harassment and immeasurable anguish to Narayanan. Terming the police action against the 76-year-old former scientist as psycho-pathological treatment, a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said his "liberty and dignity", basic to his human rights, were jeopardised as he was taken into custody and, eventually, despite all the glory of the past, was compelled to face "cynical abhorrence". According to Narayanan, the ISRO spy case was a lie, right from Maldivian national Mariam Rasheeda's arrest on October 20, 1994. He was then the director of ISRO's cryogenic project. Rasheeda was arrested for allegedly obtaining secret drawings of ISRO rocket engines to sell to Pakistan. Though the Maldivian woman's arrest marked the beginning of the case, the genesis of it all was a chance meeting she had with K Chandrasekhar (Indian representative of a Russian space agency) at the Trivandrum airport on June 20, 1994, Narayanan says. The ISRO spy case is unusual in that though the conspirators were different with different motives, the victims were the same set of people. When a desperate police inspector found (the then deputy director of ISRO's cryogenic project) Sasikumaran's name in Mariam Rasheeda's diary, ISRO was dragged into it. When a master conspirator found an opportunity to slow down, if not stop, ISRO in its march to the global satellite launch market, I became a pawn, he says. Narayanan makes these comments in his book, which was published recently by Bloomsbury. He was arrested along with other ISRO scientists besides some other persons in November 1994. They were released on bail three months later. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a report before a Kerala court, saying the espionage case was false and there was no evidence to back the charges. The court then discharged all the accused. In 1998, the Supreme Court awarded compensation of Rs 1 lakh to Narayanan and others and directed the Kerala government to pay the amount. Last year, the Supreme Court began hearing on Narayanan's plea, seeking action against former Kerala DGP Siby Mathews and others who had probed the matter. In Ready To Fire: How India and I Survived the ISRO Spy Case, Narayanan and journalist Arun Ram unpick the ISRO spy case, revisit old material and discover new details to expose the international plot that delayed India's development of a cryogenic engine by at least a decade. Narayanan suspects a vested interest in the whole episode as the ISRO spy case delayed India's cryogenic engine by at least 15 years. What does one gain from that? For one, a lot of money. India today offers to launch a satellite at a fraction of the price that NASA charges. A 2015 report of the Colorado-based Space Foundation pegged the global space economy of 2014 at USD 330 billion, with a 9 per cent growth over the previous year. Satellite launches and related commercial activities constitute 75 per cent of it, he writes. It is in public domain how the US applied sanctions on India and Russia in 1992, a year after the two countries signed a contract for transfer of cryogenic technology. Piece together the timing of the ISRO spy case and a few later incidents, including a top IB man being given marching orders for supping with the CIA, and you see the plot, he goes on to say. For Narayanan, this book is not an effort in revenge but an experiment in something more powerful: truth. This book is not just an account of the ISRO spy case in which I was an accused. The case that broke out in the late 1994 as a potboiler of sex, spies and rocket science before dying down as a police misadventure that eventually fed an international conspiracy, however, forms the fulcrum of this book, he says. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Realty major DLF is working towards making its housing business debt free by March next year and the cash flow from sales of completed inventories worth around Rs 140 billion would be utilised to fund new projects, its CEO Rajeev Talwar said. In an interview to PTI, he reiterated that the company would sell flats only after completion of the project and there would be no pre-launch sales. "We are working towards that," Talwar said when asked about the company's target to become zero debt in housing business by March 2019. The DLF CEO, who is set to take over as the new president of industry chamber PHDCCI next month, said the debt of housing business has already been reduced with infusion of funds in the company from promoters. ALSO READ: DLF gets green nod to expand Gurugram project at an investment of Rs 14 bn In December last year, the promoters sold their 40 per cent stake in the rental arm Ltd (DCCDL) for around Rs 120 billion. This deal included sale of 33.34 per cent stake in DCCDL to GIC for about Rs 90 billion and buyback of remaining shares worth about Rs 30 billion by DCCDL. DLF has 66.66 per cent stake while Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC has 33.34 per cent shareholding in the DCCDL, which currently holds about 27 million sq ft of rent-yielding commercial assets, largely in Gurugram, with annual rental income of about Rs 24 billion. There are many leased commercial assets with the parent company as well. "There are two parts of DLF, one is the development arm the other is the commercial arm, the leasing portion. The leasing portfolio we have got a good partner GIC. We have got a good rental income which is Rs 30 billion plus so therefore it becomes very easy to reduce debt," Talwar said. The debt of the development or housing business would reduce further, he added. "The surplus which we have of inventory which is really another Rs 140-150 billion worth that will fund our future construction," Talwar said. At the end of first quarter of this financial year, DLF's debt stood at Rs 71.2 billion. The company plans to reduce this debt tthe hrough further infusion of Rs 22.5 billion from promoters in the next 18 months and proposed qualified institutional placement of shares of around Rs 40 billion. Moreover, the DLF-GIC JV had a net debt of Rs 161 billion, of which Rs 145 billion loans are through lease rental discounting (LRD) against its rental receipts from leased commercial properties, according to a company presentation. Fifty street children will receive education and counselling support at a state-run school in the city as part of an initiative aimed at providing "safe spaces" to them, an NGO official said. The idea is to provide underprivileged children an opportunity to play, learn and interact with each other, the official of Child In Need Institute (CINI) said Saturday. The premises of Shyambazar A V School, next to a metro station in north Kolkata, will be thrown open for these 50 children - ones living on footpaths and frequenting traffic signals to eke out a living - from 5 pm to 7:30 pm, after school hours, the official said. "The school shelter, made available with support of Women Development and Social Welfare Minister Shashi Panja, will provide educational, nutritional and counselling support to the children and seek to ensure their holistic development," he said. CINI, in collaboration with NGO 'Save the Children', aims to help and support the underprivileged and abandoned children of this city, he stated. "We have created 91 such 'safe spaces' for the street children in the city. The Shyambazar school will be an addition to the initiative," he explained. Of these 50 children chosen for the programme, 30 are eligible for Aadhar cards, the CINI official said. "The NGO has approached UIDAI authorities for a pilot project to link these children with Aadhaar. Our aim is to facilitate Aadhaar benefits for them and their families," the official added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Delhi High Court has directed the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) to ensure that the area allotted to artisans, who make Ravana effigies for Dussehra, is exclusively available to them "without any hindrance". A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao also directed SDMC to provide water, electricity and security measures by September 19 at the site allotted to the artisans for doing their work. It also directed the corporation to put up notices in public areas indicating where the effigies are available for sale. The SDMC had earlier told the court that two plots of land have been identified in west Delhi for artisans making Ravana effigies ahead of the festive season. The bench had earlier asked the south Delhi civic body to charge the artisans only Rs 1.50 per square feet per month for this year. The court was hearing a PIL initiated on its own after it came across a report saying that several Ravana effigies, built by artisans who came here from Rajasthan for Dussehra, were destroyed or confiscated by the SDMC for allegedly encroaching on public land. Last September, it had asked the Delhi government and the corporation to formulate a policy for allocating land to the artisans. Thereafter, a draft policy was framed by the Delhi government after holding meetings with the corporations and other civic bodies. The policy laid down the modalities for utilising land identified for use by the artisans. It stated that the artisans would have to register with the corporations two months before the start of the work and once a site was allotted, it would be for only two months. On expiry of the period of allotment, the artisans would have to vacate the site. The document also said that the artisans would have to ensure that there was no pollution of any kind at the site allotted to them. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Oli slams national planners for delays and lousy results The National Planning Commission (NPC) has faced a volley of questions on its relevance after the progress of the national pride projects was slow off the mark. Eva Mendes says she is not ready to come back to Hollywood as she feels her children are "still so little". The 44-year-old actor, who has daughters Esmeralda, four, and Amada, two, with partner Ryan Gosling, said she wants to focus on bringing up her kids. "I'm just so obsessed with my kids that I don't want to leave them. They're just still so little," Mendes told E! The actor said being a parent is no mean feat and raising her children without her and Gosling's families' support would not have been the same. "I don't feel like I have it balanced at all. I kind of have been figuring it out as I'm going along and it's just important to have a support system. I have my family, I have Ryan's family and that's just like, invaluable to have family around supporting you," she said. Mendes was last seen in 2014's "Lost River". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Several people working as car washers and newspaper hawkers in posh residential societies here have been forced to leave their jobs due to extortion by local goons, claimed residents Sunday. Around 20 representatives of various residents welfare associations (RWAs) here raised the issue with a Haryana minister and police in the last few weeks, they claimed. Residents also approached local Member of Parliament and Union Minister Rao Inderjeet Singh. The representatives alleged that the strongmen from nearby villages are forcing the car washers and newspaper hawkers to pay a part of their income to them. Gurgaon Police PRO Subhash Bokan said, "The matter has come before the department and we have enhanced police patrolling in the region." The residents claimed this problem is being faced by employees working in the area between sector 103 and 109 having number of residential complexes. Sneha Mittal, a representative of the residents welfare association of Raheja Atharva in sector 109 on Dwarka expressway, said her car washer left the job recently alleging that local goons are extorting money from him. "The car washer, who hailed from Nepal, told me that the strongmen from nearby villages are extorting money from him and others doing similar work here," she said. The representatives claimed that the goons wait on motorcycles outside the residential colonies and do not let the car washers and newspaper hawkers enter if they refuse to pay the extortion money. This has triggered fear among the people doing such work and forced them to leave their jobs, they claimed. The goons are also forcing them to work as their employees in a bid to control these businesses, the representatives said. Another resident of the area, Biswajeet Mohanty, claimed, "As the matter is related to security, we have given a written complaint at the Bajghera police station but the official concerned expressed helplessness in registering an FIR in this matter." "The SHO, however, assured us that police presence in the area will be enhanced... one or two policemen visited occasionally but that is not enough to maintain law and order," he said. Chain snatching and loot incidents have instilled a sense of fear among the residents who are now afraid to venture out of the societies. "I went to pick my son from his school a week ago when some persons on bikes snatched my gold chain. That made me afraid and now I am forced to ply in car despite the school is at a walking distance from my residential society," said Susmita Sehgal, another resident. The affected residents have brought the matter into notice of local administration in the last one month and during monthly meeting of grievance committee held in sector 44 Saturday. The residents claimed the meeting was chaired by state PWD Minister Rao Narbir Singh and Deputy Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh, Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon commissioner Yashpal Yadav and DCPs of every zone were present. They assured residents that adequate measures will be taken to resolve the issue, the representatives said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A massive fire broke out at two shoe factories located in Udyog Nagar area here early Sunday, a Delhi Fire Service official said. A call about the fire was received at 4:35 am and 28 fire tenders were rushed to the spot, he said. The two factories are located nearby in Udyog Nagar's K-block area, he added. Further details are awaited. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A massive fire erupted early Sunday at the multi-storey building, which houses nearly 1,000 business establishments, in the congested Bagree Market here. No loss of life has been reported but two fire fighters suffered minor injuries during the operation to douse the blaze, the fire department said. The market is around a kilometre away from the Writers' Building and the Reserve Bank of India office, a senior fire official said. Director general of West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services, Jagmohan, said it will take 24 to 48 hours to douse the blaze. "We need time to contain the flames as four to five floors of the building are completely engulfed in fire. The shops were stacked with inflammable materials like plastic toys, deodorants, fabrics and chemicals," he said. Thirty fire tenders have been pressed into service to douse the fire at the over 60-year-old building. "We are doing our best to tackle the situation. Initially, water was sprayed from outside. But now, we have managed to enter the building. Also, two firemen have received minor injuries during the operation," Jagmohan said. The fire which broke out around 2.30 am on the ground floor of the building on Canning Street quickly spread to the other floors, he said. "As the area is very congested, we are finding it difficult to work. We are using ladders and gas cutters to enter the building through window grills. A forensic team will be visiting the site soon to ascertain the cause behind the incident," the senior fire official said. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who left for business summits in Germany and Italy around 9.45 am, told reporters at the airport, "Nobody is trapped in the building." Unconfirmed reports said people living on the top floor of the building managed to escape as soon as the fire broke out. Located near Burrabazar area -- the commercial hub of the city -- the six-storey building has as many entry gates. Fearing that the blaze may spread, people were also evacuated from adjacent buildings. A few shop owners alleged that fire officials took time to start the operation. Some were also seen trying to enter the building forcefully, but were stopped by police and fire department officials. Anil Mehta, one of the shop owners, said, "I have lost everything in the blaze. My store as well as the godown has been gutted in the fire." Mayor Sovan Chatterjee, who reached the spot along with senior police officers and Kolkata disaster management group (DMG) officials, told reporters that market authorities had not installed fire safety equipment despite warnings. "We have visited Bagree Market several times and asked the shop owners to take precautions. The fire department had also recommended steps in this regard. However, no such measures were taken," he said. Asked if he would take any action against the defaulters, the mayor replied in the affirmative. "The incident could have been averted if safety measures were taken on time. The market authorities will be held accountable for the blaze. As of now, we are trying our best but fire fighting operation is tough here because of the sheer number of buildings," he stated. Traffic restrictions have been imposed in the area. "Due to a fire incident, Rabindra Sarani in between MG Road & Podder Court and Canning Street in between Brabourne Road & Rabindra Sarani are closed to traffic," the Kolkata Traffic police department tweeted. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A massive fire early Sunday gutted a multi-storey building with nearly 1,000 business establishments in the congested Bagree Market here, causing huge losses to traders ahead of the Durga puja festival. The blaze, which erupted around 2.30 am on the ground floor of the building on Canning Street, continues to rage on, the Director General of West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services, Jagmohan, said. "We have been able to control the blaze from spreading to neighbouring buildings, but it's still raging. The huge amount of inflammable materials stacked inside is not helping our efforts," Jagmohan told PTI. Police received a call on emergency number 100 at 2.35 am, following which the fire personnel swung into action. It will take 24 to 48 hours to control the blaze, he said, adding, efforts were on to bring hydraulic ladders inside the area to boost the fire fighting measures. Thirty fire tenders have been pressed into service to tame the flames at the over 60-year-old building, around a kilometre away from the Writers' Building and the Reserve Bank of India office. No loss of life has been reported but six persons, including two fire fighters, fell sick inhaling the toxic smoke, police said. The sick persons were treated at the Calcutta Medical College Hospital and later discharged. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who left for business summits in Germany and Italy around 9.45 am, told reporters at the airport that nobody is trapped in the building. "As the area is very congested, we are finding it difficult to work. We are using ladders and gas cutters to enter the building through window grills. A forensic team will be visiting the site soon to ascertain the cause behind the incident," a senior fire official said. Problems for the fire fighters compounded as air conditioning machines started bursting, cracking open windows due to pressure of accumulated gases inside the building, he said. The fire tenders are carrying water from nearby water risers in the area, he added. Meanwhile, power supply to the entire area has been cut off, a senior official of the CESC said. "The entire area was de-energised and that will continue till the fire is doused completely. Power connectivity to the transformer adjacent to the Bagree market has also been snapped. "We have set up temporary lighting to help the fire fighters continue their operation, taking power from a nearby transformer," the official told PTI. Fearing that the blaze may spread, people were evacuated from adjacent buildings, and shop keepers shifted their goods elsewhere. Mayor Sovan Chatterjee, who reached the spot along with senior police officers and Kolkata disaster management group (DMG) officials, told reporters that market authorities had not installed fire safety equipment despite warnings. Traders in adjacent markets have been asked not to open their shops tomorrow. "It's not possible to open our shops tomorrow. Our friends who are having businesses in the Bagree market are suffering. We will not open our shops to show solidarity with them," Azgar Ali, a shop owner of the nearby Mehta building, said. Opposition BJP and the Congress have blamed the ruling Trinamool Congress government for its failure to prevent incidents of fire in multi-storey buildings. "A proper independent probe should be instituted into the fire incident to cover all aspects, including the conspiracy or sabotage angle," BJP state president Dilip Ghosh. West Bengal Pradesh Congress President Adhir Chowdhury said, "Mamata Banerjee wanted to turn Kolkata into London, but everything has turned topsyturvy under her government, with the recent Majerhat bridge collapse and this devastating fire incident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a major setback to NSCN (K), security forces in Arunachal Pradesh have arrested five overground workers of the banned outfit from Longding district. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, the Longding Battalion of Assam Rifles apprehended them on Saturday, Defence spokesman Col Chiranjit Konwer said. They were handed over to the police on Saturday, he said. Extortion money amounting to Rs 4 lakh and documents, including photographs and contact numbers of insurgents, were recovered from their possession, he said. Security forces have been carrying out operations in south Arunachal Pradesh to keep the area free from insurgents. The battalion had apprehended eight linkmen of the banned outfit since Thursday and recovered over Rs 16 lakh extortion money from their possession, the spokesman added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Over 1,269 grams of gold valued at around Rs 40 lakh, smuggled from Sri Lanka, was seized from a passenger at Rajamahendravaram airport in Andhra Pradesh, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) said Sunday. Based on specific intelligence, DRI sleuths from Kakinada intercepted a passenger who arrived by a flight from Hyderabad on September 14. On examination he was found carrying the gold paste weighing 1269.85 gms concealed in his innerwear, a release from the DRI's (Hyderabad Zonal Unit) said here. According to preliminary investigation, the gold was smuggled from Colombo to Madurai in Tamil Nadu, but was left behind by his accomplice in the aircraft which was later operated in the domestic sector to Rajamahendravaram airport via Hyderabad. The smuggled gold has been seized under Customs Act, 1962. Further investigation is in on, the release added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government plans to soon initiate the strategic sale process for at least four subsidiaries of loss-making Air India, including Airline Allied Services Ltd (AASL) and Hotel Corporation of India (HCI), according to officials. Besides, plans are on the anvil for selling the headquarter building of Air India in the national capital as well as various other land assets and buildings of the airline in different parts of the country. The government has prepared a list of the airline's assets that could be hived off as part of the strategic sale plan for Air India and its subsidiaries, officials said. According to them, the disinvestment process is likely to be initiated soon for four Air India subsidiaries -- AASL, HCI, Air India Air Transport Service Ltd (AIATSL) and Air India Engineering Service Ltd (AIESL). While AASL, under the name Alliance Air, provides regional air connectivity, HCI owns and operates two hotels in Delhi and Srinagar, among others. AIATSL provides ground handling and cargo handling services. AIESL is mainly into maintenance, repair and overhaul of engines. Apart from the headquarters building, other assets proposed to be sold include Air India properties in Mumbai and Delhi. Officials said the government also plans to sell various art works and artefacts. In June, a ministerial panel chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley deferred the strategic sale of the government's 76 per cent stake in Air India. Instead, it was decided that the government would look at sale of assets and subsidiaries of the national carrier to reduce the debt burden. Air India, which has been in the red for long, had a debt burden of Rs 48,000 crore at the end of March 2017. The government had originally proposed to offload 76 per cent equity share capital of the national carrier as well as transfer the management control to private players. However, the offer failed to attract any bidder when the deadline for initial bids closed on May 31. The national airline is staying afloat on a bailout package extended by the previous UPA regime in 2012 and the government is also looking at ways to infuse more funds into the carrier. For the current fiscal, the government expects to raise Rs 80,000 crore from strategic as well as minority stake sales in public sector enterprises. So far this fiscal, the government has raised over Rs 9,220 crore by divesting stakes in state-owned Last year, the government had mopped up over Rs 1.03 lakh crore from PSU disinvestment. This was aided by country's oldest gas producer ONGC's Rs 36,915 crore acquisition of government-owned fuel retailer Hindustan Petroleum. The has held that an international arbitration panel's ruling rejecting the government's demand for $1.5 billion from and its partners for allegedly siphoning gas from fields of is a fit case for appeal, sources in know of the development said. The had sought an opinion of the on the July arbitration award going against the government. Sources said the was of the opinion that the majority arbitration award was in violation of the terms and conditions of the production sharing contract (PSC), lacked required reason and was against the public good and public interest. A three-member international arbitration tribunal by a majority vote in July held that Reliance could contractually produce and sell any gas that might have migrated from adjoining fields of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) into its area and that it was not obligated to seek prior permission of the government for doing so. Sources said the Law Ministry was of the opinion that the tribunal had ignored the contractual obligation and statutory duty on part of operators to furnish information to the government about any migration of gas. It felt the award is a fit case for a challenge in the High Court, they said. With one member dissenting, the arbitration panel had held that the production sharing contract for eastern offshore KG-D6 fields "does not prohibit but permits" Reliance "to produce and sell gas which migrated into the sub-sea reservoir lying within (its) Contract Area from a source outside the Contract Area". And so "there is no question of 'unjust enrichment'," it had held. Reliance "has not been and will not be unjustly enriched by any production of migrated gas as a result of Petroleum Operations conducted within its Contract Area". In his dissent note, G S Singhvi said that the PSC prohibits Reliance and its partners from producing and selling gas which migrated into their sub-sea reservoir from the contract area of He held that Reliance "unjustly enriched itself by the sale of migrated gas, which did not belong to it and, therefore, it is bound to restore those benefits to the Government". In the 107-page order, the arbitration tribunal headed by Singapore-based arbitrator Lawrence G S Boo stated that although Reliance had always accepted that there could be channel continuity between its KG-D6 block and ONGC's adjoining KG-D5 and IG block, its conduct is consistent with its position that 'reservoir connectivity' has not been proven. Bernard Eder, a former UK High court judge nominated by Reliance, was the other judge who concurred with Boo. Singhvi, a former Supreme Court judge and the government nominee on the panel, wrote a long dissent note. "The Claimant (Reliance) requires no further express permission to produce and sell any migrated gas that could have come into (its) Contract Area," the majority judgment held. On the company not informing the government of a report commissioned by its partner Niko Resources indicating connectivity between KG-D6 and neighbouring blocks of ONGC, the tribunal said "the alleged failure to furnish information if so proven would at best be a breach of the contractual terms of the PSC or at worst attract penal sanctions under the Petroleum and Natural Gas (PNG) Rules". "There is no logical nexus between such breach or non-compliance with the claimant's right to extract gas which might include gas which could have migrated from an area outside the Contract Area. These are distinct and discreet issues," it said. The tribunal had said though Reliance's "production of gas would have included gas which had migrated into the reservoir from a source outside the Contract Area", it is "entitled to all rights granted to it under the PSC and shall be entitled to retain and recover cost petroleum and profit petroleum from the gas so extracted, produced and sold". The panel also awarded USD 8.3 million compensation to the three partners. Reliance is the operator of KG-D6 block with 60 per cent interest, while BP plc of UK holds 30 per cent and Niko Resources of Canada the remaining 10 per cent. In his dissent note, Singhvi said Reliance was required to obtain explicit permission to produce migrated gas. "It is crystal clear that the claimant (Reliance) does not have any rights to the gas which has migrated from ONGC's blocks," he wrote. "There can be no doubt that the retention of the benefit of migrated gas would be 'against the fundamental principles of justice or equity and good conscience' thereby falling squarely within the ambit of the doctrine of unjust enrichment". He also held that quantification of migrated gas determined in D&M report of 2015 was conclusive. Stating that Reliance should have disclosed the 2003 report of its partner Niko Resources, he said it may not have conclusively established reservoir connectivity, but it strongly suggested the same. "It is held that the claimant's failure to comply with its obligation to disclose November 2003 D&M report to the Government constitute a breach of the terms of the PSC and the 1959 Rules," he wrote. "Under the PSC, if a reservoir extends beyond block boundaries, the contractor may either seek permission to enlarge its Development Area, or jointly develop the area with the contractor of the adjoining block, or relinquish its rights to such reservoir," he said. "There can be no effective lease or enjoyment of an area covered by a reservoir, if such reservoir is being drained by a different person on its block boundary." The ministry had on November 4, 2016, slapped a demand notice on Reliance-BP-Niko combine for producing in seven years ending March 31, 2016 about 338.332 million British thermal units of gas that had seeped or migrated from ONGC's blocks into their adjoining KG-D6 in the Bay of Bengal. Reliance on November 11, 2016, slapped an arbitration notice disputing the claim. A Supreme Court judge today termed 'gyan daan' (gift of knowledge) as the best gift one can give to humankind and hailed the philanthropic efforts of a trust run by a couple -- a sitting judge and her top law officer husband. Speaking at an event where scholarships were presented to two women for their LLM at the Cambridge University in the UK, Justice U U Lalit praised Delhi High Court judge Justice Pratibha M Singh and her husband Maninder Singh, additional solicitor general of India, for their efforts to sponsor meritorious law students. "I must confess, first I have known Maninder and Pratibha for many years but I was never aware of their this part of persona that they have instituted this scholarship till very recently. "What a wonderful gesture this couple has actually a sort of you know bestowed upon the entire legal fraternity and community," Justice Lalit said here. The couple has instituted the "Pratibha M Singh Cambridge LL.M Scholarship" in the memory of Maninder Singh's father Manmohan Singh. The scholarship this year was given to Aadya Chawla and Nupur Raut under the banner of the Manmohan Singh Charitable Trust Speaking on the occasion of the fifth year of the scholarship, Lalit recited a Sanskrit shloka and explained it, saying out of every 100 people, there will be a one brave man. "Out of every one thousand people,you will have one intellectual and out of ten thousand, you will have one orator and the man who gives, you won't find him so easily," he said. "In our Indian ethos it is considered that gyan daan is the best possible sort of, you know, gift that a man can give to anybody," Justice Lalit said. Senior advocate Harish Salve, who also praised the couple, recalled the teaching of his guru and noted jurist late Nani Palkhivala that a person should always be the worst critic of oneself. He said he had the opportunity of working abroad and the lesson he has learnt is that "learn how to learn" and "learn to relish diversity." "I have tried to live to Mr Palkhivala's dream. It has been a big help to being somewhat a successful," Salve said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On your Marx The inspiration BP drew from Marx with the central idea of socialism never changed The Vishwa Hindu Parishad Sunday expressed hope that a grand Ram temple will be built in Ayodhya. "We are hopeful that a grand Ram temple will be built in Ayodhya," secretary general of Vishwa Hindu Parishad Milind Parande told reporters here. He added that Bajrang Dal, Durga Vahini and Matri Vahini had began a membership drive on September 15. On October 5, a meeting of seers on Ram Janmabhoomi issue is likely to take place in Delhi, further there will be a 'Dharm Sansad' in Allahabad during the Kumbh on January 31 and February 1, he said. Milind Parande on the occasion urged the state governments to take steps to stop religious conversion, which are offered to people in lieu of lucrative offers. When asked to comment on Congress president Rahul Gandhi's recent Mansarovar Yatra, Parande said, "Whether Rahul is a Hindu or not I don't know, but if he behaves as per Hindu religion, I would be happy. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Not discharging a patient or declining to hand over a body to relatives by over payment disputes may soon become an offence if a charter on patients' rights released by the Union Health Ministry comes into force. According to the draft of Patient Charter, cannot detain a patient in the hospital and not allow him or her to take discharge over procedural grounds such as dispute in payment of hospital charges. The charter states that it is duty of the hospital to not wrongfully confine any patient, or dead body of a patient, treated in the hospital under any circumstance. "Caretakers also have the right to the dead body of a patient who had been treated in a hospital and the dead body cannot be detained on procedural grounds, including nonpayment/dispute regarding payment of hospital charges against wishes of the caretakers," the draft charter says. According to a notice issued by Joint Secretary Sudhir Kumar, the ministry plans to implement the charter through state governments for provision of proper healthcare by clinical establishments. The draft charter, prepared by the Commission (NHRC), has been put up on the website of the Health Ministry, inviting suggestions and comments from the public and stakeholders. The draft states the patient and caregivers have the right to a fair and prompt redressal of their grievances and receive in writing the outcome of the complaint within 15 days from the date of the receipt of the complaint. Every hospital and clinical establishment have the duty to set up an internal redressal mechanism as well as to fully comply and cooperate with official redressal mechanisms including making available all relevant information and taking action in full accordance with orders of the redressal body as per the Patient's Right Charter or as per the applicable existing laws, it states. and caregivers have the right to seek redressal in case they are aggrieved, on account of infringement of any their rights mentioned in the charter. "This may be done by lodging a complaint with an official designated for this purpose by the hospital and further with an official mechanism constituted by the government such as Patients' Rights Tribunal Forum or clinical establishments regulatory authority as the case may be," it states. Also the draft states that every patient or their family members have the right to access originals or copies of case papers, indoor patient records, investigation reports during period of admission, preferably within 24 hours and after discharge, within 72 hours. They also have the right to seek second opinion and in such a case the hospital management has a duty to respect the patient's right to second opinion, and should provide to the caregivers all necessary records and information required for seeking such opinion without any extra cost or delay. All have a right to privacy, and doctors have a duty to hold information about their health condition and treatment plan in strict confidentiality, unless it is essential in specific circumstances to communicate such information in the interest of protecting other or due to public health considerations. The draft available on the website also says that every patient and their caregivers have the right to information on the rates to be charged by the hospital for each type of service provided and facilities available on a prominent display board and a brochure. They have a right to receive an itemized detailed bill at the time of payment. It would be the duty of the hospital and clinical establishment to display key rates at a conspicuous place in local as well as English language, and to make available the detailed schedule of rates in a booklet form to all patients and their family members. "Every patient has the right to receive treatment without any discrimination based on his or her illnesses or conditions, including HIV status or other health condition, religion, caste, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, linguistic or geographical/social origins," it stated. The Haryana police Sunday pulled out the half-burnt body of a Class 11 girl from the funeral pyre in a village near Meham town in Rohtak district after suspecting foul play behind her death. Someone from the village had informed the police about the girl's death and indicated that she did not die of natural causes, a police official said. The police swung into action and reached the village's cremation ground, where the funeral pyre had already been lit, he said. The fire was extinguished and the remains of her half-burnt body were collected, the official added. He said the girl's family told the police that she died after complaining of discomfort in her chest and stomach. "The body has been sent for post-mortem at the PGIMS, Rohtak, to ascertain the cause of the death. We are awaiting the report and will initiate further action accordingly," the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prehistoric humans had a thirst for craft beer and were brewing such beverages at least 5,000 years earlier than thought, say scientists who have found evidence of alcohol production in the Eastern Mediterranean. Archeologists from the Stanford University in the US and University of Haifa in Israel analysed three stone mortars from a 13,000-year old Natufian burial cave site in Israel. Their analysis confirmed that these mortars were used for brewing of wheat/barley, as well as for food storage. The study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, suggests that beer brewing practices existed in the Eastern Mediterranean over five millennia before the earliest known evidence, discovered in northern China. "Alcohol making and food storage were among the major technological innovations that eventually led to the development of civilisations in the world, and archaeological science is a powerful means to help reveal their origins and decode their contents," said Li Liu, from Stanford University. The earliest archaeological evidence for cereal-based beer brewing even before the advent of agriculture comes from the Natufians, semi-sedentary, foraging people, living in the Eastern Mediterranean between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic periods, following the last Ice Age. The Natufians at Raqefet Cave collected locally available plants, stored malted seeds, and made beer as a part of their rituals. "The Natufian remains in Raqefet Cave never stop surprising us," said Dani Nadel, from the University of Haifa, who was also an excavator of the site. "We exposed a Natufian burial area with about 30 individuals; a wealth of small finds such as flint tools, animal bones and ground stone implements, and about 100 stone mortars and cupmarks," said Nadel. "Some of the skeletons are well-preserved and provided direct dates and even human DNA, and we have evidence for flower burials and wakes by the graves," he said. "And now, with the production of beer, the Raqefet Cave remains provide a very vivid and colourful picture of Natufian lifeways, their technological capabilities and inventions," he said. The Natufians exploited at least seven plant types associated with the mortars, including wheat or barley, oat, legumes and bast fibres, researchers said. They packed plant-foods in fibre-made containers and stored them in boulder mortars. They used bedrock mortars for pounding and cooking plant-foods, and for brewing wheat/barley-based beer, likely served in ritual feasts 13,000 years ago. The evidence of beer brewing at Raqefet Cave 13,000 years ago provides yet another example of the complex Natufian social and ritual realms. Beer brewing may have been, at least in part, an underlying motivation to cultivate cereals in the southern Levant, supporting the beer hypothesis proposed by archaeologists more than 60 years ago. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sarah Kay is a poet but ask her to define a poem and she says, "I wouldn't". In fact, her mission as a poet is to bring down the walls that "alienate" several readers from the literary form and make them feel "excluded". The American, known for spoken word poetry, says she wants to expand people's definition of what a poem is and who is allowed to write them. "I wouldn't define a poem. I am more interested in having my definition of what poetry is being constantly shifted and changed," Kay told PTI. The 30-year-old's claim to fame is her idea to take poetry beyond the pages of books and on to the stage. She performs her writings with animated vigour -- in her voice and in her actions. Her journey as a poet began when someone signed her at the age of 14-year-old for a poetry slam workshop. Unaware of what lay ahead, she was pleased to find herself in the company of other children who loved poetry. "The experience was so transforming that I fell in love with the art form and went back to it as many times as I could," said Kay. In less than two decades since that workshop, Kay has established herself not just as a world renowned poet and performer but also an internet sensation. Kay, who never thought practising poetry professionally was even a possibility, now tours the world, taking jam-packed auditoriums by storm with her heart-warming recitals that redefine poetry in a brand new light. She is also the founder of Project Voice, a programme that uses using spoken word poetry to entertain, educate and inspire. The venture is dedicated to promoting empowerment, improving literacy and encouraging empathy and creative collaboration in classrooms and communities around the world. Kay's subjects of choice are varied and wide ranging. She will talk about love and also abuse, she will talk about fond memories of her elementary school principal, the precarious mother-daughter relationship and also women's empowerment. What makes her works identifiable to thousands of fans is that, autobiographical or not, she manages to make every poem she pens "personal". "Sometimes it is a personal experience or a relationship with someone in my life, but even if it is something that feels like a larger societal theme, the only way I know to access it is by making it personal," she said. For Kay, writing poetry is equivalent to solving a Rubik's cube -- a puzzle solving strategy. "That's what it feels like in my brain when I am trying to write a poem," she said. Kay performed at the Mountain Echoes Literary Festival in Bhutan last month, and also hosted the first Indian National Youth Poetry Slam (INYPS) in Bangalore in 2016. "I remember (of INYPS) feeling proud of the young women stepping on stage and showing the power of femininity, and also of the men who showed that vulnerability was not a weakness but a kind of strength," Kay said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Indian Air Force (IAF) has come up with major plans for Andhra Pradesh to make it a 'strategic base'. Prime among them are IAF's plans to set up a major helicopter training facility at Donakonda in Prakasam district. The other plans put forth before the AP government are establishing a drone manufacturing facility in Anantapur district, a cyber security centre in Amaravati and making Rajahmundry and Vijayawada airports asset positioning bases, top bureaucratic sources said. "On our part, we have constituted a task team to coordinate with the IAF on these projects. A preliminary ground survey has also been done to identify suitable locations and we have asked the IAF to submit detailed project reports," a top bureaucrat involved in the process told PTI. The IAF, as part of its strategy to strengthen vigil along the east coast, has proposed the use of existing civilian airports at Rajahmundry and Vijayawada for positioning its assets -- fighter and other aircraft. IAF currently has a base at Arakkonam near Chennai, while the Navy has INS Dega in Visakhapatnam. "In view of the growing strategic importance of the east coast and China moving fast, the IAF intends to strengthen its presence in the region. Setting up asset positioning bases in AP is part of the strategy," the bureaucrat privy to the deliberations said on condition of anonymity. Also, IAF helicopters and other aircrafts that could be used for rescue and relief operations in case of natural calamities would be positioned at these bases. The IAF top brass has already held at least three rounds of talks with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and discussed the projects. Last week, IAF Southern Command Chief Air Marshal B Suresh and his team held talks with the chief minister and came up with a fresh proposal to develop Air Force Enclaves at different locations in the state. The state government initially offered 2,700 acres of land at Donakonda, along the abandoned World War-II airstrip, for the proposed helicopter training facility. Subsequently, the IAF told the state government that it required less extent of land and, accordingly 1200 acres has been identified for the project. "About 300 acre of this parcel of land will be given to Airports Authority of India for civilian aircraft operations and the rest to the IAF for the helicopter training facility," a senior bureaucrat in the revenue department said. The IAF intends to set up the drone manufacturing facility in Anantapur district since it is close to the Yelahanka Air Base near Bengaluru. The project cost and other details are being worked out. Meanwhile, the IAF has sought land at Suryalanka in Guntur district to expand the existing Air Force Station. It has also sought allotment of land in Nellore and Bhogapuram (where an international civilian airport is proposed) for the Air Force Enclaves. The chief minister directed Infrastructure and Investments Principal Secretary Ajay Jain to coordinate with the IAF on this. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) If Akhilesh Yadav talks of fighting with "communal BJP", the Samajwadi Secular Morcha (SSM) should be included in the proposed alliance between the Samajwadi Party and BSP, sidelined SP leader Shivpal Yadav said Sunday. Shivpal, who founded the Samajwadi Secular Morcha recently, said he was ready to contest the 2019 polls on all 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, except the Mainpuri seat, if his suggestion was not met. "If he (Akhilesh) talks of fighting against communal party BJP, SSM should be included in the proposed alliance between SP and BSP. If not, I am ready to contest on all 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, except for the Mainpuri seat, where 'Netaji' (Mulayam Singh Yadav) is likely to contest," he told PTI here. "Even if I am not included in the SP's alliance, it will be an opportunity for my Morcha as we will get all the support on seats left by the SP for BSP and others. All 'Samajwadis' will unite with us. We will be winning 20-30 seats," he said. About his relations with SP supremo and brother Mulayam Singh Yadav, Shivpal said, "I have his blessings. I am offering party president post to him and also ticket from Mainpuri". On his position in the newly-formed SSM, Shivpal said, "I am the convenor of SSM. If 'Netaji' does not accept the presidentship, we will discuss it later". When asked about his future course of action, the SSM leader said, "We are strengthening the Morcha. District and state units are to be formed. People are coming to us in good numbers. I am looking for space for the party, which is yet to be registered with the Election Commission. The party flag is also be to finalised". Shivpal, SP MLA from Jaswantnagar (Etawah), denied resigning from his membership. "I am not going to resign from the assembly. It is up to the Samajwadi Party to decide. They are free to initiate action against me," he said. Stating that he was open for alliance with "like-minded" parties, Shivpal said, "I had talks with senior leader Sharad Yadav and others...There is no enemy in I am even open for an alliance with Congress and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)". On Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh's statement that he had fixed Shivpal's meeting with a senior BJP leader, but he did not turn up, the sidelined SP leader said, "You see...then they (SP) charge me with joining hands with BJP". Asked from where was he planning to contest the next Lok Sabha polls, the SSM leader said, "I can contest from anywhere. Party workers will decide it in future". He said he formed the Morcha to protect his "honour" and not seek any post in the Samajwadi Party. "I never wanted to part ways (with the Samajwadi Party). I only wanted honour, which I did not get after the change of leadership in the party. I never wanted posts. I took this step (of forming the Morcha) out of compulsion to protect my honour," he said. Shivpal had launched the Morcha last month, stating that he would seek the support of "neglected" party workers. He later announced that his political outfit would contest on all Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. He has maintained a low profile after the worst ever feud in the Samajwadi family broke into the open before 2017 assembly elections. Shivpal was unceremoniously removed from the post of SP state unit president after his nephew Akhilesh Yadav assumed charge as SP national president. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India accords highest priority to regional cooperation within the BIMSTEC framework which is consistent with the country's "neighbourhood first and Act East policy", Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said Sunday. Members of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) are in favour of regional cooperation to address security concerns amid the growing menace of terrorism across the globe, he said. A week-long military field training exercise for seven member nations of BIMSTEC was held in Maharashtra's Pune district. Contingents of India, Srilanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan took part in the exercise while Nepal and Thailand skipped it and sent their observers instead. Bhamre was attending the concluding ceremony of the BIMSTEC multinational military exercise (MILEX) here. Addressing contingents of the participating countries, he said India accords highest priority to regional cooperation within the BIMSTEC framework, consistent with the country's "neighbourhood first and Act East policy". "Our leaders agreed to intensify the regional cooperation in key sectors of security, counter-terrorism, disaster management, connectivity and trade, agriculture and poverty elevation and people-to-people contact," he said. The Act East policy is an effort by India to boost its influence through economic and strategic linkages with the neighbouring Southeast Asian sub-region. It was originally conceived as an economic initiative, but has gained political, strategic and cultural dimensions including establishment of institutional mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation. Noting that terrorism has shown its presence in every corner the world, Bhamre said BIMSTEC forum is aware of the ill-effects of this menace. "MILEX 18 was a useful forum which provided the opportunity to discuss the issue from a military point of view with an endeavour to create synergy, better understanding and evolve as an institutionalised multi-lateral forum for regional cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism operations," he said. Calling the exercise as a significant event, Bhamre said that with such activities, BIMSTEC has evolved as an effective multi-lateral forum. "This reflects the growing desire among members for regional cooperation to address shared security concerns," he said. Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat was also present on the occasion. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India and France have planned eight-10 satellites as part of a constellation for maritime surveillance, French space agency CNES chief Jean-Yves Le Gall has said. This will be India's largest space cooperation with any country, officials said. They added that the launch of eight-10 maritime surveillance satellites will focus on the Indian Ocean, a region that has been witnessing increasing Chinese presence. France will also share its expertise with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on inter-planetary missions to Mars and Venus, the Indian space agency's two major missions, Gall said. "We started (talks) on constellation of new satellites for maritime awareness. Of course, it will take time," Gall told PTI in an interaction. Asked how many satellites will be part of the project, he said, "It would be between eight-10." The purpose of the constellation is monitoring sea traffic management, a CNES official said, adding that it would take less than five years to launch the satellites. In March this year, India and France unveiled a joint vision for space, resolving to strengthen cooperation between ISRO and CNES. "ISRO and CNES would work together for design and development of joint products and techniques, including those involving Automatic Identification System, to monitor and protect assets in land and sea. In particular, both sides will pursue the study of a constellation of satellites for maritime surveillance," the joint vision statement said. Several crucial sea lanes of communications pass through the Indian Ocean, a region critical to the strategic interests of India and France. While the Indian Ocean region is the prime focus for New Delhi, Paris has its territories spread across the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, officials said. The robust space cooperation between India and France goes back six decades. Last week, the two countries signed an agreement to share expertise on ISRO's human mission programme Gaganyaan. The space agencies of the two countries have also been working on climate monitoring on the joint missions Megha-Tropiques (launched in 2011) and Saral-Altika (launched in 2013). They are also working on the Trishna satellite for land Infrared monitoring and the Oceansat3-Argos mission. Discussing collaboration for the mission to Venus and Mars and France's expertise on the matter, Mathieu Weiss, the managing director of CNES' India liaison office, explained, "The eyes and scientific heart of Curiosity Rover (NASA) on Mars were developed by us. France and Russia have jointly worked for the Venus mission in the past. In both the inter-planetary missions, the French scientific community is very strong and among best in the world," Weiss told PTI. In a media briefing at Paris on Friday, Gall said CNES is currently working with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and German space agency DLR on Hayabusa 2/ MASCOT, a mission to asteroid Ryugu. CNES has also scheduled Mission BepiColombo to Mercury. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) One held with automatic pistol in Dang Police have arrested a person in possession of a pistol from Ghorahi in Dang district on Saturday. Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi groups created to foster Britain's ruling Conservative party's connect with South Asian origin electorate came together in a rare show of unity in London this week to welcome UK's first British Asian Home Secretary Sajid Javid. The Conservative Friends of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh organised a special event on Thursday evening to celebrate the "historic appointment" of Pakistani-origin Javid to one of the senior-most Cabinet posts in the country earlier this year. "This is an example of all our communities working together as the very best of friends," said Javid, 48, during his speech at the event, where he was joined by his mother, brothers, wife and children. "It is on the shoulders of my mum and dad that I stand before you...We are bigger than the cultural heritage we represent. We are a core part of the country's offering and an indispensable asset to British society," said Javid, the son of a Pakistani bus driver who migrated to Britain in the 1960s. He took charge as the UK Home Secretary at the end of April after his predecessor Amber Rudd was forced to step down amid an escalating Windrush immigration scandal involving the unfair treatment of Commonwealth citizens, largely from the Caribbean. British Prime Minister Theresa May's decision to appoint the son of Commonwealth immigrants to the crucial post was widely seen as a way to curtail the brewing backlash. This week's event was the brainchild of Indian-origin entrepreneur Rami Ranger, the co-chair of the Conservative Friends of India (CFI), who was joined by his counterparts Zameer Choudrey of the Conservative Friends of Pakistan (CFP) and Bajloor Rashid of the Conservative Friends of Bangladesh (CFB). "We have come together to celebrate the first-ever British Asian to hold such a senior Cabinet post and applaud Asian success as well as unity between Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis in this country," said Ranger, Founder & CEO of Sun Mark Ltd. "Traditionally, the Labour party was seen as the natural home for Asians but that trend has changed as more and more Asians turn towards the Conservative party. So, watch this space," added Rashid, a UK-based restaurateur who urged the minister to look into the crisis faced by Britain's curry industry. "We are struggling to recruit the right staff but there has been no hint of policy change from the government. We finally have a louder voice in Parliament," he said. British electorate with roots in the Indian subcontinent have been traditionally seen as favouring the left-leaning ideals of the Opposition Labour party, leading to the Tories making a decisive play for this significant ethnic minority vote-bank that is believed to hold the key to crucial constituencies in any general election. Tory party chair Brandon Lewis was categorical in his message to the gathering that the mission was to ensure that the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is not elected Prime Minister in any future poll. "We need members from your community to ensure that Jeremy Corbyn never gets the key to Downing Street," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indira Gandhi made two "serious mistakes -- declaring the Emergency in 1975 and allowing Operation Blue Star to happen", but regardless of these she was a great and powerful prime minister and a considerate humanist, feels veteran Congressman K Natwar Singh. Singh worked in her office from 1966 to 1971 as a civil services officer before joining the Congress in the 80s and becoming a minister in the Rajiv Gandhi Cabinet. "Ever so often, Indira Gandhi is depicted as solemn, severe, prickly and ruthless. Seldom is it mentioned that this beautiful, caring, charming, graceful and sparkling human being was a considerate humanist and a voracious reader, that she was endowed with charm, elegance, style, good taste and, above all, gravitas," he says about the former prime minister. Singh says Gandhi "made two serious mistakes - declaring the Emergency in 1975 and allowing Operation Blue Star to happen", but hastens to add, "And yet, regardless of these, she was a great and powerful prime minister." Singh expresses these views in his new book, 'Treasured Epistles', a collection of letters. Those who regularly wrote to him included friends, contemporaries and colleagues, from the days of his foreign service to ambassadorship, to recent days as the minister of foreign affairs. Some of whose letters feature in the book include Indira Gandhi, E M Forster, C Rajagopalachari, Lord Mountbatten, Jawaharlal Nehru's two sisters Vijaylakshmi Pandit and Krishna Hutheesing, R K Narayan, Nirad C Chaudhuri, Mulk Raj Anand and Han Suyin. He says each of these luminaries influenced him in a different way and consequently his "Weltanschauung" or world view was vastly extended and enriched. The topics of Indira Gandhi's letters to Singh ranged from congratulating him for becoming a father to politics, books, birthday wishes and get-well-soon messages. After sweeping the Lok Sabha elections in 1980, Gandhi wrote to Singh, who was then the high Commissioner of India to Islamabad: "The real difficulties now begin. The people's expectations are high but the situation - both political or economic, is an extremely complex one." "I cannot help being an optimist and I have no doubt that if only our legislators and the people as a whole have the patience and forbearance to climb the steep and stony path for the next few months, we can get over the hump and arrive at a place from which progress is possible once again."Among the several other nuggets in the book, published by Rupa, is Rajagopalachari once telling Singh that he had "sold" the idea of Partition to Lord Mountbatten as "Partition was the only answer". When Singh persisted by saying that Mahatma Gandhi was against the Partition, Rajagopalachari said, "Gandhi was a very great man but he saw what was going on. He was a very disillusioned man. When he realised that we were all for Partition, he said, 'If you all agree, I will go along with you,' and left Delhi the next day. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An American-French law professor arrested by Israel while protesting against the demolition of a Palestinian village in the West Bank is to be deported, his lawyer said Sunday. US-born Frank Romano, who teaches law at the Paris Nanterre University, was detained on Friday while taking part in a demonstration at the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar, east of Jerusalem. "There is an administrative decision to deport him," lawyer Gaby Lansky told reporters. A spokeswoman for the Israeli interior ministry could not immediately confirm such a decision. The village of roughly 200 people in the Israeli-occupied West Bank is at risk of being demolished at any time, despite fierce criticism from key European nations. On September 5, Israel's supreme court upheld an order to raze it on grounds it was built without the proper permits. It is extremely rare for Palestinians to be given Israeli permits to build in Area C of the West Bank, where Khan al-Ahmar is situated. The village is located in a strategic spot near Israeli settlements and along a road leading to the Dead Sea. There have been warnings that continued settlement construction in the area could eventually divide the West Bank in two and cut it off from Jerusalem, dealing a death blow to any remaining hopes of a two-state solution. Anti-demolition activists said Romano was arrested along with two Palestinian protesters when they tried to block bulldozers sent in by Israeli authorities to seal off an access road to the village. Pictures on social media show him being led from the scene by Israeli riot police. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An opposition Israeli lawmaker on Sunday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to dismiss his ambassador to the United States for failing to report sexual assault allegations against a top Netanyahu aide, ballooning an already embarrassing scandal for the Israeli leader. Karin Elharrar of the centrist Yesh Atid party said Ron Dermer should be recalled from Washington for not reporting the warnings he received about David Keyes, Netanyahu's spokesman to foreign media. She also lashed out at Netanyahu himself for staying mum on an issue that has engulfed his close associates. "His silence is thundering. I would expect from the prime minister a clear condemnation, if not at least a mention that the allegations were being looked into," Elharrar told The Associated Press. "Who if not the prime minister should be an example on this matter? It's time that this issue of sexual harassment be at the top of his agenda." Last week, Julia Salazar, a candidate for New York's state senate, accused Keyes of sexually assaulting her five years ago. Wall Street Journal reporter Shayndi Raice tweeted she too had a "terrible encounter" with Keyes before he became Netanyahu's spokesman. She described him as a "predator" and someone who had "absolutely no conception of the word 'no.'" At least a dozen other women have since come forward with varying allegations, some of which are said to have been committed since Keyes took up his current position in early 2016. Keyes, 34, denies the allegations, saying all "are deeply misleading and many of them are categorically false."Keyes says he has taken a leave of absence amid the uproar to try and clear his name. But the scandal has since spread to the rest of Netanyahu's inner circle, which has previously been rocked with accusations of sexual improprieties. Natan Eshel, a former top aide, was forced to resign in 2012 after allegations emerged that he harassed and intimidated a woman in the prime minister's office, including taking pictures up her skirt. Earlier this year, Netanyahu's son Yair came under fire after a recording emerged of him joyriding at taxpayer expense to Tel Aviv strip clubs and making misogynistic comments about strippers, waitresses and other women. Over the weekend, Dermer, who was perhaps Netanyahu's closest associate before taking office in Washington, confirmed he was warned in late 2016 by New York Times columnist Bret Stephens, then of the Wall Street Journal, about Keyes' aggressive behavior toward women. The New York Times reported that Stephens, who said he had barred Keyes from visiting the Wall Street Journal opinion section because of harassment complaints women there made against him, warned Dermer that "Keyes posed a risk to women in Israeli government offices." Dermer said he did not report this further since he did not consider the harassment allegations criminal. But Elharrar noted in a formal letter to Netanyahu that Dermer was unqualified to judge this. Under Israeli law, sexual harassment is a crime and public servants are required to report any knowledge of it. Dermer, as an Israeli ambassador, is subject to its laws even on American soil, Elharrar said, and therefore she demanded his dismissal since "it is unreasonable that someone holding such a prominent position would violate the law so blatantly." "I'm sure that if it were any other diplomatic or even gossipy issue he would have reported it further," she told the AP. "We need to make clear that the issue of sexual harassment is no less important." Media reports in recent days have included the testimonies of various women detailing what they called aggression on the part of Keyes, where in some cases he coerced them into sexual acts. The New York Times reported that in addition to Stephens' move, some organizations Keyes worked for himself took measures to keep him away from interns because of his history of unwanted advances. Salazar, a Democratic socialist who went on win her New York state senate primary last week after an ugly campaign that scrutinized her past, said she only decided to go public with her allegations against Keyes after a conservative outlet planned to out her. Netanyahu has yet to comment on the affair and made no mention of it in comments given at his weekly Cabinet meeting Sunday. Michal Rozin, a legislator with the opposition Meretz party, said his silence could be interpreted as tolerance of the alleged acts and she demanded he take a clear stance against sexual assault and harassment. Rozin, who formerly headed Israel's umbrella organization for victims of sexual valence before elected to parliament, has appealed to Israel's Civil Service Commissioner asking for the allegations against Keyes to be investigated because of the "serious concern of serial behavior." She demanded Dermer's conduct be examined as well. It's not the first case the #metoo phenomenon has erupted in Israeli public life. Last year, shortly after the allegations against Harvey Weinstein rocked Hollywood and sparked a flurry of allegations in other American industries, a senior Israeli TV journalist revealed on air that Israeli media mogul and International Olympic Committee member Alex Gilady had made an "indecent" proposal to her during a job interview 25 years ago. A well-known columnist then added that Gilady exposed himself to her during a 1999 business meeting at his home and two other women later came forward saying Gilady had raped them. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jayant Kumar of the Chhatra Rashtriya Janta Dal, which made its debut at the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union polls, saw a moral victory in his loss. Kumar, who stood for the presidents post, got 540 votes and stood fourth among the presidential candidates. He polled more votes than the NSUI candidate but was behind the United Left front, ABVP and BAPSA candidates. "The NSUI is an old organisation and even the other parties have been around for years. The United Left front was formed with the coming together of four parties and I fought the elections alone. These elections are a warning sign to political parties that indulge in votebank politics," he said. Kumar is a first year PhD student of School Of Social Sciences. He passed out from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication in 2014. "Our performance is a moral victory. Everyone is saying I have put up a graceful fight. We intend to fight on all the central panel posts and the councillor posts next year. "There are also plans to fight the Delhi University polls next year and to set up the party in Jamia," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A united front of Left student groups won Sunday all four central panel posts in the JNU Students' Union defeating the ABVP by considerable margins in an election marred by allegations of "bias" against the poll committee, violence and suspension of counting for nearly 14 hours. Announcing the results of the keenly contested Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) election, the poll committee said N Sai Balaji was elected as president. Balaji of the All India Students' Association (AISA) bagged 2,161 votes. He defeated RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) candidate Lalit Pandey, who garnered 982 votes, by a margin of 1,179 votes. The Left-backed AISA, Students' Federation of India (SFI), Democratic Students' Federation (DSF) and All India Students' Federation (AISF) came together to form the 'United Left' alliance. The 'United Left' candidate for the post of vice president, Sarika Chaudhary of the DSF, garnered 2,692 votes and trounced ABVP candidate Geetasri Boruah by a margin of 1,680 votes. Boruah secured 1,012 votes. Aejaz Ahmad Rather of the SFI polled 2,423 votes and won the post of general secretary by defeating Ganesh Gurjar (1,123 votes) of the ABVP by 1,300 votes. Amutha Jayadeep of the AISF defeated ABVP's Venkat Choubey by 800 votes to win the post of joint secretary. Amutha bagged 2,047 votes as against Choubey's 1,247. Balaji is a student of JNU's School of International Studies. Chaudhary, Ahmed and Amutha belong to the School of Social Sciences. A total of 1,148 votes were polled in NOTA (none of the above) for the central panel. A total of 162 blank votes and 133 invalid votes were polled. A total of 31 councillors were elected - five from AISA, six from SFI, three from DSF and one each from BAPSA and NSUI. There were 13 independent candidates elected to the post of councillors. Nominations for two councillor posts were rejected. In a statement, the AISA congratulated the student community of JNU for "defying the continuous attack on JNU and JNUSU election process by ABVP-administration and RSS nexus". "For the last four years the present government has unleashed continuous attack on JNU. "From running the vicious Shut Down JNU campaign to destroying GSCASH, shielding teachers accused of sexual harassment, trampling upon all decision making bodies to intimidating JNU students by framing cases against them - the present regime has done all it can to destroy JNU," they said. Meanwhile, the ABVP and NSUI claimed their vote share has increased from the last year. Last year too, the Left student groups had won all the four central panel posts. Besides the Left bloc and the ABVP, there were candidates of the NSUI and the BAPSA (Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students Association), a student group advocating Dalit causes. The voter turnout in the election on Friday was 67.8 per cent, believed to be the highest in six years. Over 5,000 students cast their votes. Even before the results were announced, there was a festive atmosphere in the Left camp. With their faces smeared with red 'gulal', the students raised slogans of 'Justice for Rohith' and 'Justice for Najeeb'. As members of the Election Committee emerged out of the counting centre, it's chairman Himanshu Kulshreshtha, a student himself, was hailed by the Left who shouted, 'JNU EC ko Lal Salaam'. Rohith Vemula, a student of Hyderabad Central University, committed suicide alleging harassment by the varsity administration in 2016. Najeeb Ahmed, a student of JNU, went missing from the campus under suspicious circumstances in 2016. He has since been untraceable. Former student leaders Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid, who were in the middle of a sedition row in 2016, also congratulated the Left on their victory. "To be on the Left today is to be on the Right side of History. Red Salute to Comrades. The People United Shall Always Be Victorious.#WeAreJNU #JNUSUElection2018," Kumar tweeted. Khalid said the mandate meant the students had rejected the anti-student agenda of the ruling party. "The mandate from JNU is an unambiguous rejection of RSS/BJP's anti-student agenda as well as jumlebaazi, economic loot, corruption & politics of communal hatred. It is a message from the students to the regime before general elections in 2019. The fight is on...#JNUSUElection2018," he posted on Twitter. Bollywood actress Swara Bhasker, a JNU alumnus, also congratulated the Left on its big win. "Clean sweep for Left Unity in #JNUSUelections2018 #JNUSU_Election2018 All 4 central panel posts landslide victory for left unity #JNUSUresults Congratulations!!!!!," she posted on the microblogging site. There was high drama on Saturday as counting was suspended for close to 14 hours after the ABVP staged protests claiming it was not informed about the start of the counting process. The counting, which was suspended at 4 am, resumed at 6.30 pm after two teachers from the Grievance Redressal Cell were appointed as observers for the exercise, officials said. The ABVP and the Left groups had indulged in a blame game as they accused each other of roughing up their members on the campus. President of ABVP-JNU unit Vijay Kumar had alleged that counting of votes was being done without adhering to the rules and had said the biased way of handling elections put a question mark on the election committee's neutrality. He claimed that their counting agents were not called by the Election Committee at the time of counting. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union minister Jitendra Singh Sunday hit out at the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party for their decision to boycott the upcoming local bodies and panchayat polls and accused their leadership of trying to "shove their decisions" on Jammu. "The leadership of the Kashmir-centric parties (NC and PDP) have announced boycott of the polls and are trying to shove their decisions on Jammu. If Jammu-based leaders of these parties have slightest of self-esteem left, then they can approach the BJP," Singh, the minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office, said. He was addressing the working committee meeting of the state unit of the BJP here. Singh said the people, especially the youth, need to decide whether they are with the "Prime Minister Narendra Modi model of development, the family model of the Congress or the boycott model of the NC and the PDP". State BJP president Ravinder Raina welcomed the decision of the government to hold urban local bodies and panchayat elections and said it would further strengthen the power of the common man and help in strengthening the democracy at the grassroots level in the state. He said the BJP was following the policy of development for all and appeasement to none. "Whereas the previous governments were completely filled up with the scams, on the other hand, the Modi government has given a severe blow to terrorists and their sympathisers," Raina said. Meanwhile, BJP state spokesperson and former minister Priya Sethi said municipal and panchayat polls would deal a "blow to of blackmail" by the Kashmir-centric parties. "The announcement of polls is a befitting reply to those regional parties particularly the PDP and the NC who have always blackmailed the Union government on non-issues and this is also a befitting reply to separatists, anti-India people, anti-development parties, Pakistan-sponsored terrorists, who have taken the people of Kashmir for ransom and have time and again exploited them for their vested interests," she said in a separate statement here. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Keira Knightley is hugely supportive of female filmmakers in Hollywood but says she has no plans to go behind the camera. The 33-year-old actor believes women directors can do a better job with bringing the female point of view on screen. "No (I don't plan to direct). But there's a lot of talented female directors. I think that they need to be supported. I think that female point of view is very important. "I think we need more (directors of photography), more producers, and we need more writers, so I think we really need to push for representation," Knightley told the Hollywood Reporter. The actor will next be seen in "Colette". She is stars in the film as renowned French novelist Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, who was nominated for a Nobel Prize for literature in 1948, and is famed for writing "Gigi", a novel about a young Parisian girl being groomed for a career as a courtesan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kerala Tourism's efforts to get back on track after the recent devastating floods got a shot in the arm as it won two prestigious awards for its innovative marketing campaigns. The gold awards of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) were presented at a function in Malaysia Friday. Assistant Director of India Tourism, Singapore, Sudeshna Ramkumar received the award on behalf of Kerala Tourism department. Kerala Tourism bagged the first gold for its 'Yalla Kerala' print media campaign in the Gulf countries, a release said here Sunday. It showcased the state's greenery and backwaters, a different world from the Gulf, just four hours away by air. With the punch line, 'Yalla Kerala,' the campaign generated a lot of interest about 'God's Own Country' as a tourism destination in the Gulf. The second gold award came for an innovative poster the Kerala Tourism had developed for the third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB), the biggest contemporary art show in South Asia. The poster featured a colourful boat and fishermen, and could be put up straight as well as upside down. "This is a huge honour for Kerala Tourism. Winning two sought after gold medals of PATA will give a fillip to our ongoing efforts for a robust rejuvenation of tourism in the state," said Kerala Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran. "Our efforts have started paying off. Most of our tourist destinations are ready to welcome the visitors from India and abroad. In fact, the first chartered flight of tourists from Australia in this season arrived in Kochi on September 15," he said. "The state government has accorded top priority to restoring roads leading to tourist places," he said. Kerala Tourism Secretary Rani George said the prestigious gold awards were a testament to the undiminished charm of tourist destinations in the state, which attract visitors in droves. "Our tourism campaigns are specimens of creative brilliance and have always evoked international attention and admiration. The latest awards will once again turn the spotlight on the state's destinations," she added. Kerala Tourism Director P Bala Kiran said the award-winning marketing campaigns showcase Kerala as a destination for families to relax, rejuvenate and reconnect. "The awards show that our strategies have struck a right cord with the target audiences," he noted. The Campaign and Posters were developed and designed by Stark Communications, the Advertising Agency of Kerala Tourism. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Contributing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Swachhata Hi Seva' campaign in a unique way, Khadi India has launched a designer carry bag made from a mix of plastic waste and paper pulp, a senior official said on Sunday. The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) showcased the plastic-paper mixed eco-friendly handmade carry bags on Saturday at it's flagship Khadi India outlet in Connaught Place here on the occasion of Swachhata Diwas. As the prime minister launched the cleanliness campaign, Khadi India introduced the carry bags at all of its stores across the country, KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said. Saxena said KVIC conducted experiments at its Kumarappa National Handmade Paper Institute (KNHPI) unit at Jaipur to develop the unique bag. "The KNHPI officials were directed to collect plastic garbage and after necessary cleaning and processing, mix it with paper pulp up to 20 percent to find out whether plastic waste can be utilised in handmade paper industries or not," Saxena said. "The experiment was done on utilisation of various types of plastic waste including high-density and low-density polyethylene... The experiment was successful," Saxena added. The KVIC said preliminary studies showed that polyethylene waste could be used to make cost effective handmade paper -- reducing the existing production cost by 34 per cent-- which in turn can be used to make cheaper carry bags. In its project called REPLAN (Reducing Plastic in Nature), the waste plastic from nature is collected, de-structured and de-gradated and then mixed with paper pulp in a ratio of 80 is to 20, it said. REPLAN aims to remove the existing waste plastic material from nature and use it in a semi-permanent manner, so that availability of plastic in nature is reduced to a large extent, it added. The continued removal, coupled with steps taken by the government are expected to provide significant relief from the existing problem of plastic waste, it said further. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Province 2 govt preparing to celebrate Constitution Day Even as the Rastriya Janta Party-Nepal (RJP-N), a key coalition partner of Province 2 government, has decided to observe the Constitution Day as a black day, the Province 2 government has been making preparations to celebrate the day. A labourer was killed and another injured after a wall of a house collapsed in northwest Delhi's Adarsh Nagar area, police said Sunday. The incident took place on Saturday and a call about it was received at 11 am, said a senior official of the Delhi Fire Service. Three fire tenders were rushed to the spot, the official said. The deceased was identified as Satpal and the injured was identified as Bhanu, police said. The two labourers were engaged in renovation work of an old house. The incident occurred as they were hammering the wall of the house as part of renovation, a police officer said. Bhanu sustained a minor injury on his nose while Satpal was declared brought dead, he said. A case was registered, police said, adding the owner of the house, Sunil, has been arrested. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Sunday said her government left "no stone unturned" in serving the people of the state and sought from them another term, during 'Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra' at her home turf in the Hadouti region. While coming down heavily on Congress, Raje, on the third day of the fourth phase of her Gaurav Yatra in Hadouti, called upon the people to re-elect her government in the upcoming assembly election "to continue the pace of progress and development. She addressed public meetings at Mangrol town in Baran district, and Itawa and Deegod in Kota district and highlighted the achievements of her government in the last four-and-a-half years. "At least 175 Gaurav Paths have been constructed in Mangrol," Raje said at a public meeting in Krishi Upaj Mandi ground in Mangrol town, claiming with an expenditure of Rs 13 crore, her government has made BaranMangrole flood-free. The chief minister claimed that her government provided facilities for drinking and irrigation water round the year for Jhalawar and Baran. "We are working our best to prove the people's trust in our government," Raje said in Itawa and asserted that 47 schools were upgraded in the area and an ITI college set up by the state government. "The pace of progress and development should not be derailed," the chief minister said and called upon the public to re-elect her government. Raje addressed her third public meeting late in the evening in Deegod village of Sangod assembly constituency in Kota. "We don't do small tasks, but big ones," Raje said in Deegod, referring to the Rs 8,000 crore Parwan Irrigation Project and claimed it would further be funded up to Rs 37,000 crores. "The project would fulfil the water demands of 13 districts of the state ... There would be electricity connection to every house hold by March 31, 2019," Raje said. State agriculture minister Prabhu Lal Saini, Education Minister Vasudev Devnani, MP Dushyant Singh, local MLAs and others attended Raje's public meetings in Baran while she was joined by KotaBundi MP Om Birla in Kota. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A lifer who was out on parole allegedly committed suicide after seriously injuring his wife in Sonitpur district of Assam, a police officer said. The lifer, Jiten Nath, attacked his wife with a sharp knife following an altercation with her and escaped from the house Saturday, police said. The family members launched a search for him and found him hanging from a tree in the backyard of his house Sunday. His wife was shifted to Guwahati Medical College Hospital in a critical condition. Nath was on parole for 20 days and was scheduled to return to Tezpur Central Jail Tuesday. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing his friend Bidul Das. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Sunday called for a second Brexit referendum as he criticised the Conservative party-led UK government's increasingly "chaotic approach" to the negotiations with the 28-member European Union (EU). The Pakistani-origin Opposition Labour Party leader said the fresh vote should offer voters the choice of staying in the EU against any deal the UK government manages to strike or against a "no-deal" Brexit, if an agreement cannot be reached. Writing in the 'Observer' newspaper, Khan warned that with the UK due to leave the EU in six months, by March 2019, it now faced either a "bad deal" or "no deal". "Both these scenarios are a million miles away from what was promised during the EU referendum campaign," Khan said, claiming that independent analysis had forecast 500,000 fewer jobs across Britain by 2030 if a Brexit deal is not reached. "I've become increasingly alarmed as the chaotic approach to the negotiations has become mired in confusion and deadlock, leading us down a path that could be hugely damaging not only to London, but the whole country," he said. The former Labour Party MP from Tooting in south London warned that the whole Brexit debate had become more about former foreign secretary Boris Johnson's "political ambitions" than what was good for the UK. "The need for another public vote on Brexit was never inevitable, or something I ever thought I'd have to call for," he said. "But the reality is that the abject failure of the government and the huge risk we now face of either a bad deal or a 'no deal' Brexit means that giving people a fresh say on our future is now the right, and only, approach left for the good of our country," Khan added. He said the government had failed to put the national interest ahead of party As calls for a People's Vote campaign for a second referendum has been building up, British Prime Minister Theresa May had said that "giving in" to such calls for a second referendum on the final terms of the UK's withdrawal from the EU would be "a gross betrayal of our democracy". People's Vote, a cross-party group that includes several high-profile figures and MPs, has been trying to sway the Labour Party to back its campaign and Khan's open support will come as a welcome boost for the drive. Meanwhile, in a letter to UK Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, published by 'The Sunday Times', Labour's shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer warned the government that Labour MPs will vote down attempts to force the country into a "blind Brexit". The Labour Party's official policy remains to respect the outcome of the EU referendum in 2016, and not to call for a new one but to "leave all options on the table" if a deal is not agreed by Parliament. Party leader Jeremy Corbyn himself has repeatedly failed to rule out the prospect of a second vote, but has consistently said it is not party policy and Labour is not advocating the issue. He will now be under pressure to make a more vocal stance in favour of a second referendum. In a referendum in June 2016, 51.9 per cent voters had backed Britain's exit from the EU and 48.1 per cent had voted to Remain. According to a series of recent opinion polls, the chances of the vote being overturned in favour of Remain has been gaining ground as the Brexit negotiations between the UK and EU fail to reach a decisive phase. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninst) is keen on fielding candidates in at least six seats in Bihar in the next Lok Sabha polls, including Yadav-dominated Patliputra seat, which was unsuccessfully contested by RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his daughter Misa Bharti in the past. CPI-ML is an important component of the combined Left force in Bihar and enjoys considerable amount of grassroot support particularly in central part of the state. "In the previous Lok Sabha polls we had contested 23 seats. Our Left partners CPI and CPI(M) had contested the elections in alliance with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U). This time things are different and the Left Front will fight unitedly. So we have decided to scale down and settle for about six to eight seats", CPI(ML) state secretary Kunal told PTI. "Among the seats which we have identified for our party are Ara, Karakat, Jehanabad and Pataliputra in central Bihar and Siwan and Valmiki Nagar in north Bihar. We have expressed our desire to fight these states with our Left partners though a formal discussion with RJD is yet to take place", he said. Although not a part of the "Mahagathbandhan" which comprises RJD, Congress and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), the Left Front is expected to have a pre-poll understanding with the alliance in the run up to the Lok Sabha polls to take on the NDA having BJP and JD(U) together. Comprising a large part of rural Patna, Pataliputra seat was carved out of old Patna constituency after delimitation of 2008 and in the Lok Sabha polls held the following year RJD supremo Lalu Prasad lost it to former confidant Ranjan Yadav, who was the JD(U) nominee. Five years later, Misa Bharti made an unsuccessful debut as she was defeated by yet another former aide of Prasad - Ram Kripal Yadav who won the seat riding the Narendra Modi wave and ended up getting a ministerial berth. While Prasad stands disqualified from contesting elections following his conviction in a number of fodder scam cases, Bharti has got elected to the Rajya Sabha. With Yadavs constituting a big chunk of voters in Pataliputra, the seat has been a favourite constituency for the RJD. Asked about the RJD's stand with respect to Pataliputra in the next parliamentary polls, party spokesman Mrityunjay Tiwari said, "Decisions on seat-sharing would be taken by the top leaders of the partner parties at an appropriate time". He, however, said Pataliputra has always been a "swabhabik" (natural) seat for the RJD. "Misa Bharti had drawn a lot of support from people in the last election though she had lost it by a small margin," he told PTI. Kunal, however, said, "It is not without reason that we are thinking of fielding our candidate from Pataliputra. We have a very strong presence in two out of six assembly segments there - Paliganj and Masaurhi". CPI-ML candidate Rameshwar Prasad had bagged 51,623 votes in the 2014 general election on the seat. "We would insist that any understanding with non-Left parties must be based on a respectable share for the Left Front", Kunal said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Coast Guard Director General Rajendra Singh Sunday reviewed the operational preparedness and coastal security mechanism on the western seaboard. Singh, who is on a two-day visit here, was briefed about the force's preparedness to tackle maritime emergencies such as marine oil spills, grounding of ships, cyclones etc. He was also briefed about the force's role in the Ganpati immersions along the coast of Mumbai. The Coast Guard has been deploying hovercraft, helicopters and interceptor boats for search and rescue operations at various immersion points in Mumbai. Singh lauded the Coast Guard for its stellar role in the relief work during the floods in Kerala. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) UP BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey Sunday accused BSP chief Mayawati of visiting Lucknow only in the search of votes. Speaking to reporters here, Pandey said, "The amount of pain which Mayawati feels for the people of UP can be gauged from the fact she appeared in Lucknow after almost three months. She comes to Lucknow only for the purpose of 'political tourism', and leaves after giving her statement." He said, "BJP always gives priority to relationships, but Mayawati has always broken the dignity of relationships. BJP workers had come to her rescue when she was attacked and humiliated by SP goons. The SP goons have even tried to kill her." Referring to demonetisation, the UP BJP chief said, "Mayawati's pain pertaining to demonetisation surfaces regularly, as her notes had transformed into pieces of paper. She is not able to recover from this."The BSP, which had won 19 out of 403 Assembly seats in the state, was thrown out of power by the people owing to the corrupt practices of its leaders, Pandey said. The BJP further sought to know from whom BSP chief Mayawati was expecting 'respect' vis-a-vis her statement that her party will ally with any group as long as BSP gets "respectable share of seats". "Is she expecting respect from those who had shattered her pride and dignity in the infamous 1995 Guest House case?," asked media co-ordinator of UP BJP Rakesh Tripathi. Recalling the more than two-decade-old incident, Tripathi said it was BJP MLA Brahm Dutt Dwivedi who came to Mayawati's rescue. "Today Mayawati is expecting respect from those, who had shown scant respect to her in the past. This shows how nervous she is and that her voter base has eroded," Tripathi said. Earlier on Sunday, Mayawati had said, "The efforts of the opposition parties will be to stop the BJP from coming to power at any cost. For this talks of forging an alliance is also going on. Our party is not against the alliance, but our stand is very clear, that is, we will ally with a political party only if we get respectable share of seats. Or else, our party feels it is better to contest elections alone." On the BSP chief's statement that BJP is not leaving any stone unturned to derive mileage from the demise of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the BJP media co-ordinator said, "Mayawati has honoured so many great and eminent personalities by constructing their statues in Lucknow. I fail to understand why is she having any problem if the BJP is holding various programmes in honour and memory of Atalji." Tripathi said, "Mayawati has been treating Dalits as her vote bank. The BJP on the other hand has worked to increase the bank balance of the Dalits. She is visualising that her bank is being virtually robbed. Hence she is worried. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Sunday left for a 12-day trip to Germany and Italy to attract more investments to the state. Banerjee, accompanied by Finance Minister Amit Mitra, Finance Secretary H K Dwivedi and Chief Secretary Malay Dey, left for Frankfurt and Milan at around 9.45 am, official sources said. The chief minister is likely to return on September 28, they said. Banerjee said she was invited by industrialists, businessmen and the government of the two European countries. The dignitaries had visited the state during the Bengal Global Business Summit this year. "I am going to Frankfurt and Milan to bring in more business and industry to the state. We will be holding two meetings - one in Frankfurt and another in Milan," she told reporters at the NSC Bose International Airport before leaving for Dubai enroute to Europe. She said there were invitations from Poland, where Power Minister Sobhandeb Chatterjee had recently visited, and that IT secretary Debashish Sen would soon be visiting Silicon Valley in the US. "We are benefitted by these kind of visits because they bring in more investments to the state," the chief minister added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Dalit girl was stabbed to death allegedly by a man after she turned down his marriage proposal in the Kakadev area here, police said Sunday. The girl, 19, was a third year BA student, they said. The accused, Ajay, 22, had been following the girl for the past few days and wanted to make a friendship. On Saturday he barged into the victim's house after finding her alone and proposed her for marriage, officiating in-charge, Kakadev, Qamar Khan said. When she rejected, he tried to strangle her before stabbing her multiple times, he added. Nikki was rushed to the Lala Lajpat Rai (LLR) hospital, where she succumbed to injuries Sunday morning, Khan said. An case has been registered and efforts are on to nab the accused, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actor Matthew Perry has revealed that he spent last three months at a hospital. The "Friends" alum took to Twitter to share the "Three months in a hospital bed. Check," Perry wrote a tweet laced with his signature acerbic sense of humour. The post comes barely a month after the 48-year-old actor underwent a gastrointestinal perforation surgery at a medical facility here. People magazine reported Saturday that Perry was heading home after his recent hospitalisation. The actor has been open about his health struggles in the past, including his years-long battle with alcohol and Vicodin. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Reversing the brain drain It might surprise many to learn that Nepal does not just export students to foreign countries, but is also a destination for foreign students, primarily from India, who come here to study medicine. For these students, medical colleges in Nepal are not just cheaper but are also reputed for being of a certain quality. In a virtual snub to Bhim Army founder Chandrashekhar Azad, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati Sunday denied any association with him, days after he had claimed that he and his "bua" (aunt) Mayawati have the "same blood". The Bhim Army was set up around three years ago in Saharanpur and has gained considerable popularity among members of the Scheduled Castes. The group champions empowerment of Dalits, especially those apparently disenchanted with former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati. Azad (31) walked free from Saharanpur district jail in the wee hours of Friday after the UP government decided to release him before the completion of his detention period. "Some people in order to realise their vested political interests, some in their defence, while some in order to look young are trying to forge different relationships such as brother-sister and bua-bhatija (aunt and nephew) with me," Mayawati told reporters here. Her comments came against the backdrop of the Bhim Army founder, who is also known as Ravan, reportedly claiming that, "We (he and Mayawati) both have the same blood. She may have some issues with me, I have none with her. It is not in my values to speak ill of my 'bua' (aunt). Our only aim is to defeat the BJP." Referring to attempts made by Azad to forge the relationship of 'bua' with her, Mayawati said she cannot have any respectable relationship with such people. "For the past few days, a man who was recently released from jail is trying to call me 'bua'. If these people were really interested in the welfare of Dalits, then instead of resurrecting their organisation, they would have joined the BSP," she said. Sources say Azad's release could be BJP's strategy to lessen the influence of the BSP in western Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. In the recent by-elections in the region, the BJP lost its two seats -- Kairana Lok Sabha and Noorpur assembly seats -- to joint opposition candidates. Mayawati had taken several digs at the Bhim Army, suggesting it was a product of the BJP and the party was using it to target the BSP and block its attempts to forge an alliance of all castes in UP. The Bhim Army chief was detained under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) in connection with the 2017 Saharanpur violence. He was arrested in June 2017 in connection with the May 5 clashes between Thakurs and Dalits in which one person was killed and 16 others injured at Shabbirpur village in Saharanpur. On November 2, 2017, the Allahabad High Court had granted bail to Azad. However, a day before his release, he was booked under the NSA, thus preventing his release. Under the NSA, he was to be detained till November 1. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A team comprising five doctors visited the old Dhaka central jail here to examine the health condition of former premier and Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief Khaleda Zia, a media report said on Sunday. Zia, 73, is currently on trial for corruption charges in a makeshift courtroom inside a 19th-century British-built prison where she is the only inmate and in failing health. The medical team entered the jail premises around 3.45 pm and came out around 4:30 pm on Saturday, the Dhaka Tribune reported. Dhaka Central Jail jailer Mahbubul Islam said that the medical team examined Zia for about 20-30 minutes. "The doctors examined Khaleda from 20-30 minutes. They will give the prescription later and prison authorities will take necessary actions, accordingly," he told the reporters. The medical board was constituted on Thursday by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), after receiving a letter from the jail authorities, confirmed BSMMU Director Brig Gen Md Abdullah-Al-Harun, according to the report. Zia, already serving a five-year term, attended a hearing last week in a wheelchair, telling the court she was extremely ill and is losing feeling in her hand and in a leg. Zia was jailed for five years in February after being convicted of corruption, a sentence that triggered clashes between police and thousands of BNP supporters. She was granted bail in a corruption case in May but remains in jail while she fights dozens of other violence and graft charges. She was found guilty then of embezzling money intended for an orphanage, a charge she dismissed as politically motivated. Zia is appealing against the verdict which bars her from standing in a general election to be held in December. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A consortium of handset maker and telecom major has bagged a Rs 15-billion order from the government to distribute 5 million to women and students in the state. Under the project, 4.5 million are being given to women and the remaining will be distributed to college students in the state, co-founder Vikas Jain told PTI. "About 10,000 camps are being organised under the project and deliveries have already started. Every beneficiary, chosen by the state government, is handed the device personally after activating it with connection. The authentication of the beneficiary is done using Aadhaar," he said. Jain said the project covered a large part of the population and the company reserved space in 15 warehouses across the state to ensure timely distribution of the handsets to people. had a population of over 250 million as per the 2011 census. The deal was signed earlier this year with distribution starting end of July. "For carrying out the project, we hired about 2,000-2,500 temporary staff... We expect to complete deliveries to all beneficiaries in the next few weeks," he added. Jain explained that the project "doesn't appear to be politically motivated", given that it has taken months of planning and execution for all involved parties. The project was given through a tender process. " has partnered with government in launching the Sanchar Kranti Yojana (SKY)... Their commitment towards SKY initiative has helped us reach out to women of urban BPL families, rural house and youth consumers by providing them a worthwhile digital experience through their smartphones," Chhattisgarh Infotech Promotion Society CEO Alex Paul Menon said. He added that the initiative will help make Chhattisgarh a digitally empowered state. The devices being given to women have a configuration of 4-inch display, 1GB RAM/8GB internal memory, while the handsets given to students feature a 5-inch display and 2GB RAM/16GB internal memory. "The SKY project is a key development initiative to deliver digital inclusion, e-Governance and faster economic development in Chhattisgarh. JIO is happy to be a part of this digital initiative to connect the unconnected," a spokesperson said. The beneficiaries will receive 1GB 4G data, 100 minutes voice calls and 100 SMS per month for six months, following which they will be offered tariff plans that are most affordable and competitively priced. Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks to directly connect with BJP workers of most Lok Sabha constituencies before the next general elections through a host of interactive exercises, including those using his app, party sources said. Modi's social media outreach comes even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is already working to ensure that their foremost leader and biggest draw get to visit almost all of the 543 constituencies before the polls next year. As part of his government's as well as party's programmes, he has already visited more than 300 constituencies since he took over in May 2014, the BJP has said. Party sources said a direct communication with the prime minister would be a big motivation for their workers and words of encouragement and tips on campaign from him could charge them up. The party is of the view that its organisational heft gives it a distinct advantage over its rivals, which may have leaders at the regional level but are no match to its vast pool of workers well trained in running election campaigns. A constant communication from top leaders such as Modi and BJP president Amit Shah will help the organisation work at its best, they said. Modi had on Thursday interacted with party workers from Jaipur (rural), Nawada, Ghaziabad, Hazaribagh and Arunachal West and asked them to follow the mantra of "Mera booth sabse mazboot" (My booth is strongest). In the interaction through his'NaMo' app, he had also asserted that the popular support in the favour of the BJP was stronger than 2014, and opposition parties were clutching at each other to withstand it. He had in April interacted with workers of five other Lok Sabha constituencies, and party sources pointed out that he has also been interacting with party functionaries from its various 'morchas' via his app. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit his parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Monday, according to his office. He will reach Varanasi for a two-day visit on Monday afternoon. The prime minister will visit Narur village, where he will interact with children of a primary school, aided by non-profit organisation "Room to Read". Later, he will interact with students of Kashi Vidyapeeth and children assisted by them on the premises of Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW). On Tuesday, Modi will inaugurate or lay the foundation of various development projects, cumulatively worth more than Rs 500 crore, according to a statement by the prime minister's office (PMO). The event will be held at the amphitheatre of Banaras Hindu University (BHU). Among the projects to be inaugurated by Modi are Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) for Puraani Kashi and an Atal Incubation Centre at BHU. Among the projects for which the foundation stones will be laid is the Regional Ophthalmology Centre at BHU. The prime minister will also address a gathering, the statement said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) On the eve of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's visit to the state, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Sunday took a swipe at him claiming the former did not know how chillies grew in a field. Chouhan was speaking at a public rally in Narsinghgarh area near here. Gandhi will arrive in Bhopal Monday and embark on a 15-kilometre road show from Lalghati Chowk to the Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd's Dussehra Maidan. "The leader who does not know how chillies grow in a field- whether upside down or the other way round is showing concern about farmers and farming," Chouhan said Sunday. "Rahulji, your government gave loans to farmers at a high rate of 18 per cent (in Madhya Pradesh). We are disbursing loans to farmers at zero per cent," he added. The MP CM said that the BJP governments at the Centre and here had vowed to make farmers prosperous and had, so far, transferred Rs 32,701 crore to them through various beneficial schemes. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday interacted with the Indian diaspora in Malta and hailed their contribution in strengthening India's relations with the southern European island country. Naidu, who arrived here from Serbia where he addressed Parliament and held bilateral talks with the country's top leadership, addressed the Indian community here. "Always a pleasure to interact with Indian Diaspora in their home away from home! Vice President @MVenkaiahNaidu addressed the Indian community in Malta and hailed their contribution in strengthening bilateral relations between two countries," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet. Earlier, the vice president was warmly received by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion of Malta Carmelo Abela upon his arrival in Malta. Naidu is on a three-nation tour to Serbia, Malta and Romania to boost ties with these European countries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vice President Venkaiah Naidu invoked India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in his address to the Serbian Parliament as he underlined the need to strengthen democratic polities by internilising the concepts of freedom, dialogue, inclusion and the rule of law. Addressing the special session of the National Assembly of Serbia on the International Day of Democracy on Saturday, the vice president said India and Serbia shared a common perspective on many issues and have a deeper affinity that brings the two countries closer. Naidu, who arrived here on Friday, said that relations between India and Serbia were deeply rooted in history. "It was here that the first Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit took place in 1961. Prime Minister of India Pandit Nehru and other world leaders of Non-Aligned Movement addressed the NAM Summit in this hallowed hall," Naidu said. It was in the same hallowed hall of the National Assembly of Serbia that Nehru addressed the world leaders while launching the NAM along with the veteran leader of Yugoslavia Marshal Tito. Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi visited Yugoslavia, now Serbia, as early as in 1989. He said it would be good to recall Nehru's words at the conference of NAM nations in Belgrade on September 2, 1961. "His call which rings so true and relevant even today was to build in our own countries societies where freedom is real. Freedom is essential, because freedom will give us strength and enable us to build prosperous societies. "We must strive to strengthen our democratic polities and internalise the concepts of freedom, dialogue, inclusion and rule of law in our governance structures," Naidu said. The Vice President said he was glad that Serbia shared India's views on the need to reform the UN, particularly the UN Security Council. "Our two countries also agree that terrorism is one of the foremost threats to international peace and security. There is an urgent need to strengthen the global counter terrorism legal framework to combat this scourge by expediting finalisation of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) under the UN umbrella," he said in a statement. Naidu hailed the steps the two countries have been taking to strengthen the bilateral ties and emphasised that need to further boost the trade ties. "Our annual bilateral trade is currently about USD 200 million. Undoubtedly, this is much below the true potential. More exchange of business delegations is necessary to boost our bilateral trade further. While there is a need for boosting our bilateral trade, investment in each other's countries and more innovative approaches are necessary for strengthening of economic ties," he said. Naidu praised Serbia for abolishing visa requirements for short-term visit by all Indian passports holders last year. From the early days of Independent India, both countries laid great emphasis on the NAM and contributed much to the creation of a new and democratic world order, particularly for the post-colonial third world that challenged the concept of bipolar world, the vice president said. "Marshal Tito was a familiar name in many Indian households. I understand that he addressed Indian Parliament during his visit to India in 1954. Thus, the Parliaments of our two countries had the privilege of and benefit of learning from each other," Naidu said. Today is the International Day of Democracy. This year marks the 70th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries, he said. This place is the historic meeting ground of nations that decided to launch NAM in 1961. It is good to recall that India and the then Yugoslavia were the pioneers of that movement, Naidu said. "Serbia and India share a common commitment to democratic values and the need to continuously nurture the democratic spirit for improving the quality of the lives of our people," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday paid a floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi's bust here in the Serbian capital. Naidu, who arrived here on Friday as part of a three-nation tour to Serbia, Malta and Romania to boost ties with the Central European countries, also laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier at Mount Avala. "No better way to start a day than receiving blessings of Bapu! Vice President paid a floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi's bust in Belgrade," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. He also met Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Brnabic at Klub Poslanika. He thanked the government of Serbia for naming a road after Mahatma Gandhi and installing his bust at a prominent location in Belgrade. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nav Dharmik Leela Committee (NDLC), one of the oldest organisations to organise Ramlila here Sunday started preparation for the event that is a dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Lord Rama. Several political leaders including Union minister Harsh Vardhan, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, AAP MLA Alka Lamba and North Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayor Adesh Kumar Gupta attended the event, a statement released by the NDLC stated. The mayor said he hoped the committee's 61st Ramlila performance, this year too, will give people an opportunity to learn from the life and values of Lord Rama, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Taking the lead Naresh Lamgade completed his Bachelors in Computing from the Kathmandu-based Islington College last year. After graduation, he went on to form Cynical Technology, which marked its first anniversary this week. The company might only be a year old but it has managed to establish itself a fairly well-known name in cyber security, providing services to a number of institutions, including different government agencies. Recently, the company even received a contract to provide cyber security to the Malaysia-based online payment organization, Payment Gateway. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said she has no "grudge" against a group of Army officers who have approached the Supreme Court to present their views on cases relating to the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). The defence minister said the officers have chosen to go to the court as there is a "certain sense of worry" in their minds which she can understand. In an unusual move, around 700 Army officers and soldiers have approached the Supreme Court, requesting it to protect the bonafide action of soldiers under AFSPA, and voicing concerns over reported move to dilute some provisions of the law which protects the security forces from prosecution without the Centre's approval. "Grievance redressal is a right. I will never want to say if you have a grievance, you should not voice it. I will never say that," she told PTI when asked about the issue. "There are institutional mechanisms available for grievance redressal within the Army, Navy and Air Force. So it is possible for men or officers to have grievance redressal institutionalised within the forces. "But if in the case of AFSPA, they have chosen to go to the court, there is a certain sense of worry in the minds of men and officers and I can understand that," she said. Sitharaman said AFSPA law was brought "to address situations which are absolutely unique and very challenging." "Now, if that is, from the point of view of human rights, taken to the court and the court is giving a full hearing and justice to hear everybody out, and if the officers and men felt they also would want to give their argument, I cannot grudge that. "I really cannot grudge that. We are speaking up for the men and officers who are on the field and that is why the advocate general, attorney general appear on behalf of the government's position. So we will hope that the court gives a good comprehensive hearing," she said Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur and a number of states in the North East were brought under the AFSPA which gives the security forces special rights and immunity in carrying out various operations. There has been a long-standing demand from various quarters in J-K and the Northeast to withdraw it. The Supreme Court has been hearing cases relating to alleged extra-judicial killings in Manipur by the security forces. Army Chief General Bipin Rawat disapproved of the move by the serving officers and soldiers to approach the top court in their personal capacity. At the same time, he had said the armed forces and the defence ministry are steadfastly behind all officers who have conducted operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the north east. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said there was no report of anybody being trapped inside the Bagree Market, where a massive fire rages on even after 12 hours. A concerned Banerjee, who left for business summits in Germany and Italy, told reporters at the NSC Bose International Airport that she also had no information of any casualty in the incident. "Nobody is trapped in the building. Also, no report of any casualty or injury has reached us. Steps are being taken. Fire will be controlled soon," she said, adding, two committees have already been formed to deal with any emergency situation and natural calamity during her overseas tour. The committees comprise a group of ministers and senior administrative officials, she said. "I and the chief secretary will be available on the phone anytime. These two committees will look after any emergency situation," the CM said. A massive fire erupted early Sunday at the multi-storey Bagree Market, which houses nearly 1,000 business establishments. The fire continues to rage even after 12 hours in the market, which is around a kilometre away from the Writers' Building and the Reserve Bank of India office here. Thirty fire tenders have been pressed into service to douse the fire at the over 60-year-old building. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Yogaguru Ramdev Sunday cautioned that price rise across the country, if not controlled soon, may prove costly for the Modi government in the next general elections. Ramdev also said he would not campaign for the BJP in the 2019 elections, unlike in 2014 when he actively worked in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Many laud the policies of the Modi government, but some need correction now....Price rise is an big issue and Modi ji will have to take corrective measures soon, failing which 'mehngai ki aag to Modi Sarkar ko bahut mehngi padegi' (the fire of rising prices will prove costly for the Modi government," he said at the "NDTV Yuva" conclave. He said Prime Minister will have to initiate steps to bring down prices including that of petrol and diesel prices soon. Ramdev sidestepped a question on whether he still had faith in Modi which he had reposed in 2014. He said he was a centrist and was neither a rightist nor a leftist and that no one should needle him as he has adopted "Maun Yoga" (silence) on many crucial issues. Ramdev also said he was a strong nationalist. Asked if he would campaign for the BJP this time, Ramdev shot back, "Why would I? I will not campaign for them." "I have withdrawn politically. I am with all the parties and I am independent," he said. The 52-year-old Yoga teacher said it was people's "fundamental right" to criticise Prime Minister Modi, while stating he has "done good work" such as launching the Clean India mission and not allowing any major scam to happen. He said the government should bring petrol and diesel under the ambit of Goods and Services Tax and put them in the lowest slab as people's "pockets were being emptied". He said the country will not stop functioning due to revenue loss and this could be made up by imposing more taxes on the rich. Ramdev also termed as shameful that India was being dubbed as "rape capital" by some due to rising cases of rapes and said yoga can help in its prevention. He alleged "nudity" was one of the reasons responsible for rising crimes and he did not support it. "I am modern, but modernity does not mean you indulge in nudity. We are living in a civilised society," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Actor Mohanlal Sunday apologised for his emotional reaction to a journalist who had sought his comments on the protests by a group of nuns, demanding the arrest of a Bishop facing rape charges. In a Facebook post, the 'Vanaprastham' actor said his remarks were not intended to hurt any individual, institution or journalism. "If my reply had hurt the individual who raised the question, please accept my apology considering me as your elder brother," he said. The incident had happened Saturday when Mohanlal was in Kochi as part of sending flood relief material to the affected regions under the banner of 'ViswaSanthi Foundation', an NGO named after his parents. When a reporter asked him about his stand on the ongoing nun's protest issue, the emotionally-charged actor had asked "Aren't you ashamed to ask such unnecessary questions while talking about such a good deed?" Mohanlal had also asked him what the connection was between the flood relief activities and the nun's issue. In his Facebook clarification, the actor said the 'untimely question' was put to him when he was briefing the media about the flood relief activities by the foundation. "The question is relevant as it is one of the most discussing issues in the state at present. But I was not in a mood then to reply to that question. As a human being and as a son, I was in a different state of mind at that time. That's why such a reply came from me," he said. The actor's clarification came after a section of people criticised him on social media for his reply to the ongoing agitation by the nuns in Kochi, seeking justice for the victim. The nun had accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal of sexually assaulting her repeatedly between 2014 and 2016. The bishop had, however, dismissed the allegations as "baseless and concocted", insisting she levelled those as the catholic order had rejected her demand for favours. Mulakkal, facing a probe after the nun accused him of rape, on Saturday handed over administrative charge of the Jalandhar diocese to a senior priest. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The opposition BJP and the Congress on Sunday blamed the ruling Trinamool Congress for its failure to prevent incidents of fire in multi-storey buildings, and demanded an immediate probe into the blaze that gutted the congested Bagree Market here. BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said there should be an independent inquiry to ascertain if there was any conspiracy or sabotage behind the massive blaze that ravaged over 1,000 business establishments in the market on Canning Street. "A proper independent probe should be instituted into the fire incident to cover all aspects, including the conspiracy or sabotage angle," Ghosh said. He said incidents of fire have been on rise in the city as the police and administration are "turning a blind eye to violation of fire safety norms", since the time of the erstwhile Left Front government, which the Mamata Banerjee regime, too, has failed to change. Ghosh said a BJP team, led by its national secretary Rahul Sinha, will visit the Bagree Market and talk to the traders. West Bengal Pradesh Congress President Adhir Chowdhury said, "Mamata Banerjee wanted to turn Kolkata into London, but everything has turned topsyturvy under her government, with the recent Majerhat bridge collapse and this devastating fire incident." The opposition also alleged negligence on the part of the state government to monitor the condition of bridges in the state on a regulars basis. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Pakistan's railways minister has proposed the sale of railway land to end nearly Rs 37 billion deficit and requested Prime Minister Imran Khan to promulgate an ordinance for the purpose. Railways currently faces a deficit of Rs 37 billion as induction of new trains and high expenses take toll on the state-owned entity's revenue. With costs running high, and several Railways' assets unable to add to the company's bottom line, the entity has run into losses for years now, The Express Tribune reported. "The prime minister has sought details of the precious land owned by the railways in different cities within a fortnight," Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad said on Saturday. Ahmad, the newly-appointed minister for railways, said all the land, which belongs to Pakistan Railways, would be retrieved from those who had grabbed it as the state-owned entity owns a huge amount of land but it is either been encroached or has not been used commercially. However, "no action will be taken against dwellers of shanties on the railway land because of directives from the prime minister". Describing the condition of Pakistan Railways' hospitals as deplorable, the minister said he was contemplating involving the private sector for bringing about improvement in the organisation but without compromising the rights of railway employees. "We plan to run these hospitals under the public-private partnership mode. We are even ready to hand over control of these hospitals to the private sector on 'as-it-is' basis," he added. Ahmad said that talks were under way to hand over control of all railway hospitals to the army medical corps. Talking about freight operations, the minister said Pakistan Railways was working internally to correct its freight business. "Railways will try to improve things in the freight sector, we will wait for a month to see these improvements, later we will involve the private sector," he said, adding it would include opening one-window operations to facilitate people. The minister said the railways had planned to run 12 to 15 additional freight trains. He sought government's directives for Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and other state-run organisations to use train services for their cargo delivery. He said 318 acres of land would be acquired by Pakistan Railways in Gwadar while train services would be initiated for border posts of Taftan and Torkham to facilitate passengers and freight traffic. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Turkish police Saturday arrested at least 20 people as they broke up a protest against work-related deaths and poor conditions at the construction site of Istanbul's third airport, touted to be the world's largest airport when completed. The security forces moved in to break up the protest by dozens of people following a wave of arrests on Friday. Among those held by police on Saturday was AFP photographer Bulent Kilic who was covering the event. He was released after two hours in custody. In total some 500 people have been arrested during protests at the site of what is one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's mega development projects, according to Turkey's Revolutionary Unions Confederation (DISK). Security forces had on Friday dispersed a demonstration by hundreds of workers outside the new airport, which was due to be completed in October, the private DHA agency reported. The protesters complained of work-related deaths and accidents as well as poor on-site living and labour conditions. The opposition daily Cumhuriyet quoted live-in workers complaining about fleas and bed bugs. The airport construction and operating company, Istanbul Grand Airport, issued a statement saying management had met the workers and pledged to take measures to resolve the issues quickly. A spokesman for IGA refused further comment on Saturday. The hashtag supporting the workers, "we are not slaves" (#kledegiliz) was trending strongly in Turkey on Saturday. Dozens of security forces, backed by armoured vehicles, controlled access to the site on Saturday, AFP journalists said. When the first plane landed at IGA in June, Erdogan said the new airport will be the biggest in the world with a first phase capacity of 90 million passengers a year going up to 150 million in 2023. Some 35,000 people are employed on the project including, 3,000 engineers and administrative staff. Twenty-seven workers have died at the construction site -- 13 in work-related accidents, the transport minister said during a press visit to the airport last April. However, several workers, asking not to be named, told AFP on Saturday that the ministry figures were far too low and that accidents were very common at the site. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A wanted criminal having reward of Rs 50 thousand on his head was arrested Sunday from Indira Puram area here, police said. Azmal Pahadi, a native of Muzaffarnagar, is an active member of Nafees Kaliya gang, they said. On a tip-off, police intercepted a motor cycle on Elevated Road here and arrested the accused, Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Krishna said. Police have recovered a country made pistol, two live cartridges and a stolen motorcycle used in crimes, he said. Pahadi was wanted in cases of extortion, loot and killings in Bijnor district. The inspector general of police of Moradabad zone had declared a reward of Rs 50 thousand on his arrest. Nine criminal cases were registered against him at Nazibabad and two at Indira Puram Police Station, the SSP said, adding he has been sent to jail. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Poll strategist joined Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's (United) on Sunday, party sources said. Kishor was inducted into the party by Kumar, who is also the national president of the JD(U), at the organisation's state executive meeting which is underway at the chief minister's official residence, the sources said. Kumar welcomed the 41-year-old into the party by presenting him with an "angavastram" (stole) and the poll strategist was given a seat next to the chief minister at the state executive meet, they said. It was not immediately known what role he has been assigned to in the party wherein he has been inducted barely a few months ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Earlier, Kishor had tweeted "excited to start my new journey from Bihar". A resident of Buxar district in the state, Kishor had shot to fame in 2014 when he managed the poll campaign for Narendra Modi, then the prime ministerial candidate of the BJP, which went on to put up its best-ever electoral performance. A year later, he collaborated with Kumar who returned to power for his third consecutive term after registering a handsome victory in the assembly polls which the JD(U) had fought in alliance with the RJD and the The chief minister rewarded Kishor by appointing him as his adviser and giving him a cabinet minister rank. Kishor thereafter worked with the in Punjab where the party returned to power dislodging the Shiromani Akali Dal- combine which had been ruling the state for a decade. His collaboration with the in Uttar Pradesh, however, failed to bear fruit as it won less than 10 seats in the 403-member assembly. Congress president Rahul Gandhi will on Monday launch his party's campaign in the poll bound Madhya Pradesh, known to be a BJP bastion, from Bhopal, where posters have come up describing him as a devotee of Lord Shiva. He will take part in a roadshow and also address party workers during his day-long visit to the state capital. Gandhi will arrive here by an aircraft at around noon on Monday. He will then embark on a 15-kilometer-long roadshow from Lalghati Chowk, located close to the airport, after seeking the blessings of more than 11 Hindu priests, state party spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi told PTI on Sunday. Gandhi's roadshow, in which he will ride an open vehicle, will conclude at Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd's Dussehra Maidan, where he will interact with party cadres, he added. "A T-shape ramp has been constructed near the stage from where Gandhi is going to take questions from party workers and interact with them," Chaturvedi said. Besides, he is going to address a meeting of Congress workers, which is open to public, before leaving in the evening, he added. "We are upbeat as our leader is coming to launch the election campaign," Chaturvedi said. Ahead of the visit, the main opposition party has put up posters and banners in Bhopal describing the 48-year-old Congress chief, who just returned from a pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar, as a 'Shiv bhakt'. As part of the pilgrimage, devotees undertake an arduous journey to Mount Kailash, which is considered the abode of Lord Shiva in Hindu mythology. Security has been tightened in the city in view of Gandhi's visit, Bhopal Inspector General (IG) of Police Jaideep Prasad said. "We have got an extra force of 1,500 policemen who have already been deputed," he said. Asked about the possibility of protests during the Gandhi's visit, Prasad said they have not yet received any inputs in this regard. "All steps are being taken to maintain law and order. I am personally monitoring the security arrangements and the routes Gandhi is going to pass through," he said. Congress workers are arriving in Bhopal from all over the state to welcome the party chief and take part in the meeting. "We are expecting more than one lakh Congress cadres in the state capital," a police officer said. Meanwhile a BJP leader said party chief Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend a function in Bhopal on September 25. Earlier, a visit by Shah to Ujjain district on September 12 was put off. "It was a tentative programme of Shahji that has been postponed as he along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to grace a function on September 25 here," state BJP spokesperson Rajnish Agrawal said. Preparations are underway to make the September 25 event a huge success. So the September 12 event was put off, he added. Asked whether Shah had deferred his Ujjain visit to avoid the ire of upper caste organisations, Agrawal replied in the negative. On September 6, some upper caste groups called for a 'Bharat Bandh' against Parliament approving amendments in the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act after some of its provisions were read down by the Supreme Court. Four days ahead of the bandh, members of an anti-quota organisation had allegedly hurled a slipper at Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan during a public meeting in Sidhi district and showed him black flags. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Prithvi Man Shrestha is a political reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering the governance-related issues including corruption and irregularities in the government machinery. Before joining The Kathmandu Post in 2009, he worked at nepalnews.com and Rising Nepal primarily covering the issues of political and economic affairs for three years. Indian fishermen returning here on-board over 100 boats were intercepted and their fish catch and equipment were "damaged" by Sri Lankan Naval personnel near Katchatheevu Sunday, a fishermen's organisation alleged. The Lankan naval personnel, wielding guns, threatened the fishermen of arrest if they ventured into the area and asked them to leave, Rameswaram Mechanised Boats Fishermen Association leader S Emerit claimed. Talking to reporters here, he said the fishermen had put out to sea in around 250 boats Saturday morning and were returning here after fishing in the area between Katchatheevu and Dhanushkodi, near here, when they came under the attack. Fish catch and equipment worth lakhs of rupees were damaged, he alleged. Emerit said the central and Tamil Nadu governments should holds talks with Sri Lanka and ensure a permanent solution to the problems faced by fishermen from the state in mid-sea in Pali Strait and protect their traditional livelihood. Meanwhile, police said 200 kg of sea cucumber, meant to be smuggled to Sri Lanka, was seized from a mechanised boat nearby Mandapam. The seizure was made by marine police following a tip-off, they said, adding the smugglers jumped into sea and escaped on seeing the approaching police personnel. The boat has also been impounded and further investigation was on, police added. Sea cucumbers, classified as endangered species and their harvest banned under the Wildlife Protection Act, are in demand in South-East Asian countries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Reserve has refused to be part of a high-level committee headed by the which was constituted to resolve stress in the power sector as it is not willing to relax norms to deal with bad loans, according to a source. "The has shown its unwillingness to attend the meeting of the empowered committee to resolve stress in power sector. Their representatives did not attended first and second meeting of the panel held on August 31 and September 14," the source said. "The central has given its own reasons for its refusal to attend meetings of the committee. has made its stand clear in courts that they would not relax the new framework to resolve bad loans. Moreover, is not ready to relax norms for setting up an asset reconstruction company for warehousing stressed projects to prevent distress sale," the source added. The RBI has maintained its stand in various courts, including the Supreme Court, and the matter is still sub-judice. Ahead of the first meeting of the empowered committee on August 31, 2018, Power Minster R K Singh had told that the RBI was invited to attend the meeting of the high-level panel. However, no RBI representative turned up. Similarly, no RBI representative was present in the second meeting of the committee held on September 14, 2018. The panel was constituted by the government, with representatives from the ministries of railways, finance, power and coal, as well as the lenders having major exposure to the power sector on July 29, 2018 to resolve the stress and revive such assets. Earlier, the Reserve had turned down the Power Ministry's request to give certain concessions for setting up of an Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC) for warehousing stressed assets to prevent distress sale of these plants. The government wanted RBI to relax the norm of making upfront payment of 15 per cent of the value of an asset to lenders by the ARC and upfront valuation of the asset. The issue of stressed assets in the power sector became more vicious after the did not give any reprieve to these plants from RBI's new framework for resolving bad loans, issued on February 12, 2018. The RBI framework provided for strict timeline for resolution of these bad loans where debt is Rs 20 billion or more. It mandates starting insolvency proceedings in case no resolution plan is provided by the lenders within 180 days of default. Setting up an ARC is a legal option available to avoid insolvency proceedings for these A Parliamentary panel had earlier recommended new framework for resolution of stressed assets in the power sector, saying RBI's framework "addresses only financial issues, ignoring the whole range of vital issues of electricity sector". Former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Sunday declared he and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal were ready to sacrifice their lives for defending the cause of peace and communal harmony in the state. Addressing the party's 'Pol Khol' rally here, Badal claimed he had been informed that a Sikh radical had been nabbed with a pistol meant to kill him and his son at the rally. "I and my son Sukhbir are ready to sacrifice our lives for defending the cause of peace and communal harmony in the state," Badal said. "But we neither frightened others nor are we going to be frightened or daunted by such reports or threats," he added. The former chief minister said 'Khalsa Panth' represents a history of sacrifices for upholding the values of peace and communal harmony as enshrined in the teachings of "our great Gurus". Notably, on Friday, the district administration of Faridkot had denied Akali Dal permission to hold a Pol Khol rally, citing apprehension of violence. The police had said it apprehended there could be violence between Akali workers and some radical Sikhs protesting at Bargari, about 40 km from the venue. SAD had later moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which granted it permission to hold the rally. After Justice Ranjit Singh Commission's report on sacrilege incidents in 2015 (when SAD-BJP was in power) was made public recently, Congress has stepped up the attack on the Akalis. Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu had Friday approached the Akal Takht seeking excommunication of Parkash Singh Badal and Sukhbir Singh Badal from the Sikh faith over their alleged involvement in the police firing on protesters in 2015. Addressing the gathering here, Badal alleged that the Congress was in collusion with the forces that had already put Punjab through a period of turmoil, violence and bloodshed. Speaking at the rally, Sukhbir Singh Badal accused radical Sikh preachers Baljit Singh Daduwal and Dhian Singh Mand of being "Congress puppets". Parkash Singh Badal said: "It is the same old nexus between the Congress and some elements rejected by the 'Khalsa Panth'..". "The Congress' objective is to fulfil its old dream of grabbing control of the Sikh shrines and historic religious institutions. The main target is the SGPC. The Congress knows that it cannot achieve that openly..that is why they are using these so-called Panthic outfits as their front men. They have tried this ploy before. But failure has not taught them any lessons," the Akali Dal patriarch said. Parkash Singh Badal warned that "the Congress collusion with these forces could set Punjab on fire again as it had done in the eighties". He claimed that the Congress government's agenda was to divert peoples attention "from its shocking failure to fulfil its promises and meeting the expectations of the people". Badal also launched an attack on the Congress by invoking the incidents of 1984 anti-Sikh riots and Operation Bluestar in 1984, an operation carried out to flush out the militants hiding inside the Golden Temple complex. Referring to permission granted to hold the rally here, Badal thanked the high court for "saving" democracy. "The High Court order is a victory of democracy and defeat of dictatorial and feudal forces," he said. Earlier, Sukhbir Badal took a dig at chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, saying "he has proved to be a good for nothing". The SAD chief said while Parkash Singh Badal was a leader of the masses who had always stood for the cause of the poor, Capt Amarinder Singh and other Congress leaders had used some words to belittle the Akali stalwart. Former BJP president Rajinder Bhandari, who also spoke on the occasion, said the SAD- BJP alliance was permanent and stood for peace and communal harmony as well as prosperity of Punjab. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The revenue department has instructed its field formations to collect safeguard duty on imported solar cells, withdrawing its earlier direction issued a month ago regarding suspension of the levy. The decision to impose safeguard duty on 'solar cells whether or not assembled in modules or panels' was taken in view of a Supreme Court order, staying an earlier order of the Orissa High Court regarding the duty, the CBIC said in a circular. On August 13, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) had instructed field formations that safeguard duty should not be insisted upon imported solar cells for the "time being" in deference to the interim directions passed by the Orissa High Court. In the meantime, a special leave petition was filed in the matter before the Supreme Court, which stayed the interim order passed by the Orissa High Court. "Accordingly, all the provisional assessment done in terms of (August 13) instruction shall be finalised and safeguard duty shall be assessed and collected...," said the CBIC under the revenue department while withdrawing the August circular with "immediate effect". In July, India had imposed safeguard duty on solar cells imports from China and Malaysia for two years to protect domestic players from steep rise in inbound shipments. The duty was imposed following recommendations by the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) under the commerce ministry. As per the August instruction, the CBIC had asked the officials not to insist on payment of safeguard duty, for the time being. It only asked them to make provisional assessments of the amount of the levy on imported solar cells. India is targeting to 100 gigawatt (GW) solar capacity by 2022. Solar cells, electrical devices that convert sunlight directly into electricity, are imported primarily from China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. Imports of the cells from these countries account for more than 90 per cent of the total inbound shipments in the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani Sunday picked up a broom and cleaned a portion of a civic body-run here as part of the Centre's "Swachhata Hi Seva" campaign. Rupani visited the V S Hospital and cleaned a portion of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC)-run hospital with a broom, joining the fortnight-long cleanliness drive launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Saturday. The 'Swachhata Hi Seva' movement aims at generating greater public participation towards Swachhta (cleanliness). It is being organised in the run-up to the fourth anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Mission, on October 2 2018, which will also mark the commencement of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi. Rupani also inspected an under-construction hospital and research centre coming up near the V S Hospital. The Rs 582-crore hospital, being built by the AMC, is expected to be ready by January next year. The chief minister told reporters the prime minister will inaugurate the state-of-the-art Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Medical Science and Research Centre in January. He said the 17-storey tall hospital and medical research centre will provide treatment to the poor and needy of the state at concessional rates. The super-speciality hospital is being constructed over an area of 1.49-lakh square metres and will have 1,500 beds, 139 ICU beds, 32 operation theatres, wards for children and neonatal care among other facilities. Rupani joined the "clean Gujarat, healthy Gujarat" campaign launched as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission. He called for creation of mass awareness for cleanliness and urged citizens to keep their homes and courtyards clean. The CM urged citizens to spare one hour daily during the campaign, which will go on till October 2, to free the state from dirt and filth. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The same group of right-wing activists is behind the killings of rationalists Narendra Dabholkar, M M Kalburgi and journalist Gauri Lankesh, a senior police official said quoting investigation reports. However, the probe agencies have not been able to establish the group's link with the killing of rationalist and communist leader Govind Pansare, he said. "During the investigation, it came to light that a gang of like-minded people was involved in the killings of Dabholkar, Lankesh and Kalburgi. Almost all members of this gang have links with the Sanatan Sanstha and its offshoot Hindu Janjagruti Samiti," the official said Saturday. Dabholkar, Kalburgi and Lankesh were assassinated by members of this gang because they were raising their voice against the Hindu religion, he claimed. "The probe so far indicates that those arrested in connection with the seizure of huge cache of explosives from Nallasopara in Palghar district have direct links with the killings of Dabholkar, Kalburgi and Lankesh," he said. Meanwhile, efforts are on to nab those behind Pansare's killing, the official said. The Maharashtra Special Investigation Team (SIT) is probing Pansare's killing. While Dabholkar was shot dead in Pune in August 2013, Pansare was shot at on February 16, 2015 in Kolhapur and succumbed to his injuries on February 20. Lankesh was killed at her house in Bengaluru in September last year while Kalburgi was shot dead at the entrance of his house in Karnataka's Dharwad district on August 30, 2015. After the seizure of explosives from Nallasopara last month, the Maharashtra Police has arrested at least 10 people and said it will investigate their role in all detected and undetected cases, including the killings of Dabholkar, Pansare, Kalburgi and Lankesh. During the interrogation, one of the arrested persons, Sharad Kalaskar, admitted to his involvement in Dabholkar's killing, police had said. On his information, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating Dabholkar's killing, arrested Sachin Andure from Aurangabad. Kalaskar and Andure allegedly shot dead Dabholkar with two pistols in Pune, the official said. The CBI had earlier arrested Virendrasing Tawade, the alleged 'mastermind' of the killing. "During our investigation, it came to light that Tawade played a major role in the planning and execution of the three assassinations (Dabholkar, Lankesh and Kalburgi)," the official claimed. While investigating Lankesh's killing, the Karantaka Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrested Pune-based engineer Amol Kale, who had names and mobile numbers of the other group members in his diary, including Vaibhav Raut, Sudhanva Gondhalekar, Sharad Kalaskar and others, the official said. Kalaskar had travelled to Karnataka to do a recce of Lankesh's residence, he said. As part of further probe, the Maharashtra ATS Wednesday obtained the custody of Bharat Kurne and Sujeet Kumar, who were originally arrested by the Karnataka SIT in Lankesh's killing case, in connection with the seizure of explosives from different parts of the state. Names of Kurne and Kumar surfaced while going through the documents, diaries and data stored in a computer which was seized during raids by the ATS at various places, including Nallasopara, Pune and Aurangabad, the official said. Sujeet Kumar alias Praveen is also wanted in connection with Kalburgi's killing. During the Karnataka SIT's investigation, it came to light that Kumar allegedly shot Kalburgi. Kurne and Kumar were allegedly involved in the training of handling of arms and explosives along with those arrested by the Maharashtra Police in the explosives' seizure case, the official said. Kurne, a resort owner in Karnataka's Belgaum district, had provided shelter to those accused in Lankesh's killing. His three acre farmland at Khanapur forest was also used for fire arm training sessions, he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Markets watchdog Sebi is "well within its rights" to regulate auditors with respect to activities under its regulations, a senior government official said amid chartered accountants' apex body ICAI raising concerns about the proposal. Corporate Affairs Secretary Injeti Srinivas also said that there will be no "cross cutting regulations". His comments come against the backdrop of Sebi proposing stricter norms for fiduciaries, including chartered accountants, cost accountants, company secretaries and valuers, in the securities market. The proposed changes to the Sebi (Fiduciaries in the Securities Market) Regulations are likely to be discussed at the regulator's board meeting on September 18. "Sebi is well within its rights to have a regulatory control over auditors with respect of certifications which are required by Sebi under their Act and their regulations," Srinivas told PTI in an interview. Asserting that there is a "clear demarcating line", he said that in every legislative framework, the corresponding regulators would regulate. "There will be no cross cutting regulations," he noted. The Corporate Affairs Secretary is also part of the Sebi board. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), which comes under the Corporate Affairs Ministry, has raised strong objections to Sebi's proposal to consider auditors as fiduciaries. In its submissions on the consultative paper on proposed amendments to the norms for fiduciaries, the ICAI had said that there is no specific statutory provision under the Sebi Act to act against auditors of listed companies, according to a source. Another submission from the ICAI was that taking action against an individual for the same offence thrice under the ICAI Act, Companies Act and Sebi Act, is against the constitutional provisions. However, Sebi has maintained that it is empowered to exercise jurisdiction over persons associated with the securities market, the source said. The amended norms for fiduciaries would be applicable for entities that undertake third-party fiduciary duties, assignments and engagements under the securities law. Once in place, the regulator would have more powers to take action against fiduciaries in case they have submitted false certificates, reports or violated regulations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior BJP leaders and Union ministers, including Rajnath Singh and Sushma Swaraj, paid rich homage to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, recalling the former prime minister's diplomatic exploits at a poetic soiree hosted by the Delhi party's unit Sunday. Inaugurating the event, Home Minister Rajnath Singh recalled the 1999 Kargil war when Pakistani infiltrators tried to enter Indian territory and the Army "strongly retaliated", a Delhi BJP statement said. "The Indian Army strongly retaliated sending them(back). At that point of time Atal ji asked the Indian Army to not to enter their territory as this is not our culture and hence I always say he was a person with a large heart ," he was quoted as saying. Singh said Vajpayee had "superb diplomatic skills" and recalled that there was a time when China used to stake claim on Sikkim. "Due to Atal ji's diplomatic skills during his 2003 visit to China, the host country was forced to accept that Sikkim was a part of India," Singh said. Addressing the gathering External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj recalled her long association with Vajpayee since 1977, both in government and in BJP organisation, and said he was a great orator. "Atal ji had fondness for delicious foods and he was always a perfect host on festivals. His poems were dedicated to the nation and social causes apart from expressing his feelings," she said. Union ministers Prakash Javadekar and Smriti Irani were present on the occasion among others. Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari who presided the function said 'Atal Kavyanjali' events were held across Delhi at 66 Assembly segments. The poems penned by Vajpayee were recited and poets and politicians paid homage to the former prime minister at the events. A film based on his life and works was shown followed by a short film on the childhood of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) There was a semblance of fear in the eyes of Taranjeet Singh when he was asked about an informal school he was reportedly running with his brother in their apartment in Pakistan's commercial hub Karachi to teach Sikh religion, culture and history to children of the community. Twenty-two boys and girls aged between seven and 14 reportedly study in the small classroom of the school located on the sixth floor of a residential building on M A Jinnah Road. "The classes are no longer being held now because children are not coming, Taranjeet wearing a red turban told PTI when asked about a report in a Pakistani daily about the school. But he was not comfortable answering questions. The reason behind Taranjeet's reluctance to speak about the school was explained by Manoj Singh, a volunteer at the main Sikh Gurdwara located on the Jinnah road. Manoj said they hold classes five times a week for Sikh children because it is mandatory for them to get education according to the Sikh Rehat Maryada, a guideline for Sikhism. "We have to teach them about Sikh religion, culture and history," Manoj said. Ramesh Singh of the Pakistan Sikh Council says Taranjeet or the Sikh community in general avoid publicity of their activities in the media because of the situation for minorities in Pakistan. Ramesh said a number of Sikhs, including Taranjeet, had come to Karachi from Khyber Pakthunkhawa due to the insurgency in the tribal areas. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan had threatened minorities to leave the area unless they paid Jizya, an yearly tax historically levied on non-Muslims permanently residing on the Muslim lands. At public schools, Sikhs and other minorities have to study Islamic teachings. "We have no objection, of course, because Sikhs strongly believe in inter-faith harmony. But we don't want to forget about our own religion, culture and history," said Ramesh. Ramesh said the community was keen to set up a proper school for Sikh children in Karachi but it was still fighting to get back the control of the Khalsa High School founded by Sikh elders. The school built in 1930 is under the control of the education department. Historian Nisar Khuhro said that before the partition, Karachi's old city area was populated by Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Muslims and Parsis. "Each of these communities had established their own schools but now except for some well-known institutions, most of the others have disappeared from the city's historical landscape. Declared abandoned properties, some of them were either occupied or demolished." Ramesh laments that the community has no space in the city to educate their children according to their religion. At present the Pakistan government has a five per cent job quota for minorities but this covers all minority groups living in Pakistan and Ramesh said is incapable of providing Sikh men a better future. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Speakers from Bangladesh and India at a seminar Sunday advocated more people-to-people contact between the two countries and called for safeguarding the rights of minorities in the neighbouring country. They were speaking at a seminar on 'Indo-Bangla Dialogue - Security to Minorities and Democracy' here. Advocate of Bangladesh Supreme Court and BNP's Khandakar Ahsan Habib said the ground level contacts between the people of Bangladesh and India were more important than solely keeping contacts between the ruling establishments. Habib said the rights of the minority community needed to be safeguarded in Bangladesh and everyone should be allowed to exercise his/her right to vote in elections. The vice-chancellor of Northern University in Bangladesh, Prof Yusuf Abdullah, said there should be more people-to-people exchanges between the two nations which share a common love and admiration for Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam. On the minority issue, Abdullah said when people of different communities speak in the same language and live on the same land, there should be no segregation on the basis of religion and no persecution of anyone. Former Assistant Director, Intelligence Bureau, Gadhadar Chatterjee said according to 2011 Census, there were 8.5 per cent Hindus in Bangladesh, 0.6 per cent Buddhists and 0.4 per cent Christians. Pradip Halder, leader of an organisation of Hindu community members in Bangladesh, said whoever came to power in Bangladesh, the concerned party should work towards protecting the rights of minorities. The discussion was organised by Indo-Bangladesh Cultural centre, International Community for Terror-free World and Global Minority Voice where the four were among the other speakers from the two countries. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The odd and lovely Sea horses have fascinated humankind, but their illegal trade should stop now : A special drive for voters' enrolment is being held at all the designated polling stations in the state by the Election Commission. The Special campaign with Booth Level Officers at polling stations, began Saturday and continued Sunday for voters' enrolment. Similarly, eligible voters seeking to make corrections in entries in existing rolls or those who have shifted to another polling areas can apply for making required changes through forms or by availing online services, officials said. Awareness rallies were organised in different parts of the city and the state for voters enrolment, they said. A bike rally on voter awareness and enrolment "Be Bold-Come out and vote" was organised by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) here. The Election Commission is holding polling booth-wise revision and verification of electoral rolls in 32,574 polling stations and booth level officers were made available for addressing issues related to the voters' list (on Saturday and Sunday). Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar said Friday that preparations for Assembly polls in the state were underway, and EVMs and VVPAT machines had started to arrive. He had said over 52,000 ballot units, around 41,000 Central Units and 44,000 Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail machines were expected to reach various districts before September 20. The CEO said booth level officials would be available at all polling stations to take up issues related to the voters' list. A preliminary level inspection of EVMs will be conducted to detect manufacturing defects in the presence of political parties to remove doubts if any, he had said,adding VVPATS will be used for the first time in the ensuing Assembly elections. Earlier, the Election Commission had stopped all activities relating to Special summary revision of photo electoral rolls with reference to January 1, 2019 and said the final electoral rolls list will be published on October 8. he decision for a revised schedule was taken in the wake of dissolution of the Telangana Assembly on September 6, officials had said. As per the revised schedule, the integrated draft electoral roll was published on September 10. The period for filing claims and objections is from Monday to September 25 while the disposal of claims and objections is by October 4. The updating database and printing of supplement will be completed before October 7 and the final publication of electoral roll will be on October 8, it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In order to emerge as a competitive force internationally in steel sector, Indian will have to follow practices of private sector firms that account for 80-82 per cent of the domestic production, Union Minister has said. The has also called for snatching opportunities from competitors like to emerge as a global player in steel. "The PSUs, which contribute about 18-20 per cent of the steel production, should try to learn from the private sector, which accounted for the balance 80-82 per cent of the production, if India has to emerge as a strong and competitive force internationally," minutes of a recent meeting quoted Singh as saying. The minister also underlined the need for strengthening the country's position in the steel sector, while focussing on the requirement of producing high quality alloy. Over the policy restrictions on the Central and state governments to buy domestic steel, the minister clarified that there were some exemptions for high quality grade steel that is not available domestically. Expressing confidence that steel demand was virtually guaranteed for the next five decades, the minister in the minutes pointed out: "We were behind in snatching competition from other competitors like China, and should use more of our native innovative instincts to become a major player in the global market". Singh said the had come out of its crisis in the last 3-4 years and was in a position to look forward towards growth. The 2017 has set a target of 300 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of production capacity by 2030. The production capacity in 2017-18 has reached 137.97 million tonnes (MT). The world crude steel production in 2017 registered a growth rate of about 5.3 per cent as compared to the previous year. The global production in 2017 stood at 1,691.2 million tonnes. With about 6 per cent share in the total world crude steel production, India occupies the third position behind and The in India contributes nearly 2 per cent to the country's (GDP). Prosecutors in Geneva have opened a rape and sexual misconduct investigation against Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan, who has been detained in France since February on separate rape charges, Swiss media reported Sunday. The Tribune de Geneve newspaper quoted Geneva's prosecutor's office spokesman Henri Della Casa as saying that authorities had decided to open a formal criminal inquiry into allegations that Ramadan raped a woman in a Geneva hotel in 2008. "I confirm the opening of an inquiry," the paper quoted Della Casa as saying, a key step that indicated the authorities believed the allegations merit further investigation. The accuser lodged her complaint in April. "The prosecutors and Geneva police have worked quickly and worked well," Romain Jordan, the lawyer representing Ramadan's Swiss accuser, told AFP in an email. He described the decision to open a criminal inquiry as "a major advance" that "demonstrates the seriousness of the allegations made by our client." Ramadan, a Swiss citizen whose grandfather founded Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood movement, has not yet been interviewed by Swiss prosecutors. Jordan said that following the opening of a criminal case, Swiss investigators will now have to travel to France to hear Ramadan's side of the alleged rape. The 56-year-old scholar, a prominent and controversial figure within Islam, has denied criminal wrongdoing in connection with the French charges. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Janata Dal (United) said Sunday that talks on seat sharing among alliance partners in Bihar for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls are in the final stages and will be announced soon. The JD(U) has mounted pressure on alliance partner BJP for giving it a "respectable number of seats" under the NDA umbrella, which also comprises Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP and Upendra Kushwaha's RLSP. "Our national president (Nitish Kumar) today made it clear at the state executive committee meeting here that talks on seat sharing for the Lok Sabha polls are in final stages. "The announcement will be made soon at the top level," JD(U) national general secretary and and Rajya Sabha member Ram Chandra Prasad Singh told reporters. The state executive committee meeting, which was convened to strengthen the party's organisational structure in view of the 2019 polls, was attended by Bihar ministers, district presidents, office bearers, and members of the committee. Kumar gave necessary directions to office-bearers to strengthen the party right from the panchayat level ahead of the general elections next year. In his address, the JD(U) chief and Bihar chief minister said his party is not "caste-based", but a "work-based" party. Kumar said his party's workers must realise their potential and asserted that the JD (U)'s strength will increase in the Lok Sabha polls. He also said the party would return to power with a thumping majority in the state assembly elections, a release issued by the JD(U) said. The meeting, which lasted for four hours, was attended by national general secretary K C Tyagi and poll strategist Prashant Kishor, who joined the JD(U) Sunday, and was seated next to Kumar. Asked whether Kishor will be inducted in the Nitish Kumar cabinet, the expansion of which is on the cards, Ram Chandra Prasad Singh said "It is the prerogative of the chief minister as to when the cabinet expansion will take place and what will be its size." On the issue of reservation for upper castes, he said the criteria for giving reservation is based on social and educational backwardness in the Constitution and unless this criteria is changed, it (giving upper castes quota on economic basis) will not sustain the judicial scrutiny. Singh said the party would facilitate training programmes for its 80,000 booth level agents in due course besides holding political conferences at district levels in coordination with party's 30 cells. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) British Prime Minister Theresa May concedes that she gets "irritated" by the debate over her leadership during the difficult Brexit negotiations. She told the BBC in an interview scheduled to be broadcast Sunday that she is concerned for the country's future, not her own, as talks about Britain's upcoming exit from the European Union continue. May faces a split in her Conservative Party, with some influential figures preferring a more complete break with the EU than she is advocating. Roughly 50 hard-liners met Tuesday night to discuss her possible ouster. In the interview, May said the leadership talk can be distracting. "I get a little bit irritated, but this debate is not about my future. This debate is about the future of the people of the UK and the future of the United Kingdom," she said. "That's what I'm focused on, and that's what we should all be focused on." May criticized former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who resigned in July to protest her plan to keep some close ties to the EU after Brexit. Johnson, who is seen by many analysts as positioning himself as a possible successor to the embattled prime minister, recently caused a furor by comparing May's Brexit strategy to a "suicide vest." "I have to say that that choice of language is completely inappropriate," May said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Assam police has arrested three persons for their alleged links with Hizbul Mujahideen militant Qamar-uz-Zama, who was arrested by Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad, a senior officer said on Sunday. They are being interrogated, Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia told reporters. The three, identified as Shahnawaz Alam, Saidul Alam and Omar Faruk, were arrested from Hojai, Udali and Byrnihat, along the Assam-Meghalaya border, respectively, on Friday and Saturday, he said. "The three persons had regular interaction with Zama and we are investigating the information provided by them (to him)," Saikia said. "We are also investigating Zama's visit to Assam earlier this year (including) the places he visited, the persons with whom he stayed, the purpose of his visit, among other aspects," he added. Shahnawaz had allegedly procured a mobile SIM card for Zama by furnishing a fake identity card, while Saidul is a close friend of the militant and had stayed with him in Kashmir. Zama allegedly stayed with Omar in Guwahati during his last visit. A resident of Assam, Zama was arrested on Thursday by Uttar Pradesh ATS following inputs from the National Investigation Agency that he planned to attack a temple in Kanpur during the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations and had conducted a recce. A team of Uttar Pradesh ATS will be reaching Hojai to interrogate the trio. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The owner of an illegal pickle manufacturing plant and two others died Sunday after inhaling poisonous gas on entering a tank at the factory in a residential area here, police said. The incident occurred in the Daulat Nagar area at around 8:30 am. Police said Luv Kush Prasad Jayaswal (62) had been running a pickle manufacturing unit for three years. The factory was closed in the monsoon season. The plant has a 10-feet-deep tank for pickling. Jayaswal opened the plant Sunday morning to remove fermented water from the tank. Jayaswal entered the tank with the help of a ladder and fell unconscious after inhaling poisonous gas, police said. When he did not come out, his 35-year-old son got down in the tank to save him. He too passed out. Jayaswal's wife raised an alarm on noticing her husband and son lying unconscious. A neighbour, Hirdayraj Dubey, who rushed to their rescue also collapsed on entering the tank. Some neighbours informed police who reached there and a fire brigade also reached the spot. Police and fire department personnel broke open a big hole in the backside wall to release the poisonous gas. After two hours, all three bodies were brought out. An NDRF team was also called in. NDRF Inspector Karam Singh told reporters that the trio died after inhaling accumulated hydrogen sulphide and carbon monoxide in the tank. An FIR has been registered and the incident is being probed. The factory has been sealed, Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Krishna said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Three persons, including a woman and a girl, were killed Sunday when a mini-bus hit a motorcycle in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, a police official said. A motorcycle driven by Ram Dass Sangra with two pillion riders was hit by the speedy passenger bus at Kattal chowk in Hiranagar around 12.30 pm, he said. The official said the trio were critically injured and were rushed to a nearby hospital where they were declared brought dead. The identity of the woman and the girl was awaited, he said. The erring driver was arrested and a case was registered against him, the official said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) BJP National Secretary H Raja has waded into a controversy yet again, picking up a quarrel with police over an immersion procession of Lord Ganesh idols in Pudukottai district of Tamil Nadu. As a video of Raja angrily arguing with policemen went viral in the social media, opposition DMK Sunday demanded action against him while the AIADMK government deprecated the BJP leader's remarks. Raja, known for stirring controversies by his remarks, Saturday engaged in a verbal duel with the policemen in Meiyypuram village calling the force as "anti-Hindu" and "highly corrupt." His outbursts came after police declined permission for taking out the idol procession through a particular route citing "a court order." Raja, however, refused to accept the police contention and spoke against the order. DMK organising secretary R S Barathi, in a tweet on Sunday demanded the Tamil Nadu government to take legal action against Raja for his remarks against the policemen and judiciary. Senior Minister D Jayakumar deprecated the outburst against police said the government was considering taking action and holding consultations with legal experts. He also expressed hope that the court would take action on its own against Raja for his remarks against the judiciary. The BJP leader has been embroiled in several controversies in the past over his remarks on various issues. In March this year, a row erupted over Raja's remarks indicating that statues of rationalist leader E V Ramasamy "Periyar" could be the next to be pulled down after a Lenin statue was razed in Tripura. He, however, sought to blame his Facebook administrator for the gaffe and expressed regret over the comments. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Work in unity to develop Nepal Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Ishwor Pokhrel on Saturday said all three tiers of the government should collaborate and work in unity to propel Nepals dream of developing into a prosperous state. Suspecting a hunt for hidden treasure by a group of men allegedly in the garb of renovating an ancient temple in ruins, villagers near here Sunday lodged a police complaint. The villagers at Pullaloor found some men carrying out civil work by putting up scaffolding inside the centuries old dilapidated temple premises and questioned them. Unconvinced by their replies that they were carrying out repair work, they lodged a police complaint, seeking a probe. "The villagers in their complaint said they were not told beforehand about the repair work...they suspect the motives of the men behind the task, which is said to be for renovation," a local police official told PTI. Two men connected with the renovation are being questioned and the villagers suspect that the 'repair' may be an excuse to search for hidden treasure, believed to be inside the ancient temple, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A group of transgenders have joined hands to mobilise money for the victims of the recent Kerala floods in a unique way -- staging a play. Putting aside their own sufferings, as many as 14 transgenders, most of whom are jobless and struggling to earn their daily bread, are getting ready to stage the play here under the aegis of the state-based Dhwayah Transgenders Arts and Charitable Society. The ticket amount, charged from the audience, would be used to support flood-hit students and rebuild selected schools ravaged in the devastating floods, that had left a trail of destruction across the state last month. They have also plans to use the money to help their own fellow members in the community, who had suffered loss in the floods. Titled "Parayan Maranna Kathakal", the two-hour-long play is helmed by Tamil Nadu-based queer activist and director Sreejith Sundaram, trans woman Surya, one of the artists, said. "People may not respond positively if we seek donation. So, we have decided to mobilise the money through our own way, by showcasing our talents," Surya told PTI. "Unlike other dramas, we are trying to tell our own stroy through this play. It is about the sufferings we undergo, the ostracisation and humiliation we face in the family and society and the saga of our continuing struggles to find a space," she said. In one way, it would be an awareness drive to educate society about a transgender's life, the activist said. Surya, also a member of the Kerala Transgender Justice Board, said the TGs had already donated Rs 50,000 to the Chief Minister's distress relief fund. All the actors of the play are the members of the 'Mazhavil Dhwani', an all-TG drama troupe. The play, being staged at the Ganesham auditorium at Thycaud here Monday evening, will have 14 trans men and one trans woman as actors. The main objective of the group was to support students who have lost their study materials in floods in the worst-hit Aluva and Chalakkudy regions, she said. "Parayan Maranna Kathakal" has already been staged in four venues in the state. It has already been selected to an international theatre festival to be held in Goa later this year, the activist added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Typhoon Mangkhut roared toward densely populated Hong Kong and southern China on Sunday after ravaging across the northern Philippines with ferocious winds and heavy rain that left at least 28 dead in landslides and collapsed houses. The strongest storm so far this year in the world sliced across the northern tip of Luzon Island on Saturday, a breadbasket that is also a region of flood-prone rice plains and mountain provinces with a history of deadly landslides. More than 5 million people were in the path of the typhoon, equivalent to a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane when it hit the Philippines. On Sunday morning, It packed sustained winds of 155 kilometers (96 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 190 kph (118 mph). Hong Kong and southern China issued the highest storm signals. The Guangdong provincial office in charge of flood prevention said Sunday that nearly half a million people had been evacuated from seven cities. The Hong Kong Observatory said although Mangkhut had weakened slightly, its extensive, intense rainbands were bringing heavy downfall and frequent squalls. Storm surge of about 3 meters (9.8 feet) or above is expected at the city's waterfront Victoria Harbour, the observatory said, appealing on the public to avoid the shoreline. Philippine National Police Director General Oscar Albayalde told The Associated Press that 20 had died in the Cordillera mountain region, four in nearby Nueva Vizcaya province and another outside of the two regions. Three more deaths have been reported in northeastern Cagayan province, where the typhoon made landfall. Among the fatalities were an infant and a 2-year-old child who died with their parents after the couple refused to immediately evacuate from their high-risk community in a Nueva Vizcaya mountain town, said Francis Tolentino, an adviser to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. "They can't decide for themselves where to go," he said of the children, expressing frustration that the tragedy was not prevented. Tolentino, who was assigned by Duterte to help coordinate disaster response, said at least two other people were missing. Mayor Mauricio Domogan said at least three people died and six others were missing in his mountain city of Baguio after strong winds and rain destroyed several houses and set off landslides, which also blocked roads to the popular vacation destination. It was not immediately clear whether the dead and missing had been included in the overall death toll. About 87,000 people had evacuated from high-risk areas of the Philippines. Tolentino and other officials advised them not to return home until the lingering danger had passed. In Cagayan's capital, Tuguegarao, where the typhoon made landfall, Associated Press journalists saw a severely damaged public market, its roof ripped apart and wooden stalls and tarpaulin canopies in disarray. Outside a popular shopping mall, debris was scattered everywhere and government workers cleared roads of fallen trees. Many stores and houses were damaged but most residents remained indoors as occasional gusts sent small pieces of tin sheets and other debris flying dangerously. The Tuguegarao airport terminal also was damaged, its roof and glass windows shattered by strong winds. The typhoon struck at the start of the rice and corn harvesting season in Cagayan, a major agricultural producer, prompting farmers to scramble to save what they could of their crops, Cagayan Gov Manuel Mamba said. In Hong Kong, Security Minister John Lee Ka-chiu urged residents to prepare for the worst. Cathay Pacific said all of its flights would be cancelled between 2:30 am local time on Sunday and 4 am Monday. "Because Mangkhut will bring winds and rains of extraordinary speeds, scope and severity, our preparation and response efforts will be greater than in the past," Lee said. "Each department must have a sense of crisis, make a comprehensive assessment and plan, and prepare for the worst." In nearby Fujian province in China, 51,000 people were evacuated from fishing boats and around 11,000 vessels returned to port. China's National Meteorological Center issued an alert saying Mangkhut would make landfall somewhere on the coast in Guangdong province on Sunday afternoon or evening. Ferry services in the Qiongzhou Strait in southern China were halted on Saturday and helicopters and tugboats were dispatched to Guangdong to transfer offshore workers to safety and warn ships about the typhoon, China's official Xinhua Agency reported. Mangkhut, the Thai word for mangosteen fruit, is the 15th storm this year to batter the Philippines, which is hit by about 20 a year and is considered one of the world's most disaster-prone countries. In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan left more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattened villages, swept ships inland and displaced more than 5 million in the central Philippines. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Typhoon Mangkhut barrelled into southern China on Sunday after lashing the northern Philippines with strong winds and heavy rain that left at least 64 people dead and dozens more feared buried in a landslide. More than 2.4 million people had been evacuated in southern China's Guangdong province by Sunday evening to flee the massive typhoon and nearly 50,000 fishing boats were called back to port, state media reported. The gambling enclave of Macau closed casinos for the first time and the Hong Kong Observatory warned people to stay away from the Victoria Harbour landmark, where storm surges battered the sandbag-reinforced waterfront. Hong Kong's RTHK broadcaster cited experts as saying Mangkhut was expected to be the strongest typhoon to hit the city in decades. The Hong Kong Observatory issued its strongest storm warning for 10 hours on Sunday, just slightly shorter than the record time of 11 hours set by Typhoon York in 1999, the South China Morning Post reported. The storm made landfall in the Guangdong city of Taishan at 5 p m, packing wind speeds of 162 kilometres per hour. State television broadcaster CGTN reported that surging waves flooded a seaside hotel in the city of Shenzhen. Groceries flew off the shelves of supermarkets in the provincial capital of Guangzhou as residents stocked up in anticipation of being confined at home by the typhoon, China's official Xinhua Agency said. Authorities in southern China issued a red alert, the most severe warning, as the national meteorological center said the densely populated region would face a "severe test caused by wind and rain" and urged officials to prepare for possible disasters. Hundreds of flights were cancelled. All high-speed and some normal rail services in Guangdong and Hainan provinces were also halted, the China Railway Guangzhou Group Co. said. In Hong Kong, a video posted online by residents showed the top corner of an old building break and fall off, while in another video, a tall building swayed as strong winds blew. The storm also broke windows, felled trees, tore bamboo scaffolding off buildings under construction and flooded areas with sometimes waist-high waters, according to the South China Morning Post. The paper said the heavy rains brought storm surges of 3 metres around Hong Kong. Hong Kong Security Minister John Lee Ka-chiu urged residents to prepare for the worst. "Because Mangkhut will bring winds and rains of extraordinary speeds, scope and severity, our preparation and response efforts will be greater than in the past," Lee said. "Each department must have a sense of crisis, make a comprehensive assessment and plan, and prepare for the worst." Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific said all of its flights would be canceled between 2:30 a.m. Sunday and 4 a.m. Monday. The city of Shenzhen also canceled all flights between Sunday and early Monday morning. Hainan Airlines canceled 234 flights in the cities of Haikou, Sanya, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai scheduled over the weekend. In Macau, next door to Hong Kong, casinos were ordered to close from 11 p.m. Saturday, the first time such action was taken in the city, the South China Morning Post reported. Macau suffered catastrophic flooding during Typhoon Hato last year, leading to accusations of corruption and incompetence at its meteorological office. In Macau's inner harbour district, the water level reached 1.5 meters on Sunday and was expected to rise further. The district was one of the most affected by floods from Typhoon Hato, which left 10 people dead. In the northern Philippines, Mangkhut made landfall Saturday on the northeastern tip of Luzon island with sustained winds of 205 kilometres per hour and gusts of 255 kph. Dozens of people, mostly small-scale miners and their families, were feared to have been trapped by a landslide in the far-flung village of Ucab in Itogon town in the northern Philippines' Benguet province, Itogon Mayor Victorio Palangdan said by phone on Sunday. Palangdan said three villagers who nearly got buried by the huge pile of mud and rocks told authorities they saw residents rush into an old three-story building, a former mining bunkhouse that has been transformed into a chapel, at the height of the typhoon's onslaught Saturday afternoon. "That was not an authorized evacuation center," Palangdan said, but expressed sadness that the villagers, many of them poor miners, had few options to survive in a region where big corporations have profited immensely from gold mines. Police Superintendent Pelita Tacio said 34 villagers had died and 36 remained missing in the landslides in Ucab and another village in Itogon town. Rescuers were scrambling to pull out the body of a victim from the mound of mud and rocks in Ucab before Tacio left the area Sunday. "It's very sad. I could hear villagers wailing in their homes near the site of the accident," Tacio said by phone. Rescuers were hampered by rain and mud, and the search and rescue operation was suspended at nightfall and will resume at daybreak Monday, Palangdan said. Police and their vehicles could not immediately reach the landside-hit area because the ground was unstable and soaked from the heavy rains, regional police chief Rolando Nana told the ABS-CBN TV network. Overall, at least 64 people have died in typhoon incidents in the northern Philippines, mostly from landslides and collapsed houses, according to the national police. Forty-five other people were missing and 33 were injured in the storm. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Allaying fears about the sugar industry, Uttar Pradesh Cane Development Minister Suresh Rana said better management by the Yogi Adityanath government has resulted in the state accounting for 38 per cent of the entire sugar production in the country. The state produced 32 million tonnes of sugar in the 2017-18 season (October-September), which comes to 38 per cent of the entire sugar produced in the country, the minister told PTI Sunday. "It is a matter of pride for the state that Uttar Pradesh accounted for 38 per cent of the total sugar produced in the country," he said in an interview. Stressing that the sugar industry in the state is on the right path with the Yogi Adityanath government initiating all-round steps for the welfare of the sugarcane growers, Rana said that crushing by the mills has gone up considerably under the BJP government. While it was 82 crore quintals in 2016-17, it rose to 111 crore quintals in 2017-18, the minister pointed out, adding that the area on which it is grown is also likely to go up by around five lakh hectare. "It is the management of the chief minister that crushing has been ensured smoothly, extending a huge relief to the growers...three closed mills have been revived during this period to facilitate crushing," he said. On the long-standing problem of continued cane arrears, the minister pointed out that it is for the first time that such a major step has been taken by any state with the government ready with a package of Rs 5,535 crore for it. This includes the cane dues of both cooperative and private sector, he said, adding that the state government will provide Rs 1,010 crore to cooperative mills and Rs 500 crore to private mills for direct payment of cane dues. Another Rs 4,000 crore will be made available through a soft loan to private mills for clearing cane payment, he said. The modality of the soft loan is being worked out to facilitate payment by mills, which feel constrained to make payments, but the only condition is that the it should go directly in the accounts of the farmers, he said. On the recent political furore arising out of Yogi Adityanath's suggestion to sugarcane growers during his visit to Baghpat recently that they should explore growing other crops as sugar causes diabetes, Rana said that it has been wrongly interpreted by political adversaries. "What the chief minister wanted to say was that even cane farmers should look for other crops that can be grown alongside to increase their income," he said. Rana lashed out at Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav for his tweet - "BJP is already facing anger from sugarcane farmers for not clearing their dues. Now, Adityanath has added fuel to the fire by saying that excessive sugarcane production leads to diabetes. However, he should be telling his supporters to not spread hatred and violence in the society". Rana said the SP chief has no moral right to speak on the topic. Adityanath's suggestion also drew flak from senior SP leader Azam Khan, who has termed the chief minister's statement as "foolish". "Instead of encouraging cane growers, the chief minister is saying that farmers need to stop growing sugarcane ...this only proves how the people have been befooled...it reflects the seriousness of the BJP government towards farmers," Khan has said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Angry parents and their wards took to streets at Shahpur town after a college here ordered tonsuring the heads of its students, officials said Sunday. Sub Divisional Magistrate Bhupender Kumar said Rashtriya Inter College, Shahpur authorities tonsured the heads of hundreds of its students recently. Agitated by the incident, many students and their parents blocked the Budhana-Muzaffarnagar road on Saturday, demanding action against the educational institute, he said. Meanwhile, disciplinary action has been initiated against college principal Virender Singh and manager Rahul Baiyan, college authorities said. Security has been tightened in the college premises. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma has said the state government is working towards making secondary in the state a "model for quality education". Sharma, who also holds the Secondary and Higher portfolio, said a number of steps have been taken to ensure "cheating free" examination in the state. He highlighted a slew of measures taken by the Yogi Adityanath-led government to improve the quality of secondary education in the state. "To achieve the goal, a comprehensive plan has been prepared for activating major components associated in the system," Sharma said here on Saturday, before leaving for Agra. He said, "Not only NCERT syllabus has been introduced but availability of qualified teachers, their screening through written test, is being ensured." "A nodal officer to supervise proper teaching has been appointed in every district. The norms for evaluating the quality have also been framed. To enhance academic level of the teachers, five master trainers at division headquarters would also be arranged," Sharma said. "An academic calendar, in the history of secondary education, has not only been declared, but teaching in 220 academic days, has also been made obligatory, for every school," he said. Recognising teachers as an "important component" of the education system, Sharma said the government is making efforts to solve their overdue problems and provide environment conducive to productivity. For this, Sharma said, the government will felicitate part-time teachers working in self-financing institutions with "Mukhya Mantri Shikshak Puruskar (chief minister teacher award)" on December 25, coinciding with the birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He said 5,696 posts of teachers and other staff have been sanctioned for 194 intermediate colleges started by the Yogi government. The process of recruitment for 10,768 assistant teachers and 3,794 lecturers is on and the assistant teachers would be posted by October, he said. "Since, Secondary Education Service Selection Ayog has been reactivated, the written examination for the selection of 1,344 lecturers and 7,950 assistant teachers would be held on September 27,28 and 29," the deputy chief minister said. While arrangement for science and maths teachers in government intermediate colleges has been made by sanctioning 695 posts, computer teachers' posts for 130 colleges has also been sanctioned, he said. As many as 26,590 online complaints from working teachers have been sorted out at directorate level, the minister asserted. According to Sharma, several decisions, including that of increasing remuneration for guest subject experts and for checking board exam answer sheets, were taken in the interest of the teachers of government, aided and unaided schools. "The introduction of online system for seeking recognition for new secondary schools or Inter colleges, getting duplicate mark sheets and certificates is helping the common man," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Uttar Pradesh Police is set to launch a first of its kind dial-FIR scheme in the country where a common man can register regular crimes without going to a police station even as it is preparing an online photographic dossier of criminals that will be provided to policemen on 22,000 new i-pads. Besides this, the Uttar Pradesh Police is also expanding the counter-terror combat and response grid in the state by training over 100 fresh commandos in special skills including a maiden batch of women personnel, Director General of Police (DGP) O P Singh told PTI in an interview here. The aim is to enhance the strength of the ATS both qualitatively and quantitatively, he said. "We are soon going to start an e-FIR or dial-FIR scheme in the state. It is the FIR (first information report) that sets the law into motion and unless you register a police case your investigation does not start. We thought how could we change this and then it was seen that we were getting almost 20,000 events every day over UP 100 (police emergency number) on call. "Everything that is reported to UP 100 relates to certain categories of crime that includes cases like those of vehicle theft. Now, for such crimes, one can dial the emergency number and file an FIR, a call-based FIR. This will be like a regular FIR, under similar sections of IPC, and people need not come to the police station to get a case registered. We are the pioneer state to do this," the DGP told the agency. A 2-month pilot project conducted on it in Ghaziabad has been found to be successful, he said. This will be coupled with another soon-to-be launched citizen-centric service over new mobile apps (applications). All the small paper application-based things like getting domestic help verification, lost and found complaint, obtaining permission for taking out a procession, getting character certificate from police...a total of 22 domains of police permissions can be obtained from home online, without the citizen coming to the police station, he said. To combat crime, an online dossier of criminals in the state has also been prepared, Singh added. "The investigating officers in various districts of the state will be given 22,000 new i-pads soon on which we have fed a dossier of over 1-lakh small and big criminals. "Once they reach a crime spot they will show photos of the probable suspects of the area and other places, based on initial leads. We are contacting the jail department to enrich this data. This database will keep building up and more such smart gadgets will be provided to policemen on ground," he said. This dossier would help in solving a case fast as the suspects can be identified quickly, the DGP said. Singh said UP is the only second state to prepare such a localised online criminal database after Punjab. Talking about special police units like the anti-terror squad (ATS) and special weapons and tactics (SWAT) teams, the DGP said their strength will be bolstered with the induction of 118 commandos including a dozen women personnel. "At a number of prominent and metro cities in the the state like Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Meerut, Allahabad and Kanpur among others we will be be deploying special police operation teams (SPOTs) to counter any terror-like or sabotage incident," the DGP said. "We are landscaping the entire security apparatus in UP so that professionalism and competence of all police units including special teams is enhanced," Singh said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The United States has dismissed a major bribery complaint against former Senegalese foreign minister Cheikh Gadio, the Justice Department said. A spokesperson confirmed "the dismissal of the complaint against Gadio" in an email to AFP on Saturday. US authorities arrested Gadio and Hong Kong's former home affairs secretary Patrick Ho Chi Ping in November 2017 for allegedly leading a multimillion dollar bribery scheme in Africa on behalf of a top Chinese energy company. The company was not identified in the announcement or the complaint filed in New York federal district court, but details in the complaint pointed to CEFC China Energy, the Shanghai-based rising star of China's energy industry. In the Justice Department complaint, the two men allegedly offered a USD 2 million bribe to the president of Chad "to obtain valuable oil rights," and a USD 500,000 bribe to an account designated by the minister of foreign affairs of Uganda, who had recently completed his term as the president of the UN General Assembly. The charges were based on their use of the US banking system to process almost a million dollars in payoffs, sent under the guise of donations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The decision to impose steep tariffs by the United States on steel and aluminium may impact the domestic metal sector, a report has said. On March 8, 2018 US President Donald Trump imposed a 25 per cent tariff on steel imports and 10 per cent on aluminium. "The decision to hike tariff on aluminium and steel by 10 per cent and 25 cent, respectively made under a section 232 of American federal Act of 1962, may impact the Indian metals sector. "(However) It would be difficult to estimate what would be the quantum of impact on Indian steel and aluminium exports consequent to imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminium, the Indian exports may become costlier and uncompetitive in the US market especially against other countries who are exempted from levy of tariff by the US," Industry body Assocham said in its latest report 'Global Tariff War: Implications and Challenges'. Besides, it could also affect the prices of other metals like zinc and nickel. The US is the world's largest steel importer. In 2017, it imported 35.6 million tonnes (MT) of steel. The imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminium imports into the US followed by slapping of tariffs on a wide range of Chinese imports has thrown global trading system into disarray. The tit-for-tat approach in global trading relations is unfolding rapidly as major economies continue to impose tariffs on each other, the report said. This could intensify and stunt global economic growth, causing greater difficulties in developing countries, including India, it noted. Union Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh had earlier said that the 25 per cent tariff imposed by the US on steel import can 'indirectly' affect the domestic sector. "The US decision to impose 25 per cent tariff on steel imports will have negligible direct impact (on India's export) as India's share of US Steel imports is very small as compared to other countries but there might be an indirect impact (in the form of dumping)," he had said. India is (already) experiencing import surge in steel consequent to imposition of 25 per cent tariff on steel imports in the US. Available import trends in steel reflect dumping of steel into India by leading steel producers from not just China but also Japan and South Korea, which are diverting supplies from the US and the European Union (EU), the report said. According to Joint Plant Committee, at 1.868 MT, export of total finished steel was down by 33.4 per cent in April-July 2018 over the same period of last year. As against the exports, import of total finished steel increased by 6.1 per cent to 2.655 MT during the said period over April-July 2017. "The dumping raises fears that India after becoming a net exporter of steel for two straight years, supported ably by government policies, India could again turn a net importer in 2018-19," the report said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) 1. Yes. Losing daily service to Houston could be just the first in a series of service cutbacks. 2. Yes. Being less competitive with Austin and D-FW will hurt the airport in the long run. 3. No. The airport has seen strong passenger numbers. Good marketing can keep it going. 4. No. The airport is still pursuing other service, including a Denver route. Its still a solid asset. 5. Unsure. Its hard to say without knowing future airline and travel industry trends. Vote View Results A woman militant was arrested by security forces in Manipur's Imphal East district, police said Sunday. A joint team of police and Assam Rifles arrested the woman militant belonging to the proscribed outfit United National Liberation Front (UNLF) at Lamlai Makha Leikai area of the district on Friday, a release issued by the PRO of Manipur Police said. A case has been registered at Lamlai police station and further investigations are on, said the release. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Sunday paid rich tributes to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee here, saying the BJP stalwart inspired people by dedicating his life for all Indians without any discrimination. Speaking at Atal Smriti Kavyanjali programme, Adityanath said, "The work and personality of Atal ji is a source of inspiration for all of us, as he had dedicated his life for all Indians without any discrimination. His heart was that of a poet, which worked selflessly for all." "He (Vajpayee) was away from public life for the last 11 years, but children who were born during these years have immense respect for him and they paid heartfelt tributes to him. After his death, almost all parties showed respect for him and common people came on streets to express their feelings for him, which is indeed a big thing," Adityanath said. Vajpayee, one of India's most charismatic leaders who led the nation through several crises while holding together a tenuous coalition with his inclusive and superlative oratory, died on August 16. He was 93. Seen as a moderate face of the BJP, Vajpayee first became prime minister in 1996, leading a shaky coalition whose members were suspicious of the party's right-wing It lasted for 13 days and collapsed after losing a vote of no-confidence. His second stint as prime minister was in 1998 when the National Democratic Alliance again came to power but that lasted for just 13 months. Finally, the NDA with Vajpayee as the prime minister returned to power in 1999 and was voted out in 2004. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A joint military training exercise between the Indian and US armies began Sunday at Chaubattia in the foothills of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand's Almora district. Yudh Abhyas 2018 is one of the longest running joint military training exercises and a major bilateral defence cooperation endeavour between India and the US. This is the 14th edition of the joint military exercise, which is hosted alternately by the two countries. Set to conclude on September 29, the combined exercise simulates scenarios where both nations are working together in counter insurgency and counter terrorism operations in mountainous terrain, a defence press release said. The two week exercise will see the participation of about 350 personnel of the US Army and similar strength from the Garud Division of the Indian Army. The exercise curriculum is progressively planned where the participants will initially get familiar with each other's organisational structure, weapons, equipment, confidence training and tactical drills. Subsequently, the training will advance to joint tactical exercises and battle drills of both the armies. The training will culminate with a final validation exercise in which troops of both countries will jointly carry out an operation against terrorists in a fictitious but realistic setting. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Jamie Dimon on Sunday said he regretted comments that he was "smarter" than U.S. President Donald Trump and could beat him in an election."I shouldn't have said it. It also proves I would not be a good politician," Dimon said in an interview on ABC's "This Week."On Wednesday, Dimon quickly backtracked after saying he could beat Trump in a campaign but not liberal Democrats.Trump had a sharp rejoinder for Dimon on Thursday, saying the JPMorgan chief executive lacked the "smarts" to be president but was otherwise wonderful.Dimon said he ... How to get digital access to the Chieftain Chelsea Clinton: 'As a Deeply Religious Person,' Banning Abortions 'Is UnChristian to Me' Christian Post Contributor | 16 September, 2018 by Stoyan Zaimov Chelsea Clinton has said that, as a "deeply religious person," the idea of America going back to a pre-Roe v. Wade society where abortions were banned is "unChristian." In an interview with SiriusXM's "Signal Boost," on Thursday, Clinton said every day she makes the "moral choice" to be optimistic for her children when it comes to what she says is the battle for women's rights. "That my efforts and my energies, particularly when I'm fortunate enough to be in partnership with fellow travelers, hopefully will make a difference," the activist and former first daughter said. "And when I think about all of the statistics that are painful of what women are confronting today in our country, and what even more women confronted pre-Roe and how many women died and how many more women were maimed because of unsafe abortion practices, we just can't go back to that," Clinton said, referring to the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the country. "Like that's unconscionable to me, and also, I'm sure that this will unleash another wave of hate in my direction, but as a deeply religious person, it's also unChristian to me," she added, referring to her Methodist faith. Clinton added that she has been receiving "a lot of hate" over the issue, and has been compared to slave-owners and Nazis. Several conservative figures, including evangelist Franklin Graham, have recently taken objection to Clinton's continued comments on abortion. Back in August, she spoke at a pro-abortion event "Rise Up for Roe" in New York City against Judge Bret Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. At the event, she seemed to suggest that the ability to have legal abortions has led to economic growth in the U.S. Graham wrote on Facebook that such notions are a "lie," however. "Hitler probably also claimed that killing the Jews would be good for their economy. Legalizing abortion hasn't added anything to our country, it has only taken away. It has cost this nation more than 60 million lives lives precious to God," Graham said. "Just think of the contribution these people would have made. There will be another high cost. I believe God will judge America for allowing the heinous murder of our own children in the womb," he added. Clinton added in a subsequent statement that what she is saying is not that having an abortion is good for the economy, but that women were more likely to enter the workforce due to the legalization of abortion. "From 19731985, American women's deaths from abortion declined 5-fold. Reproductive rights are also about women's economic rights and agency," Clinton tweeted. Read more about Banning Abortions Is UnChristian to Me on The Christian Post. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Christianity provides believers with: (1) the certainty of eternal life in heaven; (2) the calling and the power to live a holy life; and (3) the challenge of suffering persecution at the hands of those who oppose the Gospel. The apostle Paul was in the grip of all three of these compelling dynamics when he wrote his epistle to the Philippians while imprisoned for his faith. The Christians at Philippi were especially close to Paul's heart, as is evident in this personal letter. It is truly an inspired manual for living a vibrant Christian life, and it continues to deliver holy power and divine insight to Catholics, Protestants, and every Christian who meditates upon it. Philippians was addressed "to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons." (1:1) A "saint" is a believer in Jesus whose "citizenship is in heaven." (3:20) Citizens of heaven live on earth for awhile before spending eternity in paradise. No wonder Paul wrote, "We eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body." (3:20,21) Before becoming a Christian, Paul assumed that his religious deeds were the basis of his righteousness before God. But he was sorely mistaken, in spite of his impressive Jewish pedigree. Paul was "circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless." (3:5,6) Everything changed for Paul once he met Christ, and he immediately stopped relying upon the law for salvation. "Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith." (3:7-9) And it was the certainty of his own salvation that led Paul to write, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (1:21) There was no question in Paul's mind that heaven was his eternal home. And he instructed the saints at Philippi to "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling." (2:12) Some have mistakenly thought this verse teaches that the salvation of believers is never fully secure. In fact, it teaches just the opposite. You see, a person cannot "work out his salvation" unless he is already saved. Just as you cannot "work out" and exercise physically unless you are alive, you cannot work out your salvation unless you are forgiven, redeemed, born again, justified and saved. Conversion happens on the front end of a person's relationship with God. Only Christians can work out their salvation, and Christians have already been granted citizenship in heaven through their faith in Christ alone. Believers do not rely upon the law for salvation because "all who rely on observing the law are under a curse." (Galatians 3:10) Paul reminded the saints at Philippi that once they arrive in heaven, Jesus "will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body." (3:21) Notice that Paul said Jesus "will" bring about this transformation for every believer; not, He "might" do it. Eternity in paradise is a certainty for everyone who knows Christ as Savior. A few verses later Paul referred to those "whose names are in the book of life." (4:3) And if your name is in the book of life, you are guaranteed to receive an eternal inheritance in heaven. All believers have their name in the book of life, and are therefore saved, redeemed, born again, justified and forgiven of their sins. (See this article I wrote 6 years ago: "Is Your Name in Heaven's Reservation Book?") Now that we have seen how this epistle stresses the certainty of eternal life in heaven for believers, let's examine how Philippians presents a second element of Christianity; namely, the calling and the power to live a holy life. As Paul reminded the saints at Philippi, this new life was the result of their "partnership in the Gospel." (1:5) Paul knew that the Gospel produces good fruit in the lives of those who accept the message of God's grace into their heart by faith. Paul was also intimately aware of "the obedience that comes from faith." (Romans 1:5) And this is why Catholics, Protestants and every Christian should be taught what Scripture has to say about salvation and about obedience to Christ. Paul wrote, "This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God." (Phil. 1:9-11) While conversion is instantaneous, discipleship is a process. Paul wrote to believers at Philippi to encourage "your progress and joy in the faith." (1:25) Pure doctrine promotes pure living. And Jesus is the author of purity and truth. Therefore, Paul presented this simple instruction to the saints: "Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ." (1:27) This mission includes being "one in spirit and purpose." (2:2) And "do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." (2:3-5) Talk about a high calling! And yet this is exactly what God expects from all of His children, whether a believer identifies as Catholic, Protestant, or with some other moniker. Such labels can actually be very misleading, especially if the person choosing to wear a religious label is not "clothed with Christ" through faith in the Messiah. (Gal. 3:27) Labels don't forgive sins. Only the blood of Jesus has that kind of power. (Eph. 1:7; 1 John 1:7) And when it comes to obedience, Paul wanted every Christian at Philippi to realize that "it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose." (2:13) You see, Jesus is not only the "author and perfecter of our faith," (Heb. 12:2) but He is also the vine who produces good fruit on every branch that is connected to Him. (see John 15:1-8) This is why Christians are to "do everything without complaining or arguing." (Phil 2:14) Just as children in the home need to grow in maturity as they approach their teen years, so also Paul instructed Christians in the church to become "mature" (3:15) in their faith and in their life of discipleship. The unwise alternative for a believer is to remain an "infant in Christ" (1 Cor. 3:1) by persisting in "jealousy and quarreling," (1 Cor. 3:3) as well as other behavior that "grieves the Holy Spirit" (Eph. 4:30) and prevents a child of God from becoming mature in Christ. Instead of engaging in "rage and anger, brawling and slander," (Eph. 4:31) Paul instructed the saints at Philippi to "rejoice in the Lord always" (4:4) and to "let your gentleness be evident to all." (4:5) It's not always easy to choose rejoicing over brawling and gentleness over anger, especially in the heat of the moment. While the Old Testament battles were fought against other people, the frontline for every Christian today is our thought life. And so Paul often addressed the critical need to think straight. After all, straight thinking leads to straight living. Therefore, "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." (Phil. 4:8) It makes all the difference in the world whenever Christians put this profound precept into practice. A pure thought life replaces anxiety with peace. Paul wrote, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (4:6,7) Disciplined believers must not assume, however, that a strong prayer life will remove the possibility of persecution. The third element of Christianity Paul presents in Philippians is the reality that many faithful Christians suffer for their faith. Our Lord was crucified for telling people the truth, and His followers are often treated with similar hatred. Paul was "in chains for Christ" (1:13) when he wrote Philippians, and yet his imprisonment only "served to advance the Gospel." (1:12) As a result of his chains, "most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the Word of God more courageously and fearlessly." (1:14) Paul understood that God's power is often the greatest in our lives as believers when our natural resources are at their lowest ebb. The Lord told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor. 12:9) And this spiritual dynamic led Paul to write: "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings." (Phil. 3:10) The goal for Paul was always to have Christ exalted in his life, and severe hardships had the surprising effect of only lifting Christ higher. Paul reminded those at Philippi: "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for Him." (1:29) Suffering is part and parcel of what it means to follow Christ in many parts of the world today. Paul informed the young pastor, Timothy: "Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2 Timothy 3:12) Why? Well, a big reason is because "many live as enemies of the cross of Christ." (Phil. 3:18) And some enemies of Christ aggressively seek to harm and oppress Christians. In the midst of intense opposition and much personal suffering throughout his ministry, Paul modeled perseverance for the saints at Philippi. And the apostle ended up penning one of the most popular verses in the entire Bible: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Phil. 4:13) This powerful reality in his own life led Paul to proclaim, "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation." (4:12) So now that the secret is out of the bag, what will you and I do in response to God's Word? Will we, like Paul, stand firm in Christ, or will we throw in the towel in the midst of trials and adversities? If you are a Christian, then the book of Philippians is for you. So drink up from the deep well of God's living water as you "press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called you heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 3:14) And always remember: "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6) "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen." (4:23) Other articles in this series: "Galatians for Catholics, Protestants and Every Christian" "Ephesians for Catholics, Protestants and Every Christian" Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment We live in a world of injustice. Murder, theft, racism, abuse, and oppression are all around us, and Evangelical Christians are currently involved in an internal discussion about the best way we should address such injustice in the world, based on our common Christian beliefs. I cannot speak for anyone but myself, but here is what I think are the core biblical truths that should inform any Christian thinking regarding injustice. We believe that the Bible is our supreme authority for all things; the Bible has the ultimate answers for injustice that occurs in our world. First, the Bible teaches that all people are equally made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). All people have descended from the same parents, and thus there is only one racethe human race (Acts 17:26). No matter a person's age, gender, religion, occupation, or ethnicity, every person has equal value and thus must be treated with equal respect and dignity. And the Bible also directly diagnoses the root of injustice: sin. Injustice is any act that violates God's moral law. Since God is holy and righteousness, he requires that all people live righteously, and his perfect justice demands punishment for any violation of his law (Isaiah 13:11). The problem is that the Bible also teaches that "none is righteous, no, not one" (Romans 3:10). All people, regardless of age, gender, religion, occupation, or ethnicity, are sinners by nature, and thus all injustice in this world can be traced to the universal problem of sin. Both of these realities are essential, foundational biblical truths for any discussion of injusticeall people are equally made in God's image, deserving of respect, and all people are equally sinners, deserving of God's just punishment. But the Bible also provides the only solution to injustice: the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ, God's Son, came to earth to satisfy the just demands of God's law and to pay the penalty that sin deserves. The Gospel message is that Christ died for our sins, was buried, was raised on the third day, and appeared to many people (1 Corinthians 15:38). Unreserved trust in this message is "the power of God for salvation" (Romans 1:16). Any person, regardless of age, gender, occupation, or ethnicity, who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved (Acts 16:31). Yet this does not mean that those who trust in Christ alone for their salvation will automatically stop sinning. The Bible teaches that once someone becomes a Christian, he or she then begins a life-long process of fighting sin and seeking to live righteously out of a heart of love and thankfulness for what God has done (Colossians 3:5). The Holy Spirit of God works within the hearts of every Christian, progressively making them more holy, as Christians faithfully study the Bible and actively participate in a local church (Philippians 2:1112). The promise of God is, however, that although sin is still present in this world, even among Christians, one day Jesus will come again and eradicate injustice once and for all (Revelation 21:4). Here is the bottom line: No political party, social strategy, or philosophical system can ultimately solve the reality of injustice in the world. Only freedom from sin by faith in the sacrificial death of Christ alone can produce true justice. This is why I appreciate what was written in the recently published Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel. The authors of that statement attempted to clarify a diagnosis and solution for injustice based on the authority of Scripture alone. I believe that the Statement well articulates that the best way for Christians to combat injustice in the world is through proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is my prayer that such discussions among Christians today will result, not in division among us, but in a renewed motivation to faithfully proclaim the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That message alone is the solution to the world's injustice. Pope tells the Mafia to repent Pope Francis appealed to Sicily's Mafia on Saturday to abandon a life of crime and violence, saying the island needed "men and women of love, not men and women 'of honor,'" using the term mobsters apply to themselves. Francis, in the Sicilian capital, said organized crime members - many of whom go to church and worship openly - "cannot believe in God and be Mafiosi" at the same time. In his appeal, he referred to them as "dear brothers and sisters". He visited Palermo to commemorate Father Giuseppe "Pino" Puglisi, a priest shot dead by Mafia hit men in 1993 because he challenged the organization's control over one of the city's toughest neighborhoods. Puglisi was killed on his 56th birthday during a bloody Mafia offensive against the state and anyone else who threatened the group's existence. Magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino were killed by bombs in Palermo in 1992. "A person who is a Mafioso does not live as a Christian because with his life he blasphemes against the name of God," Francis said in the sermon of a Mass from some 80,000 people in the port area of the Sicilian capital. The Catholic Church in southern Italy has had a checkered history of relations with the mob. Cardinal Ernesto Ruffini, who was archbishop of Palermo from 1945-1967, denied the Mafia's existence, considering communism the Church's biggest threat. "I say to Mafiosi: Change, brothers and sisters! Stop thinking about yourselves and your money ... Convert yourselves to the real God, Jesus Christ, dear brothers and sisters," he said in his dockside sermon. "I say to you, Mafiosi, if you don't do this, your very life will be lost and that will be your greatest defeat," he said. "Today, we need men and women of love, not men and women of honor; men and women of service, not of oppression." Many members of organized crime groups in Italy, such as Sicily's Cosa Nostra and Calabria's Ndrangheta, see themselves as part of a religious, cult-like group, invoking the help of saints for their activities. Particularly in smaller towns and cities in the south, they take part in Catholic sacraments and in some cases have also found complicity by some churchmen. Puglisi refused to play along. With little support by the Church hierarchy in Sicily, he preached against the Mafia from the pulpit of his church in the rough Brancaccio neighborhood, then controlled by the Graviano family. He helped young people in an area with high unemployment avoid the snare of the Mafia, asked parishioners to help police investigations, refused donations from mobsters and banned them from joining traditional religious street processions. Puglisi's murder was ordered by local bosses Filippo and Giuseppe Graviano. The bothers and four men who planned or carried out the killing were convicted in 1998. All but one received life sentences. One of the killers, who later turned state's evidence, said that as Puglisi was dying he said: "I've been expecting you." In 2012, former Pope Benedict decreed that Puglisi died as a martyr in "hatred of the faith," and ordered that he be beatified, the last step before sainthood in the Church. Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Ros Russell Using a device resembling an iPad, engineer Levi Armstrong taps out commands for the robot in front of him, simulating how the machine could pick up and move objects in assembly-line fashion. Then he grips the robot, maneuvering its hand to trace where he wants it to go and what he wants it to do a simple illustration of how robots and humans can work together to accomplish different tasks. The so-called collaborative robot, or cobot, is part of a lab at San Antonio-based Southwest Research Institute designed to help manufacturers figure out how their human workforce and robots can work together to make products. While conventional robots are usually surrounded by cages or gates, walled off from human contact, cobots can work safely alongside people. They tend to be easier to program, cost less and operate at a slower rate than traditional robots, lab officials said. Even their appearance is different: the rounded edges and gentle grippers of the cobots are quite different from the hulking arms and claws of conventional robots. We want to make it easier for people to use and teach robots, said Paul Evans, who directs SwRIs manufacturing technologies department. Thats the goal. There are different types of sensors in the lab, which can be used with the cobots to teach them how to perform more complex tasks, and meeting space for events. Companies can touch and feel the robots and see how they work in person, and SwRI has already hosted workshops and other events at the lab. The launch of the lab, announced in August, was prompted in part by inquiries from customers, Evans said. Theyd heard about a new class of robot and wanted to know whether it was a match for their operations and, if so, how to program and integrate it. SwRI and the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center, or TMAC, are working together to educate manufacturers on the cobots through seminars and other events, and to help companies determine whether a robot is a good fit for their operations. Theres a risk assessment involved to determine what a manufacturers goals are and how they would use the robot, said Matt Robinson, program manager for the ROS-Industrial Consortium Americas at SwRI. For example, a cobot is better suited to lifting bags of coffee and moving them than cutting parts, he said. Then theres the question of which kind of robot with what specifications would work best. The lab also serves as a testing ground for the organizations engineers as they develop software and work on research and client projects, and aids SwRIs work on its robot operating system, or ROS. The system, an open source project, is middleware that enables application development for robots, Robinson explained. SwRI also supports the ROS-Industrial Consortium, an international group of organizations that use ROS software to develop industrial applications. The consortium helps determine the priorities and works with companies to address their needs, Robinson said. You get a better solution when more people contribute, he said. Theres fear that robots will take away jobs, especially as they become more advanced, but Robinson argues that the inverse is true of the cobots. The collaborative robots are intended to work with humans, and as with the engineer maneuvering the robot in the lab, people can use them to ensure variation and perform different tasks, he said. Someone still has to program the robot, Robinson added. Improving education and awareness about the robots among manufacturers is one of the biggest challenges the team faces, Evans said. The robots can also be costly to implement. The price of the robot is one factor, but a manufacturer may need other pieces like a base for it, and they also need to learn how to program it, he explained. As the sector becomes more competitive and the labor market tightens, interest will likely grow, said Bill Rafferty, regional director for TMAC. With better tools you get a more successful economy, he said. miszler@express-news.net | @madisoniszler Story Time Central Green Park, 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd., will host Story Time at 10 a.m. Sept. 17 with author Maria Ashworth. The program is open to ages infant to 8 years old. Visit www.mariaashworth.com for information. Sept. 18 Katy Area Democrats The Katy Area Democrats, a social and political club, will meet at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at El Rancho Mexican Restaurant, 17754 Katy Freeway, Suite B, Houston. Katy VFW to honor POW/MIA On Tuesday, Sept.18, at 11:30 a.m., Katy Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9182 will present a short ceremony honoring comrades who never returned, the prisoners of war and the missing in action. The program will be at the JCI Grill, 740 S. Mason Road, Katy. The post will present the Missing Man Table and the public is invited. For information, email commander@vfw9182.com or call 281-391-8387. Katy Area EDC general meeting The general assembly meeting of the Katy Area Economic Development Council will be at Memorial Hermann Katy, 23900 Katy Freeway, in Tiger A&B Conference Rooms on the first flood of the West Tower on Sept. 18. Networking and socializing will be from 8 to 8:30 a.m. with the meeting starting at 8:30 a.m. A light complimentary breakfast will be provided. The presenters will be Katy Cares and Heath Rushing of Memorial Hermann Katy. Admission is free. Visit https://katyedc.z2systems.com/np/clients/katyedc/event.jsp?event=1593 to register. Email info@katyedc.org or visit www.katyedc.org for more information. A man was shot in the face inside his car late Saturday in northwest Houston, according to police. The violence broke out around 9:30 p.m. after an argument in the parking lot of the Willowbrook Point apartments in the 14100 block of Tomball Parkway. As people passed Alex Betsills booth at NRG Center on Saturday, many could name exactly what he was selling: ocarinas, an ancient instrument that may date back 12,000 years. How do they know? Legend of Zelda, of course. The ubiquitous video game series featured the instrument in 1998s Ocarina of Time for Nintendo 64. Superfans and less-passionate onlookers alike strolled the aisles of Fandemic Tours weekend takeover of the NRG convention hall, where they shopped for collectibles inspired by sci-fi, video games or comic books in between meet-and-greets with actors from The Walking Dead and Guardians of the Galaxy and events such as Just Add Zombies and Hamilton Sing-a-long. Vendors were at the ready, selling lightsabers, signed Captain America shields, action figures, posters and even rare, handmade musical instruments. Its a full-time job, said Betsill, who lives in Dallas and was in Salt Lake City last week for a fan convention. He travels to up to 36 conventions and renaissance fairs a year, making his living firing, painting and selling ocarinas and other instruments. Betsill has been playing Legend of Zelda since the mid-1980s, when the series debuted, but now he spends more time making the instruments. Each takes about a week to make, but 20 can be finished per day. Amanda Vanderbeek makes her art by hand, too, but it wasnt for sale. The 23-year-old Bellaire woman makes costumes 62 and counting for her service dog, Merly, to wear to conventions as they walk together. Merly, known on Instagram to almost 17,000 followers as @thecosplaydog, was invited to Fandemic as a celebrity guest less than three years after Vanderbeek attended her first fan convention, Comicpalooza. More Information Fandemic When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday Where: NRG Center, 1 NRG Park Details: $40-$50 for day passes, fandemictour.com See More Collapse I thought, OK, Ill go check it out and see if anyone is selling Magneto artwork, she said. And thats when I started. I was like, Oh, people dress up? I didnt know. I mean, I like Halloween. Together, the duo has been to more than a dozen conventions. Cosplaying, or dressing up like popular characters, was common at all of them. Fans crowded around Merlys booth on Saturday, hoping to give a few head scratches to the dog-turned-Batman. She was curled up alongside Vanderbeeks other dog, a miniature dachshund named Kirby, who was attending her first convention as Rob-ween. The costumes, while fun to make, serve another purpose for Vanderbeek: to help her get out of her shell. When Im in my regular clothes, I cant talk to people, she said. When Im all dressed up with an outfit on, a mask on and contacts in, no one really knows what I look like, and I feel more comfortable. Another photo-op-ready guest at Fandemic was the Jurassic Park Jeep on display, surrounded by faux 10,000 volt fencing. Its a work in progress, but fans still paid $10 to be photographed inside the car, owned by Houstonian Victor Portillo, 32. Its a celebrity, he said. Youre driving the Jeep and seeing everybody waving and smiling and taking pictures. Its quite an adventure. Portillo said he always loved the dinosaur movies and played with Jurassic Park toys as a kid. In high school, he customized and swapped parts in his Honda with other mechanic-minded teenagers. And as an adult, he realized he could make the movie come to life. It started with something simple. Ill buy a Jeep, paint it, and thats it, Portillo said. And then I met others a group of enthusiasts called the Jurassic Park Motor Pool. And its a global Jurassic Park building group. Once I found out that theres more people obsessed with this, it just snowballed. His first custom Jeep sold for around $25,000, but he only recently broke even after gutting the inside of the 1992 model. Portillo said he plans to continue making custom Jeeps, especially now that he has discovered a market for his cars and all the gear is ready in his garage, waiting for a new project. He also loves visiting conventions he tries to attend any within a five-hour drive of Houston. Its just meeting different people who share the same passion, he said. Theres a big group for it, but my friends arent into the movies that much, so its not like I can sit there and geek out with them. emily.burleson@chron.com Three men are behind bars after a shootout in the parking lot of a Harris County club on the Eastex Freeway. One man was waiting in a getaway car as two others were allegedly burglarizing a vehicle at the Stampede Houston when a witness, who knew the owner of the car, tried to stop them. John Donaho / John Donaho Cullinan Park Conservancy invites photographers of all levels to submit photos to its annual photo contest, underwritten by Johnson Development Corp. The contest is in conjunction with the conservancys second annual fundraising event, the Picnic for the Park luncheon, presented by Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital, on Friday, Oct. 19, at River Pointe Church in Richmond. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo isn't one to dawdle: On his most recent trip abroad he spent just three hours in Pakistan and 24 in India before heading home. Now he's applying the same impatience to staffing up a State Department hobbled by vacancies and shattered morale. As he rushes to fill key openings, the former CIA director is trying to rebrand his department with an image more to his liking -- and more likely to appeal to his boss, President Donald Trump. Instead of overseeing a corps of cautious and cerebral diplomats, Pompeo boasts on social media that he's leading the "Department of Swagger." Since his confirmation at the end of April, the administration has put forward 57 nominees for ambassadors and senior State Department posts, of whom 28 have been confirmed so far. Overall, 51 State Department nominees are pending in the Senate, according to the department, as Pompeo tries to reverse some of the cuts made under his predecessor, Rex Tillerson. "Foreign Service officers seem to be breathing a sigh of relief that the building feels like it's returning to some degree of normalcy," said Dan Feldman, a former State Department special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. "The feeling seems akin to PTSD, where recovery may have started and seems promising, but with the recognition that it will take many years of intense focus and resources to rectify the harm already done by this administration's evisceration of the building." One of Trump's most trusted aides, Pompeo has the clout to get many of his choices for vacancies approved at the White House. He has led the on-and-off talks with North Korea and laid out the administration's confrontational approach to Iran. In an administration riven by high turnover, Pompeo has worked to reverse the hollowing out that occurred at astonishing speed during Tillerson's 13-month tenure. In some cases, Pompeo is moving so fast -- he says he wants his "team on the field" -- that his new hires don't even have formal titles yet. So it was with Zalmay Khalilzad, the former ambassador to Iraq and Afghanistan who joined Pompeo on the recent trip to Pakistan even though his security and financial vetting wasn't yet complete. A reporter asked if Khalilzad, whom Pompeo wants to oversee Afghan reconciliation efforts, was taking the long-standing post of special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. "I don't know," Pompeo said. "Actually, I want to say no." Not all the jobs are top-tier positions in the diplomatic pecking order, but they are filling gaps that had been occupied by acting or deputy officials. Among the nominations for ambassadorial jobs in recent months are posts in Benin, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Mozambique, Togo, Ecuador and Gambia. Pompeo has made very public efforts to appeal to the diplomatic corps that Tillerson disdained, including by appointing career diplomats David Hale and Michael McKinley to senior jobs. McKinley, named a senior counselor, has been installed in the chief of staff's office next to Pompeo's. But critics argue those are exceptions rather than the norm. The American Foreign Service Association said that as of Sept. 11, only one of the department's 15 assistant secretaries had been drawn from the ranks of currently serving Foreign Service officers. The talent field available to Pompeo is constrained because many Foreign Service officers with decades of experience left the department under Tillerson's watch, which ended when Trump dismissed him in a tweet. "You have very few people who have ever actually made foreign policy working with foreigners," said Ronald Neumann, president of the American Academy of Diplomacy. "You have lots of people who have knowledge of foreign policy issues but no knowledge how to execute it." Some of Pompeo's moves have been greeted with skepticism. In a May 15 note to staff titled "Getting Our Team on the Field," Pompeo lifted a much-despised hiring freeze, while also making clear that staffing would be capped at levels from December 2017. That date kept a squeeze on the department because it was at the height of the freeze, when many offices had already been emptied out. Pompeo's choices for staffing include a number of loyalists. Two are friends and former business partners he met at West Point who have followed him through his career. He's also circumventing the confirmation process by naming special envoys for some of the most pressing foreign policy issues, such as the Syria crisis, Iran and North Korea as well as the Afghanistan post. Tillerson had won praise in some quarters by paring back the proliferation of such special envoys under the Obama administration. At times, Pompeo has shown a willingness to buck the White House. He named James Jeffrey as his envoy to Syria even though Jeffrey had committed what's usually considered a cardinal sin in the administration: He'd signed a letter during the 2016 presidential campaign saying that Trump "lacks the character, values and experience to be president." Then there's Pompeo's "swagger" campaign on Twitter and Instagram. His new Instagram account features a seal labeled "Department of Swagger" encircling a photo of Pompeo fist-bumping a State Department employee. "Shakespeare was the first to use 'swagger,"' the post says. "Gen. Patton had his swagger stick. At @statedept, we've got some #swagger too. It's our confidence in America's values." The #swagger initiative has been met with ridicule on social media and cynicism among some State Department staff, who see it as more public relations than diplomacy. "You may have gotten eye rolls but people in the field love it," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said. "He brings it up at every town hall and colleagues cheer. I'll take a secretary who aims to inspire over one who leaves colleagues feeling disheartened any day." From gourmet cupcakes and cronuts to on-demand delivery and instant order fulfillment, customers are always onto the next new and exciting thing. In order to compete, it may seem like you need to constantly reinvent yourself, but thats just not true. There are ways to make impactful changes that resonate with your customers without starting from scratch. Related: 5 Simple Adjustments That Bring In High-End Clients Consistently Refresh your space. The appearance of your business can make a huge impact on customers. The good news is, simple, low-cost changes to your space can make all the difference. To start, clean the clutter and maximize your space. If you have a retail space, look at the flow of your store to see how customers interact. For established businesses, its possible youve been operating in the same space, in the same way for decades. But, with the spread of technology and changes in customer expectations, its critical to change with the times or be left in the dust. Rearranging your space or simplifying your brick-and-mortar store can change the perception of a customer in a positive way and even be the change that brings in new customers. At The UPS Store, we are testing a new concept store with more technology and a customer-focused experience to create a one-stop shop for small-business owners. The store itself has been years in the making, including research and feedback from franchise owners, customers and even non-customers. Related: How to Make Your Rebrand Boring (In a Good Way) Consider your retail appearance. Could it do with a sprucing up? Ive found that something as simple as adding color to your current palette can help you stand out. Customers notice small changes, and updating your space can provide a nice boost to morale and energy in your business. Its also important to not neglect your online presence. A simple refresh to a website, such as new color, font or imagery can bring new life to the same webpage people are used to seeing. Remember, everything the customer touches and feels leaves an impact. Revitalize your people. Employees are often the first touchpoint for customers and they send a message about your business. Are you giving them the tools for continued success? Providing ongoing training and professional development opportunities can make a huge impact. It not only helps keep them motivated and energetic about your business, it can also teach them new skills that benefit you both. Dont forget first impressions are critical and the way they look can be impactful. A refresh in uniform can boost employee morale and help them look more professional, which can positively impact your customers impression of your business. Related: 5 Branding Tips If You're an Entrepreneur on a Budget Revive the discussion. How you talk about your business is just as important as how it looks. But, even more critical is how your customers are talking about your business. Are your marketing materials stale? Do they provide the information customers need? Making changes can revive customer interest, but dont be afraid of big, bold changes either. We recently launched a new ad campaign called "Beyond Shipping" to show customers all of the services our company provides -- in addition to packing and shipping -- that they might not have known about previously. For us, its a big idea that we hope will open our customers up to new experiences within our stores. Implementing even small changes can make a big impact on your business without having to start over. Related: Refreshing Your Brand Doesn't Mean Starting Over Haz un logotipo ganador, te decimos como! How to Charm Rejected Applicants Into Being Brand Ambassadors Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved By the summer of 1986, 26-year-old Michael Reading had heard the stories about Newark Archbishop Theodore McCarrick and his beach house in Sea Girt, New Jersey. So when he was invited for a barbecue and overnight stay at the beach house with McCarrick and a handful of fellow students from Seton Hall's Immaculate Conception Seminary, he began to strategize. He would accept the invitation - he couldn't afford not to - but he would be smart about it. Reading recounted his experience to me last week, after we were connected by another former seminarian from Immaculate Conception, Father Desmond Rossi, who says McCarrick inappropriately touched him as well. McCarrick stands accused of sexual abuse and harassment by several former seminarians, two of whom have received settlements from the church, and others, including Reading, who are telling their stories publicly for the first time. Rossi, like Reading, recalled a culture of fear and avoidance surrounding McCarrick that forced the seminarians and young priests to choose between their vocations and their safety. McCarrick has not commented on the allegations by the seminarians; representatives for McCarrick declined to comment on this article. It's a calculation nobody should have to make. Already, the outcry stirred by recent allegations that Pope Francis ignored long-standing complaints about former cardinal McCarrick seems to be fading, perhaps because the majority of claims about McCarrick's alleged sexual misconduct involve adults, not children. But the seminarians' allegations against McCarrick demand clear and sustained attention: Any Christian familiar with the tortured body of Christ on the cross should know that adults can suffer, too. Around the same time Reading was formulating an evasion plan for a day at the beach with the archbishop, Father Boniface Ramsey was settling into his first year as a faculty member at Immaculate Conception. Ramsey, then 41, said he was instantly wary of the avuncular, warmly familiar McCarrick. McCarrick "visited the seminary often," Ramsey told me, "which was normal. There were a lot of seminarians, and he was proud of it." But McCarrick's demeanor made Ramsey ill at ease. "He used nicknames," Ramsey said, "even if he didn't know you so well. He called me Bonny. It was an almost unconscious exercise of power. ... It felt condescending." But knowing McCarrick - or at least, being known to him - was critical at Immaculate Conception, where the archbishop could choose who was ordained and who was not, and how their careers would unfold. Those circumstances didn't favor Reading, who was naturally shy. In his first three years at Seton Hall's college seminary, Reading lived at home in nearby Elizabeth, New Jersey, with his mother. During the fall of 1981, however, the junior seminary rector all but demanded he move into St. Andrew's College Seminary for his fourth and final year. "'We don't really know who you are,' " Reading recalls him saying. The experience made Reading especially self-conscious about seeming distant or withdrawn as he moved on to Immaculate Conception, Seton Hall's senior seminary. So when McCarrick first addressed his small class of would-be priests in May 1986, warning, according to Reading, "I'm not going to ordain anyone I don't know well" - he took it to heart. The archbishop's invitation that summer came in the form of a phone call from the archbishop's office. Reading agreed but resolved not to spend the night. He came up with an excuse for leaving early - some obligation back home - and arrived with only his swimsuit, towel and a few personal items for a post-beach shower. Reading was taking something of a risk by walking out on McCarrick's get-together early. "There was a mixture of repulsion and pride," at being approached by McCarrick, Ramsey quickly deduced through conversations with students. Nobody wanted, as far as Ramsey could determine, to risk being maneuvered into close physical proximity with McCarrick. "But there were career reasons," he explained, "and seminarians were very much under the gun, always being evaluated. They all knew the score: If the archbishop asks you, you just do it." After the barbecue, Reading said, McCarrick and his guests decided to head to the beach. The archbishop began steering guests on where to change into their swimsuits, ushering them into bathrooms and bedrooms. Reading says McCarrick directed him to what he thought must be the house's master bedroom and followed him in, closing the door behind them. "I knew he was in the room," Reading told me, "But he wasn't saying anything. He just stood there." Reading remembers placing his bag down on a sofa under a window and slowly retrieving his swimsuit and towel, laying them out with deliberate hesitation. "I assumed he would leave," Reading said. "I kept thinking he would leave." Reading realized that McCarrick wasn't going to leave. "I didn't know what to do," Reading admitted. "I just thought - there's nothing I can do." Wordlessly, Reading changed into his bathing suit, with his back to the archbishop. McCarrick then returned downstairs with him, he said. He recalls that McCarrick told the seminarians to go ahead to the shore, saying he would catch up with them later. Reading was quietly stunned on the walk to the beach. It was cool and overcast, not ideal for swimming. Reading lay facedown on his beach towel, hoping to catch a little sun. Eventually, Reading says, McCarrick appeared, dressed in shorts and a polo shirt. He sat near Reading as the young men began to joke about going for a swim, teasing the archbishop that he ought to take a dip. McCarrick laughed along with them, Reading recalls. "Then he slid his hand down the back of my swimsuit, and said, 'You're dry.' " McCarrick's hand rested there, on the bare skin of his buttocks, under the fabric of his swimsuit, Reading told me. "I was dumbfounded. I was frozen. I didn't know what to do or say," Reading told me. And then, sounding defeated: "I let it go." He didn't report the incident at the time; nor did he mention it to close family members until recently, when details of McCarrick's alleged sexual misconduct began to make headlines. McCarrick ordained Reading on Nov. 22, 1986. By October 1993, at age 33, Reading was no longer a practicing priest. He earned a master's degree in counseling from the University of Memphis and began working in mental-health care. It wasn't that he wanted to quit, he said. It was just that his experience with McCarrick weighed on him and accentuated the sting of every instance in which he felt neglected, abandoned or devalued by his superiors in the church. "I feel like the priesthood was taken away from me," Reading insists, melancholy now, when former parishioners find him on Facebook and praise him for his positive role in their lives. "And I loved what I did." For his part, Ramsey says he tried, over the years, to tip off church authorities about McCarrick's behavior. He says he spoke to the late Archbishop Thomas Kelly of Louisville about McCarrick in 1993 and wrote a similar letter to the apostolic nuncio in Washington, D.C., in 2000, and then another, to Cardinal Sean O'Malley, in 2015. Though he sent his letter to the nuncio in 2000, he received only an oblique acknowledgment that Vatican officials had received and read it in 2006, the year McCarrick retired. O'Malley, who is president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors,has said he did not see Ramsey's letter at the time; instead, O'Malley's priest secretary replied to Ramsey saying that, since the incidents cited did not involve minors, they fell outside the commission's purview. (O'Malley announced earlier this month that he will now begin reviewing all letters sent to his office related to the commission or containing any abuse allegations.) The Vatican did not remove McCarrick from public ministry until this June, when a review board in the archdiocese of New York found allegations he had touched a minor's genitals during a cassock fitting to be "credible and substantiated." McCarrick issued a statement at that time maintaining his innocence. He has since been accused of sexual abuse by another person who was a minor at the time. But what of the alleged abuse of adults? Adult men make less instantly sympathetic victims than children, and the alleged incidents involving McCarrick are less headline-grabbingly horrifying than the episodes revealed by Pennsylvania's recent grand jury report. But the church has more than a duty to ensure that minors aren't victimized and should be sensitive to the fact that, where religious authority is exploited, the effects of sexual abuse can be especially devastating, as in Reading's case. No person ought to be molested in the Catholic Church, and no such crime should go unprosecuted by religious or civil authorities. The only hope for victims and the lay faithful is a self-sacrificial act of repentant transparency: Vatican officials and American prelates close to McCarrick ought to open the archbishop's file to the public, defrock any clergy found to have aided or abetted incidents of abuse and do so before the 88-year-old simply passes away in seclusion. After all that corrupt clergy have taken, the truth is so little to ask. Bruenig is an opinion columnist at the Washington Post. CLEVELAND, Ohio - For someone else to live, someone has to die. It's the cruel reality of organ transplantation, a process that has saved the lives of 312 people in Northeast Ohio so far this year. Johanna Henz, a 44-year-old Beachwood resident, is one of those people now breathing a second life because of a 24-year-old woman's donation of her lungs. "I'm sitting in ICU thinking, 'Please, please, please let me get some lungs,' Henz said of her illness. "But someone has to die. It's emotionally loaded." Henz received her new lungs in June, after fighting for her life for six weeks. Once her team of doctors decided she was a candidate for a lung transplant, she had new lungs within the week. Such a quick match hasn't always been possible. Because of the opioid epidemic that's gripped Ohio, the number of organ donors has been rising, providing a second chance at life for recipients in need. In Northeast Ohio, 26 percent of organ donors, or 40 people, died from an overdose last year, a number that's been steadily climbing. According to Lifebanc, in 2012, only 7 percent, or eight donors, were overdose victims. "It's the only positive part of a horrible, horrible trend we've seen with this whole opioid epidemic ... out of something so horrible, a silver lining," said Dr. Marie Budev, an osteopathic doctor and medical director of the Cleveland Clinic's lung transplant program. Leaving a legacy of life Jordan Daus of Bainbridge died from a heroin overdose Nov. 13, 2014. She was 18. A high school swimmer, a four-year member of choir at Kenston High School, a high-spirited girl who considered herself a free spirit, Jordan started using marijuana recreationally. In high school, she took prescription drugs like Xanax that she and her friends took from their parents. She struggled with anxiety and depression, with fitting in, and used drugs to self-medicate, her mother Lynne Daus said. Jordan's sister, MaKenna, mom and friends gather Sept. 9 at the cemetery where Jordan is buried to mark what would have been Jordan's 22nd birthday. (Courtesy of Lynne Daus) In her senior year, some classmates were caught smoking marijuana. Jordan was with them. She was suspended and willingly entered New Directions, a local substance-abuse treatment center for young adults. She wanted to enter residential care but insurance denied it, so she attended support group meetings on her own and became sober. Jordan graduated high school. That fall, she relapsed, introduced to snorting heroin by a boyfriend. On the night of Nov. 10, her first day at Glenbeigh Outpatient Center, a drug addiction treatment facility she voluntarily entered, Jordan fatally overdosed. "We'll never quite know what happened that night, why she chose to do that that night," Daus said. "She knew she had a problem. She was working on it." When it became clear that Jordan would not recover, that she had suffered a neurological death, or brain death, her family immediately knew what she would have wanted. Daus had worked as an administrative assistant for former Cleveland Clinic heart surgeon Dr. Gonzalo Gonzalez-Stawinski, a well-known doctor known as Gonzo, and the family had talked openly about organ donation. Daus knew without a doubt that Jordan would want to help others, even after she could no longer help herself. Two days later, the Daus family said goodbye to their daughter, their sister, their friend, outside the doors of an operating room. "She was still breathing with a machine, and you say goodbye and go home. It was a very difficult process but we we're so happy we made that choice," Daus said. In the end, Jordan was able to save four lives. She donated her heart, her liver, her pancreas and her right kidney to four men on the organ waiting list. "Can you just imagine what someone is going to feel when they get that call?" Daus said. "I saw that hope and faith and waiting, waiting for someone to save their life." After an overdose, a victim typically dies from brain death, leaving the rest of the body healthy enough for organ transplantation, Budev said. And victims are typically young, in their 20s and 30s, she said. "These patients have great lung, cardiac, kidney and liver function and can donate several organs," Budev said. And, thanks to new medications, even those infected with Hepatitis C, a disease typically contracted by sharing needles, can now donate organs. While most of these organs are given to recipients with hepatitis, they can be transplanted into other patients who accept them. Other new technologies have also helped expand the donor pool, both for overdose victims and those who die from other causes. Dr. Cristiano Quintini, a liver transplant surgeon at the Clinic, recently developed an ex vivo organ perfusion device that not only can preserve organs outside of the body, but also can test organs for function and viability. "Because of that they're able to see a little bit more about the functioning of the organs that they couldn't tell from the patient," said Heather Mekesa, chief clinical officer at Lifebanc, the organ and tissue recovery organization for Northeast Ohio. All in all, the number of people who donated organs in Lifebanc's 20-county region of Northeast Ohio increased 31 percent from 2012 to 2017. Last year, 155 people in the area donated 473 organs, saving 418 lives. Every donor matters Even now, 1,642 people in Northeast Ohio alone remain on the waiting list for new organs, Lifebanc says, and the population is aging. Across the state, 2,910 people are waiting, and nationally, 114,311, as of Sept. 11. "For me, if we have one more donor than last year, that's an impact. If that was your loved one waiting for an organ, that one organ makes all the difference in that family's life," Mekesa said. "Every one of those numbers is someone's family." Seven weeks after her double lung transplant, Johanna Henz was able to walk without the use of a cane. (Courtesy of Johanna Henz) Daus has heard from two of the men saved by her daughter's organs. One gives thanks to Jordan every morning and evening with his wife and even sometimes visits the cemetery where she is buried. "The system failed Jordan. She didn't get a second chance, but she left a huge legacy," Daus said. "There were families that were given Christmases and Thanksgivings and birthdays." The circumstances of Henz' lung donor's death aren't public but she doesn't take the gift of life for granted. She wants to honor the woman whose lungs she now holds close to her heart. She plans to start volunteering with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, as well as Lifebanc. "The only reason we're able to do what we do is because of donor families," Budev said. "If it weren't for that fact, [Henz] wouldn't be here today, and many of my other patients wouldn't be here today." Topical issues of interaction in the format of the Eurasian Economic Union, as well as joint measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 and mitigate the consequences of the pandemic for the economies of the two countries were considered. Darya Klammer Two local lawyers, Darya Klammer of Concord Township in Lake County and former state Rep. Matt Lynch of Bainbridge Township in Geauga County, are competing for an 11th Ohio District Court of Appeals judgeship beginning Feb. 9. The court hears appeals from Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Portage and Trumbull counties. Klammer, a Mentor Municipal Court magistrate, clawed her way onto the Nov. 6 ballot by garnering at least 50 votes as a Democratic write-in in May. Lynch won the Republican primary by defeating sitting Judge Colleen Mary O'Toole - winning in every county in the district. Klammer, 48, a former president of the Lake County bar, helping her garner a solid 88 percent favorable rating by Lake County lawyers in a poll prior to the primary, said that among her goals is making court processes clearer for people and to promote new ways to resolve disputes - via mediation, for example. Klammer said she typically presents "ordinary people" and that her experience as a magistrate, and the varied cases in her private practice, have prepared her well for the Court of Appeals. Lynch, 67, said he has a passion to serve the public and, if elected, would be "guided by the wisdom of our Founding Fathers." Lynch singled out for praise the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and current Justice Neal Gorsuch for strict construction of the U.S. Constitution. Lynch said each jurist has "correctly rejected the concept that our Constitution was a 'living' document subject to change at the whim of the court." But the appellate court is a forum to resolve cases based on the law and constitution, not to debate philosophy. Klammer, with a thoughtful approach and wide-ranging legal resume, is the better choice. Voters should elect Darya Klammer to the 11th Ohio District Court of Appeals. Early in-person and absentee voting for the Nov. 6 election begins Oct. 10. For more resources on judicial races in Ohio, consult Judicial Votes Count at the University of Akron and the League of Women Voters' voters' guide. Former state Rep. Matt Lynch, winner of the Republican primary for the 11th Ohio District Court of Appeals Feb. 9 term, now faces on the Nov. 6 ballot Democrat Darya Klammer, an expert on family law and past president of the Lake County Bar Association, who serves as a Mentor Municipal Court magistrate. Klammer made history in the Ohio primary by managing to get enough votes as a judicial write-in candidate to earn a place on the November ballot. (She needed 50 votes; she got 4,182.) The two candidates were interviewed Sept. 4, 2018 by the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer as part of its endorsement process. Listen to full audio of the interview below: About our editorials: Editorials express the view of the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer -- the senior leadership and editorial-writing staff. As is traditional, editorials are unsigned and intended to be seen as the voice of the news organization. Have something to say about this topic? * Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication. * Email general questions about our editorial board or comments on this editorial to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com. * Use the comments to share your thoughts. Then, stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the "Follow" option at the top of the comments, & look for updates via the small blue bell in the lower right as you look at more stories on cleveland.com. Mary Jane Trapp Seeking an 11th Ohio District Court of Appeals judgeship for a term beginning Feb. 10 are two lawyers in private practice, one of them a former judge of the court, which hears appeals from Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Portage and Trumbull counties. The Republican nominee is Casey O'Brien, of Jefferson, whose law office is in Chardon. The Democratic nominee is Mary Jane Trapp, of Russell Township, a former appellate judge and member of Cleveland's Thrasher, Dinsmore & Dolan law firm. O'Brien, 43, said the appeals court "needs the perspective of someone with a busy life, similar to the [appellate district's] voters." He said he'd strive to modernize procedures, including easing participation of "pro se" litigants - people representing themselves. Trapp, if she's elected, said she'd work to foster confidence in the courts through clearly written opinions and would push for a fully electronic docket to reduce litigant costs, promote transparency and provide easy access to court records. Trapp, 62, served as president of the Ohio State Bar Association in 2001 and was elected a judge of the 11th District court in 2006, serving through 2012, when she was unseated by Republican Colleen Mary O'Toole. O'Brien is a thoughtful and substantial candidate. He should continue his quest for a judgeship. But Trapp's insights and experiences, her earlier appeals court service, and her leadership within the legal profession make her the preferred candidate. Voters should elect Mary Jane Trapp to the 11th Ohio District Court of Appeals on the Nov. 6 ballot. Early in-person and absentee voting for the Nov. 6 election begins Oct. 10. For more resources on judicial races in Ohio, consult Judicial Votes Count at the University of Akron and the League of Women Voters' voters' guide. Retiring 11th Ohio District Court of Appeals Judge Diane V. Grendell wanted her seat abolished when she steps down next February. It's not happening. Instead, Mary Jane Trapp, a former administrative and presiding judge of the Trumbull County-based appeals court, is running to rejoin the court, which also hears appeals from Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake and Portage counties. She is opposed by Casey O'Brien of Ibold & O'Brien in Chardon. He started practicing law in 2000 and and lists a varied general practice. The two candidates were interviewed Sept. 11, 2018 by the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer as part of its endorsement process. Listen to full audio of the endorsement interview below: About our editorials: Editorials express the view of the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer -- the senior leadership and editorial-writing staff. As is traditional, editorials are unsigned and intended to be seen as the voice of the news organization. Have something to say about this topic? * Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication. * Email general questions about our editorial board or comments on this editorial to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com. * Use the comments to share your thoughts. Then, stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the "Follow" option at the top of the comments, & look for updates via the small blue bell in the lower right as you look at more stories on cleveland.com. A woman who accuses Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of forcing himself on her during a high school party in the early 1980s has come forward publicly for the first time, detailing the allegation to The Washington Post, which published her story Sunday. Speaking to the publication, Christine Blasey Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University in California, alleges that Kavanaugh, then a student at Georgetown Preparatory School in Maryland, entered a room drunk, pinned her to a bed, and groped her over her clothing. Kavanaugh then attempted to undress her while he and his classmate, Mark Judge, both laughed "maniacally," she said. She claimed that when she tried to scream, Kavanaugh covered her mouth. Ford also told the Post she was concerned that Kavanaugh "might inadvertently kill me. He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing." Kavanaugh has flatly denied assaulting anyone. Ford originally hesitated to tell her story, and did not discuss it with anyone until 2012, when she relayed the encounter to a therapist, the newspaper said. Those session notes were viewed by a Post reporter but could not be verified immediately by CNBC. She decided to come forward now, according to the article, because she wanted to be the one to tell her own story. Ford engaged a prominent D.C. attorney, Debra Katz, who advised her to take a polygraph test in order to rebuff criticism of her if she came forward. The results of the test, which she took in early August, indicated that Ford was being truthful, according to Post. At least one Republican member of the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Jeff Flake, told the Post on Sunday that Ford "must be heard" and urged the panel not to vote on Kavanaugh's nomination until it can hear from her. Republicans hold only an 11-10 majority on the committee, so Flake's vote could make a difference. The committee has completed its hearings on Kavanaugh and plans to vote on Thursday on his nomination to the lifetime position. A positive vote would set up a debate following by a vote in the full Senate. Many of the trade issues on which U.S. President Donald Trump is now focusing have been concerns for numerous White House administrations, according to Michael Froman, who served as U.S. Trade Representative under former President Barack Obama. Froman, now Mastercard's vice chairman and president for strategic growth, discussed the current state of global trade with CNBC on Saturday at the annual Singapore Summit. Although he offered some advice for Trump's team, he emphasized that the current administration is trying to tackle "longstanding trade issues." "Different administrations have had different approaches I was part of another administration that had a somewhat different approach but certainly some of the underlying concerns about subsidies, about [intellectual property] theft, about forced technology transfer, those are longstanding issues that a number of administrations have been concerned about," he said. On Trump's tactics, Froman was diplomatic: "He certainly has a very distinct approach to trade, and it's something that he's had a longstanding view on, long before he ran for president," he said. "I think the rest of the world is paying attention to that." Asked what advice he would offer to those currently engaged in the process of shaping global trade policy, Froman emphasized international collaboration and discussion. "I think we are most influential vis-a-vis China when we are part of a broad-based coalition of other developed and developing countries, and I think the administration has started to reach out and work with the EU and Japan vis-a-vis China, and I think broadening that out to include other major emerging economies could be helpful as well," he said. The global nature of financial markets is under a "fair amount" of pressure because regulation is now more national than before, according to the group chief of Standard Chartered. CEO Bill Winters said the natural response to the global financial crisis from a decade ago was for countries to withdraw into themselves as far as regulation was concerned. "So, the markets are still very global, corporations are very global, trade is still strong and growing, but the way the markets are regulated is more national than was the case before the crisis," he told CNBC at the annual Singapore Summit. Despite efforts from central bankers and other regulators to work with each other, it's become "pretty clear" that the flow of money has become fragmented, and that the rise of protectionism and nationalism would further delay the recovery in the global financial system, he added. As far as trade tensions go, Winters said there has not been any material impact so far, even after the U.S. and China imposed tariffs on $50 billion of each other's goods. Still, the concern remains that the trade spat could escalate and spread beyond just a U.S.-China bilateral issue, which would then have an economic impact, he said. "I'd say there's a little bit of fear, or lack of confidence, that's causing people to hold back on investments in particular, investments that would further complicate global supply chains," Winters said. But the situation could escalate: The U.S. is considering tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods for which a public comment period expired earlier this month. President Donald Trump raised the stakes further when he said he's ready to hit China with another $267 billion in tariffs. For its part, Beijing warned that it would retaliate. The impact of a potential $200 billion worth of tariffs on China would depend on how supply chains adjust, according to Winter. If the global supply chain starts to circumvent the Chinese market altogether because tariffs make it too expensive, then that would "certainly have a knock-on consequence for trade between China and the rest of Asia, given how interlinked the supply chains are between China and its neighbors," he said. Similar to other business leaders who have voiced their concerns about tariffs, Winters said he hoped that the two countries would be able to settle their dispute through cooperation, rather than confrontation, with basic agreements on establishing the roots of free and fair trade. That said, Winters told CNBC his biggest concern was that the trade dispute was eroding the role of the World Trade Organization. "As flawed as the WTO framework is, and it is flawed, it needs continual renewal, it is a multilateral framework to resolve exactly the kind of disputes that are being fought through right now," he said. 10 amazing dining deals for students in Singapore Do you eat to live or live to eat ? I definitely live to eat ! Students like us spend almost half their budget trying new food or just eating out all the time. But is it possible to save money and yet still enjoy the delicacies around Singapore? With students perks, it is! Read on to find out how. From pizza to black pepper chicken, here are some of the amazing student discounts on food around Singapore! 1. Yellow submarine Photo courtesy: Yellow Sub Fun and yellow cheese oozing from the fun and yellow submarines! Famous among the youngsters for its 5.90$ Hokkaido cheese toast, this restaurant gives a chance to students to grab a fulfilling sub for only $6.90! Located - All outlets 2) 20 percent off at Wings Zone Photo courtesy: Wings Zone Calling students who absolutely love chicken wings - head to Wings Zone at Bugis+ and try out their super tempting menu. From the fire spicy to the sweet side, name the flavour and they have it. They also offer burgers and salads, so dig in and relish on some great food all week Located - Bugis+ 3) 30 percent off at Baja Fresh Photo courtesy: Baja Fresh Burritos, Tacos, Fajitas or Quesadillas! Get 10 percent off any time of the year at this amazing Mexican restaurant. But wait, there's more! Visit them between 2.30 to 5.30pm on weekdays to avail a huge 30% discount off the total bill. Located- All outlets. 4) Swensen's Photo courtesy: Swensen's Run down to the basement one of ION Orchard between 2.30 to 5.30pm and order ANY item off the the menu with a complimentary glass of ice lemon tea ONLY for $10.80! Sounds almost unbelievable - but it's true! Located - ION Orchard branch 5) Smiths Photo courtesy: Smiths Craving some authentic British fish and chips? Fret not! Hailing from the land of the Queen, Smiths offers a superb deal for students select any fish off the menu with some crispy fried chips for ONLY $7.50. Located - Bukit Timah Road and Tanjong Katong Road. 6) Pastamania Photo courtesy: Pastamania Offering delicious aglio olio pasta and the chicken ham and mushroom pizza, pastamania allows students to flash their student ID and get all the meals at $4.90. While you are at it, top up any of the meals from Monday to Friday until 6.00pm with some garlic bread or soup for just $4 extra. Located - All outlets around Singapore 7) Pizza Hut Photo courtesy: Pizza Hut A pizza a day keeps the cravings away! Students can now go to any pizza hut stores and choose a meal from a range of flavours to satisfy their pizza cravings for only $7.90. Located - All outlets 8) Eighteen Chefs Photo courtesy: Eighteen chefs Adored by students on this sunny island, Eighteen Chefs offers students a chance to mix and match their favourite pasta with cheese baked rice for only $6.80. The best part is that it is available all day every day! Located - AMK Hub, Bukit Panjang Plaza, Bugis Junction, Cathay Cineleisure Orchard, JCube, Serangoon NEX, Simei Eastpoint, The Cathay. 9) Madjack Photo courtesy: Madjack From its drooling cheesy wedges to a free flow of drinks, Madjack is the place to be.Flash your student card and get a meal starting only $6.90 on weekdays between 11.30am to 5.30pm. Located - NEX at Serangoon. 10)Hot tomato Photo courtesy: Hot Tomato Shopping at Somerset but hunger calls? Don't worry! Hot tomato got you covered. Head down on a weekday between 11.30am to 5.00pm and try out their amazing range of menu. Located - 313Somerset Leadership 1) I never want to be PM, declares Davidson Interview with Ruth Davidson Sunday Times magazine Ruth Davidson has ruled out ever running for the Tory leadership, revealing that she values her mental health too highly to seek the role of prime minister. In an interview with The Sunday Times Magazine, the head of the Scottish Conservatives today reveals that her teenage years were plagued by self-harm, suicidal thoughts and bouts of depression that resembled a smothering black blanket over my head. During the interview, she pulled up her sleeve to reveal her arms were crisscrossed with a lattice of self-harm scars. Ruling out an attempt to succeed Theresa May, Davidson said: You have to want it, and I dont want to be prime minister. Sunday Times >Today: ToryDiary: Davidson says I will not be a candidate. Where does the Tory left look for a leadership contender? Leadership 2) May is irritated by the speculation Theresa May has said she gets irritated by the ongoing speculation over her position as prime minister. In an interview to mark the six-month countdown to Brexit, Mrs May told the BBC the debate should be about the countrys future rather than her own. The prime ministers comments came days after Conservative MPs opposed to her Brexit plan met to discuss how and when they could force her to stand down. The PM also criticised ex-foreign secretary Boris Johnson. Mrs May said his language was completely inappropriate when he described her Brexit strategy as putting the UK in a suicide vest.The UK is leaving the European Union on 29 March 2019, and the governments plan agreed at Chequers in July has sparked criticism from Brexiteer Tories as well as the EU. BBC PM vows to continue being a bloody difficult woman Sunday Times MPs offer to call off leadership challenge if she promises to stand down before the next General Election Sunday Express Nick Robinson: my backseat interview Sunday Times Leadership 3) Johnson is digging his own grave says Harri Johnson vows to protect Carrie Symonds The Sun on Sunday Symonds to chair Tory conference fringe meeting on the abuse of women in public life Mail on Sunday She was a Warboys victim Sunday Times Boris Johnson could have been an inspiring prime minister but is digging his own political grave with controversies such as a jibe about suicide vests, a former key aide said yesterday. Guto Harri, who was Mr Johnsons communications director while he was mayor of London, said the former foreign secretary was using his humour, charm and intellect in a self-destructive way that was doing enormous damage to him as well as to the country. He also claimed Mr Johnson anticipated the country voting against Brexit and, once the Leave vote transpired, didnt know how to see it through. Sunday Telegraph >Yesterday: Nick Hargrave on Comment: Yes, I compiled an attack dossier on Johnson. But at best, theres a real purpose to opposition research. Leadership 4) Hodges names the four men who hold the PMs fate in their hands It was called The Quad. The executive committee of David Cameron, Nick Clegg, George Osborne and Danny Alexander that ran the coalition government between 2010 and 2015. Three years, and a lifetime later, a new and powerful quartet is emerging. And the fate of Brexit, the May government and the nation itself now rests on their capacity to perform in perfect harmony. Its basically Michael [Gove], Saj [Javid], Dom [Raab] and Matt [Hancock] a government insider tells me. Theyre not holding meetings with minutes or civil servants, or anything like that. But theyre working closely together now. Theyre the fulcrum of the Cabinet. Dan Hodges, Mail on Sunday Carney briefed the Cabinet on a Canada-style free trade deal Why cant Carney stop doom-mongering? Hamish MacRae, Mail on Sunday Inside the warring Tory tribes Sunday Telegraph Irish MEP warns Juncker over tax rises Sunday Express Governor risks damaging the Banks credibility Jeremy Warner, Sunday Telegraph Today, Priti Patel, the former cabinet minister, and Steve Baker, who resigned as Brexit minister in July, accuse Theresa Mays officials of selectively leaking sections of a separate presentation by Mark Carney, the Bank of England governor, in order to create fear over the consequences of voting down Mrs Mays Chequers plan. Hours after the meeting it was reported that Mr Carney had warned ministers house prices would fall by 35 per cent after a no-deal Brexit. The Telegraph has learnt that Mr Carney also briefed the Cabinet on the implications of a Canada-style trade deal with Brussels, of the kind advocated by David Davis and Boris Johnson. Sunday Telegraph Khan backs calls for a second referendum Ive decided the people must get a final say. This means a public vote on any deal or a vote on a no-deal, alongside the option of staying in the EU. As mayor, I wouldnt be doing my job standing up for Londoners if I didnt say now that its time to think again about how we take this crucial decision. I dont believe its the will of the people to face either a bad deal or, worse, no deal. That wasnt on the table during the campaign.Its time to take this crucial issue out of the hands of the politicians and return it to the people so that they can take back control. Sadiq Khan, The Observer >Yesterday: but Archer warns it would be like the 1997 Winchester by-election Rees-Mogg: The danger of a triumph in Salzburg I voted remain, and I lost, he begins, so I thoroughly disapprove of the idea of being asked to vote again the British people would vote the same again. By way of evidence, he quotes the 1997 Winchester by-election, in which he played a significant role as a senior Tory in the re-run, ordered by the High Court, after Liberal Democrat Mark Oatens general election victory by just two votes. It was the same then as it would be if we held a second referendum now. The people had made their mind up and they wanted us to get on with it. We lost the by-election by 21,000 votes. Sunday Telegraph The British Government seems desperate to agree something on almost any termsThis desperation means it will be important to watch carefully what comes out of Salzburg. Any deal will be hailed initially as a triumph because of the hostile comments made not only by Mr Barnier but, in his recent state of the Union speech, by Jean-Claude Juncker. Overcoming these obstacles will be portrayed as a triumph for British diplomacy. Those who hope that Brexit will continue to mean Brexit will need to stay awake. Jacob Rees-Mogg, The Sun on Sunday Nanny bites back Mail on Sunday EU squashes hopes of Ireland breakthrough Sunday Times Hammond battling with officials over Budget date Sunday Telegraph praises Javids call for tax cuts Philip Hammond is battling with civil servants to hold the Autumn Budget as early as possible because he fears that Brexiteers could use it as an opportunity to bring down the Government in protest at Theresa Mays Chequers plan. Senior Government sources say that the Chancellor wants to hold the Budget in early October, to allow the resulting legislation to clear the Commons before a crunch Brussels summit on Brexit at the end of that month. But officials are trying to force him into a late November slot when debate will be raging in the party over the nature of the deal Mrs May has signed up to. Mail on Sunday Finally, someone around the Cabinet table has shown that they get it. At last weeks infamous Cabinet Brexit meeting, Sajid Javid suggested to his fellow ministers that Britain should respond to any no-deal outcome by cutting taxes, building infrastructure and attracting top global talent. In fact, it would be wrong to characterise these policies as emergency measures: theyre what real Conservatives ought to do whenever possible as a matter of principle. These sorts of supply side ideas show how a no-deal scenario could be turned into an opportunity for the radical reform of the economy that Britain has needed for years. The only question is, why does it take a Home Secretary to explain to the Governor of the Bank of England and the Chancellor of the Exchequer how to conduct economic policy? Leader, Sunday Telegraph The Home Secretary is serious about tackling knife crime The Sun on Sunday Mordaunt calls for inquiry into surge in gender reassignment requests Agent Boot 1) Haines doubts that Foot gave anything in return for the money An investigation has been ordered into why so many girls are seeking gender reassignment after the number referred for treatment rose by more than 4,000% in less than a decade. The equalities minister, Penny Mordaunt, has instructed her officials to look into the cause. Official figures show the number of girls being given gender treatment has risen from 40 in 2009-10 to 1,806 in 2017-18Last month the junior equalities minister, Victoria Atkins, was criticised by transgender rights campaigners for expressing caution about those undergoing serious and life changing gender reassignment treatments. Sunday Times It is true that he was on the far-Left, and that he consorted with people who were suspected agents of the Russians. But I dont believe Michael Foot was ever a paid agent of the Soviet UnionThe only plausible reason that he would ever have taken money from the Soviets would have been to support the perennially hard-up Tribune, but if he did I doubt he gave anything in return. The KGB files on which Russian double agent Oleg Gordievsky based his allegations have to be treated with caution. Joe Haines, Mail on Sunday Does the evidence expose him as a liar? Mail on Sunday Agent Boot 2) Intelligence services did not intervene despite libel action How MI6 rescued Gordievsky Sunday Times The boot is on the wrong foot when it comes to libel Leader, Sunday Times Senior Labour figures reject the claims The Observer Foot flirted secretly with Russia. Jeremy Corbyn is blatant Sarah Baxter, Sunday Times McDonnells allies plot to ditch Corbyn Although Britains intelligence agencies believed Gordievsky, they did not intervene when Foot sued The Sunday Times for libel, eventually winning substantial damages that were also donated to the left-wing newspaper, Tribune, and paid for a new kitchen at his home in Hampstead, north London. Charles Moore, the former Daily Telegraph editor who interviewed Gordievsky for his authorised biography of Margaret Thatcher, said he had found the Russian double agent credible and consistent. Moore said the evidence that the former Labour leader had been paid by the Russian state reflects very badly on Michael Foots judgment. The Sunday Times Allies of the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, have been secretly sounding out senior Labour figures about whether to ditch Jeremy Corbyn as the partys leader. According to sources who have spoken to The Sunday Times, people close to McDonnell have been floating the idea with supportive members of the shadow cabinet and senior trade union figures. The revelation comes amid claims that the relationship between McDonnell and Corbyn has deteriorated in recent months. Sunday Times Prescott attacks Umunna Sunday Times Conference will back making deselections easier predicts Williamson The Observer Two faces of Labour Sunday Times Labour frontbencher tabled lobbyists questions Labour has abandoned its values poll finds The Sun on Sunday Abortion vote could strain Governments relations with the DUP A Labour frontbencher who railed against companies exploiting homeowners with costly ground rent charges went on to ask a series of questions in Parliament on behalf of one of the investment firms behind the scandal, The Telegraph can reveal. Kate Osamor, the shadow international development secretary, submitted six questions drafted by a lobbying firm coordinating an industry campaign against a crackdown on leasehold costs imposed on flat owners. The firm, Pagefield, said it was acting for Long Harbour, an investment firm that runs a ground rent fund. Sunday Telegraph Decriminalising abortion in Northern Ireland will move a step closer next month when MPs are given their first opportunity to vote on the contentious issue. The Labour MP Diana Johnson will introduce a 10-minute rule bill that will seek to make it possible for women to have a terminationIt is likely to create yet another political headache for Theresa May, who has to balance support for reform among her own MPs with the risks involved in upsetting the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which is against any change to the law in Northern Ireland. Sunday Times Russian secret services in crisis over Salisbury attack What Putin and Corbyn have in common Janet Daley, Sunday Telegraph The Russian secret services are in crisis over the fallout from the botched chemical weapons attack in Salisbury, British intelligence officers believe. The GRU, Russias military intelligence service, is being accused by rival agencies of crossing the line over the way the attempted killing of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia was carried out, senior Whitehall sources claimed last night. British officials told The Telegraph they believe the two suspects accused by Scotland Yard of the attack were wheeled out on Russian state-sponsored television as punishment for leaving a trail of evidence during the operation to target Col Skripal. Sunday Telegraph >Today: Richard Risby on Comment: The gathering debate about whether to deploy NATO troops to Romania and Bulgaria Hannan: Students are rejecting the enlightenment Social media encourage young people to think of opposed opinions, not as an intellectual test, but as a form of moral contamination. This is far more worrying than political correctness gone mad. We are turning our backs on the central idea of the Enlightenment. Over the past four centuries, at least in the West, we have absorbed a set of precepts that do not come naturally. We have taught ourselves that someone can disagree with us without being wicked; that people whose ways seem strange might yet possess wisdom; that we dont know everything, and that listening to new ideas broadens our understandingWe are abandoning the empiricism and tolerance that underpin the Enlightenment, and returning to the older notion of judging an idea on the basis of whether the speaker is from our own tribe. Daniel Hannan, Sunday Telegraph Lawson: Welby and May should swap jobs News in brief 43 per cent of voters would consider backing a new centre party Independent Social Democrats are losing ground across Europe and will take another hit at 2019s European Parliament elections Brexit Central Khan reselected as Labours candidate for Mayor George Eaton, New Statesman Brexiteer MPs in despair after challenge backfires Alex Wickham, Buzzfeed Theresa Brasier in other circumstances would have followed her father into the church. But she couldnt. The idea of women as vicars, not to mention bishops, was heresy in the Church of England when she was growing up ..For young Theresa, becoming prime minister was at least possible; becoming the Rev Theresa wasnt, let alone Archbishop of Canterbury. To add to the strangeness of it all, the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, comes from a deeply political background. His mother was Winston Churchills private secretary in Downing StreetPerhaps this background helps explain why Welby is (unlike the prime minister) comfortable engaging in the cut and thrust of political debate. Dominic Lawson, Sunday Times Richard Risby is Chairman of the British Ukrainian Society. In Ukraine, l recently attended a conference in Odessa, relatively untouched by the at times the horrific events in other parts of the country, but acutely aware of its dependence on the smooth functioning of the Black Sea. An historian, looking at the Black Sea region, could recount some terrible battles there over the centuries, as empires and other interests came and went. During the First World War there were naval battles, repeated in the Second World War with land confrontations. In 2008, one Black Sea country, Russia, invaded another, Georgia, and seized that part of the country, Abkhazia, which overlooks the Black Sea. In 2014, it invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea. This May, Russia completed the Kerch Strait bridge of nearly 12 miles, the longest bridge in Europe, which links Russia to Crimea. This has seriously impacted the normal life of the Black Sea. The bridge construction makes it impossible for large vessels to navigate the Sea of Azov to Mariupol, a major port for Ukraine. Russia has also been interdicting vessels, causing yet further destabilisation to the Ukrainian economy. Russia has historically always been determined to have warm water access. It has now significantly upgraded its Black Sea fleet with submarines and frigates, in addition to its missile capabilities. NATO is watching this build-up and illegal shipping interdiction with alarm. Of course, it recognises the need for a dual track approach. As has been freely admitted, the shooting down of a Russian war plane by NATO member Turkey in 2015, at the height of the Syrian crisis, revealed inadequate channels for immediate contact with Russia. Currently, there are forward defence measures under the NATO umbrella in Romania and Bulgaria. But NATO has so far pursued a limited defence strategy in the region, despite the much-enhanced military and cyber activity of the Russians. It has concentrated on practical matters such training, shared exercises and capacity building. It has not wanted to deploy troops directly to the NATO member states of Romania and Bulgaria, as has happened in NATOs north-eastern flank. Now a new debate has started as to whether this restraint is still appropriate. A British battalion has served to deter Russian aggression, particularly after the cyberattack on Estonia, which paralysed the country. Its presence has been a significant source of assurance, joined by Canadian and Danish troops. NATO is being rightly criticised for the unwillingness of key members to commit adequate resources to the European theatre. To the concern of many, Turkey, an important NATO member, appears to be developing closer links to Russia. But Russia has clearly now identified the Black Sea as a route to extending its influence. The question now is now whether this is an adequate response to Russian activity, and whether troop deployment needs now to be undertaken. Opinion is certainly beginning to move in this direction. We are analyzing the site. Please wait a few seconds.. 'Blest if I believe such a Poll Parrot as you was ever learned to speak!' -Roger Riderhood 100% Website lizsbooksnuggery.com uses latest and advanced technologies like: JQuery. It supports HTTPS. The main html page has a size of 24026 bytes (23.46 kb uncompressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-04-23, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. 80% Website schoollit.com.ua uses latest and advanced technologies like: JQuery. It is very popular on the web, it's within the 1 million most visited websites of the world at position 128843 by Alexa. It supports HTTPS. The main html page has a size of 40641 bytes (39.69 kb uncompressed). This CoolSocial report was updated on 2019-09-28, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. MORRISBURG According to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), a body was recovered from the shores of the St. Lawrence River near Morrisburg on Sunday, Sept. 9. Police believe the body belongs to the 25-year-old male from Brampton, ON who jumped from the Prescott-Ogdensburg International Bridge on Thursday, Sept. 6. Members of the Grenville County OPP, the OPP Marine Unit, the OPP helicopter, the Canadian Coast Guard, the Edwardsburgh and Prescott Fire Rescue, and the Ogdensburg Police Service assisted in the search for the missing male. Police say the body recovered matches the description of the missing male. An autopsy is expected to confirm the males identity. CORNWALL, Ontario It is an annual tradition in Cornwall and across Canada to remember Terry Fox in early September and to raise money to fight cancer. Cornwall held its 37th annual Terry Fox Run on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. Terry Fox was a young man in his early 20s who was diagnosed with cancer. Fox lost a leg to cancer, but instead of letting the disease hold him back, he decided to do a run across Canada to raise money and awareness. Terry Fox began the Marathon of Hope in St. Johns Newfoundland in April 1980. Sadly, after completing more than 5,373 km Fox was struck down with cancer just outside Thunder Bay and his run ended. Chris Nicholls father believed in Terrys cause, and 37 years after his dad began the run in Cornwall, Chris and his partner Liz Levere have taken over the organizing of the event. This year they expected around 188 participants to take part in the Run and hoped to raise as much as $10,000 for cancer awareness and research. Sunday, September 16, 2018 A justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court adopted recommendations of its Board of Bar Overseers and ordered suspension of two attorneys in a 72-page opinion This matter came before me on an information and record of proceedings pursuant to S.J.C. Rule 4:01, 8(6), and a recommendation and vote by the Board of Bar Overseers (board) that respondent Gerald L. Nissenbaum be suspended from the practice of law in the Commonwealth for a period of three years for multiple instances of misconduct. These included knowing misrepresentations of fact to a judge of the Probate and Family Court and before the Appeals Court; "improperly disparaging the presiding judge" in a guardianship case (in which Nissenbaum publically [sic] represented the ward and also had an "agreement of representation" with the ward's sons; making knowingly false and disparaging remarks in two motions to have the judge recused after the judge declined to approve what he viewed as excessive fees in the guardianship case; charging and collecting ''clearly excessive fees"; and engaging in a conflict of interest involving his former clients (the sons). As set forth more fully below, Nissenbaum was a highly-successful domestic relations attorney. The (not my) three sons had retained him to assist with their father's financial affairs. Kenneth Simon Sr. (Kenneth Sr.) was in poor health and was living in a nursing home on Cape Cod. The brothers told Nissenbaum they were concerned that his much younger wife, Anne Flaherty Simon (Anne), was dissipating his assets and that his health care costs were not being paid. At the time, the Simon sons were estranged from their father because they had disapproved of his marriage to Anne; they did not attend the wedding and had not had much contact with him after the marriage. The sons told Nissenbaum they had become concerned when the nursing home contacted them to say that the facility had not been receiving payments. After speaking with the Simon sons, Nissenbaum recommended appointing a temporary guardian for Kenneth Sr... The sons wanted the eldest, Kenneth Jr., to be appointed as guardian, but Nissenbaum advised them that a judge probably would not agree to that arrangement because of the conflict of interest with Anne. The guardian was also prosecuted The board recommended also that respondent James Veara be suspended for a period of one year and one day for his role in the joint misconduct. More particularly, the board found that Veara failed to correct what he knew to be Nissenbaum's deliberate misrepresentations that Nissenbaum was no longer representing the sons; made knowingly false and disparaging statements impugning the integrity of the presiding judge in a case; and charged and collected clearly excessive fees. Nissenbaum was admitted in 1967. He persuaded a judge to appoint Veara to serve as a guardian and did not disclose that he had never previously served in that capacity. Although his usual fee for legal work was from $100 to $300 per hour, he told Nissenbaum that he would charge an hourly rate of $400 if he were appointed as temporary guardian for Kenneth Sr. Veara decided to increase his rate "simply because he knew he could and because the ward could afford it.'' Nissenbaum did not inform the sons of Veara's lack of experience or that Veara was charging a significantly higher rate than his usual hourly rate. Veara in turn retained Nissenbaum as counsel so both could water themselves at the trough. Throughout the guardianship, Nissenbaum and Veara had paid themselves from the margin loan on Kenneth Sr. 's brokerage account. Each also kept an "evergreen retainer," which never fell below a certain sum; Nissenbaum replenished his retainer from Kenneth Sr. 's estate at least twice. The pie When the guardianship began, Kenneth Sr. 's assets totaled approximately $4.5 million. Soon after his marriage to Anne in July, 2004, Kenneth Sr. had transferred title to his house in Harwich Port to himself and Anne as tenants by the entirety. In September, 2004, he executed a will that left Anne $150,000.00, the Harwich Port house, and $120,000 in an education trust; he executed a declaration of trust leaving the residue of his estate to his grandchildren. On the day that he was appointed, Veara retained Nissenbaum as his counsel. That same day, Nissenbaum filed the previously prepared complaint for divorce on behalf of Veara. Veara did not consult with Kenneth Sr. and did not read the divorce complaint before authorizing Nissenbaum to file it. In fact, Veara at that point had never met Kenneth Sr. When they actually did meet at a later hearing, Kenneth Sr. expressed his love for Anne and eschewed any desire for a divorce. The plot thickened Nissenbaum filed, on Veara's behalf, a petition to prepare a new estate plan for Kenneth Sr. The proposed plan would have revoked Kenneth Sr.'s will and replaced it with one that created a family trust for the lifetime benefit of Kenneth Sr., and thereafter his sons, and would have created a real estate trust to hold title to the house in Harwich Port. The next day, Nissenbaum filed, on Veara's behalf, a complaint to annul Kenneth Sr. 's marriage to Anne; the complaint alleged that the marriage had resulted from Anne's "deceit and imposition, fraud and duress," and that the "essentials of the marriage relationship" had been so "abrogat[ed] and vitiat[ed)" that no marriage should be deemed to have existed. Kenneth Sr. was not consulted about a new estate plan or an annulment. Nissenbaum also filed a motion to amend the earlier complaint for divorce to add grounds of cruel and abusive treatment. A hearing was held on a motion to hold Anne in contempt and on the guardianship status The judge then asked Nissenbaum if he continued to represent the Simon sons. Nissenbaum responded, "No, I represent Mr. Veara now. The children are not parties to the case." After confirming the details of the manner in which Veara had been appointed, the judge asked Nissenbaum about the status of his relationship with the Simon sons after Veara was appointed. Nissenbaum replied, "Well, in terms of -- well, I don't represent them in this case." He was still billing the sons for his services. By late October, 2005, Kenneth Sr. 's health was declining. At the end of the month, he was placed on ventilation and lifesustaining medications. On October 22, 2005, Nissenbaum revised a draft motion, prepared by his associate, to enter "do not resuscitate" and "do not intubate" orders concerning Kenneth Sr.'s care. One less witness, I suppose. He died on November 2. Then the fees Veara charged a total fee of $126,813.45 to Kenneth Sr. 's estate. Veara also charged the estate $21,169.28 in expenses for payments he made to a private investigator to investigate whether Anne had been engaged in illegal activities, and to a research firm to determine whether an annulment action would survive the death of one of the parties. Veara had not consulted with Kenneth Sr. about these activities. Veara's first and final account also charged the estate $375,177.03 for legal fees paid to Nissenbaum, at a rate of $600 per hour. Together, these fees totaled $523,159.76. For a temporary guardianship that lasted 83 days. Anne deigned to object and a judge noticed When Veara confirmed that he had been charging approximately $375 per hour for his services as a court appointed guardian, Judge Scandurra asked "Are you kidding?" When the judge noted that Veara was seeking an additional $45,000 in fees that were not covered in the invoices he had submitted, Veara explained that the extra fees sought accounted for his activities after Kenneth Sr. 's death to "wind up affairs." After Veara also confirmed that Nissenbaum had charged $600 per hour, Judge Scandurra responded "Gentlemen, I'm not going to sign this motion. This is an insult and an affront to the Court," and added, "you'll have to have a hearing on this." A Master actually approved the fees (two of the sons objected and cited conflicts of interest) but the judge disagreed. Nissenbaum then sought that judge's recusal The motion stated that, at the September hearing, Judge Scandurra had "verbally attack[ed) " Veara and Nissenbaum "in a loud, aggressive, often angry voice, repeatedly chastising them for charging hourly rates which Scandurra, without benefit of a trial, concluded could never be justified and, worse, were an 'insult to the court! ' '' The motion claimed that Judge Scandurra's conduct "went beyond intentionally inflicting embarrassment on counsel in front of others then in the courtroom to being an embarrassment to the court, itself." "This was all the more shocking to counsel because, until that point in time, they held Scandurra in high regard." Another judge (Judge Steinberg) held an 11-day hearing on the fee request and issued an order concerning the already fully-paid amounts He ordered Veara to return $107,741.75, and Nissenbaum to return $199,859.64, to Kenneth Sr. 's estate. He also determined that the $21,169.28 in charges from the private investigator and the research group were unreasonable, and ordered Nissenbaum and Veara to reimburse Kenneth Sr. 's estate for those charges, with each to pay one half of the amount. The attorneys appealed and sought to recuse Judge Steinberg. They lost on both counts. Judge Scandurra filed the bar complaint in 2008. Bar Counsel filed charges in 2014. Justice Lenk on Nissenbaum the description of "charging an excessive fee" does not adequately convey the nature of the respondents' misconduct. The act of attempting to wring the largest possible amount of money from his client's elderly ward, in the months before his death, for his own financial gain, as described in Nissenbaum's own words, is abhorrent on its own and cannot but harm the public's perception of the reputation and integrity of the bar. Particularly where there has been extensive publicity surrounding the respondents' actions, it would do additional substantial harm to the perception of the public and the bar, and serve to encourage, rather than deter, similar misconduct by others, if Nissenbaum simply were allowed to evade any sanction because of his last minute retirement, after vigorously pursuing litigation challenging the hearing committee's and the board's findings for approximately three and one-half years, and having previously pursued a strategy in the Probate and Family Court of what Judge Steinburg described as filing actions in ''bad faith,'' where the respondents' "egregious litigation conduct was designed to make the proceedings as costly as possible in an attempt to force the Simon children to withdraw or abandon their objections." She concluded that the evidence supported the conclusion that Veara knew Nissenbaum falsely denied representing the sons and failed to correct that falsehood. Cape Cod Times reported on the lower court return of fees order and noted that Anne had served time for operating a Cape Cod prostitution ring. The same source reported that the attorneys accused her of marrying Kenneth Sr. for his money and plotting to kill him with a Viagra overdose or by pushing him down a flight of stairs when he was drunk. Huffington Post covered Nissenbaum's book on high-end divorce matters entitled Love Sex and Money: Revenge and Ruin in the World of High-Stakes Divorce Nissenbaums clients are the ultra-rich, he explains, because only the rich can pay what I charge: $700 an hour, which is tops for this kind of work in Boston and in most places around the country. His clients must also have $5 million in assets, and many have another zero or two after the 5. They have so much money, he says, that they dont mind my fees and expenses. One case with a twenty-four-day trial earned him $2 million. One case went on for seventeen years, he writes. My fee? A cool and hard-earned million. For a client who left happy. If the hard luck of rich folks in extremis is your thing, the fast-paced, sometimes sexually explicit case histories in Sex, Love and Money will take your mind off your troubles and make you glad, once and for all, that you dont have $5 million in bank because, that way, you know your spouse wont ever hire Nissenbaum to divorce you. (Mike Frisch) https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2018/09/a-justice-of-the-massachusetts-supreme-judicial-court-this-matter-came-before-me-on-an-information-and-record-of-proceedings.html The computer system in a Florida Keys school district were down for a week due to a ransomware attack. The problems were made worse when just as the district was bringing up some administration and school computers, Comcast suffered a day-long outage due to a cut fiber. Monroe County School District was the victim of a GandCrab ransomware attack. GandCrab, first spotted in January, was dubbed the leading ransomware threat in July. A school district employee working on payroll discovered undisclosed problems on Sunday, Sept. 9, and submitted an IT ticket. IT contacted Symantec and was advised to bring it all down and secure the system. Pat Lefere, executive director of operations and planning for the district, told the Miami Herald, This particular one was a variant that Symantec hadnt seen before. They took all of our files and created a patch for us. It was applied to all servers before bringing them back up. Symantec shows the latest detected GandCrab ransomware discovered on Wednesday, Sept 12, but it may not be the variant that hit the Florida school district, as the IT department thought it had fixed the problem on Tuesday morning. Yet upon bringing the system back up, they saw the same issues as when the ransomware was discovered on Sunday and shut the system down again. We havent had any access to data that was inappropriate nor have we had lost data, district superintendent Mark Porter later told the Miami Herald. The bad news is we havent had the type of access our employees are used to. The cyber attack did not affect payroll, but it did affect delivery of students mid-quarter progress reports. Monroe County School District claimed there were no ransom demands, but since ransomware locks up a system and demands payment to retrieve a decryption key for encrypted files, perhaps the district meant it didnt cave to extortion? Lefere said, That only happens for folks that dont back up their stuff and are so desperate. We recover our files from the last backup. The districts website was back up by Wednesday, but the computer systems remained partially down on Thursday. Lefere said the district rebuilt each server from scratch to make sure theyre clean. Comcast outage delivers second blow to district's computer system Within 30 minutes of the IT department bringing up the computers at four schools and the administration office on Thursday, Comcast went down. Comcast, in turn, blamed the internet outage on a fiber cut. The system was expected to be up and running on Friday. Unlike many businesses and even government entities hit by ransomware attacks, at least the Florida Keys school district did have backups. The K-12 Cybersecurity Resource Center's incident map shows there have been 364 K-12 cyber incidents since January 2016. Yellow pins on the map indicate which U.S. schools have been hit by ransomware. The biggest collection of yellow pins is in Texas and are related to 2017 ransomware attacks. This blog is an Amazon affiliate. Help support Legal Profession Blog by making purchases through Amazon links on this site at no cost to you. Contributed / Americares Americares Free Clinics and Walgreens are offering no-cost flu shots in October to help keep the uninsured and underinsured healthy this flu season. Now in its fourth year, the partnership annually vaccinates nearly 700 Fairfield County residents who cannot afford a flu shot. The best time to get vaccinated is before the flu begins spreading in your community, said Americares Free Clinics Director of Volunteer Services and Community Outreach Terri McCartney in a news release. Our annual flu shot campaign with Walgreens ensures Fairfield County residents without health insurance, or those who are unable to afford the flu shot, have access to this important vaccine. BETHEL Officers working the midnight shift on Friday were able to stop alleged burglars in their tracks, police said. Fabian Rodriguez, 34, of Jewett Street in Ansonia, was charged with attempted burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, interfering with police, larceny of a vehicle and criminal mischief, according to police. Shortly after 4 a.m. Friday, police pulled into the parking lot of the Wheels Sunoco gas station on Stony Hill Road and spotted a red Ford Econoline van parked in front of the building. At this time, the gas station was closed. Then, the officers spotted two people dressed all in black, wearing ski masks, trying to break into the front doors of the store on the property, police said. Upon seeing the officers, both suspects ran around the opposite side of the building and fled on foot, a news release said. Bethel police activated the towns mutual aid agreement and Brookfield, Newtown and Connecticut State Police units responded to help the Bethel officers search for the suspects. A state police dog, Union, tracked the suspects along the back of the gas station property and led police into Newtown. Around 4:33 a.m., Union apprehended one of the suspects, later identified as Rodriguez, and officers took him into custody. [Rodriguez] was transported to Danbury Hospital for injuries sustained from a K9 bite, police said. Officers allegedly found a pair of gloves and a ski mask in Rodriguezs possession at the time of his arrest. Rodriguez is being held in lieu of bail pending a court appearance, police said. His bail amount was not provided. During their investigation, Bethel police found that the van at the scene of the attempted burglary was stolen Friday morning out of Bridgeport. It was also determined that the front doors and lock mechanism to the Wheels gas station were tampered with and damaged as a result of both suspects attempts to break in to the establishment, police said. Nothing was taken from the establishment and suspects were unsuccessful in entering the store. The investigation is ongoing as police work to track down and arrest the second suspect. WEST HAVEN A man was killed Saturday afternoon in a fire on Richards Street. The fire marshal, State Police and West Haven police detectives are still investigating what caused the fire to start in the home around 4:15 p.m. Saturday. The man, whose name and age has not been released, was unresponsive when he was pulled out of the home. He was sent to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to police. Fire officials said an ID of the victim could be released later Monday after an autopsy was completed. Fire Marshal Keith Flood is at the scene and still taking samples in an effort to determine the cause. The basement suffered heavy fire damage. The upper floors only smoke and water damage. The two-alarm fire took West Haven Fire Department about 45 minutes to knock down, according to the police. BRIDGEPORT Olu Omoloju is the type of resident city planners and consultants have tried to connect with all summer. A family man and new homeowner the only affordable place in Fairfield County was Bridgeport Omoloju is also thinking about opening his own finance and insurance business in town. So he joined the small group that gathered last week at Beardsley School, at one of a handful of forums being held seeking public input on a new 10-year master plan of conservation and development. The document is supposed to represent how citizens want to see the city mature and improve, and to guide elected officials and policymakers. (I am) certainly interested in the growth of Bridgeport, Omoloju said. I think it has so much of a negative connotation and background and am looking to it improving, especially since Im an owner. Omoloju is also key to the master planning process for what he is not a politician, community activist, or gadfly. Their ideas are also important, but Mayor Joe Ganims administration has made a concerted effort to also involve residents not normally part of civic discourse. We want to hear from as many people as we possibly can, said Lynn Haig, Bridgeports director of planning. Haig and William Coleman, the citys deputy director of planning and economic development, worked for the city when the last master plan was published, in 2008. It was a little stuffy come to us kinds of events, Coleman recalled of efforts at time to get public input. Weve tried (in 2018) to take it into the streets and neighborhoods. So the city and its consultant, Hartford-based Fitzgerald & Halliday Inc., under the Plan Bridgeport initiative, attended local summer events like the Caribbean Jerk Fest and the annual picnic at Seaside Park for senior citizens. Six meetings on different topics open space, transportation, quality of life, arts, housing and economic development were scheduled in neighborhoods around the city. Omoloju attended the economic development forum. The last of those, on housing, is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday at Geraldine Johnson School. We have done over 17 group stakeholder interviews, Haig said, including with faith and business organizations. She said a few more are scheduled. And everyone is encouraged to fill out an online survey at the https://www.planbridgeport.com/ website. We did a seat drop on the buses leaving flyers about Plan Bridgeport for riders, Haig said. And by the end of the week, on every single computer at all the city libraries, well have a big tag telling (users) about the project and to go on the website. The Bridgeport 500 Haig said another big difference in the approach to the 2018 master plan update is a focus not just on development and infrastructure, but on public health, social equity and community resiliency. Community resiliency is the ability of Bridgeport and its residents to rebound from an economic downturn, a natural disaster, a public health crisis, Haig said. How good are we set up to have the resources in place to rebound from a hit? And the equity piece, we hear it a lot from certain neighborhoods that the city doesnt listen to them or theres social injustices of certain land uses being in residential neighborhoods, she said. Callie Heilmann, founder of new civic group Bridgeport Generation Now, has criticized local government for not doing enough to engage the community or for stifling dissent. But Heilmann called the outreach by the Plan Bridgeport team awesome. More Information For more information on Plan Bridgeport and ways to participate in the update of the city's master plan, visit https://www.planbridgeport.com/ See More Collapse She only wished it were a year-long process. Ganim launched the $205,000 master plan update on June 26, and Haig hopes to wrap up the public input by October to produce a draft master plan for the City Council and Planning & Zoning Commission to consider. Councilman Ernest Newton attended the Plan Bridgeport forum on equity and was impressed: Some people at this meeting were community people I havent seen. There was people from around the city. We got good dialogue. But Councilwoman Jeanette Herron was disappointed in the size of the audience 25 or 30 attendees. Herron has also been concerned about participation in the online survey. Haig said over 500 people have filled it out so far. We have 147,000 people in Bridgeport, Herron said. I really dont think 500 people is enough. ... This is one of the most important things that we could do for our city right now. If we dont get this master plan going, what kind of future will we have? The forum on economic development at Beardsley School drew around 16 people, some familiar faces, others not, like Omoloju and Nathan Martinez. Martinez, 31, was born in Bridgeport and has lived in the city most of his life. I see the people attending. I would, in a very diplomatic way, (say) theyre not representative of the social/economic spectrum, he said in an interview. In other words, not necessarily those residents who are the most marginalized in Bridgeport. Martinez also complained to Hearst Connecticut Media that some of the ideas from others in the audience attracting big companies to town, for example are tired, regurgitated economic development ideas that lead to the gentrification of neighborhoods. He wants the city to focus on worker-owned small businesses and public, college and adult education. And yet Martinez only shared his thoughts with Hearst, and was mostly silent at the Plan Bridgeport event. My main goal was just to observe, he said, adding, My ideas arent very popular. He hoped to attend the housing forum. Told about Martinez, Haig said the master planning process needs any and all ideas. We want to hear from everyone, she emphasized. The same old doesnt always work. In a year when progressive Democrats are grabbing the headlines, U.S. Rep. Jim Himes is working to shepherd a group of centrist candidates to wins in purple districts. Himes leads the New Democrat Coalition, a caucus with 68 moderate Democrats about a third of all those now in the House. After November, Himes predicts, their membership will balloon to 80 or 90 after November. In 2018, the New Dem PAC has posted its highest ever fundraising numbers since it was founded in 1997 Theyre poised for a banner year, said David Wasserman, who analyzes the U.S. House for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Chairman since 2016, Himes is crafting the message friendly to business, pivot on social issues Democrats hope they can use to win in red and swing districts across the U.S.. Like Fairfield Countys 4th Congressional District. Although Himes is comfortably positioned for re-election in 2018, his district is not unlike the places where New Democrats are looking to make gains: former Republican strongholds where Hillary Clinton won in 2016. Before Himes was elected in 2008, his seat was held by Republicans since 1989. But Himes, a former Goldman Sachs banker born in Peru who also led an affordable housing non-profit, defeated 10-term Republican Chris Shays, carried by support in Stamford, Norwalk and Bridgeport and the coattails of former President Barack Obamas sweep in the district. Himess Wall Street connections make him kin to the Gold Coasts financiers, said Gary Rose, political science professor at Sacred Heart University. Himes split from other Connecticut Democrats in May to support a bill that pared down the 2010 Dodd-Frank bill, the restrictions imposed on banks after the global financial crisis. Of the five members of the Connecticut Congressional delegation, he is the most moderate Democrat, said Rose. Its the nature of his district that has pulled him to the center. Republican Harry Arora, Himes opponent, said it was hypocrisy that liberal Himes chairs the New Democrats. Himes says he is a centrist, but there is barely anything in his record to support that, Arora wrote in a statement. His support of the (Affordable Care Act) and now his reticence to stand up to his partys advocating for government control of the entire healthcare system shows how he stands against the dynamic private sector. Himes is confident that his message that of the New Democrats will push him to a win with the 4th Districts thoughtful, independent thinkers, he said. The centrist message Speaking at a New Democrat conference in May, Himes urged members to be very, very careful about how they talk about social justice issues, in particular to conservative and religious communities. We also need to make sure that your proverbial white working class family in Youngstown Ohio doesnt feel like we dont actually pay attention to their concerns and interests, Himes said in a video of his remarks. He pointed to U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Virginia, for a good example of what to do. I say conservative statues should come down; now I want to talk about how its going to be easier to send your kids to school, said Himes, paraphrasing Scotts pivot. New Democrats message works, Himes said, even though one of the most prominent New Democrat voices, U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley, the former chairman of the Coalition, lost a June primary to Democratic socialist Alexandria-Ocasio-Cortez. Her winning on that platform worked in Queens and it worked in a Democratic primary electorate, which youll look into youll find is a pretty small percentage of the overall population of Queens, Himes said, while acknowledging enthusiasm for female and young candidates gave her a boost. Wasserman agreed that Ocasio-Cortez, in a district where Hillary Clinton crushed Trump in 2016, is an anomaly. Ocasio-Cortez has attracted disproportionate attention because of the magnitude of her upset, but shes not reflective of the majority of Democrats who will enter Congress in fall of 2019, he said. Most Democrats coming into Congress will emerge from swing suburban seats where there are incentives to work across the aisle. New Democrat candidates Himes is putting his money and time into boosting centrist Democrats in November. He is contributing $1 million to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to support candidates, especially those in red districts. He is likely to travel to New York, New Jersey and Virginia to campaign with New Democrat-endorsed candidates, he said. New Democrats have endorsed 33 candidates and have 10 on their watch list. Jahana Hayes, running in Connecticuts competitive 5th District, has not been endorsed, although she is running to replace New Democrat Coalition member U.S. Rep Elizabeth Esty. There is a little bit of a tension going on there, said Rose. Hayes is speaking the language, if you will, more of the liberal Democrats. Other than Himes and Esty, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney of the 2nd District is the only other Connecticut New Democrat. The New Democrat Coalition has been a strong ally on Navy issues and shipbuilding in eastern Connecticut, and that has been helpful in building a coalition in non-coastal districts to boost submarine production and creating jobs, said Courtney in a statement. emunson@hearstmediact.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson Inspirational Insight: What do you like best about fall? Our esteemed state Legislature can be accused of a lot of things. Overworked is not one of them. While the rest of us have put the hazy, lazy, crazy days of summer behind us and returned to our hectic schedules full of work, school and the million other things we try to get done every day, our elected representatives are still kicking back. Actually, most of them are not simply clinging to that lazy aspect, theyre busy doing something else. Every member of the state House and half the state Senate will be on the November ballot in a few weeks. So they are preoccupied with what many complain seems to be the primary function of someone holding office in the Keystone State. That would be running for re-election. Maybe thats why state House Speaker Mike Turzai scrapped what were supposed to be two voting sessions this week. That would have given them two up on the state Senate, which did not even bother to schedule any work sessions this week. Nose to the grindstone these folks are not. The two chambers now will not convene again until Sept. 24. That in effect extends their summer vacation by two weeks. That comes to more than 80 days off for a lot of these folks. Yeah, nice work if you can get it. Unfortunately, most Pennsylvanians dont get that kind of vacation time, and they are increasingly wondering about the size and cost of this bloated government body, one of the largest and most expensive in the country, which many argue was never meant to be a full-time gig in the first place. Many state representatives and senators no doubt will chafe at such a description, pointing out the job entails a lot more than simply being in Harrisburg. That may be, but this is a look at some of the things that await them back in the state capital. That series of bills targeting sexual harassment in the workplace in the wake of the #MeToo movement? A House panel held a hearing last week, but the legislation remains mired in committee, with Democrats complaining that Republican leadership has no plans to move it to the floor for a vote. Crucial legislation that would get guns out of the hands of those convicted of domestic abuse? Well, the measure sponsored by Sen. Tom Killion, R-9, sailed through the Senate on a unanimous vote. But its been bottled up by amendments in the House. A gaggle of folks held a press conference last week to push the measure. Its still awaiting action. Then there is the fallout from the scathing grand jury report on sexual abuse of children by priests in six Pennsylvania dioceses. The damning report identified more than 300 priests as culpable in the abuse of more than 1,000 kids over six decades. The grand jury recommended changing state laws when it comes to the statute of limitations for filing criminal charges in abuse cases, and opening a window for past victims to file retroactively. The Senate has passed a bill to lift the statute and expand the time a victim has to sue but only for future cases. Its now in the hands of the House, where state Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, is vowing to add an amendment for a two-year window for past victims to seek civil redress. House Speaker Mike Turzai is saying the move would be a compromise between a two-year window and those who would eliminate all hindrances to past victims filing suit. If the window is added, it will face staunch opposition in the Senate, where President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati has said it would not pass unconstitutional muster. He is in favor of a compensation fund set up by the church and controlled by a third party. Then there is Pennsylvania seemingly endless education funding debate. This year it plays out against the backdrop of a suit headed to court filed by families from William Penn and other struggling districts against the states funding formula, claiming it puts their children at a distinct competitive disadvantage. All of these issues cry out for action. In the meantime, the only thing most of these representatives are calling out for is your vote. Its long past time when Pennsylvania residents demanded more bang for their buck in Harrisburg. For too long, business as usual has meant little to none of the peoples business getting done. They say the wheels of justice turn slowly. Just ask Mark Rozzi. Hes a state rep from Berks County. And the Democrat happens to be the Legislatures fiercest proponent of delivering justice to victims of child sexual abuse. Rozzi knows of what he speaks. He was the victim of a predator priest as a youth. His push to give victims of clergy sexual abuse has made him some powerful enemies. The Catholic church for one. The insurance industry for another. None of that has stopped Rozzi. He started this push back in 2005, after a grand jury in Philadelphia identified the depth of the problem involving sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests, and just as troubling, the clear policies of the hierarchy of the Philadelphia archdiocese that not only covered up for the priests, but moved problem clerics from one parish to another, leaving unsuspecting families and kids in harms way. The problem was rekindled a few years later when another grand jury identified much the same kind of pervasive problems in the Altoona-Johnstown diocese. And it exploded into headlines and outrage again a month ago when Attorney General Josh Shapiro released the findings of still another grand jury that investigated the problem in the remaining six dioceses in Pennsylvania. Different pews, same problems. The grand jury identified more than 300 priests who abused more than 1,000 children over a period of six decades. And the grand jury strongly hinted that there were likely at least as many more victims who could not be identified. Through it all, Rozzi has been working in Harrisburg to change the laws when it comes to delivering some semblance of justice to victims of child sexual abuse and not just those assaulted by priests. The problem is that current state law requires victims seeking to file a civil action against their abusers by the time they are 30. The problem with that is most experts agree it often takes long into adulthood for victims to come forward, long after both the civil and criminal statute of limitations has expired. Rozzi is hoping to change that. He has pushed not only to eliminate the criminal statute of limitations altogether, but also expand the time period for a victim to file suit. There has been support in the Legislature for such measures but only going forward. Rozzi would like to open a window to allow past victims to file suit retroactively. And thats where hes met resistance. A bill to do just that actually did pass the state House before stalling in the state Senate. It met fierce opposition from the church and insurance industry, with some fearing the church could be bankrupted or forced to close more schools and parishes. Some in the state Legislature even wonder if the retroactive window would pass constitutional muster. The current legislation in the House is sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson. It was passed last year by the Senate. It ends the criminal statute and expands the time a victim can sue to the age of 50. But only going forward. Rozzi wants to add the two-year window for past victims to file suit, something by the way that was recommended by the grand jury panel. Scarnati opposes that effort, instead offering a church-endowed compensation fund to be run by a third party. Rozzi is not buying, and hes ready to take his case directly to his fellow legislators and the public in a series of TV ads and a social media push. This week there is word that the wheels of justice just might be turning in Rozzis favor. House Speaker Mike Turzai said the House might be ready to take up the two-year window pushed by Rozzi as a compromise to a move to eliminate all lawsuits for victims of all ages. Everybody empathizes with the victims of child sexual abuse, the Allegheny County Republican said. These victims have to live with these consequences the rest of their lives. State representatives will have to live with their votes on this measure as well. That is, if it ever actually gets to a vote. Things have a way of stalling in Harrisburg. Weve been here before in this battle. Then there are a couple of other mitigating factors. The House has precious few working sessions scheduled this fall. And every state representative and half the Senate is busy running for re-election. Putting these bills up for a vote just weeks before they are judged by their constituents will no doubt test the mettle of those we send to Harrisburg. The bill could pass the House. Theyve passed similar legislation in the past. But if Rozzis amendment for a two-year retroactive window is added, it will face staunch opposition in the Senate, which passed the original bill to eliminate future statutes of limitation for criminal charges and expands the window to sue to age 50 by a 48-0. There is not much time to get this done. We support the grand jurys recommendation that past victims be offered a window to seek redress. Mark Rozzi and the other victims of childhood sexual abuse have been waiting long enough. Sir Winston Churchill was the towering figure of the Second World War. He was the one who did most to shape our idea of what actually took place in those terrible years of conflict. He is one of the main reasons why we like to think it was a Good War. The passion and parables of his war are nowadays better known than those of the Bible. Instead of the triumphal ride into Jerusalem, the Last Supper and the betrayal at Gethsemane, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection, we have a modern substitute: Winston the outcast prophet in the wilderness, living on cigars and champagne rather than locusts and wild honey, but slighted, exiled and prophetic all the same. Winston Churchill, Prime Minister 1940-45, Churchill inspects a 'tommy gun' during an inspection of invasion defences near Hartlepool, 31 July 1940 As a child, I studied many patriotic accounts of the war, my favourite being a cartoon strip produced by the boys weekly The Eagle, called The Happy Warrior. This cast Churchill as a sort of superhero who was somehow always right amid an unending succession of disasters that mysteriously ended in a final triumph. It would be many years before I understood how wrong this treasured picture was, and I still find it painful to acknowledge. So do millions of others. For to treat Churchill justly is to portray him as a fallible human being. Beyond doubt, he saved Britain and probably the world when he rightly refused to parley with Hitler in 1940. Nothing can take this away from him. But Winston Churchill was no superman and could make severe errors. His vanity and self-deception themes running through his conduct of the war came at a very high price. But such thoughts are dangerous. They shred the legend to which we all wish to cling. Peter Hitchens says Churchill is one of the main reasons why we like to think it was a Good War Take, for example, his voyage home across the Atlantic on board HMS Prince of Wales after his first meeting with US President Franklin D. Roosevelt in August 1941. The summit at Placentia Bay in Newfoundland, which the British hoped might draw the Americans into the war, had been a hurtful failure. Its disappointing outcome was revealed to the public while Churchill was still on his way home across the stormy, U-boat-infested Atlantic, in one of the worlds most recognisable ships of war. Churchill, however, gloried in the possibility of an encounter with the enemy. Showing off as always, despite the danger, he persuaded a rightly nervous Captain John Leach to divert his precious, irreplaceable vessel and to steam not once but twice at speed straight through the middle of an eastbound convoy. One eyewitness recalled the Prime Minister upon our bridgewaving his hand in the air, making a V with the forefingers of his right hand cheering as madly as any of the men who were cheering him. This is uncomfortably reminiscent of Siegfried Sassoons sour verse The General, in which two Great War soldiers concur that their commanding officer is a cheery old card, as they slog up to Arras with rifle and pack. But Sassoon ends the verse by noting that the jovial officer did for them both in the attack he then sent them into. Winston Churchill certainly did for hundreds of his shipmates aboard Prince of Wales very soon after he arrived home. He sent the ship and those aboard into mortal peril, and completely against the advice of experts. By ordering them on a futile mission to Singapore, he brought about the loss of two great ships, the deaths of hundreds, and the long and arduous captivity of hundreds more. The missions combination of sad reality, defeat and military folly, and of boyish Churchillian posturing, is striking. And this contrast between the heroic story and the often dismal fact is at the heart of the myth of the Good War. Our humiliation by the Japanese in Singapore, thanks to poor preparations and complacency, destroyed our reputation for invincibility in the Far East and so in the end cost us the entire Empire. British Conservative politician Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965) tours his constituency of Woodford the day before the general election, 25th May 1955 Singapore was far from being Churchills only misjudgment. He risked the safety of the indispensable Atlantic convoys by diverting aircraft to the cruel and militarily ineffective bombing of German civilians. His preoccupation with fighting in and around the Mediterranean deprived the Atlantic Fleet of ships and men and badly weakened the Navys ability to fight U-boats. Many of us to this day are angered and upset to learn that Churchills war leadership was often fiercely contested by professional fighting men and excoriated in secret sessions of Parliament. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965, Left) during a visit to a Royal Air Force Fighter station We would so much rather believe that he was indeed the spotless hero and military genius that we had been brought up to believe in. For, if any part of the legend is in doubt, then the whole secular faith that is built upon it is in danger too. One of the most bitter accounts of Churchillian bombast and error is to be found in the book Someone Had Blundered, Bernard Ashs account of the last weeks of HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse, the elderly but speedy battlecruiser that accompanied her to Singapore and then on to the bottom of the China Sea. Both were sunk by Japanese aircraft on December 10, 1941, off the coast of Malaya, just four months after Churchill had waved so jovially from the bridge of Prince of Wales. Churchills fanciful belief was that the presence of great ships in eastern waters would act as a deterrent to Japan. The idea was naval nonsense. For Japan, overwhelmingly superior to Britain in the area, in land, naval and air power, the decision only gave them more targets. Meanwhile, as General Arthur Percival battled for more men, tanks and planes in the summer of 1941, in the hope of reinforcing Malaya against a Japanese assault he had foreseen in detail, he was simply told there were none available. This was not true. Ex Prime Minister of Great Britain, smoking a cigar and making a victory sign Churchill was instead convoying tanks and aircraft to Stalin. In total, as the danger to Malaya grew more and more obvious, Britain supplied 676 fighters and 446 tanks to Russia, which, in fact, had plenty of tanks of its own by the end of 1941. On February 15, 1942, British and Australian forces surrendered at Singapore and 85,000 men went into ghastly captivity, in what was the greatest single defeat of British arms in history. It caused a permanent collapse in British power and reputation in the East from which we could not afterwards recover. Within a few years, India was independent and soon after that, the rest of the Empire. Australia and New Zealand, from that moment, grew closer to the USA and further from Britain. In contrast, Churchill willingly committed scarce land and sea forces to the defence of Britains position in Egypt. But it is very difficult to explain why Churchill saw this as so vital. The Suez Canal was closed for most of the war anyway. The German threat to the oilfields of Iraq and Iran came through the USSR, not Egypt. Yet, in August 1940, at the height of the Battle of Britain, a third of Britains existing tank strength was ordered to Egypt. This astonishing fact suggests that Churchill never took seriously the threat of a German invasion of Britain, though he made great use of the alleged danger for morale-building purposes. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (right) with William Hood Simpson (1888 - 1980), Commander-in-Chief of the US 9th Army One distinguished historian of the war, AJP Taylor, argued that this decision to reinforce Egypt entangled Britain in the Mediterranean for no good reason. No doubt the Suez Canal was an artery of the Empire in peacetime, but after Italy entered the war in the summer of 1940, the Mediterranean would be closed to British shipping for the next three years. Churchills diversion of naval forces to the Mediterranean brought us close to losing the Battle of the Atlantic in spring 1943 indeed, Churchill would later admit that the narrowly balanced struggle against the U-boats was the one part of the war which had genuinely caused him to lose sleep. But it was Churchill who sent men, money and material away from that crucial conflict to embark on ill-planned adventures, including the bombing of German cities Sir Winston Churchill wearing a fine array of decorations photographed at the review in Hyde Park Britains next intervention in Greece was also begun for reasons of prestige, not necessity. It was supposed to hearten the remaining free nations of the world. Instead it turned into a miniature Dunkirk, with headlong evacuations from both Greece and Crete, costing valuable warships that could not be spared. It failed both militarily and in its aim of putting heart into the free nations. In a further important criticism of Churchills priorities, Taylor argues it was German air power, and Britains lack of it, that destroyed British forces in Crete. He says: Three squadrons of fighters would have saved Crete but none were available because of the obsession with strategic bombers. This obsession was encouraged by Churchills chief scientific adviser and close friend, the German-born Frederick Lindemann, later Lord Cherwell, an unlikely companion to the cigar-smoking, champagne-quaffing Prime Minister. Lindemann was a teetotal, non-smoking vegetarian with no known sexual relations with anyone, who lived on the whites of eggs, Port Salut cheese and olive oil. But Lindemann was also a ruthless man and a ferocious Whitehall warrior, terrifying in committees. It was Lindemann who wrote the now-famous de-housing minute, which greatly impressed Churchill. In it he argued that bombing all the major towns of Germany could destroy 50 per cent of houses. Sir Henry Tizard, one of the Governments most senior and experienced scientists, argued Lindemanns estimate was five times too high. A post-war bombing survey revealed Lindemanns estimate was, in fact, ten times too high. The survey also showed that bombing civilians had been remarkably ineffective against the German war effort, whereas accurate bombing of fuel and armaments plants when tried was immensely effective. This story, not well known, undermines the shallow, nonsensical cult of Winston Churchill as the infallible Great Leader, a cult to which, surely, an adult country no longer needs to cling. Every thinking person needs, nearly 80 years later, to examine the myths which surround Churchills bombing strategy. The general response of perfectly nice, gentle and well-brought-up Britons is to say illogical things about the Blitz. They will say, correctly, that Germans deliberately killed many British civilians in their own homes. They will rightly excoriate the cruelty of the raid on Coventry, horrible and inexcusable. But they will often be unaware that the carnage of Coventry was small compared with what the RAF would later do to German cities of similar size. They will justly condemn Germanys bombing of British cities as an uncivilised form of warfare. And they will then absurdly and irrationally use this as an excuse or justification for Britain doing almost exactly the same thing. If it was uncivilised for the Germans to do it, it was uncivilised for us to do it. Many also believe that the Dresden firestorm, which according to the most reliable estimate left 25,000 dead, was more or less unique, a single episode of overzealous action in a generally restrained campaign. They do not know that there is, in fact, a long and distressing catalogue of German cities where British bombers deliberately destroyed human life on a frightening scale. There is little doubt much of this bombing was done to appease Josef Stalin, who jeered at Churchill for failing to open a second front and fight Hitlers armies in Europe. Bombing Germany at least reassured him that we were doing something. When Churchill promised plentiful bombing at a meeting with Stalin, the Soviet leader joined in to demand that homes as well as factories must be destroyed. In the end, the bombing offensive would prove hugely costly in human life and national treasure. Brave and capable young men, and vastly expensive technology, were hurled into the flames with little material Winston Churchill takes a walk in a siren suit, film crews beyond effect. In 1942, for example, the RAF killed 4,900 Germans two Germans for every expensive bomber (and its valuable, hard- to-train crew) lost. Much of the 37,192 tons of bombs dropped on Germany that year missed their targets completely. During the whole RAF bombing offensive, aircrews suffered a 44 per cent casualty rate. This was comparable to the butchery of the worst battles of the Great War. The only solid argument that these attacks advanced the war effort is that they diverted aircraft and artillery from the Eastern Front to the defence of the German homeland. This is perfectly true. But a more effective bomber offensive against true military and economic targets, especially fuel plants, would have done the same, and been more use in winning the war. Such an offensive did eventually happen very late in the war, and did huge and rapid damage to the German war effort. The bombing campaign also forced Britain to divert scarce and costly resources from the build-up of its D-Day army and from the Battle of the Atlantic. The military high command of the Allies did not view the night bombing of Germany as being particularly important. What was it for? The Americans could not understand its purpose. There is little doubt that the air war was chosen mainly as a substitute for a second front, for political and propaganda reasons but not for military ones. A moral justification remains elusive. The easiest way to bypass this problem is to state, correctly but ultimately irrelevantly, that the Germans behaved far worse. But does German frightfulness excuse bad things done by us? I am not sure which moral rule-book backs up this belief. As the years pass, a real justification becomes harder to find, yet the bombing is still strongly defended. Shocking as this is, there is an even more worrying postscript. Those who would defend the bombing of German civilians generally subscribe wholly to Churchill-worship and the veneration of the Battle of Britain as the supreme moment of the Finest Hour. Such people would I think agree that the invention of radar and its deployment in the Chain Home defensive system on the eve of war was an unmixed blessing which possibly saved this country. Winston Churchill pictured smoking a cigar as he boards a comet aircraft at London Airport But if Churchill had been in power a few years earlier, there would have been no radar, because his favourite, Frederick Lindemann, would have stopped its development. The Tizard Committee (officially the Committee for the Scientific Study of Air Defence) began meeting in secret in January 1935. Tizard kept it small and concentrated, and picked its members with great care. They decided quickly that radar was the one thing to back. And they began the concentrated, brilliant, exhausting work on it (and on persuading the Armed Forces that it was what they needed), which would put Britain significantly ahead in its development at a vital moment in world history. And yet, Lindemann had become involved and very nearly wrecked it, demanding priority for his own (crackpot) schemes. The Civil Service managed to sideline Lindemann, and so radar was saved. But if Churchill had been in power then, radar might never have been developed in time. Just thinking about the possibility that we might so easily have entered the war with no radar sends a shiver down my spine. When we contemplate this great saga, perhaps the greatest event in human history since the fall of the Roman Empire, we cannot be unmoved. My own parents lives were thrown into turmoil by the war, and overshadowed until their deaths by its memories and consequences. My generation must also be profoundly moved by it. But we have had more time to think, and our responsibility is for the future. Novelist Olivia Manning, who lived through some of the bitterest experiences of that war, concluded her series of brilliant autobiographical novels on the war with these words of sympathy and hope for the surviving characters: Like the stray figures left on the stage at the end of a great tragedy, they had now to tidy up the ruins of war and in their hearts bury the noble dead. We who came after are now those stray figures left on the stage. Until we understand the true nature of that great tragedy, which we seem unwilling to do, I do not think that we can ever, in our hearts, bury the noble dead. Worse by far, we may be tempted again into wars that may utterly ruin us, because we have been beguiled into thinking that these wars are good. I never knew until I was old just how hard-bought peace had been. I never understood until I was old just how much my own parents had paid for it, and how thankless I and many of my generation had been. It is with their memory in mind that I conclude this unhappy story. Peace, precarious peace, depends now more than ever on our casting off these fantasies of chivalry and benevolence, and ceasing to hide the savage truth from ourselves. Abridged extract from The Phoney Victory: The World War II Illusion by Peter Hitchens, published by I.B. Tauris, priced 17.99. Offer price 14.39 (20 per cent discount) until September 23. Order at mailshop.co.uk/books or call 0844 571 0640 p&p is free on orders over 15. Are we on the brink of a new war? It looks very much like it. Will it be justified? I do not think so. Can we stop it? It is worth a try. Almost everyone missed an amazing and worrying moment in Parliament last week, when Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt gave us a glimpse of the Governments thinking. They will go to war without waiting for the facts to be checked, and without recalling Parliament. In a very brief debate about the war in Syria, he was asked about plans now being openly discussed at high levels in Washington for a devastating attack on Damascus. Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt (pictured) seemed to say the Government would go to war with Syria without recalling Parliament This will be in response to a supposed atrocity that has yet to take place but about which the Americans openly say they already have evidence probably an alleged poison gas attack, in which we will see heartbreaking but unverified film of dead or dying children, from propaganda sources, and claims of multiple deaths from untraceable eyewitnesses. In my view, these claims are very similar to the claims of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) in Iraq, used to bamboozle the British and American people into that catastrophic war; and also to the claims of mass rape and massacre, equally unproven, which were the excuse for David Camerons disastrous attack on Libya. These two wars together created the great march of migrants from Asia and Africa into Europe, which is transforming the continent and also led to the rebirth of Islamist terror. Yet those responsible do not learn, and continue to take us for fools. I have checked several of the Syrian poison gas claims in the past, by reading carefully the reports of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Here are the two most important: the OPCW never even went to the site of the alleged gas attack in Khan Sheikhoun in April 2017, which was the pretext for a spectacular American cruise missile attack on Syria. I also found that there was no reliable custody chain for the samples supposedly taken from this site. This is vital for the detailed forensic work that alone can discover what happened and who is to blame. How important is this? Ask the OPCW. In April 2013, the OPCWs then spokesman, Michael Luhan, said quite clearly: The OPCW would never get involved in testing samples that our own inspectors dont gather in the field because we need to maintain chain of custody of samples from the field to the lab to ensure their integrity. So under its own rules the OPCW did not meet the conditions for a reliable investigation. But that didnt stop the warmongers. The governments that wanted to attack Syria anyway responded by turning to another organisation. This also didnt go to the site. But it took more or less the same evidence and concluded from it that the Assad government in Syria had used poison gas. Next came the supposed gas attack on Douma, near Damascus, on April 7, 2018. This was also followed by US bombing of Syria, this time assisted by us and the French. It was widely claimed at the time that organophosphorus (sarin) and chlorine gas weapons had been used. In fact, the claims were so widely publicised that I know of one MP (and former Minister) who last week wrongly told a constituent there is conclusive evidence that the Syrian state used poison gas, and that Russia and Syria blocked access to the site. If such a person can be so wrong, what hope is there for a wise decision by our Government? In fact, the OPCW report from Douma (this time they actually got to the site) concluded that no organophosphorus nerve agents or their degradation products were detected. The OPCW is still looking into claims that chlorine was used, but it also made it clear that Russia and Syria did not block access to the scene. The UN Department of Safety and Security accepted a delay was necessary because it simply was not safe to visit. The OPCWs careful Douma report, barely mentioned in Western media, was obviously inconvenient to those who want a new attack on Syria. So, yet again, theres a rival report, by people who did not actually go to Douma. Even so they claim to have a vast body of evidence the Syrian government used poison gas there. Well, the Middle East is as much of an unexploded bomb today as Europe was in 1914. Saudi Arabia hates Iran, and Iran loathes the Saudis right back. Syria, which the West plans to bomb heavily in the next few weeks, is the close ally of Iran. Behind the Saudis stand the USA, Britain and France. Behind the Iranians stand the Russians and perhaps China. I cannot see what possible interest Britain has in getting involved in such a dangerous mess, which could land us in the worst and most widespread war for decades. Before we join any such action, we must wait for real hard evidence. Parliament, now on holiday for a whole month, must be recalled. Id suggest MPs do a bit of homework on the issue, too. Or we will all pay. Emmas luminous judge has me dazzled Despite her silly Leftist prejudices, Emma Thompson, is a luminous and compelling actress whose performance in the legal drama The Children Act is one of the best things in the cinema all year. She plays a judge faced with severe moral dilemmas, and does it wonderfully. I just wish theyd chosen a dispute in which the religious side had a better case, as it so often does. Emma Thompson dazzles in her new legal drama The Children Act which is now showing in cinemas Riddle of the vanishing health scare Its odd the way some health scares get a lot of publicity, and others dont. But I was amazed how little attention has been paid to a study showing a higher incidence of Parkinsons disease in those, including children, who take pills prescribed for ADHD. Those given these pills were said to be significantly more likely to develop the disease, or similar conditions, between the ages of 21 and 49. This connection was more marked for patients who had been prescribed only Ritalin, the drug most commonly used in such cases in the UK. The one newspaper that mentioned it gave it a tiny space and a poor position, and quickly added that no definite link had been found, which is true but not very reassuring. It then quoted unidentified experts who said that the sample size of the study was small. Well, it isnt that small. I got hold of the study, which pretty much examined the whole population of the US state of Utah, born since 1950, including 31,769 ADHD patients and 158,790 people who havent been labelled with ADHD. Of course, there could be another explanation. But as the authors say, it certainly deserves further study. If you want to comment on Peter Hitchens click here The penultimate episode of the Bodyguard left viewers reeling for more after some of the series' biggest questions began to be answered. In last night's episode of the BBC One drama, the aftermath unravelled of Home Secretary Julia Montague's shock death as police pieced together clues of the puzzle of the BBC drama. It uncovered that Julia, played by Keeley Hawes, was having secret meetings with the Secret Service about the Prime Minister's sordid past; revealing he'd been accused of sexual assault, battled drug addiction and had committed financial misconduct at an old firm. The penultimate episode of Bodyguard left viewers gripped as David Budd began to work out what happened to the Home Secretary Julia Montague. In the very last scene Budd was put on indefinite leave (pictured) after he worked out that a member of the Secret Service has been following him Julia Montague was pronounced dead in the hospital shortly after she was caught in the middle of a terror attack at a speech she was giving (pictured) Police discovered the bomb that killed Julia had not been in the suitcase after all but planted underneath the stage and a whole hour of CCTV footage of before the attack had mysteriously gone missing. Budd realised he and his family were being closely watched by the Secret Service, and the episode ended with him being placed on indefinite leave and his weapons confiscated - leaving him vulnerable to whoever was behind the bomb. But viewers were left confused as the show opened up more questions as it began to solve other mysteries. Police are trying to work out who planted the bomb, and it was revealed that it wasn't in Julia's aide's suitcase after all, but installed under the stage. Richad Longcross (pictured) was spotted visiting the safe house being used by Budd's family and proved his ex wife Vicky with questions outside the hospital where she worked. Budd believed the Secret Service may have been responsible for the bomb that killed Julia Julia had been working with the Secret Service on RIPA - a snooper's charter giving them more surveillance powers - and tonight Budd got to the bottom of the dossier they were discussing. It had been assumed by others in the cabinet that Julia has been vying to be Prime Minister, and tonight it seemed they had been working together to find information that would bring down the current PM. However, Budd is convinced that the Secret Service are somehow involved in her death. He would later find out that the mysterious man visiting her flat about the dossier was a man using the alias Richard Longcross. Police discovered that the bomb hadn't been in Julia's aide's suitcase after all but installed underneath the stage at the college. There was evidence of Longcross being at the college beforehand, but an hour's worth of the CCTV footage had been removed before the police could get to it. In a police interview Nadiya, the would be suicide bomber who nearly blew up the train in episode one, identified Longcross as the man who met with her terrorist husband in a car park to discuss getting a bomb. The police are trying to work out what connects all of their main suspects; the man who tried to assassinate Julie in episode two, Longcross and the attempted bomber from episode one. Pictured: Budd and his colleague Louise at the police station Budd was seen trying to buy a gun that couldn't be traced back to him (pictured) in an attempt to protect himself after learning that his every move was seemingly being followed by the Security Service Budd's estranged wife Vicky revealed that Longcross had been visiting the ward she worked on, quizzing her about anything important he might have brought home for safe keeping. Knowing that Longcross is hot on heels, Budd tracked down a dealer to find an untraceable gun to arm himself with. In what seemed to strange to be a coincidence, Budd was reunited with Julia's former personal assistant Chanel in a cafe and the pair swapped numbers after she gave a fake name to the barista. Chanel was seen getting into the same car she left in when she was sacked by Julia and Budd quickly jotted down the registration. Police were able to deduce that the driver was a member of a well known organised crime family based in the Cayman Islands. Viewers were also reunited with Julia's sacked PA Chanel (pictured), who had caused a scene when she lost her job in the first episode. Many suspect that Chanel had something to do with Julia's death Police found that the car picking up Julia was registered to someone involved in organised crime with a base in the Cayman Islands. Budd suspects that they may have had something to do with the bomb as they would be badly affected by a snooper's charter The police theorised that the driver may have something to do with Julia's death as the snooper's charter would affect those involved in organised crime too. Just as he felt like he was about to crack the case Budd was put on indefinite leave after his boss received two complaints about him. Firstly someone had found out about his affair with Julia before she died, and secondly that he had tried to kill himself with a gun to his head, though it failed when it transpired that the gun was empty. There was no one in the flat when he tried to take his own life, indicating that his home may have been bugged for someone to hear the suicide attempt. Taking to Twitter, many thought Chanel was suspicious, with some questioning why she told baristas a fake name in a coffee shop. 'Th PA is totally in on it. Why else bring her back for the penultimate episode' one said. 'Chanel is a spy!' another tweeted. 'It's her! I'm sorry but Chanel is not that hard to spell' one said in reaction to the sacked PR not telling coffee shop staff her real name. Viewers were left suspecting everyone as the penultimate episode failed to reveal who was behind the murder of Julia, with many suspecting she wasn't dead at all. One tweeted: 'Even more confused now, need answers.' Another said: 'What's on the device? Is she even dead? Can Richard Madden marry me? So many questions.' A third tweeted: 'I can't wait a whole week! I wanna know what happens now!' Username: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 7 Vote(s) - 3.14 Average 1 2 3 4 5 Page: 1 2 3 Italy IS becoming great again! Trump should take note! FurriesRock lop guest User ID: 439413 09-16-2018 02:15 PM Post: #1 Italy IS becoming great again! Trump should take note! Advertisement "Under the direction of Salvini, Italy has closed its ports to ships carrying migrant invaders. Previously, nongovernmental organizations, which are in the business of ferrying invaders from Africa to Europe, were allowed to operate unimpeded. This action means that Italy is no longer the number one port of entry for invaders coming into Europe. Salvini has also called for a mass cleansing, street by street, piazza by piazza, neighborhood by neighborhood, a census of Roma living in Italy, and the deportation of all non-citizens. He also rountinely sitcks up for the Italian people in television appearances, insisting that they are a people and an ethnicity, and that they must be protected as a nation from so-called migrants.... Salvini rejected the notion that Africans must be imported to replace the aging European population, saying, Maybe in Luxembourg theres this need, in Italy theres the need to help our kids have kids, not to have new slaves to replace the children were not having. This attitude has caused all of the right people to attack him" http://fashthenation.com/2018/09/nationa...-in-italy/ Trump should take note of how real leaders get sh*t done!"Under the direction of Salvini, Italy has closed its ports to ships carrying migrant invaders. Previously, nongovernmental organizations, which are in the business of ferrying invaders from Africa to Europe, were allowed to operate unimpeded. This action means that Italy is no longer the number one port of entry for invaders coming into Europe. Salvini has also called for a mass cleansing, street by street, piazza by piazza, neighborhood by neighborhood, a census of Roma living in Italy, and the deportation of all non-citizens. He also rountinely sitcks up for the Italian people in television appearances, insisting that they are a people and an ethnicity, and that they must be protected as a nation from so-called migrants....Salvini rejected the notion that Africans must be imported to replace the aging European population, saying, Maybe in Luxembourg theres this need, in Italy theres the need to help our kids have kids, not to have new slaves to replace the children were not having. This attitude has caused all of the right people to attack him" LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 462482 09-16-2018 02:17 PM Post: #2 RE: Italy IS becoming great again! Trump should take note! Trump and Salvini will both bend over for Netanyahu as they always do. FurriesRock lop guest User ID: 439413 09-16-2018 02:24 PM Post: #3 RE: Italy IS becoming great again! Trump should take note! LoP Guest Wrote: (09-16-2018 02:17 PM) Trump and Salvini will both bend over for Netanyahu as they always do. Trump, yes. Salvini, no. Got proof? Trump, yes.Salvini, no.Got proof? LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 451763 09-16-2018 02:33 PM Post: #4 RE: Italy IS becoming great again! Trump should take note! FurriesRock Wrote: (09-16-2018 02:24 PM) LoP Guest Wrote: (09-16-2018 02:17 PM) Trump and Salvini will both bend over for Netanyahu as they always do. Trump, yes. Salvini, no. Got proof? why salvani move away from Leoncavallo? why salvani move away from Leoncavallo? FurriesRock lop guest User ID: 439413 09-16-2018 02:35 PM Post: #5 RE: Italy IS becoming great again! Trump should take note! LoP Guest Wrote: (09-16-2018 02:33 PM) FurriesRock Wrote: (09-16-2018 02:24 PM) Trump, yes. Salvini, no. Got proof? why salvani move away from Leoncavallo? LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 451763 09-16-2018 02:36 PM Post: #6 RE: Italy IS becoming great again! Trump should take note! FurriesRock Wrote: (09-16-2018 02:35 PM) LoP Guest Wrote: (09-16-2018 02:33 PM) why salvani move away from Leoncavallo? link to image: https://media.giphy.com/media/qQcs53Yz9wa0E/giphy.gif What the f*#k is your problem? You have no answer? Why avoid the issue posting bork bork picture? What the f*#k is your problem? You have no answer? Why avoid the issue posting bork bork picture? LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 451763 09-16-2018 02:38 PM Post: #7 RE: Italy IS becoming great again! Trump should take note! Just like Jew bankers financed Hitler fascism and Mussolini fascism same Jew banker behind new fake right wing in Italy. The Borg Registered User User ID: 422775 09-16-2018 02:38 PM Posts: 1,099 Post: #8 RE: Italy IS becoming great again! Trump should take note! LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 451763 09-16-2018 02:39 PM Post: #9 RE: Italy IS becoming great again! Trump should take note! LoP Guest Wrote: (09-16-2018 02:38 PM) Just like Jew bankers financed Hitler fascism and Mussolini fascism same Jew banker behind new fake right wing in Italy. ^^ Jew pick out formerly left wing rising star and convince him to shill as bork bork right winger. ^^ Jew pick out formerly left wing rising star and convince him to shill as bork bork right winger. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 451763 09-16-2018 02:40 PM Post: #10 RE: Italy IS becoming great again! Trump should take note! What was first public event that Salvani attend as interior minister? 70th anniversary of Jewish state udis Philosopher User ID: 462071 09-16-2018 02:42 PM Posts: 32,353 Post: #11 RE: Italy IS becoming great again! Trump should take note! Oh That Island With No Other National Product other than Tourism and Immigration? Interesting, I thought the EU was to Burn Italy for the insurance money. This Claim Is Disputed Pending Fact Checkers. udis The Ministry Of Thought Crime. Does Not Approve Of Your Thoughts! LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 451763 09-16-2018 02:42 PM Post: #12 RE: Italy IS becoming great again! Trump should take note! same jew that pull strings of muslims streaming into europe also pull streams of left wing politicians allowing it and right wing politicians rising up against it FurriesRock lop guest User ID: 439413 09-16-2018 02:42 PM Post: #13 RE: Italy IS becoming great again! Trump should take note! LoP Guest Wrote: (09-16-2018 02:38 PM) Just like Jew bankers financed Hitler fascism and Mussolini fascism same Jew banker behind new fake right wing in Italy. Proof? No, didn't think so. Proof?No, didn't think so. FurriesRock lop guest User ID: 439413 09-16-2018 02:44 PM Post: #14 RE: Italy IS becoming great again! Trump should take note! Anyone else noticing the liberal shills using smears about "Jews" to try and provide the mods with justification to close and/or delete this thread? Why are liberals afraid of the truth? FurriesRock lop guest User ID: 439413 09-16-2018 03:24 PM Post: #15 RE: Italy IS becoming great again! Trump should take note! "But earlier this month, Europe was put on high alert as risk-spreads on 10-year Italian debt rocketed to a five-year high of 290. Italy already has a debt of 2tn (2.3tn) - equivalent to 132 percent of GDP and the second highest in the eurozone behind Greece. Bank of America has warned that Italys GDP growth is flirting with zero in the third quarter of 2018, adding that risk spreads could easily rise to 400 basis points if the countrys budget breaks financial rules." https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/101...n-eurozone "They" are trying to throw Italy into a recession, as punishment for choosing the wrong side in this so-called democracy. The blood of ancient Rome; however, is stronger than the feminized EU leadership. Italy has the globalists running so scared that they are using their most potent weapons against Italy!"But earlier this month, Europe was put on high alert as risk-spreads on 10-year Italian debt rocketed to a five-year high of 290.Italy already has a debt of 2tn (2.3tn) - equivalent to 132 percent of GDP and the second highest in the eurozone behind Greece.Bank of America has warned that Italys GDP growth is flirting with zero in the third quarter of 2018, adding that risk spreads could easily rise to 400 basis points if the countrys budget breaks financial rules.""They" are trying to throw Italy into a recession, as punishment for choosing the wrong side in this so-called democracy.The blood of ancient Rome; however, is stronger than the feminized EU leadership. Advertisement An Instagram account is teaching LGBT history to thousands of people. The profile, @lbgt_history, shares posts on a daily basis highlighting milestones as well as detailing the work and lives of important leaders and activists who fought for LGBT rights. Leighton Brown and Matthew Riemer, a couple based in Washington, D.C., started the account after realizing they 'didn't know anything' about the topic, as they explained in an essay in Them. Knowledge: An Instagram account is educating thousands of followers about LGBT history. Pictured are supporters of a gay rights rally in Marietta, Georgia, in 1993 Explanations: The account frequently shares detailed posts recounting milestones in LGBT history. The caption pictured above explains the context of the 1993 Georgia rally Taking action: Leighton Brown (right) and Matthew Riemer (left), a couple based in D.C., started the account after realizing they 'didn't know anything' about LGBT history Brown and Riemer, who are both lawyers, had attended the unveiling of a headstone for the late activist Frank Kameny and realized just how little they knew about him and his life. Kameny, a gay rights activist who was born in New York City, was fired from the United States Army Map Service for refusing to provide information regarding his sexual orientation. He famously coined the slogan 'Gay is good', which he once named as the accomplishment he wanted to be remembered for. 'We knew so little about Kameny's life, yet during the memorial, we were inundated with details about the man who served as the moral and logical compass in the fight for queer rights for nearly six decades,' the pair, who are both lawyers, wrote in their essay. 'We were overwhelmed by how much we didn't know, isolated by our ignorance, and furious at the forces that had kept our history from us. From there, we set out to learn what we could. There was no real plan; we just wanted some sense of our story.' Outrage: Among the moments documented on the Instagram account are the riots that followed the manslaughter conviction of Dan White, the man who killed Harvey Milk Context: A post on the account explains that White was convicted of 'voluntary manslaughter, the least serious offense available' for the killings News: The Instagram account once featured this cover of the Bay Area Reporter, a free weekly newspaper that has the highest weekly circulation of all LGBT newspapers in the US History lesson: In an accompanying caption, the Instagram account explained that the Bay Area Reporter put out the cover when Pope John Paul II visited San Francisco in 1987 For months, Brown and Riemer conducted research and amassed images. They crated the @lgbt_history account in January 2016, eager to share what they had learned with other people. In two years and eight months, the account has garnered 270,000 followers. It now shares new publications on a daily basis, with the goal to give more visibility to parts of history that are not usually taught in classrooms. Some of the posts consist of photos of past marches and rallies, with some information about the images' context in the caption. Other, lengthier updates focus on significant moments in LGBT history or profile important historical figures such as politician Harvey Milk, artist Keith Haring, and activist Marsha P. Johnson. In May, the account shared a black and white portrait of Haring on the sixtieth anniversary of his birth. The caption featured a biography of the artist, from his rise to fame in the early 1980s to how he contributed to raising awareness about the AIDS crisis through his art. Prominent: Artist Keith Haring (pictured in 1984 with one of his paintings) was featured on the account Message: The caption featured a biography of the artist, from his rise to fame in the early 1980s to how he contributed to raising awareness about the AIDS crisis through his art Work: Among the activists featured on the account is Marsha P. Johnson, 'one of the parents of the queer liberation movement' (pictured left handing out flyers in New York City in 1970 Activist: The account listed several of the movements and organizations Johnson was a part of That same month, another post marked the 39th anniversary of the conviction of Dan White, the man who killed San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. The publication told the story of the verdict that saw White convicted of voluntary manslaughter, not murder, leading to the White Night riots of 1979 in San Francisco. 'On May 21, 1979, thirty-nine years ago today, six months after Dan White assassinated San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk, the predominantly white, heterosexual, middle-class, middle-aged jury found White guilty of voluntary manslaughter, the least serious offense available, carrying a seven-year sentence and the possibility of parole,' the post reads. 'Even White's lawyers were surprised that the "Twinkie defense" in which they argued White's mental state at the time of the killings was diminished due to an increase of sugary foods had worked.' Looking back: On September 11 this year, the account shared this magazine cover highlighting the heroic acts committed by gay people after the 9/11 attacks Telling the stories: Among the people featured in the post was Father Mychal F. Judge, a chaplain who died at Ground Zero Milestones: Octogenarians Del Martin (second from left) and Phyllis Lyon (right), pictured on their wedding day in 2008, have been featured on the Instagram account Fighting for their rights: The pair wedded twice. Their first wedding, which took place in 2004, was voided. They married again in 2008 after same-sex marriage became legal in California Among the activists featured on the account is Marsha P. Johnson, 'one of the parents of the queer liberation movement'. Johnson is described in a publication as having been 'part of the Stonewall Riots, an early member of the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance, and a co-founder (with Sylvia Rivera) of the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, the first organization dedicated to assisting homeless drag queens, trans women, and survival workers'. The post also explains how Johnson's death at the age of 46 was initially ruled a suicide, and how activists and friends successfully fought to get the case reopened. Riemer and Brown will soon release their first book, We Are Everywhere, dedicated to LGBT history. With it, they hope to show 'that the strength of the queer community is its diversity and that assimilation is spiritual erasure'. She's the 26-year-old who became a household name after she was selected by Victoria's Secret to walk in the 2016 show. But looking like Georgia Fowler doesn't come cheap. After previously sharing her $1100 skincare regime, the New Zealand-born model has revealed the beauty products that keep her looking flawless on Instagram. Here, FEMAIL takes a look at what she swears by. New Zealand-born model Georgia Fowler (pictured) became a household name after she was selected by Victoria's Secret to walk in the 2016 show Georgia is famed for her radiant skin, a look she says is created by letting as much of her features show without the need for excessive coverage. 'I keep my skin fresh and just conceal where needed,' she wrote on her profile. The model revealed her go-to products to create a flawless base include NARS concealer followed with YSL's Touche Eclat. She uses this product specifically under her eyes for some added brightness. Next, Georgia will apply foundation. She revealed her favourite is also one much-loved by Kim Kardashian: Luminous Silk by Giorgio Armani. The model prefers a more natural look when she's off-duty and rather than cover up entirely will allow her features to shine through For a fresh twist, the Victoria's Secret star mixes her foundation with some illuminator cream by RMS along with a touch of moisturiser. Rather than apply all over her face, the model said she will press this on to a few key areas only: the top of her cheekbones, down the bridge on her nose, on her Cupid's bow and on the inner corners of her eyes. Blusher, a product Georgia said she once used to be 'petrified of', comes courtesy of British makeup brand Charlotte Tilbury. Georgia uses Luminous Silk Foundation by Giorgio Armani (priced at $99.00) as well as YSL's Touche Eclat highlighter pen (priced at $70.00) She explained the blush stick was ideal for 'a perfect sun-kissed look especially when applied across the apples of the cheeks and even up to the nose'. No modern makeup look would be complete without contouring. Georgia's preferred product is a cream-based formulation by Tom Ford. Her trick is to use the product under her cheekbones for 'added chisel' as well as adding this along the underside of her jawline. She revealed the product also works well in the crease of her eyes for an alternative take on conventional eye-shadow. Effortlessly chic: The 26-year-old keeps her makeup routine simple and lists Maybelline mascara and Chapstick among her go-to products She shared her luscious full brows are created using a brow shadow and she will always 'gel up' with Glossier's Boybrow. Topping off her effortlessly chic routine is a 'lick Maybelline Great Lash mascara' a swipe of Chapstick. And she concluded: 'You're good to go'. A Mormon mother has caused controversy by arguing that unplanned pregnancies are always the man's fault no matter what the circumstances. Gabrielle Blair, 44, from Oakland, California, took to Twitter to explain her views on abortion rights in a lengthy and controversial thread, during which she stated that the onus is on men to take the lead with contraception as condoms are more readily available and have less side effects than birth control pills. 'I have a good understanding of arguments surrounding abortion, religious and otherwise,' she began her Twitter thread. 'I've been listening to men grandstand about women's reproductive rights, and I'm convinced men actually have zero interest in stopping abortion. Here's why...' Controversial: Mormon mother-of-six Gabrielle Blair, 44, sparked a heated debate online after stating that men are always to blame for unplanned pregnancies Shocking: Mrs Blair, pictured second from left, with her husband Ben, 45, and their six kids, argued that 'all unwanted pregnancies are caused by the irresponsible ejaculations of men' Mrs Blair, who runs a popular blog called Design Mom, then reasoned that men who refuse to wear condoms are putting their sexual pleasure before a woman's quality of life - because pregnancies are physically demanding and childbirth is dangerous. Her comments divided opinion in the Twitter thread, with many users praising her arguments, while others said she was ignoring the fact that women are also responsible for knowingly choosing to have unprotected sex. That argument did not sway Mrs Blair, however, who insisted that, while it might take two to tango, any unwanted pregnancy that comes out of a sexual encounter is absolutely the fault of the man, and that women therefore need to stop being 'shamed' for getting abortions - or even worse prevented from having them altogether. She wrote: 'Stop protesting at clinics. Stop shaming women. Stop trying to overturn abortion laws. If you actually care about reducing or eliminating the number of abortions in our country, simply HOLD MEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS.' 'If you want to stop abortion, you need to prevent unwanted pregnancies,' she continued. 'And men are 100% responsible for unwanted pregnancies. No for real, they are. 'Perhaps you are thinking: IT TAKES TWO! And yes, it does take two for _intentional_ pregnancies.' She continued: 'ALL unwanted pregnancies are caused by the irresponsible ejaculations of men. Period.' The mother-of-six noted that many people are quick to 'shame' women if they get an abortion, suggesting that there exists an unjust stereotype which puts forth the idea that if a woman gets an abortion, it is her fault for getting pregnant in the first place. 'Women enjoying sex does not equal unwanted pregnancy and abortion,' she added. 'Men enjoying sex and having irresponsible ejaculations is what causes unwanted pregnancies and abortion.' In a Twitter thread, she explained her belief that abortion could never be criminalized because the blame for unplanned pregnancies always falls with men Mrs Blair said that because women can only get pregnant a couple of days of the month and men can get pregnant every day of the year they are the ones to blame (pictured) Mrs Blair pointed out that women are most likely to get pregnant on the days they are ovulating, which is only a couple of days a month, while men can get women pregnant everyday of their lives from puberty until death and so the responsibility should fall on them. She argued that is easier for men to take care of contraception that women, as condoms are cheap and available to buy everywhere, while female birth control is much harder to get hold of. She added that oral contraceptives can also cause a number of negative side effects, such as irregular bleeding, weight gain and mood changes. The mommy blogger then went on to address several different aspects of the argument for why men want to have unprotected sex - ranging from 'pleasure', and why that is often used by men as a reason not to wear condoms - to 'responsibility' and the idea that, if an unwanted pregnancy occurs, the resulting consequences are almost always entirely shouldered by the woman. Mrs Blair claimed that many men don't like to wear condoms because they claim it reduces their sexual pleasure, but she insists that this means they are putting their own pleasure before the safety of the woman they are with. She wrote: 'There are men willing to risk getting a woman pregnant which means literally risking her life, her health, her social status, her relationships, and her career, so that they can experience a few minutes of slightly more pleasure? Is that for real? Yes. Yes it is.' She also pointed out that men have to have an orgasm in order to get a woman pregnant but women do not. As far as responsibility is concerned, Mrs Blair argued that it is easy for men to walk away from an unplanned pregnancy easily, forced to face only minimal - if any - consequences for their actions. She noted that if the woman gets an abortion, the man may never have to know that he 'caused an unwanted pregnancy with his irresponsible ejaculation', while if she chooses to have the baby, or put it up for adoption, he may still never find out that 'there's now a child walking around with 50 per cent of his DNA'. She argued that contraception should be the responsibility of the man as condoms can be bought everywhere, but oral contraceptives need a prescription and can't be bought on the point of need. 'If the woman does tell him that he caused an unwanted pregnancy and that shes having the baby, the closest thing to a consequence for him, is that he may need to pay child support,' she wrote, before adding: 'But our current child support system is well-known to be a joke. '61 per cent of men (or women) who are legally required to pay it, simply dont. With little or no repercussions. Their credit isnt even affected. So, many men keep going as is, causing unwanted pregnancies with irresponsible ejaculations and never giving it thought.' The mother-of-six, who lived in New York, Colorado, and France with husband Ben, 45, before the family moved to California, made the argument that those people who see abortion as 'murder' should, in theory, be happy to see a number of men 'castrated' - because that would 'prevent 500,000 murder each year'. She also suggested vasectomies as a 'very safe, totally reversible' alternative that are 'about as invasive as a doctor's exam for a woman getting a birth control prescription'. Mrs Blair continued: 'Dont like my ideas? Thats fine. Im sure there are better ones. Go ahead and suggest your own ideas. My point is that its nonsense to focus on women if youre trying to get rid of abortions. Abortion is the cure for an unwanted pregnancy.' When asked about whether women should get the blame for not asking their partners to use condoms, Mrs Blair said there are 'power dynamics' that would make a lot of women unable to say no their partners. Mrs Blair's comments caused a huge debate, with many saying it is wrong for women to be blameless for unplanned pregnancy. One tweeted: 'One problem with your argument: you state men are responsible but ultimately it is the woman who spreads her legs. She can demand he wear a condom, or close her legs. She can use an alternative to the Pill such as Depot Provera and IUD.' Mrs Blair (pictured) said that men will have to face zero consequences for unplanned pregnancy because they won't have to raise the child that results from them She came to the conclusion that the only way to stop unwanted pregnancies was abortion, unless men are punished for not using contraception. Her comments divided opinion in the Twitter thread, with many Twitter users praising her arguments, while others said she was ignoring the fact that women choose to have unprotected sex Another wrote: 'As soon as a woman gives consent to sex without a condom, they too are responsible for whatever happens next. Its like swimming with sharks. If you do it, be prepared for the chance of you getting killed.' However, many Twitter users praised her arguments, with some saying she was right to take the blame often placed on women for unplanned pregnancy and place it on men. One tweeted: 'This is the most comprehensive, reasonable, well-researched, and LOGICAL assembly of ideas written on this subject, like, forever. I'm reposting EVERYWHERE. ' Another posted: 'Amazing perspective. You are 100% correct. Women are forced to operate in a rigged system. Could not imagine. This should be mandatory reading for all. As a father of two daughters, I hope that they can have better options.' Mrs Blair's controversial Twitter thread comes as the US is in the middle of a national debate regarding the future of abortion rights in the country, an argument that has become all the more heated following the Supreme Court nomination of conservative candidate Brett Kavanaugh. It is widely believed that, if Kavanaugh is appointed, the Supreme Court may attempt to overturn constitutional law regarding abortion rights, and allow each state to determine whether abortion should remain legal. Hillary Clinton sparked outrage last week when she claimed the Kavanaugh had referred to the birth control pill as 'abortion-inducing drugs', although it was later pointed out that she had chosen to leave out a key part of his quote. 'I want to be sure we're all clear about something that Brett Kavanaugh said in his confirmation hearings last week,' she tweeted to her 23 million followers. 'He referred to birth-control pills as 'abortion-inducing drugs.' That set off a lot of alarm bells for me, and it should for you, too.' Clinton and abortion rights advocates fear that Kavanaugh if confirmed will swing the balance to overturn Roe v. Wade, and then chip away at protections for contraceptives. President Trump nominated him to fill the seat of former swing Justice Anthony Kennedy. The pill prevents an egg from being fertilized, even before the moment of conception. London Fashion Week is not known as a place of relaxation; with fashionistas flocking to hundreds of shows a day by the world's best designers. But one such designer has created a space for the fashion pack to relax during the hectic chedules - on the world's largest beanbag. British accessories creator Anya Hindmarch, 50, has been hosting events on the beanbag - dubbed the Chubby Cloud - aimed to be more soothing than all of the runway shows; with meditation, readings of the BBC shipping forecast and storytelling from children's books. And the art installation - held at the palatial Banqueting House in London - has already been a sell out, with no tickets remaining for any session this weekend. Scroll down for video British accessories designer Anya Hinmarch launched a relaxtion event called the Chubby Cloud on what she claims is 'the world's largest beanbag', which visitors rest on. Pictured: Guests relax on the Chubby Cloud listening to speaker Sophie Hackford Hindmarch launched the event to encourage people to be more 'playful' and lie back and enjoy art. Pictured: Hindmarch speaks on the opening day of the exhibition on Friday Guests take off their shoes and don overalls so they can comfortably lie down and relax on the cloud (pictured) Participants don comfortable overalls and slip off their shoes to jump on the huge white beanbag, which has been made to look like a giant cloud. They can either face the front and watch guests speaks or lie back and get a spectacular view of the Peter Paul Rubens painting on the ceiling. The event, which ran from September 14 to 16, hosted a series of talks, meditations, music and bedtime stories. There is also a cafe downstairs selling rainbow doughnuts and cupcakes with cloud-shaped icing, with the designer is also selling limited edition Chubby Cloud merchandise. The event, which was held at the Banqueting House in London, was a complete sell out, with no tickets left on sale for the remaining events. Pictured: Two visitors relax on the Chubby Cloud The event hosted a series of talks, meditations, music and bedtime stories, including some from famous famous like Poppy Delevingne and Claudia Winkelmann. Pictured: Two visitors relax on the Chubby Cloud Hindmarch announced she would no longer be presenting her collections in line with the traditional London Fashion Week schedule. Pictured: Visitors wait for their turn on the cloud There is also a cafe downstairs selling rainbow doughnuts and cupcakes with cloud-shaped icing. Pictured: Visitors enjoy a break in the packed cafe Hindmarch also sold limited edition Chubby Cloud merchandise at the three day event (pictured), which ends on Sunday Speaking after Saturday morning's session, Hindmarch told WWD: 'It's the idea of engaging with people not in a traditional format. I wanted to just talk to our customers and make this inclusive. 'You see how people behave when they sink into the Chubby Cloud it's quite natural and I wanted to do something where they could come and be playful. And you're quite porous when you're lying there, so you are open to the art and you're open to listening and hopefully open to knowing more about us.' The event has already proved hugely popular and all of the talks have sold out, while celebrity guests have included Poppy Delevingne and Claudia Winkelmann, who both read bedtime stories when they visited on Friday. Visitors can either face the front and watch guests speaks or lie back and get a spectacular view at the Peter Paul Rubens painting on the ceiling. Pictured: A visitor taking a photograph of the painting on his phone In February the designer placed chubby heart balloons around Britain's famous landmarks to advertise the collection. Pictured: Speaker Sophie Hackford, who is CEO of a data and AI company 1715 Labs Hindmarch received a CBE from Prince Charles in recognition of her services to fashion last year. Pictured: Speaker Sophie Hackford during her talk The Duchess of Cambridge is a fan of her bags and Princess Eugenie was spotted with an Anya Hindmarch clutch at the wedding of Pippa Middleton and James Matthews. Pictured: Speaker Sophie Hackford during her talk Hindmarch announced she would no longer be presenting her collections in line with the traditional London Fashion Week schedule. In February the designer placed chubby heart balloons around Britain's famous landmarks. In June last year Hindmarch , who is known for bringing a quintessentially British sense of humour to her designs, received a CBE from Prince Charles in recognition of her services to fashion. Miss Hindmarch famously created a reusable bag with 'I'm not a plastic bag' to promote the environment. Pictured: Visitors relax while watching Sophie Hackford during her talk Hindmarch said people would be more 'open to listening' while relaxed and so more open to learning about the brand. Pictured: Visitors wait to be admitted to the Chubby Cloud event Speaking at the event the mother-of-five, who launched her eponymous fashion label in 1987, said she is 'privileged and proud' that Princess Diana was among her supporters and wore pieces from her collection for evening galas and state visits. The Duchess of Cambridge is also a fan and Princess Eugenie was spotted with an Anya Hindmarch crisp packet clutch at the wedding of Pippa Middleton and James Matthews last month. Miss Hindmarch famously created a reusable bag with 'I'm not a plastic bag' to promote the environment and now delights fashion fans with her playful designs which seek to find beauty in the banal, from road signs to cereal packets. The 'world's most beautiful royal' bagged a front row spot at London Fashion Week alongside top models to watch one of her favourite designers. Lady Amelia Windsor, in a bright pink off-the-shoulder dress priced at 1,890, proved her love of haute couture as she sat on the FROW for designer Mary Katrantzou's 10th anniversary show. The 23-year-old society beauty, who finished the look with a pair of black Buffalo platform trainers, watched the Cabinet Curiosities show alongside a squad of big names in the fashion world including models Nadine Leopold and Leomie Anderson. Scroll down for video Squad goals: Lady Amelia Windsor, far right, takes her place on the FROW of designer Mary Katrantzou's 10th anniversary show at London Fashion Week. Pictured from left: Cairo Dwek, Nadine Leopold, Leomie Anderson, Alanna Arrington and Lady Amelia Windsor Strike a pose: Lady Amelia wore the 1,890 Mary Katrantzou dress in support of one of her favourite designer's anniversary show, finishing the look with a pair of chunky black trainers and neon lime trainers Lady Amelia, who posed on the cover of Tatler magazine last month with England rugby ace Maro Itoje offered a sultry smile to the camera as she was snapped on the front row Looking suitably sultry, the young royal showed off her perfect pout as she took her place to watch the extravaganza, which was described by designer Mary Katrantzou as 'celebrating a decade of designs refined, re-examined and catalogued to further build the Katrantzou lexicon.' Lady Amelia's stunning Italian-made dress showed off Katrantzou's couture to perfection, with the bubblegum-pink frock featuring a panelled bodice and white floral embroidery. The royal's own modelling career has taken off since she graduated from Edinburgh University and last month, Lady Amelia was snapped reclining on the bare torso ofEngland rugby ace Maro Itoje, also 23, for a sultry shoot with Tatler magazine. The shoot came four months after the granddaughter of the Duke of Kent - and 38th in line to the British throne - was named as a contributing editor at the society bible. Beautiful people: (From left) Leomie Anderson, Alanna Arrington and Lady Amelia Windsor smile for photographers ahead of Mary Katrantzou's show in London Charmed life: Lady Amelia, who turned 23 last month, has enjoyed a summer of holidays afterwalking the runway for designers including Dolce & Gabbana Lady Amelia was named contributing editor of Tatler in a staffing shake-up in May. The aristocrat also enjoys a successful modelling career. Pictured, Amelia dons a gold crown as she walks for Dolce & Gabbana during Milan Fashion Week in February 2017 The photogenic pair ooze laid back cool as they gaze directly into the camera, their flawless skin radiant in the sun. In the accompanying interview, Lady Amelia reveals she thinks swimming in the sea is the 'key to happiness' while ex-Harrovian Itoje reflects on using his platform for social change. The blue-blooded beauty last appeared on the cover of Tatler in 2016, when she was hailed the 'most beautiful member of the Royal Family'. She has since graduated from Edinburgh University and built a career as a social influencer and model, walking the runway for designers including Dolce & Gabbana. Most recently she has spent the summer criss-crossing Europe on a string of sunshine breaks, stopping off in Rome, Lake Como and Ibiza, among other dazzling destinations. Olivia Newton-John, pictured, last week announced her breast cancer has relapsed for the third time Medicinal cannabis is due to become available on the NHS this month a move that experts say will help thousands of people with chronic conditions such as epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. But what will the relaxing of restrictions around treatments derived from the drug actually mean in practice? While there is a wide range of cannabis-derived medications to help control everything from seizures and anxiety to muscle spasms and chronic pain, knowing exactly what will be made available in the UK is a complex issue. The Mail on Sunday can reveal there are already concerns about who will qualify for medicines, how they will be prescribed, and the benefits they will potentially bring. While many doctors have backed the policy change, others argue there is not yet enough evidence to allow medics to safely prescribe medicinal cannabis, and that some types could even impact a childs brain development. There is also confusion over the definition of medicinal cannabis, what it contains, and for which conditions it will be considered as a treatment. Last week, Grease actress Olivia Newton-John revealed she was taking cannabis oil to aid sleep and reduce pain after suffering a third relapse in her battle against breast cancer. Her oil comes from marijuana plants grown by her husband John Easterling in California, where laws are so relaxed that even recreational use of cannabis is legal. But how will things change for patients here, and what could it mean for you and your family? Until recently, cannabis was deemed by the Home Office to have no recognised medicinal benefit. Yet Dame Sally Davies, the Chief Medical Officer for England, who carried out the first part of the Governments review that led to the policy change, overrode this, referring to conclusive evidence to the contrary. In July the Home Office said: The Home Secretary has pledged that the law will be changed by the autumn so that specialist clinicians will be able to legally prescribe cannabis-derived medicinal products to patients with an exceptional clinical need. The Grease star admitted she takes cannabis oil to help treat the symptoms of her disease The change in the law follows a long battle by campaigners and patients, including parents who say that medicines derived from the plant and prescribed overseas where laws are different have transformed their childrens lives. Among those treated with cannabis oil a liquid containing compounds derived from the cannabis plant are Billy Caldwell, 13, and Alfie Dingley, six, who both have severe epilepsy. Billys plight was first reported by The Mail on Sunday, and the teenager from Northern Ireland and his mother Charlotte became the focus of the crusade to change the law after his medication was confiscated at Heathrow Airport. Mrs Caldwell had been attempting to bring in oil from Canada. Both Billy and Alfie have since been granted a lifetime licence for the cannabis oil they take. In June, the Government set up an expert panel, including scientists and neurologists, to consider licence applications for the use of cannabis in cases of exceptional medical need. But apart from Billy and Alfie, only Sophia Gibson, seven, who also has a severe form of epilepsy, has been granted a licence. Tory MP Sir Mike Penning warned the Home Secretary earlier this month: There is now a serious risk that the much-welcomed panel may soon become a focus of disappointment if it is seen to only help a very small number of patients. The panel must consider whether the product has already been effective for the patient in question meaning the family should already have had access to cannabis products from other countries. Sir Mike says this is highly unfair and heavily favours patients in the financial and physical position to be able to undertake such a costly and stressful trip. Charlotte Caldwell, pictured with her son Billy, faced a massive battle against the state to receive a licence which would allow the 12-year-old to continue his cannabis treatment after returning to Northern Ireland to help him with his rare form of epilepsy Patients must have also exhausted all other treatment options, which neurologist Professor Mike Barnes, who treated Alfie, says is crazy because there are more than 20 anti-epilepsy drugs for children. Alfies mother, Hannah Deacon, who works with medical cannabis campaign group End Our Pain, claims they had heard from 16 families who had been unable to secure a licence for their children, primarily because they have not received the necessary backing from their local NHS trust or clinicians. The cannabis plant contains hundreds of naturally occurring compounds called cannabinoids. The best known of these are cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The term medicinal cannabis broadly refers to products containing one or more of these compounds. They are usually oils taken orally or as capsules. There is a wide range of these medicines, manufactured mainly by small companies in Canada, the US and Netherlands, where the laws around these drugs are different. Patients in the UK have been accessing the products by travelling to these countries. Last night the Home Office could not confirm which kinds, if any, of cannabis oils will become legal in the UK. And the British Paediatric Neurology Association (BPNA), which represents doctors caring for children with disorders such as epilepsy, has warned that tests show the contents of many products marketed as medicinal cannabis vary from batch to batch, which will make approving them for medical use difficult, if not impossible. At present, a scheduling system determines the therapeutic value of all drugs. Those in the highest category Schedule 1 are heavily restricted because they are believed to have no medical value, making it illegal to possess or prescribe them. A Home Office licence is necessary to use them for research. Cannabis oil and cannabis resin are currently listed in Schedule 1, alongside hallucinogenic mushrooms and other substances. So are many cannabinoids, including THC, which is the most potently mood and behaviour-altering. Yet the recent announcement indicates the Government plans to shift some of these compounds to Schedule 2, meaning pharmacists and doctors can legally prescribe them. To make matters even more complicated, CBD is not on any schedule as it has no psychoactive effect. The World Health Organisation lists pure CBD as safe for human consumption, while natural health advocates claim taking CBD oil improves mood and reduces pain. According to UK watchdog the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency, CBD is not licensed to be marketed for medical use as there is not enough scientific evidence that it is effective. High Street health food chains and online stores are legally allowed to sell a kind of CBD oil sometimes also called hemp oil as long as they market these products as food supplements and they contain no more than a trace (0.2 per cent maximum) of THC. High Street versions contain a very low concentration of CBD, which means they are even less likely to have a therapeutic effect. Patients will be able to receive medicinal cannabis on the NHS later this month, but they will not be allowed to smoke the drug, as is legal in other jurisdictions such as Canada, pictured Many of the British children with epilepsy who have experienced a reduction in seizures have been taking oils that contain a combination of CBD and THC. Alfies parents claim his seizures did not respond to standard epilepsy drugs, so his mother Hannah took him to the Netherlands, where he was prescribed Bedrolite and Bedica, both of which contain CBD and THC. Epilepsy campaigners and patients argue that this combination is much more effective due to the high cannabinoid content. The results were striking, with his seizures reducing in number, duration and severity, according to Prof Barnes. Alfie has seen a remarkable improvement, he says. There are tens of thousands of children and adults with his type of epilepsy who could benefit too. The response is improved by adding a small amount of THC. But other doctors argue that medical cannabis may help only a tiny proportion of children with epilepsy, and could sometimes do more harm than good. Professor Hannah Cock, consultant neurologist and epilepsy expert at St Georges Hospital in London, explains: Patients with epilepsy are already at increased risk of mental health problems such as psychosis, and certain compounds in cannabis are linked to the development of these disorders. There is also evidence that many forms of cannabis oil being marketed as a treatment for epilepsy are no better than standard drugs already available. She adds: Over half the patients in my clinics are now asking about cannabis. That includes those who are seizure-free on existing medication, and not suffering from side effects. There is this idea that because it is derived from a plant, it is somehow better than traditional drugs. I care passionately about patients getting the best care, but this is not the holy grail. If I have a patient who I think will benefit then Ill apply to the Home Office panel, but it will only be for a minority of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. On the best available evidence, she predicts that only one in 170 patients will end up seizure-free. At present, there is one cannabis-based treatment the Home Office has licensed as a medicine on prescription: Sativex. The mouth spray, which contains CBD and THC, reduces painful muscle spasms in MS patients, and those who respond well have described the treatment as transformative. However, patients struggle to get Sativex in England it costs about 5.50 a day, based on a typical patient needing four sprays a day. GW Pharma, the firm behind Sativex, has now carried out trials for Epidiolex, a new CBD-based treatment for epilepsy. It was approved by US regulators in May for seizures associated with specific forms of severe epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. Results published in The Lancet show that patients on the drug had a greater average reduction in seizures compared to those taking a placebo. The 99 per cent CBD drug also caused drowsiness, loss of appetite and diarrhoea. But it could become available on prescription in the UK as early as 2019 if the European Medicines Agency gives it the green light. The question remains as to what standards other untested forms of medicinal cannabis will have to meet, especially those imported from abroad. Epilepsy specialist Dr David McCormick, of Kings College Hospital in London, believes cannabis-based products must be pharmaceutical grade, pass the chemical purity standards required of all medications licensed in the UK, and there should be no rush to prescribe. We need to be cautious and careful, he says. Campaigners say consultants and GPs need training so they can understand the complexities around medicinal cannabis. Charities such as the MS Society want a system set up so that specialist clinicians can prescribe appropriate cannabis-based treatments to patients experiencing pain or muscle spasms. Spokesman Genevieve Edwards says: We also need clear information for those with MS so that they can make informed choices about their options, together with their healthcare professional. Despite criticism of the NHS cannabis prescribing panel, Dr McCormick points out that experts who sit on it have the latest information and act in the best interests of the children. The likely scenario in the UK is that patients who do not respond to traditional treatments will, at some point, have access to cannabis-based products on the NHS. These will be obtained through authorised clinicians such as neurologists. Experts claim either specific products will be approved for use in specific instances, or there will be blanket threshold for concentrations of CBD and THC for use in medical treatments. Whether the remit will be broadened to include cancer sufferers, insomniacs or other patient groups remains unclear. Prof Cock says: It is quite easy in some countries to see a random GP, say, Im having trouble sleeping and they hand you a prescription. But my understanding is that this will not happen in the UK, and nor should it. Oh dear. This is something that Im not too thrilled to have to mention, if Im honest. So I will have a glass of wine (or two) and try not to think too hard about what happened on the way to see the dentist last week. Lovely Robert is not only my dentist but he is one of my oldest friends and a former flame to boot. From the day in 1968, or perhaps it was even earlier, when my mum managed to push us together as teenagers (both of us would say reluctantly at first) we have kept in touch. I would never go to another dentist. Driving my Mini Cooper along the A3 in South-West London, sunroof open and The Kinks blaring out from the stereo, I was feeling pretty good about life. Bonnie Estridge got lost recently on her way to the dentist while driving her car Bonnie took the turning for Richmond Park and suddenly lost her way to the dentist I took the exit for Richmond Park and then, somehow, it all appeared to be strange. Where was that cafe I knew? Id been there so many times. Everything was the same as Id thought it might be except that I had no recognition of where I was or what I might be doing there. I had completely forgotten the way. I parked the car on a side road and called Roberts nurse Jackie in a panic. I dont know where I am, and I dont know where to go, I blurted out. Jackie could tell that I was stressed, so she soothingly asked if I had the car sat-nav switched on. I know Id set it, but now all I could do was stare at it blankly. Was it broken? Was it me? Jackie told me that she would call my husband Chris. When he rang me moments later, I burst into tears. He had no idea where I was nor could I tell him. He told me to calm down and look for a road sign. I could see New Road, but unfortunately the sign did not contain the postcode. Amazingly, Chris would tell me later that he managed to deduce the New Road I was next to by looking on Google Maps for the one closest to Roberts practice. He arrived in his van less than an hour later and I ended up tailgating him all the way home. Yes it was horrible, yes it was ludicrously annoying, but we got home in one piece. We rebooked my dental appointment and Chris took me. Ive still got all my own teeth, as they say. But the upshot of this event is I am changing the way I do things to a certain extent. I wont stop driving my vision is good and I can get to TK Maxx in Balham and back just fine. But it has knocked my confidence. I suppose my comfort zone the places I know and the things Im able to do on my own is getting smaller. And I am going to have to keep on adjusting. Oh, and Im not going to let any of this stop me looking forward to the trip to Poland I have planned with my daughters next month. In other news, Im looking forward to the Young Onset Dementia Support Group restarting after the summer break. It doesnt sound very glamorous, I know, and I never really saw myself as being in a support group, but it is really good. Once a month Chris and I go together. The meeting is held in a big room at St Georges Hospital in Tooting, with about 30 of us affected by the A-word in some way meeting for coffee and a chat. We end with a quiz, which is beneficial for cognitive stimulation, apparently. I know Im not the only one in this predicament, but meeting other people who are really brings home the fact that its nothing to be ashamed of, or in any way freakish. Friends and family have all been incredibly understanding but it can still feel like that. It has really helped Chris, particularly, come to terms with what has happened. This is tough for him too, not least the fact that he bears the brunt of me repeating myself all the time, because I forget Ive already said something. There are all sorts in the group even a few teenagers, who are the children of patients which makes the whole thing a fun, very rowdy and brilliant way of forgetting the unpleasantness and worry that can sometimes build up. Write to Bonnie Email bonnie.estridge@mailonsunday.co.uk or write to her at The Mail on Sunday, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT. Advertisement Its good to be able to swap anecdotes, talk openly and make new friends. Among them are Denise, who has Alzheimers, and John it transpires that they live just a few doors from us but we had never met them before. Who knows, when I see everyone I might even be persuaded to tell them all about the time I got lost on the way to the dentist A holiday is always an adventure when your elder brother is a wildlife expert. This image was taken seven years ago when I joined Chris on one of the tours he hosts every year in The Gambia. He has lots of friends there and its a place he knows well. This, combined with the fact that he is the knowledgeable one on matters involving animals, meant I gamely posed for him next to this Nile crocodile. We were at the Kachikally Crocodile Pool in Bakau, a place that is believed to have healing powers. Its popular with visitors and giant crocodiles. They are intelligent creatures with extraordinary eyesight, and they laze around a lot. This particular crocodile happened to be very well-fed according to Chris we were very safe as he was too full to want to eat us. Getting up close to a croc in The Gambia; with big brother Chris, below, and her bridal runway show at New York Fashion Week, 2017 'This year Im celebrating 30 years in fashion and presenting my collections at London Fashion Week for the first time in eight years' In many ways this photo sums up our relationship: I will always do exactly what he asks, even at my own risk. Here I was feeling conflicted; on the one hand trusting him but also listening to my instincts, which were telling me, Dont do this! That happened so much growing up in Hampshire with Chris; hes always putting me in these sorts of positions, where I come away feeling as though Ive achieved something, that its a good story or its a good photo, but it can be psychologically painful to get to that point. Ive always loved to travel and being in the great outdoors, absorbed in nature, can be a great antidote to the fashion world. Chris loves fashion himself, and even has his own outdoor clothing range, so though we exist in different worlds we have a lot in common. This year Im celebrating 30 years in fashion and presenting my collections at London Fashion Week for the first time in eight years. Previously weve hosted big catwalk shows in New York, but I found social media has made everything into a bit of a circus there so Im looking forward to a change of scene. Jenny with big brother Chris, left, and her bridal runway show at New York Fashion Week, 2017 Im not sure what the next joint trip will be for Chris and me hes often somewhere far-flung and dangerous-sounding. Six weeks ago he rang me up on a Friday and said, Do you want to come to Antarctica? and I said, Oh yes, that sounds interesting. When? And he said, This Monday. That time I had to say, No, Chris! As told to Amy E Williams Jenny Packham marks her labels 30th anniversary by showing her S/S 19 collection at London Fashion Week today; members of the public can see the collection at the Mayfair Townhouse in London tomorrow, from 10am to 7pm Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below. P.F. writes: Last December, my wife and I went to the Furniture Village branch in Hull for two Rise & Recline chairs, priced at 1,165 each. We are both 75 and suffer from chronic arthritis. The sales manager said we could have a disability VAT exemption saving us 20 per cent, but we had to pay the VAT and then get a refund. Two weeks later, the shop told us we would have to wait 90 days for the refund. Then Furniture Village said there was a change in procedure and offered back just 10 per cent. Confusion: An email from Furniture Village said the chairs were not eligible for VAT relief You quite rightly said no to the 10 per cent refund. Furniture Village then offered you 300, with a promise to pay the balance of the VAT refund if you could prove your entitlement. You accepted the 300 on account and contacted the chair manufacturer Parker Knoll. It told you: 'This seems very unusual, and not something we know retailers have had issues with before.' Parker Knoll's brochure confirmed the zero rating for the chairs, and advice from Revenue & Customs backed this up. Meanwhile, Furniture Village remained confused. An email told you the Hull store had decided the chairs were not in fact eligible for VAT relief. But this was followed by another email saying the exact opposite, while adding that you had to return the 300 before Furniture Village would give you back the VAT of 466. I asked the company what had gone wrong. Why could it not just hand over the remaining 166? After its bad advice so far, it was easy to see why you would be reluctant to hand over cash you already had, in return for Furniture Village's promise of more cash later. When the company offered no comment, I told it last weekend that I would publish your complaint. Within hours, you had a call from the Hull store, apologising and offering 250 on top of the 300 which you of course were happy to accept. You asked the caller if he had heard anything from The Mail on Sunday, but he said he had only been asked by his head office to investigate. Then at about 5pm last Sunday, the same caller rang again to say he had just received an email from me. He wanted you to tell me the matter was settled. This was odd. I had not sent any such email. But I did receive one, from the Hull store, telling me you had 'agreed not to print this letter'. Riddle: MP Stephen McPartland Well, look how that turned out. You have very fairly asked me nothing of the sort, telling me: 'It has been a long drawn out nine months until your intervention and I would like to thank you for your help.' I did press Furniture Village for an explanation of its VAT mistakes, but all it said was: 'The Furniture Village customer service team apologises for the miscommunication.' The issue had been resolved and you were happy, it added. I had hoped for more. I did contact one of the directors of Furniture Village. His name is Stephen McPartland, Conservative MP for Stevenage. He is also former chairman of the all-party Furniture Industry group at Westminster, and former vice-chair of the all-party Disability group. Believe it or not, he was also chairman of The Furniture Ombudsman, the organisation that rules on complaints against furniture firms, including Furniture Village. McPartland did not respond to repeated invitations to comment. 475,000 binary options crook is jailed The boss of a scam binary options investment company has been jailed for four and a half years after he tricked victims into handing over 475,000 that he spent in posh hotels and high-class shops. No qualms: Lee Denton set up TB Options Lee Denton, 33, from Oxted in Surrey, set up TB Options Limited in August 2015. He claimed to offer profits of up to 20 per cent a month by betting investors' money on whether commodity prices would rise or fall within a set period. But the truth was that no bets were placed, no money was invested by Denton, and customers' online accounts showed fake gains to encourage them to invest more. In March 2016, I warned: 'This is a scam with more holes in it than a Swiss cheese.' Denton refused to tell me what experience he had of commodity trading, if any. His company's terms and conditions were also a legal mishmash, copied from the internet. Detective Constable Rob Leete, of the City of London Police Fraud Squad, said: 'Denton had no qualms in lying to these people to steal thousands of pounds from them, which for some may have been their life savings. Now they have been left with nothing.' Now... that's what I call a shambles L.S. writes: I switched phone and internet supplier from TalkTalk to Now TV, but several weeks later Now said another provider was taking over. I immediately denied making any such switch and they said the change was cancelled. But this morning my internet connection disappeared without warning. Now maintains it had switching instructions from another provider, but refuses to identify them. It gave me a number to call for details, but then my landline went dead. Shambles: Now maintains it had switching instructions from another provider It is hard to see how Now TV could take a switching request seriously. You had only just started a one-year contract with the company. After I asked staff to investigate, they admitted to you that despite their assurances, the switch had not been cancelled. Now still refused to name the new provider that insisted had you as a customer. Desperate to get things moving, you then ordered phone and internet services from BT, but only the order for a phone line was activated. Your son, an IT expert, was able to rig up a temporary internet link from your mobile, but this cost 100. Meanwhile, you and I went back to Now and this time the company moved quickly. Your phone and internet connections were restored and your account has been credited with 359. So you will face no monthly charges until this has all been spent. Sixty Conservative MPs are urging the Government to provide 'full' compensation for nearly 900,000 investors still left out of pocket as a result of the near meltdown of Equitable Life in 2000. In a strongly worded letter to Chancellor Philip Hammond, Bob Blackman, Tory MP for Harrow East, says it is 'time the Government drew a line, by finally settling the long-running injustice of this scandal'. He goes on to say that a 'debt of honour' is owed to victims of the Equitable scandal. The letter is endorsed by Tory MPs on the all-party parliamentary group Justice for Equitable Life Policyholders of which Blackman is co-chair. 'Scandal': The MPs' letter to the Chancellor Philip Hammond Equitable, a mutual insurer, was popular with investors in the 1980s and 1990s because of its refusal to pay commission to advisers, instead selling through its own salesforce. It advertised heavily on TV to promote the fact that every penny from customers was invested in pensions or with-profits policies. 'It's an Equitable Life, Henry,' trilled the adverts. Yet, a mix of disastrous management, over-promising to some investors, a lost court case and lax regulation combined to blow a hole in its finances. In 2000, it was shut to new business and only saved by new management taking a sword to the value of customers' policies. Although previous governments have paid compensation of some 1.3 billion for maladministration in the regulation of Equitable, it falls far short of the 4.3 billion of losses quantified by the Parliamentary Ombudsman in 2008. Blackman now wants the balance paid and says it could happen without threatening 'the Government's positive record of fiscal responsibility'. Paul Braithwaite, secretary of Equitable Members' Action Group, says Blackman's letter shows the 'strength of feeling' that remains in Parliament over the need for full compensation to be paid to victims. Username: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 4 Vote(s) - 3 Average 1 2 3 4 5 Page: 1 2 Large-scale joint military exercises of Russia and China USSR Registered User User ID: 430273 09-16-2018 07:29 PM Posts: 1,023 Post: #1 Large-scale joint military exercises of Russia and China Advertisement Behave adequately... if you see the Russian... (This post was last modified: 09-16-2018 07:39 PM by USSR .) LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 443824 09-16-2018 07:30 PM Post: #2 RE: Large-scale joint military exercises of Russia and China It seems the war will go on no matter what. These asshats are about to send us to the stone ages. LopDude Warning level 1200% User ID: 439014 09-16-2018 07:31 PM Posts: 19,814 Post: #3 RE: Large-scale joint military exercises of Russia and China impressive display of deadly power between the 2 countries Let us honor the Lop fallen-never forget them Let us honor the Lop fallen-never forget them crab Registered User User ID: 44023 09-16-2018 07:32 PM Posts: 319 Post: #4 RE: Large-scale joint military exercises of Russia and China Folks, that's why they want to take our guns because eventually... In the Gnostic formula it is understood that, though thrown into temporality, we had an origin in eternity, and so also we have an aim in eternity. Please go to: gofundme.com/putting-myself-back-together-again paypal.me/JohnB542 USSR Registered User User ID: 430273 09-16-2018 07:40 PM Posts: 1,023 Post: #5 RE: Large-scale joint military exercises of Russia and China Behave adequately... if you see the Russian... USSR Registered User User ID: 430273 09-16-2018 07:47 PM Posts: 1,023 Post: #6 RE: Large-scale joint military exercises of Russia and China Behave adequately... if you see the Russian... LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 461925 09-16-2018 07:48 PM Post: #7 RE: Large-scale joint military exercises of Russia and China Off topic: OP, while I might disagree with you on many things, I respect you for not hiding who you really are: a Russia citizen supporting own government. That's fair. USSR Registered User User ID: 430273 09-16-2018 08:04 PM Posts: 1,023 Post: #8 RE: Large-scale joint military exercises of Russia and China Behave adequately... if you see the Russian... USSR Registered User User ID: 430273 09-16-2018 08:09 PM Posts: 1,023 Post: #9 RE: Large-scale joint military exercises of Russia and China Behave adequately... if you see the Russian... He Man Subscriber User ID: 426188 09-16-2018 08:11 PM Posts: 39,688 Post: #10 RE: Large-scale joint military exercises of Russia and China Buck Wrote: (09-16-2018 07:32 PM) Folks, that's why they want to take our guns because eventually... But Trump kisses Putin's and Xi Jinping's ass(s) so you are suggesting a Trump led Jade helm thingie? That is why the progressives/patriots here need guns is that what you are getting at? Your right wing fears seem to flip every couple of years, new power players but no actual attacks of commies sneaking up from Brownsville TX. Good thing I have a hunting rifle to stop the Russian and Chinese military working with Trump's plutocratic Army leading the charge. But Trump kisses Putin's and Xi Jinping's ass(s) so you are suggesting a Trump led Jade helm thingie?That is why the progressives/patriots here need guns is that what you are getting at?Your right wing fears seem to flip every couple of years, new power players but no actual attacks of commies sneaking up from Brownsville TX.Good thing I have a hunting rifle to stop the Russian and Chinese military working with Trump's plutocratic Army leading the charge. Making LOP Great again since 06-07-2013! Robert Reich @RBReich "News flash: If you ban mask mandates, outlaw abortions, dictate what educators can teach in schools, and stop people from voting, you're not the party of "limited government."" (This post was last modified: 09-16-2018 08:12 PM by He Man .) LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 462199 09-16-2018 08:37 PM Post: #11 RE: Large-scale joint military exercises of Russia and China He Man Wrote: (09-16-2018 08:11 PM) Buck Wrote: (09-16-2018 07:32 PM) Folks, that's why they want to take our guns because eventually... But Trump kisses Putin's and Xi Jinping's ass(s) so you are suggesting a Trump led Jade helm thingie? That is why the progressives/patriots here need guns is that what you are getting at? Your right wing fears seem to flip every couple of years, new power players but no actual attacks of commies sneaking up from Brownsville TX. Good thing I have a hunting rifle to stop the Russian and Chinese military working with Trump's plutocratic Army leading the charge. The Russians and Chinese are all about peace on this planet now, so they are using up the stock piles and getting rid of this stuff playing games with them. Your beloved MIC is going to go bankrupt, and soon the only enemy left to attack will be you the citizens of americorp. So not to worry, you get your chance to be a patriot (sic) someday. The Russians and Chinese are all about peace on this planet now, so they are using up the stock piles and getting rid of this stuff playing games with them.Your beloved MIC is going to go bankrupt, and soon the only enemy left to attack will be you the citizens of americorp.So not to worry, you get your chance to be a patriot (sic) someday. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 433775 09-16-2018 08:58 PM Post: #12 RE: Large-scale joint military exercises of Russia and China https://youtu.be/h4-KzZe9IpQ Archangel Michael User ID: 441975 09-16-2018 09:27 PM Posts: 14,103 Post: #13 RE: Large-scale joint military exercises of Russia and China One of the first things Russia and China did when they discovered the US was planning to wage war against them both was to create a Mutual Defense Policy between them to defend against nefarious and greedy butchers of Mankind. To attack either Russia or China, is to attack them both. Think about it. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 462199 09-16-2018 09:35 PM Post: #14 RE: Large-scale joint military exercises of Russia and China Archangel Wrote: (09-16-2018 09:27 PM) One of the first things Russia and China did when they discovered the US was planning to wage war against them both was to create a Mutual Defense Policy between them to defend against nefarious and greedy butchers of Mankind. To attack either Russia or China, is to attack them both. Think about it. That is why when the Chinese found out the vatican was trying to create a civil war using western ngo's, they were executed. All those weapons they had already purchased had to be rerouted to the middle east, and the pope is pissed, he is not king of china too. That is why when the Chinese found out the vatican was trying to create a civil war using western ngo's, they were executed.All those weapons they had already purchased had to be rerouted to the middle east, and the pope is pissed, he is not king of china too. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 372620 09-16-2018 09:47 PM Post: #15 RE: Large-scale joint military exercises of Russia and China Quote: But Trump kisses Putin's and Xi Jinping's ass(s) so you are suggesting a Trump led Jade helm thingie? liberal madness. liberal madness. Advertisement In charge: Former minister Baroness Shields A drug development firm that ranks among Britain's most highly valued start-ups made a 35 million loss last year. BenevolentAI valued at 1.5 billion and run by former Minister and ex-Facebook executive Baroness Shields has developed artificial intelligence technology that helps researchers to identify potential cures for conditions such as motor neurone disease and Parkinson's. The company, founded by entrepreneur Ken Mulvany in 2013, earlier this year raised 90 million from heavyweight investors including fund manager Neil Woodford and hedge fund Lansdowne Partners. This funding round valued the company at 1.5 billion, making it one of the biggest start-ups in the country. Last week, the firm, which has around 165 staff and is based in London with a research facility in Cambridge, revealed Goldman Sachs had invested in the company. In accounts filed at Companies House, BenevolentAI said investment in the drugs it is developing, its artificial intelligence technology and recruitment had caused losses to rise from 14.1 million in 2016 to 34.8 million last year with revenues flat at 2.6 million. US-born Joanna Shields, 56, who was head of Facebook in Europe and UK Minister for Internet Security, joined the firm as chief executive in April. As part of the move, Mulvany, 50, became chairman. Bouncing back: The strong performance marks a strong comeback by Crispin Odey Crispin Odey is poised to become this year's top performing hedge fund manager in Europe a remarkable turnaround after being the worst performer two years ago. His flagship Odey European Fund currently tops the leaderboard of a list of Europe's best performing hedge funds compiled by HSBC. It says Odey's fund, which made millions of pounds from correctly betting against banks in the run-up to the financial crisis, is up 25.7 per cent so far in 2018. The strong performance marks a strong comeback by Odey, who last year saw his fund slide by more than a fifth and tumble almost 50 per cent in 2016 after his predictions of a market crash failed to materialise. Odey, who has a large investment in Sky, said: 'We have done very well out of stock picking this year, especially with oil shares, such as Aker BP.' But he added: 'After a torrid couple of years, I need to keep on doing this for several years.' Odey was one of the City's leading Brexiteers, donating large sums of money to campaigns backing Britain's separation from the European Union. However, he said last night that Brexit appears to be 'hopelessly, badly organised'. Advertisement Pink sand beaches, crystal clear waters and year-round warm weather have long drawn the rich and famous to the tiny island of Bermuda. The chilled-out vibe offers the perfect weekend break for stressed-out Americans and a luxury getaway for travelers from the UK, while the waters filled with coral and shipwrecks provide thrill-seekers with something extra. Keen to get away from stifling heat and hustle and bustle of New York for a few nights, I visited for the first time in July. Paradise: One of the best features of The Reefs is undoubtedly its private pink sand beach just a few steps from the rooms Pink sand: A selfie-lover's paradise, Horseshoe Bay Beach has been ranked as one of the best in the world Just over two hours away and with reasonably inexpensive flights, Bermuda is fast becoming the perfect alternative to The Hamptons for New Yorkers seeking a short break in paradise. I stayed at The Reefs, a stunning family-owned boutique retreat with its own private beach on the celebrated South Shore. The beachfront location with views across the Atlantic is without a doubt the resorts best selling point. Just a few steps from your room, youre greeted by the islands famous pink sand, coral reefs and warm water. A dedicated team on the beach means youre never without clean towels and, of course, one of the islands signature cocktails the rum swizzle. Those keen to be active can take out a kayak for the day, or like I did, a mask and snorkel. Al fresco: The Reefs has four bars and restaurants, but eating dinner on the beach was the best dining experience Unique: I ate (and drank) as the sun set over the cliffs and the tide came in Although the convenience of a private beach is appealing, I was keen to seek out other spots around the island. Because of the size of Bermuda, you are never more than a mile from the ocean. A short walk away from the hotel is the famous Horseshoe Bay Beach. A selfie-lover's paradise, it has been ranked as one of the best beaches in the world, although it can become crowded when cruise ships dock a few miles away. I was keen to find somewhere a little more secluded and asked the Bermudian bar staff where they would go on their days off. The consensus was Admiralty House Park in northern Bermuda. Buses cost just a few dollars both US and Bermudan dollars are accepted on the island - and are the best way to explore without splashing out on taxis. Admiralty House Park, which was once home for British Royal Navy admirals, was wonderfully deserted, bar a few locals. It boasts a completely isolated beach called Deep Bay, which you can only enter through an unmarked hole in a wall. If youre a confident swimmer, you can make your way round to nearby caves. Red phone boxes at the Royal Navy Dockyard in Bermuda are an interesting contrast to the pristine beaches nearby British charm: The streets of Hamilton wouldn't look out of place in any old English town WHY IS THE SAND PINK? The pink beaches are a combination of crushed coral, calcium carbonate and the red shells of tiny single-celled animals called foraminifera. Advertisement Hopping back onto the bus, the capital Hamilton is just a few minutes away. For me a Brit who has been living in the US for more than two years one of the biggest draws to this 21 square mile island in the Atlantic is the British charm, and Hamilton has it in abundance. Bermuda is a British overseas territory, discovered in 1505 by the Spanish, but later colonized and settled by the English in 1612. Cute cobbled streets and even the familiar green, amber and red traffic lights just two hours from my home in Brooklyn stirred a little nostalgia in me. The real highlight of my stay, however, was the accommodation. The Reefs boasts four restaurants and bars, an infinity edge pool overlooking the ocean and a spa. Amenities: As well as it's own beach, the hotel has an infinity pool overlooking the turquoise ocean Luxury: I stayed in a junior suite (pictured) with its own balcony, the deepest soaking tub Ive ever seen and a plush king bed which you can see the ocean from Coconuts restaurant is located just a few steps from the beach, offering both casual lunches and intimate, romantic dinners with menus filled with mouth-watering fresh seafood. But it was Thursdays BBQ on the beach was truly extraordinary. Coffee rubbed baby back BBQ ribs, slow braised beef brisket, wahoo fish, and mussels were among the delectable dishes cooked up by chefs. After a long day swimming, I was grateful to be able to go back for seconds and even thirds. I ate as the sun set over the cliffs and the tide came in, at one point drenching my bare feet. A DJ played the latest tunes and guests danced around the bonfire after a few drinks. I stayed in a junior suite with its own balcony, the deepest soaking tub Ive ever seen and a plush king bed which you can see the ocean from. A room with a stunning view: I stayed in a junior suite at The Reefs with its own balcony which overlooks the ocean Romantic spot: Caso's Point is a deck overlooking the water where couples can tie the knot. It is named after Larry Caso, who visited more than 120 times At night you can hear the whistling tree frogs, which although only being the size of a thumbnail, are surprisingly loud. However, much like cicadas in other countries, you quickly get used to them. The family-run business has many personal touches, including Caso's Point a deck overlooking the water where couples can tie the knot. General manager David Dodwell Jr told me it is named after Larry Caso, who visited more than 120 times. He would sit at that spot, which was then just rocks, and fish each day. Following his death, it was named after him. After just three nights at The Reefs, it was clear to me why Mr Caso visited year after year. The beauty of the resort, on this unique island truly won me over. The United States has called an urgent meeting of the U.N. Security Council for Monday in response to what it says are efforts by some countries 'to undermine and obstruct' sanctions against North Korea. The U.S. Mission announced Friday evening that the meeting will 'discuss the implementation and enforcement of U.N. sanctions on North Korea.' The mission didn't name any countries, but U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley accused Russia on Thursday of pressuring an independent panel of U.N. experts to alter a report on North Korea sanctions that included alleged violations 'implicating Russian actors.' The U.S. Mission announced Friday evening that the meeting will 'discuss the implementation and enforcement of U.N. sanctions on North Korea' Haley said the panel should release the original report, which cited 'a massive increase in illicit ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products' for North Korea in violation of U.N. sanctions. It said some products allegedly were off-loaded from Russian ships, which were identified in the report. A summary of the experts report obtained in early August by The Associated Press also said North Korea has not stopped its nuclear and missile programs. And it said North Korea is violating sanctions by transferring coal at sea and flouting an arms embargo and financial sanctions. U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley accused Russia on Thursday of pressuring an independent panel of U.N. experts to alter a report on North Korea sanctions The Security Council initially imposed sanctions on North Korea after its first nuclear test in 2006 and has made them tougher and tougher in response to further nuclear tests and an increasingly sophisticated ballistic missile program. Haley said earlier this year that successively tough Security Council sanctions resolutions adopted unanimously had cut off all North Korean exports, 90 percent of its trade, and disbanded its pool of workers send abroad to earn hard currency. Many diplomats and analysts credit the sanctions with helping promote the thaw in relations between North Korea and South Korea as well as the June meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at which they agreed to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. But in July, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused North Korea of 'illegally smuggling' in refined petroleum products beyond the annual quota of 500,000 barrels allowed under U.N. sanctions. U.S. documents sent to the Security Council committee monitoring sanctions against North Korea and obtained by AP cited 89 instances between Jan. 1 and May 30 in which North Korean tankers likely delivered refined products 'illicitly procured' via transfers from other ships at sea. Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said he put a hold on its official release to all U.N. member nations 'because we disagree with certain elements' that he refused to disclose The U.S. said Russia and China both informed the sanctions committee that they were supplying refined products to North Korea. China, which is North Korea's closest ally, is responsible for more than 90 percent of the isolated country's trade. Pompeo said North Korea is also evading sanctions by smuggling coal by sea and across borders, by using cyber thefts and other criminal activities, and by keeping workers in some countries that he didn't name. All these activities are 'generating significant revenues for the regime and they must be stopped,' he said. At the time, Haley criticized 'some friends who want to go around the rules,' and especially Russia and China for blocking the sanctions committee from demanding that all countries halt shipments of petroleum products to North Korea immediately. After the experts' report was released in August, Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said he put a hold on its official release to all U.N. member nations 'because we disagree with certain elements' that he refused to disclose. Russia and China then blocked the U.N. from imposing sanctions on Russia-based entities and vessels sanctioned a week earlier by the U.S. Treasury Department. The Russian news agency TASS quoted Russia's U.N. Mission as saying the proposed sanctions were 'unjustified.' The Security Council has remained united in imposing tougher and tougher sanctions on North Korea, though the differences over the experts' report mark a serious dent in that unity. U.N. diplomats familiar with discussions said Russia was angered that the panel used a lot of U.S. intelligence in the initial report that Moscow claimed was incorrect. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because talks were private. Haley expressed disappointment in the panel 'for caving to Russian pressure and making changes to what should have been an independent report.' She called it 'a stain' on the experts' important work. Once an accomplished organ player in Salt Lake City, Wanda Barzee became a disturbing figure for members of her own family after she helped in the 2002 kidnapping of then-teenager Elizabeth Smart. Days before the 72-year-old woman is released from prison, looming fears about whether she remains a threat and calls to keep her off the streets bring up deep-rooted questions about mental-health treatment in the nation's prisons, an expert said. And details of the crime still horrify Barzee's niece, Tina Mace. 'It just makes you ill. How could anyone do that?' she said. Wanda Barzee, 64, is expected to be freed next week after 15 years in custody, including time at the state hospital. She was sent to prison for her role in helping her husband abduct and rape then-14-year-old Elizabeth Smart (right) She said Barzee 'saw me as her slave. She called me her handmaiden. She never hesitated to let her displeasure with me be known' Her aunt played the organ at her wedding decades ago, before Barzee joined Mitchell as he acted on his so-called revelations from God. Like Smart, Mace is alarmed by the surprise announcement this week by Utah authorities, who said they had miscalculated her aunt's sentence and would release her from prison on Sept. 19 'From what I know, no family can take her in or would take her in,' Mace said. Federal agents have found a place for Barzee to live when she starts her five-year supervised release, said Eric Anderson, the deputy chief U.S. Probation Officer for Utah. He declined comment on whether she will be in a private home or a facility, but she 'will not be homeless,' he said. Barzee has served the 15-year sentence she got in a plea deal the year she testified against street preacher Brian David Mitchell, her then-husband who kidnapped the girl from her bedroom at knifepoint. During her months in captivity, Smart said the older woman sat nearby and encouraged her husband as he raped the teenager. Smart is now a 30-year-old speaker and activist who said Thursday she's deeply concerned that Barzee remains a threat, citing her refusal to cooperate with mental-health treatment in prison and reports that she may still harbor Mitchell's beliefs. Smart called for authorities to consider carefully whether inmates have been successfully treated before they are released. Attorney Scott Williams has said Barzee has been diagnosed with several mental illnesses, but he's not concerned about her being a danger to the community But large-scale changes requiring rehabilitation could pose troubling questions, said Rebecca Weiss, an assistant professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. 'We could be incarcerating someone indefinitely who has served their sentence,' she said. Treating the disproportionate number of people with mental illness in U.S. prisons - many of whom are not violent - is among the system's biggest challenges. While there is a need to protect the public, inmates also have the right to refuse treatment. 'The degree to which our prisons succeed in rehabilitation is questionable,' Weiss said. 'We're putting a lot on a system that is overloaded with fairly unclear goals.' Repeat violent sex offenders can be civilly committed in the federal system, but that requires a series of evaluations and a judge's decision that they pose an imminent risk, Anderson said. Barzee's lawyer has maintained she's not a threat. Attorney Scott Williams did not immediately return a message seeking comment. Prison officials declined to discuss her behavior behind bars or relay an interview request. Smart was abducted from her Salt Lake City bedroom at knifepoint by street preacher Brian David Mitchell, who came in through an open kitchen window. The kidnapping triggered waves of fear around the country She was treated at the Utah State Hospital for about five years following her arrest. She testified in 2010 against Mitchell. Barzee described a 'hellish' first year of marriage that eased after she 'learned to be submissive and obedient,' and his later pronouncement that it was 'God's will' they sell their possessions and travel the country wearing long robes. Eventually, Mitchell kidnapped then-14-year-old Smart, forced her into a polygamous 'marriage' and raped her almost daily. She was found nine months later, while walking with Barzee and Mitchell on a street in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy. Barzee's testimony against him seemed like a turning point, but her mental state appears to have changed in her subsequent years in federal and state prisons, Mace said. Mitchell is serving a life sentence. Looking back on the captivity, Smart said Thursday that she believes the older woman who treated her as a 'handmaiden' and a 'slave' was manipulated by her husband at times. 'But she, in her own right, abused me as much as he did.' US Border Patrol Agent Juan David Ortiz, 35, was arrested in Laredo, Texas and charged with murder, aggravated assault and unlawful restraint on Saturday New details have emerged in the arrest of a 'serial killer' border patrol supervisor who launched a two-week murder spree, and was set to kill a fifth woman until she escaped his grasp and alerted authorities. Juan David Ortiz, 35, was arrested on Saturday morning and by evening was charged with murder in the killings of four female sex workers, as well as aggravated assault and unlawful restraint. The 10-year Border Patrol veteran fled state troopers and was found hiding in a truck in a hotel parking lot in Laredo, Texas around 2am. Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz said investigators have 'very strong evidence' that he was the killer of four prostitutes - one of whom was a transgender woman. 'We do consider this to be a serial killer,' Alaniz said. Although authorities haven't revealed how he conducted the killings, cops say they were all killed in a similar fashion. All the murders took place when he was off-duty and in his car - a white four-door Dodge truck. According to his booking records he is being held on $2.5million bond. He was arrested for the slaughter of four prostitutes starting on September 3. His first victim Laredo resident Melissa Ramirez, 29, (left) was found dead on September 4. On Thursday another victim Claudine Luera, 42, (right) was found in critical condition, but later died from wounds. Ortiz was arrested after a fifth woman he kidnapped escaped his clutches half clothed and reported him to police. Cops arrested him in his car in a hotel parking lot at 2am. Pictured above is the scene of where a dead woman's body was found near Interstate 35 on Saturday Cops say all the murders took place when he was off-duty and in his car - a white four-door Dodge truck. The scene of where one of his suspected victim's body was found on Saturday pictured above He was outed after he picked up a fifth woman who later escaped his clutches while half-clothed and alerted police. She claimed that Ortiz was a married father of two young children who tore her blouse when she ran away from his vehicle. She said she became suspicious of him after asking him about the serial killings in Laredo. 'He picked [the fifth woman] up, she went willingly with him and then while she was with him things started to get dangerous for her and when she tried to escape from him at a gas station thats when she ran into a trooper,' Alaniz said to the Texas Tribune. 'In our opinion he is the sole person responsible for this horrific serial killing spree,' he added. Ortiz launched his alleged spree of killings on September 3. Authorities didn't disclose the victims' names or nationalities and they declined to discuss the evidence or say how the women were killed - but local media outlets have linked them to at least three bodies found in the area over the last two weeks. Three bodies have been found in the northwest area of the county this month, Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar said. Police are investigating for a fourth one. Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar announced Ortiz's arrest in a press conference Saturday Two of his victims were identified on Saturday by local news sources. The first was Melissa Ramirez, 29, whose body was found on September 4. She was a resident of Laredo, Texas. Investigators have not disclosed her cause of death. Ortiz worked as a border patrol supervisor for 10 years. He conducted his killings when he was off duty The second was Claudine Luera, 42, who was found alive but in critical condition on Thursday on Texas Highway 255, according to the New York Times. She was found not far from where the previous body was discovered and she later died at a hospital from fatal head trauma. A third female victim is yet to be identified and was referred to as Jane Doe, according to Alaniz. The fourth was a transgender woman, who police referred to as John Doe. All victims were prostitutes in the Laredo area. Investigators are trying to determine a motive for the killings. It is believed Ortiz targeted these women and acted alone. 'It's interesting that he would be observing and watching as law enforcement was looking for the killer, that he would be reporting to work every day like normal,' Alaniz said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a statement saying that it was fully cooperating with the investigation. 'Our sincerest condolences go out to the victims' family and friends. While it is CBP policy to not comment on the details of an ongoing investigation, criminal action by our employees is not, and will not be tolerated,' the agency said. An investigation is ongoing by Texas Rangers of the Texas Department of Public Safety. President Donald Trump is going ahead with plans to impose new tariffs on about $200 billion of Chinese imports, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. Both sides were preparing to hold new talks on their tariff dispute. Last week Trump told reporters such a move could come 'very soon.' The Journal cited unnamed people familiar with the matter who said the tariff level will likely be set at about 10 percent, below the 25 percent announced earlier this year. The tariff level will likely be set at about 10 per cent, below the 25 per cent announced earlier this year Last week Trump told reporters such a move could come 'very soon' The two governments have already imposed 25 per cent tariffs on $50 billion of each other's goods. Beijing has issued a list of another $60 billion of American products for retaliation if Trump's next tariff hike goes ahead. White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters declined comment on the timing of a possible announcement, but said: 'The President has been clear that he and his administration will continue to take action to address China's unfair trade practices. We encourage China to address the long standing concerns raised by the United States.' The Chinese foreign ministry said Thursday that it was invited to hold new talks. Envoys from the two countries last met Aug. 22 in Washington but reported no progress. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He (left) is expected to meet with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (right) in talks on September 27 and 28. Depending on how the talks go, Liu may then speak with Trump Chinese Vice Premier Liu He is expected to meet with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in talks on September 27 and 28. Depending on how the talks go, Liu may then speak with Trump. Beijing has rejected pressure from the United States to roll back plans for state-led development of Chinese global champions in robotics, artificial intelligence and other fields. Washington, Europe and other trading partners say those plans violate China's market-opening commitments. American officials also worry they might erode U.S. industrial leadership. Forecasters have warned that the worsening conflict between the world's two biggest traders could cut up to 0.5 percentage point off global economic growth through 2020 if all threatened tariff hikes go ahead. China has tried without success to recruit Germany, France, South Korea and other governments as allies against Washington. Some of them have criticized Trump's tactics but many echo U.S. complaints about Chinese market barriers and industrial strategy. City of Melbourne staff have reportedly spent a staggering $330,000 of taxpayer money on domestic and international staff trips over the past year. Staff have reportedly visited New York, Paris, Los Angeles, Toronto and Cape Town over the past year, claiming the expenses under professional development. Counil chief executive Ben Rimmer alone racked up $30,000 in staff travel expenses in 2017, when flew to two US cities, the Herald Sun reported. Council chief executive Ben Rimmer (pictured) alone racked up $30,000 in staff travel expenses in 2017, when flew to two US cities The chief executive reportedly flew to Boston and New York last October to attend two taxpayer funded 'entrepreneurship' programs designed to benefit his role. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program, followed by the International Faculty Fellows Program. On MIT's website, the university states that its programs offer attendees a 'practical approach to strengthening innovation driven entrepreneurial ecosystems'. The chief executive later charged another conference to staff expenses, when he attended the MIT program 'from vision to practical action' in June of this year. Senior council executive Martin Cutter and chief digital officer Michelle Fitzgerald also racked up a $24,426 bill when they flew to Europe to attend several seminars. Mr Rimmer flew to New York (left) last October to attend an 'entrepreneurship' program, and later visited Japan (right) to benefit his role It wasn't only international destinations that were racking up expensive petty cash bills, with some domestic trips also adding to the hefty bill, the Herald Sun reported. These included a $5,000 Sydney conference attended by Dean Robertson and Kevin Schwieker, as well as a $3,203 Brisbane performance arts market attended by Kaye Glamuzina. Gideon Rozner, from the Institute of Public Affairs, told the publication it appeared the council has money to burn, given the amount being spent on 'lavish junkets'. 'Its time for a hefty rate cut,' he said. Among the numerous locations visited by staff over the past 12 months was Paris (left), Los Angeles (centre) and Toronto (right) But according to a City of Melbourne spokeswoman, staff travel is necessary to 'ensure we are best positioned to attract and support the jobs, investment and innovation of the future'. She said the council was well aware of the cost to travel and only agreed to fund trips that were essential. 'Travel by staff is governed by the corporate travel policy which has strict guidelines and reporting criteria for expenses incurred,' she said. 'Such travel must demonstrate professional development and/or a return on investment for City of Melbourne.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted City of Melbourne for comment. Britains first clinic for young victims of female genital mutilation, or FGM, has seen just five girls in the past year, The Mail on Sunday can reveal In total, the service which has cost more than 70,000 over and above staff salaries has treated just 43 patients since it opened four years ago. Last night some experts said the lack of patients at the childrens FGM clinic within University College Hospital London raised questions about how prevalent the barbaric practice is in this country. Britains first clinic for victims of female genital mutilation within University College Hospital has seen just five girls in the past year, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. (Stock photo) FGM has been called a national scandal by MPs, and the Government has spent more than 35 million on trying to eradicate it, but despite three high-profile trials there has still not been a successful prosecution. The clinic for girls aged under 18 who have undergone FGM has been operating since September 2014, and is run by consultant gynaecologist Professor Sarah Creighton and consultant paediatrician Dr Deborah Hodes. It operates once a month and examines girls who have been referred by police, GPs or social services to see if they need medical or psychological help. After it had been running for 12 months, Prof Creighton said that our clinics have been full throughout the last year. However figures presented to the trusts board last month and obtained by this newspaper show that eight children were seen in 2014-15, then 16 the following year. Another 14 patients were seen in 2016-17 then just five in the past financial year. Asked for more details under Freedom of Information laws, the trust said all the girls referred to the clinic had confirmed FGM but would not say how many underwent the practice in the UK, where it is illegal. Figures suggest most cases take place overseas. Last night ex-midwife Brid Hehir said: These figures confirm what was suspected from the outset. The clinic for girls aged under 18 has been operating since September 2014. Last night some experts said the lack of patients at the childrens FGM clinic raised questions about how prevalent the barbaric practice is in this country. (Stock photo) The supposed epidemic of FGM in the UK is entirely a figment of fevered imaginations. Most children seen at the clinic must have undergone FGM before coming to live in the UK. A girl who underwent FGM abroad should be of no interest except where it impacts negatively on her health. The industry that has developed around the practice is a huge waste of public funds. The hospital said 28 of the patients had suffered removal of the clitoris while seven had undergone genital piercing or pricking. Latest nationwide statistics show that 16,455 women and girls seen by doctors in England since 2015 had undergone some form of FGM. However the NHS report admitted that, of recent patients, 87 per cent endured FGM in Africa, while most cases undertaken in the UK are legal piercings on consenting adults. On the afternoon of Friday, July 7, 1995, the former leader of the Labour Party, Michael Foot, emerged from the High Court in London with a broad smile on his face. A few minutes before, he had just learned that he had won a landmark libel case against The Sunday Times, which had accused him of having been an agent for the KGB operating under the codename of 'Boot'. Awarded 'substantial' damages as well as his legal costs which together amounted to the equivalent of 250,000 today Foot was adamant the story was hogwash. Michael Foot who was managing director turned editor of the Tribune protested that he had not worked with the KGB as an agent operating under the codename of 'Boot' 'What The Sunday Times said was so serious that I was a spy who had served one of the most wicked organisations that has existed this century I thought it had to be wiped clear,' Foot said, before heading off to celebrate at his favourite restaurant, the Gay Hussar, the Hungarian restaurant in Soho where it was said that Foot had met his KGB handlers. Ever since then, the world has believed that Foot was innocent, with many predictable voices on the left dismissing the accusations as a 'smear' by the 'Right-wing press'. However, yesterday it sensationally emerged that the Secret Intelligence Service better known as MI6 certainly believed that the Labour leader was a Soviet source, and was even prepared to tell the Queen if Foot became Prime Minister. Had Margaret Thatcher lost the Falklands War in 1982, then that unthinkable situation might well have happened a Soviet agent rising to the highest office in the land, with access to the deepest state secrets. Foot met his KGB contacts once a month at the Gay Hussar restaurant in Soho, London The revelation has been made in a forthcoming book called The Spy And The Traitor by Ben Macintyre, in which it also emerges that Foot received today's equivalent of nearly 40,000 for the information that he supplied the Soviet Union. In short, the suggestion is that back in 1995, Michael Foot was lying. He had indeed served the KGB, and he took that terrible secret to his grave in 2010. So how on earth was Foot recruited as 'Agent Boot'? How long did he serve the KGB? What did he tell them? And how, in the murky world of espionage, can we be sure that the latest allegations are true? HOW RUSSIANS MADE CONTACT To get to the bottom of this murky tale of high politics and low treachery, we need to step into the London of the 1960s, and enter into a grey and smoke-filled world more akin to the pages of a John le Carre novel than the colourful vibrancy of the swinging capital. A Russian double agent (pictured) said that the former Labour leader had links to Soviet intelligence In particular, we need to enter the offices of Tribune, a socialist magazine for which Michael Foot had been editor throughout much of the 1950s. After being elected as MP for Blaenau Gwent in 1960, Foot stepped down as editor, but continued to write for the magazine and spent much time there. One day in the early 1960s and we are not sure precisely when some Russians describing themselves as 'diplomats' met with Foot at the magazine's offices. The men chatted easily, and the visitors said that they were appreciative of Tribune's pro-Russian stance. MI6 chiefs were so concerned about Michael Foot's (pictured, right) alleged links to the KGB that they were prepared to pass information onto the Queen (pictured, left, in 1982) Foot, meanwhile, moaned that the magazine was permanently short of cash. The Russians got the hint, and at the end of the meeting, slipped a 10 note into Foot's jacket pocket. Worth some 250 today, this would be the first of some ten to 14 donations made to Foot, which would total the equivalent of 37,000 in 2018. Although it is unclear exactly what Foot did with the money, it is supposed that he gave much of it to the magazine. The Russians were not of course diplomats, but they were members of the KGB, the notorious and brutal Soviet intelligence service. In fact, the organisation had had its eye on Foot since the 1940s, recognising him as a 'progressive' in other words, sympathetic to the Soviet regime and its mass-murdering dictator, Josef Stalin. If Foot did not know that the men were members of the KGB, then at the very best, he was being absurdly naive. But they truly were, because back in Moscow, a file had been opened deep in the heart of the headquarters of the KGB the dreaded Lubyanka. THE DAMNING DOSSIER The first page of that file could not be more damning. It consisted of a short, typed note. 'I, senior operational officer Major Petrov, Ivan Alexeyevich, herewith open a file on the agent Michael Foot, citizen of the UK, giving him the pseudonym Boot.' The KGB officer clearly liked a play on words with his choice of codename, but what is remarkable is the use of the word 'agent', which leaves little room for doubt as to the nature of the relationship between the Soviet Union and a British parliamentarian who would come chillingly close to becoming Prime Minister. Russian agent Oleg Gordievsky (pictured) told MI6 about the 'Agent Boot' file Throughout the 1960s, Foot met with his KGB contacts about once a month, often for lunch at the Gay Hussar. According to the file, these meetings were arranged three days in advance, with an agenda also agreed. What made them more extraordinary is that these lunches were not clandestine, and were far removed from secret encounters on park benches in obscure parks. Perhaps brazenly hiding in plain sight was the best option. Foot was, after all, a high-profile MP, and he could always claim that he was quite legitimately dining with Russian diplomats. After all, like Jeremy Corbyn, Foot made no secret of his Leftism or his affection for countries that most ordinary citizens would have regarded as being beyond the pale. What exactly did Foot tell his KGB contacts? As he had no access to state secrets, it would be wrong to claim that Foot was a traitor in the mould of a Philby, Burgess or Maclean. However, the Russians would have certainly valued whatever Foot could have told them about thinking in the Labour Party and the Left in general and also, of course, any parliamentary gossip. Whatever it was Foot told them, it was clearly considered valuable enough by the KGB to keep paying him, and his file to run to some two folders containing around 450 pages. Throughout the 1960s, Foot met with his KGB contacts about once a month which were arranged three days in advance, according to the file (Michael Foot waving during People's March for Jobs while on the campaign trail for Prime Minister) However, by the end of the 1960s, it appears that the relationship started to peter out, largely because to his credit Foot was highly critical of the brutal Russian repression of the 1968 Prague Spring. The meetings were to stop taking place by the time that Foot became Labour leader in November 1980. While Foot started his sparring with Margaret Thatcher across the despatch boxes, he doubtless hoped that his dirty little secret would never see the light of day. What he never reckoned upon was that there was a traitor working in the depths of the KGB, a man who would soon expose Foot's secret to British intelligence. KGB OFFICER AND A GAY HONEYTRAP In January 1966, at around the same time that Michael Foot was regularly meeting his Russian contacts, one of their fellow KGB officers was arriving in Copenhagen to take up his top secret role running Soviet spies in Denmark. The officer's name was Oleg Gordievsky, a 27-year-old high-flyer who was accompanied by his wife Yelena. Almost as soon as he had arrived, Gordievsky was struck by the liberalism and the sense of plenty in the West. He was particularly fascinated by the Danes' sexual tolerance, and at one point he even went to a sex shop and bought some gay pornographic magazines to show to his wife. Ever since Foot won the libel case, the world has believed that Foot was innocent, with many predictable voices on the left dismissing the accusations as a 'smear' by the 'Right-wing press' What Gordievsky did not know but probably guessed was that he was being monitored by Danish intelligence, who shared with their allies, such as the British, the fact that Gordievsky might be secretly gay. Of course, a closeted homosexual intelligence officer is particularly vulnerable to blackmail, and the Danes tried to ensnare the Russian with a gay honeytrap. The plan failed as Gordievsky was actually heterosexual. However, Gordievsky was disenchanted with the Soviet system. His feelings were picked up on by MI6, when a defector informed them that Gordievsky had shown 'clear signs of political disillusionment'. The British decided to try to recruit him, and the job fell to an MI6 officer called Richard Bromhead, who approached Gordievsky when he was playing his morning game of badminton with a female member of the Young Danish Communists. Bromhead suggested a lunch, and Gordievsky agreed so readily that the MI6 officer was suspicious. Those suspicions proved unfounded, because Gordievsky would become what Ben Macintyre calls 'Britain's greatest spy', and for good reason. THE SPY WHO SAVED THE WORLD The British couldn't believe their luck, because in 1982, Gordievsky was posted to the Russian Embassy in London, where he would soon be made the 'resident' the head of the KGB in Britain. This was a huge coup for MI6, as Gordievsky clearly would know the identities of those the Soviets had recruited. British parliamentarian came very close to becoming Prime Minister gaining access to the deepest state secrets Even more crucially, Gordievsky was able to provide the British and their intelligence partners the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia deep insights into Soviet thinking during a very critical period of the Cold War. Thanks to Gordievsky, what became clear was that the Soviets, who were conducting a huge intelligence gathering exercise called Operation Ryan, were desperate to prove that the West was about to launch a pre-emptive nuclear attack on Russia. Things really did come close to Armageddon when Nato carried out a huge military exercise in 1983 called Able Archer, which the paranoid Soviets strongly suspected was a cover for an actual attack. The exercise could not have come at a worse time, because as Macintyre observes, 'Nato began to simulate a realistic nuclear assault at the very moment the KGB was attempting to detect one.' It was partly thanks to Gordievsky warning the British and the Americans of the Soviet thinking that a Third World War was averted. One top secret CIA document even states that the KGB officer's reports were an 'epiphany' for a hawkish Ronald Reagan and were a 'timely warning to Washington via MI6 [that] kept things from going too far'. But as well as saving the world, Gordievsky had also seen and read a lot of files which were of immense interest to the British. And one of those files was labelled with one simple word: 'Boot'. It was, of course, the file on Michael Foot, and what Gordievsky told his MI6 handlers astonished them. Although a senior MI6 officer thought that Foot 'had been used only for 'disinformation purposes',' there was no doubt that revelation was immensely politically sensitive, and could destroy Foot's career. What Foot never reckoned upon was that there was a traitor working in the depths of the KGB, a man who would soon expose his secret to British intelligence MI6 decided to keep the information within a very tight circle. It informed MI5, which in turn passed on the revelation to the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Robin Armstrong. The senior civil servant thought that information was just too 'incendiary', and he is said by Macintyre to have quietly pocketed the note, hoping that the problem would go away if and when Foot lost the next General Election. However, if Foot was to win, then it was agreed that the Queen who meets with the Prime Minister once a week would have to be informed that Foot was a former Soviet agent. The mind boggles at how Her Majesty would have reacted. As it turned out, partly thanks to the victory in the Falklands, Margaret Thatcher won the 1983 Election with a landslide majority of 144. A couple of years later, Gordievsky defected to Britain, where he still lives quietly with his family. Michael Foot had been buried, and so too had his secret until now. Two people are dead and another two remain in hospital fighting for their life after suspected drug overdoses at a notorious electronic music festival. Emergency services were called to Defqon music festival in Penrith, in Sydney's west, at 9pm on Saturday after a man, 23, and woman, 21, collapsed. The pair were both taken to Nepean Hospital where they died a short time later. Two other festivalgoers, a 19-year-old man and 26-year-old woman, are fighting for their life after being airlifted to hospital in a critical condition. Over 700 people at the event sought assistance from medical professionals, while police recorded dozens of drug-related arrests and seizures. Two people are dead and another two remain in hospital fighting for their life after suspected drug overdoses at a notorious electronic music festival People affected by drugs at the venue were rushed to nearby Nepean Hospital, where one woman remains in a critical condition Police allege an additional 13 people attended Nepean Hospital for drug-related issues during and after the festival. Officers conducted 355 drug searches throughout the day. Of this, a staggering 69 people were allegedly found to be in possession of drugs. Ten of those people were charged with drug supply offences. A 22-year-old man from Bankstown was allegedly found with 20 packets of the drug GHB and was charged with attempting to supply an illegal drug. He will front court on Sunday. Two other men, aged 33 and 27, were charged with supplying MDMA. All three men were refused bail at Parramatta Bail Court. Another two teenager girls, aged 17, were charged with supplying after they were allegedly caught carrying 120 capsules internally. Two more men and three more women were charged with offences relating to MDMA, cocaine and ecstasy. Police presence was strong throughout the day, with police calling their approach a 'multi-faceted operation', involving the Nepean PAC, Police Transport Command, Enforcement Squad and the Police Dog Unit. Police have formed Strike Force Highworth to investigate the deaths of a 23-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman, who died after collapsing at the Defqon music festival Defqon Australia organisers released a statement to news.com.au in relation to the deaths. 'The organisers of Defqon.1 Australia are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of two of their patrons at Nepean Hospital after attending the festival last night and would like to convey their sincerest condolences to their families and friends.' 'Thoughts and prayers are also with the young man and woman who are still in a critical condition. We are disappointed at the number of reported drug related incidents, we have a zero-tolerance policy in relation to drug use at the festival.' 'Festival organisers are working closely and cooperating with the authorities regarding the fatalities and the number of medical presentations made during the evening, a full investigation is currently underway. As this is a matter with the NSW Police and the coroner and out of respect for the families and friends we are not going to speculate on the cause of death and we will not be making any further statements or comments,' the statement read. An investigation is currently ongoing into the circumstances surrounding the two deaths. Police urge anybody with information to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Two sailors are recovering in hospital after they spent more than 12 hours stranded in dangerous seas when the engine on their yacht broke down. The two men from Adelaide raised the alarm at around 4.30 am on Saturday after their 10.9 metre yacht 'Raucous Behaviour' lost engine power in the Spencer Gulf off the South Australian coast. By 6.30am, the sailors were stuck more than 30 nautical miles offshore in six-metre waves. Two sailors on board Raucous Behaviour (pictured) spent half the day stranded at sea 'The engine stopped and they then had to turn it and go with the sea,' rescuer David Mumford told 9 News. Local police liaised with the Water Operations Unit, while the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and SA Sea Rescue Squadron made contact with a nearby cargo ship, which guided the stricken yacht back to calmer waters towards Port Victoria. The sailors (left and back) were relieved when they finally made it to shore in Port Victoria A search and rescue jet was sent from Victoria to coordinate the rescue from the air. Volunteer marine rescuers intercepted the sailors 11 hours after they first raised the alarm and brought them to shore at Port Victoria. 'They were glad to get on board,' Mr Mumford said. 'They were a bit cold and tired as they had been working since 4am.' The experienced sailors were bringing the vessel from Tumby Bay on Eyre Peninsula's eastern coast to Adelaide. Volunteer marine rescuers (pictured) brought the sailors back to shore, where they were taken to hospital Raucous Behaviour (pictured) is now anchored in the Spencer Gulf off Wardang Island until it can be towed in calmer waters Both men aged 64 and 58 were taken to hospital suffering from hypothermia. 'South Australia Police wish to thank all involved in the rescue, particularly the skipper and crew of the ICS Silver Lining, a cargo ship heading to Whyalla that detoured to assist the stricken yacht and positioned their vessel as a windbreak, to protect the yacht from the rough seas,' a police statement said. 'The stricken yacht will remain anchored in the Spencer Gulf off Wardang Island, until it can be towed in calmer waters.' Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced a royal commission into the aged care sector following appalling cases of abuse of elderly people. 'We are committed to providing older Australians with access to care that supports their dignity and recognises the contribution that they have made to society,' he said in a statement. The decision was triggered in part by the Oakden nursing home scandal in South Australia, which was closed a year ago. The secretly filmed footage shows the 82-year-old (right) being grabbed and also repeatedly beaten with a shoe The Prime Minister could no longer ignore the alarming number of aged care operators 'flouting the law and putting lives at risk'. There was an 177 per cent increase in the number of aged care homes where a serious risk to residents was identified in the last financial year, according to new government figures. There was a 292 per cent increase in the number of facilities that refused to comply with rules. 'Walking by these statistics was not possible,' Mr Morrison said. The Oakden nursing home for elderly people was shut down last year following a damning report by South Australia's chief psychiatrist highlighting ongoing neglect and mistreatment of residents. Health Minister Greg Hunt said the Oakden case was 'one of the greatest disgraces in Australian mental healthcare history'. The Prime Minister's announcement follows the alleged abuse of David Nabulsi, 82, (right on left) by nurse Prakash Paudyal, 35, (left) in a Bupa aged care facility in Seaforth on Sydney's northern beaches last month The sister of Ermmano Sapo said she witnessed him being dragged across the floor and thrown into a couch by a carer at Oakden nursing home - although no charge was ever laid against the agency carer responsible The Prime Minister's announcement also follows the alleged abuse of David Nabulsi, 82, in a Bupa aged care facility in Seaforth on Sydney's northern beaches. Prakash Paudyal, 35, was charged earlier this month over the abuse - captured by a secretly-placed camera installed by Mr Nabulsi's family. Mr Paudyal has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault following the release of the footage, which shows the 82-year-old being repeatedly beaten with a shoe. Mr Morrison, in a statement, said the government also needed to prepare for a major increase in demand on aged care as the baby boomers age. 'With more Australians exercising their choice to stay at home for longer, this means that when Australians are entering residential aged care these days they are doing so with more acute needs,' he said. 'This will continue to have a big impact on our residential aged care model in the future. We need to get ahead of this.' The prime minister said Australia was a world leader in aged care, and most operators and carers were outstanding. 'But the best teams will always want to do better, and will always want to be honest about the performance of the sector as a whole.' The royal commission will also look into the challenge of caring for young people. Ten years ago, the world America made collapsed when Lehman Brothers bank imploded, the US-led global financial system went into meltdown, stock markets plummeted and everybody freaked out. Stock markets always bounce back. Indeed, Wall Street is now thriving again, as President Donald Trump never stops reminding us. But Americas confidence has never fully recovered from the great crash of 2008. Its belief in liberal capitalism as the engine of human progress has been undermined. Also lost was its sense of itself as the pre-eminent nation. Americans have had to accept, grudgingly, that now China rules the world. Do the math, as they say. Even before the crash, China had overtaken America as the worlds leading manufacturer. But after 2008, Chinas emergence as the biggest economic superpower accelerated as America reeled. Wall Street is now thriving again, as President Donald Trump never stops reminding us. But Americas confidence has never fully recovered from the great crash of 2008 Even by 2010 it was doing more global trade than America, and the gap has grown. Last year its trade with the rest of the world was US$390 billion (298 billion) more than the US. It was China, not America, that effectively saved the West in the post-crash years by investing eye-watering sums into the worlds economy. The China Investment Corporation, its sovereign wealth fund, now owns some $941 billion in assets, many of them in the US. A major symbolic moment came in 2014, when the International Monetary Fund announced that, measured by purchasing power, China was the worlds biggest economy: China is the worlds biggest consumer of cars, telephones, and oil. It doesnt just make iPhones, it buys more of them than anyone else; two million more, in fact, than North America. And dont forget that India, the worlds second-most populous country after China, has continued its own messy ascent. It is now the worlds third economy, according to purchasing power. This process of Easternisation of power shifting towards Asia has accelerated in the past decade. Its not all economic power, either: China now spends more on its military than most European countries put together. Also lost was its sense of itself as the pre-eminent nation. Americans have had to accept, grudgingly, that now China rules the world A lot has been written about how the economic misery of the late 2000s has fuelled resentment towards the elites and the rise of political populism of the 2010s. Thats all true. Certainly, without the crash, we never would have had Donald Trump. Whats less noted is how obsessed Trump is with China and how crucial that was to his political success. One of the funnier comedy Trump videos on YouTube is a montage, made before he became president, of all the times Trump said China. Its about three minutes long and is mesmerisingly hilarious. As a candidate, he talked about China raping America. Funnily enough, that was exactly what Americans wanted to hear. For millions of them, whose jobs had been outsourced to Asia in the past two decades and who had had to go through the economic crisis, thats exactly how they felt. America is going to the dogs. China is top dog. Trumps slogan Make America Great Again spoke directly to that anxiety. As president, Trump has been tougher on China than his predecessors. Obama tried to tackle the rise of China with his so-called Asian pivot. This involved shifting Americas strategic focus away from the Atlantic, Europe and the Middle East, and towards the Pacific South East Asia, Japan and, of course, China. Trump has the same approach as seen on his long tour of Asia last year only hes much more aggressive. Hence the looming trade war between West and East. Trump rejects what he calls (in capital letters) STUPID TRADE with China. On Friday, he rebuked the Wall Street Journal for an article saying that his administration was caving in to China on trade: We are under no pressure to make a deal with China, they are under pressure to make a deal with us. Our markets are surging, theirs are collapsing. We will soon be taking in Billions in Tariffs & making products at home. Of course, lots of experts say this is economic suicide: Trumponomics is protectionism and will destroy Americas ability to innovate and create endless wealth. Trump doesnt care. The point is, in his head, America has been losing and China has been winning. Hes not wrong. China, for its part, has been keen to emphasise its peaceful rise. But the relative peace that weve all enjoyed has been predicated on Americas unquestioned supremacy, and that is now under threat. China is tactful in its dealing with the West, but its ambitions are vast and overpowering. The Belt and Road Initiative, Chinas enormous development project, is a jaw-droppingly audacious plan to expand Beijings influence and reach by recreating the Silk Road trade route for the 21st Century. In what is said to be the biggest infrastructure project in human history, Beijing is underwriting vast construction projects in more than 60 countries across Asia and Africa and into Europe. Itll cost about $8 trillion and include roads in Kazakhstan, ports in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, an industrial park for high-tech business in Belarus, energy projects and pipelines through Central Asia and railways in Iran and East Africa and much, much more. Beijing has even announced plans for a Polar Silk Road, which aims to build infrastructure for shipping routes across the Arctic. The extraordinary China- Pakistan Friendship Tunnels are just one example. They are about much more than warm feeling. Punching huge holes through the mountain ranges that separate the two states, the tunnels and the China-backed renovation of the Karakoram Highway, will allow juggernaut-loads of Chinese goods to rumble straight down to Karachi in the south of Pakistan, then on by sea to the rich markets of the Gulf. This expansion may be a soft kind of imperialism, but it is imperialism. Just look at what China has done in Africa. In 2014, the US pledged to invest $14 billion in Africa over the next decade; China promised $175 billion, dwarfing Americas interests. The ambition is to turn 21st Century Africa into what Asia was for the 20th Century the factory of the world. America can console itself as the British Government does that Chinas overseas investments will make poor countries richer and transform global trade for the good of all. But theres no denying the sheer scale of Chinas reach is alarming. Can the world avoid what American scholars call the Thucydides Trap the rule that one superpower cannot replace another without war? China presents a gentle face to the world, but it is also highly secretive and ruthless. It has started to militarise parts of the Belt and Road Project, in Pakistan for instance. In addition, China now specialises in debt-trap diplomacy, whereby it makes a country economically dependent on its vast investments, and then starts to demand control. Last year, Sri Lanka was forced to give its largest port, Hambantota, to China after its debts to Chinese companies spiralled out of control. In the Congo, China has provided billions in aid, but has now taken control of the countrys cobalt mines, crucial for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries used to power electric vehicles. In Zambia, Beijing has seized control of the countrys largest energy provider. China has also bailed out the company that supplies 90 per cent of South Africas electricity to the tune of $2.5 billion, leading to fears about wholl run it in future. But that would not be good news for anyone, least of all because China could begin to use its new-found might to ensure that others felt the pain. President Xi Jinping, who has made himself ruler for life, is growing his military at great speed. Chinas defence spending is reportedly doubling, up from $123 billion in 2010 to $233 billion to 2020. The American military spends more than twice that, and its armed forces are still vastly superior to Chinas. But for how long? Maybe Trump isnt as stupid as he seems and maybe his supporters arent as stupid as smug liberals assume. Forty per cent of Americans never leave their country, but they can see how it is being eclipsed by China. And US voters know that China doesnt play by the rules on free trade: it fiercely protects its own economy through tariffs and massive subsidies. Trump says that trade wars are good, and easy to win but even he, deep down, must know that is not quite true, which is why he is careful to always mix his tough talk about trade with China with warm words about President Xi. China holds some $1 trillion in American debt, and it could, in theory, hold the global economy to ransom with the threat of selling its US treasury holdings. Superpowers are always worried about losing their status. We Brits were obsessed with it in the 19th Century and Americans have been preoccupied with their own decline since at least the 1950s. Its the paranoia that comes with great power. The trouble is, ten years on from the crash, there is much to fear. Diners at one of Sydney's most popular restaurants were forced to evacuate the venue on Saturday night after a shot was fired into the building. Police were called to Crinitis, an Italian restaurant chain, at around 9pm on Saturday night in the lively hub of the city. Nobody was injured during the frenzy, and police are yet to identify the person who fired the shot. A shot was fired in a popular restaurant in Darling Harbour, forcing terrified patrons to evacuate the building Police were called to Crinitis, an Italian restaurant, at around 9pm on Saturday night in the lively hub of the city Officers from Sydney City Police Area Command established a crime scene and commenced an investigation. Patrons were forced to leave the venue after the attack, while police interviewed staff and venue management. Investigations are ongoing, and police are urging any witnesses to come forward. Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. A British accountant is selling 500 weekend retreats to Spain where guests take a psychedelic drug that has caused a number of horrific deaths. Groups of up to 12 people gather at a luxury villa in Marbella to drink ayahuasca, a highly dangerous hallucinogenic brew which is illegal in the UK and has been blamed for the death of a 19-year-old Briton. Nicknamed little death, the potent psychoactive drug is often drunk during tribal rituals in the Amazon rainforest by Westerners who have been promised they will experience spiritual enlightenment. Stills from a video promoting the Marbella retreat where Brits go to drink ayahuasca show guests sitting on mats on the floor, looking very relaxed But Arron Kilburn, 31, is cashing in on the drugs soaring popularity by enticing hundreds of Britons to Spain, where the drug is legal, and promising them ten years of therapy in one night. A string of celebrities including Sting, Paul Simon and Lindsay Lohan have endorsed the class-A drug, which is a blend of the ayahuasca vine and a shrub called chacruna, and have credited it with transforming their lives. But last month, an inquest concluded that the drug contributed to the death of gap-year student Henry Miller, from Bristol, after he drank the substance during a ritual in Colombia in 2014. British accountant Arron Kilburn, 31, has his customers stay in this 500-a-weekend villa Mr Millers parents warned against taking ayahuasca and the coroner at his inquest, Maria Voisin, said she would write to the Foreign Office urging extra guidance to those visiting areas where the drug is prevalent. Experts have also warned that ayahuasca, which contains a dangerous LSD-like substance called dimethyltryptamine, can increase blood pressure and cause severe psychological distress and hallucinations. In 2015, Unais Gomes, 26, a Cambridge graduate and former Goldman Sachs banker, died after taking ayahuasca. He was stabbed to death by a friend who said he was acting in self-defence after the pair became involved in a violent struggle at a retreat in Peru. In another incident involving rituals in Colombia, Joe Tilley, 24, of Leicester, fell to his death at a waterfall known as the End of the World. For 560, customers of Ayahuasca English, the company run by Arron Kilburn, are whisked to a vast villa in Marbella for a three-day retreat where they take part in all-night ayahuasca sessions and psychotherapeutic integration. According to the firms website, the organisers collect the natural plant ingredients in South America before they are prepared for guests by expert connoisseurs of the plants and the masterful formulas used for thousands of years in indigenous communities. Henry Miller, from Bristol, died while high on the substance during a ritual in Colombia in 2014 Mr Kilburn highlights none of the drugs dangers in the companys promotional material but in a slick video shot at the villa, he declares: Many people contact us and feel very anxious about coming. Id encourage everyone to trust themselves and follow their heart. Theres a quote that I really like which is, The greatest treasure is found in the cave that we are afraid to enter. Mr Kilburn, who runs an accountancy firm called AK Finance Systems Ltd, describes himself as an ayahuasca integrator on his Facebook page and has spoken at several conferences to promote the drug. An advert on Facebook says ayahuasca allows us to go deeply inside our own consciousness to see the limiting beliefs and patterns that we hold, and to let them go in order to realise our true potential. Many believe that ayahuasca itself has now decided to make the change and expand across the globe. Last night, a spokesman for Inner Mastery International, the parent company of Ayahuasca English, said: Ayahuasca is only an optional tool that we use to go deeper therapeutically into our participants emotions and hidden traumas, and given in very measured dosages. We have a medical team to advise our participants and team members before any person signs up. All participants have to fill out a form with their medical history and treatments, and we do offer pre- and post-retreat support. Christine Keeler pictured in 1964 Christine Keeler's final wish was that the 'truth' be told about her role in the Profumo affair, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. The former showgirl, who died last year aged 75, asked in her will that her second son, Seymour Platt, 'do what he can to make sure that the truth is told'. She also left him her 77,000 estate. Keeler was 19 when she had affairs with Soviet spy Yevgeny Ivanov and War Minister John Profumo in 1961. When the love triangle was revealed two years later, it scandalised the nation and due to the potential national security risk it posed cost Profumo his political career. Keeler spent the rest of the life railing against claims that she had been a prostitute. Stephen Ward, who had introduced her to Profumo and Ivanov, was found guilty of living off the immoral earnings of Keeler and another woman, Mandy Rice-Davies. He attempted suicide the night before his conviction and died several days later. Keeler, who found herself thrust back into the spotlight in 1989 with the release of the film Scandal about the Profumo affair, once said: 'Even a criminal has the right to a new life, but they made sure I did not have that. They never stopped calling me a prostitute. How can anyone live with that? 'I took on the sins of everybody, of a generation really.' Keeler, who married twice, was estranged from her first son, James Levermore. Seymour, a business analyst who lives in Ireland, told The Mail on Sunday: 'I'm one of the least qualified people in the world to talk about my mum's past, for the simple reason that I wasn't around when the events took place.' Geoffrey Robertson QC, who has long campaigned for Ward to be exonerated, said: 'There was a cover-up by the legal establishment. We still haven't seen the end of this.' A Chicago area police sergeant and Chicago man are accused of robbing two suburban gas stations at gunpoint, according to local law enforcement. Sergeant Edward Karas, from the Rosemont police department, and 48-year-old Wright W, O'Laughlin were charged with armed robbery. Both men are suspected of robbing a Norridge Fire King Exxon and a Park Ridge Shell gas station. Sergeant Edward Karas (left), from the Rosemont police department, and 48-year-old Wright W, O'Laughlin (right) were charged with armed robbery O'Laughlin is suspected of walking into the two stations when they were either closing or opening, according to the Chicago Tribune. He is believed to have put on a ski mask and walked into the stations with a silver handgun, demanding money. Karas, 40, is said to have been the one driving the 'getaway' car, according to Park Ridge Deputy Chief Duane Mellama. The duo were arrested at approximately 1.30am on Thursday when a Park Ridge police sergeant saw a black GMC Canyon pickup truck that looked like the one listed in alerts about the robbery. Both men are suspected of robbing a Norridge Fire King Exxon and a Park Ridge Shell gas station Mellama added that the officer followed the vehicle until it stopped at a Rosemont 7-Eleven and two people got out the truck that looked to be 'somewhat similar' to surveillance photo. Karas began talking to the officer and even identified himself as being a cop. The apprehensive officer called for backup, however, and officers from both the Rosemont and Norridge departments responded to the scene. Karas was said to have been on administrative leave at the time of the robberies. Karas, 40, was hired as a Rosemont public sagety officer in 2005 and placed on administrative leave on June 11 for an unrelated incident The Park Ridge robbery occurred around 6am on Wednesday as the store clerk was preparing to open. 'A tall, thin person with a ski mask on entered the store and demanded money and displayed a silver handgun,' Mellema said. The employee gave the suspect $100 in cash. A search warrant was carried out in the next few days and authorities were able to find the handgun. 'It's disappointing,' said Mellema of Karas' arrest. 'As police officers, we sit in a place where public trust is of the utmost importance,' Mellema said. 'It makes it hard for those of us who are still trying to do an honest job.' Karas was hired as a Rosemont public sagety officer in 2005. He was placed on leave on June 11 and was stripped of all his police privileges. He remains on leave as an unrelated internal investigation continues. MI6 officers believed former Labour leader Michael Foot was in the pay of the Soviet Union, a new book reveals. At the time, they were so convinced of the now-discredited claims that they were prepared to warn the Queen in the event of Foot becoming Prime Minister. The 'evidence' presented by a Soviet defector in the 1980s was apparently considered strong enough to warrant this unprecedented intervention. But those close to Foot have always insisted he was never sympathetic to the Soviet Union, and was in fact scornful of those who were. The book, The Spy And The Traitor, details 'corroboration' by MI6 officers of the allegations made by defector Oleg Gordievsky, who said that Foot received a series of clandestine payments from the KGB. Michael Foot who was managing director turned editor of the Tribune protested that he had not worked with the KGB as an agent operating under the codename of 'Boot' It further claims the Russians classed the great Parliamentarian, who died aged 96 in 2010, as an 'agent' and 'confidential contact'. MI6 concluded that while Foot had not been a 'spy or conscious agent' he had been used for disinformation purposes and received in return the equivalent of 37,000 in today's money. Last night, Joe Haines, press secretary to former Prime Minister Harold Wilson insisted that Foot was 'a patriot'. 'The only plausible reason he would ever have taken money from the Soviets would have been to support the perennially hard-up Tribune' [the Left-wing publication Foot edited in the 1950s], he told The Mail on Sunday. 'But if he did, I doubt he gave anything in return.' The book outlines the extent of the Soviet Union's penetration of the Labour and trade union movement throughout the Cold War and the willing co-operation and financial gain of many of its leading members. At his debriefing in 1982, Gordievsky revealed to MI6 that the trade union leader Jack Jones had been formally listed by the KGB as an 'agent'. Upon moving to London, Gordievsky reactivated contact with Jones, who in the 1970s had a standing invitation from two Labour Prime Ministers to join the Cabinet. Foot met his KGB contacts once a month at the Gay Hussar restaurant in Soho, London While Jones was 'delighted to accept lunch, and occasional disbursements of cash', Gordievsky said he was by now 'absolutely useless' as a contact. The revelations come 23 years after Foot successfully sued The Sunday Times when it published Gordievsky's claims that the KGB held an extensive file on the former Labour leader, whom it had named Agent Boot. Describing the allegations as a 'big lie', Foot said that as far as he knew he had never met or seen a KGB agent in his life. He and his supporters dismissed the allegations as MI5 smears. His biographer Kenneth O. Morgan wrote: 'It is utterly ironic that...unreliable informants such as Oleg Gordievsky began to spread rumours that Foot had been a Soviet 'agent of influence'. Russian double agent, Oleg Gordievsky, (pictured) said that the former Labour leader had links to Soviet intelligence 'Right-wingers in the security service who had let genuine spies such as Kim Philby slip through the net actually gave them some credence.' However, the new book records that MI6 agents privy to the revelations from Gordievsky in the summer of 1982 had actually believed his claims. Allegations of Mr Foots links to Soviet intelligence, made by double-agent Oleg Gordievsky They were apparently set to warn the Queen who for decades has held weekly discussions with her Prime Ministers in the event that the Labour Party won the next General Election. 'Within MI6 there were discussions about the constitutional implications if Michael Foot won the election,' the book states. 'It was agreed that should a politician with a KGB history become prime minister of Britain, then the Queen would have to be informed.' The book also reveals that Sir Robert Armstrong, then the Cabinet Secretary, was warned about Gordievsky's revelations by the director-general of MI5. Both concluded that the 'information was far too politically incendiary' to be passed to Margaret Thatcher, the then Conservative Prime Minister. Mr Milani, a vice-president of the National Union of Students, has previously sparked outrage by saying 'Israel has no right to exist' Jeremy Corbyn is facing calls to block the selection of an 'anti-Semitic' candidate as Labour's hopeful to unseat Boris Johnson. The Labour leader was urged to intervene to prevent local party members picking Ali Milani for the coveted job of fighting Mr Johnson in his Uxbridge seat. The row erupted after Mr Milani won through to the shortlist for the Labour nomination despite a record of anti-Semitic remarks made when he was a teenager. Mr Milani, a vice-president of the National Union of Students, has previously sparked outrage by saying 'Israel has no right to exist'. He has also allegedly suggested Jewish people are mean, with a tweeted reply in 2012 that read: 'Nah, you won't mate. It'll cost u a pound. #jew.' Last night, campaign group Labour Against Antisemitism called on Mr Corbyn to intervene to block Mr Milani. Spokesman Euan Philipps said: 'It is outrageous that a person such as Mr Milani could be selected to stand as a Labour parliamentary candidate when his appalling behaviour is on public record. He has a well-documented history of publicly making offensive comments that draw on classic anti-Semitic tropes to abuse and discriminate against Jews.' Labour activists have become increasingly confident that Mr Corbyn's popularity in London puts Mr Johnson's 5,034 majority in Uxbridge and South Ruislip within reach at the next Election. But some critics in the party were yesterday appalled to learn that the favourite to win the Labour nomination was Mr Milani. The Labour leader (left) was urged to intervene to prevent local party members picking Ali Milani for the coveted job of fighting Mr Johnson in his Uxbridge seat They seized on remarks widely reported last year where he challenged the state of Israel's right to exist. In 2013, he said: 'I want to be the President of Israel. They have a self-destruct button, right?' Last night, Labour made it clear it would not intervene, stressing that Mr Milani had previously apologised for his comments. Mr Milani said: 'I have and always will unreservedly apologise for the comments I made as a teenager.' Leading personalities at the Tara Na Sa Norte 2018 (from left): Roberto Bontia, NLEX Corp. senior vice president for Tollways Operations and Technology Management; Charmaine Bauzon, Head for Ayala Malls-Luzon ; Grace Ayento, NLEX AVP for Marketing; Marie Venus Tan, former DOT-CAR Regional Director and newly-appointed COO of TPB; and Michael Dumlao, general manager of Glorietta Malls. A travel and tourism fair of the most modern expressway in the country has drawn large crowds at the Glorietta 4 Activity Center in Makati, attracting various stakeholders of the travel and tourism sectors recently. Billed Tara Na Sa Norte Tourism and Travel Fair, organized and showcased by the NLEX Corp., just concluded its 10th year of showcasing array of products stemming from rich culture and heritage of provinces in North and Central Luzon. The fair also featured in living color tourist destinations in the provinces.Newly appointed chief operating officer of Tourism Promotions Board Marie Venus Tan cited that key to a successful travel and tourism program is modern and efficient transport infrastructure. She added that the North Luzon Expressway and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway have strengthened the potential of North Luzon regions in tourism where provision of goods and services are made faster and more convenient. Travelling has become a way to connect communities and individuals, and tollways have contributed much to greater mobility which, in turn, drives sustainable and community-driven tourism development and promotions, remarked Roberto Bontia, NLEX Corp. senior vice president for toll operations and technology management. Bontia also affirmed that through the 10 years of Tara Na Sa Norte, the NLEX Corp. has integrated tourism in the tollway firms advocacy playing its role well as governments major partner of the government for sustainable socioeconomic development.NLEX Corp. AVP for Marketing Ms. Grace Ayento, Ayala Malls operations head for Luzon mall Charmaine Bauzon, and Glorietta Malls general manager Mitch Dumlao also graced the event. Apart from exclusive deals and promotional rates to tourist spots in North Philippines, recreational activities from corporate exhibitors, raffle draws, arts and cultural shows were made available to the public. Organized by the NLEX Corp., the builder and concessionaire of the 90-km NLEX and the 94-km SCTEX, this years travel and tourism fair highlighted North and Central Luzon as the major Philippine tourism hub that has drawn an increasing number of local and foreign tourists over the past several years. With NLEX and the SCTEX as gateways to North and Central Luzon, vast farmlands and various agri-tourism sites in the region have been made more accessible to businessmen and tourists. The father of a teen who was slain by MS-13 has visited the site where her mother was struck and killed by a car after a dispute with the driver over the teen girl's memorial. 'It's not fair,' sobbed Freddy Cuevas on Saturday as he stood on the spot where both his daughter and the mother of their child perished in Brentwood, Long Island, Newsday reported. Evelyn Rodriguez, 50, was struck and killed by a car on the spot on Friday after she reportedly had a dispute with the driver over the placement of a memorial for her and Cuevas' daughter, Kayla Cuevas. Kayla was 16 when she and her 15-year-old friend, Nisa Mickens, were killed in the Long Island neighborhood that has become the epicenter in the fight against MS-13 violence. Freddy Cuevas, the father of Kayla Cuevas, mourning the mother of his daughter, Evelyn Rodriguez, who was struck and killed Friday afternoon in a dispute over a memorial for their slain daughter. pic.twitter.com/qVC1YVe0oy Nicole Fuller (@nicolefuller) September 15, 2018 Evelyn Rodriguez and Freddy Cuevas are seen at the State of the Union. Rodriguez was killed by a car on Friday on the same spot where their daughter was murdered by MS-13 The memorial site where Kayla's body was found is seen. Police said that Rodriguez was arguing with someone about the placement of the memorial before she was hit and killed Police say Rodriguez got in a dispute with the driver of a 2016 Nissan Rouge and that when the driver tried leaving the scene, they hit Rodriguez. The driver called police and stayed on the scene. The driver is said to be a relative of someone who lived in the area. No arrest has been reported in the case but police are continuing to investigate. Suffolk Police said that Rodriguez was transported to Southside Hospital in Bay Shore but she was pronounced dead - two years to the day that her daughter's body was discovered. Congressman Peter King says it happened about an hour before a planned memorial for Kayla . Kayla (left) and her 15-year-old friend, Nisa Mickens (right), were killed in the Long Island neighborhood that has become the epicenter in the fight against MS-13 violence President Donald Trump honored Freddy Cuevas and Rodriguez at the State of the Union in January, inviting both to attend alongside the First Lady. 'My thoughts and prayers are with Evelyn Rodriguez this evening, along with her family and friends. #RIPEvelyn,' Trump tweeted on Friday. The place where Rodriguez was hit on Stahley Street was where her daughter's body was found. Cuevas' beaten and hacked body was found on September 14, 2016. The MS-13 gang is blamed for dozens of killings on Long Island since 2016. Many in New York have offered their condolences to the woman's family. 'The death of Evelyn Rodriguez is a true loss for the Suffolk County Police Department,' Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart and Chief of Department Stuart Cameron said in a statment. 'Evelyn turned the tragic loss of her daughter into a driving force to become an outspoken voice against gang violence.' Trump meets Evelyn Rodriguez and Freddy Cuevas, whose daughter was killed by MS-13 gang members, during a roundtable discussion on immigration in May 'I first met Evelyn while I was with the FBI and was immediately impressed by her strength and perseverance,' Commissioner Hart said. 'I was fortunate to have the opportunity to continue to work in partnership with her when I joined the Suffolk County Police Department. My thoughts are prayers are with her family during this heartbreaking time.' Governor Andrew Cuomo added: 'Tonight, the family of New York mourns the tragic loss of Evelyn Rodriguez - the brave mother of Kayla Cuevas who was senselessly slain by violent MS-13 gang members and found in Brentwood two years ago. 'In the wake of the unspeakable tragedy of her daughter's death, Evelyn showed tremendous courage by dedicating herself to the disruption of gang violence throughout her community. As she stood by my side as we fought back against MS-13, I stand with her family tonight. 'I have directed the State Police to provide any assistance and resources to the Suffolk County Police Department as they investigate the circumstances surrounding Evelyn's death at today's memorial vigil.' A spokesman for Richard P. Donoghue, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said: 'The U.S. Attorneys Office and our law enforcement partners are saddened to learn of the death of Evelyn Rodriguez, a tireless advocate for victims of MS-13 violence.' The mother of a man killed in his own apartment by a Dallas police officer has expressed disgust that reports have surfaced indicating that investigators found a small amount of marijuana in her sons home. Allison Jean, the mother of 26-year-old Botham Jean, said on Friday that her sons name was smeared by reports that police found 10.4 grams of marijuana in his apartment. She also says she wants to see the toxicology report for off-duty officer Amber Guyger, who said she mistook Botham Jeans apartment for her own and shot him when he did not obey her verbal commands. I'm calling on the Dallas officials...please come clean. Give me justice for my son because he does not deserve what he got, Allison Jean said in comments reported by CNN. Allison Jean, the mother of 26-year-old Botham Jean, said on Friday that her sons name was smeared by reports that police found 10.4 grams of marijuana in his apartment She wants to see the toxicology report for officer Amber Guyger, who said she mistook Botham Jeans apartment for her own and shot him when he did not obey her verbal commands. Allison Jean is seen center with her son, Grant, 15 (left) during a prayer service in Dallas last Sunday A newly released search warrant says Amber Guyger (left), 30, did not arrive at Both Jean's (right) apartment to find the door ajar but rather was trying to unlock it with her set of keys when she appeared there last Thursday after a shift A family attorney, Lee Merritt, said a police search warrant request that asked permission to search Jeans apartment for drugs showed that investigators were looking for information that would 'assassinate' Botham Jeans character. On the night that he was killed, the Dallas Police Department investigators were interested specifically in finding information that could help assassinate his character, Merritt said Twenty-six years on this earth he lived his life without a blemish. It took being murdered by a Dallas police officer for Botham Jean to suddenly become a criminal. Attorneys for Jeans family demanded that the officer be fired at a news conference on Friday. A police affidavit shows that among other items, officers seized 10.4 grams of marijuana and a marijuana grinder from Jeans apartment. Allison Jean expressed disgust that on Thursday, as mourners at her son's funeral were remembering him for his religious convictions and kindness, the results of that search of his home were released. To have my son smeared in such a way, I think shows that there (are people) who are really nasty, who are really dirty and are going to cover up for the devil Amber Guyger, she said. A crowd protests in Dallas on Friday night. The local Fox television affiliate, KDFW, was roundly criticized for its initial reporting on the release of the report on the search's findings Guyger has been arrested for manslaughter and is out on bond. Earlier, authorities released a video showing Guyger being booked into jail after she was arrested. The video shows Guyger in handcuffs and dressed in an orange jail uniform on Sunday at the Kaufman county jail. She takes a seat in front of a desk and later leans her head down, bringing her hands to her face. The local Fox television affiliate, KDFW, was roundly criticized for its initial reporting on the release of the report on the search's findings, drawing scorn from figures across the political spectrum for focusing on the marijuana, tweeting: DEVELOPING: Search warrant: Marijuana found in Botham Jean's apartment after deadly shooting. Amber Guyger wipes tears from her eyes as she is booked for manslaughter for the September 6th killing of Botham Jean On Twitter, the ACLU called the tweet an attack on an innocent man. Fox News contributor Guy Benson commented on Twitter, Irrelevant. 100% irrelevant. KDFW, which later updated its story and added more context, declined to comment Friday about its initial coverage of the search affidavit. At his funeral, Jean was described as an talented and passionate man, who confided to his uncle that he might want to become prime minister of his native Caribbean island country of St. Lucia. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and Dallas Police Chief U. Renee Hall were among those who attended the hymn-filled funeral. Rawlings has described Jean as a young professional and man of faith who was exactly the sort of citizen we want to have. It is true that he was on the far-Left, and that he consorted with people who were suspected agents of the Russians. But I don't believe Michael Foot was ever a paid agent of the Soviet Union. The Tribune newspaper, of which Foot was editor, and the MPs who took its name had many slavish admirers of Stalin and his murderous crew. But Foot was a patriot. When the Falklands War broke out and Margaret Thatcher sent a task force to expel the Argentine invaders, Foot led the Labour Party in support of her, despite the fact that many on the Left disagreed with him. Michael Foot who was managing director turned editor of the Tribune protested that he had not worked with the KGB as an agent operating under the codename of 'Boot' The odds were against her succeeding. The safer political bet would have been to oppose her. But Foot didn't. The only plausible reason that he would ever have taken money from the Soviets would have been to support the perennially hard-up Tribune, but if he did I doubt he gave anything in return. The KGB files on which Russian double agent Oleg Gordievsky based his allegations have to be treated with caution. Soviet spies were in the business of forging relationships with key figures on the Left. It was in their professional interest to inflate their influence in their written reports. Foot met his KGB contacts once a month at the Gay Hussar restaurant in Soho, London I am equally sure others were on the Kremlin payroll. I have no doubt that Jack Jones the most honoured trade union leader in history was a Soviet informant and accepted cash from them. Morgan Phillips, Labour's general-secretary in the 1940s and 1950s, kept a list of MPs suspected of communist sympathies and called it the 'Lost Sheep'. Four on the list were expelled from the party. As Harold Wilson's press secretary, I was aware there were Soviet suspects who served in the Government. Stephen Swingler was made Transport Minister by Wilson even after former Labour leader Clement Attlee said outright he was a communist. A Russian double agent (pictured) said that the former Labour leader had links to Soviet intelligence Indeed, his name was on a list of 16 Labour MPs that Hugh Gaitskell believed were covert communists or sympathisers that was sent to Sir Roger Hollis, the head of MI5. The fact is post-war Labour was riddled with them. On the Gaitskell list were well-known names such as the Left-wing Welsh MP Will Owen, who was charged under the Official Secrets Act with supplying information to Czech intelligence, but found not guilty at the Old Bailey. Leo Abse, Frank Allaun, the Silverman brothers, Sydney and Julius, Tom Driberg and Judith Hart were others. Her husband was a communist, but I believed her protestations that she was not. She was rejected as a Minister because of MI5's advice which turned out to be mistaken. And MI5 itself was hardly infallible. It failed to prevent 'Cambridge spy' Kim Philby rising to a senior role in MI6. Blair is accused of lifting lines from a 2006 film and including them in his autobiography, released in 2011 Tony Blair has been accused of using lines from the film The Queen in his autobiography. Scriptwriter Peter Morgan said he believed the former Prime Ministers memory of real events had become blurred by watching the movie. Lines in Mr Blairs 2011 autobiography, My Journey, were uncannily similar to those written for his character in the 2006 film, Mr Morgan told National Public Radio in the US. The film focuses on Mr Blairs audiences with the Queen, played by Dame Helen Mirren, immediately after the death of Princess Diana in 1997. It paints a flattering picture of the then youthful PM, played by Michael Sheen, who deftly convinces Her Majesty to respond to Dianas death with greater warmth. Mr Morgan said: In his book, which of course came out many years after we made The Queen, Tony Blair, when referring back to that critical period in the immediate aftermath of Dianas death, used a number of expressions and quotations that seemed to me to be very familiar because they sounded like my dialogue. And I remember thinking, I cant have got it that right! Mr Morgan did not cite any specific examples. However, in one of the scenes, the Queens private secretary asks Sheens Mr Blair if the phrase the peoples princess is a bit over the top. Mr Blair subsequently wrote in his autobiography: The phrase peoples princess now seems like something from another age. And corny. And over the top. Mr Blairs spokesman said: He has never watched The Queen. Britain's leaders like to make tough noises about how they are standing up to Islamist extremism in our midst. But the astonishing account we reveal today, from one of the country's biggest prisons, suggests that in practice they find it easier to give in than to fight. Not only are Islamist fanatics in Brixton allowed to form dangerous and intimidating gangs a direct challenge to the authority of the prison staff. Revolting expressions of sympathy for jihadi killers are tolerated, including praise for suicide bombers and for the murderers of the soldier Lee Rigby. In one chilling incident, extremists stormed his gathering in the prison chapel and began loudly praising the jihadis (Michael Adebolajo, left and Michael Adebowale, right) and who hacked soldier Lee Rigby to death in the street Meanwhile, openly racist jibes by extremist prisoners against a dedicated Christian chaplain, Paul Song who is Korean by birth appear to have been ignored. Worse, he himself was subjected to unjustified disciplinary action. This disgrace is a symptom of the deep problem of our under-staffed prisons, where officers have been forced to cede far too much control to inmates. But there is an even more serious and far more specific scandal as well. Pastor Song's account of his ordeal shows a frightening readiness by the Justice Ministry to shy away from a necessary confrontation with open militancy. Are they afraid? Of course Muslim prisoners should have access to their own clergy, to proper places to pray and to halal food. A civilised society must treat prison inmates with basic humanity, and must ensure they do not suffer from prejudice. Mr Song's time in Brixton came to an abrupt end in August last year when he was suddenly barred from the prison to which he had given 19 years unstinting service But it is of no help to sincere Muslims, who wish to follow their religion in a peaceful, tolerant fashion, to leave them in the midst of angry fanatics, or to allow the development of specifically Islamist gangs within prison walls. On the contrary, such cowardly neglect hurts Muslims and hurts Islam too. And if, as a society, we have set our faces against bigotry, then we should make sure that we stamp out all of it, not just selective instances of it. Intolerance of Christianity, and nasty racial epithets used by one minority against another, are just as bad as any other outbreak of hatred and ill-manners. Prisons, under the total control of the State, are severe but real tests of what that State is truly like. They are also largely hidden from the public eye. Thanks to this exposure, we can see how very badly we have gone wrong. Ministers must make sure it is put right without delay. The self-styled 'Class War' activist Ian Bone made politics personal when he inexcusably attacked Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg in front of his young children. So he cannot complain at the quietly devastating rebuke he has now received from his own daughter, who doesn't think much of his parenting. Let us hope he learns from it that his opinions do not automatically make him superior to those who disagree with him. It is time he stopped going round despising others. Plenty of Left-wingers suffer from the odd delusion that their opinions make them better than their opponents. They should take a good hard look at themselves. The dignified behaviour of Mr Rees-Mogg, his family and their nanny, strongly suggests that Right-wingers are in fact nicer than leftists. Russian agents attacked Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with Novichok in 2018 2010 - Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence officer jailed for spying for Britain, is released and flown to the UK as part of a swap with Russian agents caught in the United States. He settles in Salisbury. March 3, 2018 - Yulia Skripal arrives at Heathrow Airport from Russia to visit her father in England. March 4, 9.15am - Sergei Skripal's burgundy BMW is seen in suburban Salisbury, near a cemetery, where his wife and son are commemorated. March 4, 1.30pm - The BMW is seen driving toward central Salisbury. March 4, 1.40pm - The BMW is parked at a lot in central Salisbury. A police officer stands guard outside the Zizzi restaurant where Sergei and Yulia had lunch before they collapsed in a nearby park March 4, afternoon - Sergei and Yulia Skripal visit the Bishops Mill pub. March 4, 2.20pm to 3.35pm - Sergei and Yulia Skripal have lunch at the Zizzi restaurant. March 4, 4.15pm - Emergency services are called by a passer-by concerned about a man and a woman in Salisbury city centre. Officers find the Skripals unconscious on a bench. They are taken to Salisbury District Hospital, where they remain in critical condition. March 5, morning - Police say two people in Salisbury are being treated for suspected exposure to an unknown substance. March 5, afternoon - Wiltshire Police, along with Public Health England, declare a 'major incident' March 7 - Police announce that the Skripals were likely poisoned with a nerve agent in a targeted murder attempt. They disclose that a police officer who responded to the incident is in serious condition in a hospital. March 8 - Home Secretary Amber Rudd describes the use of a nerve agent on UK soil was a 'brazen and reckless act' of attempted murder March 9 - About 180 troops trained in chemical warfare and decontamination are deployed to Salisbury to help with the police investigation. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Moscow might be willing to assist with the investigation but expresses resentment at suggestions the Kremlin was behind the attack. March 11 - Public health officials tell people who visited the Zizzi restaurant or Bishops Mill pub in Salisbury on the day of the attack or the next day to wash their clothes as a precaution. March 12, morning- Prime Minister Theresa May tells the House of Commons that the Skripals were poisoned with Novichok, a military-grade nerve agent developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. March 12, afternoon - Public Health England ask everyone who visited Salisbury town centre on the day of the attack to wash all of their clothes and belongings. Officers wearing chemical protection suits secure the forensic tent over the bench where Sergei and Yulia fell ill March 14 - The PM announces the expulsion of 23 suspected Russian spies from the country's UK Embassy. March 22 - Nick Bailey, the police officer injured in the attack, is released from hospital. March 26 - The United States and 22 other countries join Britain in expelling scores of Russian spies from capitals across the globe. March 29 - Doctors say Yulia Skripal is 'improving rapidly' in hospital. 'Unknown time in the spring' - Dutch authorities expelled two suspected Russian spies who tried to hack into a Swiss laboratory April 3 - The chief of the Porton Down defence laboratory said it could not verify the 'precise source' of the nerve agent. April 5, morning - Yulia Skripal's cousin Viktoria says she has received a call from Yulia saying she plans to leave hospital soon. Dawn Sturgess died in hospital on July 8 April 5, afternoon - A statement on behalf of Yulia is released by Metropolitan Police, in which she says her strength is 'growing daily' and that 'daddy is fine'. April 9 - Ms Skripal is released from hospital and moved to a secure location. May 18 - Sergei Skripal is released from hospital 11 weeks after he was poisoned. June 30 - Dawn Sturgess and Charlie Rowley fall ill at a property in Amesbury, which is eight miles from Salisbury, and are rushed to hospital. July 4 - Police declare a major incident after Ms Sturgess and Mr Rowley are exposed to an 'unknown substance', later revealed to be Novichok. July 5 - Sajid Javid demands an explanation over the two poisonings as he accuses the Russian state of using Britain as a 'dumping ground for poison'. July 8 - Mother-of-three Dawn Sturgess, 44, dies in hospital due to coming into contact with Novichok. July 10 - Mr Rowley regains consciousness at hospital, and later tells his brother that Dawn had sprayed the Novichok onto her wrists. July 19 - Police are believed to have identified the perpetrators of the attack. August 20 - Charlie Rowley is rushed to hospital as he starts to lose his sight, but doctors can't confirm whether it has anything to do with the poisoning. August 26 - Charlie Rowley admitted to intensive care unit with meningitis August 28 - Police call in the 'super recognisers' in bid to track down the poisoners September 4 - Charlie Rowley's brother says he has 'lost all hope' and doesn't have long to live. Independent investigators, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, confirm the toxic chemical that killed Ms Sturgess was the same nerve agent as that which poisoned the Skripals. September 5 - Scotland Yard and CPS announce enough evidence to charge Russian nationals Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov for conspiracy to murder over Salisbury nerve agent attack. September 13 - Britain's most wanted men speak to RT and claim to be humble tourists September 26 - The real identity of one of the two assassins, named by police as Ruslan Boshirov, is reported to be Colonel Anatoliy Vladimirovich Chepiga. October 3: New photo emerges that appears to show Col Chepiga on the Wall of Heroes at the Far-Eastern Military Academy, providing more evidence against the Kremlin's denials. Donald Trump declared a state of emergency in North Carolina last night as catastrophic floods caused by Hurricane Florence claimed at least eight lives and left a trail of devastation. Winds of up to 90mph swirling 350-miles wide have ravaged North and South Carolina, downing trees and power lines and forcing more than a million people to flee. About 40 in of rain fell in 24 hours. One meteorologist predicted that Florence, which at its peak was rated a Category 4 hurricane, would dump an incredible 18 trillion gallons of rainfall on the area by the time it finally peters out on Wednesday. Two people in a canoe paddle through a street that was flooded by Hurricane Florence north of New Bern, North Carolina Emergency officials say they expect the death toll to rise and predict at least $1 billion (765 million) worth of damage. The Presidents declaration will release government funds to help combat the disaster, described by experts as potentially the worst storm since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Mother Lesha Murphy-Johnson and her eight-week-old baby Zac died when a tree fell on to the roof of their home in Wilmington, North Carolina. Firefighters who had frantically tried to lift the tree knelt in a circle to pray after it became apparent there was nothing more they could do to save them. Oceanfront homes sit over the water as waves from hurricane Florence continue to pound the coast In Lenoir County, a 78-year-old man was electrocuted when he tried to fix a generator. In Jacksonville, North Carolina, more than 60 people had to be rescued from a hotel that collapsed. President Trump is expected to visit the region this week. Records plummeted below sub-zero temperatures as Australia's southern states woke to a chilly Sunday morning up to 10 degrees below average. Forecasters have warned the cold weather will sweep across the nation and should hit Sydney on Sunday, with the cool temperatures set to last until Tuesday. Walpeup in Victoria's north-west shivered through its coldest September morning in 23 years at -0.8 degrees while Hunters Hill in the state's east hit -2.6 degrees, thanks to an unusually strong cold front. Scroll down for video It has felt more like winter than spring in Australia's southern states in recent days Bureau of Meteorology Victorian senior forecaster Stephen King told Daily Mail Australia snow was recorded in Ballarat in the state's Central Highlands on Saturday night. Melburnians woke to a chilly five degrees, which warmed up to 12. Records were also smashed as the South Australian town of Clare reached -1.1 degrees, while Newdegate in Western Australia dropped to -2.9 degrees, the coldest in 20 years, 9 News reported. Canberra also woke up to sub-zero temperatures. But it was Australia's snowfields that felt the freezing conditions the most. The weather was miserable in Australia's southern states Temperatures got down to -8.6 degrees at Thredbo and -8 at Mt Hootham, while Falls Creek saw a low of -7.6 degrees. Extreme conditions kept emergency crews busy in Adelaide on Saturday, damaging winds up to 90kmph brought down dozens of trees in the South Australian capital. The SES received 90 calls for assistance across the city, including serious damages to a number of homes. The good news is that the southern states will warm up in the coming days before another a mid-week cold front. A strong cold front in Australia's southern states brought extreme conditions The chilly weather has arrived in Sydney which will reach a high of 17 degrees on Sunday, a day after after parts of the city hit a balmy 34 degrees. 'The cold front hit Sydney on Saturday night, which brought temperatures back into mid to high teens,' Bureau of Meteorology Sydney senior forecaster Rebecca Kamitakahara told Daily Mail Australia. 'Monday will see similar conditions before temperatures climb back into mid 20s ahead of another cold front later in the week, which will bring temperatures back down.' It's been a busy few days for SES volunteers in Adelaide A 21-year-old man has been charged in relation to the death of a police officer who was struck and killed by a car during a charity motorbike ride on Friday. Detective Senior Sergeant Victor Kostiuk, 59, was riding with his son in the Wall to Wall ride from Melbourne to Canberra when a car crashed into his bike. The car was travelling west along the Princess Highways near Orbost, at about 2.20pm when it veered onto the opposite side of the road and collided with Mr Kosiuk's bike. As a result of the collision, Mr Kostiuk died at the scene. Tragically, the charity ride was to honour fallen police members. Detective Senior Sergeant Victor Kostiuk, 59, died after a car veered onto the wrong side of the road A Botanic Ridge man was taken into custody at the time and has since been charged in relation to Mr Kostiuk's death. The memorial ride was temporarily stopped before its participants - including Mr Kostiuk's son Felix - resumed with a 'determined mood'. Mr Kostiuk was a 'well respected' expert in the field of preventing family violence and had also worked in CIU and homicide. Victoria Police Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said Mr Kostiuk, who had been an officer for about 40 years, was a fantastic member of the organisation, ABC reported. Mr Kostiuk had recently been made head of the Somerville Family Violence Unit. Detective Senior Sergeant Victor Kostiuk and his son were riding just ahead of the Wall to Wall ride to the National Police Memorial in Canberra to honour fallen police members as part of a motorcade of 300 During the ride at Cabbage Tree Creek, Victor was struck by a car that veered across the road, with the police member of nearly 40 years dying at the scene 'He was really chuffed just the other day to have been recently appointed back to the rank of detective senior sergeant, something he was particularly proud of.' He said the family were 'clearly shattered'. Police have implored road users to take care after a 'tragic, tragic' 24 hours in country Victoria, with four people dead in separate of road incidents. The causes of the crashes are being investigated, with police looking into factors like inattention, fatigue, alcohol and speed. The 21-year-old driver of the car remains in custody and is due to appear at Latrobe Valley Magistrates' Court on September 17. President Donald Trump has said that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe is an attempt to drag down his poll numbers and hurt Republicans in the midterms. 'While my (our) poll numbers are good, with the Economy being the best ever, if it werent for the Rigged Russian Witch Hunt, they would be 25 points higher!' Trump tweeted from the White House on Saturday. 'Highly conflicted Bob Mueller & the 17 Angry Democrats are using this Phony issue to hurt us in the Midterms. No Collusion!' In the latest Rasmussen Poll, Trump's approval rating was 47 per cent, versus 51 per cent who said they disapproved of his performance as President. Trump has said that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe is an attempt to drag down his poll numbers and hurt Republicans in the midterms Mueller (above) was appointed in May of 2017 to investigate any 'links/cooperation' between the Trump campaign and the Russian government That rating is nearly identical to Barack Obama's approval rating at the same point in his first term, which was 47 per cent approval to 52 per cent disapproval. As the November midterms approach, Democrats hold a slight edge in the Congressional generic ballot - a poll that asks citizens whether they would vote for a Democrat or a Republican for the House if the election were held today. The latest RCP average shows Democrats with an 8.3-point lead in recent generic ballot polls. Republicans down the ballot are hoping to capitalize in the midterms on the strong economic growth under the Trump administration. Mueller was appointed in May of 2017 to investigate any 'links/cooperation' between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. Recent weeks have brought a slew of news out of the investigation, most recently the plea deal struck by former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort to avoid a second trial. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are seen getting an update on emergency preparedness for Florence in the White House on Saturday afternoon So far, though, no one had been charged or convicted of colluding with a foreign government to impact the 2016 election. It is not the first time that Trump has accused Mueller of attempting to interfere with the midterms. 'Is this Phony Witch Hunt going to go on even longer so it wrongfully impacts the Mid-Term Elections, which is what the Democrats always intended? Republicans better get tough and smart before it is too late!' he tweeted in May. Justice Department employees are forbidden from interfering in elections, and typically refrain from making any major investigative announcements with political ramifications in the weeks leading up to an election. However, the policy is more of a tradition than a hard and fast rule, leaving open the possibility of an 'October surprise' from Mueller. Later on Saturday evening, Trump chastised Republicans for getting 'played like a fiddle' on the issue of border security. 'When will Republican leadership learn that they are being played like a fiddle by the Democrats on Border Security and Building the Wall?' wrote Trump. 'Without Borders, we dont have a country. With Open Borders, which the Democrats want, we have nothing but crime! Finish the Wall!' Although Trump had previously threatened a government shutdown over wall funding ahead of the midterms, Congress reached a deal on Thursday to fund the government through December 7. The deal bypasses the October 1 deadline that would have allowed Trump to force a vote on border security before the midterms. ASIAN WATER COUNCIL LEADERS. MWSS Administrator Reynaldo V. Velasco, who also serves as AWC director, (fourth from left), signed the AWC-initiated Memorandum of Understanding with other international water agencies that will afford the MWSS and the Philippines to share the importance of development in the water industry and for the solution of water problems in the Asian region. (L-R) China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research director Zhang Cheng, K Water vice president Dr. Doo-Soo Park, AWC and K Water president Hak Soo Lee, Velasco, Global Institute for Water, Environment and Health director general Dr. Nidal Salim, and International Water Resources Research Institute director and Chungnam National University professor Dr. Kwan-Sue Jung. The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System is reaching out to its Asian counterparts to improve its overall water security and wastewater management system following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with select officers and members of the Asia Water Council at the 7th AWC BOC in Daejoon City, South Korea last week (Sept. 11). The Asia Water Council consists of more than 100 members, organizations, representing more than 26 countries worldwide. MWSS administrator Reynaldo V. Velasco, who also serves as AWC director, said the AWC-initiated MOU will afford the MWSS and the Philippines to share the importance of development in the water industry and for the solution of water problems in the Asian region as there is a recognized need for mutual understanding among the AWC members.Aside from the MWSS administrator, other signatories of the MOU include AWC and K Water president Hak Soo Lee, K Water vice president Dr. Doo-Soo Park, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research Director Zhang Cheng, Global Institute for Water, Environment and Health Director General Dr. Nidal Salim and International Water Resources Research Institute Director and Chungnam National University Professor Dr. Kwan-Sue Jung. The said agencies shall strive to cooperate and to promote the water industry and resolve problems in the Asia region through the following: a) conduct of joint research; b) sharsing Test-beds owned by the respective agencies and supporting their operation; c) supporting the promotion and AWC and their products; and, d) providing other cooperative support and needed assistance. In an era of climate change, international cooperation and in adherence to the United Nations Sustainable Goal No. 6 on Water and Sanitation, this MOU initiated by the Asia Water Council will afford MWSS and the Philippine water supply industry access to modern research and technologies under the aegis of Build, Build, Build policy of President Duterte, said the MWSS chief.While in Daejoon, Velasco was among the inaugurating guests of the new AWC Secertariat building and also inspected the Daejoon Eco Park Dam where he intends to develop the same in Ipo, La Mesa and Angat Dams for eco-tourism, environmental and educational purposes. Meanwhile, Velasco also announced the official hosting of the 8th AWC Board Meeting, General Assemby and Elections in March 2019 in Manila following the unanimous approval of the board. MWSS along with its three concessionaires Maynilad, Manila Water and Bulacan Bulk Water will co-host the prestigious event. In September 2017, Manila Water President and CEO Ferdinand M. de la Cruz, Maynilad President Ramoncito S. Fernandez, and Luzon Clean Water General Manager Edgar Dona officially joined the AWC where the water leaders jointly shared their best practices and the successful water Public Private Partnership in several speaking forums at the 2017 Asia International Water Week and Korea International Water Week in Gyeougju, Korea. Two male New York City Ballet principal dancers have been fired after they were accused of sharing explicit photos of female ballerinas. Dancers Zachary Catazaro, 29, and Amar Ramasar, 36, were fired on Saturday morning. The two were cited in the bombshell lawsuit by 20-year-old student dancer Alexandra Waterbury, who accused them sharing nude photos with her ex-boyfriend Chase Finlay, who was also a principal dancer at the company until he recently resigned. The two were suspended without pay on August 27 for 'inappropriate communications' before they were terminated on Saturday. Principal male dancers Zachary Catazaro, 29, (left) and Amar Ramasar, 36, (right) were fired from the New York City Ballet on Saturday They were suspended on August 27 then fired on Saturday following allegations in 20-year-old Alexandra Waterbury's lawsuit filed on September 4. She alleged that Catazaro, Ramasar, and her ex-boyfriend principal dancer Chase Finlay shared explicit photo and video of company dancers Waterbury alleged that Finlay sent explicit photos and videos to men at the company, writing 'You have any pictures of girls youve fked? Ill send you some [hot] ballerina girls Ive made scream', according to theNew York Post. She says Ramasar reportedly sent back a picture of a ballet dancers breasts. Waterbury also accused Catazaro of exchanging explicit photos with Finlay, but didn't elaborate on the content. The ballet company said Ramasar, Catazaro, and Finlay were 'engaged in inappropriate communications, that while personal, off-hours and off-site, had violated the norms of conduct that NYCB expects from its employee'. However the dancers are hitting back against the allegations and in statements released Saturday say they're shocked by the firing. 'I am shocked and deeply saddened by the New York City Ballets decision to fire me,' Ramasar said Saturday in a statement. 'I am an honest and honorable person, and have always treated everyone, including my colleagues, staff, friends and others at NYCB, with the upmost respect.' He added that he will be telling his side of the story in the days to come. 'My full story has yet to be revealed and as a result, people have concluded the worst about me. Unfortunately we live in a time where allegations are taken as fact, and actions are made rashly and harshly,' he said. 'I am a poor, minority kid from the streets of the Bronx and have risen against all odds with hard work for everything I have been able to achieve.' Catazaro, who has worked at the company for 11 years, also released a statement on social media following the firing. Ramasar responded to the firing with a heartfelt Instagram post saying: 'I am shocked and deeply saddened by the New York City Ballets decision to fire me' Catazaro also released a statement on Instagram saying: 'I am deeply saddened by New York City Ballet's termination of my contract' Waterbury, pictured above, alleged that Finlay sent explicit photos and videos of her to Catazaro and Ramasar and other men at the company, and the two sent explicit content in return 'I am deeply saddened by New York City Ballet's termination of my contract,' he said on Saturday. 'Firstly, I want to clarify that I did not initiate, was not involved in, or associated with any of Alexandra Waterbury's personal material that was allegedly shared with others.' 'Although I was initially suspended for other private and personal communications, the NYCB dancers' union--AGMA (American Guild of Musical Artists)--maintains that these communications were during off-work hours, and do not justify termination,' he added. He also claimed that he was not named as a defendant in Waterbury's lawsuit. 'I have worked my whole life to reach the level of Principal Dancer at a company having the highest prestige, and I am devastated at the possibility to no longer be able to share the stage with the wonderful, talented artists and my friends there,' he added in his statement. 'I respect and admire every ballerina with whom I dance at the company, and strive every day to be the best partner I possibly can be.' In her September 4 lawsuit Waterbury sued the New York City Ballet and its principal dancer - her ex-boyfriend - 28-year-old Chase Finlay She said he took video and photos of her without her notice and shared them with men at the ballet company. Waterbury and Finlay pictured together at the Ballet's Spring Gala in 2017 On Saturday the New York City Ballet said: 'We have no higher obligation than to ensure that our dancers and staff have a workplace where they feel respected and valued, and we are committed to providing that environment for all employees of New York City Ballet' Waterbury, a dancer, model and Ivy League college student, filed her bombshell 40-page complaint in Manhattan Supreme Court on September 4, containing explosive allegations against the New York City Ballet and her former boyfriend Finlay. She said he sent videos and photos taken of her without her knowledge to other men, including dancers at the Ballet. She said that the company tolerated a 'fraternity-like atmosphere' where male dancers could 'degrade, demean, mistreat and abuse, assault and batter women without consequence.' The lawsuit said a male donor wrote to Finlay suggesting that the men should tie ballerinas up 'and abuse them like farm animals,' to which Finlay replied, 'or like the sluts they are.' The ballet company denied condoning such behavior and launched an investigation. They said they planned to fire Finlay, who resigned in August 2018 before disciplinary action could take place. Ramasar said in a statement: 'I am an honest and honorable person, and have always treated everyone, including my colleagues, staff, friends and others at NYCB, with the upmost respect.' Ramasar pictured left following 2018 Carousel Broadway performance Catazaro worked with the company for 11 years and released a statement on Saturday saying: 'Firstly, I want to clarify that I did not initiate, was not involved in, or associated with any of Alexandra Waterbury's personal material that was allegedly shared with others' Following the lawsuit, Finlay's attorney said the allegations 'should not be taken as fact'. In light of the firings, City Ballet executive director Katherine Brown and interim artistic team leader Jonathan Stafford released a statement. 'We have no higher obligation than to ensure that our dancers and staff have a workplace where they feel respected and valued, and we are committed to providing that environment for all employees of New York City Ballet,' the statement released Saturday said. 'We will not allow the private actions of a few to undermine the hard work and strength of character that is consistently demonstrated by the other members of our community or the excellence for which the company stands,' it added. The American Guild of Musical Artists union representing Ramasar and Catazaro said it will challenge the firings. 'Based on all the information received from the company, the allegations relate entirely to non-work-related activity and do not rise to the level of "just cause" termination,' the union said in a statement. 'As AGMA would do for any of its members, we will soon be filing for arbitration to enforce our members employment rights.' The ballet has lost three of its 14 male principal dancers and is opening its 2018-2019 season next week. A 28-year-old gang member was shot dead in New York early Saturday morning. The unidentified man was killed with a shot to the back at 4.30am in Brooklyn. The victim was on Grant Avenue near Fulton Street in Cypress Hills when he was approached by three men, cops say. A 28-year-old Trinitarios gang member was shot dead in Brooklyn on Saturday at 4.30am. He was shot on Grant Avenue near Fulton Street in Cypress Hills, location pictured above One of the men then opened fire and killed him. Authorities say the victim was involved in a dispute prior to the shooting. The victim was found sprawled on the ground and rushed to Jamaica Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police say the victim was a member of the Trinitarios gang, the same gang responsible for the June slaying of 15-year-old Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman-Feliz His name was not immediately disclosed, pending family notification. Cops say that the victim was a member of the notorious gang Trinitarios, the same group that was responsible for the machete murder of a Bronx teenager, according to the New York Daily News. The horrific slaying was caught on a boedga's surveillance camera and shows a group of men dragging Lesandro 'Junior' Guzman-Feliz out of the shop then slashing him with a machete and a knife, leaving him for dead. So far 13 of the vicious attackers have been arrested. One has been charged with murder, gang assault and manslaughter. Police are still hunting for the 14th suspect identified as 20-year-old Frederick Then. Following Junior's murder a gang member came forward saying the teen was killed in a case of mistaken identity. He was targeted after the gang believed he was captured on camera having sex with a gang leader's female relative. But, according to the New York Post, Bronx DA Darcel Clark said that was not the case. A teenage boy who locked himself inside an old bank vault at Ipswich, south-west of Brisbane, has been rescued by firefighters. Ethan was playing with his mates at the former bank at about midday when he locked himself inside with no lights, oxygen, or keys to get out. Queensland firefighters needed to work very quickly to free the youngster from the vault, given that it was designed to be impenetrable, 7News reported. A teenage boy (pictured) who locked himself inside an old bank vault at Ipswich west of Brisbane in Queensland has been rescued by firefighters Queensland Fire and Emergency Service firefighter Rohan Wilschefski (pictured) said the main issue with forcing the door open was that any flame could potentially cause a fire The dilapidated - albeit sturdy - old vault sits inside the former bank, which is now part of a church building. Queensland Fire and Emergency Service firefighter Rohan Wilschefski said the rescue mission presented its own unique problems. '[We were] cutting the hinges, cutting the door open. Trying to gain access through the sides to free the boy,' he said. Mr Wilschefski said the main issue with forcing the door open was that any flame from the equipment could potentially cause a fire and 'light the building up'. Due to the difficult nature of the rescue mission, firefighters considered calling in expert locksmiths to help open the safe, but fortunately they got the door open. Mr Wilschefski said what worked in the boy's favour was the fact that the space within the vault was large enough to hold enough oxygen for him to breathe. After being trapped in the dark for hours, the boy was eventually reunited with his mum - safe and unharmed - in a very emotional reconciliation. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has vowed to stop Sydney music festival Defqon 1 after two young people died and another three were left fighting for their lives after multiple suspected overdoses. Her statement comes amidst scrutiny of productivity of law enforcement and security at the event, which was held in Penrith, in Sydney's west. Gladys Berejiklian described the deaths as tragic, and confessed she never wanted the international event to return to Australian shores. 'I never want to see this event held in Sydney or New South Wales ever again we will do everything we can to shut this down,' ABC reported. The Sydney International Regatta Centre, which has been the site for the Australian dance party since 2010, announced on Sunday it would no longer host Defqon. 1. Scroll down for video New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has vowed to stop Sydney music festival Defqon 1 (pictured, unrelated revellers at festival) after two suspected drug overdose deaths Ms Berejiklian described the deaths as tragic, and confessed she never wanted the international event to return to Australian shores A witness who attended the event spoke with news.com.au on the condition of anonymity and confirmed several people attended a medical tent erected at the event in a 'semi conscious state.' 'They just looked like people who were a little bit too drunk but then things went down hill very quickly,' the source said. The Department of Health is in the process of analysing victims toxicology reports to determine whether the two people who died consumed the same drug. 'I understand there were some deaths in the past, but to have at least two on one night when every assurance was given to those attending that it was a safe event clearly it wasn't when so many people have succumbed.' She also clarified the government's hard line stance against pill-testing would remain in place, despite a great push from party-goers to provide them for the safety of people who will take drugs regardless of police presence and tougher punishments. 'Anyone who advocates pill-testing is giving the green light to drugs. There is no such thing as a safe drug and unfortunately when young people think there is, it has tragic consequences,' she said. 'I'm absolutely aghast at what's occurred and I don't want any family to have to go through the tragedy that some families are waking up to this morning it's just horrible to think about.' Two people are dead and another two remain in hospital fighting for their life after suspected drug overdoses at a notorious electronic music festival Defqon. 1 is not the first festival to come under fire after attendees have fallen ill - or died - while partying. The now defunct Australian EDM festival Stereosonic clung to life after a series of drug-related deaths at the festival. In 2015, 25-year-old Sylvia Choi and 19-year-old Stefan Woodward both died after ingesting drugs at the festival. It never returned for a follow up tour in 2017. The same year, 26-year-old Nigel Pauljevic died at the annual Defqon. 1 festival, also after consuming illegal substances. In addition, James Munro died of an overdose after allegedly swallowing 'three pills' at the popular hard-style dance event, and Nathanial Gumyer died after allegedly ingesting one tablet at Falls Festival. The amount of drug-related deaths at festivals has constantly been the subject of scrutiny, with many calling on pill-testing as a way to help save lives. She also clarified the government's hard line stance against pill-testing would remain in tact, despite a great push from party-goers to provide them for the safety of people who will take drugs regardless of police presence and tougher punishments Ms Berejiklian's hardline stance against the harm-minimisation technique, which has been noted as successful in other parts of the world, has been ridiculed online. 'Not that I care for Defqon, but Gladys is an idiot, pill testing saves lives, deaths could happen at any festival, vowing to see the end of Defqon just means that more unsafe alternatives will pop up,' one user wrote on Twitter. 'It is not the event. Close it, create event vacuum, new event starts. De-criminalise the drugs or pill test them if not. Save lives don't score points,' another wrote. Emergency services were called to Defqon music festival in Penrith, in Sydney's west, at 9pm on Saturday after a man, 23, and woman, 21, collapsed. The pair were both taken to Nepean Hospital where they died a short time later. Three other festivalgoers, including a 19-year-old man and 26-year-old woman, are fighting for their life after being airlifted to hospital in a critical condition. A third person presented to Liverpool hospital, and is now in a critical condition. Over 700 people at the event sought assistance from medical professionals, while police recorded dozens of drug-related arrests and seizures. People affected by drugs at the venue were rushed to nearby Nepean Hospital, where one woman remains in a critical condition Police allege an additional 13 people attended Nepean Hospital for drug-related issues during and after the festival. Officers conducted 355 drug searches throughout the day. Of this, a staggering 69 people were allegedly found to be in possession of drugs. Ten of those people were charged with drug supply offences. Another two teenager girls, aged 17, were charged with supplying after they were allegedly caught carrying 120 capsules internally. Defqon Australia organisers released a statement in relation to the deaths. 'The organisers of Defqon.1 Australia are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of two of their patrons at Nepean Hospital after attending the festival last night and would like to convey their sincerest condolences to their families and friends.' 'Thoughts and prayers are also with the young man and woman who are still in a critical condition. We are disappointed at the number of reported drug related incidents, we have a zero-tolerance policy in relation to drug use at the festival.' 'Festival organisers are working closely and cooperating with the authorities regarding the fatalities and the number of medical presentations made during the evening, a full investigation is currently underway. As this is a matter with the NSW Police and the coroner and out of respect for the families and friends we are not going to speculate on the cause of death and we will not be making any further statements or comments,' the statement read. New details have emerged shedding light on how a respected former NYPD detective came to be the suspected ringleader in a massive gambling and prostitution ring after a bitter divorce. Ludwig Paz, 51, and his second wife Arelis Peralta, 43, from Queens, New York, were both indicted on Thursday along with seven active duty NYPD officers and 40 other individuals. Prosecutors say they ran a prostitution ring which consisted of brothels across Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island, and illegal gambling rooms hidden in beauty salons - using the proceeds to fund a lavish lifestyle full of expensive cars and South American vacations. It was a far cry from Paz's days as a fresh-faced patrolman on the force, which he joined in 1990 as a beat cop working the 84th Precinct in Brooklyn Heights. Ludwig Paz, 51, and his second wife Arelis Peralta from Queens, New York, were both indicted on Thursday for allegedly running and gambling and prostitution ring The couple are said to have made $2million from the scheme over a year. They are pictured on a tropical vacation Paz, a native of Ecuador, was often teased over his height as an NYPD rookie. 'He got picked on because he was short, and he didn't look like other Latinos from Puerto Rico or Dominican Republic,' a former supervisor told the New York Post. 'They'd say, 'What, did you work in a pizzeria before this?' So he developed a quick wit. He gave it right back to them. And on the job he was a quick learner.' After his promotion to detective on the Vice Squad, Paz had ample opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the seedy world of illegal gambling and prostitution. He had at least one child with his wife Sonia when in 2007, she sued him for divorce, court records show. Paz contested the filing and the divorce got ugly, until a judge ordered him to pay 'medical child support' in a 2008 order finalizing the split. The city takes automatic deductions for alimony and child support out of paychecks for employees who get divorced, and soon Paz would have seen a big bite out of his income. Paz (above) went through a divorce in 2008 and a former supervisor says he struggled to make ends meet after alimony and child support were deducted from his paychecks Paz's second wife Arelis Peralta is seen posing with a Range Rover in this photo taken in Brooklyn just blocks from the police precinct where Paz started his career in 1990 Paz struggled to make ends meet, searching for side gigs with little luck. 'He was strapped,' the ex-boss said. He filed for Chapter 13 Bankruptcy in 2009, but ultimately didn't get relief when he missed a deadline to file additional paperwork. Paz retired from the NYPD in 2010, and it's not clear when he remarried Arelis Peralta. Police were first tipped off to the criminal enterprise in 2015, when someone on the force alerted investigators they suspected that someone involved in illegal activities was in conversations with an insider in the Vice Enforcement Division. The investigation moved slowly due to the need for absolute secrecy, to prevent corrupt cops from finding out that the operation was under scrutiny. Prosecutors said that Paz used his inside connections to get a heads up prior to raids on any of the seven brothels he allegedly ran - one of them a filthy apartment in Bedford-Stuyvesant furnished with just a mattress and a red light-bulb overhead. He also subjected potential johns to a screening process he knew would weed out undercovers, making them drop their trousers and be subjected to genital fondling before allowing any transaction, prosecutors said. Peralta is seen earlier this year on her 43rd birthday on a tropical vacation in Columbia Peralta frequently jetted off on vacation, according to photos from her social media Investigators say that Paz gave active duty cops a steep discount at his brothels, in exchange for protection from investigation. The brothels charged patrons $40 for 15 minutes of sexual activity and $160 an hour. Arisbel (above) is charged with conspiracy and felony enterprise corruption Prosecutors say that Paz and Peralta raked in $2 million over the course of 13 months from August 2016 to September 2017. Proceeds from the enterprise allegedly went to fund a lavish lifestyle for Paz and his wife Peralta over the last several years. Social media photographs show them on South American vacations and in nightclubs surrounded by bottles of champagne. Prosecutors say Peralta was in on the scheme, and she faces a charge of enterprise corruption and dozens of felony counts of promoting gambling. Her two adult daughters, who live with the couple in Ozone Park, were also arrested in the probe. The daughters, Jarelis Guzman, 22 and Arisbel Guzman, 20, were released without bail. Court records show Arisbel has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and felony enterprise corruption. It is unclear whether Jarelis has been charged. Peralta (center) is seen with her two adult daughters, Jarelis and Arisbel, who were also arrested in the police sting on Thursday. Neighbors say that Peralta and her daughters always had designer clothes and carried designer handbags. 'They had these expensive cars SUVs and Mercedes the kids were parking all over the place, blocking driveways,' one neighbor told The Post. The luxury cars grew so numerous that neighbors complained there was nowhere left to part on the block. Along with Paz and his wife, seven active duty cops were charged in the ring: Rene Samaniego, 43, Sergeant Carlos Cruz, 41, Giovanny Rojas Acosta, 40, Sergeant Cliff Nieves, 37, Steven Nieves, 32, Giancarlo Raspanti and Sergeant Louis Failla. In total, however, 49 people were charged. According to police, Peralta (above) and her husband also operated illegal lottery betting services out of beauty salons In a statement, NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill assured the public the officers involved would be dealt with quickly and severely. 'These NYPD officers, who swore an oath to uphold ideals greater than themselves, have ruined their own careers and reputations,' O'Neill said. 'More importantly, they have diminished the great work of tens of thousands of other honest and ethical cops.' Paz faces felony charges of enterprise corruption, promoting prostitution, rewarding official misconduct, bribery of a public servant, hindering prosecution, promoting gambling and misdemeanor counts of conspiracy. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held on Rikers Island pending bond of $250,000 or $150,000 cash bail. Paz is next due in court on October 30. Authorities in Colorado want to take DNA samples from Christopher Watts as prosecutors continue to build a case against him for the murder of his pregnant wife and their two young daughters. The Weld County District Attorneys Office wants the judge presiding over the case to force Watts to provide fingerprints, palm prints, pictures of his hands, and other DNA-related evidence. The request was made in a legal motion filed on Thursday, a copy of which was obtained by PEOPLE. Watts was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of his 34-year-old wife, Shanann Watts, and their two daughters - Celeste, three, and Bella, four - at their home in Frederick, Colorado. Christopher Watts is in court for his arraignment hearing at the Weld County Courthouse on August 21, 2018 in Greeley, Colorado Watts was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of his 34-year-old wife, Shanann Watts, and their two daughters - Celeste, 3, and Bella, 4 - at their home in Frederick, Colorado He is also charged with tampering with evidence for allegedly burying his wife in a shallow grave 35 miles from home and dumping his two daughters into a tank filled with crude oil. If convicted, Watts faces the death penalty. Authorities accuse Chris Watts or killing them after she returned from a business trip in the early morning hours of August 13. A friend of Shanann who dropped her off at home from the airport alerted police after she did not respond to phone calls, according to the Coloradoan. Watts told police that he and his wife argued emotionally about separating on that morning. He claims that his wife then strangled both of their children to death. The Weld County District Attorneys Office wants the judge presiding over the case to force Watts to provide fingerprints, palm prints, pictures of his hands, and other DNA-related evidence Watts claims he then strangled Shanann in a fit of rage. He told authorities that after he told his wife he wanted to separate, he watched as she strangled Celeste while Bella was blue, her lifeless body in a bed nearby. But investigators say Watts is lying. He was arrested on August 15 - one day before the bodies of his wife and their two children were found. Watts is being held without bond in the Weld County Jail. He has yet to enter a plea. The theory that she [Shanann] did it doesnt hold any water, a source close to the investigation told PEOPLE. There is absolutely no evidence that she killed her children. Meanwhile, Watts lawyers are asking the court to investigate whether prosecutors have leaked damaging information about their client to the press. Prosecutors have denied the accusation. Advertisement As the death toll from Florence rises to at least 15 and hundreds of people are being pulled from flooded homes, North Carolina is bracing for what could be the next stage of a still-unfolding disaster: catastrophic, widespread river flooding. After blowing ashore as a hurricane with 90 mph winds, Florence virtually parked itself much of the weekend atop the Carolinas as it pulled warm water from the ocean and hurled it onshore. Officials have now downgraded the storm to a tropical depression. Storm surges, flash floods and winds scattered destruction widely throughout the east coast ,and the Marines, the Coast Guard, civilian crews and volunteers are using helicopters, boats and heavy-duty vehicles throughout the weekend to conduct rescues. The death toll from the hurricane-turned-tropical depression climbed to 15 when a 23-year-old man drowned after a pickup truck flipped into a drainage ditch along a flooded road in South Carolina. Earlier, authorities said two people died from carbon monoxide poisoning after using a generator in their South Carolina home during the storm. Slide me Before and after photos show the floodwater level before on September 14 and after Hurricane Florence in New Bern, North Carolina, on September 16, 2018 Slide me Within two days floodwater consumed the base of a home in New Bern, North Carolina. Pictured Friday and then Sunday Members of the North Carolina Task Force urban search and rescue team wade through a flooded neighborhood looking for residents who stayed behind as Florence continues to dump heavy rain in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Sunday A member of the US Coast Guard walks down Mill Creek Road checking houses after tropical depression Florence hit Newport North Carolina Saturday A man wades across a bridge flooded by Hurricane Florence in Pollocksville, North Carolina, Sunday A home is seen in floodwaters from Hurricane Florence in Marion, South Carolina Sunday Members of the Nebraska Task Force 1 urban search and rescue team help load an elderly resident onto a bus as they evacuate an assisted living facility to a church as a precaution against potential flooding Saturday A home is damaged after a large tree fell on it Sunday in Wilmington, North Carolina. So far, 15 deaths have been reported A sailboat is shoved up against a house and a collapsed garage Saturday, September 15 after heavy wind and rain from Florence The North Carolina fatalities also include three who died 'due to flash flooding and swift water on roadways,' the Duplin County Sheriff's Office reported. Horry County Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard said 63-year-old Mark Carter King and 61-year-old Debra Collins Rion were killed by breathing in carbon monoxide. Their bodies were found in a Loris home Saturday afternoon, but they likely died the day before as the heavy rains and winds from former hurricane-turned-Tropical Depression Florence were moving onshore. Governor Roy Cooper says the storm has never been more dangerous than it is now for areas extending from Fayetteville and Lumberton, across the Sandhills, to the central part of North Carolina and into the mountains. About 740,000 homes and businesses remained without power in the Carolinas, and utilities said some could be out for weeks. Sunday's heavy rains have made major roads, including parts of the I-95, impassable. Roads were quickly submerged on Sunday morning and blocked off by police cars and fire trucks. Some drivers in raised trucks slowly navigated the flooding while others made U-turns and looked for other routes. Smaller country roads were washed over with water as streams and rivers nearby burst their banks, leaving drivers at risk of being trapped. Rainstorms continued around Florence, Fair Bluff and Lumberton, with residents living near the banks of Lumber and Pee Dee River ordered to evacuate. Tornado warnings were issued from the coastline moving inland. The roads were fairly busy as drivers attempted to return home to assess damage on areas where areas where evacuation orders were lifted. Radar showed parts of the sprawling storm over six states, but North and South Carolina were in the bull's-eye. The head of Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, said officials were still focused on finding and rescuing people. 'We'll get through this. It'll be ugly but we'll get through it,' he told Chuck Todd on NBC's Meet The Press. Long said: 'Well, unfortunately, the event is still unfolding for the next 48 hours.' Two people in a canoe paddle through a street that was flooded by Hurricane Florence Saturday north of New Bern, North Carolina A Corvette sits damaged after a large tree fell on it Sunday in Wilmington, North Carolina Maggie Belgie of The Cajun Navy carries a child evacuating a flooding trailer community during Hurricane Florence in Lumberton, North Carolina Saturday A downed tree uprooted by Hurricane Florence lies next to homes in New Bern, North Carolina Saturday Robert Dolman walks past a Cadillac that has been crushed by a tree Sunday in North Carolina The next stage of the disaster comes with widespread river flooding, pictured a Coast Guard member Saturday US Marine Corp aid in evacuating the local populace in Jacksonville, North Carolina, Saturday Florence weakened into to tropical depression Sunday morning but flash flooding and major river flooding are expected to continue over significant portions of the Carolinas. Rivers are swelling toward record levels, forecasters now warn, and thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate for fear that the next few days could bring the most destructive round of flooding in North Carolina history. Stream gauges across the region showed water levels rising steadily, with forecasts calling for rivers to crest Sunday and Monday at or near record levels: The Little River, the Cape Fear, the Lumber, the Neuse, the Waccamaw and the Pee Dee were all projected to burst their banks, possibly flooding nearby communities. Authorities ordered the immediate evacuation of up to 7,500 people living within a mile of a stretch of the Cape Fear River and the Little River, about 100 miles from the North Carolina coast. The evacuation zone included part of the city of Fayetteville, population 200,000 On Saturday morning, President Donald Trump issued a disaster declaration for parts of the state that will make the rebuilding process easier for residents in some counties. Trump, who plans a visit to the region next week, tweeted his 'deepest sympathies and warmth' to the families and friends of those who had lost their lives. Saturday afternoon, the White House released a photo of Trump and Vice President Mike Pence receiving a phone briefing on disaster response efforts. John Rose owns a furniture business with stores less than a mile from the river. Rain-soaked furniture workers helped him quickly empty more than 1,000 mattresses from a warehouse in a low-lying strip mall. 'It's the first time we've ever had to move anything like this,' Rose said. 'If the river rises to the level they say it's going to, then this warehouse is going to be under water.' President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence received an emergency preparedness update call on Hurricane Florence in the Treaty Room of the White House on Saturday The next stage of the disaster comes with widespread river flooding - which could make history in North Carolina An updated map from Sunday morning shows Florence's status Certain areas of North Carolina are experiencing record-breaking major flooding A Sunday morning map shows the three to five inches of rain in parts of North and South Carolina A woman leaves a flooded home with her dog in a neighborhood inundated by water in Lumberton on Sunday A partially submerged car is pictured on a flooded street after Hurricane Florence struck Piney Green, North Carolina Sunday Albie Lewis, right, a FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer, talks with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper aboard a Coast Guard C-130 aircraft after surveying the damage done by Hurricane Florence on Sunday On U.S. Route 401 nearby, rain rose in ditches and around unharvested tobacco crops along the road. Ponds had begun to overflow, and creeks passing under the highway churned with muddy, brown water. Farther along the Cape Fear River, grass and trees lining the banks were partly submerged, still well below a highway bridge crossing it. 'It's hard to believe it's going to get that high,' says Elizabeth Machado, who came to the bridge to check on the river. Fayetteville's city officials, meanwhile, got help from the Nebraska Task Force One search and rescue team to evacuate 140 residents of an assisted-living facility in Fayetteville to a safer location at a church. Already, more than two feet of rain has fallen in places, and forecasters are saying there could be an additional 1 feet before Sunday is out. 'I cannot overstate it: Floodwaters are rising, and if you aren't watching for them, you are risking your life,' Gov. Roy Cooper said. A pickup truck drives on a flooded road past a farm house that is surrounded by flooded fields from tropical storm Florence in Hyde County, North Carolina, Saturday Resident Joseph Eudi looks at flood debris and storm damage from Hurricane Florence at a home on East Front Street in New Bern, North Carolina, Saturday Rescue personnel help a flood victim and her animals to dry land from heavy rains from Florence in North Carolina Officials were warning residents not only to stay off the roads but also to avoid using GPS systems. 'As conditions change, GPS navigation systems are not keeping up with the road closures and are directing people onto roads that are confirmed closed and/or flooded,' the state Transportation Department said on Twitter. Florence weakened to a tropical depression early Sunday and was crawling west at 8 mph. At 5am, the storm was centered about 20 miles southwest of Columbia, South Carolina. Its winds were down to 35 mph. In Goldsboro, North Carolina, home of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, roads that frequently flood were already closed Saturday by rushing water. Dozens of electric repair trucks massed to respond to damage expected to hit central North Carolina as rainwater collected into rivers headed to the coast. Hundreds of thousands of outages have been reported. A creek that feeds into the Neuse was rushing over a road near Phil Eubanks' home Saturday. Another creek backed up into their basement Friday, but based on past experience Eubanks and his wife think the worst is over for them. 'I didn't sleep last night. It was creeping up those steps' from the basement, said his jittery wife, Ellen. 'It came up. It went down today. I think we're OK.' Coast Guard FN Tyler Elliott, from Louisville, Kentucky, helps rescue one of ten beagles from a flooded home in Columbus North Carolina Sunday Members of the Coast Guard help a stranded motorist in the flood waters caused by Hurricane Florence in Lumberton, North Carolina, Sunday Roger Hedgepeth is assisted along with his dog Bodie by members of the U.S. Coast Guard Sunday Hedgepeth wears a life jacket and holds his dog Bodie while being moved to higher ground Sunday A Dillon County rescue crew boat works in a flooded area near a stuck car in Latta, South Carolina, on Sunday A man is pictured walking through a flooded street after Florence struck Piney Green, North Carolina On Saturday evening, Duke Energy said heavy rains caused a slope to collapse at a coal ash landfill at a closed power station outside Wilmington, North Carolina. Duke spokeswoman Paige Sheehan said about 2,000 cubic yards (1,530 cubic meters) of ash were displaced at the Sutton Plant and that contaminated storm water likely flowed into the plant's cooling pond. Sutton was mothballed in 2013 and the company has been excavating ash to remove to safer lined landfills. The ash left behind when coal is burned contains toxic heavy metals, including lead and arsenic. In New Bern, along the coast, homes were completely surrounded by water, and rescuers used inflatable boats to reach people Saturday. Kevin Knox and his family were rescued by boat from their flooded brick home with the help of Army Sgt. Johan Mackie, whose team used a phone app to locate people in distress. 'Amazing. They did awesome,' said Knox, who was stranded with seven others. New Bern spokeswoman Colleen Roberts said 455 people were safely rescued in the town of 30,000 residents. She called damage to thousands of buildings 'heart-wrenching.' Ernestine Crumpler, 80, is helped by members of the Nebraska Task Force 1 urban search and rescue team as they evacuate an assisted living facility to a church as a precaution against potential flooding the city could see Resident Alice Tolson steps over storm debris that washed up from the Neuse River at her home on East Front Street in New Bern Residents of an assisted living facility sit on a bus as they are evacuated Saturday in North Carolina A 40-foot yacht lies in the yard of a storm-damaged home on East Front Street in New Bern, North Carolina Saturday The boat washed up with storm surge and debris from Hurricane Florence Spirits were high, though, at the Trent Park Elementary School in New Bern, where 44-year-old Cathy Yolanda Wright took shelter after being rescued from her flooded home Saturday. Wright, who sings in the choir at Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist, led residents at the shelter in an energetic singalong. People clapped and shouted, 'Amen!' and 'Thank you, Lord.' Across the Trent River from New Bern, Jerry and Jan Andrews returned home after evacuating to find carp flopping in their backyard near the porch stairs. Coast Guard helicopters took off across the street to rescue stranded people from rooftops and swamped cars. The Marines rescued about 20 civilians from floodwaters near Camp Lejeune, using Humvees and amphibious assault vehicles, the base reported. The dead included a mother and baby killed by a falling tree in Wilmington, North Carolina. South Carolina recorded its first death from the storm, with officials saying a 61-year-old woman was killed when her car hit a tree that fell across a highway. Three died in one inland county, Duplin, because of water on roads and flash floods, authorities said. A husband and wife died in a storm-linked house fire, officials said, and an 81-year-old man died after falling while packing to evacuate. Trenton, North Carolina, is pictured Sunday inundated with floodwaters from Florence Police are searching for the whereabouts of a mother who disappeared with her six-year-old son after his father handed him off at a Bronx NYPD precint. Ketanya Burke, 42, met with Vincenzo Dacchile's father at around 6pm on September 7 at the 45th Precinct headquarters in Throgs Neck, according to authorities. The estranged couple share custody of the six year old but Vincenzo lives with his father in the Bronx, the New York Daily News reports. Ketanya Burke, 42, met with Vincenzo Dacchile's father at around 6pm on September 7 at the 45th Precinct headquarters in Throgs Neck The father - who has not been identified - handed off their son to Burke but she failed to bring him back at the allotted time. Soon after, Burke sent an email to her son's father and informed him that she was going to Minnesota, sources stated. Co-parents who've had problems while in a relationship often use police precincts as neutral zones. Vincenzo was handed off by his unidentified father at the precinct (pictured) but Burke failed to bring him back Vincenzo is described as being four-feet-tall and weighs close to 50lbs. He has brown eyes and short brown hair. His mother resides in Queens and is said to be 5-foot-3 and weighs 170lbs. She is said to have brown eyes and black hair, according to local authorities. If anyone has information pertaining to the pair, call Crime Stoppers at: 1-800-577-TIPS. Advertisement Tens of thousands of 'hardstyles' revellers flocked to Sydney's Defqon. 1 music festival for 11 hours of bizarre dancing dressed in colourful and quirky clothing. The festival attracts electronic music and dance lovers from across the nation who come together to enjoy sets from world-class international DJs including Headhunterz. Hosted in Penrith, western Sydney, the annual event kicked off at 10.30am on Saturday and attracted about 30,000 people. Hardstyle revellers flocked to Defqon 1 music festival for eleven hours of bizarre dancing and interesting fashion choices Warm weather in Sydney meant many festival revellers opted to wear minimal clothing, revealing their skin The festival attracts hardstyle lovers from across the city who come together to conquer the lands of Defqon 1 Hosted in Penrith, western Sydney, the annual event kicked off at 10.30am on Saturday and attracted about 30,000 people Fashion is of upmost importance for attendees as comfortable festival-attire is imperative for successfully busting out the high-octane dance moves, known as 'hakken' in hardstyle circles. The festival claims to celebrate creativity and freedom, encouraging visitors to dress as crazy as possible. Photos from the event show attendees wearing minimal clothing as temperatures soared above 30C. Men were often seen shirtless and wearing their favourite dancing sneakers. Many women wore barely-there bikini tops and mini-shorts, by comparison. One woman wears fishnet stockings underneath her black mini-shorts and accessoried the ensemble with the colour red One festivalgoer combined a glittery party dress with zombie-like face paint Fashion is of upmost importance for attendees as comfortable festival-attire is imperative for successfully busting a move or 'hakken' - as defined by hardstyle lingo The festival claims to celebrate creativity and freedom, encouraging visitors to dress as crazy as possible Health and fitness influencer Yakiboy (pictured, right), who has almost 90,000 Instagram followers, attended the festival The event wasn't without dress-ups as many festivalgoers rocked up as their favourite characters. Whether it was the Bananas in Pyjamas or the Flintstones, Defqon 1 had creative ensembles covered. Other attendees decorated their outfits with masks, galaxy tights and fluffy legwarmers. Yakiboy, a health and fitness influencer who hit the headlines after declaring he was a 'Muslim Shia soldier', made an appearance at the festival and was happy to flex for the cameras. TN's are deemed acceptable for the event, as long as the wearer doesn't classify themselves as a lad or a member of a gang A woman sits on the shoulders of a man at the festival, likely after a long day of dancing. She wears camouflage pants Despite the scorching heat, one attendee dressed up as B1 from Bananas in Pyjamas A woman dressed in a sailors cap bites onto a medal at the western Sydney showground Defqon 1 implements a 'no lad policy' which bans lad and lad clothing from being allowed into the event. Nike Tuned 1's, known as TNs, are deemed acceptable for the event provided the person wearing them doesn't classify themselves as a 'lad'. 'You can wear your favourite dancing shoes and/or outfit, as long as you dont classify as a LAD or gangs,' the Defqon 1 policy states. The festival, founded by festival organiser Q-dance, first hit Australian shores in 2009. The festival is also held in the Netherlands and was formerly held in Chile One pair decorated themselves in pink for the event. The man took his creativity to the next level with rainbow socks and galaxy tights Rave dancing called hakken or gabbering is typically celebrated at the festival. The dance involves small steps that quickly follow each other, to the rhythm of drums The festival, founded by festival organiser Q-dance, first hit Australian shores in 2009. The festival is also held in the Netherlands and was formerly held in Chile. Rave dancing called hakken or gabbering is typically celebrated at the festival. The dance involves small steps that quickly follow each other, to the rhythm of drums. Two women decorated themselves with butterflies, fluffy legwarmers and glitter gems on their foreheads A group of friends pose together before the festival dressed as characters from the Flintstones A Singapore Airlines pilot has been stood down after he allegedly failed an alcohol test on the morning he was due to fly an international flight. The airline was forced to cancel the flight from Melbourne to Wellington in New Zealand on Saturday morning and the return flight the same day. An airline spokesman confirmed the last minute cancellation to Daily Mail Australia in regard to an 'operating crew member being deemed unfit to fly'. 'The Civil Aviation Safety Authority officials undertook a random drug and alcohol test of all crew prior to them starting their pre-flight checks,' he said. A pilot from Singapore Airline (stock image) has been stood down after he allegedly failed an alcohol test on the morning of flying an international flight 'The pilot in question did not pass the test due to having a higher than suitable blood alcohol limit.' The pilot had reportedly flown in from Singapore and had a day or two layover in Melbourne prior to the scheduled flight, according to Stuff. He was stood down, suspended from all duties and has since returned to Singapore, where a full investigation will take place. 'We will also work closely with the Australian and Singaporean authorities to ensure they are supplied the information they require,' the spokesman said. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Civil Aviation Safety Authority for further comment. Stranded passengers took to social media to express their anger. Some were flying to Wellington for the All Blacks rugby union Test match against South Africa, including one disappointed fan who had travelled from Tokyo. The flight from Melbourne (pictured) to Wellington and its return flight were cancelled at the last minute on Saturday 'Care to try to explain why your captain (ie most experienced person on the aircraft) of SQ247 waits until boarding time to decide theyre too ill/drunk to fly? Will miss the the allblacks rugby match I bought tickets for and flew to WLG from NRT to see,' he tweeted. One person replied: 'At least he didn't fly! Better to be down here wishing you were up there, than being up there wishing you were down here.' Another stranded passenger added: 'Terrible service on your cancelled Melbourne to Wellington flight this morning. No options given to stranded customers except to call your useless booking line! Hotel fees and taxi fares all lost not to mention a day of holiday. Appalling service.' An All Blacks fan had travelled from Japan for the international match in Wellington, which he missed due to cancellation of his flight Another said they were stranded at Melbourne Airport for six hours. Singapore Airlines apologised for the inconvenience caused. 'We sincerely apologise to those affected by the cancellation of these flights. However, the safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority,' the spokesman told Daily Mail Australia. 'We have worked with customers whose travel was inconvenienced to find suitable alternate travel arrangements as quickly as possible.' The military said the governments anti-terror campaign has led to the rescue of three Indonesian nationals held captive by the Abu Sayyaf Group for 20 months since Jan. 18 last year. Col. Gerry Besana, spokesman of the Western Mindanao Command identified the rescued Indonesian hostages as Hamdam Salim, 34; Subandi Sattuh, 27 and Sudarlan Samansung, 41. Besana said the hostages were rescued from the ASG at 4 pm Saturday in Brgy. Buanza, Indanan, Sulu. Besana said that the three Indonesians were turned over to Brig. Gen. Divino Rey Pabayo Jr., former Sulu governor Abdusakur Tan and Sulu provincial police officer Sr. Supt Labra. The three Indonesians will be eventually turned over to the Indonesia Ambassador at the Western Mindanao Command. The 3 hostages were taken Jan. 18, 2017 while on board a speedboat off the waters of Taganak Island, Tawi-Tawi. Meanwhile, Marine Col. Edgard Arevalo, spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines said on Sunday that operating units from the Joint Task Force Sulu under Brig. Gen. Divino Rey Pabayo conducted focused operations against the terrorist in Brgy Bakong, Patikul killing seven terrorists in an ensued firefight. Arevalo said the fighting erupted hours as Typhoon Ompong threatened to hit land in Cagayan and Isabela provinces at 1:30 am Friday.Arevalo disclosed that six other terrorists were injured, including ASG sub-leader Hatib Hajan Sawadjaaan who was hit in the stomach and lower extremities. The renewed fighting with the ASG injured 17 soldiers who sustained shrapnel wounds. We praise the combat skills of our soldiers in seizing the element of surprise and firepower. They were unfazed by volleys of retaliatory fire from more or less 100 Abu Sayyaf terrorists under senior leader Radullan Sahiron and sub leaders Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan and Idang Susukan, Arevalo said. He said that the site of the intense skirmishes is a notorious ASG territory on the basis of military and human intelligence. The folks of Patikul knows it very well such that no civilians dared to go or pass by the place, Arevalo added. We stand firm in our report that this was a legitimate encounter contrary to enemy propaganda that it was a massacre, Arevalo pointed out. Tony Abbott has narrowly avoided major embarrassment after scraping through to remain the Liberal candidate for the seat he has comfortably held for 25 years. The former Australian prime minister was blindsided when he reportedly received only 55 per cent of his party's votes during a heated pre-selection meeting in the Sydney electorate of Warringah. While Mr Abbott ran unopposed, a 50 per cent margin is required for any candidate to be endorsed, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Tony Abbott narrowly avoided major embarrassment after scraping through to remain the liberal candidate for the seat he has held for 25 years Sources told the Sydney Morning Herald Mr Abbott was backed by 46 members and rejected by 38. A further nine party members voted informally, rendering their votes useless. According to the publication, officials refused to reveal the numbers from the secret ballot to confirm Mr Abbott's support within the party. 'Everybody with any degree of commitment to the party and its long-term future wants to see this guy go; he's just useless,' one local member told the publication on Saturday. Mr Abbott has held his seat of Waringah (pictured) for 25 years, but now risks losing it Members who voted against Mr Abbott are reportedly unhappy with his policies and opinions in relation to issues including climate change and same-sex marriage. His staunch opposition of same-sex marriage was not reflected in his community, which returned a 75 per cent 'Yes' vote after the 2017 postal survey. The Warringah electorate recorded one of the nation's highest votes in support of legalising same-sex marriage. Chris Stone, Liberal Party division in New South Wales director, chose not to comment on the exact figures in the ballot, but did say: 'Tony Abbott was successfully endorsed by a comfortable majority.' Mr Abbott also rejected the figures, saying he had received 70 per cent of the votes. The next election will be Mr Abbott's tenth for the seat of Warringah. Passengers on a train with no toilet were told they could get off and use the facilities at a station - only for the service to leave without them. An announcement on the Arriva Trains Wales service from Haverfordwest to Cardiff told passengers to take a loo break at Carmarthen if they needed one. None of the trains on toilets on the two-and-a-half-hour trip were working but six passengers including a 15-year-old girl got out at the station. However the train left the platform before they could get back on, The Sun reported. The train company apologised to passengers today and said it was investigating what had happened. An announcement on the Arriva Trains Wales service from Haverfordwest to Cardiff told passengers to take a loo break at Carmarthen station (pictured) if they needed one One of the passengers who was left behind said: 'We heard a whistle being blown and the train pulled out of the station. All the girl's friends were on the train, along with our baggage. 'The affair was disgraceful and thoroughly upsetting. In hindsight it was farcical.' The train was reportedly held at Swansea for the bags to be taken off after the stranded passengers had told Arriva Wales what had happened. The teenage girl's friends, who had been out on a day trip, were left waiting at Ferryside. Another passenger said it was 'crazy' the train's toilets had been out of order and said the bathrooms at Carmarthen were 'not the best'. A spokesman for Arriva Trains Wales said: 'We apologise for the upset and inconvenience caused by this issue. 'We are carrying out a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the event and our Customer Relations team have been speaking to passengers directly.' Advertisement Thousands of teenagers will be nursing a hangover this morning from a night of partying after a new wave of students started at university this week. Drunken scenes in Manchester show the students launching themselves into the partying lifestyle as they spent their first weekend away from home. The city, which is home to more than 85,000 students, was bursting with fresh faces as they took to the pubs and clubs last night. Teenagers were spotted slouched in doorways, sprawled on pavements, canoodling on the street and carrying each other home. For some freshers it all proved too much, with some students being helped by paramedics and others taking a rest on the pavement next to police. Love was in the air for other students who looked cosied up with one another after an alcohol-fuelled night. Others appeared worse for wear as they held each other up to make their way home after a busy night of partying. Police patrols were stepped up as thousands of students flooded to Manchester as they urged the youngsters to take care of their belongings and stick with friends on a night out. One girl appears to lose her shoe as she is helped by a friend to walk after the first night of partying for fresher week in Manchester A group of boys get spoken to by police who stepped up their patrols as more than 85,000 students descended onto the streets One new student looks worse for wear after an alcohol-fuelled night as she is carried by a friend outside a nightclub Police watch over a girl who drunkenly slumps on the pavement after Freshers week proved too much for her A couple slump on the floor together while a male friend keeps a watchful eye over them as the night proves too much Two boys uses the wall to lean against and have a cigarette after a tough night of partying as a paramedic tends to them One couple appear to get very close as they engage in an unusual way of kissing- as a friend tries to pull them apart A woman sits with her head in her hands on the pavement as the first night of freshers draws to a close A woman is helped to her feet by a male friend as they take a break from the antic to have a rest on a bench Two friends look exhausted and ready to go home as they wait for a taxi after a long night of drinking and dancing One couple look very close as they clasp hands and hug on the street as they appear to swap numbers in the street Charles Bronson's ex-soap star wife has claimed the notorious prisoner is a cry baby and has fooled everybody into thinking he's a 'hard geezer' when actually he's a 'frail little old man.' Paula Williamson, 38, married Bronson last year after he proposed to her on Valentine's Day by serenading with a personalised version of the Frank Sinatra classic 'My Way.' But after less than a year, Bronson, 65, vowed to divorce her after a photo emerged of a young man with his head between her breasts during a wild night out in Tenerife. Paula Williamson, 38, (pictured left) married Bronson last year after he proposed to her on Valentine's Day by serenading with a personalised version of the Frank Sinatra classic 'My Way' His estranged wife (pictured) has now branded him a 'liar' and a 'phoney' and that people needed to know 'the truth' about Branson Now Bronson- who is currently serving time in HMP Frankland, County Durham- has been branded 'soft' by his estranged wife. Paula Williamson, 38, told the Daily Star: 'Charles Bronson is a liar and a phoney and people need to know the truth. 'He has thousands of fans who look up to him and think he's this tough gangster type. 'Well he's not this hard geezer if anything he's a frail little old man. 'At his parole hearing he started crying when he found out he'd been turned down. He also blubbed at our wedding he's soft.' She also revealed that Britain's most notorious inmate is no longer as muscular as he once was. The 38-year-old added: 'Charles isn't buff any more. He's lost loads of muscle mass and has saggy skin I'm glad I never had to have sex with him.' 'I used to visit and spend 20 on lunch in the canteen for him. 'He'd scoff eight pasties in a row then go back to his cell for dinner.' Bronson first struck up a relationship with Miss Williamson - who also had roles in Emmerdale and Hollyoaks - back in 2013 after they started writing to one another. They continued writing while Bronson was engaged to his former partner Lorraine Etherington in 2015. Charles Bronson pictured outside of prison in 2001, was first locked up for armed robbery in 1974 The couple wed last November in HMP Wakefield, (pictured: the bride covered with a sheet) where Bronson was being held Paula Williamson arrives at Wakefield prison to marry Charles Bronson in November 2017 Paula Williamson said that after Bronson's parole hearing he started crying and also burst into tears and their wedding The former couple finally met for the first time in November 2016 when Williamson visited him in HMP Wakefield. They married in November last year and walked down the aisle to the Death March. In April this year Williamson admitted they were facing problems in their marriage, which she said had been rocked by Bronson's bad behaviour and bizarre demands. She had reportedly been ordered by Bronson to stay slim by doing 400 sit ups a day as he told her 'don't get fat'. In August, the former Coronation Street star, had an apparent dig at her ex-husband by writing 'Ya b*****d' on her arm with pen and drew his famous moustache alongside it. In recent years Bronson has turned his hand to art and changed his surname from Bronson to Salvador in tribute to the Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali. Paula Williamson, the wife of prisoner Charles Bronson, stands in Downing Street, London, after delivering a petition to number 10, in support of her husband being released from prison A knife-wielding man has been shot and killed by police after a violent standoff at a train station. Officers shot the man outside of Ipswich station in Queensland at 4.15 on Sunday afternoon. Police confirmed the man was holding a blade when officers approached him . It is believed the man was causing a 'disturbance' when he was shot dead, Nine News reported. Officers were forced to shoot the man outside of Ipswich station (pictured) in Queensland at 4.15 on Sunday afternoon A spokesperson for Queensland police said no bystanders were injured during the standoff. A train had just pulled up at the platform and bustling with commuters, according to the Courier Mail. Services were suspended on the Ipswich and Rosewood lines and other lines were delayed. The entrance to the station will be shut throughout the evening so police can comb the area for an investigation. Theresa May's controversial Brexit blueprint is only a temporary solution that can be overhauled by the next Prime Minister, Michael Gove said today. The Environment Secretary admitted he had made compromises to back the plans agreed at a crunch meeting at Chequers in July. But in a clear hint of the PM's political mortality, Mr Gove - a leader of Vote Leave - insisted it was only the right plan 'for now'. Mr Gove's intervention came amid renewed warnings from rebel Tories that Mrs May must spell out an exit plan or face being ousted from Downing Street. Many Conservative MPs are insistent the Prime Minister can never lead their party into another election after her disastrous 2017 campaign. And there are warnings she could be forced out within weeks - possibly as soon as the Tory conference in a fortnight - without a climbdown on her Brexit plans. Theresa May's controversial Brexit blueprint is only a temporary solution that can be overhauled by the next Prime Minister, Michael Gove (pictured on the Marr show today) said Theresa May (pictured today at church in Maidenhead) was confronted by new calls to set out her exit strategy from No 10 today or risk facing a coup by restless Tories. Mr Gove said the Chequers plan was the 'right one for now' in an interview with the BBC's Andrew Marr Show. Fox insists there must be no Brexit delay Liam Fox insisted today that there must be no delay to Brexit in March next year. The International Trade Secretary hit out at claims Britain will not be ready by March 29, 2019. It has emerged Chancellor Philip Hammond floated the prospect of a postponement at the no deal Cabinet on Thursday. But asked if there was any reason for delay, Dr Fox told Sky News's Sophy Ridge on Sunday: Id say no. 'As Ive said before, extending Article 50 until weve got an agreement is effectively allowing the European Union to dictate when Britain will leave the European Union itself. 'The public have given us an instruction in the referendum, there has to be a time set for our exit, thats the 29th March next year and we should honour that.' Advertisement He said: 'Yes, but there's one critical thing, a future prime minister could always choose to alter the relationship between Britain and the European Union. 'But the Chequers approach is the right one for now because we have got to make sure that we respect that vote and take advantage of the opportunities of being outside the European Union.' Mr Gove said the responsibility was now on the European Union 'because we've shown flexibility'. Mr Gove said it will be up to the House of Commons in the future to 'chart this nation's destiny' and decide what to do if EU law changes. He urged Brussels to compromise in the negotiations. 'I've compromised,' he added. 'I've been quite clear that some of the things that I argued for in the referendum passionately, as a result of Chequers I have to qualify one or two of my views. 'I have to acknowledge the parliamentary arithmetic. 'I believe the critical thing is making sure we leave in good order with a deal which safeguards the referendum mandate.' Mrs May (pictured being greeted by Blitz at church today) insisted after throwing away the Conservative majority on a snap election she would only stay for as long as her colleagues wanted her. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox (pictured on Sky News today in Argentina) dismissed the claims about Mrs May's future, insisting she was doing a good job and should stay on Mrs May insisted after throwing away the Conservative majority on a snap election she would only stay for as long as her colleagues wanted her. But she has since vowed to stay on at No 10 and lead the Tory charge next time, which is due in 2022. Theresa May to quit: What happens next? How does a leadership election work? The election to find Theresa May's replacement is held in two stages with up to 20 Tory MPs expected to try to stand. To join the battle, any candidate requires two other MPs to sign forms agreeing to be their proposer and a seconder. The race will start on June 7 and is expected last around six weeks with the new leader in place by the end of July. Mrs May is expected to remain as Prime Minister until a successor is appointed and ready to be confirmed by the Queen. How are candidates eliminated? Conservative MPs will hold a series of head-to-head ballots to whittle the list of contenders down to a final two, with the lowest placed candidate dropping out in each round. Who votes on the final two? There will then be a series of hustings involving the two final candidates - probably in all regions of the UK - and a TV debate could also be held. It is then the Tory members across the country step in. They will then have around a fortnight to vote via postal ballot - which Mrs May avoided after rival Andrea Leadsom dropped out of the race. The last time a postal vote was held was in 2005, when David Cameron grabbed the leadership. Advertisement One top Tory told the Sun on Sunday today: 'She needs to chuck Chequers first and then throw us a bone about her own future. 'It does nothing to help her position when aides brief that she intends to stay on to fight the 2022 election. 'That is not going to happen.' International Trade Secretary Liam Fox dismissed the claims about Mrs May's future today, insisting she was doing a good job and should stay on. He told Sky News's Sophy Ridge on Sunday: 'I think the Prime Minister has done a great job in difficult circumstances, both domestically and in the difficult task of negotiating with the European Union. 'Supporting the Prime Minister now is in the national interest. And if she wants to continue on to the next election she will have my support. 'I think a Prime Minister that delivers a successful Brexit will have the support of the British people.' The Conservative Party was rocked by a new bout of infighting this week after it emerged a group of hard Brexiteers openly discussed removing Mrs May. Members of the European Research Group gathered in Parliament on Tuesday night and held a 'brazen' discussion about how to dislodge Mrs May from No 10. Following the meeting, the most senior Eurosceptics were forced to rally around Mrs May even while hating her Brexit plan. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said any MPs talking about challenging Mrs May were indulging in 'stupid personality nonsense'. Speaking at the launch of the ERG's Irish border plan today, the group's leader Jacob Rees-Mogg said: 'I have long said, and repeated again and again, that the policy needs to be changed but I am supporting the person.' On Wednesday moderate Tories held their own meeting and called for a clear out of the old guard and resume David Cameron's modernisation project. The teenager held victims up with a knife, demanding their posessions A hunt is underway for an African teenager believed to be connected to four terrifying attempted robberies. The knife-wielding teen is accused of ambushing five female joggers during four separate incidents, all of which occurred in the Gunns Road Reserve in Hallam, south-east Melbourne, between August 5 and August 29. He reportedly eyed the women while riding a bicycle before confronting them and demanding they hand over their possessions, police said. The knife-wielding teen is accused of ambushing five female joggers during four separate incidents, all of which occurred in the Gunns Road Reserve in Hallam, south-east Melbourne (pictured is a composite of the teen) The women, aged between 21- 55, were running along the track in broad daylight when the teen allegedly approached them from behind and produced a knife, police claim. One woman, 55, began to flee when she was approached by the teenager, but he allegedly chased her and grabbed her shoulder. Investigators have released a composite image of a teen who they believe can assist with their inquiries. All incidents have occurred on Gunns Road Reserve in Hallam, south-east Melbourne (pictured) He is perceived to be African in appearance and aged about 15 years old with a skinny build and short dark hair. On most occasions, he was also riding a black bicycle. Runners who continue to use the track are being warned to stay vigilant. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers. A well-known celebrity doctor has announced she will challenge for Malcolm Turnbull's seat of Wentworth, potentially destabilising Scott Morrison's government. Dr Kerryn Phelps announced on Sunday she will stand as an independent in the October 20 by-election, which could damage the Liberal Party's majority government. Dr Phelps has previously served as head of the Australian Medical Association and has frequently appeared in the media as a medical expert. Dr Kerryn Phelps (pictured with her partner) announced on Sunday she will stand as an independent in the October 20 by-election Mr Turnbull announced he will not run for re-election in his blue-ribbon seat Dave Sharma, a former ambassador to Israel, has been pre-selected as the Liberal Party replacement The well-known celebrity doctor has announced she will challenge for the seat of Wentworth, potentially destabilising Scott Morrison's government Mr Turnbull announced last month that he will not run for re-election in his blue-ribbon seat. Dave Sharma, a former ambassador to Israel, has been pre-selected as the Liberal Party replacement. At a press conference on Sunday morning, Dr Phelps took an early swipe at Mr Sharma. 'It beggars belief that the Liberal Party was not able to find a suitable candidate from within the electorate of Wentworth,' she said. 'I've been a member of this local community for almost 20 years. This is going to be grassroots campaign. This is not a billionaires' club.' The Labor Party's Tim Murray will also stand for the seat. Dr Phelps said that her platform will be socially progressive and she will try to block the hard-right of both the Labor and Liberal Party. At a press conference on Sunday morning announcing her campaign, Dr Phelps (pictured) said she will run a 'grassroots' campaign She says she has been frustrated by lack of female representatives in parliament, particularly in the Liberal Party, and at the 'revolving door of leadership in Canberra.' 'My intention is not to block supply. I'm not here as a destabilising influence, I'm here to bring integrity and stability.' The Order of Australia recipient claims that for too long we have seen politicians vote against their conscience to fall in with the party line. A jockey has broken his neck after his horse collided with a rail just before the halfway mark. Jordan Grob was riding No Hat No Play during the 1,400 metre Maiden Handicap at the Gold Coast Turf Club on Saturday. The horse, trained by Michael Costa, collided with the rail after an awkward stride. Jordan Grob (pictured) was riding No Hat No Play during the 1,400 metre Maiden Handicap at the Gold Coast Turf Club yesterday The apprentice jockey then fell onto the grass, according to The Gold Coast Bulletin. He was knocked unconscious after he fell to the ground and was rushed to hospital. Mr Costa told the publication: 'He broke the C3 vertebrae in his neck and is looking at eight weeks in a neck brace.' Mr Grob won't be able to race for four months and at this stage it doesn't appear as though he will need surgery. The accident happened on Mr Grob's third ride on the four-year-old gelding. The horse, trained by Michael Costa (pictured), collided with the rail after an awkward stride just before the halfway mark Mr Grob tweeted: 'As a result of yesterdays fall at the Gold Coast, I have a tear drop fracture c6 in my neck' In May, another jockey broke his neck while preparing to enter a race on the Gold Coast. Dan Griffin was in the barrier when the horse he was riding stood on it's hind legs and he fell. Griffin was given the all clear from doctors in August. A judge who allowed a specialist to extract sperm from a dying 46-year-old man whose wife had been undergoing fertility treatment has said her decision was in line with his 'hopes and dreams'. Mrs Justice Gwynneth Knowles gave her approval at a hearing in the Court of Protection, where judges consider issues relating to people who lack the mental capacity to make decisions, in London in July. She has now outlined her reasoning in a written ruling published on a legal website. Lawyers representing the man's wife had made an urgent application after he suffered a sudden and traumatic brain injury. Mrs Justice Gwynneth Knowles gave her approval at a hearing in the Court of Protection Mrs Justice Knowles, who also oversees cases in the Family Division of the High Court, gave the woman permission to have her husband's sperm 'retrieved and stored'. She was told that the man, who died shortly after the hearing, had suffered brain damage and was unable to make decisions for himself. The judge heard that the couple, who had been married for nearly four years, had a two-year-old son and wanted a second child. They had been taking part in a fertility treatment programme when the man suffered the injury. She said no-one involved could be identified. 'The couple had always wanted a brother or sister for their son and tried for a further pregnancy as quickly as they could after his birth,' says Mrs Justice Knowles in her ruling. The Court of Protection at Archway Tower, Archway, north London 'Unfortunately, they were unable to conceive naturally.' She adds: 'It seems to me that (the man) would have chosen to allow clinicians to retrieve his sperm so that it might be stored and then used after his death so that his little boy might be able to have a brother or sister. 'That choice was entirely consistent with the evidence before me and consistent with what I had learned about (his) hopes and dreams for a family life with (his wife) and children of their own. 'I was also satisfied that (he) had contemplated what might happen if he died and that family life might not include him in person but might, however, include a child conceived by (his widow) after his death using his sperm. 'Standing back and applying the law to the facts of this case, I am in no doubt that the decisions I have taken on (the man's) behalf were in his best interests even though his death was imminent.' Employees of the Bureau of Customs have sought a lifestyle check on ranking officials of the Bureau for their alleged lavish lifestyle. In a letter addressed to Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapena, the BoC employees, calling themselves The Real Concerned Employees of BoC, said a lifestyle check was in order, especially for officials who have been linked to several irregularities. We are asking you, Hon. Commissioner Lapena, to look into the Statements of Assets and Liabilities and Net Worth of these officials and their actual lifestyle because you would see the big difference, the BoC employees said in their letter. They claimed that in the Facebook accounts of these officials, they own luxury cars, live in impressive houses and are often traveling in style with their family and friends. The employees asked Lapena to subject two employees assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to an extensive and exhaustive lifestyle check. We are one with you in your organization task to rebuild the much-maligned image of the Bureau and bring back the respect that it long deserve as an institution and collectively as civil servants, the employees said.Meanwhile, Blue Ribbon committee chairman Senator Richard Gordon has proposed changes in the bureaus policy to address the unabated entry of smuggled goods, including illegal drugs. Gordon said the government lost P900 billion in uncollected duties and taxes. There has been a marked improvement in the BoCs collections. But there were still illegal shipments which past slipped our authorities. Its alarming that tons of shabu are entering the country right through the guardian of our ports. This is especially so when there is a furor because people are killed for mere sachets of shabu, Gordon said. The senator said all consignees should be registered to stop the practice of consignees-for-hire or consignee-on-record which only enables syndicates to bring in smuggled shipments. He also suggested that BOC should ensure that consignees have registered warehouses. Trucking companies doing business with consignees should likewise be duly-registered with the BOC. French champagne has been hit so hard by price wars it is now cheaper than English sparkling wine, new research reveals. Competition from cheap and cheerful prosecco has forced fancy French brands to cut prices to in order to keep their sales bubbling. Famous names such as Bollinger and Moet now cost less than English versions of the fizzy drink as demand for home grown wine continues to soar. Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial (pictured) dropped from 32 in 2016 to 28 this year Bollinger Special Cuvee (pictured) - a favourite of Joanna Lumley's boozy character Patsy in TV comedy AbFab - is now 31, down from 42 last year The cost of champagne has gone down in the past few years, while the price of English sparkling wines are going up, researchers say. Tesco Finest Premier Cru champagne cost 19 in 2017, but is now selling for 15.20. Similarly Sainsbury's Blanc Noirs champagne was 22.25 in 2014, but is now 19.00. It's not just supermarket own brands that are plunging in price. Tesco Finest Premier Cru champagne (pictured) cost 19 in 2017, but is now selling for 15.20 Sainsbury's Blanc Noirs champagne (pictured) was 22.25 in 2014, but has dropped down to 19.00 Moet & Chandon champagne cost 32 two years ago, but is now 28, while Bollinger Special Cuvee - a favourite of Joanna Lumley's boozy character Patsy in TV comedy AbFab - is now 31, down from 42 last year. Moet & Chandon Rose champagne is down from 40 last year to 32 now and Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut champagne is down 10 to 30 in the past year. But bubbly fans who want to stay patriotic and buy home-grown fizz are being forced to shell out more. Tesco Finest English sparkling wine is up from 17.50 to 18.50 in a year, Nyetimber Classic Cuvee English sparkling wine cost 32 last year but is up to 35 now. Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut champagne (pictured) is down 10 to 30 in the past year Chapel Down Reserve Brut English sparkling Wine is now 24, up from 22.00 last year. Food and drink expert Martin Isark, founder of the Can I Eat It phone app, said: 'There is no better time to buy champagne. 'Many well known champagne brands are cheaper than they were a year ago. 'While it may be boom time for English sparkling wine producers their prices are increasing big-time. He said the popularity of prosecco has forced champagne producers to cut prices and boost sales. Moet & Chandon Rose champagne (pictured) is down from 40 last year to 32 this year He said: 'Over the past three years prosecco has had had a massive surge in sales and this has taken a big chunk away from the bottom end of the champagne market.' English sparkling wine prices are going up because of a lack of supply. Planting a new vineyard so that the grapes are ready to make wine will take at least three years and the sparkling wine process will take least another year or often much longer. A spokesman for Wines of Great Britain said: 'English sparkling wine has seen supreme success over the last two decades - quite simply because it has challenged others globally and won. 'What we don't have compared to other main sparkling wine regions is the quantity and while our production is rising, our prices reflect the quality of our wines and the care that goes in to producing them.' A plan to extract Britain's prized double agent was almost stopped- because the Queen wanted to borrow a video recorder to watch a rerun of Dad's Army. Oleg Gordievsky, a KGB officer turned British double agent spy, was in the clutches of the Soviet Union and needed to be rescued immediately by MI6. But the the operation needed to be approved by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher- who was staying with the Queen in Balmoral. The Queen (pictured) almost stopped the mission to extract Oleg Gordievsky from the grips of the KGB because she wanted to watch an episode of Dad's Army An operation to extract Britain's most prized double agent was almost thwarted because the Queen wanted to watch Dad's Army (pictured) Thatcher's most trusted adviser, Charles Powell, had to rush to Scotland to get her approval due to the plan being so top secret it could not be discussed over telephone. He said: 'It was so secret, I later had a problem getting my expenses reimbursed.' However as Mr Powell arrived he was stopped short and made to wait 20 minutes at the gatehouse by an equerry on the phone trying to locate the Queen Mother's video recorder. After which Mr Powell was questioned intensely by the Queen's private Secretary, Sir Philip Moore, over why he had turned up without warning. Former Russian KGB Colonel, Oleg Gordievsky (pictured) was in the clutches of the KGB and needed to be rescued The plan to rescue Mr Gordievsky (pictured) was almost foiled when government adviser Charles Powell was made to wait 20 minutes when he arrived at Balmoral while they located a video recorder Mr Powell insisted that he could not reveal why he was there because it was top secret. To which Moore is quoted to have said: 'We can't have people wandering around the Balmoral estate without knowing why they are here.' Eventually Mr Powell reached Thatcher who approved Operation Pimlico and the brave attempt to save Gordievsky from a KGB prison. The revelation has been made in a forthcoming book called The Spy And The Traitor by Ben Macintyre. The book also delves into when the former leader of the Labour Party, Michael Foot, emerged from the High Court in London after he won a landmark libel case against The Sunday Times on July 7, 1995. The newspaper had had accused him of having been an agent for the KGB operating under the codename of 'Boot'. A new book by Ben Macintyre delves into when the leader of the Labour party, Michael Foot (pictured) was thought to be a spy Awarded 'substantial' damages as well as his legal costs which together amounted to the equivalent of 250,000 today Foot was adamant the story was hogwash. 'What The Sunday Times said was so serious that I was a spy who had served one of the most wicked organisations that has existed this century I thought it had to be wiped clear,' Foot said, before heading off to celebrate at his favourite restaurant, the Gay Hussar, the Hungarian restaurant in Soho where it was said that Foot had met his KGB handlers. Ever since then, the world has believed that Foot was innocent, with many predictable voices on the left dismissing the accusations as a 'smear' by the 'Right-wing press'. Mr Foot (pictured) won a libel case against The Sunday Times who accused him of being a KGB agent- but MI6 believed him to be a Soviet Source However, yesterday it sensationally emerged that the Secret Intelligence Service better known as MI6 certainly believed that the Labour leader was a Soviet source, and was even prepared to tell the Queen if Foot became Prime Minister. Had Margaret Thatcher lost the Falklands War in 1982, then that unthinkable situation might well have happened a Soviet agent rising to the highest office in the land, with access to the deepest state secrets. It also emerges that Foot received today's equivalent of nearly 40,000 for the information that he supplied the Soviet Union. Victoria Beckham's fashion label is losing 4,000 a day as she marks a decade in the industry with her first London catwalk show. The ex-Spice Girl launched her label Victoria Beckham Limited in 2008 and is celebrating the 10th anniversary of her brand at an elegant event at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac in Mayfair today. But accounts filed by the company show it has been far from smooth sailing- with losses of nearly 12 million over an eight year period, which works out at roughly 4,000 a day. Victoria Beckham is seen arriving at her fashion show in Mayfair, London this morning David Beckham and daughter Harper Beckham arrive in London to support Victoria's first London catwalk show Brooklyn Beckham arrives at his mother's show this morning to support her first catwalk show in London According to The Times, the business has debts of almost 10 million and loans to the business doubled to 12 million during the same year. This is despite the fashion label managing to generate sales of nearly 169 million over the eight-year period. However, Naomi Braithwaite, a fashion marketing and branding lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, said running deficits is 'not unique in this industry and not necessarily a sign that she is any the less credible.' She added: 'It takes a time to build a brand and she is competing with labels that have a very long established history.' Romeo Beckham arriving to support his mother at her first London catwalk show after 10 years in the fashion industry The mother-of-four oversees an empire comprising four clothing lines, more than 400 retail outlets in over 50 countries and offices in London and New York. At the outset the longtime fashionista, faced a daunting challenge: convincing a competitive and demanding industry that she could make a lasting impression on fickle fashion fans. Seizing the opportunity to surpass her status as a pop star she has gradually earned widespread recognition, even from fashion luminaries such as Karl Lagerfeld, the creative genius behind Chanel. Andrew Groves, a professor of fashion design at the University of Westminster said: 'Many saw her as just another example of a celebrity wanting to have a fashion range with no formal fashion training,' 'Through hard work and determination, she has proved those early critics wrong. He added that Beckham has 'all the right elements to last for many years as a medium-sized designer brand'. As for the Spice Girls, the most famous girlband in history has reformed for a 13-date tour in 2019 but without 'Posh Spice', who has drawn a line under her first life as a pop star. Russian agents who allegedly tried to hack into a Novichok lab may have also hacked the World Anti-Doping Agency, Switzerland's Office of the Attorney General (OAG) says. Yesterday it was revealed that criminal proceedings were launched in March 2017 by Swiss prosecutors. Two people are suspected of political espionage, the OAG said in a statement on the 'cyber attack'. 'As part of these proceedings the OAG, in cooperation with the Federal Intelligence Service, was able to identify two individuals,' it said. Swiss prosecutors are pursuing legal action against two people suspected of hacking the World Anti-Doping Agency (pictured) 'The aforementioned criminal proceedings ...refer to criminal proceedings being conducted by the OAG due to a cyber-attack against the World Anti-Doping Agency.' The suspects are the same two that Swiss intelligence identified on Friday in relation to a foiled plot to hack a laboratory used to test nerve agents such as Novichok, which was used in the Salisbury attack on ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter. The two suspected hackers are not the same people as the hitmen who poisoned the father and daughter in Wiltshire. On Saturday Swiss media said that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne had been targeted along with WADA. Swiss media said yesterday that WADA, along with the International Olympic Committee were targets for cyber attacks Both organizations have investigated the widespread doping of Russian athletes that led to dozens of bans and the country being barred from international events. Tages-Anzeiger newspaper reported the agents travelled to an IOC meeting and that Russian military intelligence was suspected of being behind the cyber attack. The suspected hackers are not the same men who carried out the Salisbury Novichok attack (pictured, Salisbury attackers Alexander Petrov, left, and Ruslan Boshirov, right, both of whom are believed to be using assumed names) The Russian Embassy in Bern said the allegations were an attempt to derail the reinstatement of Russias own anti-doping body. 'It is noteworthy that these publications, which include adjectives like "suspected" and "presumably" has appeared immediately after the World Anti-Doping Agency Compliance Review Committee issued a recommendation to lift the suspension of the Russian Anti Doping agency,' it said in a statement. 'It is hard to avoid the impression thats why the latest the latest fairy tales about Russian hackers attacking WADA were so necessary right now.' WADAs independent Compliance Review Committee recommended the Russian Anti-Doping Agency be reinstated when WADAs executive committee meets next on Thursday. A Palestinian fatally stabbed an Israeli man near the entrance to a mall in the occupied West Bank today before being shot by a civilian, officials said. No details were immediately provided on the identity of the Israeli, whose death was confirmed in a statement from Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek medical centre. Israeli media reported that he was 40. Official Palestinian news agency WAFA described the attacker as a 'young man' from the West Bank village of Yatta. The wounded Palestinian is dragged away from the scene on a stretcher after killing an Israeli at a shopping mall Israeli forensic policemen inspect the site where an Israeli man was fatally stabbed by a Palestinian near a mall at the Gush Etzion junction near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank on September 16, 2018 The report said he was not severely wounded. The incident took place at the Gush Etzion Junction south of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, according to Israel's military, which provided the details of the stabbing. Video footage shared on social media purportedly showed the assailant approaching an older man near the mall entrance and stabbing him. He is then pursued by civilians and shot nearby. The attacker lies on the floor after stabbing an Israeli man to death at the entrance of a shopping mall Palestinians clash with Israeli troops in response to intervention on the 25th Friday of Great March of Return demonstration There is regular friction between Israelis and Palestinians at the junction, which lies near a major Israeli settlement bloc and has been the site of numerous attacks. A wave of Palestinian knife attacks against Israelis broke out in 2015, but they have since become sporadic. On September 3, a Palestinian wielding a knife approached an Israeli military checkpoint near the hardline Kiryat Arba settlement in the Hebron area and was shot dead by soldiers, according to the army. There are concerns that tensions between Israelis and Palestinians will increase this month as Jews celebrate their high holidays and pay more visits to holy sites. A pervert who asked paedophile hunters posing as 14-year-old girls to send him sexually explicit photographs of themselves is facing prison. Glen Walker, 52, asked 'Kirsty' and 'Amber' to send him photographs of themselves touching their privates parts during their online conversations. The 52-year-old also asked them how large their breasts were and offered to meet them to buy them 'sexy underwear'. But when Walker went to meet the 'teenagers' on a footbridge in Burton, they turned out to be a vigilante group who streamed their meeting live on Facebook. Glen Walker (pictured outside Derbyshire Crown Court) is facing prison after sending sexually explicit messages to paedophile hunters posing as 14-year-old girls Walker, a self-employed builder from Repton in Derbyshire, pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to sexually communicate with a child and was due to be sentenced at Derbyshire Crown Court. But Judge Nirmal Shant QC adjourned the hearing after reading his pre-sentence report which gave her 'concerns' that he was not fully accepting of how serious his offending was and that he was unwilling to accept help from the probation service. She said: 'You have wholly failed to accept your culpability except for your (guilty) plea. 'I have read the pre-sentence report and, given your attitude, it does not fill the court with any great confidence. 'What you did was serious and you knew from the outset you were dealing with a 14-year-old child but you do not seem to be interested in getting any help from the probation service.' Ian Way, prosecuting, said Walker began communicating with 'Kirsty' and 'Amber' in July of last year. He said: 'The girls in question were, in fact, fictitious and instead he was talking to self-styled paedophile hunters - a group called Keeping Kids Safe. Walker asked 'Kirsty' and 'Amber' to send him photographs of themselves touching their privates parts 'He began sending messages to the girls saying things like "I bet you have got a sexy body for your age?" asking them if they were virgins, what underwear the were wearing and what their breasts were like. 'He said he wanted to meet them and that he would like to have sexual contact with them.' Mr Way said the hunters carried out the sting on a footbridge over the River Trent which they streamed live on Facebook. Walker was then arrested and questioned about the offences. Mr Way said: 'In his first interview he denied knowing the girls were 14 and said he believed they were 18. 'He then denied making any attempt to try and meet them. 'In his second interview when the chat logs between him and the two girls were put to him, the defendant said a friend had tipped him off that they might be paedophile hunters implying that he knew he was not talking to real children.' Roger Wilson, for Walker, said his client 'came to court knowing custody is an option'. He said: 'He will do anything to avoid being sent to prison.' But Judge Shant ordered that an extra report be prepared for his new sentencing hearing at the same court on September 27. Jack the Ripper's murder victims may not have been prostitutes, a historian has claimed. Dr Hallie Rubenhold has argued that 'sexist' attitudes of policemen at the time and researchers in the 130 years since have led to inaccurate beliefs about the women who were killed. The historian, who is writing a history of the five known victims - Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly - said the women had working-class jobs as servants and laundry maids. The Ripper killed his victims in Whitechapel, east London, between September and November 1888, but his identity has never been discovered. The victims of Jack the Ripper, pictured in a contemporary illustration, may not have been prostitutes, according to a historian who blamed the sexism of policemen and researchers Dr Rubenhold, whose book will be called The Five, said researchers had 'fixated' on the Ripper but never thought about who the women were, the Sunday Telegraph reported. She said: 'We glorify the Ripper, we have a whole industry based around him, a fascination with him, an unsolved murder mystery going on for 130 years. 'We have never questioned 19th-century orthodoxy - the world in which they were killed was a world in which women were disrespected and treated as second-class citizens.' One of the women had run a coffee shop in Poplar with their husband while another lived in the residence of a friend of the Prince of Wales, she said. Misogyny and sexism 'run very deep' in accounts of the Ripper and the women involved had been 'dehumanised' for 130 years, she said. On Twitter she said Mary Jane Kelly had been a sex worker and it was 'uncertain' if Elizabeth Stride had been soliciting on the night she was killed but the other three were not prostitutes. Mary Ann Nichols (left), thought to be Jack the Ripper's first victim, along with Annie Chapman Mary Jane Kelly and Elizabeth Stride were also killed by Jack the Ripper in his 1888 spree Last month the claim sparked a row with fellow historian Paul Begg, who wrote a Definitive History of Jack the Ripper. He said: 'I don't mind you saying they weren't all prostitutes when your book is published and your evidence can be assessed, but doing so before then is you voicing your opinion as if it was fact.' Dr Rubenhold replied: 'I'm free to publicise my books and my findings prior to publication. I am behaving professionally. 'Prediction: no matter what appears in my book Paul Begg will find cause to rip it to shreds and denounce it.' The first of the 'canonical' five victims, Mary Nichols was found dead on the afternoon August 31, 1888, in a gateway in Buck's Row, Whitechapel. She had been disemboweled. The mutilated corpse of Annie Chapman was found in the backyard of number 29 Hanbury Street at 6am, just over a week later on September 8, after the killer had made off with her womb. An illustration shows the discovery of the mutilated body of Catherine Eddowes in 1888 Elizabeth Stride was found dead on September 30, in Dutfield's Yard, off Berner Street. It is believed the Ripper may have been interrupted while cutting her throat, as the rest of her body was untouched. Later the same day the body of Catherine Eddowes was found in Mitre Square in the City of London, with her uterus and kidney removed and her cheeks torn. Mary Kelly, who was Jack the Ripper's final known victim, was found in her room in Miller's Court, off Dorset Street, on November 9. Victorian police suspected the Ripper was a butcher but they were never able to track him down. Last year a book claimed that an apparent 'confession' found beneath the floorboards of a Liverpool cotton merchant's bedroom was authentic. The memoir includes the line: 'I give my name that all know of me, so history do tell, what love can do to a gentleman born. Yours Truly, Jack The Ripper.' But critics questioned how the book, purportedly belonging to businessman James Maybrick, came to be found and whether the claims were genuine. Police discovering the body of one of Jack the Ripper's victims, probably Catherine Eddowes A page from the Illustrated Police News page covering the the murders of Jack the Ripper A needle has been found inside a strawberry in South Australia, making it the fifth Australian state and territory to be implicated in the ongoing fruit sabotage saga. A customer made the discovery while eating fruit from a punnet of Mal's Black Label strawberries on Sunday, South Australia Police say. The punnet was bought from Klose's Foodland Supermarket in Littlehampton, Adelaide, on Saturday. All remaining stock has now been pulled from the shelves and the customer was not injured. Sabotaged strawberries have now been discovered in South Australia as a fifth customer bites in to the contaminated fruit The punnet of Mal's Black Label strawberries, was purchased on Saturday afternoon from Kloses's Foodland supermarket at Littlehampton (stock) Where have the contaminated berries been found? September 9 - Brisbane man rushed to hospital after eating punnet of strawberries containing needle September 10 - Woman from Gladstone, Queensland finds needle in strawberry September 12 - 'disgruntled ex-employee' suspected contaminating September 13 - Thin metal object found in Gatton, Queensland Three more punnets found contaminated in Tweed Heads, Taree, Guyra and Maitland Reports of contamination in Victoria September 14 - Chantal Faugeras find needle in punnet in Wingham September 15 - Coles shopper finds contaminated punnet in Engadine, Sydney September 16 - Contamination spreads to South Australia after a pin is found in Mal's Black Label brand. Advertisement Strawberries containing pins and needles have been found in six brands across five states. Coles and Aldi supermarkets have pulled all strawberries from their shelves across the country, except Western Australia, as a precaution over needle contamination fears. Berry Obsession, Berry Licious and Donnybrook Berries branded fruit have recalled their strawberries nationwide. Police are also investigating contamination of fruit sold by Delightful Strawberries, Love Berries and Oasis in stores in NSW, Queensland, Victoria, and the ACT. Mal's Black Label, which was involved in the incident on Sunday, is yet to be recalled from the supermarket shelves. Wallace Road Berries, the brand of berries embroiled in the latest NSW case on Wednesday, also hasn't been recalled. Earlier this week, Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk issued a $100,000 reward over concerns for growers as well as consumers. On September 9, a Queensland man was rushed to hospital after ingesting the spiked strawberry. Victoria and police reported a suspected copy-cat incident on Thursday where a small steel rod was found in a punnet in Queensland Days later a 10-year-old girl bit down onto the sharp piece of metal inside a strawberry. Her mother found three other pins inside the piece of fruit. Dubbed as 'food-terrorism' by the Health Authority and police have asked the public to take precaution and cut up the fruit before they eat it. Consumers have also been asked to take any contaminated product down to their local police station for forensic testing. Britain's oldest person is celebrating her 112th birthday today and has revealed the secret to her long life is a dram of whisky every day for the last six decades. Grace Jones, known to her friends as 'Amazing Grace', reached the landmark age after the death of Olive Evelyn Boar, from Felixstowe, Suffolk, in August at the age of 113. And, by coincidence, she also takes the title from another Grace Jones, a South Londoner, born 1899, who also died at the age of 113, in November 2013. The new record holder however puts her longevity is down to a nightcap of Famous Grouse single malt whisky every evening for the last 62 years. Britain's oldest person is celebrating her 112th birthday, she said secret to long life is whisky Mrs Jones, a Liverpudlian by birth, was born on September 16, 1906 - only five years after the death of Queen Victoria. She has lived through 26 prime ministers and survived both world wars. The mother-of-one, who lives in Broadway, Worcs, said: 'I never miss my night cap. All I have is the whisky at night. 'Whisky is very good for you. 'I started having a nightly tot of it when I turned 50 so I've been having it every night for the last 60 years and I certainly have no intention of stopping now. 'My doctor said 'keep up with the whisky Grace, it's good for your heart'. Grace Jones, 112 today, said: ''I never miss my night cap. All I have is the whisky at night.' 'I still feel the same as I did when I was 60. 'The best memory of my life was when I married my husband Leonard. He was a true gentleman, the son of a parson. 'We were always together and we loved one another. 'I feel fine. I feel full of spirit. I have received lots of nice cards and presents this year and they are still coming in. 'We will be here next year as well.' The former millinery factory owner will celebrate her milestone birthday with family and friends at Buckland Manor, Worcs, a large country estate tomorrow. She said marrying husband Leonard, 'a true gentleman', in 1933 aged 27 is her best memory Grace Jones pictured in her twenties in the 1930's, she's known to friends as 'Amazing Grace' She will enjoy lunch - and of course a customary glass of whisky. Her daughter Deirdre McCarthy, 80, said: 'My mother is extraordinary. She's still very particular over her appearance and insists on always looking her best. 'Once she married my father she very much became a lady of leisure. 'She enjoys meeting people and still reads a little and watches television. 'Each week her carer takes her into Broadway where she likes to do a little shopping if the weather is nice; she is in amazing health but her hearing is a little poor. The widow (pictured aged 24, in 1930) has enjoyed a nightly tot of whisky for around 60 years Grace on the right with her 80-year-old daughter Deirdre McCarthy 'She is glamorous, beautiful and intelligent. She is really alert and still with it. 'She loves her tot of whisky every evening before she goes to bed and why not. Whisky is her thing and she's been having it for the last 60 years. 'I must say I certainly take after her in that regard, it's the perfect way to unwind at the end of the day and it's certainly done my mother no end of good.' Mrs Jones, whose father was a vicar, wed chief engineer Leonard Roderick Jones in 1933 in Liverpool. They were married for 53 years until he died in 1986, aged 79. For her birthday Grace Jones will enjoy lunch - and of course a customary glass of whisky She lived in Sidmouth, Devon before moving to relocate with her family in Worcestershire in 2005. The record holder's namesake, Grace Jones was the UK's oldest person when she died on December 7, 2013. The Londoner, from Berdmonsey, was the last living British person to be born in the 1800s and had lost her fiance when he died on active service in the First World War. The former seamstress became the UKs oldest person in February 2012 but died just 14 days short of her 114th birthday on November 14, 2013. Just one of the last surviving pilots from the Battle of Britain was able to join this year's remembrance ceremony honouring those who bravely battled Hitler's Luftwaffe. Former Hurricane pilot Paul Farnes, was one of 'The Few' whose courage helped save the country from Nazi tyranny. Mr Farnes is one of eight surviving members of the battle that raged above England's skies in 1940, and for the first time was the only one able to attend the ceremony which took place yesterday. He approached the monument, at Victoria Embankment in central London, alone and laid a wreath to commemorate his fallen comrades. The 100-year-old, who celebrated his birthday in July, was one of just under 3,000 men of the RAF Fighter Command took part in the Battle of Britain. The group of men were dubbed 'The Few' following Winston Churchill's wartime address to Parliament, where he poignantly said of the brave RAF pilots: 'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.' One of the last remaining pilots of 'The Few' Wing Commander Paul Farnes DFM, now aged 100, laid a wreath remembering his comrades at the Battle of Britain Memorial in central London Wing Commander Paul C. P. Farnes who turning 100 years old in July (pictured left), Mr Farnes (pictured right) during his time in the RAF Heroes: Battle of Britain pilots posed for a photo with Prince Charles at Clarence House in London. Left back: Sqn Ldr Tony Iveson, Wg Cdr Dick Summers, Luiz Flower, Wg Cdr Bob Foster, Prince of Wales, Sqn Ldr Wellum, Flt Lt Ronald Smyth, Flt Lt William Walker. Front, Fg Off Ken Wilkinson, Wg Cdr TNeil, Flt Lt Owen Burns, Sqn Ldr Graham Leggett, Wg Cdr Terry Kane, Flt Lt Richard Jones, Sqn Ldr Nigel Rose An RAF fighter ace, Wing Commander Farnes flew Hurricanes. He joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve in April 1938 as an airman pilot under training Prince Charles and Camilla Duchess of Cornwall unveil the Memorial to the Battle of Britain on the Embankment in London in September 2005 544 men sacrificed their lives and successfully repelled the Luftwaffe in the summer of 1940, turning the tide of World War Two. GLORIOUS FEW WHO STOOD AGAINST NAZI DOMINATION They fought the most important battle this country ever faced and their victory saved Britain from the tyranny of Nazi Germany. The heroes of the Battle of Britain repelled Hitler's Luftwaffe in the summer of 1940, although only a few of them are still alive. They are: Flight Lieutenant William Clark, 219 Squadron, aged 99 Wing Commander John Elkington, 1 Squadron, aged 97 Wing Commander Paul Farnes, 501 Squadron, aged 100 Squadron Leader John Hart, 602 Squadron, aged 99 Flying Officer John Hemmingway, 86 Squadron, aged 99 Flight Lieutenant William Hughes, 23 Squadron, aged 97 Pilot Officer Archie McInnes, 601 Squadron, 105 Flight Lieutenant Maurice Moundson, 56 Squadron, aged 100 At the time were in their late teens or early 20s when they took to the skies in Spitfires and Hurricanes from July to October 1940. Others flew in Blenheims, Beaufighters and Defiants, becoming the 'aces' of the Battle, shooting down plane after plane. When it was over, 544 RAF pilots and aircrew were dead and had made the ultimate sacrifice to keep generations of Britons safe. Advertisement 'I was very proud to be in the Battle of Britain and this brings it all back,' Mr Farnes told The Times Wing Commander Tom Neil, 97, and Squadron Leader Geoffrey Wellum, 96, died in July and Flight Lieutenant Ronald Mackay, 101, passed away last month. He added: 'We have lost several pilots in the last year,' 'I'm not the only one [still alive] but I am nearly the only one.' The pilot joined the No. 501 Squadron in September 1939 and first fought in the Battle of France. During that battle he destroyed one aircraft, possibly destroyed another and shared two with fellow comrades. In the Battle of Britain got six destroyed, one probably destroyed and six damaged. He served as an instructor and fought in Malta with No. 229 Squadron, he also served in north Africa and Iraq. The 100-year-old remained in the RAF until 1958, and retired with the rank wing commander. The service was conducted by Ray Pentland, former Chaplain-in-Chief of the RAF, Hon Chaplain of the Battle of Britain Fighter Association and Chaplain of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots. Cpl Carpenter of the RAF Music played the Last Post and Reveille. Mr Farnes who lives in Chichester, West Sussex, will attend the Battle of Britain thanksgiving service at Westminster Abbey today. Only last month one of the last surviving Battle of Britain veterans died aged 101. Tributes poured in for Flight Lieutenant Ronald Mackay, who flew Spitfires with No 234 Squadron and helped protect Britain's skies from German bombers during the Second World War. Flt Lt Mackay, who was once seriously injured baling out of his aircraft following a sortie, was one of the final nine remaining members of 'The Few', after the deaths of two fellow survivors in July. At the time David Brocklehurst MBE, chairman of the Kent Battle of Britain Museum, said: 'Our thoughts and condolences are with his family and friends at this difficult time. Iconic: Spitfires from No. 610 Squadron, based at Biggin Hill, Kent, fly over South East England Mr Farnes joined the No. 501 Squadron in September 1939 and first fought in the Battle of France. During that battle he destroyed one aircraft, possibly destroyed another and shared two with fellow comrades 'Our flag will be flown at half mast for the next seven days as a mark of respect. 'Sadly nature is taking its course and we have lost three of The Few in the past month. 'Now there are only eight surviving Battle of Britain veterans, the oldest is 105 and the youngest 98. 'He should be remembered for his bravery. Many of them said they were not heroes, just doing their duty, but we see them all as heroes. 'It makes it all the more important that we carry on their legacy as there will be a time when they will no longer be able to do so.' SeoulSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in travels to Pyongyang this week for his third summit with Kim Jong Un, looking to break the deadlock in nuclear talks between North Korea and the United States. Moonwhose own parents fled the North during the 1950-53 Korean Warflies north on Tuesday for a three-day trip, following in the footsteps of his predecessors Kim Dae-jung in 2000 and mentor Roh Moo-hyun in 2007. No details of the program have been announced but Pyongyang is likely to pull out all the stops to create a good impression, with tens of thousands of people lining the streets to welcome him. The visit comes after the North staged its Mass Games propaganda display for the first time in five years. The new show featured imagery of Kim and Moon at their first summit in April in the Demilitarized Zone that divides the peninsulaprompting the unusual sight of tens of thousands of North Koreans in the May Day Stadium applauding pictures of Seouls leader. One diplomatic source predicted the visit would see Kim and Moon together receiving the same sort of applause. But while the summit at the Panmunjom border truce village was high on headline-grabbing symbolism, with Moon stepping briefly into the North and the two sharing an extended one-to-one woodland chat, pressure is mounting for substantive progress. Moon, who met Kim again in May, was instrumental in brokering the historic summit the following month between US President Donald Trump and Kim in Singapore, when Kim backed denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. But no details were agreed and Washington and Pyongyang have sparred since over what that means and how it will be achieved. At the same time the US and South have sometimes moved at radically different speeds in their approach to the North. Moon will try again to play the role of facilitator or mediator, said his special adviser on foreign affairs Moon Chung-in. He believes that improved inter-Korean relations have some role in facilitating US-DPRK talks as well as solving the North Korean nuclear problem, he told reporters, using the Norths official acronym. Last month Trump abruptly canceled a planned visit by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Pyongyang, after the North condemned gangster-like demands for what it called its unilateral disarmament.Washington has been adamant that the North carry out a final, fully verified denuclearization first, while Pyongyang is demanding a formal declaration from the US that the Korean War is over. But Kim has since sent Trump a letter seeking a second summit and held a military parade for his countrys 70th birthday without showing off any intercontinental ballistic missiles, prompting warm tweets from the US president. North Korea will want to exploit Trumps eagerness to declare progress before the US mid-term elections in November to secure concessions, said Go Myong-hyun, an analyst at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, and will view every meeting as a viable political opportunity towards that goal. But whether Pyongyang is willing to offer something concrete in return is yet to be seen. Moon may try to convince the North Korean leader to verbally commit to providing a list of the countrys existing nuclear program, said Shin Beom-cheol, another analyst at the Asan Institute. It wont be South Korea that inspects and verifies, so if we can get something out of Kim Jong Uns mouth, that will be significant, Shin said, adding the next step could be a summit between Kim and Trump sometime in October. Despite the deadlock in denuclearization talks, since the Panmunjom summit the two Koreas have sought to pursue joint projects in multiple fields. But North Korea is under several different sets of sanctions for its nuclear and missile programs, complicating Moons desire to promote cross-border economic schemes. The dovish South Korean president is taking several South Korean business tycoons with him to the North, including Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong and the vice chairman of the Hyundai Motor Group, whose founder was a wartime refugee from the North. He is sending a message to the North to speedily complete denuclearization, conclude talks with the US so that South Korea can begin full-fledged economic cooperation, said analyst Go. And special advisor Moon Chung-in added that the South Korean president could look to persuade Kim to come up with a somewhat radical and bold initiative, such as dismantling some nuclear bombs, and press the US for reciprocal measures. And the United States should be willing to come up with major economic easing of economic sanctions, he said. A teenager from Tennessee has been arrested by Nashville Police in relation to the death of his father. Michael Goff III, 15, has been charged with criminal homicide after the death of his father, Michael Goff Jr. which happened in May, according to police. The decomposed remains of Michael Goff Jr. were discovered on September 2 in a small duffel bag in woods, according to The Tennessean. Michael Goff III, 15, is charged with criminal homicide for murdering his father, 57-year-old Michael Goff Jr., whose bones were found in a duffel bag earlier this month Goff had been reported missing on May 27 by his mother after she last saw him the previous day. The medical examiner's office confirmed on September 6 that the bones were the remains of Michael Goff Jr. At the time of his disappearance, police interviewed the son in May. He told them that the pair had been driving in south Nashville when Michael Goff Jr. stopped the vehicle, gave his son his watch, said 'I love you,' walked into a wooded area and never returned. However, it now appears that such a tale was pure fabrication after an investigation by the Homicide-Cold Case Unit found a key witness. 57-year-old Michael Goff Jr. was reported missing by his wife on May 27. His bones were found September 2. A witness said his son, Michael Goff III, right, told someone he had killed The witness said Michael Goff III showed them cuts and scratches on his hands and allegedly told them he had killed someone a few days earlier with razor wire. The story was further corroborated after a 15-year-old friend of Goff III came forward with new information. The teenage told police that the suspect came to his home on May 26, the last day Michael Goff Jr. was seen alive, and said he had just killed his father. The witness told police how he went with the suspect to dispose of the body, and allegedly saw the suspect taking money and other items from the body. Goff III told police that he and his father were driving in South Nashville when his father stopped the vehicle, gave his son his watch, and said, 'I love you' before walking into woods The wooded area where the body may have been placed initially was discovered this week. An additional set of bones were found in the area although it is still not clear if they are related to the Goff's case. The bag was found deep in the woods near Lincoya Bay Apartments, at the popular bluffs over Percy Priest Lake. Police say Michael Goff III has also now stopped answering questions in relation to the case. Two women and a girl, 10, were air-lifted to safety on Sunday after they became trapped on a cliff edge at a popular tourist destination. The trio were sight-seeing at the Figure Eight Pools in the Royal National Park, south of Sydney, when they became stranded on a rock after the tide began to rise. A Westpac Rescue Helicopter helped winch the two women and young girl to safety, according to 9News. Scroll down for video Two women and a girl, 10, were air-lifted to safety on Sunday after they became trapped on a cliff edge at a popular tourist destination (pictured) A Westpac Rescue Helicopter helped winch the two women and young girl to safety (pictured) Sightseers have a long history of getting themselves in trouble at the Figure Eight Pool. In 2016, a powerful wave knocked over 100 revelers as they frolicked on the rocks, causing cuts, bruises and grazes to their bodies. Last year, a 22-year-old man suffered serious lacerations to his chest while swimming in the park. Two men were also treated by paramedics after claiming they were too injured to make the return three-hour journey back to their cars. Coastal Cabins Protection League and resident Helen Voysey said tourists are arriving at the site with no knowledge or awareness of the ocean conditions or when it's safe at low tide. 'It [Royal National Park] was dedicated for a small population of Sydney as a small recreational area, but we now have 2.5 million people coming to the park [each year],' she told ABC News. 'There is limited access and now we're inundated by car visitors who are not serious bush walkers and who don't understand what a national park is about or the surf. The Figure 8 Pools are a tourist hot spot- but after many injuries, NSW Parks & Wildlife Service have had to issue a safety checklist for sight-seers planning on visiting the site 'They want to get to the place that's advertised and they don't have the understanding of how dangerous the coastal fringe is,' she continued. Due to the increase in injuries at the site, the NSW Parks and Wildlife Service has issued a detailed checklist for anyone planning on visiting the site. Pools should only be visited at low tide and tourists should never turn their back to the ocean. Hard-liners cynically weaponise Islamophobia to undermine legitimate debate, the government's lead on counter-extremism says. Creator of the Commission for Countering Extremism Sara Khan says that Islamists 'use and abuse' the notion of human rights. She said fundamentalists shut down debate by accusing critics of being anti-Muslim, undermining a genuine struggle against bigotry. 'Groups such as Hizb ut-Tahrir, for example - who traditionally rally against what they perceive to be western human rights - increasingly and cynically use human rights to promote Islamist ideology,' Ms Khan said. Sara Khan accused groups such as Huzb ut-Tahrir (pictured) of cynically exploiting human rights to further their fundamentalist agendas 'They and their sympathisers weaponise Islamophobia in an attempt to shut down legitimate debate about Islamic extremism while undermining the general struggle against anti-Muslim hatred.' She also said that white far-right groups had 'repackaged' racism with increased professionalism as they exploit social media, The Daily Telegraph reports. The Prime Minister announced the commission following the Islamist bombing of Manchester Arena last year. Hizb ut-Tahrir has called for Shari'ah to be introduce under a caliphate and is proscribed in much of the Middle East as well as Europe. A government report brands the group anti-Semitic, and previous campaigns include telling Muslims not to vote in elections because they consider democracy to be against Islam. Downing Street has threatened to ban the group in Britain but has not yet followed through. Ms Khan made the remarks at an education charity launch aimed at promoting British Values in schools. Counter-extremism expert and charity trustee Kamal Hanif believes that primary pupils need to learn about democracy, the rule of law and tolerance to counter the potentially poisonous views of family members. Sara Khan (pictured) was speaking at the launch of a charity that aims to promote British Values He believes that this could prevent toxic ideologies being embedded in children's thinking. Mr Hanif was tasked with salvaging three schools at the centre of the alleged Trojan Horse plot in Birmingham. A number of schools in the West Midlands were accused of enforcing Islamist practices in the classroom. Schools have been required to promote British values since 2014 in a move to purge extremism. But Mr Hanif says the focus has been concentrated on secondary schools and called for more to be done for younger pupils. He said: 'Groups increasingly and cynically use human rights to promote Islamist ideology.' A cougar believed to have fatally mauled 55-year-old hiker Diana Bober in Oregon has been shot and killed, state wildlife officials said Saturday A cougar believed to have been responsible for the fatal mauling of a hiker in Oregon has been shot and killed, state wildlife officials say. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife launched a hunt for the animal after 55-year-old Diana Bober was found dead on Hunchback Trail in Welches on September 10, nearly two weeks after she had been reported missing. On Saturday officials announced they had shot and killed a cougar that may have been Bober's attacker. 'We do not yet have confirmation that this is certainly that animal, but we believe it's a strong possibility,' ODFW watershed manager Brian Wolfer told King5. The cougar's carcass has been flown to the US Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory in Ashland for DNA testing to confirm its identity. Officials announced Saturday they had shot and killed a cougar that may have been Bober's attacker. It's carcass has been sent to a lab for DNA testing to confirm its identity (stock image) A coroner confirmed Bober's injuries indicated that she had been mauled by a cougar - which would make it the first known attack by the wild animal in Oregon history. Wildlife officials have spent the last week searching the area for the cougar involved in the attack, planning to shoot and kill it so it could be tested for DNA. On Friday morning a cougar walked in front of a remote camera not far from where the avid hiker's body was found in Mount Hood National Forest. A search party was dispatched to the area where hounds picked up the cougar's scent and tracked it until it climbed up into a tree, where it was shot and killed at around 3.15pm. It is expected to take at least three days for the DNA results to come back. Officials are still working to confirm whether there are other cougars in the area which could have been responsible for the attack. The fatal attack is believed to have been the first by a wild cougar in Oregon history. Wildlife officials have spent the last week searching the area for the cougar involved in the attack Cougar sightings are relatively common in Oregon, particularly in more rural areas, but Bober's death appears to be the first fatal attack. 'This is an unprecedented event in Oregon,' Wolfer said earlier this week. 'We don't know what risk it poses to the public.' There are about 6,600 cougars - also called commonly called mountain lions or pumas - throughout Oregon. State wildlife officials get about 400 complaints about the animals each year, according to authorities. Cougars can be killed by landowners or law enforcement officials when they pose a threat to human safety or cause damage to livestock or agricultural crops. They also can be hunted. Over the past decade, about 20 cougars have been killed each year in the wildlife management area where Bober's body was found. In May, a mountain biker in Washington state was killed by a cougar on a trail east of Seattle, the first fatal attack in that state in 94 years. Emanuele Castano, a New York psychology professor who was accused of grooming a student for sex and impregnating her, is now suing the New School for fraud A former New York psychology professor accused of grooming a student for sex and impregnating her is now suing the university. Emanuel Castano, 43, has filed a $10.35million lawsuit against The New School. Castano, who was allowed to quietly resign from the university instead of being fired, filed a lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court last week. The former professor, who is accused of grooming the student for sex while she was still recovering from cancer, has accused the university of fraud. Castano's accuser is also suing the New School, claiming that she can't focus on work after being traumatized by her encounters with the professor. She alleges that Castano, a divorced father from Italy, gave her alcohol and marijuana after having her over for dinner with his son on March 3 last year, according to the New York Post. She said the professor then 'advanced himself on me, but didn't stop to ask me whether I was OK with this,' when the boy had gone to bed. The woman continued sleeping with Castano but believes she was exploited as she was still recovering from lymphoma. They broke up after Castano began sleeping with a post-doctoral student, she claims. When the woman became pregnant, allegedly with Castano's child, he tried to bribe her with a research position in Italy, her suit claims. The woman believes officials at The New School took too long to investigate her case, despite an earlier allegation of sexual misconduct in 2012. She also claims that Castano once had an orgy with lab students. Castano was able to resign last fall and moved to Stanford University, where he was fired after the woman's accusations came to light. The professor told DailyMail.com that he was 'not aware of any previous complaint brought against me'. Instead, he issued a statement from previous female students, who have worked with him 'for years'. Castano's accuser is suing the New School over claims that she can't focus on work after being traumatized from her encounters with the professor 'Several of us were adrift in other labs and sub-disciplines before taking a class with Dr Castano,' the statement read. 'His obvious concern for the academic development of all students created an atmosphere in which we felt inspired. His generous and welcoming spirit created a sense of community in which we felt comfortable and supported. 'For many of us Dr Castanos tutelage is a primary factor in our success at The New School.' The New School told Dailymail.com they could not comment on 'pending litigation'. 'The New School has no tolerance for sexual harassment and misconduct by any member of the university community,' its statement read. 'We take our responsibility in these matters very seriously and investigate all complaints.' Theresa May has been warned the Government must get its 'act together' on new sanctions against the Kremlin after the Salisbury attack. MPs have demanded faster action after Security Minister Ben Wallace suggested the so-called Magnitsky List may not be imposed until 2020, after the Brexit transition. The Magnitsky List - named for a Russian lawyer who died in suspicious circumstances in a Moscow jail - imposes travel bans on named allies of Vladimir Putin. Theresa May (pictured today in Maidenhead) has been warned the Government must get its 'act together' on new sanctions against the Kremlin after the Salisbury attack Andrew Mitchell (file image), the former Conservative chief whip, warned today against kicking the sanctions 'into the long grass' The Prime Minister vowed to implement the sanction to stop wealthy Russians using London as a millionaires playground after the Salisbury attack in March. The move came after years of pressure from MPs. Ministers had been reluctant to use the measure despite its introduction in the United States. In a statement to the Commons on March 14, ten days after the nerve agent poisoning of Sergei Skripal, a former spy, and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury, Mrs May said the government would table a Magnitsky amendment to the Sanctions Bill as one of its 'immediate actions'. Last week the PM said the amendment had formed part of 'our collective effort to protect ourselves in response to this threat'. But challenged by MPs on when the Magnitsky powers would be used, Mr Wallace told Stephen Kinnock, a Labour MP: 'We stand ready to use the new powers on sanctions after Brexit'. After Brexit was taken by MPs to mean following the end of the Brexit transition period, when the UK will fully leave the current EU-wide sanctions framework. Former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia (pictured together in Salisbury) were poisoned with Novichok after it was smeared on his front door when the agents were in the city Andrew Mitchell, the former Conservative chief whip, told the Sunday Telegraph: 'The House of Commons strongly supported the Magnitsky amendment and, following the events in Salisbury, it received immediate government support. 'I would not want to be in the shoes of the minister who has to come along and explain that they have now basically kicked it into the long grass.' Another senior Tory added: 'The Government has got to be really careful that it is not seen as being tough on Russia with allies in other countries and yet has not got its act together at home.' Richard Benyon, a Conservative member of Parliament's intelligence security minister, and 17 Labour MPs, in separate letters to Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, expressed frustration about the Government's plan to delay the new sanctions. 'Others have publicly taken action against known abusers of human rights in Russia,' said the Labour letter, led by Ian Austin, a former minister. 'Yet, despite an atrocity carried out by Russian operatives on British soil, we appear to have done nothing.' Adwoa Lewis, 19, has been charged with fabricating a story about a hate crime by four Trump-supporting teens in Baldwin, New York A New York woman has been arrested after police say she made up a story claiming to be the victim of a hate crime. Adwoa Lewis gave detectives a written statement on Friday, in which she said she was driving home in Long Island September 2 when four teens confronted her. She claimed they yelled 'Trump 2016!' before telling the black 19-year-old she 'didn't belong here'. Lewis said the following morning she found her tires had been slashed and there was a note that read 'Go home' on her car, which was parked in front of her home in Baldwin. The note that Lewis said she found on her car the morning after the confrontation is pictured above. The 19-year-old later admitted to having written it herself After an 'extensive investigation', Nassau County police determined there hadn't actually been any confrontation between Lewis and the teens. She later admitted to having written the note herself. Lewis has been charged with making a false punishable written statement and was released on an appearance ticket, police said Saturday. She is expected to appear in court on September 24. David Buisson, 49, (pictured) pleaded guilty to 10 burglaries and two attempted at Basildon Crown Court A burglar who stole designer watches, jewellery and cash from mansions in Essex has been jailed for eight years. David Buisson, 49, was said to have carefully planned the break-ins and been on safe-cracking courses in the lead up to his six-month 'orgy' of burglaries. Among his victims was The Apprentice's Alan Sugar, whose Chigwell home was burgled twice in June last year, and West Ham boss David Sullivan, reports the Sunday Express. Bussion, an ex-helicopter pilot, was said to have used Facebook to make a list of the 192 wealthiest people in Essex, with seven of the people on the searches later being burgled by him. Bussion used a ladder to get inside Sir Sugar's home on June 5 last year and took watches and jewellery worth 184,000. He then returned the following night to try and open a safe with a drill. Judge Ian Graham said it was difficult to understand the reasons behind Buisson's 'orgy of burglaries'. He pleaded guilty to 10 burglaries and two attempted burglaries and was jailed for eight years. However he has not been not charged with the attempted burglary of David Sullivan's home. The West Ham chief had offered a 25,000 reward to anyone who might have information relating to the 'Essex Spiderman' thief after his home was broken into last June, reports the Mirror. Buisson, 49, was said to have made a list of the richest people in Essex. Among those on his list was The Apprentice's Alan Sugar (left), whose Chigwell home was burgled twice in June last year, and David Sullivan (right) David Sullivan's home: the West Ham chief had offered a 25,000 reward to anyone who might have information relating to the 'Essex Spiderman' thief after his home was broken into Details of Buisson's earlier burglaries were also revealed at Basildon Crown Court. He admitted a 2015 burglary at Smith's Brasserie in Ongar, a place popular with the stars of The Only Way Is Essex. Kevin Toomey, prosecuting, said he disabled the alarm and spent 40 minutes opening a safe using specialist equipment. After police searched his home and found signal-jamming equipment, Buisson went on the run. He fled to Spain and was caught by the National Crime Agency in Fuengirola, on the Costa del Sol. He returned to the UK in May. As well as his jail term, Buisson was also placed under a serious crime prevention order. This will restrict access to equipment that he could use to commit again for five years following release. Basildon Crown Court heard that Buisson was sometimes helped by his nephew Benjamin Buisson, 29, who would wait in a getaway car. Benjamin Buisson, also from Ongar, was jailed for two years after admitting eight counts of burglary, four committed with his uncle, at an earlier hearing. A family called the police after nurses at a scandal hit hospital refused to help their mother as she lay in her soiled bed for three hours. After weeks of 'dreadful neglect' they say they lost their patience and called 101 the police non emergency line. Debbie Petinou, 59, had been left to lie in her own urine and faeces on countless occasions, it is alleged, leaving her with the equivalent of third degree burns. Debbie Petinou, 59, from Bounds Green, North London had gone into the hospital for a monthly outpatient appointment where she has injections into her eye for her diabetes The family say they were appalled that their mum was left without a bed for weeks as the condition of her legs worsened And she was forced to remain in a chair on a ward for more than two weeks because the hospital couldn't find her the right sort of bed. A police report is now with social workers charged with protecting vulnerable adults. The straw that broke the camel's back came after Mrs Petinou soiled herself and was left for so long she rang one of her daughters. Speaking from her bed at the North Middlesex Hospital, the diabetic mother-of-three, who weighs 22 stone, said: 'I just got to the end of my tether. It wasn't the first time I'd been left for hours like that. It had happened many times before. 'I rang my youngest daughter and she called in and tried to talk to the staff but they kept shouting down at the phone at her and then hung up. Last week the trust that runs the hospital in Edmonton, North London was failed by a Care Quality Commission inspection for the third time in three years and given a rating of Requires Improvement. Earlier this year a patient bled to death after being left unattended in the A&E department for hours. Neither Mrs Petinou or her children have had an apology for the care she received from North Middlesex Hospital Debbie Petinou, 59, had been left to lie in her own urine and faeces on countless occasions at North Middlesex Hospital (pictured), it is alleged, leaving her with the equivalent of third degree burns And in another incident a patient was found dead on a ward with staff unable to say when he was last seen alive. A man died from a severed spinal after being sent home three times from A&E and a cancer died after being connected to an airflow monitor rather than oxygen. In 2014 the local Conservative MP nearly died after being abandoned on trolley in A&E with acute appendicitis. One of Mrs Petinou's three daughters, said: 'We called the police after this dreadful neglect of my mum had been going on for weeks. When she called she was very upset and tearful. 'My younger sister called in and tried to reason with the staff but they kept on saying they were too busy. 'A neighbour of my sister who was with her when the nurse hung up on her, called in to the hospital because he works in hospital care, but they were rude to him. 'So in the end my sister said: 'That's it we have to help mum. We have all been there trying help mum but none of us was there that night and none of us were there that night.' When Mrs Petinou got to the ward her ordeal continued. With her legs massive swollen and by now covered in blisters she was placed in a chair because staff they had no bed for her 'She felt she had to do something and so she rang 101. The operator took the details of our complaint and then they called back later with an appointment for an officer to come to the hospital two days later. 'Eventually they cleaned mum up. But only after we had called the police. We appreciate the police have got serious crime to investigate but someone has to protect the vulnerable like my mum, her human rights were being infringed and lying in her mess for so many times turned her red raw down below. 'What they have done is disgusting. It's been going on for weeks and you reach a point where you think nobody is doing anything and you have to involve someone else.' 'When the police officer came he interviewed mum in bed and then spoke to the duty matron. He was there for about 45 minutes. Last week the trust that runs the hospital (pictured) in Edmonton, North London was failed by a Care Quality Commission inspection for the third time in three years and given a rating of Requires Improvement 'The next day he called to say it was a civil matter and he was sending a report to social services because they have a duty to protect vulnerable adults.' A Scotland Yard spokesman said the sisters' complaint had been investigated as a case of violence against a person'. An officer visited the hospital two days after the family rang 101. He confirmed that a report had been sent to council social workers alleging the harm suffered by Mrs Petinou. The family are also sending a dossier of photos of the 'burns' harm suffered by Debbie to the North Middlesex's chief executive Maria Kane. They have already made numerous complaints to staff matrons and by email to the complaints department. Mrs Petinou, a former nursery care assistant and seamstress said: 'After the police were called everything changed. They started looking after me properly. I know the staff have a lot to do, but this kept on happening. I was in isolation in a room because of tummy bug. 'The nurses would deliberately shut the door so they didn't hear my cries for help. On one occasion two of them came to me and said I was trouble maker and I should stop moaning.' For Mrs Petinou the intervention of the police came after three and half weeks of hell on North Middlesex's AMU and T7 wards. Her ordeal started in the hospital's A&E department. The 59-year-old, from Bounds Green, North London had gone into the hospital for a monthly outpatient appointment where she has injections into her eye for her diabetes. One of Mrs Petinou's three daughters said: 'They told mum they needed to scan her for because there was pressure at the back of the eye 'For some reason - we don't know why they sent us to A&E and mum sat there for 14 hours before they moved her to a ward. Mum's legs can become swollen due to here diabetes and they blew up after sitting there for so long.' When Mrs Petinou got to the ward her ordeal continued. With her legs massive swollen and by now covered in blisters she was placed in a chair because staff they had no bed for her. An officer visited the hospital (pictured) two days after the family rang 101. He confirmed that a report had been sent to council social workers alleging the harm suffered by Mrs Petinou And she remained in the chair for more than two weeks- day and night - until a bed was finally found. The blisters on her legs burst and later became infected. The mother-of-three was hit by a tummy bug which the family claim was acquired in hospital. She was physically sick and suffering from diarrhoea. She said: 'At first they got me to the toilet in time but then the sickness and diarrhea was so violent that I couldn't wait. That's when they started to leave when I called and pressed the buzzer for help.' One of of sisters said: 'If I or my other sister were there we would clean mum up because the staff wouldn't. They regarded it as our job to clean mum up and if we weren't there she was left until they were ready.' In one incident 24 hours after cleaning their mum up in the bathroom of her room and leaving her soiled clothes to be disposed of by staff, she came to the hospital 24 hours later to find them still there. The family say they were appalled that their mum was left without a bed for weeks as the condition of her legs worsened. One of the sisters said: 'You would not believe what mum has been through and this is after we have complained till we were blue in the face to all sorts of people from the sister in charge through to matrons.' One plea for help to a nurse met with a defiant reaction toward's her youngest sister. She was told to shut up and a hand was put in front of her face. That nurse was later disciplined but was allowed to remain on the ward working near her. Neither Mrs Petinou or her children have had an apology for her dreadful care. At one stage - after three and a half weeks she was sent home - too early the family say - and without a care package. She fell the next day and was readmitted after three paramedic crews were required to come to her rescue and lift her onto a trolley. She is now slowly recovering and is expected to finally go home sometime next week. But her ability to walk has been affected by the damage to her legs which the family blame on the hospital. 'It doesn't surprise me one bit that the hospital had been failed again by the Care Quality Commission.' A spokesman for North Middlesex said last night: 'Senior nursing staff have met with the patient and her family several times during her inpatient stay and all concerns raised were addressed at the time. 'We take every concern and complaint raised seriously and ensure to resolve them in a timely fashion, where possible. The Trust can confirm that no formal complaint was raised.' There is no record of a wait of more than 12 hours in the emergency department since Jan 2017. This is closely monitored by the Trust, commissioners and the regulators. This patient was allocated a bed for the entire inpatient episode of care. Police visited the ward in response to her complaint and did not find any issues of neglect and concluded that the patient was well cared for.' Former Vice President Joe Biden is asking for God's forgiveness for not speaking up against President Donald Trump sooner as his wife Jill reassured the audience at a posh human rights fundraising dinner the couple wants to 'pick a fight' against bullies. 'Barack and I agreed to remain silent for a while to give this administration the chance to get up and running in the first year,' Biden told the crowd at the Human Rights Campaign annual fundraising gala in Washington D.C. on Saturday night. 'God forgive me,' he added, making the sign of the cross as the audience roared with laughter and applause. As former Vice President Joe Biden began his speech, a few people in the crowd yelled 'Run Joe!' He replied: 'Thank you.' Jill Biden told the crowd: 'There is nothing that makes either of us more angry than a bully' The last time Biden spoke to this dinner was three years ago - in 2015 - as he was contemplating entering the 2016 presidential contest. He ultimately held back in the wake of his son Beau's death. But Beau featured heavily in his remarks to the crowd, as he weighs a challenge to Trump in 2020. He thanked the group for honoring Beau for his work as attorney general as Delaware. And his wife Jill Biden, who introduced, talked of how the couple wants to take on bullies. 'There is nothing that makes either of us more angry than a bully. There's nothing that's more unfair or unjust than people using their power to try to make other people feel small, to tell them who they are or what they are capable of, to say their identity doesn't belong,' she said. 'There is nothing that makes us want to pick a fight more than that,' she said. Her comments came after she told the crowd how she challenged a mean boy as a child, going up to him and punching him in the nose. But many heard her comments as a reference to Trump. Former Vice President Biden went further in his speech, charging Trump with using the White House as a bully pulpit. 'Instead of using the full might of the executive branch to secure justice, dignity, and safety for all, the President uses the White House as a literal, literal bully pulpit, callously exerting his power over those who have little or none,' he said. As Biden began his speech, a few people in the crowd yelled 'Run Joe!' He replied: 'Thank you.' He also used his remarks to rally the crowd to 'demand more of our leaders.' 'What has become of us?' he said. 'Our children are listening and our silence is complicit.' He also told the crowd of LBGT supporters that they have a fight ahead of them, point out it's those against them who have a friend in the Trump. 'Some of them are the dregs of society,' Biden said. 'They, not you, have an ally in the White House.' 'Those who try to excuse this kind of prejudice in the name of culture, I say, 'Prejudice is prejudice and humanity is humanity it is a crime,' Biden said, urging those to oppose Trump to stay engaged. 'Our work is not yet done by any stretch of the imagination. The stakes are much too high.' 'This is deadly earnest, we are in a fight for America's soul,' he said. Both Bidens were met with tremendous applause and goodwill from the heavily Democratic crowd. The former vice president, 75, has said he'll decide in January - after the midterms - whether to make a run against Trump. 'I'd love to have it be Biden,' Trump told CBS News this summer. In the meantime, Biden has vowed to help Democrats in the run up to the November election and started his efforts at a Labor Day parade in Pittsburgh alongside union workers - a group of blue-collar middle-class voters that he has long appealed to and a group that helped put Trump in the White House. He joins former President Barack Obama in becoming more vocal of the president. Obama launched a scathing attack on his successor's presidency last week, including a hit at the president's claiming the credit for the strong economy. Joe Biden has said he'll decide a 2020 bid in January after the midterm elections California Sen. Kamala Harris, who's also mentioned for a 2020 bid, attended the dinner New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, another named mentioned for 2020, was there Obama pointed out the economy was on the upswing when he left office. 'By the time I left office, household income was near its all-time high, and the uninsured rate hit an all-time low, poverty rates were falling. I mention this just so when you hear how great the economy is doing right now, let's just remember when this recovery started,' he said. 'I'm glad it's continued, but when you hear about this economic miracle that's been going on, when the job numbers come out, monthly job numbers and suddenly Republicans are saying it's a miracle, I have to kind of remind them, actually, those job numbers are the same as they were in 2015 and 2016,' he added. The Human Rights Campaign annual fundraising gala is one of the must-stops for Democratic politicians with higher ambitions. Other Democratic potential challengers to Trump were spotted at the event, including New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and California Sen. Kamala Harris. Booker showed up early to the dinner and was the first person to walk the white carpet, the New York Post reported. The Lower House last week approved on third and final reading the since-renamed Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High-quality Opportunities or House Bill 8083, the second package in the polarizing Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law. With only the Makabayan bloc and the so-called Magnificent 7 opposing, the proposed law is still part and parcel of the governments ambitious development agenda anchored on boosting infrastructure, this time geared to supposedly encourage investments by lowering the corporate income tax rate from 30 to 20 percent by 2029 and rationalize fiscal incentives given to businesses. According to then-House committee on ways and means chairman Rep. Dakila Cua (Quirino Province), The objective of the Trabaho bill is to create more jobs and opportunities through the encouragement of the private sector to invest and grow their businesses here. This direction, however, seems to be belied by the opinion of the industry as well as observers and pundits. The Fitch Groups research arm BMI Research predicts that the law, if enacted, will, in fact, dampen investments because it will make the country even less competitive. While the proposed tax reforms may be fiscally prudent, it will likely make the Philippines less competitive versus its regional peers. Investments could slow over the near-term as the proposed conditional corporate tax reduction and repealing of fiscal incentives create uncertainties for businesses, the group said in its latest economic brief. Even with the proposed reduction in corporate income tax, the tax rates in the Philippines will remain to be one of the highest and least competitive in the region, the group added. The Philippine Ecozones Association warned that the Trabaho law could, in fact, result in job losses, not to mention lower production output and exports and even capital flight, overall disturbing the already investor-friendly conditions in the countrys economic zones. The tax reform measures being put forth will reverse the progress that the private sector, hand in hand with the government, have attained thus far in contributing to nation-building through strengthening the industrial sectors of manufacturing, information technology, business process outsourcing, and many others, said Philea president Francisco Zaldarriaga. Indeed, what can be hardest hit are two of the countrys biggest export revenue drawers: The electronics and semiconductors sector and BPOs, many of whom are located inside economic zones and thus enjoy fiscal incentives. Zaldarriaga pointed out that the bill could erect even more barriers to foreign investments, in addition to subpar infrastructure, problematic business ownership laws, and the prohibitive cost of utilities.He added: The PEZA law is one of the most potent investment incentive tools that has buoyed our economy in the past decades. Why tamper with it now? Another sector that is projected to suffer is the mining industry, with experts predicting massive losses of quality jobs in the hundreds of thousands, many in rural areas where development is so needed and yet so scarce. Worse, the proposed repeal of key sections in the Mining Act further undermines an already inconsistent policy environment, sending more red flags to potential investors. If this happens, it will jeopardize many projects already in the pipeline, also wiping out potential quality jobs across the supply chain. For instance, the Trabaho bill aims to repeal Section 90 of the Mining Act, which states that mining activities shall always be included in the investment priorities plan. As it is, this mandate has not been observed. Some $20 billion worth of approved mining projects remains stalled, with no new mining projects approved. The other sections up for repeal all constitute key incentives designed to attract investments in the sector. A planned Strategic Investments Priority Plan aims to consolidate fiscal incentives to industries that fall under it. If mining is not in the list, it will make the country even more unattractive and uncompetitive, practically killing the sector and, by extension, billions of dollars in lost revenue for the government and quality jobs for hundreds of thousands of Filipinos. More broadly speaking, it will further imperil the already difficult task of harnessing one of the countrys largest natural resourcemineralswhich, as we have seen in the industrial development of other countries, is essential if we are to sustain the kind of inclusive growth that has eluded Filipinos for decades. Mineral-rich countries like Australia, Canada, Chile, Peru, and South Africa managed to industrialize on the back of a robust mining industry. In the context of the governments much-publicized Build Build Build program, this turn of events is even more frustrating. If the infrastructure agenda were to be sustainable in the short and medium term, mining has to play an indispensable cog in the envisioned supply chain. Regressive policies will not provide the much-need raw materials for cement, steel, and the like. The best move for government is to immediately resolve the decades-old policy limbo, shifting aggressively towards fostering an effectively regulated and competitive environment, the industry can release an economic potential that can increase GDP by a huge 1 percent! Isnt that what we need? As the Trabaho bill reaches the Senate, we hope that our Senators will not succumb to another railroading of Train2 aka Trabaho bill, now so aggressively driven by the Department of Finance. We are all suffering from what has been admitted as unanticipated effects of this grand policy blunder. Instead of insisting on Train2, the damaging taxes of Train should be reversed immediately, and this time please listen to all the industries who at the end of the day are creating the jobs and do all the work for the economy. An ex-soldier who jumped in front of a train while suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder has apologised to those who witnessed his attempted suicide. Perry Tatler kissed his two young children goodbye for what he believed was for the last time before heading to the train station. Despite throwing himself in front of a train, the 29-year-old survived to encourage suicidal people to seek help. The father of two remains in hospital five months on, having sustained a broken back, shoulder and ribs, and a bleed on the brain. Perry Tatler (pictured, left, in hospital after his suicide attempt and, right, recovering) has thanked those who helped him and apologised to witnesses But he is walking again with the aid of crutches and a back brace, and now feels ready to thank those who helped him. 'When you get that low you feel like you've got no other choice.. That's how the demons make you feel,' he said. 'It sounds really bad but I don't regret doing it as it's made me appreciate life more. 'But I do want to say sorry to the people who were there on the platform at the time, and the train driver. I didn't want to put any harm onto anyone else mentally. 'I also want to say thank you to the emergency services who I have a new respect for, as I do all the nurses who have looked after me.' The ex-soldier survived the suicide bid and says that it helped him appreciate his life more Mr Tatler served in the Army for five years, and two months into a tour serving in Afghanistan in 2011 he was shot in both legs during a routine patrol. He was medically discharged from the Army two years later and had been diagnosed with PTSD which he had been receiving support for. He believed he could deal with his issues without help while returning to civilian life. 'The injuries I suffered in Afghanistan were more mental than physical because luckily both bullets went straight through my legs rather than hitting my main arteries or bone,' he said. 'I physically recovered from the injuries but about a year after the incident I didn't want to go out or do anything. When I was discharged from the Army I thought I could deal with it myself.' In 2017 Perry moved to Torquay, Devon with his ex-partner and held down a security job at Exeter Prison while his mental health deteriorated. After Christmas 2017 things started getting worse. 'I put a smile on my face and all my work colleagues thought I was happy but it was all false,' he said. The ex-serviceman (pictured) suffered PTSD after he was shot in both legs while on tour in Afghanistan 'Being a man I just bottled it up. I felt so low and helpless to the point I didn't think I could take it anymore. 'I kissed them goodbye which was the hardest thing knowing what I was going to do. I then remember everything such as walking down to the train station and walking to the end of the platform. 'I don't remember seeing anyone but I have been told there were lots of people who saw me jump in front of the train, including children which I feel really bad about. 'I didn't want them seeing that kind of thing but I didn't even realise they were there. It wouldn't have stopped me though if I did because at that low point nothing else matters. 'My dad, who has passed away, must have been looking after me that day because I'm still here and I'm not missing any limbs.' During the incident on April 7, two air ambulances landed at nearby Torquay Rugby Club and train services through the station were suspended for more than two hours. Mr Tatler was rushed to Plymouth's Derriford Hospital where he stayed for a month until he was transferred to a hospital in Brighton to be closer to his family. Currently he has to use crutches to walk and a brace around his body to support his back. He doesn't know when he will be well enough to leave hospital but plans to rebuild his life again with the continued support of ex-military services and charities. Making a direct appeal to other young men to talk about how they are feeling and to seek help that is out there, Mr Tatler said: 'There is a way through the dark patches, and there is help out there if you try to find it. 'I would also encourage people to ask people if they're okay. I hope to make a full recovery and to be the best dad to my to beautiful children.' A North Carolina woman was rescued from killer floods after social media users responded to her desperate plea for help during Hurricane Florence. Breeanna Perry - along with her disabled mother Tameka and grandmother Peggy - realized they were trapped in their New Bern home at 11.30pm Thursday night when they had to turn off power and therefore contact with others as water levels rose inside their property. While they had an attic to stay safe in for the time being, Perry's phone battery was draining fast and so she used the power of Twitter and Facebook at 1.30am Friday morning in a last-ditch attempt to be saved. Breeanna Perry, her mother Tameka and grandmother Peggy were trapped in their New Bern home at 11.30pm Thursday night due to Hurricane Florence Perry's phone battery was draining fast and so she used the power of Twitter and Facebook at 1.30am Friday Perry's family's cars and home were flooded so they stayed in the attic to avoid electric shock Cajun Navy came to rescue the Perry family after water flooded their home Perry reports being shocked by electricity when she put her feet on the ground Thursday The family had to hide in the attic until they got help from local heroes, Cajun Warriors Local emergency services were swamped with other cases in the deadly hurricane that has claimed 15 lives in the state so far, but eventually her Tweet went viral and got the attention of the Cajun Warriors. 'If anybody could help... our cars is under water and so is our house stuck in attic. Phone about to die please send help to [redacted], new bern. NC,' Perry - who graduated high school last summer - wrote. The message has been retweeted over 11,000 times. 'I sent the tweet, I didn't expect it to go viral,' 'I came back in the house, we still had power, and everything, every body was okay, we were just in our rooms watching TV,' Perry told Fox Denver 31. 'I actually put my feet on the ground to go talk to my mom, and I start being shocked, and I realized there was water on the ground and we had to turn the power off and after that the water was just coming in within minutes.' The New Bern area had been given a mandatory evacuation order before the emergency Perry has defended her decision to stay inside her home with her family despite the hurricane However Twitter users have hit out at the fact the Cajun Navy used their resources to help her family on Friday Perry had previously tweeted how sad she was and that she was scared to go to sleep. After the post her best friend took over her Twitter account to provide followers with status updates and details of the people trapped inside. Perry had been charging her phone via her laptop but when it died she kept contact limited by communicating only with her friend. 'This is Breeanna Best Friend! I'm actively tweeting on her account bc I have direct contact with her. Her cell phone has died. They're alive and currently still stuck in the attic.' Alissa Kite wrote. Perry and her relatives were eventually rescued at 6am that morning and walked half an hour down the road to reach evacuation buses. Kite later shared that the family had been brought to safety. Perry's friend Alissa Kite (left) has started a GoFundMe page and also tweeted on her behalf throughout the emergency Perry and her family are still trying to find a place to stay after being evacuated from their hotel Thanks to the hard work of local heroes the Cajun Navy the group was saved. However when Perry chimed in to personally thank Twitter users for their effort and concern, she found herself defending her decision not to leave despite a mandatory evacuation instruction for her area. 'Everyone is talking about how we should've evacuated but not everyone can just get up and go,' she wrote. 'Yes I have nice things but I worked hard for everything I wanted. And I pay for everything I have. Not easy to get up and travel with two grandparents and a disabled mother.' After losing their home, clothes, cars and other personal belongings, Perry's best friend set up a GoFundMe page Saturday with an aim to raise $5,000. It came at the same time the Kinston hotel they were seeking refuge in 20 miles west of their town was also evacuated due to flooding. The family is said to be safe but still looking for a place to stay. The family of a British former soldier sentenced to jail in Turkey after fighting Islamic State are calling on Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt to intervene. Joe Robinson, 25, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years' imprisonment after being accused of fighting alongside the People's Protection Units of Syrian Kurdistan (YPG), which the Turkish government considers a terrorist group. The YPG is not banned in the UK and Robinson, from Accrington, Lancashire, said he only spent a month with them in Syria while providing medical support to civilians. His Bulgarian fiancee Mira Rojkan is among those to call on Mr Hunt to apply pressure on Turkey to rethink its treatment of the veteran, who is on bail in Kusadasi awaiting an appeal. Mira Rojkan (pictured with Joe Robinson) is among those to call on Mr Hunt to apply pressure on Turkey to rethink its treatment of the veteran Joe Robinson has been jailed after Turkey accused him of fighting with the YPG, which the state considers a terror group Rojkan, a law student in Leeds, was arrested alongside Robinson while they were on a family holiday last year. The 23-year-old was given a suspended prison sentence for supposedly engaging in terrorist propaganda, for what she said was sharing pro-Kurdistan messages on Facebook. She said the Bulgarian state provided her with more support than Britain has her fiancee. The veteran (pictured) says he only went to give medical aid 'The UK should stop saying they can't do it, we know they can. We're talking about a veteran,' she said. 'He (Mr Hunt) needs to get in touch with the Turkish authorities on a diplomatic level.' A Foreign Office spokeswoman said officials are ready to provide Robinson with further assistance, adding: 'We have been following this case very closely and have raised it with the Turkish authorities.' The YPG is considered by Turkey as a terror organisation because of its links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party which is fighting for autonomy for the region. But Robinson was unaware of their ideology when he spent a month in Syria with them in July 2015 during which he did not see conflict, according to Rojkan. She said it was in the following three months in Iraq that he fought IS with the Peshmerga, the Iraqi Kurdish military. Ms Rojkan is among those calling for the government to intervene in the jailing of Robinson (pictured) Rojkan said they had written to former foreign secretaries Boris Johnson and Alan Duncan over the case, but hope Mr Hunt will now intervene. He has stepped up pressure against Iran in the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian mother jailed on a spying charge by the Islamist regime, after Mr Johnson came under criticism. Ibrahim Dogus, the founder of UK-based think-tank Centre for Turkey Studies, said Robinson is 'a hero and deserves a medal not a prison sentence'. 'The Foreign Secretary should make contact with the Turkish authorities and urge them to reverse their position on this young man,' he added. Britain's most senior female bishop said the church should avoid referring to God only as 'he' after a survey found young Christians assume God is male. Research by YouGov found that almost half of 18 to 24-year-old Christians believed God to be male, with one in three over-65s believing the same. The Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt Rev Rachel Treweek, the Church's first female diocesan bishop, told The Telegraph: 'I don't want young girls or young boys to hear us constantly refer to God as he,' adding that it was important to be 'mindful of our language'. It is not the first time Rt Rev Rachel Treweek has made these claims having said: 'God is not to be seen as male. God is god,' in the past. Rachel Treweek pictured at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester, England in 2015 In 2015 Rev Treweek refused the title of 'right reverend father'. She has now claimed that non-Christians could feel a sense of alienation from the church if the image of God is painted as solely male, and public announcements are made in only male language to describe God. She told the Telegraph: 'For me particularly in a bigger context, in all things, whether it's that you go to a website and you see pictures of all-white people, or whether you go to a website and see the use of 'he' when we could use 'god', all of those things are giving subconscious messages to people. 'I am very hot about saying can we always look at what we are communicating.' She added that when she leads prayers and preaching sessions she avoids the problem of the male language by also using female imagery. She said she doesn't avoid male language all together but tries to avoid the need to say 'his' or 'him' too often. Revd Sally Hitchener, Anglican chaplain at Brunel University said there was a movement across the national church with events organised to 'emphasise the feminine nature of God'. Rachel Treweek, Anglican priest at Westminster Abbey, she tries not to gender her preaching She added that it is 'heretical' to say God is only male. Theologian and member of the Archbishops' Council the Revd Dr Ian Paul told The Telegraph he believed the shocking figures are partly rooted in a culture where 'sex identity is ever present'. 'I think it makes it increasingly hard for young people to think of personal being without thinking of sex identityand so if God is the ultimate 'person' then God must be sexed - i.e. male or female,' he said. Treweek, who is one of just six female bishops in the Church of England, said she chooses not say 'he' or 'she', but instead uses 'God', although she admitted she does occasionally forget. Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby (C), stands with newly consecrated Rachel Treweek, Bishop of Gloucester and Sarah Mullally, Bishop of Crediton, at Canterbury Cathedral, 2015 She is to was the first female bishop to sit in the House of Lords in 2015 when she became one of the 26 Lords Spiritual. The bishop told the Guardian in 2015: 'In the creation narratives, we're told that God created human beings in God's likeness, and then it goes on to talk about male and female. If I am made in the image of God, then God is not to be seen as male. God is God.' She acknowledged that some believe God should be referred to solely as a woman, and said may be seen as 'threatening' by some Anglicans, but added: 'I am not in the business of wanting to offend anyone, but I do want to gently challenge people.' Australians who are enjoying lifestyles beyond their means could soon find themselves in the red as housing prices plummet by 'as much as 40 per cent', according to a leading market analyst. The drop will see housing prices in Sydney and Melbourne decrease as banks tighten lending restrictions and end low-interest loans. In the past 10 years, many first-time buyers were able to snap up their dream homes with the help of generous mortgage loans from banks. Now, bright-eyed investors who purchased properties outside of their financial means have helped trigger the housing market plunge. In the past 10 years, many first-time buyers were able to snap up their dream homes with the help of generous mortgage loans from their banks Leading property analyst Louis Christopher told 60 Minutes Sydney and Melbourne were both long overdue for a drastic 'correction' in house prices. 'On our numbers, Sydney was effectively over 40 per cent overvalued and Melbourne was overvalued by the same amount,' Mr Christopher said. Taking to social media after the program aired, Mr Christopher said the risks faced by Sydney and Melbourne were 'not as present in our other cities'. 'Of course a scenario where those two cities are having a major correction would be damaging for the greater economy,' he added. Data scientist Martin North agreed, saying he believed Australia was facing a 'debt bomb' similar to the United States in 2006 before its market crashed, sparking the global financial crisis. 'We are uniquely exposed, because as a society and as a government and as a regulatory system - we're all banking on the home price engine to just (keep) giving and giving - but it's not going to,' Mr North said. 'We've got a debt bomb, we've got a debt crisis, and at some point it's going to explode in our face.' House prices in Sydney and Melbourne will decrease as banks tighten lending restrictions and end low-interest loans There are now concerns housing prices in Sydney and Melbourne could plummet to almost half their former asking price, with optimistic analysts predicting a fall of at least 10 per cent to 15 per cent. Some homeowners have been advised to 'get out while they can' and not sit on their property. 'The ones that can't afford to sit should effectively sell - get out while you can,' leading liquidator, Jamieson Louttit said. 'I think the banks are going to cover their own a*se.' FEMA administrator Brock Long warned Hurricane Florence damage will 'be ugly, but we'll get through it' as areas in North and South Carolina headed into the fourth day of unrelenting rains. 'Unfortunately, the event is still unfolding for the next 48 hours,' Long told Meet the Press host Chuck Todd of the hurricane-turned-tropical-depression on Sunday morning. As of right now, Long said emergency personnel are focused on life-saving efforts amid reports that the death toll has risen to 15, with 10 dead in North Carolina and five dead in South Carolina. '[There are] 1,300 people in the field doing search and rescue, supporting our state and local capabilities, from the National Guard to local swift water rescues,' Long said. 'They've performed several hundred evacuations and rescues in isolated areas.' However, Long said rescue efforts have been hampered by the fact that the storm has essentially parked itself over the region. 'We have to wait for the hazardous elements associated with the storm to exit the area before we can actually send our people in,' he said. 'We never want to put our own people in harm's way.' In the meantime, the Marines, the Coast Guard, civilian crews and volunteers have been doing what they can with helicopters, boats and heavy-duty vehicles to help in communities ravaged by flash flooding, storm surges and powerful winds. The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said so far Florence's damage has been as extensive as what was expected, saying: 'The National Hurricane Center did a phenomenal job of letting people know nearly a week in advance of what was coming. 'Everything that they've been predicting, the storm surge, the ocean rising, the coastal flood inundation, was realized. You saw the ocean rise anywhere from nine to 11 feet, causing a lot of damage along the coast and in the back bay and inlet areas of the Pamlico Sound. And now what you're seeing is, were seeing actual rainfall in 30 inches or more in some areas. So, we're seeing damage very, you know, as predicted, unfortunately.' One of the biggest obstacles facing officials right now is worsening inland flooding, which has closed several major highways and blocked access to remote areas in need of assistance. 'The frustrating thing about an inland flood like this in North Carolina, or South Carolina as well, is that you've got to wait for the water to recede in some cases to get people back in or to fix the infrastructure,' Long said. He added that the agency is currently working out alternative routes to get supplies in to affected areas on the coast. 'We just need to make sure that we're meeting the demands of taking care of people in shelters,' he said. A rescue team with the US Coast Guard can be seen in the middle of a flooded road in Newport, North Carolina on Friday after tropical depression Florence hit US Marine Corp aid in evacuating the local populace in Jacksonville, North Carolina, Saturday Maggie Belgie of The Cajun Navy carries a child evacuating a flooding trailer community during Hurricane Florence in Lumberton, North Carolina, on Saturday A downed tree uprooted by Hurricane Florence lies next to homes in New Bern, North Carolina Long went on to praise North Carolina Gov Roy Cooper and Division of Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry for their strong responses to the storm. 'We're meeting their demands as they're coming up to us, and we'll get through this,' he said of the leaders. 'It'll be ugly, but we'll get through it. Recovery is always a very frustrating process for people when they've lost their livelihood, but we're going to be okay.' Todd later asked Long whether FEMA was utilizing any lessons it learned in the wake of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico last fall, referencing a comment from Donald Trump this week, who appeared to say there was no insight to gain from the island's catastrophic storm. 'I think the president is being taken out of context there,' Long said. 'I talked to the president every day this week, and the Secretary of Homeland Security, and we discuss what we're trying to do as a result of last year. He's well aware of that.' Long went on to suggest that the reason the recovery efforts in Puerto Rico were so abysmal was because FEMA didn't have much help in the weeks after the storm. 'The thing about Puerto Rico is that disaster response and recovery is a whole community team effort,' he said. 'You have to have anybody from neighbor helping neighbor all the way up to the federal government response. 'I'll be honest, FEMA was the first responder and the only responder for many weeks going into Puerto Rico.' President Trump, left, and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen listen to a Hurricane Florence briefing by Long, center, just days before the storm made landfall last week Trump tweeted in support of federal officials' recovery efforts on Friday after the storm hit The president also quoted a compliment from his FEMA administrator Long on Saturday The second half of the 10-minute interview was focused specifically on the controversy surrounding recovery efforts on the island territory where Maria's death toll has been estimated at 3,000 people. In response to Trump's multiple tweets disputing the death toll, Todd said: '2,975 people died as a result of Hurricane Maria or impacts from Hurricane Maria, according to the Puerto Rican government. Does FEMA accept that number?' Long responded: 'The numbers are all over the place. FEMA doesn't count deaths. The deaths that are verified by the local county coroners are the ones that we take.' Todd then asked why the White House is concerned with the discrepancies in the death toll, to which Long replied: 'One thing about President Trump is that he is probably the one president that has had more support for what goes on back here. 'I think he's defensive because he knows how hard these guys behind me work day in and day out for a very complex situation. And it's frustrating. 'There's just too much blame going around and we need to be focused, Chuck, on what is Puerto Rico going to look like tomorrow.' Todd's final question addressed a Wall Street Journal article this week which claimed Trump was considering replacing Long as administrator at FEMA before Hurricane Florence hit because of the frequency of his trips home to North Carolina. 'Were you aware of this investigation? Are you cooperating?' Todd asked. 'Oh, yeah, absolutely,' Long said. 'Let me go ahead and clear up all the news. Secretary Nielsen has never asked me to resign. We have a very functional and professional relationship. We talk every day. We are both solely focused on Florence.' Asked if he had any plans to resign, Long said: 'No. No, no, no, I'm here to serve my country every day. That's all I do.' While the Carolinas hunkered down for the worst of Florence, their horses were wondering what all the fuss was about. Wild horses in North Carolina weathered the Category 2 hurricane and remain safe and sound. Cape Hatteras National Seashore posted a picture on Saturday showing all of the ponies on Ocracoke Island were unharmed. Even the pony pen was left untouched by Florence, which has killed 15 people and brought record levels of flooding to North and South Carolina. The wild horses in North Carolina have weathered the Category 2 hurricane and remain safe and sound despite the storm Cape Hatteras National Seashore posted a picture on Saturday showing that all of the ponies on Ocracoke Island were safe The Corolla Wild Horse Fund, a group that is dedicated to protecting the remaining Spanish Mustangs on the northern Outer Banks, also posted frequent updates on the ponies. 'Here on the northern Outer Banks we are breathing a sigh of relief today,' it wrote on Friday. 'There may still be some coastal flooding over the weekend but nothing worse than a regular storm or nor'easter.' 'These photos were taken this morning. As you can see, the horses are doing their normal thing - grazing, socializing, and wondering what us crazy humans are all worked up over.' Photos accompanying the update showed horses happily munching on grass, completely unaware of the storm that has put both states on lockdown. The Corolla Wild Horse Fund, a group that is dedicated to protecting the remaining Spanish Mustangs on the northern Outer Banks, also posted frequent updates on the ponies On Saturday the group posted even more photos of the horses happily enjoying their day. 'Wild horses in Carova this morning, enjoying an overcast breeze and some green grass,' the caption read. On Thursday the group assured everyone that the horses at the rescue farm were going to be just fine during the storm. 'It's just starting to rain a bit and the horses are wondering what all the fuss is about,' it said in a Facebook post. 'Water troughs are full, we've got generators on standby, plenty of hay, and there are three of us staying here on site with them through the storm.' As Florence weakened to a tropical depression early Sunday, the National Park Service announced all visitor facilities would reopen at 9am. Photos accompanying the update showed horses happily munching on grass, completely unaware of the storm that has put both states on lockdown On Thursday the group assured everyone that the horses at the rescue farm were going to be just fine during the storm While the worst may be over, the Carolinas are still gearing up for what could become the next stage of a mounting disaster. Rivers swelled toward record levels, forecasters said, and thousands of people were ordered to evacuate for fear that the next few days could bring the most destructive round of flooding in North Carolina history. Stream gauges across the region showed water levels rising steadily, with forecasts calling for rivers to crest Sunday and Monday at or near record levels. The Little River, the Cape Fear, the Lumber, the Neuse, the Waccamaw and the Pee Dee were all projected to burst their banks, possibly flooding nearby communities. Authorities ordered the immediate evacuation of up to 7,500 people living within a mile of a stretch of the Cape Fear River and the Little River, about 100 miles from the North Carolina coast. They filled the water troughs, had generators on standby, and kept three staffers on hand to take care of the ponies during the storm The evacuation zone included part of the city of Fayetteville, population 200,000. On US Route 401, rain rose in ditches and around unharvested tobacco crops along the road. Ponds had begun to overflow, and creeks passing under the highway churned with muddy, brown water. Farther along the Cape Fear River, grass and trees lining the banks were partly submerged. Fayetteville's city officials, meanwhile, got help from the Nebraska Task Force One search and rescue team to evacuate 140 residents of an assisted-living facility in Fayetteville to a safer location at a church. About 740,000 homes and businesses remained without power in the Carolinas, and utilities said some could be out for weeks. More than 2 feet of rain has already fallen in places, and forecasters are saying there could be an additional 1.5 feet before Sunday is out. A pickup truck is seen submerged in floodwater in Lumberton. Officials have warned residents not to attempt to return home over flooded roads Flood debris utterly destroyed this family home in New Bern, North Carolina, a resident treads through the devastation in rain boots on Saturday 'Floodwaters are rising, and if you aren't watching for them, you are risking your life,' Gov. Roy Cooper said. Officials were warning residents not only to stay off the roads but also to avoid using GPS systems. Florence weakened to a tropical depression early Sunday and was crawling west at 8 mph. At 5am the storm was centered about 20 miles southwest of Columbia, South Carolina. Its winds were down to 35 mph. In Goldsboro, North Carolina, home of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, roads that frequently flood were already closed Saturday by rushing water. Dozens of electric repair trucks massed to respond to damage expected to hit central North Carolina as rainwater collected into rivers headed to the coast. Aerial footage from a Coast Guard helicopter reveals New Bern, North Carolina completely submerged in water New Bern spokeswoman Colleen Roberts said 455 people were safely rescued in the town of 30,000 residents. The Marines rescued about 20 civilians from floodwaters near Camp Lejeune, using Humvees and amphibious assault vehicles, the base reported. The dead included a mother and baby killed by a falling tree in Wilmington, North Carolina. South Carolina recorded its first death from the storm, with officials saying a 61-year-old woman was killed when her car hit a tree that fell across a highway. Three died in inland county Duplin because of water on roads and flash floods, authorities said. A husband and wife died in a storm-linked house fire and an 81-year-old man died after falling while packing to evacuate. Two people also died in South Carolina after inhaling carbon monoxide from a generator inside their home. Sir Vince Cable today denied 'running out of road' as Liberal Democrat leader as his 'slow motion' resignation infuriates colleagues. The former business secretary announced earlier this month he would not stay until the next election, due in 2022. But he has refused to be any more specific insisting only that he wants to overhaul the party's rules before leaving his post. Sir Vince Cable (pictured at Lib Dem conference today) denied 'running out of road' as Liberal Democrat leader as his 'slow motion resignation' infuriates colleagues Cable (pictured with wife Rachel Smith) announced earlier this month he would not stay until the next election, due in 2022 He has refused to be specific, insisting only that he wants to overhaul the party's rules before standing down. Pictured: The 75-year-old with his predecessor Tim Farron in the audience One proposed reform will allow non MPs to take the party crown - meaning Sir Vince's MPs are spending their conference this weekend stumping for a policy that could curtail their own careers. Deputy leader Jo Swinson refused to say today whether she would run for the leadership when Sir Vince does eventually stand down. Sir Vince insisted today he would stay on until Brexit is 'resolved or stopped', and hoped to lead the party into local elections next May. Lib Dem members force through policy to give migrant spouses benefits on day one The Lib Dems today signed off on a policy to give migrant spouses an entitlement to benefits from their first day in the UK - without any form of means testing. The move was voted through at the Lib Dem conference in Brighton despite opposition from party HQ and warnings from activists that the party would be 'slaughtered' on the doorstep as a result. The demand was tagged on as an amendment to a major new policy which outlined the Lib Dems' approach to immigration issues. In practice it would mean, under a Lib Dem government, migrant spouses and legal partners can claim 'without any form of means testing or prohibition on seeking support from the state'. The party's home affairs spokesman Sir Ed Davey urged delegates to reject the proposal, saying the policy had 'already captured the spirit of the amendment'. Advertisement Pressure increased on the ex-Cabinet minister after former leader Lord Menzies Campbell said Sir Vince 'can see the end of the road'. A defiant Sir Vince responded by telling BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show: 'I'm not running out of road, there's a lot of road ahead.' Asked if he would still be party leader by the end of next year, Sir Vince said: 'I think that's uncertain. I have a series of tasks to do. 'I'm going to do them. I'm not setting a time horizon. I think it would be foolish to do so with so much uncertainty flying around.' Pressed on being at the helm at the time of the next slated general election in 2022, he said: '2022 is a long time off, I think it's improbable, actually, that I will be leading us then.' Lord Campbell told the Daily Mirror: 'You know when you've run out of road. I think he can see the end of the road. 'He's given it his best shot. He has brought stability, which was necessary.' Sir Vince said the Lib Dems were talking to disillusioned Labour and Tory MPs, but he insisted setting up a new party 'is not going to happen'. The Lib Dem leader warned that levels of debt in the economy are 'dangerously high'. Deputy leader Jo Swinson refused to say whether she would run for the leadership when Sir Vince does eventually stand down. She said: 'At the time Vince stands down I'll take a view and you can ask me that question then' Asked if links between austerity measures introduced by the coalition government and the Brexit vote outcome caused him any regrets, Sir Vince told a Lib Dem conference fringe meeting: 'Yes, it does. 'One of the aspects of... austerity that did most harm was the massive cutback in public investment. 'I know that it's the emotive stuff around social security spending that gets people angry. But the thing that did harm was the big cutbacks in investment. Asked if links between austerity measures introduced by the coalition government and the Brexit vote outcome caused him any regrets, Sir Vince said: 'Yes, it does' And that is what has caused many of these northern communities to continue to decay.' Ms Swinson refused to answer questions on her own leadership ambitions today, insisting there was currently 'no vacancy'. Pressed by Sophy Ridge on Sky News she said: 'At the time that Vince does stand down then absolutely I'll take a view at that point and you can certainly ask me that question then.' GUILTY: MICHAEL FLYNN Pleaded guilty to making false statements in December 2017. Awaiting sentence Flynn was President Trump's former National Security Advisor and Robert Mueller's most senior scalp to date. He previously served when he was a three star general as President Obama's director of the Defense Intelligence Agency but was fired. He admitted to lying to special counsel investigators about his conversations with a Russian ambassador in December 2016. He has agreed to cooperate with the special counsel investigation. GUILTY AND JAILED: MICHAEL COHEN Pleaded guilty to eight counts including fraud and two campaign finance violations in August 2018. Pleaded guilty to further count of lying to Congress in November 2018. Sentenced to three years in prison and $2 million in fines and forfeitures in December 2018 Cohen was investigated by Mueller but the case was handed off to the Southern District of New York,leaving Manhattan's ferocious and fiercely independent federal prosecutors to run his case. Cohen was Trump's longtime personal attorney, starting working for him and the Trump Organization in 2007. He is the longest-serving member of Trump's inner circle to be implicated by Mueller. Cohen professed unswerving devotion to Trump - and organized payments to silence two women who alleged they had sex with the-then candidate: porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal. He admitted that payments to both women were felony campaign finance violations - and admitted that he acted at the 'direction' of 'Candidate-1': Donald Trump. He also admitted tax fraud by lying about his income from loans he made, money from taxi medallions he owned, and other sources of income, at a cost to the Treasury of $1.3 million. And he admitted lying to Congress in a rare use of the offense. The judge in his case let him report for prison on March 6 and recommended he serve it in a medium-security facility close to New York City. GUILTY AND JAILED: PAUL MANAFORT Found guilty of eight charges of bank and tax fraud in August 2018. Sentenced to 47 months in March 2019. Pleaded guilty to two further charges - witness tampering and conspiracy against the United States. Jailed for total of seven and a half years in two separate sentences. Additionally indicted for mortgage fraud by Manhattan District Attorney, using evidence previously presented by Mueller Manafort worked for Trump's campaign from March 2016 and chaired it from June to August 2016, overseeing Trump being adopted as Republican candidate at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. He is the most senior campaign official to be implicated by Mueller. Manafort was one of Washington D.C.'s longest-term and most influential lobbyists but in 2015, his money dried up and the next year he turned to Trump for help, offering to be his campaign chairman for free - in the hope of making more money afterwards. But Mueller unwound his previous finances and discovered years of tax and bank fraud as he coined in cash from pro-Russia political parties and oligarchs in Ukraine. Manafort pleaded not guilty to 18 charges of tax and bank fraud but was convicted of eight counts in August 2018. The jury was deadlocked on the other 10 charges. A second trial on charges of failing to register as a foreign agent due in September did not happen when he pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the United States and witness tampering in a plea bargain. He was supposed to co-operate with Mueller but failed to. Minutes after his second sentencing hearing in March 2019, he was indicted on 16 counts of fraud and conspiracy by the Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., using evidence which included documents previously presented at his first federal trial. The president has no pardon power over charges by district and state attorneys. GUILTY AND GOING TO WEEKEND JAIL: RICK GATES Pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the United States and making false statements in February 2018. Sentenced to 45 days weekend jail and three years probation, December 17, 2018 Gates was Manafort's former deputy at political consulting firm DMP International. He admitted to conspiring to defraud the U.S. government on financial activity, and to lying to investigators about a meeting Manafort had with a member of congress in 2013. As a result of his guilty plea and promise of cooperation, prosecutors vacated charges against Gates on bank fraud, bank fraud conspiracy, failure to disclose foreign bank accounts, filing false tax returns, helping prepare false tax filings, and falsely amending tax returns. GUILTY AND JAILED: GEORGE PAPADOPOLOUS Pleaded guilty to making false statements in October 2017. Sentenced to 14 days in September 2018, and reported to prison in November. Served 12 days and released on December 7, 2018 Papadopoulos was a member of Donald Trump's campaign foreign policy advisory committee. He admitted to lying to special counsel investigators about his contacts with London professor Josef Mifsud and Ivan Timofeev, the director of a Russian government-funded think tank. GUILTY AND JAILED: RICHARD PINEDO Pleaded guilty to identity fraud in February 2018. Sentenced to a year in prison Pinedo is a 28-year-old computer specialist from Santa Paula, California. He admitted to selling bank account numbers to Russian nationals over the internet that he had obtained using stolen identities. GUILTY AND JAILED: ALEX VAN DER ZWAAN Pleaded guilty to making false statements in February 2018. He served a 30-day prison sentence and was deported to the Netherlands on his release Van der Zwaan was a Dutch attorney for Skadden Arps who worked on a Ukrainian political analysis report for Paul Manafort in 2012. He admitted to lying to special counsel investigators about when he last spoke with Rick Gates and Konstantin Kilimnik. His law firm say he was fired. GUILTY: W. SAMUEL PATTEN Pleaded guilty in August 2018 to failing to register as a lobbyist while doing work for a Ukrainian political party. Sentenced to three years probation April 2019 Patten, a long-time D.C. lobbyist was a business partner of Paul Manafort. He pleaded guilty to admitting to arranging an illegal $50,000 donation to Trump's inauguration. He arranged for an American 'straw donor' to pay $50,000 to the inaugural committee, knowing that it was actually for a Ukrainian businessman. Neither the American or the Ukrainian have been named. CHARGED: KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK Indicted for obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice. At large, probably in Russia Kilimnik is a former employee of Manafort's political consulting firm and helped him with lobbying work in Ukraine. He is accused of witness tampering, after he allegedly contacted individuals who had worked with Manafort to remind them that Manafort only performed lobbying work for them outside of the U.S. He has been linked to Russian intelligence and is currently thought to be in Russia - effectively beyond the reach of extradition by Mueller's team. INDICTED: THE RUSSIANS Twenty-five Russian nationals and three Russian entities have been indicted for conspiracy to defraud the United States. They remain at large in Russia Two of these Russian nationals were also indicted for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 11 were indicted for conspiracy to launder money. Fifteen of them were also indicted for identity fraud. Vladimir Putin has ridiculed the charges. Russia effectively bars extradition of its nationals. The only prospect Mueller has of bringing any in front of a U.S. jury is if Interpol has their names on an international stop list - which is not made public - and they set foot in a territory which extradites to the U.S. INDICTED: MICHAEL FLYNN'S BUSINESS PARTNERS Bijan Kian (left), number two in now disgraced former national security adviser Mike Flynn's lobbying company, and the two's business partner Ekim Alptekin (right) were indicted for conspiracy to lobby illegally. Kian, an Iranian-American was arrested and appeared in court charged with a conspiracy to illegally lobby the U.S government without registering as a foreign agent. Their co-conspirator was Flynn, who is called 'Person A' in the indictment and is not charged, offering some insight into what charges he escaped with his plea deal. Kian, vice-president of Flynn's former lobbying firm, is alleged to have plotted with Alptekin to try to change U.S. policy on an exiled Turkish cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania and who is accused by Turkey's strongman president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, of trying to depose him. Erdogan's government wanted him extradited from the U.S. and paid Flynn's firm through Alptekin for lobbying, including an op-ed in The Hill calling for Gulen to be ejected. Flynn and Kian both lied that the op-ed was not paid for by the Turkish government. The indictment is a sign of how Mueller is taking an interest in more than just Russian involvement in the 2016 election. GUILTY AND AWAITING SENTENCE: ROGER STONE Roger Stone, a former Trump campaign official and longtime informal advisor to Trump, was indited on seven counts including obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and lying to Congress about his communications with WikiLeaks in January 2019. Convicted on all counts November 15, 2019, awaiting sentence Stone was a person of interest to Mueller's investigators long before his January indictment, thanks in part due to his public pronouncements as well as internal emails about his contacts with WikiLeks. In campaign texts and emails, many of which had already been publicly revealed before showing up in Mueller's indictment, Stone communicated with associates about WikiLeaks following reports the organization had obtained a cache of Clinton-related emails. Stone, a former Nixon campaign adviser who has the disgraced former president's face permanently tattooed on his back, has long been portrayed as a central figure in the election interference scandal. 'They got nothing,' he said of the special counsel's investigation. Stone gave 'false and misleading' testimony about his requests for information from WikiLeaks. He then pressured a witness, comedian Randy Credico, to take the Fifth Amendment rather than testify, and pressured him in a series of emails. Following a prolonged dispute over testimony, he called him a 'rat' and threatened to 'take that dog away from you', in reference to Credico's pet, Bianca. Stone warned him: 'Let's get it on. Prepare to die.' CLEARED: GREG CRAIG Greg Craig, President Barack Obama's White House counsel, was indicted for failing to register as a foreign agent. Mueller's investigators uncovered Craig's work on behalf the government of Ukraine while probing Manafort, who did business with Craig. Prosecutors released a grand jury indictment of Craig in April 2019, after Craig's law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP agreed to pay more than $4.6 million as part of a settlement. The prominent firm also acknowledged it had failed to register, and placed much of the blame on Craig, a senior partner there. Craig's lawyer blasted the decision as an abuse of prosecutorial discretion, and prepared to argue that omission of information during an interview is not tantamount to making false statements. The charges stem from a 2012 report Craig and the firm produced on behalf of the Ukrainian government on opposition figure and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. She was an opponent of Manafort's client , former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Craig was cleared on September 9 2019. A swarm of moths has invaded a small town in France leaving its residents fed up with their uninvited guests. The town of Oyonnax, in the Ain department of eastern France, has played host to thousands of boxwood moths for the past few weeks, according to one local. In shocking footage filmed on September 9 a cloud of the insects can be seen sticking to a window and milling around a lampost. Gaelle Lecompte recorded the swarm at around 9:30pm and says he was greeted by the sight when he and his partner arrived in the village late at night. Dozens of moths can be seen on the glass window pane while swarms of thousands more fly under a streelight. Surprised voices can be heard in the video, clearly shocked at the sight outside. Lecompte believes the insects' presence is in part explained by the lampposts. He said: 'The moths are particularly concentrated in our village especially at night because of these streetlights.' One theory of why the creatures might be attracted to light is that they use it to help migrate. The town of Oyonnax has had thousands of uninvited guests over the past few weeks. One local resident Gaelle Lecompte filmed the swarms of boxwood moths sticking to his window Some experts have argued that light from the moon may give moths navigational clues and artificial light could throw off a moth's internal navigation system. However other experts do not believe this theory and instead argue that moths are attracted to the infrared spectrum emitted by candle light. This is the same as the spectrum emitted by female moths pheromones causing male moths to fly towards it. The boxwood moth is native to Asia, but has now started to be found in Europe. It has been spreading in France since 2008. Lelectricite est devenue, de nos jours, un besoin dune importance majeure, et cela, dans tous les domaines dactivite. Que ce soit dans les maisons ou [] The former Conservative aide linked to Boris Johnson has revealed she was a victim of the black cab rapist John Worboys. Carrie Symonds said the prolific sex predator targeted her when she was 19, while she was waiting for a night bus in London. The ex-Tory aide lobbied ministers earlier this year to stop Worboys - who may have assaulted more than 100 women - being released from prison. Now 30, she has waived her anonymity in an article for The Sunday Times and revealed that Worboys drugged her and plied her with alcohol after picking her up in his taxi. Carrie Symonds (pictured), the ex-Conservative aide linked to Boris Johnson, said in a newspaper article that she had been targeted by the black cab rapist John Worboys Miss Symonds's links to Boris Johnson emerged last week after the former Foreign Secretary revealed his 25-year marriage to Marina Wheeler had broken down. She alleged that Worboys had picked her up in his taxi in 2007, when she was a student, claiming it was on his way home. He allegedly offered her glasses of champagne and vodka - which she believes were spiked - saying he had won money at a casino earlier that day and wanted to celebrate. She said: 'After I drank the vodka I can hardly remember a thing. 'When I finally arrived home, my mother remembers that I fell through the door, barely able to walk, like a rag doll. I crawled into the bathroom and became very sick, my head spinning so much that I told my mother I wanted to die. 'I feel I would know if Worboys had raped me that night. I'd have flashbacks or there would have been horrendous tell-tale signs when I woke the next day. But I will never truly know for sure what happened after he drugged me.' John Worboys (pictured) was found guilty of 19 offences including rape and sexual assault The taxi driver, now 61, was found guilty of 19 offences in 2009, including rape, sexual assault and drugging, committed against 12 victims. Police believe he committed crimes against 105 women between 2002 and 2008, when he was caught. Worboys was jailed indefinitely in 2009 with a minimum term of eight years. His release was granted in January this year but three judges ruled in March that the parole board had to make a 'fresh determination'. He remains in prison. Miss Symonds spoke out against the initial decision to release him, saying he was a 'danger'. Then Conservative HQ director of communications, she lobbied senior Tories to stop Worboys being released. She shared a crowdfunding page online to challenge Worboys' release and tweeted last year that she had been one of his victims. It is claimed her involvement in the campaign was one reason for her departure, as a Whitehall source said last week she was seen as being 'too political and partisan'. Last month the BBC reported Worboys had been questioned over further alleged offences including sexual assault and administering a substance with intent to commit a sexual offence. A 23-year-old man who died from a suspected drug overdose at Defqon. 1 over the weekend posted information about police sniffer dogs at the popular music festival just weeks before the event. Joseph Pham, from Edensor Park, was one of four revellers who collapsed at the music festival in Penrith, in Sydney's west, on Saturday night, according to The Daily Telegraph. Emergency services were called to the festival after Mr Pham and a woman, 21, collapsed at 9pm. Joseph Pham (pictured), from Edensor Park, was one of four revellers who collapsed at Defqon. 1 music festival in Penrith, in Sydney's west, on Saturday night The pair were both taken to Nepean Hospital where they died a short time later. Two other revellers, including a 19-year-old man and 26-year-old woman, are in a serious condition in hospital. Mr Pham posted about the festival on his social media in the lead up to the event. He shared a post from 'Sniff Off', a group that advocates for no more sniffer dogs, drug legalisation and pill testing, three weeks before his death. The post discussed the possibility of New South Wales Police forbidding people caught with drugs entry to the venue. Sniff Off wrote: 'It's ridiculous that going to a music festival in Sydney requires this much anxiety and guesswork, but rest assured that Sniff Off is doing as much we can to look out for your rights.' However, Mr Pham was excited for the world-renowned festival. On August 15 he posted on social media: 'There's only a month left until Defqon. 1 Australia! 'Hope to see you there!' Over 700 people at the event sought assistance from medical professionals, while police recorded dozens of drug-related arrests and seizures. Two people are dead and another two remain in hospital fighting for their life after suspected drug overdoses at a notorious electronic music festival Police said an additional 13 people attended Nepean Hospital for drug-related issues during and after the festival. Officers conducted 355 drug searches throughout the day. Of this, a staggering 69 people were allegedly found to be in possession of drugs, and 10 were charged with drug supply offences. A 22-year-old man from Bankstown was allegedly found with 20 packets of the drug GHB and was charged with attempting to supply an illegal drug. People affected by drugs at the venue were rushed to nearby Nepean Hospital, where one woman remains in a critical condition Two other men, aged 33 and 27, were charged with supplying MDMA. Another two teenager girls, aged 17, were charged with supplying after they were allegedly caught carrying 120 capsules internally. Two more men and three more women were charged with offences relating to MDMA, cocaine and ecstasy. Police presence was strong throughout the day, with police calling their approach a 'multi-faceted operation', involving the Nepean PAC, Police Transport Command, Enforcement Squad and the Police Dog Unit. Defqon Australia organisers released a statement to news.com.au in relation to the deaths. Police have formed Strike Force Highworth to investigate the deaths of a 23-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman, who died after collapsing at the Defqon music festival 'The organisers of Defqon.1 Australia are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of two of their patrons at Nepean Hospital after attending the festival last night and would like to convey their sincerest condolences to their families and friends.' 'Thoughts and prayers are also with the young man and woman who are still in a critical condition. We are disappointed at the number of reported drug related incidents, we have a zero-tolerance policy in relation to drug use at the festival.' 'Festival organisers are working closely and cooperating with the authorities regarding the fatalities and the number of medical presentations made during the evening, a full investigation is currently underway. As this is a matter with the NSW Police and the coroner and out of respect for the families and friends we are not going to speculate on the cause of death and we will not be making any further statements or comments,' the statement read. Defqon is an annual music festival held in the Netherlands and Australia which typically plays hardstyle related genres such as hardcore techno, hard house and hard trance Gladys Berejiklian described the deaths as tragic, and confessed she never wanted the international event to return to Australian shores. 'I never want to see this event held in Sydney or New South Wales ever again we will do everything we can to shut this down,' ABC reported. The Sydney International Regatta Centre, which has been the site for the Australian dance party since 2010, announced on Sunday it would no longer host Defqon. 1. Two other Australians have died at the festival in the last five years, including James Munro who died from a suspected ecstasy overdose in 2013. An investigation is currently ongoing into the circumstances surrounding the two deaths. Police urge anybody with information to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. A 16-year-old Washington girl believes she saved her brother's life by shooting a cougar just three yards away with a bow and arrow. But despite getting away safely she returned with her father who shot the animal and it's now a wall display. Amaya Simpson targeted the creature behind the ear and pierced it in the back with her weapon when she spotted it lurking behind her younger sibling. They were out practicing elk calls in the Inchelium area on the Colville Indian Reservation. Cole Seymour, six, initially thought his teenage sister was playing when she called for him to run toward her but when he sensed her serious tone and saw her draw for her weapon, he made a break for it. Amaya Simpson (left) believes she saved her brother Cole Seymour's (right) life by shooting a cougar (center) with her bow and arrow on September 8 The 16-year-old Washington girl had no previous experience of hunting cougars Cole Seymour (left) thought his sister was joking when she told him to run toward her 'I just smiled at her for a second, thought she was joking around on me again,' Seymour told KHQ News about the September 8 incident. Although she initially froze, Simpson a member of Arrow Lakes/Sinixt band of the Colville Confederated Tribes, descendants of Canada's indigenous people - acted fast despite no prior experience hunting cougars. The cougar was about three yards from her brother and she says she released the arrow in record time to send it flying 11 yards. Seymour told his mother Simpson saved his life that day as they practiced elk calls near home Simpson (left) returned to the scene to find the cougar with her dad Cole (right) 'I just remember getting chills, turning around, and seeing only its big brown head blending with the trees and bushes,' Simpson told Tri-City Herald. The nightmare didn't end there though, Simpson returned to the dangerous scene with her dogs, mother and father to kill the cougar. Her father ultimately shot it. Mother Francesca Seymour wrote on Facebook that she was 'feeling thankful' after her children made it home safely. Mother Francesca Seymour (center) wrote on Facebook that she was 'feeling thankful' after her daughter (right) and son made it home safely Simpson (left) now keeps a .45-caliber Taurus Judge revolver on her hip when she goes out 'It was getting dark so we decided to get out and come back at daylight. We were walking back up our drive way when one of our small dogs started yelping. Amaya and I ran back to find him and we couldn't hear him,' she continued. 'Cole went down into the brush, it was getting hard to see. He didn't find the dog but ran into the cougar and was able to put it down with his AR. Things could have went a lot different tonight. I'm thankful that my daughter has a level head and is a good shot. My son says "mom she saved my life!"' But it hasn't scared Simpson off walking in the area though, she now keeps a .45-caliber Taurus Judge revolver on her hip. Simpson and her family's hunt has since been turned into taxidermy. Albanian crime lords have seized control of underworld drug operations across the Midlands, it has been claimed. West Midlands police arrested 140 nationals from the eastern European country last year, 51 of whom were charged with drug offences. The National Crime Agency claimed that Albanian crime gangs had 'established a high-profile influence within UK organised crime and have considerable control across the UK drug trafficking market'. South east England was also flooded with high-grade cocaine by kingpin Klodjan Copja - who was jailed for 17 years after for serious drug offences - and his gang. Klodjan Copja (pictured) was caught after an investigation into a UK cocaine supply network Copja, 31, and his ultra-violent network of fellow Albanians from Elbasan had imported as much as 150million of cocaine into the UK. One of his couriers was watched by police as he made weekly trips to a lay-by in Maidstone, Kent, to meet a lorry carrying imported cocaine from the continent. The courier would then supply the drug to organised crime groups in London, Birmingham, Leicester and Nottingham. Other notable criminals include Bekim Domi and Shkelqim Dardha, who were found by police with 120,000 worth of cocaine in their Mercedes and jailed in 2016. One gangland source, speaking to Birmingham Live, said: 'The Albanian mafia have been taking over, it's been going for years. 'They moved into Hillfields in Coventry, running drugs and vice, and other criminal groups had to move out. Bekim Domi (left) and Shkelqim Dardha (right) were caught with 120,000 worth of cocaine 'They have also established a presence in Birmingham. 'Where they run the rackets themselves they run the whole operation from start to finish, from the mule or shipment to the drugs' distribution in the UK. 'They don't rely on other people, or if they do they protect themselves from the risk. 'Their cocaine is also considered purer than that put out on the streets by other gangs. 'They run a tight ship.' Albanian criminal networks have also been involved in document-forging and people-smuggling operations. National Crime Agency's figures from a sample of 33,598 gangsters who are members of 4,629 known criminal organisations revealed that Albanians had overtaken Romanians as the third most represented nationality in prison, behind Britons and Pakistanis. A British man who was backpacking across Australia has claimed a traffic light was the only thing that saved him from becoming a victim of Australian serial killer Ivan Milat. Colin Powis only recently realised the man who gave him a lift while he was travelling near Katoomba, New South Wales in 1982 was the notorious murderer. The 57-year-old was sitting in his lounge room in Durham, England, when he saw a documentary about the man who murdered seven young backpackers and instantly recognised him. British man Colin Powis (pictured) has claimed he was seconds away from becoming a victim of Australian serial killer Ivan Milat when he was backpacking across Australia Powis only recently realised the man who gave him a lift while he was hitchhiking near the NSW town of Katoomba in 1982 was notorious killer Milat (pictured) Mr Powis, then 21, was trying to get to Cobar in western New South Wales to try his luck finding work in the mines when a ute stopped to give him lift on the A32 highway. Mr Powis told The Daily Telegraph the driver asked him, 'How long have you been in Australia? Who knows you're here?' 'I've been in Australia just a couple of days. I don't know anybody here but I'm going out to Cobar to see about getting a job,' he replied. The driver also requested he store his backpack behind the front seat rather than in the tray at the back, even though when Powis looked at the tray he only could see a swag and a hammer. As they drove along the highway he tried to make small talk but the driver would not respond. 'I thought he was on drugs 'cos he went into such a mood, such a dark mood and was so deep in thought. I was trying to talk to him and he was just deep in thought about something else. Mr Powis (oictured), then 21, was trying to get to Cobar in western New South Australia to try his luck finding work in the mines In 1996 Milat was convicted of murdering seven young backpackers 'He had a foreign look about him, you know, with his eyes and the dark tan and I said to him, "How long has your family been in Australia?"' He says the man replied that his father had come from Yugoslavia after the war. Just outside of Bathurst there was an intersection with traffic lights at which point the driver claimed he was going to take the road into the bush for about 60 miles to check hunting traps. The driver started down the dirt road but when Mr Powis declined to go along he claims the driver slammed on the brakes, got out and raced around the back of the car to the passenger door. Then the lights at the intersection they had driven through changed and cars began to drive towards them - which is when Mr Powis believes the man had grabbed the hammer. 'I remember Milat, he was looking over his shoulder at this traffic and looking at me, and looking over his shoulder, and looking at me, and I remember the traffic going past. It was that traffic that stopped him walloping me with a hammer, I'm certain of it,' says Powis. Mr Powis pushed past him and rushed off down the road. 'Have a safe trip, mate,' he remembers the man yelling after him. At the height of the Battle of Britain in 1940, as the Germans sustained increasing losses in the face of the heroic RAF, Reichsmarschall Hermann Goring summoned the top Luftwaffe fighter ace Adolf Galland to his headquarters. Frustrated by the Reichs failure to gain aerial supremacy over southern England, a vital precursor to Hitlers planned invasion, Goring asked Galland what he needed. Give me a squadron of Spitfires, came the reply. Those words perfectly encapsulate the unequalled reputation that the fighter plane had earned in combat. Its power, speed and manoeuvrability were a source of terror to the Germans and reassurance to the British. A revolutionary aircraft that transformed the capability of the RAF, the Spitfire rightly became a symbol of national defiance, turning what could have been Britains darkest hour into our finest. When it first entered service in 1938, the Spitfire was not only the first all-metal monoplane but also by far the fastest aircraft in the RAF, able to reach 350mph. In later marks, the Spitfires maximum speed was increased by 35 per cent and on one occasion in April 1944, a photo reconnaissance variant flown by Squadron Leader Marty Martindale flew at an incredible 606mph in a dive from 40,000ft, close to the speed of sound. In addition to its unparalleled speed, it was also well-armed compared to previous British fighters. Early versions carried eight .303 Browning guns, each with 300 rounds, though later types also had cannon that packed an even deadlier punch. A German bomber airman, shot down over Malta, said the most terrifying thing that he experienced in combat was the sight of 12 Spitfires all firing cannon and machine guns and coming head-on at our formation. All the front gunners had frozen stiff with fear. But perhaps the Spitfires greatest asset was its manoeuvrability, due to its sleek, aerodynamic design, its thin, elliptical wings and the responsiveness of its controls. There was no heaving or pushing or pulling or kicking. You breathed on it. Ive never flown anything sweeter, said George Unwin of 19 Squadron. Spitfire pilots often spoke of their almost physical attachment to the plane. It was a bit like a love affair, said Nigel Rose, who joined the RAF in 1938. Another Battle of Britain veteran, Wilfred Duncan Smith (father of Tory politician Iain) remembered how he felt part of the Spitfire, a oneness that was intimate. The Spitfires agility made her not only deadly in a dogfight, but also good at evasion. The bastards make such infernally tight turns. There seems no way of nailing them, complained a German fighter pilot. The Spitfire was in action from the start of World War II, shooting down its first enemy planes, two JU88 bombers, over the Firth of Forth on October, 16, 1939. The general impression is that the Spitfires are wonderful machines and that the Huns hate them, stated an Air Ministry report at the time. In the air, heroes included Adolph Sailor Malan, of 74 squadron, a highly disciplined South African who was awarded the Distinguished Sevice Order in 1940 for his brilliant leadership, skill and determination and Brian Lane, the leader of 19 Squadron, renowned for calmness under fire. Spitfires were flown with equal courage by Czechs and Poles, as well as Commonwealth pilots such as New Zealander Al Deere. During the summer of 1940, in the process of destroying 17 German planes, he was shot down seven times, bailed out three times, collided with a Messerschmitt 109 and had one of his Spitfires blasted at 150 yards by a bomb. Another exploded just seconds after he had scrambled clear of the wreckage. The climax of the battle came on September 15, when the Luftwaffe lost 56 planes, forcing Hitler to abandon his plans for the conquest of Britain. But the Spitfire fought on. As ever more powerful, faster versions were developed, it turned out to be crucial in a host of different theatres, including the successful campaign against General Rommel the Desert Fox in North Africa in 1942, the fight against Japan in Burma, the drive through western Europe after D-Day, and the destruction of German V-weapon sites in France. The greatest Spitfire ace of them all, Johnnie Johnson, claimed his record-breaking 33rd kill during the summer of 1944, when he shot down a Messerschmitt 109 over northern France. I hit his ugly yellow nose with a long, steady burst, said Johnson, who recorded 38 kills in all during the war. Without the Spitfire, the course of European history might have been very different. Pilot Neville Duke wrote that in the plane he felt part of a fine machine, made by a genius. He added: It is said that the Spitfire is too beautiful to be a fighting machine. I sometimes think that is true but then what better fighter could you want? A driver who carelessly parked in front of another resident's driveway has been shamed on Twitter after police had to tow away the car. Greater Manchester Police's Traffic unit called out the motorist and reminded others to always try and park responsibly. A frustrated resident had to contact the police and ask for the vehicle to be moved on Wednesday when they found it had completely stopped them from getting their own car out. Greater Manchester Police called out a careless driver on Twitter after they had to tow away a car blocking a driveway The thoughtless parking occurred on a street in Monton, Salford. GMP Traffic tweeted: 'A patrol was sent to a vehicle causing obstruction in @GMPMonton this morning. 'Vehicle was blocking in a vehicle on the drive. Traffic Offence Report issued & vehicle towed away. 'PLEASE PARK RESPONSIBLY DON'T BLOCK OTHERS IN.' In the photos shared by officers the orange car can be seen completely stopping the parked white car in front of the house from getting out. In responses to the frustrated post, other residents said the driver was 'utterly selfish.' Officers have also urged people to be more considerate about where they park in the future The thoughtless parking occurred on a street in Monton, Salford, and others have called the driver's actions as 'utterly selfish' One person said: 'How utterly selfish of this driver. Would have loved to of seen the reaction when the car wasn't there when he/she returned!!!' Another added that the car owner should have been 'charged with wasting police time.' The Greater Manchester Police website includes guidelines for motorists and property owners letting them know what they should do if a vehicle blocks their driveway. Their website reads: 'If your vehicle is parked on your drive and a vehicle is stopping you from accessing the highway this is classed as an obstruction.' However if you're returning home - still on the highway - and find your driveway blocked 'this is an inconvenience and not classed as an obstruction in road traffic law.' They also advice residents to speak to the community and make ownership enquiries before contacting Greater Manchester Police on 101. A cyber attack was the cause behind a three day technical meltdown, according to Bristol Airport. The airport's information screens were out of service on both Friday and Saturday, with holidaymakers having to read departure times off whiteboards scattered around the airport. An airport spokesman said several systems were taken offline on Friday in a bid to contain the attack, including the application which provides details about flights. Bristol Airport has said a cyber attack was the reason behind its three day technical meltdown The airport's information screens were out of service on both Friday and Saturday and passengers were left to read departure times off whiteboards and paper. On Twitter passenger Julieanne McMahon wrote: 'It's all fun and games at Bristol Airport! Let's hope they don't run out of paper' Some frustrated holidaymakers took to Twitter to post pictures of staff writing flight times on whiteboards Passengers were told to arrive early to allow plenty of time for check-in due to ongoing technical problems. Frustrated passengers took to social media to snap pictures of staff writing flight details on whiteboards and blank paper. On Twitter passenger Julieanne McMahon wrote: 'It's all fun and games at Bristol Airport! Let's hope they don't run out of paper.' Spokesman James Gore said: 'Established contingency plans were implemented to keep passengers informed about flight information. 'Flight operations remained unaffected. Bristol Airport alerted its customers about the technical glitch on its Twitter page Several screens were restored early this morning but complete coverage is yet to be restored 'Bristol Airport always remains vigilant against all types of hostile online activity. 'As with every event of any type we will monitor and keep under review how to avoid it re-occurring. 'However, it is important to recognise that security measures already in place ensured minimum disruption to passenger journeys.' Spokesman James Gore said: 'Bristol Airport always remains vigilant against all types of hostile online activity. As with every event of any type we will monitor and keep under review how to avoid it re-occurring' Several key screens were restored early this morning, including in areas such as departures and arrivals, but complete coverage is yet to be restored. This is not the first time an airport has been targeted by internet hackers. In 2017, a cyber attack disrupted services at Kievs Boryspil International airport, leading officials to warn flights to and from Ukraine's capital could face delays. At least 15 people have been killed due to Tropical Storm Florence which has devastated the Carolinas and continues to pose a threat to those in its path. It's been reported that so far 10 have been killed in North Carolina beginning Friday when hurricane-turned-tropical depression Florence first made land fall. The latest death came Sunday when 23-year-old father Michael Dalton Prince was riding in an SUV that lost control and flipped on a flooded road in Georgetown County, South Carolina. The driver and another passenger escaped, while Prince was trapped inside and drowned after the truck landed upside down in a flooded ditch. The latest death from Florence came Sunday in South Carolina when 23-year-old father-of-one Michael Dalton Prince (pictured with his child) drowned after an SUV he was in flipped into a flooded ditch Floodwaters are pictured from Tropical Storm Florence in Trenton, North Carolina, Sunday The first reported Florence-related death came Friday night when a 61-year-old woman crashed into a fallen tree. Amber Dawn Lee, 61, was the first reported death from the storm Friday in South Carolina Amber Dawn Lee of Union, South Carolina, was driving her pick up truck around 9.30pm on the Gaffney Highway. Neighbor Joel Morris said he saw the tree fall into the road - brought down by strong winds - and tried to signal to Lee to turn around. Morris said he stood behind the large fallen tree, flashing his flashlight, and though he got one motorist to turn around he was unable to get Lee to stop. He said the roof of Lee's pickup slammed into the tree - which authorities say was suspended about six feet in the air. The front of the truck was thrown into the air before crashing back down. Lee was pronounced dead at the scene. Around the same time Friday night, Lesha Murphy-Johnson, 41, and her seven-month-old son Adam were trapped inside their home in Wilmington, North Carolina, after a tree fell onto their roof. Firefighters frantically tried to lift the tree so they could escape, but were unable to do so, kneeling in a circle of prayer after it became apparent there was nothing further they could do. Lesha Murphy-Johnson, 41, and her seven-month-old son Adam were trapped and killed inside their home in Wilmington, North Carolina after a tree fell onto their roof The tree that fell on their house is seen during Florence in Wilmington The baby's father, Lawrence, was rescued and taken into an ambulance but police declared the mother and baby dead at 2.30pm. The National Guard was then called in to remove the shattered tree. Murphy-Johnson's death was confirmed to DailyMail.com by her ex-husband who was shown her ID by authorities and asked to identify her. Authorities confirmed Sunday that a married South Carolina couple died of carbon monoxide poisoning from running a generator inside. Mark Carter King, 63, and his wife Debra Collins Rion, 61, of Loris, South Carolina, were killed by inhaling carbon monoxide, authorities said. Their bodies were found in their Loris home Saturday afternoon however, police said they likely died the day before as the heavy rains and winds from Florence were moving onshore. King worked as a sales consultant for Buick and the couple leave behind children. Mark Carter King, 63, and his wife Debra Collins Rion, 61, of Loris, South Carolina, were killed by inhaling carbon monoxide The remaining victims of the Florence's wrath have yet to be identified but include a 78-year-old man who was electrocuted in the rain while trying to connect extension cords for a generator in Lenoir County, North Carolina. Other North Carolina fatalities also include three who died 'due to flash flooding and swift water on roadways,' the Duplin County Sheriff's Office reported. In Kinston, a 77-year-old man was found dead outside of his home, possibly after having been blown over by the wind while checking on his dogs, officials said. A husband and wife died in a Fayetteville, North Carolina, house fire Friday. Two people in a canoe paddle through a street that was flooded by Hurricane Florence Saturday north of New Bern, North Carolina Saturday A member of the US Coast Guard walks down a road in North Carolina where at least 10 of the 15 victims have died According to Pender County Emergency Management Director Tom Collins, a woman in Hampstead, North Carolina, died of a heart attack Friday morning. Emergency crews were unable to get to her because of a downed tree in the road after 911 was called to the home. Operations were stopped when a tree branch fell, shattering the windshield of the machine used by emergency crews to clear a path to get to the woman. In Wayne County, an 81-year-old man died when he fell and struck his head while packing to evacuate Friday. 'Flood waters are still raging across parts of our state, and the risk to life is rising with the angry waters,' North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said at a midday news conference Sunday. 'This storm has never been more dangerous than it is right now,' he added. Looters have broken into a Family Dollar store in Wilmington as the city on North Carolina's coast has become cut off by floodwaters following Hurricane Florence. Police have arrested at least five people in connection with looting at the store on Greenfield Street on Saturday. They first issued a warning about the activity that afternoon after the store's management reported it, but asked police to stand down. Footage from local news station WECT shows dozens of people carrying any items they could get their hands on out of the store and back to a public housing community called Houston Moore. While there were no members of law enforcement on the scene due to management's request, police enacted a curfew for the area from 5pm Saturday to 6am Sunday. They also said many of the alleged looters could be identified in WECT's video. They encouraged locals to report anyone they recognized in the footage. Police have arrested at least five people in connection with looting at a Family Dollar in Wilmington. Dozens of alleged looters were caught on camera by local TV station WECT Items were torn off the shelves and scattered on the floor of the store on Greenfield Street WECT reporter Chelsea Donovan, who went to the scene with another journalist to film the looting, said: 'When we came over the hill on Greenfield Street, you could just see people everywhere.' In her news coverage Donovan gestures into the store's front entrance as she says: 'You can see here inside just a complete mess, people taking duffel bags and trash bags, now noticing we're here [and] running away from the camera.' A police vehicle with its siren blaring then pulls up as Donovan runs to the back entrance where other looters were attempting to make their escape. 'Hey guys, you know you're looting, right? You know you're stealing?' she says confronting the people coming out of the back. One man with a plastic storage bin full of items appears to shrug at Donovan's confrontation. WECT reporter Chelsea Donovan is pictured trying to talk to people who were exiting the store through the back entrance with their arms full of various items Donovan and her colleague tried to confront several of the alleged looters before heading back to their vehicle because they felt the scene had gotten out of hand Both journalists retreated to their vehicle soon after as they felt the situation had gotten out of hand. 'I was concerned the whole time. I won't lie, but I was there to get the story,' Donovan said. It is unclear why Family Dollar management asked police not to intervene at the store, but the Wilmington Police Department has indicated offenders will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. 'We're going to do everything we can to protect your property. This is not a response to the video. This has been our message [since] before the storm arrived,' the department said. A man with a trash bag filled with stolen items pulled his shirt over his face to avoid the camera The Family Dollar, pictured Sunday, was boarded up after being hit by looters the previous day On Sunday officials announced that Wilmington had officially become inaccessible by road from the rest of the state due to rising floodwaters surrounding the coastal city. It's now almost an island. 'Our roads are flooded,' county Board of Commissioners chairman Woody White said at a news conference. 'There is no access to Wilmington.' Restoring ground access to the area is now a top priority, but for the time being officials are making plans for how to reach the city by air. Large portions of Wilmington lost electricity over the weekend as thousands of residents were trapped in their homes due to downed trees and power lines in the wake of hurricane-turned-tropical-depression Florence, which has made its way inland. Rescue efforts in New Hanover County continued overnight Saturday and into Sunday as hundreds of residents were taken to shelters. Local media reports that 'countless' homes have been damaged, but many homeowners who evacuated Wilmington ahead of the storm are now unable to get back to see how bad the situation actually is. A mother and child were killed in the home pictured above after a tree toppled over A sinkhole opened up on a street in Wilmington on Sunday morning as most roads are impassable thanks to downed trees and power lines in the wake of the storm Wilmington is already largely inaccessible by road from the rest of the state, officials say While the city has been cut off from the outside, streets in Wilmington were busy with motorists on Sunday afternoon. Victor Merlos was overjoyed to find a store open for business since he had about 20 relatives staying at his apartment, which still has power. He spent more than $500 on cereal, eggs, soft drinks and other necessities, plus beer. 'I have everything I need for my whole family,' Merlos said. Police guarded the door of another store and only 10 people were allowed inside at a time. Dallas Perdue told The Associated Press he waited about two hours to get into the store to buy a few groceries. Nearby, a Waffle House restaurant limited breakfast customers to one biscuit and one drink, all take-out, with the price of $2 per item. The line for gasoline at a Costco store stretched about a half-mile down a road. Wilmington police stand guard as a Lowe's Foods employee blocks the door of the store, which was only allowing 10 people inside at one time on Sunday Luke Churchill, left, stands with his wife, Mary and their children, Katie, 13, Liam, 9, and Raighan, 3, as they wait in the rain outside an open Waffle House restaurant Sunday Duke Energy employees work on removing trees and restoring power to a closed road Sunday The water utility, Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, had said Sunday that it had only a 48-hour supply of fuel to provide water. However, it said later in a news release that a source of fuel had been found and there was no immediate threat to service. While Wilmington has survived its share of hurricanes, including Hurricane Fran in September 1996, the city of 120,000 has not suffered the amount of rain that fell from Florence, which has since weakened to a tropical depression. Typically, it's a tourist city and home to EUE Screen Gems, a movie studio that helped give the city the nickname of 'Hollywood of the East,' although production has dropped since lawmakers ended film incentives. Television shows such as 'Dawson's Creek' and 'One Tree Hill' were filmed there, as well movies that include 'The Hunger Games' and 'Iron Man 3.' It's the hometown of basketball great and Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan and is known for its historic homes and its annual Azalea Festival. But as the rain continued to fall, its officials were asking North Carolina Gov Roy Cooper for additional law enforcement, including the National Guard, White said. Some 465 people were rescued from cars and homes starting Saturday night and continuing until 9.30am Sunday he said. Patients on oxygen and dialysis were being moved from New Hanover County Medical Center to Hoggard High School, a new shelter scheduled to open to the public at 5pm Sunday. It has room for 1,387 people. A couple walks hand-in-hand down a Wilmington street covered in storm debris on Sunday The situation is becoming more grim as the waters around Wilmington continue to rise A Facebook data scientist has revealed she left the social media giant only eight months into her role after the company refused her part-time hours, the opportunity to work from home or additional unpaid maternity leave to bond with her child. Eliza Khuner was five months pregnant when she started at Mark Zuckerberg's social media empire in November 2017 but ultimately they parted ways in July 2018 when she felt the job would interfere with her ability to be a present mother, she wrote in a Wired opinion piece. The Berkeley, California mom had raised two children, Jonah and Jeremy, before giving birth to her little girl in March. Eliza Khuner was five months pregnant when she started at Mark Zuckerberg's social media empire in November 2017 but they parted ways in July 2018 Khuner raised two other children, Jonah and Jeremy, before she joined Facebook in November 2017 and went through the 'heartache of a break-up' as she quit Facebook However after four months of maternity leave Khuner admitted she felt like she'd be betraying her daughter by leaving her all day with a nanny. It's considered a generous amount for an American company, which isn't required to pay new mothers during their time off and usually only allow up to 12 weeks out of office. But with four months at home - the minimum term in European Union companies - she also struggled with the idea of only getting six hours sleep if juggling a full time role and new-born baby duties was to become her reality. 'When I told Facebook I wanted to work from home part-time, HR was firm: You can't work from home, you can't work part-time, and you can't take extra unpaid leave,' she wrote in the article, adding that she 'went through the heartache of a break-up' when she resigned. After sharing why she made her decision to resign in an internal group for Facebook employees globally, she didn't expect to receive more than 5,500 responses from women and men, some of whom felt they'd also struggled with parenting decisions as a result of their demanding roles at the company. CEO Mark Zuckerberg maintained that employees would have to wait for a change in the way they approach family-work balance but gives new parents $4,000 Childcare expenses are partially reimbursed at Facebook, and there are many lactation rooms for breastfeeding mothers (Zuckerberg is pictured with his wife Priscilla and two children) The father-of-two (pictured with Max center December 2016) never fails to miss a birthday or show followers he's a great dad He captioned a December 2016 Facebook snap: 'Taking paternity leave to spend time with our growing family' Zuckerberg has demonstrated how important it is for parents to be present as their children grow up, writing 'Baby cuddles are the best' in September 2017 with baby August He wrote September 2017: 'I think Max is really starting to take after me since I've been on paternity leave' Some women admitted they'd frozen their eggs because while they yearned to be a mother, they couldn't afford to give up their job to take care of a child. Khuner noted that even Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's Chief Operating Officer and first female board member, said allowing new mothers to work part-time would put too much of a strain on the rest of the team. Sandberg became a single mother of two children after her husband Dave Goldberg passed away in 2015. Goldberg is known for being a women's rights advocate and is one of the inspirations behind Sandberg writing her book Lean In. The literature has served as a guide for many women on why speaking up in the workplace is so important for female progression. When Khuner had the opportunity to confront CEO Zuckerberg himself during a weekly Q&A session, even holding her sleeping baby on her chest as she pressed him to change the structure, it did not help, she wrote. Khuner recalled how she told him take his own advice and be bold by referencing 'What would you do if you weren't afraid?' posters around the Facebook campus. Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's COO and first female board member, said allowing new mothers to work part-time would put too much of a strain on the rest of the team Khuner's story brought in a range of supportive comments on her personal Facebook too Users shared how they thought she was brave for revealing her story and quitting her job Khuner wrote that she told him: '"I want to know: Would you give us part-time, work-from-home, and extended leave options right now, not later; would you lead this company and the US in supporting working parents; would you give us the chance to show you how kick-ass and loyal we can be with fewer hours at the desk, if you weren't afraid?"' Zuckerberg maintained that employees would have to wait for a change in the way they approach family-work balance but Khuner mentioned Facebook supports parents in other ways. A $4,000 handout goes to new moms and dads, childcare expenses are partially reimbursed, and there are many lactation rooms for breastfeeding mothers. But it's not a substitute for precious time spent with children she concluded. It's something Zuckerberg should agree with. He regularly shows off his family on his own Facebook profile, documenting his paternity leaves with daughters August and Maxima in 2016 and 2017. He also shares snaps of himself never failing to miss birthdays and various specious occasions with his little girls and wife Priscilla. Khuner thinks flexibility will lead to companies like Facebook saving money in the long run by retaining staff and having employees who are willing to put more into the jobs that are giving back to them. There might even be a chance of her making a return in the future. She finished the article: 'I told Facebook when they make that change, they know where to find me.' The prognosis for President Donald Trump and his party was grim. In a post-Labor Day briefing at the White House, a top Republican pollster told senior staff that the determining factor in the election wouldn't be the improving economy or the steady increase in job creation. It would be how voters feel about Trump. And the majority of the electorate, including a sizeable percentage of Republican-leaning voters, doesn't feel good about the president, according to a presentation from pollster Neil Newhouse that spanned dozens of pages. Partner and co-founder of Public Opinion Strategies, Neil Newhouse, speaks at the St. Regis Hotel in November 2011 President Trump was warned the midterm election will come down to how voters feel about him Newhouse's briefing came amid a darkening mood among Republican officials as the November election nears. Party leaders were already worried that a surge in enthusiasm among Democrats and disdain for Trump by moderate Republicans would put the House out of reach. But some Republicans now fear their Senate majority is also in peril - a scenario that was unthinkable a few months ago given the favorable Senate map for the GOP. 'For Republican candidates to win in swing states, they need all of the voters who support President Trump, plus a chunk of those who do not,' said Whit Ayres, a GOP pollster. 'That is threading a very narrow strategic needle.' Operatives in both parties say Republicans still have the edge in the fight for control of the Senate. But GOP officials are increasingly worried that nominees in conservative-leaning states like Missouri and Indiana are underperforming, while races in Tennessee and Texas that should be slam-dunks for Republicans are close. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell raised an alarm last week, warning that each of the competitive Senate races would be 'like a knife fight in an alley.' Some of the public fretting among Republicans appears to be strategic, as party officials try to motivate both voters and donors. Many moderate Republican voters 'don't believe there is anything at stake in this election,' according to the documents Newhouse presented to White House officials. He attributed that belief in part to a disregard for public polling, given that most surveys showed Democrat Hillary Clinton defeating Trump in the 2016 presidential election. Newhouse and the White House would not comment on the early September meeting. The Associated Press obtained a copy of Newhouse's presentation, and two Republicans with knowledge of the briefing discussed the details on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the matter publicly. At the White House, anxiety over the midterms has been on the rise for months as polls increasingly show a challenging environment for the GOP and heightened Democratic enthusiasm. The sheer number of competitive races in both the House and Senate is stretching cash reserves and forcing tough calculations about where to deploy resources and surrogates. And there are growing fears that the coalition of voters that delivered Trump to the White House will not come out for midterms. Even if those voters do show up in large numbers, Republicans could still come up short. The polling presented to White House officials, which was commissioned by the Republican National Committee, showed that Trump's loyal supporters make up about one-quarter of the electorate. Another quarter is comprised of Republicans who like Trump's policies but not the president himself and do not appear motivated to back GOP candidates. And roughly half of expected midterm voters are Democrats who are energized by their opposition to the president. White House aides say Trump is getting regular briefings on the political landscape and is aware of the increasingly grim polling, even though he's predicted a 'red wave' for Republicans on Twitter and at campaign rallies. Aides say Trump's sober briefings from GOP officials are sometimes offset by the frequent conversations he has with a cadre of outside advisers who paint a sunnier picture of the electoral landscape and remind the president of his upset victory in 2016. The paradox for Republicans is that most Americans are largely satisfied with the economy, according to numerous surveys. But the party has struggled to keep the economy centered at the center of the election debate. Trump keeps thrusting other issues to the forefront, including his frustration with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation and his intense anger with unflattering portrayals of his presidency in a book by journalist Bob Woodward and an anonymous editorial from a senior administration official that was published in the New York Times. He stunned some backers Thursday when he disputed the death toll in Puerto Rico from last year's Hurricane Maria, just as another storm was barreling toward the East Coast. Newhouse told White House officials that Trump could appeal to moderates and independents by emphasizing that a Democratic majority would be outside the mainstream on issues like abolishing ICE and government-funded health care. Other Republican strategists have offered candidates similar advice. Karl Rove, who served as chief political strategist to President George W. Bush, said that if Republicans cast their Democratic rivals as soft on immigration or in favor of high-dollar government spending on health care, 'that's a toxic mix to the soft Republicans and Republican-leaning independents.' In his most recent campaign appearances, Trump soft-peddled his predictions for a Republican wave and warned supporters that a Democratic congressional majority would have consequences. But he focused less on the policy implications of Democrats regaining control of Congress and more on the impact on his presidency, including the prospect of impeachment. 'If it does happen, it's your fault, because you didn't go out to vote,' Trump said of the prospect of getting impeached. 'You didn't go out to vote - that's the only way it could happen.' FEMA Administrator Brock Long said he was 'never' asked to resign in the lead up to Hurricane Florence as he avoided answering questions on Puerto Rico's death toll in the wake of last year's storm, saying 'it's hard to tell what's accurate and what's not.' Long, in response to a Wall Street Journal report Friday, said that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen never asked him to resign in the wake of allegations he misused agency resources. 'Secretary Nielsen has never asked me to resign. We have a very functional and professional relationship. We talk every day,' Long said Sunday on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' FEMA Administrator Brock Long, in response to a Wall Street Journal report, said DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen never asked him to resign after allegations he misused agency resources President Donald Trump, FEMA Administrator Brock Long Administrator and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen brief the president on Hurricane Florence in the Oval Office last week Trump has been praising FEMA's response to Hurricane Florence Long appeared on three Sunday shows to provide updates on Hurricane Florence, which has been downgraded to a tropical depression. But the administrator was also peppered with questions about President Donald Trump's argument about the Puerto Rico death toll after Hurricane Maria devastated the island last year. A study from George Washington University put the death toll at 2,975, a number the president has disputed, arguing the original 65 deaths reported is accurate. Long declined to give an exact figure and said 'it's hard to tell what's accurate.' 'There are a lot of studies out there,' he said on 'Fox News Sunday.' 'There's a lot of issues with numbers being all over the place. It's hard to tell what's accurate and what's not.' He added: 'We've got the full support of the president behind us. He understands how complex it is and he's frustrated by it.' Long argues the studies that concluded the death tolls were done differently. 'Those studies, the Harvard study was done differently than the George Washington study, or this study or that study, and the numbers are all over the place,' he said on 'Meet the Press.' He went on to say the George Washington study, which concluded the 2,975 figure, was done six months after the storm and could have included people who died from heart attacks and spousal abuse. 'You might see more deaths indirectly occur as time goes on because people have heart attacks due to stress. They fall off their house trying to fix their roof. They die in car crashes because they, they went through an intersection where the stoplights weren't working. You know the other thing that goes on, there's all kinds of studies on this that we take a look at. Spousal abuse goes through the roof. You can't blame spousal abuse, you know, after a disaster on anybody,' he said. Trump has argued repeatedly about the death tolling, doubling down on his argument it was not as high as the nearly 3,000 number. 'I think he's defensive because he knows how hard these guys behind me work day in and day out for a very complex situation. And it's frustrating,' Long said. The president praised FEMA's response to Hurricane Florence on Sunday, saying the agency, first responders and law enforcement 'are working really hard.' 'FEMA, First Responders and Law Enforcement are working really hard on hurricane Florence. As the storm begins to finally recede, they will kick into an even higher gear. Very Professional!,' he tweeted on Sunday. Long also argued Trump was being taken out of context when he said there were no lessons to be learned from Puerto Rico, which was without power from 11 months after the storm. 'I think the president is being taken out of context there,' Long said on NBC. 'Disaster response and recovery is, it's a whole community team effort. You have to have anybody from neighbor helping neighbor, like the Cajun Navy, all the way up to the federal government response,' he added. Long is the subject of an internal investigation looking into his travel between Washington D.C. and his home in Hickory, North Carolina, the Journal reported. That probe included surveilling the agency chief as he was driven 400 miles each way as part of his commute. Investigators reportedly found that Long departed the agency's D.C. headquarters on Thursdays and traveled home with a caravan of federal workers, who stayed in nearby hotels for the long weekend. The White House has begun discussing potential replacements for him, a senior White House official told the newspaper. But Long said his job is 'incredibly complex.' 'You do not want to trade jobs with me,' he told 'Meet the Press' host Chuck Todd. Long also dodged questions on the numbers of deaths in Puerto Rico after Maria. 'There's a lot of issues with numbers being all over the place. It's hard to tell what's accurate and what's not,' he said DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen reportedly asked Brock Long to resign if the allegations against him are true President Trump, left, and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen listen to a Hurricane Florence briefing by Long, center, just days before the storm made landfall last week 'These vehicles are designed to provide secure communications,' he said of his travel. ' It ran for me the same way it's run for anybody else. And you know, it's my understanding that maybe some policies were not developed around these vehicles that we will get cleared up and pushed forward.' Long also said he has no plans to resign: 'No. No, no, no, I'm here to serve my country every day. That's all I do.' The Journal reported Nielsen encouraged Long to resign if the allegations of mismanagement are true. The Federal Emergency Management Agency chief told CBS' 'Face the Nation' he was cooperating with the inspector general's office, which is conducting the investigation. 'I would never intentionally violate any rules,' he said. Hurricane Florence has made its way over South and North Carolina, dumping heavy rains and causing flooding. Local media have tallied 13 deaths since Florence made landfall Friday as a Category 1 hurricane. Long said the storm damage will 'be ugly, but we'll get through it.' High praise: 'Through her incredible talent and bold activism, Anne Hathaway uses her global platform to stand up for the LGBTQ community,' said HRC President Chad Griffin Actress Anne Hathaway denounced white, straight and cisgender privilege in a speech at the Human Rights Campaign National Dinner in Washington D.C. on Saturday night. The Oscar winner addressed the room as ladies, gentlemen and 'gentlethem.' 'It is important to acknowledge with the exception of not being a cisgender male, everything about how I was born has put me at the current center of a damaging and widely accepted myth,' she said. 'That myth is that gayness orbits around straightness, transgender orbits around cisgender, and that all races orbit around whiteness.' Hathaway told of how she learned to reject the idea when she spent time with her older brother, who is gay, and part of the LGBTQ community. 'I appreciate this community because together we are not going to just question this myth, we are going to destroy it,' she told the crowd. 'Let's tear this world apart and build a better one.' Hathaway's entire family left the Catholic Church and converted to Episcopalianism after her elder brother came out. 'Why should I support an organization that has a limited view of my beloved brother?' she said at the time. Hathaway was awarded the HRC's National Equality Award. She was recognized for using her time and celebrity to fight for LGBTQ and women's rights Hathaway's motivation came after hearing former vice president Joe Biden speak. 'I really needed this,' Hathaway said as she accepted the National Equality Award at the Human Rights Campaign's National Dinner. 'You guys just gave me my heart back,' she said. 'I think I'm probably walking around like most people right now. I'm pretty shell shocked by what I see every day, what I hear everyday. And I really don't like to admit this, but I get scared.' HRC President Chad Griffin said: 'Through her incredible talent and bold activism, Anne Hathaway uses her global platform to stand up for the LGBTQ community. 'From speaking out against discriminatory legislation targeting the LGBTQ community to her leadership on workplace equality for women, Anne is making a real difference in the lives of countless people around the globe.' The actress was also appointed as UN Women's Global Ambassador in 2016 Among her many deeds, Hathaway has regularly stood up to lawmakers and organizations who pushed for legislation that she and others felt discriminated against LGBTQ people. She and her husband, Adam Shulman, also helped bring-in much needed funds when they sold their wedding photos in 2012 and donated the proceeds to organizations working towards marriage equality. In 2008, the Interstellar star told a crowd of HRC members and supporters in Los Angeles: 'I don't consider myself just an ally to the LGBT community, I consider myself your family. And so, I'm doing what we should all do with our families I'm loving you, I support you, I completely accept you as you are, as I hope you do me, and if anyone ever tries to hurt you, I'm going to give them hell.' The New York City native was also appointed as UN Women's Global Ambassador in 2016, where she's helping to to build and support equality for women around the world. Gerry McCann will open up about his problems with mental health in a candid Radio 4 interview Madeleine McCann's father will tell of the heartache of losing his daughter in a rare and powerful radio interview to raise awareness about mental health. Gerry McCann will speak candidly about his own struggles in a bid to help other men facing unimaginable loss and grief cope with their issues. The eminent cardiologist - whose daughter Maddie vanished nearly eleven and a half years ago during a family holiday in Portugal - will open up about the once taboo subject of males talking frankly about their emotions. Mr McCann, 50, will discuss his own agony in 'honest, personal and sometimes painful terms' for the BBC Radio 4 special show. He said: 'I decided it was a good opportunity to say something about the special bond between fathers and daughters, thinking that speaking openly might help other men in similar positions. It feels like the right time.' The McCanns have struggled with grief since three-year-old Maddie vanished from an apartment in the Algarve's Praia da Luz in May 2007 while they were dining in a nearby tapas restaurant with friends. They still cling onto a glimmer of hope their eldest child, who would now be aged 15, could still be alive. Maddie vanished nearly eleven and a half years ago in Portugal during a family holiday Over the years former GP turned medical worker Mrs McCann, 50, has given heartfelt media interviews about her loss, which once became so unbearable she contemplated taking her own life. Her husband has also spoken out but usually to talk about the police investigation into her disappearance and has rarely discussed his own grief. Maddie's father will reiterate 'his absolute determination to keep looking for Madeleine', a spokesperson for the one-off arts programme told MailOnline. Prince Harry was involved in a similarly candid interview in 2017, where he defied British royal tradition by discussing years of pain and mental health struggles. In the podcast interview with Telegraph columnist Bryony Gordon he tied his issues to directly to the grief of losing his mother. Over the years Kate, 50, has given heartfelt media interviews about her loss, but her husband has rarely talked about his grief Coincidentally the show: 'Pearl: Two Fathers Two Daughters' will be aired in a fortnight, just a day before Scotland Yard's funding for their Maddie inquiry, codenamed Operation Grange, is due to run out. It will weave together two voices of grief to reflect loss and consolation - one of the present day Gerry McCann and one from 600 years ago. Maddie's father, a world renowned heart doctor at Leicester's Glenfield Hospital, will be giving 'a very personal and in depth interview and a rare and unprecedented insight into his life,' the BBC spokesperson added. One of Britain's leading poets Simon Armitage, who reached out and befriended the McCanns' after their loss, translates and dramatises a medieval poem 'Pearl' which recounts a father's grief over the loss of his daughter. The poem will be performed by Game of Thrones star Iain Glen and Casualty actress Grace Doherty with Maddie's father 'powerful' interview. Mr McCann said: 'As a family we'd worked with Simon Armitage before and know what a sensitive, thoughtful writer he is. When I read the Pearl poem, I could see echoes in it with Madeleine's situation and our loss.' The world renowned heart doctor at Leicester's Glenfield Hospital will discuss his own agony in 'honest, personal and sometimes painful terms' for the BBC Radio 4 special show Mr Armitage, who wrote a moving poem The Bacon to mark the harrowing 1,000-day milestone of Maddie's abduction in 2010 remarked: 'Pearl is one of the most moving poems in the language, written by a man grieving over the loss of his young daughter. While translating it into modern English I kept thinking of the McCann family and their daughter Madeleine. I'd written a poem for the family to mark the one thousandth day of her disappearance, spending some time with Kate and talking to her about life without Madeleine and the campaign to find her.' The Professor of Poetry at Oxford University added: 'Gerry's voice hasn't been heard as much, and after reading the poem he agreed to give an extended interview, to tell his side of the story in terms of how men deal with loss and grief in a world where they're usually expected to stay strong and silent. I knew that religion plays an important part in the McCann's family life, as it does for the author of Pearl, who seeks consolation through his faith.' The McCanns' from Rothley, Leicestershire, who have 13-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, are devout Roman Catholics, although Maddie's loss has made her father question his faith at times during a particularly low periods. The doctor's new-found openness to help others cope with loss comes after Prince Harry, now Duke of Sussex, spoke about his struggles with mental health in a groundbreaking podcast interview on May 2017 with the Daily Telegraph's Bryony Gordon for her revered 'Mad World' series. The young royal spoke openly about bottling up his emotions and being unable to grieve for years after the loss of his mother Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in Paris in August 1997. Later this month on the afternoon of September 29 Mr McCann will broadcast his own battles following the loss of his daughter in the world's biggest ever baffling missing child cases. Maddie's father will reiterate 'his absolute determination to keep looking for Madeleine', a BBC spokesperson told MailOnline A BBC show spokesperson told MailOnline: 'We look at Gerry's experiences, his thoughts and feelings, and the wider context in society of mental health issues surrounding a loss. 'Susan Roberts, our producer, has already interviewed Gerry over the past few weeks, it has been recorded and we are now doing the final edit. It's very emotional and helps get across the point of view of mental illness associated with a loss or bereavement of a family member or friend, that there is no stigma in men opening up and discussing emotions with someone is important. 'In our show there is a parallel between the poem of a father's loss and the real life experience, reflecting the two.' The Middle English poem 'Pearl' written by an unknown author sees a father lamenting the loss of his daughter, who returns to him in a dream to help him come to terms with her absence. The anonymous poet demonstrates that grief for loved ones is the hardest grief of all as he seeks consolation in the idea of heaven and the power of prayer. The original manuscript, now held in the British Library, has been dated to the late 14th century. Eight years ago Mr Armitage wrote a poem entitled The Beacon, which was read at an event marking 1,000 days of Maddie's disappearance. It has since been repeated during anniversary gatherings to remember the missing girl at the war memorial in her home village, and read by her great aunt, local resident and church goer Janet Kennedy. At the time the author said: 'My poem drew on the imagery of the photograph of Madeleine in missing posters around the world as well as the candle her parents keep burning in a lantern in their village square. On my part, like a lot of people, it's something that, right from the beginning, I felt moved by. 'They have hope and that's what keeps them going. For as long as that's the case they have a parent's duty and it's their fierce desire to keep looking for her.' The McCanns praised the poem, saying: 'We think it is an incredible and really beautiful sonnet. It manages to convey so accurately and succinctly both our darker moments and the reality of hope and possibility, as well as including powerful and touching references to Madeleine.' The House intelligence committee chairman said Sunday he plans to release the transcripts of dozens of private interviews conducted during its investigation into Russian election-meddling and would push the director of national intelligence to declassify others. 'I think full transparency is in order here, so I expect to make those (transcripts) available from our committee to the American public here in the next few weeks,' said Republican Congressman Devin Nunes months after the GOP colleague who led the investigation said such a release could have a 'chilling impact' on testimony in future inquiries. He said the committee interviewed nearly 70 people, and he estimated that about 70 percent to 80 percent of those interviews are not classified. 'Those need to be published, and they need to be published, I think, before the election,' which is Nov. 6, Nunes told Fox News Channel's 'Sunday Morning Futures.' Members of Trump's campaign were among those interviewed Devin Nunes said he plans to make the interviews public in the next few weeks Members of the Trump campaign, FBI officials, and various intelligence community officials from the Obama administration were all interviewed as part of the committee's investigation, according to the Daily Caller. Nunes said he hoped it would take Dan Coats, the national intelligence director, only 'a matter of days' to act once Nunes made his request about the classified depositions, and 'they don't do their normal foot-dragging where they slow roll and we don't get these before the election.' Making the transcripts available can only be done by committee vote. Committee Democrats have said they want the transcripts made public. The committee already has released a handful of transcripts, but only in cases where the witness insisted on a public disclosure. GOP Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas, who led the investigation, said in March, when the committee completed a draft of its final report that found no coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign, that he decided against releasing the whole transcripts for fear it could hinder future probes. Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the highest ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, called upon Nunes to schedule a meeting 'immediately' so members could vote on releasing the transcripts. The Schiff has favored complete disclosure so the public could make its own judgment about the witnesses. 'The American people deserve to see what we uncovered, the questions witnesses refused to answer,' Schiff said in a statement released Sunday. That is the approach Nunes is taking, saying he wanted Americans to 'see the work that we did and they can see all the people that were interviewed by us and their answers to those questions.' Nunes said 'there's so much that's out there that's misinformation or disinformation on this 'Russia-gate' fiasco that we need this information out before the election.' That both Republicans and Democrats want the transcripts released underscores the partisan lens through which each side has viewed the investigation. Republicans are likely to say that the content of the interviews proves there was no evidence of collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia; Democrats probably would say they prove there was evidence. The Senate intelligence committee is still conducting its own investigation and has interviewed far more witnesses than the shorter House probe. The chairman, North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr, has said he won't release committee documents, so it is unclear whether any of those interviews will ever become public. Anyone who's used a dating app will likely have their fair share of cringeworthy stories - but one California woman's tale of her date-from-hell may just take the cake. Ryann Miller posted a Twitter thread this week about her recent rendezvous with a man named Brandon whom she met on Bumble, detailing his inconsiderate behavior on the date before he allegedly stiffed her with a $50 check and later twisted the knife by sending a text calling her 'fatty'. The 28-year-old's thread has since gone viral on social media as hundreds of fellow bad-date victims express their condolences and share similar stories. Ryann Miller shared a story about a recent 'Bumble date from hell' in a Twitter thread on Friday, detailing how she'd been stiffed with a $50 bill at a bar in Huntington Beach, California, before her nightmare date twisted the knife by sending a text calling her 'fatty' Miller began the thread by introducing Brandon, a 38-year-old father she'd met on Bumble Miller began her story on Friday in a tweet that read: 'Hello, Twitter! Welcome to the @bumble date from hell: a thread.' In the next tweet she introduces the date in question, 38-year-old Brandon, along with a picture from his profile before launching into the story. 'We decided on a bar on Main Street and sat down for drinks. The whole way to the bar he talked about bad dates he had, so I shared a few as well. When we sat down, he continued to s**t all over girls my age and our expectations of men,' she wrote. 'Anyway, he was completely rude to our waitress because she didnt walk over to our table fast enough when he finished his first beer. He threw his menu on the floor like a literal baby and then spoke to her in a disgustingly sarcastic and degrading tone.' She went on: 'He asked me if he was being an asshole and I said yes. He then went on to tell me to lighten up and a bunch of other irrelevant nonsense. 'Three beers and a steak dinner later, he asks if I mind if he uses the restroom. Personally, he cant walk away from the table fast enough so I can use my phone for more than 5 seconds without feeling like a jerk.' The following tweet, number eight in the thread, shows a picture of a text Brandon sent minutes later, which reads: 'Thanks for dinner! Hard no welcome to Cali fatty.' Her response to that text was a brief: 'Are you serious' with no punctuation. Five minutes after Brandon got up to go to the bathroom, he sent Ryann a text that said: 'Thanks for dinner! Hard no welcome to Cali fatty' In the next several tweets Ryann writes: 'I sit there for a minute and process what just happened, then I realize that this bill still needs to be paid. I walk up the waitress at @hbblonde and tell her what happened. 'She walks away for a few and comes back and tells me her manager says that the $50 bill still needs to be paid. Mind you, all I had was a $6 beer.' Bringing the story to a close, Ryann wrote: 'The worst part about all of this? Hes a FATHER! To GIRLS!!! And @haann143 [Ryann's friend Hannah Miller] did some further digging and found that his Instagram is full of racist posts, and creeper shots of people he considers "fat". 'Moral of the story: do your research FIRST, gal pals. We are all beautiful women who deserve to be loved, regardless of our size, race, ability, sexuality, WHATEVER. Dont ever let anybody make you feel anything different. WE. ARE. WORTHY. #ryannout.' Hours later, after the thread had already received hundreds of reactions on Twitter, Ryann tweeted that she'd reached out to Bumble to delete Brandon's account, which they quickly did. It does not appear that the Brandon in question has reacted to the saga. DailyMail.com reached out to Ryann for comment. She said she has been using dating apps for several years. With space at a premium in the capital, luxurious basement extensions have become a must-have for West London's well-heeled residents. But one interior designer's revamp has resulted in a costly legal wrangle, following botched work on her 3million flat. Olivia Walton was ordered to pay 114,000 to her neighbour after the ambitious extension project caused a catalogue of misery. The 28-year-old's builders are accused of damaging the two-storey flat above hers, owned by business consultant Michele Napp. Interior designer, Olivia Walton (left), faces judge over revamp which owners of upstairs luxury pad, Michele Napp, (right) say left their walls cracked, a window subsided and dust everywhere Miss Walton claims she cannot afford the payout, despite earning up to 8,000 a month in rent from the luxury Chelsea townhouse, which is currently occupied by a TV actress. Instead, her lawyers offered to compensate Mrs Napp at a rate of just 1,500 a month, a deal which would take more than six years to complete. Mrs Napp, 57, said: 'This has almost bankrupted me. It has been awful. 'I have lost so much. I am utterly shocked at their behaviour. Olivia said she only had 30,000 and no trust fund or assets. Miss Walton claims she cannot afford the payout, despite earning up to 8,000 a month in rent from the luxury townhouse 'Her boyfriend paid the rent. All she has are the clothes she is wearing. I don't know about them but she has a few Hermes handbags and they are certainly worth something.' Details of the stand-off emerged as a judge at Westminster magistrates' court was asked to enforce the debt. Miss Walton, who works for luxury interior designer Laura Hammett, did not attend because of an administrative blunder. She will attend a full hearing tomorrow to settle the bitter row, which has dragged on for almost four years. Images posted online show her on a yacht and holidaying across Europe while posing with a variety of designer handbags. Her father is a property developer whose latest venture controls student accommodation near their 4.6million family home in Jesmond, Newcastle. Mrs Napp claims the building work left her floors and walls cracked, a window subsided, she was inundated with dust and her tenant fled. She brought a case under the Party Wall Act and won a total of 113,860, including 52,400 for the damage alone. Her barrister Edward Blakeney told the court: 'The rest was for cleaning bills, loss of rental income and payment of the surveyor itself. No such payment has been made under this award at all.' The judge was told Miss Walton offered to pay Mrs Napp at 1,500 a month. Miss Walton's lawyers offered to compensate Mrs Napp for the damage to the townhouse (pictured) at a rate of just 1,500 a month But Mr Blakeney added: 'That would take 6.3 years to pay off. Miss Walton rents out the property for 8,000 a month. The defendant has ample assets by which they can satisfy this debt.' Miss Walton informed the court she was unable to attend but the other parties were not informed. Speaking after the case, Mrs Napp, a senior figure at global consultancy firm KPMG, said: 'I have never in my life seen such shoddy workmanship. In total, my losses are more than 750,000. 'The actual restoration which has been awarded does not cover the real issue of where the floors have moved as well as the windows and doors. For the first six months as they excavated underground the dust and pollution was extreme.' Police have dropped a terror investigation into the wife of jailed hate preacher Anjem Choudary ahead of his release from jail. Rubana Akhtar, 43, faced an inquiry by Scotland Yards counter-terrorism command after being filmed leading a secret group of British women supporting IS. The mother of five, who has spent years living on benefits, previously admitted to being the leader of the female wing of Choudarys banned terror group Al-Muhajiroun. Akhtar, pictured below, was filmed promoting IS by an undercover reporter and abusing filthy Jews while her husband was being investigated by police in 2015. Police have dropped a terror investigation into Rubana Akhtar (above), 43, the wife of jailed hate preacher Anjem Choudary, ahead of his release from jail But after an 18-month inquiry, police say she has not committed any terror offences. The news comes as government figures reveal that one terrorist is being released from jail nearly every week. The Home Office says 46 prisoners held for terror offences were let out between March 2017 and 2018. Of those, 17 had sentences of four years or more while one was released after being given an indeterminate sentence for public protection. The news comes as government figures reveal that one terrorist is being released from jail nearly every week. Pictured: Five bomb plotters recruited by Anjem Choudary The number of terror suspects in jail hit a record 218 last year. The failure of the case against Akhtar follows news that her husband, a notorious hate preacher who inspired a generation of terrorists, is being prepared for release from prison next month. Choudary, 51, will be freed after serving half a 66-month sentence for drumming up support for IS in 2016. For 20 years he espoused poisonous views with impunity, delivering sermons inspiring beheadings and bomb plots worldwide. He is thought to have helped 110 British jihadists travel to Syria to fight for Islamic State. Five of his followers will also be freed after being convicted of atrocities including plots to blow up the London Stock Exchange and Royal Wootton Bassett, the Wiltshire town where the bodies of soldiers killed in Afghanistan are honoured. Choudary, 51, has served half a 66-month sentence for drumming up support for IS in 2016 His wifes role running a secretive Islamic sisterhood remained under wraps until the group was infiltrated by an undercover reporter for Channel 4 Dispatches who spent a year covertly filming their clandestine meetings. Akhtar, who admitted running the female wing of Al-Muhajiroun before it was banned in 2010, was secretly filmed in 2015 praising IS as an Islamic caliphate at the study group to recruit Muslim women with children. Referring to IS as the Khilafah, Choudarys wife, who now calls herself Umm Luqman, said: The good days have already begun, nobody ever have thought in our lifetime we would see the establishment of the Khilafah. She claimed in front of children that what the Government calls extremism was simply being a good Muslim, adding that the statement There is no god but Allah... makes you Muslim and is a rejection of democracy and the rule of law. Nazir Afzal, the former chief prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service in the North West, said Akhtars support for IS was extremely dangerous. Following the broadcast of the programme in November 2015, police began an investigation. But after almost two years, officers have dropped the probe. A police spokesman said yesterday: Inquiries found no evidence of terrorism or other offences having been committed. Mike Huckabee was friends with the Israeli man who was stabbed in front of a mall in the occupied West Bank on Sunday. The former Arkansas governor shared a picture of himself with Ari Fuld, 40, on Twitter and said he was 'sickened' by his death. 'Senseless gutless murder today of Ari Fuld in Efrat, Israel,' he wrote. 'This is savage!' 'Ari stabbed in back. I was just with him in July. I'm sickened by this. This photo reminds me he deserved better.' Mike Huckabee was friends with Ari Fuld, the Israeli man who was stabbed in front of a mall in the occupied West Bank on Sunday. They are pictured here together The former Arkansas governor shared a picture of himself with Ari Fuld, 40, on Twitter and said he was 'sickened' by his death Huckabee also wrote that Fuld's murder was a reminder that 'there will be no peace until PA stops rewarding terrorists who kill Jews'. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also shared his condolences on social media. 'In the name of every citizen of Israel, I send my condolences to the family of Ari Fuld, who was murdered today in a terrorist attack in Gush Etzion,' he wrote. 'With his last strength, Ari fought heroically against the terrorist and prevented a greater tragedy.' 'Ari was a wonderful father to four children. He was an advocate for Israel who fought to spread the truth about Israel. May his memory be a blessing.' Official Palestinian news agency WAFA described the murderer as a 'young man' from the West Bank village of Yatta. He was shot by a civilian after the attack. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also shared his condolences on social media Netanyahu revealed that Fuld was a father to four children and 'was an advocate for Israel' The report said the teen was not severely wounded. The incident took place at the Gush Etzion Junction south of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, according to Israel's military, which provided the details of the stabbing. Video footage shared on social media shows the assailant approaching Fuld near the mall entrance and stabbing him. He is then pursued by civilians and shot nearby. The stabbing comes just days after Israelis shot dead knife-wielding Palestinian at checkpoint. The incident took place at the Gush Etzion Junction south of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Fuld is pictured here with his wife Miriam The teen who murdered Fuld was shot by a civilian after the horrific attack, which occurred in broad daylight on Saturday The wounded Palestinian is dragged away from the scene on a stretcher after being shot Israeli forensic policemen inspect the site where Fuld was fatally on Saturday There is regular friction between Israelis and Palestinians at the junction, which lies near a major Israeli settlement bloc and has been the site of numerous attacks. A wave of Palestinian knife attacks against Israelis broke out in 2015, but they have since become sporadic. On September 3, a Palestinian wielding a knife approached an Israeli military checkpoint near the hardline Kiryat Arba settlement in the Hebron area and was shot dead by soldiers, according to the army. There are concerns that tensions between Israelis and Palestinians will increase this month as Jews celebrate their high holidays and pay more visits to holy sites. Lewis Bennett, whose wife mysteriously vanished as the newlyweds sailed off the Cuban coast A sailor murdered his wife and deliberately sank their catamaran to inherit her estate and end their 'marital strife', prosecutors have alleged. Lewis Bennett, from Poole, Dorset, was smuggling rare stolen coins when he was rescued alone off the coast of Cuba without his wife Isabella Hellmann. Prosecutors in the US have extensively detailed what they believe to be Bennett's motives, after the FBI charged him with murder. Court papers filed this week also revealed Ms Hellmann's family bugged her condo in Delray Beach, Florida, to listen to Bennett's conversations because they suspected him in her disappearance. The newlyweds were sailing towards their US home in May last year when Bennett made an SOS call saying the 41-year-old former estate agent was missing and the vessel was sinking. Prosecutor Benjamin Greenberg asked a Florida judge to admit into evidence conversations with loved ones where Ms Hellmann is said to have discussed rows over a mooted move to Australia, their dire finances and the raising of their daughter. He argued they show the pair were 'consistently' rowing, adding: 'With potentially one of the arguments ultimately resulting in the murder of Hellmann.' 'Hellmann's murder would remove the marital strife from the defendant's life, allow the defendant to live his life as he pleased, and would enable him to inherit money from Hellmann's estate, all of which provide strong circumstantial proof that the defendant had a strong motive to murder Hellmann,' he continued. If Ms Hellmann is presumed dead as Bennett, 41, has requested he would inherit her condo and the contents of her bank account. Prosecutor Benjamin Greenberg asked a Florida judge to admit into evidence conversations with loved ones where Ms Hellmann (pictured) is said to have discussed rows over a mooted move to Australia Isabella Hellmann disappeared while sailing off the coast of the archipelago with her engineer husband of just three months Lewis Bennett The newlyweds were sailing towards their US home in May last year when Bennett made an SOS call saying the 41-year-old former estate agent was missing and the vessel was sinking (pictured together with their daughter) Prosecutors also alleged she may have discovered he was in possession of the gold and silver coins stolen from his former employer in St Maarten, which could have made her an accomplice in the smuggling crime. This 'potentially led to an intense argument resulting in Hellmann's murder', Mr Greenberg wrote. The FBI accused the British-Australian of intentionally scuttling the 37ft vessel and he is serving a seven-month jail term after admitting transporting the coins worth 38,480 dollars (29,450). Ms Hellmann's body is yet to be found. Bennett is due to go on trail accused of second degree murder in December. Ms Hellmann's body is yet to be found Wyoming officials have trapped and killed two grizzly bears they believe killed a hunting outfitter and injured his client. Wyoming Game and Fish Department regional supervisor Brad Hovinga said Sunday the grizzlies that were killed matched the description of those that killed married father-of-five 37-year-old hunting outfitter Mark Uptain. Hovinga suspects the bears were a sow and its grown cub. He tells the Jackson Hole News & Guide the bears weren't behaving normally. Uptain's body was found Saturday in the Teton Wilderness east of Grand Teton National Park. Corey Chubon of Florida had leg, chest and arm injuries but was released from a hospital. Sarah Uptain, left, with her husband Mark, right, who was killed after being attacked by two grizzly bears Mark Uptain (pictured in a green t-shirt), with his family, wife Sarah is second from right. Uptain, a married father of five, was attacked on September 14 as he worked as a guide. Rauli Perry, a family friend has set up a GoFundMe page, to help support his widow Sarah which raised more than $30,000 within its first 24 hours. She wrote 'Mark Uptain passed away in a tragic hunting accident on September 14th. 'He was doing one of activities he had extreme passion for. 'An experienced hunting guide in the backcountry of Wyoming. While preparing to pack a Elk out, Mark was attacked by a Bear and sadly did not make it. Mark Uptain who was killed in a grizzly bear attack while hunting in Wyoming Uptain was an experienced hunting guide. Pictured above on a previous trip. A GoFundMe page to help support Uptain's family set up by a friend of his wife Sarah 'Even more then the outdoors Mark loved his beautiful wife Sarah and their 5 amazing kids. 'Please give what you can or share to help this family in their time of need. I have been best friends with Sarah since the 2nd grade, we have done a lot of life together. 'I know I can't take away the pain, but if we can help support Sarah to be able to focus on the kids and not worry about finances. 'Thank you all.' Uptain's former employer posted an emotional tribute on Facebook Martin Outfitters, Uptain's employer, posted an emotional tribute on Facebook. The post said 'Words cannot express the tragedy we have just gone through. 'Mark Uptain, who was my right hand man in the field, my friend, my brother, was surprised attacked in the field while quartering up an elk and sadly did not make it. 'Mark was a God-fearing man who lived for and loved his family, including a wife and 5 kids. I ask that you would keep the Uptain family in your thoughts and prays and if led to do so, help support the family through the heart-breaking time. 'We love you Mark and you will be greatly missed.' Corey Chubon has spoken of the attack which left his guide dead Chubon was hospitalized with injuries to his arms, legs and chest The men planned to retrieve an elk Chubon had killed on Thursday but were unable to retrieve. The bears apparently weren't feeding on the elk or guarding the meat. They returned on Friday, when they were attacked. Chubon, speaking to WESH 2 News, said 'I don't even know if I would ever even imagine seeing something like that happening in my life. 'In probably one of the most poignant moments of all of it, when that bear did have me by the back of the leg, thinking to myself, this is it, this is my death, this is how I'm dying.' Chubon was able to break away and call for help but received injuries to his leg, chest, and arm. He was airlifted to hospital and discharged on Saturday. The attack is still under investigation. The pair were hunting elk in the Teton Wilderness, east of Grand Teton National Park A boy of 17 established his own county line in Norwich after running away from home. The teenager from Norfolk set up his own phone line nicknamed Carlos and became what was described as a self-employed drug dealer. He was caught after meeting an undercover officer known as Tommo in a local park on March 6 and telling him he was doing his own thing. When he was jailed last month for two years and eight months after admitting running his own county line, prosecutor Chris Youell described him as a competent drug dealer. He told Norwich Crown Court that Tommo had known the teenager for two months and he was considered to be heavily involved in dealing Class A drugs on the streets of Norwich. In January he had previously been arrested by a uniformed officer who had been looking for him as a missing person. The schoolboy was found to have several phones and a number of drug wraps, but was released under investigation. Mr Youell said: Having been caught red-handed that doesnt seem to have stopped him from carrying on to make his living as a drug dealer. He knew the police were looking at him but he carried on. When the youth, said to have a previous history of criminal behaviour, was caught in March he admitted being involved in two county line drug networks in Norwich, including the one he set up himself. Nicholas Stewart, mitigating, said of the teenager, who cannot be named due to his age and now lives with a foster carer: He is moving away from his previous history of criminal behaviour and starting to recognise the consequences of his offending. THE 16-YEAR-OLD SELLING DRUGS IN A KINDER EGG A boy of 16 sold wraps of heroin in Norwich stashed in a Kinder egg. The schoolboy, who was one of the youngest drug dealers to be charged under Norfolk Polices Operation Granary, was caught selling drugs in the middle of a snowstorm. Prosecutor Chris Youell told Norwich Crown Court he was involved in dealing to Tommo between February 27 and March 6, even selling heroin on the worst day of the Beast from the East. Everything in Norwich had ground to a halt apart from, it would appear, activities such as this, he said. No doubt there were many customers desperate for drugs. He was very much part of a very active group dealing to other customers. Tommo observed him on one occasion with 30 wraps in a plastic bag and a further 15 in a Kinder egg. Damien Moore, mitigating for the teenager, who admitted the offences, said it was his first experience in the criminal justice system. He said: He was taken outside Great Yarmouth and placed into care in a home in Norwich. He says it was somewhere he felt unsafe. Until he came to Norwich he was unknown to the police, and it is very clear whatever influences he was subjected to, this was entirely out of character for him. His remorse and willingness to change will stand him in good stead. Last month the 16-year-old was given a two-year youth rehabilitation order with two years of supervision. THE TEENAGE CUCKOOS FROM LONDON AND HERTFORDSHIRE Idris Mohammed, 19, a drug runner in Kilburn Idris Mohammed left his care placement in North London to take over a flat in Norwich where he sold heroin on behalf of a county lines gang. The 19-year-old drug runner, from Kilburn, teamed up with Kamal John, 18, who was in care in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, who was described as a bright teenager wanting to earn extra cash ahead of university. The pair, who became the main phone holders for a county line known as Rico, took over a flat in Norwich as their base, forcing the occupants to flee for their lives. Police were tipped off after the tenant of the flat fled and arrested the pair at the property on January 11. They found nine wraps of heroin and the Rico dealing phone, which contained mass texts sent out to advertise drugs deals to customers. Both teenagers were released under investigation into local authority care before being re-arrested in April. When they were arrested a second time, police found a knife and 1,000 in profits. When they were sentenced last month, David Stewart, defending John, described him as an erudite and personable teenager who had applied for university. He said John had been unable to give up drug dealing before being caught as he felt pressurised by those above him. Mr Stewart added: He has gone down this road and he cant go back because he is at the behest of those who are more senior. Judge Anthony Bate handed John a two year detention and training order after he admitted six offences of dealing heroin and cocaine to an undercover officer on five occasions. Mohammed was jailed for three years and four months as he was said to be more seriously involved in the network. Joe Hingston, mitigating for Mohammed, said he had only recently left care before he found himself in Norwich. He added: He is a street dealer - the person most exposed to arrest in this operation. It is a wretched existence. There is certainly nothing glamorous about the role he was undertaking - living in drug users houses in squalid conditions in Norwich. THE 17-YEAR-OLD GIRL SELLING FROM A TAXI Lauren Brown was 17 and extremely vulnerable when she became a drug dealer for a county lines network known as Buzz. She was caught by an undercover officer after selling him drugs from a taxi. Daniel Taylor, prosecuting, told Norwich Crown Court: In interview she said she had begun to do some runs to earn some money but she didnt end up being paid. After she started taking Class A drugs herself, Buzz didnt want her working for him any more. She felt under pressure to buy drugs but only because she needed money. Gavin Cowe, mitigating, said: She fell prey to those with drug habits and addictions also involved in this type of behaviour. She was under their direction for a brief period of time. He added: The money was for the very basics to provide food and keep a roof over her head. This is a case of a young, naive, vulnerable person becoming caught up in offending as a last resort. Brown, now 18, was given a youth rehabilitation order for two years with supervision requirement earlier this month. THE ASYLUM SEEKER MANAGING A COUNTY LINES GANG Ali Khan, 26, a Pakistani asylum seeker Ali Khan had a management function in a county lines drug-dealing network called Chris. The 26-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker, from Stratford, East London, was said to be in the upper reaches of the gang and was caught cruising around Norwich peddling drugs from BMWs and Mercedes. The career criminal, who had six previous convictions for nine offences including robbery, possessing an offensive weapon and drug dealing, was eventually captured after an undercover officer named Tommo befriended a number of drug addicts. One addict was very productive unwittingly, giving the undercover officer numbers for Chris and other drug networks. Khan was arrested on April 11 when police pulled him over in a Mercedes in Norwich. He tried to swallow wraps of drugs before being held. Police found a Samsung phone and two black Nokia phones in the car. One was the phone used by the Chris network. Officers also recovered 35 wraps of cocaine, 18 wraps of heroin and 709 in cash from the vehicle. Lynne Shirley, defending Khan, told a court he had been having difficulties with his immigration status and had lost his job which had left him depressed, suicidal and reliant on drugs for support. He was leant 300 by his dealer to pay for an immigration solicitor, and was required to pay the debt back by back by acting as a driver, she said. The married father of one claimed that the drug wraps, cash and the Chris network phone were only given to him shortly before his car was stopped. But the court heard that he had previously been jailed for 28 months in 2013 after being found in a car in Norwich with a large quantity of heroin and cocaine, and four mobile phones. Judge Anthony Bate said Khan had an unenviable criminal record and he was satisfied that he fell into the upper reaches of a significant role in supplying Class A drugs. Khan was jailed for four years earlier this month after he admitted supplying heroin and possessing heroin and cocaine with intent to supply. Eddie Stannard (pictured) and brother Steve let their flat to a teenage drug dealer from London When twins Steve and Eddie Stannard struck a deal to let a teenage drug dealer from London take over their Norwich flat to sell drugs, they thought he would be a free source of heroin. Just five days later, Steve, a 37-year-old addict, was stabbed to death by their house guest Hassiem Baqir, 19, who also turned the machete-style blade on his victims border collie. Then, with what a judge later described as callous indifference, Baqir went to the cinema for the afternoon. The shocking murder, in November 2016, left a bloody trail that would lead detectives to a London drugs gang and kickstart a mammoth operation. Norfolk Police launched Operation Gravity to tackle the new phenomenon of county lines drug gangs, eventually trapping more than 700 drug dealers across the county. The practice of taking over the home of a vulnerable person by drug dealers is known as cuckooing, after the bird which takes over the nests of others. Their flat in Bowers Avenue, Norwich (pictured) was the scene of a brutal murder as Hassiem Baqir, 19, killed Steve Eddie Stannard later gave evidence at Baqirs trial to say he was not happy about their flat being invaded by the teenager, who was being paid 100 a day to be a runner for a London gang. But he said: It aint easy to say no. Now 39, he was jailed for three years for dealing heroin in the latest of a series of prosecutions sparked by his brothers death. Official statistics show that offences involving violence against the person in the region rose 117 per cent from 8,294 in 2013 to 18,002 in 2017 in the region. The number of robberies in Norfolk - many drug related rose by 140 per cent in the same period. In some instances, addicts were being stabbed over drugs debts as little as 10. Assistant Chief Constable Paul Sanford said: We were seeing a level of violence that was out of place in Norfolk, a level of violence we hadnt seen before. It was at that point that we thought we really needed to act. Undercover officers infiltrated drug networks providing crucial intelligence which led to arrests of suspects from towns and cities across the country including London, Bristol, Portsmouth and Teesside. Following the success of Operation Gravity, the force mounted a second investigation codenamed Granary, in which a remarkably courageous undercover officer known as Tommo spent six months systematically infiltrating local drug networks resulting in 72 prosecutions so far. Mr Sanford said: Such has been the level of arrests that we are now hearing on the grapevine that offenders are talking about our operation by name and starting to identify Norfolk as a difficult place to operate and thats why we have been doing what we have been doing. Hassiem Baqir, 19, from Thornton Heath, London was sentenced to 20 years in prison at Norwich Crown Court (pictured) Thats far from saying the problem has gone away. Its a wicked problem which will keep coming back and we have really had to work hard to reduce the scale of the threat. Through 714 arrests and the huge level of resources and time weve put into it, we have reduced the number of county lines and I genuinely think that our work has reduced levels of serious violence in the county. Norwich has one of the highest rates of deaths from illegal drugs in the country. The only towns nationwide with a higher rate are Swansea, Port Talbot and Hartlepool. Mr Sanford said: The next stage of our work will be looking about how we can prevent young people getting involved in the first place. We are now commencing some work with our local childrens department to look at how we can put in place some preventative work, so as soon as we identify a 12-year-old or a child who is on the fringes of this criminality we can divert them into something better. Thats got to be our ambition. Last year we funded assemblies in every high school for Year 8 children advising them of the risks and threat associated with county lines. Mr Sanford said protecting the children involved was a priority. We had one case where an individual of 12 years of age was arrested. The important thing to say is that children of that age in the majority of cases, they themselves have been exploited and just because that child is arrested does not mean that there is a criminal justice process that follows. Indeed sometimes that arrest is the safest way to get that child out of the problems they are in and we will then be more concerned about safeguarding them. Chris Youell, a senior prosecutor with CPS East of England who has dealt with many Operation Granary and Gravity cases, has likened the battle against county lines to cutting the head off a hydra. When a 17-year-old was caught acting as a phone holder for a county line in Norfolk, Mr Youell argued against giving him bail, telling a judge: To say the chain has been broken would be a little optimistic. When the foot soldiers are arrested these groups get a new phone number and start again. Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, whose vote could make or break Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination, is indicating he would vote no on the nominee unless he hears from Christine Blasey Ford. Flake, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, would be the key vote on a committee split between 11 Republicans and ten Democrats. 'If they push forward without any attempt with hearing what she's had to say, I'm not comfortable voting yes,' Flake, who is retiring from the Senate this year, told Politico. 'We need to hear from her. And I don't think I'm alone in this,' he said. The retiring senator declined to say whether Kavanaugh should withdraw his nomination. 'I'm not responding to that question at all,' he said And Flake told The Washington Post: 'For me, we can't vote until we hear more,' he said. Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, whose vote could make or break Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination, is indicating he would vote no on the nominee unless he hears from Christine Blasey Ford Brett Kavanaugh needs to be voted out of the Judiciary Committee before his nomination can move to the Senate floor Kavanaugh needs to get through the Senate Judiciary Committee before Republican leaders can schedule a floor vote to finalize his confirmation. If Flake votes no in committee, given the Democratic opposition, it would be a tie-vote and that means Kavanaugh would not have the committee's recommendation to be confirmed. His nomination could still be brought to a vote to the Senate floor but, given the Republicans 51-seat majority, if Flake votes no again, the GOP cannot lose a single other senator if all Democrats vote no and Vice President Mike Pence would be the tie breaking vote. In 1991, Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas passed out of the Judiciary Committee on a tie 7-7 vote. He was confirmed by the entire Senate 52-48. Kavanaugh's committee vote is scheduled for Thursday although Democrats are trying to delay it. Flake is retiring from the Senate after this year - a decision he made after repeated hammering from Trump. He has been a harsh critic of the president both during the presidential campaign and since Trump took office. Meanwhile, Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Republican chairman of the Judiciary panel, is working to schedule followup phone calls between Kavanaugh, Ford, and committee staff on both sides of the aisle. 'The Chairman and ranking member routinely hold bipartisan staff calls with nominees when updates are made to nominees' background files. Given the late addendum to the background file and revelations of Dr. Ford's identity, Chairman Grassley is working to set up such followup calls with Judge Kavanaugh and Dr. Ford ahead of Thursday's scheduled vote,' he said in a statement Sunday evening. But some Democrats are grumbling a phone call may not be enough. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said the committee may need to delay their Thursday vote Sen. Susan Collins said she will be 'talking with my colleagues' about whether Thursday's committee vote should go forward Ford is willing to testify publicly and before the committee. 'She's willing to do whatever it takes to get her story forth, yes,' her attorney Debra Katz told NBC's 'Today Show' on Monday morning. Flake isn't the only Republican who wants to hear from Ford, whose bomb shell interview in The Washington Post on Sunday rocked the foundations of Kavanaugh's nomination. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said he was willing to have Ford testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee but he wants it done before Thursday's scheduled vote. 'If (Christine Blasley) Ford wishes to provide information to the committee, I would gladly listen to what she has to say and compare that against all other information we have received about Judge Kavanaugh,' Graham said in a statement on Sunday. 'If the committee is to hear from Ms. Ford, it should be done immediately so the process can continue as scheduled,' he added. Republican Sen. Bob Corker made a similar statement to Graham's to Politico, saying a delay 'would be best for all involved, including the nominee.' Corker's vote is critical if Kavanaugh's nomination comes to the full Senate. Additionally, two of the other key Republican votes in the Senate are women - Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins - neither of whom face voters this year and both of whom said they are with holding judgement of Kavanaugh until after his confirmation hearing is concluded. Collins told CNN Sunday evening that she's 'very surprised' about the Kavanaugh allegation and 'it's an issue that I brought up with him last Friday and he denied' it. She said she will be 'talking with my colleagues' about whether Thursday's committee vote should go forward. Murkowski says the committee 'might' need to consider delaying a vote on Kavanaugh. 'Well, I think that might be something they might have to consider, at least having that discussion,' Murkowski told CNN late Sunday night. 'This is not something that came up during the hearings. The hearings are now over, and if there is real substance to this, it demands a response. That may be something the committee needs to look into,' she said. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, called for Kavanaugh's Thursday's vote to be delayed Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, left, has also called for a delay Brett Kavanaugh is President Trump's second nominee to the Supreme Court The White House was hoping to pick up some Democratic votes - particularly Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota - all of whom voted for Trump's first nominee Neil Gorsuch and who face voters this fall in their home states, which the president carried in the 2016 election. All have said they are undecided. Also undecided are Democratic Senators Jon Tester of Montana and Claire McCaskill of Missouri, both of whom are in tough re-election contests in states Trump carried in 2016. Democrats are calling for Thursday's vote to be delayed until sexual assault allegations against him can be investigated. Their revitalized push againstTrump's nominee comes after his accuser publicly identified herself as Christine Blasey Ford, a university professor in California, and offered a chilling account of a high school incident where she alleged Kavanaugh attacked her. Senator Dianne Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the FBI should reconsider its decision and investigate before his nomination comes to a vote before the committee. 'From the outset, I have believed these allegations were extremely serious and bear heavily on Judge Kavanaugh's character. However, as we have seen over the past few days, hey also come at a price for the victim. I hope the attacks and shaming of her will stop and this will be treated with seriousness it deserves,' she said in a statement on Sunday. She concluded: 'It is in the hands of the FBI to conduct an investigation. This should happen before the Senate moves forward on this nomination.' Additionally, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has called on Grassley to postpone Thursday's vote until the allegations are investigated. 'Senator Grassley must postpone the vote until, at a very minimum, these serious and credible allegations are thoroughly investigated. For too long, when woman have made serious allegations of abuse, they have been ignored. That cannot happen in this case,' he said in a statement. 'To railroad a vote now would be an insult to the women of America and the integrity of the Supreme Court,' he added. But so far their cries have fallen on deaf ears. A spokesperson for Grassley told The Washington Post: 'The vote hasn't been rescheduled.' Grassley and other Republicans have questioned the timing of the allegations, noting they have come out days before Kavanaugh is up for a vote. 'It's disturbing that these uncorroborated allegations from more than 35 years ago, during high school, would surface on the even of a committee after Democrats sat on them since July,' Grassley said Sunday in a statement. He added if Feinstein and Democrats 'took this claim seriously, they should have brought it to the full committee's attention much earlier.' He also called on Feinstein to release the letter she received that originally outlined the allegations. He concluded: 'It raises a lot of questions about Democrats' tactics and motives to bring hi to the rest of the committee's attention only now rather than during these many steps along he way. Senator Feinstein should publicly release the letter she received back in July so that everyone can know what she's known for weeks.' The committee voted last week - before talk of an allegation against Kavanaugh became public - to vote on whether to move his nomination forward on Thursday. If Kavanaugh makes it out of committee, Republicans are aiming for a full Senate confirmation before the Supreme Court term begins Oct. 1. Christine Blasey Ford is going public with her allegation against Brett Kavanaugh Christine Blasey Ford said she was worried Brett Kavanaugh might kill her during a drunken high school assault back in the 1980s But one by one Democrats called for a delay after Ford went public with her story, saying she thought Kavanaugh might kill her during an alleged drunken high school attack. 'I thought he might inadvertently kill me,' said Ford, now a 51-year-old research psychologist in northern California, to The Washington Post. 'He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing.' Ford described in detail how, when she was at a teenage party in the 1980s, Kavanaugh and a friend followed her upstairs when she went to the bathroom and pushed her into a bedroom. She detailed how Kavanaugh alleged held her down, tried to rip off her swimsuit, and groped her. She said she escaped when his friend, Mark Judge, jumped on top of them. Kavanaugh has vigorously denied the allegations. Sen. Kamala Harris is one of six Democrats on the committee calling for the Kavanaugh vote o be delayed Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said he's open to having Christine Ford testify Democrats on Sunday praised Ford for coming forward while Republicans rushed to Kavanaugh's defense. Republicans are expected to question Ford's memories and why Democrats sat on the accusations, sources in the White House told Politico. Additionally Trump is expected to go after Ford, those sources said. A lawyer close to the White House told the news website Kavanaugh's nomination will not be withdrawn. 'No way, not even a hint of it,' the lawyer said. 'If anything, it's the opposite. If somebody can be brought down by accusations like this, then you, me, every man certainly should be worried. We can all be accused of something.' Other Republicans point out Kavanaugh has passed numerous FBI background checks when he was White House staff secretary for George W. Bush and as a federal judge, a position that saw him confirmed by the Senate. Democrats on the Judiciary Committee offered a consistent voice on delaying the vote. Seven of the committee Democrats thus far have called for the vote to be delayed. 'At a bare minimum, this week's scheduled committee vote on Judge Kavanaugh's lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court must be postponed until this matter is fully and thoroughly investigated,' said Sen. Cory Booker, who's mentioned as a possible White House 2020 candidate. 'The Senate Judiciary Committee must now give these allegations the serious weight they deserve. They must be fully and fairly investigated. Unquestionably, the Kavanaugh confirmation vote must be delayed,' said Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal. 'This was a very brave step to come forward. It is more important than ever to hit the pause button on Kavanaugh's confirmation vote until we can fully investigate these serious and disturbing allegations. We cannot rush to move forward under this cloud,' said Democratic Sen. Doug Jones. 'Christine Blasey Ford courageously stepped forward to tell her story it is a credible and serious allegation. The Senate has a constitutional responsibility to scrutinize SCOTUS nominees. A vote on Kavanaugh's nomination must be delayed until there is a thorough investigation,' said Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris, who is mentioned as a possible 2020 presidential contender. 'It took a lot of courage for Christine Blasey Ford to come forward to share her story of sexual assault by Brett Kavanaugh. Her story is very credible & I believe her,' said Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono. 'This development is yet another reason not to rush Kavanaugh's nomination.' Christine Blasey (now Ford) and Brett Kavanaugh in their respective high school year books Flake is casting doubt on Kavanaugh's nomination 'I admire the courage Ms. Ford has shown in coming forward with her story. This requires a pause, at a minimum, in the unseemly, special-interest-funded rush to put Brett Kavanaugh on the Court,' said Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse. In late July, Ford sent a letter to Democratic Rep. Anna Eshoo, her California congresswoman, about the high school incident. Eshoo passed the letter to Feinstein. Feinstein passed the letter to the FBI - with Ford's name redacted. The agency declined to investigate but sent it to the White House, who passed it on to all members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. 'Upon receipt of the information on the night of September 12, we included it as part of Judge Kavanaugh's background file, as per the standard process,' the FBI said. As Prime Minister she rarely gets time to put her feet up and watch television. But a new documentary will reveal how Theresa May and her husband Philip like to watch teatime game show The Chase when they can. The BBC Panorama programme, to be screened tonight, shows the couple catching up over a cup of tea in front of the television. A new documentary will reveal how Theresa May and her husband Philip like to watch teatime game show The Chase when they can The BBC Panorama programme, to be screened tonight, shows the couple catching up over a cup of tea in front of the television The couple, who celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary earlier this month, met whilst studying at Oxford University Despite working on papers from her red box, Mrs May, 61, chips in with answers to some of the questions on the ITV quiz show. The footage was filmed at the Prime Ministers country residence Chequers on Friday afternoon. Mr May, 60, who had just returned from a business trip to America, is understood to be a fan of quiz shows and also enjoys BBC Twos Eggheads. The couple, who celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary earlier this month, met whilst studying at Oxford University. Mrs May has previously credited her husband with helping her through the tragedy of both her parents passing away when she was aged 25, the year after they had married. Speaking on Desert Island Discs in 2014, she said: I had huge support from my husband, and that was very important for me. He was a real rock for me. Mr May works as a relationship manager at an investment management company in the City. Mr May (left) works as a relationship manager at an investment management company in the City US Border Patrol Agent Juan David Ortiz, 35, was arrested in Laredo, Texas and charged with murder, aggravated assault and unlawful restraint on Saturday The veteran U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent who allegedly killed four sex workers and attempted to murder a fifth targeted women who were addicted to drugs, authorities say. New details have emerged in the arrest of a 'serial killer' border patrol intel supervisor who allegedly launched a two-week murder spree, and was set to kill a fifth woman until she escaped his grasp and alerted authorities. Juan David Ortiz, 35, a 10-year veteran of CBP, was arrested on Saturday morning and by evening was charged with murder in the killings of three female sex workers and one transgender sex worker as well as aggravated assault and unlawful restraint. Ortiz used his prior experience as an agent who was responsible for monitoring drugs and human trafficking along I-35, the main artery connecting Laredo with San Antonio, authorities allege. Authorities say that at least one of his victims was found along that route. News of Ortiz's earlier responsibilities as a Border Patrol agent was reported by The Daily Beast. Ortiz fled state troopers and was found hiding in a truck in a hotel parking lot in Laredo, Texas around 2am. Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz said investigators have 'very strong evidence' that he was the killer of four prostitutes - one of whom was a transgender woman. 'We do consider this to be a serial killer,' Alaniz said. Although authorities haven't revealed how he conducted the killings, cops say they were all killed in a similar fashion. All the murders took place when he was off-duty and in his car - a white four-door Dodge truck. According to his booking records he is being held on $2.5million bond. He was arrested for the slaughter of four prostitutes starting on September 3. His first victim Laredo resident Melissa Ramirez, 29, (left) was found dead on September 4. On Thursday another victim Claudine Luera, 42, (right) was found in critical condition, but later died from wounds. Ortiz was arrested after a fifth woman he kidnapped escaped his clutches half clothed and reported him to police. Cops arrested him in his car in a hotel parking lot at 2am. Pictured above is the scene of where a dead woman's body was found near Interstate 35 on Saturday He was outed after he picked up a fifth woman who later escaped his clutches while half-clothed and alerted police. She claimed that Ortiz was a married father of two young children who tore her blouse when she ran away from his vehicle. She said she became suspicious of him after asking him about the serial killings in Laredo. 'He picked [the fifth woman] up, she went willingly with him and then while she was with him things started to get dangerous for her and when she tried to escape from him at a gas station thats when she ran into a trooper,' Alaniz said to the Texas Tribune. 'In our opinion he is the sole person responsible for this horrific serial killing spree,' he added. Ortiz launched his alleged spree of killings on September 3. Cops say all the murders took place when he was off-duty and in his car - a white four-door Dodge truck. The scene of where one of his suspected victim's body was found on Saturday pictured above Authorities didn't disclose the victims' names or nationalities - but local media outlets have linked them to at least three bodies found in the area over the last two weeks. Three bodies have been found in the northwest area of the county this month, Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar said. Police are still looking for a fourth one. Two of his victims were identified on Saturday by local news sources. The first was Melissa Ramirez, 29, whose body was found on September 4. She was a resident of Laredo, Texas. According to authorities, Ortiz picked up Ramirez on September 3 and then drove outside the city limits. Ortiz then pulled the car over and got out to urinate, according to the criminal complaint. 'Juan David Ortiz then used a firearm (handgun) to shoot Melissa Ramirez multiple times [in] the head,' the document read. Ramirez's mother, Maria Cristina Benavides, said that her daughter, a mother of two young children ages 7 and 3, became addicted to drugs, according to the Laredo Morning Times. 'She was always smiling,' Benavides said of her daughter. 'She loved her children and when she was here, she took good care of them.' The second was Claudine Luera, 42, who was found alive but in critical condition on Thursday on Texas Highway 255, according to the New York Times. On September 13, Ortiz picked up Luera and drove her outside the city limits on U.S. 83. After he pulled over, she got out of the truck. Ortiz then shot her 'multiple times in the head', according to the criminal complaint. She was found not far from where the previous body was discovered and she later died at a hospital from fatal head trauma. Luera's sister, Colette Mireles, said she had also fallen victim to drug addiction and had been living on the street for the past five years. Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar announced Ortiz's arrest in a press conference Saturday Luera is survived by her five children - all of whom were in the family's custody. Mireles remembered her sister as someone with a contagious laugh. 'She was a happy-go-lucky person growing up,' Mireles said. 'Sadly, she was an addict. 'Her life took another turn.' On Friday, Ortiz picked up Erika Pena and drove with her to a local gas station. When they stopped at the gas station, Pena began talking about Ramirez, according to a police affidavit. 'Erika stated David began to act weird when she began to speak about Melissa, a female she knew who had been discovered dead the week before,' according to a criminal complaint obtained by The Texas Tribune. At this point, Ortiz told investigators that he pulled out a gun and aimed it at Pena. A struggle ensued inside the car before Pena managed to escape. 'David grabbed her shirt to prevent her from exiting the vehicle,' the complaint read. 'Erika began to scream for help. 'Erika pulled off her shirt allowing her to escape and run away from the vehicle.' She ran to a nearby gas station and found a state trooper from the Department of Public Safety. A third female victim is yet to be identified and was referred to as Jane Doe, according to Alaniz. The fourth was a transgender woman, who police referred to as John Doe. Ortiz worked as a border patrol supervisor for 10 years. He conducted his killings when he was off duty Both Jane Doe and John Doe were killed after Pena managed to escape, Ortiz told investigators. He picked up Jane Doe on San Bernardo Avenue and drove out of the city limits. Ortiz told police that he then ordered her out of the car at the Webb County Interchange Overpass at mile marker 20 on I-35. According to the police affidavit, Ortiz shot her a number of times in the head and left her body there. Ortiz told police that he went back to San Bernardo Avenue and picked up John Doe. He then once again drove John Doe past the city limits on I-35. At mile marker 15, he told John Doe to get out of the car. Ortiz then fired a bullet into the back of his head, according to the police affidavit. Authorities found Jane Doe's body on Friday night. John Doe's body was recovered after Ortiz told investigators where to look. All victims were prostitutes in the Laredo area. Investigators are trying to determine a motive for the killings. It is believed Ortiz targeted these women and acted alone. 'It's interesting that he would be observing and watching as law enforcement was looking for the killer, that he would be reporting to work every day like normal,' Alaniz said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a statement saying that it was fully cooperating with the investigation. 'Our sincerest condolences go out to the victims' family and friends. While it is CBP policy to not comment on the details of an ongoing investigation, criminal action by our employees is not, and will not be tolerated,' the agency said. An investigation is ongoing by Texas Rangers of the Texas Department of Public Safety. A girl is fighting for her life after a woman - allegedly under the influence of alcohol and using her mobile phone - crashed her car into a family of four. Two people are in a critical condition in hospital after the crash on Hezlett Road in Kellyville in Sydney's northwest about 9.30pm on Sunday. The driver, a 50-year-old woman, was charged allegedly under the influence of alcohol and using her mobile phone during the crash which has left four people requiring medical attention. A girl is fighting for her life after a woman - allegedly under the influence of alcohol and using her mobile phone - crashed her car into a family of four She has been charged with seven crimes, including dangerous driving, mid-range drink driving, and misusing a mobile phone. She allegedly had a blood alcohol level of 0.113. The girl was rushed to The Children's Hospital at Westmead after being placed in an induced coma at the scene of the accident. Police said the four-year-old girl suffered head and internal injuries in the crash and was still in a critical condition. Her aunt, 55, suffered internal and spinal injuries and was rushed to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital where her condition on Monday morning was unknown. The girl's mother, 44, was in a serious condition at Westmead Hospital with facial injuries, and broken arm, and a pelvic fracture. The 45-year-old father was treated for non-life threatening injuries. Two people are in a critical condition in hospital after the crash at Kellyville in Sydney's northwest about 9.30pm on Sunday Inspector Kate Orr from the crash investigation unit said the family were on holiday from Hong Kong. 'No one should get behind the wheel with any alcohol to that extent. I would suggest no alcohol. But on top of that to be using your mobile phone is extremely dangerous,' she said. Police urged witnesses or anyone who my have dashcam footage of the crash or events leading up to it to come forward. The driver was granted conditional police bail and will face Parramatta Local Court on October 10. Furious guests complained after the pair smuggled a prostitute into room for sex Witnesses say cannabis wafted from their twin room at City Stay Hotel, London The Kremlin assassins who attempted to poison Sergei and Yulia Skripal with the Novichok nerve agent allegedly enjoyed a drug-fuelled night with a prostitute just hours before the Salisbury attack. Russian agents Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov who gave an astonishing interview last week claiming to be sightseers reportedly kept guests awake at their 75-a-night hotel. Witnesses say cannabis wafted from their twin room in the two-star City Stay Hotel in Bow, East London, as they partied through the night. Furious guests complained to staff after the pair smuggled a prostitute into their room for noisy sex. Russian agents Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov who gave an astonishing interview last week claiming to be sightseers The Kremlin assassins who attempted to poison Sergei and Yulia Skripal with the Novichok nerve agent allegedly enjoyed a drug-fuelled night with a prostitute in this hotel Alexander Petrov (left) and Ruslan Boshirov, the two men the UK has accused of the attempted murder of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia Separate reports suggest that the hitmen were wheeled out for their TV interview as punishment for leaving a trail of evidence. A Whitehall source told the Sunday Telegraph that the assassins are being thrown under the bus by another agency because theyve messed up. Meanwhile, it has emerged that a passport used by one of the hitmen directly links him to the Russian security services. Travel documents used by Petrov are marked as top secret and include a phone number for the Russian defence ministry. The finding by the respected investigative website Bellingcat directly contradicts Russian President Vladimir Putins claims that Petrov and Boshirov were merely civilians who travelled to Salisbury to see its cathedral. According to the Sun on Sunday, the hitmen argued with staff the morning after their stay at the City Stay Hotel before setting off to Salisbury on the train to carry out the Novichok attack on Skripal, 67, and his daughter, Yulia, 34. A guest who recognised the pair from CCTV images released by police told the newspaper: I could smell weed from their room. It was by the door and in the corridor, it was unmistakable. It must have been around 7pm. Later there was a woman in there. I think she was a prostitute. They were having sex. Definitely. I heard them having really loud sex for a long time. It was definitely a woman. I dont think the men were having sex with each other. It has also emerged that Petrov and Boshirovs passports, which were issued in 2009, provide almost no biographical data about either man before that year, such as residential addresses. There are also no records of either Petrov or Boshirov having a passport before 2009. This has convinced security experts that Petrov and Boshirov were merely cover identities created by Russias GRU military intelligence service for use on foreign operations. Security sources have told The Mail on Sunday that Scotland Yard and MI6 are sitting on a huge amount of further evidence linking Petrov and Boshirov to the attempt to kill former spy Skripal. They say this evidence will only be produced if the two Russian agents are brought to trial. They have been charged with conspiracy to murder the Skripals and Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, who fell ill after rushing to the aid of the couple after they were found collapsed on March 4. Last night a Russian government spokeswoman rejected the claims and suggested that Bellingcat must have links to Western intelligence agencies. Last week Theresa May branded Petrov and Boshirovs cover stories as lies and blatant fabrication. Passport used by Salisbury Novichok suspect links him directly to the Russian secret services A passport used by one of the Kremlin assassins who attempted to poison Sergei Skripal in Salisbury directly links him to the Russian security services. Travel documents used by a Russian agent using the identity of Alexander Petrov are marked as top secret and include a phone number for the Russian defence ministry. The finding by the respected investigative website Bellingcat directly contradicts Russian President Vladimir Putins claims that Petrov and his accomplice Ruslan Boshirov were merely civilians who travelled to Salisbury to see its cathedral and nearby Stonehenge. When the number was rung by journalists yesterday an office clerk refused to give any information about Petrovs passports or comment on his apparent links to the Russian government. Lies: Suspects Ruslan Boshirov, left, and Alexander Petrov - secret papers reveal the Novichok duo's link to Russian military It has also emerged that Petrov and Boshirovs passports, which were issued in 2009, provide almost no biographical data about either man before that year, such as any residential addresses. There are also no records of either Petrov or Boshirov having a passport before 2009. This has convinced security experts that Petrov and Boshirov were merely cover identities created by Russias GRU military intelligence service for use on foreign operations. Scotland Yard also says that these are the aliases of the hitmen who travelled to Britain on March 2 this year for their assassination mission. Security sources have told The Mail on Sunday that Scotland Yard and MI6 are sitting on a huge amount of further evidence linking Petrov and Boshirov to the attempt to kill Sergei Skripal using Novichok nerve agent. A passport used by one of the Kremlin assassins who attempted to poison Sergei Skripal in Salisbury directly links him to the Russian security services They say this evidence will only be produced if the two Russian agents are brought to trial. Petrov and Boshirov have been charged with conspiracy to murder Sergei and Yulia Skripal and Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey. Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were found collapsed on March 4; the police officer fell ill after trying to help them. Russian investigative reporter Sergei Kanev, who worked with Bellingcat, said that normal people did not get their passports at the Russian defence ministry, only people who often work undercover, including the intelligence services. Last night a Russian government spokeswoman rejected the claims and suggested that the website must have links to Western intelligence agencies because its information about Petrov and Boshirovs passports had come from a database which was not publicly available. In an interview with the Kremlin-backed TV station Russia Today last week, Petrov and Boshirov claimed these were their real names and that they had planned their two-day excursion to Salisbury long in advance. But now it has emerged that the pair actually booked their tickets on the Russian airline Aeroflot on March 1, the night before their short trip to London and Salisbury. The Mail on Sunday also understands they used cash rather than credit or debit cards while in the UK, including when they paid for return rail tickets from London to Salisbury on March 2 and March 3. Prime Minister Theresa May has branded Petrov and Boshirovs cover stories as lies and blatant fabrication. You would probably have to be at least 50 to remember when British people made a thing about buying a British car. In the 1960s you took delivery of the latest Austin, Morris or Hillman partly because you thought it was a good car but mostly because it was a patriotic act. This seems a long time ago. But there are still countries where on the roads, the motor vehicles are a sign of national pride. France, for example, bristles with Peugeots and Citroens. Italy abounds with Fiats. And in Germany you cant move for Mercedes, BMWs and VWs. In Sweden you would be forgiven for thinking that there is a Volvo on every drive. (Actually, Volvo is now owned by a Chinese corporation and for the first time in 50 years in 2017 Volvo was outsold in Sweden by an import a VW Golf!). Catch of the day: Traditional fishermens houses on the shore at Smogen Volvo, however, along with ABBA and IKEA remains the quintessential Swedish experience. So to experience the quintessential Sweden, if you take a fly-drive break a Volvo can be considered essential (fortunately among the local car hire companies the Volvo range is very well represented!). So why not start the trip at Gothenburg, the home of Volvo. Our first port of call was the Volvo museum where a series of exhibits place the development of this stalwart automobile at the beating heart of Swedish life ever since the company was set up in 1927 (not just a manufacturer of cars but also lorries, coaches and other work horses). Interestingly, pride of place is claimed by the Volvo P1800 a sleek sporty model personally owned by Roger Moore. This was the car with the registration ST1 that his character Simon Templar drove in Sixties TV series The Saint. (it seems slightly unpatriotic that the museum couldnt have found space to mark the Volvo driving activities of Europes most depressed detective: Inspector Wallander.) Volvo (from the Latin I roll) is generally seen as a famously unspectacular motor car the sort of safe choice that might be expected to earn the scorn of genuine petrolheads. Sweden, however, is a place where there are plenty of routine dramas posed by the climate and the wildlife. In the winter snow and ice is an ever present prospect more scary are the 6ft tall 300kg elks which may choose to leap out in front of you on a forest road (new cars have to pass the Elk Test to ensure they can manoeuvre out of danger). Given that 90 per cent of accidents are caused by human error, it is probably not surprising that Volvos drive to improved safety has meant that its newer and more expensive models - practically drive themselves. After paying homage at the Volvo Museum we headed our V90 north on the E6 motorway (this runs for 1500 miles from Trelleborg via Oslo to Kirkenes in the very north of Norway, adjacent to Russia (so far to the east, incredibly, that this point in Norway is further east than Istanbul). We werent heading that far. Our destination was an area that really ought to be called the Gothenburg Riviera. With adaptive cruise control and Pilot Assist, the V90 practically drives itself activate the appropriate functions and the car automatically follows at a safe distance from the car in front accelerating and braking to maintain speed and distance; it will also keep the car on track around bends (you do have to keep your hands on the wheel and stay alert!) I nicknamed our unseen pilot Vee. Elk and safety: Drivers are warned to watch our for the 660lb forest residents About 30 minutes north of Gothenburg it was time to turn off ABBAs Greatest Hits (second best selling album of all time in the UK) and make another Swedish pilgrimage: this time a visit to the Backebol branch of IKEA. Unnervingly at 10am on a Tuesday morning the place was deserted in a spooky sort of post-apocalyptic way. The thing you have to get used to in Sweden is the lack of people (it is the 50th least densely populated country in Europe, compared with the UK which is in tenth place). Our destination was the Bohuslan coast, a popular summer break destination with Gothenburgers, yet we hardly passed another car. Disappointing for our automatic pilot Vee who liked having a car to follow at a respectful distance. Our first stop was the picturesque fishing village of Smogen which was sweltering in the August heatwave. We checked into the attractive Smogens Havsbad, a delightful late Victorian hotel. We headed to the harbour for a cup of tea and a cinnamon whirl. Set around the harbourside boardwalk are a swathe of colourful shops and restaurants all stylish and utterly charming. Fjallbacka, 25 miles to the north is famous as the setting of Camilla Lackbergs Scandi Noir crime fiction. Here we found ourselves among a mini throng of Chinese tourists. Were they lured by Lackbergs noir writing. More likely they were attracted by the fact that this was the place where actress Ingrid Bergman passed through en route to her nearby holiday island. Oh to be the owner of a Fjallbacka bar when Swedish-born Ingrid popped in for a reviving beverage: Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, he could have said: You walked into mine. We finished our Vee-shaped short break in Gothenburg, Swedens second biggest city and a much more charming place than you might guess at first glance. We stayed in Lindholmen on the northern side of the Gota river. The area has been developed as a technology park an unlikely sounding place to stay. But a free ferry runs regularly from here for the ten minute ride across the river to the one of the most interesting parts of the city. Haga is a fascinating area of traditional wood buildings and cobbled streets, home to 17th-century fortress Skansen Kronan. We had the best meal of the holiday and probably the year at the En Deli Haga vegan cafe. Good food and interesting shops selling everything from local crafts to knitwear. The only regret was that we couldnt bring Vee on the passenger ferry. It was a sad moment when we had to bid farewell to her at the airport. Id got too used to somebody doing all the driving for me They recently revealed they could see more children on the horizon after he became a father again aged 68. But Ronnie Wood and his wife Sally had an evening off from parenting duties as they flew into Stillorgan, Dublin, to unveil a sculpture of famed Irish artist Sir William Orpen. A favourite of the 71-year-old's, Orpen's statue was placed in the artist's hometown outside the Talbot Hotel. Cheerful: Ronnie Wood and his wife Sally had an evening off from parenting duties as they flew into Stillorgan, Dublin, to unveil a sculpture of famed Irish artist Sir William Orpen Ronnie was there to unveil the bronze work on Saturday with his glamorous wife Sally. The Rolling Stones legend opted for a suave formal look for the occasion, teaming a white shirt with a black suit. Meanwhile, the guitarist's stylish wife looked radiant in a vibrant rose dress with an intricate lace pattern. In keeping with her elegant theme, Sally added a slick of bright pink lipstick to her look, as well as a heart shaped pendant which she wore around her neck. Look of love: The couple first met just over a decade ago, when Sally was working at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane Bronze beauty: A favourite of Ronnie's, Orpen's statue was placed in the artist's hometown outside the Talbot Hotel She wore her locks in elegant curls, as she was seen enjoying the day with her husband of nearly six years. The mother-of-two recently said: 'I'd love to have twins again. We'd be very happy if more arrive. Twins are much easier because they play together. 'Twins again and then we have double everything. We are good to go. I'm 40 now but you never know.' Ronnie got the all-clear from lung cancer in March this year. He gave up his 50-year smoking habit when his twins arrived in May 2016. Discussing Ronnie's cancer ordeal, she added: 'Anything can happen to anyone at anytime but it does highlight things. We live in the moment anyway. We don't plan far ahead,' she told the Mirror. Loved up: Ronnie was there to unveil the bronze work on Saturday with his glamorous wife Sally Dashing: The Rolling Stones legend opted for a suave formal look for the occasion, teaming a white shirt with a black suit The couple first met just over a decade ago, when Sally was working at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, but Ronnie was still married to his second wife, Jo Wood, at the time. He divorced Jo in 2008 and they became involved three years later - tying the knot at the Dorchester Hotel in London in December 2011 after a whirlwind six month romance, with Rod Stewart acting as the best man. Father-of-six Ronnie is a huge fan and collector of Sir William Orpen's work and so was a perfect candidate to unveil Rowan Gillespies 11ft tall bronze sculpture of the artist. Orpen is famed for his self-portraits along with his work as a war artist during the First World War. BBC executives have turned down the chance to broadcast Princess Eugenies wedding next month because they think it will be a ratings flop. I can reveal that Prince Andrew was attempting to strike a deal with the network to televise his youngest daughters big day. However, after secret meetings with the Beeb, courtiers were told it was a no-go. Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank are due to marry on October 12 Prince Andrew is keen that his daughter's wedding receives the same attention as Prince Harry's to Meghan Markle Sky is also running no more than snippets throughout the day as part of its rolling news coverage. However, I understand that ITV may be coming to the rescue with a full programme of coverage. A source tells me: From the outset the instruction from the very top was that Eugenies wedding must be televised. The BBC was approached because they have a special relationship with Buckingham Palace and a formula that works. But they turned it down because they dont think enough people will tune in and that there isnt enough support for the Yorks. The feeling at the Palace is that the BBC has dropped the ball. At the end of the day this is going to be a huge Royal Wedding, with all the senior members of the Royal Family in attendance. But nobody wants to take the risk and spend the money it would cost to put it on air. Eugenie, 28, and her fiance Jack Brooksbank, 32, announced their engagement in January. They later appeared on BBC1s The One Show to talk about the moment Jack an ambassador for George Clooneys tequila brand popped the question during a romantic holiday in Nicaragua. It is understood that Prince Andrew feels his daughter should enjoy the same big day spotlight as Harry and Meghan, and the lack of interest by TV companies will come as a huge disappointment. The couple, who started dating in 2010, are due to marry on October 12, and the Princess hoped that it would be an identikit wedding to her cousin Harrys. She is not only holding the ceremony at the same venue St Georges Chapel at Windsor but she has also invited a string of celebrities such as the Beckhams, George and Amal Clooney, and pop star Robbie Williams, as well as members of the public. In total there will be about 850 guests. The security bill for the event is set to top 2 million because the couple want to make it such a spectacle. Eugenies sister Beatrice will be her chief bridesmaid, while Jacobi Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe the half-brother of her close friend Cressida Bonas will act as DJ. The Queen famously has two birthdays each year but I hear Prince Charles is hoping to go one better. The Prince will be celebrating his landmark 70th birthday this year with three lavish parties. The celebrations will kick off with a champagne reception, dinner and private gala evening, featuring Dame Maggie Smith, Sir Kenneth Branagh and Dame Judi Dench, at Buckingham Palace on October 25, which is being planned by Charless former senior valet Michael Fawcett. Then, on his actual birthday November 14 the Queen is set to host an event in the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace, where I understand she will give a speech to other senior Royals. And finally the heir to the Throne will be honoured with a London Palladium gala starring some of the UKs best-known magicians, which will be broadcast on ITV in a show called We Are Most Amused And Amazed. Kim Kardashian had a much-talked about fallout with her friend and personal assistant Stephanie Shepherd. But on Saturday, Kim showed she has put that feud behind when she sent out a blitz of happy birthday wishes to Steph on her social media. And all this love went down as sister Kourtney Kardashian, who happens to be Steph's best friend, helped organize a party with the goal of helping feed the homeless in Los Angeles. Keeping up with the Kardashians: Kim K sent out a blitz of birthday wishes to former Personal assistant and nemesis Stephanie Shepherd on Saturday Kim K's barrage of birthday wishes on her Instagram story began with a photo of Stephanie in the front seat of a convertible with Kim and Kourtney in the back seat. 'Happy Birthday @steph_shep, I love you,' she wrote in caption. Kim then ended with the friendly jab, 'you are old.' The Keeping Up With the Kardashian's star shared several other birthday photos on her Instagram showing her mugging it up with her former PA. Back in April, Kim appeared to reconcile with her former assistant, months after they fell out over 'professional differences.' BFF beef: Kim and Stephanie had a much publicized fallout over 'professional differences' We can work it out: Kim and Stephanie reportedly settled their feud in April Laugh out loud: 'That time I forgot my top & [Stephanie' forgot her pants' Kim captioned another b-day tribute Later Kim shared: 'She was NEVER my nemesis. We simply stopped working together but we have always remained super close friends.' Not to be outdone be her younger sister, Kourtney was hands on with Stephanie's birthday party. First, she helped display a row of silver balloons that spelled out: 'Happy Birthday to my wifey.' Stephanie shared video of her bestie putting up the balloons with the caption: 'I have the best wife.' One last thing! She shared a collage of the duo as the final part of her tribute Together again: Stephanie worked with Kim from 2013-2017 Besties: Kourtney helped decorate for Stephanie's birthday bash BFF love: Kourtney spelled out: 'Happy Birthday to my wifey' in balloons at the birthday bash Showing gratitude: The birthday girl gave a big thank you on her big day Turns out the birthday bash was all about being grateful and giving back to the community. For her big day, Stephanie decided she wanted to help those less fortunate. 'Today for @steph_shep birthday we're making lunches for homeless people in Los Angeles. @hashtaglunchbag,' Kourtney wrote in a caption of a picture. She added, 'My hope is that this inspires some of you to get involved in your city. @hashtaglunchbag' Birthday message: Stephanie wanted to hold a 'help feed the homeless' party for her b-day Giving back: The goal was to bag 300 lunches for the homeless; the group wound up bagging and delivering 500 lunches With a little help from my friends: Friends and family sent out many 'thanks' to Stephanie for using her birthday as a way to give back to the community and the less fortunate Stephanie asked her friends and family to come together and bag 300 lunches for homeless people in Los Angeles. As seen by the video she shared, the birthday revelers all worked in unison like a well-oiled machine and wound up bagging and delivering 500 lunches to downtown Los Angeles. DJ sisters SimiHaze shared: 'Happy Birthday @steph_shep and thank you for spearheading this today you angel.' A grateful Stephanie gave a great big thanks by sharing: 'I love my friends.' Loving life: Kim K's former assistant was all smiles as she worked to feed the homeless Hands on: Stephanie and company ended up delivering 500 lunches 90 Day Fiance stars Mike and Aziza Eloshway have revealed that they are expecting their first child together. Aziza, 21, shared pictures of her baby bump with Instagram followers on Thursday. The pretty brunette - who comes from Volgograd, Russia - simply captioned the snaps: 'Mom&Dad [HEART EMOJI] 2019'. Bump: 90 Day Fiance stars Mike and Aziza Eloshway have revealed that they are expecting their first child together She is seen cradling her blossoming bump, which is noticeable in contrast to her slender frame, in a tight-fitting teal dress. Delighted dad-to-be Mike, 31, also tweeted about the couples impending arrival, posting one of the same shots along with the words, 'Coming 2019.' The couple - who featured on season 1 of the TLC documentary series - are pictured standing outside in the sunshine for their big announcement. Baby on board: Aziza, 21, shared pictures of her baby bump with Instagram followers on Thursday The couple originally met through a language-learning website. Their relationship was initially platonic, however, sometime after Aziza's application for a work visa was denied, their relationship turned romantic. In the summer of 2014, she arrived to America to live with Mike - who is from Cleveland, Ohio - on a 90-day fiance visa. Parents to be: The pretty brunette - who comes from Volgograd, Russia - simply captioned the snaps: 'Mom&Dad2019' They got married, although Aziza's family were unable to attend. They later traveled to Russia together, where Mike met Aziza's parents. Mike works as a technical support specialist for the Cleveland Municipal Court, while Aziza found employment at an optics lab. Married now: The couple originally met through a language-learning website Close couple: Their relationship was initially platonic, however, sometime after Aziza's application for a work visa was denied, their relationship turned romantic Aziza previously joked about practicing for parenthood with the pairs 2-year-old nephew in an Instagram post in July 2017. 'Its always super cute when Mike holds him, but after a while, he goes, "Okay do you want him now?"' she wrote, adding, 'But hey its always good to practice.' They arne't the only couple from the series to be expecting the pitter-patter of tiny feet. Paola Mayfield announced in July that she is expecting with husband Russ Mayfield, revealing in August that they're having a boy. The duo had previously suffered a miscarriage on the TLC series due to the models combination of O-negative and Rh-negative blood. She's known for her sartorial chic looks. And Lady Kitty Spencer was dressed to impress on Saturday as she sported a classic mustard yellow trench coat to attend Tod's Sloan Apartment Boutique cocktail bash. The 27-year-old socialite was perfectly dressed for the impending autumn season as she attended the event in the heart of London. Perfect look: Lady Kitty Spencer was dressed to impress on Saturday as she sported a classic mustard yellow trench coat to attend Tod's Sloan Apartment Boutique cocktail bash Allowing the cover-up to truly make a statement, Lady Kitty sported a majority of all-black underneath, with a hint of print poking out from the coat's plunging front. The model accessorised the look with simple satin black ankle boots, with her blonde tresses pulled back into a chic up-do. Highlighting her amazing doe eyes, Lady Kitty au naturelle makeup and a nude lip for the launch, which she was seen attending with actress Olivia Grant. Flawless: The 27-year-old model flashed a hint of a printed frock underneath the plunging dress, with her blonde tresses pulled back into a chic up-do Lady Kitty's outing came after she raised many eyebrows among fans last month, for posing in what appeared to be a necklace covered in cannabis leaves. The niece of Princess Diana was snapped in one of her latest campaigns for Marie Claire Italy accessory, which came from a range by Bulgari and had been branded the 'happy leaves necklace.' Several fans commented on the nature of the necklace, with one writing: 'That marijuana necklace though!'. Describing their new collection as 'Roman creativity mixed with the disruptive spirit of the eighties', the designer wrote: 'Wild Pop is the quintessence of Bulgari's rule-breaking approach to jewellery inspired by a roaring era.' Sensational: Highlighting her amazing doe eyes, Lady Kitty au naturelle makeup and a nude lip for the launch, which she was seen attending with actress Olivia Grant Kitty has had a busy summer, and just last week shared snaps as she enjoyed a break in St Tropez with Viscountess Weymouth, 32. The Tatler cover girl, who only last month jetted back from Rome where she walked for Dolce & Gabbana, is certainly notching up the engagements after turning up at a never-ending reel of celebrity parties this summer not to mention a flurry of society weddings. Kitty boasts also 440,000 followers on Instagram, where she posts endless photos showcasing her glamorous modelling career and glitzy social life. The socialite grew up in South Africa, reading psychology, politics and English at the University of Cape Town. She recently bid farewell to her role as a Myer ambassador after spending 12 years with the retail giant. And while Jennifer Hawkins may still be hot property in the modelling world, the 34-year-old has made it clear that she won't be returning to the catwalk. 'I would say it would be my last,' she told The Herald Sun of her final Myer runway show in Melbourne on Thursday. Scroll down for video 'I'd like to live a little!' Former Myer ambassador Jennifer Hawkins, 34, (pictured) has announced she WON'T return to the catwalk as she embarks upon new project in the United States The statuesque beauty, who found fame after winning Miss Universe in 2004, insisted that she has 'never been a catwalk model', and that her runway duties have only ever extended to promoting Myer. 'You never know, someone might get me back when I am 90 and say 'here she is' and wheel me out,' she joked. When quizzed on what she plans to do post-Myer, Jennifer revealed that she and husband Jake Wall are focused on launching their tequila brand Sesion into the United States. Mixing business and pleasure! Jennifer (left) and husband Jake Wall (right) are focused on launching their tequila brand Sesion into the United States '(I'd like to) just to live a little and have a normal-ish life, that would be another goal to be honest,' she confessed. Jennifer made her final appearance with Myer on Thursday night as she walked in one of their in-store fashion shows on Bourke Street. At the end of the presentation, she was gifted a bouquet of white flowers and appeared close to tears. Final hurrah! Jennifer (pictured) made her final appearance with Myer on Thursday night as she walked in one of their in-store fashion shows on Bourke Street She has now been 'replaced' by swimsuit model and reality TV star Elyse Knowles, who signed with the struggling department store in late July. Jennifer's exit from Myer comes at a perfect time given that the retail giant suffered a record $486million annual loss in 2017-18. Despite having already slashed costs to remain competitive earlier in the year, sales still plummeted by 3.2 per cent to $3.1billion. As a result, the department store recorded a whopping loss - its first since publicly listing on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2009. She loves a trip to the gym. And Lucy Hale was seen after a weekend fitness session on Saturday in LA. The Life Sentence actress, 29, looked spectacular while flaunting her flat abs in a marble-pattern Casall crop top during a post-workout coffee run. Looking good: Lucy Hale showed off her gym-honed abs in a Casall crop top as she got coffee after working out in LA Saturday She continued to flatter her figure in a pair of formfitting grey yoga pants. On foot she wore hip white sneakers while round, retro sunglasses shaded her from the bright rays. Lucy carried a Gucci wallet under her arm. The Pretty Little Liars alum kept her signature brunette bob style sleekly. All Hale Lucy! She continued to flatter her figure in a pair of formfitting grey yoga pants Designer style: Lucy carried a Gucci wallet under her arm But she left her face at a radiant, makeup-free glow. It looked like Lucy was getting ready to meet up with a friend. She carried two ice coffees out of the establishment before making her way to her car and heading off. Sipping pretty: She carried two ice coffees out of the establishment, perhaps getting ready to meet up with a friend It's possible that the java was for Lucy's rumored beau Ryan Rottman. The 29-year-old actress was pictured walking hand-in-hand with the Billionaire Boys Club star in July. She was previously linked to her Life Sentence co-star Riley Smith as well. Before that, the Tennessee-born talent dated long-term boyfriend Anthony Kalabretta for two years before splitting in May 2017. Karl Stefanovic's ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn has hit out at trolls who criticised her appearance. In an Instagram post last week, the 47-year-old revealed she had been shamed for looking her age and she told her followers 'I am happy in my skin.' She was also forced to defend a recent tell-all interview about her very public divorce from Karl, after one follower labelled her 'bitter' and encouraged her to 'move on with your life.' Scroll down for video 'Is there something wrong with looking your age?' Karl Stefanovic's ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn, 47, hits back at cruel online trolls who criticised her appearance and told her to 'move on with your life' 'Online trolls 'she looks her age not stunning'. Is that supposed to be offensive? Is there something wrong with looking your age?' she wrote alongside a photo at the Women of the Future Awards in Sydney on September 5. 'Did I miss the memo that you should not embrace your age, your body, your face, your intelligence'. I am happy in my skin, with who I am and my age which means I've lived long enough to have learned and experienced so much. She finished with: 'Is it meant to mean if you look your age you are not good enough. Well sorry because I disagree. I am, you are, we are!' Attacked for her appearance: In an Instagram post last week, the former journalist revealed she had been shamed for looking her age and she told her followers 'I am happy in my skin' Hitting back: In a separate post last month, the mother-of-three, whose divorce from the Today show star was finalised last year, blasted a follower who said she appears 'bitter and spiteful' since the split In a separate post last month, the mother-of-three, whose divorce from the Today show star was finalised last year, blasted a follower who said she appears 'bitter and spiteful' since the split. 'Get over yourself...,' she began. 'I have nothing to do what people write about my ex-husband. Not sure why you bring him up here. I have been and continue to put my 3 children first... i have said very little in 2 years. But for 2 years a lot has been said about me. Criticism: The mum-of-three was also forced to defend a recent tell-all interview about her very public divorce from Karl Stefanovic (right), after one follower labelled her 'bitter' and encouraged her to 'move on with your life'. Also pictured, Karl's fiancee Jasmine Yarbrough In response to another follower, Cas wrote: '2 interviews in 2 years compared to dozens of interviews and mistruths about all kinds of things.' The interviews Cassandra was referring to were one with with The Australian Women's Weekly last month, in which she claimed Karl's family and friends 'have had practically no contact' with their kids since the divorce. The second was a recent TV interview with Channel Seven's The Morning Show, which saw the former journalist again mention her divorce while promoting her new children's book, Leo Lion's Big Bed. Back in the day: Cassandra and Karl share three children together, Jackson, 19, Ava, 13, and 11-year-old River. The former couple were married for 21 years before they parted ways. Pictured here at the University of Sydney on October 16, 2008 Cassandra and Karl share three children together, Jackson, 19, Ava, 13, and 11-year-old River. The former couple were married for 21 years before they parted ways. The 44-year-old TV presenter is now engaged to younger model, Jasmine Yarbrough, 34. The happy couple will reportedly tie the knot in Mexico, later this year. She has a strong connection to Cambodia as her son Maddox was born in the South Asian country. And Angelina Jolie wanted to show support for the nation's film making community as she visited the Cambodia Town Film Festival in Long Beach, CA on Saturday. The 43-year-old Oscar winner looked effortlessly chic in a black tank top and tan skirt as she posed with the event's participants. Support: Angelina Jolie, 43, visited the Cambodia Town Film Festival in Long Beach, CA on Saturday Daring to impress, the Girl, Interrupted star looked sensational in the low key ensemble which included a light brown scarf. Her trademark raven tresses were left long and loose as they cascaded over her petite shoulders. The actress history with the country began in 2000 when she filmed the hit Tomb Raider on location. She returned two years later to adopt Maddox who is now 17-years-old. Hair story: Her trademark raven tresses were left long and loose as they cascaded over her petite shoulders Impressive: Daring to impress, the Girl, Interrupted star looked sensational in the low key ensemble which included a light brown scarf The following year, she opened a foundation in Cambodia, now called the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation). The ex of Brad Pitt was also inspired by the country to make her Golden Globe nominated movie, First They Killed My Father. Based on Cambodia human rights activist Luong Ungs memoir, First They Killed My Father documents her experience as a young girl under the brutal rule of the Khmer Rouge. Chic: The Oscar winner looked effortlessly chic in a black tank top and tan skirt as she posed with the event's participants Connected: She returned to Cambodia in 2002 to adopt Maddox who is now 17-years-old; (pictured 2017) She spoke to Vanity Fair in 2017 about her first visit to Cambodia. 'I found a people who were so kind and warm and open, and, yes, very complex. You go there, and you see the families come out with their blanket and their picnic to watch a sunset,' she explained. Angelina has five other children as well - son Pax, 14, daughters Zahara, 13, and Shiloh, 12, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 10. Big brood: Angelina has five other children as well - son Pax, 14, daughters Zahara, 13, and Shiloh, 12, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 10; (pictured 2017) Bachelor Nation's Amanda Stanton was arrested on charges of domestic violence after a Tuesday fight with boyfriend Bobby Jacobs in Las Vegas. But it looked like the couple had worked things out by Saturday when the California blonde shared a sweet photo of the pair together. Amanda, who came in fourth place during Ben Higgin's season of The Bachelor, leaned her head on Bobby's shoulder while the couple enjoyed ice cream in the photo. Recovering relationship: Amanda Stanton posted a photo with boyfriend Bobby Jacobs on Saturday, just days after her arrest for domestic violence this past Tuesday On Monday new details emerged about what really went down between her and beau Bobby before the arrest on Tuesday September 11. Jacobs, who is a pro volleyball player, claimed he was asleep when the reality TV starlet began to 'hit him while he was laying in bed', according to legal documents obtained by Us Weekly. The court documents reveal that the two were engaged in an argument that lasted for hours before the 28-year-old 'swung' the hotel phone at him. Bobby stated that he was asleep with Amanda returned home from a Magic Mike show at 11pm with her pals as part of her friend's Bachelorette party celebrations. New details: New court reports have revealed that Bachelorette star Amanda Stanton had 'swung' a hotel phone before 'scratching and pinching' her boyfriend Bobby Jacobs ahead of her arrest in Vegas His word: Angry that Bobby hadn't returned her calls and texts,he claimed that Amanda began to 'hit him while he was laying in bed' Angry that he hadn't returned her calls and texts, she reportedly began to 'hit him while he was laying in bed'. The documents stated that the couple who have been together for six months continued to engage in an argument that lasted for 'hours'. The reported stated that Bobby progressed to call her friends into the room, who had believed Amanda was fast asleep. He went on to allege that after her pals left they began fighting again, at which point the mom-of-two 'swung' the hotel phone at her boyfriend which hit him on his body. Attack: He went on to allege that after her pals left they began fighting again, at which point the mom-of-two 'swung' the hotel phone at her boyfriend which hit him on his body Getting violent: It then got nasty with the professional volleyball player claiming that his reality star-turned-blogger lady-love then 'continued to scratch and pinch' him on his 'arms and body' while he held her down to stop her from attacking him It then got nasty with the professional volleyball player claiming that his reality star-turned-blogger lady-love then 'continued to scratch and pinch' him on his 'arms and body' while he held her down to stop her from attacking him. Bobby then called her friends back into the hotel room and they notified staff when they saw the red marks on his arms. However, Amanda reported to officials following the incident that Bobby had 'pinned her down on the bed', at which point she was 'begging him to let her up' and pinching him 'to get free'. The blonde beauty added that when she finally did get free, she was 'pushed on the bed' before she was able to 'lock herself in the bathroom'. Two sides to every story: However, the mom-of-two reported to officials following the incident that Bobby had 'pinned her down on the bed', at which point she was 'begging him to let her up' and pinching him 'to get free' The new information comes after Amanda was arrested in Las Vegas with domestic battery on Monday. TMZ reported at the time that she was at the Wynn Encore when security was called to the room after receiving a noise complain in the early hours of the morning. As 6'6" Bobby was speaking with security, Amanda, who stands a petite 5'3", tried to intervene and in the process shoved her boyfriend so hard that the guards called the police. Before things got nasty: Amanda spent the day in Vegas at friend Chelseiee Paige's (middle) bachelorette party along with pal Lauren Bushnell Not charged: Amanda was taken into custody following the 3:15 a.m. incident and later released She was taken into custody following the 3:15 a.m. incident and later released. Her management later told Us Weekly that she sincerely apologized for the ordeal and was deeply embarrassed. 'Amanda is embarrassed and ashamed this happened and sincerely apologizes to hotel security and the Las Vegas Police Department,' the note began. All a misunderstanding? 'Amanda is a gentle, respectful person who has never gotten physical with anyone under any circumstance' reported her management 'Amanda is a gentle, respectful person who has never gotten physical with anyone under any circumstance.' 'That evening she had a few drinks at a bachelorette party and when hotel security asked her and Bobby to quiet down, she got a bit rambunctious,' the continued. 'Amanda gave Bobby what she thought was a playful shove; hotel security did their job and reported the incident to the police, who in turn did their job. Despite Bobby explaining this was not an ill-intended shove, the police still had to do their job which Amanda completely respects and understands.' The petite beauty has since returned to social media, posting a bikini shot of herself earlier on Friday with the caption: 'googled when life gives you lemons quotes..but decided to spare y'all.' She's always been highly respected for her fashion choices. And on Saturday Jennifer Aniston proved her sartorial mettle yet again at the Netflix Emmy Nominee party held in Los Angeles. The 49-year-old television icon looked as sophisticated as ever in a black sleeveless top sporting several sets of ruffles. Top talent! On Saturday Jennifer Aniston proved her sartorial mettle yet again at the Netflix Emmy Nominee party held in Los Angeles Black trousers and a thin black leather belt studded with rivets completed her demure but chic ensemble. She parted her famous mixed blonde tresses on the left and let them fall straight down past her shoulders. Subtle eye liner, blush and some pale rose lipstick ensured that she was ready for the multitude of photo ops. While the party was ostensibly to celebrate those who were part of projects that earned Emmy nominations this year, it seemed like Jen was there thanks to her not-yet-released show Dumplin'. Always on it! The 49-year-old television icon looked as sophisticated as ever in a black sleeveless top sporting several sets of ruffles Two of a kind! American Horror Story sensation Sarah Paulson, 43, (left) wowed in a distinctive white frock which boasted baggy sleeves and a pleated skirt element Of course there were many other A-listers on hand for the big event. Indeed, Ozark star Jason Bateman, 49, took a photo with Jennifer along with Ted Sarandos, Netflix's Chief Content Officer, and both of their spouses. American Horror Story sensation Sarah Paulson, 43, wowed in a distinctive white frock which boasted baggy sleeves and a pleated skirt element. Betty Gilpin, 32, of GLOW fame, stunned in a black velvet dress which barely contained her very ample assets. Film star! Taxi Driver legend Jodie Foster, 55, looked youthful in a black sheer sleeveless dress dotted with a floral motif (pictured with Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby) Green thumb? Tina Fey, 48, looked to be having a ball in a black halterneck number which included what appeared to be leaves protruding from her left shoulder (pictured with Queer Eye's Antoni Porowski, left, and Tan France) Say cheese! Tina also took a selfie with Queer Eye star Karamo Brown Taxi Driver legend Jodie Foster, 55, looked youthful in a black sheer sleeveless dress dotted with a floral motif. Tina Fey, 48, looked to be having a ball in a black halterneck number which included what appeared to be leaves protruding from her left shoulder. A good portion of the Fuller House crew were also present. Candace Cameron Bure, 42, definitely turned some heads thanks to her magenta-themed ensemble. Three amigos! Candace Cameron Bure, 42, (left) definitely turned some heads thanks to her magenta-themed ensemble He's still got it! Heartthrob John Stamos, 55, went with a casual midnight blue blazer and trouser combo, under which he layered a black tee A white blouse spotted with polka dots coordinated perfectly with matching slacks. Andrea Barber, 42, kept things slightly lower key in a tan dress detailed with white embroidery. The trio was completed by Lori Loughlin, 54, who chose a black number with matching black clutch. All smiles! Stranger Things' Millie Bobby Brown, 14, (right) delighted in a cobalt blue gown covered in silver embroidered foliage Heartthrob John Stamos, 55, went with a casual midnight blue blazer and trouser combo, under which he layered a black tee. His partner Caitlin McHugh, 32, looked smashing in a navy blue strapless dress that fell to her knees. Stranger Things' Millie Bobby Brown, 14, delighted in a cobalt blue gown covered in silver embroidered foliage. Dream team! The Duffer brothers Ross and Matt, right, took a snap with one of their Stranger Things' actors Gaten Matarazzo, 16 She posed with Orange Is The New Black's Samira Wiley, 31, who donned a black blouse and shiny shorts pairing. The Duffer brothers Ross and Matt, right, took a snap with one of their Stranger Things' actors Gaten Matarazzo, 16. Annie Hall's Diane Keaton, 72, looked right at home in one of her trademark suits complete with fancy hat. She stood for a photo with fellow Hollywood vets Michael Douglas, 73, and Carole King, 76. The New Zealand version of Married At First Sight is back with a diverse and eclectic new cast that easily trumps Australia's cookie-cutter singles. MAFS NZ unveiled the official season two cast on Sunday, which features a same-sex couple, a Jewish teacher, foreign-born brides and grooms and much more. Leading the pack is Instagram fashion influencer Samuel Levi, 25, who is best friend's with last season's villainous gay groom Benjamin Blackwell. It's back! Married At First Sight's season two cast is led by gay groom Samuel Levi, 25, who is a well known Kiwi Instagram influencer The socialite briefly appeared on screen last season as part of Ben's 'pretty committee' friend circle, but has now returned as a full-fledged groom himself. He's already had to fend off speculation that he's using the show for fame, telling the New Zealand Herald that he's 'definitely looking for love' and is 'ready to settle down' at the tender age of 25. Despite shunning fame for love, Samuel's wedding ceremony will feature a number of Kiwi celebrity guests, including Bachelor reject Alysha Brown, TV personality Erin Simpson, and of course, Ben Blackwell. Haven't we seen you somewhere before? Samuel is best friends with season one villain Benjamin Blackwell (R), and even appeared at his TV wedding last year Friends in high places! The socialite, who has had to fend off claims that he's using the show for fame, can be seen rubbing shoulders with MAFS Australia star Nasser Sultan at an event Also set to shake things up is Japanese-born beauty Yuki Sato, 31, who is a hairdresser and business owner based in Christchurch. According to Stuff, the outspoken stunner says that any men that just want to date 'a submissive little Japanese girl' are in for a shock because she's a 'strong woman' who doesn't hold back. Also adding some more diversity to the cast is Russian bride Ksenia Smorodinova and South African-born barber Gareth Noble. Confident: Also set to shake things up is Japanese-born beauty Yuki Sato, 31, who is a hairdresser and business owner based in Christchurch 'Strong woman': The outspoken stunner says that any men that just want to date 'a submissive little Japanese girl' are in for a shock because she's a 'strong woman' who doesn't hold back Ksenia, 33, is a sales manager whose biggest dealbreaker in a partner is a man who 'lacks ambition.' Meanwhile, tattooed hipster and yoga enthusiast Gareth, 26, is after a partner that isn't 'afraid to try new things'. The cast also contains Jewish teacher Monique Lee, 25, who refuses to date anybody 'cocky or right-wing,' and says she wants somebody 'non-judgmental and open-minded.' International: Also adding some more diversity to the cast is Russian bride Ksenia Smorodinova (L) and South African-born barber Gareth Noble (R) Wild child! Tattooed hipster and yoga enthusiast Gareth, 26, is after a partner that isn't 'afraid to try new things' Speaking about the new cast, Kiwi 'relationship expert' Tony Jones told Newshub that contestants needed to prepare to be their 'authentic selves.' 'We know we have found singles with commonality that are a genuine fit, but in order for these relationships to work the singles will need to be prepared to be their authentic selves and give it their all, despite the unique circumstances,' he said. Unlike the first season of MAFS NZ, the marriages in season two won't be legally-binding. Lefty! The cast also contains Jewish teacher Monique Lee, 25, who refuses to date anybody 'cocky or right-wing,' and says she wants somebody 'non-judgmental and open-minded' Will these grooms get lucky? Helicopter engineer Wayne, 32, (L) entrepreneur Dave, 44, (R) are two of the single fellas on the new season The reason for the change could have something to do with season one star Haydn Daniels taking the show to court to have his marriage to co-star Bel Clarke annulled, claiming that the 'scientific' matching process he was promised only consisted of an attractiveness test and nothing more. Despite plenty of drama on season one, the show spawned one successful couple in Brett and Angel Renall. The blissfully happy couple recently celebrated their one-year anniversary together and are planning to buy a home and start a family soon. MAFS NZ will premiere on New Zealand's Three network 'soon'. Blonde bombshell: Ottie Schwartz, 32, says she's the 'life of the party' and 'crazy and beautiful' They've been dating for over a year now. And Scott Disick and girlfriend Sofia Richie enjoyed a movie date on Saturday as the photogenic pair head off to a cinema in Calabasas to enjoy a film. The 20-year-old daughter of crooner Lionel Richie flaunted her gorgeous gams in a pair of skintight leggings for the outing. Date day! Scott Disick and girlfriend Sofia Richie enjoyed a movie date on Saturday as the photogenic pair head off to a cinema in Calabasas to enjoy a film The model paired the garments with a black hoodie and white sneakers. She wore her straight blonde tresses loose and with a center part and appeared to wear minimal makeup. Sofia shielded here eyes against the Californian glare with a pair of dark sunglasses and packed light for the outing, holding just her iPhone. Meanwhile reality TV star Scott went casual for the day, slipping into a tracksuit and white sneakers. Dangerous curves: The 20-year-old daughter of crooner Lionel Richie flaunted her gorgeous gams in a pair of skintight leggings for the outing Sofia recently refused to discuss her relationship with reality television star Scott, who has three children with Kourtney Kardashian. However, she spoke with The Goss and waxed poetic on the previously off-limits topic of Lord Disick. On her relationship with the former longtime boyfriend of Kourtney Kardashian, Sofia said, 'we are very happy, very lovey dovey.' He's kept busy with endless media commitments and exclusive parties since shooting to fame on Married At First Sight earlier this year. So it's no surprise that Nasser Sultan looked a little exhausted on Sunday when he was spotted boarding a Tigerair Airlines flight from Coffs Harbour to Sydney. The 51-year-old looked like he was ready to fall asleep in the waiting area before his flight finally arrived. Waiting game: Married At First Sight's Nasser Sultan looked a little exhausted on Sunday when he was spotted boarding a Tigerair Airlines flight from Coffs Harbour to Sydney The pint-sized personal trainer has been on a quest recently to get officially verified on Instagram. Despite boasting close to 50,000 followers, the reality star has been unable to secure a coveted blue tick from the social media giant. Following a show-stopping appearance on Channel Ten's Trial By Kyle, Nasser is already lining up his next TV gig. On the go! The reality TV legend, 51, looked relieved to be boarding his flight Stars, they're just like us! Despite his celebrity status, Nasser decided to fly with affordable airline Tigerair Earlier this month, her shared a photo of himself in an official hardhat from Nine's ratings blockbuster The Block. The 51-year-old wrote: 'Nasser is heading to The Gatwick for an extra special cameo!' It's unclear if he was being serious, or simply posing in the show's merchandise for fun. Nasser's also rumoured to star on Channel Ten's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! next year, indicating that his fifteen minutes of fame are far from over. In the morning she packed lunches for the homeless. But by Saturday night, Kourtney Kardashian was in full-on glam mode, when the 39-year-old socialite hit the red carpet at the opening of TAO Chicago. The reality TV star bared plenty of flesh in a low cut dress before she caught up with family friend Jonathan Cheban. All that glitters: On Saturday night, Kourtney Kardashian was in full-on glam mode, when the 39-year-old socialite hit the red carpet at the opening of TAO Chicago The skimpy dress boasted jewel-encrusted straps, one of which looped around Kourtney's neck. The raven-haired beauty wore her tresses pulled back from her face so as to give an unfettered view of her flawless features. On her feet the petite starlet wore a pair of strappy heels. Bejeweled blitz: The skimpy dress boasted jewel-encrusted straps, one of which looped around Kourtney's neck Flawless: The raven-haired beauty wore her tresses pulled back from her face so as to give an unfettered view of her flawless features. Seen here with Malika Haqq [L] Later on in the evening, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians mainstay caught up with family friend Jonathan Cheban. Kim Kardashian's BFF wore a distressed denim jacket and appeared to wear a diamond-encrusted necklace bearing his Instagram handle 'Foodgod'. Kourtney beamed over the 44-year-old's shoulder. Pals: Later on in the evening, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians mainstay caught up with family friend Jonathan Cheban Well-heeled: On her feet the petite starlet wore a pair of strappy heels Social media butterfly: Kim shared her trip to event to her Instagram account Kourtney was up bright and early to make sandwiches for the homeless on Saturday. The good deed was in honor of pal Steph Shep's birthday, with Kourtney explaining on Instagram: 'Today for @stephshep's birthday we're making lunches for homeless people in Los Angeles.' She tagged her post: 'hashtaglunchbag.' And added: 'My hope is that this inspires some of you to go get inspired in your own city.' The images showed the friends working at a long table set up in Kourtney's expansive back yard, piling cheese slices and ham into brown bread and adding fruit before bagging the lunches. Theres only one problem with Bodyguard. Unless of course it turns out that Julia Montague isnt really dead - a conspiracy theory some viewers believe, and surely a fatal flaw if it is the twist Jed Mercurio has waiting for us in the finale. Until then his gripping thriller has undoubtedly been the programme of the year deservedly becoming an instant phenomenon when 10.4million viewers watched the opening instalment (the highest ratings for any new British drama since 2006). That was a month ago, which brings us to the one big thing wrong with Bodyguard. Is she? Theres only one problem with Bodyguard. Unless of course it turns out that Julia Montague isnt really dead - a conspiracy theory some viewers believe It only has six episodes and tonight we reach number five. That means just a week before our final fix. Then nothing for a year, or more (or permanently). American television would never allow it. HBO or Netflix wouldnt dream of giving us less than the 11-13 part season that has been standard over there for years. Mercurio deserves more than six shows to tell his story in. Having said that he packs a ridiculous amount into them and, as he proved with Line Of Duty, is the master of the fleeting detail: subtle clues whose relevance only becomes clear at the climax. One to watch: It only has six episodes and tonight we reach number five. That means just a week before our final fix. Then nothing for a year, or more (or permanently) We approach the penultimate episode knowing many of our early theories and suspicions now look too obvious, like red herrings, or heavily tainted. * David Budd is now acting like a grieving lover intent on unearthing her killer(s) rather than the potential vengeful assassin/ex-soldier he appeared to be at the start. * MI5s Director-General Stephen Hunter-Dunn and his sidekick Richard Longcross are surely just pantomime villains unlikely to appeal to Mercurio who always preferred to keep his culprits under the radar in Line Of Duty. * Prime Minister John Vosler is surely unlikely to have resorted to such drastic measures to foil Julia Montague even if she was blackmailing him. * Equally, Voslers allies Mike Travis and Rob Macdonald had probably been plotting to stop Montagues bid to oust the Prime Minister rather than assassinate her. * Tahir Mahmood now seemed unlikely to have smuggled the bomb into the auditorium in his briefcase but been used by Travis and Macdonald to sabotage Montagues speech and with it her leadership campaign. All of which means its increasingly likely the denouement will revolve around something and someone we didnt foresee. This was Jed Mercurio after all the devious genius who knew all along that Dot Cotton was The Caddy. Here are 10 characters previously lurking in the background or shrouded in mystery whose real identity/role may still prove significant in the final two episodes of Bodyguard. Whodunnit: We approach the penultimate episode knowing many of our early theories and suspicions now look too obvious, like red herrings, or heavily tainted 1. Charlotte Foxfield Charlotte Foxfield was the name on the witness statement alleging serious sexual assault against a man then at Cambridge and now, presumably, the Prime Minister featured in the report on the tablet MI5 gave Julia Montague. Is Charlotte Foxfield someone weve met under another pseudonym? And who the hells called Charlotte Foxfield? Would she really have such a bizarre name if she wasnt going to be significant? 2. Chanel Dyson Chanel was the aide who spilled coffee over Julia Montague just as she was about to appear on The Andrew Marr Show and then sacked and escorted out of the building by Budd after making a scene. Yeah I dont need their s***y cab! she scoffed Chanel as she left in a Range Rover with blacked out windows. All her contributions seemed suspiciously gratuitous for her not to have some further role. We need to know more: Chanel was the aide who spilled coffee over Julia Montague just as she was about to appear on The Andrew Marr Show and then sacked and escorted out 3. Chanels mystery man Eagle-eyed viewers will have spotted the driver of the Range Rover was also at the meeting for dissident ex-soldiers organised by Andy Apstead, the sniper who tried to assassinate Julia Montague. 4. Vicky Budds new bloke Vicky Budds mystery man has repeatedly popped up in conversations between her and estranged husband David without a single detail about him being mentioned/revealed. Is your new bloke going to make a good Dad? the traumatised bodyguard asked for example. Vickys new bloke has to be someone significant. Could it be Range Rover man, DCI Sharma, or (gulp) even Richard Longcross? 5. Roger Penhaligon Penhaligon is not just the governments Chief Whip but Julia Montagues ex-husband, a detail that has (suspiciously) hardly featured - even when he comforted her mother at the hospital. Penhaligon didnt care so much when he found out Julia had visited the PM at Chequers, blazing: shes snatching the key to Number 10 ! We need to do something fast! Like blow her up? Who is it? Vicky Budds mystery man has repeatedly popped up in conversations between her and estranged husband David without a single detail about him being mentioned/revealed 6. Commander Anne Sampson This is a very, very, dangerous politician! Commander Anne Sampson declared about Julia Montague at the start of the series. Someone who must be stopped! As the Head of Counter-Terrorism at the Met, Sampson fits Mercurios profile for the culprit. Gina McKee is also too well known for such a small role usually a giveaway sign of an actor playing the villain. 7. DCI Deepak Sharma Nadia described the person who supplied her husband with explosives as an Asian man and said it was not Tahir Mahmood. As the Counter-Terrorism detective leading the investigation he was perfectly placed to orchestrate everything and the last person wed suspect. 8. DS Louise Rayburn DCI Sharmas colleague was also the perfect Mercurio culprit: an overtly likeable detective who seemed so honest and trustworthy David Budd had started to confide in her: far too nice. DS Rayburn had also conducted the bogus search of Budds home the opportunity to put the blank in his gun and plant the USB stick in the ceiling. More than meets the eye: As the Head of Counter-Terrorism at the Met, Commander Anne Sampson fits Mercurios profile for the culprit 9. PC Tom Fenton Another potential Mercurio wrong un a minor member in the team of detectives always lurking in the background watching DS Budd or questioning his professionalism/sanity. 10. The Surgical Administrator If it does transpire that Julia Montagues death was an elaborate hoax (by MI5) or plot twist (by Jed Mercurio) the surgical administrator (as she is cryptically called in the credits) would have played a major part in it, having shepherded David Budd away when he tried to see Montague at the hospital. In theory, announcing her death would protect the Home Secretary from further assassination attempts. It also seems strange Keeley Hawes was denied her big death scene, with no footage of Montague flatlining and breathing her last breath. We never actually witnessed her die. In fact like Budd we only saw a doctor break the news to Montagues family from afar rather than hear it or get any scenes showing their reaction or what happened to her body. It seems far-fetched but not impossible. After all the one person we can never really trust in Bodyguard is Jed Mercurio. She spent the summer flaunting her hourglass figure in an array of skimpy bikinis on Love Island. And Megan Barton Hanson ensured all eyes were on her as she joined her ITV2 co-stars for Julien Macdonald's London Fashion Week show on Saturday night. The reality starlet, 24, showcased her hourglass curves in a plunging semi-sheer silver gown, while Laura Anderson, 29, put on a racy display in a black cut-out midi dress at the Ciroc sponsored event. Eye-popping display: Megan Barton Hanson ensured all eyes were on her as she joined her ITV2 co-stars for Julien Macdonald's London Fashion Week show on Saturday night Megan left little to the imagination in the embellished silver dress, which showcased plenty of cleavage due to its plunging neckline. She added to a boost to her lithe limbs with a pair of pink suede sandals and styled her blonde locks in glamorous waves. The Essex beauty complemented her sun-kissed tan with a bronzed make-up look and a matte pink lip. Glamorous: Laura Anderson, 29, put on a racy display in a black cut-out midi dress for the Ciroc sponsored event Killer curves: Megan left little to the imagination in the embellished silver dress, which showcased plenty of cleavage due to its plunging neckline All eyes on her: She added to a boost to her lithe limbs with a pair of pink suede sandals and styled her blonde locks in glamorous waves Gorgeous: The Essex beauty complemented her sun-kissed tan with a bronzed make-up look and a matte pink lip Meanwhile, Laura showed ex-beau Paul Knopps what he was missing as she attended the catwalk show in a black crochet bodycon dress. She paired the look with black star embellished heels and a silver studded clutch bag as she strutted into the venue with Kazimir Crossley and Montana Brown. Slicking her long blonde locks back, Laura amped up the glamour with a red lipstick and fluttery eyelashes. Newly-single: Laura paired the look with black star embellished heels and a silver studded clutch bag as she strutted into the venue with Kazimir Crossley and Montana Brown Moving on: Meanwhile, Laura showed ex-beau Paul Knopps what he was missing as she attended the catwalk show in a black crochet bodycon dress Supportive: The Love Island girls were no doubt on hand to support Laura, who recently confirmed she had split from carpenter Paul, 31 Embellished: Megan and Laura wore dresses from the designer for the star-studded show which saw Izabel Goulart and Winnie Harlow strut their stuff on the runway The Love Island girls were no doubt on hand to support Laura, who recently confirmed she had split from carpenter Paul, 31. The duo, who are the second couple of the series to part ways following Samira Mighty and Frankie Foster's break-up, are said to have 'cooled off' their romance after spending time apart doing respective work. The blonde is said to have last seen her beau for a personal appearance yet she has now taken the next step and boldly unfollowed him on social media after he was looking laid back and happy on a night on Tuesday. Night out: Meanwhile Wes Nelson arrived for a personal appearance at Cruise Nightclub in Chester Handsome: The 20-year-old cut a dapper figure in a navy pinstripe suit and black Gucci belt Happy-go-lucky: Wes appeared in high spirits as he exited the club after being spotted earlier in the day at Chester Races Following the reported split, insiders told The Sun: 'Laura and Paul have been so busy since the show finished and both had holidays planned without each other so have ended up spending a lot of time apart... 'Paul went to New York for modelling work and on to Burning Man while Laura enjoyed some time back in Dubai where she lived before signing up to Love Island. 'They saw each other on Saturday night but only for a personal appearance and things werent the same between them so they have decided to cool off.' MailOnline has contacted representatives for Laura and Paul for comment. Meanwhile, Megan's romance with Wes Nelson appears to be going from strength-to-strength, with the pair littering their Instagram pages with loved-up snaps. Temperatures soared above 30 degrees in Sydney on Saturday. And 60 Minutes reporter Tom Steinfort and his new fiancee Claudia Jukic made the most of the sweltering spring day with a relaxing visit to the NSW capital's Bondi Beach. The pair put on a loved-up display just months after announcing their engagement at the end of June. Scroll down for video Fun in the sun! 60 Minutes reporter Tom Steinfort and fiancee Claudia Jukic put on a loved-up display at Sydney's Bondi Beach after announcing engagement Tom stripped down to his tiny floral print shorts as he arrived at the iconic hotspot. The 33-year-old joined the cast of long-running Channel Nine current affairs show 60 Minutes earlier this year. However, many Australians may know him better as the former host of Nine's Weekend Today. Hot stuff: The TV personality and fiancee Claudia made the most of the sweltering spring day on Saturday with a relaxing visit to the iconic spot Happy times: The pair put on a loved-up display to fellow sun-seekers after announcing their engagement earlier back in June Trend setting: Tom's fiancee Claudia revealed her obvious flare for fashion as she accessorised her dark red bikini with two gold necklaces and stylish earrings His fiancee Claudia revealed her obvious flare for fashion as she accessorised her dark red bikini with two gold necklaces and stylish earrings. The beauty currently works as the marketing editor for Australian Elle magazine. The Nine star couldn't keep his eyes off his wife-to-be as she showcased her enviable bikini body to other beach-goers during their outing. He appeared to playfully tickle her at one point as she reclined on the golden sand soaking up some sun while laughing out loud. Perfect pair: Both Tom and Claudia showcased their perfectly toned bodies at the beach Whispering sweet nothings? The couple were inseparable during the outing Laughing matter: Tom appeared to tickle his wife-to-be as she laughed out loud Only has eyes for you! Tom was fixated on his fiancee as they soaked up some sun The TV personality announced their engagement back in June. 'What a day!' Tom captioned a picture of the pair, adding a wedding ring emoji. 'Thanks so much for all the love and excitement back home.' He continued: 'We're overwhelmed and over the moon! I'm a very lucky boy. Can't wait for you to be my wife.' And it appeared that the pair are still as loved-up today following their beach trip. Where's the sun gone? As the temperature cooled down again, Claudia covered up! She's been storming the runways at many high-end shows recently. Yet Winnie Harlow didn't allow herself any downtime as she headed to the Cartier Party during London Fashion Week on Saturday. Joined by fellow model Neelam Gill, the 24-year-old Canadian beauty looked sensational as she teamed a scanty bralet with a midi skirt. Working it: She's been storming the runways at many shows. Yet Winnie Harlow didn't allow herself downtime as she headed to the Cartier Party during London Fashion Week on Saturday Showing off her sensational figure, Winnie flashed her abs and toned arms in a tiny Fendi bralet that she teamed with a taupe midi skirt that skimmed her long legs. Adding to the glamour, the former America's Next Top Model star donned a small Fendi bag, whilst she donned glittering diamond earrings. Looking just as stylish, Neelam opted for a little black dress with a high neckline but thigh-grazing hem that showcased her lean pins. Dressed to impress: Joined by fellow model Neelam Gill, the 24-year-old Canadian beauty looked sensational as she teamed a scanty bralet with a midi skirt Only recently, Winnie was announced as a new Victoria's Secret Angel. After starting her career as a contestant on America's Next Top Model in 2014, the model will now be taking to the coveted Victorias Secret Fashion Show in November. The exact moment Winnie found out she had earned her wings has been uploaded to Models Daily's Twitter account and it has also been reported she went on to make the official announcement at the IMG VIP Lounge by Principessa Prosecco. Winnie - who has skin condition vitiligo - also recently discussed the changes in the modelling industry in an interview with ELLE magazine. She explained: 'There is a big shift happening in the fashion industry in terms of beauty standards, and I feel Im part of that shift. 'I remember on Americas Next Top Model, Tyra Banks asked me if a photographer told me to cover my skin for a shoot, would I do it? I said no. I dont care who it is, or who thinks I should. Im going to stay true to myself.' She previously lashed out at being branded 'a sufferer' of pigment disease Vitiligo, as she penned on Instagram: '"I'm not a 'Vitiligo Sufferer" I'm not a 'Vitiligo model. 'I am Winnie. I am a model. And I happen to have Vitiligo. Stop putting these titles on me or anyone else.' She's never been one to shy away from the spotlight. And Chloe Ferry ensured all eyes would be on her as she headed out for dinner with boyfriend Sam Gowland in Teesside on Saturday. Clad in a mini skirt and thigh high boots, the 23-year-old Geordie Shore star was dressed to impress for the outing. Two's company: Chloe Ferry ensured all eyes would be on her as she headed out for dinner with boyfriend Sam Gowland in Teesside on Saturday Teasing her ample assets, the reality starlet went braless beneath a figure-hugging pink vest emblazoned with the phrase 'love affair'. She teamed the garment with a skimpy denim mini skirt that grazed her tanned and toned pins, whilst she boosted her frame with a pair of thigh high peep toe boots. Chloe rounded off the ensemble by toting a baby blue boxy handbag. Dressed to impress: Teasing her ample assets, the reality starlet went braless beneath a figure-hugging pink vest emblazoned with the phrase 'love affair' The couple looked head over heels on their date night, which comes just days after Chloe revealed Sam had treated her to a French bulldog puppy. The lovebirds have taken their relationship to the next level with the arrival of their new pooch, which Chloe has since named Ivy. Sharing a photograph of the trio together on Instagram, Chloe gushed: 'Cant believe @samgowland has just surprised me for my birthday with my dream dog I love you.' And after a few days deliberating what to call the adorable dog, which can cost up to 4,000, Chloe shared another picture of herself posing with the puppy and revealed: 'Meet Ivy.' Chloe and Sam confirmed their romance in October 2017 after they met in the Geordie Shore house. The couple have since gone on several luxurious holidays, had tattoos of each other's names created and even got their own home together. After Liane Moriarty penned best-selling novel Big Little Lies, it didn't take long for Hollywood heavyweights Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon to set their sights on adapting it for TV. But on Sunday, the Australian author admitted things almost got off to a shaky start when she agreed to meet Nicole in Sydney four years ago, with the A-list actress intent on securing the TV rights to the book. Speaking to Channel Nine's 60 Minutes recalled the awkward moment she met the Oscar-winner, 50, for the first time at a coffee shop in Darlinghurst, Sydney four years ago. Scroll down for video 'Get out!' In an interview with 60 Minutes, Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty (left) recalled the awkward first moment she met Nicole Kidman (right) in a Sydney cafe as the A-list actress tried to secure the TV rights to her best-selling novel Liane explained the Hollywood star wanted to meet with her to snap up the TV rights to the HBO smash hit at a local cafe. 'When I got there, the cafe was closed. So I thought to myself, I wonder if they've closed the cafe just for her,' Liane said, explaining she didn't know what to expect from a celebrity. 'I don't know. Maybe that's the way things are done. And so I walked around the back and I could see the cooking staff. Liane went on to explain she tried to make eye contact with the staff and get their attention so she could be let in. 'I said, "Are you closed?" and they said, "Yes." So I looked at them and said: ''Are you closed for everyone?" She continued with a laugh: 'And they said, "Yes, we're closed for everyone.''' In response, Channel Nine host Liz Hayes exclaimed in jest: 'Get out!' 'When I got there, the cafe was closed. So I thought to myself, I wonder if they've closed the cafe just for her' Liane laughed about how her meeting with Nicole almost went awry But the situation was quickly resolved when they found nearby open venue to discuss the book. 'Then we finally found another place to meet and she was lovely and warm and very down to earth,' Liane said. Nicole, who also appeared on the current affairs program on Sunday said she had just come from the set of Big Little Lies season 2 to film the interview. The acclaimed actress, who won an Emmy and Golden Globe for her performance as an abused wife in the series, said she 'loves' Liane and felt great responsibility to turn the book into a television blockbuster. 'So I was like, "OK" I've got to do this now': Nicole (pictured) said she 'loves' Liane and felt great responsibility to turn the book into a television blockbuster 'We were just like two Australian women discussing our lives. And within that time, I said,"Can we? I mean, if you would let us? We promise you we'll get this made,''' she said. 'So I was like, "OK" I've got to do this now,' Nicole said. Nicole recently hinted filming had wrapped on the hotly anticipated second season of Big Little Lies. Taking to Instagram in June, shared a snap of herself against a scenic backdrop. That's a wrap? Actress Nicole Kidman hints shooting has finished on Big Little Lies season 2 Taking to Instagram on Saturday, the Oscar-winner, 50 shared a snap of herself against a scenic backdrop. She captioned the post: 'It's been an absolute joy to film in Monterey. 'So sad to leave...' She captioned the post: 'It's been an absolute joy to film in #Monterey. 'So sad to leave but thank you for the warmth and hospitality. #BigLittleLies.' The mum-of-four has been shooting the new season of the drama series since March alongside Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Zoe Kravitz and Shailene Woodley. Centred around a mysterious murder in an affluent seaside town, Meryl Streep will also join the A-list line-up for the new series. Tough role: Nicole played a wife suffering domestic abuse at the hands of her husband, played by Alexander Skarsgard Bachelor in Paradise star Blake Colman, 29, has lashed out after making a controversial remark about the sexuality of his ex, The Bachelor's Brooke Blurton. On Thursday, Blake took to his Instagram Story in order to reveal his dating past with the Bachelor star, who dates men and women, saying she went 'full lesbian.' The Perth-based reality star, however, appeared to backpedal in a second Instagram post on Saturday, complaining his comments were 'taken out of context.' Scroll down to video 'It's not a big deal unless you're homophobic': Bachelor in Paradise star Blake Colman, 29, has defended his controversial remarks about ex Brooke Blurton, 23, going 'full lesbian' In the initial post, Blake gave fans a crude insight into his dating history with the 23-year-old Perth-based youth worker. 'Is now the right time to tell you that I was dating Brooke during the exact moment she decided to turn full lesbian?' he started. He then bizarrely added that he has 'no chance' with women before saying, 'you have not felt pain and confusion until a girl leaves you for a girl.' Defending himself: In the long-winded reply, Blake reiterated that the pair were dating when Brooke turned 'full gay', before claiming that he has a lot of gay friends and his questionable comments were 'not a big deal' But in the new post, the hot-headed reality star doubled down on his comments, appearing to not understand what the fuss was about. 'In our society in the present in the present day it's a joke when everyone is trying to pin point someone's sexuality like Brooke's' Despite Brooke refusing to label her sexuality, he this time called her 'bisexual'. 'Its a joke when everyone is trying to pin point someone's sexuality like Brooke's': Blake claimed it was silly everyone was focused on Brooke's sexual orientation Blake went on to say that he has a lot of gay friends, which is part of the reason he doesn't think the questionable remarks were 'a big deal'. 'I have so many friends in the gay community its not even funny, hence why my comments are not a big deal unless you are homophobic.' He finished by saying that everyone should focus on what he said, and insisted that Brooke is a 'great person.' Speaking out: On Thursday, Blake made a number of questionable comments about Brooke's sexuality, including one about the "pain and confusion" of your girlfriend moving on with a girl 'Brooke is a really great girl and a really good human.' Despite it not being known when the pair dated, Brooke previously opened up about their failed romance to Woman's Day magazine in August. 'We used to see each other but it didn't really work out,' Brooke told the publication. 'I don't like to judge, but I got an eerie feeling from him.' 'We used to see each other but it didn't really work out': Last month, Brooke revealed the reality TV stars had dated each other Meanwhile, during Wednesday's episode of The Bachelor, Brooke touched on her sexuality, with the stunner admitting she didn't like labels. 'I'm not a bisexual or a lesbian or anything like that, I'm a big lover of people and who they are,' she said. While opening up about what the Network Ten show had dubbed her 'big secret' to Nick 'The Honey Badger' Cummins, Brooke stated she has previously had two relationships with men and two with women. Opening up: 'It's now the right time to let you know...,' Blake penned a lengthy post about his time with Brooke, with a number of questionable remarks Johnny Ruffo was recently spotted looking happy and healthy with his girlfriend, Tahnee Sims in the US as he continues to recover from an aggressive form of brain cancer. And on Sunday the 24-year-old blonde took to Instagram to share a throwback snap of the pair indulging in the local cuisine at Universal Studios in Hollywood. In the loved-up selfie, the former Home and Away actor is seen beaming as he holds a half-eaten pink iced donut alongside his flaxen-haired lady love. Scroll down for video Former Home and Away star Johnny Ruffo (right) beams as he puts on loved-up display with girlfriend Tahnee Sims (left)...while continuing his battle with aggressive brain cancer The blonde stunner, clad in a dark ensemble, looked like the picture of joy as she cosied up to her beau. 'Dreamin of these dam donuts,' Tahnee captioned the photograph. Last week Johnny took to the photo-sharing app to share the same image alongside the caption: 'Hands down, the greatest donut Ive ever eaten! #simpsonsdonut' Viva Las Vegas! Former Home and Away star Johnny Ruffo (pictured) looked the picture of health during a sun-kissed US getaway with girlfriend Tahnee Sims... while continuing to fight aggressive brain cancer Love's young dream: The blonde beauty recently shared a tender selfie of the couple against the Vegas night skyline Last month, Johnny looked happy and healthy while emerging from his New York hotel as he enjoyed a getaway in the US with Tahnee. The New York visit was the second leg of the loved-up couple's US getaway after enjoying a sun-drench stopover in Las Vegas. It's been just over one year since the former X Factor finalist announced he had been diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer. After having a 7cm tumour removed from his skull, the performer has since then been undergoing repeated intense rounds of chemotherapy. It's been over one year since the former X Factor finalist (pictured) announced he had been diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer In July during an appearance on Studio 10, Johnny revealed he had another three months of the cancer treatment to go. 'I've got a little bit of chemo left to do, I've got about three months left,' Johnny said. Panellist Joe Hildebrand asked the actor whether the treatment was 'debilitating', to which he offered a candid response. 'There are days where you feel like absolute garbage and you just want to lie in bed and do nothing, and that's what I do,' Johnny said. He's the Gold Coast muscle stud who gained a legion of fans for his ripped physique while appearing on Bachelor in Paradise. But on Saturday, it was Apollo Jackson's skills as a magician which left Love Island winner Tayla Damir, 22, stunned at the Optic White Stakes Day in Sydney. Taking to Instagram, Tayla shared a clip of herself and her conversation with Apollo, who was showing off his David Copperfield-like prowess. Scroll down to video Something up your sleeve? Bachelor in Paradise star Apollo Jackson (R) left Love Island winner Tayla Damir (L) stunned with a card trick when they attended Optic White Stakes Day Hunky Apollo first got the brunette bombshell to sign a playing card, saying he was treating her to the 'world's weirdest card trick.' Magician Apollo, 25, then said he would fold her card in half, then in half again, before asking her to put it in her teeth. An excited Tayla then put the folded card between her pearly whites, before Apollo grabbed a three of spades and put it between his teeth. Stunned? Brunette beauty Tayla was very impressed by the hunky Magician's card trick, adding the caption 'mind blown' to her video The two reality stars swallowed the cards, with Apollo then revealing the cards had 'jumped' from each of their mouths. Pulling the card out of his mouth, Apollo revealed a nine of hearts. 'No, you are joking,' someone can be overheard saying in disbelief, while starlet Tayla appeared to say 'what?' during the interaction. Earlier in the day, Tayla did little to shut down speculation she is now dating Love Island co-star Dom Thomas, 26, with the two seen cosying up to each other. 'The speculation is misguided and any rumours are false': Tayla (above) recently denied that she and Love Island co-star Dom Thomas, 26, (above) was an item Last week, a video emerged on social media that appeared to show Dom's hand on Tayla's lap, which sent fans into a frenzy. However, Tayla denied the pair were a couple last week during an interview with NW magazine with a representative downplaying the rumours. 'The speculation is misguided and any rumours are false. She's single and very happy,' they said. Meanwhile, it's believed that Apollo is still single after his relationship with busty Brit Simone Ormesher failed to take off after they left Bachelor in Paradise. Richard Gere, 69, and his new wife Alejandra Silva, 35, have confirmed that they are expecting their first child together. Alejandra posted a picture to her Instagram account on Sunday, as the pair met the Dalai Lama in the city of Rotterdam in The Netherlands. The image shows the Dalai Lama with his hand on Alejandra's bump, blessing the unborn child. Richard Gere, 69, takes new wife Alejandra Silva, 35, to meet the Dalai Lama... who blesses her bump in first confirmation of pregnancy Blessing: The meeting occurred in Holland; Richard tied the knot with Alejandra in April, after four years together Spanish publicist Alejandra wrote: 'Just a few moments ago... Getting blessings for our precious to come. We couldn't announce it before telling HH Dalai Lama Muy feliz recibiendo bendiciones para nuestro preciado tesoro por llegar... no lo podia anunciarlo sin antes haberselo dicho a su SS Dalai Lama.. #dalailama #richardgere #alejandragere #love.' Gere is a long-term friend of the Dalai Lama, Tibets exiled spiritual leader. A Buddhist himself, Gere is a a prominent advocate for human rights in Tibet - something he says led to him being blacklisted in Hollywood. His support for the state also led to him being banned from entering China. Close: A Buddhist, Gere is a long-time friend of Tibets exiled spiritual leader Sunday's happy baby news comes after screen icon Richard tied the knot with Alejandra in April, after four years together. Respected Madrid-based daily newspaper ABC broke the news of Geres wedding to the pretty Spaniard, 33 years his junior, earlier this year and first reported the pregnancy last month. The actor tied the knot with Alejandra at a civil ceremony in Spain in April before celebrating the occasion with friends and family at the actors home near New York the following month. Support: The actor a prominent advocate for human rights in Tibet He admitted after the US blessing: 'I am the happiest man in the universe, how could I not be?' The pair both have children of their own. Insurance agents son Richard has an 18-year-old son called Homer with former wife Carey Lowell. Alejandra, who met her current husband while divorcing her first husband Govind Friedland, the son of mining magnate Robert Friedland, has a five-year-old son called Alberto she calls Albertino. Gere met his future wife at a luxury Italian boutique hotel Alejandra bought with her former husband and was managing at the time. Happy couple: The actor tied the knot with Alejandra at a civil ceremony in Spain in April before celebrating the occasion with friends and family at the actors home near New York the following month; the two are seen in September Lots to celebrate: The Pretty Woman star tied the knot with Alejandra after four years together at a civil ceremony in Spain in April (pictured in Berlin in February) The pretty Galician-born blonde, the daughter of a former Vice President of Real Madrid who was educated at Leweston School in Dorset, told glossy magazine Hola in September 2016: 'Richard has been my hero in real life. 'I was a little lost, without light, and meeting him gave sense to my life. 'I felt like someone was stretching out his hand and showing me the true path.' Their relationship first became public in June 2015. Kris Jenner has walked down the aisle twice in her lifetime and, despite being in a happy relationship with Corey Gamble, she's not looking to do it again. The Momager opened up about her multiple marriages and divorces on a new podcast, Divorce Sucks!, by iconic celebrity family law attorney Laura Wasser, 50. The 62-year-old got very candid about what it was like to end two marriages while parenting her brood of children at the same time. No wedding bells: Kris Jenner sat down with celebrity divorce lawyer Laura Wasser for her new podcast and explained that, despite being 'happy' with Corey Gamble, she's not ready for a third marriage Mayor of Splitsville: Laura Wasser, 50, has represented everyone in Hollywood from Angelina Jolie to Kim Kardashian in their divorces. She is launching the Divorce Sucks! podcast on Monday September 17 with Kris Jenner as her first guest 'Well, I love the name by the way, Divorce Sucks,' the Momager quipped. 'It couldn't be more appropriate because it really does.' Wasser sat down with the Keeping Up With the Kardashian's star at 'Casa Kardashian' to get into the nitty gritty of her two failed marriages and whether she would tie the knot again. 'Do you think you would ever do it again, Kris?' 'You know, you never say never,' Kris responded, 'but I often say it's just not what I think I need to do again based on my past.' Kris acts as manager to her uber successful aughters, and is a now a millionaire many times over. She added: 'I don't have the need to put on a long, white dress and walk down an aisle. I've done that. 'I've had the big wedding, I've had the babies and the kids, six of them, by the way. 'It's not like we need to do that again; my body wouldn't cooperate if I wanted it to.' Jenner has been with long time beau Corey Gamble, 37, since 2014. 'I'm in a really great relationship right now and I'm happy and I don't want to mess that up,' Jenner gushed over her relationship with Gamble. 'I used to listen to people say that, by the way, and think: "Oh, what a crock of you know what."' Despite that happiness, Kris doesn't seem keen to become a bride again. The entrepreneur married attorney Robert Kardashian back in 1978 when she was just 22-years-old and he was in his forties. Kris and Robert had four of Kris' famous children together, Kourtney, 39, Kim, 37, Khloe, 34 and Robert Jr., 31. The couple divorced in 1991, and at the time, Kris was represented in that divorce by Wasser's father. Robert died from esophageal cancer in 2003. The same year she divorced Robert, Kris tied the knot with Bruce Jenner (now Caitlyn). The couple famously had two children together, Kendall, 22, and Kylie, 21. The Jenner's announced they were splitting in 2013. 'I'm in a really great relationship right now and I'm happy and I don't want to mess that up:' the 62-year-old said of her relationship with Corey Gamble Before the split: Kris married Bruce Jenner (now Caitlyn) in 1991, the same year she divorced her first husband Robert Kardashian During her chat on the podcast, Jenner called her divorce from Robert one of her 'biggest regrets' because it 'hurt the kids.' It was revealed in her memoir that Kris had an affair while married to Kardashian. Kris also explained that the OJ Simpson trial was 'tough' for her children because she and Robert were on 'different sides.' Robert was a long time friend of Simpsons and a member of his Dream Team panel of defense attorneys. Kris was a close friend of the late Nicole Brown Simpson. Wasser, who's a best selling author, names the Kardashian's of one of her many celebrity clients. She's represented both Khloe and Kim in their respective divorces. While speaking with Kris, the attorney managed to debunk a recent rumor that Kim and Kanye were heading for splitsville and said that a report claiming she met with Kim about a divorce was false. The author of It Doesn't Have to Be That Way boasts an impressive client roster of A-listers like Angelina Jolie, Heidi Klum, Ryan Reynolds, Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears - just to name a few. The premiere episode of Divorce Sucks! streams on Monday, September 17 on PodcastOne. On her website It's Over Easy, Wasser wrote: 'How fitting that this partnership is launched with the Kris Jenner episode? As a businessperson, a parent and one who has braved and conquered new beginnings in many instances, Kris is an inspiration personally and professionally.' They both sit on the honorary committee for the Mercy For Animals "Hidden Heroes Gala". So, naturally, Alicia Silverstone and a very pregnant Kat Von D were at the Vibiana, a former cathedral in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday to make sure all the guests had a good time. The 41-year-old American Woman star sparkled in a glitzy black dress with a plunging neckline and spaghetti string straps that she teamed with black high-heeled shoes. Decked out in black: Alicia Silverstone and a pregnant Kat Von D, committee members for the Mercy For Animals Hidden Heroes Gala, at the Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles Saturday A well known vegan, she later spoke at the celebrity event for the international non-profit body dedicated to preventing cruelty to farmed animals and promoting compassionate food choices and policies. Raven-haired Kat, 36, wore black literally from head to toe, effectively hiding her growing baby bump. The only color in the celebrity tattoo artist and model's ensemble was the bright red lipstick she chose. She was joined by husband Leafar Seyer, 43, an author, artist and musician, also kitted out in black. Shimmering star: Alicia wowed in a black sequin dress with a plunging neckline at the event Speaking out: A well-known vegan and animal rights activist, the 41-year-old took the podium Wearing dark glasses, he gently rested one back gloved hand on his wife's tummy. Other committee members spotted included actresses Emily Deschanel, 41, Amy Smart, 42, Stephanie Corneliussen, 31, and Maggie Q, 39. Emily wore a beautiful dark red gown with a long chiffon cape and matching court shoes while Amy went for a colorful ankle-length frock in shades of light and dark blue. On the dark side: Kat, 36, a celebrity tattoo artist, and her author, artist and musician husband Leafar Seyer, 43, wore black from head to toe, as he caressed her baby bump Flashing the flesh: Actress Celesta DeAstis, 24, showed off her cleavage and her tummy in her velvet crop top and matching mini-skirt as actor Calum Worthy, 27, sited up in blue A Dream on screen: Black Lightning Actress Skye P. Marshall went for a colorful print dress at the Mercy for Animals Event Founded in 1999, Mercy For Animals has gained worldwide recognition for its trailblazing undercover work inside factory farms and slaughterhouses. The Hidden Heroes Gala is held every year to honor undercover investigators who reveal their true identities for the first time publicly at the event. The work of these courageous individuals has led to precedent-setting changes in the meat, dairy, and egg industries. Sitting pretty: Actor Elliot Knight, 28, and Harry Potter actress Evanna Lynch, 27, at the gala No swimsuits: Former Baywatch stars Jason Simmons, 48, and Alexandra Paul, 55 Stephanie stunned in a long nude chiffon dress with an intricate black design, nipped in at the waist by a black belt to emphasize the wide, flowing skirt. Maggie Q smoldered in a little black dress with one strap hanging off her shoulder. Others at the gala included actresses Celeste DeAstis, 24, Skye P. Marshall, Ivanna Sakhno, 20, and Evanna Lynch, 27; actor Elliott Knight, 28; and Baywatch stars Jason Simmons and Alexandra Paul. Supporting the cause: Actress Emily Deschanel, 41, wore a chic purple gown Hollywood style: Stephanie Corneliussen, 31, stunned in a long nude chiffon dress with an intricate black design, nipped in at the waist by a black belt to emphasize the wide skirt She's never happier than when she is surrounded by her children. And a smiling Angelina Jolie looked content as she took twins Knox and Vivienne, 10, to the skating rink on Saturday. The doting mother, 43, walked with the two youngest of her six children, who were accompanied by a friend on the outing. Angelina had earlier spent the day at a Cambodian film festival in Long Beach, California, where she laughed with friends as she did her bit to support the South Asian country, the birthplace of her oldest son Maddox, 17. Mom life: Angelina Jolie takes Knox to the skating rink on Saturday in California as custody battle with Brad Pitt rumbles on Angelina is currently embroiled in a custody battle with estranged husband Brad Pitt, with whom she co-parents their six children. Along with the twins and Maddox the former couple have son Pax, 14, and daughters Zahara, 13, and Shiloh, 12. The Maleficent star only recently replaced top divorce attorney Laura Wasser with Samantha Bley Dejean. Mommy's girl: Vivienne, ten, and her friend completed the group Content: Smiling Angelina is seen outside the rink A source told People magazine: 'Angelina decided to put Samantha in charge of her case. She put her in the lead a month ago, and over the past month, the case has been fully transitioned to Samantha. 'She has come to rely on Samanthas counsel and thought it best that she take the lead. Angelina remains focused on healing her family. She continues to support the reconciliation of the children with Brad.' Whilst her spokesperson Mindy Nyby added in a statement: 'Angelina has decided to change counsel to Samantha Bley Dejean, as Samanthas expertise is the protection and best interest of children. Angelina appreciates Lauras cooperation in transitioning the case over the past several weeks.' Support: Earlier in the day Angelina visited the Cambodia Town Film Festival in Long Beach It comes after it was revealed that Angelina and Brad have reached an 'interim' custody deal. A source shared: 'The interim arrangement was agreed upon by both parties after it was recommended by their custody evaluator.' DeJean added: '[Pitt] has a duty to pay child support. As of present, [Pitt] has paid no meaningful child support since separation. Given the informal arrangements around the payment of the children's expenses have not been regularly sustained by [Pitt] for over a year and a half, [Jolie] intends to file an RFO [request for a court order] for the establishment of a retroactive child support order.' Her voice has been cardinal in the fight for justice against disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. And Rose McGowan looked fierce as she stepped out onto the runway for the Nicholas Kirkwood SS19 show at London Fashion Week on Sunday. The actress, 45, looked striking in a white jumpsuit as she walked the fashion show held at Ambika P3 in Marylebone. Striking: Rose McGowan looked fierce in a white jumpsuit as she took to the runway at Nicholas Kirkwood's LFW show on Sunday Her white ensemble was cinched at the waist with a matching wireless cord, and as she stepped out onto the runway she pulled her hood up. Rose sported close-cropped platinum cropped blonde locks, and she wore a slick of bold red lipstick and metallic eyeliner to make sure she stood out from the crowd. The Charmed star looked ethereal in her all-white ensemble, as she walked bare-foot down the runway while holding a heeled boot in the futuristic show. Wow! The actress, 45, looked striking in a white jumpsuit as she walked the fashion show held at Ambika P3 in Marylebone Mysterious: Her white ensemble was cinched at the waist with a matching wireless cord, and as she stepped out onto the runway she pulled her hood up Stylish: Rose sported close-cropped platinum cropped blonde locks, and she wore a slick of bold red lipstick and metallic eyeliner to make sure she stood out from the crowd McGowan has been an outspoken advocate of the #MeToo movement after being one of the first women to come forward last year with allegations of sexual abuse against shamed movie mogul Weinstein, 66. She claims he raped her at the Sundance Film Festival in 1997, and The New York Times reported last year that she received a $100,000 settlement in the wake of the incident. That settlement did not require her to sign an NDA, but McGowan very publicly threw caution to the wind in November by alleging on Twitter that Weinstein was her rapist. Making a stand: The Charmed star looked ethereal in her all-white ensemble, as she walked bare-foot down the runway while holding a heeled boot in the futuristic show No more: McGowan has been an advocate of the #MeToo movement after being one of the first women to come forward last year with allegations of sexual abuse against Harvey Weinstein In good company: Rose took part in the show alongside a number of top models (pictured, L-R, Sita Abellan, Nicholas Kirkwood, Leomie Anderson, Rose, and Winnie Harlow) After the traumatic incident in her youth, the actress admitted the producer would still make her pose with him on the red carpet - which she describes as completely unbearable. In April, she explained: 'He'd grab you tightly around the ribcage and you would just leave your body and smile because what else can you do in front of the cameras when you're being touched by the person who hurt you, who ruined your life?' Her book Brave, which was released in January, details the activist's childhood living as part of the controversial group Children of God, as well as her sexual assault at the hands of Miramax mogul Weinstein. Incident: She claims he raped her at the Sundance Film Festival in 1997, and The New York Times reported last year that she received a $100,000 settlement in the wake of the incident Sci-fi: The fashion show had a futuristic feel to it with robot-like guards and white costumes With the abuse itself being horrific, Rose has previously explained that the fallout has been just as difficult to deal with, with Weinstein accusing her of being 'difficult' to work with, limiting the number of roles she was offered. The producer has since denied this, but Rose explained of the difficult time: 'I was alone in that world and it was harrowing. 'Even my family were confused about the difference between the person they knew and the character they read about constantly being slut-shamed.' Before adding of her strength: 'The fact I'm still here and have come through quite sane is nothing short of a miracle.' Newlyweds Hilary Swank and Philip Schneider spent their weekend doing what most married couples do - they went out for brunch. The 44-year-old was spotted makeup free with her new hubby on Saturday in Brentwood, California on a stroll while heading to the eatery. The Oscar winner tied the knot with the entrepreneur just a few weeks ago on August 18. Brunch time! Hilary Swank and her new husband Philip Schneider enjoyed a casual brunch together in Los Angeles on Saturday All smiles: The new Mr and Mrs stood so close together they were touching while they chatted outside of the restaurant Swank was a casual figure in a pair of cropped black spandex leggings, a black zip-up hoodie and a pair of black Nike running shoes. The star's fresh face didn't have a stitch of makeup and her chestnut hair with blonde highlights was loose and natural. She walked arm-in-arm with her handsome new husband on a sunny California day. Schneider, a business man, dressed in grey slim fit jeans and a black T-shirt with Adidas trainers. The pair dined at Tavern, a posh restaurant in Los Angeles. PDA: Hilary and Philip walked arm-in-arm together as they headed out for a casual meal Relaxing: The 44-year-old wore simple, plain black work out clothes and went makeup free for her relaxing day out with her new hubby Red carpet glam! Swank and her love hit the red carpet on September 12 in Toronto for her latest film What They Had Best friends! Maid of honor Mariska Hargitay her actor husband Peter Hermann posed with Swank during her engagement party Too much fun! Philip and Hilary's engagement soiree was thrown by Hargitay and actress Emmy Rossum who are seen here laughing with the bride Swank just got home from a whirlwind trip to Canada wit her husband for the Toronto International Film Festival where she was promoting her upcoming flick, What They Had, which hits theaters in October. The Million Dollar Baby star met her love on a blind date set up through a mutual friends. The lovebirds became engaged after a year and a half while on vacation in Colorado. The duo quietly got hitched at a lavish outdoor ceremony in Carmel, California in August. Of the location, Swank told Vogue: 'Its a stunning private community surrounded by 20,000 acres of conservancy and an intimate redwood grove populated with trees that are over 800 years old. Law and Order SVU star Mariska Hargitay stood by Hilary's side and served as her Maid of Honor. Prior to tying the knot, Hargitay and Shameless actress Emmy Rossum through the couple an intimate engagement party. The actress was previously married to actor Chad Lowe, the brother of Rob Lowe. The couple were married from 1997 until their separation in January 2006, later finalizing their divorce in November 2007. Stranger Things star David Harbour is definitely a man of his word. The actor officiated the wedding of fan Ericka Millholland and her husband Daniel Rockwood after promising the couple on Twitter that he would do it if the bride could get 125K retweets. On Saturday, the 43-year-old fittingly took to Twitter, where the whole story began, and posted a photo of the wedding party which included him as the officiant. Just married: Stranger Things star David Harbour officiated the wedding of a fan and her husband after promising the couple on Twitter that he would do it if the bride could get 125K retweets The best part of the photo had to be Harbour's outfit choice. He came dressed in a khaki color police uniform, complete with a hat just like his Emmy nominated Stranger Things character, Chief Hopper. Standing with him in the photo was the glowing bride in an embellished strapless gown, her smiling husband and their wedding party. 'Hey internet. I know its been awhile. I retreated. Needed some space. You probably get it,' the Hellboy actor wrote on Twitter Saturday. 'But Ive been thinking about ya in the interim. And all your retweets. And so me and some fun folks in Springfield, Illinois made good on our promise we made all those months ago.' The beginning: This tweet from Ericka Millholland started it all after she asked the actor what it would take to get him to officiate her wedding Challenge accepted: The 43-year-old tasked the bride to get 125K retweets and had a few minor conditions before we would agree to be the officiant Too easy: In a matter of hours Ericka received the necessary number of retweets and, a man of his word, David connected with her to 'get the ball rolling' In January, Millholland's tweet went viral when she asked the actor what it would take to get him to officiate her wedding. The Netflix star had no idea when he set the task of 125K retweets just how quickly the internet would jump into action. In one day Ericka had far surpassed the benchmark. The New York-born actor followed up with another tweet to announce that he would get ordained in order to marry Illinois couple. 'Dammit. Not even 24hours' the actor joked on Twitter. 'You're kidding me. @ErickaElizabth DM me please to get the ball rolling. I'm making it seriously hard next time, internet, this is not over between us...' Happy couple: Ericka and her new husband didn't think the tweet would get the star's attention but they were in for the surprise of a lifetime when he agreed Nice hat: The actor dressed fully in character for the wedding, including Chief Hopper's signature hat Emmy hopeful: Harbour performed the ceremony just two days before The Primetime Emmy Awards where he is a heavy favorite to win best supporting actor in a drama series Millholland, of Springfield, told DailyMail.com at the time: 'My sister, Courtney is actually the one that told me to tweet him. We had read the story about how he did the senior pictures with that other girl and thought it was hilarious and amazing. 'We are both big fans of the show, and Hopper is our favorite character, so we thought it would just be funny to tweet at him, thinking it would be completely ignored!' Millholland, who met Rockwood while they were working at a local grocery store called County Market, said at the time of the viral Twitter challenge that she would be 'extremely happy and overjoyed' if Harbour officiated at her wedding. Based on the photo that the actor shared, she looked over the moon. The Stranger Things actor might have made dreams come true in Illinois over the weekend but he could be in for a dream come true himself on Monday. The actor is a heavy favorite to take home the Emmy for supporting actor in a drama series for his role as Hopper in the supernatural retro Netflix juggernaut. The 70th Primetime Emmy Awards air live on Monday September 17 on NBC. Today's Birthday, September 15: Australian politician Fred Nile (1934 - ) When Fred Nile was caught out recounting a wildly inaccurate story to NSW parliament as the debate about voluntary assisted dying laws raged, he put it down to divine intervention. Admitting he had made a mistake, Nile admitted that he hadn't meant to mention the case study of an assisted dying case in the US state of Oregon when contributing to the debate, but defended himself by suggesting God had prompted him by giving him a full-blown visual of the newspaper report. Born in Sydney on September 15, 1934, Frederick John Nile travelled a long road to get to his moment with God in parliament. At the age of 20, Nile volunteered for the Australian Army before turning his mind to the study of theology. A decade later, in 1964, he was ordained as a minister. Time working as the national director of the Australian Christian Endeavour Movement before an appointment as the NSW director of the Festival of Light followed. Nile then founded the Call to Australia Party and in 1981 was elected to the NSW upper house. He stayed for more than three decades, bar a failed run at the Senate in the 2004 federal election where he briefly resigned. For 53 years Nile was married to Elaine Crealy, who he met while studying in 1958. Elaine followed him into politics, serving as a member of the legislative council from 1988 to 2002. The pair welcomed four children into the world together. Crealy died in 2011 after a long battle with cancer. Nile went on to find love again, this time with Silvana Nero who he met at a Christian Democrat Party meeting and who he married in 2013 despite a 24-year age gap. Nile won his last eight-year term in the NSW Senate in 2014 at the age of 80. It's a place he's made his mark on, with a whole section of the parliament's annual awards named in his honour. The Fred is awarded to statements from the clergy, celebrities or the culinary world who make the most sexist remarks of the year. Japan has failed in its bid to overturn a 32-year ban on commercial whaling in a win for the Australian government and conservationists. The International Whaling Commission has rejected the proposal from Japan, which argued whale populations had recovered sufficiently. The vote was defeated 41 to 27 on Friday after a five-day meeting in Brazil. The commission also rejected attempts to weaken its decision-making rules and establish catch-limits for commercial whaling. Japan, Norway and Iceland continue to hunt whales each year in defiance of the ban. Australia has been one of Japan's biggest critics on the issue and was one of just three countries out of the total 75 nations present to send a ministerial representative to the conference in Brazil. "The Australian government worked hard with partner countries in the commission to achieve this outcome," Senator Anne Ruston, the Assistant Minister for International Development and the Pacific, said in a statement on Friday. "Our delegation's strong advocacy was successful in having the Japanese proposal to resume whaling rejected, following intense lobbying of member nations and non-government representatives from many parts of the world," she said. Efforts to get more Liberal women into safe seats appears to need more work after the party picked a man to be Malcolm Turnbull's replacement in Wentworth. Dave Sharma will run for the Liberals in the Wentworth by-election on October 20, after he was preselected in Thursday night's ballot. The Liberal party is debating whether to put quotas in place to get more women to run, after criticism of the party's culture and ability to keep women involved. Victorian Liberal Julia Banks is quitting parliament at the next election in protest at the bullying and intimidation she received during the recent leadership spill. "I want to see more women in parliament, and I want to see more Liberal women in parliament," Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Sydney on Friday. "But you've got to pick the best candidate, and Dave was the best candidate last night." Mr Sharma defeated two other men in the top three to claim the win. Mr Turnbull and former prime minister John Howard both supported Mr Sharma, despite Mr Morrison's push for a woman to take the seat. There's speculation prominent Sydney doctor Kerryn Phelps could run in Wentworth as an independent in the wake of Mr Sharma's preselection. Copycats are feared after a malicious sabotage to hide needles and pins inside supermarket strawberries embroiled three more brands. New South Wales police warn fruit sold under the Love Berry, Delightful Strawberries and Oasis brands were inserted with needles. "As the products have yet to be forensically examined, it is unknown if the contamination is related to the original Queensland incident or a copycat," NSW Police said in a statement late Friday. It comes after Queensland Police confirmed fruit sold under Berry Obsession, Berry Licious and Donnybrook brands were affected. Products sold under those labels have been pulled from shelves but it is unclear just how big the health issue has become with punnets being sold across Australia. A health warning to throw out or cut up strawberries remains in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia as authorities hunt those responsible. "We've got to look at this as a whole, it's a very, very broad picture and we can't speculate in any way, shape or form," Queensland Acting Chief Superintendent Terry Lawrence told reporters on Friday. He says there is no link between the Donnybrook berry contamination and the Berry Obsession and Berry Licious cases. On Thursday, Queensland police announced they were also investigating a suspected copycat incident after a metal rod was discovered on top of strawberries inside a plastic punnet at Coles in Gatton. A couple has been charged over their alleged roles in a $900,000 mortgage fraud, which was uncovered as part of an ongoing probe into organised criminal activity across Sydney. Police say they searched an Auburn house in March this year and seized documents, including fraudulent payslips, used in a $897,600 mortgage application for a western Sydney property. A 31-year-old man was arrested on September 12 and charged with participating in a criminal group, concealing a serious offence and hindering the investigation of a serious indictable offence. He is due to appear at Burwood Local Court on October 4. A 33-year-old Auburn woman has been charged with dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and is due to appear at Burwood Local Court on October 22. Police say further arrests and charges are expected. A man has been shot by police in southeast NSW. Officers in Queanbeyan responded to reports of a man armed with a firearm and shots being fired on Monaro Street at around 4am on Saturday. The man was found at a service station and after allegedly shooting towards officers, was himself shot by police. He was treated at the scene before being taken to Canberra Hospital. An NSW critical incident team will now investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, police said. That investigation will be subject to an independent review. As negotiations for treaty legislation heat up in Victoria, a group of Aboriginal people are letting the non-indigenous public pepper them with uncomfortable questions. The Deadly Questions project is an online platform designed as a safe space for anonymous questions for Aboriginal people about their history, culture and identity. The state government-funded initiative involving Wurundjeri elder Aunty Joy Murphy and playwright Richard Frankland, among others, aims to feed public conversation about what a Victorian treaty would look like. In two months, 2600 questions have been asked, with one in six participants wanting to know what their indigenous counterparts want from the treaty process. About 19 per cent have asked specific questions about cultural traditions such as face and body painting, dancing and family names, while seven per cent have asked how they could teach Aboriginal culture and language. Deadly Questions panellist Carissa Lee said there had been some racist questions, but most were a genuine attempt at learning. People have wanted to know how she feels about Captain Cook or statues of prominent early settlers such as John Batman. The Noongar woman's skin is thick from years of racist taunts at her rural South Australian school, but some questions are still hard. This one recently came through on the Deadly Questions website: "Do you think Aboriginals deserve preferential treatment? "Preferential as opposed to what?" Ms Lee said to AAP. "Does wanting to be treated like a human count as preferential? "When I was going to uni and the students I was there with found out I was on Abstudy (government-subsidised fees for indigenous students), they had a bit of a chip on their shoulder." Ms Lee says she's learned over time not to take ignorance personally but instead see it as a result of upbringing and lack of education. Looking back on her own schooling, she knows most people's education about indigenous Australia is limited. "We never got to hear about our mob doing great things and achieving things," Ms Lee said. The Victorian parliament passed legislation in June allowing for the creation of a representative body, elected by Aboriginal Victorians, by mid-2019 to help design a framework for treaty negotiations. Ms Lee believes a treaty at state level is the best way for indigenous Australians to be acknowledged as custodians of their land. She hopes it could lead to federal treaty legislation in the future, but says the current government seems to have no interest in it. The United States told the UN's top court Wednesday it had "a duty" not to take a position on a bitter dispute over the British-ruled Chagos islands, home to a strategic joint US military base The United States told the UN's top court Wednesday it had "a duty" not to take a position on a bitter dispute over the British-ruled Chagos islands, home to a strategic joint US military base. Judges at the International Court of Justice in The Hague are listening to arguments from various countries in a case brought by the United Nations over the future of the Indian Ocean archipelago, which is claimed by Mauritius. London split off the remote islands from Mauritius in 1965, three years before Port Louis gained independence. Their status has since been at the centre of a bitter dispute spanning five decades. US representative Jennifer Newstead said even though the UN request was for a "non-binding advisory opinion" on the row, the ICJ's 15 judges were in fact being asked to rule in a bilateral territorial dispute. "This places the court in an untenable position," said Newstead, a State Department legal advisor, because it has been asked to rule in a sovereignty dispute when it was only meant to give a legal opinion. Therefore "the court has a duty to decline to provide the opinion," Newstead said. In a diplomatic blow to Britain, the UN General Assembly last year adopted a resolution presented by Mauritius and backed by African countries asking the ICJ to offer legal advice on the island chain's fate. The judges are tasked to give an opinion whether the "process of decolonisation of Mauritius was lawfully completed" after Chagos was split off. They are also to give their view on the consequences of Britain's continued administration of the islands -- including the inability of thousands of Chagossians who were evicted in the 1970s, to return to their homes. On Wednesday India's representative however told the ICJ that historically Chagos was "clearly part of Mauritian territory." "It is our understanding that the legal aspects (of the case) should root themselves in these historical facts," said India's representative Venu Rajamony. - Military base - The African Union and 22 countries -- which also includes the US, Germany and several Asian and Latin American nations -- are making statements during the four-day hearing. After the hearings, the ICJ is expected to hand down a non-binding advisory opinion, but the judges' ruling may take several months or even years. However, an opinion still carries weight and a finding in favour of Mauritius may strengthen its hand in future negotiations. It could also lay the foundation for an eventual formal claim before the ICJ -- set up after World War II in 1946 to rule in disputes between countries. Mauritius, which declared independence in 1968, argues that it was illegal for London to break up its territory while still under colonial rule. Afterwards as the Cold War heated up, London established a combined military base with the US on Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands. Britain said it would give back the islands to Mauritius "when no longer required for defence purposes". Port Louis did acknowledge that Mauritius "recognises the existence of the base and accepts its continued and future functioning in accordance with international law." The Diego Garcia base remains important for US strategic military operations, including serving as a staging ground for bombing campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq and the fight against rampant piracy in the Indian Ocean. The base "continues to play a critical role in the peace and security of the Indian Ocean region and beyond," US representative Newstead said. The cholera outbreak was detected in a Harare suburb earlier this month Zimbabwe's opposition MDC party on Friday called off plans to hold a mock inauguration to name its leader Nelson Chamisa as the country's president after public gatherings were banned due to a cholera outbreak. The MDC had planned the event to highlight its claims that the July 30 election was rigged and that Chamisa was the rightful president, rather than President Emmerson Mnangagwa of the ruling ZANU-PF. The MDC accused the government of using the cholera outbreak, which has claimed 25 lives, to stop the mock inauguration at the party's 19th anniversary celebrations in Harare on Saturday. Authorities have banned public gatherings in the city as a health measure. "The Movement for Democratic Change has postponed its 19th anniversary celebrations," party spokesman Jacob Mafume said in a statement. "It is clear that the government is abusing the cholera epidemic for political purposes and puts into serious doubt that the ban of our commemoration event was out of genuine concern." The cholera outbreak, first detected in the township of Glen View outside Harare earlier this month, prompted the health ministry to declare an emergency in the city after at least 3,000 cases were reported. The disease has since spread to other towns as well as rural areas across the country as the cash-strapped government. - Appeal for cash - Zimbabwe's newly-appointed Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube launched a crowd-funding effort to raise money to fight the outbreak, publicising bank details on Twitter and appealing for donations. But civil society groups blamed the death toll on "official and criminal negligence." "It is alarming for such a medieval and preventable disease to continue to claim valuable lives," said an alliance of local civil society organisations. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) claims that Chamisa is the rightful president and that the July 30 election was rigged The Zimbabwe Red Cross has deployed 1,000 volunteers to affected suburbs in the capital as it characterised the situation as "incredibly complex." "Most of the areas affected have been dealing with an outbreak of typhoid so this is a double punch for them and it shows the weakness of the water systems," Red Cross secretary general Maxwell Phiri said. Cholera outbreaks have occurred regularly in Zimbabwe's cities as authorities struggle to provide potable water and sanitation facilities. Zimbabwe, which was ruled by Robert Mugabe from independence in 1980 until his ousting last year, suffered its worst cholera outbreak in 2008. A total of 4,000 people died and at least 100,000 people fell ill. Mnangagwa has pledged to tackle the current outbreak. A World Health Organization situation report revealed that first-line antibiotics were struggling to treat the disease, which has spread to five of the country's 10 provinces. Zimbabwe's largest university postponed its graduation ceremony on Friday. SDF fighters rest in the town of As-Susah in Deir Ezzor on September 13, 2018 as they press an offensive against IS's last holdout in eastern Syria Fighters from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces sing for courage as they ready for battle, this time for an assault on the Islamic State group's last stronghold in the country's east. The US-backed SDF and their American advisers have been grouped on the outskirts of the village of As-Susah on the east bank of the Euphrates River in Deir Ezzor province. As pick-up trucks loaded with fighters of the joint Kurdish-Arab force skid along snaking dirt roads, coalition forces have been firing rounds of mortar fire and rockets at jihadist positions. After a salvo of outgoing fire, thick columns of smoke rise from As-Susah, which along with the town of Hajin and other nearby villages make up IS's last enclave in eastern Syria. "Daesh has strong fortifications. We're seeking to break the defences and bring its presence east of the Euphrates to an end," said an commander, Ibrahim al-Dairi, using an Arabic acronym for IS. The SDF has been closing in on the pocket for months and it officially launched its offensive on Monday. Heavy clashes have since killed 53 jihadists and 37 SDF fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group. The most recent IS ambush on Friday left at least 20 SDF fighters dead. Jihadists attacked the force during a sandstorm, launching explosives and opening fire, the Britain-based Observatory said. The coalition battling IS has said the offensive "will clear remnants of (IS) from northeastern Syria along the Middle Euphrates River Valley toward the Syria-Iraq border". "The battle is fateful for us and for Daesh too," said Dairi, using an Arabic acronym for the jihadist group. He expects the remaining jihadists to "fight to the death". The SDF estimates IS has some 3,000 fighters in its besieged holdout, a large portion of them foreigners. - 'Eliminate them here' - After having declared a cross-border "caliphate" in 2014, IS now controls less than three percent of Syria following a string of military defeats inside the country and neighbouring Iraq. The group once held nearly all of Deir Ezzor, but separate offensives last year by the SDF and Russian-backed regime forces left the jihadists with a just small besieged pocket near the Iraqi border. SDF fighters gather on September 13, 2018 inside a building in the village of As-Susah in Syria's eastern province of Deir Ezzor, near the border with Iraq IS slogans such as "the caliphate remains" mark the walls of homes in towns and villages from which IS has been expelled. A few kilometres away in the desert hills along Syria's border with Iraq, the SDF and coalition leaders are charting the offensive. "We're committed to the campaign and we will win," Zaradasht Kobani, another Kurdish commander, told AFP after speaking with fighters who were cleaning their weapons shortly after returning from the front lines. "Even though Daesh has taken a lot of (defensive) measures... we will end its presence east of the Euphrates," he said. "This is the last bastion for Daesh's mercenaries," Kobani said. "We will eliminate them here." - 'Defeat terrorism' - While IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's whereabouts are unknown, the SDF believes other "major leaders" are hiding out in the pocket, according to Deir Ezzor military council chief Ahmad Abu Khawla. "Most of the frontline commanders in this pocket are Iraqis," he added. The US coalition is backing up the SDF's push with artillery support and air cover. SDF fighters gather in the village of As-Susah in Syria's eastern province of Deir Ezzor on September 13, 2018 Kobani stressed that the coalition's involvement was important for SDF morale. "We will end this campaign together," he said. Like in other battles that the SDF has waged against IS, booby traps and mines planted by the jihadists pose the biggest challenge. As artillery fire pounded jihadist positions, yellow military bulldozers worked to clear roads for fighters. Palestinian protestors confront Israeli forces as an Israeli bulldozer seeks to close off a route to the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar by dumping rocks and earth on it Scuffles broke out between Israeli forces and dozens of pro-Palestinian activists Friday at a village slated for demolition in the occupied West Bank. An Israeli bulldozer sought to close off a route to the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar by dumping rocks and earth on it, sparking a protest that led to small clashes. Three people were arrested, a police spokesman said. Activists said among them was a French law professor, Frank Romano, but the police did not confirm his arrest. The village of roughly 200 people is at risk of being demolished at any time, despite fierce criticism from key European nations. On September 5, Israel's supreme court upheld an order to raze the village on grounds that it was built without the proper permits. It is extremely rare for Palestinians to be given Israeli permits to build in Area C of the West Bank, where Khan al-Ahmar is situated. The village is located in a strategic spot near Israeli settlements and along a road leading to the Dead Sea. There have been warnings that continued settlement construction in the area could eventually divide the West Bank in two and cut it off from Jerusalem, dealing a death blow to any remaining hopes of a two-state solution. Seven charges in a previous indictment against Paul Manafort were reduced to just two in a criminal information submitted to the court Friday by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, signaling a deal had been agreed with Manafort's lawyers to accept guilt President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort agreed Friday to cooperate in the special counsel investigation of possible campaign collusion with Russia. In a plea deal to avert a second trial on money laundering and illegal lobbying charges, Manafort agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy against the United States and another count of obstruction of justice. Manafort could eventually be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison as a part of the deal, and will forfeit four real estate properties worth millions of dollars, as well as bank accounts and a life insurance policy. The move comes as Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia increasingly pressures the White House. It avoids a potentially explosive trial that could embarrass the president and his Republican party during the seven weeks before hotly contested national elections. A White House spokeswoman quickly sought to distance Trump from the plea deal, saying Manafort's admission of guilt was "totally unrelated" to Trump. Manafort, who worked for the Trump campaign for nearly six months in the middle of 2016, was already convicted in a separate jury trial on eight counts related to financial fraud in August. But those charges, as well as the two counts covered in Friday's plea deal, were unrelated to the campaign. Instead, they derived from his work for former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych and his pro-Moscow political party between about 2005 and 2014. Prosecutors say Manafort acted illegally as a lobbyist for Yanukovych and earned tens of millions of dollars which he laundered through Cyprus and other offshore banking locations and did not pay taxes on. The indictment said he laundered more than $30 million into the Untied States to by properties and luxury goods and "cheated the United States out of over $15 million in taxes." SpaceX has touted Moon tourist plans before -- with an announcement in 2017 that two people would launch in 2018 -- but the company has remained mum about those plans in recent months SpaceX is among a handful of companies racing to propel tourists into space. Here are the top projects in the works, and what they involve. - Moon orbit: SpaceX - The California-based company headed by tycoon Elon Musk announced plans Thursday to send a passenger into lunar orbit aboard a monster rocket, called the Big Falcon Rocket (BFR), still in development. The cost of the latest trip, its timing, and the identity of the passenger are unknown, for now. Details are to be revealed Monday. SpaceX has touted Moon tourist plans before -- with an announcement in 2017 that two people would launch in 2018 -- but the company has remained mum about those plans in recent months. The trip would mark humanity's first journey to the Moon since the last Apollo astronauts went there in 1972. Only 24 people have ever left Earth's orbit and journeyed close to the Moon. - Virgin Galactic - Virgin Galactic, founded by British billionaire Richard Branson, is working to carry tourists on a brief journey to space, dozens of miles above the Earth's surface. Tourists will spend several minutes floating in zero gravity, aboard a spaceship that approaches or passes through the Karman line, the boundary of Earth's atmosphere and space, some 62 miles (100 kilometers) high. For comparison, astronauts at the orbiting International Space Station fly some 250 miles (400 km) above Earth. Plans call for six passengers and two pilots to ride the SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity, which resembles a private jet. The VSS Unity will be attached to a carrier spacecraft -- the WhiteKnightTwo -- from which it will detach at around 49,000 feet (15,000 meters.) Once released, the spaceship will fire up its rocket, and head for the sky. Passengers will float in zero-gravity for several minutes, before coming back to Earth. The total trip time would last between 90 minutes and two hours. Cost: $250,000 per ticket. Timing: TBD. - Blue Origin - Blue Origin, the rocket company created by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, also plans to send up to six passengers on a short journey to space aboard the New Shepard, a capsule affixed to the top of a 60-foot (18-meter) rocket. After launching, it detaches and continues several miles toward the sky. During an April 29 test, the capsule made it 66 miles. After a few minutes of weightlessness, the capsule gradually falls back to Earth with three large parachutes and retrorockets used to slow the spacecraft. From take-off to landing, the trip takes about 10 minutes. The timing of the first flights, and cost per ticket, have not been announced. - China - The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology is working toward sending its first tourists on a suborbital journey some 60 miles high. The first flight could take place by 2028, on a re-usable spacecraft that can fit up to 20 people. Total mission duration would be about 30 minutes, with 10 minutes in the darkness of space, experiencing weightlessness and seeing the curvature of the Earth through the windows. Price: about $200,000. - Russia - Seven people have already paid big bucks for a trip to space, organized by the Virginia-based company Space Adventures, and riding aboard Russian rockets and spacecraft. The first space tourist was US businessman Dennis Tito, a multimillionaire who reportedly paid $20 million to ride a Soyuz and visit the International Space Station in 2001. The Russian space company Energia is reported to be working on a new spacecraft called NEM-2 to carry tourists to the International Space Station (ISS). Four to six people may ride at a time, and the first flights could come as early as 2019. Paying space tourists might even be able to float out into the vacuum of space on brief spacewalks. A firm price tag has not been fixed, but it is expected to cost around $100 million. - Space hotel - A US start-up called Orion Span announced earlier this year it hopes to place a luxury space hotel into orbit within a few years -- but the project is still in its early stages. - Why travel to space? - The journey would be thrilling, to be sure, but also risky. Rockets can and do sometimes explode, after all. Barring any technical failures by the machinery, the tourists' own health could be a factor, and it remains to be seen if people with heart ailments or circulatory problems would be permitted to fly. Beyond that, astronauts often report feeling severe motion sickness during the ascent to space, and tourists are expected to be no different. burs-ksh/ia "There were too many false realities that were created - that people worship - that I think needed to be changed," Jared Kushner said Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and special advisor, has defended his policy of punishing the Palestinians to push them into new peace talks with Israel. In an interview with the New York Times published three days after the US administration evicted the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from its Washington offices, Kushner said the controversial method would eventually yield results. "There were too many false realities that were created - that people worship - that I think needed to be changed," he said. "All we're doing is dealing with things as we see them and not being scared out of doing the right thing. I think, as a result, you have a much higher chance of actually achieving a real peace," he said. The Palestinian Authority has suspended all contact with the Trump administration after the president ordered the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, whose eastern area the Palestinians claim as their own capital. The administration has also slashed hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinian refugee agencies and aid groups. "Nobody is entitled to American aid," Kushner said, insisting that the peace talks were not stalled. "In every negotiation I've ever been in," he said, "before somebody gets to 'yes,' their answer is 'no,'" he told the newspaper. The White House has not released a deadline to present what Trump has called the "ultimate deal" between Israeli and the Palestinians. Whether by design or chance, the date chosen to close the PLO's Washington offices coincided with the 25th anniversary of the signing of Oslo peace accords, which were meant to bring peace and pave the way for Palestinian statehood, but which achieved neither. In this file photo taken on April 25, 2014 crew members of a whaling ship check a whaling gun or harpoon before departure at Ayukawa port in Ishinomaki City Japan's determined bid to return to commercial whale hunting was rejected by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) Friday in a tense vote that exposed a deep split in the 72-year old organization. Japan's vice-minister for fisheries Masaaki Taniai said he regretted the vote's outcome, and threatened Tokyo's withdrawal from the 89-member body if progress could not be made towards a return to commercial whaling. "If scientific evidence and diversity is not respected, if commercial whaling is completely denied ... Japan will be pressed to undertake a fundamental reassessment of its position as a member of the IWC," he said. Anti-whaling nations led by Australia, the European Union and the United States, defeated Japan's "Way Forward" proposal in a 41 to 27 vote. Japan had sought consensus for its plan but had been forced to push the proposal to a vote "to demonstrate the resounding voices of support" for a return to sustainable whaling for profit, said Taniai. Pacific and Caribbean island nations as well as Nicaragua and several African countries, including Morocco, Kenya and Tanzania, voted with Japan, as did Asian nations Laos and Cambodia. Korea abstained. - 'Sharp split' - A protected minke whale seen onboard the Nisshin Maru at sea in Antarctic waters in January 2017; Tokyo currently observes the moratorium on whaling but exploits a loophole to kill hundreds of whales every year for "scientific purposes" The Russian Federation, which like several states allows aboriginal subsistence whaling, said it abstained because "this vote showed a sharp split within the Commission. Our worry is not to split the Commission too far and that's why we abstained." The IWC was set up in 1946 to conserve and manage the world's whale and cetacean population. It introduced a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986 after some species had been fished to near extinction. Japan insists whale stocks have sufficiently recovered to allow commercial hunting to resume. Tokyo currently observes the moratorium but exploits a loophole to kill hundreds of whales every year for "scientific purposes" as well as to sell the meat. Norway and Iceland ignore the moratorium and are key supporters of Japan's bid to resume commercial whaling. A Japanese withdrawal would have far-reaching consequences for the organization, given support from a growing number of developing states in the IWC. They say the IWC's mandate is both to conserve and manage -- meaning to sustainably hunt -- recovering whale stocks, but that the emphasis within the organization has leant too far towards conservation, leaving pro-whaling nations without a voice. Taniai said the vote result "can be seen as equivalent to the denial of the possibility for governments with different views to coexist with mutual understanding and respect within the IWC." Australia's commissioner Nick Gales rejected "the narrative of underlying dysfunction and intolerance" suggested by Japan. He urged Tokyo to remain in the organization "to continue to argue for its view and work constructively with all members." - Way Forward or Way Out - Major whaling nations Japan's "Way Forward" including the establishment of a "Sustainable Whaling Committee" within the IWC, and a "Diplomatic Conference of Contracting Governments" to amend the body's voting rules, changing them from requiring a two-thirds majority to a simple majority. Anti-whaling NGOs cheered the result, but it seems clear from the week-long meeting in the surfing resort of Florianopolis that Japan's impatience with its fellow members in a sharply divided IWC is growing. Kitty Block, head of the animal charity Humane Society International, said "the IWC's moral compass" had led it to reject Japan's proposal. "It's clear from exchanges this week that those countries here fighting for the protection of whales are not prepared to have the IWC's progressive conservation agenda held hostage to Japan's unreasonable whaling demands." To add insult to injury from Japan's point of view, the IWC adopted Brazil's "Florianopolis Declaration" which envisages whale protection in perpetuity. And Glenn Inwood, of Opes Oceani, a company that analyses developments in the use of ocean resources, says there is no longer much of an economic or political case for Japan remaining in the body. "Japan invests tens of millions of dollars each year into its whaling activities but gains very little from the IWC despite being its biggest benefactor," said Inwood, a former spokesman for the Japanese delegation. Support in the wake of Friday's vote "is increasingly difficult to justify," he said. "We learned from the United States' decision on the Paris Accord that countries are willing to revisit support for international agreements that aren't in sync with their national interests." Massachusetts State Police said they had responded to 70 reports of fires, explosions and the smell of gas that began Thursday afternoon and triggered mass evacuations across the east coast towns of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover A teenager was killed and 25 residents injured after a series of gas explosions and fires rocked three US towns north of Boston, according to the state government. Massachusetts police said they had responded to 70 reports of fires, explosions and the smell of gas that began Thursday afternoon and triggered mass evacuations across the east coast towns of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover "The incidents have been traumatic," said Governor Charlie Baker late Thursday, confirming along with several other officials that a teenager was killed in a car when a chimney crashed onto it. Some 8,600 homes were directly affected, according to local utility company Columbia Gas, which said "we are focused on providing as much support as possible to our customers, residents and communities," in a statement issued Friday. Images on local television showed two houses that were destroyed and several more on fire, as well as dozens of emergency vehicles on the streets. "The focus remains on ensuring the public safety," said Baker. "Once that's complete, we will work with the federal government and others to investigate how this occurred and hold the appropriate parties accountable for their actions." Columbia Gas will likely be at the center of the investigation. North Andover Mayor Andrew Maylor tweeted overnight that the "unprecedented" incidents were caused by "over pressurization of gas lines" in the three cities. Schools, courts and many public services were to remain closed on Friday. Paul Manafort, Donald Trump's former campaign chief, pleads guilty to conspiracy charges in a deal that has him cooperating with the Russia collusion investigation President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort agreed Friday to cooperate in the Russia collusion investigation in a plea deal that left the White House looking increasingly under siege by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Manafort, who led Trump's election operation at the height of the campaign in the middle of 2016, admitted reduced charges of conspiracy just days before he was to go on trial for money laundering, illegal lobbying and witness tampering. The surprise deal brought to seven the number of people who have pleaded guilty in cases tied to Mueller's 16 month old investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. It suggested that Mueller is getting ever closer to Trump, his family and top staff in an operation that many speculate could generate an impeachment motion against the president. The White House though insisted Manafort's admission of guilt, in charges that mainly related to his work in Ukraine for the decade before the 2016 election, was wholly unconnected to the president. "This had absolutely nothing to do with the president or his victorious 2016 presidential campaign. It is totally unrelated," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said. - Mueller probe speeding up - The Manafort deal came three weeks after Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen implicated the president directly as he pleaded guilty in New York to charges of campaign finance violations, related to buying the silence of women who allegedly had affairs with Trump. "I plead guilty," the 69 year old veteran Republican political consultant told the court after being read the charges against him. He faces a prison term of up to 10 years, and will see millions of dollars worth of real estate and financial accounts seized by US authorities. Manafort attorney Kevin Downing said his client had agreed to cooperate to "protect his family". "He has accepted responsibility for conduct that dates back many years," Downing added. Manafort's plea deal avoids a potentially explosive trial that could embarrass the president and his Republican Party during the seven weeks before hotly contested national elections on November 6. But it also demonstrated the rapid progress Mueller is making in the sprawling investigation. Last week George Papadopoulos, a foreign policy advisor to the 2016 campaign whose contacts with Russians set off the original collusion investigation, was sentenced to 14 days in jail for lying to the FBI. His sentencing had been held up for nearly a year while he cooperated with investigators. Former Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn, who also pleaded guilty for lying, is still cooperating in the probe as he awaits sentencing. - Charges tied to Ukraine work - Manafort was already convicted in a separate jury trial on eight counts related to financial fraud in August. Those charges, as well as the two counts covered in Friday's plea deal, derived from his work for former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych and his pro-Moscow political party between about 2005 and 2014. Prosecutors said Manafort acted illegally as a lobbyist for Yanukovych, laundered more than $30 million into the United States, and bilked the government of $15 million in taxes. Yet Manafort could have inside information on the Trump campaign's suspect interactions with Russians from his nearly six months with the campaign in the middle of 2016. US intelligence chiefs say Moscow interfered in the election extensively in order to help Trump defeat his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Documents submitted in his first trial showed Manafort maintained his own Ukraine and Russia contacts during the campaign, including with a longtime Ukraine aide who US intelligence says has close ties to Moscow's powerful GRU spy agency. In addition, Manafort was present at a meeting held by campaign executives, including Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. and son-in-law Jared Kushner, with a Russian lawyer who had offered them "dirt" on Clinton. That meeting is now a key focus of the Mueller investigation. Trump has repeatedly spoken out in Manafort's defense -- while also seeking to distance himself from his onetime associate. "I feel very badly for Paul Manafort and his wonderful family," he tweeted in August, one day after Manafort's first conviction. "Unlike Michael Cohen, he refused to 'break' - make up stories in order to get a 'deal.'" After that verdict, Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani confirmed to The New York Times that he and the president had discussed the possibility of a pardon for Manafort, and the political fallout that could follow. "He really thinks Manafort has been horribly treated," Giuliani told the Times. A Palestinian protester climbs a fence in Gaza as tyres burn and Israeli forces fire tear gas canisters during a demonstration along the frontier with Israel east of Gaza City on September 14, 2018 Three Palestinians, including a 12-year-old, were shot dead by Israeli fire in new clashes along the Gaza border on Friday, the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave said. The ministry said 12-year-old Shadi Abdel Aal was shot east of Jabalia in northern Gaza. It had previously said he was 14 and a medical source had named him as Mustafa Abed Rabbo. Two 21-year-olds, Hani Afana and Mohammed Shaqqura, were also shot dead in separate incidents near Khan Yunis in southern Gaza and Al-Bureij in the centre of the coastal enclave, the ministry said. At least another 50 people were wounded, the ministry said, as Palestinians again demonstrated in different spots along the border. An Israeli tank also struck an observation point belonging to Islamists Hamas east of Gaza City, a security source in Gaza said. Palestinian paramedics carry an protester injured during a demonstration along the Israeli fence east of Gaza City on September 14, 2018 The Israeli army said an estimated 13,000 people were involved in "riots" at different locations, some of them burning tires and throwing Molotov cocktails. Mass protests and clashes broke out in Gaza on March 30 and have continued every week since. Over that period, at least 179 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, the majority during demonstrations. One Israeli soldier has been killed. Protests have waned in recent months. Israeli forces fire tear gas at Palestinian demonstrators along the Israeli fence east of Gaza City on September 14, 2018 Israel maintains a crippling blockade of the Gaza Strip it says is necessary to isolate Hamas, with whom Israeli forces have fought three wars since 2008. Rights groups say the blockade amounts to collective punishment of the impoverished territory's two million residents. Israel fully reopened the only people crossing with Gaza on Thursday after a week following violent demonstrations that damaged it. Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman has said the opening of border crossings is conditional on calm. Trump Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has denied sexually assaulting a women while they were in high school in the 1980s President Donald Trump's conservative pick for the Supreme Court Brett Kavanaugh denied Friday involvement in an alleged sexual assault on a woman while they were in high school in the 1980s. In a statement released to US media, Kavanaugh rejected the woman's claim, made in a letter to the Democrats vetting his nomination, that he tried to force himself on her during a party. "I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time," Kavanaugh said in the statement. The allegation came just one week before the Senate Judiciary Committee is to vote on his nomination. If approved by the committee and the whole Senate, as expected, Kavanaugh is likely to decidedly tilt the court to the conservatives for years to come. Democrats fighting the nomination say that could turn the court away from guaranteed abortion rights, against programs that benefit disadvantaged minorities, and for greater presidential immunity from the law. On Thursday, Senator Dianne Feinstein, the senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, announced cryptically that she had forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation "information from an individual concerning the nomination." The information came from an individual who wanted to remain anonymous and had declined to press the issue themselves, Feinstein said. According to an account in The New Yorker, the incident happened while Kavanaugh, now 53, attended the elite Georgetown Preparatory Catholic all-boys high school in suburban Washington. The woman, from a nearby high school, was allegedly at a party where the youths were drinking alcohol. In a room with the woman, Kavanaugh and another male teen turned up the music and placed their hands over her mouth so that no one could hear, and Kavanaugh "attempted to force himself on her," The New Yorker reported, citing the woman's account. She struggled with them and escaped, the account said. The woman "said that the memory had been a source of ongoing distress for her, and that she had sought psychological treatment as a result," The New Yorker added. Kavanaugh was quickly defended by friends and acquaintances from the time who cast doubts on the alleged incident. A group of 65 women signed a letter attesting to his character. "Through the more than 35 years we have known him, Brett has stood out for his friendship, character, and integrity. In particular, he has always treated women with decency and respect. That was true when he was in high school, and it has remained true to this day," they said. Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he did not "intend to allow Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation to be stalled because of an 11th hour accusation that Democrats did not see fit to raise for over a month." Ronan Farrow, who co-authored The New Yorker article, told CNN that some members of the Senate Judiciary Committee "feel that there was a missed opportunity to fully interrogate this allegation." John Kerry, who negotiated the 2015 Iran nuclear deal which Trump scrapped this year, said during a tour to promote his new book "Every Day is Extra" that he had met Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif "three or four times" since he left office President Donald Trump lashed out at former secretary of state John Kerry for his meetings with Iran's foreign minister after the Obama-appointee had left office. "John Kerry had illegal meetings with the very hostile Iranian Regime which can only serve to undercut our great work to the detriment of the American people," Trump said on Twitter late Thursday. "He told them to wait out the Trump Administration!" he said, ending his Tweet with the word "BAD!" Kerry, who negotiated the 2015 Iran nuclear deal which Trump scrapped this year, said during a tour to promote his new book "Every Day is Extra" that he had met Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif "three or four times" since he left office and Trump had entered the White House. Without commenting on the legality of such meetings, the current US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, accused his predecessor of "actively undermining US policy." "What secretary Kerry has done is unseemly and unprecedented," said Pompeo, who is seen as an anti-Iran hawk. "This is a former secretary of state engaged with the world's largest State sponsor of terror and according to him... he was telling them to wait out this administration." A spokesman for Kerry said there was nothing improper about his conduct. "Secretary Kerry stays in touch with his former counterparts around the world just like every previous Secretary of State," the spokesman said in a statement. "And in a long phone conversation with Secretary Pompeo earlier this year he went into great detail about what he had learned about the Iranian's view." "No secrets were kept from this administration," the statement said, accusing Kerry's successor of "political theatrics." - Straight talk - Asked by conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Wednesday if he had offered Zarif advice on how to deal with Trump's decision to withdraw from the pact, he replied: "No, that's not my job. "What I have done is tried to elicit from him what Iran might be willing to do in order to change the dynamic in the Middle East for the better. "I've been very blunt to Foreign Minister Zarif, and told him look, you guys need to recognize that the world does not appreciate what's happening with missiles, what's happening with Hezbollah, what's happening with Yemen," he added, echoing the current administration's denunciation of Tehran's "malign" influence. Conservative commentators immediately leapt on the act as evidence of "treason," with some calling for Kerry to go to prison. Asked by a Republican lawmaker during a congressional hearing about the so-called shadow diplomacy, Manisha Singh, an assistant secretary of state, said Thursday: "It's unfortunate if people from a past administration would try to compromise the progress we're trying to make in this administration." State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert added: "I've seen him brag about the meetings that he has had with the Iranian government and Iranian government officials. I've also seen reports that he is apparently providing, according to reports, advice to the Iranian government. "The best advice that he should be giving the Iranian government is stop supporting terror groups around the world." Medical staff check people from the Democratic Republic of Congo, crossing into Uganda at a screening facility in Bundibugyo district, western Uganda -- but the Red Cross says its efforts to contain the disease can meet with distrust Efforts to rein in an Ebola outbreak raging in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are being complicated by the geographical spread and growing suspicion towards outsiders fighting the epidemic, the Red Cross said Friday. Since the outbreak of the deadly virus was declared on August 1 in the eastern North Kivu province, 137 confirmed or probable cases have been registered, including 92 deaths, according to DRC health authorities. Kinshasa last week said the outbreak was "under control", with the speed of transmission slowing significantly since mid-August. But while the number of cases and deaths are not currently surging, Red Cross's disaster chief warned that the growing geographical spread of cases, as well as increasing community resistance was deeply worrying. "This has not been contained geographically. That is a huge challenge," Pascale Meige told AFP in a telephone interview after a visit to the affected areas. The epicentre of the outbreak remains in Mabalako and Beni in North Kivu, but six other areas in that province have also been affected, as well as one in neighbouring Ituri province, according to the World Health Organization. The recent spread of Ebola to Butembo in North Kivu, an important commercial hub of one million people, is particularly concerning since it is close to Goma, a large city that borders Rwanda. - 'Risk of further spread' - "The risks are really high in terms of further spread," Meige said. She also warned that rumours were spreading in affected communities that were harming efforts to halt the outbreak, she said, including that Ebola was a hoax aimed to enrich foreign health workers, or a political ploy connected with looming DRC elections. "The level of mistrust is extremely high," said Meige, who heads disaster and crisis response and recovery at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). She hailed the "extremely sophisticated response" so far by the DRC health ministry, the WHO and others, but warned that each time a case appears in a new place, those efforts must be duplicated. The response includes peppering affected areas with hand-washing stations, campaigns to get the sick to quickly seek treatment, and tireless efforts to track and vaccinate anyone who has been in contact with Ebola patients, as well as their contacts. IFRC stands for a vital part of the response by ensuring the highly contagious bodies of people who die from Ebola are buried in a safe and dignified manner. "The systems are in place, and are very impressive," Meige said. - 'Spreading mistrust' - But she said the growing geographic spread meant it was becoming increasingly difficult to nip harmful rumours in the bud, or to address significant community resistance to allowing strangers in hazmat suits orchestrate burials. There had been "a number of incidents" where IFRC teams were attacked with rocks and chased away, she said. In one case in Butembo, the family of the deceased had agreed to allow an IFRC team bury their loved one, only to have the wider community revolt. Medical workers lead a young girl with suspected Ebola into the unconfirmed Ebola patients ward run by The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) in Beni, northeastern DRC People pulled the body out of the casket, Meige said, adding that fortunately in that case it turned out that Ebola was not the cause of death. As of Thursday, IFRC teams had conducted 126 "safe and dignified burials" in cases where people were confirmed or suspected of having died from Ebola. But Meige said there were 22 such cases where the organisation's teams had not been able to conduct burials, due mainly to community resistance or lacking access over security concerns. "Initially there was this concept of small pockets of resistance here and there," she said. "Now what we see is ... that it is a much bigger problem. The mistrust is spreading." Mining revenues in the DRC have almost tripled since 2017 despite being a risky investment destination where child labor and unsafe work conditions on artisanal mines like this one south-west of the city of Bukavu have widely been reported The Democratic Republic of Congo wants special economic zones for its growing mining industry to encourage companies who export raw materials to transform them into finished products locally, president Kabila said this week at a mining conference. "We need to establish special economic zones for the final users of Congolese natural resources", president Joseph Kabila said speaking at a conference this week in the mining city of Kolwezi. "The proximity to production sites, to a large labor force, to national and regional markets, could enable makers of electric cars, smartphones, plasma screens, fibre optic cables to come to the DRC", Kabila said. The government says its long term goal is for the mining industry to contribute in the development and modernisation of the country, among the poorest in the world, and says it would profit much more if metals were refined locally rather than exported raw. However, a significant lack of energy and poor infrastructure in the mining region makes that goal difficult to achieve currently. "Rome wasnt built in a day", Albert Yuma, chairman of state-owned mining company Gecamines, said speaking at the Wednesday conference. "Demand creates offer, and if refineries were built, I'm sure solutions (to the lack of energy) would be found." Mining revenues in the DRC have almost tripled since last year according to the Finance ministry Henri Yav Mulang, despite being a risky investment destination where child labor and unsafe work conditions on artisanal mines have widely been reported. The DRC is "the treasure trove of the world" Kabila said, adding that the "global economy and power of nations depend largely on the country's natural resources." While the central African nation already produces two thirds of global cobalt production, the president invited investors to be "audacious" and explore further. Cobalt, a byproduct of copper or nickel, is used to make lithium-ion batteries found in smartphones and electric cars. Most of the high priced metal is currently exported out of the DRC raw and processed in China. The ongoing interest in cobalt has given the DRC some leverage with international companies operating in the country, according to Yuma. Notably, the government signed a new mining code in March that increases taxes and royalties, despite objections from major international mining companies. A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor on September 13, 2018 At least 20 fighters from a US-backed force fighting the Islamic State group were killed Friday in an IS ambush in eastern Syria, a war monitor said. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces is waging an offensive around the town of Hajin in the province of Deir Ezzor, the jihadist group's last stronghold in the country's east. "The fighters were advancing during a sandstorm, they were surrounded, IS members used explosives and opened fire," said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The US-backed SDF had been closing in on the IS pocket for months before formally launching its offensive on Monday. Since then, 53 jihadists and 37 SDF fighters have been killed in fierce clashes, according to the Britain-based Observatory. The Islamic State group once held nearly all of Deir Ezzor, but separate offensives last year by the SDF and Russian-backed regime forces left the jiahdists clinging to a small area of territory near the Iraqi border. The SDF estimates IS has some 3,000 fighters in its besieged holdout, many of them foreigners. A senior US diplomat visited Kurdish-held territory in Syria last month and pledged Washington's lasting support. "We are prepared to stay here, as the president (Donald Trump) has made clear, to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS," Ambassador William Roebuck said, using an alternative acronym for IS. The Islamic State group once held swathes of territory across Syria and Iraq but has since seen its self-declared "caliphate" collapse. The jihadists now control less than three percent of Syria and are mostly present in the vast Badiya desert, which lies between Damascus and the Iraqi border. On Monday IS fighters killed 12 Syrian regime fighters in an ambush in the southern province of Sweida. Eight jihadists were also killed, the Observatory said. In this file photo taken on April 25, 2014 crew members of a whaling ship check a whaling gun or harpoon before departure at Ayukawa port in Ishinomaki City Japan's determined bid to return to commercial whale hunting was rejected by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) Friday in a tense vote that left the 72-year old organization at a crossroads. Japan's vice-minister for fisheries Masaaki Taniai said he "regretted" the vote's outcome, and threatened Tokyo's withdrawal from the 89-member body if progress could not be made towards a return to commercial whaling. "If scientific evidence and diversity is not respected, if commercial whaling is completely denied... Japan will be pressed to undertake a fundamental reassessment of its position as a member of the IWC," he said. Japan's IWC commissioner Joji Morishita declined to comment when asked if this would be Japan's last appearance at the IWC, an organization which he has chaired for the past two years. His term ended Friday. Minutes after the meeting he told AFP that differences with anti-whaling nations were "very clear" and Japan would now plan it's "next steps". Anti-whaling nations led by Australia, the European Union and the United States, defeated Japan's "Way Forward" proposal in a 41 to 27 vote. Japan had sought consensus for its plan but had been forced to push the proposal to a vote "to demonstrate the resounding voices of support" for a return to sustainable whaling for profit, said Taniai. Pacific and Caribbean island nations as well as Nicaragua and several African countries, including Morocco, Kenya and Tanzania, voted with Japan, as did Asian nations Laos and Cambodia. Korea abstained. - 'Sharp split' - A protected minke whale seen onboard the Nisshin Maru at sea in Antarctic waters in January 2017; Tokyo currently observes the moratorium on whaling but exploits a loophole to kill hundreds of whales every year for "scientific purposes" The Russian Federation, which like several states allows IWC-monitored aboriginal subsistence whaling, said it abstained because it did not want to exacerbate an already "deep split within the commission". The body's identity crisis was clear in a week of often robust exchanges between pro- and anti-whaling nations. Morishita told AFP a decision lay ahead over whether whaling could be managed in the future by "a different organization or a combination of different organizations?" The large Japanese delegation here would "assess the result of this meeting very carefully back in Japan," said Morishita. The IWC was set up in 1946 to conserve and manage the world's whale and cetacean population. It introduced a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986 after some species had been fished to near extinction. Japan insists whale stocks have sufficiently recovered to allow commercial hunting to resume. Tokyo currently observes the moratorium but exploits a loophole to kill hundreds of whales every year for "scientific purposes" as well as to sell the meat. Norway and Iceland ignore the moratorium and are key supporters of Japan's bid to resume commercial whaling. A Japanese withdrawal would have far-reaching consequences for the organization, given support from a growing number of developing states in the IWC. They say the IWC's mandate is both to conserve and manage -- meaning to sustainably hunt -- recovering whale stocks, but that the emphasis within the organization has leant too far towards conservation, leaving pro-whaling nations without a voice. To add insult to injury from Japan's point of view, the IWC adopted Brazil's "Florianopolis Declaration" which envisages whale protection in perpetuity. However much that agreement is non-binding, anti-whaling states championed it as an important indicator of the IWC's future direction. Taniai said the result of the vote on the Japanese proposal was a "denial of the possibility for governments with different views to coexist with mutual understanding and respect within the IWC." Australia's commissioner Nick Gales rejected "the narrative of underlying dysfunction and intolerance" suggested by Japan. He urged Tokyo to remain in the organization "to continue to argue for its view and work constructively with all members." - Way Forward or Way Out - Major whaling nations Japan's "Way Forward" included the establishment of a "Sustainable Whaling Committee" within the IWC, and a conference to amend the body's voting rules, changing them from requiring a two-thirds majority to a simple majority. Anti-whaling NGOs cheered the result, but it seems clear from the week-long meeting in the surfing resort of Florianopolis that Japan's impatience with its fellow members is growing. Kitty Block, head of the animal charity Humane Society International, said "the IWC's moral compass" had led it to reject Japan's proposal. "It's clear from exchanges this week that those countries here fighting for the protection of whales are not prepared to have the IWC's progressive conservation agenda held hostage to Japan's unreasonable whaling demands." Glenn Inwood, of Opes Oceani, a company that analyzes developments in the use of ocean resources, says there is no longer much of an economic or political case for Japan remaining in the body. "Japan invests tens of millions of dollars each year into its whaling activities but gains very little from the IWC despite being its biggest benefactor," said Inwood, a former spokesman for the Japanese delegation. Samsung is launching a new Galaxy mobile device less than two months after unveiling its Galaxy Note 9 flagship handset Samsung sent out invitations Friday for an October 11 event to launch a new mobile device under its Galaxy line. The invitation offered few details but the mention of "4x fun" led to speculation the about a new smartphone with four cameras or possibly a foldable handset. The South Korean electronics giant, the world's leading smartphone maker, unveiled its latest flagship Galaxy Note 9 in August. Samsung and other device makers are looking for ways to boost momentum in a sluggish smartphone market. Research firm IDC expects worldwide smartphone shipments to decline 0.7 percent in 2018 to 1.455 billion units, with growth likely to resume as 5G devices become available. Despite its leadership position, Samsung saw a 22 percent drop in mobile technology sales in the second quarter. The news from Samsung comes days after Apple unveiled a new lineup of iPhones focusing on the premium smartphone segment at prices starting between $749 and $1,099 for US customers. Apple recently slipped to third place in the smartphone market behind Huawei, even though the Chinese firm's sales in the United States are limited. Google, which is looking to gain ground in the premium segment with its own branded handsets, has scheduled a media event October 9 expected to unveil its updated Pixel handsets. Nigerian finance minister Kemi Adeosun (R) in better times, with International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde in Abuja in January 2016 Nigeria's finance minister Kemi Adeosun resigned in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari Friday over the alleged forgery of a document exempting her from compulsory national service. Adeosun, 51, said she was quitting to protect the integrity of the government. "I have, today, become privy to the findings of the investigation into the allegation made in an online medium that the Certificate of Exemption from National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) that I had presented was not genuine," the embattled minister said in her letter. "This has come as a shock to me and I believe that in line with this administration's focus on integrity, I must do the honourable thing and resign," said Adeosun, appointed by Buhari in 2015. Adeosun is credited with helping Nigeria out of recession, plugging leakages in finances, and shoring up foreign reserves. But she has come under pressure in recent weeks since an independent online newspaper, Premium Times, accused her of obtaining a fake exemption certificate from the NYSC. Under the scheme introduced in the early 1970s to promote unity among Nigeria's multi-ethnic groups following a 30-month brutal civil war, graduates younger than 30 are expected to serve the nation for one year. Adeosun who was schooled and graduated abroad at 22, did not return to Nigeria until she was 34 and did not serve the mandatory one year. She instead allegedly procured a fake certificate of exemption from the NYSC to cover her tracks. The organisation denied exempting her. Buhari accepted Adeosun's resignation. "The President thanked the minister for her services to the nation and wished her well in her future pursuits," his office said, adding that deputy budget minister, Zainab Ahmed, would oversee her portfolio. Buhari, who came to power in 2015 on his integrity and anti-graft platform, is seeking re-election and is facing a formidable challenge from an array of opposition candidates from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party he ousted from power. Around a dozen of PDP candidates, including former vice president Atiku Abubakar and Senate president Bukola Saraki, are jostling for the country's top job. An Iranian family in Tehran walks past the shuttered window of a travel agency with logos of airlines, after Air France and British Airways announced they will halt flights to Tehran citing low profitability as the US reimposes sanctions on Iran The United States is still studying possible waivers of sanctions against countries or businesses that continue commerce with Iran after November 4, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday. At the same time he maintained the US administration's firm position toward Tehran, which Washington accuses of interference throughout the Middle East. To the dismay of other signatories, Trump in May announced his pullout from the hard-won 2015 international accord under which Tehran agreed to limit its nuclear capacities in exchange for relief from crippling economic sanctions. Trump said the deal failed to block all paths to an Iranian nuclear bomb, and reimposed sanctions. These included secondary penalties against businesses or foreign countries which continue commerce with Iran. Those firms must now choose between their investments in Iran and their access to the US market. Washington gave them some time to pull out, leaving the latest sanctions related to financial transactions and petroleum to take effect after November 4. "There are still a number of decisions pending before the November 4th deadline that we gotta make about waivers, potential waivers," Pompeo told a news conference. Washington wants all countries to halt oil imports from Iran before November 4 if they want to avoid US penalties. Certain waivers have not been excluded, however, notably for India which depends heavily on Iranian petroleum. Responding to a question, Pompeo said he did not know if sanctions would hit managers of Swift, the international financial messaging system, if they continue to deal with Iran. "Come November 4th, there will be a fundamentally different set of rules" regarding "anyone who deems it necessary to engage in economic activity with the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is a big important day," Pompeo said. He underlined that many countries had already begun to disengage themselves. The European Union, which continues to back the Iran nuclear accord, has tried unsuccessfully to obtain widespread waivers and many of its bigger companies have already pulled out of the country for fear of US penalties. Iran in late August opened a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice, demanding the suspension of the renewed US financial penalties which it says are devastating its economy. British soldier Joe Robinson was arrested in July 2017 after posting pictures of himself posing next to fighers from the Syrian People's Protection Units (flag pictured July 2015) A Turkish court has sentenced a former British soldier to seven-and-a-half years in jail for alleged links to a Kurdish militia that Ankara considers a "terrorist" group. Joe Robinson was arrested in July 2017 while holidaying in Turkey after he posted photos of himself in camouflage and posing next to fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria. A court in the western city of Aydin sentenced him for "membership of a terrorist organisation," the private DHA news agency said. The YPG is an ally of the United States in the fight against the Islamic State in Syria. But Ankara is hostile to the YPG because of its links with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which is fighting for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey. Robinson did not attend the trial for health reasons, DHA said. He is currently on bail and planning an appeal. His Bulgarian fiancee, arrested along with him, was also sentenced to nearly two years in jail for "terrorist propaganda," but she is currently in Britain, DHA said. According to British press reports, the 25-year-old Robinson is a former soldier who served in Afghanistan in 2012 and went to Syria in 2015 to work in the YPG's health unit. Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz casting his vote A low turn out marked the second round of legislative and local elections in Mauritania, a frontline state in the fight against Islamic extremists, seven months before key presidential polls in the West African country. President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz's Union for the Republic has already won 67 of the 157 seats in parliament at the first round of voting on September 1. The Islamist Tewassoul party was in second place with 14 seats from the first round. Tewassoul was one of several opposition parties to boycott the previous polls in 2013, but a record 98 parties took part this time. There were another 22 parliamentary seats up for grabs on Saturday with the ruling party needing 12 more to secure an absolute majority in parliament. Elections were also held Saturday for nine regional councils and 111 municipalities. Afternoon rains lashed the capital Nouakchott, where turnout was estimated to be between 20 and 30 percent, according to the national election commission. It put the national turnout at around 40 percent. The president, who voted in Nouakchott, hailed the results of the first round, saying: "Mauritanians have voted for stability, development and progress". They had "rejected religious extremists and racists who have destroyed the country and tarnished the image of Islam around the world," he said. Mauritania is a frontline country in the fight against Islamist extremists. Aziz, 61, came to power in a coup in 2008. He won elections in 2009 and again in 2014 for a second five-year term. He has been frequently accused by opposition figures and NGOs of rights abuses, and though he says he will not seek a third mandate -- which would be against the constitution -- statements by ministers and supporters have led some to suggest he might. Young Moroccans in the capital Rabat on September 12, 2018, a month after the royal palace announced the return of national service Some view it as gainful employment for youths with too much free time, others as a tool to blunt protest movements -- Moroccans are divided over the looming return of military service. Twelve years after conscription was scrapped, the royal palace announced in mid-August that compulsory military service is to be restored. Millions of Moroccans aged 19 to 25, male and female, would have to serve for a year. I'm "ready to join the army if needed," said 19-year-old Hassan, who works in a central Rabat restaurant. It's "normal to defend your country." Fellow 19-year-old Kenza said that like many Moroccans she was "very surprised" by the palace's announcement. But "for delinquent youth, it's a good thing," she said. - Jail for draft dodgers - Moroccan soldiers in the capital Rabat on September 12, 2018 The draft bill grants exemptions for students, the physically unfit and those who are raising children. If passed by parliament in its present form, prison sentences of between one month and a year face those who refuse to answer the call of duty. The bill has whipped up controversy, as people question how it would apply to Morocco's large number of dual nationals and the relevance of military service to young people's needs. Opponents have created a Facebook group urging the government to reverse its decision. So far, 4,000 people have joined. The bill was unveiled "without the slightest debate," said 24-year-old group moderator Abdellah. Eighteen-year-old student Bassma also opposes conscription. It's a "backwards measure ... (and) extremely costly for the government," she said. Young Moroccans in the capital Rabat on September 12, 2018, as parliament prepares to debate a bill that will require many men and women aged 19 to 25 to serve a year in the military "As a developing country, I think that we should devote the money to other areas, including education and health," she added. Some suspect the growth of protest movements in Morocco explains the government's enthusiasm for military service. The under-developed northern Rif region was rocked by demonstrations in 2016 and 2017. In June, a court jailed over 50 of the protesters for terms ranging from one to 20 years. People have also demonstrated against unemployment in Jerada in the northeast and over water shortages in the south. Conscription is a "tool to tame young people who have been the driving force of protest movements," said political analyst Mohammed Shakir. There is a historical precedent. Morocco first brought in compulsory military service in 1966, a year after bloody riots. Back then, student leaders -- considered instigators -- were among the first draftees. - To spur 'integration' - An official report has pointed to a gulf in Moroccan society between the 15 to 34 age group and the rest of the population. Young Moroccan men in the capital Rabat on September 12, 2018 Unemployment, unfinished schooling, poverty, social isolation and frustration leave young people open to delinquency, extremism and migration, the report said. Military service would improve their "integration into professional and social life" and boost their sense of citizenship, according to the kingdom's royal cabinet. Mohammed, a 24-year-old photographer, buys into this message. Military service "offers young people training that can help them achieve and integrate into the job market," he said, seated in a busy Rabat park. Others are less convinced. Moroccan youth and a soldier in the capital Rabat on September 12, 2018 The government's reliance on national service to generate employment indicates a "lack of confidence in its ability to create jobs over the short term," said analyst Shakir. Many believe it would be wiser to invest in the education system, which is often lampooned over shortcomings. The bill is to be debated in parliament this week and the first conscripts could be drafted by the end of 2018. Lourenco has pledged to fight corruption and rebuild the economy After years of tensions, Portugal and its one-time African colony Angola are seeking to put relations back on track, with high-level visits planned to push economic ties and repair their troubled past. Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa arrives in Luanda on Monday, while Angola's President Joao Lourenco is due to visit Lisbon on November 23 and 24. The diplomacy marks an effort to move beyond the legacy of colonial rule over Angola that ended in 1975 when Portugal withdrew without handing over power and Angola sank into civil war until 2002. Angola also entered a new era last year when Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who ruled the country with an iron fist from 1979 to 2017, stepped down and was replaced by Lourenco. "Angola and Portugal are emerging from a difficult phase. What's important is that both sides are able to identify the obstacles and troublesome elements in order to overcome them," Angola's Foreign Minister Manuel Augusto said last week. Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa arrives in Luanda on Monday A key source of friction was removed in May when a Portuguese court decided that Angola's former vice president Manuel Vicente can be tried in Luanda, rather than in Portugal, on corruption charges. Lourenco had demanded that the trial take place in his country, "so that relations between Angola and Portugal can return to the level of the recent past." On the eve of his visit, Costa said the legal breakthrough presented a major opportunity. "Ties were good economically but there was frustration related to a judicial issue. Now that has passed, nothing impedes our relations," he told a Portugese paper on Sunday. Angola is a key trading partner with its former colonial master, and the third largest recipient of its investments. - 'Very important step' - Portugal, battered by the global financial crisis, avoided bankruptcy with a bailout from the European Union, while Angola has become the tenth largest foreign investor in Portugal. The visit by Costa, which has been postponed several times, is a "very important step" toward normalising relations, said analyst Alex Vines of Britain's Chatham House think-tank. Vines said rocky relations with Luanda had provoked "a great deal of anxiety" at Portugal's foreign ministry as Angola seeks to broaden its diplomatic horizons and establish other global ties. During a recent European tour, President Lourenco had voiced interest in Angola joining the British Commonwealth and the International Organisation of Francophonie, the association of French-speaking nations. "The animosity between the two countries seems to have dissipated, but the damage remains which, even though it can be fixed, will be felt for some time," Victor Silva, director of the Jornal de Angola, said in an editorial. - Ex-president's daughter dismissed - Lourenco has pledged to fight corruption and rebuild the economy of the second-largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa, which has still not recovered from the plunge in oil prices in 2014. He has ousted relatives of his predecessor, dos Santos, from leadership positions at institutions and public companies in a move to boost transparency, But his removal of dos Santos' daughter Isabel from the top job at national oil giant Sonangol raised fears that Sonangol could withdraw its stakes in Portugal's energy company Galp or the BCP bank. Angolan investigative journalist Rafael Marques de Morais said "the Portuguese and Angolan governments are still complicit in the looting of Angola". "With Joao Lourenco as president, it is to be hoped that these relations will enable them to collaborate in the repatriation of the funds stolen in Angola and placed in Portugal, by Angolans as well as by Portuguese," he told AFP. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L) and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir at a press conference in Jeddah on September 16, 2018 Ethiopia and Eritrea signed an agreement Sunday at a summit in Saudi Arabia, bolstering a historic peace accord between the two former Horn of Africa enemies, officials said. Authorities did not reveal exact details of the new deal signed in Jeddah, but sources close to the Saudi government said it would help strengthen the truce and enhance security in the wider region. Saudi King Salman hosted the signing ceremony which was also attended by his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "The peace agreement between Ethiopia and Eritrea signed today in Jeddah is a historic event that will contribute to strengthening security and stability in the region," said Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir. Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki signed a peace pact in July ending two decades of enmity sparked by a two-year border conflict which broke out in 1998. Two land border crossings between Ethiopia and Eritrea were reopened last Tuesday for the first time in 20 years, crowning a rapid reconciliation between the former bitter enemies. The warming of ties in the Horn of Africa has also seen Ethiopia and Eritrea re-open air links, embassies and trade routes. Eritrea gained its independence from Ethiopia in the early 1990s, and war broke out later that decade over a border dispute. A 2002 UN-backed boundary demarcation was meant to settle the dispute for good, but Ethiopia refused to abide by it. A turnaround began in June when Abiy announced that Ethiopia would hand back to Eritrea the disputed areas including the flashpoint town of Badme where the first shots of the border war were fired. - 'Wind of hope' - A handout picture from the Saudi Royal Palace on September 16, 2018, shows Saudi King Salman (C) meeting Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (R) and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki (L) Aside from the Jeddah summit, Guterres said Saudi Arabia will also host possible talks between the presidents of Djibouti and Eritrea on Monday and Tuesday. The two nations have been at loggerheads for decades over a long-standing border dispute. "There is a wind of hope blowing in the Horn of Africa," Guterres said. Saudi Arabia and its ally the United Arab Emirates are helping broker peace in the region, in a sign of the growing importance the Gulf nations put on east Africa as they battle Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen. In recent years Eritrea has strengthened ties with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which has reportedly built a military base at the strategic southern port of Assab used in its operation in Yemen. Dozens of commercial vessels transit daily through the Bab al-Mandeb waterway, a crucial shipping lane between the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa. Huthi rebels have launched a number of attacks on ships during the Yemeni conflict. "This is part of a larger Saudi-UAE strategic cooperation to bring the Horn of Africa in their orbit, especially in light of the war in Yemen," Theodore Karasik, a senior advisor at the consultancy Gulf State Analytics, told AFP. burs-ac/rsc LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) - Thousands of mourners attended the funeral of former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's wife in the eastern city of Lahore on Friday. Kulsoom Nawaz, 68, was one of the country's most well-regarded politicians. She died on Tuesday after months of lying in critical condition at a London hospital. She had undergone surgery for throat cancer last year. Her body was brought to her home city of Lahore by plane early Friday, and she was laid to rest at her family's graveyard. Pakistani politician Mian Iftikhar, center, arrives at a residence of Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to offer condolences for the death of Sharif's wife Kulsoom Nawaz, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. Mourners have attended the funeral of the wife of Sharif in London, where she died at a hospital this week after months in critical condition. According to Sharif's family she will be buried in Lahore on Friday. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary) Sharif, who was temporarily freed from prison along with his daughter and her husband, attended his wife's funeral, as an estimated 10,000 of his supporters gathered outside his house to express their condolences. Sharif and his two detained family members are serving prison terms for convictions on corruption charges. Pakistan's Supreme Court last year disqualified Sharif from holding office and later an anti-graft tribunal convicted him and his relatives. He served as prime minister three times during his political career, which began in the 1980s. Sharif will be returned to jail along with his daughter and her husband on Monday, when a court is expected to rule on his bail application. Sharif's two sons, who live in Britain, missed their mother's funeral in Lahore. They did not return home to avoid potential arrest over corruption cases. Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz attended a separate funeral for their mother in London on Thursday. TUGUEGARAO, Philippines (AP) - Typhoon Mangkhut slammed into the Philippines' northeastern coast early Saturday, its ferocious winds and blinding rain ripping off tin roof sheets and knocking out power, and plowed through the agricultural region at the start of the onslaught. The typhoon made landfall before dawn in the coastal town of Baggao in Cagayan province on the northern tip of Luzon Island, a breadbasket of flood-prone rice plains and mountain provinces often hit by landslides. More than 5 million people were at risk from the storm, which the Hawaii-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center downgraded from a super typhoon but still punching powerful winds and gusts equivalent to a category 4 Atlantic hurricane. There were no immediate reports of major damages or casualties in the region, where a massive evacuation from high-risk areas was carried out over two days. Residents walk along destroyed stalls at a public market due to strong winds as Typhoon Mangkhut barreled across Tuguegrao city in Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. The typhoon slammed into the Philippines northeastern coast early Saturday, it's ferocious winds and blinding rain ripping off tin roof sheets and knocking out power, and plowed through the agricultural region at the start of the onslaught. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Associated Press journalists in a hotel in Cagayan's capital city of Tuguegarao saw tin roof sheets and other debris hurtle through the air and store signs crash to the ground. Cars shook as wind gusts pummeled a parking lot. With a huge raincloud band 900 kilometers (560 miles) wide, combined with seasonal monsoon rains, the typhoon dumped intense rain that could set off landslides and flash floods. Storm warnings have been raised in almost all the provinces across the Luzon, including the capital, Manila, restricting sea and air travel. A few hours after landfall, the eye of the typhoon was nearing the western coast of Luzon facing the South China Sea. Before it hit land, Mangkhut packed sustained winds of 205 kilometers (127 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 255 kph (158 mph), forecasters said. Even if the typhoon weakens slightly after slamming ashore, its winds will remain very destructive, government forecaster Rene Paciente said. "It can lift cars, you can't stand, you can't even crawl against that wind," Paciente told reporters late Friday in Manila. In Tuguegarao, residents braced for the typhoon's fury by reinforcing homes and buildings and stocking up on food. "It was busy earlier in the hardware store and people were buying wood, nails, tin wire, plywood and umbrellas," said Benjamin Banez, who owns a three-story hotel where workers were busy hammering up wooden boards to protect glass panels. In 2016, a super typhoon wrought heavy damage to Banez's hotel and the rest of Cagayan. Ninia Grace Abedes abandoned her bamboo hut and hauled her four children to a school building serving as an emergency shelter. The 33-year-old laundrywoman said the 2016 typhoon blew away their hut, which they abandoned before the storm hit. "If we didn't, all of us would be dead," Abedes said. More than 15,300 people had been evacuated in northern provinces by Friday afternoon, the Office of Civil Defense said. Concerns over massive storm surges that could be whipped inland by the typhoon's winds prompted wardens to move 143 detainees from a jail in Cagayan's Aparri town to nearby towns, officials said. The typhoon hit at the start of the rice and corn harvesting season in Cagayan, a major agricultural producer, prompting farmers to scramble to save what they could of their crops, Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba said. The threat to agriculture comes as the Philippines tries to cope with rice shortages. After the Philippines, the Hong Kong Observatory predicts Mangkhut will aim at the Chinese mainland early Monday south of Hong Kong and north of the island province of Hainan. Though it is likely to weaken from a super typhoon to a severe typhoon, it will still pack sustained winds of 175 kph (109 mph), it said. The observatory warned of rough seas and frequent heavy squalls, urging residents of the densely populated financial hub to "take suitable precautions and pay close attention to the latest information" on the storm. The gambling enclave of Macau, near Hong Kong, suffered catastrophic flooding during Typhoon Hato last August that left 10 dead and led to accusations of corruption and incompetence at its meteorological office. On the Chinese mainland, the three southern provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan are coordinating preparations, including suspending transport and moving people to shelter inland, the national meteorological agency reported. Guangdong, China's manufacturing hub, has set up 3,777 shelters, while more than 100,000 residents and tourists have been moved to safety or sent home. The province has recalled more than 36,000 fishing boats to port, while train services between the cities of Zhanjiang and Maoming have been suspended and all ferry services between Guangdong and Hainan have been put on hold. Fujian province to the north of Guangdong is also closing beaches and tourist sites, the agency reported. Philippine forecasters said the shifting typhoon could possibly blow toward Vietnam after it exits late Saturday or early Sunday. In an emergency meeting Thursday, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte asked Cabinet officials from the north to help oversee disaster-response work and told reporters it was too early to consider seeking foreign aid. "If it flattens everything, maybe we need to have some help," he said. Mangkhut, the Thai word for mangosteen fruit, is the 15th storm this year to batter the Philippines, which is hit by about 20 a year and is considered one of the world's most disaster-prone countries. Typhoon Haiyan left more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattened villages, swept ships inland and displaced more than 5 million in the central Philippines in 2013. ___ Associated Press writers Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, and Christopher Bodeen in Beijing contributed to this report. Residents stand beside a damaged portion of a mall due to strong winds from Typhoon Mangkhut as it barreled across Tuguegarao city in Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. The typhoon slammed into the Philippines northeastern coast early Saturday, it's ferocious winds and blinding rain ripping off tin roof sheets and knocking out power, and plowed through the agricultural region at the start of the onslaught. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Workers clean up debris outside a mall that got partially damaged by strong winds from Typhoon Mangkhut as it barreled across Tuguegarao city in Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. The typhoon slammed into the Philippines northeastern coast early Saturday, it's ferocious winds and blinding rain ripping off tin roof sheets and knocking out power, and plowed through the agricultural region at the start of the onslaught. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Motorists negotiate a flooded street following heavy rains and strong winds brought about by Typhoon Mangkhut which barreled into northeastern Philippines before dawn Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018 in Manila, Philippines. The typhoon slammed into the Philippines' northeastern coast early Saturday, its ferocious winds and blinding rain ripping off tin roof sheets and knocking out power, and plowed through the agricultural region at the start of the onslaught. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) Motorists brave the rain and strong winds brought about by Typhoon Mangkhut which barreled into northeastern Philippines before dawn Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018 in Manila, Philippines. The typhoon slammed into the Philippines' northeastern coast early Saturday, its ferocious winds and blinding rain ripping off tin roof sheets and knocking out power, and plowed through the agricultural region at the start of the onslaught. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) A traffic enforcer gestures at motorists to avoid a flooded street at the onslaught of Typhoon Mangkhut which barreled into northeastern Philippines before dawn Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018 in Manila, Philippines. The typhoon slammed into the Philippines' northeastern coast early Saturday, its ferocious winds and blinding rain ripping off tin roof sheets and knocking out power, and plowed through the agricultural region at the start of the onslaught. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) Street sweepers go about their daily business amidst the rain and strong winds brought about by Typhoon Mangkhut which barrelled into northeastern Philippines before dawn Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018 in Manila, Philippines. Typhoon Mangkhut, the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year, slammed into the country's northeastern coast early Saturday that forced the evacuation of thousands of residents. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) Motorists avoid a flooded street as heavy rains and strong winds brought about by Typhoon Mangkhut barrelled into northeastern Philippines before dawn Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018, in Manila, Philippines. Typhoon Mangkhut, the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year, slammed into the country's northeastern coast early Saturday that forced the evacuation of thousands of residents. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) A commuter walks to work amidst traffic barriers which were toppled by Typhoon Mangkhut which barrelled into northeastern Philippines before dawn Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018, in Manila, Philippines. Typhoon Mangkhut, the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year, slammed into the country's northeastern coast early Saturday that forced the evacuation of thousands of residents. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) Motorists brave the rain and strong winds brought about by Typhoon Mangkhut which barrelled into northeastern Philippines before dawn Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018 in Manila, Philippines. Typhoon Mangkhut, the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year, slammed into the country's northeastern coast early Saturday that forced the evacuation of thousands of residents. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) Commuters brave the rain and strong winds brought about by Typhoon Mangkhut which barrelled into northeastern Philippines before dawn Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018, in Manila, Philippines. Typhoon Mangkhut, the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year, slammed into the country's northeastern coast early Saturday that forced the evacuation of thousands of residents. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) Commuters brave the rain and strong winds brought about by Typhoon Mangkhut which barrelled into northeastern Philippines before dawn Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018, in Manila, Philippines. Typhoon Mangkhut, the strongest typhoon to hit the country this year, slammed into the country's northeastern coast early Saturday that forced the evacuation of thousands of residents. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) A man rides his tricycle as strong winds and rain from Typhoon Mangkhut batter Tuguegarao city, Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. Typhoon Mangkhut slammed into the country's northeastern coast early Saturday, with witnesses saying the storm's ferocious wind and blinding rain ripped off tin roof sheets and knocked out power at the start of the onslaught. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Strong winds and rain batter buildings and business establishments as Typhoon Mangkhut hits Tuguegarao city, Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. Typhoon Mangkhut slammed into the country's northeastern coast early Saturday, with witnesses saying the storm's ferocious wind and blinding rain ripped off tin roof sheets and knocked out power at the start of the onslaught. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Guests sleep inside a hotel restaurant after the roof of their room was partly damaged due to strong winds from Typhoon Mangkut in Tuguegarao city, Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. Typhoon Mangkhut slammed into the country's northeastern coast early Saturday, with witnesses saying the storm's ferocious wind and blinding rain ripped off tin roof sheets and knocked out power at the start of the onslaught. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Strong winds and rain batter a town as Typhoon Mangkhut hits Tuguegarao city, Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. Typhoon Mangkhut slammed into the country's northeastern coast early Saturday, with witnesses saying the storm's ferocious wind and blinding rain ripped off tin roof sheets and knocked out power at the start of the onslaught. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) A guest carries bedsheets as they transfer rooms after the roof of their hotel was partly damaged due to strong winds from Typhoon Mangkut in Tuguegarao city, Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. Typhoon Mangkhut slammed into the country's northeastern coast early Saturday, with witnesses saying the storm's ferocious wind and blinding rain ripped off tin roof sheets and knocked out power at the start of the onslaught. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Guests prepare to transfer rooms after the roof of their hotel was partly damaged due to strong winds from Typhoon Mangkut in Tuguegarao city, Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. Typhoon Mangkhut slammed into the country's northeastern coast early Saturday, with witnesses saying the storm's ferocious wind and blinding rain ripped off tin roof sheets and knocked out power at the start of the onslaught. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Guests prepare to transfer rooms after the roof was partly damaged due to strong winds from Typhoon Mangkut in Tuguegarao city, Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. Typhoon Mangkhut slammed into the country's northeastern coast early Saturday, with witnesses saying the storm's ferocious wind and blinding rain ripped off tin roof sheets and knocked out power at the start of the onslaught. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) A lone vehicle navigates the road as strong winds and rain from Typhoon Mangkhut batter Tuguegarao city, Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines late Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Typhoon Mangkhut slammed into the country's northeastern coast early Saturday, with witnesses saying the storm's ferocious wind and blinding rain ripped off tin roof sheets and knocked out power at the start of the onslaught. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) A satellite image with land graphic borders shows the width and trajectory of Typhoon Mangkhut as it approaches the Philippines, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Typhoon Mangkhut retained its ferocious strength and shifted slightly toward more densely populated coastal provinces on Friday as it barreled closer to the northeastern Philippines, where a massive evacuation was underway. (RAMMB and CIRA via AP) Ninia Grace Abedes, left, feeds a bottle to her baby Akesha as they stay inside an evacuation center as rains from Typhoon Mangkhut begin to affect Tuguegarao city, Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Typhoon Mangkhut retained its ferocious strength and slightly shifted toward more densely populated coastal provinces on Friday as it barreled closer to the northeastern Philippines, where a massive evacuation was underway. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Evacuees walk inside an evacuation center as rains from Typhoon Mangkhut begin to affect Tuguegarao city, Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Typhoon Mangkhut retained its ferocious strength and slightly shifted toward more densely populated coastal provinces on Friday as it barreled closer to the northeastern Philippines, where a massive evacuation was underway. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) A resident walks as rains from Typhoon Mangkhut begin to affect Tuguegarao city, Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Typhoon Mangkhut retained its ferocious strength and slightly shifted toward more densely populated coastal provinces on Friday as it barreled closer to the northeastern Philippines, where a massive evacuation was underway. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) A volunteer passes by packs of relief goods as rains from Typhoon Mangkhut begin to affect Tuguegarao city, Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Typhoon Mangkhut retained its ferocious strength and slightly shifted toward more densely populated coastal provinces on Friday as it barreled closer to the northeastern Philippines, where a massive evacuation was underway. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) A girl uses a smartphone at an evacuation center as rains from Typhoon Mangkhut begin to affect Tuguegarao city, Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Typhoon Mangkhut retained its ferocious strength and slightly shifted toward more densely populated coastal provinces on Friday as it barreled closer to the northeastern Philippines, where a massive evacuation was underway. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Sandals from evacuees pile outside their room at an evacuation center as rains from Typhoon Mangkhut begin to affect Tuguegarao city, Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Typhoon Mangkhut retained its ferocious strength and slightly shifted toward more densely populated coastal provinces on Friday as it barreled closer to the northeastern Philippines, where a massive evacuation was underway. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Evacuees stay inside a dimly lit room as rains from Typhoon Mangkhut begin to affect Tuguegarao city, Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Typhoon Mangkhut retained its ferocious strength and slightly shifted toward more densely populated coastal provinces on Friday as it barreled closer to the northeastern Philippines, where a massive evacuation was underway. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Residents walk as rains from Typhoon Mangkhut begin to affect Tuguegarao city, Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Typhoon Mangkhut retained its ferocious strength and slightly shifted toward more densely populated coastal provinces on Friday as it barreled closer to the northeastern Philippines, where a massive evacuation was underway. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) An evacuee rests inside an evacuation center as rains from Typhoon Mangkhut begin to affect Tuguegarao city, Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Typhoon Mangkhut retained its ferocious strength and slightly shifted toward more densely populated coastal provinces on Friday as it barreled closer to the northeastern Philippines, where a massive evacuation was underway. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) An evacuee fixes her bag inside a temporary evacuation center at Tuguegarao city, Cagayan province, northeastern Philippines on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Typhoon Mangkhut retained its ferocious strength and slightly shifted toward more densely populated coastal provinces on Friday as it barreled closer to the northeastern Philippines, where a massive evacuation was underway. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) A vehicle negotiates a flooded street in Manila as Typhoon Mangkhut continues to batter northeastern Philippines before dawn Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018 in Manila, Philippines. The typhoon slammed into the Philippines' northeastern coast early Saturday, its ferocious winds and blinding rain ripping off tin roof sheets and knocking out power, and plowed through the agricultural region at the start of the onslaught. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) CHICAGO (AP) - Attorneys for a white Chicago police officer charged with murder in the 2014 fatal shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald announced Friday that they will stick with a jury rather than asking the judge to decide his fate. Judge Vincent Gaughan had set a Friday deadline for Jason Van Dyke to say whether he wanted to switch to a bench trial, in which Gaughan would have heard the evidence and rendered a verdict. Defense attorney Daniel Herbert offered no reasons in court for going ahead with a jury, which is scheduled to begin hearing opening statements Monday. Some legal experts had said the defense team might believe chances of an acquittal in the emotionally charged case would improve with a judge. FILE - In this Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018, file photo, Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke, charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald in 2014, listens during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago. Defense attorneys are expected to announce if they want a jury or a judge to hear the murder trial of Van Dyke. Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan told Van Dyke's lawyers to return to court on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, to say if they want him or a jury to decide the case. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool, File) After saying his client opted for a jury trial, Herbert told the judge that Van Dyke didn't necessarily want the jurors who were vetted and selected over the past week. The 12-person jury is made up of seven whites, three Hispanics, one African-American and one Asian-American. Attorneys also picked five alternates. The presence of demonstrators and police outside the courthouse from the start of jury selection sent the message that hearing evidence in this trial could be dangerous, Herbert told the judge. "The jury panel was prejudiced upon arrival," he said. Gaughan denied the request, saying none of the jurors expressed fear for their safety during questioning this week. Herbert also renewed his request that the trial be moved from Cook County, where Chicago is located, to a location that hasn't been saturated with news about the case. Gaughan said he would decide that question after swearing in the last jurors Monday - a strong indication that he has no intention of agreeing to a change of venue. Van Dyke is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery and official misconduct. He has pleaded not guilty; his attorneys have contended that he was in fear for his life when he shot McDonald 16 times. Video shows Van Dyke opening fire as the 17-year-old walks away from police with a knife in his hand. The video will be a centerpiece of prosecutors' presentation and could tug at jurors' emotions, turning some against Van Dyke. A trial decided by a no-nonsense, veteran judge such as Gaughan could have made it difficult for prosecutors to appeal to emotion, potentially to Van Dyke's advantage. One reason convictions of officers for on-duty shootings are so rare is because the central issue is whether officers believed the person was a danger to them or their fellow officers - not whether the person truly was a danger. "Defense attorneys must have seen that some of these jurors may accept Van Dyke's (argument) that he was doing what he was trained to do," Chicago-based jury consultant Alan Tuerkheimer said. He also noted the defense occasionally sparred with the judge, including over the change-of-venue motion. "They might feel they got on this judge's nerves," he said. During jury selection, most prospective jurors said they had seen the video of the shooting, and some who were excused said they could not be impartial. Its release in November 2015 sparked large protests, the ouster of the police superintendent and demands for police reform. Jury trials tend to move more slowly than bench trials, in part, because more time is required to explain the trial process and the law to jurors. One thing that's only possible with a jury: a hung jury. That could happen if at least one panelist refuses to join the majority. "For the defense, a hung jury is a win," said Beth Foley, atrial consultant in Chicago. MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. (AP) - Republican U.S. Senate candidate Josh Hawley pushed hard at a debate Friday to paint Claire McCaskill as "another Washington liberal," a phrase he repeated over and over, while the incumbent Democrat touted herself as a moderate compromiser. The Missouri Press Association hosted a candidate forum that featured the two front-runners and two other candidates. It marked the first time the candidates have debated. The stakes are huge: The race in Missouri is among the nation's most closely-watched campaigns, one of a handful expected to decide which party controls the Senate, where Republicans currently hold a 51-49 advantage. Incumbent Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, right, speaks alongside Independent candidate Craig O'Dear, center, and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Josh Hawley, left, during a candidate forum at the annual Missouri Press Association convention Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, in Maryland Heights, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) Both sides are spending heavily, and outside groups are buying up ad time across the state. Polls indicate the race is a toss-up. Hawley, the state's 38-year-old first-term attorney general, has the support of President Donald Trump, who carried Missouri by 19 percentage points in 2016. At least seven times during the hour-long debate he referred to McCaskill as "another Washington liberal." McCaskill, 65 and seeking her third term, said she supports the president when it benefits Missouri and opposes him when it does not. She said she wakes up every day wondering what she can do for Missouri, "the red parts and the blue parts." Hawley also attempted to portray McCaskill as an obstructionist to the president's policies as well as an out-of-touch elitist. He repeated claims used in political ads that her husband has received $131 million in federal subsidies to build low-income housing. McCaskill, clearly angered, said that as a senator she had no role in approving tax credits for projects in which her husband, Joseph Shepard, was a minority partner. McCaskill said Shepard "started out with nothing and he built a fabulously successful business, creating thousands of jobs and great wealth. I met him, I fell in love with him, and we have a wonderful family. He's done nothing wrong." Hawley, meanwhile, took exception to McCaskill's long-standing criticism of his decision as attorney general to join a lawsuit against former President Barack Obama's health care law. McCaskill said families would lose coverage for pre-existing conditions if the lawsuit is successful. Hawley said his own young son has a bone condition and he would never support any change that wouldn't cover pre-existing conditions. "It's not true," Hawley said of McCaskill's characterization. "She knows it's not true, and the repetition, frankly, is turning into an outright lie." The two candidates differed on several other issues. McCaskill said Trump's escalating trade war is hurting farmers as well as manufacturers. But Hawley applauded the president for standing up to unfair trade practices in other countries, particularly China. Hawley said he supports Trump's nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Speaking to reporters after the debate, Hawley said the Senate should confirm the nomination despite a new allegation of sexual misconduct when Kavanaugh was in high school. Hawley said he never disregards sexual misconduct allegations but this one "appears to be another attempt to stall and delay" Kavanaugh's confirmation. McCaskill said she was concerned about thousands of pages related to Kavanaugh that were not initially turned over to the Senate, and was also troubled by his rulings on dark money. She said she was still undecided on her confirmation vote. The debate during the press association's annual meeting in suburban St. Louis also included independent candidate Craig O'Dear and Green Party candidate Jo Crain. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Josh Hawley, left, talks with incumbent Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri at the end of a candidate forum at the annual Missouri Press Association convention Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, in Maryland Heights, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) Incumbent Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri speaks during a candidate forum at the annual Missouri Press Association convention Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, in Maryland Heights, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) MIAMI (AP) - It's about the water, not the wind, with Florence making an extended stay along the North Carolina coast. Forecasters say "it cannot be emphasized enough that the most serious hazard posed by the slow-moving storm is extremely heavy rainfall, which will cause disastrous flooding that will be spreading inland." Officials also have confirmed the hurricane's first known fatalities. BY THE NUMBERS -Storm deaths: 4 fatalities confirmed A work truck drives on Hwy 24 as the wind from Hurricane Florence blows palm trees in Swansboro N.C., Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. (AP Photo/Tom Copeland) -Intensity: Florence came ashore with top winds of 90 mph (145 kph), below the 111 mph (178 kph) threshold for a "major" hurricane but still extremely dangerous. It was downgraded Friday afternoon to a tropical storm with winds of 70 mph (110 kph) before its core slogged into coastal South Carolina hours later. -Still big: tropical-force winds extending out up to 175 miles (280 kilometers) from the center. -Heavy rains: Up to 18 trillion gallons falling on seven states over seven days, as much water as there is the entire Chesapeake Bay -So far: roughly 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain have fallen north of Swansboro, North Carolina, and it's only going to get worse -Storm surge: up to 13 feet (nearly 4 meters), and seawaters could push inland 2 miles (more than 3 kilometers), depending on how long Florence lingers -Stalled: Florence was nearly at a standstill Friday afternoon, moving at just 3 mph (6 kph) -In the dark: about 890,000 outages, mostly in North Carolina, as of Friday evening, with Duke Energy anticipating 1 million to 3 million homes and businesses losing power -Protected: More than 19,000 people in shelters in North Carolina, 6,400 in South Carolina and 400 in Virginia -Populated coastline: 11 million Americans live in areas that were under storm watches and warnings -Grounded: nearly 2,400 flights canceled -Potential losses: estimated $10 billion to $60 billion in economic damages -Rescued: more than 400 people needed help in high waters in New Bern and Jacksonville, North Carolina FACES OF FLORENCE Images captured by Associated Press journalists show last-minute preparations to secure homes and businesses and families settling into storm shelters as rain and storm surge began. STORM DEATHS Police in Wilmington, North Carolina, tweeted that a mother and infant died when a tree fell on their house; the baby's father was injured. Officials also said one person was electrocuted in Lenoir County while plugging in a generator in the rain, and a man died after being blown to the ground while checking on his hunting dogs. BUSY TROPICS Typhoon Mangkhut slammed into the Philippines, ripping off tin roof sheets and knocking out power in an agricultural region of flood-prone rice plains and landslide-prone mountain provinces. In the Atlantic Ocean, the Azores could get gusty winds and heavy rains from Tropical Storm Helene this weekend, while Isaac regained tropical storm strength after earlier weakening in the Caribbean Sea. STAGGERING STATS Picture the entire state of Texas covered with roughly 4 inches (10 centimeters) of water: that's Florence's rainfall forecast over a week. Meteorologist Ryan Maue of weathermodels.com estimates Florence could dump about 18 trillion gallons (68 trillion liters) of rain. That's still less than the 25 trillion gallons (95 trillion liters) Hurricane Harvey dropped last year in Texas and Louisiana. FEMA RUMORS The Federal Emergency Management Agency has set up a "rumor control" website to quash false information in Florence's wake. The page says service animals aren't barred from evacuation shelters, beaches shouldn't be used for sand bags, and evacuation orders aren't enforced by FEMA. It also responds to criticism about money diverted from FEMA to federal immigration authorities. SHIFTING SANDS If Florence doesn't wipe out oceanfront homes on stilts along the Carolinas coast, rising sea levels will . Florence lashed low-lying barrier islands that experience some of the fastest rates of sea level rise observed anywhere in the world, nearly an inch (2.5 centimeters) a year. DAMAGE REPORTS The city of New Bern, North Carolina , reported more than 1,200 911 calls in a 12-hour span, and roughly 4,300 residences and 300 commercial buildings damaged. That count is expected to rise significantly. TO THE RESCUE "WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU" - that's what the city of New Bern, North Carolina, tweeted after hundreds of people needed rescue from rising waters from the Neuse River, and a TV station had to evacuate its newsroom in the middle of its hurricane coverage. The National Weather Service measured storm surge in New Bern at 10 feet (3 meters) deep. THE POWER OF WATER Scientists can't say - yet - that climate change helped make Florence worse. But previous research has shown that the strongest hurricanes are getting wetter, more intense and intensifying faster due to human-caused warming. Sea level rise also adds to storm surge damage : When Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012, a study found sea-level rise over the 20th century caused more than $2 billion in additional damage in New York City due to the "extra" storm surge it generated. ESCAPING TO FLORIDA Hurricanes usually drive people away from Florida, but Florence is making the Sunshine State into a refuge for people from the Carolinas. Cruise ships have diverted to Florida away from the storm's path, and some hotels are offering special discounts for evacuees. What could be better than riding out a hurricane at Walt Disney World ? ___ For the latest on Hurricane Florence, visit https://www.apnews.com/tag/Hurricanes A few cars drive along an almost deserted Market St. in Wilmington, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. Florence's outer bands of wind and rain began lashing North Carolina on Thursday. (Matt Born/The Star-News via AP) A police vehicle patrols the beach after an evening curfew went into effect as Hurricane Florence approaches Myrtle Beach, S.C., Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman) A message greets shoppers of supplies no longer available as Hurricane Florence approaches the east coast in Nichols, S.C., Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. The residents of this tiny inland town who rebuilt after Hurricane Matthew destroyed 90 percent of the homes are uneasy as forecasters warn inland flooding from Florence's rain could be one of the most dangerous and devastating parts of the storm. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Residents at Trent Court Apartments wait out the weather as rising water gets closer to their doors in New Bern, N.C. Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. Hurricane Florence already has inundated coastal streets with ocean water and left tens of thousands without power, and more is to come. (Gray Whitley/Sun Journal via AP) Union Point Park is flooded with rising water from the Neuse and Trent Rivers in New Bern, N.C. Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. Hurricane Florence already has inundated coastal streets with ocean water and left tens of thousands without power, and more is to come. (Gray Whitley/Sun Journal via AP) Union Point Park is flooded with rising water from the Neuse and Trent Rivers in New Bern, N.C. Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. Hurricane Florence already has inundated coastal streets with ocean water and left tens of thousands without power, and more is to come. (Gray Whitley/Sun Journal via AP) Members of the North Carolina National Guard finish stacking sand bags under a highway overpass near the Lumber River which is expected to flood from Hurricane Florence's rain in Lumberton, N.C., Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Rescue team members from the North Carolina National Guard 1/120th battalion go door-to-door as they evacuate residents in an apartment complex threatened by rising floodwaters from Hurricane Florence threatens his home in New Bern, N.C., on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Seward) Rescue team members Sgt. Matt Locke, left, and Sgt. Nick Muhar, right, from the North Carolina National Guard 1/120th battalion, evacuates a family as the rising floodwaters from Hurricane Florence threatens their home in New Bern, N.C., on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Seward) WASHINGTON (AP) - Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Friday denied an allegation of sexual misconduct from when he was in high school, seeking to defuse a potential threat to his confirmation as a handful of key senators remained silent on whether they would vote for him. In a statement released by the White House, Kavanaugh said: "I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time." Senate Republicans insist Kavanaugh's confirmation remains on track. But the allegation has inflamed an already intense political battle over President Donald Trump's nominee. It also pushes the #MeToo movement into the court fight, less than two months before congressional elections that have seen a surge of female Democratic candidates. In this Sept. 6, 2018 photo, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. Kavanaugh is denying a sexual misconduct allegation from when he was in high school. In a statement issued Friday, Kavanaugh says the following: "I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time." The New Yorker reported the alleged incident took place at a party when Kavanaugh was attending Georgetown Preparatory School. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The New Yorker magazine reported that the alleged incident took place at a party when Kavanaugh, now 53, was attending Georgetown Preparatory School. The woman making the allegation attended a nearby school. The magazine says the woman sent a letter about the allegation to Democrats. A Democratic aide and another person familiar with the letter confirmed Friday to The Associated Press that the allegation is sexual in nature. Two other people familiar with the matter confirmed it concerned an incident alleged to have occurred in high school. They were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The AP has not confirmed the details of the incident alleged in The New Yorker's account. The New Yorker did not name the woman. Rallying to Kavanaugh's defense, 65 women who knew him in high school issued a letter saying Kavanaugh has "always treated women with decency and respect." The letter was circulated by Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee. "We are women who have known Brett Kavanaugh for more than 35 years and knew him while he attended high school between 1979 and 1983," wrote the women, who said most of them had attended all-girl high schools in the area. "For the entire time we have known Brett Kavanaugh, he has behaved honorably and treated women with respect." The show of support for Kavanaugh was organized by his former law clerks. Three women reached by the AP said they were first asked to sign the letter on Thursday. Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, a Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he won't let Kavanaugh's confirmation be stalled by the allegation, which he called "wholly unverifiable." "Every accuser deserves to be heard. But a process of verification is also necessary," Hatch said. The swift pushback comes after the committee's top Democrat, Dianne Feinstein of California, notified federal investigators about information she received on the nominee. Feinstein won't disclose the information publicly, but the FBI confirmed it has included it in Kavanaugh's background file at the committee, now available confidentially to all senators. Kavanaugh's nomination has divided the Senate, and the new information complicates the process, especially as key Republican senators, including Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, are under enormous pressure from outside groups seeking to sway their votes on grounds that a Justice Kavanaugh might vote to undercut the Roe v. Wade ruling. One activist group favoring abortion choice, NARAL, called on Kavanaugh to withdraw from consideration. The Judiciary Committee, which has finished confirmation hearings for Kavanagh, still plans to vote next Thursday on whether to recommend that he be confirmed by the full Senate, a spokesman said. The White House called Feinstein's move an "11th hour attempt to delay his confirmation." Collins held an hourlong phone call with Kavanaugh on Friday, her spokeswoman confirmed. It had been a previously scheduled follow-up to an initial visit that Kavanaugh made to her office in August. It was not immediately clear if they discussed the new information. If Collins or Murkowski should vote for Kavanaugh, he is likely to be confirmed. Every other Republican in the Senate is expected to vote yes - and some Democrats from Trump-won states may join them - though it remains to be seen if the misconduct allegation will cost him any support. Feinstein said in a statement Thursday that she "received information from an individual concerning the nomination." She said the person "strongly requested confidentiality, declined to come forward or press the matter further, and I have honored that decision." The FBI confirmed that it received the information Wednesday evening and included it in Kavanaugh's background file, which is maintained as part of his nomination. The agency said that is its standard process. Feinstein's statement that she had "referred the matter to federal investigative authorities" jolted Capitol Hill and threatened to disrupt what had been a steady path toward confirmation for Kavanaugh by Republicans eager to see the conservative judge on the court. A spokeswoman for Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., declined to confirm reports that the congresswoman had forwarded a letter containing the allegations to Feinstein. The spokeswoman said the office has a confidentiality policy regarding casework for constituents. A White House spokeswoman, Kerri Kupec, said the FBI has vetted Kavanaugh "thoroughly and repeatedly" during his career in government and the judiciary. The allegation against Kavanaugh prompted a public statement from Anita Hill, who famously accused Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment during his confirmation hearings in 1991. He denied those allegations and was confirmed. Hill, who is now a professor at Brandeis University, urged the Senate to put in place a process for people to come forward. "Even in the #MeToo era, it remains incredibly difficult to report harassment, abuse or assault by people in power," she said. ___ Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Michael Balsamo, Mary Clare Jalonick, Zeke Miller and Alan Fram contributed to this report. ___ Follow on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lisamascaro Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, left, accompanied by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the ranking member, right, speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee markup meeting on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, in Washington. The committee will vote next week on whether to recommend President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh for confirmation. Republicans hope to confirm him to the court by Oct. 1.(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) NEW YORK (AP) - In a year awash with liberal challengers aiming to retire establishment Democrats, Andrew Cuomo was an obvious target. A consummate insider, Cuomo is the son of a governor who ran his father's campaigns and served as a U.S. housing secretary and state attorney general before being elected governor twice. He's a prodigious fundraiser who rakes in plenty of corporate campaign cash. Yet Cuomo was able to quash an insurgent primary challenge from Cynthia Nixon on Thursday by packaging the power of the establishment while embracing the positions of his rival - a blueprint that could offer Democrats a path forward as the party looks to confront Republicans and contend with fissures within its own ranks. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks to reporters during a news conference, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, in New York. After a night of unusual silence, Cuomo made his first public remarks following his victory in Thursday's Democratic primary, appearing at his office in Manhattan to talk about hurricane readiness and President Donald Trump - and, after prodding by reporters, his big win over Cynthia Nixon.(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) Cuomo dismissed the idea that established Democrats are in danger of being tossed out by young, leftist candidates. He called the congressional primaries that produced a surprise victory by Democratic Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a "fluke," and noted he won her district by a large margin. "I am not a socialist. I am not 25 years old. I am not a newcomer," Cuomo told reporters Friday in his first public appearance since he skipped his own election night party. "But I am a progressive, and I deliver progressive results." Cuomo's campaign used a largely traditional approach that relied on key voting blocs - minorities in the Bronx, white Catholics on Staten Island, suburban voters on Long Island - to capture two-thirds of the Democratic primary vote. Cuomo marshaled his powerful allies in organized labor and won influential endorsements from mainstream Democrats such as Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. And he capitalized on his formidable financial advantage, outspending Nixon more than 8 to 1. At his campaign events, Cuomo touted liberal achievements such as a higher minimum wage, paid family leave, same-sex marriage and gun control. He largely ignored Nixon and instead focused his fire on Republican President Donald Trump, arguing that antipathy toward the president is the one thing that unites all Democrats. "The fear of Trump is real," he said Friday. Cuomo told reporters that he ran the same kind of campaign he always has - one that focuses less on intellectual debates about liberal identity and more on results. Voters, he said, "have real problems and they need real help in life. And they don't need theoretical and abstract solutions." Cuomo successfully defused some of Nixon's most potent arguments by making them his own. Last year Cuomo called marijuana a "gateway drug"; this year his administration released a report recommending legalization. Last year he signed legislation blocking a plastic bag ban in New York City; this year he proposed a statewide ban. And by acting on those liberal priorities instead of just campaigning on them, he showed off the power of incumbency while bolstering his argument that he's a pragmatist who gets things done. "He took away her issues," said Baruch College political scientist Doug Muzzio, who said Cuomo had three essential ingredients for victory: money, organization and a message. "All she had was enthusiasm and that isn't enough. It was the progressive surge meets establishment reality." While Cuomo's strategy worked well in the primary, it could make him more vulnerable in the general election, when he will face Republican Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro and former Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner, an independent. Cuomo's opponents have seized on his leftward moves, hoping they cost him support among independents and more conservative voters. "He's exposed himself for what he is - someone who will say and do anything" to get elected, Molinaro said Friday. Cuomo's victory is similar to recent wins by Delaware Sen. Tom Carper and Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, who each prevailed this month over liberal primary challengers. Democrats nationally would be wise to study their victories for tips on how to address growing restlessness within their own party, said Bruce Gyory, a longtime Democratic political consultant who was a senior adviser to former governors Eliot Spitzer and David Paterson. "The challenge is can you keep both ends of the party together," Gyory said. "You have to get the energy of the progressives but package it in a way that resonates with suburban voters and in small towns. Cuomo, like Carper and Raimondo, showed they can do both." ___ Associated Press writer Jennifer Peltz contributed to this report. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks to reporters during a news conference, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, in New York. After a night of unusual silence, Cuomo made his first public remarks following his victory in Thursday's Democratic primary, appearing at his office in Manhattan to talk about hurricane readiness and President Donald Trump - and, after prodding by reporters, his big win over Cynthia Nixon.(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) Gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon arrives to deliver her concession speech at the Working Families Party primary night party,Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow) New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks as he marks his primary election ballot at the Presbyterian Church of Mount Kisco, in Mount Kisco, N.Y., Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) Gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon delivers her concession speech at the Working Families Party primary night party, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, in New York. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo easily beat Nixon in Thursday's contest to win his party's nomination for a third term. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow) New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon leaves a polling station after voting in the primary, Thursday Sept. 13, 2018, in New York. Democrats across New York state are picking the winner of a long and sometimes nasty primary contest between Gov. Andrew Cuomo and activist and former "Sex and the City" star Nixon. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews) CAIRO (AP) - In a remote pocket of northern Yemen, many families with starving children have nothing to eat but the leaves of a local vine, boiled into a sour, acidic green paste. International aid agencies have been caught off guard by the extent of the suffering there as parents and children waste away. The main health center in Aslam district was flooded with dozens of emaciated children during a recent visit by the Associated Press. Excruciatingly thin toddlers, eyes bulging, sat in a plastic washtub used in a make-shift scale as nurses weighed each one. Their papery skin was stretched tight over pencil-like limbs and knobby knees. Nurses measured their forearms, just a few centimeters in diameter, marking the worst stages of malnutrition. At least 20 children are known to have died of starvation already this year in the province that includes the district, more than three years into the country's ruinous civil war. The real number is likely far higher, since few families report it when their children die at home, officials say. In this Aug. 25, 2018 photo, severely malnourished infant Zahra is changed by her mother, right, in the village of al-Mashradah, Aslam, Hajjah, Yemen. Yemen's civil war has wrecked the impoverished country's already fragile ability to feed its population. Around 2.9 million women and children are acutely malnourished; another 400,000 children are fighting for their lives only a step away from starvation. (AP Photo/Hammadi Issa) In a nearby village, a 7-month-old girl, Zahra, cries and reaches with her bony arms for her mother to feed her. Her mother is undernourished herself and is often unable to breastfeed Zahra. "Since the day she was born, I have not had the money to buy her milk or buy her medicine," the mother said. Zahra was recently treated at the heath center. At home, she's dwindling away again, and her parents can't afford to hire a car or motorbike to take her back to the clinic. If they don't, Zahra will die, said Mekkiya Mahdi, the health center chief. "We are in the 21st century, but this is what the war did to us," Mahdi said. She said she tours Aslam's villages and, after seeing people living off the leaf paste, "I go home and I can't put food in my mouth." The worsening hunger in Aslam is a sign of the gaps in an international aid system that is already overwhelmed and under pressure from local authorities. Yet outside aid is the only thing preventing widespread death from starvation in Yemen. The conditions in the district may also be an indication that humanitarian officials' warnings are coming true: In the face of unending war, hunger's spread is outstripping efforts to keep people alive. When AP approached U.N. agencies with questions about the situation in Aslam, they expressed alarm and surprise. In response to the AP's questions, international and local aid groups launched an investigation into why food wasn't getting to the families that need it the most, a top relief official said. As a response in the meantime, the official said, relief agencies are sending over 10,000 food baskets to the district, and UNICEF Resident Representative Dr. Meritxell Relano said the organization is increasing its mobile teams in the district from three to four and providing transportation to health facilities. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of issues involved in operating in the war-ravaged country. In first six months of this year, Hajjah province, where Aslam is located, recorded 17,000 cases of severe acute malnutrition, higher than in any full year on record, said Walid al-Shamshan, head of the Health Ministry's nutrition section in the province. Malnourished children who are treated often go back to villages with no food and tainted water, then return to clinics in even worse condition - if they make it back at all. "Deaths happen in remote villages where people can't reach the health units," al-Shamshan said. "It's a steady deterioration and it's scary." Yemen's civil war has wrecked the impoverished country's already fragile ability to feed its population. The war pits Shiite rebels known as Houthis, who hold the north, against a Saudi-led coalition, armed and backed by the United States. The coalition has sought to bomb the rebels into submission with an air campaign in support of Yemeni government forces. Around 2.9 million women and children are acutely malnourished; another 400,000 children with severe malnourishment are fighting for their lives only a step away from starvation. The number of people nationwide who would starve if they didn't receive aid grew by a quarter over the past year, now standing at 8.4 million of Yemen's 29 million people, according to U.N. figures. That number is likely to soon jump by another 3.5 million because the currency's falling value leaves more people unable to afford food, the U.N. warned this month. So far, the U.N. and its partners have only received about 65 percent of the $3 billion they sought for the humanitarian response in 2018. Relief workers are further concerned over an assault by Saudi-led forces trying to take the Houthi-held Red Sea port city of Hodeida . Nearly 80 percent of Yemen's imports come through the port, including much of the humanitarian aid. "Unless supply routes remain open this figure (of severely malnourished) could increase dramatically, putting the lives of thousands of children at risk from entirely preventable causes," said Tamer Kirolos, Save the Children's Yemen country director. Aslam is one of Yemen's poorest districts, with hundreds of small villages, some isolated in the high mountains in the Houthi heartland. Its population of 75,000 to 106,000 includes both local residents and accelerating numbers of people displaced from fighting elsewhere. In terms of hunger, Aslam isn't alone. Health officials say other districts closer to war zones may not be getting food aid at all. But Aslam saw one of the province's highest jumps in the number of reported children suffering from severe acute malnutrition: From 384 cases being treated in January, an additional 1,319 more came in over the next six months, according to local health records. That comes to around 15 percent of the district's children. "Aslam is just another picture of Somalia," said Saleh al Faqih, a worker in a mobile Health Ministry clinic, comparing it to the Horn of Africa nation often hit by famines. Aslam's main health center has no pediatricians, no electricity, no oxygen cylinders. At night, medics use flash lights because there is no fuel for generators. Fathers beg in the nearby market for 300 riyals - around 50 U.S. cents - to buy a diaper for their child going into the center. Before the war, the center would see one or two malnourished children a month. In August alone, it received 99 cases, nearly half in the most severe stages, the center's nutrition chief Khaled Hassan said. There appeared to be multiple reasons why aid was not reaching some of the starving, beyond the rapid increase in those in need. The lion's share of assistance goes to displaced people, while only 20 percent goes to the local community, said Azma Ali, a worker with the World Food Program. Agencies' criteria give priority to the displaced and households without a breadwinner, even as local residents also struggle to find food. Under heavy pressure from Houthi authorities, international agencies like WFP and UNICEF and their Yemeni partners are required to use lists of needy provided by local officials. Critics accuse those officials of favoritism. That especially works against the local population in Aslam, where many belong to the "Muhammasheen," Arabic for the "Marginalized," a community of darker-skinned Yemenis shunned by the rest of society and left to work as garbage collectors, menial laborers or beggars. The Marginalized have no weight with officials to ensure aid goes their way. One humanitarian coordinator in Hajjah said local Houthi authorities distribute aid unfairly. "The powerful hinder the work of the humanitarian agencies and deprive of aid those people who are in most need," he said. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of problems with the authorities. Some residents said officials demand bribes to get on food lists - the equivalent of around 15 U.S. cents, but still too much for many. U.N. agencies have insufficient capacity to oversee many distribution centers. Food deliveries that do make it to Aslam come irregularly or are too small or are missing items, residents and aid workers said. People in Aslam increasingly rely on leaves from the local vine, known in Yemeni Arabic as "halas" or in English as Arabian Wax Leaf. It used to be eaten only occasionally but now it's all many residents eat for every meal. Mothers spend hours picking the leaves, then washing and boiling them. Too much of it causes diarrhea, as does the water it's washed in - well water often tainted with sewage. In the village of al-Mashrada, Zahra's mother feeds her whole family with halas mush. She has seven other children, including two boys with mental disorders who are kept chained inside their shack so they don't wander away. The children's father roams the town, looking for food. Zahra's mother said only "the big heads" - the better-off and well-connected - end up with international aid. "We only have God. We are poor and we have nothing." ___ The Associated Press reported this story with help from a grant from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. ___ An AP list of some local relief groups delivering aid to Yemen's needy can be found at this link: https://www.apnews.com/ed1a82e0337d4a67b4fcb358d377d1cf ___ AP writer Lee Keath in Beirut contributed to this story. In this Aug. 25, 2018 photo, a severely malnourished infant is bathed in a bucket in Aslam, Hajjah, Yemen. Yemen's civil war has wrecked the impoverished country's already fragile ability to feed its population. Around 2.9 million women and children are acutely malnourished; another 400,000 children are fighting for their lives only a step away from starvation. (AP Photo/Hammadi Issa) In this Aug. 25, 2018 image made from video, severely malnourished infant Zahra is bathed by her mother, in Aslam, Hajjah, Yemen. Yemen's civil war has wrecked the impoverished country's already fragile ability to feed its population. Around 2.9 million women and children are acutely malnourished; another 400,000 children are fighting for their lives only a step away from starvation. (AP Photo/Hammadi Issa) In this Aug. 25, 2018 image made from video, severely malnourished infant Zahra breastfeeds from her mother, in Aslam, Hajjah, Yemen. Yemen's civil war has wrecked the impoverished country's already fragile ability to feed its population. Around 2.9 million women and children are acutely malnourished; another 400,000 children are fighting for their lives only a step away from starvation. (AP Photo/Hammadi Issa) In this Aug. 25, 2018 photo, women wait with their children in front of the Aslam Health Center, in Hajjah, Yemen. Yemenis in the isolated pocket in the north have been reduced to eating boiled leaves from a local vine to stave off starvation, with no aid reaching many families who need it most. The situation in Aslam district is a sign of the holes in an international aid system that is already overwhelmed but is the only thing standing between Yemen's people and massive death from starvation amid the country's 3-year civil war. (AP Photo/Hammadi Issa) In this Aug. 25, 2018 photo, a girl eats boiled leaves from a local vine to stave off starvation, in the extremely impoverished district of Aslam, Hajjah, Yemen. The situation in Aslam district is a sign of the holes in an international aid system that is already overwhelmed but is the only thing standing between Yemen's people and massive death from starvation amid the country's 3-year civil war. (AP Photo/Hammadi Issa) In this Aug. 25, 2018 photo, a man feeds children Halas, a climbing vine of green leaves, in Aslam, Hajjah, Yemen. Yemenis in the isolated pocket in the north have been reduced to eating boiled leaves from a local vine to stave off starvation, with no aid reaching many families who need it most. The situation in Aslam district is a sign of the holes in an international aid system that is already overwhelmed but is the only thing standing between Yemen's people and massive death from starvation amid the country's 3-year civil war. (AP Photo/Hammadi Issa) This 2018 handout image provided by Dr. Mekkiya Mahdi, Head of Aslam Health Center, shows a severely malnourished infant at the Aslam Health Center in Hajjah, Yemen. The situation in Aslam district is a sign of the holes in an international aid system that is already overwhelmed but is the only thing standing between Yemen's people and massive death from starvation amid the country's 3-year civil war. (Courtesy of Dr. Mekkiya Mahdi via AP) This undated 2018 handout image provided by Dr. Mekkiya Mahdi, Head of Aslam Health Center, shows a severely malnourished child at the Aslam Health Center in Hajjah, Yemen. Before the war, the health center would see one or two malnourished children a month. This year, it has seen around 700. In August 2018 alone, it received 99 cases, nearly half of them in the most severe stages, the center's nutrition chief Khaled Hassan said. (Courtesy of Dr. Mekkiya Mahdi via AP) This undated 2018 handout image provided by Dr. Mekkiya Mahdi, Head of Aslam Health Center, shows a severely malnourished infant at the Aslam Health Center in Hajjah, Yemen. The situation in Aslam district is a sign of the holes in an international aid system that is already overwhelmed but is the only thing standing between Yemen's people and massive death from starvation amid the country's 3-year civil war. (Courtesy of Dr. Mekkiya Mahdi via AP) In this Aug. 25, 2018 image made from video, a severely malnourished girl is weighed at the Aslam Health Center in Hajjah, Yemen. Around 2.9 million women and children are acutely malnourished; another 400,000 children are fighting for their lives. Yemen's civil war has wrecked the impoverished country's already fragile ability to feed its population. (AP Photo/Hammadi Issa) SANAA, Yemen (AP) - A recent bout of fighting between Yemeni government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition and Shiite rebels around the Red Sea port city of Hodeida could jeopardize shipments of 46,000 tons of wheat expected to arrive within the next ten days, the World Food Program said on Friday. The latest offensive began last week following the failure of what was hoped to be renewed peace talks to resume in Geneva. It was concentrated in the eastern and southern entrances to the city, which is considered the lifeline of Yemen. WFP spokesman Herve Verhoosel said humanitarian workers, infrastructure and food supplies have been targeted in recent days as clashes are still ongoing near the Red Sea Mill Silos, a critical facility for WFP operations. The fighting could impact WFP's ability to supply up to 3.5 million people in dire need in northern and central Yemen for one month, he said. He said a mortar shell launched by an unidentified armed group also hit a WFP warehouse in Hodeida city holding enough food to assist 19,200 people, wounding a guard at the warehouse. U.N. Human Coordinator for Yemen Lise Grande said on Thursday that the situation in Hodeida has deteriorated dramatically in the past few days. "People are struggling to survive," said Grande. "More than 25 percent of children are malnourished; 900,000 people in the governorate are desperate for food and 90,000 pregnant women are at enormous risk." The fighting for Hodeida has also effectively shut down the main artery linking the port city to the rest of the country, the Save the Children charity said Thursday. Tamer Kirolos of Save the Children said "it's quite literally a matter of life and death" for the main road linking Hodeida to the capital Sanaa to remain open. "This year alone we expect some 400,000 children under five to suffer from severe acute malnutrition ... Unless supply routes remain open this figure could increase dramatically, putting the lives of thousands of children at risk from entirely preventable causes," he said. He urged warring parties "to end hostilities immediately, commit to a ceasefire and give peace a chance." The Norwegian Refugee Council has called for Hodeida port and the arteries that lead from it to remain open. "Hodeida is not a trophy and its citizens are not toys ... A single act of force to disrupt the flow of supplies from Hodeida would be a deadly blow for millions," said Jan Engelan of the NRC. Aid agencies in Yemen have identified close to 500,000 people that had fled homes in Hodeida between June and August, NRC said. So far in September, 55,000 people have been displaced from across Hodeida, It added. The U.N. special envoy met with representatives of the rebels, known as Houthis, in Muscat, Oman's capital, to discuss ways to ensure their participation in future consultations and prepare for his visit to the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, Martin Griffiths tweeted on Thursday. Griffiths sought earlier this week to downplay the significance of the failure of launching peace talks, saying on Saturday that he would head back to Yemen and neighboring Oman "within days" to work toward an agreement on a new date. A delegation of the internationally recognized government arrived in Geneva last week for the talks, which were supposed to start on September 6, but the Houthis did not, arguing their safe return was not guaranteed. Shortly after the failure to launch peace talks, the government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition renewed their offensive to retake the rebel-held Hodeida. They had tried to overrun Hodeida in June but were blocked by the rebels' resistance. One main objective of the ongoing fighting is to cut off the road between Hodeida and Sanaa, thus depriving the capital city, which is controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthis, from supplies arriving by sea. Government forces are also trying to cut off the road to Taiz, a fiercely contested and strategic city south of Hodeida. Also Friday, a Saudi apache helicopter crashed in Yemen's easternmost province of al-Mahra on Friday, killing two crew people, tribal leaders said on condition of anonymity because they feared reprisals. The state-run Saudi Press Agency, quoting military spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki, acknowledged the death of a "pilot and his co-pilot" in a helicopter that crashed following a "technical fault." He said the Saudi Royal Land Forces helicopter went down at 8:20 a.m. Friday while conducting operations in Yemen's al-Mahra province. Impoverished Yemen has been embroiled in the war pitting the Saudi-led coalition against the Iran-aligned Houthis since March 2015. The war against the rebels has devastated impoverished Yemen, turning the Arab nation into the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with more than 20 million people in need of assistance. SRINAGAR, India (AP) - A bus fell off a road into a deep gorge in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir on Friday, killing 16 people and injuring 16 others. The accident occurred when the driver lost control of the speeding bus on a sharp bend in the Himalayan road, police officer Rajinder Gupta said. Gupta said the injured have been recovered from the 3,280-foot (1,000-meter) -deep gorge, including 11 seriously hurt people who were taken by helicopter to a hospital. Rescuers try to reach a bus that fell into a gorge near Kishtwar, about 217 kilometers (135 miles) southeast of Srinagar, Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. The bus fell off a road into a deep gorge killing more than a dozen people. (AP Photo/Balbir Singh Jamwal) The area is 217 kilometers (135 miles) southeast of Srinagar, the main city in the region. Police figures show India has the world's deadliest roads, with more than 110,000 people killed each year. Driver fatigue and negligence, low-quality roads and poor vehicle maintenance are frequent causes of accidents. A crowd gathers around an ambulance carrying victims killed in a bus accident near Kishtwar, about 217 kilometers (135 miles) southeast of Srinagar, Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. The bus fell off a road into a deep gorge killing more than a dozen people. (AP Photo/Balbir Singh Jamwal) In this grab made from video provided by KK Productions, rescuers try to reach a bus that fell into a gorge in Kishtwar, about 217 kilometers (135 miles) southeast of Srinagar, Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. The bus fell off a road into a deep gorge killing more than a dozen people. (KK Productions via AP) MOSCOW (AP) - Russia is ready to consider a request by British investigators to come and interrogate the two men accused of poisoning a former spy, the Kremlin said Friday. Britain charged Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov last week with trying to kill double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, with the Soviet-designed nerve agent Novichok. The Skripals survived the March 4 attack in Salisbury, but a resident of a nearby England town later died after apparently having contact with the poison. Petrov and Boshirov appeared Thursday on the state-funded RT channel, saying they visited Salisbury as tourists and had nothing to do with the poisoning. They denied the British claim that they were Russian military intelligence officers, saying they work in the nutritional supplements business. In this video grab provided by the RT channel , Ruslan Boshirov, left, and Alexander Petrov attend their first public appearance in an interview with the Kremlin-funded RT channel in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. The two Russian men charged in Britain with poisoning a former Russian spy with a deadly nerve agent appeared on Russian television on Thursday, saying they visited the suspected crime scene as tourists. (RT channel video via AP) President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Friday that Russian authorities will consider Britain's request to interrogate them if it comes. He added that Britain has stonewalled repeated Russian offers to conduct a joint inquiry. "There is a mechanism of legal assistance regulated by bilateral documents and international law," Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. "If we receive a formal request from London, it will certainly be considered by the Russian side in strict conformity with the law." He added that "from the very beginning, Russia has emphasized its desire to cooperate to clarify the circumstances of what happened in Salisbury and track down the culprits," but "the British side has strongly rejected such cooperation." Britain has said the attack received approval "at a senior level of the Russian state," an accusation Moscow has fiercely denied. "Russia's position has remained unchanged and clear - we consider it unacceptable to link the Russian leadership or the Russian state to what happened in Salisbury," Peskov said. Britain identified the Russian suspects last week and released security-camera photos of them in Salisbury on March 3 and 4. British investigative group Bellingcat said Friday that no information could be found on either Petrov or Boshirov in Russia's central resident database prior to 2009, the year internal passports were issued in both their names. The finding suggested the names on the passports were cover identities, the organization said. Bellingcat also claimed that Petrov's passport records included a stamp reading, "Do not release information." The surprise TV appearance by Petrov and Boshirov came a day after Putin said Russian authorities know the identities of the two men but insisted that they were civilians and there is "nothing criminal" about them. The men told RT they traveled to Salisbury on March 3 to see its famed cathedral but were turned back by slush and snow, then returned the next day when the weather was better and spent two hours exploring the "beautiful" city. The pair were caught on camera at Salisbury rail station on March 4, and minutes later another camera spotted them walking in the direction of Skripal's house - the opposite direction from the cathedral. The men, who appeared to be about 40, claimed they did not know who Skripal was or where he lived. James Slack, spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May, on Thursday derided their claims as "lies and blatant fabrications." Peskov said he hasn't yet had time to watch their interview and said he didn't know if Putin saw it. He wouldn't elaborate on how long it took the Russian authorities to find the two men, and said that the Kremlin had nothing to do with arranging their interview. DALLAS (AP) - An undercover officer who was shot during a gun battle between police and a group of robbery suspects outside of a Fort Worth bar that left one suspect dead has died, authorities said Friday night. The undercover officer, Garrett Hull, died at a hospital, Fort Worth police Chief Joel Fitzgerald said at a news conference just after midnight Friday. The suspect who was killed, Dacion Steptoe, was the one who shot Hull after Steptoe and two accomplices left a bar they had just robbed, the chief said. The two other suspects were arrested and none of the 10 people who were in the bar were hurt. "We've lost a true hero," Fitzgerald said. "Someone that dedicated more than one tour of service to this great city was senselessly killed by three known criminals, two of which are in custody now." During an earlier news conference, Fitzgerald said Hull was part of a team of undercover and uniformed officers that was trailing the suspects and rushed into the bar when officers discovered it was being robbed. But he later clarified that the officers, wary of endangering bystanders, waited for the three suspects outside the bar before they confronted them. Fellow officers rushed Hull to the hospital in a squad car instead of waiting for an ambulance. "The sacrifices our officers make go unnoticed, unfortunately, until we have a tragedy such as this," Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price said. "The shock and the grief with terrible tragedies wake people up to the fact that many of our men and women serving don't go home." Fitzgerald said the crew is suspected in 17 robberies in and around Fort Worth in recent months, and that they primarily targeted Latino bars. He said the crew shot someone in the head during a recent robbery and at least one other person had been shot as well. Investigators believe the men focused on the bars under the belief that Latino victims would be less likely to report a robbery to authorities, according to a police spokesman, officer Brad Perez. The chief didn't release the name of one of the suspects, but he said all three have long criminal records. The surviving suspect police did identify, Samuel Mayfield, was wanted on warrants for theft, assault and drug possession. "You had robbery suspects who tried to comingle with the crowd," Fitzgerald said, speaking of people inside the bar who ran from the building to flee the gunfire. He said Hull, who is survived by a wife and two daughters, was well-liked in the department and is a "rock" of the police intelligence unit, which is tasked with gathering information on suspects and contends with violent offenders. Hull, 40, has served 17 years with the department. "I feel like I stand up here far too often and speak about officers being assaulted and officers doing their job and trying to create a safe sense of community and cooperation and collaboration in the city of Fort Worth and being victims of violent acts," he said at the initial news conference. ___ Follow David Warren on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WarrenJourno MOSCOW (AP) - The Russian Orthodox Church on Friday announced a rebuff to the leader of the worldwide Orthodox community, saying it would not participate in events headed by the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate due to a dispute over control of the church in Ukraine. The church also announced at a meeting of top priests that it would not even remember Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I in its prayers. The meeting was called in order to respond to the Ecumenical Patriarchate's decision last week to allow the Orthodox Church in Ukraine to be autocephalous - ecclesiastically independent. The Russian church, the world's largest Orthodox communion, fiercely opposes the decision. In this handout photo released by Russian Orthodox Church Press Service, Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill presides over a meeting of the church's Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. The meeting of the Russian Orthodox Church's top hierarchs mulled a response to a decision by Orthodox Christianity's leading body to send two envoys to Ukraine. (Sergey Vlasov, Russian Orthodox Church Press Service via AP) Church spokesman Metropolitan Ilarion insisted that Friday's response by the leaders of Russian orthodoxy "do not mean a complete break of the Eucharistic communion." However, it is a significant show of resistance to the authority of Bartholomew, who is considered the "first among equals" among Orthodox leaders. According to the Interfax news agency, Ilarion warned of a split in the church if efforts to move the Ukrainian church beyond Russian authority continue. "We will be forced to completely break the Eucharistic communion and this will mean Constantinople patriarch, who often positions himself as the head of the planet's 300 million Orthodox, will no longer be its head," he said. The church in Ukraine has been tied to the Moscow Patriarchate for hundreds of years, although many parishes have split off over the past two decades to form a schismatic church. Calls for self-government have increased since Moscow's 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine and its support for pro-Russia insurgents in eastern Ukraine. Russian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Kirill strongly condemned the dispatch of the envoys while opening Friday's meeting of the Holy Synod. He compared the move to the Ecumenical Patriarchate's actions during the split in the Russian Orthodox Church in the 1920s. Metropolitan Onufriy, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church that answers to Moscow Patriarchate, told the Holy Synod via a video call that the bishops sent by Bartholomew I had already arrived in Ukraine and had established contacts with the heads of the Ukrainian Orthodoxy. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has urged the Istanbul-based Patriarchate to grant Ukrainian Orthodox clerics full ecclesiastical independence from Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters Friday that "worrying information about possible decisions regarding the church in Ukraine causes concern." Peskov noted that "the state can't interfere in the church affairs," but added that "preservation of the Orthodox unity is the only preferable scenario for Moscow, as well as for the entire Orthodox world." DETROIT (AP) - A 5-year-old Detroit girl was fatally shot in the head while in bed with her mother, who was shot at least 16 times during an attack that may have resulted from a rift between the woman and her relatives, police said Friday. Police burst into a different home looking for suspects a few hours after the Thursday night shooting and fatally shot a man who confronted them with an assault-style weapon, said police Chief James Craig. Another man, believed to be the gunman in the shooting of the girl and her mother, was arrested around noon Friday. Police gather at a Detroit home where a man was shot and killed early Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, by police during the execution of a search warrant in connection with the death of a 5-year-old girl. (Leonard Fleming /Detroit News via AP) Craig defended the police shooting of the man, saying: "When an individual is armed with this weapon, and this weapon is pointed in the direction of a police officer, clearly that officer believes he's facing an imminent threat." The girl's mother was being treated for multiple wounds at an area hospital. Her condition wasn't immediately known. The names of the victims and the suspect haven't been released. The chief said the violent chain of events began Thursday night on Detroit's west side. Craig said a lone gunman entered the woman's bedroom and opened fire as she lay in bed. The woman's daughter was shot in the head and died at a hospital. Asked about a motive, Craig said there was an "ongoing family dispute" between the woman and her sisters. "Some witnesses said there was a loud argument between sisters" earlier Thursday, he said. "It's well known they've had problems in the past." "This is tragic," police Commander Elaine Bryant said. "The child is an innocent victim and we don't know why this child was targeted in this manner." McKayla Coleman, 19, said she was asleep when police "busted in the house" and shot the man. "All I heard was a big boom," she said. LAWRENCE, Mass. (AP) - The Latest on gas explosions in Massachusetts (all times local): 9:01 p.m. The National Transportation Safety Board said the team heading to Massachusetts to investigate a series of gas explosions blamed for one death and dozens of fires in three communities is expected to remain on the scene for a week. As a Columbia Gas employees looks on, left, an Andover, Mass. police officer comes out the window of an evacuated house after checking that there is no presence of gas and that the gas in the house is turned off Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, in Andover, Mass. Multiple houses were damaged Thursday afternoon from gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston.(AP Photo/Winslow Townson) The agency said in a series of tweets Friday that the team will be gathering perishable evidence from the accident site and pulling together information from federal, state, and local agencies, and Columbia Gas. The agency says that among the issues being examined by NTSB investigators are the design of the pipeline system, any upgrades made to the system and the operator's management of the pipeline. As is routine in NTSB investigations, a review of the emergency response of the operator and local first responders will be conducted. ___ 7:19 p.m. Officials are saying it could take weeks before residents of three Massachusetts communities torn by natural gas explosions could have their service fully restored. Gov. Charlie Baker said Friday that more than 100 gas technicians are being deployed throughout the night and into Saturday to make sure each home is safe to enter. He says no one in the area should turn on their gas unless a crew turns it on for them. Even after residents return and their electricity is restored, gas service won't be turned on until technicians can inspect every connection in each home - a process that could take weeks. Baker says Eversource is bringing in additional resources. Earlier on Friday, Baker authorized the utility to take management control over the effort to safely restore services. ___ 5:55 p.m. U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey are calling for a Senate hearing into the natural gas explosions that ripped through three Massachusetts communities. The Massachusetts Democrats on Friday urged the Senate's Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee to schedule the hearing. The committee has jurisdiction over the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which regulates natural gas transmission lines, and the National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates pipeline accidents. Markey and Warren say the hearings should include representatives from Columbia Gas, the company whose pipelines exploded, to determine what went wrong and how to make sure it doesn't happen again - and whether regulators have adequate authority and resources to detect violations. Thursday's explosions killed a teen driver, injured at least 25 others, and left dozens of homes in ruins. ___ 5:30 p.m. The utility company that services the Massachusetts communities damaged by natural gas explosions has been fined $100,000 by the state for a variety of safety violations since 2010. Columbia Gas of Massachusetts was fined $35,000 by the Department of Public Utilities in 2016 for failing to follow company and pipeline safety regulations when responding to an outage and repairing a leak in Taunton. In 2011, it was penalized $15,000 for failing to install a new line in Brockton at the required depth. The company paid $15,000 that same year for failing to provide crews in Attleboro with adequate maps and records, among other violations. Columbia Gas of Massachusetts President Steve Bryant said Friday that the company has a "tremendous track record." He declined to comment on the suspected cause of the blasts, citing the National Transportation Safety Board investigation. 4:30 p.m. The president of the utility company that services communities in Massachusetts damaged by natural gas explosions says it's the "sort of thing that a gas distribution company hopes never happens." Columbia Gas of Massachusetts President Steve Bryant spoke to reporters Friday, shortly after the mayor of Lawrence sharply criticized the company for not providing more information and answers. Bryant isn't commenting on the suspected cause of the explosions, noting that the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating. Bryant says the company is working to shut off service to all roughly 8,000 affected customers. He says Columbia Gas has set up a claims hotline for customers and will also be opening a claims center in Lawrence. The blasts Thursday are being blamed for more than 60 fires, a death and about 25 injuries. 2:55 p.m. The mayor of a Massachusetts community affected by a series of natural gas explosions is heavily criticizing utility Columbia Gas. Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera on Friday said that Columbia's communications with local authorities have been poor and that the company is "hiding from the problem." The Democrat says the city evacuated the affected areas as asked, and had the electricity shut off as asked, but "everything since then has been obfuscation." He says his fire and police chiefs have not gotten any answers from the company. Columbia Gas services Lawrence, as well as Andover and North Andover. The blasts Thursday are being blamed for more than 60 fires, a death and about 25 injuries. Republican Gov. Charlie Baker backed Rivera and said he was declaring a state of emergency so the state could take over recovery efforts. ___ 2:20 p.m. The teenager who died when a brick chimney dislodged by a gas explosion fell on his vehicle had received his driver's license just that day. Authorities identified that victim of Thursday's series of explosions in Massachusetts as 18-year-old Leonel Rondon, of Lawrence. The state Registry and Motor Vehicles and Rondon's friends say he had just received his license Thursday. Christian Caraballo tells The Boston Globe he was in the vehicle when the chimney fell in the driveway of a friend's house. Three other young men in the vehicle got out and tried to move the chimney but couldn't. Friends say Rondon was a senior at Lawrence High School. ___ 1:20 p.m. The CEO of a hospital in one of the Massachusetts communities affected by a series of natural gas explosions and fires says it treated 13 patients. Dianne Anderson is CEO of Lawrence General Hospital. She says it dealt with injuries ranging from smoke inhalation to blast trauma. Most patients were treated and released, but one was flown to a Boston hospital and one remains at Lawrence General in serious condition. Dr. Earl Gonzales says that patient requires additional surgery. Anderson says the hospital trains for and is prepared for such situations. Authorities say one person was killed at least 25 were injured in the fires Thursday in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover. The cause remains under investigation. ___ 12:45 p.m. A subsidiary of the parent company of Columbia Gas of Massachusetts was blamed by federal investigators for a 2012 pipeline rupture and explosion in West Virginia. The explosion destroyed three homes and sent flames shooting into the air. The pipeline was operated by Columbia Gas Transmission Corp., which at the time was owned by NiSource. NiSource is the parent company of Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, which services three communities where a series of fires and explosions killed a teenager and injured more than two dozen others on Thursday. The National Transportation Safety Board said that the West Virginia rupture likely could have been prevented if the pipeline had been inspected or tested, but that it hadn't been since 1988. Investigators also said Columbia Gas Transmission's response to the rupture was delayed. ___ 11:30 a.m. A Massachusetts man who spent the night in a shelter because of the risk of a gas explosion at his home says the ordeal was more confusing than frightening. John Fluegge was one of about 100 people who spent the night on a cot in the North Andover High School gymnasium, which was converted into an emergency shelter. The 58-year-old man said Friday he came home Thursday to find a note on the door of his apartment building telling everyone to leave because the gas and electricity were being shut off in response to several gas explosions and fires in the town. His apartment was not damaged but he has still not been allowed to return because there is no power. One person was killed and about 25 were hurt. ___ 10:30 a.m. The head of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency says firefighters responded to 60 to 80 structure fires in the three communities affected by a series of natural gas explosions. Kurt Schwartz said Friday that firefighters in Lawrence, North Andover and Andover responded to about 150 emergency calls Thursday. He says about 400 people spent the night in emergency shelters and no additional natural gas-related emergencies have been reported Friday. The exact cause of the fires and explosions remains under investigation. Gov. Charlie Baker said hundreds of natural gas technicians have been deployed throughout the area to go house by house to ensure they are safe. The Republican governor says he realizes the situation is a "massive inconvenience" but asked for patience. An 18-year-old man died and at least 25 people were injured in the fires and explosions. __ 8:30 a.m. The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team to Massachusetts to investigate a series of gas explosions blamed for one death and dozens of fires. An agency spokesman said during a news conference in Washington on Friday that pipelines are within the agency's jurisdiction. The spokesman says among other things, the agency will look at the design of the pipeline system, maintenance and upgrades that have been done, and the safety record of the pipeline operator. The agency's job is not to lay blame, but to determine what happened so it can be prevented from happening again. The explosions were reported in the communities of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover north of Boston on Thursday afternoon. ___ 6:43 a.m. The company that provides natural gas service to the Massachusetts communities affected by a series of gas explosions and fires says it expects "an extended restoration effort." Columbia Gas in statement Friday morning said it is "working with the appropriate authorities to investigate this incident in order to understand its cause." The series of explosions and fires in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover killed a teenager, injured at least 10 other people and ignited fires in at least 39 homes. The company says it needs to visit each of the 8,600 affected customers to shut off each gas meter and conduct a safety inspection. About 18,000 customers in the region also had their electricity shut off in response to the explosions and many residents spent the night at shelters in area schools. ___ 10:55 p.m. Authorities say an 18-year-old man has died after a house exploded amid gas explosions north of Boston, sending a chimney crashing into his car. Officials have identified the victim as Leonel Rondon, of Lawrence. They say he was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where he died around 8:30 p.m. EDT of his injuries. Gov. Charlie Baker says 10 other people were injured Thursday in a series of fires and explosions that authorities blame on over-pressurized natural gas lines. Columbia Gas employee Brian Jones shines a flashlight so his partner, using a wrench, can shut off the gas in a home Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, in Andover, Mass. Multiple houses were damaged Thursday afternoon from gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson) A worker with Columbia gas stands over an open man hole as the crew works to make sure there are no gas leaks at the corner of Parker and Salem Streets in Lawrence, Mass., Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Multiple houses were damaged Thursday afternoon from gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston. (AP Photo/(AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) ROME (AP) - Genoa paused for a moment of silence in memory of the 43 people who died a month ago when a highway bridge collapsed. At 11.36 a.m. local time (0936 GMT), the city marked the moment a month ago when the Morandi bridge collapsed, plunging dozens of vehicles into a dry riverbed. Boat sirens wailed in the Italian city's harbor Friday, while buses switched off their engines and shops closed their doors to remember those who perished. People hug during a moment of silence commemorating the victims of a highway bridge collapsed a month ago, in Genoa, Italy, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. At 11.36 a.m. local time (0936 GMT), the city marked the moment a month ago when the Morandi bridge collapsed, plunging dozens of vehicles into a dry riverbed. (Luca Zennaro/ANSA via AP) Prosecutors have been questioning engineers, other experts and company officials trying to determine the cause of the tragedy. The Italian news agency ANSA quoted Giuseppe Altadonna, whose son, Luigi Matti, died when his truck plunged off the bridge as saying: "We're asking only for the truth." People hug during a moment of silence commemorating the victims of a highway bridge collapsed a month ago, in Genoa, Italy, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. At 11.36 a.m. local time (0936 GMT), the city marked the moment a month ago when the Morandi bridge collapsed, plunging dozens of vehicles into a dry riverbed. (Luca Zennaro/ANSA via AP) WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort agreed Friday to cooperate with the special counsel's Trump-Russia investigation as he pleaded guilty to federal crimes and avoided a second trial that could have exposed him to more time in prison. The deal gives special counsel Robert Mueller a key cooperator who steered the Trump election effort for a pivotal stretch of the 2016 presidential campaign. The result also ensures the investigation will extend far beyond the November congressional elections despite entreaties from the president's lawyers that Mueller bring it to a close. It is unclear what information Manafort is prepared to offer investigators about the president or that could aid Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. But his involvement in key episodes under scrutiny, and his leadership of the campaign at a time when prosecutors say Russian intelligence was working to sway the election, may make him an especially valuable witness. This courtroom sketch depicts former Donald Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, center, and his defense lawyer Richard Westling, left, before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, seated upper right, at federal court in Washington, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, as prosecutors Andrew Weissmann, bottom center, and Greg Andres watch. Manafort has pleaded guilty to two federal charges as part of a cooperation deal with prosecutors. The deal requires him to cooperate "fully and truthfully" with special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. The charges against Manafort are related to his Ukrainian consulting work, not Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. (Dana Verkouteren via AP) The agreement makes Manafort the latest associate of Trump, a president known to place a premium on loyalty among subordinates, to admit guilt and work with investigators in hopes of leniency. Manafort had long resisted the idea of cooperating even as prosecutors stacked additional charges against him in Washington and Virginia. Trump had saluted that stance, publicly praising him and suggesting Manafort had been treated worse than gangster Al Capone. Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, had suggested a pardon might be a possibility after the investigation was concluded. Then came Friday's extraordinary development when Manafort agreed to provide any information asked of him, testify whenever asked and even work undercover if necessary. Mueller has already secured cooperation from a former national security adviser who lied to the FBI about discussing sanctions with a Russian ambassador, a campaign aide who broached the idea of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin; and another aide who was indicted alongside Manafort but ultimately turned on him. Trump's former personal lawyer has separately pleaded guilty in New York. Friday's deal, to charges in Washington tied to Ukrainian political consulting work but unrelated to the campaign, was struck just days before Manafort was to stand trial for a second time. He was convicted last month of eight financial crimes in a separate trial in Virginia and faces seven to 10 years in prison in that case. The two conspiracy counts he admitted to on Friday carry up to five years, though Manafort's sentence will ultimately depend on his cooperation. "He wanted to make sure that his family was able to remain safe and live a good life. He's accepted responsibility. This is for conduct that dates back many years and everybody should remember that," Manafort attorney Kevin Downing said outside court. The agreement doesn't specify what if anything prosecutors hope to receive about Trump, but Manafort could be well-positioned to provide key insight for investigators working to establish whether the campaign coordinated with Russia. He was among the participants, for instance, in a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russians and Trump's oldest son and son-in-law that was arranged for the campaign to receive derogatory information about Democrat Hillary Clinton. He was also a close business associate of a man who U.S. intelligence believes has ties to Russian intelligence. And while he was working on the campaign, emails show Manafort discussed providing private briefings for a wealthy Russian businessman close to Putin. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders insisted the Manafort case was unrelated to Trump. Giuliani said he spoke to Trump on Friday about Manafort's plea. "The president was OK with it," he said. "In a way, it's another indication there is no evidence of collusion. All of these charges predate the time Paul spent with the president. And there's nothing in what he pleaded about collusion." It's unclear how the deal might affect any Manafort pursuit of a pardon from Trump, though Giuliani told Politico before the deal that a plea without a cooperation agreement wouldn't foreclose the possibility of a pardon. Under the terms of the deal, Manafort was allowed to plead guilty to just two counts, though the crimes he admitted largely cover the same conduct alleged in an indictment last year. He abandoned his right to appeal his conviction in Virginia and agreed to forfeit homes in New York, including a condo in Trump Tower. But the guilty plea also spares Manafort the cost of a weekslong trial that could have added years to the prison time he's already facing following the Virginia guilty verdicts. A jury there found him guilty of tax evasion, failing to report foreign bank accounts and bank fraud. Jurors deadlocked on 10 other counts. Prosecutors on Friday presented new information about allegations they were prepared to present at trial, which was to have focused on Manafort's political consulting and lobbying work on behalf of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and the pro-Russian Party of Regions. That case alleged that Manafort directed a large-scale U.S. lobbying operation for Ukrainian interests but never registered as a foreign agent despite being required to do so under the law, and that he concealed millions of dollars in income from the IRS. He also failed to disclose his involvement in lobbying efforts made through a group of former European politicians, known as the Hapsburg Group, who pushed policies beneficial to Ukraine, the allegations said. In 2013, one of the politicians and his country's prime minister met with then-President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden in the Oval Office. Manafort was later sent an email that the politicians had "delivered the message of not letting 'Russians Steal Ukraine from the West.'" Another allegation revealed Friday concerns Manafort's efforts to peddle stories to discredit Yanukovych's opponent, Yulia Tymoshenko. Prosecutors said he spread stories and secretly coordinated with an Israeli government official to publicize the idea that a U.S. Cabinet official was an anti-Semite for supporting Tymoshenko, who had formed an alliance with a Ukrainian political party that had shared anti-Semitic views. "I have someone pushing it on the NY Post. Bada bing bada boom," Manafort wrote to a colleague, court documents said. ___ Online: Read the charges against Manafort: http://apne.ws/M1oQRia FILE - In this Feb. 14, 2018 file photo, Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, leaves the federal courthouse in Washington. A status hearing was scheduled Friday for Manafort amid reports that he was nearing a plea deal to avoid trial next week on charges stemming from work he did for pro-Russia political forces in Ukraine.(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) Paul Manafort's wife Kathleen Manafort, left, arrives at federal court in Washington, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is expected to plead guilty to federal charges as part of a deal with the special counsel's office. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) Members of the media follow attorney Kevin Downing, center, with the defense team for Paul Manafort, leaving federal court in Washington, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has pleaded guilty to two federal charges as part of a cooperation deal with prosecutors. The deal requires him to cooperate "fully and truthfully" with special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. The charges against Manafort are related to his Ukrainian consulting work, not Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) DETROIT (AP) - The Latest on the fatal shooting of a 5-year-old girl in Detroit (all times local): 1:40 p.m. The Detroit police chief says a man has been arrested in the death of a 5-year-old girl who was fatally shot while in bed with her mother. Chief James Craig says the girl's mother was shot 16 times Thursday night and is in a hospital Friday. Her daughter was shot once in the head. Craig says the shooting appeared to be related to a rift between the mother and her sisters. Separately, police executing a search warrant in the investigation fatally shot a man at a different address early Friday. Craig says officers yelled, "search warrant, search warrant" and were confronted by an armed man. The chief says an officer fired because he was facing an "imminent threat." ___ 9:10 a.m. Detroit police say they fatally shot a man during a raid connected with the investigation into the fatal shooting of a 5-year-old girl. Sgt. Nicole Kirkwood says officers entered a home on the city's west side early Friday and found a man with a gun. Kirkwood says the man "raised a weapon and the officers fired shots." That occurred about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from a home where police say the girl was killed and her mother wounded in a shooting late Thursday. The Detroit News reports that relatives of the man, whose name hasn't been released, said he had nothing to do with the girl's death. Nineteen-year-old McKayla Coleman tells the newspaper she was asleep upstairs when police "busted in the house" and shot the man. ___ 5:40 a.m. Police say a 5-year-old girl was killed and her mother wounded in a shooting at a home in Detroit. Detroit police Commander Elaine Bryant tells reporters that the girl was pronounced dead at a hospital following the shooting Thursday night on the city's west side. Bryant says the mother is in serious condition at a hospital. Bryant says at least one person entered the home before opening fire. She says "a couple of" other people who were in the home at the time were not injured. Bryant says the shooting is "tragic" and that "the child is an innocent victim." Police haven't released any details about possible suspects. Bryant has appealed for anyone with information about the shooting to come forward. PARIS (AP) - President Donald Trump is finally making moves against foreign election meddling - and Russia says it couldn't care less. Trump's executive order this week authorizing sanctions on foreigners who mess with American elections could herald new headaches for Moscow. But Russian officialdom shrugged it off as internal U.S. politicking and analysts say it would barely bruise Russia's economy and do little to deter interference in November's midterms, since Russia denies meddling anyway. FILE- In this file photo taken on Wednesday, March 22, 2017, People walk past a caricature picture of U.S. President Donald Trump on sale in a shopping mall in Moscow, Russia. US President Trump's new executive sanctions order signed Wednesday Sept. 12, 2018, authorizing sanctions on foreigners who mess with American elections could herald new headaches for Moscow. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko) A Russian PR agent who runs a provocative U.S. website says the executive order isn't denting his resolve to expand in the next few months. "There's such a huge quantity of sanctions, everyone's getting them confused," said Alexander Malkevich, editor of news site USAReally, which is funded by the sponsors of the Russian "troll factory" accused of interference in the 2016 U.S. vote. "We are not planning to do agitation or propaganda for one candidate (in the midterms) or another," Malkevich told The Associated Press. However he said the site will focus on coverage of immigration, and policies that he say coddle immigrants. He displays Trump paraphernalia in his Moscow office, and harbors deep disdain for Democrats. A series of sanctions on Russian officials, oligarchs and companies by the U.S. have progressively deepened Russian resentment, and Russians see Trump's new order as further reducing any remaining chances for detente. "It's about how we can build any kind of partnership, including on those issues where it is still potentially possible," said Russian senator Oleg Morozov, who sits on the foreign affairs committee, told news agency RIA Novosti after Trump signed the sanctions order Wednesday "This window of opportunity is turning into a little slit." Trump's executive order came amid bipartisan criticism of his refusal to confront Putin at a joint news conference in Helsinki in July about accusations of Russian hacking, trolling and manipulation during the 2016 presidential campaign. With a sweeping investigation underway into what Russia did and whether it colluded with the Trump campaign, the White House has imposed some sanctions against Russia and expelled Russian spies. But domestic critics say Trump isn't going far enough. His new order authorizes sanctions against any individual, company or country that interferes with things like voter databases or tabulation equipment; it also targets activities such as distributing disinformation or propaganda to influence or damage confidence in U.S. elections. In theory, it could be used to punish those meddling in the midterms. U.S. intelligence officials say they're not seeing the intensity of Russian intervention registered in 2016 but are particularly concerned about potential midterm-related activity by Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. Microsoft said it uncovered new Russian hacking efforts targeting U.S. political groups ahead of the November vote. Google told a senatorial candidate that he might have been the target of hackers tied to a "nation-state." And Facebook recently banned hundreds of pages, groups or accounts linked to Russia and Iran for misleading political behavior. Trump's executive order is vague and doesn't name any particular target, however. "It's rather lightweight," said independent Russian political scientist Dmitry Oreshkin. "It doesn't bring a serious blow to Putin's position." If Russia has a structure in place to interfere in the midterms, Oreshkin said the executive order could prompt this structure to "create an extra layer of isolation to ensure that it will be very hard to follow the path (of hacking or disinformation) to its source." Russia's leaders are also worried about heavier sanctions already in place over Moscow's interference abroad that are squeezing whole economic sectors - and the potential for more. Some speculate that Trump's order was aimed not at scaring Russia but at deflating support for broader sanctions under discussion in Congress. A bill by Republican and Democratic senators would target entire economic sectors of a country that interferes, and prohibit foreign governments from purchasing election ads or using social media to spread false information. Separately, the U.S. energy secretary, visiting Moscow this week, threatened energy-related sanctions on Russia that could do deep damage to the oil- and gas-rich country. Analyst Chris Weafer of consultancy Macro-Advisory said Trump's election meddling sanctions would be too narrow to have much economic impact and would not "themselves cause a crisis in Russia." However, he said, the "salami-slice approach "reinforces the perception of risk, particularly for foreign companies. "As the sanctions get tougher, what we see is companies are delaying investment decisions." Meanwhile, Russian-run website USAReally - which purports to cover news "hushed up" by the mainstream media, but in fact carries a mix of repackaged articles from freak accidents to recent teachers' strikes in Washington state - is gradually building its following. Malkevich said it currently has 11,000 unique readers a day, even though it's banned from leading American social networks and is still in a "test version." Asked when the full-scale site will launch, he said, "by Christmas," at the latest. ___ James Ellingworth in Moscow contributed. FILE- In this file photo taken on Friday, Oct. 14, 2018, Russian lawmaker Oleg Morozov attends a meeting on Russian industrial modernization in Naberezhnye Chelny some 1090 km (687 miles) southeast of Moscow, Russia. Morozov talked with news agency RIA Novosti about US President Trump's new sanctions order signed Wednesday Sept. 12, 2018, saying "It's obvious who these laws are directed against," (Vladimir Rodionov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo file via AP) FILE - In this file photo taken on Sunday, July 15, 2018, The USAReally website is seen on an iPhone screen in Moscow, Russia. Russian-run website USAReally, which purports to cover news "hushed up" by the mainstream media, but in fact carries a mix of repackaged articles, from freak accidents to recent teachers' strikes in Washington state, is gradually building its following. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, FILE) LAWRENCE, Mass. (AP) - Investigators worked Friday to pinpoint the cause of a series of fiery natural gas explosions that killed a teen driver in his car just hours after he got his license, injured at least 25 others and left dozens of homes in smoldering ruins. Authorities said an estimated 8,000 people were displaced at the height of Thursday's post-explosion chaos in three towns north of Boston rocked by the disaster. Most were still waiting, shaken and exhausted, to be allowed to return to their homes. Gov. Charlie Baker said Friday that hundreds of gas technicians were being deployed throughout the night and into Saturday to make sure each home is safe to enter. A worker with Columbia gas stands over an open man hole as the crew works to make sure there are no gas leaks at the corner of Parker and Salem Streets in Lawrence, Mass., Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Multiple houses were damaged Thursday afternoon from gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston. (AP Photo/(AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) Even after residents return and their electricity is restored, gas service won't be turned on until technicians can inspect every connection in each home - a process that could take weeks. "This remains a tremendous inconvenience for many people," Baker said. "It's essential for the crews to get this right." The National Transportation Safety Board sent a team to help investigate the blasts in a state where some of the aging gas pipeline system dates to the 1860s. The rapid-fire series of gas explosions that one official described as "Armageddon" ignited fires in 60 to 80 homes in the working-class towns of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover, forcing entire neighborhoods to evacuate as crews scrambled to fight the flames and shut off the gas and electricity. Gas and electricity remained shut down Friday in most of the area, and entire neighborhoods were eerily deserted. Authorities said Leonel Rondon, 18, of Lawrence, died after a chimney toppled by an exploding house crashed into his car. He was rushed to a Boston hospital and pronounced dead Thursday evening. Rondon, a musician who went by the name DJ Blaze, had just gotten his driver's license hours earlier, grieving friends and relatives told The Boston Globe. "It's crazy how this happened," said a friend, Cassandra Carrion. The state Registry of Motor Vehicles said Rondon had been issued his driver's license only hours earlier Thursday. The NTSB said Friday that its team should on the scene for a week. The agency said the team will be gathering perishable evidence from the accident site and pulling together information from federal, state, and local agencies, and from Columbia Gas. The agency said among the issues to be examined are the design of the pipeline system, any upgrades and the operator's management of the pipeline. A review of the emergency response of the operator and local first responders will also be conducted. Massachusetts State Police urged all residents with homes serviced by Columbia Gas in the three communities to evacuate, snarling traffic and causing widespread confusion as residents and local officials struggled to understand what was happening. Some 400 people spent the night in shelters, and school was canceled Friday as families waited to return to their homes. The governor said state and local authorities were investigating but it could take days or weeks before they turn up answers. He declared a state of emergency for the affected area so the state could take over recovery efforts. Baker authorized the utility Eversource to take management control over the effort to restore services. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency blamed the fires on gas lines that had become over-pressurized but said investigators were still examining what happened. Capturing the mounting sense of frustration, Democratic U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton tweeted that he had called the utility's president several times with no response. "Everyone wants answers. And we deserve them," Moulton said. Columbia Gas President Steve Bryant wouldn't comment on the suspected cause of the blasts, deflecting questions about his company's response but saying it had "substantive, lengthy conversations" with the authorities. The Massachusetts gas pipeline system is among the oldest in the country, as much as 157 years old in some places, according to the Conservation Law Foundation, an environmental advocacy group. Columbia Gas had announced earlier Thursday that it would be upgrading gas lines in neighborhoods across the state, including the area where the explosions happened. It was not clear whether work was happening there Thursday, and a spokeswoman did not return calls seeking comment. U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey said they are calling on the Senate's Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee to hold a hearing to determine what went wrong and how to make sure it doesn't happen again. At least one story of heroism emerged from the ashes: that of Lawrence police officer Ivan Soto. His house burned nearly to the ground, but after rushing home to check on his family and warn his neighbors to evacuate, he went back on patrol. "He actually stayed on duty even though his house was burning down" neighbor Christel Nazario told The Associated Press. "I don't know how he did it." The three communities house more than 146,000 residents about 26 miles (40 kilometers) north of Boston, near the New Hampshire border. Lawrence, the largest, is a majority Latino city with a population of about 80,000. Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera reassured immigrants who might not be living in his city legally that they had nothing to fear. "Do not be afraid. Stay in the light. We will support you and your family," Rivera said at a news conference Friday, speaking in English and Spanish. "Lawrence is one community." Authorities said all of the fires had been extinguished overnight and the situation was stabilizing. But Rivera criticized the gas utility for poor communications and accused the company of "hiding from the problem." On Thursday, Andover Fire Chief Michael Mansfield described the unfolding scene as "Armageddon." "There were billows of smoke coming from Lawrence behind me. I could see pillars of smoke in front of me from the town of Andover," he told reporters. Aerial footage of the area showed some homes that appeared to be torn apart by the blasts. Brenda Charest stood anxiously on her front porch while a crew checked her undamaged home before giving her the all-clear to return Friday. On Thursday, she had come home to a hissing sound in her basement and a strong odor of natural gas. "We took off. I said, 'Pack up, we're out of here,'" said Charest, who went with her 93-year old father and cat to a relative's home. "It was scary. We didn't know anything." Columbia Gas was fined $100,000 by the state for a variety of safety violations since 2010, including $35,000 in 2016 for failing to follow company and pipeline safety regulations when responding to an outage and repairing a leak in Taunton. The company was sued in 2014 after a strip club was destroyed in a natural gas explosion in Springfield, Massachusetts, after a Columbia employee accidentally punctured a gas line while probing for a leak. The November 2012 blast leveled the Scores Gentleman's Club, injuring about 20 people and damaging dozens of other buildings. The club owner and the gas company eventually settled the case. Gas explosions have claimed lives and destroyed property around the U.S. in recent years. In 2016, a buildup of natural gas triggered an explosion and fire that killed seven people in apartments in Silver Spring, Maryland. In 2014, a gas explosion in New York City's East Harlem neighborhood killed eight people and injured about 50. Consolidated Edison later agreed to pay $153 million to settle charges after the state's Public Service Commission found it had violated state safety regulations. A gas leak had been reported before that blast. A 2011 natural gas explosion killed five people in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and that state's largest gas utility was fined by regulators, who called the company's safety record "downright alarming." ___ Associated Press writers Philip Marcelo in Lawrence, Alanna Durkin Richer, Collin Binkley and Steve LeBlanc in Boston, Mary Schwalm in North Andover and Randy Herschaft in New York contributed to this report. A worker with Columbia Gas pries the manhole cover open as they work to make sure there are no gas leaks at the corner of Parker and Salem Streets in Lawrence, Mass., Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Multiple houses were damaged Thursday afternoon from gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston. (AP Photo/(AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) A resident talks on her cell phone as she pushes a grocery cart full of belongings across the Merrimack River on South Broadway in Lawrence, Mass., Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Multiple houses were damaged Thursday afternoon from gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston. (AP Photo/(AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) ADDS IDENITY OF VICTIM LEONEL RONDON- A collapsed home and car sit damaged on Chickering Street in Lawrence, Mass., Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, after a series of gas explosions in several communities north of Boston. Authorities said Leonel Rondon died after the chimney toppled by the exploding house crashed into his car in the driveway. He was rushed to a Boston hospital but pronounced dead there in the evening. (Carl Russo/The Eagle-Tribune via AP) ADDS NAME OF THE POLICE OFFICER HOMEOWNER - The house owned by Lawrence Police Officer Ivan Soto sits nearly burned to the ground on Jefferson Street, in Lawrence, Mass., Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. It was one of multiple houses that went up in flames on Thursday afternoon after gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston. After rushing home to check on his family and warn his neighbors to evacuate, Soto went back on patrol while his house was burning down. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) Fire inspectors take notes outside a house that was blown off its foundation on Kingston Street in Lawrence, Mass., Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Multiple houses were damaged Thursday afternoon from gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) ADDS NAME OF THE POLICE OFFICER HOMEOWNER - The house owned by Lawrence Police Officer Ivan Soto sits nearly burned to the ground on Jefferson Street, in Lawrence, Mass., Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. It was one of multiple houses that went up in flames on Thursday afternoon after gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston. After rushing home to check on his family and warn his neighbors to evacuate, Soto went back on patrol while his house was burning down. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) The house owned by Lawrence Police Officer Ivan Soto sits nearly burned to the ground on Jefferson Street, in Lawrence, Mass., Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. It was one of multiple houses that went up in flames on Thursday afternoon after gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston. After rushing home to check on his family and warn his neighbors to evacuate, Soto went back on patrol while his house was burning down. (AP Photo/Bob Salsberg) In this image take from video provided by WCVB in Boston, flames consume the roof of a home in Lawrence, Mass, a suburb of Boston, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. A series of gas explosions killed a teenager, injured at least 10 other people and ignited fires in at least 39 homes in three communities north of Boston, forcing entire neighborhoods to evacuate as crews scrambled to fight the flames and shut off the gas. (WCVB via AP) Firefighters battle a house fire, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, on Herrick Road in North Andover, Mass., one of multiple emergency crews responding to a series of gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) A damaged house on Bowdoin Street in Lawrence Mass., is seen Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. The home was one of multiple houses that went up in flames on Thursday afternoon after gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) Lawrence residents stop to take photos of a house on Bowdoin Street in Lawrence Mass., Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. The home was one of multiple houses that went up in flames on Thursday afternoon after gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) Fire inspectors talk to the residents of a home that was blown off its foundation on Kingston Street in Lawrence, Mass., Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Multiple houses were damaged Thursday afternoon from gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) A damaged house is cordoned off, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, on Kingston Street in Lawrence, Mass., one of multiple homes damaged Thursday afternoon from gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) A member of the State Police moves a cone for an emergency vehicle at a road block on Route 114 in North Andover, Mass., at the Lawrence city line, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Many roads remain closed after Thursday afternoon gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) A Columbia Gas truck passes through a roadblock as a member of the State Police talks to a pedestrian on Route 114 in North Andover, Mass., at the Lawrence city line, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Many roads remain closed after Thursday afternoon gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) Fire inspectors take notes outside a house that was blown off its foundation on Kingston Street in Lawrence, Mass., Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Multiple houses were damaged Thursday afternoon from gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) A Billerica, Mass. police officer gathers with employees of Columbia Gas and a member of the Andover Fire Department after shutting off the gas in a home Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, in Andover, Mass. Multiple houses were damaged Thursday afternoon from gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson) A member of the Red Cross unloads a truck of donations to waiting volunteers outside the Parthum School in Lawrence, Mass., Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Multiple houses were damaged Thursday afternoon from gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston. (AP Photo/(AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) Volunteers help to unload a truck of donations outside the Parthum School in Lawrence, Mass., Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Multiple houses were damaged Thursday afternoon from gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston. (AP Photo/(AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) Red Cross employee Larry French briefs the media outside the Parthum School in Lawrence, Mass., Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Multiple houses were damaged Thursday afternoon from gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston. (AP Photo/(AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) An outraged Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera, left, talks about Columbia Gas as Mass. Governor Charlie Baker, right, listens during a press conference in Lawrence, Mass, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, the day after a massive natural gas leak caused fires and explosions in Lawrence, North Andover and Andover, Mass. (Tim Jean/The Eagle-Tribune via AP) People walk with suitcases and belongings down South Broadway Street in South Lawrence, Mass., Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, after a massive natural gas disaster Friday that affected areas in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover, Mass. (Amanda Sabga/The Eagle-Tribune via AP) In this Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018 photo, two young men comfort each other after a gas explosion destroyed a house on Chickering Street killing a teenager who was in his car in Lawrence, Mass. Authorities said Leonel Rondon, of Lawrence, died after a chimney toppled by an exploding house crashed into his car. Dozens of houses in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover caught fire from the natural gas explosions. (Carl Russo /The Eagle-Tribune via AP) WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort (all times local): 12:45 p.m. Paul Manafort's lawyer says the former Trump campaign chairman cut a deal with prosecutors "to make sure that his family was able to remain safe and live a good life." Attorney Kevin Downing, with the defense team for Paul Manafort, speaks to members of the media after leaving federal court in Washington, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has pleaded guilty to two federal charges as part of a cooperation deal with prosecutors. The deal requires him to cooperate "fully and truthfully" with special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. The charges against Manafort are related to his Ukrainian consulting work, not Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) Kevin Downing says Manafort, of Alexandria, Virginia, has "accepted responsibility." Manafort agreed to cooperate with the special counsel's Russia probe and pleaded guilty to two federal crimes as part of Friday's plea deal. The move allows him to avoid a second criminal trial. He was convicted last month of eight financial crimes in a separate trial in Virginia. Neither of the cases against Manafort relates to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, the central issue in the special counsel's investigation. Instead, they focus on financial crimes and Manafort's Ukrainian political consulting work, including failing to register as a foreign agent. ___ 12:20 p.m. Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has pleaded guilty to two federal charges as part of a cooperation deal with prosecutors. The deal requires him to cooperate "fully and truthfully" with special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. The charges against Manafort are related to his Ukrainian consulting work - not Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, which is the central issue in the special counsel's investigation. Friday's move gives Mueller another successful conviction while allowing Manafort to avoid facing another costly public trial. Manafort was convicted last month of eight financial crimes in a separate trial in Virginia. The White House says Manafort's decision to plead guilty and cooperate with Mueller is "totally unrelated" to President Donald Trump. ___ 12:15 p.m. A judge says former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's plea deal requires him to cooperate "fully and truthfully" with the special counsel's investigation. Judge Amy Berman Jackson said in court Friday that Manafort must participate in interviews and debriefings, provide documents and testify in future cases. The charges against Manafort are related to his Ukrainian consulting work - not Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, which is the central issue in the special counsel's investigation. Friday's move gives special counsel Robert Mueller another successful conviction while allowing Manafort to avoid facing another costly public trial in Washington. Manafort was convicted last month of eight financial crimes in a separate trial in Virginia. ___ Noon The White House says former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's decision to plead guilty and cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller is "totally unrelated" to the president. Press secretary Sarah Sanders says in a statement, "This had absolutely nothing to do with the President or his victorious 2016 Presidential campaign. It is totally unrelated." Manafort says he intends to plead guilty to charges including conspiracy against the United States and conspiracy to obstruct justice relating to his work for a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine. The plea deal allows Manafort to avoid a second trial scheduled to begin next week in Washington. Manafort was found guilty by a Virginia jury last month of multiple financial crimes. Manafort was instrumental to President Donald Trump's securing the GOP nomination in 2016 and served on his campaign until August of that year. ___ 11:40 a.m. Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has cut a "cooperation agreement" with prosecutors and intends to plead guilty to charges related to his Ukrainian consulting work. The deal allows Manafort to avoid a second trial that had been scheduled to start next week in Washington. Manafort was convicted last month of eight financial crimes in a separate trial in Virginia. Prosecutor Andrew Weissman said in court Friday that Manafort had struck a "cooperation agreement." He did not elaborate on the agreement. Manafort told the judge he wants to plead guilty. Manafort's second trial would have been related to Ukrainian political consulting work, including failing to register as a foreign agent. ___ 10:10 a.m. Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is expected to plead guilty to federal charges as part of a deal with the special counsel's office. A court filing Friday shows a plea hearing is set for later in the morning. The plea deal would allow Manafort to avoid a second trial that had been scheduled to start next week in Washington. Manafort was convicted last month of eight financial crimes in a separate trial in Virginia. Prosecutors had filed new charging documents against Manafort. The charges in Friday's filing were contained in a criminal information, a document that can only be filed with a defendant's consent and typically signals a deal has been reached. Manafort's second trial would have been related to his Ukrainian political consulting work, including failing to register as a foreign agent. ___ 9:30 a.m. Prosecutors have filed new charging documents against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, signaling he may plead guilty ahead of a second trial next week. The charges in Friday's filing were contained in a criminal information, a document that can only be filed with a defendant's consent and typically signals a deal has been reached. The charges include conspiracy against the United States and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Manafort is expected to appear in court later Friday morning. It's unclear whether any agreement with prosecutors would require him to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing investigation into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia. Manafort was facing a second trial set to begin on Monday in Washington on charges related to Ukrainian political consulting work. ___ 8:10 a.m. A court hearing was scheduled Friday for Paul Manafort amid reports that President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman was nearing a plea deal to avoid trial on charges stemming from work he did for pro-Russia political forces in Ukraine. Several media outlets reported that Manafort is close to a plea deal with federal prosecutors. The New York Times said it was unclear whether such an agreement would include his cooperation in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's election meddling during Trump's 2016 campaign. The developments were first reported by ABC News, which said details of the deal would be announced in court on Friday. The network cited three unidentified sources with knowledge of the deal. Manafort has already been convicted of financial fraud in Virginia. FILE - In this May 23, 2018, file photo, Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, leaves the Federal District Court after a hearing, in Washington. A federal judge in Washington has denied Paul Manafort's request to move his second trial from the District of Columbia. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson says Manafort hasn't shown that he couldn't pick an impartial jury in the District of Columbia due to pre-trail publicity. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) FILE - In this Feb. 14, 2018 file photo, Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, leaves the federal courthouse in Washington. A status hearing was scheduled Friday for Manafort amid reports that he was nearing a plea deal to avoid trial next week on charges stemming from work he did for pro-Russia political forces in Ukraine.(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) Paul Manafort's wife Kathleen Manafort, center, arrives at federal court in Washington, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is expected to plead guilty to federal charges as part of a deal with the special counsel's office. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - SpaceX said it has signed the first private moon traveler, with some changes to its original game plan. The big reveal on who it is - and when the flight to the moon will be - will be announced Monday at the company's headquarters in Hawthorne, California. It's not the same mission SpaceX founder Elon Musk outlined last year. The original plan called for two paying passengers to fly around the moon this year, using a Falcon Heavy rocket and a Dragon crew capsule. FILE - In this Feb. 6, 2018 file photo, Elon Musk, founder, CEO, and lead designer of SpaceX, speaks at a news conference after the Falcon 9 SpaceX heavy rocket launched successfully from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. SpaceX says it's signed the first private moon traveler. The big reveal on who it is _ and when the flight to the moon will be _ is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/John Raoux) At the time, Musk said the pair approached SpaceX about sending them on a weeklong flight and paid a "significant" deposit for the trip. The new strategy is to still fly around the moon, but using an even bigger SpaceX rocket still in development that has its own dedicated passenger ship. And now, it appears there will be only one person aboard. Given that this new BFR rocket, as it's dubbed, has yet to be built, the flight presumably is at least a few years off. SpaceX put out the teaser via Twitter late Thursday, and Musk also tweeted out the news. Company representatives declined to offer additional details Friday. Musk's ultimate goal is to colonize Mars. This lunar mission - a flyby, not a landing - represents "an important step toward enabling access for everyday people who dream of traveling to space," SpaceX said in a tweet. On its website, SpaceX is touting the "first passenger on lunar BFR mission," implying there will be more. This could be humanity's first lunar visit since 1972, depending on how NASA's latest moon plans shape up. Twenty-four NASA astronauts flew to the moon from 1968 through 1972, and only 12 of them strolled its dusty surface. Next July will mark the 50th anniversary of the first manned moon landing by Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. NASA is shooting for its own flyby of the moon, with a crew, around 2023. The space agency aims to build a gateway in the vicinity of the moon, complete with staff, during the 2020s. It's envisioned as a base for exploration of the moon, Mars and beyond. ___ The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. CHICAGO (AP) - The Latest on the trial of Chicago police officer charged with murder in the shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald (all times local): 9:30 a.m. A white Chicago police officer has decided to stick with a jury trial rather than have a judge decide whether he's guilty of murder in the 2014 fatal shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald. FILE - In this Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018, file photo, Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke, charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald in 2014, listens during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago. Defense attorneys are expected to announce if they want a jury or a judge to hear the murder trial of Van Dyke. Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan told Van Dyke's lawyers to return to court on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, to say if they want him or a jury to decide the case. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool, File) Jason Van Dyke's decision came Friday. It was the deadline Judge Vincent Gaughan set for Van Dyke to say whether he wanted to switch to a bench trial in which the judge would have decided the officer's fate. Opening statements are planned for Monday, though the judge still must decide on a defense request to move the trial outside of Cook County, where Chicago is located. The court vetted and selected 12 jurors and five alternates during the week. But defense attorney Daniel Herbert said Van Dyke didn't necessarily want the current jurors. Video shows Van Dyke shooting McDonald 16 times as the teen seems to be walking away from police with a knife in his hand. It will be one of the centerpieces at the trial. __ 12:25 am. Defense attorneys are expected to announce if they want a jury or a judge to hear the murder trial of a Chicago police officer who fatally shot Laquan McDonald. The last of the 12 jurors were selected Thursday along with five alternates. Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan told Jason Van Dyke's lawyers to return to court on Friday to say if they want him or a jury to decide the case. The officer's attorneys have said that they don't think Van Dyke can get a fair trial in Cook County because of media coverage of the 2014 shooting. Dashcam video shows the white officer shooting McDonald 16 times as the black teenager walks away from police with a knife in his hand. Opening statements are expected to begin Monday. Millions of people in the path of Florence are hunkering down Friday as the monster storm pummels North and South Carolina, bringing catastrophic inundations and forceful, destructive winds. Here are snapshots of people struggling to cope with the slow-grinding storm. SEVEN MONTHS PREGNANT AND 'SCARED TO DEATH' As Glorious Elting stood on her front porch Thursday, it suddenly got very dark and the wind started howling. It hadn't occurred to her until then how much danger she might be in. She's seven months pregnant and moved alone to Lumberton, North Carolina, from Poughkeepsie, New York, less than two weeks ago. Robert Simmons Jr. and his kitten "Survivor" are rescued from floodwaters after Hurricane Florence dumped several inches of rain in the area overnight, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018 in New Bern, N.C. (Andrew Carter/The News & Observer via AP) She's never been through a hurricane and has nowhere else to go. She said Friday that she called her sister and told her she was scared to death. She asked her to pray for her, and to tell her mother she's sorry if she dies. She now lives in South Lumberton, a neighborhood devastated by flooding after Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Many of the homes around her have remained boarded up and vacant ever since. She wept all day and spent Friday afternoon on her couch, reading her Quran and praying. "My baby girl is kicking and letting me know she's a part of everything that's going on and she's scared too." She has supplies and a friend, Denise Hunt, came to stay with her. She is mostly worried the stress will cause her to go into premature labor, and if she does, whether authorities will be available in the storm to come to take her to the hospital. "I'm scared to death," she said. "I don't know what to do." SEASHELLS ON THE SEA SHORE When Hurricane Florence made landfall some 70 miles (113 kilometers) to the northeast early Friday, Russ Lewis was walking on the sand on Myrtle Beach, looking for seashells. He was a lonely figure, first a tiny dot of light as he used a small flashlight to scan the water's edge, then widening his search as a gray, overcast dawn broke. The persistent rain hadn't started yet in Myrtle Beach at sunrise. But the winds started to howl and gust, rising above 30 mph (48 kph), according to the weather station at the airport. "I came over the dune, and I was like, 'I can't even hear the ocean,'" Lewis said. Forecasters warn the weather will go downhill all day in Myrtle Beach as Florence moves onshore Friday. Conditions may not improve until well into Saturday depending on the system's track and how much strength it can keep after landfall. Inland, forecasters warned of 20 inches of rain or more that could cause major, catastrophic flooding. Lewis said hurricanes are the best time to look for shells. The heavy waves churn up rare items like conchs, sand dollars and shark teeth. He had several of the rare items Friday. "Back in Matthew I found a conch shell this big," Lewis said, holding his hands about 9 inches (23 centimeters) apart. "I gave it to a friend when his baby daughter was born. I wrote her name and the date on it." DONUT MAN OPEN FOR BUSINESS "Donut Man" Joseph Santos might run the only place to eat that is open on Myrtle Beach as Hurricane Florence approaches. Santos and his wife spent most of Friday preparing, baking, and selling doughnuts. A steady stream of police officers, firefighters and other first responders came to the Donut Man restaurant as the rains and winds of Florence settled in. Santos welcomes anyone, but stays open for the people who have to work no matter what. "I see the first responders. They put their lives on the line every day of the year. I can stay open for them," Santos said, taking a brief break from the kitchen as his wife of 47 years, Maria, worked the cash register. Santos moved to Myrtle Beach from Massachusetts 14 years ago. He bought an old bank and turned it into a restaurant. That wasn't a deliberate decision, but the sturdy building and vault in the back help him stay open no matter the weather. A WHIRLIGIG SHOW All those pinwheels and whirligigs spun with extraordinary speed and fervor Friday at Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park in Wilson, North Carolina. They got quite a boost from Hurricane Florence's winds. On an otherwise somber day across the state, the downtown park full of whirling contraptions provided at least a bit of a light diversion. This eastern North Carolina city is located about 120 miles (193 kilometers) north of Wrightsville Beach, where Florence made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane Friday morning, and was receiving fierce winds and heavy rain from one of the storm's bands. Tim White - a 64-year-old electrician, lifelong resident of the city and self-proclaimed friend of Simpson, the late artist who created the contraptions out of salvaged metal - walked through the park Friday afternoon to watch the whirligigs spin with his wife. He said Simpson and his son spent "all their spare time" assembling the dozens of mechanisms for the park before his death in 2013. FALLING TREES A NUISANCE - AND A DANGER Numerous trees were down in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Wilmington, North Carolina, blocking driveways and falling on cars and the roofs of at least two houses. Chris Butcher of the Arborist Plus tree service said his crew had just arrived from Edgewood, Florida, with chain saws, extended tree-trimmers , a generator, and a small front-end loader. "I've been on every hurricane since Fran in 1996," Butcher said. "We are here to help. And make some money." He was helping Mike Kiernan clear trees that had fallen on or near vehicles and damaged the front of the house. WAITING IT OUT - OR NOT Bruce Manney eyed the creek at the end of his street in Lumberton, North Carolina. Two years ago, during Hurricane Matthew, water poured from it and inundated the neighborhood. His neighbors had to be rescued from their houses. Most evacuated this time. But Manney just moved in a month ago and thought he'd be able to wait it out. "I don't know anymore, I'm starting to get concerned," he said. Authorities say the Lumber River, which feeds the creek that flooded this neighborhood, is likely to crest on Sunday even higher than it did during Matthew. That storm devastated the city, and many neighborhoods have not recovered. The elementary school behind Manney's home was rendered a total loss in the flood and permanently closed. He watched the downpour from his porch where he marked how high he's been told the floodwaters rose, about a foot from the floor. "If it keeps on like this, I'm getting out of here," he said. RESTAURANTS PROVIDE SOLACE - AND SOMETHING TO DO In Greenville, North Carolina, most roads were open as the city experienced the equivalent of a conventional soaking rainfall late Friday morning. But most businesses in the home of the region's primary medical center were closed, some protected by plywood over the windows and with sandbags around the base of doorways. Some food eateries remained available with the determined operation of the odd Bojangles and Waffle House restaurants. A Cracker Barrel restaurant was doing a brisk business. Nursing home worker Cameron Willis, 27, and East Carolina University accounting student Justin Weathers, 22, delighted in finding the restaurant open and a chance to interact with other people. The neighbors at an apartment complex almost completely vacated ahead of Hurricane Florence said they had plenty of food available at home but needed to see what was happening in the city. "Bored and stuck in the house. There's only so much to do," Weathers sad. TOURISTS NOWHERE TO BE SEEN The heart of downtown historic district of Charleston, South Carolina, is nearly empty as Hurricane Florence makes its slow trek across the Carolinas. Pat Reilly of neighboring Mt. Pleasant was one of the few people out walking Friday morning on Market Street, where downtown shops typically teeming with tourists were boarded up and fortified with sandbags. Reilly sells real estate in the Charleston area has seen his share of storms over the past two decades, including Tropical Storm Gaston in 2004 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016. "I love a good storm. I haven't left for any of them over the years," he said. Potentially heavy rainfall was expected in Charleston as Florence creeps inland. The skies were dry Friday morning with breezy winds and occasional strong gusts blowing the Spanish moss hanging from live oak branches. THE BEST-LAID PLANS ... Steve Wareheim says his home in Shallotte, North Carolina, is holding up as Hurricane Florence creeps closer. Wareheim said he lost power early Friday. He bought a generator earlier this week, but at the moment, it wasn't very helpful. "I wish I read the instructions a little more carefully on that generator. It can't be operated near rain," Wareheim said. "So I'm going to have to wait until the rain stops. That may be a while." The National Weather Service said the area should get heavy rain through Sunday. Wareheim said so far the wind has only knocked down branches and limbs small enough to be carried. "Nothing you need to get a chain saw after yet," he said by phone. Wareheim was preparing for the heaviest winds from Florence, whose center was about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from his house about 4 miles (6 kilometers) inland. SAFETY A FEW MILES INLAND Kathy Griffin was hunkering down Friday in a hotel in Wilmington, North Carolina with her husband. They decided to leave their fifth-floor Wrightsville Beach condominium before Hurricane Florence trapped them. Still, storm conditions were frightful for the retired teacher and realtor. Griffin said she was jolted awake when the power went off at the hotel as some of the storm's strongest bands lashed Wilmington with wind and rain. As she sat in the hotel lobby eating a cold breakfast of bananas, cereal bars, and pastries, she recalled that the decision to heed the mandatory evacuation order for her area wasn't difficult. "If you are over there and something bad happens, you're out of luck," she said. She said her Wrightsville Beach unit was insured against flooding and also has glass strong enough to withstand 135 mph winds. She wasn't as lucky when a property she owns in Florida was heavily damaged by Hurricane Irma last year. "We have a house that was destroyed in Irma," Griffin said. "She came and she went, and it trashed everything inside." ___ Claire Galofaro reported from Lumberton, North Carolina; Jonathan Drew, from Wilmington, North Carolina; Jeffrey Collins, from Shallotte, North Carolina; and Russ Bynum, from Charleston, South Carolina. People survey the damage caused by Hurricane Florence on Front Street in downtown New Bern, N.C., on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Seward) ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Greece's supreme court has approved a Russian extradition request for a bitcoin fraud suspect, adding a new twist to competing cases in three countries that want to prosecute the detained computer expert on their turf. The decision published Friday upheld a lower court ruling allowing 38-year-old Alexander Vinnik to be tried in his native Russia for alleged fraud worth 750 million rubles ($11 million.) The Greek supreme court also has accepted an extradition request from the United States, where Vinnik is accused of allegedly laundering billions of dollars with bitcoin. He was arrested in Greece last year on a U.S. request. The court is scheduled to discuss a French extradition demand for Vinnik next week. Greek authorities are also investigating Vinnik for possible cybercrimes in Greece, which might delay his extradition. BANGKOK (AP) - The U.S. government on Friday imposed sanctions on a Thailand-based company it says provides services to an Iranian airline that Washington accuses of supporting terrorist activities directed by Iran's government. The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement that My Aviation Co. Ltd., headquartered in Bangkok, "provides cargo services to Mahan Air, to include freight booking," as well as passenger booking services. Mahan Air's website lists six weekly flights to the Thai capital, Bangkok. It said the privately owned Iranian airline "has routinely flown fighters and materiel to Syria to prop up the Assad regime, which has contributed to mass atrocities in the country and the displacement of millions of innocent civilians." The sanctions order blocks the Thai company's assets in the United States and generally prohibits U.S. citizens from doing business with it. The order was announced after working hours in Thailand, and no comment was immediately available from My Aviation. "Mahan Air continues to fly into Syria every week, even as millions of innocent civilians in Idlib province are under threat of imminent attack from the murderous Assad regime and its backers in Iran and Russia. Treasury is cutting off yet another service provider acting on behalf of Mahan Air, a sanctioned airline that transports soldiers and supplies to Assad and fuels terrorist activities across the region," the statement quoted Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin as saying. "This Thailand-based company has disregarded numerous U.S. warnings, issued publicly and delivered bilaterally to the Thai government, to sever ties with Mahan Air," Mnuchin said. "This action should serve as a warning that the U.S. is intent on ensuring that the aviation industry ceases providing services to, and profiting from, this terrorist-affiliated airline." The United States has sanctioned Mahan Air for multiple instances of supporting groups it designated as terrorists, including transporting weapons and personnel for Hizballah and Iran's Revolutionary Guards. The sanctions order against My Aviation was applied under two Treasury Department programs, covering Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations and Iranian Financial Sanctions Regulations. One other Thailand-based company has been sanctioned under the same programs. "Asian Aviation Logistics also acts for or on behalf of Mahan Air and helps the airline evade sanctions by making payments on behalf of Mahan Air for the purchase of engines and other equipment," the Treasury Department said in 2014. "Asian Aviation Logistics also employs at least one Mahan Air official." SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - Ramona Gonzalez did not drown when Hurricane Maria drenched Puerto Rico. She did not die in the tempest, or from destruction wrought by the storm's 154 mph (248 kph) winds. Instead, this disabled, 59-year-old woman died a month later, from sepsis - caused, says her family, by an untreated bedsore. In all, the storm and its aftermath took the lives of unfortunates like Gonzalez and thousands of others, many of whom could have been saved with standard medical treatment. This was a slow-motion, months-long disaster that kept Puerto Ricans from getting the care they needed for treatable ailments, even as President Donald Trump lauded his administration's response. In this Sept. 4, 2018 photo, Maria Gonzalez Munoz, right, and Juan Manuel Gonzalez, pose with an image of Jesus surrounded by photos of her sister Ramona, when she was sick and during her funeral, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Ramona, a disabled, 59-year-old who suffered from a degenerative brain disease, did not drown when Hurricane Maria drenched Puerto Rico, but instead she died a month later from sepsis, caused, says her family, by an untreated bedsore. Maria spent 30 days after the storm caring for her sister in her blacked-out home. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) A year after Maria roared across the Caribbean, reporters for The Associated Press, the news site Quartz and Puerto Rico's Center for Investigative Journalism have put together the most detailed portrait yet of the agonizing final days of victims of the storm, interviewing 204 families of the dead and reviewing accounts of 283 more to tell the stories of heretofore anonymous victims. Trump cast doubt on the storm's widely accepted death toll Thursday, tweeting that "3000 people did not die" when Maria hit after a near-miss by Hurricane Irma in September, 2017. He said the death count had been inflated "by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible," by adding unrelated deaths to the toll from causes like old age. But the joint investigation reflects how Puerto Rico's most vulnerable fell victim to dire conditions created by the storms. Disabled and elderly people were discharged from overwhelmed hospitals with bedsores that led to fatal infections. Medical oxygen ran out. People caught lung infections in sweltering private nursing homes and state facilities. Kidney patients got abbreviated treatments from dialysis centers that lacked generator fuel and fresh water, despite pleas for federal and local officials to treat them as a higher priority, according to patient advocates. There was Ernesto Curiel, a diabetic who died of a heart attack after weeks of walking 10 flights twice a day to fetch insulin from his building's only working refrigerator. Alejandro Gonzalez Vazquez, 47 - unable to obtain his anti-psychotic medication, he committed suicide instead of boarding his flight back to the U.S. mainland. Juana Castro Rivera, 52, dead of leptospirosis, a disease transmitted by contaminated water. After several visits to a community clinic, she was diagnosed - too late - by a hospital in a neighboring municipality. Along with post-storm conditions, each death has a complex mix of causes that can include serious pre-existing conditions and individual decisions by patients, caregivers and doctors, making it difficult to definitively apportion blame in every case. But critics say many could have been saved by better preparation and emergency response. "I was looking for help and no one came," said Maria Gonzalez Munoz, who spent 30 days after the storm caring for her sister in her blacked-out home. The Gonzalez home is 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) from the convention center that served as headquarters for thousands of federal and local emergency responders for more than a month after the storm. Maria and her brother took Ramona to a hospital twice, and tried to get her aboard a Navy medical ship in San Juan harbor, but couldn't save their ailing sister. "No one was asking after us, no one from the government," said Gonzalez Munoz, 66. The hurricane's true death toll has fueled debate since the first days of the storm, in large part because of the near-unique nature of the disaster. The United States' deadliest hurricanes have killed most of their victims with powerful winds and flooding in the hours and days immediately before and after landfall. The National Hurricane Center says that Katrina struck Louisiana and other states in 2005 it caused 1,500 direct deaths and 300 indirect ones from causes like heart attacks and failed medical equipment. Largely due to decades of neglect and years of fiscal crisis, the Puerto Rican electrical grid collapsed into the United States' longest-ever blackout after Maria hit on Sept. 20, 2017. That spawned a long and deadly tail for the storm, with hundreds of deaths coming long after the first weeks of the storm, as medical equipment failed and sick people weakened in the suffocating heat. Researchers from George Washington University hired by Puerto Rico's government estimated last month that 2,975 people had died because of Maria in the six months after landfall, a number Puerto Rico accepted as official. Though Trump continued to assert this week that his administration's efforts in Puerto Rico were "incredibly successful," both the local and federal governments have been heavily criticized for inadequate planning and post-storm response. The GWU report found that Puerto Rico had no plan for communication with its citizens in a crisis. The Center for Investigative Journalism found in May that the island's health department had no emergency response plan for hospitals and other medical facilities. As for the Trump administration, more than half of federal emergency personnel in Puerto Rico were not qualified for their assigned tasks as of October 2017, a month after landfall, according to a Sept. 5 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Puerto Rico's health secretary and governor did not respond to requests for comment. The public safety secretary said he was willing to speak but was not available to comment in time for publication of this report An after-action report by FEMA found it had underestimated the food and fresh water needed, and how hard it would be to get supplies to the island. Puerto Rico was understocked in part because Hurricane Irma struck two weeks before Maria, battering the U.S. Virgin Islands. Staff was depleted because of wildfires and other major natural disasters. In an op-ed written in USA Today, FEMA administrator Brock Long said the report was not an admission of failure. "Nothing can be further from the truth," he wrote. "Instead, the report is a transformational document intended to build upon successes." Ramona Gonzalez's sister said she had long suffered from a degenerative brain disease that left her unable to get out of bed starting more than two years before the storm. Without air-conditioning, fresh water or power, she developed steadily worsening bedsores. She was admitted and sent home twice from overwhelmed San Juan hospitals, even though her relatives said they were unable to treat her sores. Desperate, Ramona's siblings tried to get her aboard the USNS Comfort, a Navy hospital ship that had arrived in Puerto on Rico Oct. 3. But patients needed to be referred by San Juan's main public hospital rather than showing up directly for treatment, a complicated process. Maria Gonzalez tried unsuccessfully to get a referral from her sister's overwhelmed private hospital to the public one to the hospital ship. "I called someone at the medical center but they put me through to another number and then someone called and said it had to be handled by a doctor over there," Maria Gonzalez said. "I said, 'But she's really bad. At least let her on the boat a few days because the heat is killing her!" On Oct. 19, Trump said he graded the federal response to Maria as an "A-plus" and a 10 out of 10. "We have done a really great job," he said. Ramona Gonzalez died in hospital the next day. Her doctor did not answer phone calls or text messages seeking comment. Tom VanLeunen, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, said the Comfort returned to San Juan on Oct. 26 and moored at a pier accessible to the public, which allowed more than 6,000 patients to be seen before it left on Nov. 20. Over the last year, the CPI, Quartz and AP project collected hundreds of reports from Puerto Ricans who believed their relatives had died because of the storm. The names of the dead were matched against a database of death certificates released by the Puerto Rican government after a lawsuit by the CPI. Of those that matched, journalists interviewed as many relatives of the dead as possible and reviewed responses sent to the project through online surveys when relatives couldn't be reached. Most of the deaths in the database are considered indirect, meaning they were not caused by winds or flooding but rather made more likely because of factors like the lack of power, fresh water and medical supplies after the storm. The project did not interview the patients' doctors and the death certificates themselves make no link to Maria. The Puerto Rican government acknowledges that hundreds or thousands of deaths should have been classified as storm-related but weren't, due to doctors' lack of training on how to correctly fill out death certificates. An analysis of every single death in Puerto Rico from the onset of Maria until the end of 2017 found that fatal incidents of sepsis, a life-threatening complication of infection, rose nearly 44 percent, to 325, when compared to the average of the previous three years. Kidney-related fatalities rose nearly 43 percent, to 211. The analysis also showed big jumps in deaths related to respiratory diseases, accidents, and suicides, as well as increases in deaths among Puerto Ricans ages 30 to 44, despite the widespread belief that the disaster mostly affected the aged. Dr. Cruz Maria Nazario, an epidemiologist and professor at the medical school of the University of Puerto Rico, said the island's medical system had failed in the hurricane due to a lack of long-term preparation that continued up until the days immediately before Maria landed. "These are deaths that could have been avoided," Nazario said. Puerto Rico's governor said last week that his administration has adopted new measures to better prepare for a disaster like Maria although he warned of limitations given the U.S. territory's economic crisis. Rossello said two warehouses filled with water and food are operating in the island's north and south coasts, and that another two will open soon. Prior to Maria, there were none. He also said the government now has lists that identify vulnerable populations, including those who live in nursing homes, and direct emergency lines have been installed in some nursing homes and other vulnerable locations. Puerto Rico has one of the United States' highest rates of kidney failure but federal and local emergency plans classified dialysis as a relatively low priority for emergency supplies of fuel and water, despite pleas from patient advocates, said Angela Diaz, executive director of the Renal Council of Puerto Rico, a non-profit group that tries to improve conditions for kidney disease patents. With public water systems down due to lack of power after the Category 4 storm, Puerto Rico's 46 private dialysis centers swiftly ran out of specially treated water necessary for dialysis, forcing them to ration care, she said. "We were there at FEMA headquarters practically shouting, 'This site doesn't have water, it hasn't arrived,'" Diaz said. "They came, eventually. But the thinking at first was, they're private, they need to take care of it themselves." Orlando Lopez Martinez developed diabetes decades ago and the disease damaged his kidneys and forced him to begin dialysis toward the end of 2014. When Maria hit, he had just undergone surgery on an infected foot. The private center in far western Puerto Rico where he received 4 hours of dialysis three days a week shut down, and he missed four days of treatment over more than a week, according to friends and family. When it reopened, it rationed dialysis and Lopez received two hours of dialysis per session, less than half of what he received before the storm, friends and family said. "His face changed color completely. His face was really pale. He got dialysis and changed back, his face got color. But in those days after the storm he looked pale, yellowish, really bad," said Lady Diana Torres, the mother of Lopez' 10-year-old daughter Paola. Lopez died on Oct. 10. He was 48. The official cause of death was a heart attack brought on by kidney disease. There was no answer at the publicly listed number for Lopez's primary doctor. This month, Paola wrote about her father when her teacher asked the class to hand in short essays about the people they considered their hero. "In my memories, I have my super hero, strong and protective, who takes care of me and loves me," she wrote. "He had a lot of battles, but in the last battle, Hurricane Maria beat him." ______ Associated Press writers Danica Coto and Colleen Long and data journalist Larry Fenn contributed to this report. _______ Follow Ana Campoy of Quartz, at https://twitter.com/ana_campoy_ Follow correspondent Omaya Sosa, co-founder of Puerto Rico's Center for Investigative Journalism, at https://twitter.com/omayasosa Follow Michael Weissenstein, AP Caribbean News Director, at https://twitter.com/mweissenstein ______ Visit the interactive database of victims at: hurricanemariasdead.com In Spanish: losmuertosdemaria.com In this Sept. 5, 2018 photo, Lady Diana Torres, left, and her daughter Paula Nicole Lopez, pose with photos of their late husband and father Orlando Lopez Martinez, in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Lopez, who died at age 48 on Oct. 10, developed diabetes when he was 11, forcing him to begin dialysis. The center where he received dialysis shut down after Hurricane Maria hit, and after missing some treatments over more than a week, the center rationed his dialysis, according to friends and family. The official cause of death was a heart attack brought on by kidney disease. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) In this Sept. 4, 2018 photo, Gloria Rosado Ortiz poses with an image of her late husband Ernesto Curiel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Curiel, a 60-year-old who had heart problems and diabetes, walked 10 flights of stairs to the ground floor of his condominium, twice a day, to get insulin from a refrigerator cooled by a generator after Hurricane Maria hit. On Oct. 29, he died of a heart attack. Rosado applied to FEMA in Nov. 2017 for financial aid to defray $4,000 in funeral costs, and was told it was going to take some time due to the large number of applications following the rise in the official death toll. "He was in a fragile state, but not so fragile that he'd only last a month after the hurricane," said Ortiz. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2017 file photo, three containers for holding corpses, right, sit parked outside the Institute of Forensic Science, brought to give support in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where the institute press spokesman confirmed their facilities no longer provided enough space to store bodies, and that several hospital morgues are also full. Along with post-storm conditions, each death has a complex mix of causes that can include serious pre-existing conditions and individual decisions by patients, caregivers and doctors, making it difficult to definitively apportion blame in every case. But critics say many could have been saved by better preparation and emergency response. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti, File) FILE - In this Sept. 28, 2017 file photo, Carmen Hernandez, who lives in a senior living facility that lacks water and electricity in the wake of Hurricane Maria, is evaluated by a doctor after she fell, as she sits still for the doctor inside a car parked outside the hospital for lack of space in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Following the storm, disabled and elderly people were discharged from overwhelmed hospitals with bedsores that led to fatal infections. Medical oxygen ran out. People caught lung infections in sweltering private nursing homes and state facilities. Kidney patients got abbreviated treatments from dialysis centers that lacked generator fuel and fresh water, despite pleas for federal and local officials to treat them as a higher priority, according to patient advocates. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, File) FILE - In this Oct. 7, 2017 file photo, a Puerto Rican National Guard delivers food and water brought by helicopter in the San Lorenzo neighborhood of Morovis, Puerto Rico, two weeks after Hurricane Maria hit. Puerto Rico was understocked in food and fresh water in part because Hurricane Irma struck two weeks before Maria, battering the U.S. Virgin Islands. Staff was depleted because of wildfires and other major natural disasters. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, File) FILE - In this Sept. 28, 2017 file photo, the rubble of homes are scattered in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, one week after the storm hit. Puerto Rico's governor said one year after the storm that his administration has adopted new measures to better prepare for a disaster like Maria although he warned of limitations given the U.S. territory's economic crisis. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File) FILE - In this Oct. 14, 2017 file photo, people who lost access to water in the wake of Hurricane Maria gather at pipes carrying water from a mountain creek, on the side of the road in Utuado, Puerto Rico, almost one month after the storm hit. An after-action report by FEMA found it had underestimated the food and fresh water needed, and how hard it would be to get supplies to the island. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, File) FILE - In this Oct. 5, 2017 file photo, Roberto Figueroa Caballero sits in his home destroyed by Hurricane Maria, two weeks after the storm hit La Perla neighborhood on the coast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Figueroa, who wanted to stay at home with his dog during the storm, said he was evicted by police and taken to a shelter for the night. When he returned the next day and saw what was left of his home, he decided to put his salvageable items back where they originally were, as if his home still had walls, saying that it frees his mind. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, File) FILE - In this June 7, 2018 file photo, Nerybelle Perez holds a picture of her father, World War II veteran Efrain Perez, who died inside an ambulance after being turned away from the largest public hospital when it had no electricity or water, days after Hurricane Maria hit Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. Researchers from George Washington University hired by Puerto Rico's government estimated in Aug. 2018 that 2,975 people had died because of Maria in the six months after landfall, a number Puerto Rico accepted as official. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti, File) FILE - In this Oct. 13, 2017 file photo, a resident tries to connect electrical lines downed by Hurricane Maria in preparation for when electricity is restored in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, about three weeks after the storm. Largely due to decades of neglect and years of fiscal crisis, the Puerto Rican electrical grid collapsed into the United States' longest-ever blackout after Maria hit on Sept. 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, File) FILE - In this Sept. 29, 2017 file photo, police lift the coffin of fellow officer Luis Angel Gonzalez, during his funeral at the cemetery in Aguada, Puerto Rico. Gonzalez died when he tried to navigate a river crossing in his car during the passing of Hurricane Maria. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, File) GENEVA (AP) - Dutch authorities arrested and expelled two suspected Russian spies months ago for allegedly trying to hack a Swiss laboratory that conducts chemical weapons tests, Switzerland's government confirmed Friday as it summoned the Russian ambassador to protest an "attempted attack." Moscow quickly rejected the accusation, the latest Western claim about Russian spying and other acts of interference. This time, the alleged target was the Spiez Laboratory, which analyzed samples from the March poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England. The Swiss confirmation came after Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad and Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger reported that two Russians suspected of being agents of military intelligence service GRU were kicked out of the Netherlands earlier this year as a result of a Europe-wide investigation. FILE - In this file photo dated Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014, a virologist works inside the Spiez Laboratory that conducts chemical weapons tests in Spiez, Switzerland. Dutch authorities arrested and expelled two suspected Russian spies some months ago, for allegedly trying to hack the Spiez Laboratory, Switzerland's government confirmed Friday Sept. 14, 2018, as it summoned the Russian ambassador to protest an "attempted attack." (Peter Schneider/Keystone FILE via AP) Tages-Anzeiger said the two men were arrested in The Hague during the spring, but the exact location and timing were unclear. Switzerland's Federal Intelligence Service did not provide details, but said Friday it worked "actively" with British and Dutch partners on the case. "The Swiss authorities are aware of the case of Russian spies discovered in The Hague and expelled from the same place," FIS spokeswoman Isabelle Graber said in an email. She said the agency helped prevent "illegal actions against a critical Swiss infrastructure," and declined further comment. The Swiss attorney general's office said "two individuals" involved in the alleged hacking emerged during a broader investigation of alleged "political espionage" that was opened in March 2017. Switzerland's Foreign Ministry said it summoned Russia's ambassador to "protest against this attempted attack" and demanded that Russia "immediately" end its spying activities on Swiss soil. But Russia's top diplomat scoffed at the time it took for the case to come to public light. "I cannot suppose that such an occurrence, in which the specialists of three Western countries participated, could remain out of the field of view of the mass media," Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters after meeting with his German counterpart in Berlin, Russian news agencies said. The Russian state news agency Tass quoted Stanislav Smirnov, a spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Switzerland, as calling the Dutch news report "absurd." "We believe that this is a new anti-Russian bogus story made up by the Western media," Smirnov was quoted as saying. "It is absurd, just new groundless allegations." The Dutch Defense Ministry declined to comment. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced in March that the Netherlands had expelled two Russian intelligence agents. The action came amid a wave of Western nations ejecting Russian diplomats to protest the poisoning of the Skripals. Spiez Laboratory spokesman Andreas Bucher declined to comment on the events in the Netherlands, but said the lab had taken precautions and no data was lost. "We have had indications that we have been in the crosshairs of hackers in the last few months," he said. Bucher also wouldn't comment on whether the lab analyzed samples linked to the Skripal case, saying it was "contractually bound" to confidentiality in its work for the U.N.-supported Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. The chemical weapons watchdog has been involved in investigating the England poisoning and is based in The Hague. Lavrov said earlier this year that the Spiez lab had analyzed samples from the England poisoning investigation. ___ Mike Corder in Rotterdam, Netherlands and Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this report. NEW BERN, N.C. (AP) - An ominous tweet appeared on a historic North Carolina community's Twitter feed about 2 a.m. Friday. It came as rivers swelled, tides crested and the rain wouldn't stop. And that's when people found themselves trapped in their homes as the water rose. "WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU," the tweet said. "You may need to move up to the second story, or to your attic, but WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU." Rescue team members Sgt. Matt Locke, left, and Sgt. Nick Muhar, right, from the North Carolina National Guard 1/120th battalion, evacuates a family as the rising floodwaters from Hurricane Florence threatens their home in New Bern, N.C., on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Seward) More than 360 people had been rescued by midafternoon Friday, but another 140 were still waiting for help, city spokeswoman Colleen Roberts told The Associated Press. Crews from the city and the Federal Emergency Management Agency were working with citizen volunteers to get people to dry ground, Roberts said. There had been no reports of injuries or fatalities, though most of the city was without power and thousands of buildings had been damaged, she said. Sixty-seven-year-old Sadie Marie Holt was among those rescued Friday. Holt, who has diabetes and clogged arteries, said she stayed for doctor's appointments that were canceled at the last minute. She tried to row out of her neighborhood Thursday night with a boat that was in her yard after her home began to flood, but had to retreat because of the poor conditions. "The wind was so hard, the waters were so hard that, trying to get out, we got thrown into trailers. We got thrown into mailboxes. Houses. Trees," Holt said. The city of about 29,000, which was founded in the early 1700s and was briefly the state capital, is near the North Carolina coast and is bordered on the east and south, respectively, by two rivers. When Hurricane Florence started battering eastern North Carolina with record rainfall, the Neuse and Trent rivers began to swell - and combined with high tide, made for dangerous flooding. Residents reached out for help through the night by phone and on social media. Dawn Baldwin Gibson, 47, a minister and private school founder who lives on a farm closer to the coast in nearby Pamlico County and runs a Facebook page about weather in eastern North Carolina, had evacuated to New Bern to stay with family, thinking it would be a safer spot. Gibson said Friday that while she and her family were safe, she and her husband had gotten around 75 calls and texts from others asking for help. "And from that point, we started hearing where people were saying on phone calls, 'I love you,' to their family members because they were not sure they were going to get out of it alive," she said Friday. Gibson said she thinks some people couldn't afford to evacuate New Bern and others didn't heed evacuation warnings after Florence dropped from a Category 4 to a Category 1. But once New Bern TV news station WCTI evacuated its newsroom Thursday night because of flooding and people began to lose power, the seriousness of the situation began dawning on folks, she said. Tom Ballance said his wife went to Atlanta and he stayed behind in their New Bern home with their three dogs and a cat. Around 3:30 p.m. Thursday, the electricity went out. By midnight, his rain gauge showed that he'd gotten 9 inches (23 centimeters) of rain since midafternoon. He drifted off to sleep. About 40 minutes later, he woke and went to a sun room, where he'd boarded up all the windows except for a small hole. He shone a flashlight through the glass. "I about jumped out of my skin," he said in a phone interview Friday morning. "These were waves crashing down." Those waves were coming from the Neuse River, which is about 25 feet (8 meters) away, and downhill, from his house. He made a plan B: If the water reached the house, he'd take the pets upstairs to the second floor. "The water kept rising and kept rising," he said. But the water never quite made it to his home. Ballance called the rainfall "biblical," saying he's gotten reports from friends that his downtown seafood restaurant was flooded, just like the rest of the downtown. The National Weather Service said flash flooding was expected to continue through the rest of Friday in New Bern and surrounding areas. A 24-hour curfew was in effect. Roberts, the city spokeswoman, said early estimates show about 4,300 residences and 300 commercial buildings had been damaged. She said that count is expected to increase significantly. ___ Associated Press writers Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Virginia; and Martha Waggoner in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report. Lush reported from Jacksonville, Florida. ___ For the latest on Hurricane Florence, visit https://www.apnews.com/tag/Hurricanes Rescue team members from the North Carolina National Guard 1/120th battalion go door-to-door as they evacuate residents in an apartment complex threatened by rising floodwaters from Hurricane Florence threatens his home in New Bern, N.C., on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Seward) A rescue team from the North Carolina National Guard 1/120th battalion evacuates a family as the rising floodwaters from Hurricane Florence threatens their home in New Bern, N.C., on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Seward) A rescue team from the North Carolina National Guard 1/120th battalion evacuates an elderly woman from her apartment as the rising floodwaters from Hurricane Florence threatens her home in New Bern, N.C., on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Seward) Residents at Trent Court Apartments wait out the weather as rising waters get closer to their doors in New Bern, N.C. Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. Hurricane Florence already has inundated coastal streets with ocean water and left tens of thousands without power, and more is to come. (Gray Whitley/Sun Journal via AP) In this photo released by the City of New Bern, N.C., a bear statue floats in flood waters on South Front street in New Bern, N.C. on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Hurricane Florence lumbered ashore in North Carolina with howling 90 mph winds and terrifying storm surge early Friday, ripping apart buildings and knocking out power to a half-million homes and businesses as it settled in for what could be a long and extraordinarily destructive drenching. (City of New Bern via AP) Residents at Trent Court Apartments wait out the weather as rising water gets closer to their doors in New Bern, N.C. Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. Hurricane Florence already has inundated coastal streets with ocean water and left tens of thousands without power, and more is to come. (Gray Whitley/Sun Journal via AP) Debris from Hurricane Florence covers a street in downtown New Bern, N.C., on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Seward) Jamie Thompson walks through flooded sections of East Front Street near Union Point Park in New Bern, N.C. Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. Hurricane Florence already has inundated coastal streets with ocean water and left tens of thousands without power, and more is to come. (Gray Whitley/Sun Journal via AP) VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) - Democrats see new opportunity in a southwest Washington congressional district as the party looks to make gains in a section of this blue state that has been out of reach to them for years. Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler was first elected to the 3rd Congressional District in 2010, and she won her last two elections with more than 60 percent of the vote. But a strong primary showing by Democrat Carolyn Long, a political science professor at Washington State University's campus in Vancouver, has made the once safe Republican area one of three GOP-held districts in play in this year in the Evergreen State. In Washington's August primary - in which the top two candidates advance regardless of party - Long trailed Herrera-Beutler by about 7 percentage points, with the incumbent capturing 42 percent of the vote on a crowded ballot of seven total candidates. The combined Republican vote in the race was about 51 percent to the combined Democratic vote of 49 percent, though this week a Republican candidate who had received more than 3 percent of the vote in the primary said he was endorsing Long. Republican U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, representing southwest Washington state's 3rd Congressional District, poses for a photo in Vancouver, Wash., Aug. 27, 2018. The congressional race in southwest Washington has drawn national attention in a year Democrats see a chance to take control of the U.S. House. (AP Photo/Don Ryan) The primary results led some non-partisan election analysts to say Herrera Beutler's re-election was no sure thing. Long said the numbers weren't a surprise, but said "we still have a ways to go." "We could sense this was going to be a competitive seat early on," she said in an interview at her Vancouver campaign office. Herrera Beutler said while a more motivated Democratic base might have showed up to the primary, voters in her district trend independent and she remains focused on the November contest. "I'm going to keep working hard, I'm not going to take anything for granted, but I don't believe the entire district has shifted," she said. Independent pollster Stuart Elway said the 3rd Congressional District is one where Republicans are playing defense because of President Donald Trump. Trump only garnered 38 percent of the statewide vote in 2016, but won the 3rd District with just under 50 percent of the vote. "Being an incumbent Republican in Washington state isn't such a great thing this year," Elway said. For congressional incumbents like Herrera Beutler, "Republicans are going to try and make it a local election, Democrats are going to try and make it a national election." Washington has 10 congressional districts, the most recent one being added after the 2010 census. The congressional delegation currently has six Democrats and four Republicans. Herrera Beutler was elected before the district's lines were redrawn. With her 2010 win, Republicans claimed a seat the GOP hadn't held since 1994. After redistricting took effect with the 2012 elections, the district became more conservative, losing the liberal-leaning state capital of Olympia and expanding farther east. The district - which now retains a sliver of Thurston County - still spans southwest Washington down to Vancouver, west to the Pacific Ocean and east past the Cascade Mountains. Herrera Beutler said while she didn't vote for Trump (she wrote in House Speaker Paul Ryan) she is cognizant of the fact her district did, and has supported the president on issues she agrees with, like the Republican tax cut and his stance on lowering prescription drug costs. But she notes she's also stood against the administration, including speaking out against the idea of drilling off the coast of Oregon and Washington. "I've always worked to reflect the district," she said. Voter Dale Merten, vice president and chief operating officer of a local telecom internet provider in Toledo, Washington, said he admires Herrera Beutler's support of small businesses and rural communities. He cited her support of the tax cut as an example she's more in line with the district than Long. "Jaime is not a bomb thrower," he said. "She does her job and she's kind of quiet about it. She's not looking to be a rock star, she's looking to get the job done." Long has worked at WSU in Vancouver for more than two decades but moved to the district from Salem, Oregon, just over a year ago. She said commuting daily for a new position at the school was the impetus for her move, not the idea of a congressional run. But she said her academic study of political polarization over the last few years had her thinking about how to change Congress from within "and making sure you elect people who are willing to work cooperatively with each other in a bipartisan fashion." If elected, she said the first thing she would do is join bipartisan efforts to stabilize the Affordable Care Act. Long said her husband, a Republican who voted for Trump, hasn't yet said if he'll vote for her. "He wants to see my platform," she joked. Long didn't find that unusual, and said their 13-year-old daughter has only benefited from seeing what diplomatic political conversations look like. "We are living the political divide," she said. "But what I do think is important is that we're not defined by who we vote for or our political party." Tonya Rulli, an attorney in Vancouver, said she's so impressed with Long as a candidate she recently hosted her first political fundraiser. She told those gathered that if they are angered by the current political situation, "this is our opportunity to flip this district." "I live in a blue state, my vote doesn't matter in a presidential election," she said. "It is pretty rare that we get an opportunity to do something like this." In this Aug. 22, 2108 photo, Carolyn Long, a Democratic candidate in the 3rd Congressional District race, poses for a photo as she stands near a precinct map in her campaign office in Vancouver, Wash. Long is challenging Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler. (AP Photo/Rachel La Corte) Republican U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, representing southwest Washington state's 3rd Congressional District, is shown at a gathering in Vancouver, Wash., Sept, 10, 2018. The congressional race in southwest Washington has drawn national attention in a year Democrats see a chance to take control of the U.S. House. (AP Photo/Don Ryan) PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Rhode Island's Roman Catholic bishop held a day of prayer and penance on Friday to ask God's forgiveness for the sins of sexual abuse committed against children worldwide. Diocese of Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin presided over a special Mass in Providence at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul. Rhode Island is heavily Catholic. During the homily, Tobin asked for forgiveness and for healing of all who have been wounded. Tobin said he wanted to address the abuse and cover-up scandal roiling the Catholic Church because he recognizes the anger, pain and confusion many Catholics are feeling. Providence diocese Bishop Thomas Tobin, right, enters the during the processional at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Providence, R.I., Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, for a day of prayer and penance he called for due to the sex abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Jennifer McDermott) "Our commitment to end the scourge of sexual abuse doesn't end with prayer, but it is important to begin here," Tobin said. Tobin also fasted, which he said was in penance for his "faults and failures as a Christian, priest and bishop" and for the "sins and failures" of priests and bishops related to the sexual abuse of minors. Tobin has said that he was aware of incidents of sexual abuse reported to church officials while working in Pennsylvania, but that it wasn't his job to deal with them. He was auxiliary bishop of Pittsburgh from 1992 until 1996. A Pennsylvania grand jury report recently detailed decades of abuse and cover-up in six dioceses. Lorraine Savard protested outside the Mass. The 69-year-old retired teacher took issue with the church asking for forgiveness. "They're in there asking for forgiveness for something that's ongoing," she said. "Give me a break." About 150 people attended the Mass. They prayed for abuse victims, for church leaders as they promote justice and for Catholics whose faith has been shaken. Afterward, parishioner Cindy Delle Donne said that the church's response is not enough for those directly affected by the scandal, but she personally felt it was important to attend the Mass. "They're making an effort and I think that should be applauded," said Delle Donne, a 77-year-old retired nurse. "It is sad that it was allowed to go on for so long." Dozens of parishioners remained in their pews after the Mass concluded to reflect and pray. FILE - In this Nov. 22, 2009 file photo, Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin speaks to a reporter in Riverside, R.I. Tobin is holding a day of prayer and penance because of the clerical sex abuse scandal. Diocese of Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin says these are "difficult and dark days" for the church. The event takes place Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds) SAO PAULO (AP) - Members of the International Whaling Commission defeated a Japanese proposal to reinstate commercial whaling at a meeting in Brazil on Friday. The commission suspended commercial whaling in the 1980s, but Japan argued that stocks have recovered sufficiently for the ban to be lifted and that no good reason exists to maintain a measure that was meant to be temporary. It has repeatedly tried to lift the ban. Other countries argued that many whale populations are still vulnerable and that whaling is increasingly seen as unacceptable. Japan's proposal was defeated Friday by a vote of 41-27 in Florianopolis, Brazil. "This is not a debate about human rights nor is it a debate about global food security," Nick Gales, Australia's commissioner to the IWC, said during a debate on Thursday. "It is a business proposition against which many parties hold legitimate environmental and welfare concerns." After the vote, Japan suggested that it would reconsider its membership in the international body. It has argued that the commission has become "intolerant" and remains deadlocked on many issues because of the divide between countries that prize conservation and those that push for the sustainable use of whales. Japan had proposed changes to the way the body operates, including a provision which would allow measures to be adopted by a simple, rather than super, majority. "If scientific evidence and diversity are not respected, if commercial whaling based on science is completely denied, and if there is no possibility for the different positions and views to coexist with mutual understanding and respect, then Japan will be pressed to undertake a fundamental reassessment of its position as a member of the IWC," Masaaki Taniai, Japan's state minister of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, said after the vote Friday. Patrick Ramage, director of marine conservation at the International Fund for Animal Welfare, noted that Japan has frequently threatened to pull out of the body. The measure's "adoption would have been a big step backwards for the IWC, returning us to the bygone days of open commercial whaling instead of becoming a modern conservation body," Ramage said in a statement. "The real way forward for whales is conservation and responsible whale watching, not cruel and unnecessary whale killing." The Japanese have hunted whales for centuries and see it as a cheaper alternative source of protein. They currently hunt under a commission provision that allows killing whales for research purposes. The number of whales Japan kills each year is now capped at 333, about a third of the number it used to kill before the International Court of Justice ruled in 2014 that its program wasn't scientific in nature. Some, however, say the research program remains a cover for commercial whaling because the whale meat is sold for food. FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - The Latest on the shooting of an undercover police officer in Fort Worth (all times local): 1:55 a.m. Authorities say an undercover police officer who was shot in the head when he and other officers disrupted a Fort Worth bar robbery has died. Fort Worth Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald said during a news conference shortly after midnight that Officer Garrett Hull died Friday at JPS Hospital. Fitzgerald said: "We've lost a true hero. Someone that dedicated more than one tour of service to this great city was senselessly killed by three known criminals, two of which are in custody now." Hull was shot early Friday by one of three suspects who were attempting to rob patrons of the bar. Police say the suspect who shot Hull was then killed in an exchange of gunfire. Two other suspects fled the bar but were later apprehended. ___ 1 p.m. Authorities say the three suspects involved in a gun battle with Fort Worth police that left an officer critically wounded have lengthy criminal histories and are suspected in series of robberies that primarily targeted Latino bars. Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald told reporters that the suspect killed in the exchange of gunfire early Friday outside a bar was Dacion Steptoe. Authorities say it was Steptoe who shot undercover officer Garrett Hull in the head as Hull and other officers approached Steptoe and two other suspects when the trio left the bar after robbing it and the 10 people who were inside at the time. The other suspects were apprehended and Fitzgerald identified one of them as Samuel Mayfield, who was wanted on warrants for theft, assault and drug possession. Hull, who has a wife and two daughters, is in critical condition at a hospital. ___ 10:30 a.m. Authorities have identified the undercover police officer who was shot in the head when he and other officers disrupted a Fort Worth bar robbery as Garrett Hull. Officer Brad Perez, a police spokesman, confirmed that Hull was the officer who was shot early Friday by one of three suspects who were attempting to rob patrons of the bar. Perez says the suspect who shot Hull was then killed in an exchange of gunfire. Two other suspects fled the bar but were later apprehended. Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald at an earlier news conference declined to identify Hull at the time but described him as a well-liked member of the force who left the department at one point and then later returned. Hull was listed in critical condition at a Fort Worth hospital. ___ 6 a.m. Authorities in Texas say an undercover police officer was shot in the head and a suspect was killed when a police unit tried to stop a robbery at a bar. Fort Worth Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald says the officer was part of an undercover team that was trailing three people who were suspected in a string of robberies. Fitzgerald says a mix of undercover and uniformed officers tried to arrest the suspects, but one of them opened fire early Friday, striking the undercover officer. Fitzgerald says police returned fire, killing one of the suspects. The other two suspects were arrested shortly thereafter. Police say the officer is in critical condition at a Fort Worth hospital. No one inside the bar was harmed during the shootout. GAITHERSBURG, Md. (AP) - Two men promised gold instead received copper, and now $300,000 is dust in the wind. Montgomery County police detective Mike Adami tells The Washington Post business partners from Brazil and Florida met a man simply known as "Edward" for a gold transaction Aug. 20. "Edward" offered a test sample, which checked out as gold dust. So the buyers returned for the gold, which turned out to be nothing more than copper dust. Adami says the Brazilian investor believed "Edward" was the agent of his initial contact, "Mike." The pseudonymous pair had asked the buyers to wire funds to a bank account in Ghana, before accepting a cash deal. Photos released Wednesday show "Mike" on a video call and "Edward" at the meeting. The names of the defrauded haven't been released. ___ Information from: The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - The American lobster industry is starting to feel the pinch of China's tariff on U.S. seafood as exporters and dealers cope with sagging prices, new financial pressures and difficulty sending lobsters overseas. China is a major buyer of lobsters, and it imposed a heavy tariff on exports from the U.S. in early July amid trade hostilities between the two superpowers. Exporters in the U.S. said their business in China has dried up since then. Wholesale prices for live lobsters have also dipped a bit as dealers have lost markets. Prices in July and August were both slightly less than the same month in the previous year, business publisher Urner Barry reported. In this Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018 photo, Kyle Bruns packs a live lobster for shipment to Hong Kong at The Lobster Company in Arundel, Maine. China is a major buyer of lobsters, and the country imposed a heavy tariff on exports from the U.S. in early July amid trade hostilities between the two superpowers. Exporters in the U.S. say their business in China has dried up since then. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) One exporter, The Lobster Co. of Arundel, Maine, resorted to laying off four people, which constituted 25 percent of its wholesale staff, said Stephanie Nadeau, the company's owner. "I can cut my variable costs and tuck my head in and see if this storm passes," she said. "What they've done is made it so everybody is fighting over the remaining customers. Price goes down, margins go down." China applied the tariffs to a suite of American seafood products, including tuna and crab. It made the move at a time when many Chinese are acquiring a taste for American lobster. China's American lobster imports grew from $108.3 million in 2016 to $142.4 million last year, and the country barely imported any American lobster a decade ago. The numbers are already starting to tail, as China's July lobster imports from the U.S. were down more than $2 million this July compared with July 2017, according to statistics from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. China isn't dependent on the U.S. for lobster because the country can increase its imports of the same product from Canada. That is worrisome for the lobster industry because it could hurt American business, as well as change the logistics of the worldwide supply chain, said market analyst John Sackton, founder of SeafoodNews.com. Changes could be especially hard on lobster businesses in Maine, where the lobster industry is based, Sackton said. "I think there is a real issue, and the Maine industry is likely to get hurt," he said. The whole sale per-pound price of a 1.25-pound lobster dipped from $8.81 in August 2017 to $8.33 last month. But the price of lobster is complicated by factors such as the volume of catch, and reflects much more than just the amount of shipping to China, which doesn't ramp up considerably until the colder months. Prices to domestic consumers have held steadily in the $7-to-$10 range, though some vendors have resorted to dropping prices to $5 or less. But that's typical of the end of the summer, when the leaves turn and tourists start to flee New England. The industry will learn more about the toll of the tariffs later in the year, when most of the shipping overseas takes place, said Emily Lane, who works in marketing and exporting for Cape Seafood in Saco, Maine. "I think we're still looking at what the impact is going to be," she said. "I've had some customers point out I'm not as competitive in the market due to the tariffs they have to pay." In this Wednesday, July 25, 2018 photo, lobster fishing boats head out to sea on a foggy morning off South Portland, Maine. The impacts of China's seafood tariffs are being felt in Maine, where lobster prices are falling. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) In this Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018 photo, a lobster guards the entrance to a lobster trap on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean off Biddeford, Maine. China imposed a heavy tariff on lobster exports from the U.S. in early July amid trade hostilities between the two superpowers. Exporters in the U.S. say their business in China has dried up since then. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) In this Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018 photo, live lobsters are packed in coolers for shipment to China at The Lobster Company in Arundel, Maine. The company says it has resorted to layoffs due to shrinking business. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) In this Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018 photo, a lobster walks into a lobster trap on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean off Biddeford, Maine. The American lobster industry is starting to feel the effects of China's tariff on U.S. seafood as exporters and dealers report sagging prices and financial pressure. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - In the days after Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico as the most destructive storm in the modern history of the island, a poll by a U.S. market research company added insult to injury. The Morning Consult survey found that nearly half of adults in the U.S. didn't know people born in the territory, which is about 1,200 miles southeast of Florida, are American citizens by birth. But a lack of knowledge about Puerto Rico predates the storm. Here is a look at the history and key issues facing the island: THE BEGINNING The U.S. has had a fraught relationship with the island since the late 19th century. Spain ceded it to the U.S in 1898 after the Spanish-American War, and Congress declared it an "unincorporated" territory in 1917 in an act that granted U.S. citizenship to people born in Puerto Rico. At the outset, the island functioned much like a colony, with Congress allowed to overrule any local legislation and the president given power to appoint a governor. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the U.S. authorized the island to elect its own governor and draft a constitution. In 1952, it was re-christened the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and a semi-autonomous relationship was codified, establishing that the U.S. has jurisdiction over national matters such as trade and foreign relations while the island's bi-cameral legislature and governor have control over local matters. ITS STATUS Throughout this history, the people of Puerto Rico have been split over whether they want independence, statehood or some form of the semi-autonomous relationship. The debate over the island's "status" is the central feature of its politics and divides its major political parties. The federal government has long said that it would accept a change in the status of the Puerto Rico if the people of the island clearly supported the decision. But for decades, they have been divided between those who favor statehood and those who want to maintain the commonwealth, perhaps with some changes. A small minority continue to favor independence. The last referendum, in 2017, strongly favored statehood but opponents questioned the validity of the vote because of low turnout. The hitch is that any change would have to be approved by Congress. Statehood legislation, with support from Republicans and Democrats, was introduced in June but appears unlikely to gain momentum as politicians remain hesitant to take up such a thorny issue. SEMI-AUTONOMY IN PRACTICE Both Spanish and English are official languages on the island, but the former is more widely spoken. Puerto Ricans often refer to their island as "el pais," the Spanish word for country. Puerto Rico fields its own Olympic team and has its own cultural identity. But Puerto Ricans can fly back and forth from the mainland without showing their U.S. passports. The more than 5 million people of Puerto Rican descent on the mainland outnumber the 3.3 million on the island. Puerto Ricans also serve in the U.S. military and many, if not most, consider themselves as American as anyone else in the country. They do have, however, second-class political status. Residents of the island cannot cast a ballot in the U.S. presidential election, have no representatives in the Senate, and send only a non-voting member to the U.S. House of Representatives. While they don't pay U.S. personal income tax, they still must contribute for Medicare and Social Security and pay income taxes to the Puerto Rican government. DEBT CRISIS The U.S. federal government is now exerting an increased level of financial control over the island because of its debt crisis. Financial turmoil is the result of massive borrowing to cover deficits over a decade-long economic recession sparked by the expiration of a manufacturing tax credit. Congress created a financial oversight board in 2016 in exchange for granting Puerto Rico a legal mechanism to restructure public debt that had spiraled to more than $70 billion. But that proved deeply unpopular on the island, where the board's insistence on budget and benefit cuts prompted fierce protests. HURRICANE MARIA Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico as a category 4 storm on Sept. 20, 2017. It bashed the island for 12 hours, destroying the electric power grid and thousands of homes, businesses and government buildings. Puerto Ricans were also left with no power and water, no cell phone service, and a sense that the U.S. government had been ill-prepared for the disaster - which the Federal Emergency Management Agency later conceded was true. Regardless of the relationship between the U.S. and Puerto Rico, the storm is proving to be an expensive disaster for all American taxpayers. The federal government says it has already spent more than $3 billion for recovery efforts. The government of Puerto Rico says the total cost of recovery over the next decade will be more than $100 billion, and it says it will need help from Congress to foot that bill. HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) - Zimbabwe's new government is battling criticism over a cholera outbreak that has killed at least 25 people. A crowdfunding initiative by the finance minister amid reports of government spending on new vehicles for Cabinet members has only swelled public anger. Some local non-governmental organizations on Friday blamed the government for the deaths in an outbreak that is spreading beyond the capital and raising fears of a repeat of the 2008 epidemic that killed over 4,000 people. Zimbabwe Health Minister Obadiah Moyo washes his hands before entering a cholera quarantine area in Harare, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, after a cholera emergency was declared in Zimbabwe's capital following the deaths of more than 20 people. The deaths in Harare have many fearing a repeat of the outbreak that killed thousands in 2008.(AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi) "It is alarming and quite unusual for such a medieval and preventable disease to continue to claim such valuable lives in this day and age," said the Civil Society Health Emergency Response Coordinating Committee in a statement. It warned that government failure to "guarantee the right to health is a serious violation of both local and international law." The government, which this week declared an emergency, has said it is committed to ending the outbreak. Health Minister Obadiah Moyo, while visiting a suburb identified as the epicenter of the outbreak on Friday, said it is not time "for a blame game." United Nations agencies such as the World Health Organization say they have intervened to assist the southern African country whose economy collapsed under former leader Robert Mugabe, who resigned in November under military pressure. Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube used Twitter to announce a crowdfunding initiative to help fight the outbreak, infuriating some Zimbabweans long frustrated by the country's currency crisis and high unemployment rate. ___ Follow Africa news at https://twitter.com/AP_Africa A health worker screens mothers and their children for possible symptoms of cholera in a quarantine area in Harare, Friday, Sept, 14, 2018, after a cholera emergency was declared following the deaths of more than 20 people. The deaths in Harare have many fearing a repeat of the outbreak that killed thousands in 2008.(AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi) SPANISH FORK, Utah (AP) - A raging Utah wildfire driven by high winds in dry terrain has the potential to decimate hundreds of homes if firefighters cannot get a handle on it in the next couple of days, the governor said Friday. Gov. Gary Herbert, who spoke at the fairgrounds in Spanish Fork after getting a briefing from fire officials, said the terrain, visibility and wind are making things difficult. "Boy, if you've got any sway with the man upstairs, let's see what we can do to help with the weather," Herbert said. The Pole Creek fire burns in Woodland Hills, Utah, on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Sparked by lightning in a remote, forested area on Sept. 6, the fire raged out of control as high winds kicked up Thursday. (Jeffrey D. Allred/The Deseret News via AP) As of Friday, the blaze south of Spanish Fork grew to more than 106 square miles (274 sq. kilometers). Authorities ordered evacuations in three communities. Spanish Fork is about 50 miles (81 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City. No homes have been reported damaged. More than 430 personnel are working on the fire. But, according to Herbert, that figure will balloon to at least 1,000 as more aircraft, helicopters and ground resources get into place. A Type 1 incident management team is already present. Aircraft were set to drop retardant and water on the fire earlier in the day, said U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Suzie Tenhagen. "Their main focus today is protecting those folks' homes," she said. Herbert said the situation remains difficult as long as firefighters don't have a perimeter established around the fire. Lorene Miller told KUTV that she's lived in the small community of Woodland Hills for 12 years and it was the first time she had to leave her home. She loaded up her kids' baby pictures and videos and fled when authorities raised the alarm. "There's nothing we can do about it but pray, I guess," said Miller, one of hundreds who took refuge at a high-school evacuation center. The hot, windy weather that has created tinderbox conditions in the area is expected to continue into the weekend. The fire is also threatening to converge with a second, smaller fire. Sparked by lightning in a forested, rough terrain on Sept. 6, the fire raged out of control amid high winds and was only 2 percent contained Friday. The fire has also forced road closures, including U.S. Highway 89. Several school sporting events were canceled or moved due to wildfire smoke. Forest managers said they decided to contain the fire and let it burn in a remote area to protect firefighters and boost habitat in the area where wildfires are part of the ecosystem. Utah Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, criticized that decision made during drought conditions - calling it "inept decision making" in a tweet. Herbert said there will be time to analyze the situation later. "I think there's things that can be done better but it's not time to finger-point today," Herbert said. In Montana, Gallatin County officials said Thursday that a smaller fire about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Bozeman burned three houses earlier this week, as well as two "secondary residences" and seven outbuildings. The structures were all damaged Monday near the community of Clarkston, which is along the Missouri River. The 2-square-mile (5-square-kilometer) fire chewing through grass and juniper was 33 percent contained Friday morning. The cause of it has not been determined. A helicopter drops water on the Pole Creek fire in Woodland Hills, Utah, on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Sparked by lightning in a remote, forested area on Sept. 6, the fire raged out of control as high winds kicked up Thursday. (Jeffrey D. Allred/The Deseret News via AP) In this Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018, photo hot spots flare up near a rock formation a wildfire burns in northern Juab County, Utah. A fast-moving Utah wildfire fanned by high-winds has more than doubled in size as it burns through dry terrain and forces evacuations of hundreds of homes, the U.S. Forest Service said Friday. (Isaac Hale/The Daily Herald via AP) In this Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, photo Brandon Morgan, 17, center, loads items into a truck as his friend, Carter Wilkey, 16, helps Morgan evacuate from his Elk Ridge, Utah home during a mandatory evacuation. A fast-moving Utah wildfire fanned by high-winds has more than doubled in size as it burns through dry terrain and forces evacuations of hundreds of homes, the U.S. Forest Service said Friday. (Isaac Hale/The Daily Herald via AP) In this Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, photo a Provo fire engine drives up High Sierra Drive South in Elk Ridge, Utah during a mandatory evacuation. A fast-moving Utah wildfire fanned by high-winds has more than doubled in size as it burns through dry terrain and forces evacuations of hundreds of homes, the U.S. Forest Service said Friday. (Isaac Hale/The Daily Herald via AP) In this Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, photo vehicles evacuate from Elk Ridge, Utah during a mandatory evacuation a wildfire moves toward homes. A fast-moving Utah wildfire fanned by high-winds has more than doubled in size as it burns through dry terrain and forces evacuations of hundreds of homes, the U.S. Forest Service said Friday. (Isaac Hale/The Daily Herald via AP) Smoke from a wildfire covers the mountainside south of Elk Ridge, Utah, on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (Evan Cobb/The Daily Herald via AP) In this Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018 photo, Dale Koyle, left, a VIPS volunteer, instructs drivers to turn around and head back in Payson Canyon, Utah. The road was closed due to fire danger. (Evan Cobb/The Daily Herald via AP) In this Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018 photo, Michael Evans works on framing the basement of a house as smoke from a wildfire rises to the south of the house in Elk Ridge, Utah. (Evan Cobb/The Daily Herald via AP) BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraq's Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said he will not "cling to power," after the country's highest Shiite religious authority called for the appointment of a new head of government. A member of the leader's parliamentary bloc, however, said Friday that if al-Abadi gets a majority in the legislature he will form the new Cabinet. A member of al-Abadi's al-Nasr List, or Victory List, said Friday that the outgoing prime minister is still negotiating to form the largest bloc in parliament and if he succeeds then al-Abadi will be nominated for forming the new Cabinet. The legislator spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief media. Al-Abadi's political position has weakened in the wake of rioting in Iraq's oil capital, Basra, over corruption, failed services and contaminated drinking water. Iraq Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi addresses a newly elected parliament during its first session in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Sept. 3, 2018. Iraq's newly elected parliament held its first session as two blocs, both claiming to hold the most seats, vied for the right to form a new government. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim) Al-Abadi, who was backed by the U.S. for a second term in office, said he would respect the directives of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who said it was time for Iraq to appoint a prime minister it has never had before. Al-Abadi made his remarks at his weekly press conference on Thursday. Political analyst Ihsan al-Ashaari said al-Abadi's statement does not mean that the outgoing prime minister is no longer trying to hang on to the post. He said this decision will be made by the largest blocs in the legislature. "The negotiations are still ongoing," al-Ashaari said. CHICAGO (AP) - An official is hailing a licensed gun owner who joined suburban Chicago police in a shootout with a man suspected of shooting an officer. Cicero police Superintendent Jerry Chlada says a driver fired on two officers as he fled on foot after an attempted traffic stop Thursday near Interstate 55 at Cicero Avenue. Chlada says another driver left his car and joined an officer in shooting at the gunman. Cicero town spokesman Ray Hanania says 31-year-old Cicero police Officer Luis Duarte is in good condition Friday after surgery for bullet wounds to his arm, leg and side. Cicero town President Larry Dominick says the civilian risked his life to help the officers. The gunman was shot and is hospitalized in serious condition. It is unclear who wounded the gunman. TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Two Trenton men have been indicted on weapons charges stemming from a deadly shooting at a 24-hour arts and music festival in New Jersey's capital city. Mercer County prosecutors say 27-year-old Davone White also faces two counts of aggravated assault in the indictment handed up Thursday by a county grand jury, while 24-year-old Amir Armstrong also faces a count of receiving stolen property. White was among nearly two dozen people wounded in the June 17 shooting. About 1,000 people were attending the Art All Night Trenton festival that showcases local art, music, food and films when shots rang. Authorities have said several neighborhood gangs had a dispute, and multiple suspects began shooting at each other, with police returning fire. One suspect, 33-year-old Tahaij Wells, was killed. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Three Palestinians, one of them a 12-year-old boy, were killed by Israeli fire Friday as thousands of protesters gathered along Gaza's perimeter fence with Israel, health officials said. The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 80 Palestinians were wounded by live fire and that six of them were in serious condition. The Israeli military said about 13,000 protesters massed at several points along the fence, some burning tires and hurling rocks, grenades and firebombs. An Israeli officer suffered light wounds from pipe bomb shrapnel. A protester hurls stones while others burn tires near the fence of the Gaza Strip border with Israel, during a protest east of Gaza City, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Gaza health officials say 3 Palestinians, including 12-year-old boy, were killed by Israeli army fire in protests along Gaza's perimeter fence. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) At night fall, two tank shells hit a watchtower that had been set up by Hamas, the Islamic militant group in control of Gaza. The tower was about half a mile from one of the protest camps near the fence, and protesters left in a hurry as they heard the thud of the shells. The Israeli military said in statement that aircraft and a tank struck two Hamas positions in response to the explosives thrown at troops on the border. Gazans have staged near weekly demonstrations near the fence since late March, in part to protest a border blockade enforced by Israel and Egypt since 2007 when Hamas seized the territory. Hamas has led and organized the protests, but turnout has also been driven by growing despair over blockade-linked hardship, including lengthy power cuts and soaring unemployment. Israeli soldiers have killed at least 131 Palestinians during the weekly protests since March, including 27 minors, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. A Palestinian sniper also fatally shot an Israeli soldier. Israel contends it's defending its border and accuses Hamas of using the protests as a screen for attempts to breach the border fence to attack civilians and soldiers. Human rights groups have accused Israeli troops of excessive and unlawful use of force against unarmed protester. Hamas and Israel came close to serious conflict earlier this summer as violence soared along the border. The two sides have negotiated indirectly through Egyptian mediators to ease tensions in exchange for lifting some of the restrictions on the economically crippled Gaza Strip. But those efforts have stalled in recent weeks. Protesters run to cover from teargas fired by Israeli troops, while others burn tires near fence of Gaza Strip border with Israel during a protest east of Gaza City, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Gaza health officials say 3 Palestinians, including 12-year-old boy, were killed by Israeli army fire in protests along Gaza's perimeter fence. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) Protesters gather while Israeli troops fired teargas near the fence of Gaza Strip border with Israel during a protest east of Gaza City, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Gaza health officials say 3 Palestinians, including 12-year-old boy, were killed by Israeli army fire in protests along Gaza's perimeter fence. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) U.S. health regulators say they'll convene a public meeting of medical advisers next year to discuss new science on breast implant safety, including an independent analysis that suggests certain rare health problems might be more common with silicone gel implants. The Food and Drug Administration said it would hold the meeting even as its officials and several independent experts disputed the new work. Leaders of the study concede that it has big limitations and cannot prove that implants cause any of these problems. Yet it involves nearly 100,000 women and is the largest long-term safety analysis of silicone implants since 2006, when they were allowed back on the U.S. market after a 14-year gap due to safety concerns. FILE - This Dec. 11, 2006 file photo shows a silicone gel breast implant at a manufacturing facility in Irving, Texas. On Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, U.S. health officials said they will convene a public meeting of medical advisers in 2019 on the safety of breast implants because of growing science on the topic, including an independent analysis that suggests certain rare health problems might be more common in women with implants containing silicone gel. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam, File) "We completely stand behind this study and we do feel it's our best data to date," said lead researcher Dr. Mark Clemens, a plastic surgeon at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Women need as much information as possible to make an informed decision about whether and what kind of implant to get, he said. The journal Annals of Surgery plans to publish the report on Monday. Study leaders have no current ties to implant makers although Clemens consulted for one in the past. A POPULAR CHOICE Each year in the U.S., about 400,000 women get an implant and most choose silicone over saline; surgeons say it can give a more natural look. Three-fourths are for women who want bigger breasts; the rest are for reconstruction after cancer surgery. "Breast implants are not lifetime devices" and up to 20 percent of women getting them for enlargement need to have them removed within 8 to 10 years, the FDA's website warns. Complications can include infections, wrinkling, scarring, pain, swelling and implant rupture. Implant users also may have a very small but increased risk of a rare lymphoma, a type of cancer, the FDA has said. But the agency decided there was not enough evidence to tie silicone implants to other problems such as immune system and connective tissue disorders, so it approved devices from two makers - Allergan and Mentor Corp. - in 2006. FDA required the companies to do more studies on how women fared, and the Texas researchers used these reports in an FDA database for their analysis. WHAT THEY FOUND Compared to women without implants, those with silicone implants seemed to have greater rates of an immune system disorder called Sjogren syndrome, a connective tissue disorder called scleroderma, and the skin cancer melanoma, although cases of these were rare, the researchers reported. But rates for other problems such as fibromyalgia were lower among implant users. Reproductive problems such as birth defects and stillbirths were mixed and inconsistent. Furthermore, a higher rate of rheumatoid arthritis was tied to one brand but a lower rate for another. The difference gets to what critics called a fundamental flaw in the data used for the analysis: One implant maker required proof of diagnosis by a doctor rather than just a patient reporting a problem to include it in the database; the other did not. Another study weakness is that more than half of women dropped out of touch within two years of their operations. Because of these and other shortcomings, "we respectfully disagree" with the researchers' conclusions and urge that they be viewed with caution, Dr. Binita Ashar of the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health said in a statement . WHAT OTHERS SAY "This study is messy" and has the potential to create more anxiety than insight, said Dr. Andrea Pusic, plastic surgery chief at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and president-elect of the Plastic Surgery Foundation, which supports research and advocacy by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. The group gets industry grants for some of its work, and Pusic gets royalties from a questionnaire used in many studies including this one. Dr. Charles Thorne, plastic surgery chairman at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York and president elect of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, said the inconsistency in some of the results "is a little hard to explain" since the devices are similar chemically. But the study is a worthy effort, he said. "We have to constantly reevaluate the data and make sure things are safe," Thorne said. "The best evidence we have now indicates there's no increased likelihood of these systemic diseases." ___ Marilynn Marchione can be followed at @MMarchioneAP . ___ The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. SALEM, Mass. (AP) - A former school bus driver who fled Massachusetts after he was charged with raping a 13-year-old special needs student in 1998 has been sentenced to up to 17 years in prison. Prosecutors say 44-year-old Henry Gonzalez was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to child rape and indecent assault and battery on a child. Authorities say he picked up the girl at her Saugus home, but instead of taking her to school, took her to a Lynn apartment and raped her. He left her at a mall and she walked four miles to her school in Melrose where she reported the attack. Gonzalez had been scheduled for trial in 2000 but he fled to his native Dominican Republic, where he was arrested last year. He was linked to the rape through DNA. WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh (all times local): 8:10 p.m. Anita Hill says the reluctance of someone to come forward publicly with an allegation against a Supreme Court nominee shows the need for the Senate to put in place a process for complaints to be heard. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, center, accompanied by and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the ranking member, right, and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, gavels the start of a Senate Judiciary Committee markup meeting on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, in Washington. The committee will vote next week on whether to recommend President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh for confirmation. Republicans hope to confirm him to the court by Oct. 1.(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Hill, who is now a professor at Brandeis University, released a statement Friday after Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh denied an allegation of sexual misconduct from when he was in high school. Hill says "even in the #MeToo era, it remains incredibly difficult to report harassment, abuse or assault by people in power." She pushed sexual misconduct into the public realm in 1991 when she testified during confirmation hearings for Clarence Thomas, now a justice on the court. She accused him of sexual harassment, which Thomas denied. ___ 4 p.m. A top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee says he won't let Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation be stalled by an "eleventh-hour" accusation of sexual misconduct. Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah said Friday: "Every accuser deserves to be heard. But a process of verification is also necessary." The senator says the claims against Kavanaugh "are wholly unverifiable." Kavanaugh in a statement Friday denied the allegation of sexual misconduct, which dates back to when he was in high school. On Thursday, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California notified federal investigators about information she received about Kavanaugh, but did not disclose it publicly. Senate Republicans say they still plan to hold a committee vote on Kavanaugh's nomination on Thursday. Their goal is to get him on the court by Oct. 1. ___ 12:10 p.m. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is denying a sexual misconduct allegation from when he was in high school. In a statement issued Friday, Kavanaugh says the following: "I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time." The New Yorker reported the alleged incident took place at a party when Kavanaugh was attending Georgetown Preparatory School. The woman making the allegation attended a nearby school. The magazine says the woman sent a letter about the allegation to Democrats. A Democratic aide and another person familiar with the letter confirmed to the Associated Press that the allegation is sexual in nature. They were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Rallying to Kavanaugh's defense, 65 women who knew Kavanaugh in high school issued a letter saying he has "always treated women with decency and respect." - By Lisa Mascaro ___ 2 a.m. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein says she has notified federal investigators about information she received - and won't disclose publicly - concerning Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. She said Thursday that she "received information from an individual concerning the nomination." She said the person "strongly requested confidentiality" and "declined to come forward or press the matter further." The FBI confirmed that it received the information Wednesday evening and included it in Kavanaugh's background file, which is maintained as part of his nomination. The agency says that's standard process. A Senate Democratic aide and another person familiar with the matter said it referred to an incident that occurred while Kavanaugh was high-school age. The two spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the matter. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., holds up her hand to speak as she shares a note with a colleague during a Senate Judiciary Committee markup meeting on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, in Washington. The committee will vote next week on whether to recommend President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh for confirmation. Republicans hope to confirm him to the court by Oct. 1.(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, left, accompanied by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the ranking member, right, speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee markup meeting on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, in Washington. The committee will vote next week on whether to recommend President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh for confirmation. Republicans hope to confirm him to the court by Oct. 1.(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) - Outspoken ESPN personality Jemele Hill has announced she is leaving the company. Hill attracted attention last year and was briefly suspended for opinionated messages on social media, including a reference to President Donald Trump as a "white supremacist." Hill tweeted Friday that it was her last day at ESPN. She left her role as an anchor for the network's signature "SportsCenter" program in January and went to work primarily for The Undefeated, a company website that concentrates on issues of sports, race and culture. FILE - In this is a Feb. 3, 2017, file photo Jemele Hill attends ESPN: The Party 2017 in Houston, Texas. The outspoken ESPN personality has announced she is leaving the company. Hill attracted attention last year and was briefly suspended for opinionated messages on social media, including a reference to President Donald Trump as a "white supremacist." She tweeted Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, that it was her last day at ESPN. (Photo by John Salangsang/Invision/AP, File) Connor Schell, ESPN's executive vice president for content, issued a statement praising Hill for her 12 years of service and wishing her luck as she "moves forward into the next phase of her career, with the desire to produce content outside of sports." ___ More AP sports: https://apnews.com/tag/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - A prominent health policy expert at Dartmouth College resigned after being accused of plagiarizing the work of other professors for a paper published in a prestigious journal. H. Gilbert Welch sent an email to colleagues Thursday saying he was saddened to resign. He maintained that the dispute was over authorship, not the validity of the work. He also said he stepped down over the school's demands that he could remain at the school only if he stopped teaching and that one of the complainants be made a co-author on the disputed paper. In this Dec. 5, 2012 photo, H. Gilbert Welch is photographed at his Dartmouth College office in Lebanon, N.H. Welch, a prominent health policy expert at Dartmouth College, has resigned after being accused of plagiarizing the work of other professors for a paper published in a prestigious journal. The Valley News reports that Welch announced Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, that he would resign. (Ryan Dorgan/The Valley News via AP) In 2016, Welch and three colleagues published a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine that measured the benefits of breast cancer screenings. Dartmouth Associate Professor Samir Soneji alleged that Welch failed to credit him and Hiram Beltran-Sanchez, a researcher at UCLA, for research and methodologies used in the paper. "I cannot in good conscience accept the demand that I make the complainant an author - much less the demand that I make him the first author," Welch wrote. "Doing so requires that I falsely attest that he meets the requirements of authorship: namely, that he materially participated in the work and is able to defend it," he continued. "Much as I have enjoyed working at Dartmouth, I am not willing to falsely attest to anything simply to stay here." Soneji confirmed that his complaint launched the investigation in 2016 but said he did not want to comment on Welch's resignation. The college in August concluded Welch plagiarized work of Soneji and Beltran-Sanchez. According to its Research Misconduct Policy and Procedures, the college defines plagiarism as "the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results or words without giving them appropriate credit." Using that definition, the college said a faculty committee found Welch committed plagiarism. The college also said it is investigating allegations of retaliation. It did not provide details. "Dartmouth remains committed to the highest standards of research integrity and academic scholarship, and maintains processes in connection with these matters which are designed to be both rigorous and fair to all parties involved," spokeswoman Diana Lawrence said in an emailed statement. "We have kept the Office of Research Integrity of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services informed throughout this process in accordance with regulatory requirements." In his resignation email, Welch said that Dartmouth's findings conflicted with the Office of Research Integrity and the New England Journal of Medicine, which he said concluded that "this an authorship/credit dispute - not research misconduct or plagiarism." The journal confirmed Welch's view, writing in an email to The Associated Press late Friday that "We concluded that this was an authorship dispute, not 'idea plagiarism,' as Dartmouth had found." SPANISH FORK, Utah (AP) - The Latest on wildfires burning in the West United States (all times local): 7 p.m. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert says the next few days are critical as firefighters try to keep a raging wildfire away from hundreds of homes. A helicopter drops water on the Pole Creek fire in Woodland Hills, Utah, on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Sparked by lightning in a remote, forested area on Sept. 6, the fire raged out of control as high winds kicked up Thursday. (Jeffrey D. Allred/The Deseret News via AP) Herbert spoke Friday evening after meeting with fire officials at the fairgrounds in Spanish Fork. The governor says if the winds stay down, crews will have a good chance at staying on top of the blaze. Hundreds of residences have been evacuated in Woodland Hills, Elk Ridge and Covered Bridge. More than 430 people are working on the fire, which has grown to more than 68,000 acres (275 square kilometers). Herbert says that figure will likely grow to 1,000 as more aircraft and ground crews get in place. The lightning-caused fire is only 2 percent contained. It has been burning since Sept. 6. __ This item has been edited to correct square meters to square kilometers. ___ 12:40 p.m. Officials in southwest Montana say three houses burned in a wildfire near a small community along the Missouri River. Gallatin County emergency officials said Thursday two "secondary residences" and seven outbuildings also were lost Monday afternoon outside Clarkston, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Bozeman. The fire burned nearly 2 square miles (5 square kilometers) of land and was 33 percent contained. Crews were working Friday to increase containment and put out hot spots. About 160 people are assigned to the fire, which burned in grass and juniper among about 40 buildings. The cause of the fire has not been determined. ___ 10:45 a.m. A fast-moving Utah wildfire fanned by high-winds has more than doubled in size as it burns through dry terrain and forces evacuations of hundreds of homes. The U.S. Forest Service said Friday that the blaze had grown to 84 square miles (217 square kilometers) from 31 square miles (80 square kilometers) Thursday night. Sparked by lightning last week, the fire is only 2 percent contained. People were told to leave three communities near the city of Spanish Fork on Thursday after the fire exploded as winds in the area picked up. The evacuated areas are the communities of Woodland Hills, Elk Ridge and Covered Bridge. The fire is threatening to converge with a second fire. No damage to homes has been reported. __ 9 a.m. A fast-growing wildfire roaring through dry terrain in Utah is forcing the evacuation of hundreds of homes. People were told to leave three communities near Spanish Fork on Thursday after the lightning-sparked blaze exploded in size to 31 square miles (80 square kilometers). It's threatening to converge with a second fire. Sparked by lightning in a remote, forested area on Sept. 6, the so-called Pole Creek fire raged out of control as high winds kicked up Thursday. It's also forced road closures on U.S. Highway 89 and U.S. Highway 6, which has since reopened. No housing damage has been reported. The fire is 2 percent contained. The evacuated areas are Woodland Hills, Elk Ridge and Covered Bridge. In this Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, photo, a wildfire burns in Salem, Utah. (Qiling Wang/The Deseret News via AP) In this Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, photo, residents watch a wildfire burning from outside Salem Hills High School in Salem, Utah. (Qiling Wang/The Deseret News via AP) CAIRO (AP) - Allegations of sexual harassment against a former employee at the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle have proven credible, the broadcaster said Friday, but it would not say whether that case was related to recent accusations of sexual misconduct against a famous Egyptian-British TV host who worked for DW. In an internal statement confirmed by spokesman Christoph Jumpelt, Deutsche Welle said its management had its attention brought to a possible case of sexual harassment. The broadcaster's investigation showed that "the allegations made are credible ... and the accused person no longer works for DW," it said. Deutsche Welle did not name anyone in its statement and said it could not reveal further details "for legal reasons." "As a general rule, we are not commenting on speculations or on matters specific to any individuals," Jumpelt said. Friday's statement came amid recent allegations of sexual harassment against Yosri Fouda, who is a critic of President Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi's government. They first surfaced in Egypt's pro-government media earlier this month, claiming that legal procedures against Fouda were underway in Germany. Jumpelt told The Associated Press in an email on Thursday that Fouda parted ways with DW after hosting a show for two years, but he would not say whether Fouda was the accused employee. Fouda joined the German broadcaster in June 2016. The allegations circulating in Egypt roiled social media networks, compelling Fouda to respond to them in a Facebook post on Monday, calling them "baseless slanders." In another post on Wednesday, Fouda said the allegations were a smear campaign and that no legal action has been taken against him. He intends to take legal action against his accusers, he added in the post. Fouda has been a fierce critic of el-Sissi's government since the 2013 violent dispersal of two sit-ins by supporters of then-President Mohammed Morsi - an Islamist belonging to the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group - who was overthrown after massive protests against his divisive rule. In September 2014, Fouda ended the current affairs show he had been hosting for four years on Egyptian TV as a crackdown by el-Sissi's government targeting independent journalists, activists and bloggers intensified, detaining dozens. COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) - A group called "White Awake" at the University of Maryland's Counseling Center is seeking to serve as a safe space for white students to discuss race. Citing a news release, WJZ-TV reported Friday that the group seeks to promote anti-racism and help white students become more culturally competent, but a promotional flyer for the group has some questioning its intentions. A flyer posted on social media reads: "Do you sometimes feel uncomfortable and confused before, during, or after interactions with racial and ethnic minorities?" The counseling center has announced that they'll stop using the flyer, noting that it wasn't clear enough in conveying the group's purpose of promoting anti-racism and becoming a better ally. The counseling center also said they're open to changing the group's name. ___ Information from: WJZ-TV, http://www.wjz.com/ PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) - Prosecutors in Kosovo are accusing 12 government officials of misusing public money by paying veterans benefits to people they knew hadn't fought for the country. The national prosecutor's office alleged in a statement issued Friday the officials illegally paid 68 million euros ($79 million) to people who falsely claimed to be war veterans. Kosovo, one of Europe's poorest countries, offers benefits to former fighters in its 1998-1999 war for independence from Serbia. Thousands are believed to have claimed the funds improperly. The prosecutor's office is proposing the government suspend the payments while its case proceeds. The statement didn't name the officials. The charge of misusing public funds carries a maximum prison sentence of five years. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. More than 100 countries recognize it as an independent republic. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - An observatory in the mountains of southern New Mexico that is dedicated to unlocking the mysteries of the sun has found itself at the center of a mystery that is creating a buzz here on earth. The Sunspot Solar Observatory has been closed for more than a week. Authorities remain tightlipped Friday, saying only that an undisclosed security concern was behind the decision to abruptly vacate and lock up the remote facility on Sept 6. The FBI referred all questions to the group that manages the site, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy. Officials there say they're working with authorities. The entrance to Sunspot Observatory is blocked near Alamogordo, N.M., Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. An observatory in the mountains of southern New Mexico that is dedicated to unlocking the mysteries of the sun has found itself at the center of a mystery that is creating a buzz here on earth. (Dylan Taylor-Lehman/Alamogordo Daily News via AP) The association said in an update Friday that it has "decided that the observatory will remain closed until further notice due to an ongoing security concern. The rest of the National Solar Observatory facilities remain open and are operating normally." The vagueness continued to fuel speculation on social media. Located atop Sacramento Peak, the observatory was established in 1947. It overlooks the Tularosa Basin - an expanse of desert that includes the city of Alamogordo, Holloman Air Force Base, White Sands Missile Range, White Sands National Monument and the site of the world's first atomic bomb test. The telescope at Sunspot was originally built by the U.S. Air Force. After several years of operation, it was transferred to the National Solar Observatory, which is part of the National Science Foundation. New Mexico State University in 2016 launched an initiative funded by the foundation to upgrade and update the facility through the newly formed Sunspot Solar Observatory Consortium. Sunspot's one-of-a-kind telescope produces some of the sharpest images of the sun available in the world, officials said. Data from observations done at Sunspot is sent to New Mexico State University servers and can be used by researchers around the world. Solar physicist R.T. James McAteer, who is based at New Mexico State University, said in an email Friday that it will be up to the astronomy research association to decide when Sunspot reopens. "We have paused observations, and are taking this opportunity to catch up with the back log of data from previous months," he said. There are several university employees and association staff who work at the observatory. HOUSTON (AP) - A tropical disturbance brought heavy rain Friday to already saturated areas along the Texas Gulf Coast, resulting in street flooding and prompting some schools to cancel classes. The National Weather Service said the disturbance was expected to make its way inland in South Texas Friday afternoon. Forecasters had worried the system, which had formed in the Gulf about a week ago, could have strengthened into a tropical storm but National Weather Service meteorologist Rob Frye said, "It never could get its act together." As a precaution, Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 78 counties that could be impacted. The tropical disturbance was predicted to bring 5 inches (12 centimeters) or more of rain to some areas that have already been drenched by rain this week. Rain bands from the disturbance made their way hundreds of miles up the Texas Gulf Coast to Galveston, which had up to 2 feet (0.6 meters) of water on some roadways on Friday due to heavy rainfall. Galveston officials suspended city bus services and Texas A&M University's campus in the city canceled its classes. The island city, located about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Houston, has had more than 16 inches (40 centimeters) of rain through the first 13 days of September, breaking a record for this time period that dates back to 1961. In Corpus Christi, the school district delayed classes for two hours. Neighboring districts in Aransas Pass and Kingsville canceled classes. Farther south in Brownsville, several area school districts planned to send students home early. Showers were expected to continue through Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. ___ Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter at www.twitter.com/juanlozano70 DALLAS (AP) - A Texas company has secured a $300 million loan for a proposed high-speed rail project from Dallas to Houston. Texas Central Partners will use the funds from Japanese sources to move forward with permitting, design and engineering, The Dallas Morning News reported . The company plans to use Japanese bullet train technology for the project, which could be the first high-speed rail service in the U.S. "This is a loan to be paid back with interest," the company said in a statement Thursday. "It does not change the train's majority-Texan ownership." The loan will give the company enough equity to move forward with construction once it's authorized, company officials said. The privately funded project would cost $12 billion to $15 billion, according to Texas Central officials. The train would make a 90-minute trip from Dallas to Houston, with one stop near Texas A&M University in Grimes County. The 240-mile (386-kilometer) route could open by 2024, the company said. The project still needs final environmental clearance before the five-year construction process can begin. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Federal Railroad Administration are both studying the project. The commission, which began reviewing the project in 2017, said it typically takes more than a year to issue a permit, add conditions or deny a permit. The administration is expected to finalize its Environmental Impact statement by Jan. 31. It would then make a decision on the project by the end of August 2019. ___ Information from: The Dallas Morning News, http://www.dallasnews.com BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - Argentine authorities said Friday that they had seized about $3 million in cameras, lenses and other film equipment stolen in Hollywood and New York. Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said that officials worked in conjunction with the FBI, the New York Police Department and the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires in the operation called "Hollywood Stolen." Argentina's Federal Police said in a statement that it became aware of an NYPD investigation related to the matter two years ago. Police next to stolen film equipment during a media presentation at the police department in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Argentine authorities say they have seized about $3 million in cameras, lenses and other film equipment stolen in Hollywood and New York. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) Police said they then collaborated to infiltrate the film production underworld and follow suspects, tap their phones and film their movements until they found the equipment that had been reported stolen in the U.S. Authorities said they carried out 10 raids on Thursday and were able to break up a criminal gang that stole the equipment from Hollywood producers and rented it on the black market to companies for the production of movies and TV commercials in Argentina. Dozens of cases with costly cameras marked with the word "seized," as well as tripods, lights and other professional film equipment were displayed at a news conference in the capital of Buenos Aires. Argentine Federal Police Chief Nestor Roncaglia said 17 people are being investigated. Stolen film equipment is displayed for a media presentation at the police department in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Argentine authorities say they have seized about $3 million in cameras, lenses and other film equipment stolen in Hollywood and New York. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) Stolen film equipment is displayed for a media presentation at the police department in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Argentine authorities say they have seized about $3 million in cameras, lenses and other film equipment stolen in Hollywood and New York. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) Stolen film equipment is displayed for a media presentation at the police department in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. Argentine authorities say they have seized about $3 million in cameras, lenses and other film equipment stolen in Hollywood and New York. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) JERUSALEM (AP) - A Palestinian official has accused the U.S. administration of pursuing "irresponsible" policies after President Donald Trump's Mideast adviser defended punitive measures against the Palestinians. The adviser, Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, told The New York Times this week that he believes aid cuts and the closure of the PLO mission in Washington stripped away "false realities" in the Middle East and did not harm chances of advancing an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas halted contacts with the Trump administration in December, after the U.S. recognized contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Kushner did not explain how he could promote a peace deal without Palestinian participation. Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh said Friday that Kushner's statement indicates he is "unaware of the reality of the conflict," including the history of Jerusalem. As Hurricane Florence spins inland, environmental regulators are monitoring more than three dozen toxic waste sites in the storm's path, as well as scores of low-lying water- and sewage-treatment plants at risk of flooding. The Environmental Protection Agency has identified 41 Superfund sites in threatened parts of the Carolinas, Virginia and Maryland and Georgia, including polluted industrial sites, chemical plants, coastal shipyards and military bases. EPA spokesman John Konkus said the agency is listening for any word of oil or hazardous substance spills from first responders, media reports and state and local emergency command posts. He said federal on-scene coordinators and equipment stand ready to deploy if needed. Members of the North Carolina National Guard finish stacking sand bags under a highway overpass near the Lumber River which is expected to flood from Hurricane Florence's rain in Lumberton, N.C., Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Superfund sites are among the nation's most highly polluted places. They often contain contaminated soil and toxic waste at risk of spreading if covered by floodwaters. More than a dozen Superfund sites in the Houston metro area were flooded last year during Hurricane Harvey, with breaches of potentially harmful materials reported at two. Though it was downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane at landfall Friday, Florence remains a massive storm that will dump trillions of gallons of rain on eastern North Carolina before sweeping across South Carolina. No toxic spills had been reported as of Friday afternoon, but the region's rivers were not expected to crest for days. Forecasters predicted severe flooding for parts of southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina starting Sunday. The worst natural disaster in North Carolina history was Hurricane Floyd in 1999, which dumped nearly 2 feet of rain and flooded a broad swath of the coastal plain, swamping whole towns and dozens of hog farm lagoons containing millions of gallons of untreated urine and feces. Florence, a slow-moving system that forecasters say could release more than 3 feet of rain in places, could end up being even worse. Environmental groups said Friday that they were worried that scores of hog lagoons will burst again or be overtopped by flooding, spilling their contents into rivers used as sources of drinking water. Also of concern were more than three dozen coal ash dumps at power plants in the region. The gray ash that remains after coal is burned contains potentially harmful amounts of mercury, arsenic and lead. Among the Superfund sites most at risk from Florence is Horton Iron and Metal, a former shipbreaking operation and fertilizer manufacturing site in a low-lying floodplain along the Cape Fear River outside Wilmington, North Carolina. The 7.4-acre site is heavily contaminated with pesticides, asbestos, toxic metals and cancer-causing PCBs. Upriver along the Cape Fear is Carolina Transformer Co., a 5-acre Superfund site in Fayetteville that also contains contaminated soil and groundwater contaminated with PCBs. Forecasts call for the river to crest Monday at Fayetteville at more than 62 feet - nearly 30 feet above flood stage. In Elizabeth City, the Triangle Pacific Corp. site includes a World War II-era Navy blimp base along the Pasquotank River that was later purchased by a company than manufactured wooden cabinetry. The site is contaminated with toluene, acetone, cadmium and arsenic. Also of concern is the sprawling Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia and Marine Corps bases at Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point in North Carolina and at Parris Island in South Carolina. The shipyard near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay dates to 1767 and contains contaminated soil and groundwater from more than two centuries' worth of dumped hazardous chemicals. Hazards at the Marine bases include ground saturated with toxic chemicals, old paint, ash from old trash burn pits and unexploded ordnance. Nationwide, there are 327 Superfund sites in areas prone to flooding or vulnerable to sea-level rise caused by climate change, according to an Associated Press analysis of flood zone maps, census data and EPA records. Nearly 2 million Americans live within a mile of the most at-risk sites. ___ Follow Associated Press investigative reporter Michael Biesecker at http://twitter.com/mbieseck . Vehicles drive through water from the White Oak River flooding Highway 24 as Hurricane Florence hit Swansboro N.C., Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Tom Copeland) Debris from Hurricane Florence covers a street in downtown New Bern, N.C., on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Chris Seward) In this photo provided by Jordan Guthrie, wind and water from Hurricane Florence damages the highway leading off Harkers Island, N.C. on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (Jordan Guthrie via AP) LOS ANGELES (AP) - A Colombian drug kingpin who participated in a violent ring that used planes, speedboats and submarines to smuggle hundreds of millions of dollars in cocaine faced federal trafficking charges Friday in a Los Angeles courtroom, prosecutors said. Victor Hugo Cuellar-Silva is among nearly four dozen defendants charged in a vast conspiracy to ship tons of cocaine from South America through Mexico to the U.S. The indictment unsealed Thursday was unique in targeting people throughout the drug distribution chain from the source of where the coke was produced in Colombia to investors in Mexico, transportation coordinators, houses where the drugs were stashed and to large scale distributors in the U.S., federal prosecutors said. This undated photo provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office Central District of California shows Mexican fugitive Angel Humberto Chavez-Gastelum. Chavez-Gastelum and his son, Alonso Jaime Gastelum-Salazar, have been named in an indictment on Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. They are charged with two counts of murder in Mexico. One of the victims was tortured and dismembered and the grisly act was shot on video obtained by investigators, prosecutors said. (U.S. Attorney's Office Central District Of California via AP) Cuellar-Silva, who was extradited Thursday from Colombia, was a high-ranking member of the drug ring headed by Mexican fugitive Angel Humberto Chavez-Gastelum, who is one of the most-wanted drug traffickers in the world, prosecutors said. Chavez-Gastelum and his son, Alonso Jaime Gastelum-Salazar, are also charged in the indictment with two counts of murder in Mexico. One of the victims was tortured and dismembered, and the grisly act was shot on video obtained by investigators, prosecutors said. "This drug ring has spread death and misery across the Americas and to other parts of the world, which makes this case among the most significant drug trafficking cases ever brought in this district," U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna said. Authorities seized more than 7,700 pounds (3,500 kilograms) of cocaine with a street value over $500 million during the three-year investigation. The seizures included cocaine recovered after a plane was shot down by the Venezuelan military and crashed in the Caribbean, Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Barron said. Other drugs seized included nearly a ton of cocaine (833 kilograms) floating in bales off the coast of Tumaco, Colombia, and more than 1,500 pounds (700 kilograms) of cocaine and over 60 pounds (30 kilograms) of methamphetamine seized in a Tijuana, Mexico, house. The indictment charged 47 people in the drug operation. Seven defendants were arrested in the U.S. on Thursday, four were in custody in Thailand and about a half-dozen were facing extradition from Colombia. The others remained at large. Cuellar-Silva pleaded not guilty and was held in custody, Barron said. A defense lawyer representing him said he had no comment. If convicted of the charges, Cuellar-Silva and Chavez-Gastelum face up to life in prison, prosecutors said. MANILA, Philippines (AP) - The Latest on Typhoon Mangkhut hitting the Philippines (all times local): 12 noon: Southern China is bracing for Typhoon Mangkhut, which is currently pummeling the northern Philippines, by halting ferry services, evacuating tens of thousands of fishermen and sending boats back to port. Waves slam the seawall as Typhoon Mangkhut continues to batter the country after hitting land in northeastern Philippines before dawn Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018 in Manila, Philippines. The typhoon slammed into the Philippines' northeastern coast early Saturday, its ferocious winds and blinding rain ripping off tin roof sheets and knocking out power, and plowed through the agricultural region at the start of the onslaught. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) In Fujian province, 51,000 people were evacuated from fishing boats and around 11,000 vessels returned to port on Saturday morning. China's National Meteorological Center issued an alert saying Mangkhut would make landfall somewhere on the coast in Guangdong province on Sunday afternoon or night, packing strong winds and heavy rains. In nearby Hong Kong, Security Minister John Lee Ka-chiu urged residents to prepare for the worst as Mangkhut barreled toward the southern Chinese city. Cathay Pacific says all flights will be canceled between 2:30 a.m. local time on Sunday and 4 a.m. Monday. ___ 10 a.m. The Hawaii-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center has downgraded Mangkhut from a super typhoon to an equivalent of a category 4 hurricane, after making landfall in the northeastern Philippines before dawn Saturday. The Philippine government has reported no casualties so far as the typhoon continued to pummel Luzon with heavy rains and gusts. Transportation has ground to a halt as many roads are flooded and airports closed. According to JTWC, Mangkhut is packing maximum sustained winds of 115 knots, or 212 kilometers (130 miles) per hour. The Philippine weather agency has slightly lower numbers. ___ 2:10 a.m. Philippine forecasters say Typhoon Mangkhut has slammed into the country's northeastern coast. Witnesses say the storm's ferocious wind and blinding rain ripped off tin roof sheets and knocked down power at the start of the onslaught. Forecasters said early Saturday that the typhoon made landfall in the coastal town of Baggao in Cagayan province nearly two hours after midnight in the northern tip of the main Luzon island. It is an agricultural region of flood-prone rice plains and mountain provinces often hit by landslides. More than 5 million people are at risk from the storm, which the Hawaii-based Joint Typhoon Warning Center categorizes as a super typhoon with powerful winds and gusts equivalent to a category 5 Atlantic hurricane. ___ 12:05 a.m. Philippine authorities were evacuating thousands of people from the path of the most powerful typhoon this year, closing schools, readying bulldozers for landslides and placing rescuers and troops on full alert in the country's north. More than 4 million people live in areas at most risk from the storm, which the Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Hawaii categorized as a super typhoon with powerful winds and gusts equivalent to a category 5 Atlantic hurricane. Typhoon Mangkhut is on course to hit northeastern Cagayan province early Saturday. It was tracked on Friday about 400 kilometers (250 miles) away in the Pacific with sustained winds of 205 kilometers (127 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 255 kph (158 mph), Philippine forecasters said. With a massive raincloud band 900 kilometers (560 miles) wide, combined with seasonal monsoon rains, the typhoon could bring heavy to intense rains that could set off landslides and flash floods, the forecasters said. Storm warnings have been raised in 25 provinces across the main northern island of Luzon, restricting sea and air travel. A motorist braves the rain and strong winds brought about by Typhoon Mangkhut which barreled into northeastern Philippines before dawn Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018 in Manila, Philippines. The typhoon slammed into the Philippines' northeastern coast early Saturday, its ferocious winds and blinding rain ripping off tin roof sheets and knocking out power, and plowed through the agricultural region at the start of the onslaught. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) Motorists negotiate a flooded street following heavy rains and strong winds brought about by Typhoon Mangkhut which barreled into northeastern Philippines before dawn Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018 in Manila, Philippines. The typhoon slammed into the Philippines' northeastern coast early Saturday, its ferocious winds and blinding rain ripping off tin roof sheets and knocking out power, and plowed through the agricultural region at the start of the onslaught. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A firefighter battling the largest wildfire in California history was killed last month when thousands of gallons of flame-suppressing liquid were dropped from an aircraft flying barely above the treetops because spotters mistakenly sent it on a route too close to the ground, according to state investigation findings released Friday The pilot and a supervisor flying ahead in a small guide plane led the giant modified Boeing 747 nearly into the trees on Aug. 13 because the pilots failed to recognize that there was a hill in the flight path, according to the Green Sheet report by the state's firefighting agency. Because of the near ground-level release, the retardant struck with such force it uprooted an 87-foot (27-meter) tree that fell on Matthew Burchett, a 42-year-old battalion chief from Utah helping with the Mendocino Complex Fire north of San Francisco. FILE - In this July 30, 2010, file photo, a Boeing Evergreen B-747 Supertanker drops fire retardant over a hillside subdivision on the outskirts of Palmdale, Calif. A report released Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, by California's firefighting agency says firefighter Mathew Burchett was killed on Aug. 13, by a tree uprooted when thousands of gallons of flame-suppressing liquid were dropped from a similar Boeing 747 flying only 100 feet above the treetops at the Mendocino Complex fire north of San Francisco. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File) Another large tree was snapped by the force of nearly 20,000 gallons (75,700 liters) of liquid and three firefighters were injured, one seriously. Global SuperTanker Services LLC, which operated the 747, said in a statement that it thought the area was clear of firefighters and "acted within procedural and operational parameters." Two supervisors - one in the air and one on the ground - potentially face discipline or loss of their current positions because of multiple compounding mistakes, said Cliff Allen, president of the union representing California's wildland firefighters. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman Scott McLean said there are ongoing internal investigations into what went wrong. "We definitely don't want this to ever happen again," McLean said. The 747 was flying only 100 feet (30 meters) above the treetops, at least 100 feet too low, officials said. The goal is to fly high enough for the retardant to disperse and fall like rain, but at such a low level they said the slurry would have hit the trees at nearly the same speed as the aircraft - more than 160 mph (260 kph). The guide pilot "made a 'show me' run" for the 747 pilot over the intended path for the retardant drop, and marked the path for the jet with a smoke trail, according to the report. "Obscured by heavy vegetation and unknown to the (747) pilot, a rise in elevation occurred along the flight path." The ground sloped up about 170 feet (50 meters) in the middle of what otherwise was a flat area, according to the report. The guide planes have two people aboard, a pilot and an "air tactical supervisor," a specially trained firefighter who directs the pilots of both the guide plane and the airtanker trailing behind. "He laid down the line and he was directing the tanker and the tanker was following direction," said Allen, the union president. McLean said spotters have a difficult job because "the ground is very deceptive and very hard to read." The retardant drops were intended to help secure a firebreak cut through the trees by a bulldozer to stop advancing flames. Burchett and the other three firefighters were working on the hill next to the firebreak when the drop was announced over a radio and firefighters were told to "Clear the area out." The four did not respond to the warning, though the report says that "when personnel are working under a tree canopy, supervisors must ensure the drop path is cleared." Allen said the supervisor could face discipline for not getting an acknowledgement that the firefighters were evacuating. It is not uncommon to have firefighters under retardant drops, McLean said, though he could not say if the four firefighters knew they were in the flight path or why they didn't acknowledge or act on the radioed warning. A firefighter who can't move out of the way is trained to lie spread-eagled, face down, toward the oncoming aircraft, one hand holding the top of the helmet as it takes the brunt of the impact from the falling slurry and air turbulence that can threaten to lift a firefighter off the ground. Burchett, a suburban Salt Lake City firefighter, was crushed by the uprooted tree, while the others were stuck by falling tree debris. Two had deep muscle contusions and ligament damage. One also suffered broken ribs, while the fourth firefighter had scratches and abrasions. FILE - This undated photo provided by the Unified Fire Authority shows Utah firefighter Mathew Burchett. According to an official report released Friday, Sept. 14, Burchett, a firefighter battling the largest wildfire in California history, was killed last month when thousands of gallons of flame-suppressing liquid were dropped from a Boeing 747 that was mistakenly flying only 100 feet (30 meters) above the treetops. (Unified Fire Authority via AP, File) JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - A Missouri judge on Friday ordered a redistricting measure to be knocked off the November ballot, a win for Republican critics of the proposal to tie state legislative seats to the parties' share of the statewide vote. Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green ruled that the ballot initiative unconstitutionally addresses multiple topics and directed the secretary of state to remove it from the Nov. 6 ballot. Green wrote in his ruling that the range of issues in the petition "do not relate to - and are not properly connected with - any readily identifiable and reasonably narrow central purpose." He said the roughly 20 changes in the measure relate to both redistricting and to ethics and campaign finance rules. Chuck Hatfield, an attorney for the campaign pushing the measure, says the group will appeal. The proposal by Clean Missouri would replace Missouri's system for drawing state legislative districts with a model designed to have the number of seats won by each party reflect the parties' share of the statewide vote in previous elections for president, governor and U.S. senator, where Democrats typically run closer to Republicans. Criteria such as compact and contiguous districts that keep communities together would carry a lower priority. Republicans currently hold commanding majorities in the Missouri House and Senate, with Democrats primarily relegated to representing residents in the state's largest cities. The measure also would limit lobbyist gifts to lawmakers to $5, slightly lower Missouri's campaign contribution limits for legislative candidates, bar them from raising political money on state property, alter the waiting period for ex-lawmakers to become lobbyists and make lawmakers subject to the state open-records law. Lawyers for the initiative's sponsors and GOP Attorney General Josh Hawley, whose office is legally responsible for defending ballot measures, had argued in court last month that its various provisions all have a single focus on the Legislature. "We have always thought that this legal matter would be decided at the Appeals Court level," Hatfield said. "This is a speed bump, but the law is on our side, the people are on our side, and Amendment 1 will be passed in November to clean up Missouri politics." Missouri Republican Party spokesman Chris Nuelle in a Friday statement applauded the ruling, claiming the redistricting would unfairly benefit Democrats. "From the beginning, Clean Missouri has used the guise of ethics reform and sleek marketing to distract Missourians from their real aim: radically redistricting Missouri to solely benefit liberal Democrats," he said. Although some Republicans support it, including former U.S. Sen. John Danforth, the campaign for the Missouri initiative is run by a Democratic consultant and has received big checks from groups that typically back Democrats, including unions and an entity linked to the philanthropic network of liberal billionaire George Soros. WASHINGTON (AP) - The politics of natural disasters can be tricky for a president. Long before President Donald Trump tossed paper towels to storm-stricken Puerto Ricans and denied Hurricane Maria's official death toll, his predecessors struggled to steer the nation through life-and-death emergencies. To project empathy without looking weak. To show both command and cooperation. To put the focus on victims - but provide leadership, too. FILE - In this Oct. 3, 2017 file photo, President Donald Trump tosses paper towels into a crowd at Calvary Chapel in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) A look at how presidents have grappled with the challenges and opportunities of disaster politics: ___ TRUMP Trump is not known for shows of empathy and relishes fights he thinks will resonate with his core supporters. That includes a bitter and lasting brawl with Puerto Rico in the year since the U.S. territory was devastated by Hurricane Maria. He also has grappled with getting it right in ruby-red Texas and Louisiana after Hurricane Harvey, which dumped nearly 50 inches of rain near Houston. Trump's first post-Harvey trip to Texas generated blowback for his failure to meet with victims of the storm. Four days later, he returned - and urged people at a Houston shelter to "have a good time." He also cheered on volunteers and emergency workers and handed out hot dogs and potato chips to residents. Some critics said the president's trip took on the tone of a victory lap for successful disaster management. Trump has had trouble keeping facts right about the devastating storms under his watch. In June, Trump said on a conference call that the Coast Guard had saved thousands of people while Houston was under water, including what he suggested were hurricane gawkers. "People went out in their boats to watch the hurricane. That didn't work out too well," the president said. There is no indication the Coast Guard rescued foolhardy storm watchers drifting off the Texas coast. Then there's Puerto Rico, flattened by Maria as a Category 4 storm nearly a year ago. Trump pumped two fists in the air when he landed in San Juan last October. The enduring image was of Trump at a San Juan church lobbing paper towels into the crowd as if shooting baskets. At the time, it seemed to reflect Trump's brand of playfulness. Many people in the crowd smiled and raised their phones to record the moment. But critics quickly dubbed it inappropriate for the massive, grim crisis at hand. A year later, the official death toll from the storm stands at 2,975. Even as Hurricane Florence approached the Carolinas this week, Trump rejected that count and griped that it's the product of Democrats trying to make him "look bad." He also tweeted that San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, a frequent Trump critic, is "incompetent." "The victims of Puerto Rico and the people of Puerto Rico in general do not deserve to be questioned about their pain," said Gov. Ricardo Rossello. ___ OBAMA On Oct. 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy made landfall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and became the costliest storm in U.S. history behind Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Republican Gov. Chris Christie invited Democratic President Barack Obama to view the storm damage, and when the president arrived, the two shared a friendly, widely photographed greeting. At one point, as the two shook hands, Obama put his left hand on Christie's right shoulder. The resulting image was derided by some conservatives as a "hug" - and a potential re-election boost for Obama when he was being challenged by Republican Mitt Romney. The storm is blamed for 182 deaths and cost about $70 billion in New Jersey and New York. It was one of several natural disasters that gave Obama the opportunity to play the traditional role of comforter-in-chief. A year earlier, a tornado devastated Joplin, Missouri, with winds up to 250 mph and claimed at least 159 lives. Obama visited the moonscape of rubble and tree stumps, and delivered an emotional memorial service speech in which he told the stories of heroic efforts by individuals during the storm. "It's in these moments, through our actions, that we often see the glimpse of what makes life worth living in the first place," Obama told the crowd. ___ BUSH President George W. Bush, praised for his leadership after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, stumbled during what proved to be the government's inadequate response to deadly Hurricane Katrina four years later. Heading back to Washington after nearly a month on his ranch, Bush had Air Force One fly over part of the devastation, giving him a view of it from high above. The moment was preserved in photographs and generated criticism that he didn't come in person. "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job," he told FEMA Director Michael Brown, three days after Katrina flooded New Orleans. The storm left 1,800 people dead and caused $151 billion dollars in damage. Much public blame went to the Bush administration for a too-slow response. Together, the vacation, the high-altitude tour and Bush's "Brownie moment" left a lasting impression that the president had been detached from the tragedy on the ground. In his 2010 book "Decision Points," the former president reflected on his mistakes during Hurricane Katrina, writing that he should have urged the evacuation of New Orleans sooner, visited sooner and shown more empathy. ___ CLINTON Bill Clinton, who famously claimed during the 1992 campaign "I feel your pain," was a natural at connecting with disaster victims. As president, he visited Des Moines, Iowa, the next year to examine flood damage in the region. He shook hands with people who had lost their homes as well as National Guard troops. During a visit to a water distribution center, a woman can be heard in footage preserved by C-SPAN telling him, "My house was flooded." "I'm so sorry," Clinton replied. A weeping woman in pink with a blue small cooler in her hand told Clinton, "My parents lost their home and I have not been home for like a week. I can't take it anymore." He draped an arm around her and said, "Hang in there." ___ Follow Kellman on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/APLaurieKellman FILE - In this May 28, 2013 file photo, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie greets President Barack Obama upon his arrival at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J. Obama traveled to New Jersey joining Christie to inspect and tour the Jersey Shore's recovery efforts from Hurricane Sandy. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File) CINCINNATI (AP) - A prosecutor on Friday praised the Cincinnati police officers who killed a gunman at a downtown office building as heroes, saying they probably saved countless lives. Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters cleared the four officers who responded within minutes to the shootings at Fifth Third Bancorp headquarters. The officers killed 29-year-old Omar Enrique Santa Perez after Perez fatally shot three people and wounded two others. "Not only were the actions of the officers justified, they were heroic," Deters wrote in a news release. He will "never know how many lives" they saved that day, he wrote. FILE - In this Sept. 6, 2018 file photo, police investigate outside Fifth Third Bank building on Fountain Square after a shooting with multiple fatalities in downtown Cincinnati. The two shooting victims who survived the gunman's attack are both back home. Whitney Austin was discharged from UC Medical Center on Tuesday, Sept. 11. Brian Sarver was released Monday. (Albert Cesare/The Cincinnati Enquirer via AP, File) Perez carried some 200 rounds of ammunition when he entered the bank building lobby the morning of Sept. 6, Police Chief Eliot Isaac said at a news conference the day after the shooting. Both survivors are out of the hospital. Whitney Austin, who was shot at least a dozen times, returned home Tuesday but faces what her husband calls "a long road" in recovering physically and mentally. Austin, a 37-year-old vice president at Fifth Third, told bank spokeswoman Laura Trujillo she was grateful to be home with her kids. "I got to see my motivation for living," Austin said in a statement. "I'm thankful to be alive, for all the good wishes for everyone who helped." Brian Sarver, a 45-year-old contractor released from the hospital Monday, offered his thanks to God and prayers for other victims and families. A 64-year-old contractor, a 48-year old bank employee and a 25-year-old engineer who worked as a consultant for the bank died in the attack. The Fifth Third Foundation donated $1 million to support family members of those who were shot and anyone who suffered physical or psychological trauma as a result. The bank announced Friday it started the Cincinnati Strong Victims Fund in partnership with the National Center for Victims of Crime. It hopes to match its $1 million gift with donations from community members. People can make donations online or at a Fifth Third bank branch. Police are still trying to determine why Perez opened fire inside the building. ___ Associated Press reporter Dan Sewell contributed to this report. ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Greece and its creditors have held a first round of talks since the completion of the country's eight-year bailout program last month. The European Stability Mechanism said the four-day talks that ended Friday focused on the course of pledged reforms and savings. Greece's draft 2019 budget, to be submitted to the European Commission by Oct. 15, was part of the review. It said a report on Greece's post-bailout progress will be issued in November. Despite the end of its bailouts, Greece remains under scrutiny from its creditors, who will carry out quarterly reviews. If the reviews are positive, Athens will receive, in installments, some 4.8 billion euros in profits from Greek bonds held by European creditors. Greek officials said Friday they requested the scrapping of pension cuts set to kick in next year. WARREN, Mich. (AP) - A 17-year-old Detroit-area girl accused of killing a classmate in school was laughing as she chased the victim and stabbed her in the chest and back, authorities said Friday as they filed a first-degree murder charge. Tanaya Lewis was arraigned in Warren District Court, two days after 16-year-old Danyna Gibson was stabbed with a steak knife in a classroom at Fitzgerald High School. Police said there was animosity between the straight-A students over a boy. The case is "very unfortunate, all the way around," defense attorney Mark Brown said after the hearing. Lewis appeared in court via video from jail and was denied bond. Her parents watched from the courtroom gallery. "Premeditation is abundant in this case, as simple as the fact that she brought a knife to school," Macomb County prosecutor Eric Smith told reporters, explaining the first-degree murder charge. "The defendant chased the victim throughout the class while this was going on. ... This was over something as simple as the victim being friends with a boy," Smith said. Warren police Det. Donald Seidl told a judge that other students reported Lewis smiling and laughing as she pursued Gibson. A teacher got Lewis out of the room, he said, but the girl tried to get back in, declaring, "I'm going to kill her." Classes resumed at Fitzgerald High for the first time since Wednesday. "I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy," Gibson's father, Preston Gibson, told WJBK-TV. "In my heart I felt hate, but then again I had to remember from what I heard, hate is what got her here." UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Syria is sharply criticizing an upcoming event on the U.N. investigative body that is assisting in documenting serious crimes committed during the seven-year Syrian conflict, including possible war crimes and crimes against humanity. Syria's U.N. ambassador, Bashar Ja'afari, said in a letter to General Assembly President Miroslav Lajcak circulated Friday that the Sept. 27 event is another "destructive" action by its sponsors, Qatar and Liechtenstein. The event will take place on the sidelines of the 193-member assembly's annual gathering of world leaders. This photo released on Monday, Sept. 10, 2018 by the Syrian Civil Defense group known as the White Helmets, shows smoke rising from a Syrian government airstrike, in Hobeit village, near Idlib, Syria. High-level diplomats from Iran, Russia and Turkey were meeting Tuesday with the U.N. envoy for Syria about creating a committee to revise the war-battered country's constitution. Tuesday's talks in Geneva under U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura come amid concerns he and other U.N. officials have expressed about a looming battle for Idlib. (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP) The U.N. missions of Qatar and Liechtenstein did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Ja'afari reiterated Syria's claim that the investigative body established by the General Assembly in December 2016 is illegal and violates the U.N. Charter. He said any evidence it collects "will be ineligible for future criminal proceedings." The resolution adopted by the assembly said the body, known as the "International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism," would help collect and analyze evidence of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law "to facilitate and expedite fair and independent criminal proceedings." It called for the body "to closely coordinate" with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, which was established by the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council. The commission has alleged that Syrian government and rebel forces committed war crimes and it accused the government of using chemical weapons. Qatar's U.N. Mission called the resolution, which was co-sponsored by 58 countries and approved by a large majority, "a decisive step to ensure accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity." It said Syrian civilians "continue to be subjected to heinous violations." "Now is a crucial time to underscore that a political process aimed at ending the conflict must include credible and comprehensive measures to address impunity," the mission said in explaining its move with Liechtenstein to hold the ministerial event. Syria's "regime routinely makes baseless accusations about all those who have called out atrocities committed against the Syrian people," the Qatar statement said. When the resolution was adopted, Ja'afari called the resolution "a flagrant interference in the affairs of a U.N. member state." He said it was "a direct threat to a solution" to the Syrian conflict, which has killed at least 400,000 people, according to monitoring groups. In the letter circulated Friday, Ja'afari said the situation in Syria "is now at a delicate stage" and the political process led by U.N. special envoy Staffan de Mistura "is moving forward, but with caution and fragility." This is because "some governments that have supported chaos and terrorism in Syria" are pressuring the government and its allies "in their war on global terrorism," he said. Ja'afari accused the U.N. of abandoning its neutrality and responding to "political and financial pressure and the polarization practices of some member states," especially those supporting the investigative body. Syria "has the full capability, with its legal and judicial institutions, to achieve justice and accountability without external and destructive interference," he said. DALLAS (AP) - The Latest on a deadly shooting in Dallas involving an off-duty police officer (all times local): 9:30 p.m. Dozens of demonstrators marched through the streets of downtown Dallas and briefly blocked the westbound lanes of Interstate 30 to protest a white police officer's fatal shooting of a black man in his own apartment. This photo from video released Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, by the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office in Kaufman, Texas, shows Dallas police Officer Amber Guyger getting booked after turning herself in Sunday, Sept. 9 following the fatal shooting of Botham Jean in his own apartment. Guyger was arrested manslaughter and has since been released on bond. (Kaufman County Sheriff's Office Jail via AP) The march, which appeared to be peaceful, began with a rally outside Dallas police headquarters Friday evening. Demonstrators marched to the interstate, where they chanted "Shut it down!" before moving through downtown streets chanting slogans such as "Justice now!" along with the name of Botham Jean, the man shot to death in his apartment on Sept. 6. No arrests have been reported. Officer Amber Guyger is charged with manslaughter in the shooting and is free on bond. She has told investigators that she mistook Jean's apartment for her own, which is one floor below Jean's. ___ 2:30 p.m. The mother of a man killed in his own apartment by a white Dallas police officer has expressed disgust that reports have surfaced indicating that investigators found a small amount of marijuana in her son's home. Allison Jean, the mother of 26-year-old Botham Jean, said Friday that her son's name was smeared by reports that police found 10.4 grams of marijuana in his apartment. She also says she wants to see the toxicology report for off-duty officer Amber Guyger, who said she mistook Botham Jean's apartment for her own and shot him when he didn't obey her verbal commands. A family attorney says a police search warrant request shows that investigators were looking for information that would "assassinate" Botham Jean's character. ___ 2 p.m. Attorneys for the family of a man who was killed by a Dallas police officer who said she mistook his apartment for her own are demanding that the officer be fired. The attorneys for the family of 26-year-old Botham Jean made the demand that Officer Amber Guyger be fired during a news conference on Friday. One of them, Lee Merritt, said police investigators immediately looked for information that would "assassinate" Jean's character. He cited a police search warrant request that asked permission to search Jean's apartment for drugs. A police affidavit shows that among other items, officers seized 10.4 grams of marijuana and a marijuana grinder from Jean's apartment. Guyger has been arrested for manslaughter and is out on bond. 11:35 a.m. Authorities in North Texas have released a video showing an off-duty white police officer being booked into jail after she was arrested in the slaying of a black neighbor in his apartment. The video shows Dallas police Officer Amber Guyger in handcuffs and dressed in an orange jail uniform Sunday at the Kaufman County jail. She takes a seat in front of a desk and later leans her head down, bringing her hands to her face. Guyger has been charged with manslaughter in the Sept. 6 shooting of 26-year-old Botham Jean. Guyger told investigators she mistook his apartment for her own and court documents say she believed she had encountered an intruder. She has been released on bond. This photo from video released Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, by the Kaufman County Sheriff's Office in Kaufman, Texas, shows Dallas police Officer Amber Guyger getting booked after turning herself in Sunday, Sept. 9 following the fatal shooting of Botham Jean in his own apartment. Guyger was arrested manslaughter and has since been released on bond. (Kaufman County Sheriff's Office Jail via AP) 914Jorge ChediekJorge Chediek Delegates attend the Global Thinkers Dialogue: China's South-South Cooperation in Agriculture, at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 14, 2018. Director of UN Office for South-South Cooperation Jorge Chediek on Friday commended the leadership of China Agriculture University in launching two major platforms for exchanges in agriculture and rural development. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Director of UN Office for South-South Cooperation Jorge Chediek on Friday commended the leadership of China Agriculture University in launching two major platforms for exchanges in agriculture and rural development. At Global Thinkers Dialogue: China's South-South Cooperation in Agriculture, Chediek said the establishment of China Belt and Road Institute for Agricultural Cooperation and China Institute for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture will contribute to agricultural and rural development research and knowledge sharing as well as promote agriculture cooperation and innovations worldwide. Agriculture is the single largest employer in the world, providing livelihoods for 40 percent of global population, he said. "It is the largest source of income and jobs for poor rural households." "One key way we can enhance agricultural and rural development is through South-South sharing of experiences," he added. "This can be attained through adopting, adapting and broadening best practices that promote agricultural development which has been increasing between developing countries." He praised China as the leading agricultural producer among the developing countries, saying it has made great strides in decreasing hunger and has used its own experience to support other countries in doing the same. He expressed hope that the dialogue will provide the opportunity to learn from China's expertise and good practices, as well as its lessons learned, in areas such as providing education and agricultural training, enhancing scientific research, and building and strengthening value chains and e-commerce platforms. Sun Qixin, president of China Agricultural University, speaks at Global Thinkers Dialogue: China's South-South Cooperation in Agriculture, at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 14, 2018. Director of UN Office for South-South Cooperation Jorge Chediek on Friday commended the leadership of China Agriculture University in launching two major platforms for exchanges in agriculture and rural development. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) Sun Qixin, president of China Agricultural University, for his turn, said South-South Cooperation has become an "undeniable" force pushing forward global growth. He presented "An Evaluation Framework for the South-South Cooperation and Its Application in China-Tanzania Cooperation" at the meeting, saying this report aims to shed light on tools and methods in such cooperation. He also pledged, on behalf of China Agricultural University, to further promote South-South Cooperation in Agriculture and rural development. Adonia Ayebare (C), ambassador of Uganda to the UN and president of the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation, speaks at Global Thinkers Dialogue: China's South-South Cooperation in Agriculture, at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 14, 2018. Director of UN Office for South-South Cooperation Jorge Chediek on Friday commended the leadership of China Agriculture University in launching two major platforms for exchanges in agriculture and rural development. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) Adonia Ayebare, ambassador of Uganda to the UN and president of the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation, noted at the meeting that Africa is a net food importer and that the region needs to overcome the daunting challenge of feeding 1.5 billion people by 2030 and approximately 2 billion by 2050. "There is thus an enormous need and opportunity for Africa to develop its agricultural sector," he said, underscoring the benefits of South-South cooperation for further development of the African agricultural sector. XinhuaNet publised on Spetember 15,2018. HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Whoever bankrolled the effort to qualify the Montana Green Party for this year's state ballot may get away with remaining unknown because the state's campaign disclosure laws do not address anonymous groups funding certain signature gatherers. The party was allowed to field candidates in the June primary after a political consulting company called Advanced Micro Targeting turned in more than 9,400 voter signatures gathered over just 19 days in February and March. The Greens needed 5,000 voter signatures spread among 34 state House districts to qualify for political party ballot access by petition. FILE - In this Sept. 29, 2016, file photo, Chairwoman of the Montana Democratic Party Nancy Keenan talks about then Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte during a news conference on the steps of the State Capitol in Helena, Mont. The head of the Montana Democratic Party said this week that the Montana Legislature must close a loophole in the state's campaign finance law that allowed an anonymous person or group to bankroll the signature-gathering effort that qualified the Montana Green Party for the 2018 ballot. (Thom Bridge /Independent Record via AP, File) But it's a mystery who hired the Las Vegas-based company and the 13 signature-gatherers who swooped in to push the Green Party across the finish line just before the state's filing deadline in March. The Green Party did not hire Advanced Micro Targeting. It posted its petition online, put out a call for help collecting signatures and hoped for the best. Advanced Micro Targeting argued it did not have to disclose who financed its campaign - and the state's campaign regulator agreed. Montana Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Mangan ruled in July that Advanced Micro Targeting was not required to report its spending because it was not advocating on behalf of a candidate. Instead, Mangan ordered the Montana Green Party to report the spending by Aug. 24. As of Friday, three weeks after the deadline, the Green Party has not responded to the order. Party coordinator Danielle Breck said Wednesday that the party does not know who paid the company or how much money was spent. The commissioner, with all of his resources, was unable to determine who paid for the signature gathering, Breck said. "I don't know how he expects the Montana Green Party ... to figure it out." The controversy comes just three years after Montana reformed its campaign finance laws. Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock and legislative leaders have touted the new law's transparency and disclosure requirements as among the toughest in the nation after the 2010 Supreme Court Citizens United ruling that allowed corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections. Montana also updated campaign finance laws after paid signature gatherers were used in support of ballot measures in 2006. State law now requires the disclosure of expenses related to gathering petition signatures for an initiative, referendum or a constitutional convention. But it does not address payments made for gathering signatures to qualify minority parties for the ballot, a gray area in the law that's only now being exposed. "These days, campaign finance disclosure is a game of whack-a-mole," University of Montana law professor Anthony Johnstone said Friday. "That mole got whacked, but this mole popped up." It's a loophole that the 2019 Montana Legislature should tighten by requiring companies like Advanced Micro Targeting to disclose their paid signature-gathering efforts for party qualification petitions, Johnstone said. "I think, the Green Party included, most Montanans probably want to know why this out-of-state corporation is trying to influence who's on our ballot," he said. The Green Party and its candidates have since been kicked off the Montana ballot after a state judge ruled about 80 of the signatures that were accepted by county election administrators were invalid, leaving it short of the number required in several House districts. The Montana Supreme Court upheld the ruling in August. What remains is the question of who was behind the Green petition push, which Montana Democratic Party officials tried unsuccessfully to answer through the complaint filed with Mangan. "It is outrageous Advanced Micro Targeting won't tell Montanans who hired them or how much they spent in their attempt to interfere in our democracy," Nancy Keenan, executive director of the Montana Democratic Party, said in a statement Wednesday. The Democrats have a theory. They believe it was a Republican-backed effort aimed at influencing the outcome of this year's election between Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and his challenger, Republican State Auditor Matt Rosendale. A Green Party candidate in that race would likely siphon votes from Tester. Republican Party chairwoman Debra Lamm said Friday the party does not know who paid for the signature gathering effort. Johnstone said it's possible that Green Party's mystery benefactor may have been trying hurt Tester's re-election chances and give Republican candidates an advantage. If so, it shows that Montana's fight against dark-money groups seeking to influence elections didn't end with the state's 2015 campaign finance reforms. "It is a good reminder that dark money is at play in more than just last-minute mailers," he said. SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The Latest on California climate summit (all times local): 2:30 p.m. California Gov. Jerry Brown says the state plans to launch its "own damn satellite" into orbit to address climate change. Former Vice President Al Gore addresses the Global Action Climate Summit Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, in San Francisco. California Gov. Jerry Brown's international climate summit wraps up Friday with a call to action on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing renewable energy and other Earth-friendly initiatives ahead of the next United Nations climate meeting in 2020. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg) The man famously dubbed "Gov. Moonbeam" said Friday the state is working with a San Francisco-based earth imaging company on a satellite to track climate-change causing pollutants. Brown said the company Planet Labs has launched 150 satellites. The Democratic governor announced the project at a climate change summit in San Francisco he organized. Brown foreshadowed the announcement in a December 2016 speech a month after Trump's election, saying California would launch its own satellite if the then-president-elect followed through on his threat to scrap NASA's climate research program. Chicago columnist Mike Royko gave Brown the Moonbeam moniker in 1976, saying that Brown appeared to be attracting "the moonbeam vote." ___ 12:20 p.m. Former Vice President Al Gore says a new president can, with 30 days' notice, get the United States back into the international climate agreement that President Trump pulled of last year. Attendees at a climate conference in San Francisco gave Gore a loud ovation when he told them if a new president is elected in 2020 that person could get the United States back into the Paris Agreement. President Trump announced in June 2017 that he was withdrawing the United States from an agreement signed by 195 countries pledging to combat climate change. Gore, a Democrat, also criticized Trump for denying the death toll from last year's hurricane in Puerto Rico was nearly 3,000 people. ___ 10:45 a.m. Former Secretary of State John Kerry is criticizing President Donald Trump's decision to pull the United States out of the landmark Paris climate accord. Kerry on Friday called Trump's withdrawal from the 2015 Paris deal the "single greatest act of irresponsibility of any President of the United States at any time." Trump said the international agreement was unfair to the United States and would hurt the economy. Kerry signed the agreement to combat climate change on behalf of the United States while serving as President Barack Obama's secretary of state. Kerry spoke in San Francisco at the Global Climate Action Summit organized by fellow Democrat, California Gov. Jerry Brown. His comments came a day after Trump blasted Kerry on Twitter for meeting with high-level members of the Iranian government. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - The head of a small Kansas City pharmaceutical company is defending himself after a financial publication reported that he said he had a "moral requirement" to raise the price of a 65-year-old antibiotic by 400 percent. Nostrum Laboratories founder Nirmal Mulye said his comments to the London-based Financial Times were taken out of context, The Kansas City Star reports. The Financial Times has said it sticks by its story, which led to a sharp rebuke from Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb and others. Mulye said he has received threats. At issue is Nostrum's plan to hike the price of nitrofurantoin, an antibiotic used to treat bladder infections. In the Financial Times' story, Mulye defends the price increase of $474.75 to $2,392. "I think it is a moral requirement to make money when you can . . . to sell the product for the highest price," he said, according to the story. Reached by phone Thursday at his New Jersey home, Mulye said he was talking about his obligation to his employees. "My exact words to the guy was, 'Listen I don't have a moral obligation to breathe and eat, but if I don't do those things I'll die," Mulye said. "It's common sense that if a business doesn't make profit or at least break even it's not going to be able to stay in business, right? . American jobs will be lost." The day the story went online, Gottlieb said in a tweet: "There's no moral imperative to price gouge and take advantage of patients." Mulye said Nostrum's generic version of nitrofurantoin has been off the market since January, when new FDA regulations took effect that required it to be reformulated. Other generic versions also had to be taken off the market to be reformulated. In March, Casper hiked the price for its brand-name drug, Furadantin, by 136 percent to $2,800 a bottle. Nostrum then increased the price of its generic. "The brand hiked the price," Mulye said. "We are just trying to bring a cheaper alternative to the brand. So I'm the savior, not the villain and everyone is making me the villain." He added that he was worried at this point about keeping his company afloat, noting that he's lost money in eight of 11 years. The office of U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat, said Thursday that she and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, sent a letter to Mulye saying that pricing decisions in the pharmaceutical industry "can have a devastating impact on patients and their families that can literally amount to a matter of life or death." ___ Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on Trump administration criticism of former Secretary of State John Kerry (all times local): 6 p.m. Former Secretary of State John Kerry has responded to President Donald Trump's criticism of his meeting with the Iranian foreign minister by telling the commander in chief he should instead focus on the special counsel's investigation. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a news conference in the press briefing room at the State Department in Washington, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, in Washington. Pompeo says his Obama-era predecessor John Kerry has been 'actively undermining' U.S. policy on Iran. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) Late Thursday, Trump accused Kerry of holding "illegal meetings" with the Iranian government. Kerry was an architect of the Iran nuclear deal that Trump withdrew from in May, and Kerry met several times with Iran's foreign minister since leaving office. Kerry tweeted Friday that Trump should be "more worried" about his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, agreeing to cooperate with Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign. Kerry says if Trump wants to "learn something about the nuclear agreement that made the world safer, buy my new book, Every Day Is Extra." ___ 3:55 p.m. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says his Obama-era predecessor John Kerry has been "actively undermining" U.S. policy on Iran. Late Thursday, President Donald Trump had accused Kerry of holding "illegal meetings" with the Iranian government. Pompeo said he would leave "legal determinations to others" but slammed Kerry as a former secretary of state for engaging with "the world's largest state-sponsor of terror" and telling Iran to "wait out this administration." Pompeo contended Friday: "You can't find precedent for this in U.S. history." Kerry was an architect of the Iran nuclear deal that Trump withdrew from in May and has met several times with Iran's foreign minister since leaving office. Meetings between a private U.S. citizen and foreign official are not against the law and not necessarily inappropriate or a violation of federal regulations. ___ 2:05 p.m. President Donald Trump is ramping up his criticism of former Secretary of State John Kerry. In the past, Trump has criticized Kerry over the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris climate change accord. Now, even though Trump has withdrawn from Kerry's signature achievements as top U.S. diplomat, the president is cranking up his criticism, accusing Kerry in a late Thursday tweet of breaking the law. Republican lawmakers are also taking aim at Kerry for his revelation that since leaving office he has met several times with the Iranian foreign minister. Such meetings, between a private U.S. citizen and foreign officials, are not against the law and not necessarily inappropriate, but Trump and the GOP contend Kerry is trying to subvert the administration's hard line on Iran. OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The Latest on the sentencing of a former doctor convicted of killing four people connected to a Nebraska medical school (all times local): 6:20 p.m. Relatives of a former doctor sentenced to death for the killings of four people tied to a Nebraska medical school say they still have a hard time believing he did it. The father of 45-year-old Anthony Garcia, who was sentenced Friday, said tearfully that he's still in shock. His son fatally stabbed the 11-year-old son of a Creighton University School of Medicine faculty in 2008 and also killed the family's housekeeper. Garcia also was found guilty in the 2013 Mother's Day deaths of another Creighton pathology doctor and his wife in their Omaha home. Prosecutors say the killings were revenge for Garcia being fired from the school's pathology residency program in 2001. Garcia's brother, Fernando Garcia of California, said it was hard for his family to imagine his brother committing the crimes. He says his family prays for the families of the victims and that "we hope they find peace somehow." ___ 5:30 p.m. The son of one of four people killed by a former doctor in Nebraska says he still sees images from the graphic courtroom photos of what happened to his mother. Jeff Sherman spoke to a three-judge panel Friday before 45-year-old Anthony Garcia was sentenced to death . The Indiana man was convicted of killing Sherman's mother and four others during two attacks five years apart. The victims were all connected to Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha. Garcia was fired from a residency program at the school in 2001. Sherman's mother, Shirlee Sherman, was a housekeeper for the family of 11-year-old Thomas Hunter. She and the boy were fatally stabbed in 2008. Hunter's father, Dr. William Hunter, was a pathologist at the university who helped fire Garcia. Thomas' mother, Dr. Claire Hunter, says the pain of losing her young son so violently continues. ___ 4:15 p.m. The sentencing of a former doctor convicted of killing four people in Nebraska was briefly delayed after the lead judge in the case suffered a medical emergency. A three-judge panel issued a death sentence Friday to 45-year-old Anthony Garcia. The Indiana man was convicted of murder for two attacks five years apart that targeted people connected to Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha. Garcia was fired in 2001 from the university's pathology residency program. Douglas County District Judge Gary Randall was reading a timeline of the case when his voice began trembling. He halted the proceedings and was helped into his chambers. He was later carried from the courthouse on a stretcher. The hearing continued about 30 minutes later over the objection of Garcia's attorneys. Gage County District Judge Rick Schreiner read the sentence. Schreiner says Randall underwent a medical procedure this week that caused him extreme back pain. ___ 3 p.m. A former doctor convicted in the revenge killings of four people connected to a Nebraska medical school has been sentenced to death. A three-judge panel on Friday sentenced 45-year-old Anthony Garcia of Terre Haute, Indiana. The judges heard arguments earlier this year during his trial's sentencing phase. Garcia was convicted in two attacks that occurred five years apart. Investigators say that in 2008, he fatally stabbed 11-year-old Thomas Hunter, the son of Creighton University School of Medicine faculty member William Hunter. Garcia also killed the family's housekeeper, 57-year-old Shirlee Sherman, in the family's Omaha home. Garcia also was found guilty in the 2013 Mother's Day deaths of another Creighton pathology doctor, Roger Brumback, and his wife, Mary, in their Omaha home. Prosecutors say Garcia blamed Hunter and Brumback for his 2001 firing from Creighton's pathology residency program. ___ 7:30 a.m. A former doctor found guilty of what prosecutors described as the revenge killing of four people connected to a Nebraska medical school where he once worked is facing life in prison or the death penalty. Anthony Garcia, of Terre Haute, Indiana, was convicted of fatally stabbing 11-year-old Thomas Hunter, son of Creighton University School of Medicine faculty member William Hunter, and the family's housekeeper, 57-year-old Shirlee Sherman, in 2008. Garcia also was found guilty of two other killings five years later: the 2013 Mother's Day deaths of another Creighton pathology doctor Roger Brumback, and his wife, Mary, in their Omaha home. Prosecutors say Garcia blamed Hunter and Brumback for his firing from Creighton's pathology residency program in 2001. A three-judge panel is expected to sentence Garcia on Friday. SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) - A former Republican candidate for the Florida Legislature will avoid prosecution for falsely claiming she had a college degree if she serves 90 days of probation and completes 25 hours of community service. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports that Melissa Howard signed a deferred prosecution agreement Friday. The agreement means Howard won't be formally charged with a crime. She had faced a misdemeanor count of misrepresenting her academic standing at a university. In the weeks before last month's primary election, Howard posted a photo of herself with what looked like a Miami University diploma. The Ohio school later sent reporters a statement saying she attended the school but never graduated. Howard eventually admitted she didn't graduate from the school and dropped out of the race. ___ Information from: Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune, http://www.heraldtribune.com PARIS (AP) - A French court has convicted two former skinheads in the 2013 death of an 18-year-old student during a fight on a Paris street. Esteban Morillo, who admitted throwing blows, was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Friday for the death of Clement Meric, a student linked to the anti-fascist cause. Co-defendant Samuel Dufour received a 7-year sentence. A third defendant was acquitted. Morillo's lawyer, Patrick Maisonneuve, said he would immediately lodge an appeal. He stressed his client's claims that he didn't use brass knuckles - a key element because the weapon's presence would show intent to harm. Then-Prime Minister Manuel Valls banned three extreme-right groups after Meric's death. The prosecutor had contended the skinheads were looking for a fight when they ran into "anti-fas" Meric at a Paris store. GENEVA (AP) - An independent audiovisual watchdog says the Swiss public TV broadcaster wasn't out of line with two programs on President Donald Trump that drew public complaints for alleged bias against the U.S leader. Switzerland's Independent Complaints Authority for Radio and Television on Friday rejected the complaints alleging the RTS programs conveyed "a unilaterally negative image of Donald Trump," spokesman Pierre Rieder said. One complaint argued that an RTS journalist conducted a softball live interview in January 2017 with then-Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, talking about Trump. The authority said the interview was "leading," but didn't violate guidelines about fair representation. The other complaint involved a debate on Trump's health and mental state. Some authority members considered the subject problematic from a "human dignity" standpoint, but the body decided Trump's own doctor had made the issue public. The independent commission rules on whether international and national laws have been violated. Its nine members are appointed by Switzerland's executive branch. SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - U.S. Senate candidate Gary Johnson of New Mexico has disclosed personal financial interests in the cannabis sector that include stock holdings, a profit sharing agreement and recent capital gains on investment sales, according to filings reviewed by The Associated Press. Johnson in Senate filings this week said that he owns stock worth more than $250,000 in the Nevada cannabis company Kush and has a profit sharing agreement as the adviser to the cannabis-sector investment fund CB1 Capital. The former New Mexico governor and two-time Libertarian candidate for president also reported capital gains of at least $100,000 from stock in the company Cannabis Sativa, where he previously served as CEO. FILE--In this Aug 16, 2018, file photo, former Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson talks to reporters about his decision to join the U.S. Senate race in New Mexico. Johnson is disclosing his personal financial interests in the cannabis sector. (AP Photo/ Russell Contreras, file) A longtime advocate for legalizing marijuana, Johnson announced in August his run for Senate on the Libertarian ticket against incumbent Democrat Martin Heinrich, who recently embraced the decriminalization of marijuana at the federal level. The Republican contender, construction contractor Mick Rich, opposes legalization. Johnson said Friday he sees no conflict of interest between his political advocacy for legalizing marijuana and personal investments in the sector because his political message has not changed in nearly two decades. "This was a career ending move on my part in 1999," said Johnson of his initial support as governor for legalization when the stance was unpopular. "The last thing that I ever dreamed of happening is that somehow I would make money off this." New Mexico regulates the production and distribution of medical marijuana for a long list of maladies, but has not legalized recreational use. Federal law still considers marijuana an illegal substance. Johnson's financial ties to the cannabis industry were outlined in a personal financial disclosure statement required of candidates for Senate. Johnson also received an advance payment last year on a book deal from Florida-based Creative Management Partners. He has investments and some debt obligations tied to hotels in Tempe, Arizona; Napa, California; Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Johnson served as CEO of Cannabis Sativa - a holding company for marijuana and hemp ventures - in between campaigns for president in 2012 and 2016. Kush, a former subsidiary of Cannabis Sativa, is planning an initial public stock offering sometime this fall, Johnson said. Johnson said he and his daughter are investors in the cannabis-specific hedge fund CB1 Capital, whose chief investment officer, Todd Harrison, is a frequent guest commentator on television finance shows. The cannabis business and politics are colliding as never before as more states move toward legalization. Former politicians who have taken on roles in the cannabis business include former Republican U.S. House Speaker John Boehner. He and former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld - Johnson's 2016 vice presidential running mate - joined the advisory board of Acreage Holdings, a multistate cannabis company, earlier this year. The current CEO of Cannabis Sativa is former Democratic U.S. Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska. "His contacts as a prior U.S. senator is important to the company," Cannabis Sativa said of Gravel in an annual report to investors. Johnson originally made his fortune with a construction company he founded while still a student at the University of New Mexico. The firm grew and became a major contractor for Intel's computer-chip factory in Albuquerque. Johnson, now 65, has begun drawing a state pension. He has advocated for raising the Social Security retirement age to 72 as a matter of fiscal responsibility for the federal government. WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on the effort by the Trump administration to delay Obama-era efforts to protect students defrauded by for-profit schools. (all times local): 4:30 p.m. The Trump administration is asking the court for another chance to delay an Obama-era policy meant to boost protections for students defrauded by for-profit schools. FILE - In this June 5, 2018, file photo, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos testifies during hearing on the FY19 budget on Capitol Hill in Washington. A federal court has ruled that a decision by DeVos to delay an Obama-era rule meant to protect students swindled by for-profit colleges was "arbitrary and capricious," dealing a significant blow to the Trump administration's attempt to ease regulations for the industry. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) The Friday request comes two days after the court ruled that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' move to freeze the regulation known as borrower defense was "arbitrary and capricious." That decision dealt a severe blow to her efforts to ease regulations for the for-profit college industry. Attorney Adam Pulver with Public Citizen, an advocacy group, said defrauded students are facing "continuing everyday harm" and asked the court that the delayed regulation be enforced immediately. ___ 12:30 a.m. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' move to delay Obama-era protections for students defrauded by for-profit colleges has been dealt a setback when a federal judge found her actions to be "arbitrary and capricious." U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss ruled Wednesday in a lawsuit challenging the delay that had been filed by Democratic attorneys general from 19 states and the District of Columbia and former students, finding that DeVos' actions were unlawful. The case centered on the borrower defense rule, which allowed defrauded students to have their student loans forgiven. The rule was to have taken effect on July 1, 2017. DeVos had argued those rules created "a muddled process that's unfair to students and schools." WASHINGTON (AP) - The Trump administration on Friday asked the court for another chance to delay an Obama-era policy meant to boost protections for students defrauded by for-profit schools. The request comes two days after the court ruled that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' move to freeze the regulation known as borrower defense was "arbitrary and capricious." That decision dealt a severe blow to her efforts to ease regulations on the for-profit college industry. Attorney Adam Pulver with Public Citizen, an advocacy group, said defrauded students are facing "continuing everyday harm" and asked the court that the delayed regulation be enforced immediately. FILE - In this June 5, 2018, file photo, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos testifies during hearing on the FY19 budget on Capitol Hill in Washington. A federal court has ruled that a decision by DeVos to delay an Obama-era rule meant to protect students swindled by for-profit colleges was "arbitrary and capricious," dealing a significant blow to the Trump administration's attempt to ease regulations for the industry. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) But lawyers for the Department of Education asked Judge Randolph Moss to give the agency a chance to correct the mistakes the court identified in how the delay was put in place. It also asked that in case the court does rule that the Obama regulation must take effect, that it grant the department 60 days to prepare. Judge Moss did not say when he would issue a ruling. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who took part in the lawsuit against DeVos along with a group of Democratic attorneys general from a number of states, said Wednesday's ruling was "a victory for every family defrauded by a predatory for-profit school." The Obama administration went hard after the for-profit sector, tightening regulations and spending over $550 million to forgive the loans of defrauded students. DeVos said that system was unfair to taxpayers and set out to rewrite those rules. Critics charged that DeVos was looking out for industry interests. They point to the fact that she has hired for-profit insiders to top positions at her agency. But Rick Hess, director of education policy at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, said DeVos is "trying to strike a healthier balance between protecting students and ensuring that taxpayers don't get ripped off." BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp sharpened her attack Friday on Republican Kevin Cramer on trade, launching a new ad that blames her opponent in one of the nation's most critical Senate races for not opposing tariffs that she says are badly damaging North Dakota farmers. The ad features farmer and former Democratic state Rep. Charles Linderman of Carrington standing in a soybean field. "Mr. Cramer, that trade war is costing my family a lot of money. And you don't seem to care," Linderman says in the ad. FILE - This combination of file photos shows the candidates for the U.S. Senate from North Dakota from left, incumbent Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp and her Republican challenger Kevin Cramer. Heitkamp is sharpening her attacks on Cramer on the tariffs issue, with a new ad out Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, that blames her opponent for not opposing tariffs that Heitkamp says are badly damaging North Dakota farmers. (AP Photo/File) Cramer, a three-term congressman, is facing Heitkamp in a race seen as critical for Republicans' chances to keep the Senate. Much of the race has turned on President Donald Trump, who carried North Dakota in a landslide in 2016 and remains highly popular. Cramer has strongly backed Trump and his trade policies , while Heitkamp has portrayed herself as willing to buck the president when he's wrong and has seized on trade as a key issue. Heitkamp's campaign says the six-figure ad buy will run on television, radio and the internet over the next several weeks. Cramer has said he believes trade disparities have harmed American farmers for decades. Cramer did not immediately return a telephone call for comment Friday. His campaign referred questions to the North Dakota Republican Party, where spokesman Jake Wilkins said in a statement that Heitkamp was "playing politics with our farmers and ranchers" and "is hurting North Dakotans." The Trump administration in July imposed a 25 percent tax on $34 billion worth of Chinese products in response to complaints that Beijing steals or pressures companies to hand over technology. China retaliated with taxes on an equal amount of U.S. products, including soybeans. The U.S. also has imposed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, and that could indirectly hurt farmers by driving up the cost of farm equipment. Agriculture is the No. 1 industry in North Dakota with about 25 percent of the state's workforce. The state generates 54 commodities and leads the nation in the production of about 10 crops. North Dakota ranks ninth among soybean-growing states and produces less than 6 percent of the nation's crop. But soybeans have grown in popularity in North Dakota in recent years thanks to strong prices, and this year the 6.6 million acres planted by farmers equals the size of the state's staple spring wheat crop. ___ This story has been corrected to show the state GOP spokesman is Jake Wilkins, not Jake Williams. ___ Sign up for "Politics in Focus," a weekly newsletter showcasing the AP's best political reporting from around the country leading up to the midterm elections: https://bit.ly/2ICEr3D SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) - Salvadoran prosecutors on Friday sought the extradition of former President Mauricio Funes and three family members on corruption charges. Funes, the relatives and ex-officials are accused in connection with the alleged embezzlement of $351 million in public funds. Funes and his family have been living since 2016 in nearby Nicaragua, which granted them political asylum. He denies wrongdoing. FILE - In this June 1, 2012 file photo, El Salvador's President Mauricio Funes stands in the National Assembly before speaking to commemorate the anniversary of his third year in office in San Salvador, El Salvador. Prosecutors in El Salvador are seeking on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, the extradition of former President Mauricio Funes and three family members on corruption charges. Funes, the relatives and ex-officials are accused in connection the alleged embezzlement of $351 million in public funds. (AP Photo/Luis Romero, File) The extradition petition was filed with the judge overseeing the investigation and, if approved, the request would be referred to the Foreign Relations Ministry. There is no fixed timeframe for the process. The extradition request came a day after a separate investigation was begun into the alleged diversion of $10 million donated by Taiwan during Funes' 2009-14 government. The money was purportedly transferred from the Foreign Ministry to the presidency and used for political campaigning by Funes' party. Earlier this week, ex-President Tony Saca of the Arena party was sentenced to 10 years in prison for embezzlement and money laundering. COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Witnesses say that the white police officer who killed a black 13-year-old used a racial slur after firing and that a toy gun the eighth-grader had wasn't visible when the confrontation occurred, according to a federal civil rights lawsuit filed Friday on the second anniversary of the shooting. The lawsuit filed by Tyre King's grandmother challenges the police account, characterizing his death as the result of excessive force, racial discrimination and an alleged failure by the police department to properly investigate and discipline officers for racially motivated or unconstitutional behavior. Officer Bryan Mason, Police Chief Kim Jacobs and the city are named as defendants in the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages. FILE - In this Sept. 24, 2016 file photo, a funeral service card bearing the likeness of Tyre King is carried by a mourner in Columbus, Ohio. The grandmother of the black 13-year-old boy who was fatally shot by a white police officer after a suspected robbery is suing that Ohio officer, his police chief and the city of Columbus. The federal civil rights lawsuit was filed Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, on the second anniversary of King's death. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File) By "tacitly authorizing" their behavior, "the policymakers and those responsible for hiring, training and supervision of police officers within the City of Columbus acted negligently, recklessly, intentionally, willfully, wantonly, knowingly and with deliberate indifference to the serious safety needs of the citizens of Columbus, including Tyre King," the lawsuit said. A Columbus police spokeswoman said it would be improper to comment on the litigation. The head of the local police union didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment, but the group previously said Mason acted according to policy. Police have said Tyre was in a group of young men who robbed a man of $10 at gunpoint, and Mason was responding. Mason previously told investigators that Tyre tried to pull what appeared to be a real firearm from his waistband and said he fired at the teen when he saw a laser sight on the weapon and feared being shot. It turned out to be a BB gun that police later determined was inoperable. Mason also said the teen didn't comply with the officer's commands to "get down." A grand jury voted not to indict the officer in the shooting, which prompted protests in Columbus and became part of national discussion about police killings of black males. Mason had been involved in three previous shootings and had been cleared of wrongdoing in each case, including another fatality. Records show Tyre was shot three times, including in the head and torso. An attorney for his family has argued the results indicate he was running away and wasn't a threat when he was shot. A forensic pathologist who examined his body for his family reached the same conclusion. Mason has said that Tyre spun to his right after the first shot. ___ Find Franko on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/kantele10 . PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A Chinese scientist has pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal biopharmaceutical trade secrets from GlaxoSmithKline in what prosecutors said was a scheme to set up companies in China to market them. Tao Li pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to a single conspiracy count. The change of plea comes two weeks after Yu Xue, a high-ranking researcher who worked at GlaxoSmithKline's suburban Philadelphia research facility, also pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge. Prosecutors say Xue emailed various documents that were confidential and contained trade secrets to Li and others, who had set up a company called Renopharma in China to sell and market the research. An attorney for Li did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press on Friday. Three others have been charged in the alleged scheme. WASHINGTON (AP) - It was a raucous scene that could have been backstage at a rock concert: camera flashes, fans clamoring for autographs, scowling bodyguards, reporters hungry for a scoop. But the center of this attention wasn't Beyonce or the Rolling Stones. It was three black gubernatorial candidates who stood side by side in a throng of admirers, soaking up all that love. If elected, Stacey Abrams of Georgia, Ben Jealous of Maryland and Andrew Gillum of Florida would give America its largest number of black governors ever. That historic possibility was not lost on them, or the black voters who hope to make that history happen, as they shared the stage at the Congressional Black Caucus' annual legislative conference this week. FILE - In this Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018 file photo, Andrew Gillum and his wife, R. Jai Gillum addresses his supporters after Andrew Gillum won the Democratic primary for governor in Tallahassee, Fla. The history-making gubernatorial runs by Stacey Abrams of Georgia, Gillum of Florida and Ben Jealous of Maryland are turning them into stars nationwide and at the Congressional Black Caucus annual legislative conference. If elected, Abrams, Jealous and Gillum, would give America its largest number of black governors ever. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon, File) "This moment, and the significance of it, won't seep in for some time from now," said Gillum, mayor of Tallahassee, and at 39 the youngest of the three. "What this signals is not only the continued evolution of our country but the increasing recognition of diversity, not only of capacity but of backgrounds," said Abrams, 44, later. Abrams, who could become the nation's first black female governor, is getting the most national attention. But all three were squired around the Washington Convention Center by black politicos who are strategizing ways to help on turnout, campaigning and fundraising. Jealous, 45, faces the steepest challenge, down in polls against incumbent Republican Gov. Larry Hogan. Abrams and Gillum are running for open seats. After the three spoke together on stage, Jealous listened attentively backstage as Democratic U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas laid out plans to help him with voter turnout and fundraising. Gillum, meanwhile, stood nearby shaking hands with other state elected officials and Abrams conducted a media interview. "I believe what we see in this current electoral cycle is not going to stop," Abrams said. "We have more diversity in the candidates running and in the candidates winning and particularly for women of color. ... I'm proud to be part of a national trend and I think it's a trend that's becoming a permanent one for America." None of them were heavy favorites in their primaries. Abrams is a longtime state official and former state House leader; Gillum has been a fixture of local Tallahassee politics since his college days; and Jealous is a former head of the NAACP and was a venture capitalist and activist before entering the governor's race last year. Their historic primary wins - and the national attention it brought - will bring out Democratic voters who might not have voted in a midterm election otherwise, they said. Midterm elections typically draw fewer than half of those eligible to vote. "I know we have people keep wanting to hedge on these races: 'Oh, you can win in the primary, but what happens in the general?'" Gillum said. "I honestly believe for all three of us, we are the best, and frankly, the most likely of the whole lot we were in to bring the kind of energy necessary in order to win states like ours." The political trio seem comfortable together and readily quote one another in interviews. They also tease one another, as they did when they turned Abrams' observations about overcoming gender and racial barriers into jokes about their respective skin tones. "I'm of a very rich brown hue," Abrams said. "I'm richer," Gillum interrupted. "It's the only thing I'm rich in." Jealous, who is biracial, smiled, then quipped: "No comment." The three of them have known one another for many years, Jealous said. He met Abrams when they were both around 20 years old, he said, and they've known Gillum since he was about that same age. "It's a special joy when you look to your left and look to your right and the people you see are the people you know and the people you trust," Jealous said. P.B.S. Pinchback of Louisiana was the nation's first black governor during Reconstruction, serving from 1872 to 1873. The next would not come until 1990, when Douglas Wilder would be elected in Virginia. Deval Patrick was elected in 2007 and David Paterson served as New York governor from 2008 to 2010. There has never been a black female governor in American history. "What's more important to me is that I'm opening the doors for others who may not have seen themselves in positions of power and leadership, and I can speak for communities that are unseen and unheard," Abrams said. All of them recognize the change their campaigns represent and what could be a unique place in history if they are all successful. "It is a wonderful season we are in," said Bernice King, a daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., at a later event honoring black female lawmakers. "I'm excited about the midterm elections, and I know that regardless of what the outcome is that God still has his hands on us." ___ Jesse J. Holland covers race and ethnicity for The Associated Press. Contact him at jholland@ap.org, on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jessejholland or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/jessejholland. You can read his stories at AP at http://bit.ly/storiesbyjessejholland. FILE - In this July 26, 2018 file photo, Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, center, speaks with the media during a campaign stop at the Ironworkers Local 709 apprenticeship shop to announce her "Jobs for Georgia Plan," in Pooler, Ga. The history-making gubernatorial runs by Abrams of Georgia, Andrew Gillum of Florida and Ben Jealous of Maryland are turning them into stars nationwide and at the Congressional Black Caucus annual legislative conference. If elected, Abrams, Jealous and Gillum, would give America its largest number of black governors ever. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, File) LOS ANGELES (AP) - Ariana Grande posted a tribute Friday to her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller a week after the hip-hop star's death, saying she's sorry she couldn't save the "sweetest soul" who for so long was her "dearest friend." Grande posted a video of Miller laughing on her Instagram page Friday, and shared her first words on his death. She writes, "i adored you from the day i met you when i was nineteen and i always will. i can't believe you aren't here anymore," and goes on to say "i'm so mad, i'm so sad i don't know what to do. you were my dearest friend. for so long." FILE - In this July 13, 2013, file photo, Rapper Mac Miller performs on his Space Migration Tour at Festival Pier in Philadelphia. Ariana Grande has posted a tribute to her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller a week after his death, saying she's sorry she couldn't save him. Paramedics declared the 26-year-old Miller dead in his Los Angeles home Sept. 7. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP, File) Paramedics found the 26-year-old Miller unresponsive in his Los Angeles home on Sept. 7 and declared him dead soon after. An autopsy has been performed, but no cause has been announced. He spoke frankly of his struggles with depression and substance abuse in his music. Miller and the 25-year-old Grande, who is now engaged to "Saturday Night Live" star Pete Davidson, were in a two-year relationship that ended earlier this year. She posted a wordless black and white photo of him on her Instagram post last weekend, but had not made any statements. She ends Friday's Instagram post by saying "above anything else, i'm so sorry i couldn't fix or take your pain away. i really wanted to. the kindest, sweetest soul with demons he never deserved. i hope you're okay now. rest." The natural gas pipeline in the United States is vast, sprawling across 2.5 million miles in a complex pressurized system that delivers a quarter of the energy consumed nationwide, according to the American Gas Association. Many of the pipes are old, and utilities are in various stages of replacing them to improve safety. There have been more than 300 fatalities and 1,200 injuries caused by natural gas pipeline incidents in the last 20 years, according to data from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the federal agency responsible for overseeing the industry. As residents recover from Thursday's stunning explosions in Lawrence, Mass., many wonder what they can do to protect themselves. A series of fiery natural gas explosions three towns north of Boston killed a teenager, injured at least 25 others and left dozens of homes in smoldering ruins. The cause is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, but the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency said the fires may have resulted from gas lines that had become over-pressurized. A house on Herrick Road in North Andover, Mass., is seen Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. The home was one of multiple houses that went up in flames on Thursday afternoon after gas explosions and fires triggered by a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in several communities north of Boston (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm) Following fatal gas pipeline incidents, the Department of Transportation in 2011 called on the industry to replace aging pipelines, particularly those made of cast and wrought iron and bare steel that pose the highest risk. More than 177 million people nationwide use natural gas in their homes and businesses to provide heat, cook and dry clothes, according to the American Gas Association. Columbia Gas - the company whose pipelines exploded Thursday - and its parent company NiSource serve 3.4 million natural gas customers across seven Eastern states. HOW IS NATURAL GAS DISTRIBUTED? Natural gas is a fossil fuel found deep beneath the earth's surface that's mostly made up of methane. It is extracted from the ground and distributed in pipelines that span 2.5 million miles nationwide. The gas is delivered to customers initially through high-pressure pipelines and it goes through a process to reduce its pressure before entering smaller pipelines and eventually homes and businesses. "In some places, we have 100-year-old gas lines coming up to people's houses," said Bob Ackley, owner of Gas Safety, Inc., a Massachusetts-based company. WHEN HAVE THERE BEEN SIMILAR EXPLOSIONS? In February, gas-related fires in Dallas killed a 12-year-old girl, destroyed three residences and injured others. A review by the National Transportation Safety Board later found that several sections of pipe near the incident site failed pressure tests. A gas explosion in 2014 killed eight people in New York City, and the utility Consolidated Edison later agreed to pay $153 million to settle charges that it violated safety regulations. In 2011, five people were killed by a natural gas explosion in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and regulators called the utility's safety record "downright alarming." Eight people were killed and 38 homes were destroyed in San Bruno, Calif. in 2010 when a Pacific Gas and Electric gas pipeline exploded. WHAT CAN UTILITIES DO TO IMPROVE SAFETY? Utilities nationwide are continually replacing older pipelines made of cast iron or certain types of steel with newer steel or plastic pipes, according to the American Gas Association. Many, including NiSource, accelerated those efforts after the deadly San Bruno incident, said Charles Fishman, an analyst with Morningstar Research Services who covers NiSource and other utilities. "There was a real tragedy, and I think that woke people up across the country," Fishman said. "The whole industry said wait a second here, we've got all these old pipelines, there's a lot of disasters waiting to happen." NiSource was spending $80 million to $120 million annually in Massachusetts to modernize its infrastructure, spending the vast majority on replacing aging gas pipelines, Fishman said. Those efforts are likely to accelerate, but "you can't tear up every street in the downtown at the same time...and it would dramatically increase the cost to do it really, really quick," he added. After the deadly New York gas explosion in 2014, Con Ed set in motion a fleet of trucks that drives around the streets of New York City with leak detection equipment, passing each customer location at least once a month. The company also began a bilingual campaign to inform customers they should call whenever they suspect a gas leak. Incidents have also occurred when gas lines were damaged during excavation, and some utilities have installed above-ground markers to indicate the location of buried gas lines, according to the American Gas Association. WHAT CAN CONSUMERS DO TO STAY SAFE? If people think they smell gas in their homes, experts say they should leave the house or building immediately and call 911. They should not light a match, make a cell phone call or turn on lights or appliances since that can cause a spark. To be proactive, homeowners also can call their utilities or fire departments to request to have their gas lines checked for leaks and to learn where the pipelines are in their homes. "They can request a safety check at any time," Ackley said. ADDS IDENITY OF VICTIM LEONEL RONDON- A collapsed home and car sit damaged on Chickering Street in Lawrence, Mass., Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018, after a series of gas explosions in several communities north of Boston. Authorities said Leonel Rondon died after the chimney toppled by the exploding house crashed into his car in the driveway. He was rushed to a Boston hospital but pronounced dead there in the evening. (Carl Russo/The Eagle-Tribune via AP) WASHINGTON (AP) - A warmer world makes for nastier hurricanes. Scientists say they are wetter, possess more energy and intensify faster. Their storm surges are more destructive because climate change has already made the seas rise. And lately, the storms seem to be stalling more often and thus dumping more rain. Study after study shows that climate change in general makes hurricanes worse. But determining the role of global warming in a specific storm such as Hurricane Florence or Typhoon Mangkhut is not so simple - at least not without detailed statistical and computer analyses. This satellite image provided by NOAA shows Hurricane Florence on the eastern coast of the United States on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (NOAA via AP) The Associated Press consulted with 17 meteorologists and scientists who study climate change, hurricanes or both. A few experts remain cautious about attributing global warming to a single event, but most of the scientists clearly see the hand of humans in Florence. Global warming didn't cause Florence, they say. But it makes the system a bigger danger. "Florence is yet another poster child for the human-supercharged storms that are becoming more common and destructive as the planet warms," said Jonathan Overpeck, dean of the environment school at University of Michigan. He said the risk extends beyond the Atlantic Ocean, such as Typhoon Mangkhut, which hit the Philippines on Friday. For years, when asked about climate change and specific weather events, scientists would refrain from drawing clear connections. But over the past few years, the new field of attribution studies has allowed researchers to use statistics and computer models to try to calculate how events would be different in a world without human-caused climate change. A couple of months after Hurricane Harvey, studies found that global warming significantly increased the odds for Harvey's record heavy rains. "It's a bit like a plot line out of 'Back to the Future,' where you travel back in time to some alternate reality" that is plausible but without humans changing the climate, said University of Exeter climate scientist Peter Stott, one of the pioneers of the field. A National Academy of Sciences report finds these studies generally credible. One team of scientists tried to do a similar analysis for Florence, but outside experts were wary because it was based on forecasts, not observations, and did not use enough computer simulations. As the world warms and science advances, scientists get more specific, even without attribution studies. They cite basic physics, the most recent research about storms and past studies and put them together for something like Florence. "I think we can say that the storm is stronger, wetter and more impactful from a coastal flooding standpoint than it would have been BECAUSE of human-caused warming," Pennsylvania State University climate scientist Michael Mann wrote in an email. "And we don't need an attribution study to tell us that in my view. We just need the laws of thermodynamics." Georgia Tech climate scientist Kim Cobb looks not just at basic physics but all the peer-reviewed studies that especially link climate change to wetter storms. "We have solid data across decades of rainfall records to nail the attribution - climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme rainfall events," Cobb said. Several factors make scientists more confident in pointing the climate-change finger at Florence. For every degree the air warms, it can hold nearly 4 percent more water (7 percent per degree Celsius) and offer measurably more energy to goose the storm, scientists said. "The amount of water that comes out of hurricanes is certainly the most robust connection that we have," National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climate scientist Jim Kossin said. And to look at Florence specifically, "it's very likely that climate change has warmed the ocean such that the hurricane's intense rainfall is more destructive than without global warming," said Weather Underground Meteorology Director Jeff Masters, a former hurricane hunter. The warmer air and water also makes storms more intense or stronger, Stott said. A Kossin study this year showed that tropical cyclones - a category that includes hurricanes and typhoons - are moving slower and even stalling. Kossin said "it's happening a lot more than it used to." Several studies agree that climate change is to blame but differ slightly in their conclusions. With the emergence of Florence, some place in the U.S. has been drenched because of a stalled hurricane for four years in a row, storm surge expert Hal Needham said. Kossin and Overpeck also pointed to studies that show storms are intensifying more rapidly than they used to. Just like in Superstorm Sandy, scientists said it is clear that hurricane storm surge is worsened by sea level rise because the power of 6 to 10 feet of water comes on top of seas that were considerably lower decades ago. An extra 8 inches or so can mean the difference between staying dry or getting damaged, Masters said. In the Carolinas, natural and temporary climate factors added to the "march upwards" from global warning. Because of that, the seas have risen nearly 5 inches in five years, said Andrea Dutton of the University of Florida. Meteorologist Ryan Maue of weathermodels.com cautioned that observers should "stick to overall trends around the world and not individual cases." University of Miami hurricane expert Brian McNoldy said there are too many ever-changing factors that make it hard to blame climate change specifically. "If you are trying to make climate policy," Maue said Friday, "you don't want to make it on a storm-by-storm basis." ___ Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter: @borenbears . His work can be found here . ___ The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. ___ For the latest on Hurricane Florence, visit https://www.apnews.com/tag/Hurricanes . Waves slam the Oceana Pier & Pier House Restaurant in Atlantic Beach, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018 as Hurricane Florence approaches the area. (Travis Long/The News & Observer via AP) NEW YORK (AP) - A judge urged a government lawyer Friday to clear the schedule of U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross for a day so he can be asked why he wants to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census. U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman encouraged that step at a hearing even before he rules next week whether Ross must submit to a deposition by lawyers representing over a dozen states and big cities in several lawsuits challenging the decision. The lawsuits allege Ross is acting improperly. They claim the citizenship question will discourage immigrants from participating, diluting political representation and federal dollars for states that tend to vote Democratic. The judge also said a juryless trial could start Nov. 5, unless he decides to rule based largely on written arguments from lawyers citing evidence including depositions of government officials. Kate Bailey, a Justice Department lawyer, told Furman there was no need for a trial. Attorney Elena Goldstein, representing New York state, did not rule out requesting that Ross be required to testify if a trial occurs. She said the testimony of other Commerce Department officials would be requested, as well. "It does seem clear that Secretary Ross' intent here is a central issue in the case," she said. "It would be likely that we would seek to have testimony from him in some form at trial." Bailey said the government would appeal any order that Ross be required to answer questions from lawyers, even if it a deposition. "We certainly don't think there would be any cause to have Secretary Ross take the stand," she said. "We think that would be an unprecedented step." The administration announced in late March that it was including the question to improve the data the Justice Department needed for enforcing voting rights laws. But lawyers who filed the lawsuits say they suspect inclusion of the question originated for political reasons. After the March announcement, Ross told lawmakers that the Justice Department initiated the request. But documents unearthed as part of the litigation have made it appear that Ross was pursuing the addition of the question as much as a year earlier. The differing accounts have increased the likelihood that Ross would be required to provide testimony in some form. The judge also cited the high public interest in the case as he required the government to produce three documents related to Ross as part of the case. However, he permitted 14 other items to remain sealed. 11:15 While speaking at an event organised in Pune by the Jnana Prabhodini School, the HRD Minister said that there are some schools which keep on approaching the government with a 'begging bowl seeking help' rather than asking their alumni for it. Praising the contribution made by the alumni of the Jnana Prabodhini School for the maintenance and development of the institution, the HRD Minister said that the school had set a good example for other institutes as well. "Aise school bhi chalte hain. Nahi to har baar sarkar ke paas katora lekar jaenge aur baat karenge ki hamein madad chahiye. Arey madad to aapke ghar mein padi hai. Aapke jo purv chatra hain unki bhi zimmedari banti hai (Scholls can be run this way too. Otherwise there are some schools who approach the government every time with a begging bowl and seek help. Help is at your doorstep. Your alumni have a responsibility to help)," he said. He further said, "Worldwide, who runs educational institutes? Alumni. Those who once studied there became successful later give it back to them. It has been a trend in Jnana Prabodhini. I was told that alumni here do as much as they can for the school." Javadekar also asked alumni to get associated with their schools or colleges in an endeavour to contribute for its betterment. "It is the responsibility of former students to get associated with their schools or colleges and contribute for its betterment. It is also important for a school or college to develop that kind of attitude in its students, which will be helpful for future," he added. -- ANI Union Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar has advised the schools to ask for financial assistance from their alumni instead of approaching the government for help. DALLAS (AP) - Republican incumbent Ted Cruz and Democratic challenger Beto O'Rourke have agreed to debate each other three times before the U.S. Senate election in November. In statements issued Friday, the two agreed to debate domestic policy before live audiences on Sept. 21 at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and Sept. 30 at the University of Houston. A third debate on domestic and foreign policy issues is scheduled on Oct. 16 before a live television studio audience in San Antonio. O'Rourke is a three-term congressman from El Paso who's giving up his seat to challenge Cruz. The Republican was first elected to the Senate in 2012. Texas hasn't elected a Democrat to statewide office since 1994, but O'Rourke's campaign has attracted considerable attention nationally. SAN DIEGO (AP) - A federal judge says he is inclined to approve a settlement that would give many parents and children who were separated at the border with Mexico a second chance to seek asylum. U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw said Friday in San Diego that the deal between the Trump administration and lawyers representing families was "an excellent proposal" that showed good faith by everyone involved, particularly the government. He asked the parties to draft an order for his approval. Two groups involved in the litigation - Muslim Advocates and the Legal Aid Justice Center - have said the settlement could give "well over 1,000 parents" another shot at asylum. The agreement leaves open the possibility that some of the hundreds of parents deported without their children can return to the United States. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - President Donald Trump is coming to Missouri as he pushes for Republican Josh Hawley to unseat Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill in a critical Senate race. Trump's campaign on Friday announced the planned Sept. 21 rally in Springfield, Missouri. McCaskill is a top target for Republicans seeking to expand the party's slim 51-49 edge in the Senate. She is among 10 Senate Democrats up for re-election this year in states that Trump won. She's considered among the most vulnerable incumbents as she faces Hawley, the state's attorney general. Trump won Missouri by 18 percentage points in 2016. Trump plans a heavy schedule of campaigning and fundraising through the Nov. 6 midterm elections. He cancelled a planned Thursday trip to Missouri in light of Hurricane Florence. WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) - A mother and baby killed when a tree smashed into their house are among four deaths caused by Hurricane Florence. The monster storm felled trees all around Wilmington, causing many more close calls and damaging homes and cars. Authorities say the woman and her 8-month-old child died when the tree smashed into their one-story house on a residential street east of downtown Wilmington around 7 a.m. The father was hospitalized with injuries. A fallen tree is shown after it crashed through the home where a woman and her baby were killed in Wilmington, N.C., after Hurricane Florence made landfall Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton) Elsewhere in North Carolina, one person was killed while plugging in a generator, and a man was knocked to the ground while outside and died. Police talk outside the home where a woman and her baby were killed by a fallen tree in Wilmington, N.C., after Hurricane Florence made landfall Friday, Sept. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton) WASHINGTON (AP) - Five people from President Donald Trump's political orbit have now pleaded guilty to federal charges. Four of those pleas are part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election and possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign. The latest is former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who pleaded guilty Friday to federal charges days ahead of a scheduled trial. A look at the five people who have pleaded guilty: This courtroom sketch depicts former Donald Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, center, and his defense lawyer Richard Westling, left, before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, seated upper right, at federal court in Washington, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, as prosecutors Andrew Weissmann, bottom center, and Greg Andres watch. Manafort has pleaded guilty to two federal charges as part of a cooperation deal with prosecutors. The deal requires him to cooperate "fully and truthfully" with special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. The charges against Manafort are related to his Ukrainian consulting work, not Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. (Dana Verkouteren via AP) PAUL MANAFORT Manafort was scheduled to go on trial this month on charges tied to Ukrainian political consulting work. He was convicted last month of eight financial crimes in a separate trial in Virginia and faces seven to 10 years in prison in that case. The charges are all unrelated to Trump's campaign. As part of the new deal, Manafort pleaded guilty to two conspiracy counts. The length of his sentence will ultimately depend on his cooperation. It is unclear what information Manafort is prepared to provide to investigators. Trump has distanced himself from Manafort, who led his presidential campaign from May 2016 to August 2016. But he has also signaled that he's sympathetic to Manafort's case. It's unclear how Friday's deal might affect any Manafort pursuit of a pardon. ___ GEORGE PAPADOPOULOS George Papadopoulos, who served as a foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign, was sentenced last week to 14 days in prison for lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian intermediaries. Papadopoulos was the first campaign aide sentenced in Mueller's investigation, and he was also the person who triggered the initial Russia investigation two years ago. Memos written by House Republicans and Democrats, now declassified, show that information about Papadopoulos' contacts with Russian intermediaries triggered the FBI's counterintelligence investigation in July 2016 into potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign. That probe was later taken over by Mueller. The White House has said that Papadopoulos was a low-level volunteer on the campaign. At his sentencing hearing, Papadopoulos told the judge that he was "deeply embarrassed and ashamed" for lying. Prosecutor Andrew Goldstein said Papadopoulos' cooperation "didn't come close to the standard of substantial assistance." ___ MICHAEL FLYNN Trump's former national security adviser, a retired general who had led the Defense Intelligence Agency, was the first White House official charged in Mueller's probe. His plea in December to one count of lying to the FBI requires Flynn to cooperate with prosecutors. In August, the special counsel's office said Flynn was still not ready to be sentenced, a sign that he is still cooperating. Flynn was a national security surrogate during the later parts of the campaign. He was charged with lying about conversations with a Russian ambassador during the transition. ___ RICK GATES Gates, Manafort's longtime business associate and a former Trump campaign adviser, pleaded guilty in February to federal conspiracy and false-statements charges, saying then he would help Mueller's investigation in "any and all matters." Gates later turned against his former colleague, spending three days on the stand in Manafort's Virginia trial. He told jurors how he committed crimes alongside Manafort for years and admitted doctoring documents, falsifying information and creating fake loans to lower his former boss' tax bill, and acknowledged stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars without Manafort's knowledge by filing fake expense reports. ___ MICHAEL COHEN Trump's former personal lawyer and fixer pleaded guilty in federal court last month to campaign-finance violations and other charges, saying Trump directed him to arrange the payment of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels and a former Playboy model in the run-up to the 2016 campaign. The account was the first time that a Trump associate had gone to court and implicated Trump in a crime. It's still unclear, though, if a president can be prosecuted. Cohen's case is separate from Mueller's investigation. In a deal reached with federal prosecutors, Cohen pleaded guilty to eight counts, including tax evasion. He could get about four to five years in prison at his sentencing, scheduled for Dec. 12. GUATEMALA CITY (AP) - In a story Sept. 14 about a Mayan altar, The Associated Press erroneously identified Chak Took Ich'aak as a ruler of Tikal. He ruled La Corona. A corrected version of the story is below: Experts: Mayan altar hints at ancient intrigue Archaeologists say an altar found at the La Corona site in Guatemala suggests the Mayan dynasty of Kaanul, known as the Snake Kings, acted like its namesake in slowly squeezing the rival kingdom of Tikal GUATEMALA CITY (AP) - An altar found at Guatemala's La Corona site suggests the Mayan dynasty of Kaanul, known as the Snake Kings, acted like its namesake in slowly squeezing the rival kingdom of Tikal, archaeologists said Friday. A team led by Marcello Canuto of Tulane University uncovered the carved stone altar in the northern Peten region near the Mexico border. When it was first found in 2017, the altar was encased in the roots of a tree in a collapsed temple. It took a year to painstaking pry the massive stone slab from the roots, fully excavate it and move it to Guatemala City, where it was presented this week at a museum. The altar is dated A.D. 544 and depicts the La Corona ruler Chak Took Ich'aak conjuring two local gods from a shaft in the form of a double-headed snake. The same man appears 20 years later as a vassal of the Kaanul dynasty and the ruler of the larger, nearby city of Peru-Waka. But the gods associated with him are different local deities associated with that place. Canuto said the altar suggests Kaanul's eventual victory was the result of decades of astute politicking and cultural appropriation, not just battles. Chak Took Ich'aak and his son "are trying to show that they are praying or conjuring up gods that were there way earlier to give them that kind of legitimacy," Canuto said. "It's almost like they're setting up franchises, but using the same recipes of local gods, claiming they had access to local deities. There's an attempt to render this whole process legitimate by appealing to local interests." A princess from the Kaanul dynasty - based in Dzibanche and later Calakmul, in neighboring Mexico - had been married into the La Corona ruling family two decades before. It's unlikely that La Corona could have simply conquered El Peru, which was much more powerful, unless it had backing from someone even more powerful. "This would be equivalent to Cuba defeating the United States in a war. They could only have done that ... if they had had the backing of the Soviet Union," Canuto said. The enormous city-state of Tikal, whose towering temples still stand in the jungle, battled for centuries for dominance of the Maya world with the Kaanul dynasty. Just a few decades after the altar was carved, Kaanul apparently defeated Tikal by amassing a string of allied cities that encircled and eventually strangled Tikal. The symbol of the Kaanul dynasty were stone masks carved in the form of grinning snakes. Francisco Estrada-Belli, a Tulane University archaeologist who was not involved in the La Corona discovery, said: "Its broader significance is that it shows the behind-the-scenes ... machinations of the Snake Kings as they are expanding their empire in the direction of Tikal." "Not long ago, we thought the victory over Tikal was the result of a sort of out-of-the-blue blitz," Estrada-Belli said. "It is fascinating to learn more about how Maya empires expanded, just like in the 'Game of Thrones.'" Tomas Barrientos, an archaeologist at the University of the Valley of Guatemala noted that "for several centuries during the Classic period, the Kaanul kings dominated much of the Maya Lowlands," until the Maya civilization collapsed for reasons that still aren't clear. "This altar contains information about their early strategies of expansion," said Barrientos, co-director of the La Corona project. ___ This story has been corrected to show Estrada-Belli is a professor at Tulane University. HONOLULU (AP) - The vast majority of Hawaii's state-regulated dams are considered to have "high hazard potential," according to a 2017 infrastructure report by the American Society of Civil Engineers. One of the 124 dams given that classification is one in Honolulu that prompted an evacuation warning Thursday amid heavy rains. Later in the day, officials said the century-old reservoir wasn't in immediate danger of collapsing. Hawaii has 132 state-regulated dams. A fire official watches as water is pumped from a reservoir where a dam came close to overflowing in Honolulu on Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. Honolulu officials say they may need to evacuate 10,000 people from a residential neighborhood if water in the reservoir continues to rise after heavy rains from a tropical storm. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones) The hazard potential isn't an indication of the condition of a dam, but the consequences if it failed would be deaths or significant property damage, said Mark Ogden, a member of the report committee and a technical specialist with the Association of State Dam Safety Officials. "Our dams are aging and deteriorating, while downstream populations are increasing," the association said in a Hawaii dam safety performance report . "Thousands of U.S. dams have the potential to fail with tragic consequences." The last time there was a fatal dam failure in Hawaii was in 2006, when seven people were killed after the Ka Loko dam on the island of Kauai collapsed and hundreds of gallons of water rushed downhill. Ogden said as far as he knows that's the last fatal dam failure in the United States. Hawaii's Legislature expanded the state's dam safety program after the Ka Loko breach, said Edwin Matusda, who heads Hawaii's flood control and dam safety program. The infrastructure report noted that 98 percent of Hawaii's state-regulated dams have an emergency action plan. Workers plan to keep pumping water throughout the weekend and into next week as needed from the dam in Nuuanu, a residential neighborhood near downtown Honolulu, said Kathleen Elliot-Pahinui, a spokeswoman for the Honolulu Board of Water Supply. The dam was built in 1905. Water levels in the dam rose 4 to 5 feet (nearly 1.5 meters) overnight as heavy rains from a storm dumped 7.3 inches (18 centimeters) of rain in the area Wednesday into Thursday. The Board of Water Supply, the agency that manages the dam, said plans call for a mandatory evacuation if the water reaches 1 foot (30 centimeters) under the top of the dam. The water was 5 feet (1.52 meters) below the top of the dam at midday Thursday. It was also 18 inches (45 centimeters) below a spillway. Areas downstream would flood if water goes over the spillway, said Ernie Lau, the agency's chief engineer. The water was 6.5 feet (1.98 meters) below the top Friday, Elliot-Pahinui said. "We always siphon to keep the water levels low ... well before any storm hits," she said in an email. There was intermittent rain in the area Friday morning. Meteorologists said there will be passing showers in the coming days, but heavy rains aren't likely. There's not much that can be done to reduce the number of high-hazard dams- other than removing them, Matsuda said. The rise of development downstream of dams is especially true in Honolulu, where people live on a small island. Climate change is also a concern. "We are noticing that the hydrology in the islands is starting to change due to climate change, and so it's becoming more frequent that you have these ... rainfall events," Matusda said. Some dams are being retrofitted to increase the spillway, he said. Matsuda noted that while dams may have high hazards, they are also valuable resources for the islands including for hydropower and recharging aquifers. The Nuuanu dam was built for hydroelectricity, but it isn't currently being used for anything, Elliot-Pahinui said. Officials hope to repurpose it as a part of a hydroelectric project, she said. LAS VEGAS (AP) - Survivors of the mass shooting in Las Vegas have reunited with the doctors and nurses who cared for them at an area hospital after the massacre. The health care providers and victims of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history gathered Friday in Las Vegas. They shared emotional stories of their days at Sunrise Hospital and the months since then. Amanda Peterson, right, embraces nurse Marlena Ryan during a reunion event for victims of the Oct. 1 shooting and their health care providers at Sunrise Hospital, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, in Las Vegas. Ryan helped take care of Peterson after she was injured in the mass shooting. (AP Photo/John Locher) Los Angeles resident Kortney Spencer was shot in the right leg and spent 11 nights at the hospital. She says she wanted to thank the nurses who helped her. A high-stakes gambler killed 58 people and injured hundreds more on Oct. 1, when he broke the windows of his casino-resort suite and opened fire into a crowd at a music festival. He then killed himself. Sunrise Hospital cared for more than 200 victims. DENVER (AP) - The U.S. Interior Department said Friday it will go ahead with plans to open a wildlife refuge at the site of a former nuclear weapons plant in Colorado, after briefly putting the opening on hold amid concerns about public safety. Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, on the perimeter of a government factory that made plutonium triggers for nuclear bombs, is scheduled to open Saturday. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke initially said Friday he would delay the opening to gather more information about safety. The announcement came after Colorado Democratic congressman Jared Polis, who is running for governor, wrote Zinke expressing concerns that plutonium testing on the site was outdated and asking him to postpone the opening until new tests could be done. FILE - In this Oct. 13, 2005, file photo, deer cross a road striped of its asphalt at the former Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons plant near Golden, Colo. The U.S. Interior Department says it will go ahead with plans to open a wildlife refuge at the site of the former nuclear weapons plant in Colorado, after briefly putting the opening on hold amid concerns about public safety. Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge is scheduled to open Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File) Just one hour later, Zinke spokeswoman Faith Vander Voort said a review was complete and the refuge would open. Vander Voort said the review was done by Deputy Secretary David Bernhardt, the No. 2 leader at the department. Vander Voort did not provide any details of the review and did not immediately respond to an email seeking more information. The Rocky Flats plutonium plant stopped work in 1989 after a 34-year history marred by fires, leaks and spills. It was shut down during a criminal investigation into environmental violations. Rockwell International, the contractor then operating the plant, pleaded guilty in 1992 to charges that included allowing leaks of chemical and radioactive material and illegally disposing hazardous waste. The company was fined $18.5 million. The plutonium plant was cleaned up at a cost of $7 billion, but it remains off-limits to the public. The 8-square-mile (21-kilometer) buffer zone surrounding the manufacturing site was turned over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for a refuge. Some groups worry that plutonium particles eluded the cleanup and could be sprinkled over the refuge, where hikers and cyclists could inadvertently stir them up or track them home. Five environmental and community activist groups sued the government in May, arguing the refuge should remain closed until more testing is done. Last month, a judge rejected their request to delay the opening while the lawsuit is heard. The lawsuit is pending in Denver federal court. "My head is spinning," said Randall Weiner, an attorney for the plaintiffs, after the Interior Department's rapid reversal Friday. "It seems like the (deputy) secretary did an awfully quick study to address the questions raised by Rep. Polis," he said. Until this weekend, the only way to visit the refuge was to sign up for a short hike, guided by a Fish and Wildlife Service officer, offered once a month. The agency plans to open about 10 miles (16 kilometers) of trails this weekend that will be open seven days a week. Visitors will be told to stay on the trails or roads. ___ Follow Dan Elliott at http://twitter.com/DanElliottAP. MIAMI (AP) - A former police chief of a small Florida community has pleaded guilty to ordering several officers to make false arrests. A U.S. attorney's office news release says Raimundo Atesiano pleaded guilty Friday in Miami federal court to conspiring with Biscayne Park police officers to violate individuals' civil rights. He faces up to 10 years in prison at his scheduled sentencing Nov. 27. Prosecutors say Atesiano instructed three officers, who have previously pleaded guilty to false arrest charges, to apprehend and charge individuals without legal basis to maintain a fictitious 100 percent clearance rate of reported burglaries. Authorities say officers charged an unnamed 16-year-old in June 2013 in four unsolved burglaries, although the former chief and officers knew there was no evidence to support the charges. LAS VEGAS (AP) - A glance at Saturday's middleweight title fight between Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez: At stake: Golovkin is risking his middleweight titles against Alvarez, who is a former 160-pound champion. Once more: The fight is a rematch of their bout last September, which ended in a controversial draw. Where: The two fight at the T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip, where they met the first time. When: The undercard begins at 8 p.m. EDT, with the main event expected to begin about 11 p.m. Weights: Golovkin weighed in Friday at 159.6 pounds to 159.4 for Alvarez. Meaty story line: The fight was originally scheduled for May but postponed after Alvarez tested positive for clenbuterol, which he blamed on eating tainted meat in Mexico. Odds: Golovkin is a slight 7-5 favorite in the scheduled 12-round bout. How much: The fight is a sellout, but is available on HBO pay-per-view at a cost of $84.95. Records: Golovkin is 38-0-1 with 34 knockouts, while Alvarez is 49-1-2 with 34 knockouts. Good pay: Alvarez is guaranteed $5 million to $4 million for Golovkin. Both will likely make many times that with a share of pay-per-view sales. Figures from a U.S. government survey released Friday show some progress in the fight against the ongoing opioid addiction crisis with fewer people in 2017 using heroin for the first time compared to the previous year. The number of new users of heroin decreased from 170,000 in 2016 to 81,000 in 2017, a one-year drop that would need to be sustained for years to reduce the number of fatal overdoses, experts said. Fewer Americans are misusing or addicted to prescription opioid painkillers. And more people are getting treatment for heroin and opioid addiction, the survey found. This Aug. 29, 2018 photo shows an arrangement of prescription Oxycodone pills in New York. Figures from a 2017 survey released on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, show fewer people used heroin for the first time compared to the previous year, and fewer Americans misusing or addicted to prescription opioid painkillers. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) The Trump administration said the positive trends show government efforts are working. Messages are reaching people about the dangers of heroin and the deadly contaminants it often contains on the street, Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz, an administration health official, said in a video presentation released with the figures. Among the other findings: -Marijuana use climbed in all age groups except young teenagers, with 2.5 percent of those 26 and older, or 5.3 million adults, reporting they use marijuana daily or almost daily last year. -Methamphetamine and cocaine use climbed in young adults, ages 18 to 25. The uptick may indicate that users are shifting from opioids to other drugs, said Leo Beletsky, a public health policy expert at Northeastern University in Boston. -Young adults have increasing rates of serious mental illness, major depression and suicidal thoughts. -The number of new heroin users in 2017 - 81,000 - was lower than the numbers in most years from 2009 to 2016. But it was similar to the numbers of new heroin users in 2002 through 2008. Experts said there's still work to be done before success can be declared. "Taken together, this does not look like the portrait of a nation with improving mental health and addiction issues," said Brendan Saloner, an addiction researcher at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "It's hard to look at this and not think we need to be doing a better job than we're doing now." Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released preliminary figures that appear to show a leveling off in overdose deaths in late 2017 and the first two months of this year. Health officials have said it's too soon to say whether the nation's drug crisis has peaked. But in an interview with The Associated Press this week, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said several measures of the crisis are improving. "We are making progress," he said. "We are seeing a flattening of our deaths from overdose." ___ AP Medical Writer Mike Stobbe in New York contributed to this report. Follow AP Medical Writer Carla K. Johnson on Twitter: @CarlaKJohnson ___ The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) - Thousands of people marched in Macedonia's capital Sunday to promote support for changing the country's name in an upcoming referendum that also could clear the way for NATO membership. The referendum scheduled for Sept 30 will seek voter approval of an agreement with Greece to rename the small Balkan nation "North Macedonia." The deal is designed to end a bitter 27-year dispute over rights to the Macedonia title and to remove Greek objections to its northern neighbor becoming a member of NATO and the European Union. Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, center, takes a part in a march named "For European Macedonia", through a street in Skopje, Macedonia, Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. Thousands of people marched in downtown of capital Skopje Sunday to support a forthcoming key referendum on changing Macedonia's name that could clear the way for the country to join NATO. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, who reached the agreement with Greece's prime minister in June, addressed the marchers in front of the EU's office in Skopje. He urged citizens to grasp a historic opportunity and back the name deal, which he described as "fair." "The message is: We want the future, we want a European Macedonia! It is our responsibility to secure a future for our children and their children," Zaev said. Opposition party VMRO-DPMNE staged its own rally Sunday in the eastern town of Stip to encourage voters to reject the name change. Opposition leader Hristijan Mickoski, who has criticized the government for accepting a deal that in his view prioritizes Greek interests, said, "Citizens have the right to fight until the last breath". Despite the forceful words, VMRO-DPMNE and the rest of Macedonia's political opposition have advised supporters to vote according to their consciences. Voter turnout will be a crucial factor in the referendum: 50 percent plus one of Macedonia's 1.8 million registered voters must cast ballots for the referendum vote to be valid. Opinion polls indicate the name change would be approved, but turnout could fall just short of the required threshold. Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, center, takes a part in a march holding a banner that reads "Come out for European Macedonia", in downtown Skopje, Macedonia, Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. Thousands of people marched in downtown of capital Skopje Sunday to support a forthcoming key referendum on changing Macedonia's name that could clear the way for the country to join NATO. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev speaks during a pre-referendum rally named "For European Macedonia", in Skopje, Macedonia, Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. Thousands of people have marched in the capital Skopje on Sunday to express support of a forthcoming key referendum on changing Macedonia's name that could clear the way of the country's strive to join NATO and EU. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev speaks during a pre-referendum rally named "For European Macedonia", in Skopje, Macedonia, Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. Thousands of people have marched in the capital Skopje on Sunday to express support of a forthcoming key referendum on changing Macedonia's name that could clear the way for the country's push to join NATO and EU. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) People waving Macedonian and EU flags take part in a march named "For European Macedonia", through a street in Skopje, Macedonia, Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. Thousands of people marched in downtown of capital Skopje Sunday to support a forthcoming key referendum on changing Macedonia's name that could clear the way for the country to join NATO. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) People wave Macedonian and EU flags and carry banners reading "For" as they take part in a march named "For European Macedonia", through a street in Skopje, Macedonia, Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. Thousands of people marched in downtown of capital Skopje Sunday to support a forthcoming key referendum on changing Macedonia's name that could clear the way for the country to join NATO. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) People waving Macedonian and EU flags take part in a march named "For European Macedonia", through a street in Skopje, Macedonia, Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. Thousands of people marched in downtown of capital Skopje Sunday to support a forthcoming key referendum on changing Macedonia's name that could clear the way for the country to join NATO. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) People with Macedonian and EU flags gather to a march in downtown Skopje, Macedonia, Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. Thousands of people have marched in downtown of capital Skopje on Sunday to express support of a forthcoming key referendum on changing Macedonia's name that could clear the way of country's strive to join NATO and EU. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) A man peeps out through a torn Macedonian flag during a pre-referendum rally named "For European Macedonia", in Skopje, Macedonia, Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. Thousands of people have marched in downtown of capital Skopje on Sunday to express support of a forthcoming key referendum on changing Macedonia's name that could clear the way of country's strive to join NATO and EU. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) A man with an EU flag walks in front of a large group o people marching through a street in Skopje, Macedonia, Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. Thousands of people have marched in downtown of capital Skopje on Sunday to express support of a forthcoming key referendum on changing Macedonia's name that could clear the way of country's strive to join NATO and EU. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) A man holding a banner that reads "Come out for European Macedonia", takes a part in a march in downtown Skopje, Macedonia, Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. Thousands of people have marched in downtown of capital Skopje on Sunday to express support of a forthcoming key referendum on changing Macedonia's name that could clear the way of country's strive to join NATO and EU. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) A man holding a banner that reads "Come out for European Macedonia", takes a part in a march in downtown Skopje, Macedonia, Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. Thousands of people have marched in downtown of capital Skopje on Sunday to express support of a forthcoming key referendum on changing Macedonia's name that could clear the way of country's strive to join NATO and EU. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski) The Kremlin has said it will consider any request by Britain to question the two suspects in the Salisbury nerve agent attack. The UK has accused the two Russian men, who appeared on Russian television on Thursday, of the attempted murder of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in March. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any request from London to interview them would be considered in strict accordance with the law but so far the British had rejected any offer to co-operate in the investigation, the Tass news agency reported. Handout CCTV image issued by the Metropolitan Police of Russian nationals Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov on Fisherton Road, Salisbury (Metropolitan Police/PA) Only this week, we heard an official statement from London, which said that they did not plan to employ the legal assistance mechanism and send any requests to Russia. It is Londons official stance and we regret to say that it is impossible to make any assumptions, unfortunately, Mr Peskov said. In case we receive an official request from London, it will definitely be considered in strict accordance with the law, there is no doubt about that. In their RT television interview, the two men, who gave their names as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, said they had visited Salisbury as tourists and had nothing to do with the attack on the Skripals. Their claims were dismissed by Downing Street as lies and blatant fabrications. Britain has said the two men are officers in Russian military intelligence the GRU who travelled to the UK under false names. Ministers have made clear they have little expectation of being able to extradite them from Russia to stand trial in the UK. However the Government has warned that if they ever leave the country again they will be arrested and brought to Britain to face justice. They are wanted men and we have taken steps to ensure that they are apprehended and brought to justice in the UK if they ever again set foot outside Russia, the Prime Ministers official spokesman said on Thursday. The two men were widely ridiculed after they claimed they had been to Salisbury to visit the citys cathedral, famous for its 123-metre spire. They said they had cut short their visit and returned home early without visiting Stonehenge because of the snow. The Foreign Office declined to comment on Mr Peskovs comments. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police, which is leading the inquiry, said: The investigation remains ongoing and it would therefore be inappropriate to discuss specific lines of inquiry. A D-Day veteran has taken part in his first high-level skydive since he parachuted into Normandy 74 years ago. Harry Read, 94, jumped 10,000 feet after taking to the skies from Old Sarum airfield in Salisbury, Wiltshire, on Friday. During the Second World War, Mr Read was a 20-year-old wireless operator and part of the Parachute Brigade landing in Normandy on June 6 1944. To avoid attack during war time, parachuting would take place as close to the ground as possible. Harry Read is congratulated as he lands safely (Ben Birchall/PA) On that morning at 00.50 hours I parachuted into Normandy and 30 seconds later I was on the ground, Mr Read said. It was a very different experience to the one I just had. This was my first high-level skydive and whilst I was a little nervous I have always enjoyed the thrill of parachuting. Harry Read is helped to walk back from the landing zone (Ben Birchall/PA) It was amazing to experience the freefall and then cruising down was simply beautiful. I feel so lucky to have been able to experience this at my age. Before I could take part in the jump my doctor assured me my heart is as healthy as a middle aged man. Mr Read had previously seen other veterans taking part in skydives. He decided to complete one himself after visiting the Normandy battlefields on an anniversary tour earlier this year. Harry Read descends under his parachute (Ben Birchall/PA) His granddaughters Lianne, 37, Joanna, 39, and his great-grandson Josh, 23, also took part in the skydive. Mr Read is a life-long member of the Salvation Army and undertook the jump to raise money for the charitys anti-trafficking and modern slavery work in the UK. Wishing Harry Read, 94, all the best as he skydives today to raise money for our Anti-Trafficking and Modern Slavery work. This will be 74 years after he parachuted into Normandy on 6 June 1944! #SallyArmyPeople #FridayFeeling pic.twitter.com/n33yBwtGJD The Salvation Army (@salvationarmyuk) September 14, 2018 He has raised more than 4,000 so far and plans to jump again next year in Normandy, to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day. At whatever age we are, we are more than capable of shrinking from something that we feel is beyond us, Mr Read said. But, I believe we should not withdraw from a challenge yesterday is not our best, our best is tomorrow. Tomorrow is the day! 94 year old WW2 veteran Harry Read will be skydiving to raise money for @salvationarmyuk's anti trafficking and modern slavery work - listen back to Harry speaking with @BBCRadioSolent's Julian Clegg this morning from 56minutes >> https://t.co/6oEVThNeO3 pic.twitter.com/2ynrSuc0kM Salvation Army News (@SalvArmyNews) September 13, 2018 In 2016, Mr Read was awarded Frances highest honour, the Chevalier, by order of the Legion dHonneur for the role he played in June 1944. His JustGiving page can be found here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/harry-read. Police are following new leads in their investigation into the murder of a man gunned down in front of children. Gary More, 32, was shot several times in Gartness Drive, Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, last Thursday and died at the scene. Officers revisited the area on Thursday night and spoke to around 40 people, and were given new information on the getaway car. Police at the murder scene at Gartness Drive in Airdrie (Lucinda Cameron/PA) Earlier on Thursday, Mr Mores sister Lynsey made an emotional appeal for information as police said the initial public response had been very poor, with reports that they had not received a single call. A police spokeswoman said: We spoke to around 40 people at the stop and interview operation. One piece of information in particular which is being looked into is the movements of the car and the occupants of the vehicle. After the shooting at 8.10pm, the suspect is believed to have sped away in a white Skoda Fabia with a number of people inside. A car of the same model and colour was later found burnt-out near Craigmaddie Road in Balmore, Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire, and is being examined by forensic teams. Police Scotland said inquiries have established the car was stolen on August 2 from the Pollokshields area of Glasgow. Its original registration was SH13 UMG, but it may have had other plates fitted. Gary Mores sister Lynsey appeals for information at a press conference (Andrew Milligan/PA) In her appeal for information, Lynsey More had urged: Please dont let another family suffer the way we have if you know anything, tell the police. She said her family have been devastated by the murder of the father-of-two, who she said had been dealing with addiction issues. A businessman and star of Irelands Dragons Den will contest the countrys presidential election after receiving his required fourth council nomination on Friday. Gavin Duffy became the fourth official candidate for Octobers poll after he secured the backing from Waterford County Council. At the special council meeting he secured 14 votes over journalist and would-be candidate Gemma ODohertys two votes and one abstention from Sinn Fein. Irish Presidential candidate Gavin Duffy is through to the next stage (Brian Lawless/PA) The former Dragons Den star was previously endorsed by councils in Meath, Carlow and Wicklow. Its great to get the fourth nomination and to now be a candidate to contest the presidential election of 2018, he said. Mr Duffy said he was heartened to receive support from across the council chamber in Waterford, including the backing of Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Labour members. Its great to be attracting that cross-party support which I have done throughout a number of councils, he told RTE. Im looking forward to really going out and being able to state my case to the people and go forth and being elected president of Ireland. Mr Duffy started his career as a shareholder in radio stations, and in 1992 he co-founded a media and management consultancy. He has been a panellist on the Irish version of Dragons Den for all eight seasons since the show began in 2009. Mr Duffy has worked in the past as an adviser to both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail. Mr Duffy has said he would accept the full presidential salary of 350,000 euro. The current President, Michael D Higgins, has voluntarily reduced his own salary to under 250,000 euro while in office. Mr Duffy will join another former Dragons Den star Sean Gallagher and Senator Joan Freeman who reached the quota on Monday, an unnamed Sinn Fein candidate, and current President Michael D Higgins. The election takes place on October 26. Two rare Amur leopard cubs born in the Highland Wildlife Park have been caught on camera for the first time. The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) announced in July that its Amur leopard Arina had given birth, however the number of cubs was not known as human presence is kept to a minimum. Motion sensitive cameras have now shown two cubs emerging from their den deep within undergrowth. The cubs have emerged from their den at the Highland Wildlife Park (RZSS/PA) It is hoped at least one of them may be released into the wild in Russia in the future. Douglas Richardson, head of living collections at the park at Kincraig, near Kingussie, said: We are delighted that Arina has two cubs, with both appearing to be strong and healthy. Our Amur leopard habitat is the only one within the zoo community which has been designed to breed these extremely rare cats with the aim of producing cubs that are eligible for reintroduction to the wild. While this would be incredibly complex, it would also be a world first and a huge step forward in the conservation of this critically endangered cat. Funded by an anonymous donation, the Amur leopard habitat at the park is not on view to the public, which helps ensure the cubs retain their wild instincts and behaviour. The gender of the cubs is not known but keepers hope to find out during health checks in the next few weeks. RZSS said that although progress has been made in recent years, habitat loss, poaching and conflict with humans remain threats to the Amur leopard, with only around 100 remaining in the wild. It is hoped cubs born at the Highland Wildlife Park can be released into a region north-east of Vladivostok in the Russian Far East, part of the Amur leopards historic wild range. Mr Richardson said: If the cubs are the same sex, ideally female, then there is a good possibility both may be candidates for reintroduction, while if we have a brother and sister then only one would be eligible to avoid them breeding together. Although there are no guarantees of success and we are reliant on international partners, reintroducing at least one of our cubs to the wild may be possible in the next two to three years. This would need to be a phased approach, with young leopards spending some time acclimatising and sharpening their survival skills in a contained, naturalistic environment within the proposed location of Lazovsky Zapovednik, before being released and monitored. Labour is unlikely to back any Brexit deal Theresa May secures from Brussels, a senior ally of Jeremy Corbyn has warned. Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said she could not see the Prime Minister coming back with an agreement which would meet the six tests set by the party for supporting any deal. In an interview with the FT Weekend magazine, she said they would not vote for a flimsy bit of paper simply because the Government said the alternative was no-deal. A Labour source said the partys position had not changed and that Ms Thornberry was simply being sceptical about the prospects of the Government reaching an acceptable agreement. Nevertheless her comments add to the pressure on Mrs May who is facing strong opposition to her Chequers blueprint for leaving the EU from hardline Tory Brexiteers. Without support from at least some opposition MPs, the Government may struggle to get any agreement through Parliament. Downing Street is hoping that the prospect of a no-deal Brexit will force critics to fall in line behind the Chequers plan. However Ms Thornberry warned ministers appeared to be heading towards a defeat, paving the way for a general election. I cant see them coming back with a deal that is going to meet our six tests and I cant see them coming back with a deal that will unite the Tory party, for heavens sake, she said. They are not capable of governing Were either going to have a general election in the autumn or were going to have it in the spring. Theresa May is under pressure from Tory Brexiteers over her Chequers plan (Kirsty OConnor/PA) Her comments will come as a setback to Labour pro-EU campaigners who want the party to back a second referendum instead. However Ms Thornberry said the Chequers plan, which would see Britain maintain a common rulebook with the EU for trade in goods and agriculture, was too vague to work. I dont think this kind of half-in, half-out of the customs union will work. I think its just full of red tape and its going to cost us too much money. Its just nonsense, she said. While a Labour government would still abide by the 2016 referendum result to leave the EU, she said it would seek to extend negotiations beyond the current March 2019 deadline for leaving. Even if they come back in October, November, and they say This flimsy bit of paper is what youre going to have to agree to, otherwise therell be no deal. Were not going to agree to either of those, she said. A woman has been indecently assaulted by a man who chased her in a terrifying ordeal as she cycled in Edinburgh. The 27-year-old was on the cycle path that runs across Roseburn Terrace when she passed a man just before the bridge early on Monday morning. He chased her on foot for a short distance and then attacked her after she came off the bike. A cyclist was indecently assaulted in Edinburgh early on Monday morning (David Cheskin/PA) She was not injured but was left extremely upset by what happened and reported the incident to police on Wednesday. Police are appealing for information about the incident, which happened sometime between 5.35am and 6am. Detective Sergeant David Brady said: This was a terrifying ordeal for the woman and while she was physically uninjured, she has been left deeply upset and extremely shaken by what has happened to her. We have an excellent and very detailed description of the suspect and anyone who recognises this male, or who can help us trace him, should contact police immediately. The suspect is of Mediterranean or South American appearance, aged in his 40s or 50s, around 5ft 6in with a medium build. He has shaved or very short hair, prominent cheek bones, thin lips and narrow eyes. He spoke with a foreign accent, believed to be from a South American country. The suspect was wearing baggy clothing, including dark trousers similar to those used for hiking, and a grey jacket with a blue triangle and reflective strips on the back. Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 and quote incident number 2327 of September 12, or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously. This seasons Vitality Blast concludes on Saturday as Lancashire, Worcestershire, Somerset and Sussex bid for Finals Day glory at Edgbaston. Lancashire take on Worcestershire in the first semi-final with a scheduled start time of 11am while Somerset and Sussex go head-to-head in the afternoon before the final later on in the day. Here, Press Association Sport assesses how the sides are shaping up heading into this weekend. Jos Buttler will be available for Lancashire (Martin Rickett/PA) Lancashire Lancashires presence in the last four owes much to their bowlers with their batsmen yet to record a total in excess of 190 this year. Alex Davies, with 525 runs at an average of 58.33, has performed admirably and his load should be lightened by the return of big-hitting captain Liam Livingstone from injury and the availability of Jos Buttler and Keaton Jennings after England duty. Buttler, in particular, could be their trump card after starring in the Indian Premier League this year, hitting a record-equalling five successive half-centuries, and confidence flowing after a successful international summer. Matt Parkinson has been the leading leg-spinning wicket-taker this season with 23 scalps while James Faulkners array of variations helped the 2015 winners finish third in the North Group before defeating Kent in their quarter-final. Worcestershire Let's do this!!! Who's excited for the Rapids first ever Finals Day? #COYR pic.twitter.com/r5sy0Wy7Qc Worcestershire County Cricket Club (@WorcsCCC) September 14, 2018 Worcestershire were one of two teams to have never reached a Finals Day since its inception into the domestic calendar in 2003. Now only Derbyshire hold that dubious honour after the Rapids finished top of the North Group and eventually eased past Gloucestershire in the quarter-final. Factor in their 209 for five total against Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston as well as their win over Lancashire and they should be full of confidence. The previously unheralded Patrick Brown has been their star turn, leading the wickets charts as his medium pace has accounted for 27 batsman at 14. England all-rounder Moeen Ali and South Africas canny left-arm seamer Wayne Parnell will strengthen their ranks although the absence of Callum Ferguson, who has contributed 390 runs to their cause at 48.75 and a strike-rate of 141.81, is a blow. Somerset 31 - No-one has hit more sixes in #Blast18 than @coreyanderson78 How many will he add at #FinalsDay? pic.twitter.com/gn0EzA8tXe Vitality Blast (@VitalityBlast) September 13, 2018 Emboldened by five batsmen amassing more than 300 runs and four bowlers taking at least 15 wickets, the 2005 champions topped the South Group in buccaneering fashion. Taunton once again lived up to its reputation as a bowlers graveyard at least in the sprint format as Somerset passed 190 six times, but only once away from home. Corey Anderson, with 466 runs at a strike rate of 171.32, and Lewis Gregory, 321 at a strike rate rate of 216.89, can be counted upon to give their innings some impetus while Jamie Overton may be looking to make the same impact as Birminghams Olly Stone did with his rapid pace last year, with the pair both touted for England call-ups. Overton has taken 24 wickets at 20.41 already and although his economy rate of 9.86 is worrying, that could be offset by leg-spinner Max Waller, who is going at just 6.67 per over. Sussex Champions in 2009, the south coast county were the envy of the nation at one point with a bowling line-up consisting of fast bowlers Jofra Archer, Tymal Mills and Chris Jordan as well as spinners Rashid Khan and Danny Briggs. However, the worlds number one ranked T20 bowler Rashid, who has taken 17 wickets at 14.35 with an economy rate of just 6.59 for Sussex, will be absent. A lot of responsibility could therefore fall on the pace trio and, in truth, all three have the ability to turn the tide in Sussexs favour, Archer in particular having taken 18 scalps at 20.55. Their Achilles heel comes in their batting although Laurie Evans with 554 runs at 79.14 distinguished himself in a South Group campaign where Sussex finished third, before registering an unbeaten 63 in their last-eight win over Durham. A failure to trace any relatives of child serial killer Robert Black may see his inquest proceed without family participation, a coroner has said. Nine months of efforts by the Coroner Service for Northern Ireland to find relations of the late Scottish paedophile have come to nothing, corner Patrick McGurgan was told on Friday. Black, who was convicted of four child murders but suspected of many more, died of heart disease in a Northern Ireland prison in 2016 aged 68. The loner paedophile from Grangemouth near Falkirk was a delivery driver who stalked the roads of the UK searching for victims. Child serial killer Robert Black (PA) Black was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea after prison authorities in Northern Ireland revealed no one wanted his remains. An inquest is being held into his death to establish if there were any issues with the medical care he received while incarcerated. At a preliminary hearing in Belfast, a lawyer for the Coroners Service updated Mr McGurgan on efforts to find any relations to participate in the inquest. Efforts are being made by an investigating officer but they cant be traced, he said. Robert Black died at Maghaberry Prison (Michael Cooper/PA) Theres not much more that can be done it seems. It was initially believed that some of Blacks relations might live in Northern Ireland. Noting previous media coverage of efforts to locate the family members, the coroner said issuing a formal public appeal could be an option. We would all like next of kin to be involved in this inquest, I think its very important, he said. Addressing the legal representatives involved in the case, the coroner added: Are we content that we could proceed in the absence of next of kin? Its not unheard of. One of the lawyers agreed that such a move was not without precedent and highlighted that he had been involved in an inquest without family participation in the recent past. Murdered schoolgirl Jennifer Cardy (PSNI/PA) Mr McGurgan said the absence of a relation at the full hearing in December might make it difficult to officially record some personal details about Black. The killers long reign of terror was ended in 1990 when he was caught red-handed by police with a barely alive six-year-old girl hooded, bound, gagged and stuffed in a sleeping bag in the back of his van in the Scottish village of Stow. He had sexually assaulted her moments earlier. Once in custody, the predator was linked to a series of unsolved crimes in the previous decade. In 1994, Black was found guilty of three child murders in the 1980s, those of 11-year-old Susan Maxwell, from the Scottish Borders, five-year-old Caroline Hogg, from Edinburgh, and Sarah Harper, 10, from Morley, near Leeds, as well as a failed abduction bid in Nottingham in 1988. In 2011, he was found guilty of the 1981 murder of nine-year-old Jennifer Cardy, from Ballinderry, Co Antrim. Black was the prime suspect in the unsolved case of schoolgirl Genette Tate (PA) At Fridays hearing, Mr McGurgan said contacting the lawyers who represented Black in the 2011 case could potentially aid efforts to trace his relatives. Black, who lived out his last days in Maghaberry high security prison in Co Antrim, was also suspected of involvement in other killings and unexplained disappearances and had long been the prime suspect in the case of missing 13-year-old Genette Tate, who was last seen in a rural lane in Aylesbeare, Devon, in 1978. The killer was put up to be fostered within weeks of his birth in 1947. A couple from Kinlochleven in the West Highlands who took him in both died within 11 years and Black spent the rest of his childhood in residential homes in Falkirk and Edinburgh. The full inquest into Blacks death is scheduled to start on the week commencing Monday December 3 in Armagh. Another preliminary hearing will take place on November 5. Pep Guardiola has denied that Kevin De Bruyne has a 223million release clause in his Manchester City contract. The City manager was quoted in an interview in Spain this week saying that the Belgium playmakers latest deal included a clause set at that figure, which equates to 250million euros. But Guardiola claims his comments have been misunderstood and says he is not even sure De Bruynes contract contains a release clause. Guardiola denies he said there is a 250m release clause in De Bruyne's contract #MCFC pic.twitter.com/H1KFFtKjvq Andy Hampson (@andyhampson) September 14, 2018 Speaking at a press conference, the City boss said: I dont know what his release clause is. The journalist asked if wed sell him for 250million (euros) and I said no. But that is my personal opinion. Here in England there are not release clauses. You have to negotiate with the club. Asked further if that meant no such clause existed, Guardiola said: I dont think so. De Bruyne, who joined City in 2015, signed a new five-year contract in January. The 27-year-old, Citys player of the year as they won the Premier League last season, is currently sidelined with a knee injury sustained during a training session last month. Guardiola, whose side host Fulham on Sunday, said: Hes not fit for tomorrow, but hes progressing well. The physios and doctors told me hes getting well. Hopefully the terms of two-and-a-half to three months is going well. City are hoping Raheem Sterling will sign a new contract (Martin Rickett/PA) City are also hoping to tie England international Raheem Sterling, who joined City in the same summer as De Bruyne, to a new deal. Reports have claimed terms are still some way off being agreed, but Guardiola is prepared to be patient. He said: Its well-known were delighted with him and would like that to continue. My club knows my opinion about that and we share that. After that it is the club and the agent and I am outside that. Sometimes this kind of thing needs its own time. Guardiola is expecting a difficult afternoon as unbeaten City resume their title defence following the international break against the promoted Cottagers, who have collected four points in their last two games. Fulham have caught the eye of Guardiola (John Walton/PA) He said: Im really impressed. I was delighted to have two weeks watching them. Normally we only have three or four days and dont have too much time to watch our opponents. In this case I had time and I saw three games and I am really impressed. Im pretty sure theyll have a good season. Guardiola was not willing to discuss much the news that Merseyside Police have been unable to identify any suspects involved the attack on Citys bus ahead of last Aprils Champions League game at Liverpool. When asked about the matter, he said sarcastically: I am not the police. The cameras were not good there. There were no firearms officers near Parliaments Carriage Gates for at least 46 minutes before Pc Keith Palmer was stabbed to death by a terrorist, an inquest has heard. Dominic Adamson, representing his widow Michelle, said the gates were regarded as one of the most vulnerable areas of the New Palace Yard to an attack and one of the most identifiable and exploitable weaknesses. The evidence will show that for at least 46 minutes there is no evidence of authorised firearms officers (AFOs) being present or in close proximity to the gates in the CCTV footage, he told the Old Bailey on Friday. He suggested the arrangements meant an unarmed officer would be left with a can of CS spray and a baton against a large man armed with two knives. Carriage Gates, one of the entry points to the Palace of Westminster (John Stillwell/PA) Its not an equal fight, a spray against knives, he suggested to Pc James Ross, a former AFO, who was unarmed when he was on duty on March 22 last year. CCTV footage shows officers running from Khalid Masood as he ran towards the gates and Mr Adamson said: Its a very understandable reaction in the circumstances. The officer replied: I imagine so but when he ran towards me I ran back towards the gate. Pc Ross said he did not hear a fellow officer shout: Wheres the firearms, Wheres the firearms? as Masood stabbed his colleague with two foot-long knives. At that time you need them there, said Mr Adamson. And they were, to put it bluntly, nowhere to be seen. Westminster attacker Khalid Masood (Metropolitan Police/PA) Pc Ross replied: No sir. The officer told the court armed officers used to be stationed at the heavy open gates but in 2017 they had a roving patrol. Asked if he thought he would have been able to take an effective shot at Masood, had he been armed, Pc Ross said: From where I was there was two officers in front of me. From where I was the attack was too close to Keith. Its very hard to say. Mr Adamson also suggested security barriers would have also provided officers at the gate with a degree of protection. Whenever youre opening and closing the gates there is no protection at all, Mr Ross said. Its changed now for the better. Theres more protection The inquest heard there were two firearms officers on patrol in New Palace Yard on the day of the attack. Pc Doug Glaze said he held a fixed position on the gates as an AFO until 2012, but was on duty as an unarmed uniformed officer on the day of the attack. He estimated the pair of AFOs on roving patrol would be near the gates about half of the time. Mr Adamson said: As an unarmed officer on the gates, you were in a much more vulnerable position in 2017 than the officers performing those duties when you were a firearms officer in 2012. Pc Glaze replied: You could say that was the case. The lawyer suggested: If you as an AFO, as you were in 2012, had been standing where you used to stand and you saw an attacker like Masood following Keith Palmer as he fell to the floor, you would have discharged your weapon, you would have shot him? Pc Glaze said: I would have made the correct assessment but yes sir. Mr Adamson continued: The chance to save Pc Palmers life was lost, was it not? Pc Glaze said: Certainly had firearms officers been there the threat maybe could have been neutralised. However, Hugo Keith QC, representing the Metropolitan Police, pointed out that the gates were not the only point of New Palace Yard that could be attacked. He asked the witness: Were you aware that about an hour before, for 14 minutes, there had been two AFOs behind the officers at Carriage Gates. Possibly, Pc Glaze replied. Ministers should consider introducing a national recommended allowance for kinship and foster carers, a review has found. The recommendation is one of 12 made in a report by the National Care Allowances Review Group. The Scottish Government set up the group to carry out of a review of allowances paid. The review recommended a national allowance (PA) Chairwoman Iona Colvin, chief social work adviser to the Government, said the nine-month review involved 1,000 young people, foster and kinship carers, adopters and practitioners. The Scottish Recommended Allowance would help ensure greater consistency for young people in foster and kinship care, the group said. Further recommendations include ensuring guidance on allowances for foster and kinship carers is clear and easily available. Adoptive agencies are recommended to ensure prospective adopters are told about the allowance and how to apply for it, as early as possible. Ministers are also urged to consider measures to mitigate the impact of the Universal Credit benefit reform on kinship families, which disregards the child element of the benefit for a looked after and accommodated child. The group recommends local authorities have a clear approach for decisions about additional or exceptional allowances for foster carers. Minister for children and young people Maree Todd said she looks forward to working with local government on agreements to put the recommendations into action. She said: The support that foster and kinship carers receive makes a real difference for them and the children and young people they look after. Services and allowances are different across the country, and this welcome report highlights the importance of ensuring that transparent and accessible information, guidance and support is available for kinship and foster carers, regardless of where they live. Stephen McCabe, children and young people spokesman for local authority umbrella body Cosla, said action would be taken quickly to provide clear information. He said Cosla will work with the Scottish Government to fully consider the recommendations. Arlene Fosters former special adviser proposed a sales pitch for Northern Ireland chicken producer Moy Park during a botched green energy scheme, an inquiry chairman said. Dr Andrew Crawford suggested a change to tiered cost controls to the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), due to be introduced in autumn 2015, which would have advantaged heavier users. Officials at Stormonts Enterprise Department wanted a 1,314-hour threshold for running biomass boilers before payments would be reduced. Dr Crawford suggested 3,000 hours. The chairman of the public inquiry probing the matter, retired judge Sir Patrick Coghlin, claimed: What this is, is a sales pitch for Moy Park. Dr Crawford had three relatives with 11 RHI boilers, who produced chicken for Moy Park. Poultry farmers were major subscribers to the scheme and legitimately used biomass energy to heat their chicken houses. Dr Crawford said he wanted to ensure Stormont Assembly members accepted the cost controls. His intervention was rejected by civil servants. Dr Crawford resigned last year after a senior official accused him of influencing decisions surrounding the scheme. He gave evidence to the RHI public inquiry at Stormont. The late deputy first minister Martin McGuinness resigned in protest at the DUPs alleged handling of the scheme, which led to the collapse of powersharing last year. Repeated rounds of political negotiations have failed to resurrect the institutions. Civil servants wrote a submission surrounding budgetary problems affecting the scheme in 2016. Dr Crawford removed a reference to the poultry industrys uptake of the scheme being a reason for the overspend. Sir Patrick asked: Why remove something that was true? The former special adviser was working in the Department of Finance at the time. Dr Crawford said: My concern was the narrative it was creating, the implications it could have on the wider economy. He added: I removed that particular line, but there was no malice intended by doing that. Major Northern Ireland hotelier Howard Hastings forwarded allegations that the scheme was being abused, which he received from a boiler installer. There was no evidence Dr Crawford passed on the message to the Enterprise Department, the inquiry was told. Marco Silva insists the independent investigation into Evertons alleged tapping-up of him when he was Watford manager is not important. The Premier League has asked a law firm to launch an inquiry into whether the Toffees made an illegal approach for the Portuguese last season, Press Association Sport understands. Everton wanted Silva to be Ronald Koemans replacement after the Dutchman was sacked last October, but, despite an approach to Watford, including the offer of around 10million in compensation, they were denied permission to speak to their primary target. Marco Silva left his position as Watford manager in January (Daniel Hambury/PA). Silva was eventually sacked in January after results took a nosedive, allowing Everton to appoint him at the end of the campaign after bringing Sam Allardyces short-lived reign to an end. Watford issued a statement claiming the catalyst for their drop-off in results was Evertons approach which jeopardised the long-term future of the club. The Hornets complained to the Premier League and, despite its attempts to mediate, and the 40million transfer of Richarlison from Vicarage Road to Goodison Park, there has been no resolution to the dispute. | Congratulations to @richarlison97, who has been called up to the Brazil national team for the first time. @CBF_Futebol Good luck! https://t.co/gCC5Rxyj5L pic.twitter.com/UNIJYMQsU1 Everton (@Everton) August 28, 2018 I dont have thoughts about the situation, said Silva. I dont lose my focus, I am really calm with the situation and my focus is on what is important for me and for us as a club and it is the next game. Ive been working here since July 3 to prepare our squad for the matches and training sessions. I dont hear anything. It is not important for us and for me as a manager, for our players or for us as a club. Everton do not view the latest development as particularly significant, Press Association Sport understands. Instead, they see it as the next step in the process towards a satisfactory conclusion for all parties. The investigation is expected to take several months and if it suggests Everton do have a case to answer, the league would then appoint a QC-led commission which would have the power to impose a large fine. However, the imposition of a points deduction, which is the most severe sanction, would be unprecedented and highly unlikely. Evertons injury crisis has eased slightly with Theo Walcott, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Bernard all in contention for Sundays visit of West Ham with 28million summer signing Yerry Mina training for the first time after a foot injury and midfielder James McCarthy also returning after breaking his leg in January. However, defender Seamus Coleman will be out for two weeks with a stress fracture of the foot. Prisoners in jails across England have been using smuggled mobile phones to broadcast drug use and partying on social media. Inmates, who are not allowed smartphones, have used the handsets to post footage from jails in London and Birmingham, as well as one near Wolverhampton, in the last month. One of the videos, posted from inside Wormwood Scrubs prison in west London this week, shows an inmate bragging about his bag full of narcotics, which appears to contain cannabis and smoking materials. The video shows bundles of cannabis wrapped in paper and clingfilm spread out on the floor, and many more closed paper wraps inside what appears to be plastic packaging for a loaf of bread. Smugglers also conceal contraband on their bodies and a very, very small minority of banned items are brought in by prison staff, he said. Footage from inside the Winson Green jail in Birmingham posted earlier this month shows inmates dancing to loud music in a cell and relaxing on the prison gantry. An inmate at HMP Oakwood, which is near Wolverhampton, has also posted videos showing life in the jail. The Ministry of Justice has branded the behaviour completely unacceptable, adding that those who break prison rules will face tough punishments, including extra time behind bars. Britain and the EU are closing in on an agreement on the terms of the UKs withdrawal and their future relations, Brexit Secretary Dominic Rabb has said. Mr Raab had an extended phone call on Friday with the EUs chief negotiator Michel Barnier to review progress in the Brexit talks. He said that while there were still issues which needed to be resolved, discussions were taking place in the right spirit and that they would have further talks after EU leaders meet next week for an informal summit in Salzburg. Dominic Raab says Britain is closing in on a Brexit deal (Peter Nicholls/PA) Secretary of State @DominicRaab after his phone conversation today with @MichelBarnier, on our progress negotiating a deal that works in all of our interests after we leave the EU. pic.twitter.com/A9dbDIDZZF Department for Exiting the EU (@DExEUgov) September 14, 2018 While there remain some substantive differences we need to resolve, it is clear our teams are closing in on workable solutions to the outstanding issues in the withdrawal agreement, and are having productive discussions in the right spirit on the future relationship, Mr Raab said. We reiterated our willingness to devote the necessary time and energy to bring these negotiations to a successful conclusion. Mr Barnier was more cautious, saying that while they had a useful dialogue, there were still substantive differences including over the Irish border, and protections for regional speciality food products known as geographical indications. He said they were also working to find common ground on the relations after Britain has left. Useful dialogue w/ @DominicRaab this morning on the progress our teams have made this week on the #Brexit WA. But substantive differences remain on the Protocol for IE/NI, governance and GIs. We are also continuing our discussions to find common ground on the future relationship. Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) September 14, 2018 Their comments came after Mr Raab warned on Thursday that Britain could withhold some of the 39 billion divorce bill agreed in December if the there was no overall agreement. Earlier, Mr Barnier had delivered an upbeat assessment suggesting a deal could be tied up within six to eight weeks, in time for agreement at a special leaders summit in November. The potential consequences of a no-deal Brexit were spelled out by Bank of England governor Mark Carney at a special meeting of the Cabinet when he warned ministers of a 35% crash in house prices over three years in a worst case scenario. Speaking in Dublin on Friday, Mr Carney said the Bank had used its stress test to ensure UK banks could continue to function in the event of a disorderly Brexit. The Bank of England is well-prepared for whatever path the economy takes, including a wide range of potential Brexit outcomes, he said. Our job, after all, is not to hope for the best but to plan for the worst. A train company has reversed its policy of keeping 10% of the cash inside lost wallets when passengers reclaim them. Arriva Trains Wales faced an online backlash after a customer expressed his dismay at the practice. It has since announced that it is changing our policy with immediate effect. Train firms say handling lost property takes up a lot of resources (Dominic Lipinski/PA) Adam Howells posted on Twitter that the firm charged him 2 to release his wallet, and kept 10% of the cash it contained. He included the hashtag #TheftByTrain in his messages. Mr Howells also cast doubt on whether the money would have been donated to charity if he had not claimed the wallet as is meant to happen because the money given to him came out of a ticket office till. A number of social media users reacted to his messages with fury. One declared that they were disgusted by the policy while others questioned whether it was lawful. Another described the charges as school ground bully behaviour. The upper limit of the fees that train companies can charge for reclaimed lost property is set out in the National Rail Conditions of Travel. Firms may charge up to 2 per item per day for storage, and up to 30 for handing it back. So my lost wallet was found by @ArrivaTW and they charge me 2 to release it, then take 10% of the cash that was in the wallet! #TheftByTrain Adam Howells (@AdamHowells) September 11, 2018 Arriva Trains Wales initially defended its policy in responses to the Twitter messages, saying that handling lost property takes up a lot of resources and the fees are used towards the running costs of the lost property office. The operator also published its charges for returning various items, which included laptops (25), mobile phones (10) and rucksacks (3). The policy for money said that it would keep 10% of any cash recovered, with a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 10. But a spokesman for the operator later issued an updated statement which read: Our customers feedback is really important to us and following recent feedback on this issue we will now be changing our policy with immediate effect. In this instance we are happy to refund the percentage that was charged to the customer who brought this to our attention. We are happy to begin the process of reviewing the lost property policy with customer groups and rail industry regulatory bodies. Concerns over prison violence that sparked a mass walk-out by officers have been recognised by the Government as justified, their union said. Members of the POA, the trade union for prison staff, were told to return to work by 1pm following meaningful engagement with prisons minister Rory Stewart. Mr Stewart recognised that our concerns are justified and need addressing following Fridays protest, general secretary Steve Gillan said. He said he was confident a deal is a deal after the prison service backed down over seeking an injunction against the demonstrators. They have been demonstrating outside prisons in England and Wales from 7am over unprecedented levels of violence and safety concerns. But Justice Secretary David Gauke branded Fridays action wrong and irresponsible, adding that it does nothing to help reduce levels of violence. He told reporters: I agree with those who say that the level of violence is unacceptably high and we are determined to bring it down. But I think action of this sort does nothing to help that process, and locking prisoners up for 24 hours a day, which may be the consequence of what the POA are doing, only increases the risk of violence. It doesnt help us address it. The action had knock-on effects on court cases, with some defendants in custody unable to be transported to hearings. I, along with Labour and shadow cabinet colleagues, am proud to be supporting the action taken by Prison Officers today to walk out in protest. The Tories are destroying our prison system. Solidarity to the @POAUnion for standing up for U.K. Justice. https://t.co/S1UndGyvmR Ian Lavery MP (@IanLaveryMP) September 14, 2018 The union will hold talks with the prison service on Monday, Mr Gillan said. He told the Press Association the Justice Secretary risked inflaming the situation after an agreement had been reached. The protest cant have made things worse because his minister has recognised that our concerns are justified and need addressing. Thats why we called the protests off, he said. And so while I understand the secretary of state will always say no-one should ever protest, we should rely on negotiation and consultation, unfortunately when nobodys listening to you sometimes youve got to demonstrate that you dont think its right or proper that 25 officers every day are being assaulted when they go to work. He added: It couldnt get any worse than it already was and what we now need is positive action to improve the safety of prisons. Thousands of prison staff took part in the demonstrations, the POA said, which Mr Stewart called unlawful earlier on Friday. Mr Stewart said after the protests ended: I am pleased that all parties have been able to bring a swift resolution to this action which, as I have made clear, was irresponsible and placed fellow staff and prisons at risk. Members of the POA protesting outside HMP Bedford (Stefan Rousseau/PA) The priority now must be to continue our constructive dialogue with the safety of our hard-working prison officers at its absolute heart. Ultimately our aims are the same to see safe, secure and decent establishments that provide a positive environment for staff and prisoners. I have demonstrated my absolute commitment to bringing about that improvement but it will only happen if all sides work together. The walk-out was triggered by a damning report which warned of a dangerous lack of control at HMP Bedford, the union said. Around 50 officers were outside the prison on Friday, with members recalling how one colleagues arm was broken with a pool cue while another had his head stamped on. Richard Gilbert, who has been an officer for 14 years at the facility, said he was suffering with PTSD and depression after a group of inmates repeatedly kicked him in the head. On Thursday, Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke raised the alarm over the potential for a complete breakdown in order and discipline at HMP Bedford. It was the fourth urgent notification the Government has issued since the scheme was introduced less than a year ago. Standards across the prison estate have come under intense scrutiny in recent years amid a slew of highly critical reports and a deterioration in safety measures. In his annual report for 2017/18, Mr Clarke warned staff and inmates have become inured to conditions unacceptable in 21st-century Britain. He highlighted how thousands of inmates are living in squalid and overcrowded cells, locked up for nearly 24 hours a day. Official figures published in July revealed that assault and self-harm incidents were continuing to rise, both reaching new record highs. Overcrowding remains a key issue, with the prison population forecast by the MoJ to steadily rise by more than 3,000 over the next five years, reaching roughly 86,400 places in March 2023. The MoJ said it doubled the prison sentence for anyone who assaults prison officers on Thursday. Drone technology has been used to reveal the ghostly outline of a magnificent lost stately home demolished in the 19th century. Londesborough Hall, near Pocklington, East Yorkshire, was the country retreat of Richard Boyle (1694-1753), the third Earl of Burlington. In 1819 it was pulled down by Burlingtons successor, the Duke of Devonshire, and disappeared without trace. But the long hot summer allowed an aerial photography drone to spot faint outlines of the building in the parched grass. Peter Halkon, senior lecturer in archaeology at the University of Hull, said: It was so dry that buried features were even visible as light brown parch marks in grass fields and lawns. For the first time in living memory every room in the ground plan of Londesborough Hall was revealed as if someone had painted the outline on the grass. The ghostly outline of Londesborough Hall (Peter Halkon/PA) The clarity of the outline of the building was amazing just before the marks disappeared as the rains eventually came. The wet spring and summer drought had made 2018 a bumper year for aerial archaeology in the UK and parts of Europe, he said at the British Science Festival at the University of Hull. The universitys archaeologists joined forces with drone-operators Yorkshire Archaeological Aerial Mapping. Other discoveries included henge monuments, Bronze Age ring ditches, Iron Age square barrows, field systems and settlements, said Dr Halkon. The Iron Age barrows closely resembled those on the continent, especially in the Champagne and Ardennes regions of France and Belgium. This may indicate close continental connections and even evidence of migration, Dr Halkon added. Donald Trumps former campaign chairman has cut a cooperation agreement with US prosecutors and intends to plead guilty to charges related to his Ukrainian consulting work. The deal allows Paul Manafort to avoid a second trial that had been scheduled to start next week in Washington. Manafort was convicted last month of eight financial crimes in a separate trial in Virginia. Paul Manaforts wife Kathleen arrives at federal court in Washington (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP) Prosecutor Andrew Weissman said in court on Friday that Manafort had struck a cooperation agreement. He did not elaborate on the agreement. Manafort told the judge he wants to plead guilty. His second trial would have been related to Ukrainian political consulting work, including failing to register as a foreign agent. The White House said Manaforts decision to plead guilty and cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller is totally unrelated to the president. Press secretary Sarah Sanders said: This had absolutely nothing to do with the President or his victorious 2016 Presidential campaign. It is totally unrelated. Following confirmation businessman Gavin Duffy will contest the election to become the next President of Ireland, here are the four candidates currently in the race for Aras An Uachtarain. Michael D Higgins President Michael D Higgins (Brian Lawless/PA) The sitting President, 77, was born in Limerick and had an academic career in the 1960s-70s, teaching sociology in Ireland and the United States. He entered the political arena in the late 1960s joining the Labour Party and served as a senator in the 1980s before representing Galway West in the Dail from 1987 to 2011. Mr Higgins is a fluent Irish speaker and served as minister for arts, culture and the Gaeltacht in the 1990s. He is also a published poet and has presented TV documentaries. Mr Higgins was first elected president in 2011 after running as an independent candidate. He made history in 2014 when he became the first Irish President to undertake an official state visit to the UK. Earlier this year he welcomed Pope Francis to Ireland, the first papal visit in almost 40 years. As the current president, Mr Higgins is able to nominate himself as an independent candidate for another seven years in office. However he has secured the backing of Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Labour, who have agreed not to field candidates from their own parties. Sean Gallagher Mr Gallagher has declared his intention to run again in the upcoming presidential election (Niall Carson/PA) The 56-year-old businessman and former former Dragons Den star from Ballyhaise, County Cavan, finished second in the 2011 Irish Presidential election. He secured more than half a million first preference votes, but lost out to Mr Higgins. Mr Gallagher has described himself as coming from the Fianna Fail gene pool, but is running as an independent. In 2002 he founded Smarthomes, a home technology business, with Derek Roddy. The company won numerous awards for innovation and Mr Gallagher was a finalist in the 2006 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year contest. Mr Gallagher became a public figure during his time as an investor on RTE Ones Dragons Den from 2008 to 2011. Last year, State broadcaster RTE apologised to Mr Gallagher over a tweet read out during a live TV debate during the last election campaign. The tweet was purported to be from an official account linked to the late Martin McGuinness, who also ran for president in 2011. However, it later emerged the account was not the official campaign account of the Sinn Fein candidate. Mr Gallagher won the backing of Roscommon, Mayo, Leitrim and Wexford councils, and was the first independent candidate to secure a nomination. Gavin Duffy Gavin Duffy is known for his media career (Niall Carson/PA) The entrepreneur and businessman from Sallins, Co Kildare, is best known for his role on the RTE programme Dragons Den. Mr Duffy, 58, started his career as a shareholder in radio stations, and in 1992 he co-founded a media and management consultancy. He is the former owner of HRM, one of Irelands largest recruitment companies. His early career in the media included presenting the first RTE television business programme, Marketplace; broadcasting on Morning Ireland on RTE Radio One, and founding regional radio station LMFM. Later Mr Duffy became a serial entrepreneur and is now a veteran of over 40 start-ups. His venture capital portfolio has been concentrated on recruitment, professional development, education and media. He has been a panellist on the Irish version of Dragons Den for all eight seasons since the show began in 2009. Mr Duffy has worked in the past as an adviser to both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail. He has said he would accept the full presidential salary of 350,000 euro. The current President, Michael D Higgins, has voluntarily reduced his own salary to under 250,000 euro while in office. Mr Duffy will run as an independent candidate after securing his nomination by winning the backing of Waterford, Meath, Carlow and Wicklow councils. Senator Joan Freeman Joan Freeman is the only woman in the race (Niall Carson/PA) The sole woman in the contest so far is a psychologist and mental health activist from Dublin. Senator Joan Freeman, 60, has also served on the Seanad since May 2016 after being nominated by the then Taoiseach Enda Kenny. She is the chairperson on the committee on mental health. Senator Freeman founded Pieta House, a suicide intervention charity, in 2006 in Lucan, County Dublin. It now boasts 12 additional centres around Ireland. Senator Freeman also founded the annual fundraising event Darkness into Light in aid of Pieta House. The event began with 400 participants in 2008 and has since grown with approximately 200,000 people participating in the 2018 events held across Ireland, including at the Phoenix Park. She resigned from Pieta House in 2014, in order to concentrate on developing Solace House, a similar charity based in New York City launched in 2015. Senator Freeman will run as an independent candidate. She earned the backing of Galway City Council as well as Galway County, Fingal and Cork County councils. The Irish Presidential election will be held on October 26. Sinn Fein is set to announce its candidate on Sunday. Armed officers were nowhere to be seen when a terrorist wielding two foot-long knives cut down Pc Keith Palmer in scenes likened to a horror film, an inquest heard. Khalid Masood, 52, repeatedly stabbed Pc Keith Palmer inside the Palace of Westminster and appeared animated and frenzied as he headed towards the MPs entrance looking for more victims. For 46 minutes before, there were no signs of the roving firearms squad near the open Carriage Gates into New Palace Yard where Pc Palmer was killed. Some colleagues, with batons and CS spray, ran away when confronted by the robot-like attacker who had a large knife in each hand, the Old Bailey heard. Dominic Adamson, representing the officers widow Michelle, said it was an understandable reaction to what was not an equal fight. The Palace of Westminsters Carriage Gates were said to be vulnerable (John Stillwell/PA) He said the gates were vulnerable to attack and one of the most identifiable and exploitable weaknesses. He said: The evidence will show that for at least 46 minutes there is no evidence of authorised firearms officers (AFOs) being present or in close proximity to the gates in the CCTV footage. He told the court when they were needed, they were nowhere to be seen. Witnesses described the horrific scenes at the Palace of Westminster before Masood was brought down by a plainclothes officer, who shot him three times. Pc Keith Palmer was stabbed by Khalid Masood (Metropolitan Police/PA) James West, who was inside Portcullis House, said Masood was stabbing downwards, like you see in a horror film in a Hollywood stabbing motion. I remember being amazed because the officer managed to get up after being attacked, after being stabbed so many times. John Campbell said the attacker seemed animated and frenzied afterwards, adding: He was looking for another victim. Pc James Ross said a passer-by shouted in his face: Theres a man with bloody big knives running this way. He said: I saw the suspect had a knife in each hand with blades around a foot long and he was stabbing Pc Palmer in and around the head area. He was hitting with such force that the blade was bending. Masood was shot by a plainclothes officer (Metropolitan Police/PA) Pc Ross said he was trying to get his CS spray out and when he looked back he could only see Masood. He went on: The attacker was walking towards me. He had the knives in his hands. I had a moment at that time I have never been able to remember from when he was walking towards me. I still have no recollection of it. Referring to what he has since seen on CCTV footage, Pc Ross added: I have run to the gate, then stopped, turned around, then (I was) running at the suspect with some kind of plan in my head to try and tackle him before he got anyone else. He told the court armed officers used to be stationed at the heavy open gates but in 2017 they had a roving patrol. Pc Doug Glaze thought there was a Mumbai-style attack and shouted for firearms after hearing an explosion and screams. He said: I looked over my right shoulder. I saw who I now know to be Masood inside, already, the grounds. He was walking like a robot with his arms going up and down. Asked about his reaction, Pc Glaze said: I remember thinking, were going to die. Mr Adamson suggested the chance to save Pc Palmer was lost for the lack of armed presence on the spot. Pc Glaze, who used to be an armed officer, said: Certainly had firearms officers been there the threat maybe could have been neutralised. File picture of armed police officers on patrol (Kirsty OConnor/PA) Senior parliamentary assistant Antonia Kerridge watched Masood stab Pc Palmer up to four times from her office in Portcullis House opposite. Gareth Patterson QC, for families of other victims, said the attack came after Theresa May had finished Prime Ministers Questions. He asked: If he had made it to the members entrance does it allow him access to the Chamber? Ms Kerridge said there was a network of corridors and rooms, but they would eventually lead there. Mr Patterson continued: We know there had been PMQs that day at 12pm and PMQs had finished by the time of this attack. Is that the entrance the PM leaves the courtyard and she would no doubt have an office in the building beyond that entrance? The witness said: Presumably yes, along with other ministers who would work there. Frantic scenes of people rushing to offer first aid were captured on a mobile phone. A man could be heard urging Pc Palmer to fight for his life, shouting: Keith, come on son. An ambulance arrived on the scene just before 3pm but efforts to save Pc Palmers life stopped at 3.15pm. The attack on Pc Palmer came after Masood had mowed down and killed four pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. Donald Trumps former campaign chairman has pleaded guilty to two federal crimes after cutting a deal with US prosecutors and agreeing to cooperate with the special counsels Russia probe. The move allows Paul Manafort to avoid a second criminal trial and ends his fight against investigators in the Russia probe. Manafort was convicted last month of eight financial crimes in a separate trial in Virginia and faces seven to 10 years in prison in that case. On Friday, prosecutor Andrew Weissman said in court that Manafort had struck a cooperation agreement and would plead guilty to charges related to his Ukrainian political consulting work. He wanted to make sure that his family was able to remain safe and live a good life. Hes accepted responsibility. This is for conduct that dates back many years and everybody should remember that, Manaforts attorney Kevin Downing said. Paul Manaforts wife Kathleen arrives at federal court in Washington (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP) The charges do not relate to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, which is the central issue in the special counsels investigation into possible contacts between Mr Trumps campaign and Russia. Still, the move gives Mr Mueller another successful conviction while allowing Manafort to avoid facing another costly public trial that this time focused on allegations that he acted as an unregistered foreign agent for Ukrainian interests. Mr Mueller also gained a key cooperator in Manafort, who participated in a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with a Russian lawyer that Donald Trump Jr attended despite it being described as part of a Russian government effort to aid his fathers campaign. A grand jury used by Mr Mueller has heard testimony about the meeting. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said the Manafort case has nothing to do with Mr Trump. This had absolutely nothing to do with the President or his victorious 2016 Presidential campaign. It is totally unrelated. The president did nothing wrong, said Rudy Giuliani, Mr Trumps attorney, in a statement. Once again an investigation has concluded with a plea having nothing to do with President Trump or the Trump campaign. Under the terms of Fridays plea deal, prosecutors dropped the bulk of the charges against Manafort, filing new paperwork that includes just two counts that resemble in many ways the original allegations made in an indictment last year. The charges include conspiracy against the United States and conspiracy to obstruct justice. It is unclear how the possible deal might affect Manaforts pursuit of a pardon from President Donald Trump. The president has signalled that he is sympathetic to Manaforts cause. Manafort has aggressively fought the charges against him and taken shots at his co-defendant, Rick Gates, who cut a deal with prosecutors earlier this year that included a cooperation agreement. Princess Eugenie and her fiance Jack Brooksbank have been touched by the many good wishes they have received in the run up to their wedding, Buckingham Palace has said. The couple, who will wed on October 12, have released details of their nuptials as the countdown begins to their big day. The service will take place at Windsor Castles St Georges Chapel at 11am, with the Dean of Windsor, David Conner, officiating and the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, leading the prayers. Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank will wed on October 12 (Ian West/PA) Like the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs wedding, held at the same chapel, 1,200 members of the public have been invited into the castle grounds to enjoy the occasion. Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie and Mr. Jack Brooksbank have been touched by the many good wishes they have received in the run up to their wedding on 12 October. As the wedding approaches the couple wish to share the following details: https://t.co/iMkJIBvtWZ pic.twitter.com/rpkA94YUwq The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 14, 2018 The palace said that after receiving more than 100,000 applications, invitations had now gone out to the lucky group chosen. Buckingham Palace said: Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank have been touched by the many good wishes they have received in the run up to their wedding on October 12 2018. They are looking forward to celebrating with their family, friends, and members of the public within the castle grounds and in Windsor. Other guests in the castle grounds will include representatives of charities and organisations supported by the couple, including the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, the Teenage Cancer Trust, the Salvation Army and the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women. Children from two local schools both attended by the princess, St Georges and Coworth Flexlands, will be present, alongside members of the Windsor community, residents of Windsor Castle and a number of Royal Household staff. After the service the newlyweds will ride in a carriage through the streets of Windsor as Harry and Meghan did, but their route will not be as long. Crowds are expected to watch the couple as they travel along Castle Hill, High Street and Park Street. Following the carriage procession the Queen will give a reception at Windsor Castle for the couple and their guests. Hurricane Florence has killed a mother and child in North Carolina. The Wilmington Police Department said the two were killed when a tree fell on their house. The father was transported to a hospital for treatment. North Carolinas governors office said a third person was killed while plugging in a generator. The hurricane has torn buildings apart and hundreds have been trapped by rising water (AP Photo/Chuck Burton) The hurricane came ashore early on Friday, pounding the state with torrential rain and high winds. Forecasters have been predicting catastrophic flash flooding. The National Hurricane Centre in Miami says more than 16 inches of rain have fallen at locations in southeast North Carolina and another 20 to 25 inches is on the way. The hurricane has torn buildings apart and knocked out power to more than 600,000 homes and businesses. Currently ~150 awaiting rescue in New Bern. We have 2 out-of-state FEMA teams here for swift water rescue. More are on the way to help us. WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU. You may need to move up to the second story, or to your attic, but WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU. #FlorenceNC City of New Bern (@CityofNewBern) September 14, 2018 More than 60 people had to be pulled from a collapsing motel and hundreds more were rescued elsewhere from rising water. WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU, the city of New Bern tweeted around 2am local time. You may need to move up to the second story, or to your attic, but WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU. Please share this safety info for #Florence: If trapped in a building, go to the highest floor. Do not climb into a closed attic; you may get trapped by rising floodwater. Get on the roof only if necessary. Call 9-1-1 for emergencies. pic.twitter.com/Hna2aGpmMP FEMA (@fema) September 14, 2018 The giant, 400-mile-wide hurricane unloaded heavy rain, flattened trees, chewed up roads and knocked out power to more than 600,000 homes and businesses. Forecasters say the biggest danger is the water as the storm surge along the coastline and the prospect of one to three-and-a-half feet of rain over the coming days could trigger catastrophic flooding inland. Some of our beloved bears have wandered off. These statues, which New Bern is known for, are extremely heavy & bolted down at sponsoring businesses. This one ended up in the middle of S. Front St! pic.twitter.com/jvCohJiesY City of New Bern (@CityofNewBern) September 14, 2018 By early afternoon, Florences winds had weakened to 75mph, just barely a hurricane and well below the storms terrifying Category 4 peak of 140 mph earlier in the week. But the hurricane had slowed to a crawl as it traced the North Carolina-South Carolina shoreline, drenching coastal communities for hours on end. The town of Oriental had taken more than 18 inches of rain just a few hours into the deluge, while Surf City had 14 inches and it was still coming down. Hurricane Florence is powerful, slow and relentless, North Carolina governor Roy Cooper said. Its an uninvited brute who doesnt want to leave. This storm is going to continue its violent grind across our state for days. Be alert. To those in the storm path, if you can hear me please stay sheltered in place. Do NOT go out into this storm. - Gov. Cooper. pic.twitter.com/YEWgyCIJit Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) September 14, 2018 Mr Cooper said the hurricane was wreaking havoc on the coast and could wipe out entire communities as it makes its violent grind across our state for days. He said parts of North Carolina had seen storm surges the bulge of seawater pushed ashore by the hurricane as high as 10 feet. Florence made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane at 7.15am at Wrightsville Beach, a few miles east of Wilmington and not far from the South Carolina line, coming ashore along a mostly boarded-up, emptied-out stretch of coastline. There was extensive damage to Tidewater Brewing Company in Wilmington (Chuck Burton/AP) It was expected to begin pushing its way westward across South Carolina later in the day, in a watery siege that could go on all weekend. For people living inland in the Carolinas, the moment of maximum peril from flash flooding could arrive days later, because it takes time for rainwater to drain into rivers and for those streams to crest. A boat was wedged in trees during Hurricane Florence in Orienta (Angie Propst.AP) Preparing for the worst, about 9,700 National Guard troops and civilians were deployed with high-water vehicles, helicopters and boats that could be used to pluck people from the floodwaters. Authorities warned, too, of the threat of mudslides and the risk of environmental havoc from floodwaters washing over industrial waste sites and hog farms. Sir Vince Cable has urged disillusioned Labour and Tory supporters to jump ship to the Liberal Democrats and sink Brexit on the eve of what is almost certain to be his last party conference as leader. As the Lib Dems gather in Brighton some in the party remain unhappy at Sir Vinces slow motion resignation, but the former business secretary is trying to put out a positive message as he talks up the prospect of creating a political middle with muscle. Sir Vince insisted a fresh referendum on the terms of EU withdrawal was vital for the country. Sir Vince Cable says disillusioned Labour and Tory supporters can help to sink Brexit by joining the Lib Dems He told the Press Association: We enter this conference season with Brexit on a knife edge. Its our duty to make sure we secure the peoples vote the country desperately needs. Hopefully, we can help Labour moderates put pressure on their leadership to join us in this fight. The Lib Dem leader added: I want to make an open pitch to the people of this country who are fed up with the extremes of the current Conservative and Labour parties. Whether you see yourself as a liberal, social democrat, progressive, or centrist there is a home for you here, particularly as we fight Brexit together. I have made proposals to open up our movement to become an even more powerful force at the centre of British politics, standing up to power and privilege to bring fairness and opportunity for everyone. Britain needs a movement that is ready to lead in the interest of the millions of UK citizens who dont have a voice. That movement is the Liberal Democrats pic.twitter.com/VKIT4XRchN Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) September 7, 2018 In a bid to confront widespread criticism of his leadership ahead of the conference, Sir Vince last week announced he would stand down once Brexit was resolved or stopped. However, the move proved controversial as Sir Vince refused to set out a firm leaving date, insisting he would like to lead the party into the May local elections. Sir Vinces call for a major shake-up of party rules to allow a non MP to succeed him as leader and let people join the Lib Dems for free has also caused controversy. The Lib Dems say 10,000 people have pre-registered their interest to become party members since Sir Vince outlined the proposed reforms. The conference is likely to see a jostling for position among potential leaders like Sir Vinces deputy Jo Swinson and former energy secretary Sir Ed Davey. US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has denied an allegation of sexual misconduct from when he was in high school. In a statement released by the White House, Mr Kavanaugh said: I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time. Senate Republicans insist Mr Kavanaughs confirmation remains on track. But the allegation has inflamed an already intense political battle over President Donald Trumps nominee. Brett Kavanaugh denies the allegations made against him (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) We can't let up. Brett Kavanaugh would gut the Affordable Care Act and threaten women's rights. Keep making those calls: https://t.co/m1Er26iDZ1 The Democrats (@TheDemocrats) September 14, 2018 It also pushes the #MeToo movement into the court fight, less than two months before congressional elections that have seen a surge of female Democratic candidates. The New Yorker magazine reported that the alleged incident took place at a party when Mr Kavanaugh, now 53, was attending Georgetown Preparatory School. The woman making the allegation attended a nearby school. The magazine says the woman sent a letter about the allegation to Democrats. A Democratic aide and another person familiar with the letter confirmed on Friday to The Associated Press that the allegation is sexual in nature. Two other people familiar with the matter confirmed it concerned an incident alleged to have occurred in high school. The AP has not confirmed the details of the incident alleged in The New Yorkers account. Hatch statement on Brett Kavanaugh, and the reports of accusations made against him -->https://t.co/yFryrlzJ2M #utpol pic.twitter.com/p3zGLRP4U9 Senator Hatch Office (@senorrinhatch) September 14, 2018 Rallying to Mr Kavanaughs defence, 65 women who knew him in high school issued a letter saying Mr Kavanaugh has always treated women with decency and respect. The letter was circulated by Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee. We are women who have known Brett Kavanaugh for more than 35 years and knew him while he attended high school between 1979 and 1983, wrote the women, who said most of them had attended all-girl high schools in the area. For the entire time we have known Brett Kavanaugh, he has behaved honourably and treated women with respect. The show of support for Mr Kavanaugh was organised by his former law clerks. Three women reached by AP said they were first asked to sign the letter on Thursday. The swift pushback comes after the Senate Judiciary Committees top Democrat, Dianne Feinstein of California, notified federal investigators about information she received about the nominee. .@SenFeinstein moved to subpoena Judge Kavanaughs records from the Bush White House records Republicans have refused to review. Republicans voted no. What are they hiding? pic.twitter.com/1eOA2s64FC Senate Democrats (@SenateDems) September 13, 2018 Ms Feinstein will not disclose the information publicly, but the FBI confirmed it has included it in Mr Kavanaughs background file at the committee, now available confidentially to all senators. Mr Kavanaughs nomination has divided the Senate and the new information complicates the process, especially as key Republican senators, including Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, are under enormous pressure from outside groups seeking to sway their votes on grounds that a Justice Kavanaugh might vote to undercut the Roe v Wade abortion ruling. One activist group favouring abortion choice, NARAL, called on Mr Kavanaugh to withdraw from consideration. The Judiciary Committee, which has finished confirmation hearings for Mr Kavanagh, still plans to vote next Thursday on whether to recommend that he be confirmed by the full Senate, a spokesman said. The White House called Ms Feinsteins move an 11th hour attempt to delay his confirmation. Ms Collins held an hour-long phone call with Mr Kavanaugh on Friday, her spokeswoman confirmed. It had been a previously scheduled follow-up to an initial visit that Mr Kavanaugh made to her office in August. It was not immediately clear if they discussed the new information. If Ms Collins or Ms Murkowski should vote for Mr Kavanaugh, he is likely to be confirmed. Every other Republican in the Senate is expected to vote yes and some Democrats from Trump-won states may join them though it remains to be seen if the misconduct allegation will cost him any support. With the beginning of the Ganesh festival, a season of political manoeuvring has also started. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took the lead in getting closer to leaders from other parties. For the fourth year in a row, he visited the residence of Shiv Sena secretary Milind Narvekar, a Man Friday for chief Uddhav Thackeray, to seek the blessings of Lord Ganesh. Muhurat for the season of political manoeuvring? (Photo: Twitter/@Dev_Fadavis) He did not miss the opportunity to visit the house of tainted Congress leader Kripashankar Singh for the same. And if it were not enough, Fadnavis hosted a disgruntled Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Jaidatta Kshirsagar at his official residence and honoured him by making him do the Ganesh aarti. If Maharashtra CM @Dev_Fadnavis visit to Mr.KripaShankar Singh (Ex-MLA/Kalina Assembly) house,how can we expect clean chit enquiry?And we all knew the charges that were levied on Mr.KripaShankar Singh @AAPMaharashtra @aapmumbai and how can @MahaDGIPR or @CPMumbaiPolice act on it? pic.twitter.com/Xej0XFbuuy AAP N-C Mumbai (@AAPNCMum) September 13, 2018 A source in the BJP said Fadnavis hopes that Narvekar is likely to play a key role in bringing dejected Shiv Sena closer to the BJP in the next elections. Narvekar, along with senior Shiv Sena leader Anil Desai, is drafting a reconciliation plan for the allies. The source said Shiv Sena will insist on simultaneous elections of the Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly in April. Devendra Fadnavis visited the residence of Shiv Sena secretary Milind Narvekar on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi (Photo: Mail Today) Thackeray will be ready for an alliance only if he is confident that the BJP will not ditch him like it did it in 2014. Apart from that, Uddhav Thackeray wants to rotate the CMs post after 2.5 years. He will not agree for an alliance unless he is assured of the CMs post, the source said. The BJP looks at Singh as its potential candidate for Lok Sabha election. There is a speculation that BJP will field him from Mumbai North-Central constituency, currently represented by Poonam Mahajan, president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM). The party is thinking of shifting Mahajan either to Mumbai North-West constituency or Kanpur in UP. Singh has discarded the speculation but the BJPs affection towards him tells a different story. The party had proposed Singhs name from Jaunpur Lok Sabha constituency in UP in 2014 but the local leaders had shot down his candidature. He has been discharged recently from the multi-crore disproportionate assets case. Speculations are rife that BJP wants to field KripalShankar Singh from Mumbai North-Central constituency, currently represented by Poonam Mahajan (File/Agency) That might work in his favour this time. The BJP hopes Singh will help it in garnering north Indian votes. Rumour mills went into overdrive as Kshirsagar, a heavyweight from Beed, reached Fadnaviss residence. He also called on Pankaja Munde, BJP minister for women and child development, at her official residence to pay his obeisance to lord Ganesh. The NCP had sidelined Kshirsagar in the zila parishad election last year. Fadnavis had visited his house in December last year for a cup of tea during his visit to Beed. The BJP is likely to field Kshirsagar in the Lok Sabha election from Beed constituency currently held by Pankajas younger sister Pritam. BJP president Amit Shah is reportedly not happy with Pritam as she spends the maximum amount of her time in Mumbai and not in her constituency. Interestingly, Shah is also upset with her since she had not answered his phone call six months ago, when the Parliament was about to discuss a bill on triple talaq. (Courtesy of Mail Today) Also Read: Why there will be no reunion of BJP and Shiv Sena in near future In calling the bluff on Chinese investments and recusing his country from earlier deals, the Malaysian Prime Minister may have eased Indias own concerns on Chinese presence around Malacca Straits At 93, Mahathir Mohamads political career has spanned over 70 years and the wily nonagenarian has returned as the Malaysian Prime Minister after an itchy retirement lasting 15 years. The statesman, credited with transforming Malaysia from an agrarian to an industrial powerhouse in his first term of 22 years, has ostensibly returned to save his country from the wrath of the multi-billion 1MDB scandal, substantial parts of which were linked to the Chinese involvement. Mahathirs successful electoral campaign, pitched against the great-grandmother-of-all-scandals, was seen as a possible roadblock to the growing portents of Sinosphere under the previous Najib Razak regime, who had started courting mammoth Chinese investments into Malaysia. Meanwhile, the Chinese have been on a relentless prowl to hook cash-strapped countries with its gargantuan Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to create uninterrupted routes, connectivity and infrastructure along both land and seaways. The Chinese juggernaut towards this proposed solidification of interlinkages has led to infamous belligerence and appropriations in the South China Seas and the String of pearls ports that dot along the life-sustaining maritime passages. The approach of the Chinese efforts varies from the simple cheque-book diplomacy of funding investments (eg Philippines), coercion (eg Doklam in Bhutan) to surreptitious debt-traps (eg Hambantota port in Sri Lanka). A lethal and irresistible combination of financial, military and diplomatic muscle is leveraged to ensnare and ensure the requisite Chinese footprint. Often, this Chinese footprint initially comes under the guise of civil facilities and infrastructure, which later morphs into the dual-usage (civil and military) platforms, as was done recently at the mouth of the strategically placed Djibouti base of the Chinese Navy. The sophisticated pattern of patiently luring the bait follows the generous doles of unpayable Chinese investments, which are, thereafter, settled with certain compromises in the form of invaluable bases, arrangements and irretrievable alignments. Recently, this had led the old warhorse and one-time critic of the West, Mohamad Mahathir, to presciently forewarn of the Chinese tact as a new version of colonialism. Malaysia and the southern tip of the Indian Islands of Andaman and Nicobar overlook and physically dominate the most sensitive and vulnerable chokepoint of Chinese nightmares in the Malacca Straits. This ultra-narrow straits host the busiest shipping lanes in the world with over 100,000 ships plying nearly 30 per cent of the global trade. From a Chinese perspective, it sustains the Chinese Dream fueled by trade and an unending appetite for energy sources. A potential doomsday scenario of a choke in the Malacca Straits has led to two strategic actions: First, to attempt creating alternate corridors like the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) or rail-linkages with the Eurasian nations, all dovetailed under the BRI initiative. Second, to invest disproportionately in the Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR) to create adequate energy buffer stocks to withstand any unforeseen disruption in these regime-sustaining seaways. However, given the best economic viability of the seaways as opposed to overland routes, the essential preference remains on ensuring the uninterruptedness of these seaways by way of establishing strong Chinese footprints all along the route. Given that only India and Malaysia have the maritime real-estate around these vulnerable Malacca Straits (as narrow as 1.5 nautical miles wide at the Philips Channel) both from a sovereign and military perspective, any untoward presence of the Chinese could upset the applecart of power balance. Currently, this area is relatively free from overt militarisation, given that the traditional Chinese naval muscularity is restricted further up in the South China Seas and the Indian Andaman and Nicobar Tri-Services Command has also adopted a defensive posture and build-up. However, the presence of Chinese warships could undo the equations as they are threatening to do so in the Maldives, or in the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka, where the Chinese have acquired port control for a 99 year lease. Till the recent change in the Malaysian regime, amongst various investments that the Chinese were dangling was to invest $7.2 billion in the redevelopment of the Malaysian Malacca Port to a deep sea port (capable of handling aircraft carriers), a promise that could rival Singapore port facilities. This had the signature Chinese debt traps written all over it, which could ultimately lead to Chinese presence in these calm waters. The sagacious Mahathir had to walk the tight rope of calling the bluff of Chinese investments, as also recognising the importance of maintaining cordial relations with its biggest trading partner. His first port of international call after assuming prime ministership was Beijing, where he was feted and honoured with the disconcerting realisation that Mahathir had personified the anti-Chinese sentiment and had to be charmed for future acquiescence. However, age hadnt withered the blunt Mahathir who lost none of his chutzpah in declaring on Chinese soil, We are not against Chinese companies, but we are against borrowing money from outside and having projects which are unnecessary, and which are very costly, after he had announced the cancellation of three major Chinese contracts for an East Coast Rail Link and two gas pipelines, arguing the cost was inflated and the terms werent favourable to Malaysia. The Chinese are not known to take sleights of colonialism very easily but are cognizant of the fact that Mohamad Mahathir at 93 will be resolute on sovereign pride, independence and legacy that could militate against Chinese ambitions and debt-imperialism. With a spiralling debt of $250 billion, declared concern on Chinese intent and non-issues with the existing infrastructure around Malacca Straits, Mohamad Mahathir may have inadvertently eased Indias own concerns on Chinese presence around the Malacca Straits. Even his remark that free trade should also be fair trade had unmistakable pointers of correcting the China-first approach that dominated the Malaysian narrative. Mahathir will be welcomed into comity of the Sino-wary nations in the Asean region and will find alternate trading partners in the Japanese, Indian and Australian markets, who have their own long-term concerns and apprehensions with the formula of initial Chinese benevolence and its subsequent aftermath. (The writer, a military veteran, is a former Lt Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry) Even as India is yet to acquire Spike anti-tank guided missiles fired from shoulder from Israel, the Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) is conducting tests on indigenously designed Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM). The second flight test of the missile was successfully conducted on Sunday at the Ahmednagar range in Maharashtra. The missile can be fired by an infantry soldier from his shoulder to destroy enemy tanks at ranges varying from three to four km. The Army desperately needs them to replace the older Milan and Konkur missiles. The indigenously developed MPATGM is a third generation system and if it meets all parameters specified by the Army will be inducted into infantry and parachute battalions. The DRDO has developed the system in collaboration with an Indian private sector defence unit which is supplying sub-systems, sources said here. The official statement issued after the test said all the mission objectives were met during trial and the two missions on Saturday and Sunday have been successfully flight tested for different ranges including the maximum range capability. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman congratulated the DRDO, Indian Army and associated Industries for the twin success of MPATGM weapon system. Equipped with fire and forget mechanism with lock before launch, the missile has an effective range of more than 2,500 metres. The warhead on the missile can penetrate 750mm to 850mm and the system is dual mode with the capability of day and night imaging infra red seeker. The total weight of the portable missile system is about 19kg, sources said. With the Army needing more than 50,000 such systems, efforts are on to buy a limited number of Spike missiles from Israel through Government to government route to plug critical gaps as the DRDO missile will take at least three to four years before declared operationally ready, sources said. As per earlier plans the Army wanted to buy more than 8,400 Spike systems in a deal worth over one billion dollars. However, the Government decided to scrap the plan and opted for the indigenous missile system. Since it will take some time, the Army has urged the Government to allow it buy about 4,500 Spike systems worth over 500 million dollars as a stop gap arrangement and the Government is favourably inclined, they said. The Spike system has longer range than the indigenous system and can hit a target beyond five kms. After National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) now displaced migrant community too has made up its mind to boycott the upcoming civic and Panchayat polls in Jammu and Kashmir. According to prominent Kashmiri pandit leaders the decision was taken after names of around 1 lakh voters,residing in Jammu, were found missing in the freshly prepared voters list for municipal polls in the State. Various Kashmiri pandit leaders and organisations have already labelled this act as nothing less than constitutional lynching. We are at the receiving end under BJP rule in the State. We had never expected this scenario. Our names have been deleted from the voters list even after paying our regular taxes and participating in the previous Municipal polls in 2005, several kashmiri pandit leaders said echoing similar sentiments against the lopsided decision. One of the senior most leader of Panun Kashmir, a prominent organisation of displaced Kashmiri pandits, Dr Ajay Chrungoo said, it is a sinister plot against the members of the displaced community. They want to write off our names even from electoral records. He said, We are being penalised for criticising working of BJP led Government. He said by delisting around 1 lakh voters without their consent the Government is committing biggest human rights violation. Questioning the logic behind the decision Kashmiri pandits said, in 2005 when last Municipal polls were held in the State we had participated in large numbers in Jammu region. Even one of our candidates Sheela Handoo was electedfrom ward no 64 in Jammu. But this time even her own name has been deleted from the voters list. Migrant Kashmiri pandits claimed when we are living in Jammu for past 28 years and paying our regular taxes to different State Government departments how can we go to Kashmir and participate in the polls from Kashmir valley. The kashmiri pandits had submitted their representations to Chief Electoral Officer of the state and had even demanded that the Government must allow them to cast their votes on the basis of electoral rolls of 2012 or 2016 when their names existed in the list else they would be left with no other opportunity but to boycott the polls. 3-member BJP team in Goa discusses leadership issue with allies Goa plunged into a major political uncertainty after Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was admitted to AIIMS on Saturday night. The BJP has sent a three-member team of general secretary (Organisation) Ram Lal, joint secretary BL Santosh and Goa-incharge Vijay Purnaik to Panjim to take stock of the situation and deal with demand from the allies to resolve the leadership crisis in view of Parrikars prolonged illness. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari is expected to join them in Goa on Monday. The BJP has decided to take pre-emptive measures as the Congress has swung into action to capitalise on the situation saying it is ready to explore formation of a party-led Government. Parrikar has been ailing for eight months, but the BJP has been forced to take a look at the leadership issue after Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) chief Deepak Dhavalikar said Parrikar can remain the Chief Minister but he should hand over the charge of Chief Minister to the senior-most Minister in his Cabinet during his absence. The senior-most Minister in Parrikars Cabinet happens to be the MGP chiefs elder brother and PWD Minister Sudin Dhavilkar. On whether his brother should be Parrikars replacement as Chief Minister, the MGP chief said, I dont know...let them tell who is the senior most. I am just saying that whoever is given charge should be the senior most. The Goa Chief Minister, who has been suffering from pancreatic ailments, has been in the AIIMS old private ward under the supervision of Dr Pramod Garg from the Gastroenterology Department. Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited AIIMS to enquire about Parrikars health on Sunday. Parrikar, 62, had returned from the US in the first week of September, days after which he was admitted to hospital at Candolim in north Goa. Earlier this year, he had undergone a three-month-long treatment in the US. The BJP team reached Panjim on Sunday afternoon and held talks with allies as well independent MLAs, whose support is must to keep the BJP-led Government afloat. They will be holding a series of meetings on Sunday and Monday with BJP leaders and also the alliance partners the Goa Forward Party, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and Independents, BJP State chief Vinay Tendulkar told reporters. The BJP Central observers also met the partys legislators as well as Goa unit chief Vinay Tendulkar and Member of Parliament (South Goa) Narendra Sawaikar at a city hotel. Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, after the meeting, said that he had given his views about the current political situation and it was now for the party to take a decision. Rane, however, refused to divulge details of the meeting. We have briefed them about the facts. Each one of us has our own views and we briefed them about it. It is not right to come out in public with what we discussed, said the Goa Health Minister. While the BJP has asked the GFP and MGP to merge their parties with the saffron outfit, both of them have refused to take the bait. BJP leader Michael Lobo, who is the Deputy Speaker of the Goa Assembly, had said on Saturday that the party emissaries will suggest the allies that they should become part of the saffron party and only after that there would be discussion on the next Chief Minister. The BJP currently has 14 legislators in the 40-member Assembly while the GFP and the MGP have three MLAs each. The national party is also supported by three Independents. The Opposition Congress has 16 MLAs while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has one legislator. Meanwhile, the Congress on Sunday said it was watching the developments and may explore the possibility of forming a Government in Goa but not by compromising the States interest. Our stand is very clear. We will definitely explore all possibilities but that does not mean that we will do it by compromising the ideology or the interest of Goans, All India Congress Committee secretary A Chellakumar, who is also Goa in-charge of the party, said. We are not in a hurry to capture power by compromising the interest of the people of Goa. The Congress is accountable to the people, Chellakumar added. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh informed on Sunday that public sector mining giant NMDCs Nagarnar integrated steel plant is all likely to be commissioned by next month. The work in Nagarnar plant project is in final stage and we all expect its commissioning very soon, possibly by next month, Singh remarked at Jagdalpur while addressing a press conference during his ongoing Atal Vikas Yatra. Singh stated that Nagarnar plant would unleash industrialisation and development in vast mineral rich Bastar region which is made up of seven districts. NMDC, Indias largest iron ore miner and exporter in public sector, is setting up a 3 MTPA capacity greenfield Integrated Steel Plant based on HiSmelt technology at Nagarnar on outskirts of Jagdalpur with an estimated outlay of Rs 20,000 crore. He claimed that his Government has pushed development in tribal dominated Bastar region and high class infrastructure facilities including in health and education sectors have been developed in Dantewada and Bijapur districts. He highlighted Dantewadas Education Hub, Astha, Prayas and others as the models of development. I want active participation of each person for development plan of Bastar region. Naxalism is one of the problems but slowly it is being eliminated like the case it was in Sarguja region, he said. Taking on Congress leaders who hit out at him for doing nothing for development of Bastar, he said that opposition party leaders must visit to Bastar to witness the development. There was a time when through single 132 KV connection, Bastar used to get power. Now 200 KV second line and 240 KV third line is ready. Now, there would be no darkness is Bastar as in each village and house the power supply is being provided, Singh announced. Chief Minister said that Chhattisgarh is the only state where farmers are being provided bonus on paddy procured through minimum support price. This Kharif year 80 lakh tonnes paddy procurement target has been set. Similarly, tendu leaf collectors would also get bonus in Bastar and Sarguja division which amounts to Rs 750 crore,. The Congress is not in a hurry. The party will wait for the declaration of candidates by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Congress will declare the list of candidates thereafter, said All India Congress Committee, Screening Committee Chief for Chhattisgarh, Bhubaneswar Kalita on Sunday. Kalita, who arrived at state capital on a two-day visit to the state on Sunday, while talking to some selected media persons here at State Congress Office Rajiv Bhawan, made the statement while answering on a query about delay in declaration of Congress candidates. With the statement of Kalita it is now quite clear that Congress has now moved towards to adopt the wait and watch policy. It would wait for the declaration of candidates of BJP and keeping in view, the caste equations and other influencing factors on voters, would like field the candidates accordingly. Meanwhile, after arrival to capital, Kalita took a meeting of Election Committee on Sunday afternoon and thereafter had close door one-to-one talk with the senior leaders of state Congress. He had also held discussion to know their views about the names in the panel prepared by the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee. With the 'Land and Development Office' (L&D) clearing the way to regularise encroachment at Lajpat Nagar-IV, at least 400 shops, which were sealed last year on the direction of the Supreme Court appointed Monitoring Committee, will be de-sealed by South Delhi Municipal Corporation, said Leader of the Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta. Gupta said he talked to the officers of the L&D in this regard, which has cleared the way to regularise encroachment with 10 feet in front of these 400 shops and 17.5 feet on the back of these shops. With this process, de-sealing of these shops will not be temporary but a permanent one, he said. He also said the shopkeepers will not have to deposit rupees one lakh for de-sealing of their shops in terms of the directions of the Monitoring Committee. Gupta said the L&D office has prepared a policy for regularisation of encroachments made by these shopkeepers in Lajpat Nagar-IV. Regularisation of encroachment under this policy will lead to a permanent solution for de-sealing, he added. Earlier, a delegation of Lajpat Nagar-IV readymade garments market association met with LOP and pleaded to find a solution to the sealing problem. Following it, Gupta spoke to the officers of the L&D office after which temporary de-sealing was stopped, Gupta said in a statement. Delhi BJP on Sunday held 'Atal Kavyanjli' sessions in 66 Vidhan sabha constituencies all across the national Capital to pay tribute to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his first month death anniversary. The programme organised by New Delhi District BJP at Dr Ambedkar International Centre was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh while the Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj graced the concluding session. Delhi BJP President Manoj Tiwari presided over the main poetry and tribute session. Other leaders present on the occasion were national secretary Tarun Chugh, Meenakshi Lekhi, organising general secretary Sidharthan and Union Minister Vijay Goel. Inaugurating the session Rajnath Singh recalled various incidents associated with Atal Bihari Vajpayee's life and shared some light moments with the audience during his address. He said that Atal Bihari was an altruistic personality who was accepted by all across political ideology. He recalled the 1999 incident saying that when Pak Infiltrates tried to enter Indian territory and Indian Army strongly retaliated by not only sending them back but also entering their territory. "At that point of time Atal ji asked the Indian Army to not to enter their territory as this not our culture and hence I always say he was a person with a large heart," said Rajnath Singh . Singh further elaborated that he had "superb diplomatic skills" and recalled that there was a time when China used to stake claim on Sikkim but due to Atal Bihari's diplomatic skills during his 2003 visit to China the host country was forced to accept that Sikkim was a part of India. Presiding over the program Manoj Tiwari informed that the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Kavyanjli program is being organized at 66 different locations all over Delhi and the main program is being held here at Dr BR Ambedekar International centre . He said : "Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a versatile personality who was above petty political squabbles. In parliament as an opposition leaders also he often he used his poetic skills to win over the even the ruling party members". Addressing the gathering Sushma Swaraj recalled her long association with Atal ji since 1977 both in government and in organisation and said he was a great orator. We always saw a fatherly figure in him. Chandigarh BJP chief Sanjay Tandon on Sunday advocated the use of social media to make people aware of all the development schemes launched by the BJP Government so that all can benefit from these schemes. Tandon was speaking during the state executive meeting of Chandigarh BJP organised at Kamalam, the party office in Sector 33 on Sunday. During the meeting, he gave detailed account of all the development programmes carried out by the Chandigarh Administration under the central leadership. He further asked all the members to be prepared for the upcoming elections and make arrangements to make people aware of all the development works carried out by the BJP government at the booth level. He also emphasized the importance of all the hard work done by the workers of the party and described them as the fundamental building blocks of the organization. The executive meeting was attended by Member Parliament Kirron Kher, former and present presidents, vice presidents, secretaries, mayor, zila parishad chairman and members, panchayat samiti president, councilors, district presidents and secretaries and several other office bearers of the party. Earlier, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar inaugurated a 26 KW Solar Power Plant installed at the BJP office. While addressing the meeting, Khattar highlighted the history of BJP and described how the party has risen from a party with limited support to a party which formed the Union Government with overwhelming majority. This has been possible because of the partys positive outlook and constructive ideology, he said. He said that wherever BJP government has come in power, a slew of development works have been accomplished, which has broken several existing records. Even on international forum, countries have understood that India is changing and it has garnered unprecedented respect from around the globe, he added. Member Parliament Kirron Kher said that in last election, the corrupt practices of previous Congress government motivated people to vote for BJP. She also asked the members not to be in overconfidence but work towards making people aware of all the development works carried out by the government because in this election, people will vote based on the development and progress offered by the government. A brief documentary film based on the life of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was also shown on the occasion. Starting October, traffic violators in Gurugram won't get handwritten challans if they break traffic rules. The city traffic police department has decided to opt for digital transactions to curb corruption. The new e-challan system hopes to bring greater transparency within the Gurugram traffic police department, officials said. It will also help reduce arguments between the police and commuters over traffic fines. The city's traffic police are already issuing electronic challans but offenders have to pay fines in cash. Once the new plan is implemented, if a motorist is caught for a traffic violation, the police will use handheld machines to collect fines. They can pay the fine through card, online payment with State Bank of India (SBI). With this digital system the traffic violators will be able to pay fines on the spot. For this, the traffic police department has prepared software with the help of SBI. The software will be installed in the electronic devices used by cops to issue challans and collect payments digitally. As part of the plan, 150 e-challan handsets have been issued to the traffic police. To ensure that cops don't go back to the old system of issuing handwritten challans, the traffic police have also sent clear instructions to the force. We opt digital transaction system, as many motorists are aware of how it works. Strict action would be taken against policemen who carry unaccounted cash. After this, the traffic police constable will not collect cash. The violation fine will be deducted from the bank accounts of the offenders, DCP (traffic), Sulochana Gajraj said. A senior police official said the traffic offenders without debit/credit cards will be able to pay fines via Aadhaar, Pan Card and Bank accounts soon. The system has already started in several cities across India. The cashless system will be started by the next month, the officer said, adding that it would also help traffic personnel defend themselves if traffic violators level any allegations against them. In order to meet the increasing demand from the public for the Doorstep Delivery of services scheme, the Delhi Government has decided to increase the number of phone help-lines, mobile sahayaks and number of call centre executives to cater to the increasing demand. According to the Government, the number of phone lines would be increased from 50 to 300 while the mobile sahayaks will be increased to 300 from present 70. Further the call centre executive would be increased to 600 from present 40. The Doorstep Delivery Scheme the dream project of the Delhi Government was launched by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on September 11 to provide 40 essential services at the doorstep of the people which includes caste certificate, driving license, income certificate, and changes in RC, water connection, mutation, and registration of marriage and so on. The decision to increase the technical services was taken by Kejriwal in a recently held review meeting on Saturday. Accusing Opposition parties like Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress, Kailash Gahlot, Minister of Law, Revenue, and Administrative Reforms department, said, People response is overwhelming but at the same time there are some people from the Opposition and BJP who is continuously trying to make the scheme a failure by spreading wrong feedbacks and by hiring call centers to block the doorstep delivery of scheme. In the past one week, DSD call centers have received hundreds of fake calls from the same number and the numbers are even not a mobile number, they are some fake and call centre numbers installed with Interactive Voice Response (IVR) techniques. He said when the executives dialed the number back, the numbers were found to be invalid and call were dropped as soon a call was made. Moreover, they have also harassed our mobile sahayaks (operators) by giving them fake address. Hence we just want to send a message to the oppositions that don't atleast play politics and work against the welfare of common public. Meanwhile, Kejriwal tweeted, They will block ten lines, and we will start 100 more. They will block our ten mobile associates, we will add 100 more. A total number of 71,637 calls were received till Thursday and out of total calls received 13,677 calls were answered. While 8,600 requests received call backs and around 372 household has been visited. The Congress on Sunday stepped up attack on the Manohar Lal Khattar Government over the gang-rape of a 19-year-old woman in Mahendragarh district, alleging that during its regime Haryana had become a "crime hub". Senior Congress leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda demanded that Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar resign on moral grounds. Hooda, who visited the victims family in Rewari on Sunday, said, "Law and order in the state has broken down completely. This is total failure of the government. The Chief Minister should quit on moral grounds. The two-time former Chief Minister, while talking to the mediapersons in Rewari said the victim's family told him that police had not promptly taken action, giving the key accused a chance to flee. The 19 years old college student was gang-raped on September 12 after being kidnapped and sedated. Demanding resignation of Chief Minister, senior Congress leader and communications in-charge of the party, Randeep Singh Surjewala said that the insensitive and arrogant Khattar Government has totally failed to control crimes against the daughters of Haryana and he has no right to continue even for a day as the CM. Referring to Board topper's gang-rape case in Rewari, Surjewala said that it is shocking that despite the national concern and loud claims by the state police, all the culprits of the heinous crime are roaming free for four days. Haryana has become a crime hub under BJP Government as the official figures given in the recent state assembly session prove that crimes against women have increased by 47 percent since BJP Government came to power, Surjewala added. Revealing a figure from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, Surjewala said: "In 2016, the Haryana Police filed chargesheets in only 56.2 percent of cases, which is the second lowest among all states and Union Territories in the country. Such unprofessional attitude and ineffectiveness of the state police encourages the culprits as the national average of filing chargesheets is much higher at 78.1 percent, he said. As many as 1,413 cases of rape were registered in various police stations between 1 September 2017 and September 2018 as compared to 1,193 cases between September 2016 and August 2017. The number of rape cases during the same period in 2014-15 and 2015-16 were 961 and 1,026 respectively, he further said. Slamming the government, Surjewala said, "The truth is that the State Government, which vows to save daughters has made the state to witness most number of rapes and gang rapes. As per NCRB figures for year 2016, Haryana reported 1,090 murders, 1,189 rapes, 191 gang rapes and 4,019 kidnapping and abduction incidents in year 2016, which is three murders, three rapes and 11 kidnappings and abductions on an average day. It is a matter of shame that Haryana has got the highest average of gang-rape cases in the country now, he added. Lashing out at the government, Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar said that there is a jungle-raj in Haryana and Beti Padhao-Beti Bachao campaign of the BJP Government has totally flopped. The crime against women has increased under BJPs regime in Haryana, he added. The Uttarakhand High Court order on compulsion of computerised prescriptions for all doctors of the State and its direction to State Government to ensure that a computer and printer is provided to every medical practitioner serving in Government hospitals and health centres could put an additional burden of over Rs 15 crore on the State exchequer if implemented. The cost would further go up when the annual maintenance charges for the computers and their accessories are added up. There are 2,775 sanctioned posts of doctors in the State health services and there are many medical officers in the State Health Service who are not adept in handling computers. The High Court in an important decision on Friday had said that doctors should provide printed prescriptions to patients so that they can understand the medicines and line of treatment. The court gave time for implementation of the order but made it clear that till then the doctors should use capital letters in the prescription for the convenience of the patients. The High Court directed the doctors to write only the generic name of the medicine. When contacted, the Director General (DG) of medical health and family welfare department, Dr TC Pant told The Pioneer that the department has not received the order of the court yet. The secretary of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the association of private medical practitioners, Dr DD Chaudhury said that the association has no objection on the order of High Court. Many doctors are already using the computer printed prescriptions and those not having computers would use capital letters. There is no problem, he said. The IMA secretary, however, was apprehensive of the order on compulsion of generic medicines. He said that the staff working in almost all chemist shops are not qualified and in such a scenario prescribing generic medicine by the doctors could prove harmful for the patients. Meanwhile, the High Court order has made most of the medical practitioners apprehensive. A senior medical officer deployed in a Government hospital said, We can write in capital letters in the prescription but it would consume lot of time. Here you have to cater more than 120 patients daily during OPD hours while according to the norms of MCI, a doctor should not examine more than 40 patients in a day. The court should intervene here also and fix maximum number of OPD patients. The technical students of the State enthusiastically showcased their immense talent in grand Hindi literary festival Tooryanaad 2018 and expressed their love and respect for national language Hindi. Tooryanaad is organized every year by Hindi Rajbhasha Samiti Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT), Bhopal to promote Hindi among technical students. Hindi Rajbhasha Samiti MANIT, Bhopal had organized various Intra College events. These events included extempore, short poem recitation and general knowledge quiz where students from all the years and all the streams participated enthusiastically in large numbers. It is noteworthy that the students from esteemed colleges from across the State participated in the fest. It was an inter college fest where the students participated enthusiastically. Here on Sunday the three day fest concluded with the colours and fizzy shades of young talent. Four competitions marked the conclusion of Tooryanaad 2018. The competitions included All India poets meet, Treasure Hunt (Chakravyuh), Creative Writing Competition and Street Plays. The day began with All India Poets Meet in the morning. There were many students, who participated in the young poets meet. These young poets recited their creations before the audiences. On the other hand, a series of street plays were held across the city. There were nine teams that participated from cities including Reewa, Indore, Vidisha, Bhopal, Gwalior and other cities of Madhya Pradesh. These teams raised social issues including women empowerment, freedom struggle and issues after that, human trafficking, farmers and even other issues. Through the street plays the students tried to give out a social message and spread awareness especially among the young generation. Later, the Treasure Hunt was like an icing on the cake at the event. The students were given various clues that they had to break and search for the answer. It was sheer pleasure to watch young students performing so confidently and with unimaginable innovations that added zest in the conclusion of Tooryanaad. Reiterating her stand, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has said that her party will not go for alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha election if it does not get a respectable share of seats. Mayawati also spurned the overtures of Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad 'Ravana' who had addressed Mayawati as 'Buaji', saying some leaders were trying to take political mileage or save themselves by taking her name. Chandrashekhar was recently released from Saharanpur jail after 16 months as he was detained under National Security Act following the caste violence in the district in April last year. Addressing a press conference at her new private residence here on Sunday, the BSP chief said, "We will agree to alliance anywhere and in any election only when we get a respectable share of seats, otherwise the BSP will prefer to go it alone." With about seven months left for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the opposition parties are planning to form a grand alliance to remove the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party from power. In the recently held by-elections in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur, Phulpur, Kairana and Noorpur, the united alliance of Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party had defeated the ruling BJP. Earlier on May 27 this year, addressing the her party's national convention in Lucknow, Mayawati had said that the BSP would tie-up with a party only after getting a respectable number of seats, or else the party would contest the polls alone. She had also asserted that the BSP was in talks with several parties for an alliance. The BSP supremo also said that she had no relation with Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad. Mayawati said that she was related to only the common people, Dalits and the people from backward castes. The statement comes after Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad had called the former Chief Minister of UP as 'Buaji' (aunt). Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party, the BSP chief said that the saffron party was hiding its failures by diversionary tactics. She said that the BJP is trying to gain political mileage by using the name of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "The BJP governments in states and at the Centre are trying to hide their failures by diversionary tactics. They have not fulfilled their election promises. They are trying to use Atalji's death for political gains." The BSP chief has made this allegation exactly one month after the death of Vajpayee who passed away on August 16, 2018 at a hospital in the national capital. BSP president Mayawati on Sunday made grih pravesh (house warming ceremony) at her new private bungalow after vacating her government accommodation on the orders of the Supreme Court. Thanking former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for this new bungalow, Mayawati said that the financial contribution given by her supporters after the BJP government implicated her through the CBI and other central agencies in the Taj heritage corridor cases in 2003 enabled her to build such a magnificent bungalow. "I am really thankful to the former PM and the BJP, whose decision to harass me led to construction of this new bungalow here and another in New Delhi," she said, addressing the media here. She also clarified that after vacating her government bungalow, she was forced to stay in New Delhi due to renovation and security related work in her new bungalow. The former Chief Minister also allowed media persons to go through the entire bungalow and watch the morels and the artefact fixed on the walls. The bungalow, addressed 9, Mall Avenue, is at a stone's throw from the 13-A Mall Avenue government bungalow which she had occupied in the capacity of former Chief Minister of UP. The BSP office is also situated nearby. The Rs 15-crore bungalow was purchased in 2010. Carved in red sandstone -- similar to the one used in Dalit memorials and parks constructed during BSP regime, the massive bungalow, spread over an area of more than 71,000 square feet, was purchased by Mayawati barely three years after she stormed to power with full majority in UP in 2007. With a constructed area of more than 53,000 square feet, Mayawati's private bungalow is almost twice the size of the government bungalow she vacated. Two day long national executive meet of National Union of Journalists (India) kick started on a positive note in Rishikesh with a pledge to focus on one constructive news daily along with other happenings. The journalists appealed against sensationalisation of negative news. The meet is being attended by over 70 journalists from across the nation. Presiding over the inaugural ceremony, speaker of Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha and local MLA, Premchand Agarwal said the media persons must remember that their role is as important as the other three pillars of democracy in building the nation. Agarwal said that a democratic nation could not be imagined without a free press but the electronic and social media especially must be cautious while propagating any negative message to the people as it could harm the image of the nation drastically. Speaking on the occasion, head of Parmarth Niketan, Chidanand Saraswati said, Earlier people use to wake up with a prayer on their lips but these days, mobile and newspaper is the first thing they lay their hands on. So the media had a crucial role to play in the building of the society. He, further, said that with the beginning of the cleanliness fortnight on the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it was also a beginning for a call to clean and boost positivity in the media through the platform of National Union of Journalists (India). He exhorted the journalists to not only make a balance sheet of the daily news but also of the self so that a positive environment was built in the society. He said one must have tongue management, time management and thought management by its people for a healthier nation. The office bearers of the NUJ (I) appealed to speaker of legislative assembly for a respectable pension for journalists who were above 60 years of age as was being practiced by the State of Haryana. The president of NUJ(I) Ashok Mallik and general secretary Manoj Verma put forth proposals demanding formation of Media Commission, implementation of Majithia wage board recommendations and insurance policy for journalists from the Government. The programme was convened by State president of the union Brijendra Harsh. Congress president Rahul Gandhi will launch his party's campaign in Madhya Pradesh on Monday. Surprisingly, in the posters displayed in Bhopal, he is being portrayed as a devotee of Lord Shiva. He would take part in a roadshow and also address party workers during his day-long visit to the state capital. He will arrive here by an aircraft at around noon on Monday. He will then embark on a 15-kilometer-long roadshow from Lalghati Chowk, located close to the airport, after seeking the blessings of more than 11 Hindu priests. The roadshow, in which Rahul would ride an open vehicle, will conclude at Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd's Dussehra Maidan, where he will interact with party cadres. PCC Spokesman Pankaj Chaturvedi said, "A T-shape ramp has been constructed near the stage from where Gandhi is going to take questions from party workers and interact with them. Besides, he is going to address a meeting of Congress workers, which is open to public, before leaving in the evening, he added. "We are upbeat as our leader is coming to launch the election campaign," Chaturvedi said. Ahead of the visit, the main opposition party has put up posters and banners in Bhopal describing the 48-year-old Congress chief, who just returned from a pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar, as a 'Shiv bhakt'. As part of the pilgrimage, devotees undertake an arduous journey to Mount Kailash, which is considered the abode of Lord Shiva in Hindu mythology. Security has been tightened in the city in view of Gandhi's visit, Bhopal Inspector General (IG) of Police Jaideep Prasad said. "We have got an extra force of 1,500 policemen who have already been deputed," he said. Asked about the possibility of protests during the Gandhi's visit, Prasad said they have not yet received any inputs in this regard. "All steps are being taken to maintain law and order. I am personally monitoring the security arrangements and the routes Gandhi is going to pass through," he said. Congress workers are arriving in Bhopal from all over the state to welcome the party chief and take part in the meeting. "We are expecting more than one lakh Congress cadres in the state capital," a police officer said. Claiming that Ram temple exists at the disputed site since 1992, Vishwa Hindu Parishad has urged the Narendra Modi government to add sheen to the existing temple by paving way for a grand temple at Ayodhya at the earliest by removing all hurdles, including the legal one. VHP's international general secretary Milind Parande said here on Sunday that a meeting of sadhus and saints under the banner of Shree Ram Janmabhoomi would be held in New Delhi on October 5 to decide the strategy for early construction of Ram temple. "After that meeting, the VHP will decide its strategy for the Ram temple movement. All preparations for the construction of a grand temple are underway and the stone carving work is nearing completion," Parande said, claiming that Ram temple already exist at Ayodhya and there is need to make it grand. However, avoiding confrontation with the Centre over the Ram temple issue, he said that it was the duty of the government to clarify when it would clear all the hurdles in the way of temple construction. "For us, it is not a political issue as it is for the Bharatiya Janata Party. We want Ram temple to be constructed at any cost," he added. Talking to media person here on Sunday, Parande said that the VHP was committed for the construction of Ram temple. He said the Dharma Sansad at Prayag Kumbh Mela on January 31 and February 1 would give a final shape to its strategy on the Ayodhya issue. When asked about the recent statement of VHP leader Ramvilas Vedanti that Ram temple construction would commence before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Parande said, "I don't know about his statement and will not react on it." The VHP leader also raised the issue of conversions, gau raksha and love jehad, saying that Bajrang Dal would organise a 'jagran' programme for youths from September 25 to October 2 in which these issues would be addressed to make youths, particularly girls and women, aware of the conspiracy of Christians and Muslims. "During the membership drive of Bajrang Dal last year, a record number of 32 lakh new members were enrolled and they will be the brand ambassadors of the VHP to spread awareness among Hindus about the conspiracy of the Christians and Muslims," he added. To a question on the recent visit of Congress president Rahul Gandhi to different Hindu religious places, Parande said: "It is the move of the VHP to make all Indian citizen Hindus and if these political leaders are going to the Hindu religious places then it is our victory." He said Mizoram, Nagaland and Manipur had become Christian-dominated states while Jammu and Kashmir had turned into a Muslim majority state, and this was an unfortunate trend. "We have to spread the wings of Hindutava more vigorously," he said, while claiming that thousands of Christians and Muslims who had been converted in the past were in touch with the VHP for their return to Hinduism. With the ruling Congress party already cornering the SAD over the issue of sacrilege, Aam Aadmi Partys (AAP) rebel faction has also decided to take on the pro-Sikh party, and have announced an all-party meeting to deliberate over the raging issue of sacrilege. AAPs rebel MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who had convened an all-party meeting, has appealed to all the parties on Sunday to attend the meeting scheduled for September 21 at Chandigarh. The meeting is the need of hour to evolve consensus over the sensitive issue as the culprits behind these unholy incidents are still not caught, he said. Khaira appealed all the parties, including Congress and Akali Dal as well as organisations of all religions, to take note of the seriousness of the matter because it concerned the entire Punjab. At the same time, he flayed the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh for failing to take action against the police officers named as accused in the Justice (retired) Ranjit Singh Commission report. Available information suggests that all like-minded people like AAPs suspended MP from Patiala Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, Bains brothers both MLAs Simarjeet Bains and Balwinder Bains, former MP Jagmeet Brar, former Minister in Uttar Pradesh Government Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, CPI, CPM, BSP, Kisan unions and even religious organisations from all religions has shown interest in the meeting to discuss the issue of Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report. It is believed that the meeting is aimed at mounting pressure on the government as it has, as of now, released the report, but seemed reluctant to implement its recommendations. We have planned to launch an agitation and will march to Bargari and urge the people to observe black Diwali this year as culprits of Guru Granth Sahib have not been punished. Instead, they are given ample time to get a stay from the High Court, said Khaira. He said that this was the reason that action on three police employees could not be taken as the High Court stayed the action. It has been learnt that AAPs rebel faction will also send out invites, for the all-party meeting, to senior advocate and AAP MLA HS Phoolka, along with all other AAP leaders, along with the leaders of Congress and other political parties. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Saturday said the government's decision to increase the remuneration of Anganwadi and Asha workers by almost 50 per cent will go a long way in addressing the grievances of these 25 lakh workers. Stating that there has been a long-time demand of Anganwadi workers and their helpers to give them a reasonable remuneration, Jaitley said the governments in the past have always refrained from giving benefits to these workers ostensibly on revenue considerations. "Notwithstanding the pressure on the Budget, the Government has given almost a 50 per cent hike in the first go to these workers. This will go a long way in addressing the grievance of these workers," he wrote in a Facebook post. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a hike in the monthly honorarium for Asha and Anganwadi workers from October. The remuneration of the Anganwadi workers has been raised from Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,500 per month; the mini Anganwadi workers' pay has been hiked from Rs 2,250 to Rs 3,500. Remuneration of Anganwadi helpers has been increased from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,250 per month. These workers will also get an incentive of Rs 500 per month and Rs 250 per month respectively on the basis of the real time monitoring of performance. Jaitley said the Anganwadi workers are the mainstay of the National Nutrition Mission. There are approximately 12.9 lakh Anganwadi workers and 11.6 lakh Anganwadi helpers in the country. These benefits would be available to these 24.9 lakh Anganwadi workers and their families, the minister said. In the post titled 'Two successful initiatives of the Central Government', Jaitley said in the past there has been a general distrust of government schemes. "The principal reason for this is that either the benefits don't reach the targeted or that the projected parameters are never achieved. However, there are schemes with a difference. The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is arguably the most successful one," he said. Jaitley said when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Swachhata campaign in his Independence Day Speech of 2014, the rural sanitation coverage of India was 39 per cent. As we have completed nearly four years of the scheme, 39 per cent rural sanitation coverage has increased to a phenomenal 92 per cent. This was not an easy goal to achieve and this involved a behavioural change of the people, Jaitley said. He said when the Prime Minister announced a target that India be made 'open-defecation free' when we celebrate 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in 2019, some believed that the scheme would be a photo-opportunity with very little progress. But it turned into a 'people's movement'. "... This 'people's movement' has today transformed into a 'women's movement' with rural women playing a leading role in the programme. We all knew that the dignity of women demanded the privacy of toilet.... This scheme will go a long way in improving the quality of life of India's rural population, particularly women," Jaitley said. This is for the first time that the subject matter in the toilet construction campaign has taken central stage of the national agenda, he said. "With rural roads, rural electrification, rural Awas Yojana, toilets and a cooking gas connection with foodgrain provided at a modest cost, the quality of life of India's rural poor will get a quantum jump," he said. Additionally, when the Ayushman Bharat scheme, which provides up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year as hospitalisation expense, is fully implemented, this will change the quality of life of India's rural population, Jaitley said. Start-up innovators Neelesh Rangwani and Neha Bagaria talk to Chahak Mittal about how virtual employee' is not just a term anymore Mountains in front of you, a large cup of coffee on the wooden tray, a slight nip in the air and laptop on the grassy knoll office spaces can look like this if you want. All those who find being forced to head to work for a fixed number of hours everyday at a specific place incredibly stifling, the GIG (Global Inter Grid) economy holds out hope with flexibility to work out of anywhere provided you are a dot on the communication matrix. In this open-ended online system, temporary, flexible jobs are commonplace and companies hire independent contractors and freelancers instead of full-time employees. And the trend is picking up as millennials eventually take up freelancing jobs through online portals or work for their own start-ups. A paradigm shift in work culture has already started taking place with even experienced senior employees moving towards the GIG economy. As per a recent report by Ernst & Young (EY), published in collaboration with FICCI and NASSCOM, titled Future of Jobs in India: A 2022 Perspective, Indian freelancers account for a 24 per cent share of the global online gig economy. The report also reveals that India is the worlds third largest online labour market. Tapping into the need, portals have sprung up that connect potential employees and entrepreneurs to bring productivity even outside office spaces. With proper background checks, skill development training provisions, work alignment and hiring on the basis of project management, they strike off the restriction of working for fixed hours on employees. Players like Wishup.co, Jobsforher, Upwork and others have envisioned the need to align the system and connect such individuals with prospective corporates/SMEs in a systematic manner. Wishup.co has been a hope for many flexi operators. Two friends from IIT Madras, Neelesh Rangwani and Vivek Gupta, realised that business owners could be connected to smart assistants through online platforms for work without them becoming a liablity. The duo aligned the system to connect such individuals with prospective corporates in a systematic manner. The two friends are now aiming to expand their venture and taking it to the US and Europe. Rangwani reveals the origins of the idea, Vivek and I have been friends for the last 12 years since we were at IIT Madras. We always wanted to start something together. But at that time we werent really clear of what and how. We went our separate ways where he completed his MBA from IIM Ahmedabad and I moved to Germany. But that thought was still alive and we zeroed down on something related to the internet space. We thought that this is where we will definitely excel because we know and understand it well. He adds, We chose an idea which at that time was known as a chat-based assistant. It was a consumer idea which we scaled up pretty fast. We reached up to 20,000-25,000 users within six months but at that point I started questioning whether this was the only growth that internet could offer or if we could generate revenue with a proper business model? Also, is this what the internet is all about? Or it has a side yet to be explored? It was in early 2016 that Rangwani and Gupta started to think if with the same set-up could we generate revenue as well as add value or make a difference to somebodys life? After talking to a number of their regular users, they realised that most of them used it for their professional services rather than personal. Also, most of them were found to be budding entrepreneurs who had given up their jobs. Rangwani says, That is where the idea of a virtual employee and a virtual assistant birthed. They are always required as a resource for every start-up. We thought of changing it technically where it would be like a marketplace where people could find others to assist them online. The Wishup platform receives the payment that comes from the virtual employers and then the virtual assistants are paid a full-time salary from our side. In a way, rather than the employers, we hire them. According to the Ernst & Young report, the future of jobs in 2022 in India will be determined by the countrys response to the inevitable impact created by the interplay of three primary forces globalisation, demographic changes and the adoption of Industry 4.0 exponential technologies by Indian workplaces and expansion of the gig economy. So what does the term gig signify? Rangwani has an answer. Gig, as a word, originated from the creative professionals like a comedian or a musicican. It was their way of saying that I have a gig here or there. A small project was called a gig. It is a slang but then it probably changed and started to be used for the internet space where creative freelancers offered their services online. They offer content, design services and more. We, however, do not call it a gig economy because even though they are virtual assistants for others, for us theyre full-time employees. We are making the online employers understand and trust that these employees are genuine and productive since often physical presence is appreciated and acknowledged more. One such is also JobsForHer, a connecting portal for women who wish to restart their careers after a break, be it after maternity leave, marriage or other personal reasons. Neha Bagaria, CEO and Founder of JobsForHer, says, Gig workers can juggle multiple projects and still have flexibility and control over their time. Theres less risk of getting stuck in mundane jobs as it affords individuals the opportunity to build their skills through diverse projects across multiple industries and organisations. Both individuals and corporates are moving to the gig economy and agreeing that it is as relevant as any other type of employment. Now that millennials tend to switch jobs quickly and are past the typical 9-5 job shifts, Rangwani says that they usually hire a person who has five years or more of experience. But what about the freshers then? They also need to start somewhere. Rangwani believes that work comes with a promise and responsibility. I was also on the other side a few years ago. But now, being on the employers side, I have realised that freshers are full of enthusiasm and energy and are always ready to explore and shift. They find it challenging to be stable at an early stage. This is the reason why youngsters are encouraged to do internships, just like in the US. They expand and gain experience and professional knowledge through internships and then enter a stable work field. President Donald Trump is going ahead with plans to impose new tariffs on about $200 billion of Chinese imports, The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. Both sides were preparing to hold new talks on their tariff dispute. Last week Trump told reporters such a move could come very soon. The Journal cited unnamed people familiar with the matter who said the tariff level will likely be set at about 10 per cent, below the 25 per cent announced earlier this year. The two Governments have already imposed 25 per cent tariffs on $50 billion of each others goods. Beijing has issued a list of another $60 billion of American products for retaliation if Trumps next tariff hike goes ahead. White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters declined comment on the timing of a possible announcement, but said: The President has been clear that he and his administration will continue to take action to address Chinas unfair trade practices. We encourage China to address the long standing concerns raised by the United States. The Chinese foreign ministry said it was invited to hold new talks. Envoys from the two countries last met Aug. 22 in Washington but reported no progress. Beijing has rejected pressure from the United States to roll back plans for state-led development of Chinese global champions in robotics, artificial intelligence and other fields. American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved. 326 E 8th St #105, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | U.S. Based Support Team at [email protected] | (844) 978-6257 MarketBeat does not provide personalized financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security. Our Accessibility Statement | Terms of Service | Do Not Sell My Information 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA engages in the traditional banking businesses of retail banking, asset management, private banking, and wholesale banking. It operates through the following segments: Spain, the United States, Mexico, Turkey, South America, and Rest of Eurasia. The Spain segment includes mainly the banking and insurance business that the group carries out in Spain. The United States segment consists of the financial business activity of BBVA USA in the country and the activity of the branch of BBVA SA in New York. The Mexico segment refers to banking and insurance businesses in this country as well as the activity of its branch in Houston. The Turkey segment reports the activity of Garanti BBVA group that is mainly carried out in this country and, to a lesser extent, in Romania and the Netherlands. The South America segment comprises of operations in n Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The Rest of Eurasia segment includes the banking business activity carried out by the group in Europe and Asia, excluding Spain. The company was founded in 1857 and is headquartered in Madrid, Spain. Read More iShares MSCI Italy ETF's stock reverse split on the morning of Monday, November 7th 2016. The 1-2 reverse split was announced on Friday, October 14th 2016. The number of shares owned by shareholders was adjusted after the market closes on Friday, November 4th 2016. An investor that had 100 shares of iShares MSCI Italy ETF stock prior to the reverse split would have 50 shares after the split. There is not enough analysis data for Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Domestic Debt Fund. 4.8 Community Rank Outperform Votes Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Domestic Debt Fund has received 111 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Domestic Debt Fund has received 42 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Domestic Debt Fund has received 72.55% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Domestic Debt Fund and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe EDD will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe EDD will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next The Boeing Co. is an aerospace company, which engages in the manufacture of commercial jetliners and defense, space and security systems. It operates through the following segments: Commercial Airplanes; Defense, Space and Security; Global Services; and Boeing Capital. The Commercial Airplanes segment includes the development, production, and market of commercial jet aircraft and provides fleet support services, principally to the commercial airline industry worldwide. The Defense, Space and Security segment refers to the research, development, production and modification of manned and unmanned military aircraft and weapons systems for global strike, including fighter and combat rotorcraft aircraft and missile systems; global mobility, including tanker, rotorcraft and tilt-rotor aircraft; and airborne surveillance and reconnaissance, including command and control, battle management and airborne anti-submarine aircraft. The Global Services segment provides services to commercial and defense customers. The Boeing Capital segment seeks to ensure that Boeing customers have the financing they need to buy and take delivery of their Boeing product and manages overall financing exposure. T Read More Bechtle AG provides information technology services primarily in Europe. The company operates in two segments, IT System House & Managed Services, and IT E-Commerce. The IT System House & Managed Services segment offers IT strategy consulting, hardware and software selling, project planning and implementation, system integration, IT services, and training for IT operation. It provides applications for business intelligence, customer relationship management, enterprise resource planning, product life-cycle management, computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing, product data management, enterprise content management, document management systems, artificial intelligence, and collaboration; and modern workplace solutions. This segment also offers data center, networking, security, consulting, managed, professional, financial, and remarketing services. The IT E-Commerce segment provides hardware and software products, and peripherals with a multi-brand portfolio that comprises approximately 40,000 products through an online shop and telesales. This segment also offers e-procurement services. The company also provides design, development, and implementation of software services. It serves customers in the fields of industry, trade, finance, and the public sector. Bechtle AG was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Neckarsulm, Germany. Read More BNP Paribas SA provides a range of banking and financial services in France and internationally. It operates through two divisions, Retail Banking and Services, and Corporate and Institutional Banking. The company offers long-term corporate vehicle leasing, and rental and other financing solutions; and digital banking and investment services, cash management, and factoring services to corporate clients, as well as wealth management services. It also provides credit solutions for individuals under the Cetelem, Cofinoga, Findomestic, AlphaCredit, and Opel Vauxhall brands; savings and protection solutions, including insuring individuals, and their personal projects and assets; and asset management, private banking, and real estate services. In addition, the company offers global market services, including investment, hedging, financing, research, and market intellingence across asset classes; security services comprising clearing, custody, and asset and fund services, as well as corporate trust, and market and financing services; and corporate trade and treasury, debt financing, specialized financing, strategic advisory, mergers and acquisition, and equity capital market services for institutional and corporate clients. The company was formerly known as Banque Nationale de Paris and changed its name to BNP Paribas SA in May 2000. BNP Paribas SA was founded in 1848 and is headquartered in Paris, France. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Bristol-Myers Squibb: 1096271 B.C. ULC, 345 Park LLC, A.G. Medical Services P.A., AHI Investment LLC, AbVitro LLC, Abraxis BioScience Australia Pty Ltd., Abraxis BioScience Inc., Abraxis BioScience International Holding Company Inc., Abraxis BioScience LLC, Abraxis BioScience Puerto Rico LLC, Acetylon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Adnexus, Adnexus a Bristol-Myers Squibb R&D Company, Allard Labs Acquisition G.P., Amira Pharmaceuticals, Amira Pharmaceuticals Inc., Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Apothecon LLC, B-MS Generx Unlimited Company, BMS Benelux Holdings B.V., BMS Bermuda Nominees L.L.C., BMS Data Acquisition Company LLC, BMS Forex Company, BMS Holdings Sarl, BMS Holdings Spain S.L., BMS International Insurance Designated Activity Company, BMS Investco SAS, BMS Korea Holdings L.L.C., BMS Latin American Nominees L.L.C., BMS Luxembourg Partners L.L.C., BMS Omega Bermuda Holdings Finance Ltd., BMS Pharmaceutical Korea Limited, BMS Pharmaceuticals Germany Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals International Holdings Netherlands B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Korea Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Mexico Holdings B.V., BMS Pharmaceuticals Netherlands Holdings B.V., BMS Real Estate LLC, BMS Spain Investments LLC, BMS Strategic Portfolio Investments Holdings Inc., Blisa Acquisition G.P., Bristol (Iran) S.A., Bristol Iran Private Company Limited, Bristol Laboratories Inc., Bristol Laboratories International S.A., Bristol Laboratories Medical Information Systems Inc., Bristol-Myers (Andes) L.L.C., Bristol-Myers (Private) Limited, Bristol-Myers Middle East S.A.L., Bristol-Myers Overseas Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (China) Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (Israel) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (NZ) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Proprietary) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (Singapore) Pte. Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb (Taiwan) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb (West Indies) Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb A.E., Bristol-Myers Squibb Aktiebolag, Bristol-Myers Squibb Argentina S. R. L., Bristol-Myers Squibb Australia Pty. Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Axia Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb B.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb Belgium S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Business Services Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada Co., Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada International Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Delta Company Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Denmark Filial of Bristol-Myers Squibb AB, Bristol-Myers Squibb EMEA Sarl, Bristol-Myers Squibb Egypt LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Epsilon Holdings Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Farmaceutica Ltda., Bristol-Myers Squibb Farmaceutica Portuguesa S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb GesmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb GmbH & Co. KGaA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holding Germany GmbH & Co. KG, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings 2002 Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Germany Verwaltungs GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Ireland Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Holdings Pharma Ltd. Liability Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Ilaclari Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb India Pvt. Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb International Company Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb International Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Investco L.L.C., Bristol-Myers Squibb K.K., Bristol-Myers Squibb Kft., Bristol-Myers Squibb Luxembourg International S.C.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Bristol-Myers Squibb MEA GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Manufacturing Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Marketing Services S.R.L., Bristol-Myers Squibb Middle East & Africa FZ-LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Norway Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Nutricionales de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb Peru S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma (HK) Ltd, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma (Thailand) Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Holding Company LLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharma Ventures Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals Unlimited Company, Bristol-Myers Squibb Polska Sp. z o.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Products SA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Puerto Rico Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Puerto Rico/Sanofi Pharmaceutical Partnership Puerto Rico, Bristol-Myers Squibb Romania S.R.L., Bristol-Myers Squibb S.A.U., Bristol-Myers Squibb S.r.l., Bristol-Myers Squibb SA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Holding Partnership, Bristol-Myers Squibb Sarl, Bristol-Myers Squibb Service Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Services Sp. z o.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Spol. s r.o., Bristol-Myers Squibb Theta Finance Ltd., Bristol-Myers Squibb Trustees Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Verwaltungs GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb de Colombia S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb de Costa Rica Sociedad Anonima, Bristol-Myers Squibb de Guatemala S.A., Bristol-Myers Squibb de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Bristol-Myers Squibb/Astrazeneca EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Pfizer EEIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Partnership, Bristol-Myers de Venezuela S.C.A., CHT I LLC, CHT II LLC, CHT III LLC, CHT IV LLC, CR Finance Company LLC, Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals, Cardioxyl Pharmaceuticals Inc., Celem LLC, Celem Ltd., Celgene, Celgene A.B., Celgene AS, Celgene Ab (Finland), Celgene Alpine Investment Co. II LLC, Celgene Alpine Investment Co. III LLC, Celgene Alpine Investment Co. LLC, Celgene ApS, Celgene B.V., Celgene BVBA, Celgene Brasil Produtos Farmaceuticos Ltda., Celgene CAR LLC, Celgene CAR Ltd., Celgene Chemicals Sarl, Celgene China Holdings LLC, Celgene Co., Celgene Corporation, Celgene Distribution B.V., Celgene EngMab GmbH, Celgene Europe B.V., Celgene Europe Limited, Celgene European Investment Company LLC, Celgene Financing Company LLC, Celgene Global Holdings Sarl, Celgene GmbH [Austria], Celgene GmbH [Germany], Celgene GmbH [Switzerland], Celgene Holdings East Corporation, Celgene Holdings II Sarl, Celgene Holdings III Sarl, Celgene Ilac Pazarlama ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Celgene Inc., Celgene International Holdings Corporation, Celgene International II Sarl, Celgene International III Sarl, Celgene International Inc., Celgene International Sarl, Celgene K.K., Celgene Kft., Celgene Limited [Hong Kong], Celgene Limited [Ireland], Celgene Limited [New Zealand], Celgene Limited [Taiwan], Celgene Limited [UK], Celgene Logistics Sarl, Celgene Ltd, Celgene Luxembourg Sarl, Celgene Management Sarl, Celgene NJ Investment Co, Celgene Netherlands B.V., Celgene Netherlands Investment B.V., Celgene Pharmaceutical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Celgene Pte. Ltd., Celgene Pty Ltd, Celgene Puerto Rico Distribution LLC, Celgene Quanticel Research Inc, Celgene R&D Sarl, Celgene RIVOT LLC, Celgene RIVOT Ltd., Celgene RIVOT SRL, Celgene Receptos Limited, Celgene Receptos Sarl, Celgene Research Incubator At Summit West LLC, Celgene Research S.L.U., Celgene Research and Development Company LLC, Celgene Research and Development I ULC, Celgene Research and Development II LLC, Celgene Research and Investment Company II LLC, Celgene S. de R.L. de C.V., Celgene S.L.U., Celgene S.R.L., Celgene SAS, Celgene Sarl AU, Celgene Sdn Bhd, Celgene Services Sarl, Celgene Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Celgene Sp. Z.o.o., Celgene Sro [Czech Republic], Celgene Summit Investment Co, Celgene Switzerland Holding Sarl, Celgene Switzerland II LLC, Celgene Switzerland Investment Sarl, Celgene Switzerland LLC, Celgene Switzerland Sarl, Celgene Tri A Holdings Ltd., Celgene Tri Sarl, Celgene UK Distribution Limited, Celgene UK Holdings Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing II Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing III Limited, Celgene UK Manufacturing Limited, Celgene d.o.o., Celgene sro [Slovakia], Celmed LLC, Celmed Ltd., ConvaTec Divestiture, Cormorant Pharmaceuticals, Cormorant Pharmaceuticals AB, Crosp Ltd., Delinia Inc., Deuteria Pharmaceuticals Inc., DuPont Pharmaceuticals, E. R. Squibb & Sons Inter-American Corporation, E. R. Squibb & Sons L.L.C., E. R. Squibb & Sons Limited, EWI Corporation, EngMab Sarl, F-star Alpha, FermaVir Pharmaceuticals L.L.C., FermaVir Research L.L.C., Flexus Biosciences, Flexus Biosciences Inc., Forbius, Galecto Biotech, GenPharm International L.L.C., Gloucester Pharmaceuticals LLC, Grove Insurance Company Ltd., Heyden Farmaceutica Portuguesa Limitada, IFM Therapeutics, Impact Biomedicines Inc., Inhibitex, Inhibitex L.L.C., Innate Tumor Immunity Inc., JuMP Holdings LLC, Juno Therapeutics GmbH, Juno Therapeutics Inc., Kosan Biosciences, Kosan Biosciences Incorporated, Linson Investments Limited, Mead Johnson (Manufacturing) Jamaica Limited, Mead Johnson Jamaica Ltd., Medarex, Morris Avenue Investment II LLC, Morris Avenue Investment LLC, MyoKardia, O.o.o. Bristol-Myers Squibb, Oy Bristol-Myers Squibb (Finland) AB, Padlock Therapeutics, Padlock Therapeutics Inc., Pharmion LLC, Princeton Pharmaceutical Products Inc., Receptos LLC, Receptos Services LLC, RedoxTherapies Inc., Route 22 Real Estate Holding Corporation, SPV A Holdings ULC, Seamair Insurance DAC, Signal Pharmaceuticals LLC, Sino-American Shanghai Squibb Pharmaceuticals Limited, Societe Francaise de Complements Alimentaires(S.O.F.C.A.), Squibb Middle East S.A., Summit West Celgene LLC, Swords Laboratories, VentiRx Pharmaceuticals Inc., Westwood-Intrafin SA, Westwood-Squibb Pharmaceuticals Inc., X-Body Inc., ZymoGenetics, ZymoGenetics Inc., ZymoGenetics LLC, ZymoGenetics Paymaster LLC, iPierian, and iPierian Inc.. Close Brothers Group plc, a merchant banking company, provides financial services to small businesses and individuals in the United Kingdom. It operates through five segments: Commercial, Retail, Property, Asset Management, and Securities. The company offers various deposit products, including fixed term deposits and notice accounts. It also provides asset finance, asset-based lending, commercial vehicle hire, short-term bridging finance, insurance premium finance, invoice discounting and factoring, and property finance products. In addition, the company offers funding services for general aviation aircraft, and various leisure and commercial vessels; sale and rent back services for the brewing sector; broker finance services to agriculture, construction, manufacturing, and transport industries; leasing services for construction, manufacturing, IT equipment, and specialist assets; and loan, hire purchase, leasing, and refinancing services to the professional service sector, including dental, medical, pharmacy, and veterinary sectors. Further, it provides financial education, investment management, and financial planning and advice services; self-directed services that help investors to manage their portfolio online; and services for financial advisers. Additionally, the company offers liquidity and flexible execution services to retail stockbrokers, wealth managers, and institutional investors; market making, sales, research, and corporate broking services; and dealing, custody, and settlement services to the institutional, wealth management, and brokerage clients. Close Brothers Group plc was founded in 1878 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Colgate-Palmolive: 887357 Ontario Inc., COLGALIVE S.A., CP GABA GmbH, CP International Holding C.V., CP West East Investment Limited, Cleaning Dimensions Inc., Colgate (BVI) Limited, Colgate (Guangzhou) Company Limited, Colgate (U.K.) Limited, Colgate Business Services of the Americas S.C., Colgate Flavors and Fragrances Inc., Colgate Global Business Services Private Limited, Colgate Holdings, Colgate Inc., Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals Inc., Colgate Palmolive Ghana Limited, Colgate Palmolive Holding S.Com.P.A., Colgate Palmolive Nouvelle Caledonie Sarl, Colgate Palmolive Tanzania Limited, Colgate Sanxiao Company Limited, Colgate Venture Company Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (America) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (Asia) Pte Ltd, Colgate-Palmolive (Blantyre) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Brunei) Sdn Bhn, Colgate-Palmolive (Central America) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (Central America) Inc. y Compania Limitada, Colgate-Palmolive (Centro America) S.A., Colgate-Palmolive (China) Co. Ltd, Colgate-Palmolive (Costa Rica) S.A., Colgate-Palmolive (Dominica) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (Dominican Republic) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (East Africa) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Eastern) Pte. Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive (Egypt) S.A.E., Colgate-Palmolive (Far East) Sdn Bhd, Colgate-Palmolive (Fiji) Pte Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Gabon) S.A., Colgate-Palmolive (Guyana) Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive (H.K.) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Hellas) S.A. I.C., Colgate-Palmolive (Hong Kong) Holding Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Kazakhstan) L.L.P., Colgate-Palmolive (Latvia) Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Colgate-Palmolive (Middle East Exports) Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive (Myanmar) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (New York) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (Poland) Sp. z o.o., Colgate-Palmolive (Proprietary) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Research & Development) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (Romania) SRL, Colgate-Palmolive (Thailand) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (UK) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Uganda) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Vietnam) Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive (Zambia) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (Zimbabwe) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive A.B., Colgate-Palmolive A/S, Colgate-Palmolive Adria Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive Argentina S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Asia Pacific Limited, Colgate-Palmolive Asia Pacific Treasury Services Limited, Colgate-Palmolive Belgium S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Bolivia Ltda., Colgate-Palmolive Canada Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Caricom Service Co. Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Central European Management Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Chile S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Cia., Colgate-Palmolive Comercial Ltda., Colgate-Palmolive Commercial (Hellas) SP LLC, Colgate-Palmolive Commerciale S.A.S., Colgate-Palmolive Commericale S.r.l., Colgate-Palmolive Compania Anonima, Colgate-Palmolive Company Distr. LLC, Colgate-Palmolive Company GmbH, Colgate-Palmolive Cote dIvoire S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Cyprus Limited, Colgate-Palmolive Development Corp., Colgate-Palmolive East West Africa Region (Pty) Ltd, Colgate-Palmolive Enterprises Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Espana S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Europe (Holdings) Sarl, Colgate-Palmolive Europe Sarl, Colgate-Palmolive Finance (UK) plc, Colgate-Palmolive Global Trading Company, Colgate-Palmolive Holding Argentina S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Holding Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Hungary Kft Limited Liability Company, Colgate-Palmolive IHQ Services (Thailand) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Inc. S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Industrial Ltda., Colgate-Palmolive Industriel S.A.S., Colgate-Palmolive International Holding LLC, Colgate-Palmolive International LLC, Colgate-Palmolive Investment Co. Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Investments (BVI) Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive Investments (PNG) Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive Investments (UK) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive Investments Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Israel Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive Italia S.r.l., Colgate-Palmolive JSC, Colgate-Palmolive Lanka (Private) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive Latin America Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Limited, Colgate-Palmolive Manufacturing (Poland) Sp. z o.o., Colgate-Palmolive Marketing Sdn Bhd, Colgate-Palmolive Maroc S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Mocambique Limitada, Colgate-Palmolive NJ Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Nederland B.V., Colgate-Palmolive Norge A/S, Colgate-Palmolive Participacoes e Investimentos Imobiliarios Lda., Colgate-Palmolive Peru S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Philippines Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Pty Ltd, Colgate-Palmolive Retirement Trustee Limited, Colgate-Palmolive S.A. de C.V., Colgate-Palmolive S.p.A., Colgate-Palmolive Senegal S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Services (Hellas) LLC, Colgate-Palmolive Services (Poland) Sp. z o.o., Colgate-Palmolive Services CEW GmbH, Colgate-Palmolive Services S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Slovensko s.r.o., Colgate-Palmolive Support Services, Colgate-Palmolive Temizlik Urunleri Sanayi ve Ticart S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Transnational Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Ukraine LLC, Colgate-Palmolive Unipessoal Lda, Colgate-Palmolive de Paraguay Sociedad Anonima, Colgate-Palmolive de Puerto Rico Inc., Colgate-Palmolive del Ecuador S.A.I.C., Colgate-Palmolive del Peru (Delaware) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Eeska republika spol. s r.o., Colpal CBS S de R. L. de C. V., Consumer Viewpoint Center Inc., Cotelle S.A., Dimac Development Corp., Dominica Coconut Products Limited, EKIB Inc., ELM Company Limited, Elta MD Holdings Inc., Elta MD Inc., EltaMD, Filorga Americas Inc., Filorga Asia Limited, Filorga Benelux SA, Filorga Cosmetiques Polska, Filorga Middle East DMCC, Filorga Portugal Unipessoal Lda., Filorga RU Limited Liability Company, GABA Europe Holding GmbH, GABA International, GABA International Holding LLC, GABA Schweiz AG, GABA Therwil GmbH, Gamma Development Co. Ltd., Global Trading and Supply LLC, Hamol Ltd., Hello Products, Hello Products LLC, Hills Funding Company, Hills Pet Nutrition (NZ) Limited, Hills Pet Nutrition (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Hills Pet Nutrition Asia Limited, Hills Pet Nutrition B.V., Hills Pet Nutrition Canada Inc., Hills Pet Nutrition Denmark ApS, Hills Pet Nutrition Espana S.L., Hills Pet Nutrition GmbH, Hills Pet Nutrition Holding B.V., Hills Pet Nutrition Inc., Hills Pet Nutrition Indiana Inc., Hills Pet Nutrition Italia S.r.l., Hills Pet Nutrition Korea Ltd., Hills Pet Nutrition Ltd., Hills Pet Nutrition Manufacturing B.V., Hills Pet Nutrition Manufacturing s.r.o, Hills Pet Nutrition Norway AS, Hills Pet Nutrition OOO, Hills Pet Nutrition Pty. Limited, Hills Pet Nutrition S.p.A., Hills Pet Nutrition SNC, Hills Pet Nutrition Sales Inc., Hills Pet Nutrition South Africa Proprietary Limited, Hills Pet Nutrition Sweden AB, Hills Pet Nutrition Switzerland GmbH, Hills Pet Nutrition Taiwan Ltd, Hills Pet Nutrition Trading (GZ) Co. Ltd, Hills Pet Nutrition de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Hills Pet Nutrition de Puerto Rico Inc., Hills Pet Nutrition s.r.o., Hills Pet Products (Benelux) S.A., Hills Pet Products Inc., Hills Veterinary Companies of America Inc., Hills-Colgate (Japan) Ltd., Hopro Liquidating Corp., Hygiene Systemes et Services SA, IES Enterprises Inc., Inmobiliaria Colpal S. de R.L. de C.V., Inmobiliaria Hills S.A. de C.V., Innovacion Creativa S.A. de C.V., Kolynos Corporation, Laboratoires Filorga Cosmetiques Espana S.L.U., Laboratoires Filorga Cosmetiques Italia S.R.L., Laboratoires Filorga Cosmetiques S.A., Laser Brand Toothpaste, Lournay Sales Inc., Mennen Company, Mennen Interamerica Ltd., Mennen Limited, Mennen South Africa Ltd., Mennen de Chile Ltd., Mennen de Nicargua S.A., Mission Hills Property Corporation, Mission Hills S.A. de C.V., Norwood International Incorporated, Olive Music Publishing Corporation, PCA SKIN, Paramount Research Inc., Penny LLC, Pet Chemicals Inc., Physicians Care Alliance LLC, Productos Halogenados Copalven C.A., Purity Holding Company, Purity Music Publishing Corporation, Refresh Company Limited, Samuel Taylor Holdings B.V., Sanex, Sanxiao Company Limited, Services Development Co. Ltd., Societe Generale de Negoce et de Services (GENESE) S.A., The GDN - The Global Distributive Network SAS, The Lournay Company Inc., The MPDP - The Medical and Pharmaceutic Distributive Platform SAS, The Murphy-Phoenix Company, Tom's of Maine, Toms of Maine Holdings Inc., Toms of Maine Inc., Veterinary Companies of America Inc., Vipont Pharmaceutical Inc., and XEB Inc.. DowDuPont Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in agriculture, materials science, and specialty products businesses in the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The company's Agriculture segment produces, and sells hybrid corn seed and soybean seed varieties; sunflowers, wheat, alfalfa, canola, cotton, rice, and sorghum; silage inoculants; and crop protection products that include weed control, disease control, and insect control. Its Performance Materials & Coatings segment manufactures and sells architectural paints and coatings, and industrial coatings; performance monomers and silicones; standalone silicones; and home and personal care solutions. The company's Industrial Intermediates & Infrastructure segment offers ethylene oxides, propylene oxide derivatives, cellulose ethers, redispersible latex powders, and acrylic emulsions; sustainable solutions; and chlorine and caustic soda. Its Packaging & Specialty Plastics segment provides ethylene, and propylene and aromatic products; and polyolefin elastomers and ethylene propylene diene monomer rubbers. The company's Electronics & Imaging segment offers materials and systems for mobile devices, television monitors, personal computers, and electronics. Its Nutrition & Biosciences segment provides specialty ingredients, as well as cellulosic- and alginates-based pharma excipients; and enzymes, biomaterials, biocides, and antimicrobial solutions and process technologies. The company's Transportation & Advanced Polymers segment offers engineering resins, adhesives, lubricants, and parts for transportation, electronics, healthcare, industrial, and consumer end-markets. Its Safety & Construction segment provides engineered products and integrated systems for construction, worker safety, energy, oil and gas, transportation, medical device, and water purification and separation industries. The company was founded in 1897 and is headquartered in Midland, Michigan. Read More Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain. Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred. For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here. There is not enough analysis data for Dream Global REIT. 4.3 Community Rank Outperform Votes Dream Global REIT has received 244 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Dream Global REIT has received 135 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Dream Global REIT has received 64.38% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Dream Global REIT and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe DRG.UN will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe DRG.UN will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next Nabors Industries Ltd. engages in the provision of platform work over and drilling rigs. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Drilling, Canada Drilling, International Drilling, Drilling Solutions, and Rig Technologies. The U.S. Drilling segment includes land drilling activities in the lower 48 states and Alaska, as well as offshore operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The Canada segment consists of land-based drilling rigs in Canada. The International segment focuses in maintaining a footprint in the oil and gas market, most notably in Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Argentina, Colombia, Kazakhstan, and Venezuela. The Drilling Solutions segment offers drilling technologies, such as patented steering systems and rig instrumentation software systems that enhance drilling performance and wellbore placement. The Rig Technologies segment comprises Canrig, which manufactures and sells top drives, catwalks, wrenches, drawworks, and drilling related equipment, such as robotic systems and downhole tools. The company was founded by Clair Nabors in 1952 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Read More First American Financial Corp. operates as an insurance company. It provides title insurance and settlement services to the real estate and mortgage industries. The company operates its business through the following segments: Title Insurance & Services and Specialty Insurance. The Title Insurance & Services segment provides title insurance, escrow, closing services and similar or related financial services domestically and internationally in connection with residential and commercial real estate transactions. It also maintains, manages and provides access to title plant records and images and provides banking, trust and investment advisory services. The Specialty Insurance segment issues property & casualty insurance policies and sells home warranty products. It also provides title plant management services, which include title and other real property records and images, valuation products and services, home warranty products, property and casualty insurance and banking, trust and investment advisory services. First American Financial was founded in January, 2008 and is headquartered in Santa Ana, CA. Read More SPDR S&P Insurance ETF's stock was trading at $28.24 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, KIE stock has increased by 45.4% and is now trading at $41.05. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. The following companies are subsidiares of Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft: 87 Leonard Development LLC, ABFS I Incorporated, ABS MB Ltd., Acacia (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., Accounting Solutions Holding Company Inc, Alex. Brown Financial Services Incorporated, Alex. Brown Investments Incorporated, Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft mbH, Amber Investments S.a r.l., Ambidexter GmbH, Ambidexter GmbH i.L., Argent Incorporated, BHW - Gesellschaft fur Wohnungswirtschaft mbH, BHW Bausparkasse Aktiengesellschaft, BHW Holding GmbH, BHW Kreditservice GmbH, BNA Nominees Pty Limited, BT Globenet Nominees Limited, BTAS Cayman GP, BTD Nominees Pty Limited, Baincor Nominees Pty Limited, Bainpro Nominees Pty Ltd, Baldur Mortgages Limited, Bankers Trust Investments Limited, Barkly Investments Ltd., Bayan Delinquent Loan Recovery 1 (SPV-AMC) Inc, Bayan Delinquent Loan Recovery 1 (SPV-AMC) Inc., Berkshire Mortgage Finance, Betriebs-Center fur Banken AG, Biomass Holdings S.a r.l., Birch (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., Blue Cork Inc, Blue Cork Inc., Borfield Sociedad Anonima, Breaking Wave DB Limited, Cape Acquisition Corp., CapeSuccess Inc., CapeSuccess LLC, Cardales UK Limited, Cardea Real Estate S.r.l., Career Blazers LLC, Career Blazers Management Company Inc, Career Blazers Management Company Inc., Career Blazers Personnel Services Inc, Career Blazers Personnel Services Inc., Career Blazers Personnel Services of Washington D.C. Inc. Washington D.C., Caribbean Resort Holdings Inc, Caribbean Resort Holdings Inc., Carpathian Investments Designated Activity Company, Cathay Advisory (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Cathay Advisory (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Cathay Asset Management Company Limited, Cathay Capital Company (No 2) Limited, Cedar (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., Centennial River 2 Inc., Centennial River Corporation, Chapel Funding, Charlton (Delaware) Inc, China Recovery Fund LLC, China Recovery Fund LLC, Cinda - DB NPL Securitization Trust 2003-1, City Leasing (Thameside) Limited, City Leasing Limited, Consumo S.p.A., Consumo Srl in Liquidazione, Cyrus J. Lawrence Capital Holdings Inc., Cyrus J. Lawrence Capital Holdings Inc., D B Investments (GB) Limited, D&M Turnaround Partners Godo Kaisha, D.B. International Delaware Inc., D.B. International Delaware Inc., DAHOC (UK) Limited (in members' voluntary liquidation), DAHOC Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, DB (Barbados) SRL, DB (Malaysia) Nominee (Asing) Sdn. Bhd., DB (Malaysia) Nominee (Tempatan) Sendirian Berhad, DB (Pacific) Limited, DB (Pacific) Limited New York, DB (Pacific) Limited New York, DB Abalone LLC, DB Alex. Brown Holdings Incorporated, DB Alps Corporation, DB Aotearoa Investments Limited, DB Asia Pacific Holdings Limited (in voluntary liquidation), DB Asset Finance I S.a r.l., DB Asset Finance II S.a r.l., DB Aster II LLC, DB Aster III LLC, DB Aster Inc., DB Aster LLC, DB Beteiligungs-Holding GmbH, DB Boracay LLC, DB Capital Investments Sarl, DB Capital Markets (Deutschland) GmbH, DB Capital Partners Inc., DB Capital Partners Inc., DB Cartera de Inmuebles 1 S.A.U., DB Cartera de Inmuebles 1 S.A.U., DB Chestnut Holdings Limited, DB Commodity Services LLC, DB Consorzio S. Cons. a r. l., DB Corporate Advisory (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., DB Covered Bond S.r.l., DB Credit Investments S.a r.l., DB Delaware Holdings (Europe) Limited, DB Direkt GmbH, DB Elara LLC, DB Energy Commodities Limited (in members' voluntary liquidation), DB Energy Trading LLC, DB Enfield Infrastructure Holdings Limited, DB Equipment Leasing Inc., DB Equipment Leasing Inc., DB Equity Limited, DB Finance (Delaware) LLC, DB Finance (Delaware) LLC, DB Finance International GmbH, DB Ganymede 2006 L.P., DB Global Markets Multi-Strategy Fund I Ltd., DB Global Technology Inc., DB Global Technology Inc., DB Global Technology SRL, DB Group Services (UK) Limited, DB HR Solutions GmbH, DB Holding Fundo de Investimento Multimercado Investimento no Exterior Credito Privado, DB Holdings (New York) Inc., DB Holdings (New York) Inc., DB Holdings (South America) Limited, DB IROC Leasing Corp., DB Immobilienfonds 1 Wieland KG, DB Immobilienfonds 2 KG i.L., DB Immobilienfonds 4 KG i.L., DB Immobilienfonds 5 Wieland KG, DB Impact Investment (GP) Limited, DB Impact Investment Fund I L.P., DB Impact Investment Fund I L.P., DB Industrial Holdings Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG, DB Industrial Holdings GmbH, DB Intermezzo LLC, DB International (Asia) Limited, DB International Investments Limited, DB International Trust (Singapore) Limited, DB Investment Managers Inc., DB Investment Managers Inc., DB Investment Partners Inc., DB Investment Partners Inc., DB Investment Resources (US) Corporation, DB Investment Resources Holdings Corp., DB Investment Services GmbH, DB Io LP, DB Litigation Fee LLC, DB London (Investor Services) Nominees Limited, DB Management Support GmbH, DB Managers LLC, DB Municipal Holdings LLC, DB Nexus American Investments (UK) Limited (in members'voluntary liquidation), DB Nexus Investments (UK) Limited (in members' voluntary liquidation), DB Nominees (Hong Kong) Limited, DB Nominees (Singapore) Pte Ltd, DB Omega BTV S.C.S., DB Omega Holdings LLC, DB Omega Ltd., DB Omega S.C.S., DB Operaciones y Servicios Interactivos Agrupacion de Interes Economico, DB Overseas Finance Delaware Inc., DB Overseas Finance Delaware Inc., DB Overseas Holdings Limited, DB PWM, DB Portfolio Southwest Inc., DB Print GmbH, DB Privat- und Firmenkundenbank AG, DB Private Clients Corp., DB Private Wealth Mortgage Ltd., DB RC Holdings LLC, DB Re S.A., DB Service Centre Limited, DB Service Uruguay S.A., DB Services Americas Inc., DB Services Americas Inc., DB Servizi Amministrativi S.r.l., DB Strategic Advisors Inc., DB Strategic Advisors Inc., DB Structured Derivative Products LLC, DB Structured Derivative Products LLC, DB Structured Finance 1 Designated Activity Company, DB Structured Finance 2 Designated Activity Company, DB Structured Holdings Luxembourg S.a r.l., DB Structured Products Inc., DB Structured Products Inc., DB Trustee Services Limited, DB Trustees (Hong Kong) Limited, DB U.S. Financial Markets Holding Corporation, DB UK Bank Limited, DB UK Holdings Limited, DB UK PCAM Holdings Limited, DB USA Core Corporation, DB USA Corporation, DB Valoren S.a r.l., DB Value S.a r.l., DB VersicherungsManager GmbH, DB Vita S.A., DBAB Wall Street LLC, DBAH Capital LLC, DBAH Capital LLC, DBCIBZ1, DBCIBZ2, DBFIC Inc., DBFIC Inc., DBNZ Overseas Investments (No.1) Limited, DBOI Global Services (UK) Limited, DBOI Global Services Private Limited, DBR Investments Co. Limited, DBRE Global Real Estate Management IA Ltd., DBRE Global Real Estate Management IB Ltd., DBRE Global Real Estate Management IB Ltd., DBRE Global Real Estate Management US IB L.L.C., DBRMS4, DBRMSGP1, DBUK PCAM Limited, DBUKH No. 2 Limited, DBUSBZ1 LLC, DBUSBZ1 LLC, DBUSBZ2 S.a r.l., DBUSBZ2 S.a r.l., DBX Advisors LLC, DBX ETF Trust, DBX Strategic Advisors LLC, DBO Vermogensverwertung GmbH, DEBEKO Immobilien GmbH & Co Grundbesitz OHG, DEE Deutsche Erneuerbare Energien GmbH, DEUFRAN Beteiligungs GmbH, DEUKONA Versicherungs-Vermittlungs-GmbH, DEUTSCHE BANK A.S., DG China Clean Tech Partners, DI Deutsche Immobilien Treuhandgesellschaft mbH, DIB-Consult Deutsche Immobilien- und BeteiligungsBeratungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., DISCA Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, DNU Nominees Pty Limited, DSL Portfolio GmbH & Co. KG, DSL Portfolio Verwaltungs GmbH, DTS Nominees Pty Limited, DWS Alternatives France, DWS Alternatives Global Limited, DWS Alternatives GmbH, DWS Asset Management (Korea) Company Limited, DWS Beteiligungs GmbH, DWS CH AG, DWS Distributors Inc., DWS Distributors Inc., DWS Far Eastern Investments Limited, DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA, DWS Group Services UK Limited, DWS Grundbesitz GmbH, DWS International GmbH, DWS Investment GmbH, DWS Investment Management Americas Inc., DWS Investment Management Americas Inc., DWS Investment S.A., DWS Investments Australia Limited, DWS Investments Hong Kong Limited, DWS Investments Japan Limited, DWS Investments Shanghai Limited, DWS Investments Singapore Limited, DWS Investments UK Limited, DWS Management GmbH, DWS Real Estate GmbH, DWS Service Company, DWS Trust Company, DWS USA Corporation, De Heng Asset Management Company Limited, De Meng Innovative (Beijing) Consulting Company Limited, DeAM Infrastructure Limited, Deloraine Spain S.L., Delowrezham de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Deposit Solutions, Deutsche (Aotearoa) Capital Holdings New Zealand, Deutsche (Aotearoa) Foreign Investments New Zealand, Deutsche (Mauritius) Limited Port, Deutsche (New Munster) Holdings New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Access Investments Limited, Deutsche Aeolia Power Production Societe Anonyme, Deutsche Alt-A Securities Inc., Deutsche Alt-A Securities Inc., Deutsche Alternative Asset Management (France) SAS, Deutsche Alternative Asset Management (UK) Limited, Deutsche Asia Pacific Holdings Pte Ltd, Deutsche Asset Management (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Asset Management (Japan) Limited, Deutsche Asset Management (Korea) Company Limited, Deutsche Asset Management S.A., Deutsche Asset Management S.G.I.I.C. S.A., Deutsche Australia Limited, Deutsche Bank (Cayman) Limited, Deutsche Bank (Chile), Deutsche Bank (China) Co. Ltd., Deutsche Bank (China) Co. Ltd., Deutsche Bank (Malaysia) Berhad, Deutsche Bank (Suisse) SA, Deutsche Bank (Uruguay) Sociedad Anonima Institucion Financiera Externa, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft, Deutsche Bank Americas Holding Corp., Deutsche Bank Bauspar-Aktiengesellschaft, Deutsche Bank Capital Finance LLC I, Deutsche Bank Capital Finance Trust I, Deutsche Bank Europe GmbH, Deutsche Bank Financial Company, Deutsche Bank Holdings Inc., Deutsche Bank Holdings Inc., Deutsche Bank Insurance Agency Incorporated, Deutsche Bank Insurance Agency of Delaware, Deutsche Bank International Limited, Deutsche Bank Investments (Guernsey) Limited, Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A., Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A. - Fiduciary Deposits, Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A. - Fiduciary Note Programme, Deutsche Bank Mutui S.p.A., Deutsche Bank Mexico S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple, Deutsche Bank Mexico S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple, Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, Deutsche Bank National Trust Company Los, Deutsche Bank Nominees (Guernsey) Limited, Deutsche Bank Nominees (Jersey) Limited, Deutsche Bank Polska Spolka Akcyjna, Deutsche Bank Representative Office Nigeria Limited, Deutsche Bank S.A. - Banco Alemao, Deutsche Bank S.A. - Banco Alemao Sao, Deutsche Bank SPEARs/LIFERs Series DBE-8011 Trust, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Deutsche Bank Securities Limited, Deutsche Bank Services (Jersey) Limited, Deutsche Bank Sociedad Anonima Espanola, Deutsche Bank Sociedad Anonima Espanola, Deutsche Bank Societa per Azioni, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Delaware, Deutsche Bank Trust Company National Association, Deutsche Bank Trust Company National Association, Deutsche Bank Trust Corporation, Deutsche CIB Centre Private Limited, Deutsche Capital Finance (2000) Limited, Deutsche Capital Hong Kong Limited, Deutsche Capital Management Limited, Deutsche Capital Markets Australia Limited, Deutsche Capital Partners China Limited, Deutsche Cayman Ltd., Deutsche Colombia S.A.S., Deutsche Custody N.V., Deutsche Domus New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Equities India Private Limited, Deutsche Finance Co 1 Pty Limited, Deutsche Finance Co 2 Pty Limited, Deutsche Finance Co 3 Pty Limited, Deutsche Finance Co 4 Pty Limited, Deutsche Finance No. 2 Limited, Deutsche Foras New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Immobilien-Leasing mit beschrankter Haftung, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Immobilien-Leasing mit beschrankterHaftung, Deutsche Global Markets Limited, Deutsche Group Holdings (SA) Proprietary Limited, Deutsche Group Services Pty Limited, Deutsche Grundbesitz Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Deutsche Grundbesitz Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., Deutsche Grundbesitz-Anlagegesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Deutsche Holdings (BTI) Limited, Deutsche Holdings (Grand Duchy), Deutsche Holdings (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., Deutsche Holdings (Malta) Ltd., Deutsche Holdings Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 2 Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 3 Limited, Deutsche Holdings No. 4 Limited, Deutsche Immobilien Leasing GmbH, Deutsche India Holdings Private Limited, Deutsche International Corporate Services (Ireland) Limited, Deutsche International Corporate Services Limited, Deutsche International Custodial Services Limited, Deutsche Inversiones Dos S.A., Deutsche Inversiones Limitada, Deutsche Investments (Netherlands) N.V., Deutsche Investments India Private Limited, Deutsche Investor Services Private Limited, Deutsche Knowledge Services Pte. Ltd., Deutsche Leasing New York Corp., Deutsche Mandatos S.A., Deutsche Master Funding Corporation, Deutsche Mexico Holdings S.a r.l., Deutsche Morgan Grenfell Group Limited, Deutsche Morgan Grenfell Group Public Limited Company, Deutsche Mortgage & Asset Receiving Corporation, Deutsche Mortgage Securities Inc., Deutsche Mortgage Securities Inc., Deutsche Nederland N.V., Deutsche New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Nominees Limited, Deutsche Oppenheim Family Office AG, Deutsche Overseas Issuance New Zealand Limited, Deutsche Postbank, Deutsche Postbank Finance Center Objekt GmbH, Deutsche Postbank Funding LLC I, Deutsche Postbank Funding LLC II, Deutsche Postbank Funding LLC III, Deutsche Private Asset Management Limited, Deutsche Securities (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Securities (Proprietary) Limited, Deutsche Securities (SA) (Proprietary) Limited, Deutsche Securities Asia Limited, Deutsche Securities Australia Limited, Deutsche Securities Inc., Deutsche Securities Israel Ltd., Deutsche Securities Korea Co., Deutsche Securities Mauritius Limited, Deutsche Securities Menkul Degerler A.S., Deutsche Securities S.A., Deutsche Securities S.A. de C.V. Casa de Bolsa, Deutsche Securities S.A. de C.V. Casa de Bolsa, Deutsche Securities Saudi Arabia, Deutsche Securities SpA, Deutsche Securities Venezuela S.A., Deutsche Securitisation Australia Pty Limited, Deutsche Services Polska Sp. z o.o., Deutsche StiftungsTrust GmbH, Deutsche Strategic Investment Holdings Yugen Kaisha, Deutsche Trust Company Limited Japan, Deutsche Trustee Company Limited, Deutsche Trustee Services (India) Private Limited, Deutsche Trustees Malaysia Berhad, Deutsche Wealth Management S.G.I.I.C. S.A., Deutsches Institut fur Altersvorsorge GmbH, Durian (Luxembourg) S.a r.l., EC EUROPA IMMOBILIEN FONDS NR. 3 GmbH & CO. KG i.I., Elba Finance GmbH, Elizabethan Holdings Limited, Elizabethan Management Limited, Emerald Asset Repackaging Designated Activity Company, Erste Frankfurter Hoist GmbH, European Value Added I (Alternate G.P.) LLP, Exinor SA, FARAMIR Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungs GmbH, FRANKFURT CONSULT GmbH, Fiduciaria Sant' Andrea S.r.L., Finanzberatungsgesellschaft mbH der Deutschen Bank, Franz Urbig- und Oscar Schlitter-Stiftung Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-037, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-039, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-040, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-041, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-043, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-044, Freddie Mac Class A Taxable Multifamily M Certificates Series M-047, Funfte SAB Treuhand und Verwaltung GmbH & Co. Suhl "Rimbachzentrum" KG, G Finance Holding Corp., G.O. IB-US Management L.L.C., G918 Corp., GAC-HEL Inc., GWC-GAC Corp., Galene S.a r.l., Gemini Technology Services Inc., German American Capital, German American Capital Corporation, Gladyr Spain S.L., Global Markets Fundo de Investimento Multimercado, Global Markets III Fundo de Investimento Multimercado - Credito, Greenwood Properties Corp., Grundstucksgesellschaft Frankfurt Bockenheimer Landstrae GbR, Grundstucksgesellschaft Kerpen-Sindorf Vogelrutherfeld GbR, Grundstucksgesellschaft Leipzig Petersstrae GbR, Grundstucksgesellschaft Wiesbaden Luisenstrae/Kirchgasse GbR, HTB Spezial GmbH & Co. KG, Hollandsche Bank-Unie, IOS Finance EFC S.A., ISTRON Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungs-GmbH, IVAF I Manager S.a r.l., IVAF I Manager S.a r.l., Immobilienfonds Buro-Center Erfurt am Flughafen Bindersleben I GbR, Immobilienfonds Buro-Center Erfurt am Flughafen Bindersleben II GbR, Immobilienfonds Mietwohnhauser Quadrath-Ichendorf GbR, Immobilienfonds Wohn- und Geschaftshaus Koln-Blumenberg V GbR, J R Nominees (Pty) Ltd, Joint Stock Company Deutsche Bank DBU, Jyogashima Godo Kaisha, KEBA Gesellschaft fur interne Services mbH, Kidson Pte Ltd, Konsul Inkasso GmbH, Kradavimd UK Lease Holdings Limited, LA Water Holdings Limited, LAWL Pte. Ltd., Latitude Australia Secured Personal Loans Trust, Leasing Verwaltungsgesellschaft Waltersdorf mbH, Leonardo III Initial GP Limited, Lindsell Finance Limited, London Industrial Leasing Limited, MEF I Manager S. a r.l., MEF I Manager S. a r.l., MHL Reinsurance Ltd., MIT Holdings Inc., MIT Holdings Inc., MPP Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Maher Terminals Holdings (Toronto) Limited, Morgan Grenfell & Company, MortgageIT, MortgageIT Inc., MortgageIT Inc., MortgageIT Securities Corp., Motion Picture Productions One GmbH & Co. KG, NCW Holding Inc., Navegator - SGFTC S.A., Navegator - SGFTC S.A., New 87 Leonard LLC, Nordwestdeutscher Wohnungsbautrager Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, OOO "Deutsche Bank TechCentre", OOO "Deutsche Bank", OPB Verwaltungs- und Beteiligungs-GmbH, OPB Verwaltungs- und Treuhand GmbH, OPB-Holding GmbH, OPB-Nona GmbH, OPB-Oktava GmbH, OPB-Quarta GmbH, OPB-Quinta GmbH, OPB-Septima GmbH, OPPENHEIM Capital Advisory GmbH, OPPENHEIM Flottenfonds V GmbH & Co. KG, OPPENHEIM PRIVATE EQUITY Manager GmbH, OPPENHEIM PRIVATE EQUITY Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, OPS Nominees Pty Limited, OVT Trust 1 GmbH, OVV Beteiligungs GmbH, Opal Funds (Ireland) Public Limited Company, PADUS Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, PARTS Funding LLC., PB Factoring GmbH, PB Firmenkunden AG, PB International S.A., PB Spezial-Investmentaktiengesellschaft mit Teilgesellschaftsvermogen, PBC Banking Services GmbH, PCC Services GmbH der Deutschen Bank, PT Deutsche Sekuritas Indonesia, PT. Deutsche Verdhana Sekuritas Indonesia, Pan Australian Nominees Pty Ltd, Peruda Leasing Limited, Plantation Bay Inc., Plantation Bay Inc., Postbank Akademie und Service GmbH, Postbank Beteiligungen GmbH, Postbank Direkt GmbH, Postbank Filialvertrieb AG, Postbank Finanzberatung AG, Postbank Immobilien GmbH, Postbank Immobilien und Baumanagement GmbH, Postbank Immobilien und Baumanagement GmbH & Co. Objekt Leipzig KG, Postbank Leasing GmbH, Postbank Service GmbH, Postbank Systems AG, QR Tower 2 LLC, Quantiguous, R.B.M. Nominees Pty Ltd, REO Properties Corporation, RREEF, RREEF America L.L.C., RREEF China REIT Management Limited, RREEF European Value Added I (G.P.) Limited, RREEF Fund Holding Co., RREEF India Advisors Private Limited, RREEF Management L.L.C., RTS Nominees Pty Limited, Reference Capital Investments Limited, RoPro U.S. Holding Inc., RoPro U.S. Holding Inc., Route 28 Receivables LLC, Route 28 Receivables LLC, SAB Real Estate Verwaltungs GmbH, SAGITA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, SAPIO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, SCUDO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., SEDO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., SENA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. Objekt Kamenz KG, SIFA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, SOLIDO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, SP Mortgage Trust, SPINO Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., SPV I Sociedad Anonima Cerrada, SPV II Sociedad Anonima Cerrada, STATOR Heizkraftwerk Frankfurt (Oder) Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Sal. Oppenheim, Sal. Oppenheim Alternative Investments GmbH, Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. AG & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien, Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. Beteiligungs GmbH, Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. Komplementar AG, Sechste Salomon Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Sechste Salomon Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., Service Company Four Limited, Sharps SP I LLC, Singer Island Tower Suite LLC, Somkid Immobiliare S.r.l., Stelvio Immobiliare S.r.l., Structured Finance Americas LLC, Structured Finance Americas LLC, Swabia 1. Vermogensbesitz-GmbH, Suddeutsche Vermogensverwaltung Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, TAKIR Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, TELO Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, TEMATIS Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., TERRUS Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH i.L., TESATUR Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. Objekt Halle I KG i.L., TESATUR Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. Objekt Nordhausen I KG i.L., TOSSA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, TRIPLA Grundstucks-Vermietungsgesellschaft mbH, TRS Aria LLC, TRS Leda LLC, TRS Maple II LTD, TRS Oak II LTD, TRS SVCO LLC, TRS Scorpio LLC, TRS Tupelo II LTD, TRS Venor LLC, TRS Walnut II LTD, Tagus - Sociedade de Titularizacao de Creditos S.A., Tasfiye Halinde Deutsche Securities Menkul Degerler A.S., Tempurrite Leasing Limited, Thai Asset Enforcement and Recovery Asset Management Company Limited, Tianjin Deutsche AM Fund Management Co. Ltd., Treuinvest Service GmbH, Triplereason Limited, UKE Beteiligungs-GmbH, UKE Grundstucksgesellschaft mbH, UKE s.r.o., Ullmann - Esch Grundstucksgesellschaft Kirchnerstrae GbR, Ullmann - Esch Grundstucksverwaltungsgesellschaft Disternich GbR, Ullmann Ullmann Krockow Krockow Esch GbR, VCJ Lease S.a r.l., Vesta Real Estate S.r.l., VOB-ZVD Processing GmbH, WEPLA Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, WEPLABeteiligungsgesellschaftmbH, Wealthspur Investment Ltd., Whale Holdings S.a r.l., World Trading (Delaware) Inc., World Trading(Delaware)Inc., Zumirez Drive LLC, db PBC, and norisbank GmbH. Lloyds Banking Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides a range of banking and financial services in the United Kingdom and internationally. It operates through three segments: Retail; Commercial Banking; and Insurance and Wealth. The Retail segment offers a range of financial service products, including current accounts, savings accounts, mortgages, motor finance, unsecured loans, leasing solutions, credit cards, and other financial services to personal and small business customers. The Commercial Banking segment provides lending, transactional banking, working capital management, risk management, and debt capital market services to small and medium-sized entities, corporates, and financial institutions. The Insurance and Wealth segment offers life, home, and car insurance products; and pension, investment, and wealth management products and services. It also provides digital and mobile banking, and telephone services, as well as advisory services for savings, investments, and planning for retirement. The company offers its products and services under the Lloyds Bank, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, Scottish Widows, MBNA, Schroders Personal Wealth, Black Horse, Lex Autolease, Birmingham Midshires, LDC, IWeb, and Agricultural Mortgage Corporation brands. Lloyds Banking Group plc was founded in 1695 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Read More All pigs affected need to be slaughtered and properly disposed since there is no known cure for this infection yet. Stephane Travert, Minister of Agriculture and Food, has asked the authorities in the regions bordering Belgium - Ardennes, Meuse, Moselle and Meurthe and Moselle - to implement the "strengthened action plan specific to this disease", under the coordination of DGAL (General Directorate of Food) to prevent the introduction of the virus into France. At the end of the month of August, the president of the main agricultural union the French FNSEA, Christiane Lambert, had concerns about the risk of transmission in the farms of the african swine fever, already present in eastern Europe, where some companies of hunting, importing wild boars to their farms of game. The AFSCA and the SPW on Thursday in a joint statement said, "The fight against the disease is not a public health issue but rather it is a challenge for animal health and economic sustainability". Denmark has planned to build fences along Germany borders to prevent entry of African swine fever. Romania is Europe's second-largest pig farm. It added: "This virus can be transmitted easily from one animal to another either through close contacts between individuals, or by contaminated equipment (transport equipment, boots, etc) or via food remains carrying the virus and abandoned by humans". The task force held a meeting to create guidelines that could help hunters and local municipalities better cope with the situation in case the virus makes its way into South Korea. France called on Thursday for protective measures following reports that African swine fever had been detected in wild boars in Belgium near the French border. Strict prevention and control measures are defined at European and national level. Danish Environment and Food Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen has said in a statement earlier, "In case of an outbreak of African swine fever, the export to non-EU countries will shut down". "The first priority now is to ensure that this virus does not spread further and I would urge all pig producers to ensure their biosecurity is tight, particularly in regards to vehicles, animals and people coming onto their units". The Hershey Co. engages in the manufacture and market of chocolate and sugar confectionery products. The firm operates through the following geographical segments: North America; and International and Other. The North America segment is responsible for the traditional chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery market position of the company, as well as its grocery and snacks market positions, in the United States and Canada. The International and Other segment is the combination of all other operating segments which are not individually material, including those geographic regions where the company operates outside of North America. Its brands include Hershey's, Reese's, and Kisses. The company was founded by Milton S. Hershey in 1894 and is headquartered in Hershey, PA. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise: 3Com International Inc., 3PAR Inc., Apogee, Aruba Networks Inc., Aruba Networks International Cayman, Aruba Networks International Limited, BlueData Software, Cloud Cruiser, Cloud Technology Partners, Cloud Technology Partners Inc., Compaq Computer (Mauritius), Compaq Trademark B.V., Cray, Cray Inc., EDS World Corporation (Far East) LLC, EYP Mission Critical Facilities Inc., H3C Holdings Limited, HP Enterprise Services Australia Pty Ltd, HP Financial Services (Australia) Pty Limited, HP Financial Services (Chile) Limitada, HP Financial Services (Japan) K.K., HP Financial Services Arrendamento Mercantil S.A., HP Financial Services Company (Korea), HP Financial Services International Holdings Company, HPE Government LLC, HPFS Global Holdings I LLC, HPFS Global Holdings II LLC, HPFS Rental S.R.L., Hangzhou H3C Technologies Co. Ltd, Hewlett Packard Caribe BV LLC, Hewlett Packard Colombia Ltda., Hewlett Packard Enterprise (China) Co. Ltd., Hewlett Packard Enterprise B.V., Hewlett Packard Enterprise B.V. Amstelveen Meyrin Branch, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Co., Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Co. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Canada Cie, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Costa Rica Limitada, Hewlett Packard Enterprise GlobalSoft Private Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise India Private Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Ireland Limited, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Luxembourg SCA, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Polska sp. z o.o., Hewlett Packard Pathfinder LLC, Hewlett Packard Taiwan Ltd., Hewlett-Packard (Israel) Ltd., Hewlett-Packard (M) Sdn. Bhd., Hewlett-Packard (Nigeria) Limited, Hewlett-Packard (Schweiz) GmbH, Hewlett-Packard (Tanzania) Limited, Hewlett-Packard (Thailand) Limited, Hewlett-Packard ApS, Hewlett-Packard Argentina S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Australia Pty Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Belgium SPRL/BVBA, Hewlett-Packard Bermuda Enterprises LLC, Hewlett-Packard Brasil Ltda., Hewlett-Packard Bulgaria EOOD, Hewlett-Packard Caribe B.V., Hewlett-Packard Caribe Y Andina B.V. LLC, Hewlett-Packard Chile Comercial Limitada, Hewlett-Packard Cyprus Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Hewlett-Packard Egypt Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Financial Services (India) Private Limited, Hewlett-Packard Financial Services Canada Company, Hewlett-Packard Financial Services Company, Hewlett-Packard France SAS, Hewlett-Packard G1 SPV (Cayman) Company, Hewlett-Packard Gesellschaft mbH, Hewlett-Packard Ghana Limited, Hewlett-Packard GmbH, Hewlett-Packard Guatemala Limitada, Hewlett-Packard HK SAR Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Hellas EPE, Hewlett-Packard Holdings Ltd., Hewlett-Packard International Bank Designated Activity Company, Hewlett-Packard International Bank Public Limited Company, Hewlett-Packard International Sarl, Hewlett-Packard Italiana S.r.l., Hewlett-Packard Japan Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Korea Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Leasing Limited, Hewlett-Packard Limited, Hewlett-Packard Luxembourg Enterprises LLC, Hewlett-Packard Macau Limited, Hewlett-Packard Manufacturing Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Marigalante Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Hewlett-Packard Middle East FZ-LLC, Hewlett-Packard Mocambique Limitada - Sociedada em Liquidacao, Hewlett-Packard Nederland B.V., Hewlett-Packard New Zealand, Hewlett-Packard Norge AS, Hewlett-Packard OY, Hewlett-Packard Operations Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Hewlett-Packard Peru S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Philippines Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Portugal Lda., Hewlett-Packard SARL, Hewlett-Packard SIA, Hewlett-Packard Servicios Espana S.L., Hewlett-Packard Singapore (Sales) Pte. Ltd., Hewlett-Packard South Africa (Proprietary) Limited, Hewlett-Packard Sverige AB, Hewlett-Packard Technology Center Inc., Hewlett-Packard Teknoloji Cozumleri Limited Sirketi, Hewlett-Packard The Hague B.V., Hewlett-Packard Venezuela S.R.L., Hewlett-Packard Vision Limited, Hewlett-Packard d.o.o., Hewlett-Packard s.r.o., Limited Liability Company Hewlett Packard Enterprise, MapR Technologies, New H3C Technologies Co. Ltd., Niara Inc., Nimble Storage, Nimble Storage Inc., Nimble Storage Israel Ltd, Nimble Storage Japan GK, Nimble Storage UK Limited, Plexxi, RedPixie, SGI (Silicon Graphics), Sapphire Holding Co, Scytale, Shanghai Hewlett-Packard Co. Ltd., Silver Peak, SimpliVity, Sinope Holding B.V., Trilead, UAB ES Hague Lietuva, and Unis Huashan Technologies Co. Limited. Imperial Brands PLC, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, imports, markets, and sells tobacco and tobacco-related products. It offers a range of cigarettes, fine cut and smokeless tobacco, papers, and cigars; and next generation product (NGP) portfolio, such as e-vapour products, as well as oral nicotine and heated tobacco products. The company sells its products under various brands, including Davidoff, Gauloises, JPS, West, L&B, Bastos, Fine, Winston, News, Parker & Simpson, blu, Kool, Horizon, Jade, Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo Y Julieta, Backwoods, Skruf, Golden Virginia, Rizla, and Knox in approximately 160 countries worldwide. It also provides logistics services that include the distribution of tobacco and NGP products for tobacco and NGP product manufacturers; and various non-tobacco and NGP products and services. In addition, the company is involved in the management of a golf course; marketing of papers; restaurant business; distribution of pharmaceuticals, POS software, and published materials and other products; printing and publishing activities; and provision of long haul transportation, industrial parcel and express delivery, advertising, and support management services. Further, it owns the trademarks; and retails its products. The company was formerly known as Imperial Tobacco Group PLC and changed its name to Imperial Brands PLC in February 2016. Imperial Brands PLC was founded in 1901 and is headquartered in Bristol, the United Kingdom. Read More CONSOL Coal Resources LP produces and sells high- British thermal unit (Btu) coal in the Northern Appalachian Basin and the eastern United States. It owns a 25% undivided interest in the Pennsylvania mining complex, which consists of three underground mines and related infrastructure that produce high-Btu thermal coal located primarily in southwestern Pennsylvania. The company markets its thermal coal principally to electric utilities. CONSOL Coal Resources GP LLC operates as a general partner of the company. The company was formerly known as CNX Coal Resources LP and changed its name to CONSOL Coal Resources LP in November 2017. CONSOL Coal Resources LP was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Quaker Chemical: AC Products Inc., Applied Surface Concepts Holdings Ltd. , Binol AB, Binol Biosafe OY, Commonwealth Oil Corporation, DA Stuart India Private Limited, DA Stuart Shanghai Co, ECLI Products LLC, EFHCO LLC, Engineered Custom Lubricants, Engineered Custom Lubricants GmbH, Epmar Corporation, G.W. Smith and Sons, GH Holdings Inc., GHG Lubricants Holdings Limited, GHGL London Ltd., GHI Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Global Houghton Ltd., Houghton (Shanghai) Specialty Industrial Fluids Co. Ltd, Houghton Argentina S.A., Houghton Asia Pacific Co. Limited, Houghton Australia Pty. Ltd., Houghton Benelux BV, Houghton CZ s.r.o, Houghton Canada Inc., Houghton Denmark AS, Houghton Deutschland GmbH, Houghton Europe BV, Houghton Holdings Limited, Houghton Iberica S.A. , Houghton International, Houghton International Inc., Houghton Italia S.p.A., Houghton Japan Co. Ltd., Houghton Kimya Sanayi AS, Houghton Magyarorszag Kft, Houghton Mexico S.A. de C.V., Houghton Oil (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd., Houghton Polska Sp. Zo.o., Houghton Romania S.R.L., Houghton S.A.S., Houghton Sverige AB, Houghton Taiwan Co. Limited, Houghton Technical Corp., Houghton Ukraine ToV, Houghton do Brazil Ltda., Houghton plc, Internationale Metall Impragnier GmbH, Lubricor Inc, Lubricor Inc., Lubricor Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Lubricor USA Inc., MIH Acquisition Company LLC, MX Systems International Ltd, Maldaner GmbH, NP Coil Dexter Industries, New Houghton Brazil Inc., Norman Hay Engineering Ltd., QH Chemical Limited, QH Europe BV, QH Holdings Limited, QH International Limited, Quaker (Thailand) Ltd., Quaker Australia Holdings Pty. Limited, Quaker Chemical (Australasia) Pty. Limited, Quaker Chemical (China) Co. Ltd., Quaker Chemical B.V., Quaker Chemical CV, Quaker Chemical Canada Holdings Inc., Quaker Chemical Canada Limited, Quaker Chemical Europe B.V., Quaker Chemical Holdings South Africa (Pty) Limited, Quaker Chemical India Private Limited, Quaker Chemical Industria e Comercio Ltda., Quaker Chemical Investment Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Quaker Chemical Limited, Quaker Chemical MEA FZE, Quaker Chemical Operacoes Ltda., Quaker Chemical Participacoes Ltda., Quaker Chemical S.A., Quaker Chemical S.r.l., Quaker Chemical Services EURL, Quaker Chemical South Africa (Pty.) Limited, Quaker China Holdings B.V., Quaker Denmark ApS, Quaker Houghton (Finco) Ltd., Quaker Houghton Holdings Limited, Quaker Houghton Holdings Ltd., Quaker Houghton International LP, Quaker Houghton Ltd., Quaker International Holdings LLC, Quaker Italia S.r.l., Quaker Russia B.V., Quaker Sales Europe BV, Quaker Shanghai Trading Company Limited, Quaker Spain Holding SLU, Quaker Specialty Chemicals (UK) Limited, SB Decking Inc., SIFCO Applied Surface Concepts (UK) Ltd, SIFCO Applied Surface Concepts LLC, SIFCO Concepts Sarl, SIFCO Concepts Sweden, Sterr & Eder Industrieservice GmbH, Summit Lubricants Inc, Summit Lubricants Inc., Surface Technology (Coventry) Ltd, Surface Technology (Dalian) Co Ltd, Surface Technology (East Kilbride) Ltd., Surface Technology (Leeds) Ltd, Surface Technology Aberdeen Ltd, Surface Technology Australia, Surface Technology Holdings Ltd., TecniQuimia Mexicana, Tecniquimia Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Thai Houghton 1993 Co. Ltd., Ultraseal Asia Limited, Ultraseal Chongqing Limited, Ultraseal Germany GmbH, Ultraseal International Group Ltd, Ultraseal Machinery Dongguan Ltd, Ultraseal Shanghai Limited, Ultraseal USA Inc., Unitek Servicios De Asesoria Especializad S.A de C.V., Verkol S.A.U., Verkol SAU, Wallover Enterprises Inc., Wallover Oil Company Incorporated, Wallover Oil Hamilton Inc., and Wuhan Quaker Technology Co. Ltd. Invesco India ETF's stock was trading at $16.40 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, PIN shares have increased by 78.7% and is now trading at $29.31. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. The following companies are subsidiares of Iron Mountain: AB Archyvu Centras, AB Archyvu Sistemos, AB Archyvu Sistemos Estonia Branch, AKTATRADE Iratendezo Selejtezo es Megsemmisito Bt., AS Archivu Serviss, Accutrac Software Inc, Administradora de Informacion Ltda, ArchivesOne, Archyvu sistemos, Ausdoc Group Pty Limited, Ausdoc Holdings Pty Limited, Bonded Services Group, Box Butler, Britannia Data Management Limited, Connected Corporation, Cornerstone Records Management, Crozier Fine Arts, Crozier Philadelphia LLC, Custodia S.O.S. SA, Custodia de Documentos Limitada, Data Outsourcing Centre doo, Data Security Services Pty Limited, DigiGuard, Docu-File Cape Town Proprietary Limited, Docu-File Durban Proprietary Limited, Docu-File JHB Proprietary Limited, DocuTar Iratrendezo es Tarolo Szolgaltato Kft., DocuVault, Docufile (Pty) Ltd, Docufile Holdings (Proprietary) Limited, Docufile Lesotho Proprietary Limited, Docufile Services Proprietary Limited, Docugroup Papir Szolgatato Kft., Document Holdings Sweden AB, Docuscan Cape Town Proprietary Limited, Docuscan Proprietary Limited, EAC Invest, Endless Document Storage Services LLC, EvoSwitch, File Express Limited, Fine Paper Recyclers Sydney Pty Ltd, Fontis International GmbH, Fontis International Inc., Fortrust, G4S Secure Data Solutions Colombia, Hays IMS, Horanross Limited, IBEX IM Limited, IBEX Information Management Limited, IG2 Data Security, IMSA Peru SRL, IO.com, Information Storage Consolidation Co, Interfile Participacoes S.A., Intradis SA, Iron Mountain (Deutschland) Service GmbH, Iron Mountain (Espana) Services S.L, Iron Mountain (Gibraltar) Holdings Limited, Iron Mountain (Ireland) Services Limited, Iron Mountain (Nederland) Services BV, Iron Mountain (UK) EES Holdings Limited, Iron Mountain (UK) Limited, Iron Mountain (UK) Services Limited, Iron Mountain A/S, Iron Mountain Acquisition Holdings Pty. Ltd., Iron Mountain Argentina S.A., Iron Mountain Arsivleme Hizmetleri A.S., Iron Mountain Asia Pacific Holdings Ltd, Iron Mountain Australia Group Pty. Ltd., Iron Mountain Australia Group Services Pty. Ltd., Iron Mountain Australia Holdings Inc., Iron Mountain Australia Property Holdings Pty Ltd, Iron Mountain Austria Archivierung Gmbh, Iron Mountain BPM International S.a.r.l., Iron Mountain BPM SPRL, Iron Mountain Belgium NV, Iron Mountain CIS LLC, Iron Mountain Canada Operations ULC, Iron Mountain Ceska Republika S.R.O., Iron Mountain Chile S.A., Iron Mountain Chile Servicios S.A., Iron Mountain Colombia S.A.S., Iron Mountain DIMS Limited, Iron Mountain Deutschland GmbH, Iron Mountain Do Brasil Ltda, Iron Mountain EES Holdings Ltd., Iron Mountain EES Sp. z.o.o., Iron Mountain Espana SA, Iron Mountain Europe (Group) Limited, Iron Mountain Europe PLC (fka Iron Mountain Europe Limited), Iron Mountain Finland OY, Iron Mountain France S.A.S., Iron Mountain Fulfillment Services Inc., Iron Mountain Global Holdings Inc., Iron Mountain Global LLC, Iron Mountain Global Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Iron Mountain Group (Europe) Limited, Iron Mountain Hellas SA, Iron Mountain Holdings (Europe) Limited, Iron Mountain Holdings (France) SNC, Iron Mountain Incorporated, Iron Mountain India Private Ltd, Iron Mountain Information Management LLC, Iron Mountain Information Management Services Canada Inc., Iron Mountain Information Management Services Inc., Iron Mountain Intellectual Property Management Inc., Iron Mountain International (Holdings) Limited, Iron Mountain International Holdings BV, Iron Mountain International Information Management Co. Ltd., Iron Mountain Ireland Holdings Limited, Iron Mountain Ireland Limited, Iron Mountain Latin America Holdings Sociedad Limitada, Iron Mountain Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Iron Mountain Luxembourg Services S.a.r.l., Iron Mountain Luxembourg Services S.a.r.l. Schaffhausen Branch, Iron Mountain MDM Limited, Iron Mountain Magyarorszag Kereskedelmi es Szolgaltato Kft., Iron Mountain Management Services GmbH, Iron Mountain Mayflower Limited, Iron Mountain Mexico Holding S. de RL de CV, Iron Mountain Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Iron Mountain Mexico Servicios S. de RL de CV, Iron Mountain Mortgage Finance Holdings LLC, Iron Mountain Mortgage Finance I LLC, Iron Mountain Nederland B.V., Iron Mountain Nederland Holdings B.V., Iron Mountain New Zealand Limited (fka Recall New Zealand Ltd), Iron Mountain Norge AS, Iron Mountain Participations SA, Iron Mountain Peru S.A., Iron Mountain Poland Holdings Ltd, Iron Mountain Polska Services Sp z.o.o., Iron Mountain Polska Sp. z.o.o., Iron Mountain Receivables QRS LLC, Iron Mountain Receivables TRS LLC, Iron Mountain Records Management (Puerto Rico) Inc., Iron Mountain Records Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Iron Mountain SRL, Iron Mountain Secure Shredding Canada, Iron Mountain Secure Shredding Inc., Iron Mountain Services Private Ltd, Iron Mountain Services S.A.S., Iron Mountain Shanghai Co Ltd, Iron Mountain Slovakia s.r.o., Iron Mountain South America S.a.r.l., Iron Mountain Southeast Asia Holdings Limited, Iron Mountain Switzerland GmbH, Iron Mountain UK Services (Holdings) Limited, Iron Mountain US Holdings Inc., Iron Mountain Ukraine LLC, Iron Mountain Vietnam Company Limited, Iron Mountain d.o.o. Beograd, Jin Shan Limited, KDM Spectrumdata Pty Ltd, KH Data Capital Development Land LLC, Kestrel Data (Canada) Ltd, Kestrel Data Services Limited, Kestrel Information Management Pty. Ltd., Livevault, Marshgate Morangis S.a.r.l., Mimosa Systems, Mobilshred Inc., Navbharat Archive Xpress Private Limited, Nettlebed Acquisition Corp., Pipax Security S.A., Preferred Media Limited, Prism Integrated Sdn Bhd, Recall, Recall (London) Limited, Recall (Schweiz) AG, Recall (Shanghai) Ltd., Recall A/S, Recall AS, Recall Asia Pte Limited, Recall Corporation Sdn. Bhd., Recall Enterprises (Thailand) Limited, Recall Enterprises Sdn. Bhd., Recall Europe Finance Ltd. (fka Recall Europe Finance Plc), Recall Europe Limited, Recall Finance Limited, Recall Finland OY, Recall France SA, Recall France SA Belgium Branch, Recall France SAS, Recall GQ Limited, Recall Holdings, Recall Holdings Limited, Recall Holdings Sweden AB, Recall Hong Kong Ltd., Recall India Information Management Pvt. Ltd., Recall Information Services SRL, Recall International Pty Limited, Recall Italia SRL, Recall Limited, Recall Overseas Holdings Pty Limited, Recall Shredding Limited, Recall Sweden AB, Recall Taiwan Ltd., Recall Technology Pty. Ltd., Recall Total Information Management India Pvt. Ltd., Recall Total Information Mgt Pte Ltd, Recall do Brasil Ltda, Record Data Limited, Royal Seal S.R.O., Safehouse Information Management Solutions Private Limited, Secur Archiv SA, Secure Paper Services Pty Ltd, Shuttle SRL, Silver Sky Limited, Sispace AG, Startify, Storbox SA, The Coding Company Pty. Ltd., The Imaging Centre Pty Ltd, UAB Confidento, Upper Providence Venture I L.P., Venues Australia Pty Ltd, and Xepa Digital. Owen told online news outlet Politico that the USA will continue to enforce its prohibition come Oct 17, when recreational Cannabis becomes legal. "Working or having involvement in the legal marijuana industry in U.S. states where it is deemed legal or Canada may affect an individual's admissibility to the U.S.", Mike Niezgoda, a spokesman at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office in Buffalo, said in an email. Thousands of Canadians have invested in the cannabis companies, which are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Under the policy, USA officials are to bar entry to Canadians who acknowledge having consumed marijuana at any time in their past, as well as those who are either employed or invested in legal cannabis enterprises. Canadian Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale has often said he's working with USA law enforcement to clarify the changes and make sure the border remains smooth. "We already notice somewhat of a trend of some people not going to the USA", said Silver. So what to do when you want to cross the border? Consider that, after October 17, someone travelling from Canada (where marijuana is legal) to Washington State or Vermont (where marijuana is also legal) could still be stopped at the border, prohibited from entering the United States, and banned from the country for life. "Our officers are not going to be asking everyone whether they have used marijuana, but if other questions lead there - or if there is a smell coming from the vehicle, they might ask", the official said. Owen says if a traveller is asked about past use use, he shouldn't lie. Owen said if travelers lie about past drug use during questioning, that's "fraud and misrepresentation, which carries a lifetime ban". Typically, travellers will be given the opportunity to "voluntary withdraw" from the border, or they face an "expedited removal". Anyone subject to a lifetime ban from entering the United States can apply for a waiver, though that costs more than $500. "We don't recognize that as a legal business", the official said, adding that marijuana investors from Israel have already been turned away. Owen's comments confirm anecdotal evidence over the past year that the tough measures were coming. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau downplayed the matter on Tuesday, though he has said publicly he has smoked pot. "Every country has the right to judge who gets to come into their borders or not". Although you may not be denied entry simply for having a job that's legal in Canada, marijuana executives who work with US companies may be seen as being engaged in criminal activity, Chang said. In the USA, recreational marijuana is legal in nine states and Washington, D.C., while medical marijuana is legal in more than two dozen states. There is not enough analysis data for Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund. 4.1 Community Rank Outperform Votes Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund has received 179 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.) Underperform Votes Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund has received 111 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.) Community Sentiment Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund has received 61.72% outperform votes from our community. MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Kayne Anderson Energy Infrastructure Fund and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe KYN will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe KYN will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days. Previous Next Red Hat, Inc. provides open source software solutions to develop and offer operating system, virtualization, management, middleware, cloud, mobile, and storage technologies to various enterprises worldwide. It offers infrastructure-related solutions, such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux, an operating system platform that runs on hardware for use in hybrid cloud environments; Red Hat Satellite, a system management offering that helps to deploy, scale, and manage in hybrid cloud environments; and Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization, a software solution that allows customers to utilize and manage a common hardware infrastructure to run multiple operating systems and applications. The company offers application development-related and other technology solutions, such as Red Hat JBoss Middleware, a solution for developing, deploying, and managing applications; integrating applications, data, and devices; and automating business processes in hybrid cloud environments; The company's application development-related and other technology solutions also includes Red Hat cloud offerings, a software solution that enables customers to build and manage various cloud computing environments; Red Hat Mobile, a software development platform that enables customers to develop, integrate, deploy, and manage mobile applications for enterprises; and Red Hat Storage, a software solution that enables customers to manage large, unstructured, or semi-structured data in hybrid cloud environments. It also provides consulting, support, and training services; and realtime operating system, distributed computing, directory services, and user authentication. Red Hat, Inc. has collaboration with Juniper Networks Expand to provide a unified solution for enterprises designed to manage and run applications and services. The company was formerly known as Red Hat Software, Inc. and changed its name to Red Hat, Inc. in June 1999. Red Hat, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. Read More Xcel Energy, Inc. operates as a holding company, which engages in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity. It operates through the following three segments: Regulated Electric Utility, Regulated Natural Gas Utility and All Others. The Regulated Electric Utility segment generates, transmits and distributes electricity primarily in portions of generates, transmits and distributes electricity in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Texas and New Mexico. In addition, this segment includes sales for resale and provides wholesale transmission service to various entities in the United States. It also includes commodity trading operations. The Regulated Natural Gas Utility segment transports, stores, and distributes natural gas primarily in portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Michigan and Colorado. The All Others segment engages in steam, appliance repair services, nonutility real estate activities, processing solid waste into refuse-derived fuel and investments in rental housing projects that qualify for low-income housing tax credits. The company was founded in 1909 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Centene: APS Parent Inc., AWC of Syracuse Inc., Absolute Total Care Inc., AcariaHealth Inc., AcariaHealth Pharmacy #11 Inc., AcariaHealth Pharmacy #12 Inc., AcariaHealth Pharmacy #13 Inc., AcariaHealth Pharmacy #14 Inc., AcariaHealth Pharmacy Inc., AcariaHealth Solutions Inc., Access Medical Acquisition LLC, Access Medical Group of Florida City LLC, Access Medical Group of Hialeah LLC, Access Medical Group of Lakeland LLC, Access Medical Group of Miami LLC, Access Medical Group of North Miami Beach LLC, Access Medical Group of Opa-Locka LLC, Access Medical Group of Perrine LLC, Access Medical Group of Tampa II LLC, Access Medical Group of Tampa III LLC, Access Medical Group of Tampa LLC, Access Medical Group of Westchester LLC, Accountable Care Coalition Direct Contracting LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Chesapeake LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Community Health Centers II LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Community Health Centers LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Elite Providers II LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Elite Providers III LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Elite Providers IV LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Elite Providers LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Elite Providers V LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Elite Providers VI LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Elite Providers VII LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Florida Partners LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Georgia LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Maryland LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Maryland Primary Care LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Mississippi LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of New Jersey Inc., Accountable Care Coalition of North Texas LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Northeast Georgia LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Northeast Partners LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Northwest Florida LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Prime Health LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Quality Health II LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Quality Health III LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Quality Health LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Southeast Partners LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Southeast Physician Partners LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Southeast Texas Inc., Accountable Care Coalition of Southeast Wisconsin LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Tennessee LLC, Accountable Care Coalition of Texas Inc., Agate Resources Inc., AirLogix, Ambetter of Magnolia Inc., Ambetter of North Carolina Inc., Ambetter of Peach State Inc., America's 1st Choice California Holdings LLC, American Progressive Life and Health Insurance Company of New York, Apixio, Apixio Inc, Arch Personalized Medicine Initiative LLC, Arkansas Health & Wellness Health Plan Inc., Arkansas Total Care Holding Company LLC, Arkansas Total Care Inc., B2B Gestion Integra S.L.U., B2B Salud S.L.U., Bankers Reserve Life Insurance Company of Wisconsin, Blackcrow Asistencia Medica S.L, Bridgeway Health Solutions LLC, Bridgeway Health Solutions of Arizona Inc., Buckeye Community Health Plan Inc., Buckeye Health Plan Community Solutions Inc., CCTX Holdings LLC, CMC Real Estate Company LLC, CT Poprad s.r.o., CT Presov s.r.o., Calibrate Acquisition Company, California Health and Wellness Plan, Cantina Laredo Clayton LP, Cardium Health Services, Care 1st Health Plan of Arizona Inc., Care1st Health Plan Administrative Services Inc., Carolina Complete Health Holding Company Partnership, Carolina Complete Health Inc., Casenet LLC, Casenet S.R.O., CeltiCare Health Plan Holdings LLC, CeltiCare Health Plan of Massachusetts Inc., Celtic Group Inc., Celtic Insurance Company, Cenpatico Behavioral Health LLC, Cenpatico Behavioral Health of Arizona LLC, Cenpatico of Arizona Inc., Centene Center I LLC, Centene Center II LLC, Centene Center LLC, Centene Company of Texas LP, Centene Europe Finance Company Limited, Centene Health Plan Holdings Inc., Centene Institute for Advanced Health Education LLC, Centene International Ventures LLC, Centene Investments LLC, Centene Management Company LLC, Centene Venture Company Alabama Health Plan Inc., Centene Venture Company Florida Inc., Centene Venture Company Illinois Inc., Centene Venture Company Indiana Inc., Centene Venture Company Kansas Inc., Centene Venture Company Michigan Inc., Centene Venture Company Tennessee Inc., Centro Inmunologocia De La Comunidad Valenciana S.L., Centurion Correctional Healthcare of New Mexico LLC, Centurion Detention Health Services LLC, Centurion LLC, Centurion of Arizona LLC, Centurion of Delaware LLC, Centurion of Florida LLC, Centurion of Kansas LLC, Centurion of Minnesota LLC, Centurion of Mississippi LLC, Centurion of New Hampshire LLC, Centurion of Pennsylvania LLC, Centurion of Tennessee LLC, Centurion of Vermont LLC, Centurion of West Virginia LLC, Centurion of Wyoming LLC, Chrysalis Medical Services LLC, Clinica Santo Domingo De Lugo S.L., Collaborative Health Systems IPA LLC, Collaborative Health Systems LLC, Collaborative Health Systems of Maryland LLC, Collaborative Health Systems of Virginia LLC, Comfort Hospice of Missouri LLC, Comfort Hospice of Texas LLC, ComfortBrook Hospice LLC, Community Medical Group, Community Medical Holdings Corporation, Comprehensive Health Management Inc., Comprehensive Reinsurance Ltd., Coordinated Care Corporation, Coordinated Care of Washington Inc., Country Style Health Care LLC, Discare CZ a.s., District Community Care Inc., Dr Magnet s.r.o., Elche-Crevillente Salud, Envolve Benefits Options Inc., Envolve Captive Insurance Company Inc., Envolve Dental IPA of New York Inc., Envolve Dental Inc., Envolve Dental of Florida Inc., Envolve Dental of Texas Inc., Envolve Health, Envolve Holdings Inc., Envolve Inc., Envolve Optical Inc., Envolve PeopleCare Inc., Envolve Pharmacy IPA LLC, Envolve Pharmacy Solutions Inc., Envolve Total Vision Inc., Envolve Vision Benefits Inc., Envolve Vision IPA of New York Inc., Envolve Vision Inc., Envolve Vision of Florida Inc., Envolve Vision of Texas Inc., Essential Care Partners LLC, Exactus Pharmacy Solutions Inc., Family Nurse Care II LLC, Family Nurse Care LLC, Family Nurse Care of Ohio LLC, Fidelis Care, Forensic Health Services LLC, Foundation Care LLC, Godgrace Asistencia Medica S.L., Golden Triangle Physician Alliance, Grace Hospice of Austin LLC, Grace Hospice of Grand Rapids LLC, Grace Hospice of Illinois LLC, Grace Hospice of Indiana LLC, Grace Hospice of San Antonio LLC, Grace Hospice of Virginia LLC, Grace Hospice of Wisconsin LLC, Granite State Health Plan Inc., Growly Asistencia Sanitaria S.L., HHS Texas Management Inc., HHS Texas Management LP, Hallmark Life Insurance Company, Harmony Behavioral Health IPA Inc., Harmony Behavioral Health Inc., Harmony Health Management Inc., Harmony Health Plan Inc., Harmony Health Systems Inc., Health Care Enterprises LLC, Health Net Access Inc., Health Net Community Solutions Inc., Health Net Community Solutions of Arizona Inc., Health Net Federal Services LLC, Health Net Health Plan of Oregon Inc., Health Net LLC, Health Net Life Insurance Company, Health Net Life Reinsurance Company, Health Net Pharmaceutical Services, Health Net of Arizona Inc., Health Net of California Inc., Health Plan Real Estate Holdings Inc., HealthSmart Benefit Solutions Inc., HealthSmart Benefits Management LLC, HealthSmart Care Management Solutions LP, HealthSmart Information Systems Inc., HealthSmart Preferred Care II LP, HealthSmart Preferred Network II Inc., HealthSmart Primary Care Clinics LP, HealthSmart Rx Solutions Inc., Healthy Louisiana Holdings LLC, Healthy Missouri Holdings Inc., Healthy Washington Holdings Inc., Heritage Health Systems Inc., Heritage Health Systems of Texas Inc., Heritage Home Hospice LLC, Heritage Physician Networks, Home State Health Plan Inc., HomeScripts.com LLC, Hospice DME Company LLC, Hospinet S.L., Hospital Polusa S.A., Hospital Povisa S.A., Hudson Accountable Care LLC, IAH of Florida LLC, Illinois Health Practice Alliance LLC, Infraestructuras y Servicios de Alzira S. L., Integrated Care Network of Florida LLC, Integrated Mental Health Management LLC, Integrated Mental Health Services, Interpreta Holdings Inc., Interpreta Inc., Iowa Total Care Inc., Kentucky Spirit Health Plan Inc., LBB Industries Inc., LifeShare Management Group LLC, LiveHealthier Inc., Louisiana Healthcare Connections Inc., MH Services International Holdings (UK) Limited, MHM, MHM Correctional Services LLC, MHM Health Professionals LLC, MHM Services Inc., MHM Services of California LLC, MHM Solutions LLC, MHN Government Services LLC, MHN Services LLC, MHS Consulting International Inc., MHS Travel & Charter Inc., MR Centrum Melnick s.r.o., MR Poprad s.r.o., MR Zilina s.r.o., Magnolia Health Plan Inc., Managed Health Network, Managed Health Network LLC, Managed Health Services Insurance Corporation, Maryland Collaborative Care LLC, Maryland Collaborative Care Transformation Organization Inc., Mauli Ola Health and Wellness Inc., Medicina NZ spol s.r.o., Meridian Health Plan of Illinois Inc., Meridian Health Plan of Michigan Inc., Meridian Management Company LLC, Meridian Network Services LLC, MeridianRx IPA LLC, MeridianRx LLC, MeridianRx of Indiana LLC, Michigan Complete Health, Mid-Atlantic Collaborative Care LLC, Nebraska Total Care Inc., Network Providers LLC, New York Quality Healthcare Corporation, Next Door Neighbors Inc., Next Door Neighbors LLC., North Florida Health Services Inc., Northern Maryland Collaborative Care LLC, Novasys Health Inc., OB Care, OB Klinika, Ohana Health Plan Inc., Oklahoma Complete Health Inc., One Care by Care 1st Health Plans of Arizona Inc, Operose Health (Group) Ltd., Operose Health (Group) UK Ltd., Operose Health Ltd., OptiCare Health Systems - Managed Vision Business, PANTHERx Rare Pharmacy, Panther Pass Co LLC, Panther Specialty Holding Co LLC, Pantherx Access Services LLC, Pantherx Specialty LLC, Parker LP LLC, Peach State Health Plan Inc., Penn Marketing America LLC, Pennsylvania Health and Wellness Inc., Phoenix Home Health Care LLC, Pinnacle Home Care LLC, Pinnacle Senior Care of Illinois LLC, Pinnacle Senior Care of Indiana LLC, Pinnacle Senior Care of Kalamazoo LLC, Pinnacle Senior Care of Missouri LLC, Pinnacle Senior Care of Wisconsin LLC, Premier Marketing Group LLC, PrimeroSalud S.L., Pro Diagnostic Group A.S., Pro Magnet CZ s.r.o., Pro Magnet s.r.o, Pro RTG s.r.o, Progress Medical A.S., Prowl Holdings LLC, QCA Healthplan Inc., Qualchoice Life and Health Insurance Company, Quincy Coverage Corporation, R&C Healthcare LLC, RMED LLC, RX Direct Inc., Rapid Respiratory Services LLC, Ribera Lab S.L.U., Ribera Salud II, Ribera Salud Proyectos S.L., Ribera Salud S.A., Ribera Salud Tecnologias S.L.U., Ribera Slaud Infraestructuras S.L.U., Ribera-Quilpro UTE, Salus Administrative Services Inc., Salus IPA LLC, Secure Capital Solutions 2000 S.L.U., SelectCare Health Plans Inc., SelectCare of Texas Inc., Seniorcorps Peninsula LLC, Servicios De Mantenimiento Prevencor S.L.U., SilverSummit Healthplan Inc., Social Health Bridge LLC, Social Health Bridge Trust, Specialty Therapeutic Care GP LLC, Specialty Therapeutic Care Holdings, Specialty Therapeutic Care Holdings LLC, Specialty Therapeutic Care LP, Sunflower State Health Plan Inc., Sunshine Health Community Solutions Inc., Sunshine Health Holding LLC, Sunshine State Health Plan Inc., Superior HealthPlan Community Solutions Inc., Superior HealthPlan Inc., The Practice Properties Limited, The WellCare Management Group Inc., Torrejon Salud S.A., Torrevieja Salud S.L.U., Torrevieja Salud UTE, Traditional Home Health Services LLC, Trillium Community Health Plan Inc., U.S. Medical Management Holdings Inc., U.S. Medical Management LLC, UAM Agent Services Corp., US Script, USMM Accountable Care Partners LLC, Universal American Corp., Universal American Financial Services Inc., Universal American Holdings LLC, WCG Health Management Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of America, WellCare Health Insurance Company of Kentucky Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of Louisiana Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of Nevada Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of New Hampshire Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of New Jersey Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of Oklahoma Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of Washington Inc., WellCare Health Insurance Company of Wisconsin Inc., WellCare Health Insurance of Arizona Inc., WellCare Health Insurance of Connecticut Inc., WellCare Health Insurance of Hawaii Inc., WellCare Health Insurance of New York Inc., WellCare Health Insurance of North Carolina Inc., WellCare Health Insurance of Southwest Inc., WellCare Health Insurance of Tennessee Inc., WellCare Health Plans, WellCare Health Plans of Arizona Inc., WellCare Health Plans of California Inc., WellCare Health Plans of Kentucky Inc., WellCare Health Plans of Massachusetts Inc., WellCare Health Plans of Missouri Inc., WellCare Health Plans of New Jersey Inc., WellCare Health Plans of Rhode Island Inc., WellCare Health Plans of Tennessee Inc., WellCare Health Plans of Vermont Inc., WellCare Health Plans of Wisconsin Inc., WellCare National Health Insurance Company, WellCare Pharmacy Benefits Management Inc., WellCare Prescription Insurance Inc., WellCare of Alabama Inc., WellCare of Arkansas Inc., WellCare of California Inc., WellCare of Connecticut Inc., WellCare of Florida Inc., WellCare of Georgia Inc., WellCare of Illinois Inc., WellCare of Indiana Inc., WellCare of Kansas Inc., WellCare of Maine Inc., WellCare of Michigan Holding Company, WellCare of Mississippi Inc., WellCare of Missouri Health Insurance Company Inc., WellCare of New Hampshire Inc., WellCare of New York Inc., WellCare of North Carolina Inc., WellCare of Ohio Inc., WellCare of Oklahoma Inc., WellCare of Pennsylvania Inc., WellCare of Puerto Rico Inc., WellCare of South Carolina Inc., WellCare of Texas Inc., WellCare of Virginia Inc., WellCare of Washington Inc., Wellcare Health Plans Inc., Western Sky Community Care Inc., Windsor Health Group Inc., Winning Security S.L., Worlco Management Services, and nirvanaHealth LLC. Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Utilities ETF's stock was trading at $98.06 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, RYU stock has increased by 7.3% and is now trading at $105.17. View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19. California Governor Jerry Brown delivers his final state of the state address in Sacramento, California, U.S., January 25, 2018. Many people around the world wrongly concluded that America was "walking away from climate action" when Trump pulled the country out of the Paris climate accord, Bloomberg said, stressing that "nothing could be further from the truth". That announcement was based on a report written by researchers at the University of Maryland and the Rocky Mountain Institute that found that business, regional and local efforts have taken the USA almost halfway towards meeting its 2025 Paris goal and will carry it two-thirds of the way by 2025 without federal support, according to a GCAS press release. Here is a roundup of some of the highlights. Former President Barack Obama, under whose watch the US agreed to the landmark Paris climate accord, made a brief appearance by video. "It is an incredible achievement for these 27 cities, including Paris, to have peaked their emissions", Hidalgo said. The 2015 Paris agreement commits countries to set their own plans for cutting emissions. It is not enough for cities to rest on past accomplishments. Jointly organised by California governor Jerry Brown and former NY mayor Michael Bloomberg, the three-day gathering is a showcase for initiatives, big and small, to reduce humanity's carbon footprint. Hite said the summit will help the Paris goal come true, noting that "achieving carbon neutrality the earlier the better", because that process will encourage the public to embrace "clean and renewable energy that is actually taking into consideration social and environmental costs". De Blasio was joined in his announcement by Comptroller Scott Stringer and other fund trustees. "California continues to lead the world in adopting innovative policies to fight climate change". The portal will therefore serve a critical function by capturing the breadth and depth of this action from the "real world" economy, gradually incorporating new data over the coming months from more than 12,000 stakeholders, and capturing many more commitments going forward. "I know it is not a sexy issue, but we commit to a future without waste", he said. The policies are created to fight air pollution, improve the quality of life for all citizens, and help tackle the global threat of climate change. But it's Governor Brown's executive order that Vox columnist David Roberts called "history's most ambitious climate target". They also risk short-term stagnation, economic and environmental. The company announced a pledge to add 2.5 million charging points to its network within the next seven years on Friday, according to a press release emailed to EcoWatch. In the United States, vehicle emissions are the single largest source of greenhouse gases. ChargePoint has developed a business model of going from business to business and installing chargers in company parking lots, and this is the network it is committed to expanding. The legislation also marks the latest conflict between California and President Trump, with the state repeatedly defying the administration's policies on everything from energy to civil rights to immigration. "In the long term, this is an unstoppable train", he said. Bank of America Corp. is a bank and financial holding company, which engages in the provision of banking and nonbank financial services. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Banking, Global Wealth and Investment Management, Global Banking, Global Markets, and All Other. The Consumer Banking segment offers credit, banking, and investment products and services to consumers and small businesses. The Global Wealth and Investment Management provides client experience through a network of financial advisors focused on to meet their needs through a full set of investment management, brokerage, banking, and retirement products. The Global Banking segment deals with lending-related products and services, integrated working capital management and treasury solutions to clients, and underwriting and advisory services. The Global Markets segment includes sales and trading services, as well as research, to institutional clients across fixed-income, credit, currency, commodity, and equity businesses. The All Other segment consists of asset and liability management activities, equity investments, non-core mortgage loans and servicing activities, the net impact of periodic revisions Read More Charles Taylor plc provides professional services and technology solutions to the insurance market in the United Kingdom, the Americas, the Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates through Management Services, Adjusting Services, and Insurance Support Services businesses. The Management Services business provides management services to insurance companies, mutuals, and associations. This business offers outsourced management services comprising the management of underwriting and claims, reinsurance, and loss prevention, as well as the provision of regulatory, accounting, mutual management, compliance and internal audit, technology, investment management, and business management services. The Adjusting Services business offers loss adjusting services for the aviation, energy, marine, property and casualty, and special risk sectors; and marine average adjusting and technical support services, as well as general loss adjusting services. The Insurance Support Services business provides a range of professional, technology, and support services, which includes outsourced insurance support services, insurance company run-off services, investment management, captive management, and specialty risk management. Charles Taylor plc is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Read More "We'll handle it. We're ready, we're able". Forecasters anxious the storm's damage will be all the worse if it lingers on the coast. Fierce winds and massive waves are expected to lash the coasts of North and SC and Virginia even before Florence makes landfall by early Friday, bringing a storm surge as much as 13 feet (4 meters). Up to 1.7 million people are under voluntary or mandatory evacuation orders, and coastal residents were frantically boarding up homes and businesses and hitting the road on Wednesday as the storm approached. Slower hurricanes - such as Hurricane Harvey - can dump more rain on an area before moving on, adding to their destructive power. Hurricane Florence is on track to blast the southeastern US coast with ferocious winds and rain, but it may also swamp hog manure pits and coal ash dumps, spreading their toxins; as well as inundate nuclear reactors in the region, according to news reports. The NHC said the first tropical storm-force winds of at least 39 miles per hour (63 kph) would hit the region early on Thursday with the storm's center reaching the coast Friday. Jeff Byard of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency said it was imperative locals heed the evacuation warnings. "Don't bet your life on riding out a monster", he said. This change has major implications on the storm's impact, as a stalled hurricane would bring a prolonged period of hurricane force winds and pounding surf to the coastline along with extremely heavy rain with widespread amounts of 10-20 inches and localized amounts upwards of 40 inches possible, the weather forecaster said. Masters said there's a tug-of-war between two clear skies high pressure systems - one off the coast and one over MI - and the more the Great Lakes one wins, the more southerly Florence will be. The eastbound lanes of several major highways have been shut down to allow for a smooth flow of traffic inland. "If I need to evacuate I can go to my son's house", Sparks said as he carted a load of water bottles to his auto. In Fayetteville, a North Carolina city of about 210,000 people about 90 miles inland, authorities told thousands of residents near the Cape Fear River and Little River to get out of their homes by Sunday afternoon because of the flood risk. "They told me to bring a pillow and blanket", Whisler said. "We've just never seen anything like this". Kevin Miller, a 50-year-old electrician, said he planned to ride out the storm at his home near Charleston. "Been through it!" Belli said, referring to Hurricane Hugo, which caused widespread damage in SC in 1989. The storm's direction, moving straight into the coast at a perpendicular angle rather than along it, increases the severity of the storm surge, Young said. "I was in the same house and it stood fine". "Disaster is at the doorstep and it's coming in". "Get prepared on the East Coast, this is a no-kidding nightmare coming for you". The similarly routed Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) project, with a path originating in West Virginia, passing through Virginia and into North Carolina, is also girding for Florence's effects. In Virginia, 245,000 coastal residents were ordered to evacuate, including from the Eastern Shore. The National Weather Service said 5.25 million people live in areas under hurricane warnings or watches, and 4.9 million live in places covered by tropical storm warnings or watches. The storm surge, or wind-driven seawater, poses a huge danger, FEMA Administrator Brock Long warned on ABC's "Good Morning America". Sanchez Energy Corporation, an independent exploration and production company, focuses on the acquisition and development of U.S. onshore unconventional oil and natural gas resources. It engages in the horizontal development of resources from the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas. It also holds an undeveloped acreage position in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) in Mississippi and Louisiana. As of December 31, 2017, the company had assembled approximately 285,000 net acres in the Eagle Ford Shale; and owned approximately 37,000 net acres in the TMS. Sanchez Energy Corporation was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Sealed Air: A.P.S. (Holdings) Limited, AFP Trading (China) Co. Ltd., AFPTOH LTD, APS Automated Packaging Systems GmbH & Co. KG, APS Verwaltungs-GmbH, Air Ride Pallets Hong Kong Limited, Austin Foam Plastics Inc. (dba AFP Inc.), Automated Packaging Systems, Automated Packaging Systems Asia Holding Company Limited, Automated Packaging Systems Comerciale Importacao do Brasil Ltda., Automated Packaging Systems Europe, Automated Packaging Systems LLC, Automated Packaging Systems Limited, Automated Packaging Systems Southeast Asia Co. Ltd., B+ Equipment, B+ Equipment SAS, Beacon Holdings LLC, Biosphere Industries, BluPack (New Zealand), Blue Dot Packaging Pty Ltd., Cactus (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Cryovac (Malaysia) SDN. BHD, Cryovac Brasil Ltda., Cryovac Holdings II LLC, Cryovac International Holdings Inc., Cryovac LLC*, Cryovac Leasing Corporation, Cryovac Londrina Ltda., Cryovac Packaging Portugal Embalagens Ltda., Cryovac-Sealed Air de Costa Rica S.R.L., DELTAPLAM Embalagens Industria e Comercio, Diversey, Diversey J Trustee Limited, Diversey Trustee Limited, Entapack Pty. Ltd., Fagerdala (Chengdu) Packaging Co. Ltd, Fagerdala (Shanghai) Foams Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Shanghai) Polymer Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Suzhou) Packaging Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Thailand) Limited, Fagerdala (Xiamen) Packaging Co. Ltd., Fagerdala Leamchabung Limited, Fagerdala Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Fagerdala Mexico S.A. de C.V., Fagerdala Mexico Supply Chain S.A. de C.V., Fagerdala Packaging Inc. (Indiana), Fagerdala Singapore Pte Ltd, Fagerdala Singapore Pte. Ltd., Getpacking.com GmbH, Invertol S. de R.L. de C.V., JSC Sealed Air Kaustik, KRIS Automated Packaging Systems Holding Company, Kevothermal LLC, Kevothermal Limited, Nelipak Holdings, Pack-Tiger GmbH, Polyrol Limited, Polyrol Packaging Systems LLC, ProAseptic Technologies S.L., Producembal- Producao de Embalagens LTDA, Reflectix Inc., SLD Air Packaging Paketleme Malzemeleri Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Saddle Brook Insurance Company, Sealed Air (Asia) Holdings BV, Sealed Air (Barbados) S.R.L., Sealed Air (Canada) Co./CIE, Sealed Air (Canada) Holdings B.V., Sealed Air (China) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air (China) Limited, Sealed Air (Israel) Ltd., Sealed Air (Korea) Limited, Sealed Air (Latin America) Holdings II LLC, Sealed Air (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Sealed Air (New Zealand), Sealed Air (Philippines) Inc., Sealed Air (Singapore) Pte. Limited, Sealed Air (Ukraine) Limited, Sealed Air Africa (Pty.) Limited, Sealed Air Americas Manufacturing S. de R.L. de C.V., Sealed Air Argentina S.A., Sealed Air Australia (Holdings) Pty. Limited, Sealed Air Australia Pty. Limited, Sealed Air Australia Real Estate Pty Ltd, Sealed Air B.V., Sealed Air Belgium N.V., Sealed Air Central America S.A., Sealed Air Chile SpA, Sealed Air Colombia Ltda., Sealed Air Corporation (US), Sealed Air Cyprus Ltd., Sealed Air Denmark A/S, Sealed Air Finance B.V., Sealed Air Finance II LLC, Sealed Air Finance Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Funding LLC, Sealed Air General Trading LLC, Sealed Air GmbH (Germany), Sealed Air GmbH (Switzerland), Sealed Air Hellas SA, Sealed Air Holding France SAS, Sealed Air Holdings (New Zealand) Pty. Ltd., Sealed Air Holdings South Africa Proprietary Limited, Sealed Air Holdings UK I Limited, Sealed Air Holdings UK Limited, Sealed Air Hong Kong Limited, Sealed Air Hungary Ltd., Sealed Air Investment and Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air Japan G.K., Sealed Air LLC, Sealed Air Limited (Ireland), Sealed Air Limited (UK), Sealed Air Luxembourg (I) S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Luxembourg (II) S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Management Holding Verwaltungs GmbH, Sealed Air Multiflex GmbH, Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) I B.V., Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) II B.V., Sealed Air Netherlands Holdings V B.V., Sealed Air Norge AS, Sealed Air OY, Sealed Air Packaging (India) Private Limited, Sealed Air Packaging (Shanghai) Co. Limited, Sealed Air Packaging (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air Packaging LLC, Sealed Air Packaging Materials (India) LLP, Sealed Air Packaging S.L.U., Sealed Air Peru S.A.C., Sealed Air Polska Sp. Zoo, Sealed Air Pty Limited, Sealed Air S.A S., Sealed Air S.r.l., Sealed Air South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Sealed Air Svenska AB, Sealed Air Taiwan Limited, Sealed Air UK Limited Partnership, Sealed Air US Holdings (Thailand) LLC, Sealed Air Uruguay S.A., Sealed Air Verpackungen GmbH, Sealed Air de Mexico Operations S. de RL. de C.V., Sealed Air de Venezuela S.A., Sealed Air s.r.o., Shanklin Corp, Shanklin Corporation, TTS-Ciptec, TXAFP Asia Pacific Ltd., TXAFP GP LLC, and Trigon Industries. The following companies are subsidiares of MetLife: 1001 PROPERTIES LLC, 10700 WILSHIRE LLC, 1201 TAB MANAGER LLC, 150 NORTH RIVERSIDE PE MEMBER LLC, 1925 WJC OWNER LLC, 23RD STREET INVESTMENTS INC., 500 GRANT STREET ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, 500 GRANT STREET GP LLC, 60 11TH STREET LLC, 6104 HOLLYWOOD LLC, AFP GENESIS ADMINISTRADORA DE FONDOS Y FIDECOMISOS S.A., AFP PROVIDA S.A., AGENVITA S.R.L., ALICO EUROPEAN HOLDINGS LIMITED, ALICO HELLAS SINGLE MEMBER LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, ALICO OPERATIONS LLC, ALICO PROPERTIES INC., AMMETLIFE INSURANCE BERHAD, AMMETLIFE TAKAFUL BERHAD, American Life Insurance Company, BEST MARKET S.A., BIDV METLIFE LIFE INSURANCE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, BLOCK VISION HOLDINGS CORPORATION, BLOCK VISION OF TEXAS INC., BORDERLAND INVESTMENTS LIMITED, BOULEVARD RESIDENTIAL LLC, BUFORD LOGISTICS CENTER LLC, CC HOLDCO MANAGER LLC, CHESTNUT FLATS WIND LLC, CLOSED JOINT-STOCK COMPANY MASTER D, COMPANIA INVERSORA METLIFE S.A., CORPORATE REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS LLC, COVA LIFE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, DAVIS VISION INC., DAVISVISION IPA INC., DELAWARE AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, DES MOINES CREEK BUSINESS PARK PHASE II LLC, ECONOMY FIRE & CASUALTY COMPANY, ECONOMY PREFERRED INSURANCE COMPANY, ECONOMY PREMIER ASSURANCE COMPANY, EURO CL INVESTMENTS LLC, EXCELENCIA OPERATIVA Y TECNOLOGICA S.A de C.V., FEDERAL FLOOD CERTIFICATION LLC, FORTISSIMO CO. LTD, FUNDACION METLIFE MEXICO A.C., GLOBAL PROPERTIES INC., General American Life Insurance Company, Grand Bank N.A., HASKELL EAST VILLAGE LLC, HIGH STREET SEVENTH AND OSBORN APARTMENTS LLC, HOUSING FUND MANAGER LLC, INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL AND ADVISORY SERVICES LIMITED, INVERSIONES METLIFE HOLDCO DOS LIMITADA, INVERSIONES METLIFE HOLDCO TRES LIMITADA, JOINT-STOCK COMPANY METLIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, LHC HOLDINGS, LHCW HOLDINGS, LHCW HOTEL HOLDING, LHCW HOTEL HOLDING LLC, LHCW HOTEL OPERATING COMPANY, LONG ISLAND SOLAR FARM LLC, LUMENLAB MALAYSIA SDN. BHD., Logan Circle Partners, MARKETPLACE RESIDENCES LLC, MAXIS GBN S.A.S., MC PORTFOLIO JV MEMBER LLC, MCJV LLC, MCMIF HOLDCO I LLC, MCMIF HOLDCO II LLC, MCP - WELLINGTON LLC, MCP 100 CONGRESS MEMBER LLC, MCP 1500 MICHAEL LLC, MCP 1900 MCKINNEY LLC, MCP 2 AMES LLC, MCP 2 AMES ONE LLC, MCP 2 AMES OWNER LLC, MCP 2 AMES TWO LLC, MCP 220 YORK LLC, MCP 22745 & 22755 RELOCATION DRIVE LLC, MCP 249 INDUSTRIAL BUSINESS PARK MEMBER LLC, MCP 3040 POST OAK LLC, MCP 350 ROHLWING LLC, MCP 4600 SOUTH SYRACUSE LLC, MCP 550 WEST WASHINGTON LLC, MCP 60 11TH STREET MEMBER LLC, MCP 7 RIVERWAY LLC, MCP 9020 MURPHY ROAD LLC, MCP 93 RED RIVER MEMBER LLC, MCP ALLEY 24 EAST LLC, MCP ASHTON SOUTH END LLC, MCP BLOCK 23 MEMBER LLC, MCP BRADFORD LLC, MCP BUFORD LOGISTICS CENTER 2 MEMBER LLC, MCP BUFORD LOGISTICS CENTER BLDG B LLC, MCP BURNSIDE MEMBER LLC, MCP CENTER AVENUE INDUSTRIAL MEMBER LLC, MCP CLAWITER INNOVATION MEMBER LLC, MCP COMMON DESK TRS LLC, MCP DENVER PAVILIONS MEMBER LLC, MCP DILLON LLC, MCP DILLON RESIDENTIAL LLC, MCP ENV CHICAGO LLC, MCP FIFE ENTERPRISE CENTER LLC, MCP FRISCO OFFICE LLC, MCP GRAPEVINE LLC, MCP HIGHLAND PARK LENDER LLC, MCP HUB I LLC, MCP HUB I PROPERTY LLC, MCP LODGE AT LAKECREST LLC, MCP MA PROPERTY REIT LLC, MCP MAGNOLIA PARK MEMBER LLC, MCP MAIN STREET VILLAGE LLC, MCP MOUNTAIN TECHNOLOGY CENTER MEMBER TRS LLC, MCP NORTHYARDS HOLDCO LLC, MCP NORTHYARDS MASTER LESSEE LLC, MCP NORTHYARDS OWNER LLC, MCP ONE WESTSIDE LLC, MCP ONYX LLC, MCP PARAGON POINT LLC, MCP PLAZA AT LEGACY LLC, MCP PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LLC, MCP SEATTLE GATEWAY INDUSTRIAL I LLC, MCP SEATTLE GATEWAY INDUSTRIAL II LLC, MCP SEVENTH AND OSBORNE MF MEMBER LLC, MCP SEVENTH AND OSBORNE RETAIL MEMBER LLC, MCP SHAKOPEE LLC, MCP SLEEPY HOLLOW MEMBER LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL ANAHEIM LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL BERNARDO LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL CANYON LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL CONCOURSE LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL FULLERTON LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL KELLWO00OD LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL LAX LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL LOKER LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL REDONDO LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL SPRINGDALE LLC, MCP STATELINE LLC, MCP THE PALMS AT DORAL LLC, MCP TRIMBLE CAMPUS LLC, MCP UNION ROW LLC, MCP VALLEY FORGE LLC, MCP VALLEY FORGE ONE LLC, MCP VALLEY FORGE OWNER LLC, MCP VALLEY FORGE TWO LLC, MCP VANCE JACKSON LLC, MCP VINEYARD AVENUE MEMBER LLC, MCP VOA HOLDINGS LLC, MCP VOA I & III LLC, MCP VOA II LLC, MCP WATERFORD ATRIUM LLC, MCP WEST BROAD MARKETPLACE LLC, MCP ENGLISH VILLAGE LLC, MCPF ACQUISITION LLC, MCPF FOXBOROUGH LLC, MCPF NEEDHAM LLC, MCPP OWNERS LLC, MCRE BLOCK 40 LP, MEC HEALTH CARE INC., MET 1065 HOTEL LLC, MET CANADA SOLAR ULC, METLIFE 1007 STEWART LLC, METLIFE 1201 TAB MEMBER LLC, METLIFE 425 MKT MANAGER LLC, METLIFE 425 MKT MEMBER LLC, METLIFE 555 12TH MEMBER LLC, METLIFE 8280 MEMBER LLC, METLIFE ACOMA OWNER LLC, METLIFE ADMINISTRADORA DE FUNDOS MULTIPATROCINADOS LTDA., METLIFE ALTERNATIVES GP LLC, METLIFE ASHTON AUSTIN OWNER LLC, METLIFE ASIA HOLDING COMPANY PTE. LTD., METLIFE ASIA LIMITED, METLIFE ASIA SERVICES SDN. BHD, METLIFE ASSET MANAGEMENT CORP., METLIFE ASSIGNMENT COMPANY INC., METLIFE AUTO & HOME INSURANCE AGENCY INC., METLIFE BL FEEDER, METLIFE BL FEEDER LP, METLIFE BORO STATION MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CABO HILTON MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CAMINO RAMON MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CAPITAL CREDIT L.P., METLIFE CAPITAL LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, METLIFE CAPITAL TRUST IV, METLIFE CB W/A LLC, METLIFE CC MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CHILE ADMINISTRADORA DE MUTUOS HIPOTECARIOS S.A., METLIFE CHILE INVERSIONES LIMITADA, METLIFE CHILE SEGUROS DE VIDA S.A., METLIFE CHILE SEGUROS GENERALES S.A., METLIFE CHINO MEMBER LLC, METLIFE COLOMBIA SEGUROS de VIDA S.A., METLIFE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE INCOME FUND GP LLC, METLIFE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE INCOME FUND LP, METLIFE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE ORIGINATOR LLC, METLIFE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE REIT LLC, METLIFE CONSQUARE MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CONSUMER SERVICES INC., METLIFE CORE PROPERTY FUND GP LLC, METLIFE CORE PROPERTY FUND LP, METLIFE CORE PROPERTY HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE CORE PROPERTY REIT LLC, METLIFE CORE PROPERTY TRS. LLC, METLIFE CREDIT CORP., METLIFE DIGITAL VENTURES INC., METLIFE EMEKLILIK VE HAYAT A.S., METLIFE EMERGING MARKET DEBT BLEND FUND, METLIFE EU HOLDING COMPANY LIMITED, METLIFE EUROPE INSURANCE d.a.c., METLIFE EUROPE SERVICES LIMITED, METLIFE EUROPE d.a.c., METLIFE EUROPEAN HOLDINGS LLC., METLIFE FINANCIAL SERVICES CO. LTD, METLIFE FM HOTEL MEMBER LLC, METLIFE FUNDING INC., METLIFE GENERAL INSURANCE LIMITED, METLIFE GLOBAL BENEFITS LTD., METLIFE GLOBAL HOLDING COMPANY I GMBH, METLIFE GLOBAL HOLDING COMPANY II GMBH, METLIFE GLOBAL HOLDINGS CORPORATION S.A. De C.V., METLIFE GLOBAL INC., METLIFE GLOBAL OPERATIONS SUPPORT CENTER PRIVATE LIMITED, METLIFE GROUP INC., METLIFE HCMJV 1 GP LLC, METLIFE HCMJV 1 LP LLC, METLIFE HEALTH PLANS INC., METLIFE HOLDINGS INC., METLIFE HOME LOANS LLC, METLIFE INNOVATION CENTRE LIMITED, METLIFE INNOVATION CENTRE PTE. LTD., METLIFE INSURANCE AND INVESTMENT TRUST, METLIFE INSURANCE BROKERAGE INC., METLIFE INSURANCE K.K., METLIFE INSURANCE LIMITED, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL HF PARTNERS LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED LLC, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND I LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND II LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND III LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND IV LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND V LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND VI LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND VII LP, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT HOLDINGS, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LLC, METLIFE INVESTMENTS ASIA LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENTS LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENTS PTY LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENTS SECURITIES LLC, METLIFE INVESTORS DISTRIBUTION COMPANY, METLIFE INVESTORS GROUP LLC, METLIFE IRELAND TREASURY D.A.C., METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY FUND GP LLC, METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY FUND LP, METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY OWNERS, METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY OWNERS LLC, METLIFE LATIN AMERICA ASESORIAS E INVERSIONES LIMITADA, METLIFE LEGAL PLANS INC., METLIFE LEGAL PLANS OF FLORIDA INC., METLIFE LHH MEMBER LLC, METLIFE LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, METLIFE LIFE INSURANCE S.A., METLIFE LOAN ASSET MANAGEMENT LLC, METLIFE MAS S.A. DE C.V., METLIFE MEMBER SOLAIRE LLC, METLIFE MEXICO HOLDINGS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., METLIFE MEXICO S.A., METLIFE MEXICO SERVICIOS S.A. 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LTD., METLIFE SOLUTIONS S.A.S., METLIFE SP HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE SYNDICATED BANK LOAN FUND SCSP, METLIFE SYNDICATED BANK LOAN LUX GP S.A.R.L., METLIFE THR INVESTOR LLC, METLIFE TOWARZYSTWO FUNDUSZY INWESTYCYJNYCH S.A., METLIFE TOWARZYSTWO UBEZPIECZEN NA ZYCIE I REASEKURACJI S.A., METLIFE TOWER RESOURCES GROUP INC., METLIFE TREAT TOWERS MEMBER LLC, METLIFE WORLDWIDE HOLDINGS LLC, METROPOLITAN CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN DIRECT PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN GLOBAL MANAGEMENT LLC., METROPOLITAN GROUP PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN LIFE SEGUROS E PREVIDENCIA PRIVADA S.A., METROPOLITAN LIFE SOCIETATE de ADMINISTRARE a UNUI FOND de PENSII ADMINISTRAT PRIVAT S.A., METROPOLITAN LLOYDS INC., METROPOLITAN LLOYDS INSURANCE COMPANY OF TEXAS, METROPOLITAN PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN TOWER LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN TOWER REALTY COMPANY INC., MEX DF PROPERTIES LLC, MFA FINANCING VEHICLE CTR1 LLC, MIDTOWN HEIGHTS LLC, MIM CLAL GENERAL PARTNER LLC, MIM EMD GP LLC, MIM I LLC, MIM METWEST INTERNATIONAL MANAGER LLC, MIM ML-AI VENTURE 5 MANAGER LLC, MIM PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LLC, MIM PROPERTY MANAGEMENT OF GEORGIA 1 LLC, MIM THIRD ARMY INDUSTRIAL MANAGER LLC, MISSOURI REINSURANCE INC., ML - URS PORT CHESTER SC MANAGER LLC, ML 300 THIRD MEMBER LLC, ML ARMATURE MEMBER LLC, ML BELLEVUE MANAGER LLC, ML BELLEVUE MEMBER LLC, ML BRIDGESIDE APARTMENTS LLC, ML CAPACITACION COMERCIAL S.A. DE C.V., ML CERRITOS TC MEMBER LLC, ML CLAL MEMBER LLC, ML DOLPHIN GP LLC, ML DOLPHIN MEZZ LLC, ML MATSON MILLS MEMBER LLC, ML MILILANI MEMBER LLC, ML ONE BEDMINSTER LLC, ML PORT CHESTER SC MEMBER LLC, ML SENTINEL SQUARE MEMBER LLC, ML SLOANS LAKE MEMEBR LLC, ML SOUTHLANDS MEMBER LLC, ML SOUTHMORE LLC, ML SWAN GP LLC, ML SWAN MEZZ LLC, ML TERRACES LLC, ML THIRD ARMY INDUSTRIAL MEMBER LLC, ML VENTURE 1 MANAGER S. DE R. L. DE C.V., ML VENTURE 1 SERVICER LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 1 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 2 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 3 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 4 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 5 LLC, MLIA MANAGER I LLC, MLIA PARK TOWER MANAGER LLC, MLIA SBAF COLONY MANAGER LLC, MLIA SBAF MANAGER LLC, MLIC ASSET HOLDINGS II LLC, MLIC ASSET HOLDINGS LLC, MLIC CB HOLDINGS LLC, MLJ US FEEDER LLC, MM GLOBAL OPERATIONS SUPPORT CENTER S.A. DE C.V., MMP CEDAR STREET OWNER LLC, MMP CEDAR STREET REIT LLC, MMP HOLDINGS III LLC, MMP OLIVIAN OWNER LLC, MMP OLIVIAN REIT LLC, MMP OWNERS III LLC, MMP OWNERS LLC, MMP SOUTH PARK OWNER LLC, MMP SOUTH PARK REIT LLC, MREF 425 MKT LLC, MSV IRVINE PROPERTY LLC, MTC FUND I LLC, MTC FUND II LLC, MTC FUND III LLC, MTL LEASING LLC, MTU HOTEL OWNER LLC, NATILOPORTEM HOLDINGS LLC, NEWBURY INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, OCONEE GOLF COMPANY LLC, OCONEE HOTEL COMPANY LLC, OCONEE LAND COMPANY LLC, OCONEE LAND DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LLC, OCONEE MARINA COMPANY LLC, OMI MLIC INVESTMENTS LIMITED, PACIFIC LOGISTICS INDUSTRIAL SOUTH LLC, PARK TOWER JV MEMBER LLC, PARK TOWER REIT INC., PJSC METLIFE, PLAZA DRIVE PROPERTIES LLC, PNB METLIFE INDIA INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, PREFCO FOURTEEN LLC, PREFCO XIV HOLDINGS LLC, PROVIDA INTERNACIONAL S.A., SAFEGUARD HEALTH ENTERPRISES INC., SAFEGUARD HEALTH PLANS INC., SAFEHEALTH LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, SEVENTH AND OSBORN MF VENTURE LLC, SINO-US UNITED METLIFE INSURANCE CO. 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JAMES FLEET INVESTMENTS TWO LIMITED, SUPERIOR PROCUREMENT INC, SUPERIOR VISION BENEFIT MANAGEMENT INC., SUPERIOR VISION HOLDINGS INC., SUPERIOR VISION INSURANCE INC., SUPERIOR VISION INSURANCE PLAN OF WISCONSIN INC., SUPERIOR VISION OF NEW JERSEY INC., SUPERIOR VISION SERVICES INC., Safeguard Health Enterprises, Security First Group Inc., THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH AVENUE MEZZANINE LLC, THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH RETAIL HOLDING LLC, THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH RETAIL OWNER, THE DIRECT CALL CENTRE PTY LIMITED, TRANSMOUNTAIN LAND & LIVESTOCK COMPANY, UVC INDEPENDENT PRACTICE ASSOCIATION INC., VERSANT HEALTH CONSOLIDATIONS CORP., VERSANT HEALTH HOLDCO INC., VERSANT HEALTH LAB LLC, VIRIDIAN MIRACLE MILE LLC, VISION 21 MANAGED EYE CARE OF TAMPA BAY, VISION 21 PHYSICIAN PRACTICE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, VISION TWENTY-ONE MANAGED EYE CARE IPA INC., Versant Health, WDV ACQUISITION CORP., WFP 1000 HOLDING COMPANY GP LLC, WHITE OAK ROYALTY COMPANY, and WHITE TRACT II LLC. 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The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartere Read More Hurricane Florence moved closer to the U.S. East Coast on September 10, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) in its 11 p.m. update. Hurricane Florence intensified rapidly to a category 4 storm Monday with sustained winds of 140 miles per hour., tracking toward the North Carolina coast with an expected landfall as early as Thursday. States of emergency were declared by Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser for the nation's capital; requested by Virginia's governor; and approved by US President Donald Trump for North and SC. The National Hurricane Center says the storm is gathering power as it moves towards land, and "is expected to be an extremely risky major hurricane" by Thursday. A mandatory evacuation order takes effect Tuesday at noon in eight counties along South Carolina's 187-mile coastline. As has been previously announced, the USC campus is closed beginning Tuesday and until further notice per South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster's order. On Sunday, the hurricane center reported that Florence had reached sustained winds of at least 74 miles per hour to be classified a hurricane. Hurricane Florence was upgraded from a Category 2 to Category 4 hurricane on Monday as warm ocean waters and a lack of wind shear combined to fuel the powerful storm, which brings unsafe winds, torrential downpours and threatening floods along with it. Navy ships off Virginia's coast were preparing to sail out of the path, a North Carolina university has already canceled classes and people have begun stocking up on plywood, bottled water and other supplies. "To the incredible citizens of North Carolina, South Carolina and the entire East Coast - the storm looks very bad!" He said that the hurricane could only be captured on a super-wide lens, even from 400 kilometres up. The National Weather Service reported Sunday that more than 20 people had to be pulled from the ocean off Wrightsville Beach and Carolina Beach, The Wilmington Star reported. As the forecast becomes clearer, Florence poses three challenges: coastal storm surge, strong winds and inland flooding that inundates rivers and low-lying ground. That means sustained winds of at least 130 miles per hour and expectations of catastrophic damage, the hurricane center says. Two other storms are spinning in the Atlantic. Workers are being brought in from the Midwest and Florida to help in the storm's aftermath, it said. Monday marks the average peak of the hurricane season in the Atlantic. "The threat will be inland, so I'm afraid, based on my experience at FEMA, that the public probably not as prepared as everybody would like", said Craig Fugate, former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Myrtle Beach Mayor Brenda Bethune urged people to secure their homes but said it was too early to know if evacuations will be ordered. "Right now we are just coordinating our internal resources, making sure all of those are ready and all of our assets are ready for deployment if need be", he said. Hurricane Isaac is moving toward the Caribbean and could make landfall Thursday as a Category 1 hurricane. Thomson Reuters Corporation provides business information services in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in five segments: Legal Professionals, Corporates, Tax & Accounting Professionals, Reuters News, and Global Print. The Legal Professionals segment offers research and workflow products focusing on legal research and integrated legal workflow solutions that combine content, tools, and analytics to law firms and governments. The Corporates segment provides a suite of content-enabled technology solutions for legal, tax, regulatory, compliance, and IT professionals. The Tax & Accounting Professionals segment offers research and workflow products focusing on tax offerings and automating tax workflows to tax, accounting, and audit professionals in accounting firms. The Reuters News segment provides business, financial, national, and international news to professionals through desktop terminals, media organizations, and industry events, as well as directly to consumers. The Global Print segment offers legal and tax information primarily in print format to legal and tax professionals, governments, law schools, and corporations. The company was formerly known as The Thomson Corporation and changed its name to Thomson Reuters Corporation in April 2008. The company was founded in 1851 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Thomson Reuters Corporation is a subsidiary of The Woodbridge Company Limited. Read More The Toronto-Dominion Bank, together with its subsidiaries, provides various personal and commercial banking products and services in Canada and the United States. It operates through three segments: Canadian Retail, U.S. Retail, and Wholesale Banking. The company offers personal deposits, such as chequing, savings, and investment products; financing, investment, cash management, international trade, and day-to-day banking services to businesses; and financing options to customers at point of sale for automotive and recreational vehicle purchases through auto dealer network. It also provides credit cards; real estate secured lending; auto finance; consumer lending; point-of-sale payment solutions for large and small businesses; wealth and asset management products, private banking, investment advisory, and trust services to retail and institutional clients; and property and casualty insurance, as well as life and health insurance products. The company also provides capital markets, and corporate and investment banking services, including underwriting and distribution of new debt and equity issues; advice on strategic acquisitions and divestitures; and trading, funding, and investment services to companies, governments, and institutions. It offers its products and services under the TD Bank and America's Most Convenient Bank brand names. The company operates through a network of 1,085 branches, 3,440 automated teller machines, and 1,223 stores, as well as offers telephone, digital, and mobile banking services. The Toronto-Dominion Bank was founded in 1855 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Read More SunTrust Banks, Inc. operates as the holding company for SunTrust Bank that provides various financial services for consumers, businesses, corporations, institutions, and not-for-profit entities in the United States. It operates in two segments, Consumer and Wholesale. The Consumer segment provides deposits and payments; home equity and personal credit lines; auto, student, and other lending products; credit cards; discount/online and full-service brokerage products; professional investment advisory products and services; and trust services, as well as family office solutions. This segment also offers residential mortgage products in the secondary market. The Wholesale segment provides capital markets solutions, including advisory, capital raising, and financial risk management; asset-based financing solutions, such as securitizations, asset-based lending, equipment financing, and structured real estate arrangements; cash management services and auto dealer financing solutions; investment banking solutions; and credit and deposit, fee-based product offering, multi-family agency lending, advisory, commercial mortgage brokerage, and tailored financing and equity investment solutions. This segment also offers treasury and payment solutions, such as operating various electronic and paper payment types, which comprise card, wire transfer, automated clearing house, check, and cash; and provides services clients to manage their accounts online. The company offers its products and services through a network of traditional and in-store branches, automated teller machines, Internet, mobile, and telephone banking channels. As of December 31, 2018, it operated 1,218 full-service banking offices located in Florida, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia. SunTrust Banks, Inc. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Xerox: A B S Digital Limited, Acorn Business Machines (Holmfirth) Limited, Alloy Acquisitions Corp. LLC, Altodigital Networks, Altodigital Networks Limited, American Photocopy Equipment Company of Pittsburgh LLC, Amici, Arena Group, Arena Group Holdings Limited, Arena Group Limited, Arizona Office Technologies Inc., B 2 Business Systems Limited, Back2Business Limited, Bessemer Insurance Limited, Bessemer Trust Limited, Boise Office Equipment Inc., Bright Ceramic Technologies Inc., Bunch CareSolutions, Business Systems (North Wales) Limited, CPAS Systems, CREDITEX - Aluguer de Equipamentos S.A., CTX Business Solutions Inc., Capitol Office Solutions LLC, CareAR Holdings LLC, CareAR Inc., Carolina Office Systems Inc., Carr Business Systems Inc., Chicago Office Technology Group Inc., ComDoc Inc., Concept Group, Concept Group Limited, Connecticut Business Systems LLC, Consilience Software, Continua Limited, Continua Sanctum Limited, Conway Technology Group LLC, Copyrite Business Solutions (Holdings) Limited, Copyrite Business Solutions Limited, Copytrend Limited, Criterion IT Limited, Customer Value Group, Dahill Office Technology Corporation, Digitex, Digitex Canada Inc., Docucentric Holdings Limited, Document Systems, Document Systems, Eastern Managed Print Network LLC, Elan Marketing Inc., Electronic Systems Inc., Fovia (Innovation) Limited, G-Five Inc., GDP Technologies Inc., Global Imaging Systems, Global PR Corporation, Groupe CT, Gyricon LLC, Healthy Communities Institute, Heritage Business Systems Inc., ITEC Group, Image Technology Specialists Inc., ImageQuest Inc., Imagetek Office Systems, Impika, Impika SAS, Inland Business Machines Inc., Institute for Research on Learning, Integrity One Technologies Inc., Intrepid Learning, Invoco Group, Irish Business Systems, LRI LLC, LaserNetworks, LaserNetworks Inc., Lateral Data, Learn Something, Lewan & Associates Inc., Limited Liability Company Xerox (C.I.S.), M & S Reprographics Limited, MRC Smart Technology Solutions Inc., MT Business Holdings Inc., MT Business Technologies Inc., MWB Copy Products Inc., Mail A Doc Limited, Merizon Group Incorporated, Michigan Office Solutions Inc., Minnesota Office Technology Group Inc., Mitral Systems Limited, Mr. Copy Inc., Nemo (AKS) Limited, NewField IT, NewField Information Technology LLC, NewField Information Technology Limited, Northeast Office Systems LLC, Osprey Business Systems Limited, PARC China Holdings Inc., Pacific Services and Development Corporation, Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated, Platinum Digital Print Solutions Limited, Precision Copier Service Inc., Quality Business Systems Inc., Quilver Business Services Limited, R. K. Dixon Company, RRXH Limited, RRXIL Limited, RRXO Limited, RSA Medical, Rabbit Copiers Inc., Reflex Digital Solutions (UK) Limited, Reprographics Egypt Limited, Saxon Business Systems Inc., Smart Data Consulting, SoCal Office Technologies Inc., Stem Networks Limited, Stewart Business Systems LLC, Stewart of Alabama Inc., StrataCare, Talegen Holdings Inc., Tektronix - color printing, Text Comm Limited (in receivership), The Xerox (UK) Trust, The Xerox Foundation, Time Business Systems Limited, Triton Business Finance Limited, Una-Stem Limited, Veenman B.V., Veenman Financial Services B.V., WDS, WaterWare Internet Services, XC Asia LLC, XC Global Trading B.V., XC Trading Hong Kong Limited, XC Trading Japan G.K., XC Trading Korea YH, XC Trading Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., XC Trading Shenzhen Co. Ltd., XC Trading Singapore Pte Ltd., XEROX CZECH REPUBLIC s r.o., XESystems Foreign Sales Corporation, XFS Secured Borrowing 2020-1 LLC, XHC Acquisition Corp., XMPie, XMPie Inc., XMPie Ltd., XRI Limited, XRO Limited, Xerox (Europe) Limited, Xerox (Ireland) Limited, Xerox (Nederland) BV, Xerox (Romania) Echipmante Si Servici S.A., Xerox (UK) Limited, Xerox (Ukraine) Ltd LLC, Xerox A/S, Xerox AG, Xerox AS, Xerox Argentina Industrial y Comercial S.A., Xerox Austria GmbH, Xerox Bulgaria EOOD, Xerox Business Equipment Limited, Xerox Business Services Bulgaria EOOD, Xerox Business Solutions Inc., Xerox Business Solutions Southeast LLC, Xerox Buro Araclari Servis ve Ticaret Ltd. Sti, Xerox Canada Inc., Xerox Canada Ltd., Xerox Canada N.S. ULC, Xerox Capital (Europe) Limited, Xerox Capital LLC, Xerox Computer Services Limited, Xerox Comercio e Industria Ltda, Xerox Corporation, Xerox DNHC LLC, Xerox Dienstleistungsgesellschaft GmbH, Xerox Distributor Operations Limited, Xerox Egypt S.A.E., Xerox Equipment Limited, Xerox Equipment UK Limited, Xerox Espana S.A.U., Xerox Exports Limited, Xerox Finance AG, Xerox Finance Leasing S.A.E., Xerox Finance Limited, Xerox Financial Services B.V., Xerox Financial Services Belux NV, Xerox Financial Services Canada Ltd., Xerox Financial Services Danmark A/S, Xerox Financial Services Finland Oy, Xerox Financial Services LLC, Xerox Financial Services Norway AS, Xerox Financial Services SAS, Xerox Financial Services Sverige AB, Xerox Foreign Holdings LLC, Xerox Foreign Sales Corporation, Xerox GmbH, Xerox Health Care LLC, Xerox Hellas AEE, Xerox Holding Deutschland GmbH, Xerox Holdings (Ireland) Limited, Xerox Holdings Inc., Xerox Hungary Trading Limited, Xerox IBS Limited, Xerox IBS NI Limited, Xerox India Limited, Xerox International Joint Marketing Inc., Xerox Investments Europe B.V., Xerox Israel Ltd., Xerox Italia Rental Services Srl, Xerox Kazakhstan Limited Liability Partnership, Xerox Latinamerican Holdings Inc., Xerox Leasing Deutschland GmbH, Xerox Leasing GmbH, Xerox Limited, Xerox Luxembourg SA, Xerox Mailing Systems Limited, Xerox Manufacturing (Nederland) B.V., Xerox Maroc S.A., Xerox Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Xerox Middle East Investments (Bermuda) Limited, Xerox N.V., Xerox Overseas Holdings Limited, Xerox Overseas Inc., Xerox Oy, Xerox Pensions Limited, Xerox Polska Sp. z o. o, Xerox Portugal Equipamentos de Escritorio Limitada, Xerox Products Limited, Xerox Products UK Limited, Xerox Professional Services Limited, Xerox Realty Corporation, Xerox Renting S.A.U., Xerox Reprographische Services GmbH, Xerox S.A.S., Xerox S.p.A., Xerox Secured Borrowing 2020-1 LLC, Xerox Servicios Compartidos Guatemala y Compani Limitada, Xerox Servicos e Participacoes Ltda, Xerox Shared Services Romania SRL, Xerox Sverige AB, Xerox Technology Services India LLP, Xerox Technology Services SAS, Xerox Telebusiness GmbH, Xerox Trading Enterprises Limited, Xerox Trinidad Limited, Xerox UK Holdings Limited, Xerox XHB Limited, Xerox XIB Limited, Xerox Xf Holdings (Ireland) DAC, Xerox de Chile S.A., Xerox del Ecuador S.A., Xerox del Peru S.A., Zeno Office Solutions, Zeno Office Solutions Inc., Zoom Imaging Solutions Inc., and inVentiv Patient Access Solutions. She then flew home from Washington to give Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a progress report. However, Iowa Senator Chuck thinks a tri-lateral agreement will have a better chance at making it through Congress. The Wall Street Journal reported Mr. Trump's latest remarks about rebranding NAFTA on Thursday, saying the U.S. President told supporters at a fundraising dinner on Wednesday the agreement could be renamed as the "USMC" pact. "We do believe that a deal is possible, a deal which is good for Canada, good for the United States, good for Mexico", she stated. He said that the Liberals will also stay focused on NAFTA talks, started a year ago at the behest of U.S. President Donald Trump, to strengthen "the most successful trading relationship perhaps in the world". At the same time, Canadian and USA negotiators are looking to reach an agreement on several bilateral issues, including US access to Canada's dairy market. "I narrate that is the half we're coming into, is what is each rather about a's backside line and are we animated to purchase it and "Let's conclude the deal.'" Canada and the United States had been in two-capacity negotiations since leisurely August, when Washington unveiled a proposed tackle Mexico and pressed the Canadians to signal on or be neglected". The Trump administration has threatened to proceed without Canada and has set September 30 as the deadline for the text of the proposed U.S. -Mexico deal to be hammered out. He reportedly said he was willing to go ahead with a "USM" deal and drop the C if Canada didn't sign on. Late Thursday, Mexican chief negotiator Kenneth Smith Ramos tweeted that his country is fine with a bilateral deal as well. Canada is also below stress to toughen patent and copyright safety - which may maybe maybe maybe profit USA -essentially essentially based completely leisure and drug companies - after the Mexican government unilaterally agreed to expand patents all the way in which through talks in August. While Trudeau has been consulted throughout the 13-month negotiation, the face-to-face meetings with the negotiating team Wednesday suggested there were some big - and potentially politically loaded - issues to settle. "These are things that we're working on very seriously, rolling up our sleeves on". Republican senators have been highly critical of such a scenario, with some going so far as to suggest Trump does not have legal authority to turn the three-country NAFTA into a bilateral deal between the USA and Mexico. Trudeau's comments came at the end of a caucus retreat aimed at plotting strategy for next week's resumption of Parliament and laying the ground work for the run up to next year's federal election. The president has repeatedly threatened to leave Canada out of the final deal and already formally notified Congress about the bilateral agreement with Mexico. Trudeau said he has given little thought to the name of a renewed trade agreement, focused instead of "a broad range of issues" in talks that "will have a direct impact on Canadians' jobs, on our economic growth and our prospects". "I expect we'll probably have several more sessions". There Kim backed denuclearisation of the "Korean peninsula", but no details were agreed and Washington and Pyongyang have sparred since over what that means and how it will be achieved. The result will likely be a crucial indicator of how the larger nuclear negotiations with the United States will proceed. "I believe finding an intersecting point to restart the dialogue and let denuclearization to take place promptly, is the role we [South Korea] must serve in the middle", Moon said. Moon and South Korean delegation will fly directly to Pyongyang using the Western air route, Moon's office said, adding that an advance team will take the land route to Pyongyang Sunday for preparations. Next week's summit will mark the fifth inter-Korean meeting. South Korea's President Moon Jae-in is expected to fly to Pyongyang for the first time next week in the hopes of accelerating worldwide efforts to denuclearize North Korea. The North was "willing to denuclearise", Moon said on Thursday, while the U.S. was willing to "end hostile relations" and provide security guarantees, "but there is a blockage as both sides are demanding each other to act first". The nuclear-armed North's chief delegate Ri Son-gwon responded in kind, calling it a "substantial fruit nourished by the people of the north and south". Last month, Trump abruptly cancelled a planned visit by Pompeo to Pyongyang. These projects are held back by the sanctions against North Korea. The opening comes ahead of a meeting between North and South leaders. The decisions came amid a flurry of activity as the two Koreas move to improve relations amid efforts to restart stalled nuclear talks between the North and the United States. The fighting stopped with an armistice that has left the peninsula technically at war. Top US diplomat Pompeo on Friday said the United States is "as committed as ever to continuing to enforce those UN Security Council resolutions". "The process can't have anything to do with a plan to denuclearize unilaterally". At Washington's request, . the UN Security Council will meet on Monday over the implementation of sanctions on North Korea. Chung conveyed similarly promising comments from Kim after a previous visit in March, when South Korean officials shuttled between Pyongyang and Washington to set up the Trump-Kim meeting. The liaison office is in Kaesong, where South Korean firms once employed tens of thousands North Korean workers in a jointly run industrial park that symbolised peaceful engagement. If Moon can't convince Kim to express a commitment to concrete denuclearization steps, he will at least have to get Kim to put the things Chung has said he was told in a written agreement, said Du Hyeogn Cha, a visiting scholar at Seoul's Asan Institute for Policy Studies. "A failure to get something more specific out of Kim could cause the diplomatic efforts to lose much of their force". She said given what happened in 2008 when more than 4 000 people lost their lives due to another outbreak of cholera, it boggles the mind that the country is still to put in place the necessary emergency response systems. The outbreak has been blamed on poor sanitation, the proliferation on food vending as well as continued lack of clean running which has forced residents, in some cases, to resort to unsafe wells to acquire the necessity. "We should all be seen to be fighting this cholera menace". The CWGH, among other healthy lobby groups, are confident that President Emmerson Mnangagwa's administration will go well beyond the appending of signatures to declarations, but revisit the various declarations over the past 40 years, and carry forward what worked but critically analyse why Zimbabwe fell short of health goals and thus sent a significant number of Zimbabweans to ill health, disability and early graves, when all these could be avoided. "I also call on local authorities to ensure responsive, efficient and consistent waste management systems in all areas throughout the country". Zimbabwe's largest university postponed its graduation ceremony on Friday. A notice signed by the Acting Vice Chancellor, Professor Paul Mapfumo, said the Friday 14 September 2018 event had been deferred to a date to be advised. However, some students who spoke to NewsDay on condition of anonymity complained over the late notice, saying they had used a lot of money to bring some relatives, with some coming from rural areas. Prior to this outbreak, Zimbabwe had recorded a substantial decline in cholera cases (recording less than 30 cumulative cases in the last 3 years). UNICEF is a key partner in the Inter-Agency Coordination Committee for Health (IACCH) chaired by the Ministry of Health and Child Care with Secretariat support from WHO. The International Red Cross in Zimbabwe on the other hand also added that it has deployed more than 1,000 volunteers to contain the outbreak. "Unless urgent action is taken, the death toll of this current epidemic is also likely to be significant". "It is appalling that in 2018 people are still dying of such a preventable disease", Jessia Pwiti, Amnesty's executive director for Zimbabwe, said in a statement on Wednesday. "The cholera outbreak that we are having right now is as a result of negligence by council". If you can't prioritize funding public health in the midst of a crisis, we are going nowhere very quickly. Chideme said combined efforts were needed in order to combat the spread o cholera. The EU should help Morocco address the challenges linked to the increase in Sub-Saharan migrants, said Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska. Speaking at a conference on security and migration in Vienna, the Spanish official described Morocco as a privileged partner whom the EU should help setting up accommodation facilities for migrants and border monitoring. Morocco is undertaking colossal efforts to curb illegal migration, which require more EU aid, he said. The EUs migration policy hinges on good understanding between the southern and northern Mediterranean countries, he said, stressing the preventive approach as more appropriate to deal with illegal migration. The EU should fight criminal networks who put peoples life at risk, he said, underscoring the need for the promotion of legal migration and the integration of migrants in EU countries. Spain and Morocco have been cooperating closely to counter all sorts of trafficking networks. At a meeting on September 14, officials in charge of migration reiterated their willingness to foster cooperation. Consuelo Rumi, Spains Secretary of State for Migration, told the press after the meeting that Morocco is making huge efforts through tightening border control and cracking down on human trafficking networks while promoting the integration of migrants in the Moroccan society. The Royal initiative in the field of managing migration flows stands as an example to follow and a model in the African continent, he said on the sidelines of the close-door meeting. The Western Mediterranean emerged this year as the main route for illegal crossings to Europe as more migrants avoid Libya as a platform for the hazardous journey to Europe. Puerto what now? Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images In the midst of managing the federal governments response to Hurricane Florence, whose remains continue to batter the Carolinas and fending off reports that he may about to be fired FEMA administrator Brock Long appeared on Meet the Press Sunday, in what looked to be an unseemly attempt to prove his loyalty to President Trump. WATCH: FEMA Administrator Brock Long calls Puerto Rico studies frustrating #MTP@FEMA_Brock: You might see more deaths indirectly as time goes on... Spousal abuse goes through the roof. You cant blame spousal abuse after a disaster on anyone pic.twitter.com/PcDGCiJyGd Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) September 16, 2018 During an interview that covered the FEMA response to Florence, among other topics, Chuck Todd asked Long about an incendiary round of tweets this week from the president. Trump has repeatedly claimed that a recent George Washington University study finding that almost 3,000 people died as a result of Hurricane Maria is not only inaccurate, but part of a Democratic plot to make him look bad. The federal governments response to the devastating storm last September was widely criticized as slow and ineffective, and Trump has been downplaying the storms human toll since days after it hit. Long said that Trumps bizarre tweets could be attributed to his defensiveness about how hard FEMA works, an assertion that strains credulity, to put it mildly. He then took issue with the accuracy of the Maria death toll count. The numbers are all over the place, Long said, referring to a previous study, conducted by Harvard, that found about 4,600 deaths attributable to the storm. (The new surveys count, seen as more thorough and reliable, has been adopted by Puerto Rico as the official death toll.) When Todd pressed him to respond directly to Trumps conspiracy theory, Long said, I dont think the studies I dont know why the studies were done. In my opinion, what weve got to do is figure out why people die from direct deaths, which is the wind, the water and the waves, buildings collapsing. He argued that some of the deaths attributed to Maria might be so tangentially related to the storm as to be meaningless. You might see more deaths indirectly occur as time goes on because people have heart attacks due to stress, he said. They fall off their house trying to fix their roof, they die in car crashes because they went through an intersection where the step lights werent working. Long also invoked a more eyebrow-raising example. Spousal abuse, he said, goes through the roof in the aftermath of hurricanes, and you cant blame spousal abuse after a disaster on anyone. The clumsiness of his example aside, the deaths tracked by the George Washington study which compared medical records in Marias aftermath to those in a normal year fell into a much different category than the one Long describes. The victims it described were typically old or poor people with serious medical conditions, who could not be given life-saving drugs or reach a hospital for procedures like kidney dialysis because of widespread damage and power outages after the storm. Though FEMA doesnt include such fatalities in its tally of storm deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does. And commonly accepted tolls from previous storms, like the 1,833 attributed to Hurricane Katrina, include these kinds of deaths. Its understandable that Long doesnt want his agency to be associated with the grievous loss of life that the George Washington study describes. But his incuriosity at why such a study would be commissioned in the first place, as Puerto Ricans continue to reckon with the catastrophe that upended their home a year ago and the inadequate government reaction to it is startling. Not long after Longs appearance, Trump chimed in with an endorsement of his agency, though its unclear if the two events were related. FEMA, First Responders and Law Enforcement are working really hard on hurricane Florence. As the storm begins to finally recede, they will kick into an even higher gear. Very Professional! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 16, 2018 This week, Politico and the Wall Street Journal reported that the Department of Homeland Security has been investigating whether Long inappropriately used government vehicles during his frequent trips between Washington and his home of North Carolina. DHS head Kirstjen Nielsen has confronted him over the issue, and one official said she even asked him to resign. The Journal reported that the White House has actively been discussing replacements. Long, whom the Washington Post describes as highly respected throughout FEMA, addressed the reports on Meet the Press. Look, let me go ahead and clear up all the news. Secretary Nielsen has never asked me to resign. We have a very functional and professional relationship. We talk every day. We are both solely focused on Florence. One thing theyre clearly not focused on: what really happened in Puerto Rico last year. "These are folks who chose to stay and ride out the storm for whatever reason, despite having a mandatory evacuation", city public information officer Colleen Roberts said. - An 81-year-old man died while trying to evacuate Wayne County, North Carolina, on Friday, the state's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner says. The tropical storm's maximum sustained winds are holding steady, remaining at around 50 miles per hour, with higher gusts in heavy rainbands over water, the NWS said. Many social media users picking up on the two people in the background and mocked the reporter for exaggerating the wind gusts of Hurricane Florence. Hurricane Florence crashed into the Carolinas as a giant, slow-moving storm on Friday, threatening catastrophic flooding while leaving scores in need of rescue from rising waters and hundreds of thousands without power. Householders were stranded in their cars, attics and on rooftops. Rescue workers were able only to save her father. Five people are known to have died as the massive weather system knocked down trees, flooded rivers, and dumped sheets of rain in the Carolinas. "It has slowed", he said. "I see the beach communities being inundated with water and destruction that will be pretty, pretty epic in nature". But the size of the storm meant the path didn't really matter. Tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles from its center. By Saturday morning, top sustained winds had weakened to 50 mph as it moved farther inland at 2 mph about 35 miles west of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In New Bern, along the coast, aerial photos show homes completely surrounded by water, with rescuers using inflatable boats to go house to house to remove people. Hughes said the vehicle's roof is what struck the tree. Carlos Ramos: Umpire speaks after Serena Williams controversy Williams smashed her racquet, breaking it, bringing about her second violation for racquet abuse, resulting in a point penalty. Naomi Osaka , the victor of the recent 2018 U.S. Power outages increased throughout Friday. As of Friday morning, more than a half a million people had lost power in North and SC. Two people died in Lenoir County. The Triangle is under a flash flood warning until 8 p.m. Sunday. "The storm is wreaking havoc on our state", North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said. More than 360 people have been carried to safety since Thursday night amid rising waters from a river swelled by both rain and salty storm surge. Utility companies said millions were expected to lose power and restoration could take weeks. "The fact is this storm is deadly and we know we are days away from an ending", Cooper said. Emergency crews were stretched thin. "Rescue workers are working in risky conditions that will only get worse today", he said. Early on Friday, South Carolina emergency officials said there was still time, "but not a lot of time" for people to leave flood-prone areas. The storm was expected to become a tropical depression on Saturday and significant weakening was expected over the weekend, the NHC said in a bulletin. Additional swiftwater rescue teams were on the way. "WE ARE COMING TO GET YOU", the city of New Bern tweeted around 2 a.m. This week saw the release of three wonderful films Manmarziyaan, Mitron and Love Sonia. While the other two films are an out-and-out commercial entertainer, Love Sonia is a movie on the hard-hitting reality of the society. The movie has received many praises and we exclusively got in touch with producer Shalini Thackerey, where she spoke about what exactly went into the making of the film. Here are some excerpts from the interview: Love Sonia. Phew I just want to bring to your notice that 65 girls have been missing every day since the last 17 months and were not ready to address this issue (of human trafficking). So for me, this film is much more than just a film. Its also something people need to understand and react to. Having such a strong background in politics, what made you take up film production? I started with Marathi films and even now I was on the path to do a Marathi film. While working, I also worked with the industry closely. I realized that Marathi films need to get a particular support for which I felt I could take the initiative. I think we started a movement with Lai Bhaari. It was a path-breaking film and many others followed soon. When I was thinking of another Marathi film, it was Love Sonia which was again of a proper Marathi background, so it seemed like an extension of what I was already doing except that it was on a bigger scale. But the backdrop of this film is Maharashtra, Marathwada. There is an issue over there, when daughters are facing this particular problem. That is how I felt I should support Love Sonia. Film is a very important medium. It comes with a lot of responsibility because we should be able to communicate to a bigger audience and speak about issues we want to talk about, in a manner that the audience will associate. It was the reason why I decided to come into production. It helps me communicate a message which I want to in a particular way. So do you agree that Bollywood helps you convey messages which otherwise even when you scream isnt heard? Yes, a film definitely does a better job. This I feel is an extension of the work that Im doing. But then you all picked Mrunal, who is just making her debut with the film. Do you think a bigger face wouldve been better? I think this film has a lot of faces. A role like Sonia needed a fresh and young face and Mrunal is a Maharashtrian so she could identify with her character. So I think shes a very good choice and has done an amazing job and even bagged her first best debut award in London. To support her we have great faces and each one of them have given fantastic performances so I think that taking a new face and giving her support of these power-packed performers has turned out better. The movie is based in Marathwada but human trafficking happens in every area. Is the situation in those areas also shown? It is a global issue. The journey of the film is from Marathwada to LA. The film also has another story of a girl in search of her sister. It originated from Marathwada because there are a lot of girls who face this because of farmer issue there. So that was just a point to start the story. But yes, then weve taken it all the way to Mumbai, Hong Kong and LA to prove that its a very important and global issue. A father is selling his daughter in the movie. This situation is also prevalent in the society. What can be done to change it? This is definitely an issue and we hear many parents having to do that because they see no other option. If I react to this, it will become political. Right now theres a lot we can do as a citizen as well as the government. We cant put everything on them. As citizens, we also need to be alert and react to these things. This movie is made with that in mind where we should get reaction from people who instead come forward and address this issue. First is to recognize the issue and bring awareness of it, is what the film will do. How were you approached for the film? Me and Tabreez are friends. They also know the work which I am doing and they felt that it would be good to associate with someone who believes in the content. I think with common interest, we came together. How easy or tough was it to bring other producers on board? When the film started, there are producers from all over the world. Tabreez being based in LA, everybody got connected to him. It wasnt very difficult but it wasnt easy either, because its a very hard-hitting film and not everybody can associate with it. After this film, do you plan to take up another issue? I am working on a couple of projects one in Marathi and one in Hindi women-oriented subjects or based on issues. So script would become important for you? Yes I want the story to be told in a certain manner. Mumbai: Mumbai police reminded Bollywood actor Uday Chopra Saturday that marijuana is a banned commodity in India when the Dhoom actor batted for its legalisation. Chopra tweeted Friday that marijuana, also known as cannabis, should be legalised as it is "part of Indian culture" and also has "medical benefits". "I feel India should legalize marijuana. Firstly, Its part of our culture. Secondly, I think if legalized and taxed it can be a huge revenue source. Not to mention it will remove the criminal element associated with it. Plus and most importantly it has a lot of medical benefits!" the actor said through his Twitter handle @udaychopra. I feel India should legalize marijuana. Firstly, Its part of our culture. Secondly, I think if legalized and taxed it can be a huge revenue source. Not to mention it will remove the criminal element associated with it. Plus and most importantly it has a lot of medical benefits! Uday Chopra (@udaychopra) September 13, 2018 The tweet not only invited usual trolling that celebrities sometimes face on social media, but also a response from the city police. "Sir, as citizen of India, you are privileged to express your view on a public platform. Be mindful, as of now consumption, possession and transportation of marijuana invites harsh punishment as per provisions of Narcotic Drug and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985. Spread the word," said @MumbaiPolice. Sir,as citizen of India,you are privileged to express your view on a public platform. Be mindful,as of now, consumption, possession and transportation of marijuana, invites harsh punishment as per provisions of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act,1985. Spread the Word https://t.co/YlT3kuCdA2 Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) September 15, 2018 By Saturday afternoon, Chopra's post had over 300 retweets, a thousand 'likes' and many comments, many of them countering his view or using 'memes' to ridicule it. "People here can't use WhatsApp correctly and you are talking about marijuana...," said one tweet. But the actor stuck to his guns. "The benefits are too many to list. A brief google search will educate you I am sure. Anyway its better than being schooled by people like me who have no work," he said. The benefits are too many to list. A brief google search will educate you Im sure. Anyway its better than being schooled by people like me who have no work. Uday Chopra (@udaychopra) September 13, 2018 "I do not use it, I just really think its a wise move, given our history with the (cannabis) plant," he said in another tweet. And no I do not use it. I just really think its a wise move, given our history with the plant. Uday Chopra (@udaychopra) September 13, 2018 Twitter user @IshataYadav said, "Easy to you to say when you don't have to work for living. Imagine a stoned workforce." To which Chopra replied, "So your argument is that dont make it legal cause everyone will be stoned. Wonder why the same reasoning didnt stop people from legalising alcohol #Flawed. Be it artistes or technicians, the Malayalam movie industry has been witnessing a rise in the number of newcomers recently. The advent of technology and producers willing to experiment with different subjects has been the major reason for this. As a result, we had many such movies post-2010; some became blockbusters and some failed to impress the audience. Many new directors came into the limelight in 2018 alone and made excellent movies like Captain, Sudani From Nigeria, Swathanthryam Ardharathriyil and Theevandi. The list doesnt end here. The latest to join the party is Rafeek Ibrahim. His debut movie Padayottam was released in theatres on Friday and has garnered a great response from the audience. Rafeek, who started as an assistant director in Honeybee, has been active in the movie industry for five years. Anuraga Karikkin Vellam, Rakshadhikari Baiju Oppu and Captain were some of the movies he assisted in. One of the writers of the movie narrated the story during the shoot of Anuraga Karikkin Vellam. We discussed the movie in detail after the shoot and the biggest task was roping in Biju chettan for the role. Finally, we had the chance to narrate the story to him and he said okay, says Rafeek. Then it was the routine procedure of finding the right producer. The search ended when they met Sophia Paul. The production team was so comfortable to work with. The artistes and technicians need to be credited for their cooperation. Many artistes adjusted the dates of their other movies for Padayottam. Rafeek is one director who had the chance to direct three directors Dileesh Pothan, Lijo Jose Pellissery and Basil Joseph in his debut movie. He remarks this opportunity as an unforgettable experience. Hes currently cherishing the success of the movie and affirms his next movie is on the cards. Life has been a battle. Thanks to my wife for the never-ending support. Im really happy with the response, he says, crediting his whole team. Ever since the posters, teaser and trailer released, Lilli has been in talks. The movie directed by Prasobh Vijayan has already caught the viewers eyes for the violence in its trailer. Lilli is a survivor-horror thriller. What you see in the trailer is just a sample. The movie has enough violence to engage you. Its cute when you look naturally at a pregnant lady. But when you stare at her, its the biggest violence. Thats what you will get to see in the movie, says Prasobh. His love for movie-making came out of the blue after his graduation. He has worked in the pre-production stage of Theevram movie, which he says is the only experience he had. The script for Lilli was developed in 20-30 days. One of my friends suggested Samyuktha to me as I was looking for someone chubby to play the character. Kannan Nayar was cast through an audition and Dhanesh was my friend. They all have good roles and I hope Lilli would be a good break. Prasobh says hes not worried about how the audience will receive the violence in the movie. Our audiences are very uneducated and unpredictable. They analyse a movie really well. And working with a banner like E4 has been a great boost. Lilli is all set to release on September 28. He is also working on his next project, which will be a comedy entertainer. Jeem Boom Bhaa, the movie title itself makes us curious. The movie marks the debut venture of Rahul Ramachandran, who has been working with leading hospitality brands and has nine short films to his credit. My short film Chin Sin Si won a total of 12 awards and thats when I thought of doing a movie. The movie title reminds us of the spirit that comes out of the bottle. The title definitely has a pivotal presence in the movie. Let that be a suspense now, says Rahul. The movie, which was shot completely in Thiruvananthapuram, features Askar Ali, Baiju Santhosh, Anju Kurian, Neha Saxena and Kannan Nayar in lead roles. The first look poster of the movie was released on Saturday and it had Askar and Baiju in the getup of Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta from the cult movie Pulp Fiction. The poster was inspired from Pulp Fiction. Its a movie thats loved by millions. We got a lot of appreciation for the poster and many criticised us too, he says. The movie is slated for release in February, 2019. Rahul promises that the movie will be a pure comedy thriller. It will be an In Harihar Nagar based in Thiruvananthapuram. As per Fefkas report, Rahul and producer Sachin V.G. are currently the youngest director and producer in the industry. Rahuls next movie will start rolling in March with the same producer. M.C. Jithins Nonsense is another movie the audience is waiting for. The movie featuring Rinosh George of Im A Mallu fame has already gained attention from its first look poster and trailer. The subject of the movie is something Ive been thinking about from school days. Our education system has a lot of flaws and the movie focuses on that. Ive been working on this movie from 2008 and the content kept on getting updated, says Jithin. He had worked as an assistant to Abrid Shine in 1983 and Action Hero Biju. He also finds his mentors in Bobby-Sanjay and Mahesh Narayanan as he had associated with them. The movie will be the first one to support BMX sport in India. The sport needs to be popularised in India. A great coincidence is that the movie is getting released on October 12, Friday, and the story takes place on the same day too. The movie will also be a tribute to APJ Abdul Kalam. The movie also stars Vinay Fortt, Shruthi Ramachandran, Lalu Alex and Kalabhavan Shajon. Johny Sagarika is coming back to production after a gap of six years through this movie. The movie is one of the favourites of Johny Sagariga, adds Jithin. Also up next is Tovinos Kalki helmed by debut director Praveen Prabharam, who was the chief associate of Second Show, Koothara and Theevandi. Prasobh Krishna is the producer of the film that is written by the director and Sujin Sujathan. Kalki is the third project of Little Big Films. Its pre-production works will begin in October, while the shooting will start in December, says Prasobh. While the films cinematography will be handled by Gautham Sankar, Renjith Kuzhur will handle the editing. Actress Madhavi Latha of Nacchavule fame, who had earlier hinted about her political aspirations, too has joined the BJP. She wanted to join politics because it gives her the opportunity to make a difference to society. The number of film stars in politics is really a testimony to the clout of cinema in India. The glamorous personas of these actors evoke a warm feeling in minds of the public, which is why many of them have gone on to have two successful careers. As always, the General Elections bring with it a new wave of actors who are ready to woo the voters with their charisma. Now, testing political waters is actor Krishnudu whos noted for his work in films like Vinayakudu, Ye Maaya Chesaave, etc. The actor, who was inspired by Jagan Mohan Reddys pada yatra, has joined the YSR Congress. Actor Krishnudu with Jagan Another fresh face in politics is Reshma Rathore of Ee Rojullo fame. She had committed herself to politics by joining the BJP. Yet another entrant is actress Madhavi Latha of Nacchavule fame. Madhavi, who had earlier hinted about her political aspirations, too has joined the BJP in the presence of Union minister Nitin Gadkari. While actress Vani Vishwanath had publicly evinced interest to join the Telugu Desam, comic actor Prudhvi Raj too has been aggressively campaigning for the YSR Congress. The lure of politics has also led producer Bandla Ganesh to join the field. But does embracing politics affect the actors film career? Prudhvi is quick to rubbish such assumptions and says gone are the days when people would judge an actor for his political stand. Prudhvi, who is at the peak of his career, shares, I dont believe that an actors political choice will affect his chances, adding, Today, people will run after whoever is talented. The worst case scenario is that I may be unemployed for a few months. But I dont mind being idle for some time. Krishnudu agrees and says, Politics is different from films; while the latter is my profession, the former is only my personal political stand. Be it any industry, people will approach you only if you are talented. Actress Reshma Rathore of Ee Rojullo fame had committed herself to politics by joining the BJP. A film career is rife with ambiguity. So, isnt it a gamble for the actors who are looking to create a splash in politics? Actress Madhavi says she always has a plan B. Explaining that politics is her childhood dream, Madhavi shares, I always had an alternative career even when I joined films. Since I am a fashion designer and hold a Masters degree in Fashion Designing from Coventry University, UK, I can run a boutique. The actress wanted to join politics because it gives her the opportunity to make a difference to society. However, if I am not comfortable with the political scenario, I shall go back to my enterprise profession, she adds. While its one thing that these celebrities provide the glamour element, it needs to be seen if theyll be offered the red carpet when it comes to contesting. How likely are these first-timers to be given a party ticket? BJPs Amberpet MLA, G. Kishan Reddy explains, The ticket will be given to people based on their merit. Be it an actor or anybody else, the party will examine the potential of the candidate and then take a call. So contesting elections isnt always a given. In fact, popular Telugu comedian and MLA Babu Mohan and actor Allu Arjuns father-in-law Kancharla Chandrasekhar Reddy were denied tickets by the TRS. Buzz is that Chandrasekhar Reddy is likely to join the Congress. But when contacted, he has denied the speculation. Not true, he replies, adding, Our CM, K. Chandrasekhar Rao garu always respects and rewards hard work, so I am still optimistic that I might get a call. Hyderabad: The curse of caste claimed another life on Friday when a Dalit man was hacked to death in broad daylight in front of his five-month pregnant wife and his mother, at Miryalaguda in Nalgonda district on Friday. The victim, P. Pranay Kumar, 24, had married T Amrutha Varshini about six months ago. His wifes family was opposed to the marriage because Kumar belonged to a different caste. The police has booked Varshini's father T Maruthi Rao and uncle T Sravan for the murder. Both men are absconding. Police said Kumar had accompanied his pregnant wife for a check-up at Jyothi hospital in Miryalaguda. When they were leaving at about 1:45 pm, an unidentified person came from behind and hit Kumar on the head with an axe. As Kumar fell to the ground the attacker struck again, this time to the neck. Varshini and Kumars mother immediately ran to the hospital screaming for help. Also Read: Hyderabad: Family says honour killing was planned Ms T. Amrutha Varshini collapsed on the ground and is undergoing treatment at the ICU. Varshini collapsed and is undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit. According to the family, Kumar and Varshini were in love since they were in Class 10. The police suspect that Kumar was attacked by a hired killer for Rs 10 lakh and that the murder was being planned for three months. The situation was tense in Miryalaguda following the murder with the dead mans family wanting immediate arrest of the culprits. Varshinis father Maruthi Rao is a real estate businessman. During marriage, the boys parents had told the police that Kumar faced a threat to his life from Varshinis family. The police had intervened then but their warnings have not been taken seriously. The boys had complained to Ved Pathshala director about inhuman treatment they were being subjected to on pretext of ragging but their pleas were disregarded, police said. (Representational image) Mumbai: The 42-year-old director of a vedic school in Maharashtras Parbhani district was arrested and two juvenile students were detained for the alleged assault and ragging of two other minor students, police said on Sunday. The victims, in the age group of 9 to 10 years, were allegedly ragged and their private parts tied with manja (string) by the accused, Parbhanis deputy superintendent of police Sanjay Pardeshi said. The incident occurred at the Ganesh Ved Pathshala, located on Basmat Road in Parbhani, 500 km from Mumbai, between August 26 and September 12, and it came to light last Wednesday when parents of the two victims complained to the police about it, he said. The accused students allegedly ragged the boys, tied their private parts with the string and also beat them up. Following the incident, the victims suffered injury to their private parts, Pardeshi said. The boys had complained to the Ved Pathshala director, Sudhir Kulkarni, about the inhuman treatment they were being subjected to on the pretext of ragging but their pleas were disregarded, the official said. The boys then narrated the incident to their parents who lodged a complaint with the Parbhani city police following which Kulkarni was arrested on Saturday for ignoring the complaints of the victims while the two accused, who are 10 and 13 years old, were detained, Pardeshi said. Offences were registered against the accused under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), and provisions of the Maharashtra Prohibition of Ragging Act and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, he said. Pardeshi said during the investigation, the police found that the Ved Pathshala, where only six students were enrolled, was not registered with the registrar office and was running illegally. Meanwhile, Kulkarni was produced before a local court which remanded him in judicial custody. The two accused students were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board which sent the duo to a remand home, Pardeshi said. Thirty fire tenders have been pressed into service to douse the fire at the over 60-year-old building. (Photo: Twitter | ANI) Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said there was no report of anybody being trapped inside the Bagree Market, where a massive fire rages on even after 12 hours. A concerned Banerjee, who left for business summits in Germany and Italy, told reporters at the NSC Bose International Airport that she also had no information of any casualty in the incident. "Nobody is trapped in the building. Also, no report of any casualty or injury has reached us. Steps are being taken. Fire will be controlled soon," she said, adding, two committees have already been formed to deal with any emergency situation and natural calamity during her overseas tour. The committees comprise a group of ministers and senior administrative officials, she said. Read: Massive fire erupts in Kolkata's Bagri market, no casualties reported "I and the chief secretary will be available on the phone anytime. These two committees will look after any emergency situation," the CM said. A massive fire erupted early Sunday at the multi-storey Bagree Market, which houses nearly 1,000 business establishments. The fire continues to rage even after 12 hours in the market, which is around a kilometre away from the Writers' Building and the Reserve Bank of India office here. Thirty fire tenders have been pressed into service to douse the fire at the over 60-year-old building. The BJP currently has 14 legislators in the 40-member assembly while the GFP, the MGP and Independents have three each. (Photo: File) Panaji: Central observers of the BJP are expected to arrive in Goa Sunday to take stock of the political situation, even as the opposition Congress says it is watching the developments and will explore the possibility of forming the government in the state. The coastal state, currently ruled by the BJP-led government, is witnessing hectic political activity as Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who has been ailing since sometime, has been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. BJP's central observers B L Santhosh and Ram Lal are likely to arrive in Goa Sunday afternoon to take stock of the political situation and initiate a discussion with party leaders and alliance partners for a possible merger. Also Read: Goa CM Manohar Parrlkar undergoing series of tests: AIIMS The Parrikar-led government is ruling the state with the support of the Goa Forward Party (GFP), the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and Independents. "The central observers will meet BJP legislators and office-bearers followed by a meeting with the GFP, MGP and Independents," a senior BJP leader said. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Michael Lobo, who is the deputy speaker of the Goa Assembly, said that the party emissaries would suggest to allies that they should become part of the saffron party. "A proposal will be made to the GFP and MGP, asking them to merge with the BJP. Only after that, we will take up issues such as who will be the next chief minister or who will take over the charge or anything related to it," Lobo said. The BJP currently has 14 legislators in the 40-member assembly while the GFP, the MGP and Independents have three each. The Congress has 16 MLAs while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has one legislator. Meanwhile, the Congress said it was watching the developments and may explore the possibility of forming the government in Goa but "not by compromising the state's interest". "Our stand is very clear. We will definitely explore all possibilities but that does not mean that we will do it by compromising the ideology or the interest of Goans," All India Congress Committee secretary A Chellakumar, who is also Goa in-charge of the party, said. "We are not in a hurry to capture power by compromising the interest of the people of Goa. The Congress is accountable to the people," he added. Chellakumar said his party was watching the developments in the state. "All our MLAs are together. We are simply watching what is going on in the ruling camp. The internal bickering has already started. The cabinet ministers have started throwing stones on each other," he said. The Congress leader said all legislators in Goa, cutting across party lines, should take a stand for the sake of the state. "All this time there was no government at all in Goa since the BJP took over in 2017. The governance was totally nil. The BJP has miserably failed in all aspects. So why you (referring to allies) take onus of all these things by being part of that government?" he said. Chellakumar said it is the time for legislators who went with the BJP to rectify their mistake. "It is in their hand whether to remain in the same sinking boat or leave it. They are there against the wishes of people of Goa and against the wishes of their own voters," he said referring to MLAs of parties having an alliance with the ruling BJP. Parrikar, 62, was admitted to the AIIMS Saturday morning. He had undergone a three-month-long treatment in the United States for pancreatic ailment earlier this year. The MGP had said Saturday it was "high time" Parrikar handed over the charge to the senior-most minister in his cabinet during his absence. Kochi: Altering its earlier stance, the Union government has expressed willingness to provide funds for the phase-1B extension of Kochi Metro from Petta to Tripunithura. During a board meeting of the Kochi Metro Rail Limited held in New Delhi on Friday, the Union urban affairs and housing ministry asked KMRL to submit the project report to provide the assistance. Like the Aluva Petta stretch, the Union government will pump in 15 per cent of the total project cost. The board meeting was chaired by Durga Shanker Mishra, Housing and Urban Affairs secretary. Its a positive gesture from the Union government. During the board meeting, we have received the message that the government will soon take a favourable decision in this regard. The board also gave permission to seek financial aid of Rs 1,330 crore from national or international agencies for the Tripunithura extension. With clarity on funding sources, the uncertainty that prevailed over the Tripunithura extension has been cleared, said KMRL managing director Muhammad Hanish. The KMRL is planning to approach international funding agencies like KfW (Germany), AFD (France) and JICA (Japan) for financial aid. After completion of Maharajas-to-Petta stretch, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will exit the project, and the KMRL will directly execute the phase-I B extension. For the phase II from Jawaharlal Nehru stadium to Infopark line, AFD has already offered an aid of Rs 1,500 crore, he said. The Maharajas Thykoodam stretch will be opened for traffic by June next year, while the ThykoodamPetta stretch will be completed by December 2019. Foundation stone for the two-km-long Petta SN junction line will be laid this December after completing the tender procedures. The Detailed Project Report for the one-km line from SN Junction to Tripunithura railway station was submitted to the government in July, said the KMRL chief. An agency has been entrusted with preparation of the DPR for phase III AluvaAngamaly via CIAL. Regarding the damage caused by floods, Mr Hanish said that as per the initial assessment, KMRL suffered a loss of Rs 230 crore. As part of facing such natural calamities, the operation control room at Muttom yard will be shifted to the second floor of the building. Plans are afoot to set up one more OCC. More than 90 per cent of repairing of damaged machinery is progressing and functioning of the yard will be back to normal by September 20, he added. Meanwhile, the KMRLs proposed Metro city project at Kakkanad has got an impetus with the revenue department handing over the 17.46 acres of land to the Metro agency. The United States has accused Russia of pressuring an independent panel of UN experts to alter a report that implied "Russian actors" were involved in breaking sanctions against North Korea. USA ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, blasted the panel for not doing enough to monitor sanctions imposed by Donald Trump, and "for caving to Russian pressure and making changes to what should have been an independent report". Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said in late August that he put a hold on the report's release "because we disagree with certain elements" that he refused to disclose. A North Korean national, Song Hwa-jong, was also sanctioned, Reuters reported, citing the statement. Russian Federation then also blocked a United States demand that two of the nation's shipping companies and six of their vessels be sanctioned over oil shipments to North Korea. The new sanctions target Russian-based Volasys Silver Star and China-based Yanbian Silverstar Network Technology Co, the US Treasury Department said on its website. The Trump administration has kept up sanctions pressure on the North, despite the historic summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim in June that dialed down nuclear tensions between the adversaries. Browns to release Josh Gordon after he shows up late Cleveland announced via a Saturday evening press release that the team is set to release the talented but troubled wideout. He first was suspended in 2014, and did not play again until November 2017, when he was reinstated on a conditional basis. Earlier on Wednesday, Trump signed an executive order to help protect USA elections from foreign interference by imposing sanctions on countries and other actors who seek to meddle, U.S. officials said. "The United States will continue to fully enforce and implement sanctions until we have achieved the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea". Russian Federation and China have suggested the Security Council discuss easing sanctions after US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met in June and Kim pledged to work toward denuclearization. The report, submitted to the Security Council's North Korea sanctions committee last month, said Pyongyang had not stopped its nuclear and missile programs and was violating United Nations sanctions on exports. She accused the United Nations panel of "caving to Russian pressure" and making changes to its report. "Period", Haley said in a statement. Haley has called for the original report to be released by the 15-member Security Council, which must agree by consensus on whether to publish the findings. The diplomat added: "The sanctions committee gave in". Amrutha and Pranay knew each other since 2011. The couple had fallen in love when they were in school. (Photo: File) Hyderabad: Following her husbands brutal murder over alleged honour killing, five-month pregnant Amrutha Varshini said her father insisted that she abort the baby after he got to know about the pregnancy. Amruthas husband, P Pranay Kumar was hacked to death in broad daylight outside a hospital where he had taken his pregnant wife for a check-up at Miryalaguda in Nalgonda district on Friday. The police have arrested Amruthas father T Maruthi Rao, a businessman, and her uncle T Sravan for the murder. Police suspect that they may have hired a contract killer. According to a report in NDTV, Amrutha said, My father said you abort the baby now. Live with him (her husband) for 2-3 years, after that I will accept the marriage." My father hails from a so-called upper caste but see his actions. Pranay, who was murdered for his so-called lower caste, was very kind to me and would help me in all my daily chores, Amrutha was quoted as saying by The Times of India. Read: Six months after inter-caste marriage, man hacked to death in Telangana Amrutha and Pranay knew each other since 2011. The couple had fallen in love when they were in school. After an eight-year-relationship, the two decided to get married. The two got married on January 30 this year. However, their families were against the relationship as Pranay belonged to Madiga Scheduled Caste while Amrutha belonged to the Vysya caste, reports added. Amrutha claimed that the murder was pre-planned and her father had been keeping a tab on her movements. She further alleged that a recce was conducted before the murder. Also Read: Hyderabad: Family says honour killing was planned A video posted on Facebook by Amrutha, in which she was seen living happily with Pranay, also reportedly infuriated her father. The situation was tense in Miryalaguda following the murder with rights activists taking out rallies against the killing and demanding justice for the victim. Across 200 police stations in Greater Hyderabad, the total women police force is close to 500, most of them at the constable and head constable rank. (Representational Images) Hyderabad: The Telangana state home department had fixed 30 per cent reservation for women in the police. However, only 14 per cent of vacancies have been occupied to date. Across 200 police stations in Greater Hyderabad, the total women police force is close to 500, most of them at the constable and head constable rank. The turn-out at the recruitment camps for women police is heavy but many of them are not able to clear the tests and get selected. The city police came under fire for not deploying women police personnel at Fridays protest at Gun Park, where an ACP was accused of inappropriately touching a woman. A senior officer told this newspaper, "Women constables were part of the enforcement team that curbed the protest led by Professor Haragopal at Gun Park on Friday, the CCTV footage stands as proof to it. However, the police did not anticipate the three women who broke in towards the end of the protest." However, the officer asserted that the present staff strength is insufficient to tackle any sudden protest. "We seek women power from surrounding police station in case of protests. The system also requires coordination and communication between stations to act wisely in such conditions. Currently, though the number of women cops is fewer, the shortage is not a concern. However, it is always desirable to have more women force, the officer said. Shah said, 'Congress president Rahul Gandhi's great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru, grandmother Indira Gandhi, father Rajiv Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi ruled India for 70 years yet they did not give the poor and the backward people their due rights.' (Photo: ANI | Twitter) Pali: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Sunday said that Congress ruled India for 70 years but failed to give the poor and the backward people their due rights. Addressing the Other Backward Classes Sammelan, first rally on day one of his three-day visit to the poll-bound Rajasthan, Shah said, "Congress president Rahul Gandhi's great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru, grandmother Indira Gandhi, father Rajiv Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi ruled India for 70 years yet they did not give the poor and the backward people their due rights." The BJP chief also accused the Congress of suppressing the backward classes and said that it was the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, who passed the backward class commission for the welfare of the concerned section. Shah further said that the Congress party wants to keep the illegal immigrants in the country, while his party has pledged to weed them out. "The Congress party wants to keep infiltrators in the country whereas we have pledged to evict each and every infiltrator from India," he added. Shah's remark came on the ongoing controversy on the release of the second and the final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) list in Assam, which left out names of nearly 40 lakh people. Ever since the final draft was released, the Opposition has been cornering the Centre for exclusion of people from the list. This is the BJP chief's second visit to the state in a month. Earlier on September 11, he addressed four programmes in Jaipur. Rajasthan is slated to go for polls later this year. Helicopters have made several sorties from Gangtok and Sevok and evacuated approximately 100 persons, including the aged, women and children. (Photo: Deccan Chronicle) Kolkata: In a joint operation, the Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) have rescued around 100 stranded tourists from north Sikkim by airlifting them. On Sunday morning, the Trishakti Corps of Indian Army and IAF launched the air evacuation of tourists stranded in the rain-hit far-flung areas. Three days ago, areas of north Sikkim got cut off at several places due to incessant rain resulting into multiple landslides and road and bridges getting washed away. A number of tourists were stuck there. On requisition for aid by the civil administration, the Army immediately pressed for helicopters of the Army Aviation and IAF for a swift evacuation of stranded tourists for last three days requiring urgent assistance, the Eastern Command said in a statement. It elaborated that the helicopters have made several sorties from Gangtok and Sevok and evacuated approximately 100 persons, including the aged, women and children. A pregnant woman and her husband were also evacuated. In addition, medical aid was also provided to people having medical problems before airlifting. In anticipations of the situation, the Indian Army has also made necessary arrangements of tents, blankets and food for the stranded tourists. A senior Army officer said that the evacuation operation will continue till all stranded people are moved out from the affected area. ERODE | TIRUPUR: The MDMK led by Vaiko, on Saturday, in rearticulating its political responsibility, declared that it would be part of a DMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu to defeat the BJP-led NDA at the Centre and the AIADMK in the State in the coming elections. The state-level MDMK conference at Moolakarai, which began here on Saturday, to celebrate the birth anniversaries of late rationalist leaders Periyar and Anna, besides MDMKs silver jubilee and the golden jubilee year celebrations of Vaikos entry into politics, passed a resolution to this effect on its key political strategy. The partys presidium chairman S Duraisamy led the meeting and MDMK treasurer A Ganeshamoorthy inaugurated the conference. The partys state deputy general secretary Durai Balakrishnan hoisted the party flag in the presence general secretary Vaiko and Mallai C E Sathya, in front of a mammoth crowd. Stating that the forces of Hindutva and various Hindu outfits have become a threat to Indias unity and secularism, the MDMK resolution charged the Central government with destroying democratic institutions by ruling the State through the Governor. To defeat the BJP-led government in Delhi and its puppet government in Tamil Nadu led by the AIADMK, the MDMK will join the alliance led by the DMK and allied parties, the party resolved. The MDMK conference passed as many as 35 resolutions including continuing of the 69 per cent reservation in Tamil Nadu and urging the Centre not to permit Karnataka to construct new dams across the Cauvery including Mekedatu, give up all hydro carbon prospecting in Cauvery delta and implementation of total prohibition. In a resolution at its meeting here on Saturday, the Sangam said that it has been reported that the Centre was planning to allow new hydrocarbon projects in Cauvery delta THANJAVUR: The Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam affiliated to the CPI(M) has appealed to the Central government to drop the proposal, if there is any, to extract hydrocarbon in Cauvery delta districts. In a resolution at its meeting here on Saturday, the Sangam said that it has been reported that the Centre was planning to allow new hydrocarbon projects in Cauvery delta. Centre is planning to allow hydrocarbon projects in 55 places in India and it is said that in Tamil Nadu, the plan is to take hydrocarbon in three zones i.e. from Marakanam to Kurinjipadi, from Kurinjipadi to Vaideeswarankoil and from Parangipettai to Velankanni. These projects when permitted will destroy Cauvery delta and render it into desert. It is also said that agreement is going to be signed with Vedanta group (Sterlite company) to take gas in some places in the delta. Centre should drop these projects lest the Sangam will mobilise people and agitate against the move,the resolution said. Shanmugham, president of the Sangam, Sami Nadarajan, Thanjavur district secretary of the Sangam participated in the meeting. The Sangam, also in another resolution, regretted that water had not reached tail-end areas like Pattukottai, Peravurani and Sethubavachathiram in Thanjavur district. Protesting against this the Sangam had organised agitation at tail-end areas on September 4. Officials had assured that water would reach tail end areas before September 20. "If water does not reach tail-end areas before September 20, agitation will be intensified," the Sangam said. Mr. P.R. Pandian, coordinator of 'Thamizhaga Anaithu Vivasaya Sangangalin Orunginaippu Kuzhu' also said in a press release that black flag demonstrations will be organised against ministers if water is not released to tail-end areas. A total of 100 tmcft of water has been wasted into sea by letting into Kollidam when there was a surplus. In Cauvery, 30,000 cusecs was released. But water had not reached tail-end areas. People could not take up samba cultivation and in places where the crop was raised under direct sowing, the crops are withering for want of water. Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who is holding the PWD portfolio should visit tail-end areas in delta and ensure release of water, lest farmers will be forced to show black flags to ministers,Pandian said. Kochi: The Save Our Sisters Action Council (SoS Action Council), spearheading the agitation in support of the nuns demanding the arrest of bishop Franco Mulakkal, has decided to go ahead with the protest at the High Court Junction here despite the bishops decision to hand over charge to a priest in the Jalandhar diocese. Fr. Augustine Vattoly, convener of the council, told reporters here on Saturday that the nuns had launched the protest demanding the arrest of the bishop, who is facing charges of raping a nun multiple times, and that the protest will continue till he is arrested by the law enforcement agencies. The decision to hand over charge to another person is an internal matter of the diocese concerned and that need not be mixed with the demand for the arrest of the accused, he said. The nuns staging the public protest for the eighth day also said that they will not withdraw the struggle till the police arrest the guilty. The decision to hand over charge to another person is only a technical matter, they said. The protest witnessed a slew of priests joining it in solidarity with the demand. Addressing the meeting, Fr. Paul Thelakatt, editor of Sathyadeepam, a journal of the Catholic Church, said that as a priest it was his duty to declare solidarity with the victim. The Church teaches to wipe away the tears of those crying and I am here with that in mind, he said. The priests who came to declare their solidarity have also criticised the attempt to project the protest as an anti-Church activity. The protest is against the criminality of a person and the same cannot be construed as an act against the Church, they said. Nearly 20 priests belonging to various Christian denominations came to the venue for declaring their support. The agitation is set to intensify further with a Kerala in Ernakulam campaign scheduled on Sunday. Hundreds of persons from all over the state are expected to converge at the venue. The SoS Action Council has called upon people from all over the state to reach the venue at 11 a.m. for the day-long protest. In his address, the JD(U) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumarsaid his party is not 'caste-based', but a 'work-based' party. (Photo: File | PTI) Patna: The Janata Dal (United) said on Sunday that talks on seat sharing among alliance partners in Bihar for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls are in the final stages and will be announced soon. The JD(U) has mounted pressure on alliance partner BJP for giving it a "respectable number of seats" under the NDA umbrella, which also comprises Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP and Upendra Kushwaha's RLSP. "Our national president (Nitish Kumar) today made it clear at the state executive committee meeting here that talks on seat sharing for the Lok Sabha polls are in final stages.The announcement will be made soon at the top level," JD(U) national general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Ram Chandra Prasad Singh told reporters. The state executive committee meeting, which was convened to strengthen the party's organisational structure in view of the 2019 polls, was attended by Bihar ministers, district presidents, office bearers, and members of the committee. Kumar gave necessary directions to office-bearers to strengthen the party right from the panchayat level ahead of the general elections next year. In his address, the JD(U) chief and Bihar chief minister said his party is not "caste-based", but a "work-based" party. Kumar said his party's workers must realise their potential and asserted that the JD (U)'s strength will increase in the Lok Sabha polls. He also said the party would return to power with a thumping majority in the state assembly elections, a release issued by the JD(U) said. The meeting, which lasted for four hours, was attended by national general secretary K C Tyagi and poll strategist Prashant Kishor, who joined the JD(U) on Sunday and was seated next to Kumar. Asked whether Kishor will be inducted in the Nitish Kumar cabinet, the expansion of which is on the cards, Ram Chandra Prasad Singh said, "It is the prerogative of the chief minister as to when the cabinet expansion will take place and what will be its size." On the issue of reservation for upper castes, he said the criteria for giving reservation is based on social and educational backwardness in the Constitution and unless this criteria is changed, it (giving upper castes quota on economic basis) will not sustain the judicial scrutiny. Singh said the party would facilitate training programmes for its 80,000 booth level agents in due course besides holding political conferences at district levels in coordination with party's 30 cells. Kottayam: Claims and counter-claims about the visit of St Thomas apostle to Kerala in the first century AD continue unabated. Theologian Father Dr Xavier Koodapuzha, in an updated version of his book 'Bharatha Sabha Charithram,' has asserted that St Thomas visited the state, brushing aside the arguments raised against the belief by various scholars. He has introduced ancient documents from the European, Syriac, Greek and Latin languages from early centuries to prove his claim, including the Malayalam translation of the Greek drama 'Charition' written supposedly in the first century which has references to St Thomas. He told Deccan Chronicle that those who doubted the visit of St Thomas didn't have access to the documents in other languages. He negates the arguments that Brahmins didn't exist in the first century AD saying that Jews, Dravidians and Brahmins were converted and not just Brahmins alone. Dr Koodapuzha, who was a professor of history and theology for over 35 years, is well versed in 12 languages, including Greek, Latin and Syriac. Koodapuzha quotes Charition, a drama believed to have been authored between the first and second centuriesin which references to St Thomas were found. The setting of the drama is a coastal port town in Kerala. Charition comprises 87 full dialogues in which 55 are in Greek and 32 in the Indian dialect. D.L. Page, an Oxford University scholar in his Select Papyri(a study describing the original Papyrus manuscripts of the first century) maintains that Charition was written either during the close of first century AD or the beginning of the second. The word Thouma occurs twice in the drama which deals with the journey of a Greek woman in a ship with her brother to India. Thouma is St Thomas which is evident from the context in the drama. Its major part is the St Thomas Christian worship of first century AD and St Thomas is mentioned twice during worship, said Dr Zacharia Mani, who retired as Chief Commissioner of Income tax department, Karnataka and Goa in 2002. His research took 14 years to complete, he claims. Dr Koodapuzha also quotes the works of St Aprem (306 378 AD), who mentions about the work of St Thomas in the Syriac language. The big lantern which is part of the 12, immersed with the secretion from the Holy Cross, you fill the darkness of India by your light, says one of the references quoted by Koodapuzha from the writings of St Aprem in Syriac. He also quotes from the works of St Gregory Nazianzen (324 390 AD) who mentions about St Thomass connection with India. So also the works in Greek and Latin by St Ambros of Milan (333 397 AD) who mentions about St Thomas. Those places divided by big mountains became their favourite places, and hence India for St Thomas. St Jerome (342 420 AD) in his work in Latin mentions about the export of pepper from Kodungalloor and also about St Thomas and India. Isidor Sevil ( 648AD), who was an earth scientist, in his work says about Indians. St Thomas spoke gospel to the natives of Persia, Hercania, Mediya, Bactriya and India. St Thomas hallmarked the spread of his gospel by his martyrdom. He succumbed to the stab injuries at a city named Kalamina ( former name of Mylapore) and was buried at the place with respect. A Portuguese traveller named Camoyans who visited India in 1553 went to Lisben in 1567. The book Luciyads published by him in 1572 says that St Thomas while preaching gospel to the public was stabbed by a person with a dart. Regarding the charges that there were no Brahmins at the time of the arrival of St Thomas, Dr Koodapuzha says that there were trade relations with Jews and groups of Jews, Dravidians and upper caste Hindus existed in the state and probably St Thomas converted them to Christianity. Historian M.G.S. Narayanan who contends that St Thomas didn't visit the state said that there is no evidence to prove the visit of St Thomas to the state and that the claim of the conversion seems to be unreliable since it began only later. He however, said that Charition belongs to the first century. Some reliable pieces of evidence such as copper plates needed to be discovered to establish the visit. Historian Dr Rajan Gurukkal says that though there is no historical evidence of the visit of St. Thomas to Kerala, a strong tradition exists among the Syrian Christians. Nevertheless, the visit is quite a possibility since during the alleged period (first century common era), many Persians, Nestorians and Arabs were reaching the Kerala coast as overseas traders in spices and St. Thomas could have followed them. Tradition says that St. Thomas converted a few Brahmins first and built seven churches. These are later additions, for there were neither Brahmins in Kerala nor churches anywhere in the world as early as in 52 CE, Dr Gurukkal added. Former spokesperson of the Syro-Malabar Church, Father Paul Thelakkat, said that according to historians and the available records, the claim that St Thomas converted Brahmins will not stand. Since the Brahmins came to South India only in the sixth century, the claim that St Thomas converted Brahmins may not stand as the apostle came to the state in the first century AD. However, I will not contest that St Thomas visited the state, Father Paul told DC. Dr Geevarghese Mar Koorilose, Bishop of the Niranam diocese of the Jacobite Syrian Church, also said that he was only contesting the theory that Brahmins were converted by St Thomas to Christianity. He never questioned the visit of St Thomas. Jha said the Ram temple issue is sub-judice and the court will decide on it, but Muslims and Hindus can also resolve the matter mutually. (Photo: File) New Delhi: Days after Congress leader Digvijay Singh said the party will construct "Ram Path" in Madhya Pradesh if voted to power, the BJP has dared him to announce support in Parliament to the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. BJP national vice-president Prabhat Jha told news agency PTI Bhasha the Congress' love for Lord Ram is just for the sake of elections. "Digvijay Singh is himself a member of the Rajya Sabha and senior leader of the Congress. Instead of talking about non-issues, he should promise support in Parliament to the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya," he said. Jha said the Ram temple issue is sub-judice and the court will decide on it, but Muslims and Hindus can also resolve the matter mutually. He said the government has started work on the Ramayan Circuit project, estimated to come up at a cost of Rs 266 crore. The government plans to develop Ramayana-based tourist centres as part of the Ramayana Circuit. It is one of 13 circuits the Tourism Ministry is planning to develop as part of its Swadesh Darshan Scheme. HYDERABAD: BJP president Amit Shah's clear directions during Saturday's campaign opener seems to have cleared the confusion in the party state unit's approach to the Assembly elections. As one BJP worker put it, activists were clear as to who their adversary was but the leaders were in a dilemma over the TRS. Mr Shah made it clear that the BJP would go it alone and contest from all 119 seats in the state - and even had 119 trumpets blown as if to emphasise the point. This cleared the minds of the leaders and the cadre to take poll position. "Mr Amit Shah's focus would free the state from regional parties," said a BJP leader. At a meeting of padadhikaris near Kottur on Saturday, Mr Amit Shah told delegates to just do it without harbouring any thoughts on alliances. Highlighting victories in the Northeast, Mr Shah tried to build a vision for the party to work towards. Reiterating the sentiment, TS BJP president Dr K. Laxman said the winds were blowing in favour of the party which would upset the calculations of family-run parties like the TRS, Congress and the MIM. He said change was the party's theme. Dr Laxman was clearly enthused when he said Saturdays crowd was voluntary and ideologically-oriented. He said no other Opposition party would contest from all 119 seats, which would make the BJP the only alternative to the TRS. Mr Shah identified the ideological foes like the MIM and dropped hints on how the BJP could push them into a corner by bringing up the issue of a National Register of Citizens. Dr Laxman said if the BJP came to power, it would address the issue of illegal immigrants like Rohingyas. BJP Hyderabad chief N. Ramachandra Rao rebutted minister K.T. Rama Rao, who termed the BJP 'Bharatiya Jhoota Party', and said family politicians were jittery after Mr Shah's blistering attack. Hyderabad: The Congress is in search of videos to telecast the unfulfilled poll promises made by the caretaker Chief Minister Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao during the 2014 election campaign. Congress leader Vanteru Pratap Reddy, who is an aspiring candidate to contest in Gajwel against Mr Chandrasekhar Rao, is shaping a vehicle with a projector to telecast the videos. Initially Mr Vanteru wants to showcase these videos on the streets of Gajwel for the people to see the promises that were unfulfilled. The shaping of the vehicle for the presentation is under process and it will be ready to be deployed by this week. The vehicle is yet to be named, the leaders are thinking of a catchy name that suits it. However, the video presentation will be done in all major panchayats in Gajwel constituency from 7pm to 9pm every day. The process of collecting the election campaign videos has been initiated and some videos have been stored. Speaking to this newspaper, Mr Vanteru Pratap Reddy said, The preparations are at the final stage and the projection of videos will begin in the constituency in three or four days. The TRS government has not met the expectations of the people of Telangana. In the videos we are going to telecast the promises that were made by K. Chandrasekhar Rao. All the promises like Reservations for Muslims, SC and ST, Drinking water, Funds for development and unemployment etc will be displayed. The CM has promised everything but not fulfilled anything till date. He added, All the videos we telecast are the promises made by the CM, nothing will be fabricated. Initially the videos will be projected in Gajwel constituency and later the party will decide about the state. He said that from 2001 to 2013, the people of Telangana including students, intellectuals, poets and politicians fought for Telangana. But the fruits of Telangana are not reaching anyone except KCRs family. Hyderabad: The Election Commission team which visited the state for two days last week to assess the preparedness of the administration to hold elections to the state Assembly will submit its report to the Chief Election Commission (CEC) on Monday. The team is learnt to have expressed concern over the large number of complaints regarding voters list from all parties barring the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and has recommended to the CEC that it should take a call on scheduling elections only after the state administration gives a convincing reply on why about 30 lakh names were deleted from the list, mostly in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits. The EC team has questioned the collectors of three districts (Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy and Medchal) on the large number of deletions in the voters lists but did not get a convincing reply. The team asked collectors to submit a report on how much time it will take to rectify the errors in the voters list. The Central Election Commission will meet on Monday to discuss the report. The EC teams report will be crucial for the CEC to take a call on whether to hold Assembly elections for Telangana state along with Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram when in meets on Tuesday. The EC team is of the opinion that if the CEC allows the early poll, without addressing the discrepancies in the voters list, it would invite unnecessary legal problems and may block the entire poll process. The Congress, Telugu Desam, Telangana Jana Samiti of Prof. Kodandaram and the Left parties have said that if the election is held without addressing this issue, they will move the Supreme Court. The Congress announced that it will file a case in the Supreme Court against the EC for moving hastily to conduct elections when the voters list issue is not resolved. Opposition parties want the EC to extend the deadline for revision of electoral rolls by a month as the current 15-day deadline will not be sufficient for the purpose. The CEC is facing a similar situation in Madhya Pradesh where the Congress has filed a case in the Supreme Court citing discrepancies in the voters list in that state. This is the third PSLV launch this year; the PSLV-40 (January 12) launched the Cartosat-2 remote sensing satellite, two Indian and 28 foreign nano satellites; PSLV-41 (April 12) orbited the IRNSS-11 Nellore: Indias workhorse PSLV rocket injected two British satellites into space after a flawless launch from the spaceport at Sriharikota near Nellore on Sunday night. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C42 the carried two satellites build by the Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), the United Kingdom, into their designated orbit from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, SHAR, Sriharikota at 10.8 pm. The rocket with SSTLs NovaSAR and S1-4 satellites zoomed into the night sky leaving behind huge orange flames. About 17.5 minutes later, the satellites were placed in a sun synchronous orbit 583 km above the earth, which means they will always be facing the sun. Isro chairman Dr K. Sivan announced the success of the mission amid cheers from the scientists at the Mission Control Centre in Sriharikota. This is the 44th launch for the PSLV, and 12th in the core-alone version. The PSLV has launched 51 Indian satellites and 237 for customers from 28 countries. With the success of Sundays mission, Isro plans to launch eight missions carrying 10 satellites in six months, Dr Sivan said. Sources said the launch of the UK satellites would fetch the space organisation more than Rs 200 crore. Antrix Corporation Limited, the commercial arm of the Isro has been contracted by SSTL for launching the two satellites. The successful launch of the PSLV-C42 with two foreign satellites on board on Sunday night is the second full-fledged commercial flight of an Isro rocket. The first full-fledged commercial launch (PSLV-C28), with no Indian payloads and carrying solely foreign spacecraft (five UK satellites), took place in July 2015. The first commercial launch was supposed to be through PSLV-C8, back in April 2007 by launching an Italian AGILE spacecraft, the rocket also carried an Advanced Avionics Module of ISRO. Antrix, Isros commercial arm, is widely seen as a serious contender in the global satellite market due to low prices and high success rate of the PSLV. Of the 43 launches since 1993, the PSLV has notched up a strike rate of 94 per cent, failing only thrice. The rocket has completed difficult and versatile missions like launching satellites in different orbits in one mission and lifting off with 104 satellites in one go. Isro sources said the organisation was keen on proving its mettle in launching foreign satellites without a glitch as part of its efforts to be competitive globally. A senior scientist said the academia and industry are the two strong pillars of Isro, and nearly 80 per cent of launch vehicles and 50 per cent of satellite work was being done by Indian industry. According to the scientist, Isro feels that the scope for commercial launch activity will increase if the industry becomes a partner rather a vendor. In fact, Rs 9,000 crore out of Rs 10,400 crore sanctioned by the government for 30 PSLV missions and 10 GSLV Mk-III missions will go the industry. In the next three years, Isro has planned 59 satellite launches, including a mission to the moon, and needs industrys backing. On the Indian human space programme, Gaganyaan, Isro wants the industry to come together to meet the requirements of the challenging mission. Hyderabad: IT minister K.T. Rama Rao on Sunday hit back at BJP president Amit Shahs criticism of TRS government and caretaker Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao during his visit and public meeting to the state on Saturday. He said the elections would be between the TRS and the Congress. BJP has five MLAs in Hyderabad. Even here, they could not ensure victory for a single corporator in the GHMC elections, he told media persons. While this is the reality, poor Amit Shah is talking about coming to power in the state. Thats why we are calling him Bramit Shah, who lives in bram (illusion) of the BJP winning in Telangana, Mr Rama Rao said. He took a dig at the BJPs acche din campaign of 2014, calling it chacche din (dying days, in Telugu). He mocked at Opposition parties for questioning the CM for dissolving the Assembly early. When we were in government, the Opposition demanded elections to know whether the TRS enjoyed support. Now when we dissolved the Assembly, they are running away fearing defeat, he said. Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Raos unfulfilled promise of extending interim relief and securing the new Pay Revision Commission (PRC) report to hike staff salaries and pensions has split employees unions. A section of employees has threatened to boycott poll duties if the caretaker government failed to implement these promises before the Assembly elections by taking permission from the Election Commission. Before the dissolution of the Assembly, Mr Chandrasekhar Rao had promised to extend IR to employees and pensioners to compensate them for the delay in implementation of the new PRC. He held a review meeting with employees unions in May and announced that IR would be announced on June 2, the State Formation Day. Later, the IR was deferred to August 15, but this too did not materialise. During the meeting, Mr Rao also announced the constitution of a PRC to make recommendations on salary hike. The commission has failed to submit its report to the government so far. When the state government employees were hoping for fulfilment of their promises in September, the sudden decision Mr Chandrasekhar Rao to dissolve the Assembly came as a shocker. Employees fear that as caretaker Chief Minister, he has no powers to fulfil these promises. Angered by this, 46 associations of employees, teachers and pensioners issued an ultimatum to the government to resolve the issues or else they would boycott election duties. They demanded the scrapping of the Contributory Pension Scheme and restoration the Old Pensions Scheme. These associations came out of the Joint Action Committee and announced an agitation programmes against the government. Members of these associations will hold protest rallies on September 18. Chennai: Douglas Devananda, 61, is the leader of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) and a MP in the Sri Lankan Parliament representing Jaffna. He was a Minister in the Cabinets of President Chandrika Kumaratunga and later Mahinda Rajapaksa. In this interview on the sidelines of his participation in the meetings of the parliamentary delegation from his country in New Delhi, he spoke to Deccan Chronicle on various issues dogging the Tamil people in the Island Nation. How did the meeting of the Sri Lankan Parliament delegation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi go? DD: PM Modi explained the Indian position that it is important to maintain cordial relations with all the neighbours and in that context and spirit, India is keen on extending all help and cooperation for Sri Lanka. What about the Tamils issue? PM Modi exhorted us to regularly be in touch with India--with Government of India and also with the state governments in India, particularly the TN Government. The leaders in the delegation representing their respective parties in Sri Lanka, presented their views. We gather from our Delhi sources that your representative R Sampanthan (of the Tamil National Alliance, TNA) did a complete turnabout on the Tamil stand and told PM Modi that the Tamils recognize Sri Lanka as a Buddhist State. Your comment. (laughs) First, let me clarify Mr Sampanthan is not the leader of all the Tamils; he is the leader of only the TNA. I represent EPDP and Mano Ganesan the Tamil Muropokku Munnani (Tamil Progressive Front, TPF), besides Rauf Hakeem who is the leader of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress. We three were also present in this delegation in Delhi. And as for Sampanthan's statement that Sri Lanka is a Buddhist State, that is unfortunate he said that. That may be the TNA stand, but not that of the Tamil people. We say that Sri Lanka is a secular State where all the people must enjoy equal rights in all aspects. It is almost 10 years since the Eelam war ended. What is the situation with the Tamil people now? There is now peace, but with a difference. While there is no war, there are anti-social elements having a field day with abductions, extortion, rape, murder, and so on. The society that had got used to the violence of war for three decades has now embraced the violence of societal crime mainly due to lack of proper Tamil leadership. This spurt in violent crime is unfortunate because in my student days in the early 1970s, the Tamil society was so civilized and there was no crime even without any policeman's supervision. We would get down from our bicycles in reverence when we see our teacher. Now it is the other way about as the teachers seem to be scared of students. I think it's the hangover of the war. We have seen reports quoting UN officials saying one lakh people died in the decades-long Eelam war. What is your estimate? It is difficult to fix a number or go anywhere close to a good guess. Enough to say vast amount of Tamil blood had spilled on our land and in the most gruesome and the most unnecessary war. Let me explain. At the time of signing the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord (1987), not more than 2,000 people had died and that included 652 as the Eelam war casualties-they called them martyrs-acknowledged by the LTTE. The majority of Tamils world over feel strongly disturbed and angry at the manner in which the Eelam war ended-in the death of about 40,000 people, mostly civilians in the final phase at Mullivaikal and the weeks preceding that. There is anger at India for being a 'silent spectator' to that gruesome spectacle. There is anger at the international community, the foreign governments. There are accusations they all collaborated with Mahinda Rajapaksa and his cruel brother defence minister Gotabaya. What is your take on this? The Tamil leadership in Sri Lanka should be blamed more than anyone else for the massive loss of lives in our land. The LTTE followed its principle, its philosophy: 'To kill and to be killed'. The (Indo-Lanka) Accord was a golden opportunity to get the Tamil solution but unfortunately, the Tamil leadership did not use that. You too have been accused of being a collaborator of the Sinhala regimes against Tamil interests. That is false propaganda triggered by the LTTE and spread by the Tigers' paid loyalists. They made all sorts of charges against me, such as abductions, extortion and murders. But subsequent government investigations have proved my innocence. History will show all this. How did you manage to create some sort of a Guinness Record as the greatest survivor of the LTTE assassination squads that had the distinction of failing very rarely? I managed to stay alive by remaining clear-headed and alert, 24x7, all days in life. I have escaped 13 assassination attempts by the LTTE and there could be many more unrecorded ones. While I managed to stay alive, those attacks on me have left me badly injured and hurt my health. I lost my left eye in one of their brutal attacks on me. Why is the political solution evading the Tamils still? Because of lack of proper leadership for the Tamils. What is the best solution for the Tamils in the present circumstances? A practical approach would be to implement the 13th Amendment (of the Sri Lankan Constitution, brought under the Indo-Sri Lankan Accord, 1987) in full and move stage by stage as the people-to-people understanding between the Sinhalese and the Tamils consolidates so as to meet the political aspirations of the Tamil people. The 13th Amendment is the closest to the Indian model of devolution of powers between the Centre and the States. Even after more than three decades of political struggle and armed war, the Tamils are still unable to get what is their due in Sri Lanka. Does this mean that the Eelam war failed? The Tamils were not defeated, but the method of violence failed. Prabhakaran was defeated; he should have stopped his violence and accepted political solution offered at various stages starting with the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord. Instead, he persisted with the gun and that led to the huge loss of lives and destruction. And he too perished. What was gained from all this violence? Nothing. We see a lot of Chinese presence in Sri Lanka. Comment. China is using the poverty in Sri Lanka to further its global expansionist designs. I hope India understands this. What about investments from India? I am appealing to the entrepreneurs from Tamil Nadu to invest in a big way in Sri Lankan north and east. They should take advantage of the post-war situation and come there in a big way. Your take on the release of Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts? I have always believed that killing does not deliver any solution. True, I had started as an Eelam militant hoping to achieve a solution to the Tamil question and gain all our Tamil aspirations through armed struggle, but after the Indo-Sri Lankan Accord, which we were the first to accept and lay down weapons (he was then the head of the EPRLF military wing), I have been completely on a political track shunning violence. Coming to the Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts, it is not desirable and proper, in both legal and humanitarian terms, to either carry out the death sentences now or continue with their jail terms endlessly. They have all served 28 years in prison much more than what a life convict would have done. It is time they go home to their families. Come September, as a classic Rock Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida film was titled, may well be the description of the annual high-level segment meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). This year it kicks off on September 25, as usual with the Brazilian President being the first to speak, followed by United States President Donald Trump, and so on. However, going by the information available so far, most peculiarly, the heads of government of both India and Pakistan will not be attending. Prime Minister Narendra Modis decision to skip the UN General Assembly is understandable as he prepares for crucial state elections followed soon by the Lok Sabha polls that will decide his future. But it is quizzical for Pakistans new Prime Minister Imran Khan to ignore a first-ever multilateral foray to meet a range of global leaders. Perhaps he is doing so for optical reasons, preferring to be seen as focusing on critical domestic issues. He may also have chosen not to box himself into an anti-India corner, as his supporters, particularly in the Army and right-wing clerics, would have expected a toxic anti-India diatribe. Finally, he may have no appetite for Western leaders dishing out a loud anti-jihadi message. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, speaking prior to Pakistans new foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on September 29, shall address the General Assembly. Hopefully, unlike last year, she will rise above Pakistan-bashing to present the Indian vision for multilateralism at a time when the UN is under increasing financial pressure and has its peacekeeping agenda marginalised. The United States has decided to reduce its UN peacekeeping contribution from 28.5 per cent of its total budget to 25 per cent. Washington is also slashing its contribution to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which is a human development agency for five million registered Palestinian refugees. The last is in keeping with President Trumps softer line on Israel without seeking concessions for any resolution of the Palestinian dispute. The US has already withdrawn from the Paris Accord on climate change, Unesco, the Human Rights Council, etc. Thus like during the days of Ronald Reagans presidency, there is a concerted attempt to financially squeeze and diplomatically degrade the UN, as Mr Trump seeks value for his money. It is in the interest of aspiring powers like India that at a moment of global power transition, the UN remains not only relevant but committed to its reform agenda, particularly the reform of the UN Security Council, to reflect contemporary reality. India must thus energise the G-4, consisting of Brazil Germany, India and Japan, to negate this US attempt to cripple multilateralism. A complicating factor may be the India bashing by the UN high commissioner for human rights and now the UN naming India as targeting human rights activists. India must realise that as an aspirant for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council high table, it is vitally important to keep domestic politics aligned with liberal values. While permanent members like China can get away with blatant breaches such as the treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang, including herding them into re-education camps en masse, or Russia can send GRU agents abroad for hamhanded targeting of defectors, India is best served internationally by abiding by its ancient value system of tolerance and non-sectarianism. India has sensibly retained, in the latest round of diplomatic transfers, its UN-honed diplomat Syed Akbaruddin as the permanent representative to the UN in New York. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the first former head of government to hold that position, is shepherding the mother ship of multilateralism at a particularly difficult juncture for the organisation. In a recent interview he has decried the challenge to the liberal, democratic order globally. As the world transitions from a US-led order to perhaps a multipolar system, the Secretary-General needs the cooperation of all key powers. But he concedes that more than ever before the five permanent members of the UN Security Council are divided. The US has sanctions against Russia, supplementing action already taken by Britain and France over Russian actions ranging from suspected interference in the conduct of the US presidential election to nerve agent poisoning of former Russian operatives in the UK. The US has also started a trade war of sorts with China, alleging Chinese theft of US intellectual property and cutting-edge technologies. Even Europe is suddenly closely examining Chinese investment proposals. Germany has woken up after the Chinese takeover of Kuka, a robotics company. Suddenly, the Chinese vision to become a technologically advanced nation by 2025 is no longer seen by the developed Western nations as benign. The US has just announced fresh tariffs on Chinese goods of about $200 billion before the US-China trade talks. On the other hand, there is a growing Sino-Russian strategic convergence, demonstrated by Chinese troops participating in the latest and massive Russian military exercises involving almost a third of the Russian Army. This lack of cohesiveness is impacting the UNs ability to play a role in resolving international crises like over the northern Syrian city of Idlib, where a large civilian population is trapped amid 30,000-odd deadly Islamic militants linked to Al Qaeda or other Sunni radical Islamist groups. There is even less role visible for the UN to resolve the larger Syrian imbroglio, or bring antagonists to the negotiating table in Afghanistan or in Yemen, where there is unmitigated civilian bloodletting by the Saudis and Emiratis. The Secretary-General is consequently turning his attention to other issues, like climate change or digital and cyberspace cooperation. India can play a role in shaping the multilateral discourse on these issues. This is perhaps not a year for bold, visionary moves. Nor should India turn the UN podium into an election rally for domestic audiences by India-Pakistan rhetoric. Ms Swaraj gets one last opportunity to show her intellectual heft, constrained so far by health issues and an overbearing PMO. Hes alighted on this as his legacy project and only the old-fashioned and the puritanical are left to bemoan and gainsay, but that still leaves an unanswered question: who, exactly, was opposing dams? Its not all that obvious. Forget the handwringing over fundraising and the frumpiness of separation of powers, and start with what it looks like: an oddball approach to fixing a problem in a system thats broken. Fine. Theres worse thats been inflicted see, election 2018 and water seems as good a cause as any to get fired up over. Its not like you have to convince folk that water is important. And shortages are a fact of life urban, rural, commercial, domestic, wherever. But for the campaign to make sense for it to be necessary you need a couple of things: political opposition to the project and an executive/government that cant get its act together. Otherwise, why not just do it the regular way? Big projects are obviously expensive and complicated, but theyre hardly impossible. Weve just gone about plugging a massive shortfall in electricity by installing big power plants across the country. Theres a national motorway-building spree happening. The dam financing is in the region of what the next IMF deal will need to be; the dam will last several lifetimes, the latter just a few years. Even at its most extravagant, the dam is a portion of the headline figure of CPEC. And weve already got the know-how for operating and maintaining big dams Tarbela and Mangla. So whats up with short-circuiting the regular constitutional, separation-of-powers, governmental route and going for, to put it delicately, the unusual approach? A one-man show doesnt really matter because the term at the top is relatively short and the elevation process virtually guarantees it will remain so. But now we have an irregular photo-op and a billion reasons to suggest that it isnt a one-man show. That at the front may be an individual, but theres formidable and very obvious support behind. Which is a bit puzzling, if you think about it. What the hell do they need it for? Theres a favoured protege holding down the fort over in the PM office. Trees, water, sustainability thats the kind of stuff youd bet you can get Imran interested in. A big dam is the kind of shiny project you can hang a slogan of change on. The dams arent Kalabagh Kalabagh has a very specific history and politics arrayed against it. Sure, there are a few voices piping up in Sindh, but theyre hardly of the unmanageable variety. We have a state that has the capacity to arrange financing for and execute a big-dam project. We have a brand-new government that has shown no great opposition to dams and seems on board with this dam idea. It is, after all, a joint fund now. And we have a political landscape that isnt viscerally and rabidly opposed to dams per se that can be exploited by an opportunistic opposition assuming the opposition is inclined to do so, and theres no indication that it is. So why this transparent support for short-circuiting the normal process? Because this is Pakistan and with the present slightly more confusing than usual, there could be several reasons. But one possibility, surely, in this era of governing without governing is: mission creep. Until now, the focus has been on destabilising or ousting the unfavoured. Thats now mission accomplished. But that still leaves the tools assembled for those projects lying around and the tools can be repurposed. It is fairly obvious: the same methods used to shout down and drown out an opponent can be redirected and used to promote a good cause. And whats more noble and good than water? If true, if this is mission creep in action, it would hardly be a surprise. The point to managed continuity is, well, managing stuff. To be clear, this is not about the top judge being managed and someone whispering in his ear. Yes, there is the reality of contempt of court and fear of the gavel is more ingrained in this business than even of the other lot. But it's transparently obvious that the judge is genuinely enthusiastic and probably a true believer..This is about more than the judge. This is about the manufacturing of a policy consensus when there isnt any obvious opposition to the general idea or the specific project. The only positive explanation is that theyre lending a helping hand to keep things on track. The government is busy and will take some time to find its feet. By then, some of its political capital may be gone and the usual firefighting mode that all governments are forced to retreat into could take over. So, in the meantime, prime the public to support dams and use the collective pressure if governmental drift or political indecision sets in later. After all, who can oppose water and securing future generations? It is fascinating to watch this unfold. If youre of a certain bent, foreboding, too. Mission creep has brought us into the realm of manufacturing a public consensus on dams. Where will it take us next? By arrangement with Dawn With so many new smart TVs doing the rounds, sporting similar specs and all claiming to be the best, it's extremely important as a buyer that you do your research before going ahead and spending money on a new TV. (Photo: Xiaomi Mi TV 4) Sleek and smart televisions have become an essential part of every living room these days. They not only help keep us entertained but also add to the decor of the room. However, buying a TV can at times become a headache-inducing task. With so many new smart TVs doing the rounds, sporting similar specs and all claiming to be the best, it's extremely important as a buyer that you do your research before going ahead and spending money on a new TV. Therefore, if you are in the market for a new smart TV and happen to be on a budget, then check out these best smart TVs that you can buy for under Rs 50,000. CloudWalker-Cloud TV X2: It is a 4K Ready full HD smart TV. Powered by Android 7.0 Nougat OS with quad-core ARM cortex processor, 1GB RAM and 8GB ROM, the TV will deliver a quick interface during operations, enabling faster performance during multi-tasking and a responsive user-interface. Furthermore, the TV will extend a Made-in-India Content Discovery Engine that is intelligent enough to automatically curate hours of digital content and apps on TV. The 40-inch 40SFX2 smart LED TV is available at Rs 24,999. Xiaomi Mi TV 4: Touted to be the thinnest in the world, the Indian version of the Mi TV 4 has a 55-inch display with almost negligible frame and a thickness of 4.99mm at its thinnest point, and only 48mm at its thickest. With the form factor, the smart TV is slimmer than most smartphones out there and offers up to 4K resolution and HDR at an aggressive price of Rs 39,999. The TV comes with a 60Hz panel that offers a viewing angle of 178-degrees and has a response time of 8ms. Being a smart TV, it also packs specs to power it through the apps you throw at it a 64-bit quad-core Amlogic Cortex-A53 SoC clocked up to 1.8GHz, Mali-T830 GPU, 2GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. Vu ActiVoice 4K Android TV 4: The 4K UHD TV comes with an A+ Grade IPS panel with 3840x2160 pixel resolution and a refresh rate of 60Hz. It is powered by a quad-core processor coupled with 2.5GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. The display also supports dynamic contrast, high bright mode, smooth motion control and wide viewing angle among other features. Vu's Smart TV runs Android 7.0 Smart OS which comes with Google Play Store, Google Eco-System, Google Movies, Music and also supports Google Chromecast allowing you to cast movies and shows from your Android, iOS, Mac, Windows or Chromebook to the TV. The 40-inch Tv is available at Rs 35,870. Sony Bravia full HD smart TV: The 40-inch TV comes with a 1080p panel and offers two speakers along with a built-in subwoofer. There are a number of connectivity options available on the smart TV and it also comes with support for apps such as Youtube, Youtube Kids, Big Flix, Sony Liv, 500 px, Opera TV Store, internet browser, Photo Sharing Plus, Photo Frame, FM Radio. The device is available at Rs 39,999 on Flipkart. LG Full HD LED Smart TV: LG 43LH576T Smart TV has 43-inch full HD LED screen. This TV comes with Clear Voice III technology which can separate ambient background tones from speech. This ensures that you hear the dialogues clearly. You can watch your favourite shows on Netflix and YouTube on this smart TV. The device is available at Rs 35,999 on Flipkart. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. BJP chief Amit Shah on Sunday said, that illegal immigrants from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Assam to Rajasthan will be identified and expelled by the government. Attacking the opposition Congress over the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Shah alleged that the Congress only cared about its vote bank. Congress party wants to keep infiltrators in the country because of vote bank politics but we (BJP) has pledged to evict every infiltrator from India. Jobs meant for Indian youth are being cashed away by intruders". Shah who is on a three-day tour of Rajasthan said this while addressing an OBC sammelan in Pali. Outside the venue, hundreds of BJP workers were chanting "Modi Modi". Hailing the efforts of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, the BJP chief said, "Government waived farm loans of up to Rs 50,000 and increased the minimum support price (MSP) of Kharif crops to 1.5 times the cost of production. My question to Rahul Gandhi is, why did farmers not get 1.5 times the cost of production in 70 years of Congress rule? Shah charged. Congress failed to empower backward communities Shah also targeted the Congress for failing to give justice to backward communities. In his address at the OBC Sammelan, Shah said, "Congress ruled the country for 70 years but failed to deliver or to give the poor their rights. But Modi government worked for all communities and also passed a bill to provide constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes". Taking a jibe at Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Shah said, "Rahul Ji's great-grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru, grandmother Indira Ji, father Rajiv Ji and mother Sonia Ji ruled India for 70 years but failed to do anything good for people from backward backgrounds." In his second visit to poll-bound Rajasthan within a week, Shah reached Jodhpur on Sunday morning and was received by Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. He took a helicopter to Pali where he addressed a huge crowd of people at divisional level OBC Sammelan and Shakti Kendra Sammelan. Itinerary On Monday, the BJP president will reach Udaipur in the chartered plane and leave for Bhilwara where he will interact with special needs kids. Shah will spend Monday night in Rajsamand and offer prayers at Nathdwara temple on Tuesday morning. On Tuesday Shah will address a Shakti Sammelan and division-level kisan sammelan in Nagaur. Our esteemed state Legislature can be accused of a lot of things. Overworked is not one of them. While the rest of us have put the hazy, lazy, crazy days of summer behind us and returned to our hectic schedules full of work, school and the million other things we try to get done every day, our elected representatives are still kicking back. Actually, most of them are not simply clinging to that lazy aspect, theyre busy doing something else. Every member of the state House and half the state Senate will be on the November ballot in a few weeks. So they are preoccupied with what many complain seems to be the primary function of someone holding office in the Keystone State. That would be running for re-election. Maybe thats why state House Speaker Mike Turzai scrapped what were supposed to be two voting sessions this week. That would have given them two up on the state Senate, which did not even bother to schedule any work sessions this week. Nose to the grindstone these folks are not. The two chambers now will not convene again until Sept. 24. That in effect extends their summer vacation by two weeks. That comes to more than 80 off for a lot of these folks. Yeah, nice work if you can get it. Unfortunately, most Pennsylvanians dont get that kind of vacation time, and they are increasingly wondering about the size and cost of this bloated government body, one of the largest and most expensive in the country, which many argue was never meant to be a full-time gig in the first place. Many state representatives and senators no doubt will chafe at such a description, pointing out the job entails a lot more than simply being in Harrisburg. That may be, but this is a look at some of the things that await them back in the state capital. That series of bills targeting sexual harassment in the workplace in the wake of the #MeToo movement? A House panel held a hearing last week, but the legislation remains mired in committee, with Democrats, including sponsors Delco Reps. Leanne Krueger-Braneky, D-161 of Swarthmore, and Margo Davidson, D-164 of Upper Darby, complaining that Republican leadership has no plans to move it to the floor for a vote. Crucial legislation that would get guns out of the hands of those convicted of domestic abuse? Well, the measure sponsored by Delco Sen. Tom Killion, R-9 of Middletown, sailed through the Senate on a unanimous vote. But its been bottled up by amendments in the House. A gaggle of folks, including state Rep. Jamie Santora, R-163 of Upper Darby, held a press conference on the steps of the Media Courthouse last week to push the measure. Its still awaiting action. Then there is the fallout from the scathing grand jury report on sexual abuse of children by priests in six Pennsylvania dioceses. The damning report identified more than 300 priests as culpable in the abuse of more than 1,000 kids over six decades. The grand jury recommended changing state laws when it comes to the statute of limitations for filing criminal charges in abuse cases, and opening a window for past victims to file retroactively. The Senate has passed a bill to lift the statute and expand the time a victim has to sue but only for future cases. Its now in the hands of the House, where state Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, is vowing to add an amendment for a two-year window for past victims to seek civil redress. Turzai is saying the move would be a compromise between a two-year window and those who would eliminate all hindrances to past victims filing suit. If the window is added, it will face staunch opposition in the Senate, where President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati has said it would not pass constitutional muster. He is in favor of a compensation fund set up by the church and controlled by a third party. Turzai said the House could vote when it returns Sept. 24. Accent there on the could. These things have a tendency to get bogged down in Harrisburg bureaucracy. Then there is Pennsylvania seemingly endless education funding debate. This year it plays out against the backdrop of a suit headed to court filed by families from William Penn and other struggling districts against the states funding formula, claiming it puts their children at a distinct competitive disadvantage. All of these issues cry out for action. In the meantime, the only thing most of these representatives are calling out for is your vote. Its long past time when Pennsylvania residents demanded more bang for their buck in Harrisburg. For too long, business as usual has meant little to none of the peoples business getting done. Saturday marks the 10-year anniversary of the monumental collapse of the financial services firm Lehman Brothers, whose bankruptcy filing remains the largest in U.S. history and which further calcified the subprime mortgage crisis that triggered the Great Recession. Has the country learned its lesson? Yes and no. While the health of the financial sector has largely improved, it seems key takeaways from the Lehman disaster have fallen on deaf ears for many Americans. Recovery has been slow for millions of Americans and millions more around the globe. Only within the past few months have those without high school diplomas regained solid economic footing, one of the hardest hit and slowest cohorts to recover. Peak unemployment for this group topped 15 percent during the recession, but a July jobs report now shows that number has fallen to 5.1 percent. By most indicators, the economy is functioning at a roaring pace, a clear sign life has bounced back for most. Banks also have more oversight now than during pre-recession years. They must fund themselves with less debt and rely less on trading assets for profits. Large financial institutions also must report the results of regular stress tests, which are designed to prove the viability of staying afloat during hypothetically rough times. The banking community welcomed a rollback of some of the more onerous regulations on smaller banks earlier this year. Taken in aggregate, however, appropriate regulations have made a stronger financial environment that can mitigate the shocks of the next financial crisis. Yes, the next financial crisis, for humans havent yet learned that prosperity breeds complacency, and complacent people dont give much thought for the future. As the Economist newspaper notes, the wrong way to judge progress would be to expect an end to financial crises. On the other hand, one right way to judge financial progress is how well individuals have learned to guard against future catastrophe. Some evidence is positive. Deseret News columnist Jay Evensen wrote in August the millennial generation tends to avoid credit card debt and is leading a charge to save more for retirement. Lessons from the recession have likely affected this group, many of whom were either slogging through college or preparing to enter the workforce during the worst of the downturn. Yet, American credit card debt passed $1 trillion earlier this year, and the average credit card balance at the end of 2017 was $6,354, according to the credit reporting agency Experian. Housing prices are soaring in certain parts of the country, Utah among them, adding pressure on families to seek ill-advised mortgages. And when 28 million Americans say taking on debt to buy the latest iPhone is rational, its clear priorities need some straightening. Trouble is mounting in Washington, too. The national debt has surpassed $21 trillion, and the federal government might not have the capacity to bail out an economy in crisis the way it did a decade ago. The greatest tragedy of Lehman was its failure to learn from the past. The 2008 crisis wasnt its first the institution weathered the Great Depression, two world wars and several financial shocks in the 1990s. But imprudence in the face of prosperity brought it down in the end. Americans need not experience similar squalls to learn from them. As we have long encouraged, financial security should be a function of wisdom and restraint. Perhaps that means forgoing the iPhone for now, but safely riding through the next storm is probably worth the wait. Pignanelli & Webb: As the election nears, national contests are grabbing most of the media attention as control of Congress hangs in the balance. However, valiant political warriors are battling each other in county and legislative races as well. Some of these contests include an additional candidate from the United Utah Party, providing more intrigue. These defenders of democracy are engaged in retail politics and are to be commended for their willingness to engage. We highlight some key races. The most-watched. In 2016, well-liked physician Democrat Suzanne Harrison lost her bid to replace well-known Rep. LaVar Christensen by only five votes in Sandy/Draper District 32. Many observers believed she could win the seat in a nonpresidential election year and she announced accordingly. But Christensen filed for the Senate. Instead, Harrison faces respected self-made Republican businessman Brad Bonham, who is offering a spirited challenge. Further, this race is complicated by a United Utah candidate, Bjorn Jones. This fight features the best that each party has to offer, and the results will be fascinating. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Sue Duckworth, and her husband (who retired for health reasons), deflected stiff Republican challenges over several election cycles. Republican Barbara Stallone is providing another tough fight for this Magna/West Valley district. District 44, mostly in Murray, flipped back and forth over the last several decades. Incumbent Republican Bruce Cutler has prevailed in two elections by slim margins. Democrat Andrew Stoddard is hoping for an upset this time. Ogdens District 9 once a Democratic stronghold was captured by now-retiring Republican Jeremy Peterson. Calvin Musselman is hoping to hold the seat for the GOP but faces tough competition from Democrat Kathie Darby. _Just plain interesting_. Known as the "hardest-working person in Utah politics," Democrat Patrice Arent never, ever takes anything for granted and swamps all opposition in this Millcreek District. Yet, 2018 offers a new element for her. Republican Todd Zenger is a respected lawyer and current member of the Granite School District Board of Education. This is truly a battle of brains. The political world was shocked by the retirement of House Speaker Greg Hughes from his Draper District 51. He recruited Republican Draper City Councilman Jeff Stenquist. Unopposed by a Democrat, Stenquist faces fellow council member Michele Weeks under the United Utah Party. Weeks once ran as a Democrat for the Senate and was nearly elected mayor of Draper last year. "Interesting" is an understatement for this contest. Democrat Elizabeth Weight knocked off popular Republican Sophia DiCaro in the West Valley District 31 by a slim margin. Her challenges from Republican Fred Johnson and United Utah's Brian Fabbi are capturing attention. Democrats always hope Park City can boost their strength (it hasn't yet). But they're putting their hopes on challenger Meaghan Miller against incumbent Republican Tim Quinn who is popular in this Summit/Wasatch County District. In 2016, Karen Kwan was able to recapture this Taylorsville/Murray District for the Democrats. Republican David Young is pushing for reversal. Will these districts swing? Although they've been held by the GOP for a number of cycles, many still remember when Democrats won races in certain districts. So, can Republican Mike Winder hold West Valley District 30 against Democrat Robert Burch? Republican incumbent Craig Hall will face Democrat Ira Hatch (also in West Valley). Other such swing contests include District 38 (Kearns), where longtime incumbent Eric Hutchins faces Democrat Edgar Harwood, and Sandy District 49, featuring incumbent Republican Robert Spendlove, Democrat Anthony Sudweeks and United Utah's Mark Russell. Universally loved Republican Brian Shiozawa retired early and the equally nice fellow physician Brian Zehnder was appointed in Senate District 8. He is facing a tough fight from Democrat Kathleen Riebe and United Utah's John Jackson. _Republicans pitch A place at the table argument_. Liberal favorite Rebecca Chavez Houck announced her retirement from the Avenues/Capitol Hill District 24 last year, provoking a spirited four-way Democratic primary in June. The victor, Jen Dailey-Provost, is clearly the favorite to win in this left-wing area, but Republican Scott Rosenbush is working hard, promoting himself as a New Jersey-type Republican brimming with moderation. James Dabakis also announced his retirement from Salt Lake City Senate District 2, and City Councilman Derek Kitchen won a tough primary and is also predicted to prevail. Chase Winder (yep, of the Winder clan) is also aggressively pushing against a blue wall. The Millcreek/Holladay Senate District 4 awarded Democrat Jani Iwamoto a strong margin four years ago, but Republican newcomer Alan Monsen is doing his best to counter the popular incumbent. Will the GOP County Council hold? Democrat Jim Bradley is a fixture in Salt Lake County politics, serving both as a commissioner and an at-large council member. Respected as ethical and decent, he is facing a tough challenge from former legislator Sophia DiCaro, who enjoys a reputation for hard work and integrity. The outcome of this race will possibly signify a trend for countywide elections in 2020. Recently deceased beloved Democrat Sam Granato was unopposed in his County Council race in 2016. His wife, Ann chosen as his replacement is running to fill his term. Michelle Quist is a respected GOP activist, known for her journalistic endeavors on the web and with the Salt Lake Tribune. Both face United Utah's Robert Cundick. Correction: A previous version mislabeled one of Utah's political parties. It is the United Utah Party, not the Utah United Party. SALT LAKE CITY Some members of the Salt Lake County Council this week demanded increased transparency from the Utah Inland Port Authority, weighing in on the controversy over the port authority board's recent vote to keep its subcommittees closed to the public. But the county's appointee on the board, County Councilman Michael Jensen, who is facing calls for his resignation from the port board amid controversy over his behavior as a former fire chief, explained to his peers why it made sense to the board to keep the subcommittees closed, at least for now. Jensen also said after the port authority hires its executive director and staff, then he expects the roles of the subcommittees or "working groups" as he called them will transform, and he'll "push" to open them to the public. But Salt Lake County Councilman Richard Snelgrove, a Republican, said now is the time to open the three subcommittee meetings, which are tasked with doing the initial legwork to hire an executive director, set the port authority's budget and decide how to use the port authority's tax revenue to incentivize projects. "Transparency's a good thing," Snelgrove said. "It's the only antidote the public has against shady deals." Snelgrove told his fellow council members he's exploring the possibility of drafting a resolution that the County Council won't approve of any county services in support of the inland port as long as the port authority board's subcommittees remain closed. The port board's subcommittees are made up of no more than five members of the port authority board and don't constitute a quorum, meaning the meetings aren't required to be open to the public under the Utah Open and Public Meetings Act, according to state attorneys. But Snelgrove argued the meetings especially if they deal with issues including land transaction need to be conducted in open air. "Otherwise, even if everything's aboveboard, it's going to lend itself to suspicion on the part of the public," Snelgrove said. "They can make their own conclusions on what's a shady deal or what's not." Stuart Clason, Salt Lake County's regional economic development division director and Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams' appointee on the inland port board, said he appreciated Snelgrove's sentiment. "As a board member ... I can rest assured that I'm not going to be associated with anything I'm very uncomfortable with to the point I'd quit my job before," Clason said, noting that it's a "worthwhile" conversation to have with board leadership. County Councilman Jim Bradley, a Democrat, said he "couldn't agree more" with Snelgrove and spoke in support of a resolution. But Jensen chimed in, saying it "would be helpful for everyone to understand" that the port authority board is following the state's open meetings laws, but the board is in a difficult situation without having any staff yet, and the subcommittees are acting more like "work groups" until the board can hire an executive director to manage work that needs to be done before it can come to the full board. Plus, Jensen pointed out no action can be taken within any of the subcommittees they have to report to the full board first. "I think there will be a different conversation once you get past hiring an executive director because it does change part of the scope of what the board is doing now," Jensen said. "In spirit, we've agreed we're going to follow the open meetings act," Jensen continued. "If there's a group, a work group (that) needs to go work out those kinds of administrative functions between now and the executive director (is hired), I think it's important that that small group be able to go do those things." Once staff is hired, Jensen said he'll push for open subcommittees once the work groups morph into a more formal form. "Once we get standing committees, absolutely we're going to open them," Jensen said. "I'll even be the one to push it." Jensen also noted that the port authority board has already taken some steps to go above and beyond the open meetings act, indicating the board decided to not only take public input at the bottom of its agenda during its August meeting, but also take public comment multiple times throughout the meeting. The County Council took no action on the matter at its Tuesday meeting, but Snelgrove indicated he'd begin drafting a resolution. Councilwoman Jenny Wilson and Bradley both said they felt comfortable with Clason and Jensen representing the county on the port board and reporting back, but they both expressed a desire to quell public concerns about the board's transparency. "I continue to have deep empathy for residents who are affected by it and hope that this is going to work out well," Wilson said. "But to me, it's just hope at this point, to be honest." SALT LAKE CITY "Mia Loves $1 Million Campaign Finance Scandal Latest in Career of Ethics Abuses," a national Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee email proclaimed about a critical CNN report early last week about her fundraising. It wasn't long after that the two-term Republican congresswoman debuted the first negative TV commercial of the campaign, labeling her Democratic opponent, Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams, a "tax and spend Democrat." Both claims are being disputed by the targeted candidates and their campaigns as the tension in what was already the most competitive race on the November ballot continues to ratchet up. Making the 4th Congressional District race even more heated is new polling showing the matchup is either too close to call, with McAdams now just three points behind the incumbent, or that the lead Love has held throughout is widening. "It's taken a more negative tone," said Chris Karpowitz, co-director of BYU's Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy, although that's to be expected in a race considered a toss-up by at least one national rating entity. What's different here, Karpowitz said, is that Love was the first to run a negative ad. "Typically, when things go negative, it's the challenger trying to raise concerns about the incumbent. Here it's the incumbent who's taking the lead in criticizing the challenger," he said. That means regardless of what some of the polling is suggesting, Love's campaign expects a tough fight, according to Karpowitz. "It's more aggressive as a strategy and it's certainly one that can be seen as concern about the competitiveness of the race." Not so, said Love's campaign manager, Dave Hansen. He said the TV commercial and its timing have "absolutely nothing to do" with reports that the Federal Election Commission is questioning Love's campaign about raising $1 million for the June 26 primary election even though she was unopposed. Love has informed the FEC that her campaign will return or redesignate contributions received after the April 21 Republican Party convention where she was formally nominated as the party's general election candidate. That's expected to amount to about $370,000 in contributions being designated for the general election and a refund of less than $10,000 in contributions, according to her campaign. Hansen said similar observations made by political pundits in 2016 about Love choosing to run what he termed "contrast" rather than negative TV commercials were proved wrong. Two years ago, Love won re-election after going after her Democratic opponent, attorney Doug Owens, the son of late Utah Congressman Wayne Owens, for his efforts to stop Legacy Highway in an early TV commercial. This election, her second TV spot features unhappy passengers on what appears to be McAdams' orange campaign bus as a narrator says he's backed tax increases while opposing tax cuts and adding high-paid aides. "We wanted to make people understood the real Ben McAdams," Hansen said. "He's a big government guy. He's not this fiscal conservative that he would like people to think. He's this tax and spend liberal." McAdams' campaign sent out a four-page "fact check" disputing the commercial's claims line-by-line and raising questions about how it was funded, linking to the CNN story about Love's campaign improperly raising funds. "It's no surprise to see them desperately launching attack ads to distort the mayor's record," McAdams campaign manager Andrew Roberts said. "She's in an incredibly difficult situation in this race." McAdams has a new TV commercial, too, set to begin airing Monday, featuring a pair of Republicans Draper Mayor Troy Walker and former state lawmaker Sheryl Allen touting his bipartisan efforts, including on the county budget. "I will always put Utah, not party, first," McAdams says from the driver's seat of his campaign bus. The commercial, however, doesn't mention he's a Democrat. It also makes no reference to Love. Roberts said that's because McAdams is confident in his internal polling, which shows a race within the margin of error. "The mayor, I think, has a very strong case to make for himself. We don't feel like we need to climb in the mud to beat Mia Love." Karpowitz said it's not clear how much voters will be concerned about Love's FEC troubles. "I think that it's not going to be the issue that's at the forefront of most voters' minds," the political science professor said, but it's likely the McAdams campaign will make sure they know about it. "It's not been an auspicious start for Mia Love, I think, with the accusations about the campaign finance problems," Karpowitz said. "They are serious potential violations of campaign finance law." Roberts said the issue isn't going away and called the contributions illegal. So did the spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Drew Godinich, who said Love is "another typical D.C. political insider who believes that the rules dont apply to her." Godinich also said Love should give back all of the more than $1 million raised before the primary and brought up past issues, including her having to repay travel costs to attend a White House Correspondents Dinner in 2015. "She may just be a sophomore in Congress, but when it comes to violating ethics and campaign laws, Congresswoman Mia Love is an old pro," the national campaign committee news release said. Hansen said the "money was not raised illegally" and that the FEC hasn't suggested it was. "They're asking, 'Why did you do it that way?' They never accused the campaign. They never said we did anything wrong. They never made an insinuations that way at all. They were just asking questions. We responded," Hansen said. A deputy press officer for the FEC, Christian Hilland, said the type of letter Love received was routine and the response will be reviewed to determine if the action taken to correct the concerns raised is adequate. That includes checking to see if refunds or redesignations of the contributions in question appear on the congresswoman's next campaign financial disclosures, due in mid-October, he said. If the response falls short, the FEC could simply send a letter reminding the campaign that it needs to comply. The FEC does have the authority to assess civil penalties that are determined by the agency's commissioners, Hilland said. But there is no time frame for the FEC to make a determination, he said, nor would those findings be made public. Kirk Jowers, a Republican attorney with more than 20 years of experience serving as legal counsel for candidates in federal races on FEC and other campaign matters, said the controversy over the letter Love received is "much ado about nothing." Jowers was named last year as a member of Love's campaign finance committee. He said contributions are redesignated "all the time and campaigns receive RFAIs (requests for additional information letters) frequently," especially in Utah because of the state's unique caucus and convention system for nominating candidates. That system allows for another opportunity to raise money in addition to the primary and general elections, so the federal contribution limit for Utah candidates from a donor can be as high as $8,100 compared to $5,400 in other states, Jowers said. Candidates nationwide are allowed to raise money for a primary as well as a general election even if they don't have any opposition, he said, but that's not the case for the third fundraising cycle in Utah. Jowers said there should be no disputing that Love was allowed to raise funds for the primary. The question is when she should have stopped once it was clear she had no opposition and could not take advantage of the additional fundraising cycle. "It does get into the weeds," Jowers said, calling it an administrative matter he doesn't believe will impact the outcome of the election. Karpowitz said the the friction in the race will likely intensify. "We can always hope it becomes more issue-oriented. That would be great," he said. "What we're seeing is the campaign is heating up as we're heading into the fall, so it's not surprising that we're getting more heated rhetoric on both sides." Clarification: An earlier version failed to did note that Kirk Jowers was named last year to Love's campaign finance committee. Dixie State womens volleyball team remained tied atop the RMAC standings and pushed its winning streak to four straight as the Trailblazers posted a 3-1 victory over fellow conference co-leader Colorado Mesa on Saturday afternoon inside the DSU SAC. The Trailblazers (9-2, 4-0 RMAC) were blitzed by the Mavericks (9-4, 4-1 RMAC) in set one, 25-16, as CMU led virtually wire-to-wire to go up 1-0 in the match. That served as a wake-up call for Dixie State as the Blazers rebounded to claim set two, 25-21, thanks in part to a big 9-2 run that broke a 10-10 tie midway through the stanza. DSU continued to ride that momentum into the third frame, taking the lead for good at 10-9 en route to a 25-20 win and a 2-1 match lead. The Blazers then held off CMU in a hard-fought fourth set to close out the match, 25-23. Sophomore Megan Treanor hit .407 for the match on her way to a team-high 15 kills with 10 assists. Meanwhile, senior Malary Marshall added 10 kills, including a pair of kills for the final two DSU points of the match. Dixie State hit .298 overall, .353 from the second set on, which included a .400 clip in set two and a .378 percentage in the decisive fourth set. The Trailblazer defense also stepped up in a big way as DSU held Colorado Mesa to a .215 hitting percentage, thanks in large part to a combined 14.5 team blocks, including a school-record-tying 11 total blocks (one solo) from junior Lauren Gammell. Gammells 10 block assists also tied her school record, and the junior just missed a double-double with nine kills. DSU also collected 44 total digs, with senior Sid Brandon and freshman Abbey Smith tallying 11 digs apiece. Dixie State continues its four-match RMAC homestand next weekend vs. Fort Lewis on Friday, Sept. 21, followed by a showdown against Adams State on Saturday, Sept. 22. SALEM, Utah County Standing in front of a crowd of thousands whose homes were being threatened by two massive mountain-side fires, Elk Ridge Mayor Ty Ellis braced for any "rotten tomatoes" about to fly his way as he prepared to share the bad news. The auditorium at Salem Hills High School a gathering place for some of the estimated 6,000 evacuees forced out of their homes four days ago by the blazes fell quiet as Ellis went on to warn that evacuation orders might be in place for two weeks. "I can't tell you when we're going to go home. I don't know. I wish I did," the mayor said, explaining the two-week window is a best estimate officials have so far for the erratic and explosive pair of fires that have together scorched more than 80,000 acres. "I just don't know, so all we can tell you is let's just look at this a little longer term," Ellis said, adding that he and his family, as evacuees themselves, are in the same aggravating situation. "It's frustrating," Ellis said. "All I wanted yesterday was clean air." Ellis didn't get any rotten tomatoes hurled his way. Evacuees from Elk Ridge and Woodland Hills some comforting crying children, some somber-faced listened quietly. Some, like Belva Horton, were accepting of the news. "It will be fine," she said. "We have to have faith, and we have to have hope it's really not going to be that long." Horton, of Elk Ridge, who has a son who works as a firefighter, said she understands the importance of putting human lives above saving property. "It can all be replaced," she said. "We just have to stay cool and live it. We'll look back on this as something that we conquered." As Horton and her husband gathered a few pictures and important documents from their home when they evacuated Thursday, Horton said she felt "at peace," mostly because she knew how her community would handle the situation with grace. "It's so helpful to know there are thousands of people that are affected by this and we all feel the same we're all here to help each other," she said. So until further notice, the Hortons, along with their cat and dog, planned to stay in their camper trailer in the Salem Hills High parking lot, along with the rest of the families who are now living out of their trailers or RVs. Having hope and faith was a recurring thought for many evacuees who spent most of Sunday at the high school, where thousands came to get more information about the blazes threatening their homes. 'Miracle' efforts As of Sunday morning, the Pole Creek Fire had burned more than 61,000 acres, while the Bald Mountain Fire had charred about 13,500 acres, Spanish Fork public safety officials reported. Later Sunday, the Utah County Sheriff's Office reported total acreage estimates vary but have reached more than 80,000, with just 2 percent containment. Evacuation orders remain in effect for more than 6,000 people or about 2,000 homes in Elk Ridge and Woodland Hills. Later Sunday, Diamond Fork and Sheep Creek areas were also ordered to evacuate. The city of Salem had also placed residents living south of the Highline Canal under a pre-evacuation notice, urging residents to be prepared to evacuate with little notice. Utah Lt. Governor Spencer Cox called Saturday's efforts to battle relentless winds and contain two wildfires threatening thousands of Utah County homes "nothing short of a miracle." But Sunday, he tweeted, "will be another test." And sure enough, conditions appeared to change for the worse about 2 p.m. when fire officials decided once again to close U.S. 6 through Spanish Fork Canyon after opening up the highway earlier Sunday morning. Forest officials said the Pole Creek Fire was "spotted over the canyon" at the U.S. 89 and U.S. 6 junction. Aircraft was sent to the scene. "This fire is serious," Elk Ridge Fire Chief Seth Waite told evacuees, noting that because of rapidly changing winds and extremely dry conditions, the fire could jump large distances within seconds. Throughout the day, large plumes of white smoke wafted from the mountainside. While those smokey conditions might not look as threatening as flames, Waite warned that the fires continue to "smolder," and as heat builds up, the blaze can "flash" when large trees "explode," sending hot embers high into the sky. "It's been crazy up there," the chief said. "We're not out of the woods." Although air quality had improved Sunday, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality still urged residents with heart or lung conditions to take precautions. 'Blessings' In a showing of faith and prayer for safety, about a dozen neighborhood wards of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints affected by the fires attended a prayer meeting and a luncheon at Salem Hills High School to break a day-long fast. President David Christensen, a counselor in the Salem Utah Stake presidency, said church leaders organized the fast to "call on God for help and assistance" and "pray that we might be able to get back into our homes at some point in the near future." President Christensen, whose family evacuated from a Woodland Hills neighborhood, held back tears as he explained the experience has been, believe it or not, "a tremendous blessing." "I can't possibly put into words the outpouring of love that we have felt from the surrounding community," he said. In fact, so many donations have flooded in from fellow Utahns, that a Salem warehouse holding the items was overwhelmed, and officials had to ask the community to put a pause on donations. Local eateries have donated food and time. Community members have been helping each other so much, the local Red Cross has even felt underutilized, President Christensen said. "The blessings and the love that I have felt is immeasurable, and I am truly grateful for what I have personally experienced," he said. "You know, my house is a possession. It's OK. It can be replaced." Other Utah fires Meanwhile, a fire that destroyed two Herriman homes and a shed a more than 100-acre blaze that officials say was started by a juvenile boy playing with a smoke bomb was 95 percent contained by Sunday afternoon. Fire crews monitored the fire, near 13508 S. 7530 West, until late Sunday, said Unified Fire Authority spokesman Matthew McFarland. Firefighters also continued to tackle another 800-acre blaze that shut down I-80 near Tooele on Saturday, snarling traffic and causing major delays. State Route 201, however, remained closed and was expected to remain closed through Monday morning's commute because of downed power lines that fell onto the road. The cause of the fire was not yet known Sunday, according to Ryan Willden, spokesman for the North Tooele Fire District. As of Sunday, both directions of I-80 were open, and the fire was 50 percent contained, Tooele County Emergency Management officials reported. The fire still burned high on the mountain. A new fire was reported Saturday about 19 miles northeast of Kamas that is burning along the north side of Mirror Lake Highway. The Cobblerest Fire was not posing risks to lives or property, but motorists on the highway are being encouraged to slow down and not stop in the area of mile marker 18 to mile marker 22. The lightning-caused Slate Fire has spread to 200 acres in an area about 6 miles northeast of Kamas, 3 miles north of the Mirror Lake Highway. It began Aug. 23 and currently poses no risk to lives or property. Firefighters on the ground were assessing fire conditions and said they may suppress the west edge of the fire to better contain fire activity. SALT LAKE CITY A Texas man whose 23-day hunger strike punctuated his protest of one-on-one bishop's interviews with children in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Sunday that he has been excommunicated for apostasy. Sam Young, 66, an office products salesman and former church bishop, received the decision of a Houston-area church disciplinary council late last week but said he didn't open it. He traveled to Salt Lake City to open and read the letter during a press conference across the street from Temple Square. "The decision of the council (is) that you be excommunicated for conduct contrary to the laws and order of the church," the letter said, as read aloud by Young during the press conference broadcast through Facebook Live. The church's public affairs department in Salt Lake City Sunday had no comment, but referred back to its statement last week about Young's disciplinary council: "Because of the personal nature of church disciplinary matters and to respect the privacy of those involved, the church does not provide information about the proceedings," the statement said. "Church discipline is administered by local leaders who are familiar with the individual and his or her circumstances." Young conducted an 18-month campaign calling on church leaders to stop the practice of bishops holding one-on-one worthiness interviews with children behind closed doors, saying they put bishops' careers and reputations at risk and endangered and shamed children, some of whom he said were abused or later committed suicide. Young's website, Protect LDS Children, gathered more than 22,000 signatures on a petition asking for an end to the practice. "The whistleblower has been kicked out and labeled with the brand of apostasy," Young said Sunday. "I'll wear that as a proud label." The disciplinary council was held Sept. 9 in Sugar Land, Texas, by the Houston Texas South Stake. The council's letter said Young was not excommunicated for his opinion or position on protecting children. "The issue is not that you have concerns or even that you disagree with the church's guidelines," the letter said. "Rather, it is your persistent, aggressive effort to persuade others to your point of view by repeatedly and deliberately attacking and publicly opposing the church and its leaders." Young said he has not attacked the church or its leaders, only a policy. He said he would be aggressive and outspoken and added, "I invite my church leaders to return to the covenant path." He said he is "pretty sure" he will appeal the local council's decision to the church's First Presidency within the required 30 days. "I'm not quitting," he said, though he added that he will return to work as a business owner after nearly a year of full-time focus on the issue that included a march on the Church Office Building north of Temple Square. On March 26, four days before the march, the church's First Presidency updated its policies on interviews with children or youth. It clarified that an interviewee can request another adult to join an interview with a member of a bishopric or stake presidency. Young welcomed the update but led 800 to 1,000 people to church headquarters to deliver books to church leaders containing 3,000 stories he said he collected of sexually explicit questions or abuse. In June, the church again updated its policies in Handbook 1, the policy guide for bishops and stake presidents. The First Presidency directed bishops to share a set list of topics and questions with parents and youth to prepare them for a youth's first interview. To read more about the purpose and practice of disciplinary councils in The Church of Jesus Christ, click here. Google announced the Now Playing always-on music recognition feature for its Pixel 2 series of smartphones last year. It can recognise what song is currently being played and displays the title and artist name once a match is found on the devices lock screen. The feature worked offline as it stored a small database of songs to match from. The Shazam-like option was later rolled out for all smartphones via the companys smart assistant and it could connect to the internet for recognising songs. Now, Google says that it has applied the same technology that Now Playing makes use of to make the Sound Search feature better. Now Playing sorts through a database of tens of thousands of songs and uses neural networks to develop "fingerprints" (audio samples) that identify each song. The feature then makes use of two algorithms, the first one being fast but less accurate while the second acting as a fine comb to zero-in on the song, which is most likely being played. Google says that it took the same approach to make its Sound Search better but quadrupled the size of the neural network and doubled the density of the embeddings (number of fingerprints) to help find the right music from tens of millions of songs that are in their database. The new method is said to comb through a wider range of music and produce more accurate matches. However, James Lyon from Google AI at Zurich states, We still think theres room for improvement though we dont always match when music is very quiet or in very noisy environments, and we believe we can make the system even faster. We are continuing to work on these challenges with the goal of providing the next generation in music recognition. We hope youll try it the next time you want to find out what song is playing! One can also add a Sound Search widget to easily search for a song thats being played nearby. The Now Playing feature does recognise songs but it doesn't actually register which songs you're listening to. It will simply display the music being played and then forgets it without saving it so that one can revisit it. However, there is an app called Now Playing Register on the Google Play Store by the developer called Development Colors. It records each song that the phone hears and recognizes, tabulating them based on date. Clicking on any song displays options to play it on Spotify, Google Play Music, YouTube, Apple Music and Amazon Music. International investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaws Anas, credited with several mind-blowing undercover works, has admitted to being traumatized a number of times after coming face to face with death in the line of duty. Ghanaian journalists have been involved in a number of life-threatening situations whilst going undercover, escaping by the skin of the teeth. He was recently lynched in Malawi when led a team of BBC journalists investigating a series of mysterious murders in that country. The BBC had said the team were working undercover to expose men who claim to suck the blood of children to make get-rich amulets when they were attacked by a crowd of furious villagers. The villagers had mistaken Anas and his team for the killers. Well over a month after the incident, the investigative journalist told BBC World Service on Saturday that he was still traumatised by his close shave with death. Just like any other story that happens, the trauma will still be there, but the impact is what brings the smiles on our faces, when you know that the story has really touched the nerve, it gives us a lot of courage, Anas said when asked if he has recovered from the trauma. Nonetheless, Anas pointed out, we think that despite the problems, we have been able to mirror exactly what the situation is. The Malawi incident is certainly not the first in his life as Anas Aremeyaw Anas told the BBC that he has seen many near-death situations in exposing corruption and killers in society both in Ghana and abroad. They are near-death in such a way that, well, if you turn this way you may not die, there are near-death situations that you know your back up plan he explained. In the Malawi case, he said, it was beyond control, stressing that the situation was terrifying to the extent that even the local police were scared and the chief could not contain it. Addressing concerns that the BBC failed to work with local vigilante group to protect its journalists, Anas said considering the situation on the ground, working with vigilante group was not the best. He explained that some members of the vigilante group were part of the syndicate, suggesting why it was not proper to deal with persons who are neck-deep into the ritual murders. Watch excerpts of the Malawi experience Source: 3news Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Pictured: Cormac Freeman, Uniform Supplier; Fintan Maloney, Chairman of LYIT Governing Body, Anne McHugh, CEO Donegal ETB; Dr Ciaran O hAnnrachain, Head of Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts, LYIT Killybegs Campus, Paul Hannigan, President LYIT, Culinary Arts Students and Lecturers, Billy Bennett, Registrar LYIT, Cllr Niamh Kennedy Donegal County Council, Anne Marie Mulligan Food and Beverage Technician LYIT Killybegs. LYIT Killybegs Campus has registered a record number of students on Culinary Arts programmes, primarily thanks to the Springboard initiative through the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation. The Springboard project for Hospitality and Culinary Arts provided 96 places nationally, with 38 places being allocated to date in Killybegs. The application, worth a total of 1.4M this academic year was co-ordinated by Dr Ciaran O hAnnrachain at LYIT Killybegs and includes partner institutions in Athlone, Galway, Tralee, Cork and Waterford. In referencing the recent negative reports, Dr O hAnnrachain explains that while Killybegs may not be the most attractive location for traditional school leavers there are many non-traditional students who place a significant value on the reputation of the college, the extensive facilities and the experienced staff, and these students continue to apply to Killybegs for the Springboard and other advanced entry programmes in record numbers. Applications through the CAO have fallen off nationally for hospitality, tourism and culinary arts programmes in recent years and this has had a significant impact on the student body in Killybegs, but this shortfall has been replaced by students returning to college as career changers and by professionals in the industry who wish to upskill. LYIT Killybegs was the first college in the country to offer a BA (Hons) in Culinary Arts, and continues to offer Higher Certificates, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Culinary Arts. Students on these programmes have excellent opportunities to study and work overseas as part of their education. LYIT Killybegs is also the only college in the country to offer elective streams in Kitchen and Larder or Bakery and Pastry, recently investing heavily in a new bakery kitchen, which allows students to specialise to the highest international standards. Manx based company is Britain's fastest growing tech firm A Manx-based business has been named as Britains fastest growing tech company in The Sunday Times Hiscox Tech Track 100. Plan.com helps 100 thousand UK companies monitor their telecommunications usage in real-time. The firm is being congratulated on the accolade by the Department for Enterprise, which has called it a significant achievement and that they are especially proud of them. Health Minister delivers his vision for our health system David Ashcroft MHK - Health & Social Care Minister The Isle of Man wants to become the best small island health and social care system. A landmark document, entitled Delivering Longer Healthier Lives, has been put forward by the Minister for Health and Social Care, which sets out the departments vision on how to achieve this. It was presented at Nobles Hospital to around 100 health and care delegates, who were told how integrated care works in practice across the British Isles. Paris, France: Evidence of tiny particles of carbon, typically created by burning fossil fuels, has been found in placentas for the first time, in new research presented today (Sunday) at the European Respiratory Society International Congress [1]. Previous research has indicated links between pregnant mothers' exposure to air pollution and premature birth, low birth weight, infant mortality and childhood respiratory problems. The new study adds to existing evidence on the dangers of pollution for unborn babies and suggests that when pregnant women breathe polluted air, sooty particles are able to reach the placenta via the bloodstream. The work was presented by Dr Norrice Liu, a paediatrician and clinical research fellow, and Dr Lisa Miyashita, a post-doctoral researcher, both members of Professor Jonathan Grigg's research group at Queen Mary University of London, UK. Dr Miyashita said: "We've known for a while that air pollution affects foetal development and can continue to affect babies after birth and throughout their lives. "We were interested to see if these effects could be due to pollution particles moving from the mother's lungs to the placenta. Until now, there has been very little evidence that inhaled particles get into the blood from the lung." The researchers worked with five pregnant women who were all living in London and due to have planned caesarean section deliveries at the Royal London Hospital. They were all non-smokers with an uncomplicated pregnancy and each one gave birth to a healthy baby. The women all gave permission for researchers to study their placentas after delivery. The researchers were interested in particular cells called placental macrophages. Macrophages exist in many different parts in the body. They are part of the body's immune system and work by engulfing harmful particles, such as bacteria and pollution particles. In the placenta they also help to protect the foetus. The team studied a total of 3,500 placental macrophage cells from the five placentas and examined them under a high-powered microscope. They found 60 cells that between them contained 72 small black areas that researchers believe were carbon particles. On average, each placenta contained around five square micrometres of this black substance. They went on to study the placental macrophages from two placentas in greater details using an electron microscope and again found material that they believe was made up of tiny carbon particles. In previous research, the team have used the same techniques to identify and measure these sooty particles in macrophages in people's airways. Dr Liu added: "We thought that looking at macrophages in other organs might provide direct evidence that inhaled particles move out of the lungs to other parts of the body. "We were not sure if we were going to find any particles and if we did find them, we were only expecting to find a small number of placental macrophages that contain these sooty particles. This is because most of them should be engulfed by macrophages within the airways, particularly the bigger particles, and only a minority of small sized particles would move into the circulation. "Our results provide the first evidence that inhaled pollution particles can move from the lungs into the circulation and then to the placenta. "We do not know whether the particles we found could also move across into the foetus, but our evidence suggests that this is indeed possible. We also know that the particles do not need to get into the baby's body to have an adverse effect, because if they have an effect on the placenta, this will have a direct impact on the foetus." Professor Mina Gaga is President of the European Respiratory Society, and Medical Director and Head of the Respiratory Department of Athens Chest Hospital, Greece, and was not involved in the study. She said: "Previous research shows that pregnant women living in polluted cities are more prone to pregnancy issues such as restricted foetal growth, premature birth and low birth weight babies. The evidence suggests that an increased risk of low birthweight can happen even at levels of pollution that are lower than the European Union recommended annual limit. "This new research suggests a possible mechanism of how babies are affected by pollution while being theoretically protected in the womb. This should raise awareness amongst clinicians and the public regarding the harmful effects of air pollution in pregnant women. "We need stricter policies for cleaner air to reduce the impact of pollution on health worldwide because we are already seeing a new population of young adults with health issues." ### In a large clinical trial to determine the risks and benefits of daily low-dose aspirin in healthy older adults without previous cardiovascular events, aspirin did not prolong healthy, independent living (life free of dementia or persistent physical disability). Risk of dying from a range of causes, including cancer and heart disease, varied and will require further analysis and additional follow-up of study participants. These initial findings from the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) trial, partially supported by the National Institutes of Health, were published online on September 16, 2018 in three papers in The New England Journal of Medicine. ASPREE is an international, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that enrolled 19,114 older people (16,703 in Australia and 2,411 in the United States). The study began in 2010 and enrolled participants aged 70 and older; 65 was the minimum age of entry for African-American and Hispanic individuals in the United States because of their higher risk for dementia and cardiovascular disease. At study enrollment, ASPREE participants could not have dementia or a physical disability and had to be free of medical conditions requiring aspirin use. They were followed for an average of 4.7 years to determine outcomes. "Clinical guidelines note the benefits of aspirin for preventing heart attacks and strokes in persons with vascular conditions such as coronary artery disease," said NIA Director Richard J. Hodes, M.D. "The concern has been uncertainty about whether aspirin is beneficial for otherwise healthy older people without those conditions. This study shows why it is so important to conduct this type of research, so that we can gain a fuller picture of aspirin's benefits and risks among healthy older persons." The team of scientists was led by John J. McNeil, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., head of the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Health at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, and Anne M. Murray, M.D., director of the Berman Center for Outcomes and Clinical Research at Hennepin Healthcare in Minneapolis. The research was supported in part by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), both parts of the NIH. The Australian component of the study also received funding from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council and Monash University. Aspirin and placebo were supplied by Bayer, which had no other involvement with the study. In the total study population, treatment with 100 mg of low-dose aspirin per day did not affect survival free of dementia or disability. Among the people randomly assigned to take aspirin, 90.3 percent remained alive at the end of the treatment without persistent physical disability or dementia, compared with 90.5 percent of those taking a placebo. Rates of physical disability were similar, and rates of dementia were almost identical in both groups. The group taking aspirin had an increased risk of death compared to the placebo group: 5.9 percent of participants taking aspirin and 5.2 percent taking placebo died during the study. This effect of aspirin has not been noted in previous studies; and caution is needed in interpreting this finding. The higher death rate in the aspirin-treated group was due primarily to a higher rate of cancer deaths. A small increase in new cancer cases was reported in the group taking aspirin but the difference could have been due to chance. The researchers also analyzed the ASPREE results to determine whether cardiovascular events took place. They found that the rates for major cardiovascular events--including coronary heart disease, nonfatal heart attacks, and fatal and nonfatal ischemic stroke--were similar in the aspirin and the placebo groups. In the aspirin group, 448 people experienced cardiovascular events, compared with 474 people in the placebo group. Significant bleeding--a known risk of regular aspirin use--was also measured. The investigators noted that aspirin was associated with a significantly increased risk of bleeding, primarily in the gastrointestinal tract and brain. Clinically significant bleeding--hemorrhagic stroke, bleeding in the brain, gastrointestinal hemorrhages or hemorrhages at other sites that required transfusion or hospitalization--occurred in 361 people (3.8 percent) on aspirin and in 265 (2.7 percent) taking the placebo. As would be expected in an older adult population, cancer was a common cause of death, and 50 percent of the people who died in the trial had some type of cancer. Heart disease and stroke accounted for 19 percent of the deaths and major bleeding for 5 percent. "The increase in cancer deaths in study participants in the aspirin group was surprising, given prior studies suggesting aspirin use improved cancer outcomes," said Leslie Ford, M.D., associate director for clinical research, NCI Division of Cancer Prevention. "Analysis of all the cancer-related data from the trial is under way and until we have additional data, these findings should be interpreted with caution." "Continuing follow-up of the ASPREE participants is crucial, particularly since longer term effects on risks for outcomes such as cancer and dementia may differ from those during the study to date," said Evan Hadley, M.D., director of NIA's Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology. "These initial findings will help to clarify the role of aspirin in disease prevention for older adults, but much more needs to be learned. The ASPREE team is continuing to analyze the results of this study and has implemented plans for monitoring participants." As these efforts continue, Hadley emphasized that older adults should follow the advice from their own physicians about daily aspirin use. It is important to note that the new findings do not apply to people with a proven indication for aspirin such as stroke, heart attack or other cardiovascular disease. In addition, the study did not address aspirin's effects in people younger than age 65. Also, since only 11 percent of participants had regularly taken low-dose aspirin prior to entering the study, the implications of ASPREE's findings need further investigation to determine whether healthy older people who have been regularly using aspirin for disease prevention should continue or discontinue use. ### The ASPREE trial was partly supported by NIH funding (U01AG029824). About the National Institute on Aging: The NIA leads the federal government effort conducting and supporting research on aging and the health and well-being of older people. The Institute's broad scientific program seeks to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life. For more information on research, aging, and health, go to http://www.nia.nih.gov. About the National Cancer Institute (NCI): NCI leads the National Cancer Program and NIH's efforts to dramatically reduce the prevalence of cancer and improve the lives of cancer patients and their families, through research into prevention and cancer biology, the development of new interventions, and the training and mentoring of new researchers. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI website at http://www.cancer.gov or call NCI's Contact Center (formerly known as the Cancer Information Service) at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237). About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov. Privacy Settings This site uses functional cookies and external scripts to improve your experience. Which cookies and scripts are used and how they impact your visit is specified on the left. You may change your settings at any time. Your choices will not impact your visit. NOTE: These settings will only apply to the browser and device you are currently using. President Donald Trump has decided to impose tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, two people briefed on the decision said, one of the most severe economic restrictions ever imposed by a U.S. president. An announcement is expected to come within days, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal plans. The new tariffs would apply to more than 1,000 products, including refrigerators, air conditioners, furniture, televisions and toys. These penalties could drive up the cost of a range of products ahead of the holiday shopping season, though it's unclear how much. Apple said recently its Apple Watch, AirPods, MacMini and a variety of chargers and adapters would be caught in the tariff war. "Our concern with these tariffs is that the U.S. will be hardest hit, and that will result in lower U.S. growth and competitiveness and higher prices for U.S. consumers," the company said in a letter to the U. S. Trade representative. "The burden of the proposed tariffs will fall much more heavily on the United States than on China." Trump has ordered aides to set the tariffs at 10 percent, which is likely to lead to higher prices for American consumers. The tariffs are paid by U.S. companies that import the products, and the companies are likely to pass the costs along to U.S. consumers in the form of higher prices. The United States imports roughly $500 billion worth of Chinese goods each year, and - combined with existing tariffs - these new penalties would cover half of all goods sent to the United States from China. The 10 percent tariff was scaled back from Trump's initial plan to impose 25 percent penalties on all of these imports. But the impact is still likely to be felt by millions of American consumers. A White House spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday afternoon. On Friday, deputy White House press secretary Lindsay Walters said: "The president has been clear that he and his administration will continue to take action to address China's unfair trade practices. We encourage China to address the long-standing concerns raised by the United States." Trump's top advisers have been united behind his effort to push China to change its economic practices, but they have been divided on his tactics. Some have advocated a more cautious, diplomatic approach. But Trump has signaled that he thinks only the threat of real economic pain will push Beijing to make major changes. He recently boasted that he thinks China's economy is suffering because of his tough policies. Trump has accused China of a number of unfair trade practices. He wants China to take steps including buying more American products, opening itself up to more U.S. investment and ending what he says is its theft of U.S. intellectual property. The tariffs come as a number of top White House advisers have been trying to de-escalate tensions between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was planning to restart talks with China soon. Chinese leaders have vowed to retaliate against any escalation of the trade battle with punitive steps of their own, and Trump's move could further push Beijing toward such action. Trump's decision was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Trump has tried to use tariffs to penalize a number of countries this year, including Mexico, Japan, Canada and members of the European Union, hoping that the threat of driving up costs on their products will make them more open to his demands. The tactic has had mixed success. Trump first imposed tariffs on roughly $50 billion in Chinese products this summer. The list of products mostly included industrial equipment to avoid directly hurting U.S. consumers. China responded by imposing tariffs on U.S. products such as beef and soybeans, a response that spooked the U.S. agriculture industry and angered Trump and other White House officials. Trump ordered his advisers to come up with a list of $200 billion of other Chinese products to penalize, a package that includes many consumer products. And two weeks ago, he said he was preparing a third package of penalties on what he said would be $267 billion of additional items, a list that is likely to encompass all remaining goods produced in China. "For the near term, this combination of tactics seems to signal that unless and until China comes to the table with significant actions on the issues the U.S. is hammering, the U.S. will keep tariff pressure going," said Claire Reade, a former U.S. trade negotiator. "Talks without action won't do the trick. The open question, of course, is: How much action is enough, and can China find a way to move that will be seen as being in its own interest, not kowtowing to the U.S.?" The United States ran a $233.5 billion deficit in goods trade with China in the first seven months of the year, an 8 percent increase over the same period in 2017. Corporate executives increasingly think the trade dispute can be resolved only by direct talks between Trump and Xi. The two leaders may see each other at the United Nations General Assembly in New York this month and are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires in November. Hundreds of immigrant parents separated from their children at the southern border under one of President Donald Trumps most controversial policies will have a second chance at asylum, according to a proposed federal settlement a San Diego judge considered Friday. The tentative agreement would give as many as 1,000 parents, most of them fleeing gang violence or poverty from Central America, another opportunity to stay here legally. U.S. District Judge Dana M. Sabraw indicated he would likely approve it, barring any objections, calling it a very detailed, well thought-out proposal. Coming two months into an expensive, complicated and time-consuming emergency effort to reunify families under the court order, the settlement is the latest indication of the widespread failure of the short-lived policythat briefly imprisoned parents for the misdemeanor of illegally entering the country and placed their children in federal shelters. Polls showed a majority of Democrats and independent voters opposed the practice, which was also met by furious bipartisan and international condemnation. Its an implicit recognition by the government that they did it wrong, said Simon Y. Sandoval-Moshenberg, legal director at the Legal Aid Justice Center, an advocacy group in Virginia representing separated parents. Under the governments so-called zero-tolerance policy, more than 2,600 children, including at least 103 under the age of 5, were removed from their parents. Months later, 165 children still remain in federal custody after their parents were deported. Hundreds of parents were removed without knowing where the government had sent their children. Dozens of deported parents have yet to be located. SEE: Immigrant families separated at border struggle to find each other Lawyers for the families argued in part that separated parents were unable to properly express their fear of returning to their country, which is the first step in obtaining asylum, because they were so concerned about the well-being and whereabouts of their children. Parents were sick, anxious, light-headed, dizzy. They couldnt remember what had happened in their credible fear interview. All they could think about was their children, said Sirine Shebaya, senior staff attorney for Muslim Advocates, a civil rights advocacy group in Washington, D.C., that represented parents. They were out of their minds with worry and this is not a psychological state in which they could participate meaningfully. To qualify for asylum, applicants must prove they faced persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinions, and the Trump administration has made it significantly harder to obtain refugee protection. The settlement would allow those separated parents who remain in the United States, whether they are in federal detention centers or have been released with their children to await their civil deportation cases, to undergo another asylum interview. Parents who fail that second credible fear assessment would be able to remain here while they help their children argue for asylum, and could be included in their childrens cases if the minors claim is deemed credible. They are essentially getting two more shots, Sandoval-Moshenberg said. We couldnt guarantee that through this agreement every single one of them will get asylum and get to stay, but at least this gives each one of them a fair shot. He said he was not aware of another class-action settlement that has allowed such a large group a second chance at asylum. The Trump administration will never be able to erase the full damage of its family separation policy, said Lee Gelernt, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, which brought the original lawsuit against the administrations practice. But this agreement is an important step toward restoring and protecting the asylum rights of impacted children and parents going forward. EXPLAINER: Must immigrant parents, children be separated at the border? The automatic second bid at protection does not extend to the hundreds of parents who have already been deported, but the settlement grants those immigrants an opportunity to individually request such a chance, although it is unclear how many would qualify. The government does not intend to, nor does it agree to, return any removed parent to the United States, the settlement said. If attorneys for deported parents believe their cases warrant such a return, they could raise those arguments with the government, though such successful cases are likely to be rare and unusual, according to the settlement. Michelle Brane, director of the migrant rights program at the Women's Refugee Commission, a national advocacy group assisting the government in finding deported parents, said it remains unclear how that definition will be interpreted by the court. Removing parents without due process and under coercion is not the norm, and should not be the norm, she said. The hope is some will be allowed back. I do not think all of the parents want to come back. Some are so traumatized by the experience that if they do want to seek asylum or need protection, the U.S. may no longer be their first choice. As of this week, 114 deported parents have told Branes group and other nonprofits working to reunite families that they want to leave their children in the United States to give them the chance to pursue asylum without them. If they dont want their child to go back, if they even prefer separation, those might also be people who are in fear and need some form or another of protection, Brane said. Those are the parents in many cases who may want to pursue another shot. READ: Immigrant parents struggle to find separated children amid chaos on the border Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle / Houston Chronicle As the effort to find deported parents continues, weekly government status reports to the court have shown just how complicated it is, especially when adults were forcibly returned to places they fled out of fear. In court filings this week, the ACLU asked for more help to find separated parents, including placing bill boards and radio advertisements in Guatemala and Honduras, and obtaining local phone numbers to contact parents, who often are afraid to answer unknown numbers because it is common for gangs to run extortion schemes that way. We have reached the easy ones, the ones who are looking for us, the ones have telephones, Brane said. Those who are remaining are not answering their phones or not calling back or just unreachable. Some have no numbers, many may be wrong numbers, many dont speak Spanish. In a few dozen cases the government itself has prevented family reunification because of purported red flags such as if the parent is accused of crimes that would make him or her a danger to the child. The ACLU pushed back on some of those claims this week, arguing parents have wrongly been deemed unfit to rejoin their children. In one case, a Salvadoran mother was accused of being part of the violent MS-13 gang when she maintains she was their victim. She rented a room in a house raided by Salvadoran police, who charged her with being part of the group, even though she said the gang beat her and forced her to flee. The womans 4-year-old son has been in a federal shelter for seven months and is suffering irreparably, according to the court filing. Once toilet-trained, the boy has reverted to wearing diapers and struggles to pronounce words. LEGAL LIMBO: Her husband murdered, her son taken away, a mother seeking asylum tells a judge, 'I have lost everything' Advocates for several children whose parents have opted to allow them to remain here with relatives and seek asylum asked the government Friday to speed up the process, or explain the delay in their release. The administration is housing a record 12,800 immigrant children, most who came here alone and were not removed from their parents. Usually such unaccompanied minors are released to relatives or other adult sponsors after about a month in federal custody. But data obtained by the New York Times this week shows that the number of such children released from federal shelters each month have plummeted by about two-thirds since last year. Advocates have blamed in part a controversial new information-sharing agreement between Health and Human Services and the Department of Homeland Security that they say could frighten sponsors from claiming children because they worry their information will be used to deport them. To accommodate all the immigrant minors in their care, the government said this week it would more than triple an El Paso tent camp opened at the height of the family separations and house as many as 3,800 children at a formidable expense. lomi.kriel@chron.com @lomikriel Sophia Lightweaver raised her hand, and confidently told Joey Rios that yes, she would eat a worm. But when Rios dangled an earthworm between his fingers and offered it to her, she clapped her hands over her mouth and shook her head, removing them only to gasp when Rios popped it in his mouth and ate it himself. The 8-year-old Lightweaver clarified she would eat a worm if it was the only option she had. Rios launched into an explanation of how that could happen if she were lost in the outdoors, the beginning of his Kids Alive! class at Government Canyon State Natural Area on Saturday. Youd eat one if you had to to survive, he agreed. Youre going to do whatever it takes to stay alive. The class covers basic survival tips for the outdoors, including what to pack, how to call for help and how to avoid getting lost. Rios, coordinator of SOS Adventures, has been teaching survival classes for years, and started offering a version for 6-to-14-year-olds about four years ago. Under the cover of an enclosed pavilion at Government Canyon, as steady rain fell outside, he took participants through the necessities for survival: food, water and shelter. While Rios students turned down his offer of a protein-rich earthworm, they happily accepted the gummy worms he handed out instead. Before leaving on a hike or walking away from a campsite, he told the kids, they should tell someone where theyre going and how long theyre going to be gone, and, no matter what, they should always carry a whistle. On Rios instructions, Julian Hernandez, 9, and Madeline Bryant, 8, both yelled for help as loudly as they could. Then, he handed whistles to Sophia and Landon Sutherland, 9, and told them to blow. Landon instinctively reached up to cover his ears, and Rios took note. See what you did?, he asked. Thats loud, right? The louder the noise, the easier it is find someone whos lost, he said. Using a spotlight and CDs, he demonstrated how to use a shiny surface, such as CDs and mirrors, to signal to a plane above, positioning hands to help aim the reflected light. Outside, clad in matching black ponchos made from trash bags, the group learned to use different filters to turn rain into drinking water. Sophia often camps with her grandmother, Tracie Lightweaver, who said she signed up the two for the class because you cant assume you know everything. Julian asked if they could hike out to see the dinosaur tracks, but was told by his dad that the 5-mile trail was closed. If theres water, we could just swim through it, the intrepid 9-year-old suggested. Instead, the kids and adults made a short trip down part of the gravel Discovery Trail, where Rios pointed out bark to make fire, and poison ivy to avoid. He wrapped up the class holding a tiny lantern, made from a 1.5-ounce Cracker Barrel syrup bottle and a shred of an old T-shirt for a wick. This concept is what survivals about, he said. Taking something thats meant for one thing, and using it to keep you alive. Julian, who said his favorite part of the class was everything, said his most surprising takeaway wasnt what to pack or how to find clean water. I learned that you can eat a worm without barfing, he said. LTeitz@express-news.net | @LizTeitz LAREDO A 10-year Border Patrol agent accused of killing four people and trying to kill a fifth in less than two weeks was arrested early Saturday after he ran from Texas troopers who confronted him at a gas station in the central part of this border city. Juan David Ortiz, 35, was behind bars in Webb County Jail, charged with four counts of first-degree murder, one count of aggravated assault and one count of unlawful restraint. He was found hiding in the parking garage of a hotel just off Interstate 35 about 2 a.m., officers said. He was arrested without incident. RELATED: Laredo Border Patrol agent pleads not guilty in double homicide case, judge issues gag order "The county, the city can rest assured we have the serial killer in custody," Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar said at an impromptu news conference. According to affidavits released late Saturday, the woman he is alleged to have kidnapped and tried to kill escaped Friday night and helped authorities find Ortiz. All four victims were found in the same general rural area near U.S. 83 in the northwest part of Webb County. All four were shot in the head; one was a transgender woman. District Attorney Isidro Alaniz said all had worked as prostitutes. The first victim was Melissa Ramirez, 29, the mother of two. Her body was found Sept. 4 in the 300 block of Jefferies Road near the intersection of Texas 255, also known as Camino Colombia Road. An affidavit stated that Ortiz said he killed her Sept. 3. The second victim was Claudine Anne Luera, 42. A mother of five, she was found barely alive at about 7 a.m. Thursday near mile marker 436 of Texas 255, about a half-mile east of U.S. 83. She died at a hospital later that day. Friday, the affidavit stated, Ortiz picked up Erika Pena. When they stopped at a gas station, she began talking about Ramirez. Ortiz told investigators that he pulled out a pistol and pointed it at her. They struggled inside his truck and she ran out, making it to another gas station where she found a Department of Public Safety trooper and asked for help. After Ortiz was in custody, he gave investigators a statement detailing the shootings, the affidavit said. After Pena ran away, Ortiz told investigators, he picked up two people whose names werent released the affidavit identified them as Jane Doe and John Doe. He killed both. He picked up Jane Doe on San Bernardo Avenue, drove out of the city limits and told her to get out of the car at the Webb County Interchange Overpass, at mile marker 20 on I-35. He shot her multiple times in the head and left her body there, the affidavit stated. RELATED: Undocumented immigrant fatally shot by Border Patrol agent near Laredo Ortiz then picked up John Doe, also on San Bernardo Avenue, and again left the city limits, stopping near mile marker 15 on I-35. The affidavit said he told the man to get out of his truck, shot him once in the back of his head, and left his body behind the gravel pits at the mile marker. Jane Does body was found Friday night; the body of John Doe was found after Ortiz told officers where to look, the affidavit said. In a statement, Andrew Meehan, assistant commissioner for public affairs for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said his agencys Office of Professional Responsibility, the U.S. Border Patrol and the Homeland Security Departments Office of the Inspector General were fully cooperating with all investigators. Our sincerest condolences go out to the victims family and friends. While it is CBP policy to not comment on the details of an ongoing investigation, criminal action by our employees is not, and will not be tolerated, Meehan said. He referred questions about the investigation to authorities in Webb County and to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Ramirezs mother, Maria Cristina Benavides, said her daughter, a native Laredoan, had been caught up in drugs. Benavides had custody of her daughters two children, a 7-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy, at the family home in Rio Bravo, and her daughter stayed with them several days a week. She was always smiling, Benavides said. She loved her children and when she was here, she took good care of them. Lueras sister, Colette Mireles, said she also had been addicted to drugs and had been living on the streets for the past five years. Family members had custody of her five children. READ ALSO: LPD: Border Patrol agent arrested after pawning government-issued night goggles She was a happy-go-lucky person growing up, Mireles said, adding that her older sister had a contagious laugh, and always was free-spirited. Sadly, she was an addict, Mireles said. Her life took another turn. At least three other Border Patrol agents have been arrested in Laredo this year. In April, Border Patrol agent David Villarreal, 32, was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman, tampering with physical evidence and official oppression. An arrest affidavit alleged that he threatened to deport the woman if she did not have sex with him. He told Laredo police that the sex was consensual, the affidavit stated. He said the woman had become affectionate toward him. Villarreal remains on suspension without pay, the Border Patrol said. On April 9, supervisory Border Patrol agent Ronald Anthony Burgos-Aviles, 29, was accused of killing his alleged 27-year-old lover and the couples 1-year-old child. Police initially said the bodies of a woman and child were found in the brush by Bristol Road and Allen Drive, near Father Charles McNaboe Park, on April 9. The Border Patrol agent who reported that he had found the womans body, Burgos-Aviles, later was found to have known her and was identified as the main suspect, authorities said. He was indicted on two counts of capital murder June 27. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Burgos-Aviles has been suspended indefinitely without pay. Also in April, agent Luis Enrique Aranda, 24, was arrested in the pawning of his government-issued night vision equipment after he reported it as stolen to his supervisors. He was served with an arrest warrant in Eagle Pass, charging him with state jail felony theft, punishable by up to two years behind bars and a $10,000 fine. District Attorney Alaniz noted Saturday that Laredo is not the sleepy town that we all grew up in. This is the type of crime consistent with bigger cities, he said. Laredo is a big city. We are seeing more and more serious crimes. It can happen. People need to be careful. We need to look out for each other, report suspicious vehicles and suspicious behaviors. Staff Writers Maria Salas, Danny Zaragoza and Diana R. Fuentes and the Associated Press contributed to this report. The following companies are subsidiares of JinkoSolar: Canton Best Limited, Jiangxi Photovoltaic Materials Co. Ltd., Jinko PV Material Supply Sdn. Bhd., Jinko Solar (Malaysia) SDN BHD., Jinko Solar (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd., Jinko Solar Australia Holdings Co. Pty Ltd., Jinko Solar Canada Co. Ltd., Jinko Solar Co. Ltd., Jinko Solar Denmark ApS, Jinko Solar Import and Export Co. Ltd., Jinko Solar Japan K.K., Jinko Solar Korea Co. Ltd., Jinko Solar Technology SDN.BHD., JinkoSolar (Chuxiong) Co. Ltd., JinkoSolar (Chuzhou) Co. Ltd., JinkoSolar (Shangrao) Co. Ltd., JinkoSolar (Sichuan) Co. Ltd., JinkoSolar (Switzerland) AG, JinkoSolar (U.S.) Inc., JinkoSolar (U.S.) Industries Inc., JinkoSolar (US) Holdings Inc., JinkoSolar (Vietnam) Co. Ltd., JinkoSolar (Yiwu) Co. Ltd., JinkoSolar GmbH, JinkoSolar Hong Kong Limited, JinkoSolar International Development Limited, JinkoSolar Investment Limited, JinkoSolar LATAM Holding Limited, JinkoSolar Middle East DMCC, JinkoSolar Technology (Haining) Co. Ltd, JinkoSolar Trading Private Limited, Jinkosolar Household PV System Ltd., Poyang Ruilixin Information Technology Co. Ltd., Rui Xu Co. Ltd., Wide Wealth Group Holding Limited, Xinjiang Jinko Solar Co. Ltd., Yuhuan Jinko Solar Co. Ltd., Zhejiang Jinko Solar Co. Ltd., and Zhejiang Jinko Trading Co. Ltd.. By Robert Cohen / Ashland University Does blockchain technology have a place in the future of the agricultural supply chain? It is certainly starting to look that way. Agriculture has been on the leading edge of many technological advancements (for example soil health, irrigation, automation, GPS, UAVs). But the industry was slow to fully utilize internet and software applications, due in large part to the delayed access to adequate internet service in rural areas. But now factors seem aligned to greatly change the way agricultural commodities are grown, traded, and processed. What is blockchain? Blockchain is usually called a distributive ledger. Just like businesses keep a ledger that records all their transactions, the blockchain ledger is electronic, encrypted, and distributed out to a hundred or more servers or nodes that store the data. Each node stores an identical version of each transaction. And as more transactions take place each one is added on, just like stacking blocks. This creates a record of all transactions in the order that they occurred, stored so that all parties have access to the same information. This means that even if someone breaks into one of the computers and changes the data, all the other computers in the network would still reflect the accurate information. This gives an added layer of security to blockchain data. Blockchain started out around 2009 as a way of tracking bitcoin. Bitcoin is a form of currency that doesnt really exist in physical form. It can be bought and sold on the internet, and the transaction details are encrypted. This is why it is sometimes called cryptocurrency. To try to verify the transaction, buyers and sellers began putting a record of each transaction on multiple computers. And each new transaction created a new block of data that was stacked on the previous blocks, giving raise to the name blockchain. How can blockchain be used? But it soon become apparent that the blockchain technology used to track bitcoin transactions could be used for far more than that. Any time data has to be stored and verified, it is possible that blockchain technology could perform those functions. There are already efforts underway to use blockchain technology for tracking shipments, archiving vital records like birth certificates and death certificates, and maintaining medical records, export documentation, tax records, or medical prescriptions. How can blockchain be used in agriculture? One of the biggest uses of blockchain technology in agriculture is to facilitate the sale of agricultural commodities. For the last several years, GrainChain, based in South Texas, has been working on a blockchain platform that allows grain producers to contract with and sell directly to overseas buyers. These smart contracts allow farmers to get higher prices, more secure transactions, and quicker payments. By eliminating brokers and other intermediaries, farmers can get a higher price for their commodities by capturing the price markups that would typically occur along the traditional value-added supply chain. Just like in any blockchain transaction, the details of the sale show up in hundreds of servers or nodes as identical copies. So, it would be impossible for the buyer to dispute the terms of the sale. And the transaction results in payment to the farmer immediately upon delivery. Luis Macias, the founder of GrainChain has explained the process by saying that both farmers and buyers receive immediate payment through GrainPay utility tokens, which are backed by the U.S. dollar. The platform provides fast payment, full liquidity, fixed currency conversion rates, and fully transparent and traceable accounting. Particularly with food products, traceability is just as important as the security of the data. Earlier this year, Walmart and nine other companies announced creation of the Food Trust Blockchain, built by IBM. This platform enables all participants in the food chain to monitor, record, and store data about the movement and processing of food products. So, if there is contamination, it can quickly be identified within the food chain. This means that product recalls can be quicker and cover fewer products. Traceability time can be reduced from days down to seconds. Right now Food Trust tracks 1 million items in 50 different food categories. It will not be an easy process to convert many different recordkeeping systems (including paper ledgers still in use by some companies) to a distributive electronic ledger with access by all who have been given permission. But steps are being taken to bring this about. Food Trust offers a mobile app to better enable farmers, shippers, and processors to enter data into the blockchain. Frank Yiannas, Walmarts vice president of food safety, told the Wall Street Journal, A complete shift to blockchain by the food industry could take years. But it looks like things are heading that way. (Robert Cohen is a professional instructor in the Dauch College of Business and Economics at Ashland University. He also serves as a business adviser with the Braintree Business Development Center in Mansfield. Braintree is a nonprofit business incubation and entrepreneurship program serving high-tech high-growth startup companies in northeast Ohio.) Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category A Lip-lock? In 2014, a few websites had reported that Tamannaah was spotted getting intimate with actress Shruti Haasan during a party in Chennai. Some websites even went to the extent of saying that the two beauties had engaged in a lip-lock' during the said party. As expected, these reports spread like wildfire and created a great deal of buzz amongst the movie buffs. Tamannaah Reacts To The Controversy Needless to say, these reports proved to be a major embarrassment for the Baahubali actress and she ultimately decided to comment on the issue. While speaking about the controversy, she had dismissed all rumours of her locking lips with Shruti and made it clear .that she was not even present at the party in question. Her Exact Words "Wow! I seem to have an amazing personal life. First they linked me with Sajid Khan and now Shruti. I think after they ran out of boys that I was being linked to, now is the turn of actresses. Its definitely not true. Shruti and I laughed while speaking about it. I attended the event which happened in Chennai. I met Shruti. I dont know whose imagination this is but I wasnt even there for that particular party,"she had told Absolute India Tamannaah-Shruti Are On Good Terms Shortly thereafter, Tamannaah put the controversy behind her and moved on. Luckily this did not affect her rapport with Shruti. The ladies have maintained relatively cordial terms over the years. In fact, recently a photo of the BFFS' went viral and gave us friendship goals. On The Work Front.. Tamannaaah currently has the Telugu remake of Queen and Kanne Kalamane in her kitty. On the other hand, Shruti will next be seen in a Hindi film. She also has the delayed Saabaash Naidu in her kitty. Moving into new markets and seizing new opportunities has been a hallmark of CLSAs rise from humble beginnings as a broker in Hong Kong in 1986 to 1,800 employees in 20 cities worldwide. So it's in keeping with that tradition that Jonathan Slone, chief executive officer for the brokerage and investment group and long-term Asian banker, is keen to grab the opportunities that the Belt and Road offer the group. Theres a lot of opportunity out there, theres a lot of government-to-government stuff, and we would like to see more private money going out there as well, Slone told FinanceAsia during a wide-ranging... Tech Mahindra had said it would conduct a thorough probe after a former employee, just days after the Supreme Court decriminalising homosexuality, alleged harassment and discrimination by his then team manager in 2015. New Delhi: Tech Mahindra has sacked the employee who had been accused by a former employee of harassing and discriminating against him on grounds of sexual orientation, according to a tweet by the IT major. "@gauravpramanik, arising out of an investigation carried out in the matter, the concerned employee has been separated from the employment of the company with immediate effect," Tech Mahindra said in a tweet late Saturday. It further added that the company believes in diversity and inclusion, and condemns "discrimination of any kind in the workplace". This tweet was re-tweeted more than 400 times and liked over 900 times. Pramanik, in a statement, said: "The path to my vindication hasn't been easy over the past week. I have been abused, threatened, maligned and my character been questioned. But I knew it would have been this way all this while, and I was prepared for it to rain on me...However, I hadn't realised how mentally exhausting all of this was. Thank you to all who have supported me steadfastly". He added that he would like to know the steps that policy makers at Tech Mahindra are taking to ensure that such incidents don't occur in the future. "How are you, as an organisation going to put in place stricter and more stringent policies to keep a check on discrimination against sexual and religious minorities. How are you going forward with sensitising your employees about gender sensitivity? I would love to hear from their HR team in this regard," he said. Last week, Tech Mahindra had said it would conduct a thorough probe after a former employee, just days after the Supreme Court decriminalising homosexuality, alleged harassment and discrimination by his then team manager in 2015. In a recent mail written to his previous manager after the SC's landmark order, Gaurav Probir Pramanik had cited a 2015 incident where the manager concerned, during an address in a training room, had allegedly made "sweeping generalisation and stereotyping of someone's sexuality". Pramanik accused the manager of making "mocking judgements" on how his purported "effeminate" nature had affected his work. He also alleged that the manager made "a mockery out of a religious minority and a sexual minority" despite being a leader at a company that prides itself for inclusion and diversity. In his mail, Pramanik said that he had "promised" to write to the manager "the day IPC Section 377 was scrapped and being a homosexual in a country as great as India was legal". On 6 September, the apex court in a historic ruling had said that consensual gay sex is not a crime, while striking down a British era law that it said violates the right to equality. Tech Mahindra had faced online criticism after the former employee went public with the charges against his former team leader. Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra said the company is investigating the matter and "will ascertain the facts and see that the outcome is fair and just". He had also assured that the group celebrates diversity at workplace and "fairness and dignity" of an individual are enshrined in core value of the company. Turning the ship before it hits the iceberg In his reply to a query on the growing closeness between Nepal and China, Bipin Rawat said ties between nations change along with the global scenario. Pune: Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat on Sunday said countries like Nepal and Bhutan "have to be inclined towards India because of geography". In his reply to a query on the growing closeness between Nepal and China, Rawat said ties between nations change along with the global scenario. "Countries like Nepal and Bhutan have to be inclined towards India because of geography," Rawat said on the sidelines of the closing ceremony of the Bay of Bengal initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation-Field Training Military Exercise (BIMSTEC-MILEX). "Geography favours inclination towards India and as far as alliance (with China) is concerned, it is a temporary thing," he added. Citing the example of Pakistan and the US, the general claimed that the dynamics of ties between nations keep changing along with the scenario at the global level. "The best example of this is the relation between America and Pakistan. It is not the same as what it used to be 70 years ago. Therefore, we need not be bothered about all these issues. We need to concentrate on how to keep our country strong," he said. Rawat said the leadership in India believed in developing relations with its neighbours. "We are a bigger country and if we take the lead, everybody will follow suit. That is why we stepped into this (by organising the military exercise)," he said. He claimed that India looked at China as a competitor because of "economics". "They (China) are looking for a market and so are we. There is competition. Whoever does it better will win the race," Rawat said. Another senior army officer said any country desiring economic growth was bound to explore bilateral and multi-lateral ways of cooperation especially with a stronger nation like China. However, the countries that have taken financial assistance from China are realising that "nothing comes for free". "There is caution in the minds of those who have taken money from them (China) that nothing comes for free," he said. Addressing a press conference on Sunday evening, Rawat said terrorism was becoming a global phenomenon and India's neighbourhood was one of the most affected regions. "Particularly in our neighbourhood, all the BIMSTEC nations are affected by terrorism. Terrorists operate in a trans-national scenario. It is not that they do not have linkages with one another," Rawat said. "The purpose of MILEX 2018 is to coordinate on these issues, understand and learn from each other's best practices. Intelligence sharing is one of them," he said. On whether the issue of illegal immigration would be added to the BIMSTEC discussion in future, Rawat said it was not a new phenomenon. "Migration always happens from an economically weaker nation to a stronger nation. Therefore, equal growth is important. This phenomenon is not going to end unless there is equitable and good distribution of growth," said Rawat. Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said it was unfortunate that some countries were propagating the "good terrorism and bad terrorism" theory. "Unfortunately some countries look at it like that. They themselves are the victims of this menace. We must understand that terrorism is terrorism and we should unite and fight the menace," Bhamre said, adding that MILEX 2018 was a step in that direction. Earlier, Bhamre clarified that Nepal had participated in the exercise by sending its observers. "In all the previous summits they (Nepal) have participated. This time it was a military exercise and this is the same period when their command changed (a new General taking over as CoAS of the Nepal Army)," Bhamre said. "They (Nepal) have sent their observers so there was participation from them. We need not look at any other angle," the minister said. While contingents of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan took part in the week-long military exercise, Nepal and Thailand skipped it and sent observers instead. Among those who attended the closing ceremony at the Aundh Military Station here included Shahidul Islam, secretary general of BIMSTEC, services chiefs of BIMSTEC nations, and senior Indian military officers among others. The tactical drills showcased during the validation exercise included a hostage rescue drill by insertion of troops from helicopters, a room intervention as well as house-clearing drill as part of a "cordon and search" operation, a raid on a "terrorist hideout" and neutralisation of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The case came before the CIC as two RTI applicants could not get information about the usage of MPLADS fund of their respective MP. New Delhi: The Central Information Commission (CIC) has asked the offices of the Lok Sabha speaker and the Rajya Sabha chairman to device "legal framework" to ensure transparency, accountability, liability of parliamentarians and other organisations in the utilisation of funds under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS). In an exhaustive order running into 54 pages, the commission dwelt upon various aspects of MPLADS under which each MP is given Rs 5 crore annually to be spent on projects of choice in his or her constituency. Taking note of a report by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation that Rs 12,000-crore fund of MPLADS remained unspent, Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu recommended the offices of the Speaker and the Chairman to develop "legal frame" containing "specific duties and compulsory transparency obligations, definitions of breach of duties, prescribing rules and regulations, besides imposing liabilities for dereliction of those duties and breach of rules and regulations" related to funds. He said the framework may carry steps to curb issues such as assets claimed to have been created under MPLADS being untraceable, funds being used for private works of MP, ineligible agencies being recommended for work, diversion of funds to private trusts, and works recommended under MPLADS benefiting the MP or his relatives. Acharyulu also recommended that the framework may also include obligation of every MP to furnish information every year on the number of applications received, works recommended, works rejected with reasons, progress of works, and details of beneficiaries. He also recommended that the framework may include that every MP will have to submit a comprehensive report on MPLADS works after completion of his/her term to the chairman of Rajya Sabha or the speaker of Lok Sabha. Acharyulu said the report may include duty of an MP to inform the voters seeking such details under the Right to Information (RTI) Act and duty of parliamentary party to post the details on their pages in official websites and on web pages of the MP. He said the framework may have provisions for the secretarial staff of Parliament and the National Informatics Centre to aid and assist parliamentary parties in meeting these transparency obligation. "The commission recommends the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs to render necessary assistance to chairman of Rajya Sabha and speaker of Lok Sabha to develop legal frame for MPLADS as mentioned above and to make all parliamentary parties and MPs answerable and accountable for MPLADS funds as public authorities under the RTI Act to prevent MPLADS irregularities," he said. The case came before the CIC as two RTI applicants could not get information about the usage of MPLADS fund of their respective MP. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation told the applicants that it did not have mechanism of maintaining the constituency-wise and work-wise details and that these details can be accessed only from the district administration concerned. When the matter came up for hearing before the CIC, the ministry claimed that choosing a particular work was totally in the discretion of the MP concerned and that no authority could intervene, Acharyulu noted. "The officers or District Magistrates/Collectors of concerned districts wherein the MPLADS-related activity was taken up can provide statistical data as available with them," he noted, citing the ministry's submissions. The commission noticed that the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation does not have any information about the actual status of this work though it releases the funds, he pointed out. He directed the ministry to make necessary changes to publish MP-wise, constituency-wise and work-wise details, with names of beneficiaries, and reasons for delay, if any, after duly procuring from the sources holding such information including the district administration concerned to ensure its voluntary disclosure under Section 4 of the RTI Act. Noting that the CIC does not have jurisdiction over district administration which are under state governments but because the information under demand was concerning the progress of MPLADS, the panel has jurisdiction to that extent to seek from the authority which is holding it, he said. Exercising that power, the commission requires the district administration to furnish information about work-wise, MP-wise, year-wise progress of works regularly on its website or other means convenient to the ministry, MP concerned, parliamentary party, and the office of Parliament, he said. H Raja on Saturday engaged in a verbal duel with the policemen in Meiyyapuram village, calling the force as 'anti-Hindu' and 'highly corrupt.' BJP national secretary H Raja was booked by the Tamil Nadu Police after he reportedly picked a quarrel over an immersion procession of the idols of Lord Ganesh in Tamil Nadu's Pudukottai district. Raja purportedly called the policemen in Meiyyapuram village "anti-Hindu" and "highly corrupt" after they declined permission for taking out the idol procession through a particular route citing "a court order." Following the alleged incident, advocate R Sudha filed a complaint with the state Director General of Police. An FIR has been registered against Raja at Thirumayam police station in Pudukottai under legal provisions pertaining to promoting enmity between different groups, unlawful assembly, public nuisance,use of obscene words, preventing a public servant from discharging his duty and criminal intimidation. As the video of Raja arguing with policemen went viral on the social media, the Opposition DMK on Sunday demanded action against him. Meanwhile, the AIADMK government deprecated the BJP leader's remarks. DMK organising secretary RS Barathi, in a tweet on Sunday demanded that the Tamil Nadu government take legal action against Raja for his remarks against the policemen and the judiciary. Senior minister D Jayakumar condemned the outburst against police and said the government was considering taking action and consulting legal experts. He also expressed hope that the court would take action on its own against Raja for his remarks against the judiciary. Raja, meanwhile, addressing a meet ahead of a Ganesh Chaturthi procession in Tiruvarur district Sunday and said his remarks were "selectively edited" and being disseminated. He alleged that anyone who spoke in defence of Hindus were being targeted. In March, a row erupted after Raja said that statues of rationalist leader EV Ramasamy "Periyar" could be the next to be pulled down after a Lenin statue was razed in Tripura. He, however, sought to blame his Facebook administrator and expressed regret over the comments. With inputs from PTI Unconfirmed reports said people living on the top floor of six-storey building in Kolkata's Bagri market, managed to escape as soon as the fire broke out. Kolkata: A massive fire erupted early Sunday at the multi-storey building, which houses nearly 1,000 business establishments, in the congested Bagri Market in Kolkata. "No loss of life has been reported but two fire fighters suffered minor injuries during the operation to douse the blaze," the fire department said. "The market is around a kilometre away from the Writers' Building and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) office," a senior fire official said. Director general of West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services, Jagmohan, said it would take 24 to 48 hours to douse the blaze. "We need time to contain the flames as four to five floors of the building are completely engulfed in fire. The shops were stacked with inflammable materials like plastic toys, deodorants, fabrics and chemicals," he said. Thirty fire tenders have been pressed into service to douse the fire at the over 60-year-old building. "We are doing our best to tackle the situation. Initially, water was sprayed from outside. But now, we have managed to enter the building. Also, two firemen have received minor injuries during the operation," Jagmohan said. The fire which broke out around 2.30 am on the ground floor of the building on Canning Street quickly spread to the other floors. "As the area is very congested, we are finding it difficult to work. We are using ladders and gas cutters to enter the building through window grills. A forensic team will be visiting the site soon to ascertain the cause behind the incident," the senior fire official said. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who left for business summits in Germany and Italy around 9.45 am, told reporters at the airport, "Nobody is trapped in the building." Unconfirmed reports said people living on the top floor of the building managed to escape as soon as the fire broke out. Located near Burrabazar area - the commercial hub of the city - the six-storey building has as many entry gates. Fearing that the blaze might spread, people were also evacuated from adjacent buildings. A few shop owners alleged that fire officials took time to start the operation. Some were also seen trying to enter the building forcefully, but were stopped by police and fire department officials. Anil Mehta, one of the shop owners, said, "I have lost everything in the blaze. My store as well as the godown has been gutted in the fire." Mayor Sovan Chatterjee, who reached the spot along with senior police officers and Kolkata disaster management group (DMG) officials, told reporters that market authorities had not installed fire safety equipment despite warnings. "We have visited Bagri Market several times and asked the shop owners to take precautions. The fire department had also recommended steps in this regard. However, no such measures were taken," he said. Asked if he would take any action against the defaulters, the mayor replied in the affirmative. "The incident could have been averted if safety measures were taken on time. The market authorities will be held accountable for the blaze. As of now, we are trying our best but fire fighting operation is tough here because of the sheer number of buildings," he stated. Traffic restrictions have been imposed in the area. "Due to a fire incident, Rabindra Sarani in between Mahatma Gandhi (MG) Road and Podder Court and Canning Street in between Brabourne Road and Rabindra Sarani are closed to traffic," the Kolkata Traffic police department tweeted. Rohingya Muslim refugees fleeing persecution in Myanmar try to enter India for shelter through the Bangladesh border. Indore: The Border Security Force (BSF) has successfully prevented the influx of Rohingyas into India after they fled Myanmar, director general of the force KK Sharma said on Saturday. He was talking to reporters on the sidelines of an event at the BSF's Central School of Weapons and Tactics in Indore. "As you know, about eight to 10 lakh Rohingyas (after fleeing Myanmar) have entered Bangladesh. We have successfully prevented their illegal influx in the country (India)," Sharma said. The BSF chief said the Indian government was providing necessary support to Bangladesh on the Rohingya issue. "Bangladesh is dealing with this problem very well. Bangladesh has kept all Rohingya refugees on an island and is extending full support to them. In this case, the Indian government is also providing support to Bangladesh." The BSF guards the 41,000-kilometre-long border with Bangladesh. "They (Bangladesh) are trying at the international level to put a little pressure on the Myanmar government so that it (Myanmar) take its citizens (Rohingyas) back," Sharma stated. He, however, refused to reply to a question on recent statement of his in which he reportedly referred to West Bengal's stand, in the context of granting shelter to Rohingyas, as "slightly friendly". "I don't want to rake up the dispute by making any comment," Sharma said. The BSF director general said there was peace on the India-Pakistam border because of the general elections in Pakistan, but cases of ceasefire violations and the intrusions by militants from across the border have begun coming up. "Pakistan is our neighbour, for which we have to remain alert and take necessary steps," he said. Haryana Police made its first arrest in Rewari gangrape case, however, the accused named in the FIR an army personnel and two other youth are still absconding. Rewari superintendent of police Rajesh Duggal was transferred on Sunday and replaced by Rahul Sharma, the Superintendent of Police of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's security, even as the Haryana Police investigates the gangrape of a 19-year-girl in Rewari in Haryana's Mahendragarh district. Duggal will now lead a battalion of Haryana Armed Police in Hisar. Rewari Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajesh Duggal has been transferred, Rahul Sharma takes over as the new SP of Rewari. #Haryana ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2018 Amid calls for his resignation due to the poor state of law and order in Haryana, Khattar condemned the crime, saying it was unfortunate an army personnel was an accused in the rape case. Khattar, who had an event scheduled in Punjab's Jalandhar, cut short his visit and reached Chandigarh in the afternoon, official sources said. "Three accused have been identified. It's unfortunate they (the accused and the survivor) knew each other. It's even more unfortunate that one accused is an army personnel. A search is underway (for the absconding accused). We've announced reward of Rs 1 Lakh for information on them. They'll be nabbed soon," Khattar was quoted as saying by ANI. Sources said Khattar summoned the Director General of Police to his office to review the progress in the investigation. The chief minister directed the DGP to ensure arrest of all the accused at the earliest, sources said. The main accused named in the FIR an army personnel and two other youth are still absconding. However, the Haryana Police made its first arrest in the case of gangrape earlier on Sunday. The Special Investigation Team arrested a man identified as Deen Dayal, the owner of the tubewell where the girl was raped, on Sunday. Deen Dayal has been charged with criminal conspiracy as he is believed to have known that the three would rape the girl in the tubewell. On Saturday, investigators had released photographs of the three absconding accused. The army officer was identified as Pankaj, who is posted in Kota. The other two accused have been identified as Manish and Nishu. #Rewari gang-rape case: Rewari police has released photos of the three accused, Manish (pic 1), Nishu (pic 2) and Pankaj - an Army personnel (pic 3). #Haryana pic.twitter.com/RLbEatFGU5 ANI (@ANI) September 15, 2018 As pressure built on it to act swiftly, the police also arrested a registered medical practitioner, who first attended to the girl. The survivor's family had alleged that police had failed to take prompt action on their complaint and delayed action by citing jurisdiction issue between police units of Rewari and Mahendergarh districts. The girl, a school topper hailing from Rewari who had been felicitated by the government, was abducted at a bus stop in Kanina town in neighbouring Mahendragarh district on Wednesday while she was on the way to a coaching class, the police said. Besides the SIT, the Haryana Police had formed multiple teams to investigate the alleged Rewari gangrape. The police force had also announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for anyone who provides useful information to help catch the accused. The accused live in the same village in Rewari and they know the girl and her family, police said. On Saturday, the Superintendent of Police of Nuh, Nazneen Bhasin, who is heading the SIT investigating the case, met the survivor in a hospital in Rewari, where she is undergoing treatment. She said the girl's condition is stable, and also that a medical examination had confirmed rape. Lt Gen Cherish Mathson, who heads the South Western Command of the Army, had said in Jaipur Saturday that they would help the police in the probe. The survivor's father has said 8 or 10 men may have raped her but she could identify only three of them. With inputs from PTI The image drew condemnation in the Valley from separatists and human rights activists, who termed the incident 'barbaric'. The Indian Army has begun an inquiry to ascertain whether any of its Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) were violated after the picture of the body of a militant killed in an encounter being dragged went viral on Friday. The image drew condemnation in the Valley from separatists and human rights activists, who termed the incident "barbaric". On Thursday, three militants were killed in a joint operation by police and army at Kakryal in Jammu's Reasi district. The Northern Command of the Army is looking into whether its personnel violated the SOP. Army spokesperson Colonel Aman Anand said, Local headquarters has taken note of the incident. It is for them to ensure that SOP is followed and no violations occur. He added that there was a well established SOP that even when our own personnel get killed in encounters and we recover their bodies, they have also not to be handled with hands until we confirm that they are not booby-trapped. However, if anyone is found to have violated the SOP, they will be duly punished. Army officials said the SOP goes thus: Personnel don't go near the body until it is properly examined by the bomb disposal squad. A senior army official said, Bomb Disposal Squads (BDS) are deployed with Core of Engineers (CoE). There is at least a one regiment in an army division of 16 to 20 units. We have three army corps in Jammu and Kashmir and each corp has 4 to 5 divisions. Ideally, there should be no dearth of BDS. Army officials said it is being ascertained if the local army unit involved in the operation took help of the BDS after the encounter. The BDS is also deployed with a brigade, added the official. Human rights activist Mohammad Ahsan Untoo said at least three other such incidents have been reported in Kashmir which is a gross violation of human rights. State Human Rights Commission on Saturdayafter being alerted to the incident by Untooissued a notice to the Director General of Police (DGP) and asked him to file a reply within a time of four weeks. The notice was issued by SHRC member Abdul Hamid Wani after Untoo alleged that the body was desecrated. We have brought three other incidents to the notice of SHRC. Two years ago, two separate incidents were reported in Handwara in which the bodies of militants were dragged. Last year, a militants body was also dragged in Tral by army personnel, Untoo alleged. He added that the Geneva Convention prohibits any desecration of bodies. As per the Convention: Parties to the conflict shall, without delay, take all possible measures to search for and collect the wounded and sick, to protect them against pillage and ill-treatment, to ensure their adequate care, and to search for the dead and prevent their being despoiled. Whenever circumstances permit, an armistice or a suspension of fire shall be arranged, or local arrangements made, to permit the removal, exchange and transport of the wounded left on the battlefield. Likewise, local arrangements may be concluded between parties to the conflict for the removal or exchange of wounded and sick from a besieged or encircled area, and for the passage of medical and religious personnel and equipment on their way to that area. On Thursday, three militants were killed near Vaishno Devi University at Kakriyal in Reasia. At least six army, paramilitary and police personnel were injured in the gunfight. The army said the militants infiltrated from across the border and were proceeding towards Kashmir before they were killed. On Wednesday, the three militants opened fire on a police check post and were later trapped at Kakriyal. Firstpost has not been able to independently verify the veracity of the photograph. The victory for the United Left Alliances comes a day after violence marred the counting process on campus on Saturday. The United Left Alliancecomprising Left-leaning All India Students Association (AISA), Democratic Students Federation (DSF), Student Federation of India (SFI) and All India Students Federation (AISF)on Sunday swept the Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union elections with candidates from the coalition winning all central panel posts. The victory for the United Left Alliances comes a day after violence marred the counting process on campus on Saturday. The Left Alliance candidate for the presidential post, N Sai Balaji, maintained a steady lead since counting resumed on Sunday, eventually bagging 2,161 votes. ABVP's Lalit Pandey came second (982 votes), followed by BAPSA, RJD and NSUI. Speaking of his loss, ABVP's Pandey, said that they are taking the results as a win. Talking to News18, he said, "This is the win of our will. The Left had to form a coalition to defeat us. They had to come together to fight us." Even before all the votes were counted, celebrations erupted among the Left Alliance supporters on campus as they inched closer to victory. Cries of 'Lal Salaam' (red salute) rent the air and supporters were dancing to the beats of drums. With their faces smeared with red 'gulal', the students raised slogans of 'justice for Rohith' and 'justice for Najeeb'. Before the results were announced, Balaji asserted that the Left Alliance will fight against fund cuts and seat cuts if they won the elections. "Last year, we organised multiple protests against seat cuts and reservation cuts. However, we were attacked by the Delhi Police for the same," he added. "The people who accuse JNU of harbouring anti-national sentiments are themselves working against the country," he also said. For the JUNSU vice president's post, Left Alliance's Sarika Chaudhary won with 2,692 votes, defeating ABVP's Geeta Sri, who received 1,012 votes. Chaudhary won by 1,680 votes. In the polls to the general secretary's position, Left Alliance candidate Aejaz Ahmad clinched victory with 2,423 votes, while ABVP's Ganesh Gurjar had to settle for 1,123 votes. The Left won by a margin of 1,300 votes. Amutha Jayadeep, a Left alliance candidate, clinched the joint secretary's post with 2,047 votes, while ABVP's Venkat Chaubey received only 1,247 votes. Jayadeep won by 800 votes. Balaji is a student of JNU's School of International Studies. Chaudhary, Rather and Amutha belong to the School of Social Sciences. A total of 1,148 votes were polled in NOTA (none of the above) for the central panel. Counting of votes suspended on Saturday Counting of votes in the JNU students union polls was suspended for over 14 hours on Saturday by election authorities citing "forcible entry" and "attempts to snatch away ballot boxes" at the counting venue, after the ABVP staged protests claiming it was not informed about the start of the process. The counting, which was suspended at 4 am on Saturday, resumed at 6.30 pm the same day after two teachers from the Grievance Redressal Cell were appointed as observers for the exercise, officials said. The deadlock at JNU persisted till evening with the ABVP accusing the election authorities of bias towards the Left outfits and threatening to move court. President of ABVP-JNU unit Vijay Kumar had alleged that counting of votes was being done without adhering to the rules and had said the biased way of handling elections put a question mark on the election committee's neutrality. He claimed that their counting agents were not called by the Election Committee at the time of counting. The Election Committee, however, issued a statement saying it had made the announcement for counting agents to come and was following the rules. It said, "A malicious lie is being spread on social media and among students that the Election Committee had not made three announcements and went forth with the entry of the counting agents for post of Central Panel for combined schools and Special Centres." As per the established norms, no new counting agents can enter the counting venue, once the seal of the boxes is opened. "The Election Committee had to reject the request of new counting agents being allowed inside the counting venue. A few students had forcibly entered the building and reached the counting venue, thus we had to suspend the counting process," it said. The panel also claimed that their members, including women, faced intimidation. On Sunday, to ensure transparency of counting of votes, constant announcements are being made about the total vote count and the specific vote share for each candidate. ABVP, Left accuse each other of roughing up members The RSS-affiliated ABVP and the Left parties indulged in a blame game on Saturday as they accused each other of roughing up their members in the JNU with the Left even alleging that an attempt was made to kidnap one of their woman members outside the university. The ABVP claimed their members were assaulted between 5-6 pm by members of the Left bloc. "We were 25 in number and they were 250 in number. They assaulted one of our members and he is currently in a hospital. Some of their women members even tore the clothes of some of our women members," the ABVP claimed. This happened outside the School Of International Studies where the counting of votes for JNUSU took place. Meanwhile, the Left members accused the ABVP members of attacking them in the evening and making an attempt to kidnap them around 10.30 pm. "While coming from the police station after registering a complaint against the goons of ABVP who violently attacked us today, a car with four men from which two men with handkerchief tied on their face came with belt, started beating us from all corners," alleged a woman member of the Left bloc. She also claimed that they were armed. Meanwhile, the Left also alleged that ABVP members were stationed inside the campus armed with sticks, a charge denied by the ABVP. Fiery campaigning Ahead of the elections on Friday, it was a fiery presidential debate with candidates alleging that "anti-national" elements were present on the institute's campus and the country was turning into "lynchistan". In view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, JNUSU elections are vital in the political scenario of the nation. Requesting anonymity, some JNU students opined that the university is the core of youth politics and since many young leaders from JNU are currently contributing to national politics, the varsity election would also set the tone for the 2019 Lok Sabha election. During his presidential debate speech on Wednesday night, Balaji, now the JNUSU president-designate, had said that the country was turning into 'lynchistan'. "Mobs are allowed to kill people and get away with it as they have the backing of the RSS and the Central Government, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The country has been turned into lynchistan," he had said. "The year started with violence of Bhima Koregaon and we recently saw the arrests of activists and academics. This government is employing intimidating tactics. Here V-C is destroying the university, which the students have to reclaim," he said. Referring to the Supreme Court's order that decriminalised homosexuality, Balaji had said the "future is rainbow and not saffron". Lalit Pandey, the ABVP candidate, alleged that there were "anti-national" elements present on the campus and promised to "fix" them if voted to the post. The RJD candidate Jayant Kumarfirst time RJD fielded a candidate in JNUSU pollsmuch like the Congress-affiliated NSUI's nominee, Vikas Yadav, attacked the Centre over reducing funding for higher education, and lowering the number of seats at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and scuttling with its reservation policy. The Birsa Ambedkar Phule Student Association's (BAPSA) presidential candidate, Thallapelli Praveen, said his party represents the voice of students from oppressed classes on the campus. High voter turnout The voter turnout in the keenly contested JNUSU election was 67.8 percent, believed to be the highest in six years. Over 5,000 students cast their votes. "Since 2012, the elections are being conducted as per the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations. In the last six years, I have not seen such a high voting percentage," an official had said. Last year and in 2016, the voting percentage was 59 percent. In 2015, the voting percentage was 55 percent. In 2013 and 2014, the percentage hovered around 55 percent while in 2012, the voter turnout had reached 60 percent. With inputs from agencies and 101Reporters A civilian was killed and 10 others were injured Saturday in clashes between protestors and security forces following an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district, in which five militants including top Hizb-ul-Mujahideen commander Gulzar Paddar were killed Srinagar: A civilian was killed and 10 others were injured Saturday in clashes between protestors and security forces following an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district, in which five militants were killed, police said. Clashes broke out between groups of youths and security forces, who were engaged in the counter-militancy operation, at the Chowgam area of Qazigund in Kulgam, a police official said. He said security forces used tear smoke shells, pellets and opened firing to quell the protests. Over 10 persons were injured in the forces' action and they were taken to the district hospital in Anantnag for treatment, the official said. He added that out of those injured, six, including four with pellet injuries in the eyes, were referred to a hospital here, but one Rouf Ahmad, a resident of Chee in Anantnag, succumbed to injuries on the way near Sangam. Five Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) militants, including the one involved in the last year's deadly attack on a cash van in which five cops and two bank guards lost their lives, were killed in the encounter which began in the morning. Top Hizb-ul-Mujhaideen commander Gulzar Paddar was among the five militants who were killed on Saturday. Mayawati said the BJP is not leaving any stone unturned to derive advantage from the demise of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee Lucknow: Terming mob lynching in the name of cow vigilantism as a "blot on democracy", BSP supremo Mayawati on Sunday accused the BJP governments of laxity and indifference on the issue. "The increasing tendency of indulging in mob lynching in the name of cow vigilantism in the BJP-ruled states is a blot on democracy, yet the governments are exercising laxity and are being indifferent to it," Mayawati told reporters in Lucknow. "These activities of the BJP governments (against SC community, tribals, backwards, Muslims and Christians) are going on since inception and are result of the BJP's intention to go against the Constitution and maintaining a step-motherly relationship with the Constitution. This has been the part of the basic policy of the BJP, which has assumed alarming proportions after they came to power." Mayawati was speaking to reporters after she moved into her new residence vacating her sprawling bungalow on Supreme Court orders. Accusing the BJP of resorting to different diversionary tactics as 2019 Lok Sabha elections are approaching, Mayawati said the saffron party is making lucrative announcements and not leaving any stone unturned to derive advantage from the demise of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "...They never followed his (Vajpayee's) footsteps, when he was alive," she charged. The BSP supremo's statement assumes significance as Sunday marks completion of one month of death of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Mayawati said, "People of the country know that the campaign undertaken by the BJP and the RSS in the name of Vajpayee is an attempt to hide its failures. The BJP will not get any benefit from this. The people of the country now understand that none of the election promises made in 2014 Lok Sabha elections was fulfilled." Referring to demonetisation, Mayawati alleged it was implemented in an unplanned manner leading to "financial emergency". She claimed some persons also lost their lives due to the withdrawal of high value currency notes. "It exploited the labourers, farmers, small traders and hardworking people. Time has come to seek a report. The BJP has no consolation to offer to the people in the aftermath of demonetisation," Mayawati said. Guwahati : Another horrific mob lynching incident was happened in the north eastern region and now it happened in Manipur. A 26-year-old MBA student was lynched to death by a mob on suspicion of being bike thief. The incident took place at Tharoijam Awang Leikai under Lamsgang assembly constituency in Manipurs Imphal West district on September 13. According to the reports, the victim identified as Farooq Ahmed Khan, a MBA student from Lilong Haoreibi area in Thoubal district was attacked by a mob, when they were travelled in the area on September 13 morning. The mob had torched the car in which Khan and his two friends were travelling. Two others with Khan had managed to escape from the area. Locals alleged that, the youths were caught by the villagers when they were stealing a two-wheeler from the area. Meanwhile, Manipur police have registered a case under section 302,117 and 34 of IPC and arrested five people in connection with the incident. Manipur police said that, investigation is going on and 13 people who attacked the youth have been identified and will be arrested soon. On the other hand, different groups of the north eastern state have asked the state government to conduct a proper investigation into the incident. The Manipur Human Rights Commission has also registered a suo moto case and directed the Director General of Police of Manipur to submit a report by September 22. Earlier, a mob had attacked two people on suspicion of being child lifters in the state in July last. On June 8 last, the youths hailing from Guwahati were beaten to death by locals in the name of child kidnapper (locally called xupadhora) at Panjuri Kacharigaon village near Kangthailangso under Dokmoka police station in Assams Karbi Anglong district. The prime minister will visit Narur village, where he will interact with children of a primary school New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit his parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Monday, according to his office. He will reach Varanasi for a two-day visit on Monday afternoon. The prime minister will visit Narur village, where he will interact with children of a primary school, aided by non-profit organisation "Room to Read". Later, he will interact with students of Kashi Vidyapeeth and children assisted by them on the premises of Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW). On Tuesday, Modi will inaugurate or lay the foundation of various development projects, cumulatively worth more than Rs 500 crore, according to a statement by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). The event will be held at the amphitheatre of Banaras Hindu University (BHU). Among the projects to be inaugurated by Modi are Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) for Puraani Kashi and an Atal Incubation Centre at BHU. Among the projects for which the foundation stones will be laid is the Regional Ophthalmology Centre at BHU. The prime minister will also address a gathering, the statement said. In a series of tweets, the former finance minister also attacked the Narendra Modi government for allegedly failing to curb the flow of black money in the economy. New Delhi: Taking a dig at the BJP's claim that the Centre was looking at ways to arrest the hike in fuel prices, Congress leader P Chidambaram Sunday said the ruling party might have found a way to get "free" crude oil. In a series of tweets, the former finance minister also attacked the Narendra Modi government for allegedly failing to curb the flow of black money in the economy. While the Union government has asserted that it will not cut fuel prices, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah has claimed that the "Centre will soon arrest fuel prices", said Chidambaram in a tweet. "BJP must have found a crude oil source that will supply crude oil free!" he quipped. Shah had on Saturday blamed international developments for the rising petrol and diesel prices and dipping rupee value. Speaking at an event in Hyderabad, the BJP chief had said that the Centre was concerned about the rising fuel prices and will come out with a solution soon. Petrol price last week touched Rs 81.63 per litre in New Delhi and Rs 89.01 per litre in Mumbai. Diesel prices rose to Rs 73.54 per litre in Delhi and Rs 78.07 per litre in Mumbai. Attacking the government for its claims that black money has been wiped out by demonetisation and GST, Chidambaram cited Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat's statement that democracy was under threat from black money. "Government claims that demonetisation and GST have wiped out black money. CEC says democracy under threat from black money. Where is the black money coming from? Crisp new Rs 2000 notes?," he asked. Participating in a symposium here on Saturday, Rawat said use of black money, data harvesting and fake news were among the potential threats to democracy. A blanket ban on mechanised country boats since 11 September has left thousands of families stranded in some parts of Assam. Guwahati: A blanket ban on mechanised country boats since 11 September has left thousands of families stranded, in many cases separated from each other, in the char (sandbar) areas along the banks of the Brahmaputra. Known as bhutbhutis, these single engine country boats lacking basic safety features like life jackets, constitute the only available lifeline for around 31 million people spread across 14 districts and 2000 villages dotting the 3608 square kilometres sandbar area. With the region reeling under severe floods as it is, this latest ban following the death of two persons, with another two reported missing in north Guwahati, has left thousands of char villages without the only source of transportation for people and essential commodities to reach them. I had come to the town to sell vegetables on Tuesday, said Rahim Ali, a vegetable vendor who comes into Dhubri town every morning from his village Dewanir Khuwa, in a bhutbhuti. When we heard about the ban, I stayed back in Golakganj hoping that the ban would be lifted in a day or two. But I have not been able to return home. My children must be hungry. They also cannot come to town. We are stuck and separated. It is a common tale being heard not just in Dhubri but in other areas of Assam as well. According to the 2011 Census, Dhubri has the highest number of char areas consisting of 480 villages. The Brahmaputra, before entering Bangladesh, flows through this district, home to other unknown and unheard of char villages like Banshi, Purar Char, Nateenirnalaga, Brinda Khaowa, Saitanmari, Kalaibari, Sultamari and Majherchar. Hundreds of villagers have been stuck in these places for close to a week waiting for a boat take them into town, their only source of livelihood, as are the many stranded on the town side waiting for a boat to take them home. But there are a few boatmen defying the ban. We have to keep running the boat services, said Abdul Gani, a boatman at the Bahadurghat river port in Dhubri district, barely 50 metres from the deputy commissioners office. People have to go to work, buy food for their children. Otherwise how will they survive? asked Abdul Gani, whose overcrowded boat was about to leave the port for the char areas. The administration has said the ban will be in place till it is able to replace the single engine country boats with double engine ones, but is silent on the plight of villagers stranded in different villages and towns for the past five days. Most of these areas do not even have roads, said Illias Rahman Sarkar, a social activist in the district. How can you blanket ban the bhutbhuti services? A ban seldom solves a problem. You cannot keep a community under house arrest. Illias Sarkar explained that even in areas where there are roads, these are unusable due to the floods. Even the Border Security Force and Police still use the bhutbhutis to patrol the Brahmaputra, Illias pointed out, emphasising that the government should immediately provide safety jackets in these boats. How vital these bhutbhutis are for these char village families was highlighted by Reshma Khatun from Majherchar village, a 19-year-old student of Dhubri College, while getting into a boat in Bahadurghat. How will we survive if we do not take these bhutbhutis?, asked Reshma, one of the countless students from these villages, for whom the bhutbhutis are the only means of getting to their school or college in the towns. We were stuck in the char for four days. Today, after a wait of two hours and 25 minutes, I found this boat and attended my classes, said Reshma. The Dhubri district administrations response was typically bureaucratic. We are facing some problem because of the ban on boats, admitted Anant Lal Gyani, Deputy Commissioner of Dhubri. We will list and review all double engine boats and recommend that these be allowed. If the government approves, we will continue the service. How much time that will take was not mentioned, even as more districts report similar tales of separation and hardship. Like Nalbari district, where several people were seen waiting for a bhutbhuti at Mukalmuwa port, which is used by thousands of villagers to get to their homes in the char areas of Kurihamari, Bhangnamari, Kalarchar, Bhangonmari etc. One such hopeful is 21-year old Nurul Islam, a daily wage worker in Guwahati, 64 kilometres away. I came to Guwahati a week back, said Nurul Islam. I took a bus till Nalbari, but now I am stranded here. I need to go to Kurihamari char. A similar situation is seen in Goalpara district and its Kacharighat area, from where boats ply between Goalpara and Baghbor char area of Barpeta. Since the ban, empty boats can be seen parked alongside empty shops situated nearby. Usman Gani, a farmer from Baghbor char, who found himself stuck in Kacharighat, said: The port has been closed for the past eight days. I had taken a patient from Baghbor and am now unable to return. I have no money left. Nurul Ali, also waiting at the port said, In the morning, the char people come to the towns to sell vegetable, milk and poultry. On that income, we buy rice and go back to the villages. But all this has stopped for the past one week. I have no idea how to survive. Tinsukia district saw hundreds of students protest in front of the deputy commissioner's office demanding that the bhutbhuti service be restarted, especially from Guijaan to Laika where villagers in Rigbi and Phasidiya are facing food scarcity because of the boat ban. We have ten pregnant women in this village, said Sukreswar Tanti, a 50-year-old farmer of Rigbi village. If the boat service does not start in a day or two, we will face a big problem. With inputs from Epul Hussain from Goalpara and Shah Alauddin Ahmed from Nalbari (Syeda Ambia Zahan is a Guwahati-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com) They are being interrogated, Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia told reporters. Guwahati: The Assam Police arrested three persons for their alleged links with Hizbul Mujahideen militant Qamar-uz-Zama, who was arrested by Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad, a senior officer said on Sunday. They are being interrogated, Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia told reporters. The three, identified as Shahnawaz Alam, Saidul Alam and Omar Faruk, were arrested from Hojai, Udali and Byrnihat, along the Assam-Meghalaya border, respectively, on Friday and Saturday, he said. "The three persons had regular interaction with Zama and we are investigating the information provided by them (to him)," Saikia said. "We are also investigating Zama's visit to Assam earlier this year (including) the places he visited, the persons with whom he stayed, the purpose of his visit, among other aspects," he added. Shahnawaz had allegedly procured a mobile SIM card for Zama by furnishing a fake identity card, while Saidul is a close friend of the militant and had stayed with him in Kashmir. Zama allegedly stayed with Omar in Guwahati during his last visit. A resident of Assam, Zama was arrested on Thursday by Uttar Pradesh ATS following inputs from the National Investigation Agency that he planned to attack a temple in Kanpur during the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations and had conducted a recce. A team of Uttar Pradesh ATS will be reaching Hojai to interrogate the trio. India and Serbia on Saturday signed two agreements, including one on air services, as Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu met Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic. Belgrade: India and Serbia on Saturday signed two agreements, including one on air services, as Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu met Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic and held "fruitful" discussions with him on strengthening cooperation in a number of areas, including trade, defence and IT. Naidu, who arrived in Serbia on Friday, was welcomed by Vucic at the Serbia Palace. During the visit, the two sides signed agreement on cooperation in the field of plant health and plant quarantine and a revised Air Services Agreement. "These agreements will contribute to further enhancing bilateral economic ties," Vice-President's office tweeted. External affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted: New impetus to the partnership that is gaining momentum!Vice President @MVenkaiahNaidu & President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic led delegation level talks betwn 2 sides where fruitful discussion on food production,agriculture, pharmaceuticals,defense industry,tourism & IT followed. pic.twitter.com/uLDKprM4TT Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) September 15, 2018 The two leaders also discussed ways to strengthen economic cooperation and trade to expand the great potential of partnership between two countries, he said. "India is the largest global player in generic medicines and with the new Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy, we have the potential to become the largest drugs manufacturer and exporter in the world, including in the East European region," Naidu said. "We greatly appreciate the growing interest and increasing popularity of Indian culture, especially in yoga, ayurveda and homeopathy in Serbia," he said. Today India is one of the fastest growing major economies in the world, Naidu said as he invited Serbian companies to take advantage of the favourable trade and investment environment in India as well as major policy initiatives like Make in India, Smart cities, Digital India and Start-up India by participating in these programmes. "There is huge scope to promote collaboration in sectors like agriculture and food processing, science and technology, IT and electronics, pharmaceuticals, education and tourism," the vice-president said. The two leaders jointly presided over India-Serbia Business Forum meeting where leading businessmen were urged to explore new opportunities emerging in both the countries. The two leaders jointly released the postage stamp of Swami Vivekananda and Nikola Tesla, the great scientist from Serbia to commemorate 70 years of India-Serbia diplomatic relations. Earlier, Naidu was accorded a ceremonial welcome by Vucic. On Friday, Naidu interacted with the Indian community in Belgrade and asked them to be part of India's growth story. BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said there should be an independent inquiry to ascertain if there was any conspiracy or sabotage behind the massive blaze in Kolkata's Bagri market Kolkata: The opposition BJP and the Congress on Sunday blamed the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) for its failure to prevent incidents of fire in multi-storey buildings, and demanded an immediate probe into the blaze that gutted the congested Bagri Market in Kolkata. BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said there should be an independent inquiry to ascertain if there was any conspiracy or sabotage behind the massive blaze that ravaged over 1,000 business establishments in the market on Canning Street area. "A proper independent probe should be instituted into the fire incident to cover all aspects, including the conspiracy or sabotage angle," Ghosh said. He said incidents of fire have been on rise in the city as the police and administration are "turning a blind eye to violation of fire safety norms", since the time of the erstwhile Left Front government, which the Mamata Banerjee regime, too, has failed to change. Ghosh said a BJP team, led by its national secretary Rahul Sinha, will visit the Bagri Market and talk to the traders. West Bengal Congress President Adhir Chowdhury said, "Mamata Banerjee wanted to turn Kolkata into London, but everything has turned topsyturvy under her government, with the recent Majerhat bridge collapse and this devastating fire incident." The Opposition also alleged negligence on the part of the state government to monitor the condition of bridges in the state on a regulars basis. BJP leader Michael Lobo said that the party emissaries visiting Goa to assess the political situation in the state against the backdrop of the failing health of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar would ask allies GFP and MGP to become part of the saffron party Panaji: The BJP leaders from Delhi who are visiting Goa on Sunday to assess the political situation in the coastal state against the backdrop of the failing health of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, will ask the alliance partners of the saffron party to consider a merger with it, a senior leader said here on Saturday. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Michael Lobo, who is the deputy speaker of the Goa Assembly, told PTI that the party emissaries would suggest to allies Goa Forward Party (GFP) and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) that they should become part of the saffron party. "Right now, our main focus is on increasing the strength of the BJP from 14 to 17 on the floor of the House," Lobo said. BJP national general secretaries Ramlal and BL Santhosh would be arriving here on Sunday afternoon, he added. "A proposal will be made to the GFP and MGP, asking them to merge with the BJP. Only after that, we will take up issues such as who will be the next chief minister or who will take over the charge or anything related to it," Lobo said. Parrikar (62) was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on Saturday morning. He had undergone a three-month-long treatment in the United States for a pancreatic ailment earlier this year. The GFP and MGP have three MLAs each and are supporting the BJP-led government in Goa. GFP president Vijai Sardesai was not available for comments, but MGP chief Deepak Dhavalikar ruled out a merger with the BJP. "There is no question of a merger. We are not interested in a merger. It will never happen. We have built the party over several years and it is the hope for the future of Goa's politics," he said. "We have a 12-13 percent vote share in the state, so where is the question of merging?" Dhavalikar asked. Earlier on Saturday, the MGP had said it was "high time" Parrikar handed over the charge to the senior most minister in his cabinet during his absence. Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi wondered if the 'contamination of the voter lists' was why the KCR government prematurely dissolved the Telangana Assembly. New Delhi: Accusing the Telangana government of trying to vitiate the upcoming Assembly polls by "manipulating voters lists", the Congress on Sunday demanded the Election Commission's (EC) intervention for verification and sanitisation of electoral rolls. Alleging that as many as 70 lakh names in the electoral lists have been manipulated, Congress MP wondered if the "contamination of the voter lists" was the reason behind the K Chandrashekar Rao government prematurely dissolving the Telangana Assembly to swing elections in their favour. "Rao rushed to announce the dates for the Telangana Assembly elections and deliberately chose to ignore the numerous discrepancies in the voter lists which disenfranchise lakhs of eligible voters and completely erode the integrity of the elections, whenever they are conducted," Singhvi told the media here. "It is clear that the caretaker Chief Minister of Telangana is sacrificing the integrity of the elections for the sake of his petty political ambitions." Singhvi said that an inquiry by the party has revealed that at least 30.13 lakh duplicate voters exist on the electoral rolls published by the EC on 10 September. He also said that close to 20 lakh voters in Telangana have been deleted from the rolls between 2014 and 2018. "When we raised the issue with the EC, we were told that the reduction (of 20 lakh voters) was largely due to voter migration from Telangana to Andhra Pradesh following the bifurcation. "However, it has since been found that even in Andhra Pradesh, there has been a reduction of close to 17 lakh voters. If in fact, a migration of such a large number had taken place, shouldn't there have been a corresponding increase in the number of voters in Andhra Pradesh?" asked Singhvi. Pointing out further discrepancies in the electoral rolls, the Congress leader claimed that close to 18 lakh names featured in both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana electoral rolls. He asserted that the elections held on the basis of the "deeply and deliberately flawed and inaccurate" voter lists would undermine the entire process and lead to a distorted mandate. "By dissolving the Assembly early, Rao has interfered with the process whereby these discrepancies and inaccuracies would have been corrected. After publishing the revised electoral roll on September 10, the public and other political parties have been given a mere four weeks to identify and highlight these issues. This is a travesty," said Singhvi, urging the EC to intervene in the strongest possible manner. Election strategist Prashant Kishor will likely join the JD(U) at a meeting in Patna on Sunday. Election strategist Prashant Kishor joined JD(U) at the party at a meeting in Patna on Sunday. Kishor, who has recently said that he would not campaign for anyone in the 2019 elections, was formally welcomed by senior members of the party including chief minister Nitish Kumar at the state executive meeting being held at the chief minister's residence. Election strategist Prashant Kishor joins JDU in the presence of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna pic.twitter.com/UAkF3df2ee ANI (@ANI) September 16, 2018 Kishor's entry in JD(U) is likely to give a new direction to the party's plans for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Citing sources, NDTV said that Kishor may be tasked with brokering peace between the chief minister and Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD, but the plan has not materialised yet as Tejashwi Yadav, who is handling the party in his father's absence, is against it. According to Times of India, the ongoing JD(U) state executive meeting featuring leaders from Bihar, will "focus on issues related to seat-sharing among NDA partners, its preparedness for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls chalking out strategies on how to spread message about the good works of Nitish-led government among the masses". Kishor is also attending the meeting. Kishor started his career as a public health expert and worked for the United Nations. A few days ago, Kishor had said that he had worked enough with the leaders and would now like to go to grassroots and work with the people. He had also then denied media reports that he is joining politics. "In 2019, you would not see Prashant Kishor campaigning for anyone in the manner and form in which I have been campaigning in last 4-5 years," he had said while adding that IPAC will continue as an organisation which, he said, had become about 20 times bigger than what it was in 2015. The 41-year-old former UN official also said he want to go back to grassroots either in Gujarat or Bihar. Kishor, who formulated the election strategy for Prime Minister Modi in the 2014 elections, said he never met Modi after he left Prime Minister's Office in March 2015 till last year when the prime minister called him when his mother was on the deathbed. Since then he had been meeting and talking to Modi. He, however, ruled out working with him again. Kishor has also worked with Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and the Congress party. He said that after the Uttar Pradesh elections, he took up the assignment with YSR Congress party's YS Jaganmohan Reddy as he had made a commitment earlier. With inputs from agencies Guwahati : A horrific mob lynching incident was happened in Manipur, where a 26-year-old muslim youth was lynched to death by a mob on suspicion of being bike thief. The incident took place at Tharoijam Awang Leikai under Lamsgang assembly constituency in Manipurs Imphal East district on September 13. According to the reports, the victim identified as Farooq Ahmed Khan, a MBA student from Lilong Haoreibi area in Thoubal district was attacked by a mob, when they were travelled in the area. The mob had torched the car in which Khan was travelling. Two others with Khan had managed to escape from the area. Locals alleged that, the youths were caught by the villagers stealing a two-wheeler. Meanwhile, police had arrested five people in connection with the incident. Manipur police have registered a case under section 302, 117 and 34 of IPC. Giriraj Singh's comment comes hours after he triggered a controversy by tweeting that the country might witness another partition in 2047. New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union minister Giriraj Singh on Sunday said that the government must formulate a law to curb the population if it has to save "India's democracy from the growing divisive forces". "The population of the country in 1947 was only 33 crores. However, it has gone up to 135 crores in 2018. The Hindu population is witnessing a sharp decline. Neither social equitability nor any kind of development is possible if the population is not brought under control," Singh told ANI. "Most countries, apart from a few, have a law regarding population control. In India, it had not been possible because of vote bank politics. In order to save the democracy, there has to be a law," he added. Singh's comment comes hours after he triggered a controversy by tweeting that the country might witness another partition in 2047 akin to that of 1947, on grounds of religion. "The country was divided in 1947 on the basis of religion. A similar situation will happen in 2047. In 72 years, the population has gone up from 33 crore to 135.7 crore. The population explosion of divisive forces is dreadful. At present there is an uproar over discussion on (Article) 35A. It will become impossible to even mention about Bharat in the times to come (sic)," his tweet read. In July, Singh accused Congress president Rahul Gandhi of conspiring to divide the nation and influencing the Muslim intellectuals to do the same. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) has mounted pressure on alliance partner BJP for giving it a 'respectable number of seats' under the NDA umbrella. Patna: The Janata Dal (United) on Sunday said that talks on seat sharing among alliance partners in Bihar for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls are in the final stages and will be announced soon. The JD(U) has mounted pressure on alliance partner BJP for giving it a "respectable number of seats" under the NDA umbrella, which also comprises Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and Upendra Kushwaha's Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP). "Our national president (Nitish Kumar) today (on Sunday) made it clear at the state executive committee meeting in Patna that talks on seat sharing for the Lok Sabha polls are in final stages. The announcement will be made soon at the top level," JD(U) national general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Ram Chandra Prasad Singh told reporters. The state executive committee meeting, which was convened to strengthen the party's organisational structure in view of the 2019 polls, was attended by Bihar ministers, district presidents, office bearers and members of the committee. The Bihar chief minister gave necessary directions to office-bearers to strengthen the JD(U) right from the panchayat level ahead of the general elections next year. In his address, the JD(U) chief said his party is not "caste-based" but is "work-based". Kumar said his party's workers must realise their potential and asserted that the JD(U)'s strength will increase in the Lok Sabha polls. He also said the party would return to power with a thumping majority in the state Assembly elections, a release issued by the JD(U) said. The meeting, which lasted for four hours, was attended by national general secretary KC Tyagi and poll strategist Prashant Kishor, who joined the JD(U) on Sunday, and was seated next to Kumar. Asked whether Kishor will be inducted in the Nitish Kumar cabinet, the expansion of which is on the cards, Ram Chandra Prasad Singh said "It is the prerogative of the chief minister as to when the cabinet expansion will take place and what will be its size." On the issue of reservation for upper castes, he said the criteria for giving reservation is based on social and educational backwardness in the Constitution, and unless this criteria is changed, it (giving upper-caste members quota on economic basis) will not sustain the judicial scrutiny. Singh added that the party would facilitate training programmes for its 80,000 booth-level agents in due course, besides holding political conferences at district levels in coordination with the party's 30 cells. Rahul will arrive by aircraft at around noon on Monday Bhopal: Congress president Rahul Gandhi will on Monday launch his party's campaign in the poll bound Madhya Pradesh, known to be a BJP bastion, from Bhopal, where posters have come up describing him as a devotee of Lord Shiva. He will take part in a roadshow and also address party workers during his day-long visit to the state capital. Rahul will arrive by aircraft at around noon on Monday. He will then embark on a 15-kilometer-long roadshow from Lalghati Chowk, located close to the airport, after seeking the blessings of more than 11 Hindu priests, state party spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi told PTI on Sunday. Rahul's roadshow, in which he will ride an open vehicle, will conclude at Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd's Dussehra Maidan, where he will interact with party cadres, he added. "A T-shape ramp has been constructed near the stage from where Rahul is going to take questions from party workers and interact with them," Chaturvedi said. Besides, he is going to address a meeting of Congress workers, which is open to public, before leaving in the evening, he added. "We are upbeat as our leader is coming to launch the election campaign," Chaturvedi said. Ahead of the visit, the main Opposition party has put up posters and banners in Bhopal describing the 48-year-old Congress chief, who just returned from a pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar, as a 'Shiv bhakt'. As part of the pilgrimage, devotees undertake an arduous journey to Mount Kailash, which is considered the abode of Lord Shiva in Hindu mythology. Security has been tightened in the city in view of Gandhi's visit, Bhopal Inspector General (IG) of Police Jaideep Prasad said. "We have got an extra force of 1,500 policemen who have already been deputed," he said. Asked about the possibility of protests during Rahul's visit, Prasad said they have not yet received any inputs in this regard. "All steps are being taken to maintain law and order. I am personally monitoring the security arrangements and the routes Gandhi is going to pass through," he said. Congress workers are arriving in Bhopal from all over the state to welcome the party chief and take part in the meeting. "We are expecting more than one lakh Congress cadres in the state capital," a police officer said. Meanwhile a BJP leader said party chief Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend a function in Bhopal on 25 September. Earlier, a visit by Shah to Ujjain district on 12 September was put off. "It was a tentative programme of Shahji that has been postponed as he along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to grace a function on 25 September," state BJP spokesperson Rajnish Agrawal said. Preparations are underway to make the 25 September event a huge success. So the 12 September event was put off, he added. Asked whether Shah had deferred his Ujjain visit to avoid the ire of upper caste organisations, Agrawal replied in the negative. On 6 September, some upper caste groups called for a 'Bharat Bandh' against Parliament approving amendments in the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act after some of its provisions were read down by the Supreme Court. Four days ahead of the bandh, members of an anti-quota organisation had allegedly hurled a slipper at Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan during a public meeting in Sidhi district and showed him black flags. Some media reports have suggested that the BJP is exploring alternatives for the chief minister's position in Goa till Manohar Parrikar gets well. Panaji: A three-member team of central observers of the ruling BJP arrived in Goa on Sunday afternoon to take stock of the political situation in view of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's indisposition, even as the Congress said it is watching the developments. Parrikar, 62, has been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi for treatment. Some media reports have suggested that the BJP is exploring alternatives for the chief minister's position in Goa till Parrikar gets well. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sent its national general secretaries BL Santhosh and Ram Lal and Goa in-charge Vijay Puranik to assess the situation in the state, where the party came to power with the support of regional outfits and Independents. "They will be holding a series of meetings on Sunday and Monday with BJP leaders and also the alliance partners the Goa Forward Party, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and the Independents," BJP state chief Vinay Tendulkar told reporters. The central observers met the party's legislators as well as Goa unit chief Vinay Tendulkar and Member of Parliament (South Goa) Narendra Sawaikar at a city hotel on Sunday. Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, after the meeting, said that he had given his views about the current political situation and it was now for the party to take a decision. Rane, however, refused to divulge details of the meeting. "We have briefed them about the facts. Each one of us has our own views and we briefed them about it. It is not right to come out in public with what we discussed," he said. Deputy Speaker of State Legislative Assembly Michael Lobo told reporters that the meeting was centred around the functioning of the government and Parrikar's ailment. "The observers sent by the party high command are monitoring the situation. Let them report to the high command and come back to us with a solution to the problem," Lobo said. On being asked about what the problem was, the deputy speaker said, "There is no problem in the party. Right now, the chief minister is not well, that is the problem," he said. The observers are expected to meet leaders of the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), allies in the Parrikar government, later Sunday, party functionaries said. Lobo had told PTI on Saturday that the party emissaries will suggest the allies that they should become part of the saffron party. "A proposal will be made to the GFP and the MGP, asking them to merge with the BJP. Only after that, we will take up issues such as who will be the next chief minister or who will take over the charge or anything related to it," Lobo had said. The BJP currently has 14 legislators in the 40-member assembly while the GFP and the MGP have three each. The saffron party is also supported by three Independents. The Opposition Congress has 16 MLAs while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has one legislator. The Congress said on Sunday it was watching the developments and may explore the possibility of forming government in Goa but "not by compromising the state's interest". "Our stand is very clear. We will definitely explore all possibilities but that does not mean that we will do it by compromising the ideology or the interest of Goans," All India Congress Committee secretary A Chellakumar, who is also Goa in-charge of the party, said. "We are not in a hurry to capture power by compromising the interest of the people of Goa. The Congress is accountable to the people," he said. Chellakumar said his party was watching the developments in the state. "All our MLAs are together. We are watching what is going on in the ruling camp. The internal bickering has already started. The cabinet ministers have started throwing stones at each other," he said. The Congress leader said all legislators in Goa, cutting across party lines, should take a stand for the sake of the state. Parrikar was admitted to the AIIMS on Saturday morning. He had undergone a three-month-long treatment in the United States for pancreatic ailment earlier this year. The MGP had said on Saturday it was "high time" Parrikar handed over the charge to the senior-most minister in his cabinet during his absence. This is BJP chief Amit Shah's second visit to Rajasthan in a month ahead of the Assembly elections in the state later this year. Pali: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Sunday said that the Congress ruled India for 70 years but failed to give the poor and the backward people their due. Addressing the Other Backward Classes Sammelan, the first rally on day one of his three-day visit to poll-bound Rajasthan, Shah said: "Congress president Rahul Gandhi's great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru, grandmother Indira Gandhi, father Rajiv Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi ruled India for 70 years. Yet they did not give the poor and the backward people their due rights." The BJP chief also accused the Congress of suppressing the backward classes and said that it was the National Democratic Alliance government that passed the backward class commission for the welfare of the concerned section. Shah added that the Congress party wants to keep the illegal immigrants in the country, while the BJP has pledged to weed them out. "The Congress party wants to keep infiltrators in the country, whereas we have pledged to evict each and every infiltrator from India," he said. Shah's remark came on the ongoing controversy on the release of the second and final draft of the National Register of Citizens in Assam, which left out the names of nearly 40 lakh people. Ever since the final draft was released, the Opposition has been cornering the Centre for the exclusion of the applicants from the list. This is the BJP chief's second visit to Rajasthan in a month. On 11 September, he had addressed four programmes in Jaipur. Rajasthan is slated to go for polls later this year. The BJP is positioning itself as the force that will liberate Hyderabad State, which is pretty much modern-day Telangana, from the rule of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi The BJP is on a casting spree in Telangana. Its pre-election production in India's youngest state borrows liberally from the events surrounding the liberation of Hyderabad on 17 September, 1948. The kingdom of Hyderabad joined the Indian Union 13 months after India gained independence. This was made possible through 'Operation Polo', mounted by the Indian forces that marched into Nizam's territory. Taking its hero worship of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel a step further, the BJP is positioning itself as the force that will liberate Hyderabad State, which is pretty much modern-day Telangana, from the rule of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). In the BJP's book, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the modern-day Sardar Patel. India's first home minister was against giving Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam of Hyderabad, an extended reign. Khan wanted to remain an independent monarch, a proposition unacceptable to New Delhi. This political posturing features TRS chief and Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekar Rao as the modern-day Nizam, underlining his inclination to live in luxury: the chief minister's official residence-cum-office built at a cost of Rs 40 crore cited as a case in point. On Saturday, BJP chief Amit Shah pointed to KCR ruling from his palatial bungalow instead of going to the official Secretariat, suggesting a monarch-like mindset. Incidentally, on previous occasions, KCR has admitted to admiration for Mir Osman Ali Khan, refuting the view of many historians that the Nizam was a tyrant. The third important character in the BJP script is Asaduddin Owaisi, who Shah indirectly called a "modern-day Razakar''. This is a deliberate attempt to sully the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) chief as the man who headed the Razakars, a private militia of sorts, who was a lawyer from Latur called Qasim Rizvi. The Razakars were initially set up as a volunteer force (Razakar means volunteer in Arabic) but under Rizvi, it took to crushing any dissent against the Nizam by the freedom fighters. They wanted the Nizam's rule to continue and despite warning that it could result in bloodshed, took on the Indian forces between 13 and 17 September, 1948. Historian Mohammed Safiullah, an authority on the rule of the Nizam, pointed out that the precursor to the modern-day MIM was the Majlis-e-Ittehad Hyderabad (MIH). "It was founded in 1927 as a religious and cultural outfit. The MIH was also a counterpoint of sorts to the Hindu outfits such as the RSS, which was founded in 1925,'' says Safiullah. In 1944, after the death of its leader Bahadur Yar Jung under suspicious circumstances due to poisoning at the age of 39, the reigns of MIH passed on to Razakar leader Qasim Rizvi. After Operation Polo, Rizvi was arrested. He was released in 1957 on the condition that he would migrate to Pakistan. The leadership of the MIH, now rechristened as MIM, passed on to Abdul Wahed Owaisi, Asaduddin Owaisi's grandfather. This is how the Owaisis and the MIM are linked to the brutal Razakars. The BJP is keen to take advantage of the MIM leader in the Telangana Assembly, Akbaruddin Owaisi's recent comment asking why it should be presumed that only KCR will become the chief minister of Telangana and why the post cannot be held by one of them. Though MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi clarified that his party supports KCR, the BJP is keen to exploit Owaisi junior's desire to be the HD Kumaraswamy of Telangana. The BJP's messaging is that it is time to dethrone the "new Nizam", lest his friendly ally "the descendants of the party of the Razakars'' rule Telangana. It helps the BJP cause that 17 September falls in the run-up to the elections in Telangana, when it will be seventy years since the liberation of Hyderabad and assimilation into the Indian Union. Accusing KCR of not celebrating Hyderabad Liberation Day as a State function because of MIM pressure, Amit Shah has promised to do so if the BJP comes to power. In any case, the idea is to make it an election issue. The hope is that the MIM versus BJP polarisation, especially in pockets with a significant Muslim population, will fetch electoral dividend. But it won't be so easy. KCR is more Hindu than most leaders of the BJP, given to great belief in astrology and numerology and performing extensive pujas to Hindu deities. And despite Shah's denials, there is a suspicion that the BJP leadership has struck a deal with KCR, looking at a post-poll relationship in 2019. The BJP's attack on KCR is seen as a ploy to splinter the Opposition vote, benefitting the TRS in the bargain. KCR would also prefer a reasonably strong BJP in Telangana to act as a foil to the Congress which is the principal Opposition party in the state. During Khan's reign, it used to be said about him that Hindus and Muslims are like his two eyes. The joke doing the rounds in Telangana is that for KCR, the MIM and the BJP are like his two eyes. The Congress offers to form a stable government in Goa after Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar undergoes treatment in New Delhi. The Congress is exploring the possibility of forming government in Goa, with differences emerging between the BJP and its alliance partners Goa Forward Party (GFP) and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) over whether an ailing Manohar Parrikar should retain the chief minister's post. All India Congress Committee secretary A Chellakumar on Sunday said his party was looking into the possibility of forming government in Goa. Our stand is very clear. We will definitely explore all the possibility but that does not mean that we will do it by compromising the ideology or compromising the interest of Goans, he said, adding, We are not in a hurry to capture the power by compromising people of Goas interest. Congress is accountable to the people." The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee, unit of Indian National Congress in Goa, has also appealed to state Governor Mridula Sinha to give the Congress an opportunity to form a stable government in the state. A statement was issued by Goa Pradesh Congress Committee's president Girish Chodankar, which said, "The Congress has never hesitated to play the role of a constructive and effective Opposition, but we will not hesitate to come forward and take responsibility to form a government. We have already cautioned Honorable Governor Her Excellency Dr Mridula Sinha about a possible ploy by the BJP to fraudulently impose President's Rule in Goa, through the back door." It added, "We urge her (Governor Sinha) once again, that the Congress should be given an opportunity to form a stable government in Goa, in view of the prevailing political chaos in the state." BJP seeks merger of allies in Goa This comes amid reports of BJP exploring the possibilities to merge its alliance partners GFP and MGP with the saffron party. BJP leader Michael Lobo, who is the deputy speaker of the Goa Assembly, told PTI that the party emissaries, who are travelling to the state to assess the political situation amidst falling health of Parrikar, would suggest its allies GFP and MGP that they should become part of the saffron party. "A proposal will be made to the GFP and MGP, asking them to merge with the BJP. Only after that, we will take up issues such as who will be the next chief minister or who will take over the charge or anything related to it," Lobo said. The GFP and MGP have three MLAs each and are supporting the BJP-led government in Goa. 'No question of merger' While on one hand Lobo said that the BJP leaders would suggested its alliance partners GFP and MGP to merge with it, MGP chief Deepak Dhavalikar ruled out a merger with the saffron party. "There is no question of a merger. We are not interested in a merger. It will never happen. We have built the party over several years and it is the hope for the future of Goa's politics," he said. "We have a 12-13 percent vote share in the state, so where is the question of merging?" Dhavalikar asked. Earlier on Saturday, the MGP had also said it was "high time" Parrikar handed over the charge to the senior most minister in his Cabinet during his absence. Congress criticises Parrikar for not handing over charge Besides, MGP, Congress has also criticised Parrikar, who is admitted at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi on Saturday, for not handing over the charge of the administration to any of his Cabinet colleagues. Chodankar said in the statement, "Goa Pradesh Congress Committee is keenly watching the political developments unfolding in Goa while Chief Minister Parrikar is being rushed to AIIMS in Delhi for treatment." The Congress further claimed that the greed for power of the BJP and its allies stands exposed. "We would also like to remind the people of Goa, that their well-being is the last thing on the minds of the ruling political parties who are unleashing the ugly game of power and clamouring for their benefit. The greed for power of the BJP and its allies is exposed to the fact that they can't even give charge to a trusted lieutenant in the absence of chief minister," the statement reads. The Congress also accused the BJP of creating a mess in Goa over last 16 months. The Congress Committee said, "While we sympathise with the chief minister as far as his health is concerned, his act of snatching away the mandate given to the Congress in the 2017 Assembly elections and his total mismanagement of all major issues in Goa, including mining, formalin, food adulteration, pollution, casino, unemployment, etc, have already driven Goa to the edge." "No one in Goa is happy, BJP is not happy, allies are not happy, the people of Goa are unhappy, bureaucrats and government officers are unhappy, even the chief minister and ministers are unhappy. This happens when you don't respect people's mandate. BJP and its allies should take up the responsibility for this mess created in Goa over the last 16 months," it added. The committee further asserted, "This current confusion of epic proportions, which we are witnessing is only going to hurt the prospects of the state further, especially when the BJP, does not even have a second-in-command to succeed Parrikar in his absence. The very fact that a second-in-command was never allowed to be groomed by the BJP, shows how selfish interests have sacrificed the interest of the party and the state of Goa." Parrikar underwent treatment at a United States hospital earlier this year. He went back to the country again on 10 August for a follow-up and returned on 22 August, but he was later admitted to a private hospital in Mumbai the next day due to health complications. He once again left for the US on 29 August midnight and later returned to India. On 15 September, Manohar Parrikar, who is suffering from a pancreatic ailment, reached AIIMS for further treatment. With inputs from Rupesh Samant, a freelance writer and member of 101Reporters.com With inputs from agencies Indo-Asian News Service The North Korean Foreign Affairs Ministry has claimed that a hacker allegedly responsible for debilitating cyber attacks against Sony and the global WannaCry ransomware outbreak does not exist, media reported. The statement came after the US Department of Justice (DoJ) last week indicted Park Jin Hyok, the North Korean hacker, for being reportedly responsible for the series of attacks. US officials said that Park is believed to be a member of North Korea's military intelligence outfit the Reconnaissance General Bureau, as well as a suspected member of Lazarus, a hacking group which has been linked to a string of attacks against everything from banks to government agencies, ZDNet reported on Friday. However, if North Korea is to be believed, the hacker is nothing more than a figment of the US law enforcement's imagination, the report added. In a statement on Friday, Han Yong Song, an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Park is a "non-entity" and "the act of cyber crimes mentioned by the Justice Department has nothing to do with us." The ministry added that any allegations of cyber espionage or hacking are nothing more than "vicious slander" and a "smear campaign" which has the potential to disrupt talks between US President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un. "The US should seriously ponder over the negative consequences of circulating falsehoods and inciting antagonism against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) that may affect the implementation of the joint statement adopted at the DPRK-US summit," the official was quoted as saying by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The WannaCry ransomware outbreak is a more recent cyber attack which caused extensive damage and disruption to businesses and organizations worldwide. The ransomware, which leveraged vulnerabilities in the Windows file-sharing protocol Server Message Block (SMB), compromised an estimated 3,00,000 PCs worldwide and struck organizations including the UK's National Health Service (NHS), US hospitals and banks. The total financial losses have been pegged at $4 billion. Indo-Asian News Service In a bid to understand Earth's ice sheets, glaciers, sea ice, snow cover and permafrost, NASA on Saturday successfully launched its Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2, or ICESat-2. The satellite with a three-year mission was launched at 9.02 a.m EDT on September 15, with liftoff aboard a Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. "Today was the #Delta II's final launch! ULALaunch used the last #Delta II rocket for the 9:02 a.m EDT liftoff of NASA_ICE's #ICESat2 this morning. Once on orbit, #ICESat2 will measure the thickness of Earth's polar ice sheets," the US space agency said in a tweet. NASA had earlier in the day said the weather is favourable for the launch. "The forecast remains 100 percent 'go' on all constraints," Lt. Daniel Smith of Launch Weather Officer said while briefing the team on forecast. It also carries twin ELFIN CubeSats. "Today's #ICESat2 launch comes with a bonus -- a pair of tiny satellites that will study how energetic electrons make their way into our atmosphere from space," NASA tweeted. The Delta II rocket, in use since 1989, has a stellar track record. It has launched 154 times, carrying payloads aloft for NASA, the US military and commercial clients. ICESat-2 is NASA's most advanced Laser instrument the Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System, or ATLAS. It measures height by precisely timing how long it takes individual photons of light from a Laser to leave the satellite, bounce off Earth and return to the satellite. The satellite will provide critical observations of how ice sheets, glaciers, and sea ice are changing, leading to insights into how these changes impact people where they live, NASA said. ICESat-2's orbit will make 1,387 unique ground tracks around Earth in 91 days and then start the same ground pattern again at the beginning. PARIS (Reuters) - Anti-globalisation activists threw black liquid soap across the glass-front of a bank in Paris on Saturday, one of several actions planned in France and Germany in protest against banking practices a decade after the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Railing against tax fraud and mega-investments in fossil fuels by the world's biggest banks, the protesters in the French capital lit orange smoke bombs and spilled a fluorescent green liquid on the pavement to symbolise what they called toxic money. 'Big banks are a driving force of fiscal evasion,' said Aurelie Trouve, a spokeswoman for Attac France PARIS (Reuters) - Anti-globalisation activists threw black liquid soap across the glass-front of a bank in Paris on Saturday, one of several actions planned in France and Germany in protest against banking practices a decade after the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Railing against tax fraud and mega-investments in fossil fuels by the world's biggest banks, the protesters in the French capital lit orange smoke bombs and spilled a fluorescent green liquid on the pavement to symbolise what they called toxic money. "Big banks are a driving force of fiscal evasion," said Aurelie Trouve, a spokeswoman for Attac France. Thomas Coutrot, another member, said he was convinced that ten years after the collapse of Lehman Brothers the global economy was heading for another crisis. "It's inevitable, there's going to be another crisis," Coutrot said. "It's absurd and we're not giving into that." The demise of Lehman Brothers, a U.S. investment bank, triggered the onset of the global financial crisis from which much of the industrialised world has yet to recover. Some key euro zone economies are still not back to their pre-crisis size despite a decade of stimulus and there has been a sharp fall in support for traditional centrist parties, especially on the left, as anti-establishment parties surge. tmsnrt.rs/2wRXjI1 In Frankfurt, home of the European Central Bank, Attac protesters strung up "crime scene" tape in front of the Stock Exchange and daubed a bull statue with paint. "We want to use this event to make clear that we want a different financial system, one that is not unstable, which is democratically controlled and which does not exploit humans and nature but is beneficial to humans and nature," said Alfred Eibl, Attac spokesman for taxes and financial markets. (Reporting by Ardee Napolitano in Paris and Reuters TV in Frankfurt; Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Andrew Bolton) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. New Delhi: Bhutan's prime minister conceded defeat Sunday, after the ruling party was knocked out in the first round of the small Himalayan nation's third-ever election. Harvard educated Tshering Tobgay was seeking a second term in the poll but fell short of two rival parties, who will contest a runoff on October 18. Election officials said Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT), which won Bhutan's first-ever election when the kingdom transitioned to democracy in 2008, attracted nearly 93,000 votes, narrowly beating Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT). "I congratulate DNT and DPT and their candidates (on) their outstanding performance," Tobgay posted on Twitter. Tobgay, a 52-year-old mountain-biking enthusiast, and his People's Democratic Party won power from opposition in 2013. More than 291,000 people cast their vote in Saturday's poll for a 66 percent turnout of registered voters, an election official told AFP. Bhutan has tried to shield itself from the downsides of modernisation, striving for "Gross National Happiness" over over GDP growth, maintaining a carbon-negative economy and keeping tourist numbers down with a daily fee of $250 per visitor in high season. The 800,000 inhabitants of Switzerland-sized Bhutan got television in 1999 and democracy arrived only in 2008 when its "dragon king" monarchy ceded absolute power. Corruption, rural poverty, youth unemployment and the prevalence of criminal gangs remain challenges for Bhutan's economy. Last year India and China became embroiled in a military standoff over the Doklam plateau high in the Himalayas claimed by both China and Bhutan. BERLIN (Reuters) - Austria and Germany agree that everything possible must be done to avoid Britain leaving the European Union without a trade deal, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Sunday before a meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel. Kurz and Merkel said they were meeting to discuss a range of issues, including Britain's planned departure from the bloc in 2019, immigration and efforts to bolster EU border security ahead of an informal summit of EU leaders in Salzburg next week. 'We have the same view that we must do all we can to avoid a hard Brexit,' Kurz said in a statement before the meeting. BERLIN (Reuters) - Austria and Germany agree that everything possible must be done to avoid Britain leaving the European Union without a trade deal, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Sunday before a meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel. Kurz and Merkel said they were meeting to discuss a range of issues, including Britain's planned departure from the bloc in 2019, immigration and efforts to bolster EU border security ahead of an informal summit of EU leaders in Salzburg next week. "We have the same view that we must do all we can to avoid a hard Brexit," Kurz said in a statement before the meeting. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Angus MacSwan) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Philip Pullella PALERMO (Reuters) - Pope Francis appealed to Sicily's Mafia on Saturday to abandon a life of crime and violence, saying the island needed 'men and women of love, not men and women 'of honour,'' using the term mobsters apply to themselves. Francis, in the Sicilian capital, said organised crime members - many of whom go to church and worship openly - 'cannot believe in God and be Mafiosi' at the same time By Philip Pullella PALERMO (Reuters) - Pope Francis appealed to Sicily's Mafia on Saturday to abandon a life of crime and violence, saying the island needed "men and women of love, not men and women 'of honour,'" using the term mobsters apply to themselves. Francis, in the Sicilian capital, said organised crime members - many of whom go to church and worship openly - "cannot believe in God and be Mafiosi" at the same time. In his appeal, he referred to them as "dear brothers and sisters". He visited Palermo to commemorate Father Giuseppe "Pino" Puglisi, a priest shot dead by Mafia hit men in 1993 because he challenged the organisation's control over one of the city's toughest neighbourhoods. Puglisi was killed on his 56th birthday during a bloody Mafia offensive against the state and anyone else who threatened the group's existence. Magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino were killed in twin bomb attacks in Palermo in 1992. "A person who is a Mafioso does not live as a Christian because with his life he blasphemes against the name of God," Francis said in the sermon of a Mass from some 80,000 people in the port area of the Sicilian capital. The crowd interrupted his sermon with applause each time he denounced the Mafia. The Catholic Church in southern Italy has had a chequered history of relations with the mob. Cardinal Ernesto Ruffini, who was archbishop of Palermo from 1945-1967, denied the Mafia's existence, considering communism the Church's biggest threat. "I say to Mafiosi: Change, brothers and sisters! Stop thinking about yourselves and your money ... Convert yourselves to the real God, Jesus Christ, dear brothers and sisters," he said in his dockside sermon. "I say to you, Mafiosi, if you don't do this, your very life will be lost and that will be your greatest defeat," he said. "Today, we need men and women of love, not men and women of honour; men and women of service, not of oppression." Later, on his way to the airport, Francis made an unscheduled stop to pray and lay flowers at the spot on the highway where Falcone, his wife and three police agents were blown up as their motorcade passed on May 23, 1992. LIKE A RELIGIOUS CULT Many members of organised crime groups in Italy, such as Sicily's Cosa Nostra and Calabria's Ndrangheta, see themselves as part of a religious, cult-like group, invoking the help of saints for their activities. Particularly in smaller towns and cities in the south, they take part in Catholic sacraments and in some cases have also found complicity by some churchmen. Puglisi refused to play along. With little support by the Church hierarchy in Sicily, he preached against the Mafia from the pulpit of his church in the rough Brancaccio neighbourhood, then controlled by the Graviano family. He helped young people in an area with high unemployment avoid the snare of the Mafia, asked parishioners to help police investigations, refused donations from mobsters and banned them from joining traditional religious street processions. Puglisi's murder was ordered by local bosses Filippo and Giuseppe Graviano. The bothers and four men who planned or carried out the killing were convicted in 1998. All but one received life sentences. One of the killers, who later turned state's evidence, said that as Puglisi was dying he said: "I've been expecting you". In 2012, former Pope Benedict decreed that Puglisi died as a martyr in "hatred of the faith," and ordered that he be beatified, the last step before sainthood in the Church. (Reporting By Philip Pullella; Editing by Ros Russell) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. The Dalai Lama said Saturday that he has known about sexual abuse by Buddhist teachers since the 1990s and that such allegations are 'nothing new'. The Hague: The Dalai Lama said Saturday that he has known about sexual abuse by Buddhist teachers since the 1990s and that such allegations are "nothing new". The Tibetan spiritual leader, revered by millions of Buddhists around the world, made the admission during a four-day visit to the Netherlands, where he met on Friday with victims of sexual abuse allegedly committed by Buddhist teachers. He was responding to a call from a dozen of the victims who had launched a petition asking to meet him during his trip, part of a tour of Europe. "We found refuge in Buddhism with an open mind and heart, until we were raped in its name," the victims said in their petition. "I already did know these things, nothing new," the Dalai Lama said in response on Dutch public television NOS late on Saturday. "Twenty-five years ago... someone mentioned about a problem of sexual allegations" at a conference for western Buddhist teachers in Dharamshala, a hill town in northern India, he added. The Dalai Lama (83) lives in exile in Dharamshala. People who commit sexual abuse "don't care about the Buddha's teaching. So now that everything has been made public, people may concern about their shame," he said, speaking in English. Tseten Samdup Chhoekyapa, a representative of the Tibetan spiritual leader in Europe, said Friday that the Dalai Lama "has consistently denounced such irresponsible and unethical behaviour". Tibetan spiritual leaders are due to meet in Dharamshala in November. "At that time they should talk about it," the Dalai Lama said in his televised comments Saturday. "I think the religious leaders should pay more attention." MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A shootout at a Mexico City tourist site has left at least four people dead, officials said on Saturday, a day after gunmen said by witnesses to be dressed as mariachi musicians opened fire with rifles and pistols in a plaza noted for its mariachi bars. MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A shootout at a Mexico City tourist site has left at least four people dead, officials said on Saturday, a day after gunmen said by witnesses to be dressed as mariachi musicians opened fire with rifles and pistols in a plaza noted for its mariachi bars. A foreign man was among nine people who were injured in the incident at the Plaza Garibaldi in the capital's historic downtown, the city prosecutor's office said in a statement, without disclosing identities of any of the victims. Local media reported that two died of injuries after the incident, which would bring the death toll to five. One of the injured who died was included in the officials' count. Mexico City has experienced less of the drug violence that plagues the country's cartel strongholds in other regions. However, since 2014, homicides have surged to record levels in the capital, presenting a major challenge to an incoming city government that has vowed a clean-up. People at Plaza Garibaldi screamed and ran when they heard shots around 10 p.m. on Friday, although some appeared unfazed by the barrage of gunfire. A video posted to social media showed a musician at a colorful Plaza Garibaldi eatery strumming Mexican tune "La Cucaracha" on a harp, not pausing for a moment as the multiple shots loudly ring out nearby. Dozens of people stayed in the area to drink and listen to live music, even as police cordoned off the shooting site, placing yellow markers where bullet casings fell. Police blame much of the capital's crime on retail drug dealing and protection rackets run by violent gangs, though the government says at least one of these has links to a major national trafficking group, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Plaza Garibaldi borders one of Mexico City's most notorious neighborhoods, Tepito, home to La Union gang, which police say is behind a spurt in drug-dealing and protection rackets. (Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Pope Francis on Saturday expelled a Chilean priest under investigation in a case involving the sexual abuse of children, according to a report by local media on Saturday, amid a growing global abuse scandal that has shaken the Roman Catholic Church Santiago: Pope Francis on Saturday expelled a Chilean priest under investigation in a case involving the sexual abuse of children, according to a report by local media on Saturday, amid a growing global abuse scandal that has shaken the Roman Catholic Church. The Archdiocese of Santiago said the Pope had decided to defrock the Reverend Cristian Precht, local daily El Mercurio reported. Precht was a former head of the Churchs Vicariate of Solidarity human rights group that in the 1980s had challenged ex-dictator Augusto Pinochet to end the practice of torture in Chile. The well-known Chilean religious leader has since been accused of sexual abuse as part of the investigation into allegations against members of the Marist Brothers religious community. Precht has previously denied the charges. Pope Francis announcement comes as Chilean police raid church offices throughout the Andean nation looking for new cases of sexual abuse or evidence that church officials concealed abuse from authorities. The Catholic Church worldwide is reeling from crises involving sexual abuse of minors, deeply damaging confidence in the Church in Chile, but also in the United States, Australia, and Ireland where the scandal has hit hardest, and elsewhere. By Anna Mehler Paperny WILSON, N.C. (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Florence dumped 'epic' amounts of rain on North and South Carolina as it trudged inland on Saturday, triggering dangerous flooding, toppling trees, cutting power to nearly a million homes and businesses while causing at least five deaths. Florence's intensity has diminished since roaring ashore along the U.S. By Anna Mehler Paperny WILSON, N.C. (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Florence dumped "epic" amounts of rain on North and South Carolina as it trudged inland on Saturday, triggering dangerous flooding, toppling trees, cutting power to nearly a million homes and businesses while causing at least five deaths. Florence's intensity has diminished since roaring ashore along the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast on Friday as a hurricane. But its slow march over the two states, crawling west at only 2 miles per hour (3 km per hour), threatens to leave much of the region under water in the coming days. "This system is unloading epic amounts of rainfall, in some places measured in feet and not inches," North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper told a news briefing about a storm that forecasters said was 300 miles (480 km) wide. With flood waters rising rapidly in many communities, people trapped in homes awaited rescue, while tens of thousands hunkered down in shelters after fleeing their homes as the storm approached. Authorities warned about potential landslides and numerous roads were closed. Utility crews worked to restore electricity. An estimated 772,000 people remained without power in North Carolina, along with 172,000 in South Carolina. In Wilmington, a city of about 120,000 people on North Carolina's Atlantic coastline along the Cape Fear River that is home to historic mansions and even a decommissioned World War Two-era battleship, streets were strewn with downed tree limbs and carpeted with leaves and other debris. Electricity remained out for much of the city, with power lines lying across many roads like wet strands of spaghetti. 'A BLESSING' "The fact that there haven't been more deaths and damage is amazing and a blessing," said Rebekah Roth, walking around Wilmington's Winoca Terrace neighborhood. The National Hurricane Center said the storm would dump as much as 30 to 40 inches (76-102 cm) of rain on the southeastern coast of North Carolina and part of northeastern South Carolina, as well as up to 10 inches (25 cm) in southwestern Virginia. At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT), the hurricane center said Florence had maximum sustained winds near 45 miles per hour (75 km per hour) and continued to produce catastrophic flooding in the Carolinas. It said it was located about 40 miles (65 km) west of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and forecasters predicted a slow westward march. Cooper said many people in his state who may think the storm has missed them have not yet seen its actual threat to their regions, advising residents inland that rivers will rise days after the rain has stopped. He said five deaths were confirmed from the storm and "several others are under investigation," and urged people to heed evacuation orders. Florence already has set a North Carolina record for rainfall totals, exceeding that of Hurricane Floyd, which struck in 1999 and caused 56 deaths. Floyd produced 24 inches (61 cm) of rain in some parts of North Carolina while Florence already has dumped about 30 inches (76 cm) in areas around Swansboro, North Carolina, with more on the way. "It's like being stalked by a turtle," Federal Emergency Management Agency official Jeff Byard told reporters. On Thursday, Florence was a Category 3 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale with 120-mph winds (193 km). It was downgraded to Category 1 before coming ashore on Friday near Wrightsville Beach, near Wilmington. A mother and baby were killed when a tree fell on their home in Wilmington. A Pender County woman died of a heart attack. Two men died in Lenoir County, one electrocuted attempting to connect extension cords and the other killed when he was blown down by high winds while checking on his hunting dogs. In New Bern, at the confluence of the Neuse and Trent rivers in North Carolina, Florence overwhelmed the town of 30,000. Officials in New Bern, a town dating to the early 18th century whose downtown area was under water, said more than 100 people were rescued from floods on Friday, with 60 to 75 people awaiting rescue on Saturday. Some local residents described a harrowing retreat as the storm hit early on Friday. "It was pitch black and I was just scared out of my mind," said Tracy Singleton, who with her family later drove through torrential rain and high winds from her home near New Bern to a hotel some 80 miles (130 km) away. More than 20,000 people were in 157 shelters in North Carolina, with 7,000 more in South Carolina shelters. Schoolteacher Leslie Ochoa said she and her family loaded up 10 adults, 5 children, 14 goats, 10 dogs, two cats and one guinea pig and evacuated from Jacksonville, North Carolina to Columbia, South Carolina last Tuesday. As her son fed the goats in a hotel parking lot, she said she might not be able to return home until the middle of next week. "Our friend behind our old house, they have gators swimming in the water. So yeah, not safe," Ochoa said. The White House said President Donald Trump approved making federal funding available in some counties. Trump plans a visit to the region next week. As the United States dealt with Florence, a strong typhoon tore across the northern tip of the Philippines on Saturday, killing at least three people, wrecking homes and triggering landslides before heading toward Hong Kong and southern China. (Additional reporting by Ernest Scheyder in Wilmington, North Carolina, Anna Mehler Paperny in Wilson; North Carolina; Gene Cherry in Raleigh; Scott DiSavino and Gina Cherelus in New York; Andy Sullivan in Columbia, South Carolina; Jason Lange in Washington and Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Writing by Will Dunham; Editing by Jason Neely and Chizu Nomiyama) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. AFP's correspondent in Damascus heard a loud blast late Saturday, followed by several smaller explosions. Damascus: An Israeli missile attack targeted the Syrian capital's airport late Saturday, activating air defences which shot down a number of the projectiles, state news agency SANA reported. "Our air defences responded to an Israeli missile attack on Damascus international airport and shot down a number of hostile missiles," a military source said, quoted by SANA. The agency, without giving any information on casualties or damage, posted footage and images of the air defences being activated. In a shaky video, a small, bright explosion is seen in the night sky, with city lights in the distance. AFP's correspondent in Damascus heard a loud blast late Saturday, followed by several smaller explosions. The Israeli military declined to comment on the incident. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said Saturday's strikes hit a weapons depot outside the airport. "The missiles, suspected to be Israeli, destroyed an arms warehouse near the Damascus international airport," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. He had no immediate information on casualties. Israel has vowed to prevent its arch-foe Iran, which is a main backer of Syria's government, from gaining a foothold in neighbouring war-torn Syria. Earlier this month, Israel acknowledged having carried out more than 200 strikes in Syria over the past 18 months, mainly against Iranian targets. It has also admitted to striking Syria to prevent what it says are deliveries of advanced weaponry to Lebanon's Hezbollah, an armed movement backed by Iran and which fights alongside Syrian troops. The last reported Israeli strikes on Syria took place on 14 September, when Syrian state media said the military's air defences downed several missiles in the coastal province of Tartus and in central Hama. The Observatory also reported those raids and said they killed three Syrian soldiers. Syria's conflict erupted in 2011 and has since killed more than 360,000 people, with millions more displaced internally and to neighbouring countries. After losing swathes of territory to rebel groups, President Bashar al-Assad's troops have regained the upper hand and are now in control of around two-thirds of the ravaged country. They were bolstered by nearly three years of air strikes by their key ally Russia and Iranian, Iraqi, Lebanese, and other foreign fighters on the ground. Soldiers and other loyalist fighters had been amassing around Idlib, the largest rebel-held zone left in Syria, for several weeks. But Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov denied that Syrian troops were planning a major offensive for the area. The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) organised a rally this year to accompany the Share Her Journey campaign, which is their five-year commitment to a just representation of women in film through festival programming and participation. Three years ago, when Dr Stacy L Smith concluded her study on gender discrimination in representation in Hollywood films, the results were staggering; of all named or speaking characters in films, 30.9 percent were female and 69.1 percent were male. This data has remained mostly unchanged through half of the last century. Intersectionally, the data gets even more problematic as over 48 percent of films in 2015 did not portray even one black speaking character for a woman, 70 percent did not have any speaking roles for an Asian woman, 84 percent had no portrayal of a differently abled woman and only 6 percent portrayed a queer woman. It is to protest an erasure of this kind, and to pledge an increase in the visibility of women, both on and off camera, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) organised a rally this year to accompany the Share Her Journey campaign, which is their five-year commitment to a just representation of women in film through festival programming and participation. On the morning of 8 September, hundreds of women and men came together on the premises of the film festival, which ran from 6 to 16 September. Braving the chilly winds, the audience, flashing their placards and badges that proudly proclaimed I Stand With Women in Film, assembled to hear the impressive lineup of speakers that included actor Geena Davis; Dr Stacy L Smith, Founder-Director of University of Southern Californias Annenberg Inclusion Initiative; actor Mia Kirshner, founder of the #AfterMeToo movement; filmmaker Amma Asante; Cathy Schulman, Producer and President of Women in Film; Keri Putnam, Executive Director of the Sundance Institute; actor Amanda Brugel; actor-filmmaker Nandita Das and Zavia Forrest, a member of TIFFs Next Wave Committee. Michele Maheux, Executive Director of TIFF, spoke about the Share Her Journey campaign which continually strives to shake the seemingly insurmountable gender lines that divide the film industry and segregate talent. It is doubly important for this rally to take place in 2018, after a whole year of unearthing the ugly reality of sexual abuse that lurks behind the glitz of the Hollywood film industry, or any industry anywhere in the world, for that matter; the conversation around sexual abuse of women within the film industry has been stronger than ever. Weinstein was not the first man, or unfortunately the last, to be doing what he did, Das noted before stressing on the importance of a continuing movement to ensure the participation of more women in the film industry and a system of trust that listens to and believes their accusations and experiences. Das continued, We all have multiple identities; some given and some acquired and one identity I just cant escape is that of being a woman. I am often asked how it feels to be a woman director and I tell them I have no idea how it feels to be a male director. She also related how in her initial years as a female film professional, she would want to escape being tagged down to her identities as a woman and as a South Asian woman in film. But now, she has embraced and owned this identity because that is the only way to inspire more and more women to do the same and participate in the processes of filmmaking. Davis recalled how the fight for gender equity, for her, started when she sat her toddler daughter down and started watching TV programmes meant for children. There were far more male characters than female characters and in programmes aimed at the youngest of kids. This was unconscious gender bias. Why are we feeding young minds with a bias we then later work so hard to dismantle? Since then, her non-profit, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media has been collecting data on gender inequity in film and sharing it with the creators of films and television programmes. Kirshner spoke at length about the need to have a legal aid group that provides aid and guidance to women who face sexual violence in their workplaces. We have heard many leaders say, We stand by you. But what do you mean?... My question is, when you stand by me, does that mean you are going to pay my legal fees because I cant afford them? Does that mean you are going to offer trauma support, mental health support because its not available and not affordable? She continued to speak of the need to develop a support system that sees women through the legal and psychological aftermath of surviving sexual abuse, and informed that she is working on an online support base to fill up the vacuum the lack of such a system leaves behind. Asante brought race into the conversation as she highlighted her struggles as a black female filmmaker: The last I checked, we black women didnt even make up one percent of the industry we work in. She insisted that equality for women of colour in film must enter the equation when one is trying to champion gender equity in films because the benefit of all women, and of the society, is intrinsically based upon the benefit of the people whose numbers rest at the lowest rungs when it comes to representation. Putnam, herself a forever advocate of independent women film professionals, echoed the thoughts of all the speakers and laid down what is perhaps the loudest statement for the powers that decide the course of films, their making and distribution in Hollywood and beyond, Leadership by women is different and different is not inferior. And it is about time we embrace this difference, and listen to the stories of women in film everywhere from the writers, to the gaffers, to the actors, to the makeup artists, to the critics, to the filmmakers and everyone in between and take steps to create opportunities, and ensure that there is not one opportunity that goes unclaimed. Kroger (NYSE:KR) is in the early stages of a recovery strategy that aims to put the retailer back on a path to robust sales and profit growth. The supermarket chain this week announced earnings results that showed encouraging progress toward that goal. However, the latest numbers also suggest that a full recovery will take time -- and even then, it might not deliver the level of growth some investors have been expecting. Here's a look at how the big-picture results stacked up against the prior-year period: Metric Q2 2018 Q2 2017 Change (YOY) Revenue $27.9 billion $27.6 billion 1% Net income $508 million $353 million 44% Earnings per share $0.63 $0.39 62% What happened this quarter? Kroger posted a modest growth uptick that nevertheless fell short of what many investors were hoping to see given the accelerating gains that rivals like Walmart (NYSE:WMT) and Target have enjoyed lately. Earnings trends improved slightly, too, as cost cuts helped offset pricing promotions aimed at protecting market share. Highlights of the quarter include: Comparable-store sales, or sales at existing locations, rose 1.6%. While that marked a slight increase compared to the prior quarter, it was far less than Walmart's 4.5% increase and the 6.5% gain that Target posted. Walmart credited its grocery section for delivering much of its rebound, and it appears some of this growth came at Kroger's expense. E-commerce sales rose 50% to mark a slowdown from the prior quarter's 66% spike. Gross profit margin dipped, which the company blamed on price cuts and rising transportation costs. Selling expenses grew slightly as investments into the business offset savings from cost cuts. Kroger's operating profit stopped at $549 million, or 2% of sales, compared to $684 million, or 2.5% of sales, in the prior year. Reduced taxes and an accounting gain from an equity investment combined to push net income higher by 44%, while a lower share count resulted in per-share earnings growth of 62%. What management had to say Executives noted solid progress in the first few quarters under the rebound plan they call "Restock Kroger," which involves a shift toward multichannel retailing while cutting costs and keeping prices competitive. "Kroger customers have more ways than ever to engage with us seamlessly through our recently launched Kroger Ship, expanded availability of Instacart, successful ClickList offering, and selling Simple Truth [brand] in China," CEO Rodney McMullen said in a press release. "We feel good about our net earnings and [comparable-store] sales results in the second quarter," McMullen continued. Referring to its spending strategies, Kroger executives said they "expect our investments in space optimization during the first half of 2018 to become a tailwind late in the third quarter." Looking forward Kroger's optimism about the current quarter wasn't enough to power a growth upgrade. Instead, the supermarket giant affirmed a full-year target that calls for sales to rise by between 2% and 2.5% in 2018. That would mark a modest acceleration over last year's result, but it still suggests market share struggles. After all, Walmart raised its growth forecast to 3% from 2% following its latest quarterly results thanks mainly to robust customer traffic gains. Kroger, on the other hand, is falling a bit behind its main rival despite its aggressive pricing posture. Sept. 15 marked the 10th anniversary of Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy filing -- by assets, the largest bankruptcy in the history of corporate America. The investment bank's failure was a turning point in the financial crisis, shaking the financial system and the world economy to their foundations. Ten years on, here are nine extraordinary facts and anecdotes that relate to Lehman's bankruptcy. 1. Don't count your billions before they're Buffetted. On March 28, 2008, five and a half months before Lehman went under, CEO Richard Fuld called Warren Buffett to solicit a capital infusion from Berkshire Hathaway Inc. One day prior to their conversation, someone at Lehman had already taken the liberty to prepare a letter to be circulated by Fuld to Lehman staff announcing a $3.5 billion investment by Berkshire Hathaway. According to the bankruptcy examiner's report, Fuld did not know the genesis of the letter, which took Buffett by surprise "because he never got close to a deal with Lehman." 2. Lehman's problems were hidden in plain sight. It's a common misconception that Warren Buffett's investing edge comes from insider knowledge unavailable to ordinary investors. What sort of due diligence did Warren Buffett do once Lehman approached him? He reached for a document available to all: Lehman Brothers' most recent annual 10-K report, which contained more than enough red flags to send a trained analyst fleeing from the shares. As Buffett recently told the Wall Street Journal [emphasis added]: [Holding a voluminous printout] This is a 10-K of Lehman Brothers. This goes back a little before the panic; Lehman was looking for money at that time and they approached Berkshire, I came down to the office at night and made these little notes on here of things that were red flags and you'll see a number of pages here [points to notes on the front page of the 10-K report he is holding]. You had to get to page 150 or 200, but there was clearly a lot of trouble there. By the time I got through 'em, we decided that we were not in a position to lend to Lehman. 3. Bankruptcy can be highly lucrative -- to the tune of more than $2 billion! By the fifth anniversary of Lehman's bankruptcy filing, the total fees paid to professional advisors (lawyers, accountants, bankruptcy advisors) involved in the bankruptcy and liquidation had exceeded $2.2 billion. One firm alone, bankruptcy consultancy Alvarez & Marsal, had then earned more than $650 million, while lawyers Weil, Gotshal & Manges had raked in more than $480 million. 4. Lehman Brothers continues to file quarterly reports to this day. The most recent balance sheet for Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., dated April 5, 2018 and filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, shows the shareholders' equity account with a deficit of $129 billion, and related and controlled entities bring the total to nearly $175 billion. Five days before filing for bankruptcy, Lehman published a preliminary earnings release, including a balance sheet that showed positive stockholders' equity of $29 billion. 5. The wages of failure: A mere billion dollars. While it's true that Lehman Brothers CEO Richard Fuld still held an enormous slug of Lehman Brothers' common shares when it collapsed, he had already banked hundreds of millions of dollars by then. In a 2010 paper, three Harvard Law School academics estimated that, between 2000 and 2007, Fuld had sold shares of Lehman totaling $461 million. Adding cash bonuses over the same period, the disgraced chief executive pocketed $522 million. For the top five Lehman executives, including Fuld, the total came to a very respectable $1 billion. All honest work ought to be rewarded, of course, and destroying a 158-year-old institution while imperiling the global economy is no small achievement. 6. Number of convictions obtained: 0; number of charges filed: 0. Lehman's bankruptcy examiner ultimately concluded that "there is sufficient evidence to support a finding that claims of breach of fiduciary duty exist against [Lehman Brother CEO Richard] Fuld, [former chief financial officer Christopher] O'Meara, [former chief financial officer Erin] Callan, and [Lehman's final chief financial officer Ian] Lowitt and a colorable claim of professional malpractice exists against [auditor] Ernst & Young." Despite this, none of these individuals -- or anyone else -- had to answer any criminal charges nor any civil charges (which carry a lower burden of proof) in connection with Lehman's collapse. In 2012, the Securities and Exchange Commission (quietly) decided not to pursue any civil charges in the Lehman case, as reported by the New York Times. 7. Bank failures: Not so bad, all things considered. Over the 10-year period 2008 to 2017, 521 banks failed, with aggregate assets of $712 billion. The biggest year for failures during the period was 2009. Lehman Brothers (which was not a bank holding company) filed for bankruptcy with $639 billion in assets. Despite being dubbed "the Great Recession," the financial crisis in 2008 and 2009 paled in comparison to the Great Depression of the 1930s. In 1933 alone, approximately 4,000 commercial banks and 1,700 savings and loan associations failed. No bank failures have occurred so far in 2018. 8. From "too big to fail" to "too bigger to fail" The catastrophic impact of Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy provided a dramatic illustration of the risk that large, interconnected financial institutions pose to Main Street. But far from seeing a reduction in the accumulation of U.S. banking assets at the top of the system, we've since witnessed an increase in this concentration. As the Financial Times' Gillian Tett noted recently: "[t]he big beasts are even bigger: at the last count America's top five banks controlled 47 per cent of banking assets, compared with 44 per cent in 2007. ... It is unclear whether any regulators have solved that 'too big to fail' dilemma." 9. The start of a dreadful decade for the shares of Lehman's peers Among five of Lehman Brothers' remaining peers (Bank of America Corp, Citigroup Inc,. Goldman Sachs Group Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., and Morgan Stanley), just one, JPMorgan Chase, has seen its shares outperform the broad market over the near-decade since Lehman's bankruptcy filing. One of them, Citigroup, has produced a 51% loss, even when you include dividends. However, it is interesting to note that Lehman's two surviving direct peers, pure-play investment banks Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, performed better than universal banks BofA and Citigroup. BY REUTERS MEXICO CITY, Sept 16: Five people died after a dramatic shootout at a famed Mexico City mariachi plaza, officials said on Saturday, the latest in a recent string of crimes in the capital that will soon put to the test the incoming governments new tactics to fight violence. At Plaza Garibaldi in the capitals historic downtown on Friday night, gunmen said by witnesses to be dressed as mariachi musicians opened fire with pistols and rifles, injuring eight and sending onlookers running and screaming. The incident left three men and two women dead, city officials said. Homicides have surged since 2014 in Mexico City, an arts, food and culture hotspot for tourists from around the globe that has been spared much of the drug violence plaguing cartel strongholds, which has even hit resort towns Cancun, Los Cabos and Acapulco. The capital is on track to register a record number of homicides this year, and reversing that trend is part of incoming President Andres Manuel Lopez Obradors enormous challenge to stem crime and violence nationwide. The former Mexico City mayor, who takes office Dec. 1, has vowed that new strategies under the citys incoming mayor, Claudia Sheinbaum, will be effective. I am sure they will resolve the problems that are being suffered in Mexico City ... Claudia will restore peace, he told local media on Saturday when asked about plans to halt violence in the capital. Sheinbaums priorities are to stamp out police corruption and improve the implementation of a U.S.-style justice reform, she said in a recent interview. In contrast, the current government adopted an intense surveillance strategy in recent months, deploying low-flying helicopters meant to intimidate drug dealers and robbers. Plaza Garibaldi borders Mexico Citys notorious Tepito neighborhood, home to La Union gang, which police say is behind a surge of drug-dealing and protection rackets. The historic site is also blocks from one of Latin Americas largest public squares, where thousands will flock on Saturday night to see President Enrique Pena Nieto deliver the traditional cry of Long Live Mexico! to celebrate Independence Day. Similar festivities planned for two cities in Guerrero and another in Guanajuato were canceled due to recent violence, local media said. Guwahati : Assam police have cracked down on the Hizbul Mujahideen module in the state by arresting four suspected Hizbul terrorists after the Uttar Pradesh police had arrested an Assam origin Hizbul terrorist in the north Indian state. Assam police have so far arrested four suspected Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists from different locations of the state in past 48 hours. According to the Assam police, the Kashmiri separatist terrorist group had sent money to Assam to expand organisational base and also to set up sleeper cells in the state. The terrorist group has also planned to unfurl its network in Assam. After the arrest of Qamar-uz-Zaman, a suspected terrorist of Hizbul Mujahideen who hails from Hojais Jamunamukh by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) at Kanpur on September 13, the Assam police have arrested four of its operatives. Qamar-uz-Zaman was allegedly recruited in Kishtwar district in Jammu region of Jammu & Kashmir. On Saturday, Assam police had arrested a youth identified as Saidul Alam, a resident of Lanka in central Assams Hojai. Police suspected that, Saidul Alam, a meritorious student who passed Class 10 examination with star marks in science stream is the brain behind expansion plans of the terrorist group to Assam. Hojai district Superintendent of Police (SP), Ankur Jain said that, Saidul Alam was a meritorious student, but he got in touch with terror elements in 2015 during his visit to Nizamuddin Markaz Masjid in Delhi. Alam got in touch with Qamar-uz-Zaman in 2018. Zaman, Alam and Shahnewaz (who was arrested by police earlier) were in constant touch since then. Alam went to Srinagar in April this year and got in touch with few Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists and he revealed it. In the meantime, Qamar-uz-Zaman directed Alam to verify few locations in Assam to expand organisational network and targeted Lumding area in Hojai district, Ankur Jain said. On the other hand, Assam police had arrested one more suspected Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist from Byrnihat area, outskirts of Guwahati last night. The arrested suspected terrorist was identified as Umar Faruk, who hails from Central Assams Hojai district. Police had recovered two mobile phones and several contact details in possession from Umar Faruk. Hojai district SP Ankur Jain said that, Umar Faruk was very close with Qamar-uz-Zaman. Our investigation is going on to find out more information about the terrorist groups plan. Qamar-uz-Zaman revealed that, he sent money to Umar Faruks bank account from Srinagar to distribute it to several sleeper cells, the top Assam cop said. It is to be mentioned that, Qamar-uz-Zaman went missing in 2017 until April 2018 and appeared his picture in the social media with an AK-47 rifle as a Hizbul ultra. JUBA: South Sudans main rebel force SPLM-IO has accused government forces of attacking their defensive positions a day after both sides signed a peace deal, while the UN mission said one of its peacekeepers was shot and wounded by a government soldier. President Salva Kiir signed a peace agreement with rebel factions in the Ethiopian capital on Wednesday to end a civil war that has killed at least 50,000 people, displaced some three million and held up the countrys progress since it gained independence seven years ago. The regimes forces heavily stormed our position at Mundu in Lainya county, said Lam Paul Gabriel, the rebels deputy military spokesman, in a statement seen by Reuters on Saturday. He said the attack happened in the early hours of Friday and that eight government troops were killed in the ensuing battle. Another attack took place in Mangalatore, near the site of the first attack, where four government soldiers were killed, the statement said. Both Mundu and Mangalatore are in Yei River State, close to the border with Uganda. The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said one of its peacekeepers from Nepal was shot in the leg on Saturday in Yei, the state capital, by a government soldier. The peacekeeper was wounded when a soldier opened fire on a convoy of vehicles that left the UN base in the town in the morning to fetch water. UNMISS said the peacekeepers could not return fire due to the presence of civilians in the area. This direct attack on UN peacekeepers here to help the people of South Sudan is unacceptable, said David Shearer, the head of UNMISS. The perpetrator must be found and held accountable by government authorities. Government officials were not immediately available to comment. The stability of South Sudan is important for Sudan and other neighbouring countries, who fear a new flare up of the conflict could flood them with refugees. The civil war started in 2013, fuelled by personal and ethnic rivalries. The conflict has killed at least 50,000 people, many of them civilians, according to the United Nations. Kathmandu, Nepal: Responding to the widespread wrath and criticism, the police headquarters has formed yet another powerful probe committee under the leadership of DIG Dhiru Basnet to investigate the rape and murder case of Nirmala Pant. Three separate committees have been investing the case but none of them have become success to identify the perpetrator of the heinous crime of rape and murder of 13 year old Nirmala Panta. As the police team at Kanchanpur failed to book the culprit, the police headquarter had formed a committee under the leadership of SSP Uttam Subedi to investigate the case. News 10 years after Ike, fewer properties insured for flood Despite hurricanes and tropical storms that brought catastrophic flooding to the region over the past 10 years, about 4,000 fewer property owners in Galveston County own federal flood insurance than when Hurricane Ike hit in 2008, according to data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Although Hurricane Ike and its destructive flooding inspired some of the uninsured to buy flood policies through the National Flood Insurance Program, the rising cost of flood insurance is a deterrent, officials said. But some studies show that property owners also underestimate their flood risks. Research has shown that people tend to ignore low-probability risks, according to a post-Harvey report by the Rand Corp., a research organization that works to influence public policy. People may also expect government assistance. And some people think that they have flood insurance when they do not. Flood insurance is mandatory for nearly all homes with federally backed mortgages in FEMA-defined high-risk flood zones. But its not required for homes without mortgages in high-risk flood zones nor homes outside high-risk flood zones. In August 2008, a month before Hurricane Ike came ashore, home and business owners in the county held 70,515 policies through the national flood program, according to FEMA data. A year after the storm, the number of policies had risen slightly to 75,325. By August 2017, the same month Hurricane Harvey hit the Gulf Coast, FEMA cites only 58,243 policies in the county. In July this year, the number of policyholders spiked again to 66,402. But thats still almost 9,000 fewer policies than in effect a year after Hurricane Ike hit. Theres anecdotal evidence that Ike and its destructive flooding inspired some business owners to buy flood insurance. Joe Flores, owner of Yaga Clothing Store in Galvestons downtown, didnt have flood insurance when Ike hit. But now he does. I dont want that to happen again, Flores said. Its taken years to get over it. Reopening Yaga Clothing Store, 2109 Strand, took about 45 days, less time than some other stores and businesses on The Strand, Flores said. While flood insurance is still worth the investment, prices have risen over the past 10 years, Flores said. Its getting to a point where its questionable because of the increases that keep going up with all the flooding we have, Flores said. Its increased quite a bit since Ike. I would say its at least 30, 40 percent more. Still, he recommends all downtown Galveston business owners maintain flood insurance in a city at the mercy of tropical weather. Homes receiving assistance for disaster relief through Community Development Block Grant funding must maintain flood insurance to receive future assistance, said Brittany Eck, Communications Director for Community Development and Revitalization for the Texas General Land Office. In Galveston County, 960 homes received block grant disaster relief funds to help recover from Hurricane Ike. These funds must be used for housing repairs and infrastructure supporting housing. If you sell the property, that requirement is tied to the property, Eck said. If you do not maintain flood insurance, they will not allow you to get assistance again. Although the number of policies in the county has declined over the past 10 years, claims to FEMA for flooding have increased from 30,302 to 61,765. The most significant spike came from 2008 to 2009 when losses increased by 80 percent, federal officials said. FEMA defines flooding as an event when overflow inundates 2 or more acres of normally dry land or of two or more properties. This overflow comes from inland or tidal waters, from unusual and rapid accumulation or runoff of surface waters from any source or from mudflow, said Larry Fordham, acting senior regional insurance specialist for FEMA Region 6. Property owners who have flood insurance get more federal help than those who dont have insurance, according to the Rand Corp. report. The average claims payment to homeowners was about $90,000 from the Baton Rouge floods in 2016 and $65,000 for Superstorm Sandy that struck the Northeast in 2012, according to the report. The picture is not so rosy for homeowners without flood insurance, according to the report. FEMAs Individual Assistance Program can provide financial assistance for home repairs, rental assistance, and other needs but the average payouts are much smaller, on the order of $6,000 to $8,000 per household. Flood insurance payments can be worth the cost, FEMA Region 6 External Affairs official Robin Smith said. The premiums that the public hear that make the news are usually the jaw-dropping ones, Smith said. But the reality is premiums are lower, Smith said. A preferred risk policy can cost about $150 to $450 a year, depending on coverage level, Smith said. Flood policies on property in high-risk areas such as Galveston can be hundreds more, however. Caterpillar Inc. group president Ramin Younessi introduces Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to the Seguin facility in celebration of the 400,000 engine to roll off the assembly line on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018 in Seguin. This is the largest amount of drugs seized since 1996. Mohmad Salleh, Director of the Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) under the Royal Malaysian Police, said the drug was seized when police detected a drug processing factory in Bukit Tengah. The case was discovered following the arrest of two men and a woman in Pengkalah Hulu, Prak state on September 10. The drug production gang was led by a local man who has relations with gangs in foreign countries, including Thailand and China, according to Mohmad.-VNA NATO Chief Lists Benefits of Alliance to United States Sept. 15, 2018 By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON -- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is as important to the United States as it is to Europe, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said here at the Heritage Foundation yesterday. The NATO chief spoke at the foundation following talks with U.S. security officials. In his remarks, he stressed the importance of the nearly 70-year-old organization to America. The alliance has guaranteed peace and stability in Europe since it was founded in 1949, Stoltenberg said. NATO was a response to aggression from the Soviet Union in the aftermath of World War II, and has morphed into an alliance seeking a stable, rules-based international climate where all nations can prosper. The past 70 years have seen an unprecedented period of prosperity in Europe and North America, Stoltenberg said. NATO is the foundation for that prosperity. "Europe and North America together represent half of the world's economic output," he said. "And while we now have our disagreements over tariffs, it does not change the fact that Europe and North America are each other's biggest trading partners." Ensuring a peaceful, prosperous Europe is in the interests of all parties "on both sides of the Atlantic," he said. "NATO allies share and support the fundamental values which are at the heart of American society," he said. Alliance nations are democracies, support individual liberties and abide by the rule of law. "They are the foundations of our free societies, but they are also the foundations of our engagement with the rest of the world," the secretary general said. "These values are magnets for other countries, and lead them to join our alliance." After the Berlin Wall came down and the Soviet Union dissolved, former Warsaw Pact and Baltic nations joined the alliance. Nations in the Balkans and others aspire to join, he said. "NATO has helped to spread democratic values, free enterprise, and stability to millions of people in the eastern part of Europe, and this represents a historic geopolitical shift that has benefitted the United States and the world at large," Stoltenberg said. Finally, NATO allies are a boost to American military power. The Europeans have nearly 2 million active duty service members with cutting-edge capabilities. The European allies are on duty in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. They work with the United States in counter-piracy operations and in maintaining sea lines of communication and the airways. "France and the United Kingdom contribute 30 percent of NATO's nuclear ballistic-missile submarine fleet," he said. "America's NATO allies also maintain dual-capable aircraft for nuclear delivery to enhance our deterrence and keep the peace." NATO allies have strong and capable intelligence networks that work alongside American professionals. This alliance intelligence sharing runs the gamut of capabilities from tracking submariners in the Arctic to identifying terrorists, the secretary general said. "NATO allies also hosts 28 American main operating bases across Europe," he said. "These bases in Europe are not only for Europe, they enable the U.S. to project military power across the wider Middle East and Africa providing a clear strategic advantage in the fight against terrorism and other threats. The classic example of this is U.S. Africa Command which is based in Stuttgart, Germany, or the U.S. 6th Fleet based in Naples. "When US troops are wounded in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, they are flown for quick treatment to Ramstein, Germany," he said. "When thinking of the value of NATO to the United States, I am also reminded of what [Defense] Secretary [James N.] Mattis once told me that never in his entire career had he fought a war without NATO allies at his side. The U.S. never has to fight alone." Stoltenberg noted that the only time the alliance invoked Article 5 of the Washington Treaty establishing the alliance was in the aftermath of an attack on the United States 9/11. "Since then, hundreds of thousands of European and Canadian soldiers have fought alongside the United States in Afghanistan," he said. "More than a thousand have paid the ultimate price." NATO continues to be relevant and effective in Afghanistan, in the Defeat-ISIS coalition and in deterring Russia. "For nearly seven decades, the United States has been able to call upon its close allies and friends in NATO," he said. "No other power can match that. No other power in the world has so many friends and allies." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Yemen downs Saudi spy drone IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Sept 15, IRNA -- Yemen foiled a Saudi army operation to advance in Jizan and downed a spy drone belonging to Saudi coalition, Yemeni TV Channel 'Al-Masirah' reported. The Yemeni army and popular committees killed and injured a number of aggressors. A military vehicle was also destroyed and some weapons were confiscated. Saudi Arabia and its regional allies attacked Yemen in March 2015 to bring back to power the deposed president of Yemen Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. According to Yemeni Health Ministry the casualty count of the Yemeni war has reached 35,297. The aggressors have committed horrible war crimes against Yemeni civilians during the past three years. 9376**1396 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ansarullah: Washington looking at Yemeni war as trade opportunity IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Sept 15, IRNA -- Washington is considering war in Yemen as a trade opportunity for gaining money, Spokesman of Yemen's Ansarullah Movement Mohammad Abdul Salam said. Due to the US supports of aggression and blockade in Yemen, the United Nations is not able to take any action, Yemeni TV Channel 'Al-Masirah' quoted Abdul Salam as saying in a Twitter message on Friday night. According to Yemeni media, Abdul Salam made the remarks related to his meeting with UN special representative on Yemen Martin Griffiths. During the meeting both sides discussed peace process, economic barriers, humanitarian crisis and releasing prisoners of war. Political situation and comprehensive solution to humanitarian and economic crisis were also reviewed in the meeting. Meanwhile, the London-based newspaper ' Asharq Al-Awsat' quoted some sources in Sana'a claiming that Griffiths had called for UN guarantee before start of talks with deposed government cabinet. Yemeni peace talks were supposed to be held on September 6 and with the attendance of Griffiths in Geneva, Switzerland. But Saudi-coalition measures to prevent Ansarullah delegation caused delay. Saudi Arabia and its regional allies attacked Yemen in March 2015 to bring back to power the deposed president of Yemen Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. The invaders have committed horrible war crimes against Yemeni civilians during the past three years. 9376**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The gift, which has arrived at the Port of Mariel in the western province of Artemisa, was announced during a visit to the Caribbean nation by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong last March. Attending the ceremony were General Director of the General Department of State Reserves of Vietnam Do Viet Duc, Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Nguyen Trung Thanh and Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment Antonio Carricarte, among others. Duc said he was happy to visit Cuba amid the 45th anniversary of its leader Fidel Castros visit to Vietnam a milestone in Cubas precious material and spiritual support to the Southeast Asian nation. He underlined the faithful sentiment and support of the Vietnamese Party, State and people for Cubas revolutionary cause and congratulated the country on the recent achievements in updating its socio-economic model. For his part, Antonio Carricarte appreciated the gift as well as Vietnams assistance to Cuba in improving its rice production capacity. Noting the countries steadfast relations and each sides development demand, he voiced his belief in the huge potential for expanding bilateral cooperation, particularly in investment, trade and services exchange. Vietnamnews Afghan helicopter shot down, 5 killed IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Kabul, Sept 15, IRNA -- A helicopter of Afghanistan Army was shot down reportedly by the terrorist group of Taliban, killing five crews, sources said. Some unofficial sources on Saturday also quoted Nasir Mehri, Farah Province governor spokesman, that the helicopter crashed due to technical problems. There has been no official report on the real cause of the incidence. The helicopter was shot down at 8 pm local time Friday over a territory under control of the Taliban. Afghan ministry of defense on Saturday said in a statement that the offensive against Taliban forces by Army, Afghan Air Force and foreign forces has been intensified to guarantee the parliamentary election in the country. The statement came two days after the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he has ordered to raise the offensive against Taliban in response to an escalation by the terrorist group on Afghan forces and civilians. The election is scheduled for October 15, and insecurity is considered a serious threat to the election. 9156**1397 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address WFP depot targeted by Saudis in Yemen IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Sept 15, IRNA -- The Saudi warplanes targeted World Food Programme (WFP) depot in Al Hudaydah Province, western Yemen on Friday, Yemeni TV Channel 'Al-Masirah' reported. Earlier Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, President of the Revolutionary Committee in a Twitter message said that Saudi aggressor coalition and their allies tend to bombard international rescue bodies in Al Hudaydah. Saudi jetfighters also bombarded east of Al Hudaydah on Friday and killed at least 8 civilians. audi Arabia and its regional allies attacked Yemen in March 2015 to bring back to power the deposed president of Yemen Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. According to Yemeni Health Ministry the casualty count of the Yemeni war has reached 35,297. The aggressors have committed horrible war crimes against Yemeni civilians during the past three years. 9376**1397 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sortied Navy Assets Return to Hampton Roads Navy News Service Story Number: NNS180915-02 Release Date: 9/15/2018 10:52:00 AM From U.S. Fleet Forces Command Public Affairs NORFOLK (NNS) -- Nearly 30 ships and 128 aircraft will return to the Hampton Roads area starting Saturday, Sept. 15, and will continue to return to homeport over the next several days. Beginning today, aircraft will make their way back to Hampton Roads bases and surface ships will start to return Sunday, Sept. 16. The return plan for Norfolk-based aircraft will give priority to rotary wing assets to allow for additional land-based rotary wing Defense Support to Civilian Authorities (DSCA) support, if requested. The decision to return naval assets to their homeport follows thorough inspections of port and airfield prior to opening for operations. While most ships are making plans to return, USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) and USS Arlington (LPD 24) will remain underway prepared to provide DSCA, if requested through U.S. Northern Command. Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command ordered all Navy ships and flyable aircraft in the Hampton Roads area to sortie ahead of Hurricane Florence, Sept. 10. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saudi airstrikes kill 15 on Hudaydah-Sana'a highway Iran Press TV Sat Sep 15, 2018 10:05AM At least 15 people have lost their lives in fresh air raids conducted by Saudi warplanes on a strategic road linking the Yemeni port city of Hudaydah to the capital, Sana'a. The al-Masirah television network affiliated to Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement reported that more than 20 people had also been injured in the aerial assaults on the Kilo 16 highway. Over the past few days, fighting has intensified between Houthi fighters and Saudi-backed militants loyal to former Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi around the critical highway, through which humanitarian aid is delivered to the Yemeni people. Amanda Brydon, humanitarian policy adviser at Save the Children NGO, expressed concerns about fresh tensions in Yemen. "What we are seeing with the fighting is [that] the critical junction at Kilo 16 is the artery towards Sana'a and other parts of the country," she told Al Jazeera. Hudaydah, she said, is a lifeline for the rest of the country, where over 80 percent of the country's commercial imports come through. Backed by Saudi airstrikes, Emirati forces and pro-Hadi elements launched the Hudaydah offensive on June 13 despite international warnings that it would compound the impoverished nation's humanitarian crisis. Saudi Arabia claims that the Houthis are using Hudaydah for weapons delivery, an allegation rejected by the fighters. On Friday, Mohammed Hadi, a Hudaydah resident, reported fierce battles around the Kilo 16 route. "The main road was blocked and there are some by-streets, but they are not safe to go through because airstrikes target any car in those streets," he told the Middle East Eye news portal. He said pro-Hadi militants had advanced towards Hudaydah while Houthi reinforcements had arrived from the north and other parts of the city. Mohammed al-Boukhaiti, a Hudaydah-based member of the Houthi political council, said Yemeni fighters were still in control of the Hudaydah-Sana'a highway. "The Yemeni army confronted the attack of the coalition and today Kilo 16 is under the control of the army, but it is not safe for passengers because the airstrikes target them," he said. Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a brutal war, code-named Operation Decisive Storm, against Yemen in March 2015 in an attempt to reinstall Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh, and crush the Houthis. The Western-backed offensive initially consisted of a bombing campaign, but was later coupled with a naval blockade and the deployment of ground forces into Yemen. UN envoy holds talks with Houthis In another development, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths held talks with a Houthi delegation, led by spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam, in the Omani capital, Muscat. During the meeting, Griffiths was briefed on the Houthis' reasons for their absence from the latest round of the peace talks in the Swiss city of Geneva, Yemen's official SABA news agency reported. The Muscat discussions, the report said, also covered "necessary measures" needed for negotiations "as soon as possible" between Yemen's warring sides. The Geneva peace talks failed after Saudi Arabia prevented the Houthi delegation from joining the Geneva talks, giving representatives of the Hadi administration to leave the Swiss city. The last round of Yemen talks were held in Kuwait in 2016 but they collapsed after the Saudi-backed delegation also left them. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Five killed in military helicopter crash in Afghanistan Iran Press TV Sat Sep 15, 2018 09:48AM A military helicopter carrying Afghan security forces has crashed in the country's western province of Farah, killing all five people on board, including the pilot. Local officials said the incident took place in Ranng village in Khaksafid district of Farah on Friday night. Afghanistan's Tolo News channel said the helicopter was heading to Farah from 207th Zafar Military Corps in Herat Province when it came down, citing technical problems. The incident comes as a wave of assaults by the Taliban militants has forced Afghan forces to make far greater use of air transport to move troops and supplies. Inadequate training and poor planning have, however, led to frequent crashes. Mohammad Naser Mehri, provincial governor's spokesman, said the hard landing was caused by a technical problem and the chopper caught fire because it was loaded with ammunition. A Defense Ministry official in Kabul said the cause of the crash was being investigated, reaffirming that the helicopter had been transporting Afghan security forces. This is the second helicopter crash over the past two weeks in Afghanistan. The previous one occurred in the northern Balkh Province, leaving three dead. The war-wracked country suffers from scores of deadly attacks by the Taliban militant group almost across the country. The Taliban's five-year rule over at least three quarters of Afghanistan came to an end when the United States and its allies invaded the country on October 7, 2001 as part of Washington's so-called war on terror; but, ever since, the group has been involved in widespread militancy, killing thousands of civilians as well as Afghan security forces and displacing tens of thousands of people across the country. Many parts of the country remain plagued by the militancy despite the presence of US-led foreign forces. Since late last year, Daesh, which has already lost all its urban strongholds in Syria and Iraq, has also taken advantage of the chaos in Afghanistan and established a foothold in the country's eastern and northern regions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US-based OAS urges 'military intervention' to topple Venezuela's Maduro Iran Press TV Sat Sep 15, 2018 08:23AM US-based Organization of American States (OAS) has called for a "military intervention" to overthrow Venezuela's government days after reports of a US-led coup plot against President Nicolas Maduro. "With regards to a military intervention aimed at overthrowing the regime of Nicolas Maduro, I think we should not exclude any option," said OAS Secretary-General Luis Almagro in a Friday press briefing in the Colombia's border city of Cucuta. Almagro was concluding a three-day tour of the Latin American country to meet with Venezuelans migrants and opposition elements fleeing their oil-rich country amid an economy crisis. "Suffering of the people, in the induced exodus that it is driving, puts diplomatic actions in first place, but we should not rule out any action," added Almagro. The remarks followed a New York Times report last Saturday that the Trump administration officials had secretly met with Venezuela's opposition-tied military officers to discuss plots to overthrow Maduro, but eventually decided against the move. According to the report, US officials had said the time was ripe to try to topple the government in Caracas as the economic crisis was deepening in Venezuela, which has been hit by crippling US sanctions and other destabilizing measures. The New York Times further pointed out that the reported meetings between US officials and the Venezuelan coup plotters could raise alarms in the region considering Washington's previous interventions across Latin America, including a controversial coup in Chile in 1973, the failed Bay of Pigs invasion to topple Cuba's Fidel Castro in 1961 and 2009 Honduran coup against President Manuel Zelaya. In August 2017, American media also reported that US President Donald Trump had asked his top advisors about the potential for a US invasion of Venezuela. Around the same time, he said publicly that he would not rule out a "military option" to end the turmoil there. OSA chief Luis Almagro also urged the international community to "not permit a dictatorship in Venezuela" because he claimed it would provoke regional instability in humanitarian and security terms, alongside the effects on Venezuelans. Meanwhile, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has declared that her government complained to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that "individual officials" have been portraying "a normal migratory flow as a humanitarian crisis to justify an intervention." Speaker of Venezuela's Constituent Assembly Diosdado Cabello also announced earlier this week that Washington was behind the recent failed drone assassination of Maduro. "The presidential assassination that was stopped was led by the United States. Is there anyone who has any doubt?" Cabello said on Monday. The US "acknowledges having met at least three times with military coup leaders to carry out a coup" added Cabello, linking the failed assassination attempt to the New York Times report of Washington's efforts to plan a coup against Caracas. About 2.3 million Venezuelans have left the country since the economic crisis erupted in 2015 more than 500,000 only this year mostly for Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. President Maduro has blamed a US-led economic war for the crisis, saying Washington is plotting to topple his socialist government. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Afghan Military Helicopter Crash Kills Five RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan September 15, 2018 An Afghan official says at least five army personnel, all crew members of a military helicopter, were killed when their aircraft made an emergency landing and caught fire in the western Farah Province. Mohammad Noorzai, a Khaki Safad district chief, told RFE's Radio Free Afghanistan that the incident late on September 14 was the result of a technical malfunction. However, the Taliban claimed it shot the helicopter down. The Taliban are in control of most areas in Farah Province, especially Khaki Safad district. In the northern Parwan Province, a roadside bomb detonated September 15 near a military vehicle, killing four intelligence service members and a civilian, according to Wahida Shahkar, spokeswoman for the provincial governor. Shahkar said one military personnel and a civilian were wounded in the blast on the outskirts of Charakar, the provincial capital. "There was a report of a bomb in a village and when the military personnel rushed to defuse it another roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle causing casualties," she said. News of the helicopter crash and the roadside bombing come a day after at least 38 Afghan security personnel and civilians were killed in overnight attacks across four Afghan provinces, amid a spike in Taliban strikes on military checkpoints. With reporting by AP and dpa Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-military- helicopter-crash-kills-five/29491585.html Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pakistani Foreign Minister Talks Peace, Security With Afghanistan's President RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan September 15, 2018 Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to discuss peace and security between the two neighbors. The president's office said in a statement on September 15 that Ghani met with a Pakistani delegation led by Qureshi in Kabul during an official one-day visit by the foreign minister. "The two sides discussed the issues of security, peace, and stability in the region -- the joint fight against terrorism and the implementation of the Afghanistan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity," the statement said. Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal said the visit shows Pakistan's interest in peace and stability in the region. The "successful outcome of the visit will lead future efforts to enhance bilateral cooperation under bilateral frameworks of cooperation," he said in a tweet prior to the meeting. U.S. officials have accused Pakistan of not doing enough to help defeat militant groups like the Haqqani network and the Afghan Taliban, which they claim have found safe harbors in areas of Pakistan near the Afghan border. U.S. intelligence officials say Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency and other military bodies have even helped fund and arm the Taliban, both for ideological reasons and to counter rising Indian influence in Afghanistan. Islamabad has denied the accusations. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistani- foreign-minister-talks-peace-security-with- afghanistan-s-president/29491744.html Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Putin, Abe Reportedly Discussed Upcoming Peace Treaty Negotiations Sputnik News 07:42 15.09.2018 TOKYO (Sputnik) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged opinions about the upcoming talks after Putin expressed his initiative on the peace treaty between the two countries, local media reported. The NHK broadcaster reported Saturday that the exchange of opinions took place at a judo tournament, which was attended by both leaders. Along with Abe and Putin only an interpreter took part in the conversation. Contents of the conversation remain unknown but the broadcaster believes that the leaders discussed the upcoming negotiations. When Abe returned to Japan he faced criticism over his reaction to Putin's initiative. Opponents of Abe particularly expected him to voice opposition to the Russian president's offer as it contradicts the official position of Tokyo, which seeks resolving the South Kurils dispute before signing the peace treaty. On Friday, Abe confirmed that the Japanese government would keep maintaining its position that the peace treaty with Russia could be concluded only after the settlement of the long-time territorial dispute. On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested signing a peace treaty between Moscow and Tokyo until the end of the year without any preconditions. The fact that Japan and Russia have never signed a permanent peace treaty after the end of World War II has long been a stumbling block in Russia-Japan relations. The main issue standing in the way of a treaty is an agreement concerning a group of four islands that both countries claim Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai, collectively referred to as the Southern Kurils by Russia and the Northern Territories by Japan. Tokyo and Moscow are currently engaged in consultations on carrying out joint economic activities on the disputed islands. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pentagon Orders Hydra Rockets for Nigeria, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Philippines Sputnik News 05:17 15.09.2018 WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Hydra rockets are lightweight weapons designed for use against point and area targets. They are fired from seven and 19 tube launchers that are mounted on aircraft such as the US Army's Apache helicopter and the US Air Force F-16 combat jet. General Dynamics OTS has received a more than $44-million US Army foreign military sales contract to provide Hydra rockets to Afghanistan, Nigeria, Australia, Lebanon and the Philippines, the Department of Defense said in a press release. "General Dynamics OTS [of] Williston, Vermont, was awarded a $44,353,964 modification to foreign military sales (Afghanistan, Nigeria, Australia, Lebanon and Philippines) contract to procure Hydra rockets," the release stated on Friday. Work will be performed in Williston, Vermont over the next two and a half years with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2021, the Defense Department said. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Now available on VOD, Susanne Bartsch: On Top (The Orchard/World of Wonder), about queen of the night party-thrower and fashionista Susanne Bartsch, joins the ranks of documentaries such as Wont You Be My Neighbor?, RBG, McQueen and Whitney, attracting audiences. Even though it takes a while deliver its wallop and be prepared for when it does its still worth a look. Swiss-born Bartsch says she felt stifled as a child and never wanted to fit in with the norm. She moved to London under the guise of learning better English, but never attended school. Instead, she was out gallivanting all night. Her parents stopped supporting her when she stayed in London and she landed a job at a store called Crumble, later coming to America as the girlfriend of a painter. Bartsch, whos been living at the Chelsea Hotel since 1981, wanted to bring the explosion of post-punk creativity she experienced in London to the states. She opened a fashion business, bringing avant-garde people and style from London to NY. In 1986, she started hosting a night in a club inspired by Leigh Bowerys Taboo. She was soon dubbed New Yorks queen of the night (according to Interview subject Michael Musto, no one can throw a party like her), on a mission to unite gay, straight, uptown, downtown, drag, businessmen. The price of admission? Dress up, look fabulous. Among the nightlife personalities interviewed in the doc are Amanda LePore, Joey Arias, Duo Raw, Kenny Kenny, Queen Sateen & Exquisite, Muffinhead, Sussi Suss, make-up artist Kabuki Starshine, and drag mother/activist Flawless Sabrina, among others. The docs co-producer RuPaul, who met Bartsch in 1988 when she hired to him to emcee her night at Copacabana, talks about how Susanne picked up where Warhol left off. Bartschs personal life is also undeniably fascinating. Just ask her ex-husband gym owner David Barton. Bartsch and Barton, who have spit up, gotten back together and split up again (like a yo-yo, says Susanne) are also the parents of son Bailey Bartsch Barton, a student at Brown University. Its Bailey who actually provides some of the most endearing background on his mother. While Bailey doesnt go to most of his mothers parties (he admits its hard for him to do what his parents are good at), he appears grateful to have had parents with an unconventional lifestyle who showed him all the options, growing up in Chelsea surrounded by positive, loving relationships. The doc also features the lead up to the opening night of Fashion Underground: The World of Susanne Bartsch, an exhibit at the FIT Museum on New York. As a muse to some of the most important designers in history, Susanne was convinced to do the museum exhibition by Valerie Steele, chief curator at the FIT Museum. The docs emotionally stirring highpoint occurs late in the film when Susannes contributions to AIDS awareness and fundraising are highlighted. While the (pre-social media) world she created in the clubs was known as a place where no one had to hide, where they could feel free for a few hours in a safe place for those who felt like they had nowhere else to belong, it was the action she took at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic that had the most profound effect. Bartsch is visibly shaken when talking about Klaus Nomi, the first person she knew dying of AIDS in the 1980s, as well as when she remembers the numerous AIDS-dead and the impact on the Harlem ballroom community. At a time when people were torn between grief, terror and rage, and homophobia reached new levels, Susanne came up with the idea for the Love Ball, an AIDS fundraiser and serious political action. Recruiting Simon Doonan (from Barneys) to help her, the event snowballed with tables selling for $10k, corporate and private sponsorships, celebrities in attendance, and substantial media coverage. Single and not 18 anymore, Bartsch has nevertheless endured for 30 years, With Susanne Bartsch: On Top, co-writers/directors Anthony Caronna and Alexander Smith have found a fitting way to pay homage to her contributions and staying power. Rating: B- OAS Chief Not Ruling Out Military Invasion of Venezuela - Reports Sputnik News 04:56 15.09.2018(updated 06:56 15.09.2018) The head of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, warned Friday that military solution of Venezuela's economic and political crisis must not be ruled out, AFP Reported. "With regards to a military intervention aimed at overthrowing the regime of Nicolas Maduro, I think we should not exclude any option," Luis Almagro was quoted as saying by AFP in the Colombian city of Cucuta, near the border with Venezuela. The OAS head arrived in Cucuta in order to monitor the situation around the influx of Venezuelan refugees. Almagro pointed out that the situation in Cucuta illustrated the "falsehood of the Venezuelan dictatorship." In early July, US media reported that US President Donald Trump has deliberated with his foreign policy advisers about a possibility of invading Venezuela in response to an ongoing crisis in the Latin American country. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, in turn, has called on the country's servicemen to be prepared to repulse the US aggression after the reports about Trump's seriously considering the possibility of invasion of the Bolivarian Republic. Last week, The New York Times reported, citing the US and Venezuelan sources, that the Trump administration had discussed with rebellious Venezuelan military officers plans to topple country's President Nicolas Maduro. On August 4, Nicolas Maduro was attending a military parade in the country's capital Caracas when his box was hit by an explosion caused by two bomb-laden drones, leaving Maduro unharmed but several soldiers wounded. Maduro accused Colombia of orchestrating the attack and added that some of the suspects resided in the United States. Both Washington and Bogota have denied any involvement in the incident. Venezuela has been struggling with political and economic crisis amid a global slump in oil prices and US sanctions after Washington blocked its investors from buying Venezuelan debt and prohibited dealing in Venezuelan digital currencies. US National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis has said in light of the emerged media reports alleging the US invasion plans that the United States was committed to the policy providing for Venezuela's peaceful return to democracy. In July, Russian Envoy in Caracas Vladimir Zaemsky did not rule out in his comments to Sputnik that the United States might go beyond just threats and carry out a full-scale military intervention in Venezuela. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address South Sudanese government must bring soldiers under control, urges UN mission chief, as peacekeeper is shot and injured 15 September 2018 - A "lack of command and control" on the part of South Sudan's government, just days after signing a new peace agreement to end years of brutal civil conflict, is one of the factors which led to the shooting of a United Nations peacekeeper on Saturday, the UN mission chief in the country has said. Special Representative David Shearer, who heads UNMISS, said in a statement that a Nepalese peacekeeper was shot and wounded by a government soldier early in the day, who was part of a convoy travelling near the town of Yei, in Central Equatoria. A government SPLA solider had begun shooting in the air near the UNMISS convoy of four vehicles, including two water tankers. "The soldier then shot directly at one of the vehicles, hitting the Nepalese peacekeeper in the leg, and ran off into a crowd. The troops were unable to return fire as they did not want to risk injuring civilians," said UNMISS. "The peacekeeper was evacuated to the UN base before being airlifted to Juba for further medical treatment." Mr. Shearer said that "this direct attack on UN peacekeepers here to help the people of South Sudan, is unacceptable. The perpetrator must be found and held accountable by Government authorities." The New Zealander added that "this situation is evidence of a lack of command and control of armed forces which has resulted in unruly elements who continue to commit human rights abuses in the area. It is beholden on the Government to bring their forces under control." This morning's attack follows reports of fresh clashes between government and opposition forces in the area surrounding Kajo-Keji in Central Equatoria. The Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism (CTSAMM) has confirmed that it is investigating alleged violations of the ceasefire agreement in the Yei area. Prior to the wounding of the peacekeeper today, Government soldiers had fired approximately 50 shots, about 500 meters from the UN base in Yei. 'Trust' still lacking, despite peace deal inked on Thursday Earlier this week, President Salva Kiir shook the hand of his longtime rival and former Vice-President, Riek Machar, in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, as hopes rose that despite failed agreements in the past three years, lasting-peace across the world's youngest country, may finally be possible. "The signing of the revitalized peace agreement by all parties to the conflict three days ago heralded a time of optimism for the future. It is disheartening that, despite the new agreement, fighting is continuing in the Central Equatorian region," said Mr. Shearer. "All forces must disengage as required by the peace agreement and end the violence. The parties must also work together to build trust between themselves and with the people of South Sudan who are suffering immensely from the ongoing conflict." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Venezuelan Exodus Plunging Region Into Chaos By Lisa Schlein September 15, 2018 The U.N. World Food Program (WFP) says the mass migration of Venezuelans throughout South America in search of asylum and economic relief is plunging the entire region into crisis. The WFP says Colombia, in particular, is facing an unprecedented emergency because thousands of desperate Venezuelans arrive there daily to escape political and economic turmoil. It says Colombia is hosting nearly 1 million of the roughly 2.3 million Venezuelans who have fled their country. Colombia has emerged relatively recently from its decades-long war with FARC guerrillas. Dealing with its own political, social and economic needs after such a long period of conflict is difficult. WFP spokesman Herve Verhoosel acknowledges the burden the large influx of Venezuelans is placing upon Colombia. He said the government and citizens are doing all they can to step up to the challenge. "The country has made progress in its peace process and ending hunger; however, as the migration crisis grows in proportion, it jeopardizes recent gains. The crisis is affecting host families and communities receiving large numbers of migrants, particularly indigenous communities, which welcome new arrivals but face very difficult living conditions," Verhoosel said. Many Venezuelans transit through Colombia and move on to Ecuador, Peru and other South American countries. Aid agencies say a lack of food, medicine and other basic goods, loss of livelihoods and growing political repressions in Venezuela are creating one of the largest mass exoduses in Latin American history. Verhoosel said the WFP is providing food rations to the most vulnerable migrants in Colombia and Ecuador, especially women, children and others living in temporary shelters and on the street. He said WFP urgently needs $22 million to scale up its aid operation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe Says Removal of ZIDERA, Sanctions Contingent on Reforms By Marvelous Mhlanga-Nyahuye September 15, 2018 Newly appointed United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Brian Nichols, said he is looking forward to seeing Zimbabwe return to being the powerhouse it used to be, once it embarks on a path of reviving its economy through agriculture, tourism and the use of its resources. In an interview Friday at the Voice of America's Washington headquarters, Ambassador Nichols told Marvelous Mhlanga-Nyahuye of VOA's Zimbabwe Service, that the newly elected government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa will get full support from the U.S. if it abides by its Constitution and implements the reforms it promised during the election campaign, such as observing the rule of law, and allowing its citizens such freedoms as access to information and free speech. On the removal of sanctions and the controversial Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Amendment Act of 2018 (ZIDERA), Ambassador Nichols said Zimbabwe has to fulfill the requirements of its 2013 Constitution for the U.S. Congress and administration of President Donald Trump, to revisit the scrapping of ZIDERA. Ambassador Nichols also restated that the U.S. only has targeted sanctions on some individuals and entities, but not the entire country, and that U.S. businesses are not restricted from investing or doing business in Zimbabwe Marvelous Mhlanga-Nyahuye (M. Nyahuye): Ambassador, welcome. Everybody has that question about ZIDERA (Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Amendment Act of 2018) and sanctions and you were trying earlier on to explain. What is the difference? As simple as it sounds, people still want to know. Ambassador Brian Nichols (Amb. Nichols): Thank you for having me. The U.S. policy toward Zimbabwe has a number of elements, but one of those elements is legal and that's ZIDERA. To put is as simply as I can, if Zimbabwe fulfils the requirements of its 2013 Constitution, it will meet the requirements of ZIDERA. ZIDERA covers lending by international organizations to Zimbabwe and forgiveness of the debt that Zimbabwe has to those organizations, and countries in the Paris Club. The sanctions that exist are executive branch sanctions on 154 individuals and entities and it prevents people from the United States or through the United States economic system from providing economic benefits to those people, or it can prevent them from travelling to the United States. So there are two different areas, but Zimbabwe's progress in building a democracy that respects the tenets of the 2013 Constitution, is the key thing that it needs to do. M. Nyahuye: And we saw only yesterday the U.S. saying that they will not lift sanctions against Zimbabwe until there are reforms. What kind of reforms is the U.S. looking at? Amb. Nichols: Well, there is legislation that does not comply with the 2013 Constitution, POSA, AIPPA (Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act), those legislations that cover the Public Order and Security Act (POSA), or freedom of speech restrictions. Those are things that President (Emmerson) Mnangagwa has said during the campaign that he was committed to repealing, or revising, and I think if he were to repeal those laws in concert obviously with the legislature, that would be an important step in fulfilling the requirements of the legislation. MNyahuye: And, on the health side, we know that the U.S. is really involved in PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), but we have a cholera epidemic currently underway in Harare, and Zimbabwe. Is the U.S. going to step in and help? Amb. Nichols: Well, actually yes, I was just visiting the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, and had the opportunity to discuss this issue with them. We have an excellent relationship with Zimbabwe on issues of health, and I was very impressed to hear the close coordination and work that's being done. Cholera is a preventable disease, and one of the most important interventions is dealing with water and access to clean water. So we definitely want to work with the people of Zimbabwe on promoting access to clean, portable water. There is also a vaccine, an oral vaccine that can help prevent cholera. Now, it's not 100% effective but it does help people either prevent infection or recover more quickly, if they are infected, and we are working with the government of Zimbabwe on a vaccination program, that hopefully will cover 300,000 people. M. Nyahuye: Thank you. Also, more on the social, the Diversity Visa. A lot of Zimbabweans have been asking, what is the current situation regarding that? Amb. Nichols: Well, the United States is a country that is interested in and welcomes immigration, but it has to be lawful immigration. The Diversity Visa is one of the ways that people can access lawful, permanent immigration to the United States. Every year, the level is set by the Administration and Congress, and we'll be looking forward to see what the level is for 2019. M. Nyahuye: And what kind of assistance in other programs are you looking at as the new ambassador who is coming into Zimbabwe? What areas will you be concentrating on? Amb. Nichols: Well, so many areas, but education and exchanges are very important, so hopefully people will be joining us with the Mandela Washington Fellowship, that's a great exchange program. We have other cultural and educational exchanges, bringing artists and athletes to Zimbabwe, and sending Zimbabweans to the United States to learn more about our country. Cultural preservation is an area that I'm very passionate about, and we have some exciting things that we are going to be doing, and some of the most important cultural sites in Zimbabwe, going forward. M. Nyahuye: You also spoke about some areas that Zimbabwe can actually promote more, areas like tourism. Tell us a little about that. Amb. Nichols: Well, Zimbabwe has so much economic potential. When you look at the area of tourism, Zimbabwe is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. It has amazing wildlife, amazing natural vistas, Victoria Falls is a world renowned, and Zimbabwe should be capturing more tourists and providing them with a world-class experience. So hopefully we'll get to see more investment in that area. In addition, Zimbabwe agriculturally has been a powerhouse overtime and hopefully the reforms that both candidates talked about during the presidential campaign will be implemented to help build a more resilient and successful agricultural sector. And then obviously the extractive industry sector, mining, is one where Zimbabwe has tremendous potential 40-different valuable minerals in Zimbabwe that I think, if properly managed, could provide tremendous, tremendous opportunities for both employment and foreign exchange earnings. M. Nyahuye: Going back to the elections, you said you met both President Emmerson Mnangagwa and (MDC Alliance) opposition leader Nelson Chamisa. What's your take? Amb. Nichols: Well, I think they are both people who love their country, and are committed to improving Zimbabwe and changing many of the problems of the past. I look forward to working with both of them, both of them were very gracious in receiving me on multiple occasions. I look forward to getting back to Harare next week, to talk to both of them shortly after my arrival, and helping to find a way forward of cooperation and engagement between Zimbabwe and the United States. M.Nyahuye: This is my last question, I am going back again to sanctions. Generally people in Zimbabwe believe that sanctions hurt the ordinary person on the street, not the ones that are on the target list. What can you say about that? Amb. Nichols: Well, Zimbabwe has an opportunity for growth, and the sanctions really do affect specific individuals. Decisions on investment in Zimbabwe are driven by the economic conditions in Zimbabwe, the rule of law, the assurances that people's investments will be protected, that they have the right to have majority ownership in their businesses. Those are the kind of things that the private sector is interested in. There is a significant interest in investment in Zimbabwe, but investors want to see reforms that have been talked about, implemented. We need to see the implementation and action on the reforms, not just a list of reforms that are proposed. MNyahuye: Thank you very much Amb. Nichols: It's a pleasure, thank you for having me. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Northern Command Actively Supporting FEMA Hurricane Efforts Sept. 15, 2018 From a U.S. Northern Command News Release PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- U.S. Northern Command, the National Guard and military services are actively supporting Federal Emergency Management Agency along with state and local responders in the wake of Hurricane Florence's landfall. "We have quite literally surrounded the affected area with [Defense Department] capability that will be critical in hours and days following the storm's impact. Secretary [Jim] Mattis' guidance to me is clear: We are anticipating the needs," said Air Force Gen. Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, North American Aerospace Defense Command and Northcom commander said yesterday in a release. "We are moving forward under our own authorities to be able to respond as soon as a request is made." Saving lives and mitigating suffering is a top priority and military forces are well-positioned to respond immediately, the release said. Below is an updated summary of DoD support to FEMA, state and local partners. Northcom serves as the overall synchronizer of all DoD support to FEMA. -- As requested, Northcom provides support via sea, air and land. It has identified a total of nine military installations as FEMA staging areas for equipment and relief supplies including: Fort AP Hill and Fort Lee, Virginia; Fort Bragg and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina; North Auxiliary Airfield and Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina; Fort Gordon, Georgia; Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama; and Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. -- Army Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, commander for U.S. Army North, has been named lead component commander and will serve as the Joint Force Land Component commander. -- Air Forces Northern is the lead component for search and rescue, and has postured approximately 20 helicopters and crews for this effort. -- The USS Kearsarge and USS Arlington will move in as conditions permit. Additionally, preparations are being made by Naval Air Forces Atlantic to recall aircraft back to the Norfolk area as soon as possible, working closely with the Navy Region Mid-Atlantic and airfield managers to ensure bases, personnel, and facilities are ready to support response efforts. The return plan for Norfolk-based aircraft will give priority to rotary wing assets to allow for additional land-based rotary wing support if requested. -- Northcom has deployed nearly 280 high-water vehicles to assist with ground search and rescue in the affected areas. -- The National Guard has more than 6,500 soldiers and airmen on duty, which is expected to fluctuate in the coming days. More than 10 states have mobilized support from their National Guard forces through an Emergency Management Assistance Compact to the anticipated impacted areas. In addition to the National Guard, Northcom has deployed nearly 3,000 active duty service members from all branches of the military to provide response support. -- The North Carolina National Guard has more than 2,800 personnel on state active duty with an additional 1,000 ready to go. Rescue teams are evacuating citizens as the rising waters continue to threaten homes in the region. Their first priority is safeguarding the lives and property of its state's citizens. North Carolina National Guard is providing lifesaving and life-sustaining support to citizens in the affected areas. -- The South Carolina National Guard has over 3,200 soldiers and airmen on duty, including two search and rescue capable CH-47 Chinook and two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from the Pennsylvania National Guard. The South Carolina National Guard's priority is ensuring all assets needed for post-hurricane impacts are ready to move out for lifesaving missions. These capabilities include helicopter water rescue, high-water transport vehicles, engineers to clear debris to open access routes for emergency responders and any resources needed to support the counties. -- The South Carolina National Guard currently has 126 high-water rescue vehicles, more than 100 medium support vehicles and wreckers stationed throughout the state. Planners are looking ahead to identify low-lying areas in parts of the state projected to receive high volumes of rain, and are leaning forward to identify and preposition search and rescue aviation assets near areas most vulnerable and prone to flooding. There are six helicopter aquatic rescue teams equipped with UH-60 Black Hawks and a LUH-72 Lakota helicopter. -- Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, authorities deployed 140 reservists, including search and rescue crews, to Georgia to assist with disaster relief efforts as requested. -- The Army Corps of Engineers has more than 200 employees working with FEMA and is monitoring dams in Virginia and North Carolina. -- The Defense Logistics Agency has nearly 90 personnel deployed, as well as 170 trailers staged with 14,000 cases of shelf-stable meals, cots, durable medical equipment kits, infant and toddler kits, bottled water, 107 generators, blankets and nearly 300,000 gallons of fuel. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Brussels Establishes Special Office for Monitoring 'Russian Cyberthreat' Sputnik News 03:15 15.09.2018 BRUSSELS (Sputnik) - The Belgian General Information and Security Service has established a position for monitoring the so-called Russian and Chinese cyberthreat, the country's Parliamentary Committee on Defense said in a report. The session of the Defense Committee took place in June, but the report on the results of the session was released on Friday. "As for the Russian cyberthreat, the General Information and Security Service under the Defense Ministry has hired a staff member in charge of a non-permanent working group The activities of China are also being monitored," the representative of the service told the committee, as quoted in the report. Moreover, Brussels has developed a plan to recruit both civilian and military specialists in order to strengthen country's cybersecurity and it will be submitted to the Defense Minister for consideration soon, according to the report. Russia has been repeatedly accused of malign cyberactivity, but refuted the allegations as groundless. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that the West did not even have weak arguments for their claims, adding that these ill-founded accusations have been completely devalued. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address JAXA Postpones Launch of Cargo Vehicle to ISS Without Explanations - NASA Sputnik News 03:39 15.09.2018 WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The unmanned H-II Transfer Vehicle-7 (HTV-7) was loaded with more than five tons of supplies, water and spare parts for the crew aboard the ISS, with a half dozen of new lithium-ion batteries upgrades ISS's power grid upgrades, NASA said. However, Tokyo has postponed the scheduled launch of this cargo spacecraft without specifying a new launch date. "The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has postponed the scheduled launch of a Japanese cargo spacecraft from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan," the NASA said on Friday. On August 30, the ISS crew found a microfracture on a wall in the living section of the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft that provoked an insignificant air leak. The hole was eventually patched up on the same day. However, Dmitry Rogozin, the chief of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, suggested Tuesday that the incident with a docked Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft was more complicated than expected. A source told Sputnik on Thursday that an internal investigation, conducted by spacecraft manufacturer Energia, showed that the hole had been deliberately made by a drill bit. Following launched investigation of the incident, Energia Rocket and Space Corporation placed Soyuz MS-10 and Progress MS-11 space vehicles at the Baikonur Cosmodrome under careful scrutiny. However, the source from Roscosmos familiar with the matter has told Sputnik that Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft would be launched as planned, on October 11. On Wednesday, the Russian Kommersant newspaper reported, citing an anonymous source, that the hole on the spacecraft might have resulted from deliberate actions of the US astronauts. According to the news outlet, one of the ISS' US astronauts is allegedly suffering from a decease and is interested in the return of the spacecraft's crew back to Earth, which will enable him to receive the necessary medical assistance. However, Dmitry Rogozin and NASA Chief Jim Bridenstine have agreed during a telephone conversation to refrain from commenting on the nature of a hole in the Soyuz MS-09 before the final completion of the investigation. Two sources have told Sputnik that the leak could be caused by a manufacturing defect a hole drilled into the internal body of the spacecraft while it was still on Earth and that was apparently the cause of depressurization. At the same time, it was previously thought that the hole appeared due to a hit from a micrometeorite. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US forming international coalition to hunt shipments to North Korea Iran Press TV Sat Sep 15, 2018 10:13AM The United States is convening a multinational coalition to better track ships supplying fuel to North Korea in violation of UN sanctions, an American daily reports. Citing US military officials, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, South Korea and France will join the US to form the coalition, which would also contribute warships and military surveillance aircraft to better spot shipments to the North. The coalition is formed despite international calls on Washington to ease pressure in response to Pyongyang efforts toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. More than 50 personnel from allied countries will be hosted aboard an American command ship the USS Blue Ridge stationed in Yokosuka, Japan for the operations, according to the Journal. This would be the first international effort to monitor the ship traffic in the year since US President Donald Trump launched its "maximum-pressure" sanctions campaign against North Korea. The move will allow more "bridge-to-bridge" communications between allied ships and suspected smuggling ships, according to a military official. Ships confirmed to be "smuggling" basic goods to sanctions-hit North Korea will be denied access to ports of any UN-member country. This is happening despite moves Pyongyang has been taking toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula following a summit between Trump and North Koran leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore, during which the two leaders agreed to work toward denuclearization. Pyongyang, which suspended its nuclear and missile tests even before that summit, has dismantled a nuclear site, and has returned the remains of US soldiers killed in the 1950-53 Korean War to America. This is while the international sanctions against Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programs remain in place. The US, which has been the main sponsor of the international sanctions, says the bans will remain in place against Pyongyang until its complete denuclearization. Experts, however, say dismantling Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program and verifying it would be a large and complex task. During an event in Russian on Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin criticized Washington for not taking a single step in response to Pyongyang's several moves toward denuclearization. Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Russia's Far Eastern port city of Vladivosto, President Putin said North Korea, in return for taking a lot of steps toward denuclearization, "expects reciprocal steps and not endless demands for full disarmament." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pompeo says Russia is in breach of sanctions against North Korea Iran Press TV Sat Sep 15, 2018 12:26AM US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accused Russia of working to undermine economic sanctions imposed on North Korea, arguing that implementing the bans is the only way to force Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons. "Russia has actively attempted to undermine the UN Security Council resolutions, the work of the ... committee at the UN that evaluates compliance with sanctions," Pompeo said at a news briefing at the State Department on Friday. The top diplomat made the remarks a day after US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley leveled similar charges against Moscow and accused the Kremlin of seeking to cover up its violations by trying to make changes into an independent report on sanctions breaches. Pompeo said he hoped the UN sanctions committee would publish the original document. He added that Washington was committed to UN Security Council resolutions against North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile tests. Pompeo said the resolutions played a central role in President Donald Trump's efforts to convince North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that "full, final denuclearization of the Korean peninsula is necessary." He noted that Washington was constantly talking to Pyongyang about "how to effectuate achieving all of the commitments made" at the June 12 summit between Trump and Kim in Singapore. Pyongyang has toned down its ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons programs to de-escalate tensions with the US and its regional allies. While Russia and China have called on the UNSC to discuss easing sanctions after the historic Trump-Kim summit, Washington thinks the sanctions must be strictly enforced until Pyongyang takes the necessary steps. Two US military officials told CNN this week that Washington and its allies were days away from launching a new effort to "name and shame" Pyongyang's violations of sanctions aimed at curbing its nuclear and missile programs. On Thursday, Washington introduced sanctions against a China-based technology firm, its North Korean chief executive and a Russian subsidiary, accusing them of violating US sanctions by moving funding to North Korea. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. Calls Urgent Security Council Meeting To Discuss North Korea Sanctions September 15, 2018 The United States has called an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council for September 17 as it steps up pressure on countries it says are violating sanctions against North Korea. The U.S. mission said in a statement on September 14 that the meeting was called because of "recent efforts by some member states to undermine and obstruct North Korea sanctions implementation." The agenda for the meeting, set for 10 a.m. (4 p.m. in Prague), will be "to discuss the implementation and enforcement of UN sanctions on North Korea." The statement did not name any specific countries, but U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley on September 13 accused Russia of altering an independent United Nations report to cover up Moscow's alleged violation of the sanctions. Haley and other diplomats claim that Russia pressured independent monitors to amend the report. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one diplomat said the amended report removed some references to Russians accused of breaching North Korea sanctions. Haley said the panel should release the original report, which cited "a massive increase in illicit ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products" for North Korea in violation of UN sanctions. It said some products allegedly were off-loaded from Russian ships, which were identified in the report. Diplomats told news agencies that Russia blocked the original report because it disagreed with the findings. Security Council sanctions were imposed on Pyongyang in 2006 after its first nuclear test. It has increased their severity after further nuclear tests and an increasingly sophisticated ballistic-missile program by North Korea. On September 13, the United States imposed sanctions on two information technology companies based in China and Russia for supporting Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs. Based on reporting by AP and dpa Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-calls-urgent -security-council-meeting-to-discuss-north- korea-sanctions/29491445.html Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza. Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres. Russian 'hybrid warfare' targeting German troops in NATO: Merkel Iran Press TV Sat Sep 15, 2018 08:55AM Germany says it is boosting military cyber capabilities to respond to Russian "hybrid warfare" techniques, targeting "NATO forces deployed in Eastern Europe". German Chancellor Angela Merkel accused Russia of targeting German troops in the US-led NATO military alliance with hybrid warfare, including cyber warfare, subversion and propaganda. She was speaking to German troops deployed in Lithuania as part of forces in North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The West has repeatedly accused Russia of using "hybrid warfare" to undermine the alliance. Moscow denies the allegation, saying this is a strategy by the US-led alliance to provoke an arms race among its members. "Here you are also confronted with a situation that represents another part of the Russian military doctrine: the idea of hybrid warfare," said the German Chancellor. "Hybrid warfare is not something that we are very used to. You clearly experience this here in very specific ways," she added. "It is not for nothing that we built in Germany a special cyber unit within the German military in order to build capabilities in this area," she told troops at their base in Rukla, northwest of the capital Vilnius. Germany deployed troops, tanks and other equipment to Lithuania last year, as part of a NATO mission in Eastern Europe near Russia's border. Over 500 German troops are deployed in Lithuania as part of a NATO mission to reassure eastern allies and deter Russia. NATO, a 29-member military alliance, is dominated by the United States, has often held military maneuvers near Russia's western borders, stationing advanced military hardware. It has also been trying to co-opt more countries from near Russia. The moves alarm Moscow, which takes its own measures to guarantee its security. Russia is holding week-long military maneuvers, which according to the country's Defense Ministry is the largest ever rehearsal since the fall of the Soviet Union. The military drill, dubbed "Vostok-2018" (East-2018), started on Tuesday in Russia's Eastern Military District a sparsely-populated area close to its borders with China and Mongolia. It will run until September 17. Almost 300,000 Russian troops, more than 1,000 planes, drones, and helicopters, and up to 36,000 armored vehicles took part in the drills. Some 3,500 Chinese troops and a small contingent of Mongolian soldiers were also part of the military exercise that marked the start of stronger relations between the countries. Pentagon said the US would watch the drills closely, calling them "strategic messaging" by both China and Russia. NATO has also condemned the drills as a rehearsal for "large-scale conflict". NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address New Delhi attaches 'highest importance' to ties with Moscow: Indian FM Iran Press TV Sat Sep 15, 2018 07:47AM Senior Indian and Russian officials have discussed ways to develop trade ties and remove barriers in investment, science and technology as well as other issues of mutual interests. India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov held talks over bilateral matters during the 23rd Inter Governmental Commission (IGC) in Moscow on Friday. "India and Russia enjoy a special and privileged strategic partnership," Swaraj said in a statement after the meeting. "This partnership has strengthened over time and covers a vast agenda involving almost all sphere of human activity. India attaches the highest importance to its relations with Russia." The commission has met in the run up to the 19th India-Russia Annual Summit which is expected to be held in India early next month. Russian President Vladimir Putin is to visit India for the summit and meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "The Deputy Prime Minister and I have conducted a comprehensive review of our relations. I am satisfied with the outcomes of our meeting," Swaraj said. "I am confident that our deliberations today will further strengthen our cooperation with Russia in all fields in existing and new areas of cooperation," the minister added. During the meeting, the two sides discussed ways to enhance bilateral trade which in 2017 reached $10.17 billion. "We discussed ways and means to increase this momentum, ensure balanced trade, and remove barriers to trade," Swaraj said. "Two-way investments have already crossed the $30 billion target, which we had set for 2025. We have therefore proposed that we enhance this figure to $50 billion by 2025." Swaraj went on to say that the two sides had identified new areas of cooperation in agriculture, infrastructure, transport, space and Science and Technology, and discussed the possibilities of working together on projects in third countries as a new dimension of strategic partnership. The Russian deputy prime minister, for his part, said that Moscow and New Delhi were on track to bring the trade turnover to $30 billion in the coming years. "Over the past years bilateral trade has reached solid growth rates, which if maintained will help us hit the target of $30 billion in the coming years," Borisov was quoted as saying by Russia's state-run Tass news agency. Swaraj, who is visiting Russia for the third time in 11 months, also met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday. The Friday meeting came as India was pushing Washington to execute the certification of Russia's S-400 missile system deal before Putin's visit to India in early-October so that New Delhi can go ahead with the signing of the deal without attracting economic sanctions from the US under CAATSA. India has long wanted the US to extend a waiver for the purchase of S-400 system from Russia. The US Congress passed the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) against Russia in August 2017 over allegations of interfering in the 2016 presidential election. The law, among other things, imposes sanctions on countries and companies who engage in contracts to purchase weaponry from Russia. "While the Countering America's Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) was passed unanimously by the US Congress, and signed reluctantly by US President Donald Trump, the US Congress has now passed a law granting waiver to some countries," a source told The Indian Express India on Friday. "India is one of the intended beneficiaries, but the US President has to personally certify the deal. We want this fairly routine administrative process to be completed before the Russian President's visit, so that we can sign the deal," the source added. Reports said negotiations over the deal were at an "advanced stage," and the agreement is expected to be signed before the Putin-Modi summit. India and Russia concluded price negotiations for procurement of five regiments of Russian-made S-400 advanced air defense systems in May. The S-400 Triumf (with the NATO codename Growler) entered service in 2007 and is considered Russia's most advanced long-range anti-aircraft missile system. Capable of engaging targets at a distance of 400 kilometers and at an altitude of up to 30 kilometers, the missile system can destroy aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles. It can also be used against land-based targets. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address EU looking at payment system with Iran to thwart US sanctions IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Sept 15, IRNA -- The European Union's biggest economic powers are planning to create a "special purpose" financial company to thwart US President Donald Trump's sanctions and help Iran continue to sell oil in Europe and do business transactions. The move by France, Germany and Britain, and supported by the EU comes after Trump in May unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear accord, which the Europeans, Russia and China continue to support and have pledged to do their utmost to protect. EU officials on Friday confirmed the plan to create the "special purpose vehicle," which was first reported by Spiegel, the German news site. When asked about the financing model, a spokesperson for the German Finance Ministry said, "The German government is working together with the European External Action Service and the European Commission, as well as France and the United Kingdom, on maintaining financial payment channels with Iran. The negotiations on this are intensive and ongoing. There are different models under consideration. "As you know, it is a central goal of the EU and the German government to ensure that the processing of transactions is secured," she said during a regular government news conference. "All options are being considered." A French official added the EU needed "a financially independent sovereign channel" in order to keep the Iran deal alive. The plan under review in Berlin and Brussels would involve establishing a kind of clearing house for all European trade with Iran. A form of commercial entity known as a "special purpose vehicle" would be established, with European governments as shareholders. The new company would act as an intermediary for cross-border payments to and from Iran, with no involvement from European commercial or central banks, which are frightened of becoming the target of American countermeasures. The clearinghouse is likely to be based in Luxembourg, but its capitalization remains unclear. The European Investment Bank and national development banks, like Germany's KfW, may be involved, although here too there is genuine fear of American retribution. One EU official explained that the "special purpose vehicle" would effectively function as an accounting firm, providing a loophole to keep trade flowing between EU countries and Iran. If Italy wanted to buy Iranian oil, it could wire money to the firm, which would handle the rest of the transaction. Iran, similarly, could wire money for the purchase of European products. The special purpose vehicle would keep the money for the transactions within the EU, and outside the reach of US control over global money-transfer systems. It would also avoid the need to use banks that are afraid of being cut off from doing business in the US financial market if they are accused by the US Treasury Department of violating the sanctions. A first battery of renewed US economic sanctions took effect against Iran last month, and further sanctions including sanctions on the Iranian oil sector, a mainstay of the country's economy are set to take hold in November. While the EU has already taken steps to obstruct Trump's sanctions including potential penalties against firms that enforce the American sanctions without permission of the European Commission officials in Europe still fear that the US dominance of the world financial system will block most business with Iran. Tehran itself has warned the Europeans that they should develop new ways of trading with Iran by early November if they want to preserve the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The US wants all businesses and countries around the world to stop doing business with Iran. News of the EU plan comes only two days after European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker vowed in his final State of the Union address to increase the role of the euro in international trade, particularly in terms of energy purchases. Word of the European plan to prop up Iran's oil industry is certain to further damage the already badly-strained transatlantic relationship. European governments have rarely acted so decisively in opposition to American foreign policy. Their action is partly motivated by what is viewed as an American attack on European sovereignty. Trump's government is seen as coercing compliance rather than working out agreed policy. A determined effort to get around US sanctions would also encourage European businesses to stay the course in Iran. Reuters, politico.eu and handelsblatt.com contributed to this story. Source: Iran Daily 9417**1397 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran to increase uranium enrichment if EU acts passively, FM Zarif says ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency Sat / 15 September 2018 / 13:53 Tehran (ISNA) Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif asserted that the Europeans needed to decide whether they are ready to let deeds follow their words or would submit to American demands. "The Europeans and the other signatories must act in order to compensate for the effects of the US sanctions," Zarif told the German news magazine Der Spiegel on Saturday. Iran's Foreign Minister has also stated that his country could increase uranium enrichment should the European Union continue to act passively in the wake of the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. The nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was agreed in 2015 in Vienna by Iran and six world powers. The US withdrew from the agreement in May and began reimposing sanctions on Iran at the start of August, with further sanctions on the country's finance and energy sectors to follow on November 4. "Oil and banks" were the litmus test, according to Zarif. He stressed that Tehran might act if "the balance of give and take were destroyed." He said this did not necessarily mean that Iran would for its part withdraw from the nuclear agreement. Partial or reduced implementation was another possibility, Zarif asserted. The Europeans needed to decide whether they are ready to let deeds follow their words, Zarif asserted further. The question was whether Europe would submit to American demands. Zarif rejected direct talks with US President Donald Trump. He said Iran would only think about talks with the United States if the US returned to the nuclear deal. End Item NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Germany looking at payment system with Iran to save JCPOA ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency Sat / 15 September 2018 / 09:49 Tehran (ISNA) - Germany and its European partners are considering setting up a payment system with Iran to save 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Reuters reported. Germany and its European partners are considering setting up a payment system with Iran that allows the continuation of business transactions with the Islamic Republic once U.S. sanctions kick in, an economy ministry spokeswoman said. "As you know, it is a central goal of the EU and the German government to ensure that the processing of transactions is secured," the spokeswoman said during a regular government news conference. "All options are being considered." The report comes on the heels of the US President Donald Trump's claim of reinstating the US nuclear sanctions on Iran and imposing "the highest level" economic bans on the Islamic Republic. This is while, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano earlier in a statement announced that Iran has complied with its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). End Item NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address FM Zarif: Iran to raise enrichment if EU acts passively Iran Press TV Sat Sep 15, 2018 10:12AM Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Iran could increase uranium enrichment should the European Union continue to act passively in the wake of the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. "The Europeans and the other signatories must act in order to compensate for the effects of the US sanctions," Zarif told the German news magazine Der Spiegel on Saturday. The US withdrew from the 2015 agreement in May and began reimposing sanctions on Iran at the start of August, with further sanctions on the country's finance and energy sectors to follow on November 4. Zarif said Tehran might act if "the balance of give and take were destroyed," adding that "oil and banks" were the litmus test. This, however, did not necessarily mean that Iran would for its part withdraw from the nuclear agreement. Partial or reduced implementation was another possibility, Zarif asserted. The foreign minister said European parties to the nuclear deal with Iran must decide if they want to submit to US pressure, adding the Europeans needed to decide whether they are ready to let deeds follow their words. "The Europeans and the other signatories must act in order to compensate for the effects of the US sanctions," he said. The EU has invariably opposed the US withdrawal, calling the deal a pillar of regional and international peace and security. Tehran has tasked the European signatories - the UK, France, Russia, and Germany - to make their continued commitments to the deal worthwhile by guaranteeing that the country continued to benefit from the economic rewards of the deal. Zarif also rejected direct talks with US President Donald Trump. He said Iran would only think about talks with the United States if the US returned to the nuclear deal. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US studying possible Iran sanctions waivers: Pompeo Iran Press TV Sat Sep 15, 2018 02:08AM US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Washington is studying issuing possible waivers for countries and businesses that want to continue buying oil from Iran beyond November 4, the White House's designated deadline for them to halt oil imports from the Islamic Republic or face punishments. "There are still a number of decisions pending before the November 4th deadline that we gotta make about waivers, potential waivers," Pompeo told a news conference on Friday. US President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that he was walking away from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a historic nuclear agreement reached between Iran and six world powers in 2015 under which Iran agreed to limit parts of its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of all nuclear-related sanctions. The US leader said he was unsatisfied with the deal because it failed to stop Iran's ballistic missile program and control its influence in the Middle East region. To force a new deal upon Tehran, Trump said that he planned to reinstate all of the previous sanctions on the Islamic Republic while also imposing "the highest level" of economic bans on the Islamic Republic. Washington reinstated a series of unilateral sanctions against Iran on August 6, targeting Iran's purchases of dollars, its trade in gold and precious metals. November 4 is the declared date for a second wave of sanctions that will target the Islamic Republic's oil exports as well as its central bank. Pompeo said the US was not going to change its position against Tehran in any case once the deadline arrives. "Come November 4th, there will be a fundamentally different set of rules" for "anyone who deems it necessary to engage in economic activity with the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is a big important day," Pompeo said. The US top diplomat claimed that many countries had already started to wrap up all of their trade ties to Iran. While the rest of the JCPOA signatoriesthe UK, France, China, Russia and Germany, have insisted on continuing the deal in Washington's absence, they have not been able to guarantee future trade ties with Iran and obtain the necessary waivers that keep them safe from US penalties. Iran took the matter to the International Court of Justice in late August, asking the court to suspend America's economic sanctions. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump, Pompeo Blast Kerry For Meeting With Iranians RFE/RL September 15, 2018 U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized predecessor John Kerry for meeting several times recently with Iran's foreign minister, saying the Obama-era official was "actively undermining" U.S. policy toward Tehran. Pompeo on September 14 said Kerry's meetings with Mohammad Javad Zarif were "unseemly and unprecedented" and "beyond inappropriate." A day earlier, President Donald Trump had accused Kerry of holding "illegal meetings with the very hostile Iranian regime, which can only serve to undercut our great work to the detriment of the American people." Pompeo bashed Kerry as a former secretary of state for engaging with "the world's largest state-sponsor of terror" and telling Iran to "wait out this administration." "You can't find precedent for this in U.S. history, and Secretary Kerry ought not to engage in that kind of behavior," Pompeo told reporters. "It's inconsistent with what foreign policy of the United States is as directed by this president, and it is beyond inappropriate for him to be engaged," he added. Kerry responded on September 14 in a tweet, writing: "Mr. President, you should be more worried about Paul Manafort meeting with Robert Mueller than me meeting with Iran's FM." Kerry was referring to an announcement earlier in the day that Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, had pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and witness tampering and agreed to cooperate with Special Counsel Mueller. During a radio interview this week, Kerry said he had met with Zarif "three or four times" since leaving office, and that their discussions included the nuclear deal. He insisted the talks were appropriate, telling Fox News that "every secretary of state, former secretary of state, continues to meet with foreign leaders, goes to security conferences, goes around the world." Kerry and Zarif were part of negotiations that led to the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran signed with the United States and five other world powers. The pact led to an easing of financial sanctions on Tehran in return for curbs on Iran's nuclear program. Trump attacked the deal during his presidential campaign and into his presidency, accusing Tehran of violating the spirit of the deal by testing ballistic missiles and by supporting militancy in the region. He pulled out of the deal in May and began to reimpose sanctions. Tehran denied the U.S. allegations and said its nuclear program was strictly for civilian purposes. Kerry has been highly critical of the president's decision to pull out of the nuclear deal. Some political observers have speculated that Kerry, who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2004 against George W. Bush, could run against Trump in the 2020 election. With reporting by AP, The Washington Post, and AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/trump- pompeo-criticize-kerry-meeting- iranians-zarif/29491156.html Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Former Anbar governor elected Iraqi parliament speaker Iran Press TV Sat Sep 15, 2018 01:18PM Iraq's parliament has elected speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, former governor of the western province of Anbar, marking the first step towards forming a new government four months after national elections. Halbousi, who had previously served in Iraq's parliament from 2014 to 2017, tallied 169 votes to beat out former defense minister Khalid al-Obaidi's 89 on Saturday, according to lawmaker Husham al-Suhail. Current Iraqi Vice President Usama al-Nujaifi and former member of parliament Raad al-Dahlaki were also running for the post. A total of 251 lawmakers, out of 329, attended the session and took part in the vote. Announcing the vote, the temporary leader of the assembly Mohammed Ali Zaini said Halbousi, 37, had become the youngest parliament speaker in Iraq's history. The Iraqi parliament was due to elect a speaker and two deputies during its first meeting on September 3, but failed to do so as parliamentarians were still trying to determine which competing bloc had the most seats. Lawmakers must next elect a new president and task the leader of the largest bloc to form a government as prime minister. The country's main political alliances led by Muqtada Sadr's Sairoon bloc and the Fatah Alliance led by commander Hadi al-Amiri are expected to cooperate to form a new government. Incumbent Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has also announced that he is not seeking to serve a second term in office. Millions of Iraqis voted on May 12 in their first parliamentary election since the defeat of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, but a contentious recount process delayed the announcement of final results until last month. The Iraqi politics has long been vulnerable to the differences lying along the country's major ethnic and sectarian fault lines. Any new government has to move quickly to address the country's chronic woes, including the poor quality of basic services as well as political and economic mismanagement. It would also have to face the mammoth task of rebuilding the country following three years of struggle against Daesh. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraqi PM Abadi Says He Won't 'Cling To A Second Term' September 15, 2018 Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has indicated he may not seek a second term amid power struggles in the country, although observers say it was unclear if he was actually giving up any claim to power. "I do not want a second term. I don't cling to a second term. We will rotate power peacefully," the U.S.-backed Abadi told reporters in Baghdad on September 14. Abadi and powerful Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced in June that they had agreed on a political coalition in an effort to form a new government in the wake of inconclusive May elections. Sadr's political bloc, which includes communists, won 54 seats in the legislative elections, making it the largest grouping in Iraq's 329-seat parliament. Abadi's bloc came in third with 42 seats. Sadr has distanced himself from Abadi, a one-time ally. An alliance of pro-Iranian former paramilitary fighters led by Hadi al-Ameri -- which came in second in May -- has said it would work with Sadr to form a new government that excludes Abadi. Political analyst Ihsan al-Ashaari told the AP that Abadi's statement does not necessarily mean he is no longer seeking to retain his post and that the eventual decision will be made by the legislature after intense negotiations. Calls for Abadi and other government leaders to resign have intensified after an outbreak of deadly unrest in the southern port city of Basra, where at least 12 protesters were killed in antigovernment demonstrations. "We demand the government apologize to the people and resign immediately," said Hassan al-Aquli, a spokesman for Sadr's political list. Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and dpa Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iraqi-pm-abadi-says-he- won-t-cling-to-a-second-term-/29491436.html Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Six straight wins coming in and seven-in-a-row going home was the story for Captain Ahab who cruised to a handy win in his Metro Pace elimination for driver Andrew McCarthy and trainer Tony Alagna. Captain Ahab got away fourth while Captain Crunch fired to the front from Post 7 and had the field chasing him past the quarter pole in :26.3. McCarthy called on Captain Ahab to go into sprint-mode in the backstretch, however, and in a matter of strides the colt ploughed his way to the top. He hit the half in :55 and the three-quarter pole in 1:22.4 before kicking home in :28 to win by a length over De Los Cielos Deo in 1:50.4. Rounding out the top five finishers were Goldberg, Lyons Night Hawk and Better Up. I kicked the ear-plugs out tonight and made him pace in the stretch because Ive got so much respect for Burkes colt (De Los Cielos Deo), said McCarthy following the victory. I was getting flushed early, so I went ahead and put him on the front and he was fine about it. Sent off as the 1-5 favourite, the son of Captaintreacherous-Acquavella pushed his lifetime earnings to $137,616 for Brittany Farms, Brad Grant, Vincent Barbera and Captain Ahab Racing. Post positions for next Saturday's $890,000 Metro Pace final were drawn following the eliminations. Captain Ahab and Stag Party earned their connections the right to select their post. Here is the field for the September 22 rich final. 1. Better Up 2. Semi Tough 3. Stag Party 4. Captain Ahab 5. Shake That House 6. Buddy Hill 7. Goldberg 8. Lyons Night Hawk 9. Lyons Johnnyjnr 10. De Los Cielos Deo AE: Captain Crunch Russia holds largest military drill since Cold War Iran Press TV Sat Sep 15, 2018 02:56PM Russia has held its largest-ever military drills in the Sea of Japan, amid rising tensions between Moscow and NATO. On Saturday, Russian troops took part in the exercises, which are part of the Vostok-18 (East-2018), that kicked off in eastern Russia on Sep 11 and will run until Monday. The exercise, described by Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu as the country's largest drill since the end of the Cold War, involves nearly 300,000 soldiers, 36,000 vehicles, 1,000 planes and 80 warships. The war games are also taking place in eastern Siberia and the far-eastern Pacific region, with Chinese troops involved. Supported by aviation and artillery, the armed forces simulated marines capturing a shoreline area at the Klerk military training ground on a peninsula in the far eastern Primorye region on Saturday. "What's special about this exercise is that it involves the marines, aviation, warships from the Pacific Fleet, artillery, sappers and other specialists," Major-General Dmitry Kovalenko said. Speaking Thursday as he watched the drill, President Vladimir Putin pledged to "further reinforce" Russia's armed forces and provide them with "the latest generation weapons and technical equipment" to help them better protect the country and its allies. Putin said the Vostok-2018 drill demonstrated that the Russian army was capable of countering military threats. Russia has described the drill as purely defensive in nature, but NATO has already condemned it as a rehearsal for "large-scale conflict," saying it would monitor the exercise closely, as will the United States, whose relations with both Moscow and Beijing have been fraying. The Western military alliance of NATO has boosted its presence in Eastern Europe for the duration of the Russian drill. Putin said the Russian government advocated peace and declared that his country was a "peace-loving state." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had earlier said that the exercise was "justified" in "the current international situation" given the "aggressive and unfriendly" attitudes toward Russia. NATO has often held military maneuvers near Russia's western borders, stationing advanced military hardware. It has also been trying to co-opt more countries from near Russia. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Orthodox Church Warns Of Violence As It 'Cuts Ties' With Bartholomew RFE/RL September 15, 2018 The Russian Orthodox Church has announced it will no longer take part in structures chaired by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and that a deepening row in Orthodox Christianity over the Ukrainian Church's bid to formally break away from Russia's orbit may lead to violence. The Russian Orthodox's Church's Holy Synod ruling body met on September 14 to consider a response after the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate said last week it was sending two bishops to Ukraine in what is widely viewed as a step toward declaring ecclesiastical independence for the main Ukrainian Orthodox church there. "If the [Moscow Patriarchate] recognizes the church as an aggressor, if it is deprived of legal rights, then we can expect everything: that the schismatics will take control of the great monasteries, such as the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the Pochayev Lavra," Metropolitan Ilarion, the chairman of the Russian Orthodox Church's External Relations Department, said in a September 15 interview on Russian RT television. "Then, of course, the Orthodox believers will protect these holy places and bloodshed could follow," he added. That move by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I -- who is considered "first among equals" of Eastern Orthodox clerics -- was strongly criticized by Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, as he opened the September 14 meeting of the Holy Synod. Vladimir Legoida, a Russian Orthodox Church spokesman, said the Holy Synod had decided to suspend its participation in all structures chaired or co-chaired by representatives of the Patriachate of Constantinople. "Essentially this is a breakdown of relations. To take an example from secular life, the decision is roughly equivalent to cutting diplomatic ties," the Russian Church's Metropolitan Ilarion was quoted by the RIA news agency as saying. Metropolitan Onufriy, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church that answers to the Moscow Patriarchate, told the Holy Synod via a video link that the special bishops, or exarchs, sent by Bartholomew I had already arrived in Ukraine and established contacts with the heads of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church that is loyal to Kyiv. The Kremlin said it was following the situation closely and reiterated its opposition to any split in Orthodoxy. "Of course for Moscow and indeed for the entire Orthodox world the single preferable scenario is the preservation of unity of this Orthodox world," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on September 14. The Moscow Patriarchate still has a large following in Ukraine. The Kyiv Patriarchate broke away from Moscow in 1992 after the fall of the Soviet Union. Its bid for recognition as a self-governing or autocephalous institution intensified after Russia's 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. The ecumenical patriarch, currently Bartholomew I, also holds the title of archbishop of Constantinople, the old Greek name for Istanbul, Turkey's largest city. The city fell to the Muslim Turks in 1453 but has remained the historic seat of Orthodoxy. Russia, however, has long been home to the world's largest Orthodox Christian Church. With reporting by AFP, AP, Interfax, and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-orthodox-church -cuts-ties-with-bartholomew/29491457.html Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Air Force Destroys 'Hostile' Airbase During Scaled Vostok-2018 Drills Sputnik News 05:36 15.09.2018(updated 05:46 15.09.2018) MOSCOW (Sputnik) More than 10 Russian Tu-22M3 bombers carried out an airstrike on an airfield of the simulated enemy in the Zabaikalsky Territory as part of the Vostok-2018 drills, the Russian Defense Ministry's press service said on Saturday in a statement obtained by Sputnik. "Pilots of the long-range aviation hit the targets that marked concentration of aircraft, jets on the runaway, covered planes, depots as well as command and control center of the airfield of the simulated enemy," the statement said. During the drills, the bombers used bombs weighing up to 500 kilograms (over 1,100 pounds). The Vostok-2018 drills are the largest exercise held in Russia since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The drills involve nearly 300,000 servicemen, 36,000 vehicles and over a thousand aircraft. On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the main stage of the Vostok-2018 drills that took place at the Tsugol range in the Zabaikalsky Territory. The war games will run until Monday. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian army advances further in Toloul al-Safa in Sweida IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Sept 15, IRNA -- Syrian Army units in Sweida advanced more along the line of Ard Qa'a al-Banat to the northwest of Toloul al-Safa and established control over more areas in the depth of the rough cliffs after fierce clashes with Daesh terrorists. The army killed scores of terrorists including 10 snipers, SANA reported. The advance in the aforementioned line allows the army units to establish control by fire of the last water pool utilized by the terrorists, clarifying that the army units consolidated presence in the controlled areas, SANA reporter in Sweida said Saturday. Meanwhile, SANA's reporter in Hama said an army unit destroyed with artillery strikes a den for 'al-Ezza Battalions' terrorists on the outskirts of Hesraya town, killing a number of terrorists, among them Khaled Mohammad al-Mahmoud. The reporter indicated that an army unit clashed with terrorist groups from Jabhat al-Nusra and the 'Turkistan Party' which used to rig houses and public facilities with explosives near al-Hweiz town in Hama northern countryside. A number of terrorists were killed and others injured during the clashes. 1396**1396 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian military downs Israeli missiles fired at Damascus airport Iran Press TV Sat Sep 15, 2018 07:19PM Syrian military has announced that its missile defense system successfully intercepted and downed Israeli missiles fired at an airport in the capital Damascus. The official SANA agency said late Saturday that the military had thwarted an "Israeli aggression," adding that a number of "enemy missiles" fired at the Damascus International Airport had been dismantled. "Our air defense systems thwarted an Israeli missile aggression," a military source told the agency, after reports said several explosions had been heard near the airport. An Israeli military spokeswoman would not comment on the report by SANA. "We don't comment on foreign reports," said the Israeli official, without elaborating. Israel has become increasingly involved in the war in Syria with attacks on the country's military and civilian infrastructures over the past few months. The Tel Aviv regime has launched the attacks as Syria has managed to recapture many areas across the country from the grip of militants. However, many of those attacks have failed as Syrian defense system has managed to shoot down missiles fired by the Israelis. The attack on Damascus airport on Saturday came just a fortnight after Syrian authorities rejected reports about a missile attack by Israel on the facility. Syria repeatedly claims that Israel has backed terrorist groups since the war broke out in the Arab country in March 2011. Reports have indicated that militants have been transferred from Syria to the occupied Palestinian territories to receive treatment and training from the Israelis. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Air Defense Repels Israeli Air Strike on Damascus Sputnik News 22:09 15.09.2018(updated 22:58 15.09.2018) Syrian air defenses downed several projectiles fired by Israeli military assets near Damascus airport on Saturday night, the Syrian state media reported. "Our air defences responded to an Israeli missile attack on Damascus international airport and shot down a number of hostile missiles," Syrian state news agency SANA cited a military source as saying. There was no immediate report of casualties or damage. Several powerful explosions occurred in Damascus at 9:50 p.m. (6:50 GMT) on Saturday. The source said that the assault inflicted only material damage, with no casualties reported. Shortly after the report, a spokeswoman for the Israeli army declined a Sputnik request for comment. According to AFP, this month Israel acknowledged having carried out over 200 strikes inside Syria over the past 18 months, mainly against Iranian targets. Syrian state media last reported Israeli strikes on September 4, when it said its air defenses downed several missiles in the coastal province of Tartus and in central Hama. In May, Israel hit dozens of Iranian targets in Syria after Iranian forces allegedly fired 20 rockets at Israeli positions in the Golan Heights. Tehran denied having military bases in Syria. Israel is one of the main US allies in the Middle East and a major consumer of US arms and military equipment. The two states share a foreign policy stance on Iran to minimize Tehran's influence in the region and in war-torn Syria. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Army Shoot Down Spy Drones in Latakia Sputnik News 17:29 15.09.2018 A source in the Syrian Arab Army has told Sputnik that artillery managed to shoot down several spy UAVs, which are said to have been launched by Nusra terrorists, east of the city of Latakia. "The Nusra Front* drones were launched to conduct aerial shooting of the location of the Syrian army's positions in the vicinity of the settlement of Qabbani. The Syrian artillery has also used 23-mm guns to destroy unmanned aircrafts, which were equipped with bombs," a source in the Syrian army told Sputnik. According to the source, "militants carry out such attacks for fear of a looming large-scale operation in Idlib to liberate the province from terrorists. Nusra Front regularly launches missiles at peaceful areas and farmlands in north Syria." The army also targeted the positions of the Huras ad-Din group, which is considered to be affiliated with al-Qaeda and is occupying the settlement of Qabbani and which is also a major stronghold of Nusra terrorists. Earlier this month, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov announced that four Russian warplanes had hit Nusra Front positions in Syria's Idlib province with precision-guided munitions. "On the 4th of September, at night, the anti-aircraft weapons of Hmeymim Airbase destroyed two terrorist assault UAVs. In total, last month, 47 terrorist unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed in the area of Russia's Hmeymim Airbase. On the same day, four planes from the Russian air unit deployed at the Hmeymim Airbase carried out strikes on Nusra Front terrorist group targets in Idlib province with precision-guided munitions," Konashenkov stated. While the Syrian government has managed to regain control of most of the country's territory after seven years of civil war and fighting against terrorists and rebels, the province of Idlib remains a hotbed of terrorists, which authorities are planning to liberate soon by launching a large-scale operation. *Nusra Front is a terrorist group banned in Russia Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian Army Strike Militant Positions Near US Military Base in al-Tanf Sputnik News 09:26 15.09.2018(updated 12:29 15.09.2018) The development comes nearly two weeks after a spokesperson for the US-led coalition's Operation Inherent Resolve against Daesh told Sputnik that there was no terrorist camp near its military base in Syria's al-Tanf. The Syrian army has launched a surprise offensive against Daesh* terrorists north of al-Tanf in Homs province. Government forces struck militant positions in the settlements of Kobajjep and al-Rashwaniyah, control of which opens the way to the strategically important area of Humeimah, which lies on the border with Deir ez-Zor province. A military source told Sputnik that "the Syrian army is dealing the final blow to the last enclaves of Daesh fighters in a desert in central Syria. This is an area between Homs, Deir ez-Zor and Damascus. The army managed to liberate vast territories, destroy dozens of militants and shelters that were located in the rocks." The source further noted that "the Syrian aviation helped infantry units to conduct a successful attack on the position of terrorists." As a result, a large-scale operation to completely clean up this area of the country has nearly come to an end, the insider added. The offensive came shortly after Reuters cited a commander of the Pentagon-backed Maghawir al-Thawra militant group as saying that joint drills with the US-led coalition, which wrapped up near the US military base in al-Tanf, were the first such exercised with live-fire air and ground assault, involving hundreds of rebels and American marines. "These exercises have great importance and have enhanced the defenses of the area and improved the combat capabilities and morale and that of civilians in the area," Colonel Muhanad al-Talaa was quoted as saying. US military spokesman Sean Ryan, in turn, told the media outlet that the exercises were a show of force, which he claimed were conducted "to reinforce our capabilities and ensure we are ready to respond to any threat to our forces within our area of operations." The report came on the heels of a statement by a spokesperson for the coalition's anti-Daesh operation, who dismissed the allegations that there was a terrorist camp near the US base in al-Tanf as "malign propaganda." "There is no terrorist camp within the al-Tanf de-confliction zone, which runs in a 55k diameter around the Coalition's al-Tanf Garrison." Nearly two weeks ago, Syrian government forces captured two militants near Palmyra, who claimed that they were members of the Lions of the East group, the Russian Defense Ministry stated. The two detainees also admitted that they had been trained and armed by American instructors in a camp near the al-Tanf military base. The US-led coalition has been conducting airstrikes against what it referred to as Daesh targets in Syria without either a UN mandate or Damascus' authorization. The Syrian government has repeatedly denounced their military presence as illegal, demanding that the American forces leave the country and withdraw from the al-Tanf base. *Daesh (IS/ISIL/ISIS/) is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UNHCR: $270M Needed for Syrian Refugees, Displaced By Lisa Schlein September 15, 2018 The U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) warns it is running out of cash to provide life-saving assistance to millions of Syrian refugees and internally displaced living in dire and extremely precarious conditions. UNHCR says it urgently needs $270 million to make it through the end of the year. This, it says, will provide millions of vulnerable people living inside and outside war-torn Syria with the vital aid and protection they need to survive the rigors of the oncoming winter season. UNHCR cares for more than 5.6 million Syrian refugees, nearly half of whom are children, in neighboring Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq as well as Egypt. Without financial support, the agency warns people also will have to go without health care or education. It says many will have to resort to so-called negative coping mechanisms involving sexual exploitation, child labor and forced early marriage. The lion's share of the needed money will be used in support of Syrian refugees outside of their homeland. UNHCR spokesman, Babar Baloch says $73 million of the appeal will help meet the most acute and pressing needs of people displaced by the conflict inside Syria. "Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced since the start of the year, and many now rely on humanitarian support to meet basic daily needs. Additional funding would allow UNHCR to rapidly scale up activities across key sectors such as protection, shelter, and the provision of basic aid, helping up to 1.8 million people," Baloch said. Earlier this year, the UNHCR appealed for nearly $2 billion to run its Syrian humanitarian assistance and protection operation for 2018. Only 31 percent of the funding goal has been met. The UNHCR says the $270 million dollars needed until the end of the year represents only a tiny fraction of this year's total appeal. It says it will be used to cover the most pressing and critical needs of some of the most destitute, disenfranchised people in the world. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey's S-400 purchase from Russia matter of 'national decision': NATO chief Iran Press TV Sat Sep 15, 2018 02:54PM Secretary General of the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg has described as a matter of "national decision" Turkey's plan to purchase the advanced Russian-built S-400 air defense missile system, regardless of strong opposition and warnings from the United States. "It is a challenge and is well-known that there is a disagreement between Turkey and especially [the] United States on this issue," Stoltenberg said at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington D.C. He added that for NATO the most important thing is that "different systems can work together." Business and financial television news network CNBC, citing an unnamed informed source, reported last week that Turkey has begun building a site for the S-400 missile system. The report, however, gave no indication about where the site is located in Turkey. A number of NATO member states have criticized Turkey for its planned purchase of the S-400 missile defense systems from Russia, stating that the move could jeopardize Ankara's acquisition of F-35 fighter jets. On July 15, the top American Air Force general in Europe warned that the Turkish government's plan to purchase Russian S-400 systems would give the advanced air defense shield deep insight into the US radar-evading F-35 fighter jets. "Anything that an S-400 can do that affords it the ability to better understand a capability like the F-35 is certainly not to the advantage of the coalition," said General Tod Wolters, who is also the NATO Allied Air Commander. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has emphasized that Ankara would utilize sophisticated S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems if necessary. "We will not just buy the S-400s and place them in a storehouse. We will use them if need be. These are defense systems. What are we going to do with them if not use these defense systems? Are we going to depend on the United States again? We have been demanding them for years, but the answer given to us has been: The [US] Congress is not allowing. We are tired of this," he said in remarks broadcast live by private Turkish-language TGRT Haber television news network on June 12. The S-400 system, whose full name is the Triumf Mobile Multiple Anti-Aircraft Missile System (AAMS), is an advanced Russian missile system designed to detect, track, and destroy planes, drones, or missiles as far as 402 kilometers away. It has previously been sold only to China and India. Turkey is striving to boost its air defense, particularly after Washington decided in 2015 to withdraw its Patriot surface-to-air missile system from Turkey's border with Syria, a move that weakened Turkey's air defense. Before gravitating towards Russia, the Turkish military reportedly walked out of a $3.4 billion contract for a similar Chinese system. The withdrawal took place under purported pressure from Washington. Ankara's ties with its Western allies in NATO have been strained over a range of issues. Erdogan has been critical of Washington for supporting Kurdish groups in Syria that he says are responsible for terror attacks inside Turkey. The Turkish leader has also slammed American officials for rejecting his requests to hand over Fethullah Gulen, a powerful opposition figure living in the US, whom Ankara accuses of having masterminded the July 2016 coup attempt. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Rosecroft kicks off its four-month fall Standardbred race meet Sunday with three Maryland Sire Stakes, a 12-race program with two Open Pace events, and the return of its Pacer of the Meet and Trotter of the Meet from the spring. First race post for the Sire Stakes is 3:30 p.m. The 12-race program begins at 4:40 p.m. Rosecroft will race each Sunday and Wednesday with first race post time at 4:40 p.m. on Sunday and 7 p.m. Wednesday. There will also be a special Saturday program, Nov. 3 with a 7 p.m. first race post. The third running of the $100,000 Potomac Pace will also be contested during the fall meet. Were looking forward to a great fall meet at Rosecroft, said Sal Sinatra, President and General Manager of the Maryland Jockey Club. We continue to have a great partnership with the horsemen and breeders and were looking forward to building on the success of the Potomac Pace. Fashion Smile, named Trotter of the Meet earlier in the year, is entered in the first race Sunday. The seven-year-old will leave from the outside. Meanwhile, Capital Builder, the Pacer of the Meet, is entered in the second race, a $10,000 Open Pace. The eighth race on Sundays program will also be an Open Pace with, among others, Als Hammered, who has earned more than $500,000 in his career. Driver Frank Milby, the leading driver in the spring, will be back to defend his title. Milby won 56 races earlier this year at Rosecroft, 13 more than runner-up Roger Plante, Jr., Arlene Cameron who the training title with 23 winners, three more than Megan Roberts. (Rosecroft) DPR Head's Murder Committed With Assistance of Western Intel Services Sputnik News 10:38 15.09.2018(updated 10:59 15.09.2018) DONETSK (Sputnik) - One man was detained on suspicion of involvement in the assassination of the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Alexander Zakharchenko, he gave testimony, the republic's acting head Denis Pushilin told journalists. "Our law enforcers took a number of actions, there is an understanding of who did it. One person was detained who gave evidence, a full breakdown of the events," Pushilin said. Zakharchenko's assassination was committed with the assistance of Western intelligence services, Pushilin stressed. "The terrorist act was committed with the participation of the SBU Counterintelligence Fifth Department As a result of the further work of DPR intelligence, analysis of the remnants of the explosive device revealed high technologies that were not previously used by the SBU, which makes it clear that this terrorist attack was committed with the assistance of Western special services," Pushilin noted. He emphasized that Russia was helping the DPR to investigate the terrorist attack. On August 31, Alexander Zakharchenko, the DPR leader, was killed in a blast at a cafe in central Donetsk. Eleven other people were injured. The DPR authorities declared the incident a terrorist attack. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A group of diverse but like-minded individuals, the members of ARC have come together in their common desire to fight hatred, bigotry, intolerance and violence because of the harm these antisocial behaviors cause to our society. In that effort, we will not use or sanction the use of illegal actions (such as violence or intimidation) in pursuit of our desired aims and if we learn of anyone who does use these unethical methods we will report those individuals to the authorities. Instead, we will use the guarantees found in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that ensure freedom of legal speech and expression. A daughter, Tessa Constance, was born on June 10 at Greenwich Hospital to Gina and Martin Monick of White Plains, N.Y. Lauren Cook, a former Greenwich resident, is the new chief executive officer at Ellis, a 133-year-old nonprofit in Bostons South End that provides services year-round focusing on infant, toddler, preschool, and school-age programs. She replaces longtime CEO Leo Delaney, who is retiring after leading the organization for 32 years. Cook will assume her new role on Oct. 1. Im thrilled to join such an extraordinary organization and team, and I look forward to serving the children and families of the Ellis community, said Cook. Ellis is a leader in delivering the highest quality early education, care, and youth development programs, and it reflects my own interests and values. Its an honor to have the opportunity to devote my professional energy and expertise to such a meaningful organization. Cook joins the organization with over 15 years of nonprofit leadership experience. Throughout her education and career, se has focused her efforts on the inclusion and advancement of aspiring young people and their families. Cook was most recently a member of the executive leadership team at Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, where she led its program development and extensive community partnerships. Before joining BGCB, Cook was executive director of Healthworks Community Fitness, which operated two fitness and health education centers for women and children in Dorchester. We are all very grateful to have found our new leader who is deeply passionate about early education and youth, said Larry Hughes, Ellis board chair. The board and I are confident Lauren represents the next generation of extraordinary leadership for Ellis. We are most excited to do all that we can to support her in her new role. Three local students enrolled at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, this fall. Before classes began Sept. 5, students took part in a weeklong orientation that included an introduction to academic and intellectual life at Colby, participation in an outdoor education trip, and an address by the Crawford Family Professor of Religion Nikky-Guninder Singh at Colby's 201st Convocation. The local students are Ethan J. Boo ne of Cos Cob, Thomas A. III Lapointe of Port Chester, N.Y., and Mark E. Sunoo of Old Greenwich. GREENWICH A Greenwich financial broker was arrested late last week after being accused of hiding more than $1.5 million in income to avoid pay taxes. Richard Josephberg, 71, was expected to be arraigned Friday in a Manhattan federal court, according to a release from the U.S. attorneys office for the Southern District of New York. At the end of his first day as a sophomore at Greenwich High School, 15-year-old Bart Palosz returned to his Byram home and took his life. That was five years ago. Few people outside his immediate neighborhood knew Bart well, but within a day or two of his death, everyone in town learned that he had lived life as a victim of chronic bullying. The humiliations had started in elementary school and continued through middle school and his first year at GHS. No one is ever certain why someone chooses to die by his own hand, but bullying was a too-frequent part of this young mans life. The question on everyones mind was: What had the schools done, or not done, to help Bart and his family cope with the trauma of bullying? At first, officials said all the right things. The administration said it had a policy to respond quickly to any reports of bullying, and a network of trained specialists to support bullied students and their families. School Superintendent William McKersie, then in his first year as head of town schools, said he would look "very carefully at what has happened over the last number of years here." Parents wanted, and deserved, answers about how such bullying could go unchecked year over year. But here we are, five years out, and there has been no official investigation or report, at least not one that has been shared with the public. Despite the school administration promising a thorough look into Barts case, within a few days McKersie announced that he had turned over the investigation to the Town Attorneys Office. Greenwich Public Schools had lawyered up. The superintendent took the case away from the Board of Education and put it behind the well-sealed doors of the towns Legal Department. GPS launched a mini public relations campaign to assure parents and the town at large that GPS had robust anti-bullying policies and protocols. But anytime a question was raised about the Palosz case, the schools referred it to the lawyers and the town lawyers would not speak about an "ongoing investigation." It was remarkable how fast concern for the towns pocketbook took precedence over concern for the health and welfare of students. The local news cycle moved on. Two years passed before the Palosz family filed suit. All the specifics we now know about how Bart fared in the school system are allegations made in the Palosz familys legal complaint. That document alleged that the schools knew about all of Barts many problems with bullies, but did not follow the state-mandated process for helping victims and punishing bullies. The Palosz suit gave town officials another chance to do the right thing for parents and students. That being, of course, to have an independent investigation of how the GPS enforced its anti-bullying policy. That could be done without releasing sensitive personal information about any party involved. But that is not how the town reacted. In a closed-door meeting lawyers shared their assessment that the town was liable and should seek a settlement with the Palosz family. But with the passage of time since Barts death, most participants in that meeting were thinking dollars and cents, not life and death. So, they instructed the towns lawyers to defend its public coffers. Lets drag out the suit and wear down the Palosz familys commitment to fighting the battle, they decided. That three more years have passed without a settlement is testimony to the town lawyers abilities to work the court system. They have used a strange legal argument that I have a hard time understanding. Suffice it to say the town has claimed that the family has no right to sue Greenwich because its employees were operating under the states anti-bullying policy. Town employees, according to these lawyers, deserve immunity from liability when enforcing state policies. I told you it was hard to understand. That argument was dismissed by state Superior Court. And just last month, an appeals court agreed with the Superior Courts ruling. Now the town has asked the state Supreme Court to see things the towns way. One can only hope that when this litigation ends, someone on the school board will demand a full, public accounting of what happened in Barts case. Not to affix blame, but to make the system and parents more aware of the trauma caused by bullying and the need to confront it immediately, no matter what reputational or other consequences might ensue. Bob Horton can be reached at bobhorton@yahoo.com. WASHINGTON - It's not just that the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller is, in President Donald Trump's estimation, a partisan "witch hunt." No, that's just one small aspect of why Trump is frustrated by Mueller's work. There's Trump's worry that the probe "endangers our country," as he told reporters last week on Air Force One. Why? Because it is "hard for us to deal with other countries" because of it. And then there's the cost. On June 1, he took issue with the cost as reported by Mueller's team, tweeting: "A.P. has just reported that the Russian Hoax Investigation has now cost our government over $17 million, and going up fast. No Collusion, except by the Democrats!" That figure came from documents filed by Mueller's team with the Department of Justice. When former campaign adviser George Papadopoulos was sentenced to two weeks in prison last week for lying to federal investigators, Trump compared his sentence to a figure of $28 million, presumably also a reference to the probe's cost. Where that number came from, though, isn't clear. If we assume the same cost-per-day for the investigation that was reported through March of this year, the probe has so far cost the government about $26 million. That's the $17 million through March and another $9 million since. But, as journalist Marcy Wheeler pointed out on her personal site, the Mueller probe may have just paid for itself. Why? Because part of the plea agreement reached between Mueller and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort includes forfeiture of certain property to the government. While it's unclear how much value will be extracted from that forfeiture, there's reason to think it could more than pay for what Mueller's incurred so far. For example, five properties are being forfeited: Union Street, Brooklyn, $4.1 million; Howard Street, Manhattan, $3 million; Jobs Lane, Water Mill, $7.3 milllion; Baxter Street, Manhattan, $4.1 million; and Trump Tower, Manhattan, $3.7 million. (The document filed Friday with the court identified four properties being forfeited. A later document detailing the plea agreement identified the Baxter Street and Trump Tower properties as being substituted in for a property in Arlington, Virginia, and for a Charles Schwab brokerage account.) The combined value of those properties is about $22.2 million, according to estimates at Zillow.com and assigning the 2006 sale price to his Trump Tower property. If those were sold at the values identified above and the money returned to the government, that alone nearly covers our estimated costs of the investigation to date. Jennifer Rodgers, executive director of the Center for the Advancement of Public Integrity at Columbia Law School, explained in a phone call to The Post that unless Manafort owns the properties outright -- that is, without a mortgage or co-owner -- there will be an agreement on how to split assets from a sale. "Sometimes if it's joint ownership you do have to go through a process with the other owners, with the other parties," Rodgers said. "The government will do that as part of the forfeiture process. You can seize them, but seizing them doesn't mean it's all said and done. ... They do have to account for any other owners." If there's a mortgage, "the bank is not going to be out because he is a criminal," she said. Those properties also aren't the only items of value being forfeited. Manafort also has to give up his life insurance policy. It's not clear what the value of the policy is, but when he was first indicted he presented the court with a life-insurance policy or policies that he valued at about $4.5 million. Prosecutors were skeptical that the policies were worth that much. Then there are three bank accounts - two at Federal Savings Bank, one at Capital One -- that Manafort is also forfeiting. None of the values of those accounts is clear. But one, Wheeler notes, may be tied to a $16 million loan Manafort got from Federal Savings Bank. A bank executive testified in Manafort's Virginia trial that the institution had written off $11.8 million it was still owed; it's not clear if that value is tied up in property or in an account. We're left with a broad range, then. The government's seizures from Manafort could be worth some $42 million, including the upper estimates of just the properties, Federal Savings Bank loan and insurance policies. And that doesn't include the other accounts, which might contain some portion of the $30 million that Wheeler points to as having been identified by the government as ill-gotten gains. That's enough to pay for the Mueller probe for some time to come. What was seized could also be, and likely is, a much smaller amount. At the time that Manafort was first indicted, he claimed to be worth $28 million. That presumably includes the value of his properties, which would suggest very little cash on hand -- even before he spent months defending himself in court. That claim, though, is worth taking with a grain of salt. We know that Manafort's past assertions have proven to be inaccurate, to put it mildly. The plea agreement spells out that there is no restitution mandated of Manafort. In other words, what the government gets from the bank accounts, insurance policy and sale of the properties is the extent of its compensation, that $30 million notwithstanding. Former Assistant United States Attorney Mimi Rocah, who spoke by phone with The Post, indicated that the lack of mandated restitution was unusual. Since the agreement is essentially a contract between Manafort and the government, though, that was likely a subject of the negotiations. There have been rumors for some time that Trump might pardon Manafort. If he does so, both Rocah and Rodgers suggested, the government will probably get to keep what's been seized anyway. The plea agreement stipulates that Manafort "agrees to forfeit criminally and civilly the following properties." That "civilly" is important. "Civil forfeiture is separate and he stipulated to it, so it's going to be done now," Rodgers said. "A pardon wouldn't affect that." "I would think it would be very hard for him to get his property back," Rocah said. But "that doesn't mean he wouldn't try to pardon him." After all, Trump does have other concerns related to Manafort that a pardon might aid. SUNSPOT, N.M. - At a small solar observatory tucked away in the woods of a national forest here, scientists and other personnel were commanded last week to leave at once. A week later, the facility remains vacant, and no one is willing to say why. The mysterious and lengthy evacuation, in a state known for secretive military testing and a suspected UFO crash, has spawned a wealth of speculation. Did the researchers spot something extraterrestrial? Was the solar telescope hacked by a foreign power and deployed to spy on, say, the state's missile testing range? Or is there an innocuous explanation, suppressed only because of corporate and government resistance to transparency? On Friday, the entrance to the National Solar Observatory was blocked by yellow crime scene tape and two security guards, who said even they had been kept in the dark. The guards, from Red Rock Security & Patrol in Las Cruces, New Mexico, didn't give their names, but said it was the first day the company was guarding the entrance and only the "director and an assistant" were allowed in. There was no obvious sign of law enforcement activity. "We don't know anything. We're just as curious as anyone else," one guard said. A spokeswoman for the nonprofit group that runs the facility said the organization was addressing a "security issue," but would offer no additional information, other than, "I can tell you it definitely wasn't aliens." She said Friday the facility "will remain closed until further notice." Neither the FBI - which was spotted on the premises around the time of the evacuation - nor those who worked at the facility would tell local law enforcement what had happened, said Otero County Sheriff Benny House. "They wouldn't give us any details," House said. "I've got ideas, but I don't want to put them out there. That's how bad press or rumors get started, and it'll cause paranoia, or I might satisfy everybody's mind and I might be totally off base." Unlike some of New Mexico's other research facilities, the solar observatory in Sunspot is not usually shrouded in such secrecy. The facility - in the Lincoln National Forest in the southern part of the state - is open to the public, and the scientists who work there offer guided tours of the site, said James McAteer, a professor at New Mexico State University and director of the Sunspot Solar Observatory consortium. When they're not doing that, they use a special telescope and other instruments to study the sun. There are homes on the site where staff members live. The Sunspot observatory sits at more than 9,000 feet and is part of a larger astronomy research facility on the site. The adjacent Apache Point Observatory, a collection of telescopes about a half-mile away, was operating as normal on Friday, with about a dozen cars parked outside. House, the sheriff, said that just before 10 a.m. on Sept. 6, staff at the Sunspot facility called to report they were "evacuating the building," and asked if deputies could assist. He said a sergeant and a deputy were dispatched and told upon arrival that the FBI had been there earlier. But neither staff, nor the bureau, would explain why the facility had to be vacated, House said. He said a volunteer fire chief claimed the FBI had told him there had been a "credible threat" but would provide no details. The sheriff's office, House said, saw no evidence of a threat, and left after a few hours. "We tried to find out the threat and what their concerns were," House said. "They wouldn't identify anything. They were pretty hush mouthed about it." McAteer said his consortium assigns four researchers to the facility, although the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), another consortium, manages the buildings and other infrastructure with another four or five people. That consortium, McAteer said, had ordered the site vacated, providing no other reason than a "security" issue. He said the researchers did not spot anything in the sun to necessitate them leaving, nor were they aware of any scientific reason - such as an anomaly in the data they were collecting - for doing so. "My people, we didn't do the evacuation, and we do the science," McAteer said. The property manager also came in to the post office on the facility and asked the woman working there to leave, but gave no indication why that was necessary, said Rod Spurgeon, a Postal Service spokesman. Spurgeon said post office operations have continued at the nearby Cloudcroft facility. Kinsey Featherston, a spokeswoman for Rep. Stevan Pearce, R-N.M., said the congressman's office had reached out to the FBI and were told "it is an ongoing investigation." "We will continue monitoring the situation, but at this time, we have no information," she said. An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment, referring questions about the matter to the consortium that manages the buildings. Shari Lifson, an AURA spokeswoman, said in a statement that her group was "addressing a security issue" and had "decided to temporarily vacate the facility as a precautionary measure." She said they were "working with the proper authorities on this issue," although she declined to specify who those authorities were. Lifson also declined to specify the security issue, other than to dispute the idea aliens were involved. The solar observatory is about a 2 1/2-hour drive from Roswell, New Mexico, the site of a now infamous crash in 1947 that the Air Force later claimed was an experiment designed to detect Soviet nuclear activity by monitoring sound waves. The incident sparked so much interest that there is now a UFO museum in the city. House said his deputies spotted a Black Hawk helicopter in the area around the time the building was evacuated - although he noted that is not uncommon. Sunspot and Apache Point offer scenic views of the Tularosa Basin, which includes two sensitive military sites, including Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range. A public affairs officer at White Sands said there was no testing or other activity at the range that would have prompted the evacuation in Sunspot. As of Friday, the observatory was still shuttered, although McAteer said the researchers were ready to return "as soon as possible." The observatory even seemed to embrace the interest in the mysterious evacuation, writing on its website, "With the excitement this closure has generated, we hope you will come and visit us when we do reopen, and see for yourself the services we provide for science and public outreach in heliophysics." - - - Zapotosky reported from Washington. The Washington Post's Shane Harris and Joby Warrick contributed to this report from Washington. Published on 2018/09/16 | Source Australian film director Anna Broinowski (center) talks with a North Korean official in Pyongyang. /Courtesy of DocForest Advertisement Australian film director Anna Broinowski has deliberately subjected herself to stringent restrictions for a documentary in an experiment that must be unique in Western film. She told a press event in Seoul on Monday she wanted to make a propaganda film North Korean style based on a textbook written by film fan Kim Jong-il. The result was her 2013 documentary "Aim High in Creation", for which she picked up an old book called "The Cinema and Directing" ostensibly written by the former North Korean leader in 1987. It was given to her by a friend who had found it on a visit to Pyongyang. Broinowski herself visited Pyongyang in September 2012 for three weeks, capturing people involved in the local film industry. Her stated aim was to make an anti-fracking movie in the style of a North Korea propaganda film in a bid to stop attempts to extract gas from shale deposits in Sydney. But the documentary is really about Broinowski's journey of learning the techniques of North Korean propaganda. She said she wanted to break away from the old Western perspective on North Korea and portray the human side of the country's people. "I'm a filmmaker and my message is one of humanitarianism. Building a cultural bridge about a country that is really seen just in black and white by the West and I wanted to find the color", she said. North Korean filmmaking reminds her of the Italian neorealism of the 1950s, using German film cameras rather than digital ones. Broinowski faced many obstacles in shooting films in North Korea and spent almost two years getting permission to shoot the film. Officials scrutinized every angle and demanded to see the hard disk before she left the country. Born in Tokyo, Broinowski spent her youth in South Korea, the Philippines, and Vietnam as her father was a diplomat who eventually became Australian ambassador to South Korea. By Panos Kotzathanasis | Published on 2018/09/15 Films of lesbian interest seem to have become a minor trend in the Korean indie film industry, and Han Ka-ram, in her debut, uses the concept in its most subtle form, in order to present a number of social comments. "Our Body" (festival entry) will make its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival Advertisement Ja-young is a 31-year-old woman whose many years of trying to pass the public official exams and the pressure to do so from her mother, has led her to depression. Tired of everyone and everything in her life, she quits her studying, and begins living a life without any specific purpose, to her mother's disgruntlement. One night, as she walks in a park near her house, she witnesses Hyun-joo, a woman roughly her age, running, and her life suddenly finds its purpose. In her effort to get closer to the woman, Ja-young takes on running herself, eventually becoming a member of a group of night runners that also includes her object of "obsession". At the same time, after a recommendation from an old friend, she takes a part-time job at a large corporation, where a number of people eventually take part on a race that leads to an internship, and subsequently, a permanent position. As her relationship with Huyn-joo floorishes, Ja-young also experiences the corporate world first-hand, until a sudden event turns everything upside down again. Perhaps the term lesbian-interest is a bit strong for the film, since the homosexual aspect is quite toned down, and just functions as a starting point for the social comments Han Ka-ram wanted to make. In fact, this aspect is almost solely presented through Lee Seong-eun-II's cinematography, who stresses the fact that Ja-young likes Hyun-joo through a number of shots that highlight her body, as he also makes the spectator feel like he/she is picking on her (checking her out if you prefer). This tactic eventually extends towards Ja-young, as Han Ka-ram wanted to highlight the fact that running made her physique quite better. The cinematography of the film is actually one of its better assets, with Lee Seong-eum presenting a number of quite intriguing night shots, usually involving running. To return to the social comments of the film, Han Ka-ram shows how difficult the professional life of contemporary Koreans can be, with the exams for the public sector being quite difficult to pass and the private sector being a true dog-eat-dog setting, where people use everything in their power (including sex and tampering with others' work) in order to secure a position. Furthermore, she also makes a point of showing the way parents actually burden their children in the aforementioned regard, as they try to impose their will and dreams on their offspring, without caring about their wishes and their psychological status at all. Han stresses this fact repeatedly, as Ja-young's mother still insists on the same thing, even after almost everything has changed in her daughter's life. This aspect highlights another comment, of parents do not really knowing what is going on with their "kids". The benefits of committing to something, in this instance running, are also presented as a sort of solution for depression, with Han highlighting the benefits of physical training, both physically and psychologically. All of the aforementioned are presented through a slow-burning, quite art-house style, with the pace implemented by Han's own editing mirroring the detached-from-everything psychological situation of the protagonist. In 93 minutes though, the film does not extend its welcome in any way. Choi Hee-seo as Ja-young is the undisputed star of the film, as she presents her character's declining psychological situation with accuracy. The scenes where she is completely overcome by depression are the highlights of her performance. Ahn Ji-hye-II as Hyun-joo functions quite well as the object of obsession, particularly through her appearance, while her presentation of a character who does not seem to realize what is going on with her co-runner, is quite good. "Our Body" is an interesting film that follows most of the "rules" of the Korean an indie, whose fans will probably form the group that will mostly enjoy the movie. Review by Panos Kotzathanasis Facebook "Our Body" is directed by Han Ka-ram, and features Choi Hee-seo and Ahn Ji-hye-II. Published on 2018/09/16 | Source The growth of the mobile app market in Korea has seen a rise in the number of consumers seeking compensation for poor services. Advertisement The Korea Consumer Agency said on Thursday it received some 572 complaints relating to mobile apps lodged by consumers from 2015 to 2017. The figure has risen by 40 to 60 percent each year, from 122 in 2015 to 278 in 2017. The most common cause of complaints -- 304 cases or 53.2 percent -- was refusal of cancellation or refunds, followed by system errors, with 64 cases or 11.2 percent. Published on 2018/09/16 | Source Morbid ditties about suicide and self-harm are all the rage among schoolkids in Korea. Advertisement One mother of a primary school student was shocked recently when she heard her child sing a song that sounded like a children's song but featured the word "suicide" more than a dozen times. It was apparently part of a series of morbid songs that became popular on social media after being posted on YouTube last year, where it has been watched 1.5 million times. School officials believe the songs are being shared by older schoolkids in elementary schools. Other lyrics make reference to self-harm, which is becoming something of an epidemic in some countries. The Korea Suicide Prevention Center screened websites for two weeks in July of this year to search for harmful content and found 8,039 cases, a 38-fold increase from last year. Early this year, one high school rapper began talking about his experience harming himself, which led to other teenagers posting photos on social media showing off the knife scars on their wrists. Earlier this month, Minjoo Party lawmaker Seo Young-kyo tabled a bill adding materials which glamorize suicide to a list of content that is harmful to teenagers. PHILADELPHIA Neonatal concentrations of eight detectable inflammatory markers were significantly different in children later diagnosed with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) compared with controls, according to data published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Our findings suggest that children who develop ALL are immunologically disparate already at birth, said Signe Holst Segaard, MSc, PhD fellow in the Department of Epidemiology Research at Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark. This may link to other observations suggesting that children who develop ALL respond differently to infections in early childhood, potentially promoting subsequent genetic events required for transformation to ALL, or speculations that they are unable to eliminate preleukemic cells. Prior research indicates that ALL could develop in children because of an overreaction to infections in childhood, Segaard explained. This may hold promise for the prevention of childhood ALL through early immune modulation, she added. Segaard and colleagues used data from Denmarks Neonatal Screening Biobank and nationwide registers to assess baseline characteristics of the immune system of children born in Denmark from 1995 to 2008, who at ages 19 years were diagnosed with B-cell precursor ALL, the most common ALL subtype in children. They measured the concentrations of inflammatory markers, including cytokines and acute inflammatory proteins, on neonatal dried blood spots from 178 childhood ALL patients and 178 matched leukemia-free controls. Inflammatory markers included interleukin (IL)-6, its soluble receptor sIL-6R, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-17, IL-18, transforming growth factor (TGF)-1, monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, and C-reactive protein (CRP). These markers were chosen to provide a broad picture of the neonatal immune response, Segaard said. Children who later developed B-cell precursor ALL had statistically significantly different neonatal concentrations of eight of the nine analyzed inflammatory markers, compared with controls. IL-10 concentrations were too low for accurate measurement. Neonatal concentrations of sIL-6R, IL-8, TGF-1, MCP-1, and CRP were statistically significantly lower, while concentrations of IL-6, IL-17, and IL-18 were statistically significantly higher among B-cell precursor ALL patients, compared with controls. We also demonstrated that several previously shown ALL risk factors, namely birth order, gestational age, and sex were associated with the neonatal concentrations of inflammatory markers, Segaard noted. These findings raise the interesting possibility that the effects of some known ALL risk factors partly act through prenatal programming of immune function. Importantly, our study does not inform about the nature of the associations observed, i.e., whether they are causal or consequential. Accordingly, further studies are needed both to confirm the findings and to identify the underlying mechanisms, she emphasized. Our findings underline the role the childs baseline immune characteristics may play in the development of ALL. However, we cannot yet use our research results to predict who will develop childhood ALL. In future studies, we will further characterize the relation between immune constitution at birth and risk of childhood ALL with the ultimate goal of developing preventive strategies targeting predisposed children, Segaard said. Limitations of the study include the small number of studied inflammatory markers and the limited sample size, which made it impossible to detect potential differences in the association with inflammatory markers between subtypes of B-cell precursor ALL, Segaard said. The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers at Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, and University of Southern California, Los Angeles. The research was sponsored by the Dagmar Marshall Foundation, the A.P. Mller Foundation, the Danish Childhood Cancer Foundation, the Arvid Nilsson Foundation, and the Danish Cancer Research Foundation. Segaard declares no conflict of interest. American Association for Cancer Research On Friday night Janice got the shakes. Shes a city girl and jokes that she gets the shakes when she passes Lisburn on the M1. We ended up in the heart of Armagh, at the Markethill Mart, kindly invited as guests of Laurence and June Andrews to the 6th Annual Big BBQ. As well as an amazing meal you could bid at the auction for a cow or a few lambs or a Massey Ferguson Fleece! We were far from home. Angus Wilson and local businessmen put on this auction and meal every couple years to raise money to Water Wells in East Africa, through Water For Life, past of Fields of Life. On Friday night Gerry Kelly asked him about what they do at the BBQs and Anguss answered wit a story that preached wonderfully what I have been trying to convince people of for many years. Angus is on the Fields Of Life Board and for some years has been taking annual trips of five or six businessmen to Uganda to see the work of Fields Of Life. Many of those businessmen were in the room on Friday night. They probably bid for the cow! On Anguss very first trip, on the way to the airport, one of the businessmen asked Angus would it not be far more helpful to send the cost of their trips to help the people of Uganda. Why should they waste this money on this kind of trip? Angus, like a sage, said he would answer that question on the way home! It was a great question. 10,000 to go and be a sight seer when it could have built two water wells. How would Angus answer? I have no idea whether Angus gave the businessmen an answer on the way home or not. They probably didnt need one. On Friday night it was declared that the businessmen who have gone on Anguss trips have already raised 480,000 and would break the half million pound mark on the evening. Any businessman would agree that that is some return on a 10,000 investment! I have argued the question Angus was asked many times. I am always trying to convince the sceptics of the value of visiting, seeing for yourself. It changes your life and that changes your giving. Your giving in time, energy and money. Visiting is never a waste of money. When we were taking teams to South Africa I remember one of my students asking a local minister Rev Dr Spiwo Xapile if there was anything we could leave with him before we headed home. Maybe some money? Maybe a gift? What would be helpful? Dont leave us any money, he answered. Leave us your heart. That is the key to Anguss success. That is the answer to the businessmans question. When you visit developing countries across the world, with an open mind, then it is likely that you will have your heart captured. What you will give a place and people that you have experienced and shaken hands with will be immeasurably more than the cost of a trip to research and engage. The money you pay is not for a plane ticket, accommodation or food. It is the price of giving away your heart. That can change everything inside yourself and across the world. I was in awe of Anguss work. He would probably say that he doesnt do very much. He enjoys the trips. What he is doing though is not easily calculated. Not even the 500,00 plus he has raised can estimate what he has been doing for the people of East Africa. If he asks you to go, dont think for a moment that it is money that could be better used. The answer will be obvious when you get home. By Kim Thurler In May, just before one of the hottest summers on record, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning about diseases lurking in recreational water facilities like swimming pools and water playgrounds. The culprit in nine out of ten cases in which an infectious cause was identified was the microscopic parasite Cryptosporidium. Crypto, which commonly refers to both the parasite and the diarrheal disease that it causes, cryptosporidiosis, infects humans and animals. It is a serious problem in developing countries, where it is a leading cause of life-threatening diarrhea in children under two. Now cases reported in the U.S. are increasing. Swallowing one mouthful of crypto-contaminated water can cause illness. While most people recover after a few weeks of significant gastrointestinal upset, young children, the elderly, and the immunosuppressed can face chronic infection, wasting, cognitive impairment, and even death. No vaccine exists, and the sole FDA-approved drug for crypto is, paradoxically, ineffective in people with weakened immune systems. A major roadblock to developing drugs is the fact that crypto oocyststhe infectious form of the parasite that thrives in the small intestineare impossible to cultivate under laboratory conditions, explained Saul Tzipori, distinguished professor of microbiology and infectious diseases at Cummings School, who has made the study of crypto and other intestinal diseases his lifes work. To produce oocysts for scientific investigation, crypto must therefore be grown in host animals. The process is expensive, time-consuming, and cumbersome. To evaluate and optimize prototype vaccines and test them in humans we need to use the same source, age, viability, quality, and quantity of oocysts. This is impossible with available methods, which necessarily involve variation, said Tzipori, who is also the Agnes Varis Chair in Science and Society and chair of the Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health. Now Tzipori and his team, in collaboration with researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, have developed a way to rapidly freeze crypto oocysts, preserve their infectiousness indefinitely, and thaw them as needed for study. The researchers recently published their discovery, which was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in Nature Communications. For the past forty years, scientists have tried to keep crypto oocysts for later use by freezing thema process called cryopreservationusing slow cooling, but those methods didnt yield infectious oocysts, explained the papers co-first author, Justyna Jaskiewicz, a veterinarian who is pursuing a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences as a member of Tziporis lab. The group discovered that the oocysts impermeable walls kept out cryoprotective agentschemicals that are typically used to prevent formation of harmful ice crystals by replacing intracellular water. As a result, sharp ice crystals formed, which punctured and damaged the oocysts infectious interior. To help tackle this problem, Tziporis team tapped the expertise of Massachusetts Generals Center for Engineering in Medicine, whose co-founder, Mehmet Toner, is widely known for advances in low-temperature biology and tissue stabilization. The solution turned out to be bleaching the oocysts to make their walls permeable before soaking them in protective chemical agents. Oocysts in solution were then loaded into cylindrical glass microcapillaries about three inches long and 200 microns in diameterthe diameter of about four human hairsand plunged into liquid nitrogen at -196 degrees Celsius (about -320 Fahrenheit). Almost immediately, the oocyst solution morphed into a glasslike solid free of ice crystals. Unlike standard cryopreservation, where cells are slowly cooled, our technique vitrified the oocysts almost instantaneously. Vitrification is an ice-free method that cools cells so rapidly that crystals dont form, said Rebecca Sandlin, an investigator at the Center for Engineering in Medicine and co-first author on the paper. Oocysts thawed three months later were 50 to 80 percent viable and still infectious in mice. The researchers believe such cryopreservation will last indefinitely. They hope to increase the volume of oocysts frozen and test the methodology with other strains of the parasite. The discovery is just the latest from Tziporis far-ranging research on a host of globally important infectious diseases, from E. coli to dengue fever. Tzipori believes ultrafast cooling will benefit scientists worldwide in addition to advancing his own work on crypto drug discovery and vaccine development. For the first time, we can produce the crypto parasiteincluding unique or genetically modified strainsin large quantities, without need for constant passage through animals, uniformly cryopreserved, and ship it to other investigators in liquid nitrogen that can be stored indefinitely and used at any time, he said. This capability has existed for other pathogens, but never for crypto. Tufts University All gave some; some gave all. Here's how to honor veterans this year Taipei : As Beijing intensifies its effort to further isolate Taiwan diplomatically, Taipei is actively but discreetly broadening security ties with regional powers beyond its long-standing relationship with the United States. From efforts to share intelligence on Chinas military with India and the prospect of engaging Japanese experts in its submarine programme, Taipeis push is gradually bearing fruit despite sensitivities surrounding relations with Taiwan, according to government officials, military attaches and diplomats. Apart from India and Japan, Taipei has targeted Australia and Singapore. While the effort is being kept low-key to avoid further inflaming Beijing and adding to pressure on countries aiding Taipei unofficially, the moves mirror Taiwans more public southbound policy to deepen commercial and cultural links with the region. It also comes amid several recent successes by China in luring away some of the few nations that diplomatically recognise the democratically self-ruled island. While Taipei battles to keep its remaining formal allies, it is keen to deepen strategic ties with larger regional powers, sensing an opportunity as they too seek to cope with a rising China, Taiwanese officials say. We want Taiwan and those countries to have more in-depth understanding of the strategic or secruity environment we are in, Taiwans foreign minister Joseph Wu told Reuters. As China grows more powerful and assertive, he said many of these countries feel the pinch and they might want to know more about Taiwan as an interest to them, rather than something they want to avoid. Switching ties China considers democratic Taiwan to be a wayward province and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. It has intensified military activity surrounding Taiwan in recent years. El Salvador switched ties to Beijing last month, while the Dominican Republic did so in May and Panama changed sides last year leaving Taiwan with just 17 diplomatic allies, six of which are small Pacific island states. None of the other regional powers will come close to what Taiwan is doing with the US, said Bonnie Glaser, a security expert at Washingtons Center for Strategic and International Studies. But it is clear that there are intersecting interests, and that these are being actively explored. Washington, like other major powers, maintains a one China policy that thwarts formal diplomatic relations with Taipei but remains by far Taiwans largest weapons supplier and most powerful international backer. That relationship has been boosted under US President Donald Trump, whose administration is eyeing more weapons sales and is encouraging official exchanges. According to US estimates obtained by Reuters, on average 100 US officials, including military personnel, visit Taiwan each week. Anecdotally, the intensity of interactions is rising under the administration of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. India advances While security ties with Tokyo, including some intelligence sharing, have been evolving for some time, Taipeis ties with New Delhi are rapidly growing, according to people familiar with discussions. Unofficial military attaches have been placed within Taiwans new de-facto embassy, the Taipei Economic Cultural Centre, while senior Indian military officers regularly visit Taipei on ordinary rather than official passports. Taiwan also fields military attaches unofficially in Tokyo and Singapore as well as Washington. Taiwans knowledge of Chinese military deployments, including troop movements in the west of the country are of particular interest, said an Indian source familiar with ties. We are dependent on Taiwan because they are watching the Chinese, the source said. Indian serving officers regularly go to Taiwan, they go on so-called study leave. When asked for a formal Indian government response, a source familiar with the governments thinking declined to comment on security cooperation, but said Indias engagement with Taiwan is limited to economic and commercial links. And people to people contacts. Taiwan is also pushing Australia, a major US ally, for closer co-operation, regional diplomats told Reuters. Discussions remained largely in the exploratory stage over shared interests over watching Chinese manoeuvres in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, where Chinas presence is growing. Like the Indian relationship, it is most likely to evolve into information sharing on Chinese activities, deployments and intentions rather than hard weapons programmes. An Australian government spokesman declined to comment. Euan Graham, a regional security analyst at the Sydney-based Lowy Institute, said Australia would likely remain cautious, despite deepening understanding in Canberra of Taiwans strategic importance. It might be a bit ambitious of the Taiwanese to think Australia would go as far as say Japan, he said. Directly taking on a military-to-military relationship with Taiwan would be very uncomfortable for Australia. Singapore, however, has repeatedly signalled to Taiwanese officials it intends to maintain its low-key military presence on the island despite pressure from Beijing, according to people close to discussions. That decades-old presence revolving detachments of troops for infantry and heavy armour training faced Chinese criticism in late 2016 when Hong Kong authorities temporarily seized armoured personnel carriers being shipped from Taiwan to Singapore. Taiwan is pleased that Singapore has resisted Chinese pressure and, beyond the training elements, exchanges between senior officers are broad and deep, said one Singaporean scholar familiar with the relationship, speaking privately due to sensitivity that surrounds it. In the current environment they have plenty to talk about. Speaking privately, other Singaporean academics say that state-linked Chinese counterparts frequently complain about Singapores on-going military relationship. They inevitably ask: when is Singapore going to finally give this up?the hint is clear, one veteran scholar said. Singapores defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Taiwanese scholars said retired Japanese engineers have been coming to Taiwan to assist with research and development in its nascent submarine programme. The Taiwanese defence ministry referred Reuters to a previous statement by the navy in which it said reports of Japans assistance with Taiwans submarine programme was completely conjecture. A Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman said they had no knowledge of any involvement of Japanese engineers in the project. Our stance toward Taiwan is based on the 1972 joint communique by Japan and China meaning our relationship is not an official one between governments but is conducted at a working level, the spokesman said. More broadly, a Taipei-based think-tank close to the office of the president forms a key part of the growing semi-official effort. The Prospect Foundation, in part funded by Taiwans Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with close ties to President Tsais National Security Council, reaches out to a wide range of scholars, retired officials and military brass and sometimes still-serving officials. As the foundation helps Taiwan create reciprocal exchanges, scholars have noted if serving military officers are involved, no uniforms are worn on foreign trips, underscoring the discreet nature of the missions. Source : TOI Long before he became Chinas most globally prominent business figure, Jack Ma was just an English teacher trying to persuade his friends that they would one day buy things over the internet. His vision changed China. As Ma, 54, makes plans to leave Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., his legacy will be an enduring one. He did far more than just create and build an e-commerce juggernaut into the most valuable company in Asia, impressive as that may be. He showed that an innovative private enterprise could thrive under a Communist Party regime once hostile, and still at times suspicious, of ambitious capitalists. To a remarkable degree, his path-breaking success created a model that gave rise to a technology industry that rivals Silicon Valley, propelling a Chinese economy on track to eclipse that of the US. Ma is now Chinas richest man, worth about $40 billion, and a headliner at global talking salons like Davos. At the same time, hes complied with--and fiercely defended --his countrys ruling party even as it exerts ever tighter control over media, the internet and any hint of dissident speech. Hes gone so far as to praise the stability of one-party rule and chastise Western companies like Google that objected to Chinas censorship practices. His approach demonstrated how entrepreneurial success can coexist with the Communist regime, paving the way for a new wave of startups. Hes been a role-model for our generation, said Peiran Wei, a 36-year-old who says he had the confidence to co-found a startup, an app developer called VideoUP, in large part because of Ma and Alibaba. Jack Mas personal story is now the stuff of schoolyard legend. He was born in 1964 to traditional Chinese musician-storytellers in Hangzhou, an ancient capital known for its historic sites and natural beauty. He honed his English by hanging around the towns main hotel to practice with tourists. After working as a teacher, Ma turned to business, starting Alibaba.com in 1999 with 17 co-founders. He wasnt the most technically savvy entrepreneur, nor would he claim the smartest. But he proved an inspiring leader who could rally his forces to fight foreign intruders or articulate a vision for modernizing Chinas economy. Intelligent people need a fool to lead them, he once said. Its easier to win if you have people seeing things from different perspectives. Alibaba has brought e-commerce to remote villages of China and expanded into artificial intelligence, health care and Hollywood movies. Less than 20 years after its founding, the business that Jack and his co-founders built was valued at $429 billion as of Thursday, more than any of the older state-backed enterprises in his country. He started his company with 18 people in an apartment and even today whenever I pass that place I think of him, said Wei, who is also from Hangzhou. Its a 20-year-old apartment complex that doesnt look posh but I still get inspiration from it. One of the first to see the promise of Ma was Japans Masayoshi Son. His SoftBank Group Corp. led a $20 million investment in Alibaba in 2000 and now holds a stake worth about $120 billion. He had no business plan, zero revenue, Son said of Ma on The David Rubenstein Show. But his eyes were very strong. I could tell from the way he talked, he has charisma, he has leadership. It was Alibabas record-setting initial public offering that altered the countrys tech industry for good. Ma and team raised $25 billion, more than any other company before or since, a wake-up call for venture capitalists that there were fortunes to be made on the countrys startups. The impact was immediate. Beijing-based smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp. raised venture funding a few months after the IPO at the highest valuation in the world, at $46 billion. It was soon surpassed by Uber Technologies Inc., but the floodgates were open. Venture deals in China rose from $4.4 billion in 2013 to $16.6 billion in 2014 and reached $62.6 billion in 2017, according to the market research firm Preqin. This year, China is on track to surpass the U.S. in both venture capital raised and IPOs. The China startup scene wouldnt exist in the same way without Jack Ma, said William Bao Bean, a Shanghai-based partner at venture capital firm SOSV. The celebrity of Jack Ma and the success of Alibaba made startups an acceptable career choice, which has fueled one of the biggest technology markets in the world. Ma wasnt just successful. He broke the mold for Chinas business leaders, typically faceless chiefs running mammoth state-owned enterprises like PetroChina and China Mobile. He dressed up like Michael Jackson and tried the moon walk. He wore a three-foot feather Mohawk and makeup to perform at a company party. And he dispensed Yoda-like axioms that were collected in dozens of management books. To many hes the face of Chinas internet -- no one really knows what Pony Ma looks like, said Bean, referring to the CEO of Tencent Holdings Ltd. In that role, Ma would occasionally criticise his home country, including for its pollution problems, a potentially dangerous proposition given the power of the ruling party. But especially under current President Xi Jinping, he was forced to quiet his independent voice and often defended the governments practices against its critics. Facebook and these companies, if they come here they have to follow the rules and laws, said Ma in December. Google, they left we did not kick them out. When you do business in any country you have to follow the rules and laws. Mark Natkin, managing director of Beijing-based Marbridge Consulting, said business leaders including Ma have faced pressure to support the government under Xi, who has emerged as the countrys most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. In the last four years the environment has become one in which one must toe the government policy line much more closely, Natkin said. Chinas government repaid Mas fidelity, making it difficult and in some cases impossible for foreign technology companies to operate in the country. Facebook and Twitter Inc., for example, are blocked in China. In the field of business, Ma is often compared with Amazon.com Inc.s Jeff Bezos because both of their companies are in e-commerce. But a more fitting parallel may be Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard, the founders of Hewlett-Packard Co. who developed breakthrough innovations and gave birth to the next generation of technology companies. During the Cultural Revolution there was no entrepreneurialism - it was punished, said Wang Huiyao, an adviser to Chinas cabinet and founder of the Center for China and Globalization. Ma represents the first international generation of Chinese entrepreneurs. With more than 69% votes counted till noon, have widened lead in all central panel posts in the JNU Students Union elections after counting resumed Sunday morning. N Sai Balaji, the United Lefts candidate for the presidents post was leading by 804 votes over his nearest rival Lalit Pandey of the AVBP. Balaji had secured 1467 votes against Pandeys 663 after 3587 votes out of 5185 votes had been counted. Sarika Chaudhary (DSF) with 1807 votes was leading by 1114 votes against ABVPs Geetasri Boruah who had secured 693 votes in the counting for the vice-presidents post. Another Left candidate - Aejaz Ahmad Rather (SFI) was leading by 877 votes in the general secretarys post. He had secured 1666 votes while his ABVP rival Ganesh Gurjar got 789 votes. The Left was also leading by 561 votes in the counting for the joint secretarys post with Amutha Jayadeep (ASIF) securing 1409 votes while Venkat Choubey got 848 votes. Read: Live updates of the JNUSU poll results On Sunday, Left candidates also won all five councillor seats in School of Social Sciences and School of Languages. In the School of International Studies, Left won four and NSUI bagged one. ABVP lost in all these three schools The counting had been suspended for over 14 hours on Saturday after some leaders accused the RSS-affiliated ABVP of breaking into the counting centre and manhandling election committee members. The ABVP claimed the counting had started without its agent being present. Reports of scuffles and skirmishes continued throughout the day and till late into the night as the counting went on. The election took place on Friday, a day after the ABVP won three out of the four seats in the Delhi University students union elections. The results of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) election, the counting for which had been suspended for over 14 hours on Saturday after some leaders accused the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) of breaking into the counting centre and manhandling election committee members, is likely to be announced today, news agency ANI reported. The ABVP, meanwhile, claimed the counting had started without its agent being present. Reports of scuffles and skirmishes continued throughout the day and till late into the night as the counting went on. The standoff began at 4am on Saturday when results for councillors posts in the Schools of Sciences were announced. Rival student groups alleged that ABVP members, led by their president and joint secretary candidates Lalit Pandey and Venkat Chaubey, allegedly broke the door and barged into the School of International Studies (SIS-I) building the venue of the counting centre. The JNU election committee, without naming any party, issued a statement saying that the forcible entry by some persons into the counting venue and attempts to snatch away sealed ballot boxes as well as ballot papers from counting centres, forced it to stop the counting. This was in addition to intimidation and violence on our Election Committee (EC), including on our female members led by a presidential and a joint secretary candidate. The ABVP, however, accused the election committee of being hand-in-glove with the partys rival faction Left unity, a coalition of All India Students Association (AISA), Students Federation of India (SFI), All India Students Federation (AISF) and Democratic Students Federation (DSF). EC members broke the seal of ballot box of School of Sciences in absence of the ABVP counting agent. And when we objected to the ECs bias, they were manhandled by the members from the Left organisations, said Saurabh Sharma, member, ABVP central committee. We went to meet the EC members to ask why our representative was not invited. And, in the meantime, some Left members there started creating ruckus, Sharma said. EC members, on the other hand, claimed that ABVP counting agents did not turn up despite the mandated three calls. As per norms, EC is supposed to issue three calls to invite counting agents of all the candidates before opening the seal of ballot box. A malicious lie is being spread on social media and among students that the EC had not made three announcements and went forth with the entry of the counting agents ... The EC would like to clearly state that three announcement calls were made (with the third call announced as the last and final call) and communicated to the students gathered outside the SIS-I building (counting venue) via loudspeaker, said EC chairperson Himanshu Kulshrestha. Calling it a black day in JNUs history, the other 11 active student parties at JNU, including the Left unity, issued a joint statement claiming ABVP had disrupted the counting. These 11 students groups, which had issued the joint statement, demanded an apology from ABVP. Members from both ABVP and Left parties remained gathered outside the counting centre throughout the day. The deadlock outside the SIS building continued till 3pm, when the two factions agreed to hold a meeting of the members of universitys Grievance Redressal Cell (GRC). In the meantime, the Left parties alleged that a group of ABVP supporters allegedly roughed up some of their members, including women. Similar allegations were made by the ABVP. Lalit Pandey, the ABVP presidential candidate, claimed one of his party members fractured his arm during the alleged altercation. At about 3pm, after a meeting with the GRC members, all the student parties agreed to break the deadlock and the vote counting resumed at around 6:30pm for the JNUs School of Sciences. It has been decided that the counting will resume in the presence of two GRC and EC-approved faculty members as observers, the EC said. The counting for the elections, which witnessed a record turnout of 67.8 % on Friday, was supposed be completed by Saturday night and the results were scheduled for Sunday morning. Officials said results will now likely be announced by Sunday evening. Meanwhile, a journalist working for an online portal alleged he was roughed up an ABVP member. However, Lalit Pandey denied the allegations. This is nothing but propaganda against us by the Left organisations. Reports emerged late on Saturday night about four students getting attacked in an autorickshaw outside the campus. However, HT could not independently verify these reports. DCP (southwest) Devender Arya said that in the initial probe eyewitnesses could not confirm any of these reports. For the first time, central universities across the country will undergo a performance review by the ministry of human resource development (MHRD) in October that will determine the extent of funding they receive from the government. The ministry has asked central universities to furnish details about academic progress made by them so far, including percentage of classes actually held (over scheduled) in each programme, percentage of the syllabus covered (as against scheduled), the number of exams scheduled and actually conducted and the number of exam results declared. The ministry has sent a letter this effect to all central universities on September 7, a copy of which has been accessed by HT. In addition to this, they have also been asked to give information on number of grievances received in the first quarter (July to September) from students and the number resolved. The review is taking place in the context of an MoU that was signed between universities, the MHRD and the University Grants Commission. HT had on September 1 reported how each central university, except Delhi University, had signed the MoU detailing the targets they wanted to achieve in the first quarter; funds to the universities were to be allocated on the basis of their performance in meeting the targets. The MHRD had made the signing of the MoU mandatory It has been decided by the ministry to review the implementation status of all the performance parameters, output targets and programme of work indicated by the university in the said MoU , reads the letter dated September 7. All the universities have also been asked to provide details on their students grievance redressal system (both online and offline). The idea of a performance review is certainly good. The MHRD certainly funds these institutes and if there are complaints, those should be addressed by appropriate bodies, including MHRD, but they shouldnt get into such activities on a daily basis., said SS Mantha, academician and former chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education. Preparations for Ayushman Bharat began two years before Union finance minister Arun Jaitley announced the governments flagship health insurance programme in his 2018 Budget speech. The training of a new cadre of community health officers to staff health sub-centres that serve a population of 5,000 began across many states in summer 2017, setting the stage for treatment of simple fever, infections and pain, and early diagnosis and timely referrals to hospitals at the village level. Ayushman Bharat offers up to Rs 5 lakh cashless cover for hospitalisation to 100 million poor and vulnerable families for 1,354 treatment packages, but with district hospitals and medical colleges understaffed and overburdened treating people for simple infections like diarrhoea and viral fevers, there is a desperate need to strengthen primary health services so people get basic treatment within a 2-3 km radius of their homes. Around 80% of Indias 1.04 million registered doctors of modern medicine (allopathy) work in cities, home to 31% of the countrys population. For the 69% rural population that is dependent on government healthcare services, the allopathic doctor-population ratio in the government health sector is 1:11,082, as against the World Health Organizations (WHO) recommended ratio of 1:1,000. With the primary healthcare system in India collapsing, people turn to private doctors, who are often quacks. Strengthening health sub-centres at the village level will free up doctors for tertiary care and reduce patients out-of-pocket spending on healthcare substantially, as the need to go to private practitioners, clinics and hospitals will fall, which has been validated last year by the pilot universal health coverage (UHC) project in Tamil Nadu, said Tapasvi Puwar, associate professor, Indian Institute of Public Health,Gandhinagar (IIPHG). Neighbourhood clinics The UHC project launched in three rural blocks in Tamil Nadu in early 2017 by the Centre for Technology and Policy at Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, demonstrated that strengthening health sub-centres that ensuring trained personnel, services, basic infrastructure and medicines were always available, reduced the dependence on private hospitals drastically and lowered the out-of-pocket expenditure of the patient as well as the cost of care incurred by the government. The project, which was launched in Shoolagiri block in Krishnagiri district, Viralimalai block in Pudukkottai, and Veppur block in Perambalur, led to out-of-pocket spending falling between 77% and 92% across blocks. The number of patients visiting out-patient departments and private hospitals also halved in eight months of the project rolling out, with patients footfall dropping from 51% to 21% in Shoolagiri, from 48% to 24.2% in Viralimalai, and from 41% to 24% in Veppur. Health sub-centres are the building blocks of public healthcare as they are the first point of contact with the community. When services there are available and reliable, patients come. Look at private doctors, they close shop after the last patient leaves. With ANMs (auxiliary nurse midwives) and health workers absent or away on field duty three times a week, sub-centres are often found locked. The CHOs role is fixed, they have to be at the centre to ensure people get treatment, said Dr Dileep Mavlankar, director, IIPHG, which is offering a six-month certificate course in community health to create community health officers (CHOs) to run health sub-centres. Read: Meghalaya increases health cover to Rs 5 lakh under national health protection scheme The new cadre of CHOs is trained as mid-level providers who will work with ANMs, Ashas (accredited social health activists) and male health workers to ensure every 5,000 population gets basic medicine, diagnosis and treatment. The programme, developed by IGNOU in collaboration with the ministry of health and family welfare, aims at improving the knowledge, skills and competencies of in-service registered nurses and Ayush practitioners to offer primary healthcare services, including preventive and promotive care, at peripheral level. The programme was developed with nursing experts, medical experts, social scientists and educationists from various related disciplines to train CHOs in comprehensive primary care, including seven simple pinprick tests for malaria, diabetes and haemoglobin, among others, based on protocols appropriate to sub-center level, said Puwar. Hands-on training The first batch of 27 CHOs trained at IIPHG graduated in July and have been begun work at Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) across Gujarat. The second group of 400 students is being trained in batches, with each getting 736 hours of training, which includes 448 hours of practical training at every level of public health delivery, from primary health centres to district hospitals and medical colleges. We work closely with the panchayats, ANMs and Ashas to tell people they can get medicines and treatment in the village. We dont support for skype consultations with the medical officers at PHCs, we use our personal phones, but that will come once more patients come, said Mamta Panchal, a CHO posted at the Godhra HWC in Gujarat. Proactive reaching out with services and providing immediate relief will create greater awareness and improve health-seeking behaviour. Were using technology in a big way to digitise, support and evaluate programmes, including using third-party evaluation, to increase efficiency and optimise reach, said Jayanti S. Ravi, health commissioner and principal secretary, health and family welfare, Gujarat. Read: Taking a cue out of health insurance schemes down south The National Skill Development Corporation is simultaneously utilising Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra and other Skill Development Centres under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Skill India Framework to train 100,000 Arogya Mitras at each empanelled public and private hospital to provide support in beneficiary verification, authentication, query management, grievance redressal and handling emergency cases. We are extending health coverage to the populations of the US, Canada and Mexico put together and need young people with the right skill sets and knowledge to ensure services reach people. Ayushman Bharat is the worlds largest healthcare coverage programme, we need to ensure its also the worlds most robust healthcare coverage programme, said Jagat Prakash Nadda, Union health and family welfare minister. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the only party in the country that functions on democratic principles, partys national president Amit Shah said in Rajasthan on Sunday. To become the president of the Congress, it is necessary to be born into a family. There is no need of democracy in that party, Shah said, addressing a meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the BJPs youth wing, in Jodhpur. State congress spokesperson Archana Sharma rejected Shahs charge, stating that the BJP is trying to divert attention. She said the Congress believes in democratic principles and freedom of speech. Our partys priority is the people of the country, whereas BJP wish to retain power to fulfil their self interests, she said. During the meeting, Shah said he had begun his political career by functioning like a common party worker and reached the national-level by handling work at booth committees. The BJP chief said new faces and young leaders can move forward in the party by the virtue of their work. He called upon party workers to publicise development work and welfare schemes of the state and central governments in the run-up to upcoming assembly elections in Rajasthan. Targetting the proposed tie-up between Opposition parties before next years Lok Sabha elections, Shah said that a few political parties, which have been pushed to the margins, are now forming a mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) and spreading confusion. The only agenda of mahagathbandhan is to defeat Modi. The country does not figure in the agenda of mahagathbandhan; there is no place for youth development. Shah said freedom of expression guaranteed in the country does not mean that some people have the right to make comments against Bharat Mata. A person doing such things has to go to jail. He claimed that the BJP would win a majority in Rajasthan. Rahul (Gandhi) should give up the hope to form a Congress government. He called upon Rahul Gandhi to clarify the Congresss stand on the National Register of Citizens. After clarifying his stand, he should demand votes from the public. A Duke Energy Corp. landfill near Wilmington, North Carolina, failed under the assault of Tropical Storm Florence, spilling about 2,000 cubic yards of coal ash that can carry toxic mercury, arsenic and lead. Authorities said Saturday night they would investigate whether the pollutant had reached the Cape Fear River, but said it was not yet safe to inspect the site. As the storm plodded agonizingly slow across the Carolinas on Saturday, emergency officials warned of even more catastrophic flooding in the days to come, as the deluge killed at least 11, washed partially treated sewage into waterways and left entire communities under water. We face walls of water at our coast, along our rivers, across farmland, in our cities, and in our towns, Governor Roy Cooper said in a briefing Saturday. The rainfall is epic and will continue to be. Florence, the first major hurricane of the Atlantic season, is expected to cause an estimated $18 billion in damage. More than 843,000 customers were without power in the Carolinas and more than 20,000 people have sought protection in shelters. Large-scale search and rescue operations were underway after rivers spilled over their banks and inundated cities near the coast. Emergency management officials said they are increasingly worried about landslides as the storm pours down on already saturated hills and mountains inland. With rain measured by the foot and vast tracts under water, residents wondered whether crucial infrastructure and industrial emplacements would survive. Of particular concern were environmentally precarious facilities for processing waste from North Carolinas massive hog industry and for containing the byproducts of power generation. Duke said part of a lined landfill near its closed Sutton Power Plant east of Wilmington eroded Saturday, releasing enough coal ash to fill about two-thirds of an Olympic-sized pool. The company said it was unsure how much may have reached Sutton Lake, a cooling pond yards from the Cape Fear River. Most of the material was collected in a perimeter ditch and haul road that surrounds the landfill, Duke said. Spokeswoman Paige Sheehan said crews used sand bags and other measures to stanch the flow, and would make a permanent repair after the weather clears. The company was ordered two years ago to clean up coal-ash ponds in North Carolina. It came under pressure after about 39,000 tons spilled in 2014 from a pond near Eden. Work was underway at several high-risk sites when Florence hit. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has been closely monitoring all coal ash impoundments that could be vulnerable, the agency said in a statement. As soon as it is safe to do so, DEQ will be onsite at the Sutton Steam Plant to conduct a thorough inspection. Once the damage is assessed, DEQ will determine the best path forward and hold the utility accountable for implementing the solution that ensures the protection of public health and the environment. Duke said that there was nothing to fear. Coal ash is non-hazardous, and the company does not believe this incident poses a risk to public health or the environment. The company is conducting environmental sampling as well, Duke said in a statement. The storm -- which is crawling west at about 2 miles per hour after making landfall Friday morning as a Category 1 hurricane -- has already poured more than 2 1/2 feet of rain across southeastern North Carolina as it all but stalled over the region for more than 24 hours. Heavy rains were expected to drop as much as 40 inches in some parts by the time it moves north. In Charlotte, the largest city in the storms path and the banking capital of the South, officials expected a record 12 inches, and Mayor Vi Alexander Lyles said her biggest concern is 2,400 properties in the flood plain. Three rivers in the state have hit major flood stage, and an additional 13 threaten to follow suit, according to emergency officials. In Wilmington, an estimated 5.25 million gallons of wastewater spilled into the Cape Fear River from a treatment plant when two generators failed Friday, according to Bridget Munger, a spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Quality. A spill of 5.25 million gallons is significant when most are measured in the thousands, said Matthew Starr, the Upper Neuse Riverkeeper at Sound Rivers, an advocacy group. That is a tremendous negative impact on our water, Starr said. Partially treated wastewater carries not only bacteria that can harm humans and wildlife, but also the chemicals used to clean it. Human waste isnt the only danger: North Carolina is the nations second-largest hog producer, and farms process feces in ponds laced with bacteria that break down the noisome mess. Though farmers hurried to pump out their lagoons, record flooding risks spreading contamination widely. While floods are the most pressing threat, wind and water have already proved deadly. At least 11 people have died in the storm, the Associated Press reported. The total bill for damage may reach $18 billion, lower than earlier estimates, said Chuck Watson, a disaster researcher at Enki Research in Savannah, Georgia. That includes $15 billion for North Carolina, $2 billion for South Carolina and $1 billion elsewhere. More than 40,000 utility workers from at least 17 states are ready to restore power, according to a news release from the federal energy department. Besides Duke Energy, utilities in the Carolinas include South Carolina-owned Santee Cooper, Brunswick Electric Membership Corp., Jones Onslow Electric Membership and Lumbee River Electric Membership. As of July, 134,306 flood-insurance policies had been issued in North Carolina for $33.7 billion in property, the vast majority along the coast, according to Aon Benfield. The regions population has been rising, and since 2000, at least 19 counties in North Carolina and South Carolina have seen more than 25,000 residential units built, the report said. The states agriculture economies are also at risk. North Carolina is forecast to harvest 158,800 acres of tobacco this year, and its the nations top producer. Half the eastern North Carolina crop will be basically destroyed, blown away, Larry Wooten, president of the states Farm Bureau, said Saturday. More than 60 swine operations house more than 235,000 hogs that generate almost 202 million gallons of waste per year within the floodplain of North Carolinas coast, according to Waterkeepers, a watchdog group. Environmental organizations are preparing to inspect waterways for toxic spills from lagoons once the storm subsides. (This story has been published from an agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) The draft Data Protection Bill submitted by the justice BN Srikrishna committee will be tabled in Parliament, but will not be passed before the 2019 general elections, a senior official familiar with the matter said. The electronics and information technology ministry empanelled a group of nine experts in July 2017 to draft Indias first ever personal data privacy law. The panel, led by retired Supreme Court judge BN Srikrishna, submitted its recommendations along with a larger report to the IT ministry in July. The Bill, when enacted, would dictate how the government and businesses can collect, process and use personal data of individuals. The proposed bill makes individual consent the centrepiece of data sharing, awards rights to users, imposes obligations on data fiduciaries all those entities, including the State, which determine purpose and means of data processing. Last week, the ministry extended the date for receiving public opinion on the draft Bill. The senior official cited above said on condition of anonymity that industry associations requested more time to understand the implications of the draft before submitting feedback to the ministry. The public can send opinions and suggestions to the ministry on its website until September 30, up from the earlier deadline of September 10. Other senior officials in the ministry with direct knowledge of the matter said that despite the nearly three-week extension, they would try and make the draft Bill ready for tabling in the winter session of Parliament. When the Bill was submitted to IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad in late July, he said the ministry would hold consultation with the general public and industry associations. After the consultations, he said, it would be introduced in Parliament and sent to a parliamentary standing committee for scrutiny. Some experts believe a data protection law is not exactly the need of the hour. The campaign over WhatsApp or other social media will continue unhindered despite a personal data protection law simply because most of these are organized through private chat groups, Ananth Padmanbhan, fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, said. Profiling for purposes of elections has been going on for years, and it is unlikely a new law would stop political parties from carrying on with the same. Others say there is need to have the law in place before the general elections next year. Its crucial to have both improved checks on surveillance and data protection measures on government and the private sector before the elections. And we have seen an explosion of attempts to use data to influence, target people for elections, said Raman Chima, a lawyer and policy director at Access Now, a digital rights advocacy group, and volunteer with saveourprivacy.in. Cambridge Analytica revealed the scale of problems. Cambridge Analytica, a British political consulting firm, delivered data-intensive marketing and political campaigning strategies for electronic media. The firm was accused by whistle-blower Christopher Wylie in March this year of collecting unauthorized personal data of more than 87 million Facebook users. Facebook later said at least half a million Indians profiles could have been compromised in the data grab. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) began a preliminary enquiry against Cambridge Analytica in August for its role in illegally obtaining Indians data. It is suspected that Cambridge Analytica may have been involved in illegally obtaining data of Indians which could be misused, Prasad said in parliament in July. Urging all opposition parties to come together against the Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav Sunday said its defeat in the state will stop its return to power at the Centre after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He said he was ready for any alliance to achieve this goal, and willing to play a supporting role for its formation. Anyone desirous of coming to the Samajwadi Party will be accepted. We are always ready for alliances, he said to a query at the NDTV Yuva conclave on what would be the role of recently-released Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student unions former president Kanhiya Kumar and former JNU student Umar Khalid in the Lok Sabha polls. His stand came in contrast to Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati who had earlier on Sunday alleged Chandrashekhar was a BJP stooge out to split Dalit votes. If I have to enter into alliances to defeat communal forces, I will do it. Once I enter an alliance, I will not back out, Yadav added. He said the question of leadership in the opposition alliance can be decided after the elections. We will choose our leader (of the grand alliance) after the elections. We have to stop the BJP. If we can stop the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, we can stop them in all of India, he said. Yadav also said Congress has the biggest responsibility and should hold discussions with all opposition parties. The Congress has the biggest responsibility today, they need to open their hearts and should take everyone along. I am in constant touch with Mayawati ji, he said. Attacking the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the former UP chief minister said in 2019, the bigger fight would be with the RSS than the BJP. Samajwadis (socialists) will challenge the RSS. They (RSS leaders) made me realise that I am a backward. They are doing politics of caste and religion. They divide people, they spread hatred. Not just our party, the country should stay away from RSS. The country has to be saved, he said. Taking a dig at BJP chief Amit Shah over his claim that his party will rule for the next 50 years, he said, Forget 50 years, people will give their verdict in 50 weeks. Birthday wishes Call 281-422-8302 or email david.bloom@baytownsun.com to wish someone a happy birthday. We will print your birthday wish on Page 2 of The Sun. Happy Birthday Wishes The Himachal Pradesh Council for Child Welfare has launched a probe into the alleged assault on inmates of a shelter home for boys in Chamba, by four employees. The four accused have been put under suspension pending investigation. They were identified as office in-charge Ashok Kumar, assistant Anita Devi, helper Namita, and guard Kishori Lal. The incident came into light in the first week of September when sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Deepti Mandhotra visited the shelter home for a routine checking. During the SDMs visit, some of the inmates narrated their ordeal to her. The boys alleged that they were undergoing immense torture and charged the four employees of the home of repeatedly assaulting them. The SDM had also found the kitchen of the shelter home in complete disarray. Based on the report by the SDM, deputy commissioner Harikesh Meena ordered a probe against the accused employees and their suspension to the child welfare department, which runs the shelter home. Meanwhile, secretary of child welfare council Payal Vaidya reached Chamba on Saturday to conduct the probe. Accused employees of the shelter home have been suspended. A temporary arrangement for food for inmates has been made from a government-run hotel, she said, adding that strict action will be taken against the accused. Past incident In September last year (2017), three employees of a child protection home in Chamba were arrested following complaints by six girl inmates alleging sexual harassment by the staff. When the incident was reported, there were as many as 34 girls residing in the shelter home managed by seven staff members, including two women. The accused included a clerk, cook and sweeper of the home, they were expelled from the services and the case is pending in a local court. Government sops to woo voters are not unusual before elections. This time, the chief ministers of four election-bound states Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana have announced hundreds of new schemes, from offers of smartphones with free data to tiffin boxes to free electricity to jobs, with an eye on the polls. Thats in addition to construction of new roads and bridges , plans for which have been announced in the last few months. If implemented, these sops could eat up to 35% of the total revenue expenditure proposed in the budgets of these states for current financial year. Economists say announcing sops without proper planning derails the long-term fiscal management entailed by the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003. But there is no provision in the law which prevents the announcement of sops with an eye voters. In fact, the Election Commissions model code of conduct prohibits announcements of government schemes only after the elections schedule is announced. The growing trend of offering freebies was challenged in the Supreme Court, which in 2013 directed the Election Commission to frame guidelines on election manifestos and misuse of freebies. However, the commission after consultation with political parties, came out with an advisory on framing of manifestos, but expressed its inability to check freebies. The Election Commission cannot do much, said former chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi. The commissions jurisdiction starts only after the poll schedule is announced, which is normally 45 days before the polling. Nowadays, offering sops starts several months before elections are announced. Election watchers say the trend of offering incentives to voters has gained momentum in the recent years as elections are now being contested with greater intensity. With voters becoming blase over traditional bijli, pani and sadak (power, water and roads) promises, parties are getting innovative with promises that provides immediate gratification such as free phones loaded with data, laptops and bicycles. Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje promised to provide subsidised smartphones to 10 million poor people in the state with free data for the first six months. Her counterpart in Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has vowed to give a smartphone to every student who takes admission in a government college. Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh says his government will give tiffin boxes to all labourers working under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme tol improve their health. Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao hiked remuneration for educators in religious schools three-fold just before deciding to recommend dissolution of the state assembly on September 6. Farmers, an influential vote bloc, are the biggest target group of sops this election season. Chouhan has been claiming on the campaign trail that his government has spent ?35,000 crore for farmers welfare this year. Rao credits himself with Indias first pro-sowing incentive scheme called Rythu Bandhu (friend of farmers). Raje dedicated her budget to farmers with at least a dozen schemes, including a farm loan waiver from cooperative banks. Raman Singh just last week announced ?300 per quintal in addition to the minimum support price (MSP) to paddy farmers. Vijay Vir Singh of the economics department at the University of Rajasthan says that freebies do not contribute to the economy in any way. Giving sops does not make economic sense. Its a populist measure but does not lead to economic growth, he said. Bhopal-based economist Jayantilal Bhandari said these schemes look good on paper but does not do much for the people instantly as their implementation takes time. The common refrain of the ruling party functionaries in the election-bound states is that the new schemes are an extension of the good work being done by the governments and show the incumbent parties intentions of promoting public welfare. Opposition parties term the sops an indication of governance failure. If the state government has done so well, why is the chief minister (Vasundhara Raje) making so many announcements knowing well she cannot implement them? asked Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot. The four states are expected to go to the polls in November-December this year. (With inputs from Ranjan in Bhopal, Ritesh Mishra in Raipur and Urvashi Dev Rawal in Jaipur) Over 1,269 grams of gold valued at around Rs 40 lakh, smuggled from Sri Lanka, was seized from a passenger at Rajamahendravaram airport in Andhra Pradesh, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) said Sunday. Based on specific intelligence, DRI sleuths from Kakinada intercepted a passenger who arrived by a flight from Hyderabad on September 14. On examination he was found carrying the gold paste weighing 1269.85 gms concealed in his innerwear, a release from the DRIs (Hyderabad Zonal Unit) said here. According to preliminary investigation, the gold was smuggled from Colombo to Madurai in Tamil Nadu, but was left behind by his accomplice in the aircraft which was later operated in the domestic sector to Rajamahendravaram airport via Hyderabad. The smuggled gold has been seized under Customs Act, 1962. Further investigation is in on, the release added. A sub inspector Sunday allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his service revolver at a police post, a senior official said. Sanjay Jadeja (37) had been shifted to the Crime Branchs anti-chain snatching squad just two days earlier, Vadodara police commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot said. Gehlot said that a diary had been recovered from the spot where Jadeja shot himself in which the deceased had purportedly written that he was unable to do the work of a sub inspector. Gehlot, however, added that it was unlikely that Jadeja killed himself because of work pressure. Praising the deceased as a very good officer, Gehlot said that Jadejas death had saddened the entire force. He was the leader of the anti-chain snatching squad and was doing very good work. We are investigating what caused him to take this step, Gehlot said. The Janata Dal (United) is in the final stage of an honourable agreement with the Bharatiya Janata Party for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and an official announcement will be made soon, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar said on Sunday amid speculations over the contours of the alliance between the two parties. The remark came two months after Kumar met BJP chief Amit Shah, who put to rest rumours of a rift in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) camp in Bihar. JD(U) general secretary RCP Singh said the alliance talks had almost been completed. It (seat-sharing detail) is likely to be announced in a week, he said in Patna after a state executive meet of the party that inducted election strategist Prashant Kishor into the fold. A JD(U) leader present at the meet quoted Kumar as saying: I am in direct contact with Amit Shah over the matter. We will soon reach an honourable agreement (on seat-sharing). We will fight the elections with honour and pride. The NDA will fight the elections unitedly. Do not go by the speculation in the media. We have to focus on winning the maximum number of seats in Bihar, the leader, speaking on the condition of anonymity, quoted the Bihar CM. Read: Will join Opposition front only if given respectable seat share, says Mayawati Kumar and Shah met in July this year amid buzz of a formula for the distribution of 40 Lok Sabha seats between four partners of the NDA for next years general elections. Ram Vilas Paswans Lok Janshakti Party and Upendra Kushwahas Rashtriya Lok Samta Party are the two other partners in the state. The JD(U) contested the 2014 elections separately and managed to win just two Lok Sabha seats. The three other NDA allies in the state won 31 out of the 40 seats in that election. In the 2015 Bihar assembly elections, the JD(U) won 71 of the 101 seats it contested, while the BJP emerged victorious in 53 out of 157 seats in which it fielded candidates. Sundays meet of the JD(U) was the first after the partys national executive authorised Kumar to take a call on seat-sharing with the BJP. India and France have planned 8-10 satellites as part of a constellation for maritime surveillance, French space agency CNES chief Jean-Yves Le Gall has said. This will be Indias largest space cooperation with any country, officials said. They added that the launch of 8-10 maritime surveillance satellites will focus on the Indian Ocean, a region that has been witnessing increasing Chinese presence. France will also share its expertise with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on inter-planetary missions to Mars and Venus, the Indian space agencys two major missions, Gall said. We started (talks) on constellation of new satellites for maritime awareness. Of course, it will take time, Gall told PTI in an interaction. Asked how many satellites will be part of the project, he said, It would be between eight-10. The purpose of the constellation is monitoring sea traffic management, a CNES official said, adding that it would take less than five years to launch the satellites. In March this year, India and France unveiled a joint vision for space, resolving to strengthen cooperation between ISRO and CNES. ISRO and CNES would work together for design and development of joint products and techniques, including those involving Automatic Identification System, to monitor and protect assets in land and sea. In particular, both sides will pursue the study of a constellation of satellites for maritime surveillance, the joint vision statement said. Several crucial sea lanes of communications pass through the Indian Ocean, a region critical to the strategic interests of India and France. While the Indian Ocean region is the prime focus for New Delhi, Paris has its territories spread across the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, officials said. The robust space cooperation between India and France goes back six decades. Last week, the two countries signed an agreement to share expertise on ISROs human mission programme Gaganyaan. The space agencies of the two countries have also been working on climate monitoring on the joint missions Megha-Tropiques (launched in 2011) and Saral-Altika (launched in 2013). They are also working on the Trishna satellite for land Infrared monitoring and the Oceansat3-Argos mission. Discussing collaboration for the mission to Venus and Mars and Frances expertise on the matter, Mathieu Weiss, the managing director of CNES India liaison office, explained, The eyes and scientific heart of Curiosity Rover (NASA) on Mars were developed by us. France and Russia have jointly worked for the Venus mission in the past. In both the inter-planetary missions, the French scientific community is very strong and among best in the world, Weiss told PTI. In a media briefing at Paris on Friday, Gall said CNES is currently working with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and German space agency DLR on Hayabusa 2/ MASCOT, a mission to asteroid Ryugu. CNES has also scheduled Mission BepiColombo to Mercury. India will not lower its guard along the Line of Actual Control with China, while maintaining border peace in sync with the Wuhan spirit, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said. Nearly a month after talks with her Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe, Sitharaman said both sides recognised that the broad decisions arrived at the informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan should govern management of the border. Absolutely, she told PTI when asked whether India is still on guard and not lowering it despite the Wuhan sprit. At the Wuhan summit in April, Modi and Xi resolved to open a new chapter in ties, and directed their militaries to boost coordination along the nearly 3,500 km Sino-India border, months after the most serious military faceoff in decades between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in Doklam triggered fears of a war. Asked whether the decision of Modi and Xi at the summit to issue strategic guidelines to their militaries to maintain peace along the border is working, she said, I want to believe it is working. At the same time, she added that as defence minister of the country she was conscious of the fact that the she will have to keep the border guards alert. Then I would also be, as Raksha Mantri, I would also be conscious that I have to keep (them) alert...Wuhan spirit, yes, she told PTI during an interaction. When asked if Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawats comments earlier in the year that the time has come for India to shift focus to its northern border from the western frontier, she said, I cannot afford to say, at the cost of one border, I will be more alert, more ready in another. A border is a border. I have to be conscious of both my borders. I will also have be conscious of my sea. It is less talked about, she said. Last month Sitharaman and Wei held extensive talks in New Delhi during which they decided to work towards firming up a new bilateral pact on defence cooperation and agreed to increase interactions between their militaries at various levels to avoid Doklam-like standoffs. It is this (Wuhan) spirit, which both the Chinese and we recognise, will have to govern our borders. The Chinese minister referred to the Wuhan spirit more than twice and said we expect the sprit to be governing everything which happens to the last company which comes to the border, Sitharaman said. The defence minister also referred to Modis speech at Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in June, saying his views about the region was even welcomed by China. In his address at the premier defence and strategic affairs conference, Modi said Asia and the world will have a better future when India and China work together with trust and confidence while being sensitive to each others interests. Talking about the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Sitharaman said as it is not completely demarcated, there are differing perceptions about it by both sides. There are several areas where the border is not completely defined and demarcated. As a result, the perception of where the border is one thing for us and completely different for them. So they come to a point where we think they should not be coming and we go to a point where they think we should not be going. So periodically this becomes cause for the flare up, she said. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch two small earth observation satellites for the United Kingdom on Sunday. NovaSar and S1-4, weighing a total of 889 kg, will be set off from the first launch pad at Satish Dhawan Centre, Sriharikota at 10:00 pm into a 583-km sun-synchronous orbit. A satellite is said to be in a sun-synchronous orbit when it changes its orientation throughout the year to ensure that the angle of sunlight is the same every time it passes over a particular geographical area on the surface of the earth. S1-4 is a high-resolution optical earth observation satellite weighing 444 kg. It will improve UKs disaster monitoring capabilities. The satellite will also be used for monitoring the environment and resources. NovaSar, weighing 445 kg, carries a Synthetic Aperture Radar that can be used for mapping of the earth surface and will be used for mapping forests, land use and ice cover. It will also help in monitoring floods. It will be used for monitoring the environment, surveying resources and urban management, and for disaster monitoring. The satellites will be carried aboard Indias workhorse, the Polar Satellite Launching Vehicle (PSLV - C42), which has launched 52 Indian and 237 commercial international satellites in a span of 25 years. This mission will use the lightest core-only configuration of PSLV, which does not have the six additional solid-straps on motors. This is a commercial mission under ISROs Antrix Corporation Limited. It comes after a five-month hiatus following the launch of the seventh satellite (IRNSS 1I) in Indias regional navigational satellite constellation NavIC in April. Just before that ISRO had lost a replacement satellite IRNSS-1H for the same constellation after its heat shield did not open on time, had lost communication with an advanced communication satellite GSAT-6A, and had to recall a satellite to be launched from French Guiana weeks before its scheduled launch. ISRO has lined 19 missions till March 2019. The dharna by the Missionaries of Jesus nuns in Kochi demanding the arrest of bishop Franco Mulakkal for allegedly raping a colleague in a Kottayam convent entered the eighth day on Saturday. From a small protest by five nuns, it has virtually grown into a movement over the past week. Sister Anupama, one of the nuns heading the protest, spoke to Ramesh Babu on the controversy. Excerpts: The bishop has handed charge to his deputy to join the probe. Will you continue your stir? Definitely. We will continue till the bishop is arrested. Come what may, we will take it to its logical conclusion. It is a temporary arrangement that the bishop has given his charge to his deputy. It is eyewash; we need justice. We turned to everyone, including the Church higher-ups and the police, for help but they all ignored our repeated pleas. We have been running from pillar to post for the last two years. Is it a spontaneous stir or a well thought-out one? When all options were closed, we were forced to take to the streets. It was a spontaneous move. Initially, we were scared, but when we got public support, we got some strength. We are getting good support from all quarters. On Saturday, many priests from the Angamally-Ernakulam diocese met us, pledging their support. Despite the church gag against showing any sympathy for us, our support is swelling. But the church says external forces are supporting your movement... What else can the church say? Now, it says the stir is against believers and the establishment. It wants to create confusion and weaken our stir. No external forces are behind us other than our family members. We dont know who all are coming and sitting here. We will end the stir the day bishop Franco is arrested. We were lured with tall promises, intimidated and wrong cases were foisted on us... There were many attempts to endanger our lives but we are not bothered. Police say there are many contradictions in the nuns (survivors) statement as well? More than the church, what really shocked us was the indifferent attitude of the police... Despite a big outcry, I dont know why they dread touching the bishop... The survivor was questioned seven times but the accused only once. It seems the petitioner is being hounded again... We are happy with the investigating officer but it seems his hands are tied. Who is protecting the bishop? We are not here to pinpoint to anyone. But you can see that despite knocking on many doors, including the Popes, there is no response. Now they are in a race to shame the survivor and the witnesses. It shows us if you have money and muscle, you can get away with such sins. Our struggle is only for justice and we are aware authorities will hound us when the stir is over. The Manohar Lal Khattar government in Haryana has decided to seek seven month extension in service for the incumbent Director General of Police (DGP), BS Sandhu, from the Central government. Sandhu retires from the service on September 30. The plea for a seven month extension for Sandhu has been taken to fulfill the Supreme Court directions regarding the two year tenure irrespective of the date of superannuation for the DGP. The state government has also decided to approach the Supreme Court by filing an interlocutory application seeking modification of the courts July 3 orders. The apex court had asked the state governments to send proposals with regard to appointment of the next DGP to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), directing that the DGP shall be selected by the state government from among the three senior-most officers who have been empanelled for promotion to that rank by the UPSC. Sandhu was appointed as the DGP on April 27, 2017. So we are asking for a seven month extension till April 2019 to cover the two year tenure stipulation. A communication in this regard is being sent to the Union Home Ministry by the Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Haryana, said a top official. The plea, legal experts say, would not cut much ice either with the Central government or the Supreme Court. The BJP government in Haryana, however, will be contended if the Central government treats Sandhus extension at par with the Maharashtra and Punjab. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) of the Central government had recently granted three month extension in service to Maharashtra DGP, DD Padsalgikar and Punjab police chief, Suresh Arora after relaxing section 16 (1) of the All India Service (death cum retirement benefit) Rules. The extension orders of both the officers said that they were being given extension in public interest. Legal experts however said that the ACC decision on granting extension to Maharashtra and Punjab DGP was contrary to the Supreme Courts directions. The apex court had said any legislation or rule framed by any of the states or central government running counter to the directions shall remain in abeyance to the aforesaid extent. Prashant Bhushan, counsel for Prakash Singh, the petitioner in the SC case, had said that what Central government and Maharashtra did by granting extension to the DGP was contrary to the Supreme Court orders. Bhushan had said that if other state governments also try to seek such extensions this would be clearly an attempt to circumvent the apex courts orders. The directions issued by the Supreme court with regards to selection and appointment of the DGP were intended to insulate the police and the DGP from the control of the political executive, Bhushan had said. State government officials dealing with the matter also were of the view that there was no provision in the All India Service (death cum retirement benefit) Rules to grant extension in service to a state DGP. The Central government granted extension to Maharashtra and Punjab DGPs in relaxation of the All India Service rules. Relaxations cant be a routine. Also, the rules which are being put in play to grant extension in service are in abeyance since they run counter to the SC directions, an official said. Haryanas counter argument The state government is readying to argue before the apex court that 2006 Supreme Court directions with regards to the appointment of the DGP were to remain operative till the time the state government did not enact a new model Police Act. Haryana government enacted a new police law in 2007. Its section 6 provides for the selection and tenure of the DGP, said the legal opinion tendered by Additional Advocate General, Lokesh Sinhal. While framing the Haryana Police Act, consultation with the UPSC was not found feasible by the state legislature. The state legislature in its wisdom deemed it appropriate to fix one year minimum tenure for the DGP, the legal opinion reads. This week we salute veterans in Lapeer County The U.S. Dept. of Veteran Affairs estimates that 41.8 million Americans have fought in wars, from the American Revolution in... READER FEEDBACK Many partners in education supported Fall festival Bike Rodeo The Chatfield School Partners in Education (P.I.E.), students, parents, and staff... SOUND OFF Lets please move on! Thank God the Lapeer marijuana election is over. Marijuana is here to stay. The city needs... Holiday traditions and your childs well-being Editors note: The following guest column was written by Riley Carson, administrative coordinator at The Child Advocacy Center of Lapeer... A massive fire completely gutted more than 400 shops in Bargi Market, a six-storied building at Kolkatas trading hub of Burabazar, just two months after it received clearance from the state fire services department. The fire was first detected on the ground floor of the building at around 2:30 am on Sunday, locals said. After 15 hours, firemen were still struggling to put out the flames that were by evening leaping through the ceiling. Though 35 fire tenders were pressed into service, they were hamstrung by the narrow lanes in the crowded area that restricted their movement and dense network of overhead wires that blocked the extension of hydraulic ladders. Ten firemen have been injured so far. Our men are having difficulty to bring the fire under full control because of presence of highly inflammable items like chemicals, pressurised deodorant cans and plastics items, said Jag Mohan, director general, department of fire and emergency services. A representative of the market association, wishing anonymity said, till 4 am, there was no supply of water. That was a crucial time window when the fire spread. Clearance was conditional; building authorities blamed A fire department official said the clearance given to the building was conditional, and required the building authorities to put in place adequate arrangement for fire safety within a month. It seems no steps were taken after the conditional clearance certificate was issued, said the official, who did not wish to be named. However, state fire services minister and Kolkata mayor, Sovan Chatterjee, refused clarify why fire conditional clearance was given to the building that did not have adequate fire service measures. We have hauled up the building authorities several times earlier and cautioned them. There was no lapse on our part, Chatterjee said. Kolkata police commissioner, Rajeev Kumar, who visited the spot said that no lives were lost since no one was present in the building when the fire broke out. Opposition leaders criticised the fire services department for alleged negligence. This is not an isolated case. Almost all the buildings in the area lack proper fire safety measures and the state fire services minister is silent on this issue, said BJP state president, Dilip Ghosh. The chief minister dreams of turning Kolkata into London. But the fire services department has failed to ensure that buildings in busy areas have adequate fire safety measures time and again, said state Congress president and Lok Sabha member, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. Left leader Sujan Chakrabarty said that it should probed why the building was given fire clearance despite not having proper safety measures. If there is any foul play, the persons concerned should be probed and punished, he said. Early on Sunday morning, chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who left for a trip to Frankfurt and Milan for 12 days, had said the fire will be brought under control soon. Another fire destroyed a fire-cracker unit in Ranaghat of Bengals Nadia district about 78 km from Kolkata. Four fire engines fought the blaze. According to unconfirmed reports available till early Sunday evening, the fire severely injured a couple of workers who used to work in the factory. The disaster kindled memories of major fires in the area. In April 2003, a devastating fire broke out in the Satyanarayan Park underground AC Market in the area that raged for three days. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Sunday said she would join the proposed anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) front only if she gets a respectable number of seats while dismissing Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar as a stooge of the ruling party. If I do not get a respectable share of seats, then I could even contest alone, she said. The Samajwadi Party (SP) got the better of the BJP in Lok Sabha and assembly by-polls in March and May thanks to the BSPs support. The Opposition wants to replicate the successes in the next years national polls. Mayawati is the key to any joint Opposition challenge to the BJP. She has been repeatedly talking of respectable share without actually clarifying what she exactly means by that. Mayawati claimed Chandrashekhar, who had been arrested last year following caste violence in Saharanpur, was out to split Dalit votes at the BJPs behest. Her claim came two days after Chandrashekhar referred to Mayawati as his bua (aunt) following his release from a jail. Chandrashekhar, who belongs to Jatav sub-caste of Dalits like Mayawati, had vowed to uproot the BJP at the centre. Mayawati distanced herself from Chandrashekhar. For political reasons, some people are trying to relate to me. I want to clear that I have no such bua-bhatija (aunt-nephew) or bhai-behan (brother-sister) relationship, she said. If he is indeed a well-wisher, he would have come to me to fight the BJP together rather than floating his own outfit, she said. Chandrashekhar was not available for comments. Mayawati said her larger relationship is with Dalits and tribals, who have stood by her through thick and thin. Over the years, various outfits have been floated for narrow personal interests... their leaders say something to people in public and do exactly the opposite. The Congress underlined the need for the opposition to stay united. A scared BJP is trying to float various kinds of rumors, but the Congress would ensure that the opposition stays united. All are united, said Uttar Pradesh Congress secretary Devendra Pratap Singh. The SP said the party always gives respect to all. Our larger objective is to defeat the BJP. For this, we would enter into an alliance. We would ensure that all the allies get respectable share of seats, said SP spokesman Abdul Hafiz Gandhi. Political observers say Mayawati was making her association with the anti-BJP front conditional for a better bargain. Mayawati is a shrewd politician... she is making her importance clear for the opposition parties. Of all the parties in the opposition, it is she who is actually being wooed equally by all... The ruling party at the Centre appears to be wooing her too. Bhim Army might be a cause of concern for her but she is clearly a bigger political player with far greater clout, said Athar Siddiqui of the Centre of Objective Research and Development. Earlier, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had said that he was willing to make any sacrifice to ensure that the alliance become a reality. Mayawatis precondition for the alliance has enthused the BJP strategists, who have been keeping a close watch on her announcements. It is evident that all is not well in the opposition camp. Chandrashekhars release (ahead of the due date) has confused Mayawati. Her repeated assertion that she could contest alone is a pressure tactic, which is bound to create tensions in the opposition ranks. We are not complaining, said BJPs Tarun Kant Tripathi. Mayawati criticised the BJP government at the Centre for issuing an advisory suggesting the media to use the term scheduled caste for Dalits. The BJP governments logic is that this should be done as the word scheduled caste is mentioned in the constitution. To that, I wish to ask that even Hindustan is not mentioned in the Constitution. Why do BJP leaders use the word? They should use Bharat instead. Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh faces a tough challenge after three terms in office. In a written interview to Kumar Uttam, he talks of key issues in this election and his strategy. Edited excerpts: You have been chief minister for three terms. Is there anti incumbency against your government? All this talk and chatter of anti-incumbency is more a sentiment created by the angst and frustration of an opposition which is desperate to come to power, no matter what the method, no matter what the cost. My government and legislative party have had a strong administrative, governance and legislative record. We have valued MSMEs (micro, small & medium enterprises) and large-scale industries equally and have overcome multiple challenges... Our food security system not only provides food security but also nutritional security to about 6.5 million families. We have become a preferred investment destination and the RBI has declared Chhattisgarh as the best financially managed state. We have brought a lot of schemes benefitting the tribals, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. We have also registered a remarkable fall in the MMR (maternal mortality rate) and IMR (infant mortality rate) but still my concern is to further check the problem of MMR, IMR and malnutrition and bring it down to the national average. The Congress is planning an alliance with the BSP. How will this impact the BJPs prospects? The opposition works more for its own political benefit and if certain political forces were to ally or seek to come together before the election, it would be a marriage of desperation, self-serving ambition and one of convenience where the people are shortchanged and cheated. Although I believe that due to desperation and their own selfish objectives there is very little chance that the Congress will ally with the BSP or anyone else, but then who knows, what will happen. Politics, especially in India, is one of strange combinations. At the same time, however, even if that were to happen, we have our own work, primarily the rapid strides of development achieved by policies, projects and schemes, undertaken by our administration not only in the last five years but also over a period of 15 years. This, I believe, will be the necessary fuel for the party to move and tide over all such hurdles. Ajit Jogi has floated his own party (Janta Congress Chhattisgarh), which will be making its electoral debut in the upcoming election. What will be its impact? Ajit Jogi was the first chief minister of Chhattisgarh. He ruled for three years and definitely has some impact on a few parts of the state. Since he was associated with the Congress for more than 15 years, the adverse impact will be on the Congress party. Critics of the BJP allege you have failed on job creation. Chhattisgarh is the only state in the country to have provided the Right to Skill Development to every individual in the state aged between 14 and 45 years. This has helped 74,000 people secure jobs. The overall average of unemployment in India has significantly decreased from the time BJP has come to power at the Centre. Additionally, according to the most recent statistics, Chhattisgarh has the fifth lowest rate of unemployment in the country, making it an incredible feat to achieve for a state only 18 years young. Chhattisgarh has a huge population of tribals. The indigenous population is demanding implementation of the forest rights act. Has the BJP government failed to protect the rights of tribals? Absolutely not. I completely disagree with this notion as, contrary to it, our government has worked strenuously to empower the indigenous population of the state. It has both brought in the required legislations as well as guidelines to operationalise forest rights, pertinent examples of which are the van abaadi pattas allocated and the training for laghu van upaj produce. Shivpal Singh Yadav, younger brother of Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, had been sulking for about two years. Earlier this month, as the nation edged closer to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he decided to virtually split the party, which his brother formed in 1992 and placed at the centrestage of politics in Uttar Pradesh, by announcing the formation of a platform he intends to use to bring like-minded political groups together. Uttar Pradeshs ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seen by observers to have extended tacit support to Shivpal, 63, the estranged uncle of Mualayam Singhs son and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. Shivpals formation of the Samajwadi Secular Morcha is opportune for the BJP, which has been trying to forge caste-based tie-ups ahead of the general election to counter a grand alliance of opposition parties, notably the SP and Mayawatis Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The partys Uttar Pradesh leaders, headed by chief minister Yogi Adityanath, are playing up the family feud, attacking SP chief, Akhilesh Yadav, 45, whose elevation to the partys presidency in 2017 had triggered a generational shift in the SP. He poses a bigger challenge to the BJP than Shivpal does. Logically speaking, the virtual split in the SP weakens Akhilesh and his claim on seats during seat-sharing talks with potential poll partners. The BJP is all smiles; even a slight dent in the Yadav vote bank can turn the tables on the SP in Yadav-dominated constituencies. How? Completely marginalised in the BJP dispensation, the Yadavs, along with the Jatavs (BSP chief Mayawatis committed voters) have been gearing up to avenge their humiliation in the 2019 general elections. Although there has been no love lost between the Jatavs and Yadavs since a mid-1990s political brawl, fear of getting marginalised in the states politics by a resurgent BJP has compelled the two communities to come together. The success of their experiment in the Gorakhpur, Kairana and Phulpur Lok Sabha bypolls boosted their confidence. Shivpal can play spoilsport in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh, expected to be closely contested, in which every vote will have a huge value. It would be advantage BJP. According to a political expert, the BJPs strategy is clear: if it cannot win over the Yadavs, it can break them (read vote bank). And if it cannot win over Mayawati, it can wean away her voters by offering them sops. At the end of the day, it is caste that clinches seats in UP. Both in the 2014 Lok Sabha and the 2017 Vidhan Sabha elections, the BJP was riding an unprecedented wave in favour of Narendra Modi. Yet, the party high command had to sew up electoral alliances, especially in backward caste dominated eastern UP which, barring a few districts like Azamgarh, Mau and Varanasi, has a smaller Muslim population than western UP. Thus caste and not communal polarisation decides poll outcomes. The BJP entered into an electoral alliance with the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) of Om Prakash Rajbhar and Apna Dal of Anupriya Patel. Together, the Rajbhars and Kurmis, which the two parties represent, form a formidable caste alliance in a majority of the constituencies in east UP. Similarly, before the 2017 polls, the party had propped up Keshav Prashad Maurya as its state president and adopted Dara Singh Chauhan and Deena Nath Bhasker from the BSP. The Opposition was divided, fighting each other more than the BJP. Political expert Badri Narain said: Some of these castes are numerically small, but have a huge impact in elections as they hold the veto power and vote together. According to him, as many as 40 Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Most Backward Castes (MBCs) dont have a leader in a state known for its identity politics. By giving them representation in the party in various forums, the BJP is trying to win them over. The Mallahs, the Kumhars, the Binds, the Nishads and the Lohars are a case in point. Caste identity SBSP general secretary, Shashipratap Singh, claims the credit for the BJPs spectacular performance in 27 districts of east UP. Its alliance with the Apna Dal and the SBSP created an atmosphere in favour of the BJP. Even Modis victory margin would have gone down drastically in Varanasi [without the alliance] as Rajbhars alone account for 2.5 lakh votes, Singh said. Although the BJP has a committed Hindu support base, it is following BSP founder Kanshi Rams dictum of protect the base vote and chase the core vote and constructing a winning caste combination in each constituency. The growing prospect of the SP and BSP, the Congress and the Rashtriya Lok Dal forming a grand alliance for the 2019 elections has rattled the BJP leadership. It has already had a bitter taste of the Oppositions combined strength in the recent Lok Sabha bypolls. Taking a leaf out of the BJPs success book, the SP corrected the caste calculus and turned the tables on the ruling party in the Gorakhpur, Phulpur and the Kairana bypolls. Caste alliances always play a crucial role in winning polls in a state where identity, though fractured at the caste level, is thriving in politics. Their mobilisation, despite their minimal population, and the restricted pockets of influence, make a huge electoral difference to mainline parties, Narain said. Every party is working on the caste calculus because the charisma of their leaders is not quite enough for the BJP to win 71 seats in the Lok Sabha, matching its 2014 tally, and for the Opposition to increase its 2014 tally of seven seats. If the BJP is tolerating the outbursts of Om Prakash Rajbhar, cabinet minister and president of SBSP , the SP-BSP are trying to come together, forgetting years of mutual hostility. The SBSP general secretary said his leader is only reminding the BJP high command of its poll promise of ending corruption and discrimination against lower castes. We are not breaking away from the alliance, he said. According to Dalit activist Satish Prakash, the grand alliance has changed the politics of the country and it is in the interest of the non-BJP parties to join hands to take on the saffron power. However, there cant be any grand alliance without the SP and the BSP joining it. Political experts say that while the BJP can depend fully on the Bania, Rajput, Rajbhar and Kurmi voters, it is not easy to predict which way the Brahmin vote will go. Similarly, opposition parties, who are prospective members of the grand alliance, will try and construct a coalition of Yadavs, Muslims, Jatavs and, partly, the Jats, to take on the ruling party. The rest of the castes will be up for grabs. That is where the parties are concentrating now. Three years after they were arrested for their involvement in the murder of Sheena Bora, Indrani and Peter Mukerjea will appear before a family court in Mumbai to end their 16-year-old marriage. HT has accessed the terms of consent that Indrani has sought from Peter to dissolve the marriage. In a two-page letter written by Indrani from Byculla womens prison to Peter in Arthur Road jail on August 13, 2018, she has drawn up a list of objects she wants delivered to her in the presence of her advocates. These include candles, bedside lamps, furniture, soft furnishings, jewellery, religious objects, artworks and keys to a safe. In her letter, Indrani has also laid claim to any other items i.e. the items that are in the list in the divorce petition that I have not put in this list as yet, which she may request at a later date. The letter ends with this: Please shift your belongings from Flat no 19 [of Marlow Building] to Flat no 18 except [for] the items that I had marked in the photographs of Flat 19 that I had handed over to you. Indrani, now 46, met Peter, who is currently 64, in 2002 and approximately three months later, the two got married. Peter had been married once before and has two sons from the previous marriage. Indrani had three children from previous relationships: Vidhie, Mekhail and Sheena. Sheena came to Mumbai in 2006 and Indrani presented Sheena as her younger sister. In 2012, Sheena was killed and the murder was uncovered in 2015. Indrani was charged with kidnapping and murdering Sheena, and disposing of evidence. Peter is also an accused in the case. In 2016, Peters lawyer informed the court that Peter wanted to divorce Indrani. A year later, Indrani sought the courts permission to file for divorce. In April this year, Indranis lawyer sent a notice to Peter to dissolve the marriage. On Friday, a special CBI court directed authorities at Byculla and Arthur Road jails to present Indrani and Peter before a family court on Tuesday. Since the couple is in judicial custody, permission is needed for them to be taken out of jail, which was granted by special judge JC Jagdale. Jagdale said it was necessary in the interest of justice. Political strategist Prashant Kishor, who shot to fame for being a part of the successful election campaigns of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 and the so-called Grand Alliance in Bihar the following year, joined the Janata Dal (United) in Patna on Sunday, according to party leaders. Kishor was inducted into the party by chief minister Nitish Kumar, who is also the national president of the JD(U), at the organisations state executive meeting at the chief ministers residence in Patna, news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) reported . Kumar reportedly welcomed the 41-year-old into the party by presenting him with an angavastram (stole), and the poll strategist was given a seat next to the chief minister at the meeting. JD(U) spokesperson Sanjay Singh confirmed Kishors joining. Now Prashant Kishor is a JD-U leader, Singh told news agency IANS. It was not immediately known what role Kishor had been given in the party, which he joined barely a few months ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in 2019. Amid speculations over whether Kishor will contest the elections, JD(U)s national general secretary, RCP Singh, said anybody joining the party nourishes the ambition to participate in electoral politics. Singh said the JD(U) will benefit from Kishors experience in campaign planning. Kishor understands the dynamics of politics and his presence would strengthen the JD(U) organisation. A resident of Buxar district in the state, Kishor was in the limelight in 2014 when he managed the poll campaign for Modi, the then prime ministerial candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which went on to register its best-ever electoral performance. A year later, he collaborated with Kumar, who returned to power for his third consecutive term after registering a victory in the Bihar state polls, which the JD(U) fought in alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress. Kishor also worked with the Congress in Punjab where the party returned to power by dislodging the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP combine. His collaboration with the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, however, failed to bear fruit as it won less than 10 seats in the 403-member assembly in 2017. (With agency inputs) Assam Police have arrested three associates of Hizbul Mujahideen operative Kamar-uz-Zaman, who was nabbed in Kanpur on Thursday, and unearthed an alleged plot by the terror outfit to set up base in the state, police said. Shahnawaj Alam and Saidul Alam were arrested from Hojai on Friday and Saturday respectively while Omar Farooq, another associate, was arrested from the outskirts of Guwahati. Their interrogation is on, Assam Police DGP Kuladhar Saikia said on Sunday. Omar Farooqs statements before local television channels after his arrest and the interrogation of the trio reveal that Zaman, who hails from Assam and had visited the state last month, was trying to set up an organisation in the state. Police said the arrests come after Zamans interrogation in Uttar Pradesh where he was arrested by the UP Anti Terror Squad on Thursday. A team of the Assam Police is in UP to question him. The arrests have come after inputs from the team interrogating Zaman, said Pallab Bhattacharya, Special Director General of Police, Special Branch, the intelligence wing of the state police. Like Zaman, the others who have bee apprehended have had worked in Jammu and Kashmir at some point and it is possible that they came in touch with these groups there, he said, adding that more details will emerge in the course of the investigation. Zaman visited Assam in August for three to four days, said Ankur Jain, Superintendent of Police, Hojai. He was trying to set up some kind of an organisation here, he added. Shahnawaj Alam was the first one to be picked up after inputs from Zamans interrogation. He provided a phone and a sim card to Zaman, Jain said. Shahnawaj, who has a pharmacy degree and dabbles in multi-level marketing is Zamans old friend and both went to the same school, according to police. Saidul, a dropout who lives in a local Madrassa, is also his associate. He, too, was in touch with him, Jain said. Zaman had reportedly stayed for a few days at Farooq's place when he visited Assam in August. After Zamans photo surfaced on Facebook in April, the Assam Police had taken statement of his family and kept a close watch on his associates, including his friends and family, the police said. Yet, he managed to come to Assam and meet his close associates, as the police claims. He must have come surreptitiously, Bhattacharya said. Such ideologies will not survive in Assam. There have been attempts in the past, too. Assam has rejected them, he said. Bhim Army leader Chandrahekhar, who was released from jail after over an year, and his Bhim Army may give rise to a new Dalit movement in Uttar Pradesh which can pose a threat to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) as the communitys educated new generation looks for young and dynamic leadership. Dalit youths can play a pivotal role in triggering this as they have emerged as the the outfits backbone, say Dalit leader and activists. Thousands of Dalit youths had gathered outside the jail ahead of Chandrashekhars release on Friday, shouting slogans like Bhim Army Zindabad and Jai Bheem for hours and compelling the administration to strategically delay his release till the early hours so that the situation could be managed. Such overwhelming youth support to the Bhim Army has compelled Dalit leaders to admit that the communitys educated new generation is now looking for a fresh, energetic, vocal and dedicated leadership. Emotionally and socially associated with the BSP till now, these youths may shift their loyalty to the Bhim Army as they see Chandrashekhar as their role model, mentor and saviour, they say, adding his 16 months in jail also created a sympathy wave for him. Undergraduate student Ajeet Singh said, He (Chandrashekhar) taught us to live with dignity and respect and he has the potential to be a leader of the exploited and marginalised classes and Dalits. Dalit leaders say that BSP`s failure to project a second line leadership in the organisation has also compelled Dalit youths to look for an alternative, new and energetic leadership. Dalit leader Sushil Gautam said movements created leaders and Chandrashekhars ideology was not confined to a particular caste and community. His Bahujan ideology comprised social, political and economic issues and talked about justice in all these domains. His approach and commitment has kindled hope among Dalit youths for potential leadership and that was why they were rallying behind him, he said. Chandrashekhars association with another popular Dalit leader and Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani is another factor which has inclined youths towards this emerging youth leadership, which has potential to challenge the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Bhim Army proved its strength during the Kairana parliamentary by-election in which Chandrashekhars supporters voted against the BJP to ensure its defeat. Angry with the BJP for sending Dalits to jail during the April 2 Bharat Bandh, youths are adamant on teaching the saffron party a lesson and they believe that Chandrashekhar has more potential than BSP chief Mayawati in challenging the BJP, even without contesting elections. Chandrashekhars remark on Mayawatis age is being seen as a covert message to youths to think with whom they want to stick with in future. Interacting with the media after his release, Chandrashekhar had said that he respected Mayawati but had also referred to her age. He declared that he would focus on strengthening the organisation and associating youths and people with it. Dalit leader Jai Prakash, who was expelled from the BSP for his comment against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, also said that Dalit youths were looking for young leadership and it could be anyone. Prakash recently had shared the dais with the Bhim Army at a function in Delhi and admitted that he had a soft corner for the organisation because it had been doing good social work. Another Dalit leader claimed that like Jai Prakash, there were many Dalit leaders who had a soft corner for Bhim Army and they could soon be part of a new Dalit movement in the region. He even said that those who have been expelled from the BSP may join hands with Bhim Army. The popularity of Chandrashekhar could be gauged from the fact that people convened panchayats in their respective areas after his arrest and collected donations to fund Bhim Army projects in his absence, he said. Dalit leader Sushil Gautam disclosed that people of Dalit-dominated localities in Kaliagarhi, Kankerkhera and Tejgarhi in Meerut collected funds for donation and similar support also poured in from Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur and many other districts of the region and different parts of the country. This showed peoples support and affection for the Bhim Army and its chief Chandrashekhar, he said. Sources said BJP MP from Saharanpur Raghav Lakhanpal also played a vital role in Chandrashekhars release because of the coming Lok Sabha elections. Bhim Army had a stronghold in Saharanpur and before the elections, the BJP wanted to pacify Dalits, they said. BSP leader and MP Munkad Ali, however, rejected the possibility of any adverse effect on his partys chances due to emergence of the Bhim Army, saying it was a social organisation and BSP was a political outfit which had its own support base and cadre. In a major political move, the Prakash Ambedkar-led Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) is all set to forge an electoral alliance with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM). This move is perceived to be a setback to the proposed grand alliance of Opposition parties in the state as there could be a split in Dalit and Muslim votes, opine political analysts. The BBM-AIMIM alliance which will have an impact on electoral arithmetic, could thus, turn out to be an advantage for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The move comes after AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi recently urged Ambedkar to take a lead in forming an alternative alliance with like-minded parties. Ambedkar and Owaisi will share a dais on October 2 at Aurangabad where they will spell out their future stance. According to Ambedkar, the alliance has been sealed with the AIMIM. The Maharashtra unit of BBM has decided to fight the forthcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections with the AIMIM, said Ambedkar. When quizzed about AIMIMs communal tag, Ambedkar described the party as nationalist. AIMIM espouses the cause of Muslims, but their credentials are secular. However, Ambedkar stressed that his offer of alliance with the Congress-led Opposition parties still stands. We have asked the Congress for 12 Lok Sabha seats which they lost in the last two Lok Sabha polls. If they agree, we will align with the Opposition. The ball is in their court, said Ambedkar, who is the grandson of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. BBM is one of the major Dalit outfits in the state wielding considerable clout in state politics. Similarly, AIMIM also has a good following among Muslims and has currently two legislators in the state assembly. AIMIMs Aurangabad legislator Imtiyaz Jaleel said the alliance is one of the credible alternatives for people. The Congress in the past 70 years has only deprived Dalits, Muslims and other backward classes (OBCs) of their legitimate due and this alliance will give them justice. The BJP is anyway against them, said Jaleel. According to political analysts, the move could be a part of bargaining before the polls. Ambedkar is trying pressure the Congress to accommodate him. This BMM- AIMIM alliance is hardly a potential alternative, said political analyst Surendra Jondhale. Political commentator Prakash Bal however said it will hurt Opposition parties in certain pockets. The alliance has the potential to spoil the chances of the Congress-led alliance, thus benefitting the BJP. Even as their national party president Rahul Gandhi had launched the concept of primaries ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections to ensure fair opportunities for all grassroot workers, the newly-elected office-bearers of the Maharashtra Pradesh Youth Congress (MPYC) come with dynastic lineage. Satyajeet Tambe, the son of legislator Sudhir Tambe and nephew of former revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat, was elected as the president with 70,189 votes. According to party sources, though the internal election process was held by the appointment of the returning officers by the All India Congress Committee (AICC), the party workers who were registered as voters were guided about whom to vote. The name of the MPYC president was finalised during a high -level meeting by state Congress president, Ashok Chavan, in Pune on September 7. The top three state party leaders, along with outgoing MPYC president Vishwajeet Kadam, were present in the meeting. Though the last date for the withdrawal of nomination had lapsed, the leaders finalised the plan to ensure Tambes victory, a Congress leader said, requesting anonymity. Tambe was an active member of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) and Indian Youth Congress (IYC) for the last 15 years. He said, Dynasty will stay in all political parties, but the Congress has been ensuring that no sincere worker is deprived of legitimate rights. This was the third MPYC election to be held in a democratic way and I think every worker has been given a fair chance to hold the deserving positions. I have reached this position only after being a grassroots worker. Why should I be deprived of any right just because I belong to a political family? Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Amit Jhanak who is the son of former minister Subhash Jhanak and Kunal Raut the son of former minister Nitin Raut were elected as vice-presidents of the MPYC . Brijkishore Dutt and Aditya Patil were elected as the state general secretaries. Dutts brother, Sanjay, is a former legislator, while Aditya is former Member of Parliament (MP) and All India Congress Committees (AICC) Himachal Pradesh in-charge Rajni Patils son. Dutt said, The elections were held by following due process and were monitored by authorities within the party. Along with my father and brother, I too have been working for the party for years now. What is wrong if I have been elected through due process? Rahul Katkar, the district president elected from Kalyan is a party worker with a very humble background and is an example of democracy within the party. Even the state executive committee of 60 members consist of members who are relatives of previous or existing party leaders. Sachin Sawant, the party spokesperson, clarifying on the nepotism charges in the party, stated most office-bearers elected at the block level have no political lineage. Sawant said, Rahulji has clarified that not only the office-bearers at the top-level, but also the workers elected at the block level are important for the party. Most of the block level office-bearers do not come from any political family. So it cannot be said that dynasty prevails at all levels. He added that the elections for the Youth Congress were held in a democratic way. It would have been unfair to prohibit any candidate just because he or she comes from a political family, Sawant said. Political analyst Hemant Desai said it is likely that the Congress does not wish to disturb the political lineage within the party at this juncture. After Gandhis attempt of primaries failed, he had announced that the party will try to bridge the gap between the old and the new leaders. I think the party has decided to not disturb the established leaders, especially, when it is struggling for its existence. However, Congress is not the only party to have political dynasty within its leadership. The elections for the office-bearers were held early this week, and the results were announced on Friday. It was a scorching afternoon on June 1, 2015, when children of Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village in Faridkot district told the gurdwara granthi that the saroop of Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book the Sikhs worship as the living guru, was missing. Aunty ji, baba ji (Guru Granth Sahib) nahi hai ethe (Guru Granth Sahib is missing), a panic-stricken 10-year-old boy shouted as he ran to the house of granthi Gora Singh and his wife, Swaranjeet Kaur. The granthi, who taught the gurbani to village children daily, was away to perform a path (a prayer) at a house in the village. At first, Swaranjeet thought something unfortunate had happened to her husband but the boy and his friends took her to the gurdwara to show her the palki where the saroop of Guru Granth Sahib was missing. She called up her husband and an announcement was made asking villagers to gather at the gurdwara. Kise ne Maharaj saab de saroop nu chori kar leya hai. Sareyaan nu benti hai ke jaldi to jaldi gurdwara saab pujjo (Someone has stolen Guru Granth Sahib, everyone is requested to reach the gurdwara at the earliest), was the announcement made through the gurdwara loudspeaker. Former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son, Sukhbir Singh Badal. The assembly elections in 2017 left the SAD decimated as it won only 15 of the 70 seats. It was the partys worst-ever tally. (Sameer Sehgal/HT) An uneasy calm had prevailed at Burj Jawahar Singh Wala, a village with a population of 2,000, for the past few months before the incident. The village had seen an increase in Sikh religious activities and it had become a contentious issue between the Sikhs and followers of the Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda. As villagers took up the matter with the police, a team headed by then deputy inspector general (DIG), Ferozepur, AS Chahal and then Faridkot senior superintendent of police Charanjit Sharma reached the spot and a case was registered the next day. The police could not get any lead for a week. The delay and sensitivity of the matter led to anger building up against the police. Villagers and local Sikh organisations kept raising the alarm about the discontent brewing. On June 10, a special investigation team, led by Sharma, was formed but it could not make any headway for three months. A snapshot of the violence that singed the Malwa belt of Punjab after the sacrilege incidents in October 2015, pitting Sikhs against Dera Sacha Sauda followers. (HT Photo) Posters trigger tension On September 25 morning, tension gripped the village when a resident noticed posters with abusive language against Sikhs and their Gurus at the samadh of Pir Dhodha adjoining the gurdwara from where the holy book had gone missing on June 1. The derogatory language was written in bold with a black ink marker. The previous evening, a similar poster with derogatory language against Sikhs was stuck on the wall of a gurdwara in Bargari village, barely 3km away. It was removed by local residents. Both posters told Sikhs that their living God had been stolen from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala and was in Bargari village. Its angs (parts, Sikhs worship pages of the holy book as body parts) will be cut and scattered in the near future and if Sikhs had the guts they could recover it and get prize money, the posters dared. The posters put forth a demand too. They said that Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahims latest film, Messenger of God-2 (MSG-2), be released in Punjab. The movie had been released in neighbouring Haryana and other states on September 18 but it was not screened in Punjab due to protests by Sikh organisations. Sikhs have been in confrontation with the dera, which enjoys a significant following in Punjab, ever since the dera head in 2007 was accused of blasphemy by dressing as Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Sikh Guru. Pardon to Dera head adds insult to injury The police did not take the threat seriously and dismissed the dera angle as a diversionary tactic, said the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission, constituted by the Captain Amarinder Singh government to probe the cases of sacrilege of holy books during the SAD-BJP rule. With the police clueless, the anger of Sikhs only grew in September 2015. Religious leaders such as Panthpreet Singh, Ranjit Singh Dhadarianwale and radical Sikh leader Balbir Singh Daduwal started leading peoples protest against the government. Tension gripped Punjab for several days. All major roads of the state were blocked by Sikh protesters. (Sanjeev Kumar/HT) The sacrilege was not the only issue that angered Sikhs. On September 24 when the anti-Sikh posters surfaced at Burj Jawahar Singh Wala and Bargari, the Akal Takht, which is the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, pardoned Gurmeet Ram Rahim in the blasphemy case. The manner in which the pardon was granted added insult to injury. Most Sikhs felt it was done at the behest of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal to garner dera support in the 2017 assembly elections by allowing the release of MSG-2. Anger boils over On October 12, pages (angs or parts) of Guru Granth Sahib were scattered in front of the gurdwara at Bargari and on an outer road of the village. As news spread, people and members of Sikh organisations reached Bargari and began a dharna (protest). The police registered another FIR but by then public anger had boiled over. At 3pm, the protesters headed for the nearby town of Kotkapura and kept the torn pages of the holy book at the dharna site. It was at this stage that the SAD-BJP government sensed the public anger and rushed police from various districts to Kotkapura, a Hindu-dominated town. The police feared the large gathering of Sikhs, led by radicals, could trigger a law and order problem. On October 14 morning, they resorted to the forceful eviction of the Sikh protesters after declaring the assembly unlawful. The Sikh protesters retaliated and burnt police vehicles, injuring policemen. The police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the protesters and their leaders were arrested. Protesters, however, have a different take on the days developments. The sangat (gathering) was doing path (prayer) in the morning at the dharna site when the police came and started the lathicharge and then opened fire, says Daduwal. In videos that surfaced after the tension, police officials are seen requesting the protesters with folded hands to lift the dharna. There is also footage of protesters beating up policemen and torching their vehicles. The police finally got the site evicted by 7am. They say they got a message from Bargari that protesters had surrounded the police post and were about to set it on fire. A team led by then Moga SSP Charanjit Sharma rushed to Bargari with police personnel. On the way, the protesters blocked the road at Behbal Kalan. Desperate to reach Bargari, the police opened fire on the protesters, killing two people. In line of fire, Akalis pay a heavy price The killings evoked resentment against then chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son, Sukhbir Singh Badal, the then deputy chief minister who held the home portfolio. The anger against the sacrilege, the apology to the dera head followed by the firing had multiplied their anger manifold and people started boycotting SAD leaders. An FIR of attempt to murder was registered against SSP Sharma and other cops but it failed to assuage the hurt of the Sikh community. Timeline June 1, 2015: Guru Granth Sahib goes missing from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala Guru Granth Sahib goes missing from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala October 12: Torn pages of the holy book found at Bargari village. Torn pages of the holy book found at Bargari village. October 14: Police lathicharge on Sikh protesters at Kotkapura. Same day, two Sikhs killed in police firing in clash at Behbal Kalan Police lathicharge on Sikh protesters at Kotkapura. Same day, two Sikhs killed in police firing in clash at Behbal Kalan October 18: SIT headed by ADGP IPS Sahota set up and claims to crack the case but next day the police theory fell flat. SIT headed by ADGP IPS Sahota set up and claims to crack the case but next day the police theory fell flat. October 24: DGP Sumedh Saini removed. Zora Singh commission set up DGP Sumedh Saini removed. Zora Singh commission set up October 26: Government hands over probe to CBI. SIT led by DIG RS Khatra formed to probe cases of sacrilege at Gurusar and Malke Government hands over probe to CBI. SIT led by DIG RS Khatra formed to probe cases of sacrilege at Gurusar and Malke June 30, 2016: Zora Singh panel submits report to government but no recommendation implemented Zora Singh panel submits report to government but no recommendation implemented April 14, 2017: Amarinder government constitutes Justice Ranjit Singh (retd) commission Amarinder government constitutes Justice Ranjit Singh (retd) commission June 16, 2018: SIT led by Khatra cracks the cases SIT led by Khatra cracks the cases June 30: Ranjit Singh panel submits report Ranjit Singh panel submits report July 31: Amarinder announces CBI probe into police action at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura Amarinder announces CBI probe into police action at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura August 28: Vidhan Sabha debates Ranjit panel report as SAD boycotts proceedings. Resolution passed to take back cases from CBI Vidhan Sabha debates Ranjit panel report as SAD boycotts proceedings. Resolution passed to take back cases from CBI September 10: SIT led by ADGP Prabodh Kumar formed to probe police action at Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura. Tension gripped Punjab for several days. All major roads of the state were blocked by Sikh protesters. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee members were thrashed and the entire SAD leadership remained confined to their houses. On October 24, the government tried to control the damage by replacing the DGP Sumedh Saini with Suresh Arora. The Justice Zora Singh Commission was set up to probe the incidents of firing and sacrilege but its suggestions were not implemented. The assembly elections in 2017 left the SAD decimated as it won only 15 of the 70 seats. It was the partys worst-ever tally. Deras role in sacrilege: How and why The special investigating team (SIT), headed by DIG Ranbir Singh Khatra, says the trigger of the sacrilege by dera followers was the tussle they had with Sikhs in the region. In March 2015, tension gripped Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village over a gathering of a Sikh preacher, Harjinder Singh Manjhi, who used to criticise the Sirsa dera head. Dera followers opposed his gathering and the matter reached the police. The issue was resolved with the understanding that Manjhi would not speak against the dera head. But on the third day of his discourse, Manjhi convinced some dera followers in his gathering to shun the sect. They followed suit, throwing lockets containing the dera heads photo on the ground. This rattled local leaders of the dera and they decided to avenge the disrespect to Ram Rahim. Ena ne sada guru pairan vich roleya, asin ena da guru pairan vich rolange (They insulted our religious head, we will insult theirs), was the reaction of the kingpins of the sacrilege incidents, Mohinder Pal Singh Bittu, Pardeep Kaler and Harsh Dhuri. Bittu was asked to plan the retaliation. He chose Burj Jawahar Singh Wala to steal the Guru Granth Sahib as Manjhis discourse was held there. Retracing the crime The SIT found two dera followers, namely Sukhjinder Singh, alias Sunny, of Kotkapura and Randeep Singh, alias Neela, of Faridkot executed the conspiracy. On June 1 2015, Sunny and Neela rode a motorcycle to dera follower Gurdev Singhs shop facing the gurdwara. Gurdev signalled them to go ahead. Neela stole the holy book and en route to Kotkapura met Nishan Singh, Baljit Singh, Shakti and Ranjit Singh Bholla who were waiting in an Alto car. Shakti and Baljit took the holy book in the car to the naam charcha ghar at Kotkapura. Later, the saroop was hidden at Baljits second house at Sikhanwala village, where he stored junk items. On September 24, using the film, MSG-2, as a ploy to hurt sentiments of the dera, the accused pasted posters challenging the Sikh community. On October 12, Sunny, Nishan, Baljit, Ranjit and Shakti met at Kotkapura. Baljit brought Guru Granth Sahib from his house in a car. At Dhilwan village, they cut the pages with a paper cutter and scattered them at Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala. The rest of the pages were handed over to Bittu and were thrown in a local drain. The coincidental correlation between the sacrilege and the affixing of posters, spreading of angs is too apparent to show the dera link in the crime. MSG-2 was released on September 16 all over India. Around this time, the move was initiated to organise pardon for the dera head. This could not have taken place suddenly. On September 24, the posters came up and the same day the pardon was granted, says the Ranjit panel. All this could not be ignored easily, the panel adds. Bigg Boss, as hosted by Salman Khan, will enter its twelfth season on Sunday, establishing it as the countrys favourite guilty pleasure/hate watch. The concept of Big Brother however, observed from a distance, isnt as low-brow as Bigg Boss - with all its Dolly Bindras and KRKs - has made it out to be. Were living in a post-Edward Snowden world, when government surveillance is a very real, and very terrifying thing - but God forbid Bigg Boss does anything more intelligent than pitting ex-lovers against each other. Cultural, religious, socio-economic integration - Bigg Boss has somehow managed to avoid being cerebral despite a premise that positively demands it. Big Brother, in its original form, began as a sociological experiment to bring people from different walks of life under the same roof, basically throw away the key, and see what happens. But like the spiritual creatures that we are, to us Big Boss is more like God. And he controls everything, including who he lets in and out of his domain. Only two kinds of people enter the show: Those who want to be someone, and those who used to be someone. Both are visibly desperate. Short of selling their bodies, they are willing to sing, dance even humiliate themselves for their supper. Such is the attraction of the Bollywood dream. They even turn their backs on large lumps of cash because even a glimmer of the alternative, the life they all dream of, is enough. Where else will you see this? The only person who even marginally comes close to wielding the godlike power of Bigg Boss is host Salman Khan. The intensity of fear, not respect, but fear that he inspires is a sight to behold. The elephant in the room being that every contestant dreams of one day joining show business, and they all turn to Salman bhai for help. He is the fairy godmother of their dreams and he is the genie that can grant them all their wishes And these contestants, ironically, are the biggest reason for the shows controversial reputation. But thats not the fault of the show. They need the eyeballs. For that, they cast their show like a circus. And the essence of the programme suffers for it. Because Bigg Boss is hardly a circus. Instead, its like a game of chess. And theyve sat monkeys down to play it. There are, however, better examples of the Big Brother format - shows and movies that have correctly and intelligently harvested these ideas. Here are five. UnReal If youve ever wondered how a show like Bigg Boss is produced, look no further than UnReal. Set behind-the-scenes of a dating reality show, UnReal tells a story that is even more scandalous and pulpy than the very Bigg Boss-like drivel theyre shooting. The psychological manipulation of the contestants; the power dynamics in front of, and behind the camera; and the hunger to rise to the top - these are all Bigg Boss staples, explored with frightening insight. Dead Set Itll take a special kind of apathy for a person to read this premise and still not be interested in immediately bingeing Dead Set, but here goes: A new season of Big Brother is about to start. One by one the new contestants are introduced - they fit snugly into their categories. Theres a posh girl, a young man of Pakistani descent, an ASBO... You get the idea. But soon after the show begins - and we, the audience, enter the house with them - a zombie outbreak happens on the outside. Suddenly, the Big Brother house is the safest place in the UK, perhaps even the world. Dead Set comes from the genius mind of Charlie Brooker, a name you should probably memorise, because well be returning to it in a bit. The Truman Show To this day, it might be the best performance Jim Carrey has ever given. The films central idea - that we are a part of a large scale show, directed by an elderly white man, and no decision taken by us matters - raises interesting ideas about predestination and free will. The Adjustment Bureau But if predestination and free will and the existence of God are ideas that keep you awake, look no further than this sci-fi gem. Matt Damon plays a politician who, after a chance meeting with a girl, veers off the course - called the Plan - set for him by someone known as the Chairman. Everyone is a part of a plan, and no one is allowed to deviate from it. But Damon breaks away, and sets into motion a chain of events that were never meant to happen, causing a rift in the plans of everyone he comes into contact with. Black Mirror: White Rabbit While you should, if you havent already, watch every episode of Charlie Brookers masterpiece show (preferably multiple times), you should especially watch The White Bear - the second episode of the second season. Brookers world view is dismal. And this episode is a scathing takedown of our worst tendencies as human beings - were shameless voyeurs, we take pleasure in the misfortune of others, and we lack empathy. Its a rather morbid way to end this weeks piece, but there you have it. Follow @htshowbiz for more The author tweets @RohanNaahar Last night at Drake's show in Philadelphia, he took irreversible steps to squash his beef with Meek Mill once and for all, by bringing the Philly rapper onstage in his hometown. In the video of the show, Meek pops up through the floor on an automated platform, rising to shrieks from his happy fans who are now allowed to listen to Drake and rapping the intro to his album Dreams And Nightmares, one of his best verses. The beef, which had previously been squashed in Boston a week ago, began two years ago when Meek Mill fired shots at Drake for hiring a ghostwriter, the now infamous (through no fault of his own) Quentin Miller. Drake came back with "Charged Up" and then "Back To Back" when Meek Mill didn't respond fast enough and it was pretty much done. Earlier this year, on "Family Feud" off of Lil Wayne's Dedication 6: Reloaded, Drake began the process of forgiveness, perhaps feeling bad that Meek had been sent to jail for riding a dirt bike: "I want my paper long like 'A Milli' verse/or to long like a sentence from a Philly judge/Fuck is the point of beefing when we really blood." Fast forward half a year, and the two are better friends than ever. Lou Phelps is getting ready to unleash his forthcoming 002: Love Me project in about a week's time. But before that arrives the Montreal-bred rapper and producer has reached across the way to bring in Toronto's JAHKOY on his latest "Squeeze." The track is the third to arrive of the slew of previews leading up to 002, following "Come Inside" and "Miss Phatty." With the arrival of 002, Phelps has also announced a Canadian tour to support the effort, kicking things off on September 20th with a listening party at Montreal's Furco. Catch the dates in full below: Sept. 20th - Montreal - Furco Sept. 26th - Calgary - Commonwealth Sept. 27th - Edmonton - 99ten Sept. 28th - Vancouver - Fortune Sound Club Oct. 4th - London - London Music Hall Oct. 5th - Ottawa - The Bourbon Room Nov. 8th - Quebec - L'Anti Nov. 9th - Montreal - Le Belmont Nov. 10th - Toronto - The Drake Quotable Lyrics: Special girl, real good girl Flyest mama in my itty bitty world Calling her up she made me feel like It's a dream, sweet thing, made me take flight Tekashi 6ix9ine often posts clout-affirming clips on Instagram. They usually feature the artist running back-and-forth across the stage, yelling his lyrics to a massive crowd of positively delirious fans. His powerful presence is undeniable in these instances. His most recent post lines up with this style of content. The uploaded video shows one of his performances in the Netherlands. The caption he attached to it echoes his sentiments about his greatness while also acknowledging the support of his fans. "I SWEAR THERE ISNT NO ONE OUT THERE BETTER THEN ME TO ALL MY FANS I LOVE YOU DEARLY " https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnw3ZcWCaXl What he failed to acknowledge, however, was the fact that he crossed another line with his inappropriate use of the n-word. Although he impressed his social media following with his success as a musical export, some of them noticed that the rapper gave the green light to hundreds of white show-goers to spit the n-word along with him. The dude and his team legit paused to give them a crack at it. Tekashi 6ix9ine is a rebel. He constantly affirms the extent to which he cares about other people's opinions. When it comes to what he wants to do, his perspective is the only one that matters. Until he gets in trouble. Gloria Gonzalez arrived in downtown Houston early Saturday to watch her first-ever Fiestas Patrias Parade, the 50th annual one thrown in Houston to celebrate Mexican Independence Day. Its something you teach your family members, she said. Just like how the U.S. fought for independence here, we also fought for freedom too. Sept. 16, 1810 is the day Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Catholic priest and leader of the Mexican War of Independence, called for Mexicans to rebel against the monarchy of Spain. The University of Houston, Houston Community College and Bellaire High School were among the organizations who built floats and performed in the downtown parade. Several groups, such as the San Jacinto Girl Scouts, marched with various flags to represent all the nations coming together to Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15-Oct. 15. While many floats and cars were dedicated to Mexican Independence Day, there were also floats created for countries such as Guatemala and El Salvador, whose Independence Days were also celebrated Saturday. Its a way for many Spanish cultures to come together and to show everyone who we are as well, said Lizvett Mata, one of the crowd members. Its a way to remind everybody that were here. Mexican Independence Day celebrations will continue Sunday at Traders Village in northwest Houston with the 12th annual Fiestas Patrias. Supporters say the events are a valuable way to reinforce their cultural links. Its a reminder of our culture and for everyone to see our cultural background to see the way we celebrate, said Carlos Torres, who attended the parade. CRYSTAL BEACH - In a span of hours on Sept. 13, 2008, communities that had stood for almost 100 years on the Bolivar Peninsula were nearly wiped off the map by a furious storm named Ike. Houses, buildings, the post office, the fire station - water and wind swept them away like pebbles pulled back to sea. The storm surge killed at least 15 people on the peninsula. Here on Crystal Beach, almost five years later, long-time residents say Bolivar no longer resembles the home they remember from before Hurricane Ike, one of the costliest storms to ever hit the U.S. Expensive new houses are replacing the weathered fishing camps that predominated before Ike bulldozed them away. The storm also drove away many peninsula residents, replaced by the owners of newer homes. "It's a different group of people," said Bonnie Pyle, 46, of Crystal Beach, who has lived on the peninsula all her life. "If I was to go to a bar right now I wouldn't know anybody." Rebuilding by the beach: Bolivar is on the mend While other areas such as Galveston have nearly recovered from Ike's destruction, Bolivar's rebirth has been slow and steady, but the progress is undeniable to anyone driving along this isolated stretch of land. Expensive homes are being built at a rate that locals expect will restore the peninsula's storm-diminished population within two or three years. Residential sales increased 20 percent last year, and the average price of a home rose from $152,000 in 2009 to $245,000 last year, said real estate agent Neil Spiller, The peninsula had so many small houses before the storm that the average value was about $100,000, said Ann Willis, owner of Swede's Beach Properties. "Those little fishing camps that people rented and sometimes mom and dad stayed in, all that's gone, and we can never recover that," Willis said. The newer, larger homes are being sold at a brisk pace. "We have had a 170 percent improvement in our sales," real estate agent Genie Turk said. Willis said the rental business is rebounding as well. She managed 300 rental properties in 2008, but Ike destroyed or severely damaged all but 10. Now she is back up to 200 rentals, and rental sales were up by more than 20 percent last year. Building pace slows Although new construction continues apace, it has slowed considerably since the frantic aftermath of the storm, said Sid Bouse, a member of the Blue Ribbon Recovery Committee formed by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency after Hurricane Ike. Bouse said at least 85 percent of the structures between Crystal Beach and High Island on the eastern end of the peninsula were destroyed or badly damaged. The 15-foot tidal surge erased the community of Caplen. A single house, immortalized by a Houston Chronicle photograph, remained in the Gilchrist community. Most of the 43 deaths statewide were from falling trees and related events, but the storm surge caused all the peninsula deaths. Owners of existing properties were eager to rebuild quickly and others took advantage of cheap land, creating a construction boom in the first three years after the storm, Bouse said. "After the storm, there was the fear that you wouldn't be able to come back and build," he said. The building frenzy that followed drew contractors from all over the country, many of them disreputable. "The building is still very active, but it isn't anything like it was in the insanity of 2010, 2011," Bouse said. 3,800 homes now Galveston County had issued 1,542 building permits for the peninsula since the storm as of Jan. 3, compared with 996 for the remainder of the unincorporated areas of the county. Despite the pace of construction, the peninsula has far fewer structures than before the storm. Before Ike, there were about 6,000 houses connected to the water system, but as of this month there were about 3,800, according to the Bolivar Peninsula Special Utility District. It's unclear how much the population has grown since the 2010 census figure of 2,417, so water hookup figures give a sense of the growth. Nearly all the restaurants and local businesses have been rebuilt, Bouse said, but the increase in housing values means that employees at local restaurants and construction firms can't afford to live on the peninsula any more. "It's kind of tough for people to get help because there are not a lot of inexpensive places for people to stay," Willis said. Workers drive from Winnie, about 35 miles from Crystal Beach in Chambers County, or take the ferry from Galveston, she said. Also driven out were many longtime peninsula residents. A large portion of the pre-storm population was elderly and many were unable to return, Bouse said. "You lost the heart of the community," Bouse said. Pyle said all of the neighbors in her subdivision are new except for one. "All the older people are gone," she said. The older communities anchoring the west and east ends of the 32-mile peninsula are the exception to the rapid change since the storm. Port Bolivar on the west end and High Island on the east end for the most part were spared the ravages of the storm surge. Both communities remain largely unchanged, with Port Bolivar relying on the maritime industry and High Island on ecotourism from a nearby bird sanctuary. Snaring federal aid A significant amount of property can contribute to the recovery. Galveston County received $103 million in federal funds in 2010 to purchase as many as 756 storm-damaged properties, most of them on the Bolivar Peninsula. The money came from a program designed to halt construction in flood-prone areas. The purchased properties can never be built on again. Federal disaster aid, aside from the cleanup and immediate influx of food and water, has contributed little to the recovery, Bouse said. He formed the Peninsula Development Coalition to snare federal aid. "We were phenomenally unsuccessful in getting FEMA money funneled to the peninsula," he said. The only federal funds on the horizon are $19 million to build two wastewater treatment plants. The Texas General Land Office and several county commissioners oppose the project, so it's uncertain whether it will be built. Bouse is unfazed. "What's really excellent is we are going through this subdivision and you can't tell we had a storm," he said. "That's really amazing four and five years out." In December 2002, Roderick McNeely pulled two VCRs off the shelf at a Target store in Dallas, removed the anti-theft devices with a boxcutter and walked out the front door. A security guard confronted McNeely, who was high on cocaine, and the two engaged in a tug-of-war over the VCRs. Two bystanders eventually grabbed McNeelys arms and subdued him until police arrived. The charges: aggravated assault and robbery with a deadly weapon. McNeely said he never harmed anyone, and the boxcutter considered a weapon remained in his back pocket the entire time. Prosecutors told McNeely and his court-appointed attorney they would seek a 25-year sentence. He plead guilty and settled for 10 years, not wanting to risk the longer sentence in court. McNeely, 60, was released in 2010 after spending eight years behind bars. On Saturday, he began attending a Texas Southern University course aimed at teaching people who were incarcerated, or those with imprisoned family members, how to speak publicly about criminal justice reform. The course, developed and taught by TSU journalism professor Serbino Sandifer-Walker, consists of 12 weekly lessons focusing on a range of skills, including speech writing, public speaking, social media use and blogging. The idea is to help people with direct connections to the justice system more effectively seek changes. For one, McNeely hopes future reforms can help offenders who struggle with drug addiction as he once did, by providing more lenient sentences and opportunities to seek help. Anthony Graves, a former death row inmate who was wrongfully convicted of murder before his exoneration, came up with the idea after traveling the world talking about his experience. TSUs Urban Research and Resource Center partnered with the ACLU of Texas to form the program, called the Smart Justice Speakers Bureau. Graves and officials from the urban center and ACLU chose seven students for the first iteration of the course, believed to be the first of its kind in the U.S. They're going to learn about the criminal justice system and how to articulate it clearly and not just emotionally, Sandifer-Walker said. I want them to be factual. You've got to build credibility and know what you're talking about for people to listen to you. The emotion is not going to work show me some facts. Six of the students spent time behind bars. The seventh student, Steven Holloway, was 7 when his father, Lindsay, began serving prison time for robbery. Holloway developed separation anxiety, became depressed and formed a cocaine addiction, which he attributes to his fathers incarceration. I became angry and bitter and felt rejected, Holloway said. I blamed everything on him and didn't accept my own responsibilities. Lindsay served almost 25 years in prison, then died about a year after being released. Holloway, 55, now runs PACE Youth Programs, a nonprofit that counsels and mentors delinquent youth and their families. He was one of two students Saturday to receive a scholarship covering the courses $500 cost, funded by a $1,000 donation from U.S. Rep. Al Green, D-Houston. Holloway cried as he accepted a certificate from former congressman Craig Washington, a Houston Democrat. Taking action In January, after the course ends, students are scheduled to speak to members of the Texas Legislature about supporting various areas of criminal justice reform. Margarita Luna, one of the students, wants lawmakers to address what she considers the poor treatment of prisoners and an imbalance in some sentences. Luna, 37, said she was incarcerated for a year for possessing less than a gram of methamphetamine, and saw others receive shorter sentences for possessing larger quantities of drugs. Holloway believes officials should pay more attention to people with imprisoned relatives. Hes hoping to improve conditions for people who visit family members in prison, too. When we used to make visits, they were horrible, he said. We were treated though we were like inmates, the way they would talk to us. McNeely wants to provide better housing options for offenders after they leave prison. Many apartments that offer second-chance housing are located in areas with high drug use, McNeely said, increasing the likelihood of a relapse. There's an opportunity to be heard, to tell my story, to help people understand the importance of helping those who are seeking help, as opposed to closing the doors in their face, McNeely said. When we close doors in people's face who are looking for help, then we actually are promoting more criminal activities in their life. jasper.scherer@chron.com | Twitter: @jaspscherer Amanda Idell says when she was 15 she was raped by a stranger. Then she went to her bishop at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My bishop asked me, Did you enjoy it? Did you orgasm? I considered this a man of God and that maybe I did something wrong to bring it upon myself, recalled Idell, 33, who then lived in Nevada and now lives in San Antonio, adding that she reported the allegation to Las Vegas police. The shame she felt led her to attempt suicide. Monday marks the 18th anniversary of that attempt. In memory, she recently tattooed two spears over the scar where she had slit her wrist, a darkened spear representing her past and a clear spear pointing out, toward her future. Now Playing: Isiah Carey interviews Sam Young. Video: Fox 26 Houston Idells Facebook profile features a photo of her smiling with the words I stand with Sam, referring to Sam Young of Sugar Land, a former bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the owner of Liberty Office Products. She stands with him because he has exposed stories such as her own. His website, Protect LDS Children, shares hundreds of stories of people like herself who are still struggling with the sexually explicit questions that can arise during private meetings between Mormon youth and their bishops. He has vocally called for an end of private meetings, asking for a second adult to be present. His activism led church leaders to take disciplinary action. On Sunday afternoon, Young stood in the heart of Salt Lake City, a letter from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in hand. Inside was his fate with the church. He opened the envelope and read the verdict aloud. He had been excommunicated. The decision of the council is that you be excommunicated for conduct contrary to the laws and order of the church, Young read to a crowd as the entire event was streamed online. This means that you are no longer a member of the church and do not enjoy any privileges of membership. When asked for the churchs reaction, spokesperson Eric Hawkins reissued the statement he released two weeks ago, when Young was headed to his excommunication hearing. Because of the personal nature of Church disciplinary matters and to respect the privacy of those involved, Hawkins wrote, the Church does not provide information about the proceedings. Youngs stake center in Sugar Land could not be reached for comment. Natasha Helfer Parker, a Mormon therapist who works with people struggling with their faith, said the churchs decision was a blow to the hundreds of survivors who had shared their stories. Ive had several survivors reach out to me very distressed, she said. Because in a sense, its a rejection of them as well. Mormon leadership in March released new rules intended to address sexual abuse after months of protests. The updated policies allowed, but did not require, another adult to be in the room for meetings between church youth and local lay leaders. Young said changes were not enough. Janelle Brinton agreed. A former Mormon living in Houston, Brinton is troubled by the churchs stance because she has a niece and two nephews still in the Mormon church. Making the presence of a second adult optional was inadequate, she said, because social pressures prevented a parent from asking to sit in. The only reason to be present while the bishop is interviewing is if you dont trust him, and that doesnt fly in the Mormon culture, she said. Thats seen as undermining or distrusting the authority of the divine mantle of the bishop. On Sunday, in front of a crowd gathered at Temple Square, Young read aloud the explanation that accompanied his excommunication. The issue is not that you have concerns or even that you disagree with the churchs guidelines, he read. Rather, it is your persistent, aggressive effort to persuade others of your point of view. Kent Belliston, who lived in Houston for several years and was present at Youngs Salt Lake City news conference, said afterward that he was not surprised by the churchs decision. Sam Young challenged the Mormon church to the point where they basically had two choices: change or excommunicate him, he said. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the past has chosen excommunicating high-profile activists rather than changing its policies. In 2014, Kate Kelly of Arizona was excommunicated for founding a Mormon womens group (all members of the Mormon priesthood and all of the bishops conducting worthiness interviews are men). Three years ago, John Dehlin of Utah was excommunicated for publicly supporting same-sex marriage and the ordination of women. After excommunication, former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have 30 days to appeal the decision. Young said he intended to do so. He also doubled down on his exhortations for reform, warning the church that teenagers were making audio recordings during one-on-one meetings with bishops. He predicted the practice will spread. Many people are fed up. Teenagers have cellphones, he said. Churches will not be able to prevent teenagers from recording. Bishops, be warned! he said. People are now watching! Children are now recording! Your livelihoods and reputations are at risk. My excommunication is a clear demonstration that the church is not serious about child safety. And they certainly dont give a damn about your safety, either, bishops. While Young was being excommunicated, his daughter, Amy Breeden, was at church. Its so raw, she said Sunday evening, after learning the news. Weve spent countless hours discussing his intentions, his goals, the costs hes paying emotionally, socially, financially, physically. His intentions about this are so pure. He wants to protect children and when children are safe and protected, the church is safe and protected. To see this misunderstanding, and the church doing something that is so hurtful, its devastating. She had yet to break the news to her own children, something also on Youngs mind. How do you explain to a child that the church is good, but they excommunicated your granddad? he asked. Meanwhile, Jacqueline Vance, a member of the Mormon church in Houston, said the decision had strengthened her resolve to help others who have been harmed by worthiness interviews. Since middle school, she said, interview questions about her chastity had caused extreme feelings of shame that she still struggles with at age 31. She believed that sexual urges were Satans influence; unable to repress them, she began thinking there was something seriously wrong with her. All the confusion and the shame drove me to self-harm, she said. I still have plenty of scars from that. When she first met Young, Vance said, she broke down in ugly tears and cried on his shoulder. He was trying to prevent what happened to me from happening to other people, she said. Hes a hero. Hes our hero. rebecca.schuetz@chron.com twitter.com/raschuetz If theres a go-to jurist whose courtroom light is always on for the Trump White House, for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and for other elected officials eager to thwart sensible and humane immigration policy, its Andrew S. Hanen, a Brownsville federal judge who sits on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. With Hanen on the bench, Paxton, for one, has become a blatant courtroom shopper. Hes confident that the Waco native and first-in-his-class Baylor Law School graduate will find some legal rationale for anti-immigrant policies that come before the court. It was Hanen who blocked the Obama administrations 2015 attempt to shield thousands of families with mixed immigration status from deportation through a program then known as DAPA, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans. Thanks to Hanen, thousands of citizens and legal residents faced the prospect of disrupted lives at home and seeing their parents deported to countries they left long ago. The death of its successor, DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) was pretty much assured once Hanen got his hands on it. But then, surprise! On Aug. 31, the immigration hardliner refused a request from nine states, led by Texas, to destroy DACA, the Obama-era policy that grants temporary lawful status and work permits to thousands of young migrants brought to this country through no choice of their own. Hanen wrote that he agreed with a federal court in Maryland that said the question of whether to allow DACA recipients to continue contributing their skills and abilities to the betterment of this country is an issue crying out for a legislative solution. Its not that Hanen liked DACA any more than he liked DAPA he expects the U.S. Supreme Court eventually will declare it unlawful but, unlike Paxton and young Stephen Miller, the cruelly anti-immigrant nativist who has Donald Trumps ear in the White House, the judge was willing to acknowledge reality. DACA has been in effect for six years, he pointed out, and those young people the policy protects are even more rooted than they were before its implementation. Here, the egg has been scrambled, he wrote. To try to put it back in the shell with only a preliminary injunction record, and perhaps at great risk to many, does not make sense nor serve the best interests of this country. Hanens ruling offered a bit of breathing room to young dreamers such as Linett Isela Lopez, a student-teacher who serves the best interests of this country and our community by working with bilingual first-graders at Johnson Elementary School. Im relieved by last months ruling, Lopez wrote in the Chronicle last week, but the overall uncertainty persists. Despite a lot of talk, Congress has failed to take action on this issue, leaving Dreamers like me feeling helpless and overwhelmed. Will I be able to keep teaching? Will I be subject to deportation? What will happen to my young students and their parents, many of whom are DACA recipients, too? Fix it, a Dreamer urges Congress. Fix it, a federal judge urges. Approximately three-quarters of the American people, according to most polls, echo their call. So does a coalition of border mayors and business groups, including Southwest and United Airlines. Filing an amicus brief in the case before Judge Hanen, the coalition argued that ending DACA and forcing thousands of young workers out of the economy could cost $460 billion in economic activity during the next decade. Meanwhile, a craven Congress dithers and, we hate to say, will continue to dither until voters decide, perhaps in a few weeks, that enoughs enough. Assuring the legal status of Dreamers and allowing them to get on with their lives in this country is a relatively easy task, particularly if a new crop of conscientious lawmakers arrives in Washington next January. It may be a dream too far, but resolving the Dreamer dilemma might even clear the way for a new Congress to tackle the more complex task of comprehensive immigration reform. We can hope, although fixing DACA is the more immediate task. DACA is a popular program and one that Congress should consider saving. . . . If the nation truly wants to have a DACA program, it is up to Congress to say so. So wrote Judge Hanen. So say we. After 14 years as a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay, hope is not easy to come by, and harder still to hold on to. So when Imran Khan was elected prime minister of my country, Pakistan, I filed the news away, and resolved not to think of it too often. It sustained me, whenever hopelessness threatened to overwhelm me. As a candidate, he wrote about my plight, telling the world what the U.S. Congress knows to be true: I am a taxi driver from Karachi, the victim of a case of mistaken identity, tortured for years by the CIA and held prisoner indefinitely because the US Government cannot admit its mistake. Now I hear that Prime Minister Khan will skip the United Nations General Assembly, which began last week in New York, to devote his attention to pressing matters at home. I am accustomed to setbacks I remember the expectation when President Barack Obama ordered that the prison be closed, nine years ago but I admit that while I understand Pakistan must be his priority, I had hoped Khan would take the opportunity to tell President Donald Trump what a rotten deal the United States gets from keeping me here, and press for my release. Trump continues to defame me as a terrorist and unlawful enemy combatant in order to look tough and excite his supporters. In truth, the United States long since released most of the people who were actually part of the Afghanistan War those who fought in Jengi Castle, those who fought in Tora Bora, Osama Bin Ladens bodyguards, his private driver and his cook. They have all gone home. The Taliban minister of defense was sent back to his country, though he actually directed the war; with him went the head of the Taliban intelligence, along with their chief spokesman. Omar Khadr was accused of killing an American soldier so he was flown to Toronto where the Canadians paid him $8 million in compensation. Ahmed al Darbi was convicted of planning an operation he too went home. I am a taxi driver from Karachi, 500 miles from the Afghan border. Yet here I remain, in a group of 40 forgotten men, many of them nobodies like myself. Most of us have never been charged with a crime. In July, the U.S. governments lawyer said it can keep us here for a hundred years if it chooses to, provided the conflict a war we did not fight in and that can never be won or lost lasts that long. I have tried to do whatever they asked. They told me to stop my hunger strike, and I abandoned my protest. They insisted that we should apologize for being members of mujahedin, so I apologized even when I had nothing to do with such violence. They told me to drop my demand that my CIA torturers should be punished so I ceased my cry for justice. In one of Prime Minister Khans first statements in office, he said: With the United States, we want to have a mutually beneficial relationship up until now, that has been one way. The release of prisoners has, indeed, been a one way street or a direct flight that only goes to Washington, never back to Islamabad. In 2011, Raymond Davis, a contractor with the CIA, murdered two men in Lahore. After the United States reportedly paid $2.4 million to the families of the victims, he went home. In April of this year, Col. Joseph E. Hall ran a red light in Islamabad, crashing into a motorcycle and killing a passenger. He was soon on a plane back to America. Meanwhile I exist in an eternal nightmare, held in a steel cell, guarded by thousands of soldiers. It costs U.S. taxpayers $11 million a year to keep me here, and $11 million more for each of the other prisoners. All I want is to go home to my wife and son, and return to work so I may support them. I can only hope that Pakistans Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Quereshi, will speak as plainly as his boss when he addresses the United Nations and in meetings with U.S. politicians. Nothing is gained by keeping me here. Releasing me would signal that, under new leadership, our countries are ready to make a fresh start. Rabbani is a taxi driver from Karachi, Pakistan, who has been detained without charge at Guantanamo Bay for 14 years. The op-ed is based on qnotes recorded by Rabbanis lawyer, Clive Stafford-Smith. I believe in equal pay for equal work, especially for city employees who put their lives at risk to save yours and mine. Proposition B a city charter amendment proposal on the Nov. 6 city ballot as a result of a firefighters petition drive wouldnt achieve equal pay. In fact it would do the opposite. Just as troubling: Approval would have frightening consequences for Houston because the petition was wrongly written. COUNTERPOINT: Vote for Prop. B to give Houston firefighters the same pay as police officers Proposition B would trigger a firefighter pay hike of at least 25 percent, costing the city $98 million each year. On top of that, firefighters would get an extra raise next year if police officers get one. Because the city has hit a revenue cap imposed by the voters in 2004, we would have to cut other spending to pay for the salary increase. The cuts would mean layoffs of nearly 1,000 municipal employees including police officers and firefighters and cutbacks to vital city services. This would be bad for our city and unfair to everyone. Pay parity may have been the goal, but because of the serious mistakes made in drafting this measure, unequal pay is really what we are voting on in November. If Proposition B passes, firefighters will receive the same equipment stipend as police officers. Yet police officers are required to buy their equipment, including guns and ammunition, while firefighters are not. Firefighters would receive extra pay for earning college degrees. Yet police officers are required to earn degrees to be promoted to lieutenant and higher ranks. Firefighters are not. Firefighters would still receive lucrative special retirement benefits given to them in the historic pension reform that voters approved overwhelmingly last year. Yet because Proposition B fails to equalize retirement pay among police officers and firefighters, firefighters will get much more than police. Already, firefighters can swap days off with each other, allowing some to be away from their jobs for weeks, if not an entire month. Police officers do not have these scheduling privileges. When a firefighter is unable to work due to illness or another cause, another firefighter is activated and paid overtime to cover the shift. Not so at HPD. These are examples of the serious flaws in Proposition B, all of which would lead to an unequal system that pays firefighters substantially more than police officers. Also, nothing in the referendum would fund the continuation of the much-needed replacement of firefighting vehicles, or fire station modernization or health and safety program improvements. Keep in mind that more than 80 percent of fire department costs go to providing emergency medical services rather than putting out fires. Whats needed is a restructuring of the department to meet these demands, which Proposition B does not do. If Proposition B passes, delivering on the firefighter salary hike could mean laying off police officers, firefighters and municipal employees, cutting hours at community centers, swimming pools and libraries, reducing parks maintenance, delaying municipal court cases and permitting, interrupting garbage service and other cuts. Another scenario shifts more of the layoffs to the fire department. Salaries and other costs for first responders and other public safety employees make up 57 percent of the citys entire annual budget, making layoffs inevitable if the city is forced to increase firefighter pay. You wont find the looming fiscal crisis mentioned in the ballot language because the law says it has to be based on the petition wording. Nevertheless, the situation is patently clear. Do firefighters deserve a raise? Absolutely. The previous mayor offered a 4 percent increase. It was rejected. I have offered a 9.5 percent raise over three years. That offer was rejected but remains on the table. I have negotiated successfully with city workers and police officers on pensions and pay raises. I know the city cannot afford a 25 percent raise for any employee group. No matter what the outcome of this measure, I will continue to make sure that our city public servants will do their best to keep our city safe with the resources at hand. I also urge every Houstonian to join me in voting against Proposition B. Standing in agreement with me is an unprecedented coalition of Republicans, Democrats and nonpartisan voters, business and labor leaders, community groups and public safety leaders. They share my concern that the proposition would create an unaffordable mandate requiring cutbacks to vital public services. After Nov. 6, lets go back to the drawing board and collaborate on a solution that is fair to firefighters, police officers and all Houstonians. Turner is mayor of Houston. Imagine having sex with a man, agreeing beforehand to use protection, only to find out that he removed the condom during intercourse. Advertisement That's what a dangerous new sex trend called "stealthing" is all about. And not only does it put partners at risk for STIs and pregnancy it's also a lesser-known form of assault. Skadden Fellow Alexandra Brodsky recently sat down with The Huffington Post to discuss a study she conducted for the Columbia Journal of Gender and Law around the act and how it affects survivors. She said was inspired to research the topic after she says her women friends were "struggling with forms of mistreatment by sexual partners that weren't considered part of the recognized repertoire of gender based violence." The researcher also made note that while the law should compensate survivors after assault as they experience "emotional, financial and physical" harm, this route doesn't always provide people with what they need. Especially for acts like stealthing, where people often question if they were "actually" violated. "We know that the law doesn't work for gender violence survivors," she told HuffPost. "Many of the myths and assumptions and forms of skepticism that we see from judges approaching rape victims and other kinds of sexual assault victims are likely to be present in stealthing cases." Advertisement One woman, who chose to remain anonymous, recalls her experience with stealthing in the study where she said her assailant dismissed her claims of any wrongdoing. "I'd been seeing this guy for a couple weeks," she remembers. "We'd been sort of dating and we were hooking up at his house and he was like, 'Oh, I wanna have sex without a condom.' And I was like, I'm really not OK with that, I'm currently not on birth control. My exact words were, 'That's not negotiable.' [I told him,] 'If that's a problem with you that's fine. I'll leave.'" Nonetheless, the man removed the condom midway through sex without any consent, she said, which left her "obviously upset." The woman, who works as a political staffer in New York, said she later tried to have a conversation with her partner after it happened. But he simply brushed it off and told her not to "worry about it." Advertisement "We know that the law doesn't work for gender violence survivors." Alexandra Brodsky "That stuck with me because [he'd] literally proven [himself] to be unworthy of [my] trust," she told Brodsky. "There is no situation in which this is something I agreed to do. Obviously the part that really freaked me out ... was that it was such a blatant violation of what we'd agreed to. I set a boundary. I was very explicit." But while some men may see this act as no big deal, others have been convicted of sex crimes for this risky move. In mid-January, a 47-year-old man in Switzerland was charged with rape after he took his condom off without his partner knowing, Glamour reported. And in the U.K., it's a clear sexual offense. "This comes down to a discussion about 'conditional consent,'" Dr. Sinead Ring of the University of Kent told Broadly when the Swiss case took place. "If it's proved the woman consented to sex with a condom and he changed the circumstances under which she'd consented, it's quite possible he'd be convicted of rape." However, Ring shared similar thoughts to Brodsky about the law, saying that a conviction ultimately comes down to whether or not the jury has a clear understanding of rape and doesn't give in to false myths around the topic. In Canada, Dalhousie law professor Elaine Craig recently said in a draft paper for the Canadian Bar Review that Judge Gregory Lenehan, who in March acquitted Halifax cab driver Bassam Al-Rawi of sexual assault, unfairly stereotyped the complainant as a "promiscuous party girl." Advertisement "Judge Lenehan's speculation, implausible conclusions and legally incorrect reasoning were informed by the stereotype that unchaste women, or promiscuous party girls, will consent to sex with anyone,'' Craig wrote in the legal paper.. "How could such a pornographic, hypersexualized account of human female behaviour arise in a legal proceeding in 2017?'' "The logic of this stereotype turns on the assumption that drunk women will have sex with anyone, anywhere, any time,'' she later added. The educator has also called for mandatory sexual assault training for judges. The Crown has responded by saying it will consider appealing the case if it can be proven that Lenehan made multiple mistakes in his ruling. Thankfully, with women like Craig and Brodsky having no qualms about speaking up, the hope is that more and more people will become aware of violating acts like stealthing, let go of the stereotypes and taboos around sexual assault and become more empathetic and understanding of survivors. Also on HuffPost Imperial Valley News Center Attorney General Sessions Delivers Remarks to the Largest Class of Immigration Judges in History for the Executive Office for Immigration Review Washington, DC - Thank you, James, for that kind introduction, and thank you for your years of service to the Department as a SAUSA, at Main Justice, and now here at EOIR. James has been doing a fabulous job. Im honored and excited to welcome the largest class of immigration judges in history44 new immigration judges. Each of you will play a critical role in our legal system, and I have no doubt that you will be up to the task. Counting you, along with our existing judges, we are currently have the most active immigration judges in history. But we wont stop therewe will add even more by the end of this calendar year, with a goal of seeing a 50 percent increase in the number of judges since the beginning of the Trump administration. I am grateful to the President, to OMB, and to Senator Shelby, Senator Moran, Representative Frelinghuysen, and Representative Culberson for making this historic increase in immigration judges possible. Immigration judges are critical to ensuring that the Department of Justice carries out its responsibilities under the INA. You have an obligation to decide cases efficiently and to keep our federal laws functioning effectively, fairly, and consistently. And, as the statute states, Immigration Judges conduct designated proceedings subject to such supervision and shall perform such duties as the Attorney General shall prescribe. This last provision gives me responsibility to ensure that our immigration system operates in an effective and efficient manner consistent with law enacted by Congress. Many in this country take a different view. They object to any enforcement that works. They evidence an open borders philosophy. Let me say this clearly: it is perfectly legitimate, moral, and decent for a nation to have a legal system of immigration and to enforce the system it adopts. No great and prosperous nation can have both a generous welfare system and open borders. Such a policy is both radical and dangerous. It must be rejected out of hand. Open borders is directly contrary to the INA, which governs our work. The INA is not perfect, but it plainly lays out a rational scheme for immigration that tells our officers and judges who is to be admitted, how many and under what circumstances. Good lawyers, using all of their talents and skill, work every daylike water seeping through an earthen damto get around the plain words of the INA to advance their clients interests. Theirs is not the duty to uphold the integrity of the act. That is our most serious duty. Of course, we must always respect the rights of aliens who come before our courts. Just as we defend immigrant legal rights we reject unjustified and sometimes blatantly fake claims. The law is never serviced when deceit is rewarded so that the fundamental principles of the law are defeated. The American people are good and just. They rightly want a lawful system they can be proud of. They believe that persons who want to come here should file their claim and wait their turn. They believe that we should not encourage them to enter our country in a criminal manner. And, as I think you all would agree, the INA was enacted to make those principles a reality. The Department of Justice is working hard to uphold those principles. And so are our U.S. Attorneys. When I was a U.S. Attorney, I pushed for maximum production from my Assistants and our staff. And now as Attorney General, my team and I are doing the same thingencouraging our USAOs to achieve the highest levels of excellence. That is what I want from them, that is what I want from you, and that is what the American people are right to expect from all of us. The position you hold is not a 9-to-5 one it is a professional position. As you take on this critically important role, I hope that you will be imaginative and inventive in order to manage a high-volume caseload. I do not apologize for expecting you to perform, at a high level, efficiently and effectively. Your role requires great legal skill. Many of the cases present complex legal issues, but like anyone acting as a judge, you must manage your docket and support staff well. Cases must be moved to conclusion. Claimants must meet necessary legal standards before relief is given. These principles and the large numbers of cases present a great challenge. Thats why we need more judges. After great study, I have taken a number of actions to make the system work as it was intendedand better. Earlier this year, the department of Homeland Security announced that it would seek to refer 100 percent of illegal border crossers to the Department of justice for criminal prosecution in Federal courts. Our U.S. Attorneys are prosecuting over 90 percent of those cases referred to us. Its a two to threefold increase and it has some deterrent effect. This is the zero tolerance policy you have heard about. You dont get to enter the border unlawfully, between ports of entry, and place our CBP officers at risk without consequences. Of course, our goal is not to just prosecute more but to deter and end illegality. To that end we are resolutely committed. If someone is smuggling illegal aliens across our Southwest border, then we will prosecute them. Period. Of course, the problem of illegal immigration has only been compounded by issues surrounding the asylum process. The asylum system has been abused for years to the detriment of the rule of law, sound public policy, and public safetyand to the detriment of people with just claims. Saying a few simple wordsclaiming a fear of returnhas transformed a straightforward arrest for illegal entry and immediate return to too often into a prolonged legal process, where an alien may be released from custody into the United States and possibly never show up for an immigration hearing. This is a large part of what has been accurately called catch and release. Our system was not designed to handle thousands of new asylum claims every month from individuals who illegally flood across the border. But that is what has been happening, and it has overwhelmed the system. Beginning in 2009, more and more aliens who passed an initial USCIS credible fear review were released from custody into the United States pending a full hearing. Powerful incentives were created for aliens to come here illegally and claim a fear of return. In effect, word spread that by asserting this fear, they could remain in the United States one way or the other. Far too often, that rumor proved to be true. The results were entirely predictable. The number of illegal entrants has surged. Credible fear claims have skyrocketed, and the percentage of asylum claims found meritorious by our judges declined. The reason for the decline is because the vast majority of the current asylum claims are not valid under the law. For the last five years, only 20 percent of claims have been found to be meritorious after a hearing before an Immigration Judge. In addition, roughly fifteen percent are found invalid by USCIS as a part of their initial credible fear screening. Further illustrating this point, in 2009, DHS conducted more than 5,000 credible fear reviews. By 2016, only seven years later, that number had increased to 94,000. The number of these aliens placed in immigration court proceedings went from fewer than 4,000 to more than 73,000 by 2016nearly a 19-fold increaseoverwhelming the system and leaving legitimate claims buried. Now we all know that many of those crossing our border illegally want a better life and many are leaving difficult situations. And we understand all are due proper respect and the proper legal process. But we cannot abandon legal discipline and sound legal concepts. Under the INA, asylum is available for those who leave their home country because of past persecution or a well-founded fear of future persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Asylum was never meant to provide escape from all the problemseven serious problemsthat people face every day all over the world. Indeed, Americans face serious problems every day also. That is why earlier this year, I issued a decision that restores sound principles of asylum and long standing principles of immigration law. We acted carefully and prudentlynot hastily. In my judgment, this is a correct interpretation of the law. It restores the original intent and purpose of the INA, and it will be your duty to carry out this ruling. In fact it restores the way the law was initially enforced for decades. But it isnt the only thing we have done to provide clarity to the process. I have also issued decisions on other topicsin one case, clarifying that immigration judges and the Board lack the authority to administratively close cases under the law; in another, clarifying the good cause standard for a continuance for collateral matters in immigration court; and, vacating a mooted Board decision that injected confusion as to the requirement to hold a merits hearing in certain cases. And there will be more still to come. These decisions will provide more clarity for you. They will help you to rule consistently and fairly. And it is more important than ever that you do just that. This is a great nationthe greatest in the history of the world. It is no surprise that people want to come here. But they must do so according to law, because it is the supremacy of that law that made this country so great in the first place. And as members of the Executive Branch, it is our duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. When we depart from the law and create nebulous legal standards out of a sense of sympathy for the personal circumstances of a respondent in our immigration courts, we do violence to the rule of law and constitutional fabric that bind this great nation. Your job is to apply the laweven in tough cases. As we work to restore rule of law in our immigration system, we will send a clear message to the world that the lawless practices of the past are over. The world will know what our rules are, and great numbers will no longer undertake this dangerous journey. The number of illegal aliens and the number of baseless claims will fall. A virtuous cycle will be created, rather than a vicious cycle of expanding illegality. The American people have spoken. They have spoken in our laws and they have spoken in our elections. They want a safe, secure border and a lawful system of immigration that actually works. Lets deliver it for them. Imperial Valley News Center Romanian National Pleads Guilty in Multi-State ATM Card Skimming Scheme Springfield, Massachusetts - A Romanian man pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Springfield, Massachusetts to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft in connection with a multi-state card skimming scheme. Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling of the District of Massachusetts, Special Agent in Charge Stephen Marks of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) Boston Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England Division, Medford Police Chief Leo Sacco and East Meadow, Massacusetts Police Chief Jeffrey Dalessio made the announcement today. Bogdan Viorel Rusu, 38, of Romania and formerly residing in Queens, New York, pleaded guilty to an Information that charged him with one count each of conspiracy to commit bank, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for Dec. 11. Rusu was arrested on Nov. 14 2016, and initially charged by complaint in the District of New Jersey and has been in custody since. According to the agreed-upon statement of facts in Rusus plea agreement, between approximately Aug. 3, 2014 until his arrest on Nov. 14, 2016, Rusu engaged in a widespread bank fraud conspiracy that targeted various banks in Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey. As set forth below, Rusu and his co-conspirators captured payment card account information from customers as they accessed their accounts through automatic teller machines (ATMs) and then used that information to steal money from the customers bank accounts. Rusu admitted that to capture the account information, he and his co-conspirators installed electronic devices (i.e., skimming devices) that surreptitiously recorded customers bank account information on the banks card-readers at the vestibule door, the ATM machine, or both. In addition, Rusu and his co-conspirators installed other devices (generally either pinhole cameras or keypad overlays) in order to record the keystrokes of bank customers as they entered their personal identification numbers to access their bank accounts. After enough customers accessed the ATM machine, Rusu and/or his co-conspirators removed the skimming devices. They then transferred the illegally obtained information from the skimming devices and pinhole cameras to counterfeit payment cards. Finally, they visited other ATM machines with the counterfeit cards to obtain cash from the skimmed bank accounts before the bank or the customers became aware of their illicit conduct. Pursuant to his plea agreement, Rusu admitted that he and his co-conspirators caused losses of $364,419 in Massachusetts and $75,715 in New York (totaling $440,134 from 531 individual accounts), in addition to losses in New Jersey of $428,581. The case was investigated by USSS, HSI, the Medford Police Department and the East Longmeadow Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Marianne Shelvey of the Criminal Divisions Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of the Springfield Branch Office. Imperial Valley News Center Russian National Who Operated Kelihos Botnet Pleads Guilty to Fraud, Conspiracy, Computer Crime and Identity Theft Offenses Hartford, Connecticut - Peter Yuryevich Levashov, aka Petr Levashov, Peter Severa, Petr Severa and Sergey Astakhov, 38, of St. Petersburg, Russia, pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Hartford, to offenses stemming from his operation of the Kelihos botnet, which he used to facilitate malicious activities including harvesting login credentials, distributing bulk spam e-mails, and installing ransomware and other malicious software. Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney John H. Durham of the District of Connecticut and Special Agent in Charge Brain C. Turner of the FBIs New Haven Division made the announcement. For over two decades, Peter Levashov operated botnets which enabled him to harvest personal information from infected computers, disseminate spam, and distribute malware used to facilitate multiple scams, said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. We are grateful to Spanish authorities for his previous arrest and extradition. Todays guilty plea demonstrates that the Department will collaborate with our international law enforcement partners to bring cybercriminals to justice, wherever they may be. Mr. Levashov used the Kelihos botnet to distribute thousands of spam e-mails, harvest login credentials, and install malicious software on computers around the world, said U.S. Attorney Durham. He also participated in online forums on which stolen identities, credit card information and cybercrime tools were traded and sold. For years, Mr. Levashov lived quite comfortably while his criminal behavior disrupted the lives of thousands of computer users. Thanks to the collaborative work of the FBI and our partners in law enforcement, private industry and academia, a prolific cybercriminal has been neutralized, and has now admitted his guilt in a U.S. courtroom. Today justice has finally arrived for Peter Levashov, who is perhaps better known in the cyber community by his online identity, Peter Severa, said FBI Special Agent in Charge Turner. The FBIs New Haven Division has been engaged in a multiyear investigation of Levashov, with evidence gathered from a number of countries around the world. Todays guilty plea should serve as an unequivocal reminder to all those who use the internet for illicit purposes: The FBI will pursue you regardless of what country you live in and the length of time it might take to secure your eventual arrest. As we move forward, no cyber criminal should rest easy. The men and women of the FBIs New Haven Division, along with the members of our Cyber Task Force and our many other federal, state, local, and tribal partners across the state, will continue to employ the same dedication and hard work, which made this effort such a success, to the continued protection of the citizens of Connecticut and the nation as a whole. According to court documents and statements made in court, a botnet is a network of computers infected with malicious software that allows a third party to control the entire computer network without the knowledge or consent of the computer owners. Since the late 1990s until his arrest in April 2017, Levashov controlled and operated multiple botnets, including the Storm, Waledac and Kelihos botnets, to harvest personal information and means of identification (including email addresses, usernames and logins, and passwords) from infected computers. To further the scheme, Levashov disseminated spam and distributed other malware, such as banking Trojans and ransomware, and advertised the Kelihos botnet spam and malware services to others for purchase in order to enrich himself. Over the course of his criminal career, Levashov participated in and moderated various online criminal forums on which stolen identities and credit cards, malware and other criminal tools of cybercrime were traded and sold. Spanish authorities arrested Levashov in Barcelona on April 7, 2017, based upon a criminal complaint and arrest warrant issued in the District of Connecticut. At the time of Levashovs arrest, Kelihos infected at least 50,000 computers. On April 10, 2017, the Justice Department announced that it had taken action to dismantle the Kelihos botnet. On April 20, 2017, a grand jury in the District of Connecticut returned an indictment charging Levashov with multiple offenses related to this scheme. Levashov was extradited to the United States in February. Levashov pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny to one count of causing intentional damage to a protected computer, one count of conspiracy, one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Judge Chatigny scheduled sentencing for Sept. 6, 2019. Levashov is detained pending sentencing. The FBIs New Haven Division and Anchorage Division are investigating the case, with the assistance from the Spanish National Police. Senior Trial Attorney Anthony Teelucksingh of the Criminal Divisions Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vanessa Richards and David Huang of the District of Connecticut are prosecuting the case. The Criminal Divisions Office of International Affairs handled the extradition in this matter, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service. The University of Alabama at Birmingham, ThreatStop, SpamHaus, Cisco, Cambridge University, and Cloudmark also provided invaluable assistance in the investigation and prosecution of Mr. Levashov. Imperial Valley News Center Business Executive Pleads Guilty to Foreign Bribery Charge in Connection With Venezuelan Bribery Scheme Houston, Texas - A former manager of a U.S.-based logistics and freight forwarding company pleaded guilty to a foreign bribery charge Thursday for his role in a scheme to corruptly secure contracts and contract extensions from Venezuelas state-owned and state-controlled energy company, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA). The guilty plea of the foreign official who was bribed was also unsealed Thursday. Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick of the Southern District of Texas and Special Agent in Charge Mark Dawson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Houston Field Office made the announcement. Juan Carlos Castillo Rincon (Castillo), 55, of Conroe, Texas, previously of Miami, Florida, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy K. Johnson of the Southern District of Texas in Houston to one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Castillo is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 21, 2019 by U.S. District Judge Gray H. Miller of the Southern District of Texas. Judge Johnson also unsealed the guilty plea of Jose Orlando Camacho (Camacho), 46, of Miami, Florida, previously of Katy, Texas, the PDVSA official whom Castillo bribed. In July 2017, Camacho pleaded guilty under seal before Judge Miller to conspiracy to commit money laundering. Camacho is also scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 21, 2019 by Judge Miller. Corruption undermines the rule of law, tilts the playing field away from law-abiding businesses, and exposes our financial system to the distorting effects of illicit cash flows, said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. The guilty pleas announced today are the latest in a series of actions arising out of an ongoing investigation of bribery at PDVSA. The Department will continue to combat corruption wherever we find it. These guilty pleas reflect the hard work of agents and investigators and mark another step in the joint effort to combat foreign corruption, said U.S. Attorney Patrick. Our office will continue to prosecute those who bribe foreign officials or use our financial networks to launder the proceeds of these bribes. Foreign bribery schemes like this pose a significant threat to the public trust and fair trade practices, said HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Dawson. Todays pleas are a step in the right direction, but we will continue to aggressively investigate individuals and corporations who violate the FCPA to ensure a fair and equal playing field for U.S. companies and consumers. Castillo was arrested in Miami on April 19, after a federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment against him. According to admissions made in connection with Castillos plea, beginning in or around 2011 and continuing through at least 2013, Castillo, a manager at a Houston-based logistics and freight forwarding company, conspired with others to bribe a PDVSA official in exchange for the official providing assistance in connection with the companys business with PDVSA. In exchange for bribe payments, the PDVSA official assisted the company in obtaining PDVSA contracts, contract extensions and favorable contract terms; provided Castillo with inside information concerning the PDVSA bidding process; and supported the company in internal PDVSA meetings regarding purchasing decisions. As part of his guilty plea, Camacho admitted that while employed by PDVSA or its wholly owned subsidiaries or affiliates, he accepted bribes from Castillo and the logistics and freight forwarding company for which Castillo was a manager in exchange for taking certain actions to assist the company in its business with PDVSA. Camacho also admitted that he conspired with Castillo to launder the proceeds of the bribery scheme. As part of their plea agreements, both Castillo and Camacho have agreed to forfeit the proceeds of their criminal activity. With Castillos plea today and the unsealing of Camachos plea, the Justice Department has announced charges against 18 individuals, 14 of whom have pleaded guilty, as part of a larger, ongoing investigation by the U.S. government into bribery at PDVSA. The HSI Houston Field Office is conducting the ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI in Boston and from IRS Criminal Investigation. Trial Attorneys Jeremy R. Sanders and Sarah E. Edwards of the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys John P. Pearson and Robert S. Johnson of the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristine Rollinson of the Southern District of Texas is handling the forfeiture aspects of the case. The Criminal Divisions Office of International Affairs and the Cayman Islands Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions also provided assistance. Imperial Valley News Center Former Arkansas State Representative, President of College and Consultant Sentenced for Bribery Scheme Fort Smith, Arkansas - A consultant along with his co-conspirators, the President of an Arkansas college and a former Arkansas State Representative, were sentenced in the past week for their roles in a bribery scheme in which state funds were directed to non-profit entities in exchange for kickbacks, announced Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Duane DAK Kees for the Western District of Arkansas. Randell G. Shelton Jr., 39, of Kemp, Texas, a consultant, was sentenced on Sept. 6 by U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks to serve 72 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $660,698 and to forfeit $664,000. Shelton was convicted by a federal jury on May 3 of 12 counts, including conspiracy and honest services wire and mail fraud. Also convicted in the scheme was former Arkansas State Senator Jonathan E. Woods, 41, of Springdale, Arkansas, of 15 counts, including conspiracy, honest services wire and mail fraud, and money laundering. Oren Paris III, 50, of Springdale, Arkansas, President of Ecclesia College, was sentenced yesterday to serve 36 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $621,500. Paris pleaded guilty before Judge Brooks to one count of honest services wire fraud on April 5. Micah Neal, 43, of Springdale, Arkansas, a former Arkansas State Representative was sentenced today to three years probation including the first year to be served as home confinement and the second and third years to include 300 hours of community service. Neal was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $200,000 to the State of Arkansas and the Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District (NWAEDD). Neal previously pleaded guilty before Judge Brooks to one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud. According to admissions made in his plea agreement, Neal served as an Arkansas State Representative from 2013 to 2017. Neal admitted, and evidence presented at trial for Woods and Shelton revealed, that between sometime in 2013 and January 2015, Neal conspired with Woods to use their official positions to appropriate and direct government money, known as General Improvement Funds (GIF), to two non-profit entities in exchange for bribes. Specifically, Neal and Woods authorized and directed the NWAEDD, which was responsible for disbursing the GIF, to award a total of approximately $600,000 in GIF money to the two non-profit entities. Pursuant to his plea agreement, Neal admitted that of the $600,000, he personally authorized and directed a total of $175,000 to the entities. In return for his official actions, Neal received approximately $38,000 in bribes from the two non-profit entities. Neal was the fourth defendant involved in this bribery scheme to be sentenced within the past week. On Sept. 5, Woods was sentenced by Judge Brooks to serve 220 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,621,500 and to forfeit $1,097,005. The FBI and IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Trial Attorney Sean F. Mulryne of the Criminal Divisions Public Integrity Section and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Elser and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyra Jenner and Aaron Jennen of the Western District of Arkansas prosecuted the case. Imperial Valley News Center Mexican Independence Day Washington, DC - Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo: "On behalf of the Government of the United States, I congratulate the people of Mexico on the 208th anniversary of your independence on September 16. "We deeply value our relationship with Mexico as a trusted neighbor, friend, and economic and security partner. Our futurelike our historyis connected through shared cultural, linguistic, familial, and academic ties. Working together, we will continue to make strides to disrupt the illicit movement of cash, weapons, and drugs across our border, ensure safe and orderly migration, and bolster North American competitiveness. "The United States wishes the people of Mexico a happy independence day and looks forward to continuing to strengthen our partnership." Company in California Agrees to Pay Clean Water Act Fines, Mitigate Impacts to Sensitive Streams and Wetlands Sacramento, California - Goose Pond Ag, Inc., a Florida corporation, and its manager of operations Farmland Management Services, Inc., an affiliate of the John Hancock Life Insurance Company, have agreed to pay a civil penalty, preserve streams and wetlands, and perform mitigation to resolve violations of the Clean Water Act (CWA) on property near the Sacramento River located in Tehama County, California, the Justice Department announced Wednesday. The property in this case was acquired from Duarte Nursery Inc. and adjoins a Duarte site that was the subject of a settlement agreement announced by the Justice Department in August 2017 and approved by a federal judge on December 7, 2017 Goose Pond Ag and Farmland Management Services have agreed to pay $5.3 million in civil penalties and mitigation for substantial acres of disturbed streams and wetlands on the property that are connected to the Sacramento River. In addition, the settlement requires the companies to permanently preserve hundreds of acres of streams, wetlands, and buffer areas. The agreement allows the companies to continue using the site for cattle grazing, to apply for a CWA permit to conduct other activities in jurisdictional waters on the site, and to seek future determinations concerning jurisdictional waters at the site. Todays agreement constitutes one of the largest settlements ever reached in a case involving the unpermitted filling of streams and wetlands. Importantly, this result also finally draws to a close another chapter in long-running Clean Water Act litigation involving these properties near the Sacramento River in Tehama County, said Jeffrey H. Wood, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Departments Environment and Natural Resources Division. Like the Duarte settlement last year, todays agreement serves the public interest in enforcement of the Clean Water Act and deterrence of future violations. The Corps is satisfied that this enforcement action has been resolved against these companies, said Michael Jewell, the Chief of the Regulatory Division for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District. We encourage members of the public to contact the Corps prior to engaging in activities that are regulated under the Clean Water Act. The Corps is always willing to talk to the public about the Regulatory Program and to provide information on jurisdiction, permit requirements, and any other aspects of the Program. This case stems from activities these companies conducted after they purchased property that had laid fallow and unfarmed for more than 20 years. Goose Pond bought the 1,500-acre property in 2012 from Duarte Nursery, Inc. for $8.7 million, and shortly thereafter, Farmland Management Services began operating heavy machinery through streams and wetlands as part of the companies efforts to convert the property to a walnut orchard. That machinery included deep rippers that drag long metal shanks through the ground to break up or pierce highly compacted, impermeable or slowly permeable surface layers, or other similar kinds of restrictive soil layers. The deep ripping in this case destroyed or significantly degraded the streams and wetlands at the site. Even before Goose Ponds purchase of the site, the companies received aerial photographs, advice from environmental consultants, and other information that alerted them to federally-protected streams and wetlands on the property. Despite that information, the companies conducted extensive ripping and other activities in streams and wetlands without a CWA dredge-or-fill permit. The settlement agreement reached today secures a significant penalty and mitigation for these violations, while providing fairness for farmers and other landowners who comply with the applicable laws. Last year, in resolving a related case against John Duarte and Duarte Nursery, Inc., who had conducted unpermitted ripping activities immediately south of the property at issue here, the United States gave assurances that these cases are not (and will not be used as) a pretext for federal prosecution of farmers who engage in normal plowing on their farms. No federal dredge-or-fill permit is required for plowing as defined in the regulations, and no such permit is required for discharges from "normal farming ... activities," such as plowing, if they are part of an established ongoing farming operation and not for the purpose of converting federally protected waters to new uses. Those protections for farmers remain in the law Wednesday and will continue to be recognized. The proposed consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court in Sacramento, is subject to a 30-day comment period and final court approval. 16 MS-13 Gang Members Indicted for Assault and Drug Trafficking Fresno, California - A federal grand jury in Fresno, returned a five-count indictment Thursday against 16 members and associates of La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott for the Eastern District of California announced. The defendants are charged with assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering (two counts); conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana; and being an alien in possession of a firearm (two counts). The defendants are: Denis Barrera-Palma, 24, of Mendota, California, charged with assault with a dangerous weapon (a pipe) and drug conspiracy; Mario Alexander Garcia, 31, of Mendota, charged with drug conspiracy; Francisco Lizano, 24, of Mendota, charged with drug conspiracy and alien in possession of a firearm; Jefferson Guevara, 19, of Los Angeles, California, charged with drug conspiracy; Ever Membreno, 18, of Mendota, charged with drug conspiracy; Edgar Torres-Amador, 21, of Mendota, charged with assault with a dangerous weapon (a pipe); Lorenzo Amador, 20, of Mendota, charged with assault with a dangerous weapon (a stabbing instrument) and drug conspiracy; Jose Wilson Navarette-Mendez, 21, of Mendota, charged with drug conspiracy; Denis Alfaro-Torres, 22, of Mendota, charged with drug conspiracy; Santos Bonilla, 26, of Mendota, charged with drug conspiracy; Henry Bonilla, 18, of Mendota, charged with drug conspiracy; Marvin Villegas-Segovia, 21, of Mendota, charged with drug conspiracy; Christian Hidalgo, 21, of Mendota, charged with drug conspiracy; Brenda Yajaria Morales, 25 of Mendota, charged with drug conspiracy and alien in possession of a firearm; Claudia Lizaola, 39, of San Bernardino, California, charged with drug conspiracy; and Oscar Reyes, 29 of Mendota, charged with drug conspiracy. According to the complaint and indictment, the defendants were allegedly members of MS-13 operating in Mendota and Los Angeles. MS-13 is a violent criminal street gang that engages in racketeering activity, including murder, kidnapping, extortion, and drug trafficking. Its members span the nation and are active internationally as well. The charges allege that in May 2018, Denis Barrera-Palma and Edgar Torres-Amador assaulted another individual with a dangerous weapon in furtherance of MS-13 and in order to gain entrance to, or maintain or increase their status within, MS-13. They further allege that in August 2018, Lorenzo Amador assaulted another individual with a dangerous weapon in furtherance of MS-13 and in order to gain entrance to, or maintain or increase his status within, MS-13. The charges also allege that all defendants, except Amador-Torres, engaged in a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana. These charges follow initial charges filed via complaint in August 2018, after which most of the defendants were arrested on Aug. 30. As set forth in the complaint, MS-13 allegedly engaged in street level drug sales to fund the gangs various criminal activities. The gang allegedly would acquire drugs, parse them out among members with a directive that they sell the drugs within a certain period of time and return all proceeds to the gang. Those proceeds would then allegedly be used for a variety of purposes, including funding trips to obtain drugs or commit acts of violence, putting money on the books of incarcerated MS-13 members, sending money to MS-13 members in El Salvador, and obtaining more narcotics to sell. Among the alleged assaults gang members engaged in were the May 2018 pipe attack in front of an elementary school in Mendota and an Aug. 12 stabbing in Mendota. Both alleged events involved MS-13 members assaulting individuals believed to be members of a rival gang to MS-13. A number of the defendants are also facing charges in Fresno County Superior Court, including Denis Barrera-Palma and Ever Membreno, who are charged with conspiracy to commit murder with a gang enhancement. The investigation was conducted by the California Department of Justice and California Highway Patrol Special Operations Unit, the Multi-Agency Gang Enforcement Consortium (MAGEC), the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Fresno County District Attorneys Office, the Fresno County Sheriffs Office, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Special Services Unit (SSU). The CHP Special Operations Unit is a collaborative investigative effort between the California Department of Justice and California Highway Patrol that provides statewide enforcement to combat violent career criminals, gangs, and organized crime groups, along with intrastate drug traffickers. Trial Attorney Marianne Shelvey of the Criminal Divisions Organized Crime and Gang Section, along with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ross Pearson, Angela Scott, Kathleen Servatius and Kimberly Sanchez of the Eastern District of California are prosecuting this and related cases. Senior Fresno County Deputy District Attorney Dennis Lewis is prosecuting related cases in Fresno County Superior Court. All defendants, except Lorenzo Amador are in custody. Amador is at large and a warrant for his arrest is outstanding. The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Departments renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorneys Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime. Gubernatorial Candidate John Cox Denounces State Water Resources Board Sacramento, California - Gubernatorial candidate John Cox issued the following statements on the California State Water Resources Control Board's recently proposed water plan that would divert between 350,000 and 1.7 million acre-feet of water away from Central Valley farmers annually. The California Farm Water Coalition estimates the financial impact to Valley communities could be over $3 billion annually, with 6,500 jobs lost as a result. Cox visited Fresno County last month to express support for the proposition 3 water bond. This announcement was ahead of visits to Fresno and Bakersfield. "I am deeply disappointed yet sadly not surprised by the decision by the State Water Resources Control Board addressing flows on the San Joaquin river," Cox said. "The complete failure of the Sacramento establishment to provide the necessary funding, authorization, and will to build adequate surface water storage is the single greatest reason California continues to suffer unnecessary water shortages. Even the most recent approval of funds by the California Water Commission for both the Sites and Temperance Flat reservoirs are but a fraction of the funds needed to complete these two vital water storage projects." "The time for action is long overdue and they need to stop the water grab," Cox said. "As Governor, I and my appointments to all California boards and commissionsbut in particular the State Water Resources Control Board and the California Water Commissionwill take the steps necessary to develop sufficient water storage for California's residential, agricultural, and business needs, while protecting our aquatic environment, the Delta, and our oceans." "Gavin Newsom is the very embodiment of the Sacramento political class that ignores the plight of everyday Californians," Cox said. "He will continue to spend countless billions of hard-earned tax dollars on proven failures like the so-called High-Speed Rail project rather than demand construction of essential water storage infrastructure to meet California's needsincluding environmental purposes, which today already use more water than all California agriculture." Seattle Man Pleads Guilty to Cyberstalking Campaign Seattle, Washington - A Seattle, man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in the Western District of Washington for conducting cyberstalking and threat campaigns against multiple Washington residents. The victims names are being withheld to protect their privacy. Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes of the Western District of Washington made the announcement. Joel Kurzynskis guilty plea demonstrates that conduct occurring online can cause victims serious harm and anguish offline, said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. While this prosecution cannot undo the damage this defendant inflicted, it sends a clear message that the Criminal Division and our law enforcement partners are firmly committed to protecting the public and aggressively pursuing malicious actors who hide behind the anonymity of the Internet. This defendant thought he could use a computer keyboard to stalk and harass others with remarkable cruelty -- all while hiding in the shadows. He could not have been more wrong, said U.S. Attorney Hayes. Conduct that we all know is wrong in the real world, is just as wrong in cyberspace and will be punished accordingly. Joel Kurzynski, 38, of Seattle, Washington, a former Information Technology professional, was charged in a felony information with two counts of cyberstalking. Kurzynski had his initial appearance and pleaded guilty today before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian A. Tsuchida of the Western District of Washington. The Court scheduled the sentencing hearing for Dec. 7 before Senior U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik. According to admissions made in connection with his plea, Kurzynski engaged in an extensive and rapidly escalating cyberstalking campaign that targeted two individuals known to him. The online campaign involved -- among other things -- death threats, body shaming, and hate speech. Beginning in March 2017, Kurzynski orchestrated numerous spam phone calls to Victim 1. The conduct soon escalated to fake dating profiles wherein Kurzynski portrayed Victim 1 as seeking sadomasochistic or underage relationships. These profiles contained photographs of Victim 1 and his contact information, resulting in solicitations and harassing messages directed toward Victim 1 from multiple strangers. Kurzynski then sent several anonymous death threats to Victim 1, including the threat, faggot. Time to die. At one point, Kurzynski impersonated a journalist and contacted Victim 1, claiming that an upcoming article would levy sexual misconduct allegations against Victim 1 related to Victim 1s work with a non-profit youth organization. Kurzysnki also admitted that in November 2017, he began registering Victim 2 for numerous weight loss and suicide prevention programs, resulting in a wave of calls and emails from entities such as Overeaters Anonymous, Weight Watchers, Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention, and others. Within weeks, Kurzynski started sending anonymous death threats to Victim 2, many of which referenced Victim 2s work address. One threat claimed that he was waiting for her in the lobby, and another that said, Looking forward to seeing you today and how much you bleed. Dont go to the bathroom alone. The U.S. Secret Services Seattle Field Office investigated the case with substantial assistance from the Seattle Police Department and King County Prosecutors Office. Trial Attorney Frank Lin of the Criminal Divisions Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis Franze-Nakamura of the Western District of Washington are prosecuting the case. Victims of cyberstalking campaigns such as this often may be hesitant to come forward. The Justice Department encourages individuals who may be the victims of similar schemes to contact their local law enforcement agencies to report this conduct. Podiatrist Sentenced to Prison for Health Care Fraud Detroit, Michigan - A Detroit-area podiatrist was sentenced to 28 months in prison Tuesday for his participation in a $1 million scheme involving podiatry services that were billed to Medicare but were never rendered. Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider of the Eastern District of Michigan, Special Agent in Charge Timothy R. Slater of the FBIs Detroit Division and Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh III of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector Generals (HHS-OIG) Chicago Regional Office made the announcement. Lawrence Young, D.P.M., 70, of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Judith E. Levy of the Eastern District of Michigan, who also ordered the defendant to serve one year of supervised release following his prison sentence and ordered him to pay $337,907.31 in restitution to HHS and to forfeit the same amount. Young pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud in January 2018. As part of his guilty plea, Young admitted that from approximately January 2010 through April 2017, he engaged in a scheme to defraud the Medicare program by causing the submission of false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for the application of an Unna Boot, which is a type of medicated dressing typically applied after surgery to control swelling of the leg or foot. Young admitted regularly submitting these claims for reimbursement even though he knew that his patients routinely received nothing more than a non-medicated dressing. The scheme involved the submission of more $1 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare, he admitted. This case was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG. Trial Attorneys Tom Tynan and Steve Scott of the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section are prosecuting the case. The Criminal Divisions Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in 12 cities across the country, has charged nearly 4,000 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $14 billion. Former Director of Detroit Technology Office Sentenced to Prison for Bribery Detroit, Michigan - The former Director of the City of Detroits Office of Departmental Technology Services (DTS) was sentenced Tuesday to 20 months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release, for accepting more than $29,500 in bribe payments from two information technology companies providing services and personnel to the City of Detroit. Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Timothy R. Slater of the FBIs Detroit Division made the announcement. Charles L. Dodd, 48, of Canton, Michigan, previously pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan to one count of federal program bribery. U.S. District Judge Robert H. Cleland of the Eastern District of Michigan presided over the sentencing. According to admissions made in connection with his plea, Dodd held numerous supervisory positions with the City of Detroit, culminating with his appointment as Director of DTS in 2014. In those positions, Dodd exercised supervisory authority over a staff of dozens of city employees and contractors, and held substantial influence over the administration of multi-million-dollar contracts between the City of Detroit and private information technology companies. Dodd admitted that between 2009 and 2016, he accepted cash payments totaling more than $15,000 and a trip to North Carolina, among other things of value, from Parimal D. Mehta, 55, of Northville, Michigan, who was then the president and chief executive officer of an information technology company. During that same time period, Dodd also accepted more than $14,500 in cash payments from the chief executive officer and an employee of another information technology company. In return for these cash payments and other things of value, Dodd agreed to provide preferential treatment to the companies, he admitted. This case was investigated by the FBIs Detroit Division. Trial Attorneys Robert J. Heberle and James I. Pearce of the Criminal Divisions Public Integrity Section prosecuted the case. Financial Advisor Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering Charge in Connection With Bribery Scheme Involving Ecuadorian Officials Miami, Florida - A U.S.-based financial advisor pleaded guilty Tuesday for his role in an international money laundering conspiracy involving the proceeds of a scheme to pay bribes to officials of Ecuadors state-owned and state-controlled energy company, Empresa Publica de Hidrocarburos del Ecuador (PetroEcuador). Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Departments Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg of the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge Kelly Jackson of IRS Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI) Washington, D.C. office made the announcement. Jose Larrea, 40, a U.S. citizen who lives in Miami, Florida, pleaded guilty in Miami before U.S. District Judge Marcia G. Cooke of the Southern District of Florida to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 14, by Judge Cooke. According to his admissions at the plea hearing, Larrea conspired with his co-defendant, Frank Roberto Chatburn Ripalda (Chatburn), 40, a dual U.S. and Ecuadorian citizen who also lives in Miami, and others to conceal the proceeds of an unlawful scheme, namely to pay bribes to PetroEcuador officials. Larrea admitted to participating in the money laundering scheme by wiring more than $1 million from his own U.S.-based bank account to several U.S.-based bank accounts. Those wire transfers were made to conceal a bribery scheme involving an oil services contractor who made payments to PetroEcuador officials in an effort to retain existing contracts and win new business with PetroEcuador. Larrea further admitted that he created false and back-dated documents on behalf of the oil services contractor. Larrea is the fourth individual to plead guilty in this case. In addition to Larrea, two former officials of PetroEcuador who received bribe payments and the contractor described above have previously pleaded guilty to date in connection with the governments ongoing investigations into the PetroEcuador bribery and money laundering schemes. Chatburn was charged in the same indictment on April 19, with one count of conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), one count of violating the FCPA, one count of conspiring to commit money laundering and two counts of money laundering. Chatburn has pleaded not guilty, and his trial is currently set for Oct. 15. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The FBIs International Corruption Squad in Miami and IRS-CI are investigating the case. Assistant Chief Lorinda Laryea and Trial Attorneys David Fuhr and Katherine Raut of the Criminal Divisions Fraud Section, Trial Attorneys Randall Warden and Mary Ann McCarthy of the Criminal Divisions Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen Rochlin and Nalina Sombuntham of the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Marshals Service and the Criminal Divisions Office of International Affairs has provided significant assistance by obtaining key evidence in this case, as have public authorities in, among other countries, Ecuador, Panama and the Cayman Islands. Ambassador Sales Signs MOU To Strengthen Counterterrorism Cooperation With Indonesia Jakarta, Indonesia - Ambassador Nathan A. Sales, the U.S. Coordinator for Counterterrorism, and Commissioner General Suhardi Alius, Chief of the Indonesian National Counterterrorism Agency, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Indonesia on Strengthening Counterterrorism Cooperation. The MOU was signed on September 14 in Jakarta. It enhances U.S.-Indonesia cooperation on counterterrorism and countering violent extremism (CT/CVE) by improving the exchange of information and best practices, and by building CT/CVE capacity through collaborative training and education. And inside, more money is being made. Getty Images Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek. We're gathered here today to lament the plight of United Airlines. No, not that the airline's doing badly. Not at all. It's actually doing quite well, thank you very much. Its executives, though, are a little worried that the airline isn't doing well enough. I know this from a moving interview recently given to Chris Sloan at the Points Guy by United's chief operations officer Greg Hart and its chief commercial officer Andrew Nocella. They insisted that the airline's reality is far better than the lingering perception that it drags paying customers down aisles, bloodies their faces and then tells them it's their own fault. Their own perception, though, is that the airline is lagging in one very important area: It's not squeezing enough money out of passengers. As Nocella helpfully explained, United now has better systems. For example, "our new revenue-management system and how we're approaching segmentation for our customers." He added: What's most exciting about that is we've just started, from a product perspective and segmentation perspective. Quite frankly, we're a little bit behind some of our competitors on this front. As we catch up, I think that's going to be even more and more meaningful to our results. May I offer you a meaningful translation to all this? The airline, similarly to American and Delta, wants to create more segmentation, which means using technology and other means to segment customers according to psychographics, demographics and all sorts of other blissful data parameters. The hope is to find ways to charge customers more and give them little to nothing that's new. In essence, it's a way to push customers' boundaries in terms what they're prepared to pay for. Which inevitably means more charges for just about everything you used to think was free. Every seat, every slight betterment -- and, for all I know, every slight peppermint -- will likely come with a fee. It's quite conceivable, for example, that United -- and other airlines -- will have baggage fees that vary according to the time of day you're flying. Or even a special, additional, "sitting together fee." There's even software that now attempts to charge passengers not according to their destination, but according to who they are and how much they can "afford" to pay. Now that's a segmentation that will cause excitement. Shortly after this interview, United announced it would start charging more for ordinary Economy Class seats that simply happen to be nearer the front of the plane. Well, other airlines do it. The airline's president Scott Kirby also asserted that planes are like concert venues and if families all wanted to sit together, they should pay more for the privilege. They should, of course, also insist that the Flight Attendants perform. Perhaps that marvelous duet made famous by Pink and Nate Ruess. The one that goes Just Give Me A Reason... And then there are the new baggage fees. United is the only one of the big four airlines to have raised its fee for the first bag to $30. When the airline announced it, it counseled its staff to tell complaining passengers: Our hope is to reinvest in a more enjoyable and caring flight experience for you and all of our customers. That's quite an exciting hope, isn't it? If you believe such grisly guff, of course. Please, I don't mean to sound as if I'm not impressed. United has indeed, as Nocella said in this interview, created a fine product in its Polaris Business Class. It has also, though, been extremely slow in actually putting it into its planes and Polaris Clubs into airports. Moreover, I'm not sure Economy Class passengers have seen product improvements. United is fully on this side of removing seatback screens and shoving more seats into planes. Oh, but I hear you cry that United has gone against Wall Street's large, but addled brains and insisted on increasing its capacity. Yes, more seats. Doesn't that sound good for customers? Nocella explained that this wasn't entirely meant to be a people-pleaser: It's not a capacity number that we're trying to shoot for, it is an earnings number. We think the capacity number allows us to achieve the earnings number. Francophile Sebastian Faulks made his name with bestselling France-set period pieces. Birdsong transported readers back to the trenches of the First World War, while Charlotte Gray told the story of a British agent working with the Resistance in Vichy France during the Second World War. As such, its fitting that his new novel, although ostensibly set in the present, is thoroughly steeped in history. Paris Echo is a novel about and composed of tangled threads. Faulks has two central protagonists: 19-year-old Tariq, a runaway from Morocco; and the 31-year-old American postdoc researcher, Hannah, whose box room Tariq ends up lodging in. Hannah is in Paris to examine the testimonies of women who lived through the German occupation. Tariq, meanwhile, has some vague idea of finding out more about his mothers history. She died when he was 10, but was brought up in Paris, born to a French father and an Algerian mother. Though all the more pressing is losing his virginity. As the narrative ricochets back and forth between them, so too the stories Hannah spends her days listening to which Tariq sometimes helps her to translate become part of the books narrative, while also slowly infiltrating the characters experiences of the contemporary city. Faulks takes one of the novels three epigraphs from Baudelaires Les Sept Vieillards in Les Fleurs du Mal: Teeming city, your streets filled with dreams/ Where daylight ghosts confront the passer-by! Traversing the city on the Metro, Tariq finds himself in a strange shadow land of such daylight ghosts at certain stations he sees passengers littering the ground, their used tickets folded into the V for victory that so angered the Germans during the war; and he becomes obsessed with a beautiful seamstress whos seemingly stepped out of the pages of one of Hannahs research books. Described by Hannah as temporal synaesthesia, its an insightful way of breaching the boundaries of history, though not exactly original: Peter Ackroyd has long written about London in this way, as a city in which the past and the present intertwine. Although the least credible, its actually one of the more effective elements of the text. Sadly, much of the books historical material atrocities-turned-grievances now part of the citys fabric: whether the Vel dHiv roundup, the mass arrest of Parisian Jews, carried out by the French police at the behest of the Nazis in 1942, temporarily confining them in the citys velodrome, without food, water or effective sanitation, before conveying them to Auschwitz; or the Paris massacre of 1961, during which police threw pro-National Liberation Front demonstrators protesting the Algerian War to their deaths in the Seine is dealt out in great chunks of dialogue as the characters seek to educate one another. There are also issues with characterisation. Hannah in particular is all too cypher-like. Ultimately her role is to be rescued by a chivalrous Englishman whose kindness, gentleness and goodwill has her confessing to having been a shallow, self-pitying little bitch. Its all rather sickening. Although this is an illuminating lesson in Pariss history, Faulkss legendary storytelling is disappointingly swamped by his pursuit of ideas. Paris Echo by Sebastian Faulks is published by Hutchinson, 20 Anna Kendrick has finally explained how she made Barack Obama double over with laughter, as captured by a popular series of photographs on Instagram six years ago. Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to discuss her latest film, A Simple Favour, the actor revealed that her meeting with Obama in 2012, during his presidency, was unusual: she managed to insult the president twice, calling him an asshole in the process. According to Kendrick, the story begins with an unexpected invitation from the White House. She said: I got an email saying, Hey, do you want to meet the president? Naturally, I said, Of what? and they were like, The country, you idiot. The actor was the first to arrive at the LA event (Im the loser of the group, she joked) and fell into conversation with a Secret Service agent, discovering that they were both from Maine. Later, while Obama discussed the economy with attendees, he drew attention to Kendrick and mentioned her film Up in the Air, which touched upon several relevant subjects. When the two finally had a chance to talk, the president said he hoped he hadnt embarrassed her by singling her out. Her (joking) response? Yeah, youre such an asshole, Kendrick blurted out. Obama then mentioned her Maine roots. "Thinking about my conversation with the Secret Service agent, I said, Yes, and actually I was the first person here,'" she said. "And I start to talk about his Secret Service agent and he goes, Are people from Maine really punctual? And I was like, You didnt know that? Youre the president.' So, I called him an asshole and scolded him for not knowing enough about the 50 states, so that was what made him double over with laughter, she concluded. Follow Independent Culture on Facebook for all the latest on Film, TV, Music, and more Following a jam-packed first day at London Fashion Week, the second run of shows commenced with the promise of a thought-provoking blend of big names and emerging talent. Saturday kicked off with a strong showing from younger brands, including Molly Goddard and Alexa Chung representing the next generation of designers. The relative newcomers cool-girl reputations meant their shows were some of the most popular this season, especially with celebrities. For Alexa Chung who held her first ever catwalk show for her namesake brand this meant a front row brimming with familiar faces like Pixie Geldof, Daisy Lowe and even Steve Coogan. Meanwhile, Goddard enlisted the help of her friends and fellow fashionistas Adwoah Aboa and Edie Campbell to model her new season collection, taking to the runway with each of them by her side at the end of her show. But, the schedule provided further inspiration elsewhere with a number of stalwarts in the business inciting a seismic shift in the industry. Think J.W. Andersons cross-pollination of menswear and womenswear to Gareth Pughs grippingly beautiful radicalism and Temperley Londons diverse cast of models. Whether you favour the old or the new, day twos offerings left us feeling hopeful that London Fashion Week hasnt lost its playful spirit. Here are the highlights from the very best of Saturdays shows. J.W.Anderson One of Britains most successful designers, Jonathan Anderson, has become renowned for producing clothes that create conversation, are androgynous and yet entirely wearable. Celebrated for his cross-pollination between menswear and womenswear elements, the designer recently made, what felt like a natural progression, to co-ed collections, showcasing both at the same time. However, for spring/summer 2019 the runway was dominated by women. Of course, these werent any ordinary women. These were swashbuckling sirens navigating the sartorial seas, pirate-style bandanas and all. Models walk the runway at the finale of the JW Anderson show (Getty) Anderson was clearly having fun with the clothes this season, constantly switching between the traditional and the avant-garde. The aforementioned headwear, while thematic, was surprisingly chic, finished in black or white and decorated with interlocking gilded loops. From lime green and red cowboy boots to chainmail tops, trousers with knee pads and puffed out shoulders, the most divisive of trends were presented in a way that made us want to, and feel like we could, wear them. The collection also offered a lesson in layering. From midi skirts worn over wide-leg trousers to doily-esque mini capes worn under strappy tops and shorter dresses piled ontop of longer ones, in Andersons world, almost anything goes. House of Holland Over the years, we have come to expect the tongue-in-cheek and eccentric designs that House of Holland has embedded into its DNA, however this season felt different. In a show called Pull in Emergency, designer Henry Holland eschewed the spectacle of the runway minus the hordes of influencers that sat front row vaping on a new e-cigarette which he has launched in favour of a more grown-up collection. Models present creations by House of Holland (EPA) With a focus on the commercial future of the pieces he has created, this season was all about garments that you might actually consider wearing; if youre into neon that is. Injected with a glaringly palpable Eighties vibe, Hollands crew of models stormed the runway wearing everything from boxy two-piece suits to snake print shirts and even skintight speedo catsuits in a rainbow of neon colours. Pieces that will undoubtedly appeal to the House of Holland girl. Temperley London In what felt like one of her strongest shows yet, designer Alice Temperley cast a crew of diverse models spanning all ages and ethnicities, but sadly not sizes. From 64-year-old photographer Ellen Von Unwerth to 50-year-old actress Helen McCrory and pregnant model Arizona Muse, it was an all-star cast and clear that Temperley wanted to prove she was about so much more than sparkly dresses. That being said, the dresses were divine. Diaphanous and free-flowing, the gowns came swathed in gilded motifs, monochrome stripes and peach satin, but there was still plenty on offer for those who want to embrace their femininity without wearing a frock. British actress Helen McCrory presents a creation by Temperley London (EPA) Here, everything from day-ready jumpsuits, to two-piece suits came intricately festooned with colourful sequins and prints inspired by neo-classical architecture. The offering, like the woman it was made by, the women who modelled it, and those who will inevitably buy it, was brimming with confidence. Mary Katrantzou On her 10 year anniversary, Mary Katrantzous show notes began with a heartfelt thank you to her team, mentors and friends, press, retailers, her parents and anyone that played a part in her life since she established her namesake brand in 2008. And so, to celebrate the occasion, Katrantzous mind turned to the concept of what a collection is, and so created one inspired by collections, collecting and collectors. In this instance, each of the garments made reference to stockpiling specific objects. From dresses fashioned out of oversized postage stamps sealed in plastic to butterfly-adorned tunic tops and gowns that became walking works of art, every piece was inspired by a specific approach, shape and of course print, Katrantzous signature. As the finale ensued, the models themselves became collectibles as shimmering dresses were made into blown glass shapes that transformed the women into living, breathing perfume bottles. It was certainly a sight to behold. The next global financial crisis will begin in 2020, according to experts at investment bank JPMorgan. Analysts say the recession in two years time will be less damaging than the 2008 crash, which saw markets plunge worldwide and has been described as the worst in history. It is predicted that US shares could drop by 20 per cent, well below the 54 per cent tumble in the S&P 500 index a decade ago. Bigger falls would be seen in energy prices, the value of base metals and shares in emerging markets, such as Brazil, Russia, India and China. JPMorgan strategists John Normand and Federico Manicardi described this scenario as probably unalarming relative to the average of past crises, according to a Bloomberg report of the analysis. Their analysis is based on a model that takes into account the length of the economic expansion, the potential duration of the next recession, the degree of leverage, asset-price valuations and the level of deregulation and financial innovation before the crisis. Another analyst at the bank, Marko Kolanovic, predicted that the next financial crisis could be sparked by flash crashes sudden stock sell-offs by computerised trading systems. Basically, right now, you have large groups of investors who are purely mechanical, Mr Kolanovic said. They sell on certain signals and not necessarily on fundamental developments. Meaning if the market goes down two per cent, then they need to sell. This great liquidity crisis, as described by Mr Kolanovic, would require central banks to take action to prevent a spiral into a depression. The next crisis is also likely to result in social tensions similar to those witnessed 50 years ago in 1968, added Mr Kolanovic. The latest recession prediction comes as the governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney warned that a no-deal Brexit could lead to a financial crisis as bad as the crash in 2008. Britain is due to leave the EU in March 2019. (Tom Ford) Zimbabwe has been under the worlds microscope as the country held its first election following the ousting of autocratic Robert Mugabe. The divisive victory of his former ally, Emmerson Mnangagwa, was met with great civil unrest and bitter dispute from opposing political party the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Six people were shot dead and many more injured in protests that immediately followed the results. With an uncertain future ahead of it, more violence is expected in Zimbabwe. This unrest points to a wider, deep-rooted vein in the nation. Violence is not confined to the public sphere and is directly mirrored in the personal space, with women and girls a constant target. In the recent wave of violence post-election this year you found both men and women succumbing to violence and it resulted in the loss of life and thats a big concern, said Abigail Matsvayi, director of the Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association (ZWLA), an organisation helping women stand up to abuse. Because of that acceptance that you find within private spaces, it permeates within public space. Data from Zimbabwe National Statistics Office indicates sexual assault is on the rise. From 2010 to 2016 there was a 42 per cent increase in rape cases, with at least 21 people raped every day. Taking into account the fact that many dont report sexual violence, this figure is likely higher. Domestic violence continues to be a major issue, with 78 per cent of women who had experienced violence claiming it was at the hand of their husband or partner. I was abused by my husband for eight years of our marriage, said Matilda Dube, a 52-year-old mother from Gwanda. He beat me, insulted me, and he did all of this in front of my children. He drove me out of the home we had built together. My husband would use logs to beat me; he would also use his fists and kick me. One time he split my lower lip and I was covered in blood. I tried going through the traditional channels for these cases and I spoke to the village chief, but my husband wouldnt listen to those traditional leaders, and nothing changed. The violence is not limited to adults. One in every three girls in Zimbabwe experiences sexual violence before they turn 18, according to the UN childrens organisation, UNICEF. The village chief spoken about by Matilda is part of a dual legal system whereby traditional customs run parallel to formal and statutory laws of the state, which further complicates matters. This particularly applies to child marriage, with a continuing problem of young girls eloping with older men. Agnes was 15 when she met the man she would later run away with. With an abusive father, her promising school career began to slip away as she struggled to deal with her difficult life. Forgotten Women: Violence against women and girls in Zimbabwe Show all 12 1 /12 Forgotten Women: Violence against women and girls in Zimbabwe Forgotten Women: Violence against women and girls in Zimbabwe Agnes Agnes eloped at 16 after being persuaded by a 21-year-old to run away from home Forgotten Women: Violence against women and girls in Zimbabwe Agnes Agnes hopes to be a nurse when she's older Forgotten Women: Violence against women and girls in Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association (ZWLA) is a rights organisation that tries to help women navigate the justice system Forgotten Women: Violence against women and girls in Zimbabwe ZWLA Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association (ZWLA) is a rights organisation that tries to help women navigate the justice system Forgotten Women: Violence against women and girls in Zimbabwe Sakhile Sakhile Titu is a school teacher who was supported by ZWLA to get a divorce after domestic violence Forgotten Women: Violence against women and girls in Zimbabwe Rosemary Rosemary Masina was supported by ZWLA to get a divorce after her husband abused her Forgotten Women: Violence against women and girls in Zimbabwe Matilda Matilda Dube was supported by ZWLA to get a Legal Protection Order after her husband abused her for 8 years Forgotten Women: Violence against women and girls in Zimbabwe Agnes, Susan and Perpetua Forgotten Women: Violence against women and girls in Zimbabwe Esebia and Agnes Esebia Honangombe aged 69 from Rusape rural was supported by ZWLA's Community Legal Educators after her granddaughter Agnes was pressured to marry a 21-year-old man and eloped at 16 Forgotten Women: Violence against women and girls in Zimbabwe Dorcas Dorcas Mpofu was supported by a ZWLA Community Legal Educator when her husband was violent and not supporting the family Forgotten Women: Violence against women and girls in Zimbabwe Dorcas and Rosemary Forgotten Women: Violence against women and girls in Zimbabwe Agnes Agnes hopes to be a nurse when she's older I felt my life wasnt going anywhere. I had a friend in the village who was 15 like me. She started dating an older man. She kept asking me to date his friends and brothers. I refused; I felt I was too young. My friend was not happy she kept asking me why. Eventually I gave in as she was putting a lot of pressure on me. Agnes began to date the 21-year-old man, who convinced her to run away with him to get married. My friend said if she was going I should too they encouraged me. So I left school and my village and I eloped. I didnt tell anyone as I was scared to; I took the bus and I didnt pack anything. Agnes grandmother, Esebia, is her sole carer, as well looking after other grandchildren, some of whom have been orphaned. It broke my heart when she didnt come home one day, Esebia said, looking back on the events of last year. I consulted the village police as she was under the legal age to marry and I didnt believe she really wanted to go she was just pushed by her friend and this man. The police didnt even give me their time at all, so I felt lost about what to do. Ms Matsvayi told us why she feels these numerous examples of abuse are so common: Men are viewed as supreme in comparison to women, they are setting standards and expectations that are given to cultural beliefs or practice, that allow men to be violent. So in some communities violence is a show of love ... You will hear people saying that you need to discipline this woman to exert your power and be head of the home. Ms Matsvayi also points to years of economic crisis under Mugabe as a catalyst for violence. Gender roles ascribed to women mean they are often limited in the work they can do and bear the brunt of responsibility for childrearing. This leaves an inevitable dependency on men to provide, creating a one-sided power relationship. But at the core of it is this acceptance that violence is allowed and is a show of power, love, a show of so many misconceptions, Ms Matsvayi said. This is where the problem is. These ingrained cultural norms also help perpetuate a lack of understanding of the rights women have, and access to them. This is the barrier organisations like ZWLA is trying to break down. Much of the time women dont know those rights, and what they actually need to do, so we do legal awareness and education. [Then comes] the advocacy work how do we start influencing laws and policies so that they protect womens rights in line with a lot of the international standards ... and translate that into laws in our country, Ms Matsvayi explains. In the case of Matilda Dube, this new-found awareness not only educated her, but also her husband. I felt like for once in my life I had power and choices. The protection order helped me a lot. My husband stopped abusing me as the legal intervention made him realise what he had been doing was wrong. ZWLA also gave me the courage to sit down and talk to him and explain how his violence towards me made me feel. Weve been living peacefully for years now. Esebia too turned to the organisation to help her reunite with Agnes. They helped the mans parents realise she was too young to elope. The Community Legal Educators helped Agnes to come home and enter school again. She is still going to school now and getting the education she needs to break the cycle of poverty. I hope she has a bright future. ZWLA was a driving force in the constitutional change of 2013, which saw gender equality as a founding principle and outlaws discrimination against women. Since this there has been constructive change in traditional leaders, particularly in aims to ensure their informal court sessions are gender sensitive. Despite constitutional changes recognising violence, its causes run deep and it continues to be a harsh expectation for women and girls. Much of the law is saying we should not be violent. Weve got to start changing behaviours and attitudes, and rework the value system to say violence is actually not acceptable. Zimbabwe does not necessarily rank top in global standings of violence against women, and the constitutional reform has meant progress, but the issue remains deeply rooted. Although organisations like ZWLA are helping, the ability to report cases remains difficult . Costly journeys from rural areas to appear at court cases, fear of speaking out against spouses, lack of financial independence, the prospect of shame surrounding divorce; a myriad of deeply rooted issues continue to block women from accessing justice. Theres still a lot of underreporting going on, and this continues to perpetuate the acceptance of violence. We need women to take it even further and start challenging these spaces where the violence is, Ms Matsvayi said. Zimbabwe is not unique in its constant battle to reduce domestic violence, but it is a country at a turning point. In a highly volatile political environment, tireless campaigning has seen gender equality enshrined in law. It now faces the overwhelming challenge of making those rights an actuality in the lives of women and girls like Matilda, Agnes and countless others. A Saudi human rights activist who sought refuge in the UK has been attacked in a London street by men allegedly shouting about Saudi Arabias government. Ghanem al-Dosari, who is known for satirical YouTube videos ridiculing the Saudi royals, had been for coffee with a friend near Harrods and posted a Snapchat to his followers that revealed his location. When they left the cafe shortly afterwards, two men started following them down Brompton Road. After we walked 100m or so we were approached by two guys from behind, Mr al-Dosari told The Independent. They started shouting at me... they were saying who are you to talk about the family of al-Saud? I think they knew where I was from Snapchat, they recognised me easily. Footage shows one man, wearing jeans and a light shirt, punch Mr al-Dosari in the face as shoppers and families pull away from the scene and people try to separate them. A second man, wearing a grey suit and a wired earpiece, then follows the dissident down the road before being dragged backwards and restrained. His friend Alan Bender, a Canadian businessman, said the pair accused Mr al-Dosari of being a slave of Qatar an enemy of Saudi Arabia and threatened to teach him a lesson. Ghanem al-Dosaris YouTube channel, the Ghanem Show, frequently mocks the Saudi government and has hundreds of millions of views I told them this was not Riyadh, this is London, and the guy immediately said: F*** London, their Queen is our slave and their police are our dogs. Mr Bender said the men shouted how dare you curse Prince Salman, we wont allow it and insulted Mr al-Dosari, his mother, sisters and family in foul language. People were screaming, children were running petrified, as the confrontation escalated, he said. The men only fled when members of the public shouted that the police were coming, he said, with one of them running through Knightsbridge with part of his shirt missing after the struggle. Paramedics were called to the scene and treated Mr al-Dosari, who was bleeding from the mouth, in an ambulance. While he was waiting outside the vehicle, Mr Bender said another Saudi man approached him and tried to persuade him not to call police, claiming the two aggressors were leaving London. Paramedics drove Mr al-Dosari in the ambulance to Notting Hill Police station, where he reported the assault. Mr al-Dosari believes both men were Saudi and have since returned to the country, with a man bearing a resemblance to one of the attackers posting a social media video discussing the incident. Ghanem al-Dosari, a Saudi human rights activist, sought asylum in Britain in 2003 He also received a phone call from a man claiming to be the person who punched him and saying he was in Saudi Arabia. The activist believes he was targeted for his human rights work and political views, which are well-known in his home country because of his sizeable social media following. They were trying to intimidate me, they were trying to scare me, but I will not stop, Mr al-Dosari. I had never thought they would attack me here anywhere else in the world yes but in the UK and in front of Harrods in broad daylight? This is the area where I feel most safe. He condemned the British government for being too friendly with the Saudis, despite the countrys human rights abuses and alleged war crimes in Yemen. Mr al-Dosari fled Saudi Arabia in 2003 because of his political views and sought asylum in the UK, studying and then working at Portsmouth University before moving to London. Ive never been back, he said. Its not safe for me there, its not safe for anybody who tweets their opinion. Mr al-Dosaris YouTube videos have been viewed more than 200 million times on his channel, the Ghanem Show, and sparked numerous hostile posts and blogs. Many target the Saudi government, and he has nicknamed Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman the tubby teddy bear. 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Show all 10 1 /10 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In October 2014, three lawyers, Dr Abdulrahman al-Subaihi, Bander al-Nogaithan and Abdulrahman al-Rumaih , were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for using Twitter to criticize the Ministry of Justice. AFP/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2015, Yemens Sunni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was forced into exile after a Shia-led insurgency. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition has responded with air strikes in order to reinstate Mr Hadi. It has since been accused of committing war crimes in the country. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Women who supported the Women2Drive campaign, launched in 2011 to challenge the ban on women driving vehicles, faced harassment and intimidation by the authorities. The government warned that women drivers would face arrest. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Members of the Kingdoms Shia minority, most of whom live in the oil-rich Eastern Province, continue to face discrimination that limits their access to government services and employment. Activists have received death sentences or long prison terms for their alleged participation in protests in 2011 and 2012. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses All public gatherings are prohibited under an order issued by the Interior Ministry in 2011. Those defy the ban face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on charges such as inciting people against the authorities. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2014, the Interior Ministry stated that authorities had deported over 370,000 foreign migrants and that 18,000 others were in detention. Thousands of workers were returned to Somalia and other states where they were at risk of human rights abuses, with large numbers also returned to Yemen, in order to open more jobs to Saudi Arabians. Many migrants reported that prior to their deportation they had been packed into overcrowded makeshift detention facilities where they received little food and water and were abused by guards. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses The Saudi Arabian authorities continue to deny access to independent human rights organisations like Amnesty International, and they have been known to take punitive action, including through the courts, against activists and family members of victims who contact Amnesty. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison for using his liberal blog to criticise Saudi Arabias clerics. He has already received 50 lashes, which have reportedly left him in poor health. Carsten Koall/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Dawood al-Marhoon was arrested aged 17 for participating in an anti-government protest. After refusing to spy on his fellow protestors, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his confession. At Dawoods trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was arrested in 2012 aged either 16 or 17 for participating in protests during the Arab spring. His sentence includes beheading and crucifixion. The international community has spoken out against the punishment and has called on Saudi Arabia to stop. He is the nephew of a prominent government dissident. Getty Footage of the attack went viral on Saudi social media, while an Arabic Twitter hashtag translating to #beat_Ghanem_Aldosari_the_dog was tweeted almost 2,000 times by 1,600 accounts within days. The vast majority of posts seen by The Independent are celebrating the attack, with one saying Mr al-Dosari should not be surprised by the response to his videos. Reactions cannot be controlled when the king, his family, and the homeland are being assaulted, another said, while one Twitter user said attacking critics was a duty for every honourable patriot. Mr Bender said his friend had been threatened before and the attack did not shock him. I am worried about his safety, he added. The message [from this attack] says no one can stop us. They chose the location because Harrods is owned by the government of Qatar... they wanted to do this deliberately, that is my personal opinion. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said officers were called shortly before 6.15pm on 31 August to an assault on Brompton Road, SW1. At the scene the victim, a man aged in his 30s, had suffered bruising to the face. He did not require hospital treatment, they added. Officers from Kensington and Chelsea are investigating. The suspects are believed to be two males aged in their 30s. At this stage there has been no arrests. Enquiries continue. Residents of a town famed for its peace-loving and spiritual-lifestyle visitors are considering hiring a private security company to tackle an upsurge in crime and violence. Householders in Glastonbury, Somerset, say they are fed up after the number of crimes reported more than doubled in the past year and the number of reports of antisocial behaviour tripled between May and July. Many locals say they now avoid walking along the main street in the afternoons because of fighting and "obnoxious" behaviour, which includes drug dealing and drunks relieving themselves in the street. To avoid the troublemakers some visitors have taken to following different routes, avoiding the main road, to Glastonbury Tor, the hill linked with ancient folklore, particularly King Arthur. A group of shopkeepers and residents is in talks with a security company about launching patrols. Atlas UK Security Services has been employed to do so in nearby Martock for the past five months to combat "threats of violence, late night noise and loud music". Residents have reported a reduction in antisocial behaviour and the parish council has said the companys patrols, which cost about 1,000 for two nightly patrols on four nights a week, have made "a marked difference". The hundreds of thousands of annual visitors to Glastonbury keep its new-age-style shops, cafes, B&Bs, crystal vendors and alternative therapists in business. Liz Williams, a science-fiction writer and owner of an occult bookshop in the town, said: We have to deal with drug-dealers, with people drunk in the street, with fights, and people are constantly asked for money. The other day a naked man was urinating in the jewellers doorway. The police came and they got thumped. We need changes. Under the plan, Atlas employees would also gather evidence and hand over offenders to police. They wear uniforms including tactical vests equipped with handcuffs and body-worn cameras. At a public meeting last week organised by the town council to thrash out the issues, residents reported stabbings and beatings, and claimed some of the troublemakers armed themselves with needles. The vast majority of my officers time is spent dealing with the situation there Insp Mark Nicholson Police chiefs said their plans included extra patrols on horseback, action days and recruiting volunteers to help staff the CCTV control room. Officers had previously said the problems in Glastonbury also famous for its annual music festival - did not warrant extra force resources. One resident, Paul Lund, said: We have a lot of people who are very scared. Tourists are seeing what is happening. The traders are complaining, and residents are angry and upset. A town can decline through lack of maintenance and control measures. Stonehenge: Origins of those who built world-famous monument revealed Show all 6 1 /6 Stonehenge: Origins of those who built world-famous monument revealed Stonehenge: Origins of those who built world-famous monument revealed A new scientific research collaboration is, for the first time, revealing who built Stonehenge. The cutting-edge study sheds a remarkable light on the geographical origins of the Neolithic community that first constructed the ancient site. Complex tests carried out on 25 Neolithic people who were buried at or following the time of the initial construction of the now world-famous monument, have revealed that 10 of them lived nowhere near Stonehenge, but in western Britain, and that half of those 10 potentially came from southwest Wales (where the earliest Stonehenge monoliths came from). AFP/Getty Images Stonehenge: Origins of those who built world-famous monument revealed Three of the cremated cranial fragments used in the study Up until now, it has always been assumed that it was not possible to carry out place-of-origin tests on burned bones but recent research at Oxford University by Belgian scientist, Dr Christophe Snoeck of the Free University of Brussels, has now discovered that the act of cremation actually crystallises a bones structure and prevents the crucial origin-indicating isotope evidence from being contaminated by isotopic signals in the surrounding soil. Christie Willis, UCL Stonehenge: Origins of those who built world-famous monument revealed Aubrey Hole 7 during excavation in 2008 Although the geographically intermediate examples hint at there being a well-worn prehistoric land route between west Wales and Stonehenge, nobody yet knows exactly how the stones (and the cremated remains) were transported. Sea and land routes are both possible. Christie Willis, UCL Stonehenge: Origins of those who built world-famous monument revealed Aubrey Hole 7 following excavation in 2008 Geologically, previous research has shown that the stones (so-called bluestones or dolerite, used for the early phase of Stonehenge) also came from western Britain (in this case, the Preseli mountains in southwest Wales). Archaeological investigations have now pinpointed the quarries they actually came from and when they were quarried (some time between the 34th and the 32nd century BC). Christie Willis, UCL Stonehenge: Origins of those who built world-famous monument revealed Excavations at one of the recently identified bluestone quarries, at Carn Goedog, Pembrokeshore, west Wales. The recent scientific analysis of the Stonehenge cremated bones (that appear to have been buried adjacent to the newly re-erected stones) is now helping to reveal the origins of the community, which appears to have actually built the earliest version of the monument. It is the strontium and carbon isotopic signatures in the cremated bone material that suggest a western British origin for the 10 individuals and definitely not from the Stonehenge area. The carbon signal, absorbed into the bones from the timber used in the funerary pyre, also suggests a Western or non-local origin. Adam Stanford, Aerial-Cam Ltd Stonehenge: Origins of those who built world-famous monument revealed The ever-increasing body of evidence suggesting Stonehenge and the original Stonehenge communitys western British origins has substantial implications for our understanding of British prehistory. Christie Willis, UCL Insp Mark Nicholson said the town drew people who led a chaotic lifestyle and antisocial behaviour in the high street had been particularly bad this year. He said: The vast majority of my officers time is spent dealing with the situation up there. Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cullen, who is in charge of frontline policing in Avon and Somerset, said Dealing with antisocial behaviour is a core responsibility of the police service, adding: If a local community choose to pay for additional eyes and ears, clearly thats their choice. Twitter users blamed the lack of police resources for the towns resorting to a private security firm. Male domestic violence victims lack support despite being the focus of an increased number of reported attacks, a charity has said. Police in England and Wales recorded 149,248 instances of domestic violence involving a male victim in 2017, which was over double the number reported in 2012, according to the BBC. A third of domestic violence victims are male yet only 0.8 per cent of refuge beds are reserved for them, according to the ManKind Initiative, a charity that works with male victims. Recommended Male domestic abuse survivor describes horrific ordeal The rise in reports has not been met with increased resources. The charity said that although there were over 3,600 beds in safe houses for women, only 20 in the whole of England were set aside for men. There are no refuge beds solely for men in London. Although one in six men experience domestic abuse, only one in twenty report it, the charity said. Some are forced to travel huge distances, sometimes over 150 miles, to get help due to the scarcity of available resources. The ManKind Initiative is now calling for dedicated support for male victims to be established across the UK. Mark Brooks, a spokesman for the charity, said a "failure to ensure a basic level of support across the country will fail those men and, of course, fail their children where they are involved". Michael Gove has said Theresa Mays Chequers blueprint for Brexit is the right one for now but that a future prime minister could alter the UK-EU relationship if they desired. The environment secretary one of the most prominent Leave campaigners during the referendum gave his lukewarm backing for Ms Mays plan as he admitted he himself had compromised. But speaking on Sunday, he refused to say whether the plans thrashed out by the prime minister and agreed by cabinet would be permanent and said her successor would have the ability to change it. It comes as the prime minister faces escalating pressure from members of her party to ditch the blueprint that is despised by dozens of hard Brexiteers, or face a challenge to her leadership. Asked on the BBCs Andrew Marr Show whether the prime ministers Chequers plan for Brexit was a temporary or permanent solution, Mr Gove replied: I think its the right solution for our country to leave the European Union on the basis of what weve negotiated, and I think its absolutely right because we would be outside the single market, we would be outside the customs union. Pressed again, he added: No, I think its the right answer. But, theres one critical thing, a future prime minister could always choose to alter the relationship between Britain and the European Union, but the Chequers approach is the right one for now as weve got to make sure we respect that vote and take advantage of the opportunities of being outside the EU. During the appearance, Mr Gove also urged Brussels to compromise in the negotiations. Ive compromised, he said. Ive been quite clear that some of the things that I argued for in the referendum passionately, as a result of Chequers I have to qualify one or two of my views. The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Show all 8 1 /8 The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Post-Brexit immigration workers sorting radishes on a production line at a farm in Norfolk. One possible post-Brexit immigration scheme could struggle to channel workers towards less attractive roles - while another may heighten the risk of labour exploitation, a new report warns. PA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Customs union A key point in the negotiations remains Britain's access to, or withdrawal from, the EU customs union. Since the referendum there has been hot debate over the meaning of Brexit: would it entail a full withdrawal from the existing agreement, known as hard Brexit, or the soft version in which we would remain part of a common customs area for most goods, as Turkey does? No 10 has so far insisted that Brexit means Brexit and that Britain will be leaving the customs union, but may be inclined to change its position once the potential risks to the UKs economic outlook become clearer. Alamy The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Northern Ireland-Irish border Though progress was made last year, there has still been no solid agreement on whether there should be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. To ensure borderless travel on the island, the countries must be in regulatory alignment and therefore adhere to the same rules as the customs union. In December, the Conservative Partys coalition partners, the DUP, refused a draft agreement that would place the UK/EU border in the Irish Sea due to its potential to undermine the union. May has promised that would not be the case and has suggested that a specific solution would need to be found. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Transition period Despite protests from a small number of Conservative MPs, the Government and the EU are largely in agreement that a transitional period is needed after Brexit. The talks, however, have reached an impasse. Though May has agreed that the UK will continue to contribute to the EU budget until 2021, the PM wants to be able to select which laws made during this time the UK will have to adhere to. Chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said the UK must adopt all of the laws passed during the transition, without any input from British ministers or MEPs. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Rights of EU citizens living the UK The Prime Minister has promised EU citizens already living in the UK the right to live and work here after Brexit, but the rights of those who arrive after Brexit day remains unclear. May insists that those who arrive during the transition period should not be allowed to stay, whereas the EU believe the cut-off point should be later. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreement (with the EU) Despite this being a key issue in negotiations, the Government has yet to lay out exactly what it wants from a trade deal with the EU. Infighting within the Cabinet has prevented a solid position from being reached, with some MPs content that "no deal is better than a bad deal" while others rally behind single market access. The EU has already confirmed that access to the single market would be impossible without the UK remaining in the customs union. Getty The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Future trade agreements (internationally) The Government has already begun trying to woo foreign leaders into prospective trade agreements, with various high profile state visits to China, India and Canada for May, and the now infamous invitation to US President Donald Trump to visit London. However the UK cannot make trade agreements with another country while it is still a member of the EU, and the potential loss of trade with the world's major powers is a source of anxiety for the PM. The EU has said the UK cannot secure trade deals during the transition period. EPA The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU Financial services Banks in the UK will be hit hard regardless of the Brexit outcome. The EU has refused to give British banks passporting rights to trade within the EU, dashing hopes of a special City deal. However according to new reports Germany has suggested allowing trade on the condition that the UK continues paying into the EU budget even after the transition period. Getty I have to acknowledge the parliamentary arithmetic. I believe the critical thing is making sure we leave in good order with a deal that safeguards the referendum mandate. Mr Gove also backtracked on his previous criticism of Mark Carney after he suggested in 2016 that the Bank of England governor is neither always infallible nor truly independent, and said he should curb his arrogance. Speaking on Sunday, Mr Gove said: I regard him [Mr Carney], not only as truly independent but a first rate public servant who is doing an excellent job. Yes, I was critical of him in the past, but I actually do think hes doing an excellent job, he added. His remarks follow Mr Carneys presentation to cabinet earlier this week on the effects of a no-deal Brexit. Details of the meeting were leaked, including worst-case scenarios such as house prices collapsing by as much as 35 per cent. A total of 151 Brexit-related motions have been submitted by local Labour parties, with dozens asking the partys annual conference to back either a general election or a fresh public vote on the final Brexit deal. It comes after one of Labours most powerful figures, Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, called for another vote on Brexit, insisting there are now just two possible outcomes for the UK in the negotiations either a bad deal, or a no-deal. It is likely to pile pressure on Jeremy Corbyn, who has refused to rule out the idea, but has consistently said that it is not Labour policy to support a fresh referendum. The document of 272 motions, seen by The Independent, shows that 55 per cent of them relate to Labours position on Brexit, with other issues including the partys stance on antisemitism, welfare, government contracts and schools. On Monday, the partys conference arrangement committee will sift through the raw motions and decide which ones to put forward to Labours conference in Liverpool next week. Each Constituency Labour Party (CLP) has the opportunity to propose a contemporary motion for discussion at conference and campaigners for a new public vote claim the number of motions supporting the idea will dominate. One motion from Camberwell and Peckham, the constituency of the partys former deputy leader, Harriet Harman, notes the Chequers deal is dead and calls for a meaningful vote in Parliament, a UK-wide referendum on the final terms of Brexit or a general election. Recommended Labour Brexit row explodes as MPs defy Corbyn to demand new referendum A substantial amount of the motions, however, are based on the left-wing statement backed by Another Europe is Possible and Labour for a Peoples Vote. As well as calling for a fresh vote, it also says Labour should form a radical government taxing the rich to fund better public services, expanding common ownership, abolishing anti-union laws and engaging in massive public investment. One of the national organisers at Another Europe is Possible, Michael Chessum, said: If we dont have a manifesto commitment for a fresh referendum, we will end up going into an autumn election either promising a bespoke Labour Brexit which we have no time to negotiate, or offering a Norway-style deal which is straightforwardly worse than EU membership and will leave Corbyn with no seat at the European table. Of the options, soft Brexit is the least popular with the electorate, he added. Brexit casualties Show all 10 1 /10 Brexit casualties Brexit casualties Andrea Jenkyns - Resigned from Parliamentary Private Secretary at the ministry for housing, communities and local government role May 2018 - The Morley and Outwood MP said: We want to see a new relationship with Europe, with a new model not enjoyed by other countries nothing that leaves us half-in, half-out. And in order to achieve this, we need to leave the customs union. Ms Jenkyns also said she wished to dedicate more of her time to Parliaments influential Exiting the European Union select committee, after a series of unbalanced reports produced by MPs PA Brexit casualties David Davis - Resigned from Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union role July 2018 - quit following a major row with May over her plans for post-Brexit relations with the EU. Davis resignation letter said: As you know there have been a significant number of occasions in the last year or so on which I have disagreed with the Number 10 policy line, ranging from accepting the [European] Commissions sequencing of negotiations, through to the language on Northern Ireland in the December Joint Report. At each stage I have accepted collective responsibility because it is part of my task to find workable compromises, and because I considered it was still possible to deliver on the mandate of the referendum, and on our manifesto commitment to leave the Customs Union and the Single Market. I am afraid that I think the current trend of policy and tactics is making that look less and less likely. He went on to argue that the general direction of Ms Mays policies would leave the UK in at best a weak negotiating position, and possibly an inescapable one. AFP/Getty Brexit casualties Steve Baker - Resigned from Minister at the Department for Exiting the European Union role July 2018 - Mr Baker, a key Tory figure in the Leave campaign, was David Daviss main lieutenant at Dexeu, and was hailed as courageous and principled by other Brexiteer Tories as he also left. Reuters Brexit casualties Boris Johnson - Resigned from Foreign Secretary role July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. In his resignation letter to the prime minister, Mr Johnson said: "On Friday, I acknowledged that my side of the argument were too few to prevail and congratulated you on at least reaching a Cabinet decision on the way forward. "As I said then, the government now has a song to sing. "The trouble is that I have practised the words over the weekend and find that they stick in the throat." Reuters Brexit casualties Conor Burns - Resigned from Parliamentary Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary role July 2018 - A Brexit supporter who worked alongside Boris Johnson stated in his resignation letter: I've decided it's time to have greater freedom. I want to see the referendum result respected. And there are other areas of policy I want to speak more openly on. Rex Brexit casualties Chris Green - Resigned from Department for Transport role July 2018 - The Bolton West MP said: "Parliament overwhelmingly decided to give the decision of whether to leave or remain in the European Union to the British people and they made an unambiguous decision that we ought to leave. "I have always understood the idea in 'Brexit means Brexit' is that the final deal should be clear to me and my constituents - that we have, in no uncertain terms, left the European Union. Twitter Ads info and privacy "The direction the negotiations had been taking have suggested that we would not really leave the EU and the conclusion and statements following the Chequers summit confirmed my fears. "I recognise that delivering Brexit is challenging, however I had hoped at tonight's meeting that there would be some certainty that my fears were unfounded but, instead, they have been confirmed. "I have been grateful for the opportunity to serve as Parliamentary Private Secretary and it is with regret that I offer my resignation with immediate effect." PA Brexit casualties Maria Caulfield - Resigned from Conservative Party vice-chair for women role July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. Lewes MP warned that the direction of travel did not fully embrace the opportunities that Brexit can provide. Ms Caulfield said in her letter to the PM: The policy may assuage vested interests, but the voters will find out and their representatives will be found out. This policy will be bad for our country and bad for the party. The direct consequences of that will be prime minister Corbyn. PA Brexit casualties Ben Bradley - Resigned from Conservative Party vice-chair for young people role July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. The Mansfield MP said: I admit that I voted to Remain in that ballot. What has swayed me over the last two years to fully back the Brexit vision is the immense opportunities that are available from global trade, and for the ability for Britain to be an outward looking nation in control of our own destiny once again. I fear that this agreement at Chequers damages those opportunities; that being tied to EU regulations, and the EU tying our hands when seeking to make new trade agreements, will be the worst of all worlds if we do not deliver Brexit in spirit as well as in name, then we are handing Jeremy Corbyn the keys to No10. PA Brexit casualties Robert Courts - Resigned from Parliamentary Private Secretary role July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. MP Mr Courts said: I have taken a very difficult decision to resign my position as [parliamentary private secretary] to express discontent with the Chequers [plans] in votes tomorrow. I had to think who I wanted to see in the mirror for the rest of my life. I cannot tell the people of Woxon that I support the proposals in their current form. Getty Brexit casualties Scott Mann - Resigned from Parliamentary Private Secretary role July 2018 - resigned over May's Chequers plan. "I fear elements of the Brexit white paper will inevitably put me in direct conflict with the views expressed by a large section of my constituents. I am not prepared to compromise their wishes to deliver a watered-down Brexit. "The residents of North Cornwall made it very clear that they wish to have control over our fishery, our agricultural policy, our money, our laws and our borders. I will evaluate those principles against the Brexit white paper and ensure that I vote in line with their wishes." Rex Activist Alena Ivanova, who started an anti-Brexit petition of Momentum members that attracted 6,000 signatures, added there has been a false idea of division between those advocating a new referendum and those who want a general election. She said: Thats completely wrong, because the push for a referendum is clearly being led by left-wing activists, who want to see Corbyn walk into No 10 and have fought for it. We all want a general election, but the issue is what will go in our manifesto about Brexit? But on Sunday, shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner reiterated his opposition to the idea, suggesting it would hand Theresa May a lifeline. He said the first referendum had caused real divisions in the country, adding: I think the challenge now is to try to heal society. The reason we havent ruled anything out is because nobody knows whats going to happen over the next few weeks. A majority of Britons would now consider voting for a new centre-ground political movement amid soaring dismay at the state of the main parties, an exclusive poll has revealed. The exclusive research for The Independent found the number of those ready to back a new party has leapt in just four months after a summer in which Labours antisemitism crisis raged and the Tories tore themselves apart over Brexit. In a particularly worrying development for Jeremy Corbyn, the BMG Research survey showed that a third of voters including a third of those who backed him at the 2017 election would support Labour splitting up as a party. Recommended Archbishop of Canterbury speaks out on Labour antisemitism row Data indicated that burgeoning dissatisfaction with the main parties is at the root of the phenomenon, with a major jump in those saying they are not well represented by any of them. It comes as party conference season kicks in this weekend, with Vince Cable taking his Liberal Democrats to Brighton where he will try to seize the political centre-ground for his own. The febrile atmosphere in the Labour party has been underlined by reports that a handful of Labour MPs are said to be considering breaking away and sitting as an independent group in the commons, while a string of Tory MPs have vowed to quit their party if the increasingly-populist Boris Johnson becomes leader. In April BMG asked some 1,500 people whether they were ready to think about voting for a new party, with 43 per cent saying they would consider voting for a new centre-ground party, while 34 per cent said they would not. Vince Cable: Lib Dem leadership election will take place 'once Brexit is resolved or stopped' But this month pollsters recorded a stark change. A majority of 52 per cent an increase of nine points said they would now think of giving their vote to a new group, and just 25 per cent said they would not. People were also asked if felt well represented by the current political parties, with 40 per cent saying in April that they felt very or fairly well represented, while 41 per cent said they were not very well or not represented. But by September a significant shift had occurred, with just 35 per cent saying the felt represented and 48 per cent almost half saying they felt isolated from the parties currently campaigning for votes. It comes after months in which Labour has been consumed by a discrimination crisis, with Jeremy Corbyn being forced to apologise after the party sought to alter part of the internationally recognised definition of antisemitism. Frank Field MP resigned the party whip after 39 years amid the row, citing allegations of bullying among members, while just last week ex-prime minister Tony Blair said: This is a different type of Labour Party. Can it be taken back? I dont know. Other MPs are also said to be considering resigning the whip, believing that the left is now so firmly in control of Labour that its dominance cannot be challenged. British Jews are leaving the country because of antisemitism, claims rabbi Jonathan Sacks Asked if people would support a Labour split, 33 per cent said they would to some extent, 30 per cent said they did not feel strongly either way, 20 per cent said they did not know and just 18 per cent said they opposed it. For those who voted for Mr Corbyns party at the 2017 general election, 32 per cent backed a split and 33 per cent opposed it, with 24 per cent not feeling strongly either way and 12 per cent not knowing. Asked whether people would consider voting for an independent Labour MP, who disagreed with Mr Corbyn on key issues, 35 per cent said they would, and 42 per cent said they would not and 23 per cent saying they did not know. At his partys conference Mr Cable will flesh out a call for Liberal Democrat supporters to be able to vote in the partys leadership contests for free as part of a plan to turn it into a movement for moderates. The Lib Dem leader wants his party to adopt a registered supporter system that would allow non-members to help decide who takes over from him. In a sign that Brexit divisions have left the Tories creaking at the seams, a handful of MPs including former ministers Dominic Grieve and Anna Soubry, and Heidi Allen have said they will quit if ex-foreign secretary Mr Johnson becomes leader. Source note: BMG Research interviewed a representative sample of 1,533 GB adults online between 4 and 7 September. Data are weighted. BMG is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules Theresa May has admitted she gets irritated over the ongoing debate regarding her leadership of the Conservative Party, as she lashed out at Boris Johnsons completely inappropriate suicide vest remarks. The intervention from the prime minister comes after it was reported dozens of Tory MPs openly discussed how to topple Ms May, with some present at a meeting in Westminster suggesting she is a disaster and this cant go on. Ms Mays leadership of the Tories has been increasingly precarious since the resignation of Boris Johnson from cabinet over her Chequers blueprint for Brexit, but it has been fragile ever since the 2017 snap election at which she gambled away the partys majority. In an interview to mark the six-month countdown until Britain officially leaves the European Union, Ms May insisted she was focused on the countrys future rather than her own. Asked if she would reassure the Conservative Party she was not determined to go on and on, the prime minister told the BBCs Panorama: I get a little bit irritated but this debate is not about my future, this debate is about the future of the people of the UK and the future of the United Kingdom. May was pressed on incendiary comments from the former foreign secretary (BBC/Panorama) Thats what Im focused on and thats what we should all be focused on. During the interview, Ms May was also pressed on incendiary comments from the former foreign secretary, Mr Johnson, who last week compared her Brexit plan to wrapping a suicide vest around the British constitution and handing the detonator to the EUs chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier. The PM insisted the debate was not about her future, but that of the UK (BBC/Panorama) The remarks attracted widespread criticism, and on Saturday a former aide to Mr Johnson, Guto Harri, warned that someone needs to take the spade out of his hand, adding: It looks to me like hes digging his political grave. Addressing Mr Johnsons comments, the prime minister said: I have to say that choice of language is completely inappropriate. Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Show all 14 1 /14 Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Internal divisions in the Conservative Party have exploded into a bitter public row over Boris Johnsons disgusting criticism of Theresa May. Some senior Tories furiously denounced the former foreign secretary after he accused the prime minister of having wrapped a suicide vest around Britain Reuters Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Sajid Javid, Home secretary Sajid Javid, the home secretary, rebuked his former cabinet colleague and said: I think there are much better ways to articulate your differences. He told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show that the public wanted politicians to use measured language BBC/PA Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide But other MPs leapt to Mr Johnsons defence, as dividing lines ahead of a possible leadership contest begin to take shape. The Uxbridge MP has repeatedly criticised Ms Mays Chequers plan and used a newspaper article on Sunday to suggest it amounted to wrapping a suicide vest around the British constitution. His latest salvo at the prime minister prompted immediate condemnation, with one minister publicly vowing to end Mr Johnsons career over the matter PA Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Alan Duncan, Foreign minister Alan Duncan, a foreign minister who worked in Mr Johnsons team for two years, wrote on Twitter: For Boris to say the PMs view is like that of a suicide bomber is too much. This marks one of the most disgusting moments in modern British politics. Im sorry, but this is the political end of Boris Johnson. If it isnt now, I will make sure it is later. Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide James Brokenshire, Housing secretary Housing secretary James Brokenshire added his voice to the criticism, calling Mr Johnsons comments wrong He said: I think he is wrong on this...I think the tone that he has used isnt right and I think that we just need to be very focused on actually moving forward with the Chequers plan. AFP/Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Zac Goldsmith But as Tory hostilities spilled over into open public warfare, Richmond Park MP Zac Goldsmith, an ally of Mr Johnson, hit back at Mr Duncan. He wrote: There are a number of possible motives behind this tweet, but given its author, we can be certain principles arent one of them. Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Jacob Rees-Mogg Senior Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg told The Independent he thought Mr Johnsons suicide belt accusation was little more than a characteristically colourful catchphrase. He added: I agree with the sentiment. The criticism of Boriss wording merely serves to highlight his point. It means more people hear of Boriss criticism of Chequers and many will agree with him. Reuters Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Nadine Dorries Nadine Dorries, another Brexit supporter, said Mr Johnsons opponents were terrified of his popular appeal, adding: Dont underestimate the vitriol thatll be directed towards Boris today. He delivered the Leave vote, Remainers and wannabe future PMs hate him. If Mr Johnson became leader and prime minister he would deliver a clean and prosperous Brexit, she said Rex Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Andrew Bridgen Andrew Bridgen said Ms May was to blame for her leadership problems. Asked if Mr Johnson had put a bomb under her leadership, Mr Bridgen said: I think that Theresa May did that herself when she put forward the Chequers proposals without consulting widely prior to that. Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Steve Baker, former Brexit minister Steve Baker, the former Brexit minister, warned Ms May the Conservatives faced a "catastrophic split" if she did not jettison her Chequers plan. Mr Baker, who quit the government in July over the scheme, said: When negotiating, the prime minister needs to demonstrate her intent and also her power to deliver. "If we come out of conference with her hoping to get Chequers through on the back of Labour votes, I think the EU negotiators would probably understand that if that were done, the Tory party would suffer the catastrophic split which thus far we have managed to avoid. But he insisted he did not want a change in the Conservative leadership, saying Brexiteers did not want to be in a position of conflict with our own prime minister Reuters Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Tom Tugendhat The deep divisions on the Tory benches were laid bare as Tom Tugendhat, who chairs the Commons foreign affairs committee and is a possible leadership rival to Mr Johnson, also hit out at the former foreign secretary. Recalling how he encountered a suicide bomber in Afghanistan during his time in the army, Mr Tugendhat told Mr Johnson to grow up. He said: A suicide bomber murdered many in the courtyard of my office in Helmand. The carnage was disgusting, limbs and flesh hanging from trees and bushes. Brave men who stopped him killing me and others died in horrific pain. Some need to grow up. Comparing the PM to that isnt happy. PA Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Alistair Burt Alistair Burt, another Foreign Office minister who worked in Mr Johnsons team, said: Im stunned at the nature of this attack. There is no justification for such an outrageous, inappropriate and hurtful analogy. If we dont stop his extraordinary use of language over Brexit, our country might never heal. Again, I say, enough. AFP/Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide It comes amid that Ms Mays former aides drew up a dossier on Mr Johnsons sexual encounters with the aim of undermining his leadership prospects. The document was compiled in 2016, when the Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP was seen as the main rival to Ms May in her bid to enter No 10. Downing Street and Conservative Campaign Headquaters (CCHQ) both denied having leaked the 4,000 word memo after it was circulated around Westminster AFP/Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Mr Johnson confirmed that his 25-year marriage to wife Marina had ended AP I was home secretary for six years and as prime minister for two years now I think using language like that was not right and its not language I would have used. Ms May, who was described during the 2016 Conservative leadership contest as a bloody difficult woman by the former cabinet minister Ken Clarke, also told the programme that person is still there. But, she added: Theres a difference between those who think you can only be bloody difficult in public, and those who think actually bide your time, and youre bloody difficult when the time is right and when it really matters. A US border patrol agent has been charged with murdering four women in a two-week "serial killing spree" that ended when a fifth woman escaped. Juan David Ortiz, 35, was arrested on Saturday after being found hiding in a truck in a hotel car park in the city of Laredo in southern Texas. He had worked as a supervisor for Customs and Border Protection for ten years and investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the killings. "We do consider this to be a serial killer," said Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz. Authorities believe Ortiz had killed all four victims since 3 September. Texas Rangers began investigating after the body of mother-of-two Melissa Ramirez, 29, was found in Laredo near an intersection with Highway 255, according to a report in the Laredo Morning Times. The second victim, 42-year-old Claudine Anne Luera, was found seriously injured off the same highway on Thursday morning and died in hospital the same day. Law enforcement officers recovered the bodies of the third and fourth victims along Interstate 35 in rural northwest Webb County this weekend. "The manner in which they were killed is similar in all the cases from the evidence," said Mr Alaniz. "Its interesting that he would be observing and watching as law enforcement was looking for the killer, that he would be reporting to work every day like normal. "In our opinion he is the sole person responsible for this horrific serial killing spree." According to local media reports the victims all died as a result of a gunshot wound to the head. Ortiz picked up another woman but she realised she was in danger and tried to get away, Mr Alaniz told the Texas Tribune. "When she tried to escape from him at a gas station that's when she ran into a state trooper," he said. The Most Notorious Serial Killers Show all 20 1 /20 The Most Notorious Serial Killers The Most Notorious Serial Killers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley Ian Brady and Myra Hindley were found guilty of murder, in the sensational 'Bodies of the Moor' trial. Both were sentenced to life imprisonment. Getty The Most Notorious Serial Killers Harold Shipman Shipman was convicted of murdering 15 of his elderly patients in Hyde, Greater Manchester but an inquiry later concluded he probably murdered 250 people over the course of his career as a GP. Getty The Most Notorious Serial Killers Ted Bundy Ted Bundy confessed to killing 30 young women and girls across the US in the 1970s. He was executed by electric chair in 1989. AP The Most Notorious Serial Killers Fred and Rosemary West Serial killers Fred and Rosemary West who committed at least 12 murders between 1967 and 1987 in Gloucestershire. PA The Most Notorious Serial Killers Charles Manson Charles Manson, a hippie cult leader, orchestrated the murders of pregnant actress Sharon Tate and six others in Los Angeles during the summer of 1969. Rex The Most Notorious Serial Killers Andrei Chikatilo Notorious Ukrainian cannibalistic serial killer Andrei Chikatilo who was charged with the murders of 53 people. Getty Images The Most Notorious Serial Killers Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper murdered female prostitutes who lived and worked in the East End of London. Their throats were cut prior to internal organs being removed from the bodies. The killer was never caught. Getty Images The Most Notorious Serial Killers Beverley Allitt Nurse, Beverley Allitt, murdered four children and injured others during her time at the children's ward at Grantham and Kesteven Hospital, Lincolnshire in 1991. PA The Most Notorious Serial Killers Edmund Kemper Kemper murdered his paternal grandparents aged 15 and was sent to a maximum-security facility that housed mentally ill convicts. However, was released after convincing the psychiatrists that he had been rehabilitated aged 21. He went on to murder several women, including his mother in the 1970s, where he engaged in necrophilia after the killings. Bettmann Archive/Getty The Most Notorious Serial Killers Jeffrey Dahmer Jeffrey Dahmer confessed to murders of 17 men lured to his apartment. He kept the skulls of his victims after eating parts of some of them. Channel 4 The Most Notorious Serial Killers Gary Ridgway Gary Ridgway received 48 life sentences, with out the possibility of parole, for killing 48 women in the Green River Killer serial murder case. Getty Images The Most Notorious Serial Killers Peter Sutcliffe Peter Sutcliffe, became known as the Yorkshire Ripper after he murdered 13 women between 1975 and 1980. Most of his victims were prostitutes. Express Newspapers/Getty The Most Notorious Serial Killers The Zodiac Killer The Zodiac Killer murdered several victims between the 1960s and 70s. He sent a series of letters to the local press in Northern California which included cryptograms to help solve the murders. The killer's identity remains unknown. The Most Notorious Serial Killers Joanna Dennehy Joanna Dennehy stabbed three men to death and attempted to murder another two people during the 'Peterborough ditch murders'. She carried out the crime over a 10-day period in 2013. PA The Most Notorious Serial Killers Tsutomu Miyazaki Tsutomu Miyazaki who was sentenced to death in 1997 after carrying out the gruesome killings of four young girls. He abducted, killed and indulged in sexual activities with their corpses, as well as keeping body parts of the victims and sending postcards to their families describing the murders. AFP/Getty Images The Most Notorious Serial Killers Aileen Wuornos Aileen Wuornos murdered six men whilst she was working as a prostitute. She shot them all at point-blank range between 1989 and 1990. Getty Images The Most Notorious Serial Killers Dennis Nilsen Nilsen, the 'Muswell Hill Murderer', is a serial killer and necrophiliac. He murdered at least 12 men between 1978 and 1983. PA The Most Notorious Serial Killers John Wayne Gacy John Wayne Gacy sexually assaulted, tortured and murdered at least 33 teenage boys and men between 1972 and 1978. Rex Features The Most Notorious Serial Killers Dennis Rader Dennis Rader, 'the BTK murderer', killed 10 times between 1974 and 1991. His first victims were all from one family. The pattern of systematic torture, lead him to be called the Bind, Tie, Kill (BTK) murderer. Getty Images The Most Notorious Serial Killers Mary Ann Cotton Mary Ann Cotton was believed to have had as many as 21 victims. She is thought to have used arsenic to poison and kill three of her four husbands, possibly as many as eight of her own children, seven stepchildren, her mother, a lover and an inconvenient friend. She was hung on March 24, 1873, after being found guilty of murdering her stepson. Rex Features Troopers confronted Ortiz at 2am on Saturday but he ran off to a nearby hotel in central Laredo and was later found hiding in a truck in the parking area. "We feel that our efforts have gathered strong evidence against this killer," Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar said in a statement. "Our community is safe from this killer. My condolences to the families of the four victims who were murdered within the past two weeks." He has been charged with four counts of murder as well as aggravated assault and unlawful restraint. US Customs and Border Protection issued a statement saying that it was fully cooperating with the investigation. "Our sincerest condolences go out to the victims' family and friends," said Andrew Meehan, Assistant Commissioner for Public Affairs. "While it is CBP policy to not comment on the details of an ongoing investigation, criminal action by our employees is not, and will not be tolerated." Additional reporting by Reuters and Associated Press Storm Florence has left dozens of communities devastated as it moves slowly through the Carolinas. On Sunday evening the death toll stood at 15, including a mother and a baby who were killed when a tree fell on their home in Wilmington, North Carolina. A pickup truck ran off Interstate 20 in South Carolina and struck an overpass support, killing the driver. Authorities said a man drowned after his pickup truck flipped into a drainage ditch along a flooded South Carolina road and two people died from inhaling carbon monoxide from a generator in their home. And while Florence has been downgraded to a tropical depression, it still threatens to cause widespread, catastrophic flooding as rivers swell towards record levels, officials said. I cannot overstate it, said North Carolina governor Roy Cooper. Floodwaters are rising, and if you arent watching for them, you are risking your life. Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate for fear the storm could bring the most destructive flooding in the states history. National Guard troops have been deployed to help in the effort while North Carolinas utility company, Duke Energy, is attempting to restore power to an estimated 900,000 homes and businesses. More than 450 people had to be rescued from New Bern after homes were flooded, trees were uprooted and boats were swept on to land. On Saturday Donald Trump declared North Carolina a major disaster and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) announced funding would be made available to help people recover from damage to their homes and businesses. In the city of Fayetteville, North Carolina, authorities told thousands of residents near the Cape Fear River and Little River to get out of their homes by Sunday afternoon because of the flood risk. The worst is yet to come, said the citys mayor Mitch Colvin. If you are refusing to leave during this mandatory evacuation, you need to do things like notify your legal next of kin because the loss of life is very, very possible. Eleven deaths in North Carolina have been linked to Florence and three deaths have been reported in South Carolina, including a couple who died of carbon monoxide poisoning after using a generator inside their home during the storm. Horry County Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard said the bodies of 63-year-old Mark Carter King and 61-year-old Debra Collins Rion were found in Loris on Saturday afternoon. Florence blew ashore in the Carolinas as a 400-mile wide category one hurricane on Friday morning with 90mph winds. By Saturday it had been downgraded to a tropical storm and winds had dropped to around 35mph as its centre passed by Columbia in South Carolina on Sunday morning. Florence was expected to turn north towards Ohio on Sunday before heading northeast back towards the coast as it gradually weakens in strength. This is still a catastrophic, life threatening storm, said Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Centers Weather Prediction Center. It has already dumped 20-to-30 inches of rain on parts of the Carolinas with more to come. And many of the rivers will see prolonged flooding, some not cresting for a few days. The US president plans to visit the region this week and he tweeted his deepest sympathies and warmth to the families and friends of those who had lost their lives. Additional reporting by Reuters and Associated Press A man who was bitten by a shark in Cape Cod has died, becoming Massachusetts' first shark attack fatality in over 80 years. The 26-year-old and his friend were boogie-boarding off Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet when the attack took place around noon on Saturday, Wellfleet Police Lieutenant Michael Hurley said. Witnesses on the shore watched, horrified, as the injured man was dragged out of the water by his friend. Joe Booth, a local fisherman and surfer, said that he saw the victim kick something behind him and the flicker of a tail in the water. "I was that guy on the beach screaming, 'Shark, shark!" said Mr Booth. "It was like right out of that movie Jaws. This has turned into Amity Island real quick out here." People on the beach frantically rushed to make a tourniquet while others called the emergency services. "We've been surfing all morning right here and they were just further down," said Hayley Williamson, a Cape Cod local. "Right spot, wrong time, I guess." The man was taken to Cape Cod Hospital where he later died, State Police spokesman David Procopio said. The beach where the friends were based has now been closed. The 26-year-old was from Revere, in Massachusetts. His family has been notified but his name has not yet been released. Last month, a 61-year-old man from New York was severely injured on 15 August after fighting off a shark in Truro, just four miles away from Saturday's attack. He is currently recovering in hospital in Boston. There have been frequent shark sightings along Cape Cod this summer. The US National Park Service said it closed beaches for at least an hour about 25 times this year, which is more than double the annual average. A Cape Cod politician blamed the attack on officials who didn't take aggressive action against white sharks. "It is my personal belief that the responsibility for this horrible shark attack rests squarely upon the shoulders of the aforementioned officials for their utter lack of attention and inaction regarding the growing shark problem on Cape Cod of the last few years," said Barnstable County Commissioner Ron Beaty. The last shark attack fatality in the state was on 25 July 1936, when 16-year-old Joseph Troy Jr. was bitten in waters off Mattapoisett. Associated Press contributed to this report The Dalai Lama has said he knew about allegations of sexual abuse by Buddhist teachers since the 1990s and that the accusations are "nothing new". The Tibetan spiritual leader made the comments during a four day trip to the Netherlands, in response to a petition from a dozen victims of alleged sexual assault committed by Buddhist teachers. The victims are asking to meet the 83-year-old during his tour of Europe. "We took refuge in Buddhism with an open mind and an open heart, until we were violated in its name," they wrote in an online statement accompanying the petition. "I already did know these things, nothing new," the Dalai Lama said during an appearance on Dutch public television NOS on Saturday. He added that he heard about rumoured abuse when he was at a conference for western Buddhist teachers in Dharamshala, a hill town in northern India where he lives in exile. "Twenty-five years ago... someone mentioned about a problem of sexual allegations," he said. The Daiai Lama declared that abusers "don't care about the Buddha's teaching" and encouraged Tibetan spiritual leaders to discuss the issue of abuse during a planned meeting in Dharmshala this November. "I think the religious leaders should pay more attention," he said. The Dalai Lama is revered by Buddhists around the world but his comments come soon after he caused controversy by saying that "Europe belongs to the Europeans" when discussing refugees living in European countries. Tseten Samdup Chhoekyapa, a representative of the 83-year-old in Europe, said the Dalai Lama had "consistently denounced such irresponsible and unethical behaviour" when discussing sexual abuse. Sinn Fein have announced that Liadh Ni Riada will be their candidate for the upcoming Irish presidential election. The announcement of Ms Ni Riada was expected, after party leader Mary Lou McDonald suggested she wanted to see a female candidate contest the election. She will face the incumbent Michael D Higgins, independent senator Joan Freeman and the businessman Sean Gallagher when Ireland goes to the polls on 26 October. Recommended The motley crew lining up to contest the Irish presidential election Ms Ni Riada has been a Member of the European Parliament for Ireland since 2014, and was previously Sinn Feins Irish language officer. The daughter of famous Irish composer Sean O Riada, the Dublin-born mother-of-three came to politics after a career in television, where she served on the board which set up the Irish language television channel TG4. A fluent speaker of the native language, she also directed and produced documentaries, and ran her own production company. A relatively fresh face for Sinn Fein, its believed she can represent the partys key causes without carrying any of their Troubles-era baggage. The party also considered Irish TD Caoimhghin O Caolain and Belfast solicitor John Finucane, but ultimately Ms Ni Riada was decided upon as the best candidate for the presidency. Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Show all 55 1 /55 Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis celebrates the Holy Mass at the Phoenix Park, in Dublin AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis arrives at Phoenix Park for a Papal Mass of the World Meeting of Families in Dublin EPA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures A vigil takes place at the site of the mass grave which contained the remains of 796 named babies from the Bon Secours Mother and Baby home in Tuam. The vigil coincides with the Phoenix park mass which is taking place in Dublin held by Pope Francis. Excavations at the site in 2017 revealed underground structures which held babies bodies with ages ranging from 35 weeks to three years old with most of the dead buried in the 1950s when the facility was run by the Bon Secours Sisters, a Catholic religious order of nuns who received unmarried pregnant women to give birth Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures An aerial view of the crowd at Phoenix Park Getty Images Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Children queue for communion during Pope Francis' closing Mass PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures The Stand4Truth rally gathers outside a former Magdalene laundry in Dublin as part of the demonstrations against clerical sex abuse PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis leads the Holy Mass at Phoenix Park AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis arrives to celebrate the Holy Mass at the Phoenix Park AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures The names of the victims are read out as a vigil takes place at the site of the mass grave which contained the remains of 796 named babies from the Bon Secours Mother and Baby home Getty Images Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis leads the Holy Mass at Phoenix Park AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures A member of the clergy carries a bowl of incense PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures A vigil takes place at the site of the mass grave which contained the remains of 796 named babies Getty Images Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Members of the public pray as they watch Pope Francis deliver a Papal Mass of the World Meeting of Families at Phoenix Park EPA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis attends the closing Mass at the World Meeting of Families at Phoenix Park in Dublin PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis passes by a banner of a protester as he leaves St Mary's Pro-Cathedral AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis speaks during his visit to the Capuchin Day Centre for Homeless in Dublin AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis waves to the waiting crowds on Christchurch PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis waves to the waiting crowds on College Green PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Members of the public wave at Pope Francis as he travels through the city Getty Images Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis laughs as he leaves St Mary's Pro Cathedral during his visit to Dublin Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Two boys wave flags after climbing a post as they wait for Pope Francis Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pairs of baby shoes are hung from black ribbons on Gardiner Street in Dublin in memory of the children who died at the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Co Galway PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Crowds on O'Connell Street PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures WMOF2018/Maxwell Photography/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis memorabilia on sale on O'Connell Street PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis arrives at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral during his visit to Ireland to attend the 2018 World Meeting of Families AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis waves to the waiting crowds on O'Connell Street PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis addresses the congragation at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Stephen O'Brien selling bottles of holy water from the St Mary's Pro Cathedral PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis prays inside St Mary's Pro Cathedral Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures A man waves a rainbow flag behind a model of a pope which stands in the window above a bar Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures People hold a banner against Pope Francis on the way to St Mary's Pro-Cathedral AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Nuns wait by the side of the road for Pope Francis Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures A model of a pope is placed in the window above a bar as crowds wait for Pope Francis to travel through the city Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Crowds on O'Connell Street, Dublin waiting to see Pope Francis as he travels in the Popemobile PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis waves to wellwishers as he arrives at Dublin Airport Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures His visit, the first by a Pope since John Paul II's in 1979 is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of Catholics to a series of events in Dublin and Knock PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis talks to journalists aboard a plane flying from Fiumicino aiport to Dublin AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures LGBT protestors from Dublin Pride and We Are Church with flags and umbrellas on Ha'Penny Bridge, Dublin to remember the victims of clerical sex abuse ahead of the start of the visit to Ireland by Pope Francis PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis disembarks from the aircraft as he arrives at Dublin Airport Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Woman wait for Pope Francis to drive past, in Dublin Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Taoiseach Leo Varadkar delivers a speech watched by Pope Francis in St. Patrick's Hall at Dublin Castle WMOF2018/Maxwell Photography/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Protesters hold banners during a demonstration against clerical sex abuse, in Dublin Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis plants a tree during a meeting with Irish President Michael D Higgins, at Aras an Uachtarain PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis walks with the President of Ireland Michael Higgins at Aras an Uachtarain WMOF2018/Maxwell Photography/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Reuters Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis, center, is flanked by Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, right, as they arrive to meet authorities, in Dublin AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Protestors wearing baby shoes, to signify the children who died in mother and baby homes in Ireland, protest in Dublin ahead of the start of the visit to Ireland by Pope Franci PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis exchanges gifts with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar AFP/Getty Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Pope Francis speaks with President Michael D Higgins in his study during a visit to Aras an Uachtarain in Phoenix Park, Dublin PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Navy band march prior to the arrival of Pope Francis at the Presidential residence in Dublin AP Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures Eddie McGuinness from Dublin LGBTQ Pride carries a rainbow flag across Ha'Penny Bridge, Dublin ahead of the start of the visit to Ireland by Pope Francis PA Pope Francis visits Ireland in pictures A message left by Pope Francis in the visitors book at Aras an Uachtarain in Phoenix Park PA An in-depth interview Ni Riada gave to the Marian Finucane Show on RTE Radio 1 in July was a clear indication that the relatively unknown politician was being tested by the party in front of a national audience. The interview was largely deemed a success, with Ni Riada laying out her ties to the cultural traditions and heritage of Ireland, and advocating for the country to work within the EU to effect results, instead of walking away as the UK has done. She was challenged on how a Sinn Fein president would handle the delicate upcoming centenary commemorations of the war of independence, partition and the civil war, but she refused to be drawn. This may have served as a warning shot for some of the more difficult questioning she can expect in the upcoming contest. In the interview, she also indicated that if she ran for president and was successful, that she would only serve one seven-year term. The election on 26 October for the largely ceremonial office is expected to see popular incumbent Michael D Higgins returned for a second term, having earned the support of Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Labour. Sinn Fein have indicated they are happy with the job Higgins is going, but have decided to field a candidate to ensure he would not be re-elected unopposed. At the last presidential election in 2011, Martin McGuinness was the Sinn Fein candidate, coming in third place with 13.7 per cent of the vote. The party hopes to build on that vote this year, and to use the platform to voice wider national issues which often go undiscussed in general elections - namely, the growing prospect of a referendum on Irish unity, which may happen within the next presidents term. But Sinn Fein is believed to be more focused on a serious run at the office in 2025, by which point they could be bolstered after a proposed referendum in 2019 on extending voting rights to the Irish diaspora. The leaders of Turkey and Russia are meeting in Sochi on Monday for hastily arranged talks over the fate of Syrias last major rebel stronghold. For now the impending offensive on Idlib province, touted for weeks by Damascus and its Russian and Iranian backers, appears to be on hold as a result of Turkish diplomatic agitation and military manoeuvres. Turkey is struggling to prevent an onslaught by pro-Damascus forces on the rebel-held Idlib province, but its moves may have also escalated the potential dangers of the conflict. We will continue our efforts with Iran and with Russia, Turkeys foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a press conference in Islamabad late last week. We will continue our efforts on international platforms as well. In recent days, Turkey has begun fortifying positions in Idlib ahead of the Russian-backed Syrian government offensive. Turkey has amassed armoured vehicles, artillery guns, and tanks along the border with Syria, with some equipment moving across the frontier, according to Turkish news outlets and video footage posted to the internet. It has transferred arms and ammunition to its Free Syria Army (FSA) rebel allies, pro-Ankara newspapers reported, though some experts say the distribution of weapons wont affect the outcome of any conflict. A Syrian rebel fighter takes part in combat training in the northern countryside of the Idlib province on 11 September in anticipation for an upcoming government forces offensive (Getty) Turkey has also begun to bolster a dozen outposts it operates in and around Idlib with additional troops and military vehicles. The military positions were set up in cooperation with Russia and Iran as mechanisms worked out during a series of talks that began in the Kazakh capital of Astana to monitor local truce deals. Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive Show all 13 1 /13 Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive A Syrian protester waves a flag of the opposition as during a protest against the regime and its ally Russia, in the rebel-held town of Maaret al-Numan in the north of Idlib province AFP/Getty Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive Syrian rebel fighters from the recently-formed "National Liberation Front" stand guard over a trench as rebels prepare defensive positions in anticipation for an upcoming government forces offensive AFP/Getty Images Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive AFP/Getty Images Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive Syrian rebel fighters pile-up sandbags AFP/Getty Images Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive AFP/Getty Images Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive A Syrian rebel fighter looks through an embrasure in a make-shift bunker AFP/Getty Images Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive AFP/Getty Images Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive Syrian rebel fighters walk through a trench AFP/Getty Images Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive A Syrian protester waves a flag of the opposition AFP/Getty Images Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive A Syrian rebel fighter stands guard over a trench AFP/Getty Images Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive AFP/Getty Images Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive AFP/Getty Images Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive AFP/Getty Images These 12 observation points were equipped with limited military equipment and their main role was to monitor the agreement done in Astana, said Nawar Oliver, a Syria specialist at the Omran Institute for Strategic Studies, a think tank in Istanbul. At the moment when the regime started to mobilise its forces around Idlib, Turkey started to send reinforcements to some of these points. Syrian forces aided by Russian air power could easily overrun the outposts. But Turkeys moves have upped the geopolitical cost of any attempt to take Idlib by the pro-Assad camp that includes Russia, Iran, and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, as well as Iraqi Shia militias backed by Tehran. Around three million Syrians live in Idlib province, a hilly agricultural region by the Turkish border. Many of the displaced have resettled in the province from other parts of the country or were forcibly relocated there from opposition enclaves recaptured by Damascus. Turkey, the primary patron of the Syrian opposition and the host to 3.5 million displaced Syrians, has vehemently opposed the regime offensive to retake Idlib. The US and Europe have urged a political solution over Idlib and warned against the military campaign. US envoy to the UN Nikki Haley repeated warnings that any use of chemical weapons by the regime would trigger a response by Washington. The UK on Saturday warned of an impending humanitarian crisis amid reports of attacks on hospitals and clinics in rebel-held territory. The UK has been clear that a man-made catastrophe in Idlib is entirely avoidable, Alistair Burt, Middle East minister, said in a a press release. We support the urgent diplomatic efforts being made by Turkey and the UN. Ankara worries in part that another bloody confrontation in Syria could flood Turkey and Europe with hundreds of thousands of fresh refugees. Airstrikes in in Idlib, northwestern Syria Already, thousands of displaced Syrians have relocated from the southern edges of Idlib and northern Hama province to the Turkish-controlled Afrin district adjacent to the border, said a source in Afrin. On Friday, Turkey hosted a meeting of French, German and Russian officials ahead of a possible meeting of those countries leaders over Idlib. In addition to a possible confrontation between pro-Assad forces and Turkey, Idlib could be the flashpoint for a conflict with jihadi forces that dominate parts of the province. In recent days, al-Qaedas international supporters on social media have also blasted fellow jihadis in Idlib for allowing Turkey to dispatch armoured vehicles and trucks carrying tanks into Syria, as depicted in videos posted on social media. A 13 September statement signed by 15 prominent al-Qaeda supporters questioned Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the jihadi group that is a dominant player in Idlib, for granting Turkey access to the province. Mr Oliver suggested Turkey could be bolstering the observation points for fear of attacks by jihadis as well as to stymie Damascuss offensive. The internal problems for Idlib are huge, he said. We are talking about an area that has FSA factions, HTS, you have Isis cells, you have other small entities. For now Turkeys moves have complicated plans to retake Idlib. Syrian civilians have begun to mass around the bolstered observation points in hopes that they wont be struck by government and Russian warplanes. "Thousands of Syrians who have fled the attacks of the regime and Russia are settling in the areas where the Turkish army's military posts are, because they think it is safe," the pro-government Vatan newspaper reported, publishing photos showing people purported to be sheltering near the outposts. On Friday, for the second week in a row, thousands of Syrians in the province took to the streets in peaceful, colourful demonstrations that recalled the first months of the 2011 uprising against the Assad familys decades-long dictatorship. For the time being, everything is postponed, Mr Oliver said. There is no final agreement and no final disagreement. I was born in 1955, just three and a half years after my sister. She received her state pension at the age of 61, but mine has been deferred twice, until the age of 66. In fact anyone born after October 1954 will now have a state pension age (SPA) of 66 or more. The detractors from the Backto60 and Waspi campaigns say that ignorance is not an excuse, but I was genuinely not aware of the 1995 Pension Act or the fact that it had increased my SPA. At the age of 40 in 1995, I was still 20 years away from my expected pension date, so not surprisingly retirement was probably the last thing on my mind. In my opinion, anything as significant as the first change to SPA in 70 years should, without doubt, have warranted a personal letter to those affected, way back in 1995 when it happened and not leave it to chance that us 1950s ladies, who are affected, would find out. They say information was in the Financial Times but what normal mother of three would be reading that at the breakfast table? Benefit agencies apparently had a few leaflets, but these werent sent out to individuals affected, so if you had no contact with them, how were we supposed to know? In 2006 I received an Automatic State Pension Forecast (ASPF) that estimated the amount of state pension I would receive, but this did NOT advise me of the new age or date, so nothing alerted me to the fact that anything had changed. We also now know that the government did not advise anyone by letter until 2009, and then apparently only to those born in the years 1950-53. Why then? And why just select few birth years? Nobody seems to want to answer this important question. The latter 1950s-born women are affected far more. I did not receive ANY letter, not even the one they say was sent to me (after the 2011 Pension Act) in February 2012. This would have given me just three years notice of a six-year hike to my SPA, but I only found out because I requested an ASPF for myself in early 2013, the same year that my husband was due to retire at 65. I expected mine at 60 in February 2015. This was the first indication that I was affected by both the 1995 and 2011 increases, and would now have to wait until February 2021, when I reached my 66th birthday. We have to rely mainly on my husbands pension to get by from month to month. Having my own state pension would make all the difference and also give me back my independence. We are just above the limit for benefit help, so instead, we are having to use the small amount of savings we have, those savings that we were relying on to see us through our final years. I will lose out on over 40,000 and will never have the chance to recoup this lost income. To target one generation, especially as many 1950s women like myself didnt have equality in the workplace or the opportunities to be high flyers, is wrong. Many had to look after children or parents, as the childcare facilities and care werent available like they are now. Instead, these same women are going to food banks to survive and even losing the homes that they have worked their entire lives for. As if that wasnt enough, 1950s women have also been hit by the increase in the number of national insurance contribution years now required from 2016, and since July this year, the pension credit rules have also changed so that a couple cannot now claim until they both reach the SPA. Is there anything else the government can throw at us? 1950s women played by the book. We did everything right expecting our pensions to be paid just like the seven generations before us, yet our only crime, it seems, was to be born in the 1950s. Rosina Pain-Tolin Langport, Somerset No appetite for a centrist party Although your Sunday front page headline and the headline of the relevant article both state that the electorate is ready to vote for a new centrist party, this is not what the survey found, is it? In fact, we learned that BMG asked some 1,500 people whether they were ready to think about voting for a new party, with 43 per cent saying they would consider voting for a new centre-ground party. I expect many, many people have considered voting for the present centre ground party, the Lib Dems, but have decided against it. We are also told that a third of people who voted for Jeremy Corbyn in the last general election would support Labour splitting up as a party. This could be because they are absolutely sickened by the relentless, destructive and very personal attacks upon the leadership by certain vitriolic people in the party, and this third may feel that Labour would be well rid of them if thats the way they behave. Wishful thinking by journalists is not the same thing as facts. Penny Little Great Haseley, Oxfordshire We should avoid another referendum I regularly hear from many die-hard Remainers that holding the EU referendum was wrong for many reasons. According to them, it was too complex to be laid out in the form of a simple Remain-Leave question. In addition to that, the issues being discussed were too difficult for the ordinary person to comprehend. Well, if this was the case, why are many of these very same people calling for a second referendum, where trying to understand the finite details of the deal will be even more complicated and the question will still have to be formatted in a very similar way? It seems to me that hypocrisy is surfacing. Holding a second referendum is not about doing what is in the countrys interest but more about what is in the interests of those who did not get what they wanted the first time asking. We should want to avoid another referendum which could be potentially as divisive as the first, and lead to popular disillusionment for generations to come in areas that voted strongly to leave. In 1975, the majority voted to join the common market and this was acted upon. In 2016, the majority chose to leave the EU. For the sake of restoring faith in our democracy, this should be carried out too. Lewis Chinchen Sheffield A matter of human rights I can only assume that the City of London Corporation has a very short memory, or they are totally unaware of political machinations outside of the UK. If this is not the case, then why on Earth are they honouring the wife of Turkish president Recep Erdogan? Yes, the one that does not understand human rights. This travesty is up there in the premier division of travesties along with Aung San Suu Kyi receiving the Nobel prize bewilderingly still not revoked and remember last year when some totally out-of-touch individual suggested Robert Mugabe as goodwill ambassador for the World Health Organisation? It is hardly surprising that the man on the street thinks that the elite are out of touch and that so-called awards are just one big gravy train. Disgraceful. Robert Boston Kingshill, Kent Knickerbocker Glory In reference to this article about Vince Cables Brexit warning, it seems that the UK under the heat of Brexit is akin to a Fortnum & Mason knickerbocker glory ice cream melting in the heat of the sun! Where is the real substance of a no-deal economy? Sweet perhaps for some, but too fluid for long term structural resilience. Amali De Silva-Mitchell Windsor, Berkshire Abortion clinic buffer zones I am so disappointed that Sajid Javid has decided not to put in place buffer zones around abortion clinics. Despite J Longstaffs view (letters) that I should therefore be ashamed of myself, I most certainly am not. I was surprised to read in his letter that my valid and reasonable view that all women who take the very personal, very difficult decision to have an abortion should be allowed respect, space, peace and privacy could be considered to constitute intolerance. I was even more surprised to read that I may, on the basis of this view, be both liberal and bigoted. Ill happily admit to being liberal. Ill work on being less bigoted. Beryl Wall London, W4 Today, Ruth Davidson made political history. It wont qualify as her most significant. For the pregnant leader of the Scottish Conservatives saviour of her party in a nation where the very word Tory had been an obscenity for decades only becoming prime minister could do that. And this, Davidson tells The Sunday Times, will never happen. The tiny slice of history lay in her dismissal of the rumour that she has a cunning plan to come south and replace Theresa May. B*****ks, she responded to that in what I believe is the first incidence of a British mainstream party leader using a swear word on the record. A few inches across the same papers front page, meanwhile, another interviewee, Ms May, is quoted saying: That choice of language is completely inappropriate. Its not language I would have used. Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Show all 14 1 /14 Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Internal divisions in the Conservative Party have exploded into a bitter public row over Boris Johnsons disgusting criticism of Theresa May. Some senior Tories furiously denounced the former foreign secretary after he accused the prime minister of having wrapped a suicide vest around Britain Reuters Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Sajid Javid, Home secretary Sajid Javid, the home secretary, rebuked his former cabinet colleague and said: I think there are much better ways to articulate your differences. He told the BBCs Andrew Marr Show that the public wanted politicians to use measured language BBC/PA Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide But other MPs leapt to Mr Johnsons defence, as dividing lines ahead of a possible leadership contest begin to take shape. The Uxbridge MP has repeatedly criticised Ms Mays Chequers plan and used a newspaper article on Sunday to suggest it amounted to wrapping a suicide vest around the British constitution. His latest salvo at the prime minister prompted immediate condemnation, with one minister publicly vowing to end Mr Johnsons career over the matter PA Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Alan Duncan, Foreign minister Alan Duncan, a foreign minister who worked in Mr Johnsons team for two years, wrote on Twitter: For Boris to say the PMs view is like that of a suicide bomber is too much. This marks one of the most disgusting moments in modern British politics. Im sorry, but this is the political end of Boris Johnson. If it isnt now, I will make sure it is later. Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide James Brokenshire, Housing secretary Housing secretary James Brokenshire added his voice to the criticism, calling Mr Johnsons comments wrong He said: I think he is wrong on this...I think the tone that he has used isnt right and I think that we just need to be very focused on actually moving forward with the Chequers plan. AFP/Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Zac Goldsmith But as Tory hostilities spilled over into open public warfare, Richmond Park MP Zac Goldsmith, an ally of Mr Johnson, hit back at Mr Duncan. He wrote: There are a number of possible motives behind this tweet, but given its author, we can be certain principles arent one of them. Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Jacob Rees-Mogg Senior Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg told The Independent he thought Mr Johnsons suicide belt accusation was little more than a characteristically colourful catchphrase. He added: I agree with the sentiment. The criticism of Boriss wording merely serves to highlight his point. It means more people hear of Boriss criticism of Chequers and many will agree with him. Reuters Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Nadine Dorries Nadine Dorries, another Brexit supporter, said Mr Johnsons opponents were terrified of his popular appeal, adding: Dont underestimate the vitriol thatll be directed towards Boris today. He delivered the Leave vote, Remainers and wannabe future PMs hate him. If Mr Johnson became leader and prime minister he would deliver a clean and prosperous Brexit, she said Rex Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Andrew Bridgen Andrew Bridgen said Ms May was to blame for her leadership problems. Asked if Mr Johnson had put a bomb under her leadership, Mr Bridgen said: I think that Theresa May did that herself when she put forward the Chequers proposals without consulting widely prior to that. Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Steve Baker, former Brexit minister Steve Baker, the former Brexit minister, warned Ms May the Conservatives faced a "catastrophic split" if she did not jettison her Chequers plan. Mr Baker, who quit the government in July over the scheme, said: When negotiating, the prime minister needs to demonstrate her intent and also her power to deliver. "If we come out of conference with her hoping to get Chequers through on the back of Labour votes, I think the EU negotiators would probably understand that if that were done, the Tory party would suffer the catastrophic split which thus far we have managed to avoid. But he insisted he did not want a change in the Conservative leadership, saying Brexiteers did not want to be in a position of conflict with our own prime minister Reuters Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Tom Tugendhat The deep divisions on the Tory benches were laid bare as Tom Tugendhat, who chairs the Commons foreign affairs committee and is a possible leadership rival to Mr Johnson, also hit out at the former foreign secretary. Recalling how he encountered a suicide bomber in Afghanistan during his time in the army, Mr Tugendhat told Mr Johnson to grow up. He said: A suicide bomber murdered many in the courtyard of my office in Helmand. The carnage was disgusting, limbs and flesh hanging from trees and bushes. Brave men who stopped him killing me and others died in horrific pain. Some need to grow up. Comparing the PM to that isnt happy. PA Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Alistair Burt Alistair Burt, another Foreign Office minister who worked in Mr Johnsons team, said: Im stunned at the nature of this attack. There is no justification for such an outrageous, inappropriate and hurtful analogy. If we dont stop his extraordinary use of language over Brexit, our country might never heal. Again, I say, enough. AFP/Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide It comes amid that Ms Mays former aides drew up a dossier on Mr Johnsons sexual encounters with the aim of undermining his leadership prospects. The document was compiled in 2016, when the Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP was seen as the main rival to Ms May in her bid to enter No 10. Downing Street and Conservative Campaign Headquaters (CCHQ) both denied having leaked the 4,000 word memo after it was circulated around Westminster AFP/Getty Boris Johnson 'suicide vest' Brexit jibe causes Tory divide Mr Johnson confirmed that his 25-year marriage to wife Marina had ended AP As it happens, the PM wasnt talking about Davidsons b*****ks. She was referring to Boris Johnsons accusation that shes strapped a suicide vest to the constitution with her Chequers proposals for Brexit. But even if it is purely an accident of optics, the juxtaposing of such differing linguistic styles strikes a telling contrast. One of these female Conservative leaders is a warm and natural human being with the confidence to be wholly herself even when on duty. The other, without delving into the argot of robotics, is not. If youve developed a suspicion (whatever your personal politics) that Davidson really, really ought to be the Tory national leader, nothing will cement it like the interview in which she says she never will be. There may be another dollop of political history in the credibility of that declaration. While all politicians with a shot at the top job deny the ambition, until now every denial has needed seasoning with the contents of Siberias two largest salt mines. Until the moment he challenged Ms Thatcher, Michael Heseltine used the formula no conceivable circumstances. Before he knifed Boris and ran for about three minutes himself, Michael Gove went further by offering to sign the disavowal in his own blood. Ms Davidson would not talk so flippantly about the drawing of blood. She has a history of cutting herself, as she reveals in her new memoir Yes She Can: Why Women Own the Future, and as she confirmed to interviewer Decca Aitkenhead by lifting a sleeve. Where Tony Blair theatrically claimed to have scars on my back from attempting public sector reform, Davidson has actual scars on her arms from self-harming with razors and glass during a drunken late adolescence plagued by suicidal thoughts. The potential value of that admission, at a time when depression and self-harming are more epidemic than 20 years ago, is incalculable. It isnt easy for anyone to confess to having suffered mental illness. For a political leader to speak openly about it, and of her fears about relapsing, is an epic display of personal courage. The untold thousands of young people enduring the same horror will feel normalised if they read this. They may even find light shone on their darkness by the example of someone who doesnt regard talking about it as an expression of weakness. Quite the reverse. Davidson is professionally unusual, to put it mildly, in other ways. Traditionally, top level politicians save their craving for more time with the families theyve neglected for years until their careers go into terminal decline. She is doing it when she has a viable path to Downing Street, or at the very least a major cabinet job. She also has an IVF baby in her womb (one reason to love her is the empathetic refusal to crow about the process of it working first time for her and her wife, knowing most people are less lucky). Being one of two mums, and not an absentee father figure, is her priority. On a human level, the idea that I would have a child in Edinburgh and then immediately go down to London four days a week and leave it up here is offensive, she says. On a human level, Davidson towers above her leadership non-rivals. At the age when Boris was swanning about in his Bullingdon tails, casually signing cheques to proprietors of mildly wrecked Oxford restaurants, she was engaged in a more challenging battle than one deploying bread rolls as ballistic missiles. Recommended Ruth Davidson rules out ever becoming prime minister Now, when he is so plainly willing to burn his country for power, she chooses family over ambition in a way that might be unfamiliar to him. It may have been a long shot for a devout Remainer to be elected to lead the Tories in this era. If the Stupid Party thrice rejected Ken Clarke, the last recognisably human working class Tory hero, perhaps its a stretch to imagine it plumping for her now. But her wit, lack of pomposity and socially ultra-liberal voice would have hugely benefited the Tories from any Westminster role. She saved her party last summer with the miracle of the 13 Scottish seats that let May form a minority government. She might have saved it again, and more permanently, by redefining its national image. Instead, she prefers to stay in Edinburgh (who in their right mind wouldnt? It makes Paris look like Portsmouth), and live as normal and stable a life as the job allows. I value my relationship and my mental health too much for it, she says of the premiership. I will not be a candidate. Jeremy Corbyn will be relieved that the Davidson paradox is plagiarised from the oeuvre of Joseph Heller. Anyone sane enough to be prime minister, this remarkable survivor of mental illness seems to be telling us, is too sane to want to be prime minister. New York's largest health provider is set to complete deals with three Irish medtech startups, initially worth more than 500,000. Northwell Health, led by Limerick native Michael Dowling, will use the products and systems of the Irish companies in its own network in the US. The agreements are the latest in a line of investments made by the company through a partnership with Enterprise Ireland (EI). The US business accrued revenues in excess of 11bn last year and employs more than 66,000 people across the east coast of America. Closure on the deals is expected in the coming weeks. Dowling, who sits on the North American board of the Smurfit School of Business in UCD, described the talent pool in Ireland as "unbelievable". "Being Irish and having people that work for me who are also from Ireland, we wanted to develop a relationship to invest in businesses and develop connections. Ireland was a logical place," he said. "We wanted to see how we could provide them with an avenue into the US market and also figure out how we could do some new creative things. It has been a phenomenally good relationship up to this point. It's been inspirational." Northwell has evaluated 90 Irish startups since the partnership with EI began. So far three companies, Technopath Clinical Diagnostics, i360 Medical, and Salaso Health Solutions, have gained the backing of Dowling's company. Technopath is a developer and manufacturer of quality control systems for laboratories, while Salaso provides online care software for physical rehabilitation. Both companies now have their products used throughout Northwell's network of hospitals, ambulatory services, and homecare set-ups. Technopath's systems were tested in a Northwell lab for more than a year before the US firm decided to enter into a joint venture. Dublin-based i360 acts as an incubator for ideas that can improve the current health system. Dowling was speaking ahead of a two-day EI conference in the Aviva stadium. Delegates from 15 of the most influential health firms in the US and Canada will attend and present at the event. He will also be briefing members of the HSE on the best way to address the problems in the health system, including overcrowding in hospitals. Dowling said that it will take a "complete cultural change" to move services such as imaging and surgeries outside of the country's hospitals. EI has set up the event to push its agenda of increasing exports to North America. Doreen McKeown, manager of EI's Boston and Chicago offices, said the Northwell tie-up had been "hugely beneficial". "Our strategic partnership with Northwell Health and other leading healthcare providers in the US, such as Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic, also endorses Ireland's status as a global leader in innovative healthcare solutions," she said. With Aer Lingus announcing two new routes to North America last week, it seems that carriers just can't get enough of the transatlantic market. But traditional carriers could be due some disruption, with American low-cost airline JetBlue Airways looking to do a Norwegian. The Scandinavian airline has had an effect on prices in the lower end of the market, with airline comparison site Skyscanner recently showing a 6pc drop in average flight prices from Ireland to New York since Norwegian launched its 99 (and up) one-way fares from Ireland to Stewart Airport in upstate New York. But now JetBlue, which has a reputation as a quality low-cost carrier could be looking to introduce a bargain model - but this time for the business cabin. JetBlue is familiar enough to Irish travellers, given its onward connectivity partnership with Aer Lingus at Terminal 5 at its JFK base in New York. Now chief executive Robin Hayes, in London recently for an aviation conference, has dropped some heavy hints that it's looking at a play across the pond. He grumbled to Bloomberg, and others, about "the obscene fares that carriers are charging in that market" and boasted that his airline - America's sixth-biggest - could "bring price discipline". JetBlue's business-class offering, Mint, was rolled out on US coast-to-coast routes and the Caribbean back in 2014 and features lie-flat beds, free wifi and 'artisanal' food offering - at what Hayes said helped halve the price of business travel. And the price drop has been even more dramatic for advance-purchase tickets on such routes - from $2,000 (1,720) to $599 (516). And that's why Hayes has branded as "obscene" last-minute business class fares from New York to London which cost from $8,000 to $10,000. As is the case with Norwegian, transatlantic routes are now more possible due to modern fuel-efficient aircraft, with JetBlue set to take delivery of 85 Airbus A321 narrow-bodies, which can be upgraded to long-range versions. And you can see where Hayes is getting his ideas, declaring Norwegian to be "a pioneer", but he sees more potential in the business travel market, not slugging it out in the economy sector. It had been rumoured earlier this year that JetBlue was considering rivalling its international partner, Aer Lingus, by introducing a service from the US to Ireland, but now the word from the airline is that it is looking to fly from Boston to the London area, most likely Gatwick or Stansted airports. +++ Another week, another route from Dublin - this time the news that TAP Portugal is to return to the capital, having served it in the late 1980s to 2000, and then through subsidiary Portugalia from 2003-2006. It will fly twice daily to Lisbon from March 31 next, using A319/320s, with capacity for 144 or 168 passengers. The big plus for Irish business is one-stop connectivity to 26 airports in Africa and South America, with a number of destinations served in Brazil, including the business capital of Sao Paulo. +++ It seems your humble columnist isn't the only one who forgets where he parks his car at times - with some 4,000 customers doing just that at Dublin Airport last year. That figure from the DAA is only for long-term car parks - the sprawling green, red and blue ones that are as big as small towns - and doesn't even account for the mind-bogglingly convoluted short-term ones with long hikes to the terminal if you can't get a handy spot. With almost 19,000 spaces, the airport gets an average of 11 calls a day from hapless motorists, dodging the hares as they try to beep their car doors in vain. Now help is at hand with the airport introducing colour-coded luggage tags, which includes space to fill in the zone and row where your vehicle is parked. You can find the tags at the shuttle bus stops in the red, green and blue car parks - but don't forget a pen to fill them out. If you don't like all that paper trail, you can follow my lead and take a snap on the phone's camera, or you can also geotag where you've parked via the Dublin Airport app. Gardai have been accused of failing to pursue people who make false insurance claims. Insurers said they handed gardai files on scores of fraudulent claims in 2016, but nothing has been done since. Junior Minister Michael D'Arcy, who is responsible for insurance, said he was "displeased" with the failure of gardai to prosecute insurance fraudsters. Businesses claim they are being besieged by fraudulent personal injury claims, and are often forced to pay legal costs even when they win. Insurance Ireland's Kevin Thompson said members of the representative organisation handed over 167 files on fraudulent cases in 2016. The cases were "resting" with gardai and it was not clear if there have been prosecutions. "It illustrates the dysfunctionality of our personal injuries and legal framework in assessing these claims and prosecuting people. It is deeply frustrating," he told RTE's 'Prime Time'. Mr D'Arcy said he was disappointed gardai were not showing more willingness to go after insurance fraudsters but denied there was any need for new legislation. "Unfortunately, whether I am pleased or not with An Garda Siochana not prosecuting people for obvious fraud, I can't instruct them. It is up to the gardai." Critics of the system argue there is no consequence for those who make false claims, whereas businesses have to pay legal costs to defend trumped-up claims. But Mr D'Arcy said there were sufficient sanctions in the Civil Liability and Courts Act 2004, which allows for 10 years in jail or a fine. He denied he was opposed to Government plans to put in place a dedicated Garda fraud unit, to be funded by insurance companies but be independent of them. He said he had a problem with the funding model, not the concept. Peter Boland, of the Alliance for Insurance Reform, said businesses are besieged by fraudulent claims, and have to pay legal costs, even when they win. He said members have taken cases with CCTV footage to gardai, but the cases have not come to court. Small firms lobby group ISME said: "The Government isn't just ignoring this legalised theft. By its inaction, it is encouraging it." A Garda spokesman said: "There was never a decision made by An Garda Siochana not to investigate insurance fraud complaints. Each complaint is assessed on its merits. Where investigations are subsequently conducted, files are forwarded to the DPP. "Alleged cases of insurance fraud are reported by insurance companies to superintendents throughout the country and not just to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau. In that context, it is not possible for this bureau to confirm whether 167 cases of insurance fraud have been reported to An Garda Siochana at this time." One of Samsung's most senior female members of staff has called on other women to "challenge the status quo" in the technology industry. The Korean tech giant's chief marketing officer YH Lee said she has noticed a growth in the number of senior female executives in recent years, and hopes to see it continue. "When I first joined Samsung in 2007, I was the only female executive in the mobile business," she said. "Even before, when I worked for a global cosmetic company, it is very rare to see female executives at a high-level position. "We have seen a great increase in senior female leaders since then and now Samsung has a strong presence of remarkably talented female management. "The increase of more and more female executives is exciting, and I hope that we see even more women in leadership roles in the future - not just at Samsung but across the industry." Overall, women in senior roles remain a rarity in the tech sector, something that been attributed to a range of factors across different age groups. According to women's advocate group Women in Tech, just 17% of technology industry workers in the UK are female, with many pointing to a need to encourage more girls into STEM subjects while still at school, showing them the sector's viability as a career choice. Ms Lee said it is important for young women to become experts in their field in order to reach the higher levels of the industry. "For young, female professionals who want to grow further, my advice is simple; to become experts in their area regardless of their gender," she said. "I hope to see more women colleagues achieve their full potential and strive to achieve higher responsibilities. I encourage young women just starting out to bring themselves, their own personality, and to challenge the status quo." Within the fast-moving world of technology, artificial intelligence and connected smart homes are being increasingly discussed - an area Ms Lee believes Samsung is well placed to succeed in the years to come. "With our diverse product portfolio and business scale, we are uniquely positioned to bring a truly connected AI platform to life," she said. "Samsung is the only company in the world with full product categories across technology sectors, from semiconductors to home appliances to network equipment." The firm has pledged to make all its devices connected by 2020, and can already count smart ovens, fridges and washing machines among its smart appliances alongside smartphones and tablets. "Our strength lies in our ability to listen to our customers, to provide a vast line of product offerings, and to connect AI services across our entire line of products," Ms Lee added. "Our business strengths reach beyond product portfolio and scale. Through the SmartThings app, SmartThings Cloud and Bixby, we're working to build an IoT platform that promises an intelligent and seamless experience for a truly connected living." Last month the company confirmed it is working on its first smart speaker - the Galaxy Home - which will look to challenge the likes of the Amazon Echo, Google Home and Apple HomePod, which have led a large increase in the number of smart devices appearing in homes. One in 10 UK homes now own a smart device, and with firms such as Samsung placing more focus on the device area, that figure is likely to increase in years to come. Serial entrepreneur and former BBC Dragons' Den star James Caan is planning a series of investments in Irish recruitment firms to take advantage of what he believes will be a massive influx of post-Brexit jobs here. Caan's latest company, Recruitment Entrepreneur (RE), which backs early to mid-stage firms, has just invested in specialist Dublin recruiter 360 Search and expects to invest in three more firms by the end of the year. "We think, for us, Ireland will become the hub for Europe," Caan told the Sunday Independent in an interview. "I'm seeing a huge amount of interest in financial services that have identified Ireland as a very exciting market prospective," he said. Caan said RE would invest several million euro in Ireland. "As a business, we had identified Ireland in January and said if Brexit goes the way we think it is, we think growth opportunities are going to be quite attractive. I estimate the financial services alone will create between 10,000 to 20,000 jobs." He said RE was in discussions with several companies. "I'm extremely optimistic that we will probably back three further businesses in the market covering different specialisms of the economy because we recognise that to be able to take advantage of the growth of the Irish economy, you've got to be cross-section in terms of the services you provide. So, we're looking at the entrepreneurial market, the venture capital market, private equity and FMCG." Lynda Barnes, managing director of 360 Search, which specialises in pensions and asset management, said that backing from RE would allow the company to hire senior new staff, establish a consultancy division and look at setting up operations in London and elsewhere. Dermot Bolger was 18 when he met the 73-year-old Sheila Fitzgerald at her caravan in a Mayo field. Despite the 55-year age gap, they became friends and remained so until her death in 2000. From the start, the young writer was fascinated by her personal history as the penniless descendant of a Protestant landed gentry family in Donegal and as a woman who had endured a long and unhappy marriage and had suffered various tragedies of her own. These included the disappearances and deaths of brothers, along with the suicides of her son and her faraway daughter and the accidental death of her beloved young granddaughter, and yet the elderly woman whom the author came to know had an extraordinary openness to life and its possibilities. Five years after her death, he shaped the first part of her life into a novel, The Family on Paradise Pier, and in his latest book he takes up the story again, opening with a scene in which she leaves her husband at the age of 46 and concluding with her demise at the age of 97. In the novels he retains her real married name but changes her first name to Eva, and he also changes the first names of her brothers, husband and children, though the story is essentially that of Sheila Fitzgerald's life. Yet his decision to shape these books as novels means that the reader doesn't know which incidents and conversations are made up and which really happened. Does this matter? Possibly not, and certainly the author's storytelling verve means that this new book is full of engrossing scenes, as Eva, aspiring writer and activist for good causes, moves in middle-age from Mayo to Dublin, and then to Spain, the Isle of Wight, Kenya, London and finally Wexford. The portraits of son Francis and daughter Hazel are especially vivid, but there are longueurs, too, and no amount of storytelling skill can disguise the fact that the lives of Eva and her family clearly have a much deeper resonance for the author than they can reasonably have for the reader. University town: Wroclaw used to be called Breslau under the Habsburgs It was in Wrocaw in Poland on Tuesday night that the Republic of Ireland football team found its feet again. Wrocaw used to be Breslau under the Habsburgs and the Prussian monarchy, then the Weimar Republic, and finally the Third Reich. I've a German friend who was born in Breslau in 1939. He was evacuated as a child when World War II came close, and grew up in the west. With the Iron Curtain firmly in place, he was never able to go back to his home town. He was 60 when the Berlin Wall fell. Only then could he connect once more with family who'd been left behind. Breslau, now Wrocaw, has a proud history. It's the biggest city in the historical region of Silesia, in the south-west of Poland. Its university, founded over 300 years ago, and renowned for its scientific research, has produced no fewer than nine Nobel laureates. One of them was Max Born, a Breslau native, whose research in quantum mechanics won him the Royal Swedish Academy's Prize in Physics in 1954. Born's grandfather was a wealthy Breslau businessman by the name of Salomon Kauffmann, and he was a huge music fan. At this time - the 1870s - one of the biggest names around was Johannes Brahms. Herr Kauffmann put pressure on the authorities at the university. They should be honouring the composer with an honorary PhD. Though Brahms was a regular in the city, and was happy to accept the doctorate, he didn't actually turn up for the ceremony. Video of the Day This was a bit of a disappointment, to put it mildly. The university thought there might have been some special music to celebrate the occasion. Brahms got the message, but the best part of two years would pass before the newly-minted doctor would deliver his celebratory concert. This was the premiere of his Academic Festival Overture, a piece more festive than academic, for it was, as the composer himself descibed it, basically a lively medley of student songs. Of course, there's a lot more to it than that. It's 10 minutes of orchestral magnificence, a powerful piece de resistance, and a favourite in the Brahms repertoire to this very day. Poland's favourite musical son, Frederic Chopin, made his mark in Breslau, too. He visited on several occasions, and gave a rare public performance in the city. Chopin, whose compositions are inextricably linked to the piano - everything he ever wrote features the instrument in some guise - was a bit of an oddity as a pianist in that he really didn't fancy the show. His preferred venues were the drawing rooms of the houses of friends. Over the course of his career, he only ever gave 30 concerts. One of those was in Breslau. A little before Chopin, Carl Maria von Weber - best remembered for Der Freischutz, the first successful German opera - came to the city as a raw 17-year-old to take on the post of music director at the municipal theatre. It was a pretty astonishing appointment, and he lasted only two years. His professional difficulties were compounded by a dreadful accident. He nearly killed himself when he took a drink from a wine bottle that his father had been using to store engraving acid. He survived, but his voice was destroyed. It's ironic that von Weber's singing career should have ended in what is now Wrocaw. The principal musical event in the city whose Latin name is Vratislavia is a choral festival - Wratislavia Cantans. The 53rd edition - 10 days of music showcasing the human voice, which has featured top international artists over the years - reaches its climax tomorrow night with a performance of Verdi's Requiem. George Hamilton presents The Hamilton Scores on RTE lyric fm from 10am each Saturday and Sunday The tenants had removed the curtains, light fittings and all furniture from the property Ann re-entered the property in July to discover all the white goods, curtains and light fittings removed from the property An image of the property in the initial rental ad Inset: Ann re-entered the property in July to discover all the white goods, curtains and light fittings removed from the property/Photo: Cork courthouse A landlord has admitted she "would do things differently" after she lost at least 25,000 in an 18-month battle to remove rent-dodging tenants from her property. Ann, who does not wish to be named for legal reasons, is owed 18,000 in rent arrears and has spent 6,000 cleaning and refurnishing the property since their departure. She still does not know what her legal bills will cost. Expand Close An image of the property in the initial rental ad / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp An image of the property in the initial rental ad "I do not believe well get any of the money back but I would like some sort of justice. We had no idea it would take as long to get them out, that they would be so stubborn and that the process would be so slow," Ann said. She now says she "may not have followed the law" if she had been aware of the process ahead. Since her ordeal, she said she has heard stories of landlords changing door locks, taking front doors off their hinges and paying tenants cash-in-hand in a bid to make them leave. Ann and her husband invested in the property in Cork as part of a pension plan and began renting to the family of three, a single mother with a grown-up son and a younger child, in December 2015. "It was complicated as the rent was going into a pension trust, managed by a trust account and we didnt have visibility on this account," she said. "It was a few months before we discovered there wasnt any rent being paid. We found out when the tenant herself told us she was a bit behind. Expand Close Ann re-entered the property in July to discover all the white goods, curtains and light fittings removed from the property / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ann re-entered the property in July to discover all the white goods, curtains and light fittings removed from the property "I thought she had just missed a month, I said it was fine and to catch up in the next couple of weeks. "When I checked with the pension fund trustees there had been four months unpaid at this stage and we were already on the backfoot." The landlord said the property management agency recommended giving them another chance and so they renegotiated the terms of the rent. "The tenants seemed so plausible and we werent keen on pushing a family out when there was a child involved." Expand Close The tenants had removed the curtains, light fittings and all furniture from the property / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The tenants had removed the curtains, light fittings and all furniture from the property The tenants paid rent for the next few months but then the payments stopped again. It was February 2017 and they had now been in the property over a year. Ann had also received three noise complaints from neighbours of the tenants. "The whole process was just so upsetting for us. They claimed they had no money, a run of bad luck and a sick relative. In the meantime, on the sons Twitter it was plainly obvious they had money," Ann said. The tweets, seen by Independent.ie, detail a number of trips abroad, how he was buying tickets for Electric Picnic, going on nights out with friends and his "addiction" to online shopping. "We felt there were two options available to us; we could follow the legal process or we could have locked them out. Expand Close Tenants dumped rubbish in the rooms before they left / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Tenants dumped rubbish in the rooms before they left "If we went with the second option, we ran the risk of a potential fine of 20,000 from the Residents Tenancy Board (RTB). In our mind that wasnt an option so we made the decision to follow the legal process." They then began an 18-month long process involving the RTB, solicitor, courts and constant communication with the family. Following two notices of arrears which were ignored by the tenants and two postponed meetings with the RTB, the board finally made a decision in Anns favour in December 2017 and issued a termination order. "The tenants had disengaged from the process. This was a stressful period where promises of payment never materialised and the tenants remained in the property," Ann said. Despite the RTB issuing a termination order the tenants still refused to leave. Anns solicitor immediately began gathering information to bring the case to court, but it was over four months before the circuit court could hear the case. In May 2018 the circuit court in Cork found in the landlord's favour. The tenants were told to comply with the RTB order, to comply with the rent payments, to pay the arrears and all costs to the applicants. "I thought theyd be gone by the end of the week," Ann said, "but my solicitor told me it doesnt work like that. We had to get an execution order to engage the sheriff. "The sheriff told me it would cost us 2,000 if it came to an eviction because he would have to engage the gardai and social services and for the baliff and a locksmith on the day of the eviction. "Because the sheriff managed to talk them out on July 19, we didnt need to pay the 2,000." Ann walked into the property a day after the tenants left on July 20 to realise they had stripped the apartment of all the white goods, curtains, couches and light fittings. "They took anything of value and left the place strewn with rubbish," she said. "All along, we were saying at least theyre looking after the place. I remember that day. Id been so elated that they were gone and this was just another crushing blow. I dont want to sound dramatic but we were so upset." Ann reported the tenants to the gardai for theft but said she isnt optimistic about the outcome. She acknowledges that some early mistakes on their part could have been avoided. She said they should have had "better oversight" of the rent payments and should have initiated the legal process sooner. "We tried to do right by them in the beginning and now, knowing all along that they were taking advantage of us, and we could do nothing about that. "There are 18,000 in rent arrears, we have spent about 6,000 getting the place back to its original condition and, as yet, we have no idea what the solicitors fees will be." The full legal process, from the issuance of a notice of rent arrears to repossession of the house, took over 14 months in total. Ann continued; "We have strong concerns about the RTB process and the lack of information and advice available to landlords in these situations. "I would like to make landlords more aware of the process and how long it can take," she added. Gardai have launched an investigation into online threats made against a garda who policed the Take Back The City protest in Dublin last week. Gardai came under criticism as members of the public order unit - who had their faces covered - stood in front of no. 34 North Frederick Street in Dublin city centre while men in balaclavas from a private security group removed activists from the building. It has emerged that one of the gardai present was subject to threats and abusive comments, with his name and picture being shared overnight on social media. The poster allegedly found his details using "facial recognition software". Gardai have confirmed that an investigation has been launched into the post, which made claims about the gardas personal life. Expand Close PROTEST: Campaigners outside the previously occupied building in North Frederick Street. Photo: Tony Gavin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp PROTEST: Campaigners outside the previously occupied building in North Frederick Street. Photo: Tony Gavin An Garda Siochana is investigating online threats made against a Garda member working in Dublin, a garda spokesperson said. Appropriate supports have been put in place by Garda management to protect the welfare and safety of the Garda member. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris condemned the comments made, calling them completely unacceptable. Threats and intimidation against Garda members who are only doing their job to keep people safe and uphold lawful order are completely unacceptable, Mr Harris said. I utterly condemn it." Communications Director of the GRA John O'Keeffe said that the association "unequivocally condemns" the threats against those working as public servants at the recent North Frederick Street protest, including any derogatory comments. "They have led to vile social media abuse and threats where our members, and often their families are intentionally identified. "The GRA Membership go to work everyday as public servants, equipped with little more than an extendible baton and pepper spray to defend themselves and the public." The Association also acknowledged Commissioner Drew Harris's condemnation of the abuse. "We look forward to working with him to ensure that such threats against our membership and indeed all public and civil servants, involved in the enforcement of court orders, are fully investigated and processed in accordance with the law," said Mr Harris. Read More RTE came under fire over the weekend after actor John Connors labelled gardai as scum on the Late Late Show on Friday. In the clip, which has since been removed from the RTE player, Connors accused gardai of helping ex-loyalist paramilitaries to carry out the eviction on North Frederick Street. "RTE cut this from their online version. I guess the truth hurts. Scum, Connors posted on social media yesterday. RTE declined to comment when contacted by Independent.ie. Last week, Mr Harris addressed the issue of gardai wearing hoods during a peaceful protest, saying the form of dress used at the event "was not correct". In a statement released on Thursday, Mr Harris said: "At the start of this event, An Garda Siochana deployed three community policing officers to oversee the safe compliance of a High Court order. "As the atmosphere at the event grew more tense, a small number of public order officers were deployed to ensure public safety. The use of a fire-retardant hood by public order officers is a matter for the operational commander on the ground and is designed to protect the safety of our members based on a risk assessment. However, the form of dress used at the event was not correct. "I have requested a report from Assistant Commissioner, DMR, to see what lessons can be learnt from the event. "Members of An Garda Siochana showed restraint in the face of physical and verbal abuse from a very small minority and I condemn the racist abuse suffered by an individual member of An Garda Siochana working at the event. Read More Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan, said that the online naming of the garda "serves to highlight the challenges facing Gardai in upholding the law on our behalf". "Threats against them are threats against the rule of law and not acceptable. I expect the matter will be fully investigated by Gardai," he said. Met Eireann has warned of "high intensity" rainfall on Monday as Storm Helene crosses Ireland's path. The national forecaster has issued a status yellow rainfall warning that is due to come into force at midday tomorrow. Galway and Mayo are the counties affected, and have been warned of a risk of flooding, as up to 40mm of rainfall is expected. The remnants of the ex-tropical storm are expected to pass over Ireland on Monday night, bringing with it lots of rain overnight and strong winds. Expand Close This enhanced satellite image made available by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Florence, upper left, in the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2018 at 3:30 p.m. EDT. At center is Tropical Storm Isaac and at right is Hurricane Helene. (NOAA via AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp This enhanced satellite image made available by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Florence, upper left, in the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2018 at 3:30 p.m. EDT. At center is Tropical Storm Isaac and at right is Hurricane Helene. (NOAA via AP) Met Eireann added that it is possible that yellow warning criteria may apply to counties Cork, Waterford, Wexford, Wicklow, Dublin, Meath and Louth as time goes on. "On Monday night the remnants of tropical storm Helene will pass over the country. This is expected to bring high intensity rainfall over a short timeframe," a spokesperson for Met Eireann said this morning. "Winds associated with the storm are currently expected to be strongest at sea and along the south and southeast coasts, with winds overland expected to be moderate to fresh, easterly in direction at first, then becoming cyclonic variable as the eye of the storm passes over." Latest reports show that the storm, which will weaken to ex-tropical status this afternoon, is currently located to the north of the Azores at approximately 43N and 28W. It will continue to track northeastwards towards Ireland through the rest of today and Monday. It is likely that Monday will see the worst of the storm remnants, with rain expected to spread eastwards quickly across the country and will be heavy in many areas for a time with a risk of spot flooding. Tuesday will start off windy with temperatures between 16 and 20 degrees. It will be mostly dry throughout the day, but the rain is set to return on Tuesday night. "Tuesday night will be wet again with another spell of rain approaching with lowest temperatures 9 or 10 degrees," the national forecasters said. Heavy rain is expected on Wednesday, but conditions are set to pick up by Thursday afternoon as the last of the storm passes over. "Wednesday is currently looking like being a wet day with heavy rain and strong southwest winds. The winds will back southerly during the day. "Thursday is currently looking like the better of the days with rain clearing to showers and winds easing light southwest to west for a time. They will increase again later." Met Eireann said that they will continue to "monitor the situation" today. "Short interval intense rainfall may occur in places, but due to the speed at which the system is moving through, it is not envisaged at this stage that a rain warning will be required, although this aspect will continue to be examined more closely once our high resolution model guidance becomes available on Sunday. "Met Eireann forecasters will continue to monitor the situation and issue warnings, as required, closer to the time." Meanwhile in the US, the death toll from Storm Florence has risen to 11 after catastrophic flooding hit North Carolina. At least 29 have been killed from Typhoon Mangkhut in the Philippines. Murder victim Jastine Valdez and her family will be remembered today at one of the biggest annual gatherings of Filipino people in Ireland. Hundreds of Filipinos who live in Ireland will be joined by Irish friends at the Feast of Our Lady of Penafrancia at St Josephs Church in Berkeley Road, Dublin. An outdoor procession at 1pm will be followed by a 2pm Mass with refreshments afterwards. A special prayer for the intentions of the bereaved family of Ms Valdez will be included during the Mass. The 24-year-old student, who lived in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow, was abducted and murdered by Mark Hennessy last May. She had moved to Ireland to join her parents three years ago. They had come here to work in the 1990s, sending their wages home to their family in the Philippines with the hope that they could provide for all their daughter's "hopes and dreams". Ms Valdez studied accounting and finance at Tallaght IT, working part-time jobs, such as a carer, and in a restaurant in Bray, Co Wicklow, to fund her studies. A major row on class has erupted in the heart of government over plans to build thousands of social and affordable houses across the country. At a heated Cabinet meeting last Wednesday, Independent Alliance Minister Finian McGrath accused Fine Gael ministers of having a "mindset" which is opposed to delivering social and affordable housing. Mr McGrath told Fine Gael Cabinet colleagues they need to "stop looking down their noses" at social housing as it was having an impact across society and painting a negative image of people living in council houses. Mr McGrath's comments sparked a furious reaction from his Fine Gael colleagues who insisted the party had no objection to social housing. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was the first to hit back at the Independent minister and told him it was "untrue and unfair" to say Fine Gael was opposed to the development of social housing. Rural Affairs Minister Michael Ring angrily told Mr McGrath he was "proud" to have been born and raised in a council house in Westport, Co Mayo. However, Mr Ring also warned that the Government's new land agency should prioritise delivering houses for working people on low incomes rather than providing new homes for those "who never work and never will work". Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty also took deep offence to Mr McGrath's comments and reminded him she was born and raised in Ballymun, in north Dublin. Ms Doherty told Mr McGrath he should not make "sweeping and unqualified statements" about other ministers. "There was blood on the Cabinet floor once Finian decided to have a go at us over social housing," a Fine Gael Cabinet minister said. The row was sparked during a debate on the introduction of a mammoth new State land agency which the Government hopes will deliver 150,000 new homes in the next 20 years. The Land Development Agency (LDA) will acquire a massive land portfolio by using its 1.25bn budget to buy up State-owned and privately held sites. Under the plans agreed by Cabinet last week, 40pc of all developments delivered by the agency must be social (10pc) and affordable housing (30pc). However, the powerful new body has sparked serious concerns within Government and is causing divisions among ministers. One senior Government source yesterday said the agency had the "potential to become another Irish Water". Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy, who is facing a vote of no confidence when the Dail returns, has staked his reputation on the agency. At the launch of the LDA, the Taoiseach said its introduction "will be as significant as the decision to set up ESB or Aer Lingus". However, one senior Fine Gael minister yesterday said the Government's housing strategy was "dangerous" and could lead to the development of ghettos across the country. "If we keep continuing the way we are, we are going build ghettos, because we are housing all these people who not employed and will never be employed because they don't want to be employed," the minister said. "We used to build houses for working people but now it's all people with no income in the one area. There needs to be mix of people in housing estates so we can bring working people with us," the minister added. Another minister said there were "more holes in Murphy's plan than there are houses being built". Ministers were also increasingly worried over the costs of establishing the new agency. In the memo he brought to Cabinet, Mr Murphy said the agency will need to offer enticing employment terms to ensure they can attract the level of expertise needed to deliver the objectives set out in his plan. "The LDA will require flexibility on terms and conditions of employment in order to attract and retain the necessary skillset," it said. One senior Government source said: "You are looking at paying top dollar to get in all these experts and it will be an Irish Water set-up with big salaries and bonuses." Transport Minister Shane Ross snubbed the launch of the LDA in Department of Social Protection last Thursday, due to concerns he has about the new agency. Land held by the Department of Transport will be central to the LDA's development plans. Mr Ross recently wrote to every agency under his remit asking them to set out their land portfolios. However, it is understood Mr Ross does not believe a new State agency is needed to develop new houses. President Michael D. Higgins might be on track for a landslide vote to re-elect him as president, a new poll has shown. Some 67pc of those who took part said they would give the current president their first preference, according to the Sunday Business Post/Red C poll. This is a huge amount compared to his opposing candidates, with Cavan-native Sean Gallagher receiving the next highest vote of 15pc. Fellow Dragons Den judge Gavin Duffy is further behind in the poll with only 6pc of voters giving him first preference, while Senator Joan Freeman receiving just 3pc. Expand Close Businessman Sean Gallagher. Photo: Gerry Mooney / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Businessman Sean Gallagher. Photo: Gerry Mooney Sinn Fein have yet to announce their chosen candidate, but 7pc of voters said they would give first preference to a Sinn Fein candidate. The party's ruling council - ard chomhairle - is meeting in Dublin later today to select its choice to run in next month's election, with Euro MP Liadh Ni Riada tipped to be top of the list. President Higgins (77) also had the highest support among 18-34-year-olds in the poll, getting 72pc of their vote. He also received 65pc of 35-54-year-old's vote and 65pc of those over the age of 55. Meanwhile, a low show of support was given to journalist Gemma ODoherty and businessman Peter Casey, who both received only 1pc of first preference votes in the poll. According to the Sunday Business Post/Red C poll, President Higgins has the broadest pool of potential support with 70pc of those saying they would consider voting for him, compared to 20pc for Mr Gallagher. Approximately 11pc of those polled said they would consider voting for Mr Duffy, followed by 10pc for a Sinn Fein candidate and 7pc for Ms Freeman. The poll was taken over a week-long period, starting on Thursday September 6 and ending last Thursday. In a separate poll, Sunday Business Post and Red C asked participants which party or independent candidate would they give their first vote to if the general election was tomorrow. Some 33pc of participants gave it to Fine Gael, a decrease of 1pc from May 20 this year, but an increase of 7pc since the 2016 election. Votes for Independents fell from 13pc from the 2016 election to 9pc in May 2018, but support has crept back up to 13pc as of September 16. Fianna Fail's support has dropped by three points to 22pc, its lowest level in over a year. Fine Gael and Fianna Fail are both backing Mr Higgins for a second stint, as is the Labour Party. Gavin Duffy, Joan Freeman, Presidents Higgins and Sean Gallagher are currently the four official candidates in the presidential race, with Mr Duffy receiving his fourth nomination on Friday from Waterford City and County Council. The other hopeful independent candidates have until September 26 to convince undeclared councils for their vote, with the election taking place on October 26. Protesters outside the previously occupied building in North Frederick Street during the Take Back the City Rally. Photo: Tony Gavin Organisers of the 'Take Back the City' protests have vowed they will not be stopped by forced ejection from vacant buildings and will simply move on to new targets in the capital. "There's a buffet of vacant properties in Dublin and we will have a feast if we need to," said a spokesman for the group. Dramatic scenes of balaclava-clad men smashing their way into a house in North Frederick Street has galvanised support for the protesters, the leader of the protests claimed. "The eviction has actually emboldened us, emboldened our spirit," the spokesman said. A dilapidated Georgian house in Belvedere Place, a few metres from Mountjoy Square, is the new outpost of Take Back The City. The bleak 170-year-old property was unoccupied when invaded last weekend. The group say their aim is to draw attention to the existence of large numbers of empty buildings at a time of a housing emergency. Their 'direct action' was to highlight the need for the Government to take effective action "to end the misery" of homelessness, they say. The grey-bricked terraced property is the new focal point of the protest. Placards declaring 'We will not be silenced' and 'Evict Eoghan Murphy' were fastened to the front. A knock on the blue front door by the Sunday Independent was greeted by muffled voices. Young adult voices said they would not open the door. They said a spokesman would make contact by telephone. The spokesman phoned to say he would only be identified as Aaron, a 32-year-old single man who says he has a full-time job in a Dublin restaurant and lives in rented accommodation. "We're a mass movement of concerned citizens who are sick and tired of the lack of political will from the Government to fix the housing crisis and we are taking direct action," he claimed. "We see the actions of the Government have been that the private sector will fix all of the housing crisis. We see that as unsustainable. We have a moral responsibility to take action." The protesters say they consist of 18 different groups under the umbrella of Take Back The City. They also claim that no political parties or political groupings are allowed to join which they say helps retain unity. Each group has two votes and all decisions are made democratically, according to the group. The groups include the Dublin Renters' Union; the Take Back Trinity students group; Dublin Central Housing Action; Migrants and Ethnic-minorities for Reproductive Justice; the Anti-Racism Network; Dublin West Housing Action; North Dublin Bay Housing Crisis Community and others. "We have no leaders. Being a grassroots movement has helped keep us together," the spokesman said. Members of charities that help the homeless are among the individuals who bring food to the occupiers. The dramatic North Frederick Street eviction of the occupiers by masked men, in the presence of gardai wearing hoods over their faces, caused "public disgust", he said. He claimed it resulted in the number of Facebook followers of Take Back the City jumping from around 4,000 followers to more than 12,000 within 24 hours. "After the balaclava incident, we received 173 new applications from people wanting to join us as volunteers," said the spokesman. As Belvedere Place is the third property to be occupied, the growing movement has refined its tactics. The spokesman said: "We are organised. When people arrive into a house, they sign a roll. There are different teams in the house. There's the media team. There's the maintenance team to look after the house and clean up. "There's a community outreach team who organise flyers and leafleting the local community. The community are the most important thing because they are who we're actually fighting for. "And there's a security team." It would be wrong to think of the occupiers as unemployed or homeless as most of them have full-time jobs or are students at various colleges, he added. None of the occupiers were living in the building so they were not squatters, he insisted. They were part of a roster of "political occupiers" working on the front-line of homeless action, he added. There are a number of prominent social justice lawyers sympathetic to their cause who have been helping the group. Once a High Court injunction is issued, people within the occupation are prepared to be arrested, he said. "The laws exist and we have a moral responsibility to take the action because people are dying on our streets and people are being engulfed in misery and are not living a life. "As long as that exists, we have a moral responsibility to take direct action. The key thing is the moral responsibility." He said Nelson Mandela broke laws and became a hero. He also cited the example of Austin Currie in Northern Ireland in the 1960s who took part in the occupation of properties to highlight injustice. "So for that reason alone, we will struggle on and, if necessary, we will break the law," he said. He added that people in Ireland were "de-sensitised to the social ills created by the current economic system". He said he was not among the eight protesters in the North Frederick St house when the masked men broke through the door. The protesters, who ran from the house, were peaceful community workers who, he claimed, were terrorised by the masked men, he said. The activists were removed from the property at 34 North Frederick St, as they had been defying a court order by remaining in the building for several weeks. None of the protesters who occupied the North Frederick Street property were arrested. Five members of a crowd outside the property were arrested. One garda was assaulted and "subjected to racist comment", according to gardai. The group's demands are: All the houses occupied by the group should be compulsorily purchased by the city council and brought into public ownership to provide housing for the community; All land and buildings vacant for long periods should be brought into public ownership and housing created; No one should have to spend more than 20pc of their income on rent. The spokesman added: "This is a housing emergency. Fine Gael have no political will. That's why we are breaking into houses. We don't want to break into houses." Cathal shows me a photo on his phone. It looks like a loin of bacon. But wait a minute there are toes attached! The Co Roscommon teacher has just finished six days walking the Portuguese Camino, as it turns out - much of it bravely, but in agony. On closer inspection, that dark pink loin of bacon turns out to be the badly blistered ball of his foot. Cathal and I are comparing notes over a reviving beer in one of Santiago de Compostela's many cosy tapas bars. I've followed the same route - the second phase of the Portuguese Camino, or Camino Portugues. Our small group finished the 118km stretch blister-free, hiking the Way of St James in just five days - walking, on average, 20km each day. Travelling separately, Cathal and his partner Siobhan, from Tuam, Co Galway, are on their honeymoon and like us started from Valenca in Portugal. Read More The full stretch begins in Oporto and takes two weeks. Some hardcore pilgrims depart from Lisbon, which takes a month. Siobhan jokes that her new husband has only himself to blame for the blisters. He committed the ultimate sin "of wearing wrong, unbroken-in footwear and not preparing properly even though he considers himself pretty fit", she says. It's a valuable lesson for the would-be Camino pilgrim. Our own Camino-without-tears for small groups is geared for inexperienced long-distance walkers, multi-generational families and nervous, middle-aged newbies like us. Tour leader Henry, who manages Irish-based walking tour operator, Customised Walking Trips, has undertaken Caminos for many years and "understands the needs of walkers," as he puts it. The magic words "support vehicle" catch my eye. That, along with common-sense guidelines for preparing in advance, comfortable hotel or B&B accommodation on (or close to) each day's route, and daily luggage transfers are our deciders. "The support vehicle will always be near the route so you can be taken off it, your blisters or other ailments can be treated so you're back walking in comfort next day," Henry promised. Expand Close Views on the lesser known Camino Portugues / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Views on the lesser known Camino Portugues True to his word, at a crossroads or cafe usually no more than six or seven kilometres apart, he would show up in his blue T-shirt and shorts, a welcome sight monitoring progress and the state of our, so far, blister-free feet. While the famous French Way, or Camino Frances, is the most-walked of the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, this Portuguese route is fast catching up and praised by walkers we meet as "much quieter with far fewer public roads and highways to have to trudge on". Over 90pc of our route, marked by the familiar scallop shell tiles, milestones and yellow arrows pointing towards Santiago, follows a Roman highway. As we walk, we cross ancient stone bridges and pass churches, shrines and elaborately carved water fountains in forgotten hamlets. We overnight in lovely, quaint towns like Pontevedra and catch glimpses of Galicia's scenic coastal inlets. Relief from the hot July sun is found in the shade of forests, which often dip down into dappled glades that have streams to cool sweaty feet. The route is also well-served by cafes for regular rests. There's limited walking along busy roads, except for a terrifying short stretch before the approach to the town of Arcade in Spain, where we have to scurry like rabbits out of the path of ever-advancing traffic. Expand Close Isabel Conway on the Portuguese Camino / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Isabel Conway on the Portuguese Camino Another benefit is that you become a bona fide pilgrim entitled to the ultimate Camino souvenir, the Compostela (certificate) by starting in Valenca on the second phase of the Portuguese Camino, whereas the original Camino Frances takes a month to complete and is usually done in phases, over a few years. Irishman John Brierley, author of several outstanding Camino guidebooks, says that no Camino is more significant and soulful than this. It was along this route, as Brierley points out in his invaluable A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino Portugues, that St James, who was later martyred, first preached to the pagan populace. Read More And it was on this self-same 'Way' that his body made its last journey - "one that came to be known and loved all over the world as Santiago de Compostela". Setting off from the outskirts of Valenca and walking a tough 24km on day one, passing the border dividing Portugal from Spain, the rhythm of the route soon catches hold of our small group. In the medieval town of Tui, there's an imposing cathedral where the universal greeting of 'Buen Camino' unites walkers of all nationalities taking on a memorable challenge. It's a personal odyssey some of us will yearn to repeat - hopefully without those bacon-like blisters. Don't miss The Camino Portugues is the fastest-growing of the nine Camino routes to Santiago from all over Europe. John Brierley's definitive guide includes route descriptions, sights, accommodation etc. See caminoguides.com Get there Isabel travelled with small group specialist customisedwalkingtrips.com. In 2019, prices start from 425 for one week or 625 for two on the Portuguese Camino (ex. flights). B&B accommodation, daily luggage transfers, guidance and support vehicle are included. See also caminoways.com for camino packages and itineraries. Read more: It's the world's greatest walk. But at times, particularly in peak summer months along the final 100km of the French Way, you'd be forgiven for thinking it's the world's most crowded. Walkers are flocking to the Camino de Santiago, and we are no exception. In 2007, 1,090 Irish pilgrims received certificates from the Pilgrims' Office in Santiago. In 2017, it was 6,643. And that's just those who finished their Caminos in the city. I'm not surprised. Travel is on an upswing, and word is well and truly out on the Camino's transformative effect on walkers of all abilities and creeds. The French Way is now a well-trodden tourist path, chosen by over 60pc of all pilgrims. The good news is that you can dodge those crowds. Skip the peak months of June to September, for example, and you'll find quieter paths and fewer snorers in hostels (though the weather is more variable). Or you could look beyond the Camino Frances entirely - which is where this week's travel special comes in. Did you know you can take a Camino in Italy? Yvonne Gordon does that on the Via Francigena. Or that one in five pilgrims start their journeys in Portugal (Isabel Conway joins them on the Portuguese Camino). What about Galicia's new Lighthouse Way, a 200km coastal route connecting farm tracks and fishermen's paths? Or the Camino de Invierno, so off-radar that only 555 pilgrims took it en route to collecting their Compostela certificates in Santiago last year? Killer caminos branch out like veins over the Iberian Peninsula... and beyond, as Nicola Brady outlines in her round-up of alternative camino routes. Before you go, it's worth checking in with specialist tour operators who know the ins and outs of these less-travelled routes - Irish-based companies like Camino Ways (caminoways.com), for instance, or guides like Magic Hill Holidays (magichillholidays.com) or Michael Grainger (michaelgraingercaminowalking.com). Touch base with the Camino Society Ireland (caminosociety.com) too, a voluntary society founded by returned pilgrims who wanted to "give something back". Finally, why not take a look at pilgrim routes here at home - for Camino training or their own sake. Did you know you can get an Irish Pilgrim's Passport by completing 125km on five flagship routes including Tochar Phadraig and St. Kevin's Way (pilgrimpath.ie)? Or that a 'Celtic Camino' initiative allows you to count 25km on an Irish trail towards the 100km required to collect a Compostela in Santiago? Go n-eiri an bothar leat! Read more: Not for nothing was Barbara Bush known as 'The Enforcer' Barbara Bush, tougher than her husband and known to her family as 'The Enforcer', is probably the most popular of all ex-US first ladies of recent times. Jackie Kennedy is remembered across the globe for elegance and tragedy, but she was not loved. Rosalynn Carter worked hard and was a noted campaigner on issues of mental health, but she has suffered in retrospect because of her bitterness at his defeat by Ronald Reagan, who is widely perceived to have been as great a success as Carter was a failure. The brittle Nancy Reagan was an essential support to her husband, but was thought to care little for anyone else. Hillary Clinton was loathed by those who thought her a careerist. The likeable Laura Bush did a lot of useful work but lacked her mother-in-law's commanding personality. And although Michelle Obama had rock-star status, that has diminished as she and her husband embrace luxury and celebrity. Betty Ford is probably the closest rival, having been far more effective and formidable than her husband Gerald, the 38th president, and still having a posthumous reputation for her prowess as a campaigner on addiction, not least because so many of the famous troop to the Betty Ford Clinic. If only all interviews involved the same levels of honesty, enthusiasm and ambition as a conversation with Sonya Lennon. Shes a woman who wears many hats: mother of twins, broadcaster, stylist, fashion designer and one hell of an entrepreneur and shes still hungry for more. We meet on the Old Military Road in the Dublin Mountains for a few pictures to set the mood for our feature and she arrives in a colourful ensemble (all by Lennon Courtney the label she shares with long-time business partner Brendan Courtney of course), in a new Audi A5, braving the excessive wind and incoming rain, all with a smile on her face in the name of landing 'the shot. Pose after pose, she flows with a sense of purpose in each picture, having developed a sense of confidence over three decades behind and in front of the lens. After 30 years in fashion, does it ever get old? Im more struck in a way with the consistency of what still gives me such joy and that is creating a narrative with clothes. When I started working, I was working in high end womens fashion retail and there were only a handful of stylists at the time. I thought that was the best job in the world and I could do that, she tells Independent.ie Style. I dress for my own self and to have a laugh and you only have to look at the size of my glasses to know theres a bit of fun behind it! You cant take yourself too seriously. I think the problem for a lot of people is they get very stressed about how they look and anxiety limits any kind of creativity or fun you might have. Expand Close Sonya Lennon pictured in the Dublin Mountains. Picture: Frank McGrath / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sonya Lennon pictured in the Dublin Mountains. Picture: Frank McGrath While she mightnt take her wardrobe so seriously, she does, in fact approach life through a rather analytical gaze, and as she approaches her 50th birthday, it has given her even more opportunity to measure her accomplishments thus far, of which there are many. Im feeling great, I feel very privileged to be at a stage in my life that Im happy to celebrate this milestone, she explains. I have a really strong sense that Im only finding my own now and that actually feels like a beginning. It sounds weird, it kind of feels like everything up until this point has been a very immersive education and now you bring all that together and because of the fact that I have achieved quite a bit, you then layer on top. I look back and think, Wow, I did all that and coasted through most of it in ignorance. Now I can apply what Ive learned.' Video of the Day Open self-confidence isnt an especially common Irish trait, particularly among women, but Sonya makes a compelling case for unashamed high self-esteem. She's never played by anyone else's rules but her own and speaks with such pride at her efforts, especially in business, having set up four separate companies over the last seven years. Her two babies (aside from her actual two babies, which we will get to shortly) are Lennon Courtney and Dress For Success, a non-profit which encourages the economic independence of women returning to the workplace, by helping them secure professional clothing, interview preparations and development opportunities through a dedicated network of women. Her mother Deirdre, who is battling dementia, was an essential driving force in Sonyas life and so powerful was the effect she's had on her life that she is now a vocal advocate and activist when it comes to other women, in all aspects of life. Economic independence is hard wired into me, she explains. My mum was a working mum when it was less common in Ireland to be. For her, it was her passport to being a key decision maker in the home as she always told me, If youre not part of the revenue, youre not a key decision maker. Expand Close Sonya Lennon pictured in the Dublin Mountains. Picture: Frank McGrath / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sonya Lennon pictured in the Dublin Mountains. Picture: Frank McGrath That stuck with me all my life. She also said, Always have your running away money, dont ever be in a situation where you cant leave. Those two things informed every decision that I made. I felt very, very driven to be financially independent, and control my own income. Although Sonyas personal experience is one which balances work in and out of the home, she is simply a woman who likes to work outside the home and encourages anyone else who would like to to do the same. And she recognises the complicated, multi-faceted elements of womens lives whether they be in a business or domestic setting. Earning your own income and being financially independent creates an independent spirit you can pass on to your children, she says. How do you create the best possible role modelling in the home? The home is our first port of learning then its the classroom, further education if youre lucky, and then the workplace but your moral code and belief system starts in the home. Her own home is a busy one as she and partner of 24 years David Smith have 13-year-old twins Evie and Finn. Does she parent them differently by gender? I think its a daily practice in a way. I grew my own little anthropological experiment in having a boy and girl at the same age under the same circumstances, she explains. By definition, as a twin mum, you dont have the luxury of one reality for one and one for another, everyones in it together, you just muck in. Even though I believe in equality to my heart and soul and core, I find myself challenging my unconscious bias. I often think, Why am I thinking this? Why am I saying this? Is this the right message? I check myself all the time. Case in point is when, three years ago, her daughter asked to have her ears pierced as a Christmas present, which she approved. When her son followed suit and asked for the same, she said no. He said, Thats sexist. All I could say was, Yes, it is. That was left on a cliffhanger as it turns out she didnt want it in the end and I think he was just winding me up. But if you purport to be an ambassador for equality, how do you rationalise those social mores on a day to day to basis? Her relationship with their father is one spanning over two decades, but the motive to marry has long since left her mind. I think at the time, I really wanted to and he really didnt. He really didnt more than I did at the time and I wasnt truly mad about it anyway, she says. Expand Close Sonya Lennon pictured in the Dublin Mountains. Picture: Frank McGrath / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sonya Lennon pictured in the Dublin Mountains. Picture: Frank McGrath As time went on, I thought about why I wanted to get married and it was mainly for the dress and a party! Thats a stupid reason to get married. I can have great dresses and parties whenever I want. We are committed; we have a family, a home and a life together. There is nothing off limits for Sonya and I comment how very rarely you come across a high profile interview subject with such candour. I havent been asked a question that I havent been willing to answer. My honesty is important to me. My authenticity is important to me. They are me. Which brings us back to women in work and the concept of having it all does the balance exist? What a load of bullshit, she asserts. Anybody who says they have it cracked is lying in some way. Its not supposed to be easy. Her transition into business has been an organic one and one that has seen her aligned with organisations like Dress for Success and most recently, LIFT (Leading Irelands Future Together), and her ambition to help comes from both her breakthrough moment on the small screen and as always, her mothers everlasting influence. I knew I had a profile and I was a late bloomer in broadcasting, I wasnt chasing fame, it just happened, she explains. I felt at that point in my life that I had an obligation to do something with that profile to have an impact on the community. I gained so much confidence from presenting Off The Rails and with that confidence, it gave me a greater context and I do feel connected outside myself. What drove me is that core spirit of supporting women. My mother was an amazing woman, unfortunately shes suffering from dementia, which is even more poignant when the person suffering was an absolute firecracker, but shes very diminished at the moment. Cliche as the question is, Sonyas schedule makes my head spin, how does she do it all and keep such an optimistic outlook? I do a lot of thinking. I have amazing people around me. Five years ago, I joined a group of women well were known by a number of names but its a womens entrepreneur network, it grew out of Going for Growth with Enterprise Ireland, she tells me. They came out the other side of the programme and realised they had more to do. Its now 10 years old. "At the time, Lennon Courtney was a glimmer, Dress For Success was just coming into existence I didnt know why they asked me! We meet four times a year, sometimes for two or three nights residential if we can, and do a SWOT analysis on each others business, leverage networks and use each other's experience help one another. Expand Close Sonya Lennon pictured in the Dublin Mountains. Picture: Frank McGrath / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sonya Lennon pictured in the Dublin Mountains. Picture: Frank McGrath The sense of camaraderie that comes with such an established network of like-minded women is somewhat of a rarity, even in 2018; a year which could be safely described as the year of the woman after more powerful calls for equality across the board. My least favourite thing in the world is a group of women who sit around and say how things should be better, she declares. Thats kind of rubbish. We need male advocates for equality and harness the power of the men who get it in order to change the minds of the men who dont. So often when youre in the middle, its very hard to get clarity, in particular. It forces you to take time out from the trenches to look from the balcony. By all accounts, Sonya has inherited her mother's sense of joie de vivre, that "firecracker" spirit that lifts her, and those around her. She has harnessed her strengths through a self-auditing process in which she analyses aspects of her life, deciding which needs more or less or attention or which might need to be cut altogether. I write a grid and that grid holds the various departments I have to deal with in my life - fun, fitness, relationship, children, extended family, the family that made me, and business, she explains. I score each out of 10. You just score it based on your gut. "If you look at six audits and see youre consistently scoring a three, then I think, Why am I dedicating energy to this? Should I be? Then I took it a step further - I put two scores in each square and analyse what am I investing and what am I returning? If youre scoring a three and investing a three, then fine, but if youre scoring a three and investing an eight, f*** that. Sonya Lennon is an official Audi Ireland Ambassador. Visit Audi.ie Ten years ago, to a certain degree of scepticism, Victoria Beckham debuted her first collection in a suite at the Waldorf Hotel in New York. In 2008 celebrity ranges were ten a dime and no one expected anything beyond the usual cashing-in. But from the start, Beckham took a different approach. Instead of cynical tat, hers was always an ambitious, high-end endeavour. She had consulted with Roland Mouret (a fellow stable mate at 19, the Simon Fuller management company that had backed the Spice Girls, and was backing her assault on the fashion world). It was clear from that Waldorf presentation that Beckham had done her homework and that she even understood her girl-band celebrity would not necessarily be considered a plus in the higher echelons of fashion. (She was right. Certain key department stores declared that pricy clothes designed by a Spice Girl wouldnt sell). It hasnt always been easy. Mass coverage doesnt automatically guarantee sell outs of 1000 dresses. Yet she has managed to establish a solid company, fuelled by sales of sunglasses, her second line, Victoria Victoria Beckham and judicious limited edition collaborations with Estee Lauder and Target, the mass market US chain. But her flag waver is the Victoria Beckham collection, which, for this tenth anniversary, left New York fashion week for Londons, taking place in the Thadeus Ropac art gallery, a grand Georgian Mayfair mansion which has the convenience of being next door to her store (where Beckham later worked the tils following the show) and the distinction of being a meeting place for the suffragettes. Expand Close (Victoria Beckham and Ian West/PA) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp (Victoria Beckham and Ian West/PA) Its not stretching things too far to suggest there was a synergy between the aspirations of those Edwardian women and the collection, which was replete with breezy, elegant clothes (a long way from those early body-con dresses). Fluid trouser suits were further softened with floaty lingerie-inspired camisoles. Layering was key: strappy slip dresses worn over tanks tops and extra long skinny trousers with ankle slits or partnered with matching shirts, for a smarter take, with some sparkling maxi-length co-ords. Im making this very customer focussed. Theyve come to the show from all over the world and theyll be able to pre-order straight from the show Beckham, dressed in a camel coloured jacket and those ankle slit black drainpipes, told me before the show yesterday morning, which her four children also attended . Theres long, short, narrow silhouettes and wide. Its about freedom and choices (And mainly flat metallic slippers).The casting was more important than ever, she explained, I wanted a mixture of ages. This isnt a retrospective, but looking back, I realised I had developed certain codes over the years which I wanted to show. Expand Close Victoria Beckham AW18 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Victoria Beckham AW18 The ease and assuredness are testament to Beckhams savvy insistence on working with the industrys best stylists and photographers. Shes always been a fast learner, one whod been with her from the beginning, told me backstage. This was on the money: commercially and in its optimistic but realistic mood. Was she nervous about showing In London (where the competition is tougher than in New York?). Im always going to be judged whatever I do, she said, Not least by myself and that challenges me. Expand Close Victoria Beckham. Photo: GC Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Victoria Beckham. Photo: GC Images Expand Close Victoria and David team up for a previous Armani photo. Photo: Getty / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Victoria and David team up for a previous Armani photo. Photo: Getty Video of the Day Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] Model Olivia Tracey wears a floral print dress from Max&Co (259) while Anastasia Kuchynskaya models a rust suede jacket by Selected Femme, (200) and a black floral print dress (145) by the former Made in Chelsea star, Millie Mackintosh at the Arnotts AW17 womenswear show. Photo: Kieran Harnett Olivia Tracey is a long-standing style icon among a generation of women. After her 1984 Miss Ireland win, the Dubliner shot to prominence and thanks to the fact that Ireland is finally taking note of a more diverse fashion industry, we've seen a lot more of her this year. Notably, she stole the show at the Arnotts Autumn/Winter fashion show last July and thus earned a new legion of fans. Expand Close Olivia Tracey at the Arnotts Autumn Winter 2017 womenswear show / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Olivia Tracey at the Arnotts Autumn Winter 2017 womenswear show When it comes to ageing, Tracey (57)has access to the best. She has been based in LA for the last number of years, jetting home to Dublin for select jobs with her Irish agency, Morgan. Most recently signed with Ford Models, one of the premier agencies in the world, which she joined in her 40s - no easy feat. And she has the most refreshing attitude to ageing, we're considering embroidering her quotes on pillows. "I suppose what I would say to younger people is you don't have to do everything by the time you're 30. It's not all over when you hit 30. There's a lot left," she told Irish Country Magazine. "In many ways, in this time of my life, I feel like this is a time for looking forward. I think I was always like that. I always dreamed big. I still get excited about working in the business. I still love it. Please God, I'll still be working as model when I'm 80!" Expand Close Olivia Tracey in the early days of her modelling career / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Olivia Tracey in the early days of her modelling career Tracey said she thinks of age as a milestone and not a misfortune, adding: "From the time I was 30, I'd say, 'I'm just going to make a decision now that I'm never going to complain about my age, because there's not a damn thing you can do about it'. Just go with it. People apologise for being a certain age. They think, 'oh they're over 40, it's not to be discussed, like you're maimed for life. I think of it as an achievement." The silver-haired star has never been shy about discussing her mantras on ageing, embracing her true self while living in the vainest land in the world - where women are considered 'too old' for men their own age. Expand Close Olivia Tracey in the early days of her modelling career / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Olivia Tracey in the early days of her modelling career "I feel perfectly fine about ageing. The hardest time for me in terms of ageing was 29 going on 30," she told the Irish Independent in 2014. "The idea of 30 has a sense of maturity around it, but after my 30th birthday I said to myself, 'I feel the same as I felt two days ago, before I was 30.' There's nothing I can do about it. My mother is 93 and thinking how young I look. "I'd be robbing myself of the opportunity to enjoy life if I was worrying about ageing. It's a waste of time." Expand Close Actress Olivia Tracey / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Actress Olivia Tracey Richard Searby, who has died aged 87, was a prominent Australian lawyer who chaired Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation and was the media tycoon's closest confidant through a decade of corporate dramas. Searby became a director of News Corp, the holding company for Murdoch's global newspaper and broadcasting interests, in 1977, and played a key behind-the-scenes role in negotiations for the controversial 1981 takeover of Times Newspapers in London, and its aftermath of industrial disputes. In particular he was credited with bringing an end to disruption by print operatives on the Sunday Times, by citing a precedent from a 1926 Welsh coal-mine strike in which, with no revenue coming in and closure threatened, the proprietor was judged entitled to refuse the wages of the entire workforce and not to be liable for redundancy. Later that year, Searby became chairman of News Corp. He was quietly at Murdoch's side through all the episodes that reinforced the tycoon's formidable reputation in that era - including the 1986 Wapping dispute, in which the Times titles were shifted to new print technology in the face of violent union opposition. Before that, in 1983, he had accompanied Murdoch to the offices of Stern magazine in Germany to view the so-called "Hitler Diaries" - initially authenticated by the historian Hugh Trevor-Roper, though he later reversed his opinion - and to negotiate their publication in the Sunday Times. The diaries were swiftly revealed as an elaborate and hugely embarrassing fake, and it was fortunate that Searby had inserted a clause obliging Stern to reimburse the $3 m-plus paid by Murdoch for the rights. At News Corp's 1990 annual general meeting, the tycoon thanked his chairman for "keeping me out of trouble from time to time". But by 1992, having survived a financial crisis that almost brought his empire down, Murdoch evidently felt he no longer needed Searby's advice: the biographer William Shawcross records that he "disposed of" his friend of 50 years by way of a curt note asking for his resignation, delivered by a third party. Richard Henry Searby was born on July 23, 1931, into the upper crust of Melbourne society. His father Henry was a distinguished surgeon; his mother Mary received an OBE for her charitable works. Richard was educated at home by his grandfather (a former headmaster of Melbourne High School) and subsequently at the elite Geelong Grammar School, where he and Rupert Murdoch shared a study. Searby studied at Melbourne University before travelling to England to read Classics at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. Murdoch was also in Oxford as an undergraduate at Worcester College and was by now a close friend. Searby was called to the bar by the Inner Temple in 1956 and to the Victorian bar in Australia the following year. After a stint as assistant to the chief justice, Sir Owen Dixon, he developed a successful commercial and government practice, lectured at Melbourne University, and took silk in 1971. Besides News Corp and several of its key subsidiaries, he was a director of Rio Tinto, Shell Australia, Woodside Petroleum and the winemaker BRL Hardy. He was awarded the Order of Australia in 2006 for his educational work. Richard Searby. who died on August 8, married Caroline McAdam, a doctor's daughter, in 1962. Caroline died in 2014 and he is survived by their three sons. Telegraph Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] Leaders from Ethiopia and Eritrea have signed a peace agreement during a summit in Saudi Arabia, yet another sign of warming ties between two nations that have face decades of war and unease. Terms of the agreement signed by Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki were not immediately clear. Saudi authorities did not respond to specific questions about the accord, which earlier had been described as being a further endorsement of a historic deal reached between the two nations in July. The peace deal resulted in restoration of normal relations between the countries, on the basis of the close bonds of geography, history and culture between the two nations and their peoples, Saudi Arabia said in a statement on Sunday, calling the accord the Jeddah Agreement. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia praised the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea for exercising leadership and courage to restore the brotherly relations between the two countries, thus forming the foundation for a new phase that will bring significant developments in the relations between the two nations in all fields, the statement added. Expand Close Eritreas President Isaias Afwerki signs a peace accord (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Eritreas President Isaias Afwerki signs a peace accord (AP) Saudi King Salman and his assertive 33-year-old son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were on hand for the summit in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah. Also attending was Emirati foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres. The Ethiopian and Eritrean leaders also were awarded for their efforts the Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud Medal, the kingdoms highest civilian honour. Mr Abiy and Mr Isaias signed a joint declaration of peace and friendship on July 9, ending 20 years of enmity and formally restoring diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Landlocked Ethiopia fought a bloody war with Eritrea from 1998 to 2000 over a border dispute that killed tens of thousands of people. Expand Close Ethiopias prime minister Abiy Ahmed signs the deal (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ethiopias prime minister Abiy Ahmed signs the deal (AP) The conflict ended in an uneasy peace with Eritrea, which earlier fought a decades-long war of independence from Ethiopia. Yet that suddenly changed with the election of Mr Abiy as prime minister in April. A whirlwind of talks suddenly ended the long conflict between the two nations in July, with telephone calls and flights suddenly possible between the two nations. It was particularly surprising for Eritrea, a closed-off nation of five million people ruled by Mr Isaias since 1993. Eritreas system of compulsory conscription that led thousands of Eritreans to flee towards Europe, Israel and elsewhere. HRH King Salman in the presence of HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman & UN SG H.E. Antonio Guterres has awarded the highest medal in the Kingdom to H.E. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and H.E. President Isaias Afeworki for bringing peace between the two countries. #Ethiopia #Eritrea pic.twitter.com/JSeo2On7Pz Fitsum Arega (@fitsumaregaa) September 16, 2018 Ethiopia is home to 105 million people. The signing ceremony on Sunday in Saudi Arabia also served as a nod to the growing importance Gulf Arab nations put on East Africa amid the Saudi-led war in Yemen. The United Arab Emirates, also believed to have played a part in talks between Ethiopia and Eritrea, has been building up a military presence in the Eritrean port city of Assab. The strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which sits off Eritrea and neighbouring Djibouti, links the Red Sea and the Suez Canal with the Gulf of Aden and ultimately the Indian Ocean. Dozens of commercial ships daily transit the route, some 10 miles wide at its narrowest point. Handout still from video taken with permission from the Twitter feed of Sam Proudfoot @samproudy01 of emergency services in Salisbury after two people fell ill in a Prezzo restaurant in the city, Wiltshire Police said. Sam Proudfoot/PA Wire Handout photo taken with permission from the Twitter feed of Sam Proudfoot @samproudy01 of emergency services in Salisbury after two people fell ill in a Prezzo restaurant in the city, Wiltshire Police said: Sam Proudfoot/PA Wire Two people have fallen ill after eating in a restaurant in Salisbury, the English town where former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned in March, police said. "Police were called by the ambulance service to Prezzo, High Street, Salisbury at 6.45 pm today following a medical incident involving two people - a man and a woman," Wiltshire Police said in a statement on Sunday. "As a precautionary measure, the restaurant and surrounding roads have been cordoned off while officers attend the scene and establish the circumstances surrounding what led them to become ill." Statement regarding incident in Prezzo, High Street, Salisbury - pic.twitter.com/GJOxYYW7JO Wiltshire Police (@wiltshirepolice) September 16, 2018 Britain has said Russian officers used the nerve agent Novichok to attack the Skripals. The Kremlin has denied any involvement. The former Russian spy and his daughter survived the murder attempt, but an unconnected woman, Dawn Sturgess, died in July and her partner Charlie Rowley fell ill after Rowley found a perfume bottle containing the same nerve agent. Earlier this month British prosecutors identified two Russians they said were operating under aliases - Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov - whom they accused of trying to murder the Skripals with a military-grade nerve agent. Britain charged the two men in absentia with attempted murder, and said the suspects were military intelligence officers almost certainly acting on orders from high up in the Russian state. Two Russians resembling the men said on television on Thursday that they were innocent tourists who had flown to London for fun and visited the city of Salisbury to see its cathedral. They surfaced a day after President Vladimir Putin said Russia had located Petrov and Boshirov, but that there was nothing special or criminal about them. The Dalai Lama has sparked anger after declaring that "Europe belongs to the Europeans". The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader also said that refugees should return to their native countries and assist with developing them. The 14th Dalai Lama was speaking at a conference in Malmo, Sweden, which is home to a large immigrant population. "Receive them, help them, educate them ... but ultimately they should develop their own country," the 83-year-old said, when speaking about refugees. "I think Europe belongs to the Europeans." He was speaking in the aftermath of a divisive election in Sweden in which a far-right party, Swedish Democrats, made electoral gains, although they were beaten by the centre-left coalition. The Dalai Lama also said that Europe was "morally responsible" for helping "a refugee really facing danger against their life". Social media users condemned the comments, calling the Dalai Lama a "bigot" and a "hypocrite". The spiritual leader is followed by millions of Buddhists around the world. He is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, but has made controversial comments about refugees in the past. "Europe, for example Germany, cannot become an Arab country," he told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in 2016. In that interview he also said that there were "too many refugees" in Europe. The Dalai Lama is a refugee himself. He led thousands of his followers from Tibet to India in 1959 after the Tibetans protested against Chinese limits on their autonomy. He continues to live in exile in northern India. An opposition Israeli politician has called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to dismiss his ambassador to the United States for failing to report sexual assault allegations against a top Netanyahu aide. Karin Elharrar said Ron Dermer should be recalled from Washington for not reporting the warnings he received about David Keyes, Mr Netanyahus spokesman to foreign media. Last week, Julia Salazar, a candidate for New Yorks state senate, accused Mr Keyes of sexually assaulting her five years ago. Wall Street Journal reporter Shayndi Raice tweeted she too had a terrible encounter with Mr Keyes before he became Mr Netanyahus spokesman. I also had a terrible encounter with David Keyes once and 100% believe her. I knew this would come out about him at some point. https://t.co/u9uo4pAlHh Shayndi Raice (@Shayndi) September 11, 2018 She described him as a predator and someone who had absolutely no conception of the word no'. At least a dozen other women have since come forward with varying allegations, some of which are said to have been committed since Mr Keyes took up his current position in early 2016. Mr Keyes, 34, denies the allegations, saying all are deeply misleading and many of them are categorically false. Mr Keyes says he has taken a leave of absence amid the uproar to try and clear his name. But the scandal has since spread to the rest of Mr Netanyahus inner circle, previously rocked with accusations of sexual improprieties. Expand Close Julia Salazar said that she was sexually assaulted five years ago by David Keyes (Mary Altaffer/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Julia Salazar said that she was sexually assaulted five years ago by David Keyes (Mary Altaffer/AP) Natan Eshel, a former top aide, was forced to resign in 2012 after allegations emerged that he harassed and intimidated a woman in the prime ministers office, including taking pictures up her skirt. Earlier this year, Mr Netanyahus son Yair came under fire after a recording emerged of him joyriding at taxpayer expense to Tel Aviv strip clubs and making misogynistic comments about strippers, waitresses and other women. Over the weekend, Mr Dermer, who was perhaps Mr Netanyahus closest associate before taking office in Washington, confirmed he was warned in late 2016 by New York Times columnist Bret Stephens, then of the Wall Street Journal, about Mr Keyes questionable behaviour toward women. The New York Times reported that Mr Stephens, who said he had barred Mr Keyes from visiting the Wall Street Journal offices because of harassment complaints of women there against him, warned Mr Dermer that Keyes posed a risk to women in Israeli government offices. Mr Dermer said he did not report this further since he did not consider the harassment allegations criminal. But Ms Elharrar noted in her letter to Mr Netanyahu that Mr Dermer was unqualified to judge this. Under Israeli law sexual harassment is a crime and public servants are required to report any knowledge of it. Therefore, she said, she demanded Mr Dermers dismissal since it is unreasonable that someone holding such a prominent position would violate the law so blatantly. Mr Netanyahu has yet to comment on the affair. Michal Rozin, a legislator with the opposition Meretz party, said his silence could be interpreted as tolerance of the alleged acts and she demanded he take a clear stance against sexual assault and harassment. Thousands of people have marched in Macedonias capital to promote support for changing the countrys name in an upcoming referendum that also could clear the way for Nato membership. The referendum scheduled for September 30 will seek voter approval of an agreement with Greece to rename the small Balkan nation North Macedonia. The deal is designed to end a bitter 27-year dispute over rights to the Macedonia title and to remove Greek objections to its northern neighbour becoming a member of Nato and the European Union. Expand Close Macedonian prime minister Zoran Zaev waves a Macedonian flag (Boris Grdanoski/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Macedonian prime minister Zoran Zaev waves a Macedonian flag (Boris Grdanoski/AP) Macedonian prime minister Zoran Zaev, who reached the agreement with Greeces prime minister in June, addressed the marchers in front of the EUs office in Skopje on Sunday. He urged citizens to grasp a historic opportunity and back the name deal, which he described as fair. The message is: We want the future, we want a European Macedonia! It is our responsibility to secure a future for our children and their children, Mr Zaev said. Opposition party VMRO-DPMNE staged its own rally on Sunday in the eastern town of Stip to encourage voters to reject the name change. Expand Close People marching in Skopje (Boris Grdanoski/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp People marching in Skopje (Boris Grdanoski/AP) Opposition leader Hristijan Mickoski, who has criticised the government for accepting a deal that in his view prioritises Greek interests, said, Citizens have the right to fight until the last breath. Despite the forceful words, VMRO-DPMNE and the rest of Macedonias political opposition have advised supporters to vote according to their consciences. Voter turnout will be a crucial factor in the referendum is crucial: 50% plus one of Macedonias 1.8 million registered voters must cast ballots for the referendum vote to be valid. Opinion polls indicate the name change would be approved, but turnout could fall just short of the required threshold. 'It's been a long time since anyone's told me a sexist joke," says Rose McGowan with a small smile, "so I can't really say whether I still find them funny. Why? Have you brought me a load?" I did think up a few in the lift on the way up to the Mayfair penthouse McGowan's staying in while in London, but now that I'm sitting here opposite the 45 year-old former Hollywood actress (she's insistent I write 'former' "because I hope I'll never act again") I can't remember a single one. Tiny, shaven-headed and barefoot, in the finest black cashmere round-neck and cropped jeans she manages to look both vulnerable and fierce. The combination is disarming. As the woman whose story of rape and abuse in Hollywood drove a revolution from the moment it was published in The New York Times on October 5 last year, McGowan has become the voice and face of #MeToo. It has given her power, purpose and even her very own hashtag, #RoseArmy. However, all of this has made it hard for her to be seen as a nuanced human being who might, say, laugh at a sexist joke "if it's funny" and reject PC suggestions that 'Man of the Match' be changed to 'Player of the Match'. Certainly nobody would have expected McGowan to join in open condemnation of her fellow #MeToo figurehead Asia Argento for the alleged sexual assault of actor Jimmy Bennett when he was still a minor. "What a nightmare," she murmurs when I ask about Argento, who came forward with allegations against Harvey Weinstein at the same time as McGowan. "She was a friend. And she's done a lot of good for the movement and worked really hard for it", she says . Expand Close ON THE PROTEST CIRCUIT: Asia Argento and Rose McGowan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp ON THE PROTEST CIRCUIT: Asia Argento and Rose McGowan "I don't think it [the Bennett story] discredits the work she's done, but it probably will going forward. I just don't know how someone picks up their life from where Asia is now." So when Rose tweeted that the news was "heart-breaking", did she mean for the movement or her former friend? "Both. But most of all I was heartbroken for her children, this is brutal for them." McGowan is choosing her words carefully. She's aware that any kind of suggestion of 'in-fighting' could undermine #MeToo's achievements. Do she and Argento still talk? "No." While there was chatter of McGowan being behind the leak of text messages from Argento, in which she admitted to having had sex with a 17-year-old (the age of consent in California is 18) to police, it was in fact McGowan's partner, the androgynous Louis Vuitton model Rain Dove Dubilewski, who has admitted to passing the messages on. Expand Close Harvey Weinstein and Rose McGowan / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Harvey Weinstein and Rose McGowan Does McGowan think Asia still blames her? "Probably. But I'm certainly not the person to blame. Asia's just striking out at any port in the storm. Anything to deflect." With Argento now claiming that it was Bennett who assaulted her, the whole thing "has got really mucky", says McGowan. "And listen: it's not my story. The New York Times broke the news and I can certainly see why they thought it right to do that." McGowan agrees that her movement should "never have been turned into an 'us and them' thing. If you're a power abuser of either sex there is a certain form of justice that will be met." Yes, women have primarily been seen as the victims so far, she adds, but a woman she knows is being "badly" harassed by another well-known woman. "And a lot of men I know have been hurt by other men in LA. It's just about cleaning your house, you know?" Tuscan-born McGowan's mission to expose the darkest corners of her industry began well before the Weinstein scandal. And as the daughter of two members of the Children of God cult who describes growing up watching girls and women being abused by its male leaders in her memoir, Brave, McGowan was better equipped to spot the "cult-like structure of Hollywood" than most. It was how a young, unformed McGowan used to believe things had to be - "the rules always benefiting a certain group at the top" - until she decided she'd had enough. In 2016 she alleged on Twitter that a "studio head" had raped her. That same year she began work on Brave, in which she reveals Weinstein's name and details the events that took place at the Sundance Film Festival in 1997. "I was putting Hollywood on notice," says McGowan, who later told The New York Times about the $100,000 settlement Weinstein had paid her after the alleged assault. And maybe that wasn't so smart, she thinks now, because once Weinstein heard about the book "he did a lot more diabolical things". She was bullied and intimidated, she says. "People would come up to me in Hollywood asking 'done any Weinstein scripts recently?' just to see if I would cry. And I had ex-Mossad agents in my life, warning me off." It's a claim that sounds wild but is corroborated by The New York Times story. "They were introduced to me by my literary agent, who was secretly working with Weinstein." McGowan published her memoir regardless, although she admits to me now that what really happened that day "went further than what I wrote in the book - which was as much as I felt like sharing". There is a long pause as she struggles with a thought. "He didn't have to rape, you know? But he wanted to. And there are way more victims than we know about. I think there were probably about 2,000 women in all - because the first victim we know of was in the 1970s." Does she believe Weinstein was genuinely suffering from an addiction? "Not a sex addiction - a rape addiction. It was about exerting power. It was about his unquenchable gluttonous appetite. He had assistants giving him his medicine so that he could have an erection so that he could go in and rape women. And please can we stop calling it a 'casting couch'. Let's call it what it is; let's call it a 'rape couch'." Weinstein - currently on bail and wearing an electronic tag - is facing a raft of lawsuits in addition to the criminal charges. But McGowan believes the producer's aiders and abettors should also be punished for their part in the alleged rape and abuse. That so many people knew and did nothing still makes her feel physically sick, she tells me. "Award season made me want to vomit. They're all so hypocritical. I just wanted to shout: 'But you've all kept this quiet!' You're not good people!' The pins and all-black dress codes felt like people were dancing on my rape grave - like they were feeding off what had happened. Bringing activists to ceremonies was just a way to neutralise things, because there's nothing Hollywood likes better than doing good press for itself." Despite her part in toppling Weinstein, McGowan says she was never invited to any of Hollywood's #MeToo campaign brunches and 'survivors' lunches'. "Not that I would have gone: I have no desire to be feted by people I don't like." More than anything else she's said, this makes me wonder how McGowan spent as long as she did in Hollywood. It also makes me wonder whether she might be quietly trying to break #MeToo in order to concentrate on #RoseArmy - and a new unisex beauty range, The Only, which she intends to bring out next year - though she insists she's "still a card-carrying member". Before I leave, we circle back to which #MeToo permutations are PC silliness - and which are helpful. McGowan finds the French fines for wolf-whistling "funny" but has an issue with why all virtual assistants are named after women: "So you can order them around?" What about the fuss around storms and hurricanes always being named after women? Here McGowan breaks into a broad smile: "I've always wanted a hurricane named Rose." Telegraph Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021] As Trump associates folded one by one over the last year under the pressure of federal investigators, there was always Paul Manafort. Until suddenly there wasn't. Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, who for months stood resolute in his innocence and determined to fight charge upon charge even as fellow former loyalists caved, reached an extraordinary plea agreement with special counsel Robert Mueller's office last Friday that requires him to assist the Russia investigation and converts him into a potentially vital government cooperator. The deal, struck in Washington just days before Manafort was to have faced a second trial, is tied to Ukrainian political consulting work and unrelated to the Trump campaign. The question remains what information Manafort (69) is able to provide about the president, as well as whether the Trump election effort coordinated with Russia. Manafort's leadership of the campaign at a time when prosecutors say Russian intelligence was working to sway the election, and his involvement in episodes under scrutiny, may make him an especially insightful witness. Manafort was among the participants in a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting in New York with Russians and Trump's oldest son and son-in-law that was arranged for the campaign to receive derogatory information about Democratic president nominee Hillary Clinton. Expand Close Donald Trump / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Donald Trump He was also a close business associate of a man who US intelligence believes has ties to Russian intelligence. While he was working on the campaign, emails show Manafort discussed providing private briefings for a wealthy Russian businessman close to Vladimir Putin. "The expectations around Manafort's cooperation are likely at a level beyond anyone else to date who has agreed to cooperate," said Jacob Frenkel, a Washington lawyer not involved in the case. "Whether those expectations will be met is the great unknown." Manafort had long resisted the idea of cooperating even as prosecutors stacked additional charges against him in Washington and Virginia. Trump had saluted that stance, publicly praising him and suggesting Manafort had been treated worse than gangster Al Capone. Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, had suggested a pardon might be a possibility after the investigation was concluded. Then came last Friday's development. Manafort agreed to provide any information asked of him, testify whenever asked and even work undercover if necessary. The cooperation ensures the investigation will extend far beyond the November elections despite entreaties from the president's lawyers that Mueller bring it to a close. The agreement makes Manafort the latest associate of Trump, a president known to place a premium on loyalty among subordinates, to admit guilt and work with investigators in hopes of leniency. Mueller had already secured cooperation from a former Trump national security adviser who lied to the FBI about discussing sanctions with a Russian ambassador; a Trump campaign aide who broached the idea of a meeting with Putin; and another aide who was indicted alongside Manafort but ultimately turned on him. Trump's former personal lawyer has separately pleaded guilty in New York. Manafort was convicted last month of eight financial crimes in a separate trial in Virginia and faces an estimated seven to 10 years in prison in that case. The two conspiracy counts he admitted to last Friday carry up to five years, although Manafort's sentence will ultimately depend on his cooperation. "He wanted to make sure that his family was able to remain safe and live a good life. He's accepted responsibility. This is for conduct that dates back many years and everybody should remember that," Manafort attorney Kevin Downing said outside court. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders insisted the Manafort case was unrelated to Trump (inset, below). Giuliani said he spoke to Trump last Friday about Manafort's plea. "The president was OK with it," he said. "In a way, it's another indication there is no evidence of collusion. All of these charges pre-date the time Paul spent with the president. And there's nothing in what he pleaded about collusion." It's unclear how the deal might affect any Manafort pursuit of a pardon from Trump, although Giuliani said before the deal that a plea without a cooperation agreement wouldn't foreclose the possibility of a pardon. Under the terms of the deal, Manafort was allowed to plead guilty to just two counts, though the crimes he admitted largely overlap with the conduct alleged in an indictment last year. He abandoned his right to appeal his sentences in Washington and Virginia and agreed to forfeit homes in New York, including a condo in Trump Tower. But the guilty plea spares Manafort the cost of a weeks-long trial that could have added years to the prison time he's already facing following the Virginia guilty verdicts. A jury there found him guilty of filing false tax returns, failing to report foreign bank accounts and bank fraud. Jurors couldn't agree on 10 other counts. Prosecutors last Friday presented new information about allegations they were prepared to reveal at trial, which was to have focused on Manafort's political consulting and lobbying work on behalf of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and the pro-Russian Party of Regions. That case alleged that Manafort directed a large-scale US lobbying operation for Ukrainian interests but never registered with the Justice Department as a foreign agent despite being required to do so under the law, and that he concealed millions of dollars in income for the consulting work from the IRS. He also failed to disclose his involvement in lobbying efforts made through a group of former European politicians, known as the Hapsburg Group, who pushed policies beneficial to Ukraine, prosecutors said last Friday. In 2013, one of the politicians and his country's prime minister met then-president Barack Obama and vice president Joe Biden. Manafort was later sent an email that the politicians had "delivered the message of not letting 'Russians Steal Ukraine from the West'." Another allegation revealed last Friday concerns Manafort's efforts to peddle stories to discredit Yanukovych's opponent, Yulia Tymoshenko, and undermine US government support for her. Prosecutors said he spread stories and secretly coordinated with an Israeli government official to publicise the idea that a US Cabinet official was an anti-Semite for supporting Tymoshenko, "who in turn had formed a political alliance with a Ukraine party that espoused anti-Semitic views", court documents said . "I have someone pushing it on the NY Post. Bada bing bada boom," Manafort wrote to a colleague, prosecutors say. Associated Press Overnight ethnic-based attacks in the outskirts of Ethiopias capital, Addis Ababa, have killed several people and caused hundreds to flee their homes. Several lives were lost and properties damaged due to this attack, head of the Oromia police commission, Alemayehu Ejigu, told the state broadcaster ETV on Sunday. He said 70 suspects have been arrested. The perpetrators are criminals organised in groups to kill people and cause damages to the properties of targeted citizens, he said. PM Abiy Ahmed strongly condemns the killings & acts of violence against innocent citizens around Ashawa Meda, Kataa & Fili Doro last night. These cowardly attacks represent a grave concern to the unity & solidarity of our people & will be met with appropriate response. #Ethiopia Fitsum Arega (@fitsumaregaa) September 16, 2018 This is a shameful act. The killings were denounced by Ethiopias new, reformist leader. Prime minister Abiy Ahmed strongly condemns the killings and acts of violence against innocent citizens These cowardly attacks represent a grave concern to the unity and solidarity of our people & will be met with appropriate response, said Fitsum Arega, the prime ministers chief of staff, in a tweet. Police said the attacks started late on Saturday afternoon in the Burayu and Ashewa Meda areas just outside of the capital. They did not say what prompted the violence. Scores of Addis Ababa residents demonstrated in front of the state broadcaster calling for the perpetrators, whom they suggested were youths from the surrounding Oromia region, to be brought to justice. Some locations in the north and northwestern parts of Addis Ababa remained tense on Sunday. City officials visited the displaced on Sunday morning pledging support but Ethiopians are expressing anger on social media and urging Ethiopias new leader, prime minister Abiy Ahmed, to take serious measures to stop ethnic-based attacks. Expand Close Ethiopias prime minister Abiy Ahmed has condemned the violence (AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ethiopias prime minister Abiy Ahmed has condemned the violence (AP) Ethnic-based attacks over land and resources are not new in this East African nation of more than 80 ethnic groups. But the severity of such attacks has grown in recent months. The UN Childrens Fund Unicef said in August that as many as 2.8 million Ethiopians were internally displaced, mainly due to ethnic-based attacks in various parts of the country. Frustrated by the new wave of conflicts, Ethiopias leader has warned in recent weeks that those who are instigating the violence in different parts of the country should stop their actions or his government will be forced to take measures. We are only humans, so we wont sit and watch them from now on, he said. These crises are posing the biggest challenge to Mr Abiy since he came to power in April, and people are urging him on social media to be tough and start taking serious measures against the violence. Two people look out at the shore after a reported shark attack at Newcomb Hollow Beach (Susan Haigh/AP) A 26-year-old man who was killed in a shark attack off a Cape Cod beach had been a part-time engineering student who was engaged to be married and loved surfing and other outdoor activities. Arthur Medici, of Revere, Massachusetts, was bitten by a shark on Saturday while boogie boarding off Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet and later died at a hospital. He was the states first shark attack fatality in more than 80 years and the second attack victim this summer on Cape Cod. The beach remained closed to swimming on Sunday. Flowers were placed at the base of a sign that said No swimming surfing etc. until further notice, but some people were paddleboarding in the water, the Boston Herald reported. Expand Close Two signs at the top of the dune at Newcomb Hollow Beach (Merrily Cassidy?AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Two signs at the top of the dune at Newcomb Hollow Beach (Merrily Cassidy?AP) A shark was spotted several miles south of Wellfleet on Sunday, according to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. Mr Medici was a part-time engineering student at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston last spring, the school said in a statement on Sunday. It did not provide any other information about his studies and the school offered condolences to Medicis family and friends. He moved to the US from Brazil two years ago to attend college, friends told WCVB-TV. A GoFundMe page set up by family and friends to cover funeral costs had raised more than 16,000 US dollars as of Sunday afternoon. Press Release: Man Dies as a Result of a Shark Bite at Cape Cod National Seashorehttps://t.co/4UOfZUpzeZ Cape Cod NS (@CapeCodNPS) September 16, 2018 Arthur was a very happy young man, said a posting on the page. He loved life, he was an active member of a Christian church, devoting his life to the Lord. He loved hiking, biking, surfing and various other sports. He was always joyful and willing to help others, even going as far as feeding the homeless. He was happily engaged to a smart, kind-hearted medical student with a bright future, it continued. Our lives are never going to be the same without him. His laughter filled our home and he will be greatly missed by us all. Expand Close Cape Cod National Seashore Park Ranger Eric Trudeau walks up to a group of visitors (Merrily Cassidy/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Cape Cod National Seashore Park Ranger Eric Trudeau walks up to a group of visitors (Merrily Cassidy/AP) There also was an outpouring of condolences on his Facebook page. Mr Medici had worked at The Capital Grille restaurant in Burlington, just outside of Boston, and left the job more than a year ago, restaurant spokesman Rich Jeffers said. Just like everybody else, were shocked and saddened, he said. Its just terrible. Mr Medici was attacked around noon as he and a friend were boogie boarding. Expand Close Police and rescue vehicles at Newcomb Hollow Beach (Steve Heaslip/The Cape Cod Times via AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Police and rescue vehicles at Newcomb Hollow Beach (Steve Heaslip/The Cape Cod Times via AP) The friend dragged him ashore, and people on the beach attempted life-saving measures including CPR and applying tourniquets. He was taken to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, where he was pronounced dead. On August 15, a 61-year-old New York man was severely injured after fighting off a shark off Truro, about four miles north of Saturdays attack. He is currently recovering in a Boston hospital. Saturdays attack was the third fatal shark attack in the world this year, with the other two occurring in Brazil and Egypt, according to Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Programme for Shark Research and curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History. There have been 39 confirmed unprovoked shark bites worldwide this year, including 22 in the US, most of them on the East Coast, Mr Naylor said. The new couple which has brought the air of romance to the city of Bollywood, is all set to return to India. Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor have wrapped up the shoot of Brahmastra in Bulgaria and now the entire team is heading back. The wrap up picture was shared by Ayan Mukherji and Pooja Kapur, the ambassador of India to Bulgaria. Just when we were gushing over the cuteness of the picture she shared, we got a new one from Alia herself. In the picture she is seen celebrating the shoot wrap up with her rumored boyfriend Ranbir and there is their director by the side. Have a look: Bollywood is slowly but gradually seeing a change in the way Indian cinema is being made. From frivolous Ram Gopal Varma horror films, the industry is moving over into serious film-making. And that does not only include drama, action or rom-comedy. Bollywood is now growing in other spheres of cinema as well. And we're more than delighted to announce that some makers have taken the charge of getting into the horror zone. Because some people like us love horror and can't be constantly dependent on movies in the West which do terrific business in India. So here's taking a look at 7 Bollywood movies which got horror-comedy just about right. After all, who doesn't like a few laughs after a few scares. 1. Stree This one took us by complete surprise. Starring Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao and Pankaj Tripathi in lead roles, the movie is scary on a lot of levels. Based on a ridiculous phenomenon, where a woman was killed for falling in love with a man of another religion many years ago, Stree shows how the ghost comes to haunt them at night and takes the men of the village unless they write, 'Stree, kal mat aana'. The movie was mostly promoted through word of mouth and has made Rs 100 crore. And #Stree hits a century... Crosses cr mark... [Week 3] Fri 2.14 cr, Sat 3.76 cr. Total: 101.43 cr. India biz... This ones a LOTTERY for its investors. taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) September 16, 2018 2. Golmaal 4 The Golmaal movies has always been a series of fun, glamour and action. this time too, the movie was fun but the director Rohit Shetty explored the horror genre and roped in Parineeti Chopra to play the role of a female ghost. The movie is about how her father and she were killed by her boyfriend who wanted to take over her property. And so she comes back to take revenge with the help of the Golmaal boys. Arshad Warsi is the one who is scared of her and Ajay Devgn ends up falling in love with her. 3 Great Grand Masti The trio was back with their third installment and didn't want to keep it plain jane. The makers decided to spice it up by adding Urvashi Rautela into the plot. Vivek Oberoi, Riteish Deshmukh and Aftab Shivdasani, decide to visit a small town where they meet a 'femme fatale' in the form of Ragini. Ragini is everything they had dreamed of, but she slowly turns into their worst nightmare! Yes, she's a ghost and a scary one. See the trailer and it might send shivers down your spine. 4 Phillauri This movie might not be the most nail-biting ghost stories but the first few scenes when Anushka is introduced definitely does take you aback. Turns out, the ghost is a friendly one who accidentally gets married to an NRI man who was told to marry a tree as he was "manglik." The movie tries to break the stereotype of such religious beliefs in its own ways. The Jallianwala Bagh scenes towards the end also steals our heart. It's must watch for people who love horror-comedy. 5. Bhootnath You see the trailer and you know what we mean. It's a typical horror movie but only later it turns out that the ghost is a kid friendly one who is just trying to scare people who try and live in his house. 6. Go Goa Gone Three friends decide to visit an isolated island for a rave party. But the next morning they find themselves not only stranded but also surrounded and hunted by flesh-eating zombies. 7. Jaani Dushman The movie deserves a standing ovation. Not only has this been trolled a million times, but has been re-watched over and over again. It's a simple story of a girl who is raped by a group of friends and how she and her lover from her previous birth, set out to exact revenge on them. The movie is scarily funny in parts and is an unmissable art. Karanvir Bohra began his journey at a time when serials were on a big boom. Some of the shows that made him really popular were Shararat, Kasautii Zindagi Kay, Saubhagyavati Bhava and Naagin 2. And now, Karanvir is all set to commence his another interesting journey. After turning down the Bigg Boss offer for more than eight years, Bohra is finally entering the house as a contestant this year. In an interesting interview with TOI, Bohra opened up about his decision of choosing to be on the show. When he was reminded about his daughters, he said, "Ohhhhh! Don't remind me! I think that's the one thing that is really holding me back. It is going to be the most difficult part of this journey - being away from them. How many firsts I am going to miss I don't know. I am missing their second birthday as well." Karanvir, who knows Salman personally also thinks that with this show, Salman will get to know him a little better. He added, "I think everybody knows Salman bhai! But honestly speaking, I am closer to Salim Uncle and Salma Aunty. I have a very respectful relationship with Salman Bhai. I think he'll get to know me a little better through this show." When Karan was quizzed about his conduct and strategy of dealing with other inmates, a surprisingly calm and composed Karanvir replied, "The house is not about avoiding fights. It's about how you react when you are put in the most stressful situations. The house tests you again and again. And when a fight is unavoidable it is, and it's always better to stand up for what is right rather than shy away just because it could lead to an argument or a fight." Confirmed celebrities also include Bhajan Samrat, Anup Jalota, Dipika Kakar, Nehha Pendse, S Sreesanth and Srishty Rode. Holy Shit! These words were printed on wedding invitation cards of actors Sumeet Vyas and Ekta Kaul. Things escalated quickly for Sumeet Vyas and Ekta Kaul who dated for a year before tying the knot in Jammu on 15th September. After their filmy pre-wedding shoot, the couple had a time of their lives getting married with their close ones in attendance. A lot of friends from the industry attended the wedding functions and shared pictures and videos. The latest pictures of the couple are floating on the internet and the bride and groom look perfect in their traditional Indian attire. Have a look at the pictures. Instagram Just a few days ago, Sumeet also revealed his entire love story to Humans of Bombay. Their magical love-story became an instant hit and people loved how love blossomed between the two. As much as we love performing our favourite asanas while stretching out our limbs, theres always that one question that looms over our head when it comes to exercise. Just how many calories do the asanas you perform during a specific type of yoga burn? If youre someone who swears by yoga for their health and wellness needs, youll definitely want to know how much calories youre burning during your yoga sessions. Although there plenty of factors at play, such as your body type, age, gender, size and weight, it helps to have a broad approximation of how much youre burning. cffhp.com Heres how much you would be approximately burning during 60-minutes of any these forms of yoga if you weigh between 55-75 kilos: Hatha yoga pinterest.com.mx As one of the most basic and general practices of yoga is one of the most popular yoga practices in the west and in the east as well. It focuses on holding poses, maintaining awareness of your breath and stretching out your muscles. Caloric burnt: 155 210 approximately Ashtanga yoga (power yoga) zlddm.com This is one of the practices that involves a series of deep breathing techniques that can elevate your heart rate, give you cardiovascular benefits by boosting up your heart rate. The breathing also helps relax your mind and better your arterial health. Caloric burn: 260 355 approximately Bikram yoga (hot yoga) spotgymyoga.org This is probably the form you are looking for if youre looking to maximise calorie burn. The classes typically go on for about 60-90 minutes, in a heated room at a temperature higher than 35 degrees and with a series of at least 26 poses to help you work up a real sweat. Caloric burn: 387 - 530 approximately Vinyasa flow seratus.id As one of the more strenuous forms of yoga, this is a very popular yoga class. Fluid in nature, it involves a constant movement where you try to coordinate your movement with your breath, by taking a breath with every movement you make; making this one of the more challenging forms. Caloric burn: 480 654 approximately Iyengar yoga thepinsta.com If youre not into the more vigorous forms of yoga, you may want to give Iyengar yoga a try. It focuses on alignment and proper positioning while performing postures. As a subtler format, it doesnt involve a lot of movement the poses focus more on improving flexibility and posture. Caloric burn: 170 approximately Farmer Sanmathy Raj was walking to his field last week when he stopped short. Dead earthworms covered the ground. I couldnt walk without stepping on them, he said. Its normal for earthworms to creep out of the soil after rains, but Kolavayal, Rajs village in Keralas Wayanad district, has been dry since flood waters receded. Baffling as the scene was, mass earthworm deaths have also been reported from other parts of Wayanad and Idukki districts. Scientists and the state government are worried, as earthworms maintain soil fertility, and their decimation so soon after the floods could mean another crisis. The last time earthworms died in such large numbers in Wayanad was in the summer of 2016, and experts say high soil temperatures could be the cause. reuters After the rains abated in the region, daytime temperatures have risen from 22 degrees Celsius on August 21, to 29.4 degrees on Thursday. Indian earthworms generally have a tolerance of 15-28 degrees, said N Anil Kumar, senior director at the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation. He said earthworm deaths could hurt agriculture. Changes in soil conditions after flooding could also be responsible. A tonne of soil contains about 5 kg of organic matter and retains 50 litres of water, Wayanad soil conservation officer P U Das said. But floods flushed out organic matter from the soil, reducing its water holding capacity. Drier soil heats up more, forcing earthworms out. bccl The types of earthworms found in Wayanad and Idukki and the reasons for their deaths are different, said S Prasanth Narayanan at the Mahatma Gandhi University. He said preliminary reports indicate the earthworms in Wayanad are an exotic species that could have perished because of the sudden change in night temperature and severe soil dryness. In Idukki, deaths appear to have been caused by the prelandslide vibrations. Dams Run Dry In West, North, Overflow Down South June was a good month: monsoon hit Kerala on time and most of the country, barring four states, got decent rain. By mid-June, rainfall was actually 20% in excess. bccl Things got choppy after that heavy rain in parts, deficit in others. So, by August 8, there was a 10% deficit. This shrunk to 6% by end of the month, but by September 11, deficit was up to 8%. All this, coupled with how it has rained in the previous years, led to some reservoirs running dry while some are overflowing. Gujarat has been among the worst hit, with reservoirs linked to river Sabarmati 74% drier than last year. Its exactly the opposite down south. There, the reservoirs are overflowing. Tamil Nadus reservoirs now have 67% more water than in 2017. Five persons, including a woman, died Sunday of suspected asphyxiation in a septic tank at a house in Chhattisgarh's Jashpur district, police said. Two sanitation workers climbed down into the septic tank in Pandripani village, located around 450 km from here, to remove wooden planks, but they did not come out, a local police official said. Subsequently, two more persons went inside but they too did not come out following which the house owner's wife climbed down into the newly-built septic tank, he said. bccl When none of them came out, a child from the neighbourhood alerted the villagers who rushed to the spot, he said. The five were later pulled out of the septic tank and taken to a local hospital where they were declared dead, the official said. The deceased were identified as Savitri (45), Badu Tam (60), Paramjeet Paikra (19), Ramjeevan Ram (35) and Ishwar Sai (40), he said. bccl Prime facie, it is suspected that they died of suffocation, he said. However, the exact cause of their deaths will be known in the autopsy report, he added. A case was registered in connection with the incident, he said. A silent revolution to empower women has taken place in and around Mohopada, a tiny village in Raigad district, barely 60km from Mumbai, thanks to the single-handed efforts of a retired teacher, 101-year-old Rameshwar Karve from Alibaug. Over the past 18-odd years, more than 150 non-Brahmin, semi-literate women have got Sanskrit degrees to become trained and certified priestesses. The first puja each conducts is during Ganeshotsav in their respective homes. After facing resistance and non-acceptance, the women have finally begun getting invitations to conduct pujas in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai to commemorate births, deaths and everything in between, including Ganeshotsav. toi/representational image They have solemnised marriages, conducted thread ceremonies and even performed the Shani Shanti puja, which is usually done by men, in a Dahisar home. It may be recalled that barely two years ago, womens groups had to agitate to be allowed inside the Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar. The women have dedicated their achievements to Karve who had done his Sanskrit Shastri, a course equivalent to a bachelor of education degree. Learning Sanskrit years after I quit college was very hard. I would make excuses of house work or helping my children with their homework to miss our 2-5pm classes. But our guruji had a lot of patience and persisted, said Surekha Patil (54), one of the first few women to start learning Sanskrit and shlokas in 2000. The women had to learn Sanskrit to be able to read the shlokhas and get the pronunciations right. bccl/representational image Karves daughter Vasanti Deo said her educationist father has started more than five schools in Raigad district. His focus has always been on making education, especially Sanskrit, accessible to the non-Brahmin population, she said and added that Swatantra Veer Savarkar had told Tatya, as he is fondly called, to spread the Sanskrit language. Karve is said to have met the freedom fighter in Ratnagiri in the 1920s when he was under house arrest. Lalita Dalvi (52), his first student from Mohopada, said it was her husband who was instrumental in her journey to learning Sanskrit. Our guru had come to deliver a lecture in a nearby zila parishad school. That was when my husband asked him if he would come and teach in Mohopada. My husband did not hope for a positive answer but Tatya agreed instantly, said Dalvi and added that it was difficult to gather women to come for lessons every day. bccl/representational image The attrition rate was very high and it took Karve several motivational talks to retain his students. He would get us munchies from Pen to keep us coming to class. He treated us like nursery students who are given sweets by their teachers to attend school. He poured his soul into teaching us, said Bharti Mhatre (47) who used to manage classes after completing her household chores and sending two children to school while running a medical shop in the village. He would never give us homework because he knew we would drop out if we had to take our studies home. He ensured that our responsibilities towards our families were not compromised because of the study, said Madhuri Kawade (62). All of them completed Sanskrit Bharati, a six-month correspondence course which has four levels; a written exam has to be given to cross each level. Many of them got between 80 and 90 marks out of 100 in their final exams. The women faced a rough journey to education. Many from their village called them names and warned that if women chant shlokas when they were menstruating it would invite divine punishment. Do we stop sending our daughters from going to school when they are menstruating? No, right? These classes were also like school for us. Why should we miss classes just because we are on our periods? asks Naina Koli. Right here, we were booed by local priests for reciting the Ganpati aarti. But see today we confidently stand in the same temple and perform pujas, said Koli, pointing to the village Ganpati temple. bccl/representational image The women say people are warming up to change but its a long way before things change completely. Even today when we go to peoples homes to perform pujas we hear stray comments from their relatives asking us whether we know the rituals and if we recite the mantras properly. We just smile and continue our work, said Dalvi. Dalvi recounted an instance where they had gone to perform the Satyanarayan puja at a family friends place. At the end of a puja, family members touch the pandits feet and accept prasad from his hands. But here, they didnt touch our feet. They just took the prasad from us, said Dalvi. Family support has been pivotal for them. Many of my relatives used to ask me why was I sending my daughter and daughter-in-law to the class. Someone even told me its not a good thing for women to be out of the house every day. I would just nod in front of them and come home and tell my daughters to continue their lessons. God doesnt believe in caste and gender, said Dattatrey Raut (77). Recently, a Buddhist monk was arrested from the Bodh Gaya for allegedly sexually assaulting young children in the shrine and now Buddhist spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Sunday said that he has known about the sexual abuse by Buddhist teachers since 1990s. He said that these allegations are nothing new. The Tibetan spiritual leader, revered by millions of Buddhists around the world, made the admission during a four-day visit to the Netherlands, where he met on Friday with victims of sexual abuse allegedly committed by Buddhist teachers. He was responding to a call from a dozen of the victims who had launched a petition asking to meet him during his trip, part of a tour of Europe. "We found refuge in Buddhism with an open mind and heart, until we were raped in its name," the victims said in their petition. "I already did know these things, nothing new," the Dalai Lama said in response on Dutch public television NOS late Saturday. "Twenty-five years ago... someone mentioned about a problem of sexual allegations" at a conference for western Buddhist teachers in Dharamshala, a hill town in northern India, he added. The Dalai Lama, 83, lives in exile in Dharamshala. People who commit sexual abuse "don't care about the Buddha's teaching. So now that everything has been made public, people may concern about their shame," he said, speaking in English. Tseten Samdup Chhoekyapa, a representative of the Tibetan spiritual leader in Europe, said Friday that the Dalai Lama "has consistently denounced such irresponsible and unethical behaviour". Tibetan spiritual leaders are due to meet in Dharamshala in November. "At that time they should talk about it," the Dalai Lama said in his televised comments Saturday. "I think the religious leaders should pay more attention. In a moment of pride for India, Scotland Yard's first Indian-origin counter-terrorism chief Neil Basu has won the Asian Achievers' Award in the Uniformed and Civil Services category for his contribution to policing in the UK. @metpoliceuk Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu is the Metropolitan Police's National Lead for Counter Terrorism and the Head of the Met Police's Specialist Operations. On Friday, Basu sent a colleague from the force to receive the award on his behalf at the 18th annual awards event, organised by UK-based media house Asian Business Publications Limited (ABPL) Group. Prime Minister Theresa May noted in her message for the awards night in Mayfair, London that "(British Asians) continue to excel across all spheres of society...I am determined to ensure the government looks more like the country it serves, and to see a new generation creating opportunities for people across the whole of the UK." news.nopcc.police.uk The award citation described Basu's job as "one of the toughest policing roles in the country" and praised his hard work and dedication in achieving such seniority within the force as the "first officer of Asian heritage to hold the post in the UK". Other major Indian-origin winners were BBC presenter, author and documentary filmmaker Babita Sharma in the media and arts category and healthcare entrepreneur and CEO of Regent's Park Healthcare Anil Kumar Ohri, who was named Professional of the Year. With inputs from PTI We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018, 1:57 pm The still-potent remnants of Hurricane Florence marched through the Carolinas on Sunday and as the winds weakened the flood grew only stronger. New Hanover County and the city of Wilmington, where the storm breached a Duke Energy Corp. coal-ash landfill, are totally cut off, and officials are planning for a possible airlift of food and water. In flooded communities, emergency responders have rescued more than 900 people, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said in a briefing Sunday. Hundreds of search-and-rescue boats are cruising inundated streets in the states sodden east. The risk to life is rising with the angry waters, Cooper said. This storm has never been more dangerous than it is right now. Officials warned of even more catastrophic flooding after the deluge killed at least 14 people, washed partially treated sewage into waterways and left entire communities under water. Food, water and provisions might have to be flown into Wilmington, a community of about 119,000 people, and the county has asked the National Guard to help prevent theft, New Hanover County spokeswoman Jessica Loeper said. There are few if any routes in and out of the county, she said. Dangerous Sludge The colonial-era city sits at the mouth of the Cape Fear River. On its south side is the damaged Duke Energy landfill. The company said contamination of the river is highly unlikely after the landfill spilled about 2,000 cubic yards of coal ash, which can carry arsenic, mercury, lead and selenium. An environmental group called it a significant breach, and North Carolina authorities said they would investigate when the storm eases sufficiently to allow access. An absolute waterfall of storm water is flowing from the landfill, Kemp Burdette of the watchdog group Cape Fear River Watch said in a video posted on its Facebook page. Captured Contamination Duke assumes that the ash made its way into Sutton Lake, which the company built as a cooling pond and wastewater processing system adjacent to the river, spokeswoman Paige Sheehan said. Much appeared to settle at the base of the landfill and in a ditch designed to capture material, Sheehan said. Testing river samples will probably take a few days, if not more, she said. Coal ash in the river would be hardly measurable because of all the rainfall, said Avner Vengosh, a Duke University professor who specializes in geochemistry and water quality. But even small quantities can accumulate and harm fish and other aquatic life, he said. When the storm is over and everything goes back to normal, you still have a source of contamination at the bottom of the river that would slowly steep into the ambient environment, Vengosh said by phone from Durham. Storm Downgraded Early Sunday, Florence was downgraded to a tropical depression as winds diminished to 35 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm was moving north-northwest at 10 mph about 40 miles west of Columbia, South Carolina. As the storm weakened, North Carolinas attention turned to how its rivers could accommodate record rainfall that reached 40 inches in some places. Nine rivers have climbed to major flooding level, with five still rising, according to the Flood Inundation Mapping and Alert Network website. The Trent River and the Cape Fear River both hit records Sunday, topping highs set during Hurricane Floyd in 1999, the National Weather Service said. Fayetteville, near the Armys massive Fort Bragg, ordered residents within a mile of the Cape Fear and Little rivers to evacuate by 3 p.m. local time. West of Charlotte in Cramerton, a town of 4,400 nestled in a bend of the Catawba Rivers south fork, Fire Captain Travis Williamson said he was getting ready to evacuate the fire station itself. On Sunday morning, it was encircled by a slack yellow inflatable levee, ready to be filled with air when the time comes. Stretches of Interstate 95 and other roads were closed, and drivers were advised to avoid North Carolina in general. This is an extremely long detour, but it is the detour that offers the lowest risk, the states Department of Transportation said in an advisory. In Recovery Florence, the first major hurricane of the Atlantic season, is expected to cause about $18 billion in damage. More than 755,000 customers were without power in the Carolinas and more than 20,000 people have sought protection in shelters. Search-and-rescue operations were underway in flooded coastal cities and emergency management officials said they are worried about landslides as the storm pours down on already saturated hills and mountains inland. About 40,000 utility workers from at least 17 states are restoring power, according to the federal energy department. Besides Duke Energy, utilities in the Carolinas include South Carolina-owned Santee Cooper, Brunswick Electric Membership Corp., Jones Onslow Electric Membership and Lumbee River Electric Membership. Recovery Force North Carolina has more than 1,000 search-and-rescue personnel out with more than 2,000 boats and 36 helicopters, Michael Sprayberry, the states director of emergency management, said on ABCs This Week on Sunday. Its bad right now, Sprayberry said. And we do expect it to get worse over the coming days. The cost of the damage is expected to reach $15 billion for North Carolina, $2 billion for South Carolina and $1 billion elsewhere, said Chuck Watson, a disaster researcher at Enki Research in Savannah, Georgia. Residents wondered whether crucial infrastructure and industrial emplacements would survive. Of particular concern were environmentally precarious facilities for processing waste from North Carolinas massive hog industry and for containing the byproducts of power generation. More than 60 swine operations house more than 235,000 hogs that generate almost 202 million gallons of waste per year within the coastal floodplain, according to Waterkeepers, a watchdog group. Environmental organizations are preparing to inspect waterways for toxic spills from lagoons once the storm subsides. Cooper said Sunday that the lagoons had so far held out. The state has 14 Duke coal-ash ponds and the company was ordered to clean them up after about 39,000 tons spilled in 2014 near Eden. Work was underway at several high-risk sites when Florence hit. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has been closely monitoring all coal ash impoundments that could be vulnerable, it said in a statement. Once the damage is assessed, DEQ will determine the best path forward and hold the utility accountable. Copyright 2021 Bloomberg. Topics Flood Hurricane North Carolina Pollution South Carolina Gardai are investigating online threats made against a garda working in Dublin following the Take Back The City protest earlier this week. The garda is reported to have been at the eviction on Dublin's North Frederick Street on Tuesday wearing a fire-resistant hood. According to the Mail on Sunday, the man was identified on social media, named and threatened to be shot. The Facebook post quickly gained traction online and featured a number of threats and comments about the garda. The protest was held by the housing action group Take Back The City after the High Court ordered the eviction of several people who were occupying a house in the city centre. Gardai came under fire after images emerged of officers wearing fire-resistant hoods alongside balaclava-wearing men from a private security firm. Responding to the news of the threats to the garda online, An Garda Siochana issued a statement this morning saying "appropriate supports" have been put in place by garda management in order to protect the welfare and safety of the garda member. The incident was condemned by the new garda Commissioner Drew Harris. Speaking today, Commissioner Harris said: "Threats and intimidation against garda members who are only doing their job to keep people safe and uphold lawful order are completely unacceptable. "I utterly condemn it," he said. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris Minister for Justice and Equality Charlie Flanagan also condemned the naming of the garda and threats against him online. "This serves to highlight the challenges facing gardai in upholding the law on our behalf and the importance of all right-thinking people supporting them in doing that," he said. "Threats against them are threats against the rule of law and not acceptable. I expect the matter will be fully investigated by gardai." Housing minister Eoghan Murphy said he was "disgusted" by the threats, telling RTE: "It is utterly wrong. "We talked about this earlier in the week when the protests were happening, about the safety of the gardai - and that has to be paramount as they go about protecting the public. "And I do hope that anyone involved in these protests, any political organisations or protesting organisations - while of course they have a right to protest - they distance themselves from this immediately. "Because it's completely wrong." Minister for Health Simon Harris also voiced his condemnation on Twitte, saying it was "disgusting" to see the threats against the garda online. "We depend on them to keep us, our families, our communities safe. A threat against them is a threat against us all," he said. Disgusting to see online threats being made against members of An Garda Siochana. We depend on them to keep us, our families, our communities safe. A threat against them is a threat against us all Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) September 16, 2018 John O'Keeffe, Communications Director of the Garda Representative Association said the body "unequivocally condemns" the online abuse. "The Garda Representative Association unequivocally condemns the online abuse of and threats against those of our membership who were working as public servants at the recent North Frederick Street protest. "They have led to vile social media abuse and threats where our members, and often their families are intentionally identified. The GRA Membership go to work everyday as public servants, equipped with little more than an extendible baton and pepper spray to defend themselves and the public. "The Association also acknowledges and appreciates Commissioner Drew Harris's prompt condemnation of the abuse and we look forward to working with him to ensure that such threats against our membership and indeed all public and civil servants, involved in the enforcement of court orders, are fully investigated and processed in accordance with the law." Digital Desk Irish Water has issued another conservation appeal to customers across Cork amid continuing pressure on water supplies in the city and county. Despite recent rainfall replenishing some surface water sources, the utility says it will take longer for groundwater supplies to return to sustainable levels. In the Cork City area, from Ovens and Ballincollig in the west to Little Island and Cobh in the east, and from Blarney and Tower in the north to Ringaskiddy, Carrigaline and Crosshaven in the south, water supplies are being maintained from the three water treatment plants at Inniscarra, Lee Road, and Glashaboy. However, water levels in Inniscarra lake, which supplies large areas to the south of Cork City and the harbour area, remain at historically low levels. While there is no immediate risk to these supplies, the lack of significant rainfall has continued into September and we are therefore appealing to the public to do what they can to reduce water use, said a spokesman. In North Cork, water levels in the Newmarket regional supply, which is served by groundwater sources, are extremely low. Areas affected include Newmarket, Kanturk, Tullylease, Kilbrin, Meelin, and Boherbue with night-time restrictions set to continue. As well as fixing leaks and managing pressure levels, work is now underway to identify alternative water sources, Irish Water said. The utility has also appealed to customers served by the Charleville water supply scheme, which serves Charleville, Buttevant, and Newtownshandrum, to continue water conservation efforts. Irish Water customers in West Cork have escaped restrictions so far, but customers in Clonakilty, Rosscarbery, Timoleague, Courtmacsherry, Coppeen, Bantry, and Kealkill have been asked to continue to conserve water. The hose-pipe ban remains in place until the end of the month. Meanwhile, 30 Irish Water staff joined colleagues from Ervia and Gas Networks Ireland for a Big Beach Clean at Pilots Quay in Cobh. They collected more than 50 bags of rubbish, including large amounts of baby wipes and plastic ties. Jastine Valdez will be remembered today at one of the biggest annual gatherings for the Filipino community in Ireland. The 24-year-old student from Enniskerry, Co Wicklow was abducted and murdered last May after moving to Ireland three years ago to be with her parents. Sinn Feins Presidential candidate Liadh Ni Riada has today said that the Troubles were a natural progression of the War of Independence. Ni Riada, from North West Cork, is the partys current MEP for Ireland South and was ratified by the party to contest the Presidency earlier today. Her candidacy was revealed at a carefully-managed rally in Dublin where no media questions were allowed. In an interview with the Irish Examiner, Ms Ni Riada said that while civilian death in the Troubles were absolutely wrong, the struggle was a consequence of the earlier conflicts with Britain. I am from a republican area in north west Cork, which has had its own history of violent struggles during the War of Independence and I see what happened in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, even though I was a teenager at the time, as a natural progression on to that, she said. But we now have a peace process, we must concentrate on making sure that is maintained and not just a stagnant peace process. If we keep going backwards how can we go forward? It was not justified when civilians are involved, violence on any level is wrong, she added. Ms Ni Riada said the apology given by her party leader Mary Lou McDonald to former Labour Senator Mairia Cahill, will be inadequate given what she has suffered. Firstly, I cant even begin to imagine what Mairia Cahill went through. I dont think anybodys apology will go far enough to undo what was done to her. I just hope she is getting the support she needs. Healing has to take place, But I dont think an apology will ever be adequate enough to undo what was done to her, she said. There are now robust procedures in place within the party to protect against that. It is unfortunate in Mairia Cahills case, I send her my best wishes, she added. Ms Ni Riada, who courted controversy previously by expressing concerns about the HPV vaccine now says she is a full supporter of it. She described taking it as a no brainer. Let me very clear, I absolutely think the HPV vaccine is necessary. It is wonderful that science has evolved to save girls from getting cancer, particularly cervical cancer. They are now talking about giving to boys, I would encourage anyone to do that. I have daughters myself, she said. Asked has she encouraged them to take it, she said: I would of course, I would of course. As a parent you are always going to be concerned with what you are putting into your child, that is natural for any parent. But I will be reiterating, I have no issue with HPV or any vaccine if it is going to save lives. It is a no-brainer. Ms Ni Riada, aged 51, who is believed to be socially conservative said she would have no hesitation signing the pending abortion legislation into law, if passed by the Oireachtas. I am not pigeonholed but in answer to your question, the office of the President has a duty to uphold the constitution and of course there is no question about it. I would sign into law anything the government proposes as is the duty of the role. Party politics does not come into it, she said. Absolutely none whatsoever, that is the duty of the president. She also said President Michael D Higgins has done an excellent job for our country but it is time to give young people an opportunity to lead. Esther McCarthy caught up with actress Ruth Wilson as she jetted into Dublin for the premiere of Lenny Abrahamsons latest movie, The Little Stranger. When Irish filmmaker Lenny Abrahamson sought a female lead for his eagerly awaited follow-up to Room, he looked no further than Ruth Wilson. The top British actress, he felt, would bring layers and mystery to Caroline Ayres in The Little Stranger, the story of a troubled family living in a house which may hold a dark secret. Who better than the reliably great Wilson, who has brought depth to such characters as the genius psychopath Alice in Luther, the complicated Alison Lockhart in The Affair, and Marisa Coulter in the forthcoming adaptation of His Dark Materials. I think its pretty much that you read it and go: Oh, that intrigues me or: Thats different to what I did last time, she says of choosing her roles. It can be a combination of things. Then there are other characters where you go: Shes a mystery. Like Marisa Coulter in His Dark Materials. Shes described as the mother of all evil. Well thats great to play! A cesspit of moral filth brilliant! I want to know what that is, she says. We meet in Dublin just hours before the European premiere of The Little Stranger, where shes looking forward to beingreunited with Abrahamson and co-star Domhnall Gleeson. She laughs when I tell her both men had paid her the ultimate Irish compliment, that shes great craic. During the filming of it we didnt really go out much, didnt have much opportunity to have a laugh. But last week we were in New York when it was opening there. And we went out afterwards and had a great fun time. It was funny because certainly in that film, there are a lot of repressed people on the screen. Those characters are deep, theyre hiding things, they dont understand themselves, theres conflict or trauma in them. So its really important to have some banter and lightness around it. Even when we werent acting there was a certain intensity inside the set, inside the environment. It wasnt the most lighthearted filmmaking experience that Ive had but theyre really funny. We had a great old time last week and I hope to have one tonight as well. She is simple elegance personified in gold heels, white cut-off trousers and a cream blouse when we meet to talk about her career. Although she has certainly become known for playing complex women, she says she primarily seeks out stories which surprise and intrigue her, and that was what she felt from Abrahamsons film. It was partly that I didnt understand it. I knew that it was good, that it was interesting, I loved the characters. But I didnt quite understand it and I was mystified it. "It also got under my skin, there was something unnerving about it. Thats what drew me in. I thought: This is unusual and I want to keep digging at it. Its sort of a mix of things and thats intriguing. It kind of darts on the line of all sorts of genres. Its like nothing else youve read. In the movie, adapted from the bestselling novel, Gleeson plays Dr Faraday, a GP called to the home of the Ayres family in 1940s Warwickshire. He befriends the once-wealthy family whose home is now crumbling down around him, while trying to win the affections of Wilsons Caroline in the multi-layered mystery. It wasnt a normal romance and it didnt play out like a normal romance, says Wilson. Its about patriarchy, its about class, theres so much going on that you could lean into any of those themes in a scene. These people are so different as well, really odd birds. A lot of that is relevant now, that toxic masculinity, or toxic patriarchy that Caroline was feeling adverse to, even though she didnt really understand it. I dont think she comes to any clarity until near the end of the film. Shes stuck in a social order which she hates and which keeps her, in a way, burdened and claustrophobic. She enjoys playing such interesting women as Caroline and others. To me thats what its about. Everybody has multi layers to them, no ones purely good, no ones purely evil. More and more I get more excited by that. Unfortunately I have a brain which will go into that anyway, even if its not on the page. I think Ive trained my brain to become more curious in that way and look at it that way. I find it quite awkward and self-conscious to just say a line as me. I cant do that. Growing up with three older brothers, Wilson didnt realise that a career as an actor was a possibility when she was younger. Her mother sent her and her siblings to a drama club just to get us out of the house and even though she joined drama societies at college, it was history that she studied. I was not sure I just didnt know how to get into the industry, she says, adding that her family find the world of her career: Completely bizarre. But theyre dead proud. In a way its good, it grounds me. When I go back home, we dont talk about my world. But they have been kept involved in her next project, a three-part series based on an astonishing secret within her own family. Her beloved paternal grandmother, Alison Wilson, discovered upon her husbands death that he led a double life, a secret her family only learned when she passed. Now the story is being dramatised in a series, Mrs Wilson, with Ruth playing her grandmother on screen. She tells the extraordinary story which inspired the project, which she is also executive producing. My grandmother wrote a memoir which was written in two parts and left them to us when she died. She died when I was 22, so I knew her really well apart from this massive secret of her life, which shed kept to herself. She married Alexander Wilson, who was my grandfather, and it turned out that he was a spy in the interwar years. He wrote 27 spy novels and he had many wives who he never divorced, and they never knew about each other,she says, adding that she believes her grandmother knew of one other woman, but others have since been uncovered. See photos from last night's European Premiere of @TLSmovie in association with Pathe and #VMDIFF19. A wonderful first event to celebrate our new title sponsorship with @VirginMediaIE. Huge thank you to @lennyabrahamson, cast & crew for a wonderful night https://t.co/mKZ6fForD3 pic.twitter.com/xU05MTHSt2 Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival (@DublinFilmFest) September 13, 2018 We found out a lot more since she died, and we have since met all these other family members. My dad has met all these half brothers and half sisters. All of the wives died, and all of them kept the secret. Its been really fascinating its been down to the next generation to discover it. So this drama is inspired by my grandmothers memoir, its through her point of view. Making the drama, also starring Keeley Hawes, Iain Glen and Cork-born actor Fiona Shaw, has been a profound experience, she agrees. Its the hardest thing that Ive ever done. I executive produced it as well, got it going, so I was there from the beginning. I got the siblings to read the script before we started filming, kept them well informed. I had this adrenaline flowing through me all the time. It felt like she was sitting in me, or whatever. The journey was pretty weird. The time I was filming in the 60s, when she was finding things out, I found really hard. There were moments when Id be sitting thinking about my grandmother and feeling enormous pity and affection for her, what she had to go through. It was an incredible experience. Wilson also confirmed recent speculation that she will not be in season five of The Affair but said her departure was not connected to any pay parity issue. She has spoken in the past of about the issue but also feels its complex. Its difficult in our industry, because its grey and because its based on value and how do you measure value? Do you measure it by the work youve done? "Do you measure it by how popular what youve done is? Do you measure it by the amount of awards youve got? How do you measure value? Its very hard. I dont know. At the moment we have more confidence to fight for more, when we wouldnt have done before, or wouldnt have even considered that we were getting paid so substantially less. The Little Stranger opens in cinemas on September 21. Soon after my family moved to New Orleans in the summer of 2005, we heard Mayor Ray Nagins first warnings about Hurricane Katrina, writes Daniel P. Aldrich. With two young children, a job I hadnt started yet, and little in the way of savings, my wife and I couldnt wrap our heads around leaving our freshly furnished home to spend money on a hotel in some distant city. So we ignored the call for evacuation. As our neighbors began to pack up and head out, we figured they were overreacting. Then relatives began to make increasingly frantic phone calls and Kathy, a member of our religious community, dropped by at midnight to persuade us to leave. We got in our van around 3 a.m., some 12 hours before the rain began to fall. Many deaths that occur due to flooding, fires, hurricanes, mudslides and other disasters could be prevented if more people left vulnerable areas in time as my family did at the last minute. But people dont always move, even after the authorities order their evacuation and warn them about imminent risks. Since evacuating from New Orleans in 2005, I have traveled to vulnerable communities around the world to study how people get through and bounce back from major catastrophes. Through research in Japan, India, Israel and the Gulf Coast, I have sought to capture the factors that create resilience. Given that evacuation almost always saves lives, I wanted to understand why people often dont leave in the face of danger. To do so, I teamed up with colleagues, including some who work at Facebook, to analyze evacuation patterns based on information that people shared publicly on social media before, during and after hurricanes. We found that social networks, especially connections to those beyond immediate family, influence decisions to leave or stay in place before disasters. Insights from social media Many communities that are vulnerable to disasters put a lot of resources into providing residents with early warnings. For example, in Montecito, California, during the January 2018 mudslides, local authorities and disaster managers tried to warn residents through channels that included emails, social media alerts, press releases and deputies going door to door. Despite these efforts, not all residents evacuated, and nearly two dozen lost their lives. Traditionally, much emphasis has been placed on the role of physical infrastructure preparedness during crisis. But in light of findings about the importance of social capital during crises, our team wanted to better illuminate human behavior during these events. To understand evacuation behavior, social scientists have typically asked survivors weeks or even years after an event to recall what they did and why. Other researchers have waited at rest stops along evacuation routes and directly interviewed evacuees fleeing oncoming hurricanes or storms. We wanted to better capture nuances of human behavior without having to rely on memory or catching people as they stopped for gas and coffee. We want to keep you in the loop with all of the info you need in Summit County. Sign up at https://t.co/5GLR9VPCN0 for messages relating to evacuation notices, utility outages, water main breaks, wildfires, floods and hazardous materials spills. #SumCO #COReady #ExploreSummit pic.twitter.com/fr6LTu0tIt SCSOPIO (@SummitSheriffCO) July 5, 2018 To do so, we worked alongside researchers from Facebook using high-level, aggregated and anonymized summaries of city-level data before, during and after a disaster to construct the outcome variables Did you evacuate? and If you did, how soon after the disaster did you return? Facebook engages in numerous academic collaborations across engineering, business and research disciplines. We believe that our research team is among the first to study the movement of so many people across multiple disasters using geolocation data. Tight local networks may encourage staying put Based on research showing that social ties provide resilience to people during crises, we suspected that social capital might be a critical factor in helping people decide whether to stay or go. By social capital, we mean peoples connections to others and resources available to them through their social communities, such as information and support. Some aspects of these resources are reflected through social media. With this in mind, we set out to study whether attributes of peoples social networks impacted evacuation behaviour. Visualizing the exodus of Miami-area residents in the days prior to Hurricane Irmas landfall. Each dot represents an aggregate group of users within 0.5 latitude/longitude degrees, colored by evacuees (in blue) and non-evacuees (in red). Danae Metaxa and Paige Maas, CC BY-SA We looked at three different types of social ties: Bonding ties, which connect people to close family and friends Bridging ties, which connect them through a shared interest, workplace or place of worship Linking ties, which connect them to people in positions of power Our research forthcoming in a peer-reviewed journal indicates that, controlling for a number of other factors, individuals with more connections beyond their immediate families and close friends were more likely to evacuate from vulnerable areas in the days leading up to a hurricane. We believe that this happens for several reasons. First, people with more bridging ties have far-reaching social networks. Those networks, in turn, may connect them to sources of support outside of areas directly affected by disasters. Second, people with more bridging ties may have built those networks by moving or traveling more, and thus feel more comfortable evacuating far from home during a disaster. Linking ties are also important. Our data showed that users whose social networks included following politicians and political figures were more likely to evacuate. This may be because they were more likely to receive warning information and trust authority figures disseminating that information. In contrast, we found that having stronger bonding ties that is, family and friends made people less likely to evacuate leading up to a hurricane. In our view, this is a critical insight. People whose immediate, close networks are strong may feel supported and better-prepared to weather the storm. Limerick at the Half Shell Raw Bar in Key West, Florida, during evacuation for Hurricane Ivan, Sept. 11, 2004. Dale M. McDonald, CC BY-ND One North Carolina woman, trying to explain why she wasnt leaving her vulnerable coastal home as Hurricane Florence approached, told a reporter that she didnt want to leave family and friends unprotected. And staying in place could have positive outcomes, such as a higher likelihood of rebuilding in existing neighborhoods. But it is also possible that seeing relatives, close friends and neighbors decide not to evacuate may lead people to underestimate the severity of an impending disaster. Such misconceptions could put people at higher immediate risk and increase damage to lives and property. This is an updated version of an article originally published on July 16, 2018. Danae Metaxa, a Ph.D. student in computer science at Stanford University, and Paige Maas, a data scientist at Facebook, contributed to this article. This article was written by Daniel P. Aldrich of Northeastern University and was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article here. Is it real? Is it a hoax? It's hard to tell, because I can't find the source lawsuit claimed online, but a single report of a Note9 battery catching fire has emerged. If a Samsung Galaxy Note9 battery truly has spontaneously caught fire, as claimed in a New York Post article entitled "Woman says Galaxy Note 9 burst into flames inside her purse", the the question is whether this is a very unfortunate isolated incident or not. The woman is listed as Diane Chung, a real estate agent, who is said to have a lawsuit against Samsung in the Queens Supreme Court, but assuming I have the right court, a search of their site brings up no lawsuit by Diane Chung against Samsung that I could find. BGR is the news site that mentions the Queens Supreme Court, but it too has no link to the court or the lawsuit in question. In the NY Post story , which you should read for yourself, Chung was using her phone in a lift when it became very hot, at which point she put it into her handbag, after which it spontaneously caught fire with a whistling and screeching noise, damaging the phone, the purse and its contents, with "thick black smoke" emerging from said purse. She is said to have put the purchase down, burning her fingers, filling the lift wth smoke and causing her to be "extremely panicked". She kicked the purse out of the lift when the doors opened at the lobby level, which caused her "trauma", which is understandable. The phone reportedly had to be put into a bucket of water, which a "good Samaritan" did. Obviously, if this is a repeat of the Note7 battery issue, then it would be an absolute disaster for Samsung, but equally obviously, it is far too early to say any such thing with certainty, and the chances are very, very high this is a very isolated incident. After all, when millions up millions of phones are manufactured, there is a possibility, however slight, of something going wrong somewhere in an individual phone battery. Even Apple has faced similar issues in the past, as you can see here with an iPhone 7 Plus, more claims in late 2016 from China here, an iPhone 8 Plus claim here, and even an iPhone 7 here on a Sydney beach in a parked car. Those events were spread far and wide apart, and clearly did not affect Apple or its iPhones in any kind of widespread way, being truly very isolated incidents. However, as everyone knows, Samsung's Note7 battery issue was real enough that the phone was recalled twice and then discontinued entirely, with the NY Post quoting Samsung co-chief executive Koh Dong-jin as stating: "The battery in the Galaxy Note9 is safer than ever. Users do not have to worry about the batteries anymore", while then quoting "another Samsung exec, Kate Beaumont, director of product planning as stating the company now had a multi-step "battery safety check" in place and the Note9s would absolutely not catch fire. So, whether this is a real issue or an isolated incident is yet to be seen, but it is likely to be an isolated incident that won't be repeated. If it is repeated it will be global news very fast, but given Samsung's Note7 experience and no problems with the Note8, it just seems incredibly unlikely the Note range would face catastrophic battery problems again, even though it seemed incredibly unlikely Note7s would have suffered problems in the first place. We'll have more in the unlikely event more develops, but until then, this clearly isn't the surprise launch Samsung has planned for 11 October, and as Douglas Adams would say, don't panic! The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option. Reddit Email 51 Shares London (Middle East Monitor) Qatars Attorney General has confirmed that independent investigations have proven that Saudi Arabia and the UAE were involved in hacking into the official Qatar News Agency last year. Ali bin Fetais Al-Marri pledged to sue the two countries for piracy before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Al-Marri made the announcement at a press conference held in New York City on Friday, in the presence of a group of American jurists, Al Jazeera reported. He explained that international law officers have collected evidence which proves the Saudi and Emirati involvement. This view was backed up by former US Attorney General Michael Mukasey, a member of the US legal team present, who confirmed that there was evidence that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were involved in the piracy at the QNA in May last year. The team, he added, will discuss later how this is going to be dealt with. Over the course of a year, the Qatari authorities have cooperated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in America and Britains National Crime Agency on investigations into the piracy allegations. The Gulf crisis has entered its second year. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism and aligning with Iran in defiance of the Gulf consensus. Qatar continues to deny the charges and insists that the boycott is an attempt to undermine its sovereignty and control its national decisions. The countries behind the blockade apparently used fabricated statements attributed to the Emir of Qatar and broadcast through the QNA, after hacking into the agency, as one of the justifications for cutting ties with the government in Doha. This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Via Middle East Monitor Featured Photo: Public Domain via Mexican Presidency/ WikiMedia Reddit Email 205 Shares BETHLEHEM (Maan) The United States decided to block millions of dollars to programs that build relations between Palestinians and Israelis as part of its policy to end all aid for Palestinian civilians. The New York Times reported that the move to prevent Palestinians including, in many cases, children from benefiting from the funds squeezes shut the last remaining channel of American aid to Palestinian civilians. Palestinians consider such programs to be normalizing relations between the two sides at the time that Israel refuses to recognize the rights of the Palestinian people. NY Times said that the US Congress had already budgeted the money for allocation in fiscal year 2017, ending this month. Previously, the designated funds went mostly to programs that organized people-to-people exchanges between Palestinians and Israelis, often for youth; some also went to programs for Israeli Jews and Arabs. As the US President Donald Trump cut all other aid Palestinians, according to the new site advocates had hoped this last fund of $10 million would remain available to projects with Palestinians. Tim Rieser, US foreign policy aide to Senator Patrick Leahy, said that officials from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) had told congressional aides, last week, that programs benefiting Palestinians alongside Israelis would not be receiving any new money. Leahy established the broader program managed by USAID. Rieser said that the agencys officials did not want to cut programs with Palestinians, but had to accommodate a White House that does not want to send American funds to Palestinians. As a result, only programs with Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs will get funding, contrary to the tradition of the funds and intent of Congress. Rieser added that USAID was essentially faced with either shutting down the program and losing the funds, or keeping something going. They decided to support programs that involve Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs. Rieser said that programs currently on multiyear grants will still get all their funds. USAID said, in a statement on Friday, that it is currently unable to engage Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza as a result of the administrations recent decision on Palestinian assistance. The agency said it was continuing its support for civil society working on these issues within Israel. Last week, the US had cancelled $20 million in aid to Palestinian hospitals of occupied East Jerusalem, weeks after its decision to cut all funding to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNWRA). Text and photo via Maan News Agency Reddit Email 217 Shares Music legend Willie Nelson is doing a benefit concert for Democratic senator hopeful in Texas, Beto ORourke, provoking the anger of some Republicans who had been his fans (but apparently were not very observant people). Here are some signs that might have signaled to those fans that Willie Nelson is not a Republican and does not share many ideals with that party, having been a progressive activist for decades. 1. Nelson promotes the legalization of marijuana and serves as a co-chair for the advisory board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). You might have noticed that Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a lifelong Republican has been waging a campaign against pot. 2. Perhaps Nelsons GOP fans just misheard. Nelson in 2010 created an alternative to the Tea Party called the TeaPot Party with the slogan Tax it, regulate it and legalize it! 3. Nelson is worried about the climate crisis and believes in green energy. He actually founded his own biodiesel company, which made fuel from vegetable oil instead of fossil fuels. 4. Nelson opposed the Bush administrations war on Iraq and composed an anti-war protest song, Whatever Happened to Peace on Earth?: The song objected that God would not approve of the sentiment, Lets kill them all and let God sort them out. 5. Nelson supports LGBTQ rights and covered Ned Sublettes song Cowboys are Frequently Secretly Fond of One Another: 6. Nelson supports refugee and immigrant rights. His song Living in the Promised Land begins by reminding viewers that Jewish would-be immigrants during the Holocaust were turned away by the United States. 7. Nelson spoke out against the Trump immigrant family separation policy. Christians everywhere should be up in arms, he said. The sextoy market is growing quite rapidly in India right now. Although it is not a big trend, it is a hot topic on the internet as it is secretly expanding its market. In this article, we will focus on sextoy and introduce recommended sextoy for Indian beginners of sextoy by gender. India, the birthplace of the Kama Sutra, is very strict about sex. Also, premarital sex is basically not allowed. Therefore, there are many people who are sexually restricted. But what happens when you continue to be sexually restricted? Frustration may build up and you may end up taking your sexual stress out on your partner. If you are able to adopt sextoy in a timely manner, you can get rid of those problems. I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now. I want more variation in masturbation I want to get even stronger pleasure than I do on my own. If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end. What is sex toys for Indian? Sextoy, as the name implies, is a toy used during sex and masturbation. It is a generic term for vibrators, Egg-vibrators, Electric massagers, dildo, handcuffs and condoms. They are used to make regular sex more exciting or to make masturbation more pleasurable. Because sextoy is very stimulating, it can help you to get rid of the problems and frustrations of being in a rut of sex with your partner for a long time, or if you are unhappy with the lack of pleasure in sex with your partner. The ability to satisfy your desires with movement, texture, and size, which cannot be done by a normal human being, can help you to be satisfied with sex and, as a result, improve your relationship with your partner. It is also said to help improve sexual dysfunction (inability to get an erection or ejaculate) and difficulty in feeling during sex (insensitivity), which is attracting more attention than in the past. In recent years, the demand for sextoy has increased due to the spread of smartphones and the Internet and the increasing number of people using online shopping. Even those who are concerned about the appearance of sextoy (and find it difficult to purchase) can now easily obtain it by using mail order. In the case of online shopping, most of the stores have taken steps to ensure that the contents of the products delivered to you are not revealed, so you can purchase them without your family members knowing. Until a while ago, you had to go to the store where the adult goods were sold to buy them, so it was quite a hurdle to overcome. Also, many people may have an image that sextoy is somehow embarrassing to own. But nowadays, some of them are so stylish and cute that you cant believe they are sextoy at a glance. More and more people are using them for travel and outdoor use because they are not too bulky and are suitable for carrying around. Sextoy situation in India Before introducing the recommended sextoy for Indians, lets talk about one of the sextoy situations in India in recent years. In India, due to the high concentration of population, the following six cities have particularly high sales of sextoy in India. Mumbai Kolkata Bangalore Delhi Chennai Hyderabad These cities account for roughly 70 percent of sextoy sales in India. In the future, the percentage of sextoy use will gradually increase in other cities in India as well. If you never talk about sextoy publicly, that girl in your neighborhood might be a sextoy user too. If you are interested in sextoy, you dont have to suppress your desire for it. What are Sextoys for beginner? Among all sextoys, sextoy for beginners are vibrators, dildo, masturbators, Sex Lubricants, and condoms. Sex Lubricants and condoms, which are familiar to people who have had sex, are also a great beginners sextoy. I will explain the details of each toy later, but there are many sextoy products that are painful to use and can only be used after some anal expansion. I assume that the Indian readers of this article are people who have not had much experience with sextoy. If such people use professional sextoy suddenly, they are at risk of injury or trauma. Therefore, to introduce sextoy, you need to start with a beginners version and gradually become familiar with it. Advantages of using sextoy for Indians There are three advantages of using sextoy for Indians You can masturbate in a wide variety of ways. Can have stimulating sex Can develop new sexual zones If you try to masturbate with your own fingers or hands, it tends to be a pattern. However, with sextoy, you can easily masturbate in a variety of ways. You will definitely be fascinated by the attraction of new stimulation. Also, your daily sex life will be more exciting than ever. There are many things in sextoy that are visually stimulating and give you a strong and intense feeling of pleasure. This allows you to see your partners promiscuity in a way that you wouldnt normally see it. When you are in a relationship, sex with your partner may become a pattern, but it can also eliminate these problems. It can also lead to the development of new sexual zones (which is the training of sexual stimulation to allow you to feel orgasms). For more information on the development of new sexual zones, see the following articles [Women's Erogenous Zone]How to find and develop, 7 hidden sexual zones !![In India] In this issue, we will dissect the female erogenous zone! ..." Many of you may be like that. Men, in particular, shou... Thus, the use of sextoy can only be a good thing for the men and women of India. Sextoy for beginner men in India So, lets continue with the recommended goods for Indian sextoy beginners. For ease of understanding, we will introduce them by gender. Lets start with the men! The following five goods are recommended for novice Indian sextoy men Masturbator Cock rings Love Doll Sex Lubricants Toys for the prostate Lets check each one in detail. Masturbator The masturbator is a sextoy for men that elaborately reproduces a womans vagina, mouth, and anus, and is one of the most popular sextoy products. It is used by men to masturbate, and it is popular because it provides stronger stimulation and pleasure more easily than using hands. Most are made of good quality silicone, and their softness is something that cannot be achieved with ones own hands. They can provide stronger pleasure than a real womans vagina, so be careful not to overuse them. (You wont be able to have an orgasm in a womans vagina anymore.) Again Male masturbators are a wonderful toy. I do not need any favourite timing, bothersome bargaining. You do not have to worry too much. Revolutionize your masturbation time! ! ! Made in Japan is a wonderful kinky toy.#sextoysindia #SexToyIndia #Japanhttps://t.co/4k70QGzoTP pic.twitter.com/tRVdxTKPpa SEXToys India PR (@SextoysIndia) November 12, 2018 Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood. If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ... [For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien... Cock Ring A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis. It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow. It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber. In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection. Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction. It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it. Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time. Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function. Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy. You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect. [Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat... Love Doll Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex. There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women. Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price. The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true. You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste. There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice. You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls. If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to... Sex lubricants Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules. It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution. Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse. There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent. Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent. If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here. What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many... Toys for the Prostate Another sextoy for men is prostate toys. The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line. Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men. Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men. What is the prostate? The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm. You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus. By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms. Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.) The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation. Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure. sextoy for beinner women in India The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy. The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy. Vibrator. Dildo Electric Masserger Lets check out what each one is in detail. If you want to check out womens toys, click here. [BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm... Vibrators A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator. Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy. It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy. Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women. For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators. Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex. Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself. This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual. Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men. When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons. Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most... Dildo A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis. It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass. A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it. They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well. It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device. A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo. Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands. For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis. This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one. To learn more about dildo, please click here. What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th... Electric Masserger A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores. It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low. Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels. Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation. It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure. For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm. It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out. If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager? To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here. What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th... How to choose a sextoy for Indian Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one. Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points: Does the size fit you (the partner)? Does the size fit you (your partner)? Is the environment able to produce sound without problems? Price range First of all, the choice of size is quite important. Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women. For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage. Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems. Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise. If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level. Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it. Finally, there is the price range. The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest. Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy. Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy? I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance. For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics. If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out. How to buy sextoys in India The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping. For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below. Sextoy is one of them. Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping. SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India. They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry. Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card. To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy. ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal. Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on. Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture. Cautions for Indians using sextoy When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind Keep sex toys clean Watch out for electrical leakage Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone. Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there. It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case. In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness. Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful. If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it. You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly. Summary What did you think? In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India. The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future. As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values. However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health. If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try? Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women. I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it. 53 Shares Share I just spent two days at the Florida Medical Association Annual Meeting. We were there to help educate the physicians on real asset investing. I met many interesting people and likely started some new and exciting relationships. Many of the physicians stopped to talk to us about real estate investing and the benefits of passive cash flow, but there was a troubling undertone that permeated many of the conversations. A startling number of these doctors admitted that they were burned out to some degree with the practice of medicine. Often, I have had doctors confide in me that they are unhappy with medicine. One 58-year-old family practice doctor once told me that he hated the business of medicine but loved taking care of his patients. I have asked others if they would, or could, enjoy medicine if the documentation burdens and the micromanagement were removed. Almost 100 percent say that they would love to practice medicine the way they were trained, which is to put the patient first. While I am familiar with physician burnout, I was unaware of its pervasiveness. According to a 2018 Medscape survey, physician burnout has reached epidemic proportions and is above 50 percent. A 2015 Mayo Clinic article compared physician surveys from 2011 and 2014 and found that burnout increased from 45 percent to 54 percent during those three years. Work-life balance was also significantly decreased during that time. These are staggering numbers. How did this occur and what can be done? According to a presentation given by Tait Shanafelt, MD, the Director of the Stanford WellMD Center, there are structural defects in the system that must be addressed by the institutions and physician employers. The thesis was that the burden should not be placed on the individual physician, but should be addressed at the corporate, or institutional level. One solution, proposed in Diseases of the Colon and Rectum was, enable(ing) physicians to devote 20 percent of their work activities to the part of their medical practice that is especially meaningful to them. How comforting that the doctor might now be allowed to enjoy one-fifth of his chosen vocation! I am not sure if it is worth ten years of medical school and residency only to have a 20 percent satisfaction ceiling! While the structure and mindset do need to change, the healthcare system moves like the Titanic and will not change course easily. I do not see any short-term corporate solutions on the horizon. Given that scenario, what can we do as physicians? Certainly, doctors can lobby for change, enter politics and try to change the system. In the long-run, this may have lasting effects. In the interim, we need to take care of our personal health and our families. If we cannot change the burdensome infrastructure and oversight that has infected medicine over the past 20 years, we must change ourselves. We may not immediately solve the systemic issue, but we can chip away at our own collective situation one doctor at a time. What can individual practitioners do to counter the potential for burnout? Doctors need to learn to talk the language of money. It sounds trite and simplistic, but none of us were taught that language in school. Many feel that it is reserved for the experts or the guys in the C-suites. That is simply not true. A modicum of financial education could start you on a path to gain some control over your professional life and buy back a piece of the precious time that you are losing in front of a computer screen. A physician who is less dependent on income from a medical practice is less stressed and enjoys his profession more. I can promise that your patients will notice and they will receive more compassionate care. In my case, I was slowly able to produce enough passive income outside of medicine that I have been able to mold my practice to my liking. In turn, this has, with all modesty, provided a much more pleasant and caring environment for my patients. I still work within the same system, but I now have the power to eliminate or change conditions that affect my time, my income, or my patients care. I love going to work each day. While I could have retired long ago, my practice is more fun now than ever. I have the freedom to spend as much time as needed with each patient and I can treat those without insurance for free without financial angst or external oversight. I believe that an army of doctors with control over their professional lives would create the best healthcare system in the world. I created my freedom through a strategy that fit the lifestyle of a full-time practicing orthopedic surgeon. There is an infinite number of ways to buy back time and there are plenty of resources to learn them. It is not impossible, and it can be done within the time constraints of a busy medical practice. It is beyond the scope of this short article to lay out the strategy, but if you start looking, you will find seminars, articles, and podcasts that will help you get started. Physicians are smart and have the capacity to do great things. Find a way to create some passive income. You dont have to create enough to retire, you just need a little to take off some of the pressure! Thomas Burns is an orthopedic surgeon and principal and co-founder, Presario Ventures. This article originally appeared in North Florida Medical News. Image credit: Shutterstock.com 162 Shares Share Caribbean medical schools are, first and foremost, schools of opportunity. Theyre a necessary one, too. Nearly 3,000 U.S. citizens study abroad and match into residencies in the U.S. every year, nearly all of which do so after not gaining admission at home. The Caribbean is a huge part of that. With no shortage of qualified people wanting to be doctors, and a marked shortage of doctors, its no wonder the Caribbean persists as an option. Caribbean schools underscore not just an economic demand, but an acute need. That doesnt mean they shouldnt strive to improve, though. When we opened our institution for operation ten years ago, we took the opportunity to look at how things had been done for the past thirty years, and where we could improve. We kept coming back to the same basic idea: Limiting enrollment to match the U.S. average (140-150 per year) addressed the majority of the issues students have historically faced studying in the Caribbean. We prioritized quality for each of our students over raw quantity of students. Its a simple idea, but the ripple effect is incredible. Helpful students, accessible faculty Not everyone is going to make it through medical school. Attrition because the students arent supporting each other or the faculty isnt accessible shouldnt be why, though. Caribbean medical schools need to embrace a principle of mutual support as part of their admissions process and, through that, influence campus culture. The students are the bricks of the social structure of any school. Seeking empathetic, helpful people that can relay difficult concepts to others (whether colleagues struggling with material or patients receiving a complex diagnosis) are an excellent addition to a school and a hospital. If students are the bricks though, the faculty are the mortar. Schools must seek out faculty that that give their time and energy openly and enthusiastically to their students. This manifests in how they present the material as well as their accessibility for additional guidance. The tricky part is this: you actually have to stay small for it to really work. Its why you dont see massive medical schools in the U.S. or Canada. While adding faculty to maintain the ratio of students to teachers is an excellent stopgap when admissions balloons, its ultimately only a simulation of an intimate learning environment rather than actually providing one. Making matters worse, this approach of just adding faculty often wont show its cracks until students start to slip through them. Quality student housing Schools need to provide access to, or just straight up provide, housing. It has to be at a quality that enhances a students success, too. This doesnt mean over the top resort living, but privacy, a full kitchen, air conditioning, high speed internet? These are not difficult to provide, nor should they be considered anything but the bare minimum of what Caribbean medical students should expect. This becomes untenable as student populations swell. Staying small side-steps that entirely, though and allows for quality housing for everyone without having to rely on attrition to make room. Academic support Attrition rates in the Caribbean of 40 percent to even a jaw-dropping 60 percent are simply not acceptable. First, school of opportunity or not, students should only be admitted with their admission departments full confidence. Past that, though, schools must keep a careful eye out for any academic difficulty as a sign to intervene. This can come in the form of extended faculty office hours, student-tutoring, or even a formal approach like an Academic Progress Committee. Our APC is comprised of faculty who meet regularly to evaluate and guide students that may be facing challenges. Coming up with new approaches to help individual students to develop better study habits or simply gain a firmer grasp of the material must be embraced as part of curriculum development. A smaller school allows for this through both institutional agility and that the professors simply know their students. Mental health care Medical school is incredibly demanding. Its intrinsic to the field of medicine, from the high stakes of decisions made in practice to the sheer volume of practical and theoretical material that students need to absorb. While limiting enrollment helps in the areas outlined above, theres still additional support schools can, and should, offer. This includes a culture among the administration, staff, and faculty that they are there for one purpose: to make good on the promise of the institution to turn their students into doctors, and that the belief in them extended through an admissions offer persists through the full four years. More formally, it means on-campus access to professional help and a culture of openness that recognizes just how stressful medicine is, and that students are already experiencing a version of that stress. The era of bury your feelings and pretend youre fine is coming to an end. Our faculty is primarily made up of MDs who know firsthand how appropriately processing stress and emotional discord leads to greater outcomes for themselves and, ultimately, their patients. That needs to be at top of mind for any medical school and extended to the students from day one. It ultimately comes down to this: A school with an annual intake of over 1,000 students that loses 40% of them to attrition is abandoning 400 students a year. That means for the students that survive at a large Caribbean school and declare it all worth it, they, and their school, are ignoring their twelve hundred colleagues who were let down, failed by their institution that prioritized volume over quality. Caribbean schools will always be about opportunity. And well always try to extend that opportunity to the people who have demonstrated potential. That will mean taking an informed-chance on students we admit. That said, for the community of schools as a whole, its time to leave behind the legacy of more and emphasize better. Better support, better quality of life for the students? It will only mean better doctors. Stacy Meyer is vice-president of enrollment, Trinity School of Medicine. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Danyl McL writes: Back in June the justice minister, Andrew Little, announced plans to repeal the Three Strikes legislation, only have to have Winston Peters publically humiliate him by pulling support for the bill at the last minute, informing his coalition partners of this via the media. The past few months have seen an intensification of this same trick, with Peters pulling support for Labours campaign promise to increase the number of refugees and the Employment Relations Amendment Bill, one of Labours flagship policies. And yesterday Peters pulled support for the governments new Crown-Maori Relations Agency, again at the last minute, again in a manner calculated to humiliate a senior member of Cabinet this time deputy Labour leader Kelvin Davis. Its incredibly destabilising for the government and Peters is deputy prime minister of the government! This is why I was so relieved that Winston choose Labour over National. It wasnt supposed to be like this. Peters has been a source of instability and chaos in every government of which hes been a member, but when this one was formed there was a genuine belief among his coalition partners that things would be different. Hes learned from the mistakes of the past, new ministers assured themselves. He has learnt how to use his power even more effectively. And then there was the tripartite nature of the Labour-New Zealand First-Green government. A pure MMP government, as Ardern puts it. Because the votes of all three parties are required for passage through the house, the theory went, good faith and constructive relationships are baked into the nature of the arrangement. If you blocked your partners bills then you wouldnt be able to progress your own legislative agenda. And theres the problem: New Zealand First doesnt really have a legislative agenda. Its substantive wins are either front-loaded, in the form of ministerial portfolios, or delivered via the budget process, which all three parties have to support. And most of the items in the New Zealand First coalition agreement are things Labour and the Greens want to do anyway, so if they block them theyll be blocking their own policy agenda. This is very astute analysis. This means there is not much pressure they can place back on Winston. The only legislation he really cares about is his waka jumping bill as that makes him even more powerful. And the suckers in Labour and Greens have already pledged their support for it. Peters other point of leverage is his famous volatility. Theres no relationship Ardern or anyone in her party can build with the New Zealand First leader that establishes goodwill, or ensures that any assurances or commitments he gives them have any validity or meaning Peters just doesnt work that way. But she can easily upset him, by publicly rebuking him, or pulling support for, say, the Waka-Jumping Bill, and this will damage his ego and earn his undying enmity and very possibly see him collapse her government in a fit of rage. Her ability to retaliate is incredibly limited. There are nuclear options or nothing. Its a bit like negotiating with terrorists! This is a horrible position for Ardern and the rest of her Cabinet. Theres this notion out there that the prime minister has to be tough, and that this will solve her problems, somehow, but its hard to be tough when you have no leverage and no agency. Helen Clark is currently touring the country congratulating herself on her own toughness in power, but she too was equally helpless to control Peters when he was her coalition partner and foreign minister. Clark spent her last year in power feebly defending him in the teeth of an ever deepening corruption scandal, destroying any shreds of the possibility of her government winning re-election in the process. Share this: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn More Reddit Pinterest Print Tumblr Newshub reports: The head of Greenpeace says oil companies are as big an enemy today of the environmental group as the French government was when it sunk the Rainbow Warrior. Russell Norman fears oil companies are capable of going just as far. Mr Norman says the oil and gas exploration companies are todays enemies, and could go just as far. When you look at the history of the campaign against nuclear testing in the Pacific and the steps the French government was willing to go to stop Greenpeace and others winning that battle, it gives you a sense of what the oil companies are capable of as well, he says. Euromoney is celebrating its 10th annual Kuwait conference on September 25 in Kuwait City with a focus on Kuwaits national development plan New Kuwait, which sets out the governments economic vision to 2035. The conference is officially co-hosted by the Ministry of Finance, who have supported Euromoney Conferences work in Kuwait for the past decade. Euromoney will be joined by a cross section of speakers from government, business, economics and finance, to analyse the financial sectors response to the plan and its impact on the economy. This special anniversary event will begin with a keynote opening address from Dr Nayef Al-Hajraf, Minister of Finance, followed by Sheikh Dr Meshaal Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, director general of Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA). Shaikha Al-Bahar, deputy group chief executive officer of the National Bank of Kuwait and Adel Abdul Wahab Al-Majed, vice-chairman of the Kuwait Banking Association will also take part in one-on-one interviews in the opening morning. The Kuwait National Development Plan sets out an ambitious vision to transform Kuwait into a leading financial, commercial and cultural hub by 2035, said Victoria Behn, director, Middle East and Africa at Euromoney Conferences. I look forward to discussing the opportunities this plan presents and the role of the financial sector in its delivery. Euromoney are honoured to have worked with the Ministry of Finance for the last 10 years on our annual event and I believe this will be our best yet! In the past decade, the Euromoney Kuwait Conference has attracted thousands of delegates, hundreds of speakers and provided an unrivalled platform for thought leadership, networking, and comprehensive global and local coverage. Since the late 1970s Euromoney has been the worlds leading organiser of high-level financial and investment conferences. The highest profile delegates meet the highest profile speakers at Euromoney events and offer business leaders and decision-makers the opportunity to exchange ideas, develop new contacts and participate in informed, impartial and leading-edge discussions. TradeArabia News Service ABB, a global pioneering engineering company, has joined a select group of innovative companies to become a Nobel International Partner. The partners program operates in collaboration with Stockholm-based Nobel Media, the global outreach arm of the Nobel Foundation whose annual prizes in physics, chemistry and other scientific fields recognize the worlds most transformative breakthroughs. As a Nobel International Partner, ABB will bring its deep experience in science, innovation and research, and its commitment to innovation to Nobel Medias global programs activities that extend the reach of the Nobel Prize to millions of students, decision makers and intellectually curious members of the public around the world. Nobel and ABB share a deep commitment to innovation and the power of ideas, said ABB CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer, and we are inspired by this opportunity to spotlight the groundbreaking work of Nobel Laureates, to celebrate science and discovery and to inspire the next generation of extraordinary pioneers. We look forward to working closely with Nobel and to involving our customers, employees and communities around the world in this exciting partnership. Nobels outreach programs include inspirational events, digital media and special exhibitions and activities related to the hundreds of Nobel Laureates since the year 1901, and the legacy of Alfred Nobel, the 19th century Swedish chemist, engineer and inventor on whose inspiration and fortune the Nobel prizes were established. The activities in which ABB will participate include the Nobel Prize Dialogues annual events in world capitals that bring Nobel Laureates, scholars, inventors and other great thinkers together with the public to discuss solutions to some of the worlds most pressing issues. We believe that, by doing this together Nobel and ABB we can get people on a global scale even more engaged and interested in those areas, said Mattias Fyrenius, CEO of Nobel Media. And I think that is important for ABB. That is important for Nobel. And I truly believe that it is important for mankind. Johan Soderstrom, managing director, ABB Sweden, which was the home of ASEA the A in ABB before its 1987 merger with Brown Boveri of Switzerland said the Nobel partnership holds special meaning for the company. Partnering with one of our countrys most important institutions is a privilege for all of us at ABB. We are excited to explore the events, activities and engagements together with the best scientists in the world, and to strengthen our commitment to the next generation of visionary leaders, he added. In becoming a Nobel International Partner, ABB joins a select group of other global companies known for their commitment to research, technological innovation, education, sustainable economic growth and social responsibility: 3M, Ericsson, Scania and Volvo Cars. TradeArabia News Service The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industrys representative office in Panama recently hosted an event which explored potential for enhancing cooperation between maritime and logistics companies in Panama and Dubai. The event was attended by Ibrahim Mohammed Al Mansouri, UAE Ambassador to Panama, and representatives from the Panama Canal Authority, Panama Chamber of Commerce, Agriculture and Industries, Panama Pacifico Special Economic Zone and key stakeholders from Panamas maritime and logistics sector. Attendees were briefed on the advanced infrastructure, logistics services and expertise that Dubai offers as a leading maritime and logistics hub, in addition to the advantages that the emirate can provide to Panamanian companies. During the event, Mohammad Ishtiaq, head of Dubai Chambers Panama office, pointed out that Dubais logistics sector was a major contributor to the emirates GDP in 2017, and noted that sector growth is being driven by Expo 2020, a fast-growing population and major infrastructure investments. Ishtiaq explained that Dubai was recently named as one of the worlds top five shipping hubs in the International Shipping Centre Development Index, making it the first Arab city to achieve this level of international recognition. In addition, he highlighted several successful Dubai-based companies and organisations such as DP World, Emirates Airline, and Jafza that have become major players within the global logistics and maritime sectors. Panamas maritime and logistics sector is the main engine of economic growth in the country. The sector, which includes activities of the Panama Canal, port and air cargo movements, contributes 20% to Panamas GDP. Dubais non-oil trade between with Panama grew from Dh40.4 million ($11 million) in 2012 to Dh75.7 million in 2017, an increase of 87.4 per cent. The UAE's main imports from Panama are pineapples and marine products, while Dubai's major exports are vehicles, their parts and spare parts. Dubai Chamber has 10 international offices all over the world, which are located in Panama City, Panama; Mumbai, India; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Baku, Azerbaijan; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Erbil, Iraq; Accra, Ghana; Maputo, Mozambique; Nairobi, Kenya; and Shanghai, China. TradeArabia News Service Brussels [Belgium], Sep 15 (ANI): Former Maldivian president, Mohamed Nasheed visited Brussels and Strasbourg and called on the European Union to issue a populated sanctions list and support a 'free and fair Presidential Election' in the island nation, which is scheduled for September 23. "We need the sanctions list to be released with names, because Yameen and his people do not believe the EU intends to act. They believe the Sanctions Framework is an empty threat," the EP Today quoted the former president, who now lives in exile in London, as saying. Nasheed's meeting with the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) comes in the backdrop of an unofficial visit of a fact-finding committee to the Maldives in August. The five-member delegation, comprising of officials of European institutions, made concerning revelations about the state of democracy in the country. The delegation held meetings with opposition supporters and members of the civil society, highlighting concerns regarding the Maldivian Electoral Commission, which lacks transparency in its functioning and is also accused of tampering with voter registrations and the ballot process. The Commission is also accused of conflict of interest as their officials have publicly rallied for President Abdulla Yameen. These activities have accounted for growing fears in the Maldives that thousands of votes will be manipulated. Polls in the Maldives currently indicate more than 58 per cent voter support for the opposition candidate, although, with incumbent President Yameen's efforts to rig the elections, there is no certainty about the outcome of the elections. Overwhelming evidence, including eye-witnesses, video recordings , written testimonies, support the allegations against the incumbent President's efforts to rig the elections. Also, at a rally conducted recently, an accomplice of the First Lady declared that if Nasheed was to ever return to the country, he would be decapitated. "The First Lady is in charge of voter registration, she is reviewing all of the registration papers before they are authenticated," Nasheed said, adding, "To assume this election can be free and fair is ridiculous, the regime has shown they have no intention of letting these elections take place in a democratic manner. We need the EU's help to retain the integrity of our institutions." The current government has prevented opposition candidates from contesting, either through arrests and imprisonments, or via exile, and has also restricted the campaigning activities of the remaining opposition candidates, who are contesting. At the European Parliament in Strasbourg, exiled Nasheed met with as many as 15 MEPs for one-on-one discussions. Several MEPs agreed to co-sign a statement from the European Parliament calling for the European Union to support free and fair elections in the Maldives. The possibility of a second parliamentary resolution was also raised and, with the elections slated to take place end of next week, it was accepted that there was not enough time to complete the process. EP Today said Nasheed also expressed concerns over China's interference in the region, saying, "China has recently lost the elections in Sri Lanka, they do not want to lose again. Keeping Yameen in power helps them because he listens to them. If he wins, they will accept the elections results immediately." "It is important for us that the EU acts before the elections because afterwards, it will be too late. Have you ever heard of a regime that gains power through fraudulent elections giving up this power after, when the international community condemns them? This does not happen," the former president added. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Islamabad [Pakistan], Sept 16 (ANI): Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Saturday embarked on a day-long visit to Kabul and met with several high-ranking Afghan officials, including President Ashraf Ghani and discussed ways of enhancing bilateral ties, including the need to tackle terrorism. During the visit, delegation-level talks were held between Qureshi and Afghan officials on various issues ranging from terrorism, border management, economy and trade, closure of the Pakistan Consulate in Jalalabad due to a security crisis and the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) deal, Geo News reported. The Pakistani foreign minister also held one-on-one talks with Ghani and Afghanistan's Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah and discussed ways of improving bilateral relations. Both Ghani and Qureshi held discussions on peace and stability in the region, jointly working together to combat terrorism and implement the APAPPS agreement, signed between the two countries in April. After the deliberations, Qureshi handed over a letter from Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, addressed to Ghani, marking the first consignment of 40,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan. Talking about his visit, Qureshi said, "Today's visit to Kabul remained very advantageous. I understand that the clouds of fear have faded away." He stated that both Islamabad and Kabul had taken a decision to strengthen its ties, adding, "we have come here for the betterment of the people of both countries and we will have to deal with mutual challenges together." Qureshi informed that Ghani and Abdullah will pay a visit to Pakistan next month. He further said that an Afghan economic commission will be visiting the country to hold talks. This came after Qureshi underscored the necessity of bolstering the economic ties between Islamabad and Kabul. When Qureshi was received by his Afghan counterpart Salahuddin Rabbani at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, the former said that establishing peace and stability is important for the two countries. "Our challenges are similar and we have to deal with them through mutual cooperation," the Pakistani foreign minister said. This is Qureshi first foreign visit to the war-torn country after assuming the role of the foreign minister. Last month, he had said that Afghanistan's development and prosperity is associated with long-lasting peace in the country. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Seoul, Sep 15 (PTI) South Korea will observe car-free day in the heart of the capital Seoul on Sunday to encourage its citizens to use more public transport to ease the burden on environment. 'Seoul Car-Free Day' will be held on September 16 from 7 AM until 8 PM (local time) on the 'Car-Free Street' Sejong-daero (from Gwanghwamun to Seoul Plaza), the Seoul Metropolitan government said. Citizens wanting to go to the 'Car-Free Street' during this time will have to come by public transportation, it said. There will be a no-power parade through the City Hall during which traffic restrictions would be in place, according to the Seoul Metropolitan government, it said. This year's 'Seoul Car-Free Day' event has been pushed a week ahead from the original September 22 scheduled date in consideration of the Chuseok holidays. Chuseok is a Korean thanksgiving festival during which families get together to celebrate. The campaign seeks reduction in driving of private cars and active use of public transportation systems, including subways (metro) and buses in order to reduce air pollution from cars and cut down on greenhouse gases. Sejong-daero, the boulevard named after the legendary Korean ruler King Sejong, is situated in the heart of Seoul and the space between its two carriageways, stretching from Gwanghwamun to Seoul Plaza is an iconic public square frequented by domestic and foreign tourists for recreation, and used by local people for hosting various events on multifarious themes. An iconic giant statue of King Sejong is situated in the public square in the backdrop of an ancient palace facing the square. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has also planned to hold environmentally-friendly events along with the main 'car-free day' event, seeking to minimise the use of single-use items and plastic, it said. "There will also be various events and programmes that the whole family can enjoy from children to elderly, including a citizen walk, anniversary ceremony, putting the environmentally-friendliness label, drawing pictures on reused large banners, no-power parade, environment and culture festival, stage performances, and 40 experiential booths," the local government said. The environment and culture festival at the end of the car-free event will be held from 4:30 PM, starting with a street performance from the pungmul band, along with a bubble show, fashion show with recycled, reused banners, and an environment madanggeuk (theatrical play) ceremony on the stage, it said. These environmentally-friendly events to minimise the use of single-use items and plastics, will differ from those held in the previous years in that they will "not provide plastic Arisu water bottles, and will instead have Arisu water fountains installed at various locations, and participants are encouraged to bring their own bottles, cups, or tumblers". City Hall (new state-of-the-art high-rise building) is the headquarters of the Seoul Metropolitan Government and located close to busy Gwanghwamun area, where a number of public buildings, government offices and private establishments are situated. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) Ankara, Sep 15 (AFP) A Turkish court has sentenced a former British soldier to seven-and-a-half years in jail for alleged links to a Kurdish militia that Ankara considers a "terrorist" group. Joe Robinson was arrested in July 2017 while holidaying in Turkey after he posted photos of himself in camouflage and posing next to fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria. A court in the western city of Aydin sentenced him for "membership of a terrorist organisation," the private DHA news agency said. The YPG is an ally of the United States in the fight against the Islamic State in Syria. But Ankara is hostile to the YPG because of its links with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which is fighting for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey. Robinson did not attend the trial for health reasons, DHA said. He is currently on bail and planning an appeal. His Bulgarian fiancee, arrested along with him, was also sentenced to nearly two years in jail for "terrorist propaganda," but she is currently in Britain, DHA said. According to British press reports, the 25-year-old Robinson is a former soldier who served in Afghanistan in 2012 and went to Syria in 2015 to work in the YPG's health unit. (AFP) CPS (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body) New Delhi, Sept 16: The unabated hike in fuel prices continued on Sunday, with petrol climbing to Rs 89.29 a litre in Mumbai and Rs 81.91/litre in Delhi. Diesel in the national capital jumped to Rs Rs 73.72/litre, whereas, the fuel will be charged at Rs 78.26 per litre in Mumbai. Stay tuned here for the live breaking news and headlines from India and across the world. On the political front, BJP president Amit Shah sounded the poll bugle in Telangana on Saturday, addressing a road show organised by the party in Mahbubnagar. Launching a scathing attack on the K Chandrasekhar Rao government, Shah said the TRS has furthered the interests of minorities at the cost of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday chaired a crucial meeting on the economic situation, where he was briefed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on the pressing issues -- including the weakening of the rupee and widening of the current account deficit. On the sporting front, Asia Cup 2018 began on Saturday, with Bangladesh pulling a dominating victory against Sri Lanka in the first bout. In response to the Mashrafe Mortaza-led side's 261, Angelo Mathew and co. were all-out at 124. The second group stage match will be played today between Pakistan and Hong Kong. Kolkata, Sep 16: In what is believed to be an incident of breach of trust, five people including an army officer were arrested on Friday for taking illegal gold possession in West Bengal. According to a report, the five men had seized 15 kg gold from smugglers near Hasimara in Alipurduar district and had let the culprits go free. The 15 gold bars, weighing a kilo each were recovered from the two army personnel and three policemen. On Saturday, a court in Alipurduar sent all the five to police custody for four days. According to a report by Hindustan Times, Lt colonel Pawan Brahma and jawan Dashrath Singh of Hasimaras army intelligence unit, and police officers Anuruddha Thakur, SDPO at Jaigaon in Alipurduar, Satyendra Nath Roy, sub-inspector of Hasimara police outpost and Kamalendra Narayan, former officer-in-charge of the same outpost were arrested after they were interrogated by the state CID officers. Inspector general of police, North Bengal Anand Kumar informed that the five have been arrested on corruption charges because they did not report the seizure and allowed the smugglers to go. Thw culprits have been booked for breach of trust, conspiracy and other sections of the Indian Penal Code and West Bengal Police Act. On September 10, the CID officials informed that they had received information about huge quantity of gold would be smuggled from Bhutan. In order to nab the culprits, the army informed the officer-in-charge of Hasimara police outpost and a checkpoint was set at Torsha Bridge near Hasimara. Reports inform that the accused army and police personnel intercepted a car and took hold of the gold and gave let the smugglers leave. However, the information was leaked and Ganesh Biswas, additional superintendent of police, Jaigoan, filed a complaint against the officers. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 16, 2018 10:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Lucknow, Sep 16: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Sunday said her party will agree to any alliance anywhere and in any election only if it gets a respectable share of seats. The BSP Chief dared to contest the upcoming elections alone. "We will agree to alliance anywhere & in any election only when we get a respectable share of seats, otherwise BSP will contest alone", Mayawati said. While speaking on Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar referring to her as 'Buaji' (Aunt), the Former UP CM added saying that she is only related to common man and people from backward castes. "I have no relation with such people. I am only related to the common man, dalits, adivasis & people from backward castes", she was quoted by ANI. We will agree to alliance anywhere & in any election only when we get a respectable share of seats, otherwise BSP will contest alone: Former UP CM Mayawati pic.twitter.com/iiFuuvde6h ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 16, 2018 According to a PTI report, terming mob lynching in the name of cow vigilantism as a "blot on democracy", Mayawati accused the BJP governments of laxity and indifference on the issue."The increasing tendency of indulging in mob lynching in the name of cow vigilantism in the BJP-ruled states is a blot on democracy, yet the governments are exercising laxity and are being indifferent to it," Mayawati told reporters. While speaking at the press meet, the BSP supremo accused the BJP government of resorting to different diversionary tactics as 2019 Lok Sabha elections are approaching. She said the saffron party is making lucrative announcements and not leaving any stone unturned to derive advantage from the demise of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 16, 2018 03:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com). Al Salem Johnson Controls, a leading provider of integrated heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) solutions and equipment, recently organised an industrial refrigeration workshop for its clients engineers and technicians in Jeddah. This comes in line with an initiative set out by Al Salem Johnson Controls to transfer world-class technical and industrial knowledge and broaden skills of engineers, technicians and consultants working in the HVAC & R sector in Saudi Arabia, said a statement from the company. The training was aimed at broadening knowledge and developing skills of Al Salem Johnson Controls Industrial Refrigeration clients engineers and technicians, from various industries such as petrochemical, food and beverage, dairy products, power generation, cold stores, hospitals, poultry and ice cream, it stated. The Sabroe Unisab III Training was completed by 13 participants, under the supervision Lars Pasgaard, Product Manager - Refrigeration Controls at Sabroe Factory, Johnson Controls, Denmark. Sabroe is a strong brand in the world of industrial refrigeration under Johnson Controls, while the (Unisab III Controller) features 30 years of constant improvements, resulting in utilising one controller that fits all compressor types (140 different types), with strong retrofit program, including competitor compressors. The workshop covered fundamentals, advantages, benefits, and function of the Sabroe Universal package controller (Unisab III); which is a fully customizable solution to meet different projects cooling requirements, said the statement. The controller helps monitoring and diagnosis, protection and control combined in one compact integrated unit, it added.-TradeArabia News Service Sep 16, 2018, 3:06am ET Volvo to test autonomous cars in Sweden The permit comes with strings attached. Volvo has received permission to test autonomous cars on the public roads around its headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden. The permit to test comes with several strings attached, though. Testing self-driving cars on its home turf will help the firm develop the technology faster. It's a big step towards reaching its goal of releasing an autonomous car in 2021. Volvo doesn't have a blank check, and Swedish website Di Digital learned it needs to comply with strict guidelines put in place to maximize safety and avoid accidents. The company's self-driving prototypes will not be allowed to drive faster than about 37 miles per hour (60 kilometers per hour). They will not be allowed to change lanes. And, there will always need to be a trained human driver behind the wheel -- that's fairly standard across the world, but the Swedish authorities took their demand a step further by asking that the driver keep at least one hand on the wheel at all times. Finally, Volvo needs to file regular reports about the nature of its tests and how they're moving along. The government wants to know about errors, accidents, near-misses, and other safety-related issues. Di Digital points out receiving the permit from Sweden's transport authority took nearly a year. Volvo hasn't commented on when it will start tests. Note: Volvo 360c pictured. Photo by Ronan Glon. Authorities believe a Pennsylvania man accused of threatening President Donald Trump and Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli has stolen a vehicle in Luzerne County. United States Marshals, the FBI and the United States Secret Service continue to hunt for Shawn Christy, 27, a Maple Shade, New Jersey, native who last lived in McAdoo, Schuylkill County in Pennsylvania. Christy has been on the run for more than two months after threatening Trump and Morganelli. Christy has threatened to use "full lethal force on any law enforcement officer that tries to detain me," according to authorities. He is considered armed and dangerous. Authorities early Sunday believe Christy made off with a white GMC Sierra 2500HD bearing Pennsylvania license plate No. ZJP-4486. The vehicle was stolen from Skitco Iron Works in Hazle Township, where Christy last week is accused of stealing other items, including money, food and a Beretta shotgun. This vehicle has a red ladder rack and a blue welder inside the bed. It may also have the magnet "Skitco Iron Works" on the driver and passenger side doors. Pennsylvania State Police in Hazleton said access was gained Sunday into Skitco Iron Works by a suspect believed to be Christy breaking a front office window. The vehicle, police said, was parked in a back garage. Authorities have offered $20,000 reward for information leading to his capture. Christy is most recently believed to be in the Luzerne County area, authorities said. Christy has been spotted in the past as far away as Kentucky. He is wanted on various local warrants, including out of Northampton County, as well as sought in the federal warrant issued June 19 alleging he made Facebook threats stating, "Keep it up Morganelli, I promise I'll put a bullet in your head as soon as I put one in the head of President Donald J. Trump." Christy this past week posted to his father's Facebook page he hurt his knee and has been slowed down by the injury. Christy's mother said they notified federal agents of the message. Christy is described as white, 5 feet, 10 inches in height, weighing 160 pounds, having a light complexion, short dark blonde hair, a beard and a tattoo cross on his upper arm. He speaks with a noticeable lisp and claims to be a survivalist. Those with information about Christy's whereabouts are asked to call the U.S. Marshals at 1-877-926-8332 or the F.B.I. at 215-418-4000. Authorities say no individuals should attempt to arrest Christy themselves. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. The Pennsylvania Legislature has been at this threshold before. First, in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. And again, after investigations revealed the extent of sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests in the Philadelphia and Altoona-Johnstown dioceses. Now lawmakers are feeling pressure to help the many victims given a renewed voice by a grand jury investigation into clerical sexual abuse in six dioceses, including Allentown. The grand jury report, released last month, found credible evidence that more than 300 predators in those dioceses abused more than 1,000 kids over 70 years. The question for legislators is unchanged: Should civil and criminal statutes of limitation be extended or eliminated to allow more childhood victims to seek justice against their attackers? Under the current state law, victims have until age 30 to file civil suits. Criminal prosecutions must be brought before victims turn 50. While that may have seemed like a sane compromise a few years ago, the recent grand jury probe provided a stunning view of how many cases went unreported and unadjudicated -- in large part because higher-ups in the church protected sexual predators, moving them to other parishes and secreting the files on them. Future victims and their families had no forewarning. One of the sadder revelations of the grand jury probe, pointed out by Attorney General Josh Shapiro, is that the majority of cases uncovered are so old the victims have no standing to seek relief in the courts. It's time to correct this inequity -- for older victims, to the extent possible, and for future victims. Thirty states have scrapped their criminal statutes of limitation for sexual crimes against children. Pennsylvania needs to take this step. Regarding civil liability: Senate Bill 261, in addition to ending the criminal statue of limitations, would extend the age cutoff for childhood victims to seek civil damages, from 30 to 50. That's not the same as removing the ceiling altogether, but it's a step forward. It must be coupled with a two-year window of eligibility for those denied their civil rights because they missed the statute of limitations. House Speaker Mike Turzai says he's backing a two-year window, as a compromise that will garner widespread support in the House, allowing the bill to return the Senate for approval. The Catholic church also supports a two-year window. The path isn't necessarily clear, however. Senate President Joe Scarnati has warned that retroactive changes to the law might not withstand a constitutional appeal. He favors a church-endowed victims' compensation fund that would be administered by impartial outside party. We believe those who were preyed upon and indelibly injured as children, no matter how long ago, deserve their day in court. Thirty years, 50 years? To those coping with life-altering abuse as if it happened yesterday, time may be immaterial. An employee of a Hackettstown trucking company is accused of stealing $14,200 worth of gasoline from the business for personal use. Donald Mandeville, 46, of Midland Park, New Jersey, is charged with third-degree theft. Investigators on April 25 began investigating reports of an employee stealing two gas cards belonging to Willow Grove Trucking, 859 Willow Grove St., Hackettstown. The cards were used between March 6 and April 25. Police eventually connected the crime to Mandeville and charged him this past Thursday. Mandeville was released pending a court appearance. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. A Clonaslee man went on a rampage after an impromptu drinking session and assaulted five people, scalding three members of an Italian family with hot curry sauce including a woman who received facial injuries. Judge Keenan Johnson said that Michael Madden (28), The Green, Clonaslee, deserves to go to prison for the offences, but the judge adjourned the case for a psychiatric assessment before finalising sentencing. Before the recent circuit court in Portlaoise, Madden was charged with four counts of assault causing harm, assault, and criminal damage. Garda Michael Greaney gave evidence, with State barrister, Mr Will Fennelly, that on May 23, 2016, there was an incident at Hillview estate in Clonaslee, where Madden assaulted a number of people after an impromptu drinking session. He was very drunk and very aggressive towards a man of Italian extraction, whose family operated a fast food outlet in Clonaslee. This man left the scene, but Madden went on to assault another man and a woman. The woman got into a verbal row with the accused and the man came to her help, whereupon the accused punched him twice to the face, fracturing his nose and bursting his lip. Madden then went to the fast food outlet looking for the Italian man with whom hed had the earlier altercation. A verbal altercation began between the accused and members of the Italian family, before Madden flipped a pot of curry over three injured parties. The Italian mans mother received injuries to her face and arms when the very hot liquid was splashed on her, while the Italian man and his father were splashed on their arms. Garda Greaney said that the woman received the worst injuries and photos handed into the court showed her with blistering and scald marks on her face. The two males got scalded on their arms. Garda Greaney said the womans injuries are okay now, but she is still very nervous dealing with customers. There was also damage caused to the premises when a glass counter was smashed, costing 500 to repair. None of the injured parties wished to make victim impact statements. When arrested, the accused had a very fractured recollection of the incident as he had been so drunk. Garda Greaney said that the accused had no recollection of the incident at the takeaway, but when he was shown CCTV footage he did take responsibility. He also claimed that during the earlier assault at Hillview, he put his hands up to stop the man coming at him. The accused had 11 previous convictions, including assaults, criminal damage, and public order offences. Defence, Mr Colm Hennessy said that it had been a nasty incident, particularly for the lady who got burned. The accused went on an impromptu drinking session and there was an incident that was a precursor to the assaults before matters spiralled downwards. Mr Hennessy said the accused had a difficult upbringing and didnt get much support at home for his dyslexia There was a pattern of bullying which manifested as anger and reactive behaviour. From the age of seven he was taken out of one school and put into another, then a borstel, where things didn't get mush better. He was in and out of facilities with the HSE, but once he turned 18 he was sent on his way. Defence said that Madden had been exposed to behaviours he should never have seen while in care, which put his offences in context. Anger is an issue here, said Mr Hennessy. Defence went on to say that there was a link between the accuseds offending and his alcohol use. The accused had 3,000 in court by way of compensation, to underline his remorse. Mr Hennessy asked the court to stay its hand until April before sentencing, to allow the accused to get more compensation. Judge Keenan Johnson said that the woman had received horrific injuries to her face and had been very fortunate not to suffer scarring. He said the accused went on the rampage on the day and when arrested, he was not fulsome in his cooperation with the gardai. The accused was assessed at a high risk of reoffending, and Judge Johnson said these offences represented a serious escalation of his offending to date. He said that the gravity of the offending could not but carry a custodial sentence, but a psychiatric assessment would be of assistance. Recommending a four-month sentence for the assault on the women in Hillview, which was the least serious assault, Judge Johnson said he would adjourn the matters to April 10 next, for a report on the accused. He said it was not appropriate to adjourn the matter for more compensation, but any further compensation would be of benefit before sentencing. Of the 3,000 compensation in court, Judge Johnson directed that 2,000 go to the Italian family, and 1,000 go to the man who was punched in Hillview. Last Thursday, September 6, one of Clongowes Wood Colleges most illustrious past pupils visited the school and made a presentation to current pupils. William Sargent left Clongowes in 1973 and is the founder and CEO of the visual effects giant, Framestore which has worked with clients ranging from big Hollywood studios to major brands such as Coca-Cola, Volkswagen and Nokia. It was responsible for the visual effects that can be enjoyed in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, The Dark Knight, War Horse, the James Bond hit Quantum of Solace, Blade Runner 2049 and Avatar. Mr Sargent met with the 2nd and 5th year groups in the school to talk about creativity and teamwork and how failure can be your best friend. On his return to his alma mater, William took a walk down memory lane sharing the happy memories of his time at the Clane school; before taking his young audience on a tour through a big screen multi-media presentation of some of his best known and most innovative work. He used an example from his days in Clongowes to illustrate the value of team work and hard work when he spoke of a rugby team of mediocre guys that swept all before them for almost three years. Collaboration he insisted, was key, saying that while not everyone is a star, everyone can be part of a star team. Emphasising that making money is not a good reason to start a business, William encouraged his young audience to follow their dreams and to be prepared to take risks. He noted the importance of failure in the quest for success, saying that it creates resilience and is a valuable learning experience. He closed his presentation by referencing his own early days and saying that it is important to have a vision, and that it is okay to spend time finding it. Mr Sargent has advised the EU, and Tony Blair and is a Non-Executive Director at the British Treasury. A humble Irish man, he had qualms about accepting a knighthood from the Queen Elizabeth II in 2008 for his governmental endeavours. He told the students that he only uses the title on business cards in America. Bahrains Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has published an updated Quality of Service (QoS) Regulation applicable to all licensed operators in the Kingdom. The amendments to the regulation sets out key QoS targets for licensed operators to achieve in delivering services to consumers. This regulation is an important part of the TRAs strategic objectives which aim at empowering consumers and ensuring that they receive the best services. The TRA has enhanced and built on the initial 2008 QoS Regulation to ensure that an effective legal framework is established determining the level of quality of service that the licensees are committed to when providing services to consumers. High quality of the telecommunications services available in the Kingdom is a very important aspect of the day-to-day life for consumers and supports the ability for consumer to fulfil their activities easily and efficiently. The TRA specified a period of six weeks for all individuals and organizations during which it conducted the public consultation on the Regulation to receive feedback and comments from the concerned parties. Additionally, the TRA held workshops to brief the local telecommunications operators in the kingdom on the updated QOS Regulation based on the principle of transparency with the licensees, who in turn will abide by the provisions of this Regulation. The review of the regulation ensured that the main quality aspects of the services delivered by telecommunications companies are in line with latest technological capabilities, best practices and forward looking to enable an effective and flexible regulatory framework to serve consumers. The TRA ensures that competition between the licensees does not affect the quality and efficiency of telecommunication services, said Sh. Nasser bin Mohamed Al-Khalifa, TRAs acting general director. To protect consumer rights and their ability to make better informed choices, based on quality and operators performance, the TRA will be publishing comparative indicators for numerous categories including: Service Provision, Reported Faults, Service Restoration, Billing Accuracy, Complaints and Network Measurements. There is a good level of cooperation from the industry in providing quality of service parameters to the TRA who in turn verifies these parameters. The TRA expects to be in a position to publish the quality of service parameters based on the reporting period ending Dec 2018. Sh. Nasser added. TradeArabia News Service Kilcock Art Gallery, which was established in 1978 by Breda Smyth, held a celebration to mark its 40th anniversary last Saturday. The gallery has for four decades been dealing in fine paintings, sculpture and prints by leading names in the Irish art world. Over the years it has welcomed famous names including US ambassadors Michael J OSullivan and Jean Kennedy Smith; Cardinal Tomas OFiach in 1982; Charles J Haughey, who opened an exhibition of Tory Island Painters in 1986 and many more. The gallery has also been involved in promoting Irish art abroad. In 1995, it brought an exhibition of Kerry artist Micchael Flahertys paintings to New York, and, ten years previously, it organised the showing of a collection of Irish art in Paris. Gallery founder Breda Smyths family, the OKeeffes, have been established in business in Kilcock since the 1800s. She trained at the National College of Arrt and Design and the College of Commerce Rathmines, and worked in advertising before establishing the gallery. Her daughter Carina, who has extensive gallery experience, joined the business in 1999. Virgin Media One will be broadcasting a new documentary with Paul Williams called Irelands Jihadis this month. The Islamic extremist attack on London Bridge on 4th June 2017 was a wake-up call for Ireland. One of the attackers, Rachid Redouane, had lived in Ireland over two separate periods in the build up to the attack. Following the attack one Irish muslim woman recognised the leader, Khuram Butt, as a man she had lived with in Ireland and claims he had visited her over twenty times. She claims there are 150 Islamic extremists living in Ireland and that they are using this country as a base due to our weak border access with the UK via Northern Ireland. Her claims have been backed by leading cleric Shaykh Umar Al Quadri who also believes there are a similar number of extremists here preaching hate narratives. Presented by leading investigative journalist Paul Williams, a native of Ballinamore and former reporter with The Leitrim Observer, Irelands jihadis lifts the lid on the presence of Islamic extremism in Ireland and questions whether it poses a threat to national security here and to our neighbours in Europe. Irelands Jihadis interviews the Irish muslim convert Aaliyah who spoke out after the London Bridge attack. Paul Williams also interviews leading Irish & UK experts and survivors of the London Bridge attack. He traces the known whereabouts of Rachid Redouane during his two stays in this country and also interviews the man responsible for taking on the terror threat in Ireland - Assistant Commissioner Michael OSullivan. THE PEOPLE of Limerick have raised close to 100,000 for a well-known secondary school teacher with an inoperable cancer so she can undergo immunotherapy treat-ment. Ballyagran woman Miriam Kennedy, who worked as a home economics and Irish teacher in numerous Limerick schools, was told in late 2017 that she had an inoperable cancer. The 48-year-old mother of two said on her GoFundMe page she has been on an overwhelming life-altering journey as she had received treatment to shrink tumours and a number of surgeries. However, in early June this year, proposed further surgery and radiotherapy were taken off the table due to the complex position of one of my tumours located in a node close to her heart. As a consequence, further chemotherapy is also not an option. Disappointingly, I also don't qualify for any trials in Ireland or Europe and currently all frontline treatments have been exhausted to me. In June I felt that my future was similar to being in a short corridor where all the possible exit doors have been locked, she said. Fortunately, on June 28, Miriam was informed she was suitable for immunotherapy which is currently my only treatment option. She received the first dose on August 15. However, she said, the downside is that she must self-fund at a cost of 110,000 a year. This is when she decided to set up the GoFundMe page online. This is a yearly expense and for an indefinite amount of time. This is why I am reaching out to you, as the cost of this treatment is too much to sustain for me and my family. Normally I am a very private person but I have to do this for my husband and for my children. Its my only wish in the world and if that means sacrificing my privacy to tell my story then I am glad to do it. She concluded: I know that money can be tight, so please know that every little bit helps me get closer to fulfilling my hope to live and see my children grow up. Miriam told the Leader that she is delighted at the response, after hundreds of people have raised more than 98,000 as of this Friday. Miriam has taught at St Marys in Charleville, Scoil Carmel, Laurel Hill Colaiste, and St John the Baptist Community College. A TALENTED teenage photographer wants to capture men and women in their work clothes to help give African children the same shot in life. Finn Coleman, aged just 17, has teamed up with Trocaire for his novel project entitled Educating Through Portraits. He is photographing 20 to 25 different individuals in their distinctive uniforms and areas of profession which they have achieved through opportunity, education and training. Finn, from Caherline, who has set up a Go Fund Me page, plans to publish a book of portraits and host an exhibition of his work. All funds will go to Trocaire. The idea for Educating Through Portraits began in Kinsale. The son of Liam and Claudia was taking photos of the towns streets. I saw a butcher on his phone and he was wearing a red apron. I thought how cool it would be to make a series of portraits of people in distinctive uniforms, said Finn. The fifth year student in John the Baptist Community School in Hospital already does volunteer work for Limerick Animal Welfare so wanted to do it for charity. I thought about my own career path and educational advancement. I thought of tying in with Trocaire because all of the people Im photographing are all successful through education and training. Trocaire are helping children in Africa to have those opportunities, said Finn, who proceeded to do his homework. He found that almost 60% of African teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17 do not attend school. Africa has some of the most alarming rates of educational exclusion in the world and one third between the ages of 12 and 14 are not being educated. Parents just cannot afford the costs of education - books, uniforms, tuition fees - and rely on aid and support from charitable organisations like Trocaire. That is what inspired me to do this and raise money, said Finn, who contacted Trocaire who thought it was a brilliant idea. He only started taking portraits in July and already has up to 10. I have a chef, pastor, vet, butcher. Then in NUIG I got the vice-president in his robes, a surgeon, a nurse, and a biomedical professor in his lab coat, said Finn. He hopes people reading this, who would like to get their portrait taken and be involved, will get in touch with him. They dont have to be in a uniform like a garda. It just has to be something to identify their career. Take a mechanic, he doesnt have a uniform but you can guess from the photo what they do, said Finn, who would love to have a pilot in his collection. And a dream would to be to photograph an astronaut. If you are interested in taking part please email Finn at educatingthroughprojects @gmail.com You can follow his progress on his Facebook and Instagram pages. To donate log onto https://uk.gofundme.com/ educatingthroughportraits THE DEPARTMENT of Social Protection has been criticised for failing GPs as a number of patients in Limerick have been left in Limbo over a delay in illness benefit payments. The problem surrounds the introduction of new application forms for the payment of illness benefit, which have been issued to GPs in recent weeks. However, unions claim that they were not consulted by the Department of Social Protection regarding the move, and a number of GPs in Limerick and nationwide have continued using old forms, including photocopies of the forms. The old form, MC1, has been replaced by a new claim form called an IB1 and a new medical certificate called a MED1. Unions claim that it is an extra workload and the issue of fees has not been properly addressed by the Department. Hitting out at Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty, Deputy Maurice Quinlivan said he has been contacted by a number of concerned patients in Limerick, who have experienced delays in receiving their benefits. He said the issue is down to a row the Department of Social Protection has picked with GPs. It is clear that the Department failed to consult GPs with reasonable notice ahead of introducing these changes and is now playing catch up to try and get them on board with the new process. This mess has left patients in limbo, the Sinn Fein TD said in a statement this week. He said the Minister needs to be asked why the measures were introduced without the agreement from the GPs. This is a serious situation for some people being left with delayed payments, despite rent and bills to pay, and so it must be address by the Minister immediately. The Irish Medical Organisation has been critical of the situation, but has urged GPs to use the new forms. The National Association of GPs, also condemning the Departments actions, is asking its members to continue using old forms, or photocopies, until a resolution has been secured. LIMERICK farmers who attended an IFA-organised walk on Galvins farm in Banogue last Thursday were in good form but were concerned over the fodder shortages for the coming winter. A crowd of over 100 attended the Knowledge Transfer (KT)-approved event and reported huge variations in available fodder and current grass growth across the county, according to Limerick IFA chairman and event host, Shay Galvin. Some farmers have already used up to 50% of their first cut silage during the drought but some farmers have managed to fill some of that deficit since then, he said. Kerry Agribusiness nutritionist, Stephen ORegan urged farmers to complete a fodder budget and assess their situation as soon as possible so that they can plan for the winter. He also outlined that Kerry are in the process of sourcing and importing fodder from the UK. The theme of the event was Get winter ready your health, your animals health and your business health. There was a strong focus at the event on physical and mental health. Mick Collins, from the HSE Suicide Prevention team, spoke to farmers about the importance of mental health and nurses from the Irish Heart Foundation took blood pressure and spoke one to one to over 40 farmers about their physical health. FBDs Jeff Bray spoke about the importance of having personal accident and personal illness cover in the event of either occurring. Animal health was covered with local vet Edwin Murphy giving a pre housing health rundown, advising farmers to vaccinate and dose before housing. He also spoke about ventilation requirements in sheds. Lets hope cattle are out for a month or two yet though. BRINGING a multi-million euro liquid natural gas (LNG) project to West Limerick could pave the way for fracking on the Shannon Estuary, a campaigner has warned. Johnny McElligott, Safety Before LNG, was speaking after it emerged that there are to be fresh delays to the scheme to pipe gas at a landbank between Ballylongford and Tarbert. It comes after an environmental group sought and secured an injunction against An Bord Pleanalas decision to extend the permission given to Shannon LNG for another decade. The case will be heard in Dublins High Court on October 4 but there is huge frustration at yet another delay, with Ireland South MEP Sean Kelly saying it would be a disaster if the LNG project which is now backed by American firm New Frontiers did not go ahead. The proposals could deliver up to 500 construction jobs, as well as over 50 permanent positions once operational. But Mr McEligott claims if the project happens, its only a matter of time before the controversial practice of fracking happens. Fracking sees a high-pressure water mixture drilled into rocks to release gas inside. But environmentalists warn potentially carcinogenic chemicals used may escape and contaminate groundwater around a site. They [New Fortress Energy] are based in Miami, and they have a plant there bringing fracked gas all over the States. Thats the problem. We should be boycotting fracked gas from America. They were going to build 9,000 wells in Ireland, but they outlawed it. Its only a matter of time before we go back to these, he said. Shannon LNGs alleged use of fracked gas could persuade authorities to adopt the practice here, he added. However, Mr Kelly rejected this, saying: Legislation totally outlaws fracking which I agree with. There is no possibility of fracking in Ireland. Nobody would countenance it, or agree with it. Since the Shannon LNG plans were first revealed back in 2006, the project has been beset with delays, due in part to the economic meltdown, and objections from groups like Safety Before LNG who among other things fear damage to the biodiversity of the estuary, now a Special Protected Area. Both Mr Kelly, and Listowel-based Senator Ned OSullivan have criticised the fact objectors like these can holding up such a massive project. Speaking on Radio Kerry this week, Mr OSullivan said: There are young boys who are putting everything on hold [for Shannon LNG]. They were heading for New York and Boston. You have parents praying their sons will find work on the Shannon Estuary, so they will have comfort and company in their old age. I wonder if objectors ever think of this? However, Mr McEligott pointed to the fact that over 1,000 people objected to An Bord Pleanala earlier this year, some 2,500 people have signed a petition in opposition, while 26 environmental groups and the Green Party oppose the piped gas scheme. Locally, you cannot open your mouth without people going on a witch-hunt, he said. Mr Kelly says Ireland will miss its climate targets by a mile in 2020, thanks to the fact Shannon LNG has not yet taken off. The firm declined to comment. GARDAI have arrested almost 100 drug dealers and seized more than 330,000 worth of heroin in their long-running campaign to root out the criminal underworld in recent years. Exclusive figures received by the Limerick Leader show that gardai have arrested 88 people in connection with sale and supply of heroin, and have made 247 seizures since 2016. In total, the gardai tasked with cleaning the streets of Limerick of its drug problem, have seized 330,691 worth of heroin. And speaking to this newspaper, Chief Superintendent Gerard Roche and head of the drugs unit Det Gda Padraig Sutton detail how local gangs are bringing the highly-addictive drug to the streets as part of their lucrative, international operations. In 2016, gardai arrested 30 people and made 88 seizures, accumulating 150,700 worth of heroin. Last year, there were 42 arrests and 110 seizures. A total of 93,130 worth of heroin was seized in 2017. So far this year, Limerick gardai have arrested 16 people in connection with the sale and supply of heroin, and have made 49 seizures. In total, 86,861 worth of heroin has been seized. Det Gda Sutton says they focus more on the number of seizures as opposed to the number of arrests. Heroin, one of the most expensive narcotics on the market, is made from opium, which is predominantly cultivated in the tropical climates, such as in the Middle-East and South America. This means that the product in Limerick is being brought in from other countries, says Det Gda Sutton, whose team has seized around 60,000 worth of heroin since May. Chief Supt Roche says imported heroin comes in its rawest format and is then cut with mixers in order to give it volume. This allows drug dealers on the ground to make a profit. And dealers almost never carry heroin in bulk when supplying to buyers; its generally in small amounts. The man in charge of the drugs unit says four deals of heroin, 1g in total, would fit comfortably on the baby nail of your finger. One deal of heroin is a quarter of a gramme, priced at 20. So if someone is caught with around 40 worth, the gardai could likely consider this possession, under Section 3 of the Misuse of Drugs Act. However, someone carrying seven or eight bags, even for friends, could be arrested under Section 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Actunlawful sale or supply of drugs. A guy with two or three bags, his intent could be to bring back one for each of the lads. Hes technically a dealer, Chief Supt Roche adds. But Det Gda Sutton says that there is no general distinction between a Section 3 and a Section 15. It all depends on the circumstances of each individual, he says in the chiefs office on Henry Street. We find with heroin is, a lot of the time we are dealing with small amounts. Amounts of 500 or 600. A person carrying a bar of heroin would be nine ounces, which would be quarter of a kilo. A kilo of heroin comes in at around 140,000. People dont carry that kind of quantity with them. They carry small amounts. They carry an ounce of heroin that could be split up into different bags, Det Gda Sutton explains. This is where Limericks international gangs, of which there are more than one, start to profit. The drug scene, says the chief, is unique in that it is controlled by locals with zero or little interference from international cartels from the likes of Columbia or countries in Eastern Europe. Gangs here with a kilo of heroin, worth 140,000, can easily turn this into a fivefold profit, by splitting with whatever mixers. And depending on the purity of the supply, a kilo purchase could turn into five kilo supply, which will then be split into bags for the dealers on the street. And even though Limericks drug underworld is run at a local level, customers are coming from afar. Det Gda Sutton said seizures have been made with people from Kerry who are sourcing product in Limerick with the intention of dealing heroin in that area. But purity is a danger on the streets, says Chief Supt Roche, as heroin is not mixed in a sterile environment. You get a guy who mixed his heroin a bit different to the people who are used to taking it from a particular guy, you can have fatalities quite quickly. Heroin is just one drug and criminal organisations are all about making money, so there are other illicit substances for which gardai are on high alert. If a group is running a heroin operation, prescription drugs are on their shelves too. This includes xanax, alprazolam, opiate-based drugs, image enhancing drugs such as steroids and growth hormones. While it is not a criminal offence to possess the steroid for your own use, it is an offence to possess it for the purpose of sale or supply. Which is why gardai work with the Health Product Regulatory Authority and Customs and Excise to identify packages that are coming into the country through a courier or postal service. The recreational drug scene is still a problem among youths, Det Gda Sutton says, with many consuming ketamine and MDMA, a powdered form of ecstasy. MDMA is also being seized in crystal form. Chief Supt Roche says the young people treat cannabis as a recreational drug and dont see much of the issues with it. There are huge issues with it. Cocaine was always the one for people with money. Asked why havent international gangs from abroad infiltrated Limericks narcotics market, Chief Supt Gerard Roche says it is because there are already international gangs of Irish origin here. They cant waltz in here, theres a history of feudings, history of violence here, that if theres an issue they will do whatever they do. Whereas there might not be that issue in other places. Theres a culture here which is thats what they do. You have some very big people operating from herehad been traditionally operating from here, more to do with the past, with some still at it. And taking on the successful challenge of tackling these criminal gangs, Det Gda Sutton, based at Henry Street, says some people they are dealing with are very astute. We have to up our game and make sure that were in line and ahead of the curve at times. Its very difficult job but well keep doing it, and wew have had some very huge successes in Limerick and we keep the flag flying. - This interview is part of a wider feature in which Fintan Walsh investigates the heroin scourge through the lens of gardai, gangs, healthcare and addicts. See the Limerick Leader broadsheet for more, in shops now Besix, the largest Belgian group operating in the construction of buildings, infrastructure, has won a contract to design and build a dam and hydroelectric power station in Cameroon. With this new project, the multiservice group Besix, in partnership with the French company NGE and Moroccan company SGTM will participate in the electrification of the country with renewable energy produced for NHPC, a project company whose shareholders are EDF International, the State of Cameroon and the International Finance Corporation. Besix has won a contract to design and build the Nachtigal dam. Located on the River Sanaga, some 65 kilometres north of Yaounde, this hydroelectric dam will increase the country's supply of renewable energy. The Nachtigal amont hydropower project is one of the very few public-private partnership hydro-electric projects in sub-Saharan Africa, and will accelerate the achievement of Cameroon's development goals, including access to electricity. The dam will increase the country's electricity generating capacity by 30 per cent. The contract involves designing and building a 2-km-long and up to 14-m-high dam in roller compacted concrete, a 3-km supply canal and the civil engineering works of the hydroelectric power plant (with seven 60 MW turbines) and water intake facilities. Work will begin before the end of the year and is expected to last 57 months. The project is financed by a pool of international and local lenders. Mathieu Dechamps, the general manager of international business unit said Besix Group was excited at strengthening its business in Africa in general and in Cameroon in particular. "We have already carried out a number of reference projects in the country. These include the Yaounde hospital buildings, various ministries, the Pont de l'Enfance bridge, a spillway on the Sanaga River, as well as various docks in the port of Douala," he noted. "With our participation in the Nachtigal hydropower project, we are proud to contribute to the development of sustainable solutions," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Saudi Aramco and Schneider Electric Saudi Arabia have signed an agreement to pursue a variety of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) solutions under the Digital Transformation Program led by Saudi Aramcos Technical Services. Ahmad A Al Ghamdi, manager of Saudi Aramcos Process and Control Systems Department, signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) under the Digital Transformation Program led by Technical Services senior vice president Ahmad A Al Saadi. Najib A Al-Naim, president of Schneider Electric Saudi Arabia, signed on behalf of Schneider Electric. The MoU covers a wide area of topics thought to be disruptive to many industries, including oil and gas. The topics include Augmented and Virtual Reality, the Industrial Internet of Things, Big Data, Advance Analytics and 3-D Asset Virtualization. It will also look into power management systems and integrated manufacturing operations management. Increasing research outcomes Furthermore, the MoU will set goals to increase research outcomes in digital solutions, as well as enhance Schneider Electrics local presence especially in solution development, manufacturing, and support. This will be reflected with more opportunities in talent development and training in areas related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Al Ghamdi expressed his eagerness to explore many aspects of the MoU, emphasizing that there is always room for innovation and how it is important in our rapidly changing digital age. This MoU is one of many that have been signed with companies and industry leaders to support our companys 2020 Transformation Program and the Kingdoms Vision 2030. TradeArabia News Service Hyatt Hotels Corporation has entered into a franchise agreement with a subsidiary of Matmut S.A.M. to develop the first Hyatt-branded hotel in Rouen, the capital of Normandy, France. Managed by Cycas Hospitality, Hyatt Place Rouen will be the second Hyatt Place hotel in France and will join the dual-branded Hyatt Place and Hyatt House hotels at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport that are currently under development. The Hyatt Place brand is rooted in extensive consumer insights indicating that guests seek stylish, comfortable, seamless experiences that accommodate their lifestyles and familiar routines. To embody this, the brand offers casual hospitality and purposeful service in a smartly designed, high-tech and contemporary environment. Slated to open in 2021, Hyatt Place Rouen will offer 78 guestrooms, meeting spaces for approximately 100 guests, a state-of-the-art gym, and a swimming pool. Hyatt Place Rouen will also feature a restaurant and the Gallery Market with grab and go meals and snacks available around the clock. The hotel will be developed from a former school building, located close to businesses, the railway station and the old city centre. We are delighted to be expanding our Hyatt Place brand footprint in France. Thanks to the excellent rail service between Le Havre and Paris, Rouen is seeing its business community thrive and an influx of leisure visitors, making it a prime location for this brand, says Nuno Galvao Pinto, Hyatts regional vice president development for Europe. We are also pleased to be strengthening our relationship with Cycas Hospitality, a world-class operator who manages a number of Hyatt Place hotels across Europe. Managing Hyatt Place Rouen will mark the third collaboration with Hyatt, which makes us very proud, said Asli Kutlucan, partner at Cycas Hospitality. Our knowledge of Hyatts select service brands, along with our experience in the European market, will allow us to provide exceptional levels of service, which we expect to set this hotel apart from its competitors. There are eight Hyatt-branded hotels currently open in France: Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome, Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile, Hyatt Regency Paris Charles de Gaulle, Hyatt Paris Madeleine, Hotel du Louvre, Hotel Martinez, Hyatt Regency Nice Palais de la Mediterranee and Hyatt Centric La Rosiere. In addition to Hyatt Place Rouen, Hyatt Regency Chantilly is expected to open in late 2018 and the dual-branded Hyatt Place Charles de Gaulle Airport and Hyatt House Charles de Gaulle Airport are expected to open in 2020. - TradeArabia News Service This miniature artwork shows Pope Joan, who has just given birth to an infant during a Church procession. Medieval legends claim that Pope Joan was the first and only female pope. And now, an analysis of ancient silver coins suggests that the ordained woman may have actually lived. According to legends from the Middle Ages, a pope named John, or Johannes Anglicus, who reigned during the middle of the ninth century, was actually a woman, Pope Joan. For instance, a story from the 13th century written by a Dominican monk from Poland named Martin claimed that Pope Joan became pregnant and gave birth during a church procession. [History's 10 Most Intriguing Popes] However, there is much debate over whether a pope named Johannes Anglicus existed, much less whether this pope was a man or woman. The doubt stems in part from the great deal of confusion over the identities of popes during the middle of the ninth century. For example, in the oldest surviving copy of the "Liber Pontificalis," the official book of biographies of popes during the early Middle Ages, "Pope Benedict III is missing entirely,"study author Michael Habicht, an archaeologist at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, told Live Science. Discovering whether Pope Joan existed may not only solve a religious and historical mystery, but also factor in to modern arguments over the role of women in the church. "The debate on female ordination in the church is still ongoing," Habicht said. Now, Habicht has suggested that symbols on medieval coins show that Pope Johannes Anglicus may have existed, and so, Pope Joan may have been real as well. "The coins really turned the tables in favor of a covered-up but true story," Habicht said. The coins had the monogram of the pope, possibly Pope Joan, one on side and the name of the emperor of the Franks on the other. (Image credit: Michael Habicht) The research began when Habicht was conducting unrelated work investigating burials of popes in Rome. "In the beginning, I also believed that the story of Joan was mere fiction, but when I did more-extensive research, more and more, the possibility emerged that there was more behind the story," he said. Habicht analyzed silver coins known as deniers that were used in Western Europe during the Middle Ages. Their name comes from the ancient Roman silver coin known as the denarius. "They are quite small, perhaps the size of a U.S. dime or quarter," he said. The deniers Habicht examined were minted with the name of the emperor of the Franks on one side and the pope's monogram a symbol made using a person's initials on the other side. Habicht focused on coins previously attributed to Pope John VIII, who reigned from 872 to 882. The archaeologist said that while some deniers possessed a monogram belonging to Pope John VIII, earlier ones had a significantly different monogram. "The monogram that can be attributed to the later John VIII has distinct differences in the placing of letters and the overall design," Habicht said. These other coins may have belonged to a different Pope John Johannes Anglicus, the potential Pope Joan, Habicht said. He noted several historical sources that suggested a Pope John reigned from 856 to 858. For example, the chronicler Conrad Botho reported that a Pope Johannes crowned Louis II of Italy as Holy Roman Emperor in 856, Habicht said. "The monogram was the forerunner of today's signature," Habicht said. "Thus, we probably might even have a kind of signature of Pope Joan." Habicht suggested that the sequence of popes in the middle of the ninth century should include Leo IV from about 846 to 853, followed by Benedict III from 853 to 855, Johannes Anglicus from 856 to 858 and Nicholas I from 858 to 867. Previous scientific literature suggested that these coins are not fakes, Habicht said. In addition, "there is almost no collector market for such medieval coins," Habicht said. As such, "forgers are not really interested in faking them. Some years ago, some papal coins of the ninth century A.D. were offered at an auction sale in New York. Most of the coins were unsold and returned to the owner." All in all, "some will embrace my study and find other evidence for female priests in the early centuries of Christianity," Habicht said. "Others will entirely reject the idea and make a big media noise against such claims. A big mud-pie battle may follow. It might go on forever." Habicht detailed his findings in a book, "Pope Joan," via epubli Aug. 28. Original article on Live Science. LUMBERTON, N.C. - North Carolina officials warned residents Saturday not to become "complacent" about Tropical Storm Florence, which, despite weaker-than-expected winds, is poised to cause historic flooding and devastation for many days across much of the region. "We're trying to make it totally clear that this is deadly," Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin said, shortly after announcing an unprecedented mandatory evacuation order for all people who live within a mile of the Cape Fear River and the Little River. "We can't force folks to leave, but we are letting them know if they don't get out, they are not going to get help for some time." The Cape Fear River was about 12 feet high on Friday afternoon and is expected to rise to more than 62 feet in Fayetteville by Tuesday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Colvin noted that four people died in his city during Hurricane Matthew in 2016, when the river crested at 52 feet. Florence already has set rainfall records and left tens of thousands of people in shelters and more than 1 million homes without power. Officials confirmed at least 11 deaths, including one Saturday in South Carolina. But Gov. Roy Cooper, D, and other officials repeatedly warned Saturday that although people might think the worst of the storm is over, the volume of rainwater it will drop in the coming days will cause flooding not seen in a generation - if ever. As of Saturday, Florence had dropped 30 inches of rain, shattering the record of 24 inches set during Hurricane Floyd in 1999. And the forecast is for the storm, which has essentially stalled over North Carolina, to continue pouring down rain, perhaps 15 more inches. "We face walls of water - at our coast, along our rivers, across farmland, in our cities and in our towns," Cooper said at a news briefing. "More people now face imminent threat than when the storm was just offshore. I cannot overstate it. Floodwaters are rising, and if you aren't watching for them, you are risking your life." Officials issued several mandatory evacuation orders, including some 100 miles or more from Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, where Florence came ashore Friday with powerful winds and driving rains that only hinted at the catastrophic damage it is likely to inflict. "Know that the water is rising fast - everywhere, even in places that don't typically flood," Cooper said. "This system is unloading epic amounts of rainfall, in some places measured in feet and not inches. Many people who think the storm has missed them have yet to see its threat." Florence's sheer volume of water, much of it sucked up during its slow journey over warmer-than-usual Atlantic water, has left scientists sputtering for adequate descriptions. The storm is going to dump about 18 trillion gallons of water, which is about the volume of the Chesapeake Bay, or enough to cover the state of Texas in four inches of water, said Ryan Maue, a meteorologist with weathermodels.com. Maue said about 6 trillion gallons had fallen by Saturday afternoon. So, he said, "we're only about one-third of the way through this." That means rain will overflow already full rivers and streams far from the shoreline, and that, in turn, will have cascading effects throughout the watershed. In Lumberton, about 90 miles from the coast, the Lumber River was just below the flood stage of 13 feet at midday Saturday, and NOAA predicted that will nearly double by midday Sunday and remain at that level at least into Thursday. Even farther inland, NOAA predicted that the Little River will rise from 18 feet on Saturday to a record 35 feet on Sunday in Manchester, North Carolina, and it is predicted to stay above the previous record of 29 feet until at least Wednesday. Despite the dire predictions and official warnings, some residents were staying put at home, hoping for the best. As many of his Lumberton neighbors moved out Saturday, Tyson Jerald was busy moving in, hauling a dryer into the kitchen and assembling living room furniture. Jerald, a 40-year-old truck driver, had one eye on the move. The other, as he put it, was "24/7 on the Weather Channel," as the swirling red-and-green image known as Florence traveled across the screen and toward his new home. Two years ago, Hurricane Matthew swamped half of this neighborhood, which is divided by a canal that leads to the Lumber River. Jerald lived on the other side of the canal then, and his house was spared. But this storm feels different to him. "We've never seen anything like this," he said. "But Matthew taught us some things. Now I've got gas in all the cars, a generator, cash and we will get out of Dodge if we have to." A few houses down from Jerald's - and a few houses closer to the canal - Charlie McCormick was riding out the storm Saturday, his teenage children "happy and on Xbox and Netflix." But he said that decision could change Sunday, depending on Florence. McCormick was in his home during Matthew, and he watched the canal spill the other way and flood the older section of the neighborhood. "Our concern now is that the river will rise higher than it did with Matthew, and it looks like it will," he said. "We're watching, but there's not much else to do." The storm also is predicted to swell rivers to extreme flood levels well into Virginia. The Dan River in Danville, Paces and South Boston is projected to rise from its current level of about seven to 10 feet to about 30 feet on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to NOAA. In Roanoke, at the foot of Virginia's Shenandoah Mountains and nearly 300 miles from where Florence made landfall on a North Carolina beach, the Roanoke River is expected to rise from less than three feet now to more than 16 feet - major flooding levels - on Monday. Rescue crews - federal, state, local and private volunteers - have helped hundreds of stranded people. And at least 20,000 people have moved into shelters in North Carolina, officials said. Conditions are so poor across so much of the state that the head of North Carolina's transportation department asked that travelers avoid the state altogether. Jim Trogdon suggested that travelers essentially go around the state, detouring through Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia, if necessary. He said he wanted to prevent drivers from getting stranded amid rising floodwater and to keep roads as clear as possible for emergency workers. He noted that roads were flooding fast; the number of closures nearly doubled during the span of a few hours Saturday. Even major arteries such as Interstates 40 and 95 have been affected. "Road conditions across nearly all of our state will be rapidly deteriorating in coming days," he said. Also appearing at the afternoon briefing, Cooper, the governor, added: "Roads you think may be safe can be washed away in a matter of minutes." In Wilmington, close to where Florence came ashore, county and local officials said at a news conference that they are pleased with the state and federal response, but they also pleaded for agencies to help the Wilmington area as soon as possible, before the flooding worsens. "We're just now entering the thick of it," said Woody White, chairman of the New Hanover County Commission. "Overall, we survived this . . . but we're still in the middle of it." Wrightsville Beach Mayor Bill Blair said that his oceanfront community suffered significant damage, but that "the structural damage is not as severe as it looks" on social media. "We had some pretty big surges, and at high tide, the five- to six-foot surges very quickly covered a good portion of the island," he said. "We put out 75,000 cubic yards of sand on the beach a few months ago, and it looks like we lost most of it. But we did not have a breach" through the island. Access to the popular beach community Saturday was still limited to police, fire, government and repair crews. Blair said teams were working to get water and sewer facilities open again. Fallen trees and power lines blocked many Wilmington roads, and traffic lights were out virtually everywhere. Residents, clearly getting cabin fever after a full day indoors, began venturing out Saturday, but officials warned them to stay off the roads. Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo said some water-covered roads hide sinkholes that have developed in some locations. Twenty crews are clearing felled trees, but because many hanging or downed power lines hide within and beneath the trees, crews sometimes have to stop mid-work and call for utility crews to respond. About 112,000 people, out of 127,000 locally, remain without power in Wilmington, and Duke Energy officials warned Friday that it could be weeks before power is fully restored. At a Waffle House on Market Street, one of the very few businesses open Saturday, more than 20 people lined up outside, seeking hot food and a chance to get out of their homes. "My kids are tired of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches," said April Bellamy, 38, who said her apartment in the Creekwood neighborhood is without power and is likely to remain so for weeks. "I've been on that side of town all my life, and we're always the last to get power," she said. - - - The Washington Post's Patricia Sullivan reported from Wilmington. Wax-Thibodeaux and Kevin Sullivan reported from Washington. Mark Berman, Brady Dennis and Abigail Hauslohner in Washington also contributed to this report. --- Video Embed Code Video: Denis Railling and her husband of New Bern, N.C. decided to evacuate their home once they heard there may be contamination in the water.(Ashleigh Joplin,Zoeann Murphy/The Washington Post) Embed code: Video: Residents living in or traveling through New Bern, N.C. flocked to Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q on Saturday, one of few restaurants open in the area following Hurricane Florence.(Ashleigh Joplin,Zoeann Murphy/The Washington Post) Embed code: Video: Residents along Elm Street in Lumberton, N.C. cast a nervous glance outside as rain pounds and water pools. But they say Hurricane Matthew in 2016 prepared them for Florence.(Jorge Ribas,Lee Powell/The Washington Post) Embed code: Airbus has appointed Christian Scherer, 56, as chief commercial officer (CCO), replacing Eric Schulz, who has decided to leave the company for personal reasons. Scherer will start his new assignment with immediate effect. He will report to Airbus Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tom Enders. Tom Enders, Airbus CEO, said: With Christian Scherer we see one of our most customer-focused leaders at the commercial helm of Airbus. Over his various assignments I greatly valued his international mind-set, his strategic vision, and tremendous commercial expertise. We regret Eric Schulzs decision. We wish him all the best for his future. Christian Scherer, CEO of ATR since October 2016, held many senior management positions within the Group. At Airbus, where he started his career in 1984, Christian was head of Contracts, Leasing Markets and deputy head of Sales as well as Head of Strategy and Future Programmes. At Airbus Defence and Space, he headed Marketing & Sales. Born in Duisburg, Germany, and raised in Toulouse, France, Christian Scherer holds an MBA Degree from the University of Ottawa in international marketing and graduated from the Paris Business School (ESCP). TradeArabia News Service A man in a bandana was killed a late night shootout at a Whataburger in Southwest Houston after walking in to the fast food restaurant and starting shooting, witnesses said. The man, whose identity has not been released, walked into the restaurant at 7629 W Bellfort about 1:o0 a.m. Saturday, possibly to rob the store and started shooting. Juan A. Lozano, STF / Associated Press A man was fatally shot in a homeless encampment under the Southwest Freeway overpass in Midtown Saturday, the fourth homicide there since mid-2017. The shooting occurred at 4:07 p.m. near the intersection of Wheeler and San Jacinto streets. The Houston Police Department's homicide division responded to the scene. Amanda Idell says when she was 15 she was raped by a stranger. Then she went to her bishop at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My bishop asked me, Did you enjoy it? Did you orgasm? I considered this a man of God and that maybe I did something wrong to bring it upon myself, recalled Idell, 33, who then lived in Nevada and now lives in San Antonio, adding that she reported the allegation to Las Vegas police. The shame she felt led her to attempt suicide. Monday marks the 18th anniversary of that attempt. In memory, she recently tattooed two spears over the scar where she had slit her wrist, a darkened spear representing her past and a clear spear pointing out, toward her future. Idells Facebook profile features a photo of her smiling with the words I stand with Sam, referring to Sam Young of Sugar Land, a former bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the owner of Liberty Office Products. She stands with him because he has exposed stories such as her own. His website, Protect LDS Children, shares hundreds of stories of people like herself who are still struggling with the sexually explicit questions that can arise during private meetings between Mormon youth and their bishops. He has vocally called for an end of private meetings, asking for a second adult to be present. His activism led church leaders to take disciplinary action. On Sunday afternoon, Young stood in the heart of Salt Lake City, a letter from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in hand. Inside was his fate with the church. He opened the envelope and read the verdict aloud. He had been excommunicated. The decision of the council is that you be excommunicated for conduct contrary to the laws and order of the church, Young read to a crowd as the entire event was streamed online. This means that you are no longer a member of the church and do not enjoy any privileges of membership. When asked for the churchs reaction, spokesperson Eric Hawkins reissued the statement he released two weeks ago, when Young was headed to his excommunication hearing. Because of the personal nature of Church disciplinary matters and to respect the privacy of those involved, Hawkins wrote, the Church does not provide information about the proceedings. Youngs stake center in Sugar Land could not be reached for comment. Natasha Helfer Parker, a Mormon therapist who works with people struggling with their faith, said the churchs decision was a blow to the hundreds of survivors who had shared their stories. Ive had several survivors reach out to me very distressed, she said. Because in a sense, its a rejection of them as well. Mormon leadership in March released new rules intended to address sexual abuse after months of protests. The updated policies allowed, but did not require, another adult to be in the room for meetings between church youth and local lay leaders. Young said changes were not enough. Janelle Brinton agreed. A former Mormon living in Houston, Brinton is troubled by the churchs stance because she has a niece and two nephews still in the Mormon church. Making the presence of a second adult optional was inadequate, she said, because social pressures prevented a parent from asking to sit in. The only reason to be present while the bishop is interviewing is if you dont trust him, and that doesnt fly in the Mormon culture, she said. Thats seen as undermining or distrusting the authority of the divine mantle of the bishop. On Sunday, in front of a crowd gathered at Temple Square, Young read aloud the explanation that accompanied his excommunication. The issue is not that you have concerns or even that you disagree with the churchs guidelines, he read. Rather, it is your persistent, aggressive effort to persuade others of your point of view. Kent Belliston, who lived in Houston for several years and was present at Youngs Salt Lake City news conference, said afterward that he was not surprised by the churchs decision. Sam Young challenged the Mormon church to the point where they basically had two choices: change or excommunicate him, he said. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the past has chosen excommunicating high-profile activists rather than changing its policies. In 2014, Kate Kelly of Arizona was excommunicated for founding a Mormon womens group (all members of the Mormon priesthood and all of the bishops conducting worthiness interviews are men). Three years ago, John Dehlin of Utah was excommunicated for publicly supporting same-sex marriage and the ordination of women. After excommunication, former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have 30 days to appeal the decision. Young said he intended to do so. He also doubled down on his exhortations for reform, warning the church that teenagers were making audio recordings during one-on-one meetings with bishops. He predicted the practice will spread. Many people are fed up. Teenagers have cellphones, he said. Churches will not be able to prevent teenagers from recording. Bishops, be warned! he said. People are now watching! Children are now recording! Your livelihoods and reputations are at risk. My excommunication is a clear demonstration that the church is not serious about child safety. And they certainly dont give a damn about your safety, either, bishops. While Young was being excommunicated, his daughter, Amy Breeden, was at church. Its so raw, she said Sunday evening, after learning the news. Weve spent countless hours discussing his intentions, his goals, the costs hes paying emotionally, socially, financially, physically. His intentions about this are so pure. He wants to protect children and when children are safe and protected, the church is safe and protected. To see this misunderstanding, and the church doing something that is so hurtful, its devastating. She had yet to break the news to her own children, something also on Youngs mind. How do you explain to a child that the church is good, but they excommunicated your granddad? he asked. Meanwhile, Jacqueline Vance, a member of the Mormon church in Houston, said the decision had strengthened her resolve to help others who have been harmed by worthiness interviews. Since middle school, she said, interview questions about her chastity had caused extreme feelings of shame that she still struggles with at age 31. She believed that sexual urges were Satans influence; unable to repress them, she began thinking there was something seriously wrong with her. All the confusion and the shame drove me to self-harm, she said. I still have plenty of scars from that. When she first met Young, Vance said, she broke down in ugly tears and cried on his shoulder. He was trying to prevent what happened to me from happening to other people, she said. Hes a hero. Hes our hero. rebecca.schuetz@chron.com twitter.com/raschuetz RIO BRAVO - The wooden urn holding Melissa Ramirezs ashes waits in her mothers kitchen, part of a small altar that includes a photo of the smiling girl, another of a brother who died years earlier, and a Bible opened to Psalm 91. But despite the arrest early Saturday of a U.S. Border Patrol agent who law officers say confessed to killing Ramirez and three others, her mother, Maria Cristina Benavides lives in fear. I dont feel secure. Im afraid for my grandchildren. I dont really know who killed Melissa and I dont know if there was more than one, Benavides, 51, said Sunday afternoon. Teary-eyed and sunburned from collecting donations on a street corner Saturday to pay for her daughter's interment, Benavides spoke freely but declined to have her photo taken. RELATED: Laredo Border Patrol agent charged as 'serial killer,' accused of killing four I hurt a lot. All I want is justice. I want that guy to die in jail for taking the life of my daughter, she said, seated in the living room of an aging mobile home under a metal shade. I last saw her on Aug. 31. She was here with us. They came on Sept. 5th to tell me she was killed, she said. Outside, Melissas two children, a girl 7, and a boy 3, played in the yard which include a trampoline, a pink doll house, various mechanized vehicles and a yipping Chihuahua. Their mothers alleged killer, Juan David Ortiz, 35, a 10-year U.S. Border Patrol agent, is being held in the Webb County Jail, charged with four counts of first-degree murder and other offenses. In a bustling border city where U.S. Border Patrol agents are part of the fabric of daily life, the news that one had become a serial killer was especially jarring. According to authorities, Ortiz, after he was arrested early Saturday, confessed to killing four people over a two-week period and getting rid of the bodies in a rural area near U.S. 83 in the northwest part of the county. Two of the victims have not yet been officially identified. According to affidavits released Saturday, all four victims, and a fifth person, who escaped and alerted police, were picked up on San Bernardo Avenue in a downtown area known for prostitution. Erika Pena, who authorities say was picked up by Ortiz late Friday, told police she fled from his vehicle after he pulled a pistol on her. Earlier, she said, they had visited his house off Loop 20. RELATED: Woman found in rural Webb Co. with fatal wounds identified Ortiz was arrested hours later, but not before he picked up and killed two more people, according to the affidavits. In Rio Bravo, a low-income community south of Laredo where Benavides raised her family, the dramatic news of the serial killings was just filtering out Sunday morning. I knew Melissa. Everyone knew her, said R. B. Flores, 62, sitting in his wheelchair outside the Rio Bravo Meat Market, where part of the breakfast menu was posted on the bright yellow wall behind him. Tacos Mananeros. 99 Cents was the heading. Yesterday we were selling plates of food at the church for the muchacha, for her funeral. And afterward, someone said another girl was killed. We all were shocked, he added. Benavides said her daughter dropped out high school when she was a junior, never really worked and developed a drug problem. Her mother took custody of her two children. Ramirez would come and go from Rio Bravo, sometimes being away for days at a time, her mother said. She loved music and watching TV with the kids. They would watch cartoons, said Benavides. She would cook for them when she was here, sometimes all three meals. She didnt like me scolding them. Theyre little, she would tell me, she added. RELATED: U.S. Customs and Border Protection offers condolences to the family Ramirez never mentioned Ortiz to her mother. She always told me about her boyfriends, but she never said she knew a Border Patrol, she said. Claudine Anne Luera, 42, the other victim who has been identified, grew up in Laredo and was the third of four sisters, and mother of five children. Her younger sister Colette Mireles said that Luera had gone from being a stay-at-home single mom caring for her children to living on the streets. She chose the street life. Its just sad that her habits got the best of her, that life got the best of her, said Mireles. While the family had always feared that Luera might die of an overdose, the news that she was brutally murdered was shocking. According to police, she was killed by Ortiz on Sept. 13, after she accused him of being the last person seen with Melissa Ramirez. She was shot multiple times in the head and left to die. She didnt deserve that, said her sister. Staff Writer Diana R. Fuentes contributed to this report. The Sail Moyo Tambora 2018 sailing event and festival was officially launched on September 9 in Badas Harbour, Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara - a testament to the resilient spirit of Lombok and Sumbawa as the sailing event goes on just months after a series of earthquakes rocked the islands. This years festival highlights the recovery of health infrastructure, social and philanthropic efforts, as well as the local tourism industry, a lifeline for many islanders. Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, launched the Sail Moyo Tambora Festival serving as the official representative of the Republic of Indonesia's President, Joko Widodo. The opening ceremony was a colourful programme featuring mass dance performances from Sumbawa and Bima, a parade of 1,000 traditional boats, and a yacht rally comprised of international vessels and crews passing through Indonesian waters before heading to Thailand. Sail Moyo Tambora 2018, which runs till September 23, is part of Sail Indonesia, an annual sailing event in which participating yachts depart from Darwin, Australia, and stop at various destinations within Indonesia. The sailing event provides an opportunity for sailors to experience local cultures through festivals and activities at each destination. Highlights include a visit to Tambora active volcano, trips to art attractions, involvement in traditional ox racing and a weaving festival. A total of 140 yachts from 35 countries are expected to sail through Indonesia waters during the event. Located on the northern shore of Sumbawa, Moyo Island is filled with luxurious resorts in view of pristine beaches and clear water. Moyo has already garnered attention from International travellers and public figures who lauded their visit to the island. Notable visitors to Moyo include the late Princess Diana, Rolling Stones' frontman Mick Jagger, and former President of The United States, Bill Clinton. Tambora is one of the most famous volcanoes in the world. When Tambora erupted in 1815, the volcanic dust covered most regions in the world, even lengthening the duration of winter in several European countries. The West Nusa Tenggara Tourism Board forged ahead with the planned event, despite the recent earthquakes in Lombok. In fact, the event is regarded as an opportunity to help the province revitalise its tourism in the aftermath of the disaster, communicating to the world that the province is ready to host tourists again. Prior to the event, director general of Sea Transportation, Arif Toha Tjahjagama, stated: "The 2018 Sail Moyo Tambora will be held according to schedule. This marks a spirit to revive NTB's tourism sector after the earthquake. In addition to the typical festivities, special activities including service projects and fundraising endeavours are underway to help individuals and communities impacted by the earthquakes. - TradeArabia News Service In a recent commentary published on these pages, Gov. Greg Abbott addressed the need to improve public education in Texas and the need for the state to increase its responsibility for education funding. We could not agree more. Its more than two years since the Texas Supreme Court criticized the current public school finance system. It meets the requirement set out in the state constitution, but remains woefully lacking. The more than 5 million students and 1,000 school districts in the state deserve better. During the last legislative session, state lawmakers had the opportunity to do right by Texas public schoolchildren but instead opted to use the occasion to further a controversial political agenda involving voucher funding. That move resulted in the swift demise of legislation that would have added up to $1.9 billion. Texas schoolchildren are still waiting for lawmakers to act. At Abbotts urging, the state Legislature established the Texas Commission on Public School Finance in 2017 to develop and make recommendations for improvements to the current public school finance system and to look at methods of financing public schools. Democratic state Rep. Diego Bernal of San Antonio sits on that 13-member committee, which is expected to make its report to the governor and Legislature by the end of the year. If they address inadequate funding, the findings of that commission need to become top priority in the next session. We cannot afford a replay of the last session in which precious time and energy were wasted while furthering political agendas. Among those distracting issues was the controversial bathroom bill to regulate bathroom use aimed at keeping transgender Texans from using bathrooms that align with their gender identity. Instead of addressing school finance the issue hundreds of schools districts had sued the state about lawmakers chose to debate at length about something most educators agreed was not a problem on their campuses. And already there are indications the issue will come up again in 2019. It shouldnt. And, perhaps, the governor can make that clear. He is right about this, however. The future of Texas is in our classrooms today. We support his call for paying teachers more, rewarding districts for student achievement and growth, prioritizing spending in the classroom and reducing the tax burdens of property owners (first step: increase state school funding). We just hope that like a good teacher, he can keep his colleagues in Austin on topic. Its important to act now if youre not registered and want to vote in the big Nov. 6 election, when all 235 House representatives, one-third of all senators, including one of two from Texas, our governor and other candidates will be elected. Registering to vote in Texas is complicated, but if you know how to navigate and start soon, its not a big deal. Why would you want to vote? You know the arguments: Set an example for your kids, fulfill a civic duty, work toward getting a stronger Congress. Or perhaps you feel your country, state or town should be run by leaders more interested in constituents welfare than their own. Second, decide where your residence is because thats where you need to register. If youve moved here from another county and want to vote in Bexar, you must re-register here. For example, students at college in San Antonio who are registered where their parents live will have to travel to their parents home to vote, apply for an absentee ballot to be mailed from there to here, or re-register in Bexar County. Bottom line: You can only vote in the county where you are registered. Third, to register in Texas you must start with an application. There are several ways to get one, but your best bet is to come across deputized volunteers who provide the forms, help you fill them out and get them in. The volunteers have been trained to do this and are legally bound to help in a nonpartisan way. For example, the League of Women Voters has organized registration assistance most weekends at San Antonios Drafthouse Theaters. And on National Voter Registration Day, Sept. 25, the League, MOVE TEXAS, San Antonio Independent School District librarians and others have agreed to help register voters in many San Antonio locations. Look for them. However, you have other choices to register. You can pick up a postage-paid mail-in application from any public library or post office. Or you can call the Bexar County Elections office at 210-335-VOTE (8683) and request an application be mailed to you. Or you can print an application from the web by going to bit.ly/votereg123. There you can check if and where you are registered if you arent sure. Then click Get Your Application Here near the top of the page, answer the questions, click submit, print and sign. College students may prefer this method. Be aware its a crime to intentionally misrepresent yourself when applying. No matter how you get it, the completed application must be mailed by post to the county where you will vote. For Bexar, this is Voter Registration Office, 1103 S. Frio, Suite 100, San Antonio, TX 78207. Mail ASAP because Texas requires that applications, no matter their source, be at the registration office no later than Oct. 9 to vote in the Nov. 6 election. Bottom line: You cant submit an application electronically in Texas. Fortunately, once registered, its relatively easy to vote here. Thats because early voting will be widely available throughout Bexar County from Oct. 22 to Nov. 2. Add the convenience of early voting as a reason to start now! And be sure to bring your ID when you go to vote. There are several acceptable forms. If you dont possess one, you can sign an affidavit and show a supporting form of identification. A list of approved forms is at votetexas.gov/register-to-vote/need-id.html. Remember, if you dont register, you dont vote. If you dont vote, you dont matter. Bill Altemeier is a San Antonio resident. A Houston homeowner who caught people stealing "Beto for Senate" signs from his front yard woke up Friday morning to what he calls, "a pleasant surprise." His two adjoining properties were covered in black-and-white signage supporting U.S. Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke, who's running against incumbent Ted Cruz. The local man, who prefers to remain anonymous, Thursday told local stations he'd caught two sign thieves yanking the Beto posters from the front of his corner lot house in Glendower Court, a neighborhood between River Oaks and Montrose. "A local artist saw the newscast that (aired) and he was pretty angry," he explained. "He said, 'I want to demonstrate,' and I said sure." ON STAGE: Beto O'Rourke meets with local bands to jam out in Houston So the resident, who also owns the house next door, allowed the Beto supporter to plaster the black-and-white signs all over the front gates of his homes Thursday night. While he knew about the plan in advance, he said he was shocked at how many signs they were able to install. "It took me two weeks to even get my first sign," he laughed. The issue is more than a political one for him, the local resident said, it also comes down to a matter of respect: "I don't care who you vote for, that's not cool. I don't care whether its a Cruz sign or a Beto sign. It's my property." VIDEO: Beto O'Rourke talks border security on Stephen Colbert show The first sign was stolen by a man walking his dog, a Ring surveillance video showed. Since it happened on his property, he said, he reported it to the Harris County Precinct One Constable's Office. The resident adds that he doesn't want to press charges, but that he does want that man to "have a serious talking to." In another recording, a blonde woman in a pink cardigan stops in front the property and yanks another sign off the lot, tosses it into her white Audi and drives away. The homeowner said he was surprised that a "middle-aged woman" would behave that way and wondered how her children might react. "I want to give that pink lady in the white SUV a message: Realistically, do you want your kids to see you taking home a political sign? I hope her kids or grandkids ask her, 'Hey mom, where'd you get this sign?'" With less than two months before the race, tensions between both camps' supporters are running high. The possibility of a pre Christmas general election is refusing to go away as Fine Gael and Fianna Fail continue their political jousting over whether or not to extend the two parties confidence and supply agreement. Both party leaders have been embroiled in a very public tit-for-tat which has dominated the front pages of national newspapers in the lead up to next Tuesdays Dail resumption after its summer recess. In a lengthy and at times robust defence of the Governments performance to date, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar wrote to Fianna Fail party leader Micheal Martin warning him that the present administration would be unable to act in the best interests of the public if it is living on borrowed time. Mr Martin replied with his own letter soon after, claiming the stance taken by Fine Gael painted an incomplete picture adding the current agreement was one he was unwilling to discuss further pre-Budget. Much of the same chiding, albeit in a slightly milder form, has likewise been evident between the constituencys two sitting TDs Robert Troy (Fianna Fail) and Peter Burke (Fine Gael). The former was quick to scoff at pleas made by Mr Varadkar seeking assurances that there will be no general election until the summer of 2020. He (Leo) wants an election alright, snapped an indignant Mr Troy. Sure, he has a fundraiser in Castleknock next week at 200 a plate. That's well within the reach of the working man isn't it? Here is the man who, when contesting the Fine Gael leadership, went around looking to set up fictitious accounts just to put positive comments up online, remarked Mr Troy. In response, Mr Burke offered up a differing take as he reiterated his previously expressed desire to renew the accord between both parties sooner rather than later. The Mullingar based chartered accountant insisted it would be reckless and brinkmanship in the extreme to postpone renegotiating the terms of the deal at a time when the country was facing into pressures brought about by Brexit and threats to its corporate tax regime. I would be concerned, he said. If someone has a job, a family to look after, a mortgage and their contract is up for renewal on December 31, would that person wait until December 31 to open up the channels of communication with their employer? Mr Burke said, stating the present arrangement between both parties took 70 days alone to shake hands on. The same applies here (with the confidence and supply deal). The Taoiseach has been very clear when he says he cannot run a government not knowing whether it will be in existence on a month by month basis. Granard poet Noel Monahan will be reading some of his works at a very special evening in St Mel's Cathedral this coming Sunday, September 16. The event, entitled 'A Time For Everything', will be a celebration of all things Longford, with very special performances by Lassus, Ireland's newest fully-professional chamber choir. The choir will be directed by Dr Ite O'Donovan and will feature beautiful music from way back in the Renaissance period, as well as some spectacular modern numbers. What will really strike a chord with the locals, though, is the poetry that will be featured at this unique event. Its a privilege for me to be working with Dr Ite ODonovan and working with the Lassus choir because the polyphonic sound of the choir is really something phenomenal, Noel told the Longford Leader last week. The title of the event is A Time for Everything and it is a wonderful title from the book of Ecclesiastes. Between performances by the choir, Noel will be reading some of his local poetry, which will include works about St Mel's Cathedral itself, and several poems about the Lough Ree Islands. Where the Wind Sleeps is a collection that I published in 2014, said Noel. Fergus Kennedy, the Longford County Arts Officer drew my attention to the Lough Ree islands and had been interested in my giving a workshop there. So I travelled out there on my own and I was fascinated by the ruins and the monasteries and I wrote a series of sonnets on the silence and the energy that was there in those sacred spaces and how removed we are from that monastic past. Where the Wind Sleeps is based on one of those sonnets - the title sonnet in fact. That poem got a lot of attention. It was translated into French and Italian and I read it in Rome, he said, before turning his attention to the other main subject of Sunday night's poetry readings. And then, of course, theres the newly restored Cathedral. I parked my car up one day and walked in there and I was really taken over by the beauty of the place and the colours and the pillars. And I wrote a poem entitled Cathedral, which I will be reading on the night. The concert will bring the audience on a moving, enthralling journey, celebrating historic Longford, with music chosen specifically to coincide with the beautiful poetry of Noel Monahan. The event is being organised by the Lassus Chamber Choir in conjunction with the Longford County Arts Office. Arts Officer Fergus Kennedy said that this will be a wonderful evening of music and poetry that will really celebrate the history of Co Longford from the ancient history of Saints Island to the recent restoration of St Mel's Cathedral. The beautiful acousitcs of the Cathedral will greatly enhance the music of Bruckner, Lassis, Palestrina and Byrd, among other choral composers both old and new. Its a really exciting event for people who love poetry and love music, said Noel. I just love the spirituality of the event and its a privilege to be reading my poetry at this event. This promises to be an enriching experience, integrating all aspects of St Mel's Cathedral, while celebrating the beauty of Longford and its historical locations. Tickets will be available on the night for 15 or 10 concession. Read more: Celebrating Longford through choral music Interview with Mark DeWeaver, Principal at Quantrarian Capital Management Why you are interested in the Iraq story and how you feel about the future of Iraq? As a stock market investor, I think the Iraq story is really a no-brainer because it combines a number of features that have been present in many of the top performing emerging markets since the 1970's. First of all, Iraq has enormous reserves of low-cost, untapped oil as well as natural gas, which makes it quite a lot like Russia in the early 90's. Then there is recovery from civil war which makes it much like Sri Lanka. That market had just incredible performance from 2000 to about 2008. There is also the story of the transition from a state-owned to a market economy, which of course anybody would immediately recognize as the story of the Chinese economy. I think it's inconceivable that a country that has enormous untapped, low-cost oil reserves, is recovering from a civil war, is in the midst of a transition from a state-controlled economy to a market economy, and where there is excess demand for just about everything, would not experience rapid economic growth. Of course, no one really thinks Iraq's oil production is going to go up to the ten million barrel a day level that the government initially claimed. People think maybe they'll be lucky to get to six million but even if they get to four or five, that's a doubling from what it was before. There is also a tremendous investment boom going on as Iraq's infrastructure is rebuilt. In addition to that, there is bound to be a dramatic expansion in the banking sector. I believe only about 20% of Iraqis have a bank account. In the telecom sector, I heard from Asiacell today that the penetration rates are still very low compared to the region and there is still all sorts of broadband coverage that isn't available at all. You've got this combination of extreme shortages with this amazing ability to purchase things due to the oil wealth. I don't see how even the most inept politicians could screw that one up. So that's why I think that the Iraq story is uniquely compelling among all of the economies of the world today. I suppose that there may be equivalent stories in parts of sub-Saharan Africa but I can't really imagine anything quite as good as this, anything that combines all of these things in one place at one time, or any place that has such an enormous amount of untapped oil wealth and such a low starting point. It seems to me the potential for growth in Iraq should be obvious to anyone. I think the Kurdistan region has an attraction in addition to all of this because it's safe. That makes it a natural gateway. Foreigners doing business in Iraq will try to do it in Kurdistan if they possibly can. Of course, not everyone can but anyone that could, me for example, would do so. I'm not elsewhere in Iraq because it's so much cheaper and easier for me to come here. That means that Rabee Securities, my broker, has to hold the conference here so I can come to it. That means that this hotel gets to host the conference. That means that they're going to build hotels here and there will be all manner of service providers from the rest of Iraq setting up offices here so that they can service their foreign clients or customers more easily. It also means that foreign investors that want to set up offices in Iraq will probably put them here unless there's some reason why they must be in Baghdad. So in addition to the rest of the Iraq story, the Kurdistan region also has this "gateway to Iraq" feature that gives it tremendous potential to develop as a service sector hub. Foreigners doing business in Iraq will try to do it in Kurdistan if they possibly can. I'm not elsewhere in Iraq because it's so much cheaper and easier for me to come here. You mentioned all these advantages but investments are lagging behind in Iraq. There are political reasons of course. Anything can happen in the Middle East. For example, the KRG might have a disagreement with the Federal government of Iraq and there could be a war. There are questions about Syria, Iran, Turkey and the PKK. We are in the midst of one of the most unstable environments in this world with the likely exception of West Africa. This is true of course and I think if it weren't for the oil wealth, those would be pretty serious problems. However, I think that the potential for the oil sector here is so enormous that somehow people will figure out how to solve these problems. Iran has enormous oil wealth though. I think production is peaking in Iran. I suppose it's true that there would be potential to increase production if Iran's oil industry were modernized. But as for the story that there's a risk of war between the Kurdistan region and the rest of Iraq, I believe that is very much less likely than you might gather from what is often reported in the papers simply because it's not in anyone's interests. The Kurdish region is going to prosper as part of Iraq; it stands to lose more than it would gain by separating from the rest of the country. I can't recall the details, but if you look at the Kurdish region's share of the Iraqi budget, it is a very big number and it's much larger than what the Kurdish region could earn by selling its own oil as an independent country. The share stated in the Constitution is 17%. I think 17% is right, yes, and that it is in the Constitution. But the Kurdish region really has nothing to gain by separating from the rest of Iraq. The only scenario in which Kurdistan could separate from the rest of the country would be one in which Kirkuk was incorporated into the area controlled by the KRG. If the KRG were to get its hands on Kirkuk's oil it would be an entirely different story. Then, as I understand it, they would have enough oil to generate a larger amount of oil revenues than their share of the Iraqi budget. But I don't think there's any realistic prospect of this happening. They haven't held the referendum for the Constitution. To me that seems far-fetched. I don't think that's something that is going to happen. But they have the right according to the Constitution to have a referendum in Kirkuk and this could happen. Yes, but Iraqi laws and regulations say all kind of things and they never seem to happen. It seems to me that the status quo works very well for the Kurds at the moment. Also consider the Kurdish role as king-maker in the Iraqi central government. They're in a very strong position when it comes to, for example, deciding who's going to be the Prime Minister. They have a very strong block in Parliament. They have a lot of advantages from the present arrangement and it's very hard to see what the advantages would be of the Kurdish region fighting a civil war with the rest of Iraq or declaring independence. What advantages would outweigh the extraordinary advantages that they enjoy under the present arrangement? However, I think that you are correct in saying that this kind of risk makes investors hesitant. When you read the 100 year history of the Kurdistan region, every ten years there is a rebellion, a civil war, or a foreign occupation. It's never been stable so why should it be stable now? It's more stable now I think than it ever could have been in the past. I guess I have the naive business person's idea that wars become less likely the more money there is at stake. But that logic might really apply to this particular case. I doubt there's ever been a time in the history of Kurdistan when there was so much to be gained by keeping the peace. Of course, these are all risks but they are worth taking simply because the potential is so vast. There is the potential growth of the rest of Iraq, and Kurdistan is kind of a leveraged play on that growth. Another factor is that there are enormous amounts of money in the region, in the Gulf states for example, that naturally could be expected to flow to Iraq even if Americans and Europeans never quite manage to feel that the country is secure enough. In the long run, investors within the region are unlikely to have such extreme qualms because they are just naturally going to know more about the reality of the situation. So this is a story that doesn't even need to convince everyone. Unlike many other emerging markets Iraq is surrounded by fantastically wealthy neighbors and it's only necessary for those guys to be convinced. In fact, there is already a lot of investment coming in from Turkey and the Gulf. Let's talk about the banking sector. Of course, the majority of the listed companies are banks. This is a traditional emerging or frontier market situation. You said the market covers around US $4 billion, right? I believe that's what I saw in the stock exchange presentation yesterday. Of course it's going to depend on the index but it's certainly not more than that and I think a lot of the time it's less than US $4 billion. A typical day is only going to have trading of about US $1 million so this is really miniscule. How are the banks in Iraq regulated? What sort of accounting systems do they use? Are you confident there is no risk to investors when it comes to internal banking risks? They are not using the international reporting standards and they do not comply with the Basel II standards. No, I'm certainly not confident that there's no risk in these banks. I think that they are very risky. They are certainly not compliant with Basel II and are also not reporting according to international financial standards. However, these are not really the main issues with the banks. With regards to the Iraqi accounting system, I believe that although the manner of presentation of the accounts differs somewhat from international reporting, the bottom line is essentially the same. The presentation format is different but as for the accounting standards that they are applyingin other words what counts as revenue or how assets are depreciatedthese are generally compliant with international financial standards. There are exceptions; for example, I understand that Iraqi companies are supposed to be consolidating subsidiaries but that they routinely fail to do so. You've got this combination of extreme shortages with this amazing ability to purchase things due to the oil wealth. I don't see how even the most inept politicians could screw that one up. So exceptions do exist but I don't believe these are the real problem. The real issue with the banks is not how they're reporting but what they're really doing. And a lot of what they're really doing involves related party transactions, in which the majority shareholder family is using bank funds for projects of its own. An interesting example of this is that majority shareholders apparently sometimes will get a line of credit from their own bank to subscribe to the bank's rights issues. In other words, when their bank has a rights issue, they'll take up the rights on the shares that they're holding by borrowing money from their own bank to pay for them. That means that the capital base of the banks is not quite what it seems. If those majority shareholders don't pay back these loans the new capital disappears. As long as everything's going fine for the majority shareholder family, such capital is real capital I suppose but it is very contingent on the majority shareholder's ability to repay the bank. It's a bit like the situation with the Japanese banks and it's certainly a phenomenon that we find all over the world. Somehow we often find that bank loans are being turned into bank capital. This problem is by no means unique to Iraq. You could also argue that related party transactions sometimes make sense because at least the bank knows what the related parties are doing with the money. If the bankers lend to someone they don't know, they have less control and may have little in the way of legal remedies if the loan isn't repaid. But I think that really it would be fanciful to say this was not a risk. In fact, I think that is the number one risk that I'm aware of. There are a lot of banks listed on the stock exchange. Which ones do you think have the most potential and have the most favorable risk-reward ratio for investments? I really don't feel that comfortable with any of them. The only thing that I'm comfortable doing is spreading out investment over all the listed banks. But if I'm going to overweight any banks, I'm going to overweight the ones that have a large foreign bank as a controlling shareholder. Even that is no guarantee because those foreign banks may pull out. There's really no way to pick stocks in the Iraqi market because no matter how much you like the story, there's always going to be idiosyncratic company risk. This has nothing to do with the growth potential. It has to do with some funny thing the chairman is doing that you never find out about until it's too late. What will happen is that one day, the Securities Commission will announce that trading in one of your companies is suspended and then you won't even really know why. Months later, you'll find out that the company in question is bankrupt. Finally, the stock will get delisted and you'll be stuck with a bunch of worthless shares. What is the stock market potential? What kind of growth do you predict? I think the potential for anyone buying in the Iraq stock market today, with a horizon of maybe three to five years, to make several times the initial investment is very clearly there. In analogous cases like Russia, Sri Lanka or China, the market went up by anywhere from five to ten times. That doesn't mean that any particular person is going to make five to ten times their money because people are going to sell at all different points. Not everybody is going to make that increase. The early investors may chicken out way before the top. Reckless people will hold beyond the top and maybe sell here. Some people may ride it all the way back down again and then all the way back up again. Maybe nobody's actually going to make ten times their money but there's no reason not to expect that you might triple or quadruple your money simply because in the process of the index going up ten times, you're going to have lots of chances to sell at many times what you paid for the stock. I think the potential for anyone buying in the Iraq stock market today, with a horizon of maybe three to five years, to make several times the initial investment is very clearly there. This is a case in which the potential reward far exceeds the risks. Actually, he had been chief cadet captain at the Dartmouth naval college, and before he turned eighteen had had a worms eye view both of the crucial Operation Pedestal convoy, which relieved Malta in August 1942, and of the North African landings the following November. As MccGwire said, when asked to describe himself, I went to sea when I was seventeen, Im basically an ex-naval officer. So, C-SPAN have posted an interview and Q & A session given by Michael MccGwire, credited as Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution, on 3 February 1989. The description of the origins of the Gorbachev new thinking, and the revolutionary changes it implied, was that he gave to myself and a BBC Radio colleague when we interviewed him, it would have been a few days later. That said, what Helmer writes comes together with recent reminders of my own experience of the closing years of the Soviet Union. The notion that war between the capitalist and communist worlds was in some way fatalistically inevitable, which had been central to Soviet pronouncements through until Stalins death, and was a significant cause of the Cold War, was actually abandoned thereafter, although the jettisoning of the whole structure of ludicrous dogma had to wait for four further decades. As it happens, while I almost always find what Helmer has to say interesting, I also often think one needs to take what he writes with, say, a certain amount of salt. What a rich irony Yeltsin leaves us in this record of his dealings with Clinton, observes a senior Soviet officer now retired in Moscow. Yeltsin proves that because negotiations with the Americans are impossible, and because Russians will not capitulate, war is inevitable. And this from the Communist Party veteran, the Politburo member, who was brought up to believe war was inevitable between communism and capitalism. And he, self-appointed liberator of Russia from communism, ends up proving he didnt free us from war with the Americans at all. Ha! They were indeed fascinating times, and the conversations cast a very valuable light on them. After the war, he opted for Russian language training, and became the Royal Navys pre-eminent expert on its Soviet counterpart. Another fascinating document which I came across recently was a piece published in March 1992 by Lieutenant Colonel Timothy L .Thomas of the Foreign Military Studies Office, entitled Soviet Military Theoretician A.A. Kokoshin. (See http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr... ) This gives a good summary of the intellectual innovations introduced by Kokoshin and his collaborator General-Mayor Valentin Larionov. The pair had outlined them to us in interviews in Moscow immediately before we flew to Washington to interview MccGwire and others. The piece also touched on the bitter public row, sometime after we did the interviews, between Georgy Arbatov, then Kokoshins superior at the Institute of the USA and Canada, and Marshal Sergei Akhromeyev. I received one of the greatest compliments of my journalistic career when Larionov asked us who else we were interviewing, and when we told him, said, I see youve got everybody. Unfortunately, at that time I had not come across the Soviet Army Studies Office, as what is now the FMSO then was. Had I done so, and in particular talked to one of its key analysts, Jacob W. Kipp (who incidentally had started his academic career writing on Russian naval history, and was a friend of MccGwire), I would have had a better grasp of what Larionov was trying to say, when he talked about a Soviet theorist of the Twenties, Aleksandr Svechin, who he said had been repressed under Stalin. Like Arbatov, Larionov was a near contemporary of MccGwire. The former had been one of the young men who heard Stalins speech of 7 November 1941 in Red Square, before marching out to defend the city. The latter had gone into the army the following year, and seen action at the battles of Kursk, Warsaw, Prague and Berlin also, incidentally, been at one of the meetings with U.S. Army people in the heart of Germany. (I now think the experience may have contributed to a certain sentimental streak, absent in someone I wanted to interview, but could not, because I got my application in too late that old Tatar calvaryman from Chelyabinsk, another old Mohican, the then Colonel-General Makhmut Akhmetovich Gareev.) It had taken me some months of patient and unremunerated effort I had left the securities, and tedium, of a big television company for the fledgling independent sector some time earlier to find anyone in British broadcasting willing to take up the idea of going to Moscow and interviewing the new thinkers. By that time, ex-colleagues of mine, most of them sometime Sixties and Seventies lefties, were in key positions in British broadcasting. But the process by which many such people turned into neoconservatives and neoliberals was well under way. I have been thinking that I should perhaps write a memoir of my encounters with such people. An initial thought for a title was From CND to CIA but that seemed to me overgeneral about the latter organisation. So it seemed From Joni Mitchell to Joe McCarthy might be better. Reading the drunken Yeltsins pathetic implorings to Clinton, what I hear is his desperate attempt to avoid the conclusion that the advice that people like Kokoshin and Larionov and also, let us not forget, Primakov, whom the Americans appear to have regarded as anathema, but who played a very important role in the new thinking was hopelessly naive. As became clear, Makhmut Gareev, who became the first President of the new Academy of Military Sciences after the Soviet collapse, was far closer to reality. And the notion, underlying the piece by Lt.-Col Thomas, that Arbatov was simply right, and Akhromeyev simply wrong, in their bitter argument, was effectively refuted by Clinton. I have followed the careers of some of those we interviewed back in 1989, and their colleagues, over the years. At the Institute of the USA and Canada, it had seemed sensible not to interview Georgy Arbatov, the director, but his deputy, Kokoshin, who together with Larionov, had together been doing the detailed technical work. At the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, we did not ask for Primakov, who headed it, but for Arbatovs son Alexei, who was again doing detailed technical work on the interrelations between military and political strategy. At the then newly-founded Institute of Europe, we interviewed the director, Vitaly Zhurkin, rather than his deputy, Sergei Karaganov also, I have seen it reported, a close associate of Primakov. Among the most interesting evolutions has been that of Karaganov. A few days ago, on the site of the Valdai Club, there appeared a post by him, reflecting the work of a study group, which was entitled Why Russias Pivot to Asia is About Coming Back Home. (See http://valdaiclub.com/a/hig... .) It opens: In a few years we will understand that we are no longer the eastern periphery slowly disappearing into the past, although close to most of Europe. Moving to Asia, to new wealth, strength and progress, we return home. Ironically, that power would naturally shift towards new centres was a part of Michael MccGwires critiques of Western responses to the new thinking. But then, he was not a stinking little gutter rat like Christopher Steele, who of course, was recruited into MI6 in 1986, and sent to Moscow in 1990. How people in the United States go on taking such a figure seriously defeats me. For Gods sake, why did you bother having a revolution? In between, Steele was working at the Foreign Office in London. At that time, that organisation was completely and utterly clueless about what was happening in the Soviet Union. I know, I went there for a briefing. But frankly, what all their quite well paid and connected people could produce was vastly inferior to what I could manage, on my own, unpaid by anybody, with the resources of Chatham House and the London Library. When we finally made it back from Moscow and Washington to London, we interviewed the Foreign Office Minister, William Waldegrave. He was is a nice man, but, frankly, did not have a clue. So likewise, Tom Simons of the State Department, whose total ignorance of how empires actually work I found remarkable. Many foreign investors have a very strong perception of Iraq nowadays; they perceive it as a frontier market; a risky destination with a combination of political and internal risks. When you meet these foreign investors, what is their main concern or worry regarding investing in Iraq? Investors who invest in emerging markets, frontier markets or beyond understand these risks and it is actually what attracts them to Iraq. There is a risk perception, and the risk usually in these markets is mis-priced. So in a country like Iraq, where the mainstream news media is always negative, they are attracted because they want to see what the world might be missing. They are by nature contrarians. You can say that there are all types of investments and all types of theories, but most people who come to Iraq are contrarians and optimists; they are looking for niche markets, for higher yields and they are looking at the positive side of Iraq. Iraq is a country with practically very little debt, with 30+ million people, with 60% of the population below the age of 20 and we might be the second or third country in hydrocarbon reserves in the world. Plus we have other strengths, as you may know Mesopotamia used to feed the region; we have good agriculture that could be developed and we have had now almost 30 or 35 years of zero development. Thus, we are starting from a low base. Many investors who come to Iraq and look at Iraq, ask me "What shall we invest in, in Iraq?" and I say "There's a long answer to that question because you can invest in everything, the better question would be: what should I not invest in?" because everything else is a fair game. Today, there are very few countries positioned like Iraq where the growth over the next 5, 10 or 20 years is quite substantial, we have a good expansion potential. Thus, ones who are coming to invest here are trying to get in on the bottom floor of investment and they want to ride the wave. You mentioned the better question is the contrary one: "What should I not invest in?" However, the reality on the ground is that 73% of what is traded on Iraqi stock exchange is banking, there are no industries. It is very difficult because of the bureaucracy. No, I deal with a different type of investor; our main clientele are hedge funds and frontier market funds. These investors primarily invest in the stock market; so if you have a company in the stock market, they come, open an account with us and they buy your stock. Today that is the easiest way to invest in Iraq as a foreigner; it's straight forward, there are no complications. We also do investment banking; we have clients who are looking for private capital. That's a lot more tricky, because that's when as you said the bureaucracy, lawyers, corruption come into question very quickly. While on the other hand the stock market is quick, easy and painless for them to invest in. You mention 73%; actually the last count is that 80+% of the market cap of the stock market is in banks. That's not too abnormal for emerging markets. What happens is you start having single events, where the market is transformed. For instance we are working on the listing of Asiacell, when that happens, then we will practically double the size exchange. Many investors who come to Iraq and look at Iraq, ask me "what shall we invest in, in Iraq?" and I say "there's a long answer to that question because you can invest in everything, the better question would be: what should I not invest in?" For a stock market the important thing is that the entrepreneur starts to understand that it's a good way to get capital. Today, a businessman knocks on the bank's door and says "give me money" and they ask "Ok, how much assets/land do you have?", "It's valued at 10, we'll give you 3". That is not real banking, so we haven't moved from that to "Ok, let me see your cash flow" and on the other hand the businessman doesn't think "I can sell some equity much cheaper than the debt I get". He always thinks "If I sell equity now I will be giving away a portion of the profit later", but when you explain in mathematical terms that actually this equity is much cheaper than borrowing at 12 or 13% he starts thinking about it. Young stock markets need events; these events could be massive privatizations like what happened in England or Turkey: large companies that all of a sudden get the market and attract attention, like maybe in Iraq or Egypt. So yes, it is difficult to invest in Iraq, if it wasn't difficult you wouldn't be talking to Rabee Securities, an Iraqi firm; you'd be talking to the Morgan Stanley or the Goldman Sachs. Iraq is a very difficult country to operate in, its still a war torn country, the financial knowledge in Iraq is zero; no one paid attention to finance. This is a difficult environment to work in and many days my colleagues and I wake up and we wonder if we've done the right thing, but then we get confirmation; we see that an investor or a businessman is satisfied, then we get a message from the stock exchange "thank you very much, you've done good" it keeps us going. There are initiatives by the Kurdistan Regional Government to create their own stock exchange and they have contacted Dubai to help them. For us any effort to encourage more investment is welcomed. Let's talk about Kurdistan. After many models Iraq has today a federal model, which I believe many countries reach in the end. You have people who are different but living in the same geography that was carved out for them, so they have to live together. I am a Kurd and I'm Iraqi, I was born and raised in Baghdad. We are lucky today in Kurdistan because we have had a longer period of peace, which has actually allowed us to develop the area. This square mile we are sitting in, is probably one of the most developed in Iraq today. Also, we had a wise regional government that actually believed in the private sector much more than the central government. The central government had a long legacy of believing that everything should be controlled, that businesses should not all go to the private sector, that electricity should be produced by the government, that telecommunications should be provided by the government etc. The world has moved very, very far away from that government-control model and an entrepreneur or a businessman is probably much more likely - if he is given the opportunity - to produce better results than the government. So Kurdistan realized that very quickly, that's why you see we have electricity, in Erbil almost 24 hours a day. Actually, if the plans go ahead as they are today, the region will start exporting electricity to the rest of Iraq. We have cement factories here that are producing the majority of the cement in Iraq and they aren't owned by the government. The government has nothing to do with them; they are owned by Lafarge and a private group here. Two of the mobile operators in Iraq have their headquarters in Kurdistan - one is in Erbil (Korek Telecom) and the other in Sulaymaniyah (Asiacell). The region has done tremendously well in capitalizing on the upswing in the oil sector. Today almost all major oil companies are here. These are all very positive events in this region. I think that foreigners today realize that they can actually do business in Kurdistan. They also can do business in Kurdistan for the rest of Iraq. The Kurdistan region in Iraq is actually very small in population, so today if you wanted to open a factory here; for example a cement plant and you thought that it was just for this region, I don't actually think you would do it because it's so small, but if you think of a population of 30 million then you get encouraged to open your business. Many foreigners I talk to who want to come here aren't thinking about opening a factory in Erbil just for the population of Erbil - no one thinks like that - it's about the whole population of Iraq. The region is becoming a trampoline or bouncing ball - you can reach the rest of the country from Kurdistan - and that is important for Kurdistan and Iraq. Of course the picture is not always positive when you have a very rapid massive growth. When you have a large injection of capital, you start seeing negative signs especially in resource-rich countries. It is very difficult for a government to not start touching resources. We sometimes do in-house research just to see how things work. We took two snapshots in the world where oil prices were very high: 1980 and today. The resource-rich countries with sizeable populations - I'm not talking about Qatar or UAE but countries like Saudi Arabia or Venezuela - had a higher percentage of the world GDP in 1980 than they do today and with much smaller populations. We can't talk about Iraq because Iraq went through so many wars. Our GDP as a percentage of the world GDP has been devastated. Had we kept just the percentage we had in 1980, Iraq would be 3 times larger economically than it is today. What was surprising was that in MENA our combined share is lower. The only two countries we could find that managed to break that commodity curse were Norway and Chile. When I tell my friends here that gasoline prices in an oil producing country like Norway are amongst the highest in the world, they think that something is wrong. How can they produce so much oil and yet have higher prices? From the beginning of the 70s, when oil was discovered in Norway, until today, they have accumulated US $680 billion, which for the population of Norway is probably enough to live on by investing it for the rest of humanity! None of our countries were able to achieve that. Chile started a pension system that should be a model for Iraq. This also shows you that you should not spend your money today, which is very difficult for a country coming out of 30 years of war. Everybody today asks "what does Iraq need?" and I think the last thing we need is money, per se. What we need is intelligent money, and so you have to create the environment to attract that intelligent money. By some accounts, we are going to need $600 billion of investment in the country in this decade alone. You can make any calculations you need, we are not going to produce $600 billion, so that means we have to bring in more investment, we have to save more and we have make cuts. These are very dangerous political decisions which people are not thinking about. Let's finish by talking about Rabee Securities itself, your base is in Baghdad and you have other branches... Yes, we opened 2 branches, firstly in Erbil and then in Sulaymaniyah. We opened them for two reasons; firstly we need a presence here for the population of the region. Secondly, we found it very difficult to take foreign investors to Baghdad but we found it much easier to bring them to Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, even the companies in Baghdad understand that, so we needed a base here. Finally, most of our investment banking activities today are in Kurdistan, they aren't in the rest of Iraq yet, so it is crucial for us to be here, close to the customer. You are a kind of pioneer in Iraq in terms of the structured financial product. Pioneer is a nice word. We are mavericks! We can't be termed anything but mavericks, we all think alike in this firm. We are 25 employees. We have only 3 foreign employees, all Turkish, because we have a representative office in Turkey. The rest are all Iraqis born and raised here, some got their education abroad and came back. We are trying to create an Iraqi financial institution. How successful will we be? Only time will tell. While the National Transportation Safety Board will be on the ground in the Merrimack Valley for the next seven to 10 days to begin investigating the explosions that appear to have come from a pressure issue with a Columbia Gas company line, it could take up to two years to determine the exact cause of the disaster. NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt said during a press conference Saturday afternoon that these investigations are extremely thorough and typically take 12 to 24 months, but that a preliminary cause of the incident will come sooner. A gas line in the area of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover became over-pressurized on Thursday afternoon, causing explosions and between 60 and 80 structure fires. How exactly that happened remains under investigation. Sumwalt expressed sympathy to victims of the disaster and thanked first responders for their efforts in the hours since. The pressure issue was discovered in Columbus, Ohio, where the pipeline control room is for this particular pipeline, Sumwalt said. The pipeline controller will be interviewed as a part of the investigation. The actual pressure, however, occurred in the area of the three communities, Sumwalt said. The NTSB is an independent federal agency and investigates transportation accidents, including pipeline incidents. It's a multi-step process to repair and restore service to the communities. It could take weeks. Leonel Rondon, an 18-year-old from Lawrence, was killed when an explosion caused a chimney to fall on the car he was sitting inside. About 25 others were injured. Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency on Friday, which also allowed the state Department of Public Utilities to name Eversource as the project manager rather than Columbia Gas. Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera on Friday criticized the slow response from Columbia, saying the company was the last to act. Sumwalt said the investigation will also focus on the operations of Columbia Gas, including things like record-keeping and oversight of contractors. A timeline of events will be established. Additionally, the investigation will look into records of odor complaints in the area dating back a few weeks, Sumwalt said. Residents were still not allowed back in South Lawrence on Saturday, but some streets were starting to open back up in Andover and North Andover. People walked to their homes in Lawrence to quickly retrieve some items, like clothing and food, trudging back to North Lawrence with bags stuffed full of their belongings. The CEO of Columbia Gas's parent company said Columbia is committed to restoring trust in the community and getting people back to daily life following explosions in Merrimack Valley that appear to have been set off by over-pressurization in the company's gas line. "We know that this has damaged the confidence and the trust in our company and in what we do and our full commitment is to restoring that trust and that confidence," Joseph Hamrock, the CEO of NiSource, said during a Sunday press conference streamed live by WHDH News. Hamrock called the disaster a "large-scale, significant tragedy" and said that community liaison centers would be opening in the Lawrence, North Andover and Andover area to assist people as they wait to get safely back into their homes and gas turned back on. On Thursday afternoon, explosions and fires broke out in the three communities, killing one, injuring 25 and displacing thousands of people. National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Robert Sumwalt said Sunday that an evidentiary dig in Lawrence Sunday morning led investigators to discover that pressure sensors were connected to a gas line that was being taken out of service in the area of South Union Street and Winthrop Avenue. Sumwalt said the agency will look to answer two questions: Why the sensor was connected to gas line being placed out of service and what, if any, affect that had on the explosions. Sumwalt said the NTSB -- a independent federal agency and investigates transportation accidents, including pipeline incidents -- could confirm that gas was flowing into Merrimack Valley homes on Thursday at "significantly greater" flow rates and pressure than it should have been. The exact cause of that remains under investigation. Hamrock did not speak about any possible causes of the explosions. He said the company is working with families to make sure they can "return to as close to as daily life as they can." "Our commitment is for the long-term," he said. Hamrock said the company is focused on restoring and rebuilding its system and that the company's plan will include all of the assurances necessary to make sure that restoration meets safety standards. As gas started to leak on Thursday, residents placed more than 150 calls to emergency workers as explosions and as many as 80 structure fires broke out across the Merrimack Valley. Leonel Rondon, an 18-year-old from Lawrence, was killed when an explosion caused a chimney to fall on a car he was sitting inside. At least 25 others were injured and thousands of people were evacuated from their homes. Sumwalt said during a press conference Saturday that these investigations are extremely thorough and typically take 12 to 24 months, but that a preliminary cause of the incident will come sooner. The pressure issue was discovered in Columbus, Ohio, where the pipeline control room is for this particular pipeline, Sumwalt said. The pipeline controller will be interviewed as a part of the investigation. The actual pressure, however, occurred in the area of the three communities, Sumwalt said. Sumwalt said the investigation will also focus on the operations of Columbia Gas, including things like record-keeping and oversight of contractors. A timeline of events will be established. Additionally, the investigation will look into records of odor complaints in the area dating back a few weeks, Sumwalt said. Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency on Friday, which also allowed the state Department of Public Utilities to name Eversource as the project manager rather than Columbia Gas. Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera on Friday criticized the slow response from Columbia, saying the company was the last to act. Elizabeth Borrelli was getting ready for parent-teacher night in her Lowell Public Schools classroom Thursday when her husband, William, called her cell phone. The 32-year-old teacher, who is 8 months pregnant, thought he was just checking in. But William's voice was frantic, full of terror and fear. Something was wrong. Borelli's mother-in-law, who lives next door to them on Emmett Street in Lawrence, turned on her stove and flames immediately shot out. "The oven exploded," William told his wife. Flames suddenly flew out of the stove, landing on Borrelli's mother-in-law. With eyebrows singed, Borrelli's mother-in-law escaped the home while neighbors put out the flames inside the home with a fire extinguisher. "She was OK. She is alive," Borrelli said. "Things can be replaced. Items can be replaced." More than two dozen were left injured and an 18-year-old Lawrence man was killed as gas explosions erupted in Lawrence, North Andover and Andover Thursday. Borrelli was one of hundreds who lined up outside the Lawrence Public Library at the Columbia Gas complaint and claims center to get answers. She wanted to know if the company will reimburse her family for the damage the explosion caused and the money they spent after being evacuated from their homes for days. Borrelli's family stayed with friends and family as authorities investigated the explosions, worked to restore power and cleared homes of gas. Residents of Lawrence, North Andover and Andover returned to their homes Sunday after power was restored. There is no gas still, a concern for Borrelli as her first child is coming in November. Several people are frustrated with Columbia Gas and their slow response. Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera was highly critical of the company in the aftermath. "The least informed and the last to act have been Columbia Gas," Rivera said during heated remarks. "It just seems like there's no one in charge, they're in the weeds." Borrelli believes the company could have responded better. She can cook with electricity for now, but with the new little one on the way, she is concerned about coming home with a newborn while her house has no gas and possible lingering issues. As people lined the sidewalks around the Lawrence Public Library Sunday, some volunteers handed out water. A Columbia Gas employee held up a sign with a phone number for people to lodge complaints if they didn't want to wait in line. Translators shouted instructions to help people navigate the area. Residents were told to have identification with them. Jeisson Garcia, a 28-year-old machinist living on Boxford Street in Lawrence, said he never wants to use his gas stove again. He got home Thursday from work and was ready to warm up some leftover rice and beans. "When I turned on the stove, I heard a 'whoosh' sound. I was lucky the ignitor didn't go off," Garcia said. "I am in shock. I could have died." His girlfriend and their 8-month-old son, Nathan, weren't home. Thinking gas was shut off for some reason, Garcia drove to a local market to grab a bite. The eatery had no gas either. He then learned there were explosions rocking the communities of Lawrence, North Andover and Andover. "I'm lucky I didn't die right then and there," he said. "I'm afraid. I'll never turn on that stove again. No gas stove for me." He has been living in a hotel since he evacuated. As Garcia waited in the line at the claims center, he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. Money spent on the hotel, food and clothes were listed. Garcia estimated he lost $1,000 just from those expenses. Gov. Charlie Baker announced Sunday power was restored for roughly 15,000 residents as they return to their North Andover, Andover and Lawrence homes. Authorities turned off nearly 8,600 impacted meters after the Columbia Gas line explosions. People were able to return to homes by 7 a.m., Sunday after officials cleared homes of gas and restored electricity. "It's been a difficult and grueling weekend for the residents of Andover, North Andover and Lawrence," Baker said. "I often say the people of Massachusetts are resilient, but this devastating situation is no exception." Baker reminded people to stay vigilant and urged residents not to turn on their gas services until further notice. If any resident smells gas in their home, they should immediately leave and call 911 from a different location. They should also call the Columbia Gas emergency number at 1-800-525-8222. Authorities from the National Transportation Safety Board said the investigation into the gas line explosions will take 12 to 24 months. Baker declared a state of emergency and brought in Eversource to handle the restoration efforts. Omayra Gonzalez was able to see her Lawrence apartment on Newton Street Saturday. It was clear of gas, so she went inside and opened the refrigerator. Everyone was ruined. "I decided to come over here to get whatever I needed," Gonzalez said while in line. The 43-year-old picked up her nephew Thursday and took him home. When she got to her apartment, she heard a knock on the door. "Next thing I know, I have this little 10-year-old girl knocking on my door," Gonzalez said. "You have to come out, the houses are exploding," the girl told Gonzalez. People outside were yelling, telling her to get out. Gonzalez scooped up her cat, Missy, and has been staying at a friend's home in North Lawrence since the explosions. Like others, she is scared to go home. "I'm going back tonight. I'm still scared," she said. "I live in a building that has 24 apartments and we are told not to turn on any appliances. You never know if everyone is going to listen." "Idlib militants have delivered canisters with Chlorine to the village of Bsanqul, where they are preparing to stage a chemical attack, the Russian Defense Ministry says. On September 15, a spokesman of the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria, Lieutenant General Vladimir Savchenko said that the chlorine-filled canisters were delivered by members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian bracnh of al-Qaeda). Lieutenant General Savchenko said that the recent developments showed that militants are preparing a false flag attack, which will be used to accuse the Syrian government of using chemical weapons in Idlib. This warning followed a September 12 statement by the Russian Defense Ministry in which it said that the White Helmets group has shot videos intended to be employed to accuse the Syrian government of accusing the Damascus government of the chemical weapons usage. Earlier, the Russia military said toxic chemicals had been delivered to the militant-held part of Idlib province adding that the White Helmets had carried out the delivery." -------------- Well, pilgrims, BOHICA. The WHPC (White Helmets Production Company), funded by USAID and masterminded by the spiritual descendants of Reilly, Ace of Spies, in Whitehall have their "stuff' (chlorine) in one pile now at Bsanqul on Route 4 and are evidently waiting for a good moment to release their already produced videos in the world wide web. They (the neocons - Pompeo, Bolton, Haley, etc.) will then show Trump the TV. Ivanka will weep and moan about "the children! the children!" Somehow she does not seem to be equally stricken by the sight of the children of Gaza shot by Israeli Army snipers. Trump will then order some sort of attack, some sort of attack. pl https://southfront.org/idlib-militants-deliver-chlorine-canisters-to-bsanqul-village-prepare-to-stage-chemical-attack-russian-military/ WELLFLEET - Beaches here and in nearby Truro were closed Sunday after a shark attacked and killed a Revere man who was boogie boarding in the surf Saturday afternoon. There are warning signs placed at all the beach entrances in Wellfleet and nearby Truro, where a second shark bit and seriously injured a New York man on Aug. 15, Assistant Harbormaster Will Sullivan said. "We keep trying to tell them, but people are back in the water. They keep going out and warning them," he said. Arthur Medici, 26, of Revere, and another man were about 30 yards off the shore of Newcomb Hollow Beach when a shark bit his legs. The attack happened around noon, Sullivan said. He was the only one bitten in the incident. It is rare for a shark to try to bite anyone or anything else after a first attack, he said. Saturday was a beautiful beach day and at least 100 people were on the shore or in the water when the attack happened. People rushed to help as soon as they realized the man was injured: Some bystanders tried to administer first aid while others rushed to the parking lot to call 911 since there is little to no cell service on the beach, Sullivan said. The Wellfleet Fire Department responded quickly, administered CPR and brought Medici to Cape Cod Hospital where he was pronounced dead, Wellfleet Police said. This is the first time anyone in Massachusetts has been killed by a shark since 1936 when a swimmer was bitten off Buzzards Bay in an unprovoked attack. The other two fatal attacks were in 1830 and 1897. But the number of sharks seen in Cape Cod waters is increasing and Sullivan said he is not surprised more people have been attacked by sharks. "There are a ton of them out there. More than ever," he said. "It keeps getting worse and worse." A month ago, William Lytton, 61, of New York, was swimming in about 8 to 10 feet of water in the nearby Long Nook Beach, in Truro, when he was bitten in the leg by a great white shark. He punched the huge fish in the gills and it let him go, but he was seriously injured and has undergone multiple surgeries since the attack. There is little that officials can do about the increase in sharks, Sullivan said. "There is nothing you can do, not that would logically make sense anyway," he said. "We are a very natural place too." The problem is seals are following schools of fish and the sharks are following seals, a favorite food. "It is all part of the food chain," he said. Sharks are not particularly interested in eating people, but they may bite a swimmer to find out if they are a seal or another food source, experts said. When great white sharks are spotted in the waters off Cape Cod the typical practice is to close the beaches for an hour or more until the predator swims to other locations. Warning signs are also put up and the harbormaster tries to alert boaters who are in the area, he said. Sullivan said he understands why people take risks and do swim at beaches where sharks have been spotted. People sometimes wait all year for a chance to go to the beach and don't want to be banned from the water. The shark that attacked and killed Medici is believed to have been a great white shark, an apex predator, but the incident is still under investigation and the type of shark has not been confirmed. The Wellfleet Police, Massachusetts State Police, the Barnstable District Attorney's office and the National Park Service are all investigating the death, Wellfleet Police said. SPRINGFIELD - A Longmeadow woman was killed when she drove into a concrete barrier and then struck a second barrier on Interstate-91 and Interstate-291 early Sunday morning. The 64-year-old woman's name is not being released until officers are able to notify her family members, Massachusetts State Police said. The woman was driving on the off-ramp from Interstate-291 West that connects to Interstate-91 when she struck a concrete barrier on the passenger side of her 2003 Ford Taurus. The car spun around and struck a second concrete barrier on Interstate-91 South, police said. The woman was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The crash happened at about 1 a.m. forcing the closures of the Interstate-291 ramp and Interstate-91 South at Exit 7. The roadways were closed for about 90 minutes while police investigated and cleared the crash. Trooper Matthew Greaney conducted the preliminary investigation. The cause of the crash continues to be examined with the assistance of the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, Crime Scene Services Section and the Hampden District Attorney's Office. AMR Ambulance, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and Massachusetts Department of Transportation assisted at the scene, police said. SPRINGFIELD - Most of Main Street will be closed Sunday as the annual Puerto Rican Parade winds its way through the city. Main Street, from the Chicopee line to Boland Way, will be closed from 10:45 a.m. though late afternoon, Springfield Police said. Exit 10 on Interstate-91 northbound will also be closed during the parade. Exit 11 southbound will remain open but motorists will not be able to cross Main Street. The parade will step off at 11 a.m. at the corner of Main and Wesson streets and will travel through city's North End. The reviewing stand will be at 1550 Main St. The parade ends near Tower Square. More than 100 groups are expected to be marching and the parade traditionally lasts several hours. The closures will also cause the rerouting of some PVTA buses on Sunday, police said. It will also require non-emergency vehicles heading to Baystate Medical Center and Mercy Medical Center to take a different route. Those heading to the hospitals should take Interstate-291, police said. Firefighters battled a fire in a trash-filled tractor-trailer rig on Old Boston Road in Wilbraham Saturday afternoon. Firefighter Mathew Walch said the fire started in the trailer of the rig at about 3:30 p.m. at a private transfer station at 120 Old Boston Road. Firefighters were able to prevent damage to the tractor, isolating the flames and damage to the trailer. Wilbraham and Ludlow firefighters were able to bring the fire under control and extinguish it by late afternoon. An engine and ambulance from the Palmer Fire Department provided station coverage while Wilbraham personnel were at the scene. Debate over how to revamp the state's education funding formula continued down to the wire as legislators weighed different options potentially costing hundreds of millions of dollars, according to newly released emails and documents sent between conference committee members and state education officials. The negotiations ultimately fell apart on the last day of the legislative session, July 31. Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Sonia Chang-Diaz, D-Boston, blamed House leadership. "I've never seen so many rationalizations and double-standards employed to avoid doing what's right for kids," Chang-Diaz said late at night as the session was ending. House negotiators, led by House Education Chairwoman Alice Peisch, D-Wellesley, said talks were complicated by information from state education officials, who cautioned that assumptions made as part of the funding formula could cause variances of hundreds of millions of dollars. While conference committee negotiations are secret, The Republican/MassLive.com obtained through a public records request dozens of emails and spreadsheets that were sent to and from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The newly released records show that lawmakers worked throughout the final weekend before the end of the legislative session and through the evening hours of July 31. They confronted the difficulty of calculating the cost of various plans, and the huge potential differences in impact. The records show that negotiators were considering a range of options for overhauling the formula that could have cost anywhere from an additional $212 million to $915 million a year. But even that range is not certain. Jeffrey Wulfson, deputy commissioner at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, cautioned the conferees that education officials were making assumptions in providing cost estimates. "The potential variances in foundation budgets based on some of these assumptions could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars," Wulfson wrote in an email to Peisch, Chang-Diaz and their staff on Friday night, July 27. In May the Senate passed a bill that would implement the recommendations in a 2015 report that found the state is underfunding the cost of educating students. The House passed its own version of the bill in early July. Both bills would have increased the amounts paid for employee health insurance and special education. The Senate bill would have also updated the formula to spend more money on English language learners and students in districts with high concentrations of poverty. The House bill would direct the state education commissioner to develop a plan and a cost estimate for implementing those recommendations. Some advocates for public schools accused House leaders of ignoring poor children. One spreadsheet pegs the additional state aid provided by implementing the health care and special education provisions at $212.7 million. Implementing the English language learner and poverty recommendations could add another $702.7 million in state aid on top of that, for a total of $915.4 million. These figures are for the fifth year of implementation, assuming the changes are implemented gradually over five years. The spreadsheets provide detailed breakdowns, by school district, of how much money the state would have to provide and how much money local districts would have to kick in. If the state implemented all four recommendations, cities and towns would have to pay an additional $1.03 billion in local contributions compared to what they are paying today. If lawmakers chose to only implement the health care and special education changes, cities and towns would have to contribute an additional $389 million by the fifth year. But just figuring out how to calculate these figures is complicated. In Wulfson's July 27 email, he told conferees that, in the spreadsheets his department provided costing out different proposals, "there have been many technical and policy matters that have been informally directed or assumed, well beyond the level of detail included in the current bills in Committee." Some of the simulations, he wrote, are not aligned with language included in the bills, so new language would have to be drafted. In one area that was a focus of the committee, lawmakers considered multiple scenarios related to how to determine the amount of additional aid for low-income districts, looking at which districts would qualify for what levels of extra aid. The goal was to give more money to poorer districts, but each way to do that carries a different price tag, with different communities getting more or less money. The adjustments generally relate to how to divide up the districts and how much extra money to give poorer districts. For example, under one scenario, Springfield would be eligible for $450 million in state education aid once all four changes were fully phased in. Under a slightly different calculation related to low-income districts, Springfield would get nearly $480 million. The changes could also be phased in over one year, five years or seven years, which would affect the price tag. Even in an area where both the House and Senate agreed, the need to update the cost of health insurance benefits, there were discussions with officials at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education about whether to calculate this figure for each district based on actual employee counts or based on a standardized staffing ratio applied to student population. On Tuesday, July 31, hours before the session ended at midnight, Senate aide Nathanael Shea was still going back and forth with education officials about how exactly to calculate the cost of employee health insurance benefits. Shea re-sent draft language to state education officials at 9:19 p.m. July 31, saying that redraft suggestions would be welcome, or the existing language would be included in a report put out by midnight. Bill Bell, senior associate commissioner for administration and finance for the education department, responded at 10:55 p.m., "Unfortunately at this hour, we don't have any additional comments or suggestions to offer." Boston Red Sox's Brock Holt reacts to his two-run double during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets in Boston, Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) (Michael Dwyer) By TCN News: Advocate Shahid Nadeem, lawyer for legal cell of Jamiat Ulma Maharashtra Mumbai has joined in supporting Aman Khan, the techie who was forced to resign from his job in EXFO, Quebec-headquartered multinational company in Magarpatta, Pune. Aaman Khan was harassed mentally by his manager Kishore Kotecha for wearing religious attire and for his religious practises in office. The manager said that it was against the company policy when Khan defended that it was his constitutional right to practise his religion. Although there was no such policy of the company in reality. Support TwoCircles After continuous harassment and threats from the senior Manager Kotecha, Khan was forced to submit his resignation in the month of June. But Khan however has written to the company at Canada regarding their policy and has so far not received any reply. In the meantime he has also sought intervention from the Labour Commission of India, collector of Pune and Human rights activists. Aaman Khan is on a satyagraha from August 15th 2018 as he believes in the Gandhian method of passive resistance and is hopeful that justice will be done to him sooner or later. He is joined by many activists and supporters in his lone battle for his basic fundamental right which completes a month on 15th September 2018. UrduCity a Urdu online news portal that publishes such stories is one among the supporters of Aman Khan. Further Adv.Shahid Nadeem of Jamiat Ulma has written to the Chief Justice of India and also appealed to the Human Rights commission and all NGOs who are working for humanity and Justice in India to support Aaman Khan, 37 years, who is jobless at present and has 12 persons dependent on him. Aaman Khan is demanding to be reinstated and abolition of discriminative practises in the company. With his statements, Mr. K. Mitsotakis confirms the reasons behind his refusal to be briefed in person by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in contrast to what was customary practice for previous heads of the Opposition. He refuses to treat issues of foreign policy with due seriousness; he insists to perceive it as an area for public relations. Mr. Mitsotakis does not grasp, is not knowledgeable and is not in a position to tackle issues of foreign policy. It appears he has not been told that the "macedonian language" was first recognized by the ministers of ERE in the 50's and then officially delivered by New Democracy in 1977. Mr. Mitsotakis insists with his known irresponsibility to talk about the "Cham Issue", which the Greek government today rejects as an issue of negotiations. Finally, Mr. Mitsotakis 'remembered' the extortion that took place at the meeting of the National Council on Foreign Policy, in the form of "you either do as I say, or else...". An extortionary tactic that was rejected by every other party when I put forward New Democracy's "proposal". He should therefore note the following: New Democracy's premeditated extortion was rejected by the National Council on Foreign Policy. Uprooted Palestinians are at the heart of the conflict in the M.E Palestinians uprooted by force of arms. Yet faced immense difficulties have survived, kept alive their history and culture, passed keys of family homes in occupied Palestine from one generation to the next. It was the massive response to the overdoses on the New Haven Green that had me thinking about the drug crisis and writing this column. But my thoughts come from growing up in the midst of drugs, and it is hard for me to look at the current opioid catastrophe and not feel empathy for the black community. Since I can remember, parents and advocates in poor black communities have been asking that something be done about the infiltration of drugs in our communities. Every black child in low-income neighborhoods grows up with street corner sales and watching people decay from drug use. I have made it no secret that drugs were dumped in impoverished black neighborhoods and, in desperation, the desperate grabbed hold and became dealers or junkies many times, both. But the cries from the black community largely were ignored as the crisis deepened and neighborhoods and people deteriorated. First heroin and then crack cocaine went on a rampage, stomping out a generation that in many cases produced another generation of addicts. Nothing consequential was done by local, state or federal officials to help poor, black parents cope with losing their children. Instead, black parents were taken to task for their shortcomings in raising junkies, and were taunted, shamed and humiliated under glaring eyes with undertones of, its your child. You raised him, when reaching out for help. Addicts were referred to as the lowest of the low, thrown in prison, and pretty much symbolically spit on by everyone. The best the black community could hope for was an occasional drug help center that was never staffed or funded properly but strategically announced in October of an election year. But then, the unthinkable happened: opioids and heroin hit the suburbs and swept through tony bedroom communities nationwide and everything has changed. The help is rolling out with more funding and more training. Even pharmacists are prowling the streets to hand out Narcan to caregivers to revive those who overdose. And during the last year, I have even seen how the approach to treating and talking to drug addicts has changed. Suddenly, theyve become valued citizens who shouldnt be stigmatized and looked down upon. The real nitty gritty language associated with being an addict junkie, druggie, smackhead, dope fiend has been softened and replaced with manicured, high gloss verbiage such as a substance-use disorder. To me, they will always be junkies and dope fiends, because those were the terms hung on black drug users as I grew up. But I am OK with the change in language and the multiple services, because isnt that the way it should have always been? After all, we are dealing with human beings and in America, more than 115 of them die every day after overdosing on opioids, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reports. Here in the Nutmeg state, Hearst Connecticut Media reported that 1,038 people died from overdoses in 2017 and the Office of the Medical Examiner projects that number wont decrease in 2018. Yes, those are certainly numbers that bear heeding and America seems to have finally found her hearing aids. Opioids may be getting the attention in 2018 but there had been a drug crisis for decades in the United States that largely had been ignored. I wonder what changed? Addicted? The color of skin does matter. James Walker is the Registers senior editor. He can be reached at 203-680-9389 or james.walker@hearstmediact.com. Follow him on Twitter @thelieonroars. What do we actually need to know from Republican Bob Stefanowski and Democrat Ned Lamont, with some independent Oz Griebel thrown in for good measure? Finger pointing and simple, pat answers to supremely complicated questions are unacceptable in the race to win the 2018 elective booby prize called governor of Connecticut. We need someone wholl negotiate with the public employee unions in attempt to ratchet down the states pension liability. Someone to shrink the state workforce. Someone wholl come in and create a public policy landscape in which more jobs can sprout. We need more-affordable housing, particularly in those over-priced, predominantly white suburbs that latch onto their nearby cities, like barnacles, for everything from medical care to nightlife, but force their own workforces into hour-long commutes. We need a governor who will foster partnerships with the states flagship corporations. Someone wholl address the transportation crisis. We need a governor who will protect minority rights, and enforce the states landmark gun-safety laws. Someone wholl fight climate change at a time when Washington is doubling down on hydrocarbons, and overturning decades of environmental protections. Yeah, too bad Gov. Dan Malloy is getting run out of office on a rail, because, of course, hes done all this already. I can understand the 25-percent approval rating. Malloy has never been a warm person like his predecessor, Jodi Rell. Malloys frenetic. Hes a workaholic and know-it-all. Coming from a 14-year stint as mayor of Stamford, he never really worked with the General Assembly. Malloy claimed his beachhead on the second floor of the Capitols west wing, surrounded himself with Malloyalists and went about his priorities. Over the next eight years, he twice convinced public-employee unions to make concessions on wages and benefits, so over the next few years, an estimated 16,000 new workers will have 401(k)-like retirement plans. The state workforce shrunk by 12,000 jobs. The 9.3-percent unemployment rate of December, 2010 fell to 4.4 percent by June 2018. Through a variety of new business-friendly programs cooperatively created with the General Assembly Hey, Malloy worked with the legislature? more than 2,100 companies won state assistance, creating 119,000 jobs. While the recently kicked-off-the-Dow Industrials General Electric, petulantly decamped to Boston, Malloys administration hooked United Technologies, Cigna, ESPN, Sikorsky and Electric Boat into long-term commitments. The sleek, gorgeously lighted Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge, at the busy crossroads of Interstate 91 and 95, came in $200 million under budget and has eased the generations of nightmare traffic backups in New Haven. Malloy and lawmakers created the Connecticut Port Authority and the Connecticut Airport Authority. Bradley International Airport came back to earning its middle name, with out-of-the-country flights and five straight years of passenger growth. The New Haven to Springfield rail line recently opened. While the nations petulant, under-informed president withdrew from the Paris Climate Accord, Malloy promised Connecticut would continue to address the issue of climate change. Investments in renewable energy sources have resulted in 30,000 new jobs statewide. Malloys administration has presided over the acquisition of 5,000 acres of state-owned open space and helped save about 10,000 more acres across 130 of the 169 towns and cities. Malloy signed laws repealing the death penalty, and decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Connecticut led the nation in the reduction of violent crime from 2012 to 2016, while the number of repeat criminals fell. Four prisons were closed, saving taxpayers millions of dollars. Most memorably, it was Malloy, on that horrible Friday afternoon in 2012, amid the Newtown school carnage, who told the frantic families gathered in the Sandy Hook firehouse that 26 of their loved ones were dead. From there, Malloy became a national leader on gun safety and persuaded the General Assembly to quickly approve a ban on all military-style rifles and large-capacity ammunition magazines that made him a target for the NRA and other industry-oriented groups. And $53 million has been invested in school-security systems statewide. Malloy put $1.42 billion in creating, preserving or rehabilitating 23,350 units of housing, about 20,000 of which are classified as affordable. Connecticut was among the most-successful states in the implementation of the federal Affordable Care Act, which cut the states uninsured population by half, to 3.8 percent. Expanded Medicaid coverage for adults resulted in an additional 200,000 covered. Malloys controversial welcoming of international refugees to Connecticut resulted in the JFK Profile in Courage Award. He regularly flies the rainbow LGBTQ flag in front of the residence. Malloy supported the right of people to serve in the Connecticut National Guard, no matter what their sexual orientation, or gender identity. So, what does your candidate for governor promise? Ken Dixon, political editor and columnist, can be reached at 860-549-4670 or at kdixon@ctpost.com. Visit him at twitter.com/KenDixonCT and on Facebook at kendixonct.hearst. In a state that is slipping in so many ranking categories, it is a dark twist to have the National Institute of Drug Abuse put it in the top 10 states with the highest rates of fatal opioid overdoses. That is a top 10 list where no one wants to be. The states rate of opioid deaths more than quadrupled from 5.7 deaths per 100,000 people in 2012, to 24.5 in 2016, the NIDA said. The alarming trend continued to escalate. Think about it: Connecticut went from 357 opioid deaths in 2012 to 1,038 last year. For perspective, 285 people died in traffic accidents in the state last year, according to preliminary numbers from the Connecticut Crash Data Repository at the University of Connecticut. A total of 65 people died from influenza in last flu season in Connecticut, according to the state Department of Public Health. We respond to possibly preventable deaths, as we should. State and local police step up enforcement in high-risk times, such as long holiday weekends. People are urged to get flu vaccines, which are as easy to obtain as walking into a local pharmacy. Where is the urgency for prevention with a far greater number of people from all parts of the state and the range of social status when it comes to opioid overdose deaths? A stigma lingers over the addiction and that must be addressed along with direct treatment. Chemical addiction is a disease. If there is a sliver of positive news recently, it is that the number of opioid overdose deaths this year will likely be similar to last year, state Chief Medical Examiner James Gill said Thursday. That is still much too high, but at least the exponential increases seem to have leveled off. A closer look at the death rates shows that fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is to blame for more than half of the accidental overdose deaths since 2016, and 740 of the projected 1,030 overall deaths this year. Fentanyl is stronger than heroin or morphine so less is needed to overdose and drug dealers arent necessarily careful in mixing it. Dealing with the opioid overdose crisis requires a three-pronged approach: enforce, such as by arresting dealers; educate, and treat. More primary care physicians should become educated in the use of medication-assisted treatment, such as methadone and buprenorphine, which have been effective for reducing cravings and preventing relapses. The Opioid Crisis Response Act would increase the number of patients, from 100 to 275, who qualified doctors can prescribe medication-assisted treatment. The U.S. Senate is expected to vote next week, finally, on that comprehensive bill which would authorize $500 million per year through 2021 to help states fight opioid addiction. It includes requiring the Postal Service to detect shipments of synthetic drugs, such as fentanyl, that often ship from Mexico and China. We urge the Senate to pass the bill and Connecticut to get off that ignoble top 10 list. China's Sub Force Is Growing More Powerful. This Is What the US Navy Needs to Do to Stay Ahead The Navy needs new and innovative antisubmarine warfare platforms to defend against Chinas stealthy and potent long-range... Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 A retired Navy admiral who oversaw the raid that killed Osama bin Laden has resigned from a Defense Department advisory board, after criticizing President Trump's decision to revoke a former CIA director's security clearance. William McRaven, former head of U.S. Special Operations Command, left the Defense Innovation Board (DIB) on Aug. 20, Lt. Col. Michelle Baldanza, a Pentagon spokeswoman, said. That was four days after he wrote in the Washington Post that Trump's actions revoking former CIA Director John Brennan's security clearance "embarrassed us in the eyes of our children, humiliated us on the world stage and, worst of all, divided us as a nation." McRaven's op-ed carried the headline, "Revoke my security clearance, too, Mr. President." Trump revoked Brennan's clearance last month, saying he felt he had to do something about the "rigged" Russian election interference probe. The DIB, on which McRaven served, was created during the Obama administration by then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter. Its members include technology executives and others who are mostly from outside the military, such as Alphabet CEO Eric Schmidt, author and physicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson and journalist Walter Isaacson. Political donations by the panel's members lean overwhelmingly liberal, with some $2.4 million contributed to Democrats and political action committees that support them, versus about $236,000 for Republican candidates, DefenseNews reported. The Associated Press contributed to this story. Select Mineral List Type Standard Detailed Strunz Dana Chemical Elements Mineral List Gold 1 valid mineral. 1 valid mineral. Detailed Mineral List: Gold Formula: Au Reference: Centenary Gold Monument, Albert and Sturt streets, Ballarat. List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification Group 1 - Elements 'Gold' 1.AA.05 Au List of minerals arranged by Dana 8th Edition classification Group 1 - NATIVE ELEMENTS AND ALLOYS Metals, other than the Platinum Group Gold 1.1.1.1 Au List of minerals for each chemical element Au Gold Au Gold Au Regional Geology Historic gold mine.The mine name is spelt Sulieman. It is possibly named after the most important Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Suleiman One, or Suleiman the Magnificent, when the Ottoman Empire was at its peak. Or potentially a number of Ottoman governors, statesmen and military commanders with the same name after, however the spelling is slightly different to the mine name. No Turkish connection was found relating to the formation of the company, and remains unconfirmed.The mine operated from two shafts; No. 1 near the corner of Humffray and Mair streets, and also near where the Welcome Nugget (2217 ounces) was found years earlier; and the controversial No. 2 shaft several blocks south bordering the northern side of the main highway through Ballarat. The company produced 62 666 ounces of gold, the twelfth highest quartz reef gold production for any mine on the Ballarat goldfield.Some crushing figure examples are January-June 1881: 3674 tonnes 1085 ounces; January-June 1885: 2949 tonnes 1281 ounces; July-December 1885: 4459 tonnes 1119 ounces; January-June 1887: 1869 tonnes 730 ounces; July-December 1892: 1450 tonnes 771 ounces; July-December 1896: 4365 tonnes 1372 ounces. Like many mines in the area, gold grades were low.John Watson was noted as mine manager in the 1880's, and John Williams 1890's. The company was re-organised twice increasing the number of shares from 4000 to 24 000, and increasing the capital available. The Sulieman Pasha Company was formed in 1878. David Fitzpatrick was given the honour of turning the first sod of both the No.1 and later No. 2 shafts. The first dividend was given to shareholders in July 1881. The company obtained a prospecting vote (government grant) to start, and was very proud to be the first Victorian gold mining company to pay the funds back to the government. The event was marked by a lavish banquet laid out for ministers and government officials by the company.Leases were purchased to the south in 1885 to the Llanberris Mine boundary, after poor results began accumulating from the small No. 1 shaft. To take advantage of this new land the company planned to sink a second shaft. Initially this was to take place on government land, but the uproar from nearby residents caused the company to purchase land along the Main Road (now Western Highway), and the old Yarrowee Hotel which had occupied the site since the alluvial digger days of the 1850's was demolished. The area had since those days become heavily occupied with a number of shops, houses, a post office, church and two schools in the immediate area. The thought of an underground mine next door drew considerable opposition.The company (before the days of public relations departments) wrote 'most people would have thought that progress as vital as mining would be supported by tradesmen whose business rely on the mining industry. It seems when it comes to mining they are bereft of their senses, and considering the low ebb of mining in Ballarat East, the action of our opponents are un-accountable. (Sarcastically) There are certain engineering difficulties in moving the quartz reefs to a new location, but if we could to appease our opponents we would'.The company also wanted to take over 4 acres of the St Pauls school oval for machinery, but accused the St Pauls Church of wanting extortionate amounts of money upfront, and on a yearly basis for the privilege. It stated the church could not be opposed to mining when several years earlier it had formed its own company to mine the land, only for shareholders to lose their money. In 1886, the company approached the Minister for Mines, and attended heated public meetings on the matter.The local residents, shop owners, and church submitted a 60 person petition to the local council and government authorities. They stated the shaft contravened the mining statutes, which stating no mining could take place within 150 yards of a public building or church. A speech by a resident stated 'mining always comes with glorious pictures of the great benefits which would accrue all parties concerned if their request is granted, but if property is destroyed or depreciated in value, no-one then comes forward and compensates them'.The No. 2 shaft was approved including taking over part of the school oval.In 1888, workers at the company's No. 2 shaft went on strike to try and bring their wages in line with other mines in the district (the No. 1 shaft was operated by tributers). William Madden (26) was killed from a fall of earth underground the same year, while a year later his father John Madden (70) was similarly killed in the Madame Berry Mine elsewhere in the district.In 1897 as the amount of gold being found fell away, it came to light part of the deal to purchase the Yarrowee Hotel site was a 5% royalty on gold found. Shareholders could not understand why they were paying a royalty to the former owners of the property.The mine closed in 1898 due to a lack of gold. In 1902 a boy (age unknown) called Charles Lee was killed from a fractured skull while working to dismantle the Sulieman Pasha plant.The fuss over the No. 2 shaft had a sequel. On the company winding up, the land was purchased by J.S. Trethowan who built a house next to the shaft. In 1907, the shaft caved-in creating a sinkhole immediately at the back of the house. A Mr Chamberlain heard a deep rumbling sound at 5am, and looked out the window to see his fowl house and thirteen chickens disappear down an expanding hole. He then went back to bed, and called the police later in the day. The shaft was 1050 feet deep, and the hole at the surface that developed was 20 feet by 17 feet across, and 20 feet depth.In 1930 it is reported a syndicate had been formed to clean out the old shaft, and re-open the mine. It is assumed this was the No. 1 shaft but no more was found. This geological map and associated information on rock units at or nearby to the coordinates given for this locality is based on relatively small scale geological maps provided by various national Geological Surveys. This does not necessarily represent the complete geology at this locality but it gives a background for the region in which it is found. Click on geological units on the map for more information. Click here to view full-screen map on Macrostrat.org Paleozoic sedimentary rocks Age: Paleozoic (427.4 - 541 Ma) Comments: Lachlan Fold Belt Lithology: Sedimentary rocks Reference: Chorlton, L.B. Generalized geology of the world: bedrock domains and major faults in GIS format: a small-scale world geology map with an extended geological attribute database. doi: 10.4095/223767. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 5529. [154] Castlemaine Group Age: Ordovician (458.4 - 485.4 Ma) Stratigraphic Name: Castlemaine Group Description: Marine turbiditic sandstone, mudstone, black shale; minor granule conglomerate. Comments: sedimentary siliciclastic; synthesis of multiple published descriptions Lithology: Sedimentary siliciclastic Reference: Raymond, O.L., Liu, S., Gallagher, R., Zhang, W., Highet, L.M. Surface Geology of Australia 1:1 million scale dataset 2012 edition. Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia). [5] Data and map coding provided by Macrostrat.org, used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License References Sort by Year (asc) Year (desc) Author (A-Z) Author (Z-A) The Ballarat Courier newspaper (1881) Sulieman Pasha Company, 19 July 1881. The Ballarat Star newspaper (1885) The Sulieman Pasha and St. Pauls S.S. Play-Ground, 22 June 1885. The Ballarat Star newspaper (1885) The Sulieman Pasha Company (to the Ed.), 23 June 1885. The Ballarat Star newspaper (1885) The Sulieman Pasha Company. Marking Out the No. 2 Shaft, 03 July 1885. The Ballarat Star newspaper (1885) Sulieman Pasha Company, 14 July 1885. The Ballarat Star newspaper (1886) Mining Meetings. Sulieman Pasha Mining Company, 29 January 1886. The Ballarat Star newspaper (1886) Sulieman Pasha Company, 26 January 1886. The Ballarat Star newspaper (1886) The Town Council and the Sulieman Pasha Company, 05 April 1886. The Ballarat Star newspaper (1887) Silieman Pasha Company, 26 July 1887. The Argus newspaper (Melbourne) (1887) The Sulieman Pasha Co., 06 August 1887. The Age newspaper (Melbourne) (1888) Miners Wages at Ballarat. Strike at the Sulieman Pasha. Other Claims Shortening Hands, 15 January 1888 The Age newspaper (Melbourne) (1888) Fatal Mining Accident, 12 March 1888. The Ballarat Star newspaper (1893) Sulieman Pasha Company, 17 January 1893. The Ballarat Star newspaper (1898) Sulieman Pasha Company, 01 December 1898. The Age newspaper (Melbourne) (1902) Country News. Ballarat, 20 June 1902. The Ballarat Star newspaper (1907) Subsidence at the Ballarat East. Sulieman Pasha Shaft Caves In, 27 May 1907. The Argus newspaper (Melbourne) (1930) Sulieman Pasha Mine, 05 June 1930. Centenary Gold Monument, Albert and Sturt streets Ballarat. Select Mineral List Type Standard Detailed Strunz Dana Chemical Elements Mineral List Gold 1 valid mineral. 1 valid mineral. Detailed Mineral List: Gold Formula: Au Reference: The Brisbane Courier newspaper (1868) The Finding of the Welcome Nugget, 22 February 1868. List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification Group 1 - Elements 'Gold' 1.AA.05 Au List of minerals arranged by Dana 8th Edition classification Group 1 - NATIVE ELEMENTS AND ALLOYS Metals, other than the Platinum Group Gold 1.1.1.1 Au List of minerals for each chemical element Au Gold Au Gold Au Regional Geology At the time of writing the Welcome Nugget is the second largest nugget found anywhere in the world at 2217 ounces (99.6% pure gold), only eclipsed eleven years later by the Welcome Stranger Nugget, also found in Victoria.In 1857, twenty-two Cornish miners who had worked in copper mines left Swansea to seek their fortune on the Victorian goldfields. They were Richard Layon, Stephen Garthew (Carthew), William Treloar, William Jeffery, James Oliver, Anthony Guard, James Gundery (Gundrey), Richard Jeffery, William Thomas, John Thomas, Bennet Andrews, Henry Andrews, Philip Mathews, Richard Mitchell, Henry Harris, William Roberts, William Hampton, William Treganza, Francis Webster, James Thomas Sleman (Sleeman), John Caunter, and William Laity. (www.ballaratgenealogy.org). (Other sources may have slightly different spellings for some names).After an unsuccessful attempt at mining at Creswick, they moved to Ballarat, taking up an old alluvial claim at the corner of what is now Humffray and Mair streets, abandoned as worthless by two prior parties. The working miners formed themselves into the Red Hill Co-operative Gold Mining Company, and prior to the Welcome Nugget worked the claim for eight months finding several nuggets from 12 to 45 ounces each. They were the first to introduce steam powered machinery to the Ballarat goldfield.The nugget was uncovered by Richard Jeffery 09 June 1858 (majority sources, some say 8th, some 10th). Jeffery was picking at wash dirt in the roof of a tunnel, when it struck something un-movable and glittering in the dim light. The nugget was heaved to the surface and carted back to Jeffery's house in a wheelbarrow, and stored overnight in the oven.After being displayed in Ballarat and Melbourne, the nugget was sold to the Wittkowski brothers (Julius, Isiodor, Joseph). The brothers decided to make money from the nugget by offering it as first prize in a monster lottery, along with the Nil Desperandum nugget 540 ounces found at Little Bendigo 28 November 1857, and several smaller nuggets as minor prizes. Illustrated pamphlets were distributed across Australia, England and Europe, until the government stopped the lottery. Overseas agents kept the money paid for the tickets, and the brothers lost much money.The nugget was sold to a Professor Anderson, showman and conjurer, possibly Scottish born John Henry Anderson, a well known and successful magician at the time. The nugget was displayed at Crystal Palace, before being sold to the English Royal Mint who melted the nugget down for sovereigns.What happened to the Cornish miners is not recorded apart from passing mentions decades later of whom was still alive. The one exception is Francis Webster, who lived a vagrant lifestyle still searching for the next big find. In old age, and of unstable mind, he was found wandering without clothes near the site of the original find in 1907. He was committed to a benevolent asylum where he died in 1909.A small granite monument erected in 1934 marks the spot of the find. A model of the nugget is displayed at the Gold Museum (and several other museums worldwide), opposite Sovereign Hill in Ballarat. This geological map and associated information on rock units at or nearby to the coordinates given for this locality is based on relatively small scale geological maps provided by various national Geological Surveys. This does not necessarily represent the complete geology at this locality but it gives a background for the region in which it is found. Click on geological units on the map for more information. Click here to view full-screen map on Macrostrat.org alluvium 38485 Age: Anthropocene (0 - 0.0117 Ma) Description: Channel and flood plain alluvium; gravel, sand, silt, clay; may be locally calcreted Comments: regolith; synthesis of multiple published descriptions Lithology: Regolith Reference: Raymond, O.L., Liu, S., Gallagher, R., Zhang, W., Highet, L.M. Surface Geology of Australia 1:1 million scale dataset 2012 edition. Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia). [5] Paleozoic sedimentary rocks Age: Paleozoic (427.4 - 541 Ma) Comments: Lachlan Fold Belt Lithology: Sedimentary rocks Reference: Chorlton, L.B. Generalized geology of the world: bedrock domains and major faults in GIS format: a small-scale world geology map with an extended geological attribute database. doi: 10.4095/223767. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 5529. [154] Data and map coding provided by Macrostrat.org, used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License References Sort by Year (asc) Year (desc) Author (A-Z) Author (Z-A) The Brisbane Courier newspaper (1868) The Finding of the Welcome Nugget, 22 February 1868. Darling Downs Gazette newspaper (1907) The 'Welcome Nugget', 07 January 1907. The Register newspaper (1907) The Welcome Nugget, 21 January 1907. The Argus newspaper (Melbourne) (1909) The Welcome Nugget, 29 May 1909. The Western Champion and General Advertiser for the Central Western Districts newspaper (Barcaldine), The Welcome Nugget, 18 August 1918. The Age newspaper (Melbourne) (1934) The 'Welcome Nugget' Memorial Unveiled at Ballarat, 09 June 1934. The Age newspaper (Melbourne) (1941) The Welcome Nugget, 07 June 1941. Albury Banner Wodonga Express and Riverina Stock Journal (1941) Ballarat Remembers 'Welcome Nugget' Find, 13 June 1941. External Links The Grand Valley State volleyball team secured another dominant win on their home floor, taking down the Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers 3-1 by scores of 25-17, 25-23, 23-25, and 25-10. With the win, GVSU improves to 9-4 overall and 2-3 in GLIAC action while the Rangers fall to 3-10 overall and 1-4 in conference matchups. GVSU will once again hit the road next weekend, as they take the long trip up to the Upper Peninsula to battle Northern Michigan on Friday (Sept. 21) at 7:00 PM and Michigan Tech on Saturday (Sept. 22) at 2:00 PM. While the Lakers attack percentage was well down from their 3-0 sweep of Purdue Northwest last night, they still managed to hit .197 but more importantly, they held the Rangers to just a .045 clip, including two sets where WP hit in the negative. In terms of the other team statistics however, the Lakers and Rangers were nearly identical, with GVSU holding slight edges in kills (48-45) and assists (47-44) while the teams tied with 65 digs and 10 total team blocks. The Lakers also held a 7-1 advantage in service aces. Staci Brower continues to give opposing teams problems, as she once again led the team with 12 kills while hitting an impressive .417 while also totaling seven block assists and one solo rejection as well. Jillian Butsavich was also efficient on offense, attacking at a .350 clip while adding nine kills and a block assist as well. Murdock added eight kills of her own while setter Ashlyn Kartes tallied a season-best five blocks, making four assisted rejections and one solo rejection. The first set opened in favor of the Rangers, as they scored the first two points of the match before opening up a 7-3 advantage to start the day. The Lakers slowly dug their way out of the hole, eventually tying the match at 10-all before scoring six straight after a 12-10 deficit to take the 16-12 advantage. That run was only ended due to a Laker service error and GVSU got right back to work the following point, rattling off another four straight to force a WP timeout. Out of the break, the teams traded three-point runs to bring the score to 23-17 and GVSU managed to tally the final two points with a kill from Abby Graham and a final attack error by the Rangers for the 25-17 victory and the 1-0 lead in the match. Set two was strikingly similar to the first set, as the teams battled back and forth to start things off before Parkside managed to open up the 13-9 lead thanks to a five-point run after a 9-9 tie. Following a Laker timeout, GVSU quickly bounced back and tied the match at 14. The two teams would then go back and forth, tying six times before the sets end. Luckily for the Lakers, they were the team to break the trend and scored the final two points thanks to a Brower kill and another Ranger error for the 25-23 victory. Once again, the Rangers would open and early lead, going up 8-5 after thanks to a four-point scoring run. GVSU would bounce back just a few points later, tying the match at 10 before taking the 13-11 lead. GVSU maintained that two-point lead over the next few points, even moving it out to three, 17-14, but the Rangers would get into a rhythm the Lakers just couldn't seem to break and scored seven of the next eight points to turn their deficit into a 21-18 lead. The Lakers would tie the set at 22 but Parkside used their momentum to carry them to the third set victory, 25-23, and cut GVSU's lead to one set, 2-1. The Lakers came out firing in the third set, going up 7-3 early and forcing a Parkside timeout following a six-point run. The Rangers scored the next point out of the break but GVSU would erupt for 10-straight points to take a commanding 17-4 lead. From there, the Lakers would coast to a fourth set victory, 25-10, and secure the match 3-1. Update: No new applications were submitted after 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15, per city officials. JACKSON, MI - At least eight new applicants have thrown their names into the hat as Jackson City Council searches for a new member to fill the vacant 5th Ward seat. Eight residents submitted applications by the 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15. Potential applicants had until 5 p.m. Friday to turn in an applications, but officials in the city attorney's office couldn't be reached after the deadline Friday. The new candidates will be interviewed by City Council starting at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 17 at City Hall, 161 W. Michigan Ave. City Council may vote Monday to select the next 5th Ward representative, but could push it to another meeting. The three candidates who were already in the running - Susan Murdie, Peter Bormuth and Charles Keeling - will not interview again, but could still be considered for the seat. The 5th Ward, which represents downtown Jackson, has been without representation since June 12. Andrew Frounfelker resigned from the position after being charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm or assault by strangulation. The eight new candidates are Robert Cole, John Collis, Anthony Donoho, Stacy Guthrie, Stacy Harrison, Kelsey Heck, David Jones and Lisa Neino. Here's basic information on the new candidates, based on their applications. Robert Cole Cole was initially disqualified after applying for the position earlier this summer, but that was because he missed the original deadline. He's now applied again since the city reopened the application process. Cole has an architecture degree from the University of Michigan, and owned Architonics in Jackson. He closed the business in 2016 to retire after 44 years. John Collis Collis is a real estate broker for NC Development Group, a company he opened in 2007. He's worked in real estate since 1996. Collis graduated from high school in Connersville, Indiana. Anthony Donoho After 20 years as a postal worker, Donoho started Donoho Legal PLC to practice law in 2012. He has a computer information systems degree from Baker College and a Juris Doctor from Western Michigan's Cooley Law School. Stacy Guthrie Guthrie has been a social studies teacher at Jackson Preparatory and Early College since 2015. The Central Michigan University graduate studied secondary education, anthropology, history and religion. She's also worked as a paraprofessional and substitute teacher in various parts of Michigan before starting in Jackson. Stacy Harrison Harrison applied in the first group of applicants earlier this summer, but was one of the five disqualified. While she's been a 5th Ward voter, Harrison said she was disqualified for having her second house outside the city deemed as her primary residence. She has since changed her primary residence to her 5th Ward home and has asked the council to reconsider her. Harrison, a member of the city's public arts commission, donated to Mayor Derek Dobies campaign before the 2017 election. She also has experience with the community food pantry and Jackson Friendly Home board. Past studies include textile design and real estate. Harrison is a costume designer and wardrobe stylist. Kelsey Heck Heck is a data director for America Votes in Lansing. She's previously worked in constituent relations for the Michigan House of Representatives and as a regional field director for Gretchen Driskell for Congress in 2016. David Jones Jones works as security for Jackson County and has a criminal justice degree from Siena Heights University. He's working on his Juris Doctor from Western Michigan's Cooley Law School. Lisa Neino Neino is a substitute teacher with EDUstaff. She has a degree in accounting from Baker College and studied cosmetology at the Jackson Area Career Center. She's formerly worked for the Community Action Agency and in customer service. HOWARD TOWNSHIP, MI - An 11-year-old boy died Saturday after drowning at a friend's birthday pool party, according to the Cass County Sheriff's office. The boy's name is being withheld by deputies out of respect for his family, according to a news realease issued by the sheriff's office. The case remains under investigation but the boy's death appears to be an accident. Deputies responded around 8:58 p.m. Saturday to an address on M-51 in Howard Township an a report of a drowning at a birthday pool party. Investigators wrote in the release that several children in the pool noticed the 11-year-old boy lying down at the bottom and brought him back up to the surface. Parents on scene attempted CPR and called emergency first responders. The boy was taken to Lakeland Hospital in Niles, Michigan by ambulance but was pronounced dead at the hospital. The Berrien County Sheriff's Office, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, SMCAS Life Support, Pokagon Tribal Police and the Howard Township and Niles fire departments assisted Cass County deputies on scene. Anyone with any information on the incident is encouraged to call the Cass County Sheriff's Office at 269-445-1560. BERRIEN TOWNSHIP, MI - A 32-year-old bicyclist died Saturday afternoon after a being struck by a vehicle operated by a suspected drunk driver, according to the Berrien County Sheriff's Office. The cyclist has been identified as Todd Harrington, 32, of Berrien Springs, Michigan, according to a news release issued by the sheriff's office. Harrington was pronounced dead at the scene. A 23-year-old woman from Niles, Michigan was arrested in connection with the crash after she fled the scene, according to the release. She is being charged with one count of operating while intoxicated causing death, and another count of leaving the scene of a fatal crash. Her name was withheld pending arraignment. Deputies wrote that preliminary tests showed the woman had a blood-alcohol content more than three-times the legal limit when she was arrested later that evening. Deputies responded at around 4 p.m. Saturday to Pokagon Road near Jones Road in Berrien Township on a report of a hit and run injury crash. Investigators said witnesses saw a smaller Ford SUV strike a bicyclist, who would later be identified as Harrington. Upon arrival, deputies confirmed that Harrington had died, according to the release. Witnesses also provided deputies with a license plate number for the suspected vehicle, which helped the sheriff's office track down the registered driver to an address in Niles. The sheriff's Niles Township patrol located the female driver and made an arrest, the release reads. Berrien Springs/Oronoko Township police, Michigan State Police, SMCAS Life Support and the Eau Claire fire department assisted deputies on scene. meeting,board room,meetings,meet,panel Nearly 2.1 million individuals, out of 3.3 million 'active directors', have failed to register their basic information under the newly-mandated know-your-customer (KYC) requirement to be eligible for board positions in companies, according to a report by The Times of India. The deadline set by Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) for the same was September 15. Moneycontrol had first reported that about 1.8 million independent directors serving on boards of thousands of companies could actually turn out to be dummies, according to initial trends of the government drive initiated to weed out fake names being listed as genuine directors. As part of the mega KYC drive, company directors had to provide their passport, PAN number and contact details, such as personal phone number and email addresses. Out of 3.3 million directors (expected to carry out know your customer or KYC process) only 1.5 million or 40-50 percent could be genuine. There is a likelihood that the rest are dummy directors, who are not updating even their basic information such as phone numbers and email ids, a senior government official had told Moneycontrol. The ministry is likely to freeze the Director Identification Numbers (DIN) of those who failed to meet the new guidelines as it is unlikely to extend the deadline, the report suggests. DIN is a unique number allotted to individuals who are eligible to have directorship on the boards of registered companies. The company directors were required to link their Aadhaar and PAN numbers with DINs. DIN holders were also required to sign a form that needs to be authenticated by a chartered accountant or a company secretary. The move was aimed at weeding out fake names being listed as genuine directors. This was a part of the governments larger strategy to clamp down on shell or paper companies that seek to operate outside regulatory boundaries. Many such companies are under the authorities lens for allegedly serving as conduits of undisclosed funds to evade taxes. The ineligible directors can become eligible after they comply with the registration requirement and pay a fee of Rs 5,000, the report adds. Shell companies and bogus directors are conceived as key channels for generating black money as funds are transferred through a web of companies, whose real ownership is not easily available. Thus, the government has been working towards weeding them out. The case was filed following a complaint by Bank of India. State-run Bank of India is looking to raise nearly Rs 1,000 crore through selling stake in some of its non-core assets and real estate properties. The bank expects to raise around Rs 800 crore through sale of its stake in non-banking finance company - STCI Finance - and in Sidbi, by the third quarter of the current financial year. The lender has also lined up some of its real estate assets to sell and expects to raise nearly Rs 200 crore through the sale, a source said. The lender holds 29.96 per cent stake in STCI Finance, while it owns 2.84 per cent in Sidbi. "The bank is planning to sell its entire stake in STCI Finance. It expects to raise around Rs 500 crore from the deal," the source said. The government-owned bank is hoping to raise another Rs 300 crore through the Sidbi deal, he said. It has already appointed nine merchant bankers to scout for potential buyers. Last year also, the public sector lender had planned to sell its stake in STCI Finance but dropped it after the bids received were below expectations. STCI Finance is a systemically important non-deposit taking NBFC, offering loans in the areas of capital markets, real estate, corporate finance and structured finance. It has two subsidiaries - STCI Primary Dealer and STCI Commodities. The Mumbai-based bank had raised Rs 540 crore in June 2016 by selling 18 per cent stake in its life insurance venture - Star Union Dai-iche Life Insurance. Currently, the bank owns 28.96 per cent, while the Union Bank of India and the Dai-ichi Life Insurance hold 25.10 per cent and 45.94 per cent respectively in Star Union Dai-ichi Life Insurance. In the quarter ended June 30, 2018, the bank reported a 8.44 per cent increase in its net profit at Rs 95.11 crore as against Rs 87.71 crore in the year-ago period. The bank's gross non-performing assets stood at 16.66 per cent, while net NPA was at 8.45 per cent. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Coal India wants a policy on coal exports before it could finalise commercial contracts for exporting the dry fuel, a senior CIL official said. "There is need for a policy. But, we are not aggressive as we are facing high demand in the domestic market and the initial aim is to fulfil that," the senior Coal India official told PTI. "We are in process of dialogue for export to Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan to create a market for long term. A very small quantity of coal is exported to neighbouring countries through bilateral agreements," he said. Earlier, government was planning to export coal with high ash content or of higher grades. Coal India was scouting for export opportunity at the time when pithead coal stock was high as close to 70 million tonne in May 2017. Pithead coal finds comparatively low interest due to evacuation and cost issues. With sudden spiralling demand from the power sector, the pithead stock had reduced to 23 million tonne now. In the recent months the miner was failing to fulfil coal demand for power and non-power sectors like aluminium and cement sector. Coal India had revised its internal production target to 652 million tonne against 630 million tonne fixed earlier following pressure from the ministry to increase production. 3. Beware of the start-stop scam. A common method pumps use to scam motorists is filling up a lower amount by mistake. For example, say you have asked for fuel worth Rs 1,500. The attendant fills up only Rs 500 worth and after being pointed out his mistake goes ahead and pretends to reset the machine and fills up to Rs 1,000. All the while, you could be under the impression that you received Rs 1,500 worth of fuel. (Representative image) live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Fuel prices continued the upward trajectory to break their own records of highest rates and touch the fresh highs across the country on September 16. The petrol price is marching towards the Rs 90 per litre-mark in Mumbai on the day with an increase of 28 paise per litre. The revised price of petrol was recorded at Rs 89.29/litre. The diesel price also jumped 19 paise per litre and touched Rs 78.26/litre, highest ever in Mumbai, according to a price notification issued by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC). In Delhi, the petrol reached close to the Rs 82/litre-mark. As per the state-owned oil company, the fuel price shot to Rs 81.91/litre with an increase of 28 paise/litre. The diesel touched Rs 73.72/litre, up 18 paise for a litre from September 15. The hike was higher in Chennai, as compared to Mumbai and Delhi. The increase in petrol price was recorded at 30 paise/litre in the city, reaching a new high of Rs 85.15/litre. Diesel is priced at Rs 77.94/litre after recording an increase of 20 paise/litre. Another metropolitan city Kolkata also witnessed a price hike but the increase was slightly lower compared to other cities. The petrol price was hiked by 27 paise, while diesel 18 paise, for a litre each. The revised prices were Rs 83.76/litre and Rs 75.57/litre for petrol and diesel, respectively. Petrol & Diesel Rates Yesterday Petrol Rate in Mumbai Yesterday Current Petrol Price Per Litre 110 110 View more Diesel Rate in Mumbai Yesterday Current Petrol Price Per Litre 94 94 View more Show Fuel prices have been on a rise since mid-August, rising almost every day due to a combination of a drop in rupee value against the US dollar and the rise in crude oil prices. The Opposition parties led by Congress had on September 10 called for a nationwide shutdown to protest against the escalating prices of fuel and other essential items. They have been constantly calling for a cut in excise duty to cushion the spike in fuel prices. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah has blamed international developments as a root cause for the rising petrol and diesel prices and dipping rupee value. Shah had said that the Centre will come out with a solution soon. The BJP chief on his visit to Hyderabad on September 15, said, It was due to some developments that took place globally. (The) Trade war between US and China and issues between the US and oil-producing countries. Because of these global reasons these developments are taking place. We are also concerned about this. A solution is also being found out. Within a short time, the government will take a stand on these issues and come out." live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More This was an action-packed week for the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors with the ban on fixed drug combinations (FDCs), fresh developments in the Singh brothers' saga and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries' US Food and Drug Administration approval. FDC ban This week saw the government banning 329 Fixed Drug Combinations (FDCs). FDC is a cocktail of two or more drug ingredients. The government took the decision after the sub-committee headed by Nilima Kshirsagar under the Drug Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) gave its recommendation supporting the ban. The government ban mostly covered drug cocktails for treating cold and cough, antibiotics, painkillers, anti-depressants, diabetic drugs, among others. The sales of these drugs accounted for 0.8 percent, or around Rs 1,040 crore, of the total sales in Indian Pharmaceutical Market in the year ended August 2018, according to pharmaceutical market research firm AIOCD. Another 15 FDCs largely cold and cough brands have managed to escape the ban, as they were approved before 1988. These are said to be worth over Rs 750 crore including brands such as Abbott's Phensedyl Cough Linctus, Griffon's Grilinctus, Ciplas Cofdex, Nocold and Bromolin, Glenmarks Ascoril C, Intas' Despol and Reckitt Benckiser's D-Cold Total. FDCs in India is a controversial subject. While WHO recommends just 25 FDCs for treating specific diseases like HIV, hepatitis-C, malaria and tuberculosis, in India, there is a combination for almost every drug. Most of them exist to bypass the drug price controls imposed by the government. Singh brothers' saga There is no end in sight for Singh brothers' saga. Just a week after Shivinder Singh filed a petition in National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) against his elder brother Malvinder Singh and for Religare executive Sunil Godhwani, alleging 'oppression and mismanagement' of RHC Holding, Religare Enterprises and Fortis Healthcare, he withdrew the case citing respect for their mother. Shivinder went on to make serious allegations against brothers like misappropriation of funds, forgery and pushing the group into a debt trap. Shivinder said that he wants to settle the case amicably with his brother, but the split will stand. But Shivinder's complaint was damaging for the brothers as Religare Enterprises moved NCLT against brothers to recover siphoned funds. The brothers have lost management control over Fortis and Religare and are facing heat from Japanese drug maker Daichii Sankyo, which is trying to enforce a Rs 3,500-crore arbitration award it got from a tribunal in Singapore. Last month, Fortis shareholders' approved a sale of their company to Malaysias IHH Healthcare for $1.1 billion. Sun Pharma gets US nod to Xelpros India's largest drug maker Sun Pharma announced that it got an approval from USFDA for its specialty opthalmic drug Xelpros, which is used to treat chronic eye disease glaucoma. Interestingly, the New Drug Application (NDA) of Xelpros was filed from the Halol site in Gujarat. The approval from Halol site is significant as it comes after the recent noise surrounding the observations received by the facility. USFDA had withheld approvals from this facility for four years due to a warning letter but cleared the facility early this year. Sun Pharma management earlier indicated that the peak sales guidance of Xeplros is expected to be in the range of $50-$75 million over two to three years. Indian Pharmaceutical Market grew 8.7 percent in August The Indian pharmaceutical market (IPM) grew at 8.7 percent in August, much slower than in July due to lacklustre sales of anti-infective drugs, according to market research firm AIOCD-AWACS. In July, the industry grew at the fastest past of 12.7 percent. IPM grew close to 10 percent in first five months of this financial year FY19, returning to the 10 percent growth of FY17. In FY18, the growth dropped to 6.1 percent in the run-up to GST and its subsequent implementation. The IPM reported sales of Rs 11,342 crore for August. Tech Mahindra has terminated the services of an employee, who was accused of bigotry against an ex-staff member. The company has assured Gaurav Pramanik, the former employee who is gay, that it would carry out an internal investigation against the accused, who heads the diversity and inclusion team. Pramanik had in a tweet said that his former manager had made derogatory remarks against homosexuals and Muslims. @gauravpramanik,arising out of an investigation carried out in the matter,the concerned employee has been separated from the employment of the company with immediate effect. At Tech Mahindra,we believe in diversity & inclusion & condemn discrimination of any kind in the workplace Tech Mahindra (@tech_mahindra) September 15, 2018 This comes two weeks after the Supreme Court decriminalised consensual gay sex. Tech Mahindra faced online criticism after Pramanik went public with the charges against the team leader, said that it will undertake a "thorough investigation and take steps as necessary". Mahindra Group Executive Chairman Anand Mahindra and Tech Mahindra CEO CP Gurnani also responded to Pramanik's statement. "Gaurav, you have my personal assurance that this will be thoroughly investigated. We remain committed to supporting and promoting a diverse workforce at TechM," Gurnani tweeted. I can categorically assure you that we celebrate diversity in our workplace. Our Code of Conduct is explicit on this subject. Fairness & dignity of the individual is enshrined in our core values. Tech M is investigating these allegations, and appropriate action will follow... https://t.co/l5rh8VhP8L September 11, 2018 Gaurav, you have my personal assurance that this will be thoroughly investigated. We remain committed to supporting and promoting a diverse workforce at TechM. CP Gurnani (@C_P_Gurnani) September 11, 2018 Pramanik publicly acknowledged Tech Mahindra's move to suspend his former boss's employment. I stand vindicated. Thank you to all those who've been steadfastly supporting me. I have nothing but appreciation for all your support and words of encouragement. https://t.co/cSvW1exlNC GauravProbirPramanik (@gauravpramanik) September 15, 2018 Pramanik added that he would like to know what policy changes Tech Mahindra will make to ensure that such incidents don't repeat. Answer: Donald Trump. US President Donald Trump is likely to announce new tariffs on about $200 billion on Chinese imports as early as September 17, a senior administration official told Reuters. The tariff level will probably be about 10 percent, the Wall Street Journal reported, quoting people familiar with the matter. This is below the 25 percent the administration said it was considering for this possible round of tariffs. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The upcoming tariffs will be on a list of items that included $200 billion worth of internet technology products and other electronics, printed circuit boards and consumer goods including Chinese seafood, furniture and lighting products, tires, chemicals, plastics, bicycles and car seats for babies. It was unclear if the administration will exempt any of the products that were on the list, which was announced in July. On September 14, White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said Trump "has been clear that he and his administration will continue to take action to address China's unfair trade practices. We encourage China to address the long-standing concerns raised by the Unites States." Trump had already directed aides to proceed with tariffs, despite Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's attempts to restart trade talks with China. One observer in the business sector said the administration may have reduced its planned tariff level after hearing public comments, hoping companies would not immediately hike prices for consumer goods to pass along the costs. Still, the additional tariffs could complicate trade talks with China expected later this month. Trump has demanded that China cut its $375 billion trade surplus with the United States, end policies aimed at acquiring U.S. technologies and intellectual property and roll back high-tech industrial subsidies. This week, the world's two largest economies appeared to be making progress on trade. Treasury invited senior Chinese officials, including Vice Premier Liu He, for more talks. The administration has already levied duties on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods following a study on China's intellectual property practices released earlier this year. On September 7, Trump warned that he had further tariffs ready to go on $267 billion worth of Chinese imports beyond those that will be targeted this week. If all of the tariffs were invoked, total imports from China facing tariffs would exceed the $505 billion in goods that the United States imported from China last year. This year, imports from China through July were up nearly 9 percent from the same period of 2017, according to US Census Bureau data. Central observers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are expected to arrive in Goa Sunday to take stock of the political situation, even as the opposition Congress says it is watching the developments and will explore the possibility of forming government in the state. The coastal state, currently ruled by the BJP-led government, is witnessing hectic political activity as Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who has been ailing since sometime, has been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. BJP's central observers B L Santhosh and Ram Lal are likely to arrive in Goa Sunday afternoon to take stock of the political situation and initiate a discussion with party leaders and alliance partners for a possible merger. The Parrikar-led government is ruling the state with the support of the Goa Forward Party (GFP), the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and Independents. "The central observers will meet BJP legislators and office-bearers followed by a meeting with the GFP, MGP and Independents," a senior BJP leader said. BJP leader Michael Lobo, who is the deputy speaker of the Goa Assembly, had told PTI Saturday that the party emissaries would suggest to allies that they should become part of the saffron party. "A proposal will be made to the GFP and MGP, asking them to merge with the BJP. Only after that, we will take up issues such as who will be the next chief minister or who will take over the charge or anything related to it," Lobo said. The BJP currently has 14 legislators in the 40-member assembly while the GFP, the MGP and Independents have three each. The Congress has 16 MLAs while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has one legislator. Meanwhile, the Congress said it was watching the developments and may explore the possibility of forming government in Goa but "not by compromising the state's interest". "Our stand is very clear. We will definitely explore all possibilities but that does not mean that we will do it by compromising the ideology or the interest of Goans," All India Congress Committee secretary A Chellakumar, who is also Goa in-charge of the party, said. "We are not in a hurry to capture power by compromising the interest of the people of Goa. The Congress is accountable to the people," he added. Chellakumar said his party was watching the developments in the state. "All our MLAs are together. We are simply watching what is going on in the ruling camp. The internal bickering has already started. The cabinet ministers have started throwing stones on each other," he said. The Congress leader said all legislators in Goa, cutting across party lines, should take a stand for the sake of the state. "All this time there was no government at all in Goa since the BJP took over in 2017. The governance was totally nil. The BJP has miserably failed in all aspects. So why you (referring to allies) take onus of all these things by being part of that government?" he said. Chellakumar said it is the time for legislators who went with the BJP to rectify their mistake. "It is in their hand whether to remain in the same sinking boat or leave it. They are there against the wishes of people of Goa and against the wishes of their own voters," he said referring to MLAs of parties having an alliance with the ruling BJP. Parrikar, 62, was admitted to the AIIMS Saturday morning. He had undergone a three-month-long treatment in the United States for pancreatic ailment earlier this year. The MGP had said Saturday it was "high time" Parrikar handed over the charge to the senior-most minister in his cabinet during his absence. Narendra Modi will celebrate his 68th birthday in his constituency of Varanasi on September 17. The prime minister is expected to spend the day with schoolchildren from villages located in the district. The administration is working around the clock to welcome the PM and celebrate his birthday as soon as they received information about him arriving in the holy city on a two-day visit. PM's itinerary In the first leg of the visit, Modi will meet children from a primary school in Naraur village, located in the Kashi Vidyapeeth Block of Varanasi district, said Gyanesh Joshi, district media in-charge of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Modi will spend some time with students, while talking to them about their lives and importance of education, Joshi added. After Naraur, he will head to Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) guest house to spend the rest of the day with children of his adopted villages -- Jayapur, Nagepur and Kakrahia. The prime minister will also attend a special screening of Chalo Jeete Hain -- a movie inspired by his life -- along with the children. On September 18, Modi is scheduled to address a gathering at Banaras Hindu University's (BHU's) amphitheater. The prime minister is expected to make important announcements relating to the welfare of the city, Joshi said. BJP workers have planned elaborate celebrations on the day. Party workers have suggested that the day will start with them worshipping Lord Shiva at an ancient temple in Naraur village. To mark Modi's birthday, medical camps will be setup at 68 locations across the district and 68 major spots will be illuminated with lamps. Special prayer services will also be held in 68 temples in the district for the well-being of the PM. In 2014, Modi contested the Lok Sabha polls from the Varanasi seat for the first time. He had beaten Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)'s Arvind Kejriwal from and Congress' Ajay Rai with a comfortable margin. Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on September 15 asked officials to destroy seized stocks of liquor within 15 days and ordered an immediate action against police personnel involved in flouting prohibition law in the state. Kumar issued the instructions while charing a high-level review meeting on prohibition, at his official residence. He directed authorities that stocks of alcohol, which were at present lying in police stations and other places, must be disposed off by September 30. Prohibition law was imposed in the state by the Nitish Kumar government in April 2016. Taking a grim view of reports of involvement of policemen in flouting the stringent prohibition law, he said such officials had "no right to remain in government service" and called for an "immediate action" against them by the superintendents of police concerned. Taking note of the fact that after prohibition, liquor was being smuggled into Bihar primarily from states like Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh, Kumar asked officials to try and "trace out the source". "Liquor is also being brought through waterways, especially in districts like Vaishali, Chhapra (Saran) and Patna. District police chiefs concerned should sit together and find a way out", the chief minister was quoted as saying in an official release. He asked officials to keep a watch on those involved in liquor trade prior to the enforcement of complete prohibition in the state two years ago. Kumar also stressed on the need for monthly review meetings by the DGP, the principal secretary (home), the ADG economic offences wing and the IG (Prohibition). "Regular meetings will help in sorting out any problem that crops up in the implementation of liquor ban," he said, adding that meetings should be held on a fortnightly basis in all districts by the respective DMs and SPs to keep "a tight watch on prohibition scenario". He also said a campaign would be launched on October 2, on Mahatama Gandhi's birth anniversary for "creating moral awareness about the need for abstinence from alcohol". Chief Secretary Deepak Kumar, DGP K S Dwivedi, Princiapl Secretary (Home, Prohibition and Excise) Amir Subhani and Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Chanchal Kumar attended the meeting among others. All zonal IGs, divisional commissioners, DIGs of respective ranges, DMs and SPs were also connected through video conferencing. By West Kentucky Star Staff Sep. 15, 2018 | 11:20 AM | MCCRACKEN COUNTY Deputies found both Prater and Bettencourt allegedly in possession of methamphetamine smoking pipes and paraphernalia containing quantities of suspected methamphetamine. Both Prater and Bettencourt were arrested and charged with 1st degree possession of a controlled substance, (methamphetamine), 1st offense, and possession of drug paraphernalia. They were both taken to the McCracken County Regional Jail. Two Paducah residents were arrested on drug charges at the Country Aire Mobile Home Park.McCracken County Sheriff's deputies were called about a disturbance at the mobile home park on Clarks River Road, where they found 48-year old Eddie J. Prater, Jr., and 34-year-old Pamela L. Bettencourt walking on the street. Maurya gestures as he addresses an election campaign rally Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on September 15 mocked Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav over efforts to unite the opposition, saying he could not even keep his family together. "A person who could not keep his family as a unit, how will he cooperate with his 'bua' (aunt)," he said in an apparent reference to Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati. Akhilesh Yadav has in the past referred to the BSP leader as 'bua'. Maurya was addressing a meeting of the 'Yadav samaj' organised by the party's OBC Morcha here. "Akhilesh Yadav ran government for five years. But, what example did he present?" Maurya said. "He snatched the chair and post of party president, which was held by his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, and also misbehaved with uncle Shivpal Yadav," he added. Maurya said be it the 2014 Lok Sabha elections or UP Assembly elections in 2017, without the support of 'Yaduvanshis' (Yadavs), the BJP could not have won. "And without the Yaduvanshis, we would not be able to register victory in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Hence, it is my appeal that 'Lotus' should bloom at the booths dominated by Yaduvanshis," he said. The deputy chief minister also said that the BJP is aiming to win 74 of the 80 seats of the state in 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Maurya said, "The upcoming election will be an election to make India the number one country in the world, and for this everyone has to unite and give the reins of power to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "I am sure that 'Yaduvansh' will support Modiji in 2019," he said. In a tweet, Maurya also said Yadavs are not with "opportunists" and are with "nationalism and developmentalism". "The victory of the BJP in Yadav-dominated polling booths in 2014-2017 is an indicator that members of the community in UP are not with avsarwaadiya (opportunists), but are with rashtrawaad (nationalism) and vikaswaad (developmentalism)," he said. Later speaking to reporters, Maurya said, "I can say with confidence that the performance of the BJP in the state can be easily seen and experienced, and hence the BJP is getting support from all sections of the society." He added, "I have no hesitation in saying that in UP the wave of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP is much stronger as compared to the country. "In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, we will improve our tally of victory, which we had achieved in 2014 (Lok Sabha polls) and 2017 (UP Assembly elections)," Maurya said. Supporters of Congress party are framed by the party's symbols installed at the venue where Rahul Gandhi is addressing a rally at Bardoli The Gujarat Congress on September 15 said it would move a no-confidence motion against the Vijay Rupani government which it claimed had failed on all fronts and had lost the faith of the people. The two-day monsoon session of the Gujarat Assembly begins on September 18. Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar on September 15 that he had submitted a no-confidence motion notice against the BJP government in the state. "This government has failed on all fronts, whether it is the issue of farmers, rising cost of education and living, corruption...which is why we have moved the no-confidence motion," Parmar said. Parmar said that among the issues on which the government has failed are those related to farmers. He claimed that the state government did not come up with a loan waiver scheme for farmers nor did it ensure proper supply of water for irrigation or offer them a good support price for crops. The government had also not been able to control private school fees despite coming out with a fee regulation act which has been a failure, Parmar said. The government failed to initiate a proper probe into the alleged groundnut procurement scam, which involves some top-ranking government officials and ministers, he alleged. The Congress had demanded a probe by a committee headed by a sitting High Court judge, but the government, instead, set up a committee under a retired judge to look into incidents of fire in groundnut godowns, the MLA said. The state government had also failed on the law and order front, he said. "The government should discuss the motion if it believes in taking all stakeholders together in running the state. We will ensure that we are not suspended from the House," he said. Earlier, the opposition party had, during the budget session this year, moved a no-confidence motion against Assembly Speaker Rajendra Trivedi after accusing him of being partisan. The opposition party withdrew the motion after the BJP agreed to reduce the duration of suspension of three Congress MLAs till the end of the Budget session. Congress President Rahul Gandhi Congress President Rahul Gandhi will on September 17 launch his party's campaign in the poll bound Madhya Pradesh, known to be a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bastion, from Bhopal, where posters have come up describing him as a devotee of Lord Shiva. He will take part in a roadshow and also address party workers during his day-long visit to the state capital. Gandhi will arrive here by an aircraft at around noon on Monday. He will then embark on a 15-kilometer-long roadshow from Lalghati Chowk, located close to the airport, after seeking the blessings of more than 11 Hindu priests, state party spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi told PTI on Sunday. Gandhi's roadshow, in which he will ride an open vehicle, will conclude at Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd's Dussehra Maidan, where he will interact with party cadres, he added. "A T-shape ramp has been constructed near the stage from where Gandhi is going to take questions from party workers and interact with them," Chaturvedi said. Besides, he is going to address a meeting of Congress workers, which is open to public, before leaving in the evening, he added. "We are upbeat as our leader is coming to launch the election campaign," Chaturvedi said. Ahead of the visit, the main opposition party has put up posters and banners in Bhopal describing the 48-year-old Congress chief, who just returned from a pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar, as a 'Shiv bhakt'. As part of the pilgrimage, devotees undertake an arduous journey to Mount Kailash, which is considered the abode of Lord Shiva in Hindu mythology. Security has been tightened in the city in view of Gandhi's visit, Bhopal Inspector General (IG) of Police Jaideep Prasad said. "We have got an extra force of 1,500 policemen who have already been deputed," he said. Asked about the possibility of protests during the Gandhi's visit, Prasad said they have not yet received any inputs in this regard. "All steps are being taken to maintain law and order. I am personally monitoring the security arrangements and the routes Gandhi is going to pass through," he said. Congress workers are arriving in Bhopal from all over the state to welcome the party chief and take part in the meeting. "We are expecting more than one lakh Congress cadres in the state capital," a police officer said. Meanwhile a BJP leader said party chief Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend a function in Bhopal on September 25. Earlier, a visit by Shah to Ujjain district on September 12 was put off. "It was a tentative programme of Shahji that has been postponed as he along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to grace a function on September 25 here," state BJP spokesperson Rajnish Agrawal said. Preparations are underway to make the September 25 event a huge success. So the September 12 event was put off, he added. Asked whether Shah had deferred his Ujjain visit to avoid the ire of upper caste organisations, Agrawal replied in the negative. On September 6, some upper caste groups called for a 'Bharat Bandh' against Parliament approving amendments in the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act after some of its provisions were read down by the Supreme Court. Four days ahead of the bandh, members of an anti-quota organisation had allegedly hurled a slipper at Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan during a public meeting in Sidhi district and showed him black flags. Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders from Delhi who are visiting Goa on Sunday to assess the political situation in the coastal state against the backdrop of the failing health of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, will ask the alliance partners of the saffron party to consider a merger with it, a senior leader said on September 15. BJP leader Michael Lobo, who is the deputy speaker of the Goa Assembly, told PTI that the party emissaries would suggest to allies Goa Forward Party (GFP) and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) that they should become part of the saffron party. "Right now, our main focus is on increasing the strength of the BJP from 14 to 17 on the floor of the House," Lobo said. BJP national general secretaries Ramlal and BL Santhosh would be arriving on September 16 afternoon, he added. "A proposal will be made to the GFP and MGP, asking them to merge with the BJP. Only after that, we will take up issues such as who will be the next chief minister or who will take over the charge or anything related to it," Lobo said. Parrikar (62) was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on Saturday morning. He had undergone a three-month-long treatment in the United States for a pancreatic ailment earlier this year. The GFP and MGP have three MLAs each and are supporting the BJP-led government in Goa. GFP president Vijai Sardesai was not available for comments, but MGP chief Deepak Dhavalikar ruled out a merger with the BJP. "There is no question of a merger. We are not interested in a merger. It will never happen. We have built the party over several years and it is the hope for the future of Goa's politics," he said. "We have a 12-13 percent vote share in the state, so where is the question of merging?" Dhavalikar asked. Prashant Kishor (left) with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Election campaign strategist Prashant Kishor joined Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) on September 16. Kishor was inducted into the party by Kumar, who is also the national president of the JD(U), at the organisation's state executive meeting which is underway at the chief minister's official residence, sources said. Kumar welcomed the 41-year-old into the party by presenting him with an "angavastram" (stole) and the poll strategist was given a seat next to the chief minister at the state executive meet, they said. It was not immediately known what role he has been assigned to in the party wherein he has been inducted barely a few months ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Earlier, Kishor had tweeted "excited to start my new journey from Bihar". A resident of Buxar district in the state, Kishor had shot to fame in 2014 when he managed the poll campaign for Narendra Modi, then the prime ministerial candidate of the BJP, which went on to put up its best-ever electoral performance. A year later, he collaborated with Kumar who returned to power for his third consecutive term after registering a handsome victory in the assembly polls which the JD(U) had fought in alliance with the RJD and the Congress. The chief minister rewarded Kishor by appointing him as his adviser and giving him a cabinet minister rank. Kishor thereafter worked with the Congress in Punjab where the party returned to power dislodging the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP combine which had been ruling the state for a decade. An order by the chief information commissioner (CIC) to upload information on every tree felling drive in Delhi, since September 2011, has at last been implemented in 2018, with the Delhi government uploading the details on its website recently, revealing that 1,12,169 trees have been cut from 2005 to 2017. https://tinyurl.com/ybsyw2t4 ) The information is available on the website The given information is comprehensive and includes such other aspects like how to apply for tree felling permissions, the number of permissions applied for along with the names of the applicants and so on. Besides the CIC order, it was thanks to advocate Aditya N Prasad who pursued this CIC order and in 2017 filed a petition in the Delhi High Court seeking compliance of the CIC order. Initially, in 2011, a second appeal was filed by Delhi resident Saurabh Sharma, member of the Joint Operation for Social Help, a non-government organization (NGO). He appealed that the details of the provisions of the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act be published on the website of the department. Mr Sharma wrote in his complaint to the CIC that, Section 4 of the RTI Act, envisages suo moto disclosures by all public authorities. The forest department, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (India) (GNCTD) deals with the Delhi Tree Preservation Act. If any tree has to be felled, an application has to be moved with the tree officer, and if the tree officer does not respond within 60 days then the permission is deemed to have been granted. Further if there is a request for felling from the same area on more than two occasions, then no permission shall be granted. This process is quite unclear. Furthermore, there is a tree helpline for complaints against tree felling. The details of all these may please be put up on their website, for the general public and for effective monitoring. Shailesh Gandhi, in his decision on 5 August 2011 as CIC had ordered the Delhi government to upload the following information from time to time, form 1 September 2011, on its website: 1) Details of permissions given for felling and pruning trees, together with the details of applicants, the number of trees, locations, the status of the application and detailed reasons for approval or rejection of the same. This shall be done for all applications received after 1 September 2011. 2) Details of complaints received on the tree helpline, together with the details of the number of trees threatened/ cut, location(s), the status of the complaint and status of prosecution undertaken till the date of final disposal. This shall be done for all complaints received after 1 September 2011. 3) The department shall also publish details regarding monitoring done, if any, for effective implementation of the directions of the High Court of Delhi in the matter of Kalpavriksh vs Union of India & Others W.P. (C) 1772/2007, with regard to the de-concretisation carried out by various civic agencies. All documents and correspondences done with the civic agencies in this regard shall be published on the website. 4) The department shall also publish on the website the projects/studies/surveys undertaken, if any, regarding biodiversity in the neighbourhood parks. All civic agencies carrying out any construction work shall also display, along with the monetary costs and details of the project, the environmental cost, indicating the number of trees being felled. Based on Mr Sharmas complaint, the CIC issued a notice dated 23 February 2011 to the additional principal chief conservator of forests, GNCTD, to provide information on the total number of applications received by the department, seeking permission felling/cutting trees in the year 2009-10 and the total number of complaints received by the department on the tree helpline in the year 2009-10. But CIC did not receive a reply. CIC Mr Gandhi observed the following in his detailed order: In the landmark judgement of MC Mehta vs Union of India, the scope of Article 21, which deals with the right to life was enlarged and the right to human health and healthy environment along with the right to enjoyment of pollution-free water and air for full enjoyment of life were incorporated in its ambit. Right to clean environment was also comprehended as a right under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. In the United Nations conference on the human environment, known as the Stockholm Declaration of 1972, one of the principles enunciated at the convention is that the natural resources of the earth, including air, water, land, flora and fauna and specific representative samples of natural ecosystems must be safeguarded for the benefit of present and future generations through careful planning and management as appropriate. In the 1992 United Nations conference on environment and development (UNCED), held at Rio De Janiero, it was resolved that environmental issues are best handled with the participation of all concerned citizens, at the relevant level. At the national level, each individual shall have appropriate access to information concerning the environment that is held by public authorities, including information on hazardous materials and activities in their communities, and the opportunity to participate in the decision-making processes. The CIC also observed that, The object of the Act is to provide for the preservation of trees in the state by regulating the felling of trees and for the plantation of adequate number of trees to restore ecological balance and other matters connected therewith. This law is necessary to prevent ecological disturbance and to maintain ecological balance. The ecological balance has been disturbed due to indiscriminate felling of large numbers of trees in the rural and urban areas due to the growing pace of urbanisation, industrialisation and increasing population, which has led to erratic rainfall, recurring famines and floods, soil erosion, etc. Moneylife contacted Mr Gandhi for his comments on how his eight year old order has been implemented now. He says, Most RTI users show little enthusiasm to ensure implementation. RTI activists should obtain orders from commissions on important matters and then ensure implementation by following Aditya Prasad's lead. Mr Gandhi adds, Section 18 (1)(f) of the RTI act mandates that it is the duty of the Commission to receive and inquire into a complaint from any person, in respect of any other matter relating to requesting or obtaining access to records under this Act. This is an extremely powerful and significant provision, which must be used by citizens and commissions to get suo moto disclosure of information. I had issued over a hundred orders under this, and had tried to monitor implementation of some of them. I congratulate advocate Aditya Prasad who has shown the commitment of pursuing the implementation. It is an irony that now the CIC refuses to even register a complaint unless an RTI application is first made to a public information officer (PIO). By such regressive behaviour it has reduced its authority. Ratnakar Gaikwad, former CIC of Maharashtra had also given some landmark orders on my complaints, he added. Some of the important provisions of the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994, are:- Section (9): Procedure for obtaining permission to fell, cut, remove or dispose of, a tree.- 1. Any person desiring to fell or remove or otherwise dispose of, by any means, a tree, shall make an application to the concerned tree officer for permission and such application shall be accompanied by attested copies of such documents as may be prescribed in support of ownership over the land, the number and kind of trees to be cut, their girth measure at a height of 1.85 metres from ground level and the reasons therefore, copy of sajra showing clearly the site and khasra numbers of the property. 2. On receipt of the application, the tree officer may, after inspecting the tree and holding such enquiry as he may deem necessary, either grant permission in whole or in part or for reasons to be recorded in writing, or refuse permission. Provided that such permission may not be refused if the tree:- i. is dead, diseased or wind fallen; or ii. is silviculturally mature, provided it does not occur on a steep slope; or iii. constitutes a danger to life or property or iv. constitutes obstruction to traffic; or v. is substantially damaged or destroyed by fire, lightening, rain or other natural causes ;or vi. is required in rural areas to be cut with a view to appropriating the wood or leaves thereof or any part thereof for bona fide use for fuel, fodder, agricultural implements, or other domestic use. 3. The tree officer shall give his decision within sixty days from the date of receipt of the application: Provided that no permission shall be granted to any person from the same area on more than two occasions during the same year, subject to a maximum area of one hectare at a time. 4. If the tree officer fails to communicate his permission on request within the period specified under sub-section (3), the permission referred to in section 8 shall be deemed to have been granted. 5. Every permission granted under this Act shall be in such form and subject to such conditions, including taking of security for ensuring regeneration of the area and replanting of trees or otherwise, as may be prescribed. Section 10. Obligation to plant trees: Every person, who is granted permission under this Act to fell or dispose of any tree, shall be bound to plant such number and kind of trees in the area from which the tree is felled or disposed of by him under such permission as may be directed by the tree officer: provided that the tree officer may, for reasons to be recorded in writing , permit lesser number of trees to be planted or trees to be planted in any different area or exempt any person from the obligation to plant or tend any tree. Shooting victim says he was pointing his gun at Rittenhouse Last month, the Texas Transportation Commission approved revisions to the 10-year, Unified Transportation Plan (UTP). Key additions approved in the UTP for Midland and Odessa included: Midland --Construction of a new overpass/interchange at Loop 250 and CR 1140 * --Construction of a new overpass at I-20 and Midkiff Road * --Funding for additional improvements along SH 349/FM 1788 from I-20 to SH 191 Odessa --Improvements (lighting and signals) at the intersection of Loop 338 and 52nd/56th streets * --Signals at Yukon and West Loop 338 --Construction of a new interchange/overpass at SH 302 and West 8th Street * --Construction of a new overpass at Yukon and SH 191 --Construction of a new interchange/overpass at Faudree Road and BI-20 * Projects above noted with an asterisk were part of local leveraging efforts by the Midland and Odessa Development corps., as part of a plan developed by MOTRAN to attract additional state resources for transportation infrastructure improvements in the Midland-Odessa area. We had discussions with our board about the ability to utilize some local dollars to leverage additional state funding for critical projects in the area, MOTRAN President James Beauchamp wrote. We began laying out the model and having some initial discussions, but it wasnt until a meeting with the Midland Development Corp. and MDC Chairman Brent Hilliard that the program really took off. Beauchamp said that having that initial buy-in and funding source to leverage these projects was critical. The Midland Development Corp. voted to leverage up to $15 million over the next decade, and soon afterward, the Odessa Development Corp. leveraged $15 million. The commitment of those funds gave the Texas Department of Transportation the justification to begin advancing development and planning of projects that otherwise would not have occurred. Since 2017, roughly half of the initial $30 million in local leverage funds have been fully committed. Those commitments have helped bring about an additional $121.2 million in state funding for Midland-Odessa roadway infrastructure. To put that in perspective, the Midland-Odessa area was only programmed to receive around $173 million in funding for new projects during the 10-year 2017-2026 Unified Transportation Plan. Thats a 70 percent increase, Beauchamp wrote. With the sort of growth we have seen in the region and particularly Midland and Odessa, I dont know that we will catch up with our growing needs anytime soon, but without the support of MDC and ODC, and in particular, Brent Hilliard and Odessa Mayor David Turner, I can tell you we would be a lot further behind. Since 2017, MOTRAN has helped lead the way in bringing a total of over $181 million to the central Permian Basin. Leveraging works, Beauchamp wrote. As we look at over $15 million in funding for improvements directly from sand mining companies that are coming to the area, I think our leveraging model has been very appealing and has spanned both public and private entities that want to see projects get done and sooner rather than later. In the Midland-Odessa area, leveraged projects are allowing for upgrades to Loop 338 in Odessa to facilitate truck traffic around the city and the expansion of Yukon across town to provide relief from congestion on 42nd Street. In Midland, leveraged projects have accelerated the completion of Loop 250 by nearly 20 years. Source: Midland-Odessa Transportation Alliance (MOTRAN) By West Kentucky Star Staff Sep. 13, 2018 | 06:46 PM | FRANKFORT September is National Preparedness Month and thanks to a Rochester, NY-based law enforcement safety group, Kentucky State Police troopers and officers will now be equipped with a simple, proven device designed to help save lives. The Spirit of Blue Foundations Trooper Cameron Ponder Memorial grant provides $83,970 to the Kentucky State Police Foundation (KSPF) for the purchase of tourniquets and duty-belt cases for all of the agencys troopers and officers. The grant is named after KSP Trooper Cameron Ponder, who was killed in the line of duty on Sept. 13, 2015. On behalf of the Kentucky State Police, I would like to thank The Spirit of Blue Foundation for this very generous grant, said KSP Commissioner Rick Sanders. This grant will allow every officer to have immediate access to an effective tool which may save a life of an officer or citizen. Tourniquets are quickly becoming one of our most granted pieces of equipment, explained Ryan T. Smith, executive director of the Spirit of Blue Foundation. The reason is because they are more affordable than most safety equipment and, sadly, officers need this type of lifesaving device more as threats to their lives, and others, become more prevalent. Tourniquets are vital pieces of medical equipment that law enforcement officers can use in the event of a traumatic injury to an extremity. When only precious minutes exist to treat such an injury, tourniquets are able to be applied individually or on a fellow officer to prevent excessive blood loss until that individual can be placed into medical care. As a secondary benefit, officers who carry a tourniquet are also able to use it to treat a member of the community who may have experienced a similar type of injury. In addition to KSPF, which applied for and will administer the grant, KSP Sgt. Clint Collins and Brenda Tiffany, the mother of fallen KSP Trooper Cameron Ponder, were instrumental in obtaining the funding. According to Tiffany, this memorial grant is a very fitting way to help remember her son on the third anniversary of his death. This is the first time I have looked forward to Sept. 13th, she said. Its such a positive contribution on his behalf. Eleven 10, a Westlake, Ohiobased manufacturer of self-aid gear for law enforcement officers, and North American Rescue, a Greer, S.C.-based company, also partnered with the Spirit of Blue Foundation to create the tourniquet/duty belt case package. President Donald Trump has gone so far as to suggest that he possesses "a magic wand" capable of producing unexpectedly robust economic growth. I don't know about a magic wand. But Trump is right about the strong economy: This is a genuine boom. And the greatest threat to it is the president's policy agenda. First, give credit where it is due. The strong economy is not merely a continuation of long-term trends, as the president's critics contend. Before the election, nonpartisan experts were predicting lackluster growth at best, with one estimate suggesting GDP growth of about 1.75 percent until 2025. Such predictions made sense. The economy was bound to slow down as the recovery from the Great Recession took hold. Yet the economy has shown no signs of slowing down. Indeed, it is on track to match the president's promises, contained in the administration's first budget, of GDP growth of 3 percent and job growth of 10 million over eight years. (Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers wrote that the budget was about as believable as "tooth fairies and ludicrous supply-side economics.") Year-over-year GDP growth has marched upward from 1.3 percent in the second quarter of 2016 to 2.9 percent in the second quarter of 2018, and will almost certainly break 3 percent in the next quarter. Meanwhile, the economy has added more than 3.8 million jobs since Trump took office, a rate which would add up to 18.4 million new jobs over eight years. When it comes to investment, however, the numbers tell a different story. Dig into the specifics of the boom, and the dangers of Trump's policies become more clear. A chart of the government's most timely indicator of business investment mimics one for the price of oil, which peaked in July 2014, fell sharply throughout 2015, and bottomed out in January 2016: At first glance, this too might seem to be good news for the White House. Trump ran on the promise of energy dominance and strong support for the oil and gas industry. Since he has become president, the industry is doing quite well. The explosion of oil and gas production in the Permian Basin has been nothing short of phenomenal, and it has the potential to reshape markets. Increasingly, however, producers have faced difficulty getting their product to market. The source of the bottlenecks is twofold: a shortage of infrastructure --largely oil pipelines --and a shortage of labor. The cost of steel in a single pipeline can run to the hundreds of millions, and the president's tariffs have increased that cost. Any further trade restrictions, including quotas or "buy American" provisions, could increase costs significantly, as the some of the high-quality steel needed in construction is not made in America. Pipelines are billion-dollar projects whose feasibility is sensitive to their 30-year return. Uncertainty in the cost of the construction makes present investment less likely and future shortages more likely. There is also uncertainty about workers. The oil and gas industry requires laborers who are willing to migrate to remote locations to do physically demanding work. As the labor market tightens, domestic workers are harder to find. This doubly true for the older workers, many with health problems, that are still struggling to come back into the labor force. These shortages could be alleviated through increased immigration. But the administration shows little interest in allowing more legal immigration even as it cracks down on illegal immigration. This exacerbates labor shortages, especially in border states like Texas. Taken together, the president's trade and immigration policies threaten to slow or choke off the investment boom driven by oil and gas exploration. If he's not careful, his actions could reverse the trends he is so eager to tout. ___ ABOUT THE WRITER Karl W. Smith is a senior fellow at the Niskanen Center and founder of the blog Modeled Behavior. ___ (c)2018 Bloomberg News Visit Bloomberg News at www.bloomberg.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. ADULT FICTION Sodom Road Exit by Amber Dawn: In summer 1990, Starla returns home to her rundown hometown after dropping out of college. When she begins to see things that are not there and hear things she knows cannot be real, she is forced to come face to face with the demons that made her leave town in the first place. ADULT NON-FICTION A Girls Guide to Missiles by Karen Piper: This incredible coming-of-age memoir recounts a childhood raised by two missile engineers living on a secret missile range. Her familys life is lived around incredible circumstances like random explosions and transporting explosives. DVD American Epic: The First Time America Heard Itself: Learn how everyday people were given the opportunity to make records of their music for the first time in American history. CHILDRENS PICTURE BOOK Did You Eat the Parakeet? by Mark Iacolina: Did the kitty eat the parakeet? Did she laugh and say Bon appetite? He was such a small and scrawny bird. To eat him would be absurd! In this funny, rhyming story, a little girl is a little too quick to accuse one pet of doing the unthinkable to another. JUVNILE FICTION Babymouse: Tales from the Locker Miss Communication by Jennifer Holm: Everyone in middle school has a phone and Babymouse wants one too, but having a phone is a lot of work. Building a following on SoFamous, learning texting lingo and keeping up with videos. Babymouse needs to figure out how to stop worrying and love her smartphone. Did You Know? The Friends of the Library will have a book sale on the library patio from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 22 in conjunction with the Childrens Music Festival and Bookstock. The Childrens Music Festival, which runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., will have three childrens performers. Bookstock, from 1 to 5 p.m., will have three roots music performers. The days events are free and open to the public. Stonebwoy and I are not as ... A U.S. Border Patrol supervisor was jailed Sunday on $2.5 million bond in Texas, accused in the killing of at least four women and of injuring a fifth who managed to escape. Juan David Ortiz, 35, was being held in Laredo on four counts of murder along with charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful restraint, Webb County jail records showed. Ortiz was arrested a day earlier, after being found hiding in a truck in a hotel parking lot in Laredo, at about 2 a.m. Saturday, capping what investigators portrayed as a 10-day string of violence. Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz said the Customs and Border Patrol intel supervisor continued going to work as usual throughout that time. "As law enforcement was looking for the killer ... he would be reporting to work every day like normal," he said. It all began with the discovery Sept. 4 of the body of 29-year-old Melissa Ramirez. According to a police affidavit released to the Laredo Morning Times, Ortiz said he killed Ramirez a day earlier. Like the other victims, Ramirez was shot in the head and left in a road in rural northwest Webb County. She was a mother of two. A second victim, 42-year-old Claudine Anne Luera, was found shot and left in the road Thursday morning, badly injured but still alive, according to the affidavit. The mother of five died at a hospital later that day. On Friday, according to the affidavit, Ortiz picked up a woman named Erika Pena. She told police she struggled with Ortiz inside his truck, where he pointed a pistol at her, but that she was able to flee. She made it to a gas station where she found a state trooper whom she asked for help. According to the affidavit, Ortiz told investigators that after Pena ran off, he picked up his last two victims, whose identities have not yet been released by authorities. Jail records don't list an attorney to speak for Ortiz, who had worked for Border Patrol for 10 years. Alaniz said the dead are believed to have been prostitutes and that one of them was a transgender woman. At least two were U.S. citizens; the nationalities of the others were not known, he said. He said investigators are still working to determine a motive. Ortiz was believed to have acted alone. The federal agency issued a statement offering its "sincerest condolences" to the victims' families and saying criminal activity by its employees is not tolerated. The Texas Department of Public Safety, whose Texas Rangers are investigating, did not return several messages seeking comment. A Border Patrol agent was arrested Saturday in connection with the slaying of four prostitutes in Webb County. Law enforcement said the suspect, 35-year-old Juan David Ortiz, an intel supervisor, has been with Border Patrol for 10 years. Charges against him were still pending as of Saturday afternoon. "We have probable cause to believe that he is responsible for this series of murders, which I would qualify as a serial murderer," said Isidro Alaniz, Webb County district attorney. The Webb County Sheriff's Office said Ortiz confessed to killing all four victims and kidnapping another woman. The woman he allegedly kidnapped escaped and helped authorities find him, said Eduardo Chapa, Sheriff's Office spokesman. Alaniz said Ortiz may face four counts of murder and one count of aggravated kidnapping. The motive behind the killings is unclear, but Alaniz said that, according to statements that Ortiz gave law enforcement, all four victims were prostitutes. DPS troopers apprehended Ortiz at about 2 a.m. Saturday after law enforcement received information that he had allegedly tried to kidnap a woman. Troopers confronted him at a gas station on Jefferson Street, but he took off running to the nearby Hotel Ava, located in central Laredo, just off Interstate 35, Alaniz said. Ortiz was found in the parking area of the hotel hiding in a truck. He was arrested without incident, Alaniz said. "The county, the city can rest assured we have the serial killer in custody," said Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar. Cuellar added that he believes Ortiz acted alone. RELATED: Woman found slain in northwest Webb County ID'd The Texas Rangers, which is spearheading the investigation, declined to comment. DPS Sgt. Erick Estrada said Saturday morning that they are not disclosing any new information about the case. All four victims were found during the past two weeks in a rural, unpopulated area of Webb County. The Rangers began investigating on Sept. 4 after the Sheriff's Office received a report of the discovery of a body in the 300 block of Jefferies Road, near the intersection with Texas Highway 255, otherwise known as Camino Colombia Road. She was identified as Melissa Ramirez, 29, of Laredo. DPS did not disclose how she died but said it was a homicide. According to her obituary, Ramirez was a mother of two. The second victim, 42-year-old Claudine Anne Luera, died Thursday. At about 7:30 a.m. that day, a concerned citizen reported to the Sheriff's Office the discovery of a woman who appeared to have been assaulted. She was found fatally wounded off the roadway near mile marker 436 of Texas 255, about mile east of North U.S. 83. This is close to where Ramirez's body was discovered. Paramedics rushed Luera to a local hospital in critical condition. She was later declared dead. DPS has only said that Luera had head trauma. The third body was found Friday night near North U.S. 83 and I-35. The fourth was discovered Saturday afternoon, following Ortiz's apprehension, near mile marker 14 of I-35, several miles south of North U.S. 83. Their identities have not been released and it was not immediately clear what led law enforcement to discover their bodies. Alaniz, the district attorney, said the cause of death was similar in each homicide. RELATED: Woman found in rural Webb Co. with fatal wounds identified In a statement, Andrew Meehan, assistant commissioner for public affairs for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said his agency's Office of Professional Responsibility, the U.S. Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General are fully cooperating with all investigators. "Our sincerest condolences go out to the victims' family and friends. While it is CBP policy to not comment on the details of an ongoing investigation, criminal action by our employees is not, and will not be tolerated," Meehan said. In a statement issued Saturday night, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, said "establishing and maintaining high standards for Border Patrol agents is a top priority" for his office. "We have advocated for and implemented new standards during the hiring process as well as new standards of professionalism after joining Border Patrol," the statement reads. "Just this afternoon I spoke with CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan to talk about the situation in Laredo. We have agreed to work together on the hiring and professionalism of border patrol agents. "We spoke about how more steps need to be taken to make certain that people who want to become Border Patrol agents receive the appropriate psychological screening to ensure that no person who is capable of these type of actions is allowed to join or remain in the ranks. We also spoke about hiring more Professional Responsibility officers so that they can police their own." Cuellar noted in his statement that this is the second case this year that a Border Patrol agent in Laredo has been accused of homicide. In April, supervisory Border Patrol agent Ronald Anthony Burgos-Aviles, 29, was accused of killing his alleged 27-year-old lover and the couple's 1-year-old child. He has since been indicted on two counts of capital murder. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. The Associated Press and New York Times contributed to this report. This story will be updated as more information becomes available. It's been 17 years since eight people died when South Padre Island's Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway collapsed, sending 11 people into the water below. Officials blamed "pilot error" on the part of a tug boat captain for causing two 80-foot cement chunks of the road to break off and fall into Laguna Madre Bay on Sept. 15, 2001, just four days after the 9/11 terror attacks in New York City. SAN ANTONIO -- It's only mid-month, but this September is already the second-wettest in San Antonio's recorded history, according to the National Weather Service. By the end of Saturday, rainfall in San Antonio this month totaled 13.65 inches about 2 inches short of the all-time record of 15.78 inches set in 1946. Meaning a new record could be set in 2018, with a couple weeks left in the month. "We've still got a chance of showers later on this afternoon, moving up from the south," said Cory Van Pelt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. RELATED: Current list of roads closed due to rain in Bexar County San Antonio has been inundated with rainfall from various systems, he said. "The current rain has come from a low-pressure system that moved off the Gulf of Mexico, and it's gone up the Rio Grande, so we've been getting some of the rain bands around it," Van Pelt said. "Previous to that, we had a weak upper-low that was out to the west, and then we had a weak cold front that came down and stalled. So it was different systems that just added up all this rain over the last two weeks." All the rain has been an absolute boon for the Edwards Aquifer. The J-17 index well readings for mid-day Sunday show it at 668.4 feet. Less than a week ago, the San Antonio Express-News reported that it was at 659.7 feet. The level increased by more than a foot between Saturday and Sunday, the Edwards Aquifer Authority website shows. And that index well shows a reading nearly 10 feet higher than a year ago. RELATED: Florence death toll swells to 14 as rivers rise It's been an incredibly wet month in San Antonio, but it's not uncommon for the area to experience increased rainfall as summer slips away. "Usually we start getting cold fronts again, so after the summer we start getting thunderstorms," Van Pelt said. "So that's usually the normal rainfall starts to pick up again." Josh Baugh is a staff writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | jbaugh@express-news.net | Twitter: @jbaugh Applications for the 2019 Grimshaw Sargeson Fellowship are now open. nd year, the Fellowship is a national literary award offering published New Zealand writers, based both locally and internationally, the opportunity to focus on their craft full-time by providing an annual stipend of $20,000 and tenure at the Sargeson Centre in Auckland. Now in its 32year, the Fellowship is a national literary award offering published New Zealand writers, based both locally and internationally, the opportunity to focus on their craft full-time by providing an annual stipend of $20,000 and tenure at the Sargeson Centre in Auckland. Playwright Carl Bland and writer David Howard were the recipients of last years Fellowship, with Carl taking the first half of the tenure and David just starting his placement in Auckland. What a gift to be given the opportunity to work unhindered by the usual distractions and financial worries. My new play Mr Red Light has made the leap from being a working draft to be production ready. It will premiere at The Herald Theatre in Auckland next year, says Carl Bland, who has spent his time crafting a play about a hostage situation in a pie shop. Truly, there is a never a dull moment when you walk around the Auckland CBD, then question the dead, says David Howard, who has been using his Fellowship to delve into the unknown by writing a play that centres on a seance: Since I arrived at the Sargeson Centre two weeks ago, every day has brought haunting discoveries. Were proud to give deserving authors and creatives the opportunity to fully dedicate themselves to their work, which allows them to delve deeper and explore ideas they might not otherwise be able to, says Frank Sargeson Trust Chair Elizabeth Aitken-Rose. The aim of this Fellowship is to enrich and nurture New Zealands literary landscape. Its always exciting to see the work that our recipients have used their time to develop, and we look forward to getting a taste of the new ideas put forward by this years talent. Aitken-Rose also says that it is fantastic to see the range of authors that apply for the Fellowship across all genres and encourages all established writers to consider applying, whether they are poets, biographers, or novelists. The contribution that they make to New Zealands culture is invaluable, says Paul Grimshaw, Partner of Grimshaw & Co, thats why we continue to support New Zealands literary talent. Applications close on Friday 5 October 2018, with the tenure due to start on 1 April 2019. Download the application form here. As an anti-war activist in the early 2000s, Arizona Senate candidate Kyrsten Sinema led a group that distributed flyers depicting an American soldier as a skeleton inflicting "U.S. terror" in Iraq and the Middle East. The flyers could become an issue for Sinema, the Democratic nominee challenging Republican Martha McSally in one of the most competitive US Senate races this year. CNN rates the race as a toss-up. Arizona Armed forces Continents and regions Elections (by type) Elections and campaigns Government and public administration Government organizations - US International relations and national security Iraq Kyrsten Sinema Middle East Middle East and North Africa Military National security North America Political Figures - US Politics Southwestern United States Terrorism Terrorism and counter-terrorism Terrorist attacks The Americas United States Unrest, conflicts and war US Congress US Federal elections US Senate US Senate elections Currently one of only 18 members of the Blue Dog Coalition in Congress, a caucus of centrist and conservative Democrats that once boasted 54 members, Sinema's time organizing anti-war rallies highlights how her views have shifted since the early 2000s, when she ran for state and local office as an independent affiliated with the Green Party and was viewed as one of the most progressive activists in Arizona. "Kyrsten comes from a military family and is very proud of her record supporting Arizona's servicemembers, veterans, and their families," Sinema campaign spokeswoman Helen Hare said in an emailed comment to CNN's KFile. "Attacks on Kyrsten's respect for those who serve have already been called out as false, and Kyrsten is going to stay focused on the issues that matter most to Arizonans -- like making sure Congresswoman McSally and her allies can't roll back protections for patients with pre-existing conditions." Hare added that Sinema did not approve or design the flyers at the time. The campaign further noted that two of her brothers have served in the military and that one remains on active duty in the Navy. McSally has previously attacked Sinema's anti-war past and accused Sinema of "denigrating" the service of the US armed forces in her protests of the Iraq War. Sinema's campaign has denied those charges and said that while Sinema opposed US intervention in Iraq, she always supported servicemembers. The flyers, which are available through the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, promoted a February 2003 rally organized by Local to Global Justice, an anti-war group Sinema co-founded. Sinema was referred to as a leading organizer and sponsor of the anti-Iraq War rally in contemporaneous news reports and websites for the organizations involved. She is also repeatedly listed as the point of contact for the event. One flyer for the February 2003 event read: "You can help us push back U.S. terror in Iraq and the Middle East." Above the text there was a cartoon depicting a group of protestors striving to halt the progress of three skeletons, one dressed as a soldier, another dressed in a top hat holding a dollar bill and another dressed in a suit. The flyer listed the website for Sinema's group and an email of a local anarchist group that also participated. Another flyer urged direct action "against Bush and his fascist, imperialist war." A cartoon on the flyer said, "Government is slavery," and "Its laws are cobwebs for the rich and chains of steel for the poor." The flier contained the email for a local anarchist group that was a rally co-sponsor. A third flyer said, "Speak out against the war" and "Stop the OILigarchy." It depicted a large group of trumpets standing in the path of an oncoming American tank with a bodiless pair of eyes in a helmet poking out of the top. The flyer listed Sinema's personal email at the time. Sinema also spoke at the rally, according to Arizona State University's student newspaper, which quoted her as the organizer of the rally in which they estimated 2,500 people attended. "Let peace rule," Sinema said, according to the paper. Sinema was also listed at the point of contact for a pre-rally event to make protest signs. The website for the event highlights signs from past events, including, "Born to Kill, Born to Drill," "My President Is A Psychopath," "No Oilgarchy," "We Burn Stuff (Written on an American Flag)" and "Who Elected this F***er?" Reflecting on the rally a year later, in an interview with local media KTAR, Sinema said the war was about American access to oil. "So this is not about the United States doing the right and moral thing by a toppling an evil dictator," she said. "This is more about the United States having access to the oil and the power and control and world stature that it's seeking. It's not about the individuals in Iraq." Sinema's past political positions are a contrast from the more moderate profile she has developed since her 2012 election to Congress. As a congresswoman, she has voted against approving the Iran deal and, this past April, backed President Donald Trump's decision to strike Syria. In 2015, she voted with Republicans to stop admitting Syrian and Iraqi refugees until the vetting process was strengthened. Jenny Lissette Flores, a 15-year-old Salvadorian girl, fled her native country in 1985 to come to the United States. She did not receive a warm welcome. After being apprehended at the border she was detained in a makeshift secure facility. This facility was a 1950s-style motel covered with chain-link fence and concertina wire, and manned by prison guards. Young Jenny, along with other detained minor children, had no rights to visitation, no recreation and received no education. These children were further subject to regular and invasive strip searches by the guards. This unimaginable cruelty could have been avoided as Jenny had family in the United States but the federal government would not release her to them. She became the plaintiff in Flores v. Reno. To settle this case, the U.S. government entered into a consent decree, a binding agreement in which the government promised to treat minors facing immigration detention humanely. This decree, now known as the Flores Settlement, remains the law, at least for now. It requires the government to release children from detention without unnecessary delay and, when that is not practicable, implement the least restrictive setting possible for the children. Additionally, detention facilities must be approved for appropriate state licenses prior to housing child detainees to ensure that no children are held in squalor or in dangerous conditions. This agreement has served for years as a guardian of immigrant childrens rights. The Trump administration detests this agreement. And it recently took formal steps to eliminate it. We should not allow it to do so. On Sept. 6, the Trump administration proposed new regulations that dishonestly purport to adopt the Flores Settlement. In reality, the regulations do precisely the opposite. Trumps regulations would implement prolonged detention for immigrant children similar to that faced by Flores. Further, they would eliminate the licensing requirement, subjecting the very same children who suffered the horror of family separation to a new tragedy of prolonged and unfettered detention. So why is the Trump administration fibbing about adopting the terms of a settlement agreement while it guts its protections? Because the Flores Settlement specifies that once the government implements regulations adopting it, the settlement will no longer bind the government. Thus, by adopting regulations that purport to adopt it, the Trump administration can attempt to get rid of it. Just as Americans rose up to deny the administrations attempt to systematically sever immigrant children from their parents, we must not allow Trump to place children in prolonged detention. Such detention is obviously abusive. Many of these facilities have a dark history of sexual abuse, lack basic medical and mental health care, and fail or simply refuse to provide adequate food for the children in their custody. Unfortunately, these abuses are hardly surprising, considering that private prison companies often manage these facilities and their track records arent exactly great when it comes to human rights and adequate conditions. For example, the ACLU recently filed a complaint against a juvenile correctional facility run by Geo Group, which also manages detention facilities that house children. The complaint alleged rampant violence, contraband, sexual abuse and inadequate medical care at the facility run by Geo Group. Yet the Trump administration is attempting, via new regulations, to turn over masses of immigrant children to these infamous companies. There are concrete steps that Americans can take to prevent further abuse. First, the regulations are already available for public comment. Second, we should channel the effort put toward ending family separation into ending and preventing the detention of immigrant children. We have learned over the past few months that protest, including direct confrontation of elected representatives, can change the administrations inhumane practices. Lets stop the administration before it implements a whole new world of tragedy. As Antonio Ginatta, advocacy director for Human Rights Watch stated, Theres nothing like walking into a prison and the first thing you hear is a crying baby. That should be strange. We cant let it become normal. Daniel Hatoum is an attorney in New York, a civil rights advocate, and a Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund Civil Rights Fellow. He is a former resident of Central Texas. He attended the University of Texas at Austin for his undergraduate education and law school. Americans empower our military leaders, with appropriate oversight, to make the best decisions for the men and women under their command. Thats why its troubling to see that lately, some politicians are confused about the technical aspects of military readiness and wind energy. Heres the reality: The Department of Defense reviews every wind project built near a military base, and no wind project has ever been built over its objections. The Defense Department has extensive experience working with states and local bases to determine how best to ensure compatibility of wind development and military operations, and leaders have said one-size-fits-all solutions are not effective in protecting DOD or base interests. In fact, the Department of Defense has established a review process to ensure proposed wind farms wouldnt harm military readiness or operations, including radars, flight operations, research, development, testing, evaluation and training activities. This clearinghouse process brings together local base commanders (including the National Guard), individual military services and the Department of Defense to evaluate proposed energy projects. If concerns exist, private developers and the military discuss whether they can be mitigated. The existing evaluation process uses detailed technical information related to each specific base (its assets and missions) and the details of a proposed wind farm (turbine layout, number, height, location, etc.) to understand potential impacts. This approach is more effective at guaranteeing protection of a facilitys missions and capabilities than arbitrary exclusion zones. In the past, where proposed wind farms were found to be problem, wind developers have paid to upgrade radar systems, moved proposed turbine locations, reduced the sizes of projects or canceled projects altogether to avoid potentially interfering with base operations and mission readiness when necessary. Wind power can also play an important role in strengthening our military and national security. Theres a prime example right here in Texas: Fort Hood gets around half of its electricity from wind and solar, and securing the bases energy supply was a prime motivator for this move. For too long, weve taken it for granted that our installations are safe, said Richard Kidd IV, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for strategic integration, speaking about the Fort Hood announcement. We need to take steps now to install power generation on our installations, to connect different technologies and secure the micro grid in a way that can provide energy security to those installations. Having an energy surety program to couple with this so we can use it anywhere, at any time, is really, really important, said III Corps and Fort Hood Commanding General Lt. Gen. Paul Funk II. Plus, getting more power from renewables saved Fort Hood an estimated $1.5 million in 2017 alone, and its expected wind and solar will save the base millions more in the years ahead. Lets not also forget that wind energy is a vital economic engine, employing more than 100,000 Americans, and the men and women who serve our country find jobs in wind at a rate 72 percent higher than the average in other industries. Nowhere is this on display more than Texas. Texas leads the country with more than 24,000 wind jobs, many at the 45 in-state factories that build wind-related parts. The Defense Department has a track record of successfully balancing wind development, and the jobs it brings, with military requirements. The departments practice is to base its decisions on extensive site-specific, science-based analyses conducted by the military services and supported by some of the leading civilian experts in the country. We believe that practice should continue and that with the current system of oversight, Americas military leaders should be allowed to decide how best to protect their mission. Bishop Garrison and Sarah E. Hunt are co-founders of Joseph Rainey Center for Public Policy, a think tank building sustainable politics through inclusive governance. Bishop is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and an Operation Iraqi Freedom Army veteran. Constitution Day is today. The U.S. Constitution is a document that evolves with the times. Constitutional inadequacies and societal injustices are challenged, and social progress is the result. Instead of reverence for this brilliant document that ensures our rights, it is attacked by some as a severely flawed and even a racist contract. One of the most widely used means to defame the Constitution is to manipulate perception of the three-fifths compromise. Agenda-driven academicians and committed ideologues routinely state the U.S. Constitution only recognizes blacks as three-fifths of a person. No context is given. This often-repeated falsehood foments disrespect of the Constitution and contempt for the founders who authored it. The U.S. Constitution does not relegate blacks to three-fifths of a person status. Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution states: Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons. The other Persons were slaves. The 1787 Constitutional Convention addressed the apportionment in the House of Representatives and the number of electoral votes each state would have in presidential elections based on a states population. The Southern states wanted to count the entire slave population. This would increase their number of members of Congress. The Northern delegates and others opposed to slavery wanted to count only free persons, including free blacks in the North and South. Using the logic of the promoters of the three-fifths of a person interpretation, think of the constitutional ramification had the position of the Northern states and abolitionists prevailed. The three-fifths clause would have been omitted and possibly replaced with wording that stated other Persons would not be counted for apportionment. The Constitution, then, would be proclaiming slaves were not human at all (zero-fifths). This is an illogical conclusion and was certainly not the position of Northern delegates and abolitionists. Counting the whole number of slaves benefited the Southern states and reinforced the institution of slavery. Minimizing the percentage of the slave population counted for apportionment reduced the political power of slaveholding states. Denigration of the Constitution is not restricted to committed demagogues. San Antonios U.S. District Judge Fred Biery addressed the Austin Bar Association on Law Day 2012. His speech focused on various social injustices in Americas past and how attorneys righted these wrongs. Biery used the example of then-recent Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III. The judge asserted that in 1787 when the Constitution was ratified, Griffins ancestors were counted only as three-fifths of a human being. Biery is alarmingly ignorant. Or worse, he is consumed with the need to promote and further a personal creed. There are other troubling aspects of the lifetime judges declaration. Bierys speech was published in San Antonio Lawyer after he addressed the bar association. Didnt any of the attorneys at the meeting who actually understood the meaning of that portion of the Constitution advise Biery of his misrepresentation? David Gans is the director of the Human Rights, Civil Rights and Citizenship Program at the Constitutional Accountability Center, a think tank and law firm. The Express-News published a column by him on constitutional requirements in the past year (Count all people, as Constitution requires, March 10) in which he stated that someone who was enslaved would be counted as three-fifths of a person for the purpose of determining representation in Congress. The magnitude of this constitutional illiteracy is not restricted to those on the political left. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice routinely stated in her speeches, In the original U.S. Constitution, I was only three-fifths of a person. In 1787, the founders were attempting to form a union and preserve the nascent United States. This imperfect compromise allowed for preservation of the republic while also confronting the moral and systemic evils of slavery. Erroneous and distorted interpretations of the Constitution only intensify the societal divide in America. Steven Philbrick is a professor of criminal justice at Alamo Colleges. For Houston firefighters, the last decade has been difficult as we watched our pay dramatically erode. As the city of Houston found ways to increase pay for police officers by 30 percent since 2011, our pay rose by only three percent in that time. One Houston firefighter was even featured on a poster for federally supported Section 8 housing. By voting yes for Proposition B in the November election, voters can help take the politics out of public safety in Houston. Firefighters have asked the city for competitive pay and better working conditions for several years. This followed our giving the city major concessions after the economy collapsed in 2008. City promises of better pay when the economy improved were not kept. COUNTERPOINT: Vote against Prop. B because firefighters deserve a raise the city can afford Instead, city politicians refuse to equally value the service and sacrifices of Houston first responders. Now, too many Houston-trained firefighters are leaving for other departments around the nation, including suburban departments that pay almost twice the starting salary as Houston. Some suggest fire and police jobs are different and should not be linked by pay. In fact, fire and police are paid equally on a rank-by-rank basis throughout the United States including in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas. The five branches of the military also have equal-pay structures for hundreds of jobs. A navy chief petty officer, for example, is paid the same as an army staff sergeant. And in Houston, the pay of City Council members is linked with that of local judges. What nobody mentions locally anymore is that police and firefighters had pay parity for many years here at the request of police. The city of Houstons so-called offers of firefighter pay raises in recent years are mostly political smoke and mirrors. The proposed raises offers came with major workplace concessions, thousands of dollars of increased health insurance premiums per firefighter, and continuing threats of firefighters layoffs and station closures. In other words, the city expected us to fund our own pay raises. Some ask how firefighter raises should be funded. Since Houston has a cap on property taxes, voting YES for Prop. B would not raise taxes. The Houston Fire Department generates more than $100 million annually in business permits, fees and other services. Simply moving that revenue to the fire department budget, instead of raking it into the general fund, would fund the pay raise. Another consideration is that not one cent of the voter-approved Prop. H public safety fund created in 2006 has gone to the fire department budget. With strong city revenues, the fund can generate up to $90 million per year. Since the fire department budget has repeatedly been cut in the past decade, the citys expenditures from this fund deserve further scrutiny. In June, a scientific survey was taken of Houston residents. More than 75 percent of the surveyed citizens supported compensating our fire and police professionals equally. They recognized that the requirements and risks of the two jobs are similar, and they viewed the issue as urgent. The same was true of the 60,000 Houston voters that signed petitions in record time, just over a week to put the pay raise on the ballot. If the city had certified the signatures on time, in accordance with the law, this election would have been held last year. Instead, some city politicians chose to punish firefighters for seeking voter help. It actually took an order from a state district judge to compel the city to obey the law and certify the petitions and hold the election. Politics aside, we appreciate the support of the more 60,000 Houston voters who signed petitions in support of us. We also remain grateful that fire and EMS were once again the top-rated service provided by the city of Houston. Through it all, we continue to strive to maintain the trust of the communities we serve. With that in mind, we respectfully ask Houston voters to approve a hard-earned firefighter pay raise. Lancton is president of the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association. - President Buhari has reacted to the allegations that he endorsed governorship aspirants in Rivers and Abia states - He said he did not endorse any aspirants in the said states and other states in the country - The president explained that it is the responsibility of the state party members to choose a flag bearer through a democratic process President Muhammadu Buhari has refuted the rumours about his endorsement of any governorship aspirant in Rivers and Abia states and in any other states across Nigeria. The president in his statement made available by the special adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, said, such rumours are malicious, misleading and unnecessary at this time, when all party members should concentrate on strengthening internal democracy within the APC. He further reiterated that it is the responsibility of the state party members to choose a flag bearer through a democratic and peaceful process. READ ALSO: Breaking: Former finance minister Kemi Adeosun reportedly departs Nigeria Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that a group of octogenarians, Southwest Veterans And Concerned Patriotic Elders (SouthWest-V and PE), on Friday, September 14, commended President Muhammadu Buharis successes against terrorism and insurgency in the country. The group, during a rally which started from Freedom Park, Ojota, Lagos and ended at Lagos Government House, saw scores of elderly Nigerians paying glowing tributes to the Nigerian Army and its leadership. Addressing the newsmen in Ikeja, the national president of SouthWest-V and PE, Elder Johnson Adebayo, said Buhari had conquered terrorism like Moses did in the Bible. According to him, the president has liberated several communities held by the insurgents in the same manner the Biblical Moses liberated the Israelites from their Egyptian captors. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app We have seen a repeat of Moses leadership of the Israelites in their most difficult times reflected in the present leadership of our cherished country Nigeria by President Muhammadu Buhari. He has played the role of the Chief armour bearer of the defeat of the enemies of Nigeria, as directed by God. The idea of this elaborate thousand-man rally march from us, Nigerians of septuagenarian and octogenarian ages is to drum support for President Buharis rewarding leadership. It is also our token of open appreciation of the Nigerian military for their courageous demystification of the formerly deified Boko Haram insurgents, Adebayo said. Election 2019: President Buhari Proves He is Fit to Run in 2019 | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - The Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) has reacted to the ex-finance minister Adeosuns resignation - The group commended the former ministers action, saying she was a victim of mischievous individuals involved in the process that produced the forged certificate - They, however, urged her not to be deterred by the setback, saying that her services would still be required by the country The Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) has commended the former minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun, over her resignation. Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, September 14, accepted Adeosuns resignation letter as minister of finance while also replacing her with Zainab Ahmed. Adeosun had in her letter said she resigned following the allegation of forged NYSC certificate against her. READ ALSO: Buhari speaks on endorsing aspirants in Rivers and Abia states Reacting to the development, the secretary general of the YCE, Dr Kunle Olajide in a statement on Saturday, September 15, said Adeosun was a victim of mischievous individuals involved in the process that produced the forged certificate, The Punch reports. Olajide said that there were government officials who had been accused of one fraudulent practice or the other but still in government in various capacities. He said the YCE also commended her for leaving behind a glorious achievement as a minister, having steered Nigeria out of recession when she was given no chance. He said: YCE received the news of Adeosuns exit from the cabinet with sadness and joy. It was with sadness because she was exiting office in an inglorious circumstance. Her pedigree and antecedent as mentioned in her resignation letter, however, speak volume of her confidence, character and capability. We are proud of her achievements in office because she assumed duty at a difficult time in the history of the country. She steered Nigeria out of recession when many did not give her a chance to do so.YCE commends her courage to resign honourably when she discovered that her NYSC certificate was not genuine. Olajide urged the former minister not to be deterred by the setback, saying that her services would still be required by the country. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Adeosun allegedly left Nigeria hours after her resignation letter was accepted by President Buhari. According to Premium Times, her associates disclosed the latest development on Saturday, September 15. What Should President Buhari do to Adeosun Over Alleged Certificate Forgery? | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng - Anthony Uwa, the head of BRISIN implementation in Nigeria, says the scheme is aimed at bringing developmental and economic growth in the country - He states that the list of those recruited into the scheme will be published on e-transact - President Buharis 2019 campaign spokesperson, Festus Keyamo, reacts to the resignation of former finance minister, Adeosun The federal government has disclosed plans to recruit 5,000 unemployed Nigerians in the federal capital territory under the Basic Registry and Information System in Nigeria (BRISIN) scheme. Anthony Uwa, the head of BRISIN implementation in Nigeria, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, September 16, in Abuja that more Nigerians would be recruited after the pilot phase. NAN reports that BRISIN is an integrated system for the collection, storage and distribution of information to support the management of the economy. READ ALSO: 2019: Jonathan hosts Lamido, speaks on his presidential ambition Uwa said the system aimed at bringing developmental and economic growth in the country through the use of data collection of people and other relevant information. The data received will be used to plan for the management of the nations resources, he said. NAN reports that the project was initiated by the President Olusegun Obasanjo administration, while the Goodluck Jonathans administration inaugurated a technical committee for its implementation. According to Uwa, since BRISIN covers all aspect of the economy, the recruitment is not restricted to a particular field or discipline. He however, said the implementation would commence with the social welfare, an aspect of the project, with special attention to disability data bank. We are giving attention to social welfare and building the disability data bank to attain the actual number of disabled people in the FCT. We are recruiting 5,000 people out of which 200 will be sent to Italy for training on various aspect of the project and they will be the trainees trainers. READ ALSO: 2019: Buhari refutes endorsing any aspirant in Rivers and Abia states They will be trained mainly on the use of data on every aspect of economic management with attention to health, education, economic monitoring, fiscal and revenue control, migration and human trafficking. BRISIN recruitment cuts across all cadres, from school certificate to PHD holders so the recruitment is not restricted. The recruitment will be published on e-transact by next week, the portal will be opened for about six weeks and the public will be sensitised on how to access and fill the form through the portal. Also, the 5000 people we are recruiting does not mark the end of BRISIN recruitment but just a pilot phase, as we start from FCT we will train those to work in other states, Uwa said. On the funding, he said a budget had already been allocated to the project but being as it was small, a BRISIN international foundation was established to help source fund to supplement government effort. The budget is small so we have to look for donors from well-meaning Nigerians, corporate organisations and international donors so we do not depend on government funds alone. With this foundation, we want to see those claiming to love Nigeria come and donate generously to the implementation. When this is fully implemented, it will reduce the risk of Nigerians that engage on illegal migration, so this foundation is as important as BRISIN itself. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app He urged Nigerians not to consider the move as a political affair being that it was an election year, but see it as a dream come true for Nigeria to attain the height it ought to have regarding job availability. According to him, considering the economic monitoring, a lot of people will be involved, so it will create jobs and also a multiplying effect of job creation in the nation. Meanwhile, the spokesperson for President Muhammadu Buharis 2019 presidential campaign, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has defended the resignation of the former minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun. In a series of tweets posted on his Twitter page in the early hours of Sunday, September 16, Keyamo condemned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)'s criticisms over the resignation, noting that the current administration is more honest than the past government. Recall that the PDP had accused presidency of protecting Adeosun ever since the news of her forged NYSC certificate broke and equally accused the current administration of being the most corrupt in the history of Nigeria. N-Power Project: I Graduated in 2005 and Have Been Unemployed Before N-Power Fixed Me Up Legit.ng TV Source: Legit - Supporters of presidential aspirant, Atiku Abubakar, say the former vice president has all it takes to be president of Nigeria - The group calls on Nigerians to join in supporting Atikus campaign to actualise his ambition - Former vice president requests for more police protection for himself and his family over alleged death threats Supporters of presidential aspirant, Atiku Abubakar, have pleaded with ex-president, Olusegun Obasanjo, to end his rift with his former vice president in order to enhance Atikus chances in the 2019 presidential election. Atiku, who served as vice-president during the Obasanjo administration, reportedly fell out with the ex-president after an alleged botched third term bid of his principal. The Tribune reports that the group under the umbrella of Reset Foundation, said they were practically pleading on their knees for Obasanjo to support Atikus presidential bid. READ ALSO: FG to recruit 5,000 unemployed Nigerians for BRISIN scheme Chairman of the group, Amos Jayramos, said among the aspirants vying for the presidency, only Atiku had what it takes to win. The statement by the group read in part: It is natural for two people to hurt each other, disagree and agree, and reconcile. So we are practically on our knees, begging former President Olusegun Obasanjo to settle his political differences with his former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and give him the necessary support to allow Atiku become the next President of this country. We believe that with Obasanjo supporting Atiku, there will be no problem for Atiku winning the forthcoming presidential election, and if he wins, the issue of insecurity will become a thing of the past, and the entire country will be better for it. Atiku has one hundred and one (101) reasons to be president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We believe that if he is given the privilege to serve, he will provide dividends of democracy to every Nigerian home. In this regard, we call on all good people of Nigeria to join this movement in supporting the campaign to actualise this bid of Atiku to be president come 2019. Who will ensure a new Nigeria with an enabling environment for business to thrive, a new Nigeria where merit is rewarded, graduates are gainfully employed without ethnic, religious barriers. We are looking forward to a new Nigeria where citizens have the liberty to exercise their rights as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria irrespective of tribe, religion or political affiliation. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app We are therefore calling on all Nigerians who are desirous of a secured nation to preach the gospel of Atiku to all eligible voters in order to effect a better change we are all yearning for in 2019. Meanwhile, Atiku Abubakar has said his life and that of members of his family are under threat due to his decision to contest the 2019 presidential election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The Nation reports that presidential aspirant made the statement in a petition to President Buhari titled petition over criminal intimidation and threat to my life, that of members of my family, and cyber stalking using mobile phone number 08148228704. In the document dated September 7, 2018, Atiku requested for more police protection for himself and his family following the threats. In the document dated September 7, 2018, Atiku requested for more police protection for himself and his family following the threats. Nigeria Latest News: Atiku Abubakar - Exclusive Comments About The Elections | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit - Former military ruler, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, says there can be no better candidate for president than Bukola Saraki He urges the Senate president to stick to his objective for the good of the country Bukola Saraki says he is not afraid of impeachment threats Former military ruler, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, has backed the presidential ambition of Senate president, Bukola Saraki. Babangida on Sunday, September 16, said that Saraki was well prepared to be the president of Nigeria, the Nation reports. The former military ruler made the statement at his residence in Minna, Niger state, when Saraki paid him a courtesy visit as part of his nationwide tour to seek support of PDP supporters and delegates for his nomination as the presidential candidate. READ ALSO: Atikus supporters beg Obasanjo ahead of 2019 elections Babangida stated that there can be no better candidate than Saraki, owing to his experience as a governor, legislator and Senate president. You have the right objective for a campaign for leadership in this country. You are much more than prepared because you have been a governor in a state, a legislator and a Senator. You have been holding the Senate for the past three years very well and the Senate have been working very well under you, he said. Babangida commended the Senate president for championing unity, economic development and security as part of his objectives. You spoke of three important things that are very dear to me and those of us who fought to keep this country together, the issues which are unity, economic development and security. The security of this nation is a no go area, the security of the people and property are uppermost in your mind along with the well being of ordinary Nigeria. With these, I can say you have the right objectives for leadership of this country, Babangida stated. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app He urged Saraki to keep to his objective for the good of the country. You have my prayers and my support for these three reasons you have enumerated. I hope you keep to your objectives and hope the people will listen and believe you because the objectives are for the good of this country. I wish you well, he said. Meanwhile, the Senate president, Bukola Saraki, has maintained that he is not afraid of threats of impeachment following his defection to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Saraki made the statement on Sunday, September 16, when he visited Minna, the Niger state capital, Channels TV reports. The Senate leader said those calling for the immediate resumption of the Senate were making the calls out of selfish and political interests. He said the postponement in the resumption of the National Assembly had nothing to do with him but was a matter of constitutional provisions. Saraki also said those parading themselves as political leaders in Kwara have no stability in their political pursuit. Election 2019: Can Saraki be the Next President of Nigeria? | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit Nigeria - Boko Haram terrorists ambushed troops while on a clearance patrol in Maiduguri, Borno state - The soldiers were able to neutralise the terrorists after "serious exchange of gunfire" - The troops recovered guns and several rounds of ammunition belonging to the terrorists The Nigerian Army at about 11am on Sunday, September 16, killed some Boko Haram terrorists, who ambushed troops of of 21 Brigade along the Maiduguri-Bama axis of Borno state . The troops led by a Brigade Commander were on a clearance patrol in support of Operation Rainbow, when they were ambushed by the terrorists. This was disclosed in a series of tweets from the Twitter handle of the Army, @HQNigerianArmy, adding that there was serious exchange of gunfire. READ ALSO: Atikus supporters beg Obasanjo ahead of 2019 elections Guns and several rounds of ammunition belonging to the terrorists were recovered, and troops are still in search of terrorists who escaped with gunshot wounds. Read the tweets below: "Gallant Troops of 222 Battalion Neutralise BHTs. Reports just reaching us confirmed that troops of 21 Brigade led by Brigade Commander on a clearance patrol in support of Operation Rainbow were ambushed by BHT along Maiduguri Bama Axis at about 11am 16 Sep 2018. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app Legit.ng previously reported that at least 31 soldiers were reported dead, 19 injured and some others yet to be unaccounted for as Boko Haram insurgents allegedly invaded a base of the Nigerian Army in Borno state on Thursday, August 30. Premium Times reports that scores of Boko Haram fighters carried out the attack on the base located at Zari, a small community north of Maiduguri and near the border with Niger. The report said the insurgents stormed the base in 12 gun trucks while some others came on foot in the early evening of that day. Nigerian Air Force Operations Against Boko Haram | Legit.ng TV Source: Legit - Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state has commended a front-line PDP presidential aspirant, Kabiru Turaki, SAN - The governor hailed Turaki for his loyalty, commitment and service to Nigeria - Governor Dickson made the statement at his hometown when Turaki visited him Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state has commended a front-line Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, Kabiru Turaki, SAN, for his loyalty, commitment and service to the nation. The governor made the statement when the former minister of special duties and his campaign team paid him a condolence visit on the death of his mother who died of cancer, at his hometown, Toru Orua, Sagbama local government area of the state recently. You are a good man who means well for the country, especially in terms of service to the people. Your loyalty to the country has never been in doubt. Your commitment unquestionable. Your performance in any task assigned to you has been beyond expectations, the governor said. READ ALSO: 2019: Jonathan hosts Lamido, speaks on his presidential ambition Reacting to Turakis decision to support the foundation established to immortalize his mother, the governor noted that cancer had become a major healthcare problem in Nigeria without the necessary care and support for its victims. It is this shortcoming, he noted further, that had prompted good people like you (Turaki) to jump into the shark-infested terrain of politics to provide better governance to the people. The governor pointed out that the cancer foundation center would be attached to the university being established in the town. Turaki had extolled Dicksons late mother for giving the governor a good upbringing attested to by his selflessness, sense of justice and good education which have impacted in his performance as one of the best state governors. The presidential aspirant applauded the scope of infrastructural development in various sectors in the state, which had turned it into a large construction site with multiplier effects through the provision of employment and improved standard of living of the people. Turaki said: It is men of integrity, credibility, character, humaneness and a bridge builder like you (Dickson) that will be brought to continue the good work you are doing in Bayelsa, for not only Nigeria but for humanity. Turaki was also in Port Harcourt to condole with the Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike on the recent death of the states commissioner for justice and attorney general, Emmanuel Aguma, SAN. PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app Meanwhile, the PDP says with the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari as its sole presidential candidate, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is now irredeemably doomed for a crushing defeat in the 2019 general elections. This was contained in a statement sent to journalists by the party's national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbodiyan, on Thursday, September 13. The party said: President Buharis fear to contest an elective presidential primary, for which he and a few APC leaders scared away other presidential contestants within their party with threats and high nomination form fees, ended up ruining APCs chance of fielding a good candidate for the election. Senator Kwankwaso Rabiu announces his Presidential Bid (Election 2019) on Legit.ng TV Source: Legit.ng Guy who says dinosaurs were on Noahs Ark tapped to review Arizonas evolution standards AZ Central Sex, Lies, and Grappling Hooks: How Parasitic Beetles Trick Bees National Geographic Google China Prototype Links Searches to Phone Numbers The Intercept. Well, Im sure two-factor identification with one factor a phone number will never be used to achieve the same goal in this country. Because that would be evil. Google Employees Are Quitting Over The Companys Secretive China Search Project Buzzfeed. Leaving the dregs behind Uber glitch leaves drivers unpaid and frustrated Associated Press Theranos closes deal with Fortress to shut down embattled firm MarketWatch 3 Investments That May Have Hit Their Peak NYT. Three asset classes: private equity, venture capital, and private real estate. Why Is Virtual Reality Interesting for Philosophers? Frontiers in Robotics and AI Brexit Syraqistan China? This thread on Xinjiang and the Uighers seems useful: How do we know what we know about what is happening in Xinjiang? The gov won't be honest on the podiums, so where do we find out what is up? There are 5 streams of info: [1/x] T. Greer (@Scholars_Stage) September 15, 2018 Got a problem? Ask Chinas online agony aunts The Star How Asia Got Crazy Rich n+1 Imperial Collapse Watch The price of precarious labour in contemporary warfare OUP Blog Trump Transition Why Did the New York Review of Books Publish That Jian Ghomeshi Essay? Slate Puerto Rico Democrats in Disarray Money Talks. Will the G.O.P. Listen? Bari Weiss, NYT The Threat to Democracy Isnt Coming From Its People Slate. Response to The Atlantics Jeffrey Rosen on mob rule. Shooters are twice as deadly when a semiautomatic rifle is in the mix, study finds Los Angeles Times. So the techology is working as designed. The Crash Ten Years After Black Injustice Tipping Point We Want Black Students, Just Not You: How White Admissions Counselors Screen Bllack Prospective Students (PDF) American Sociological Association Class Warfare Severe Typhoon Mangkhut: signal No 10 raised as Hong Kong braces for waves up to 14m high South China Morning Post Florences SC forecast felt so unpredictable. But the NHC nailed it. Post and Courier Dire Flood Threat for the Carolinas as Florences Record Rains Continue Weather Underground Dont Condemn People Who Dont Evacuate for Hurricane Florence Scientific American (KS). Or in cartoon form: Evacuation is a privilege pic.twitter.com/K4ZU5Lp26x BASH (@BayouStreetMed) September 15, 2018 Antidote du jour (via): See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. New Fianna FaIl candidate Sandra Farrell wants to bring a female perspective to politics in the county. She says there are five male TDs and she now feels its time for a female TD. Sandra Farrell will contest the next General Election for Fianna Fail in Tipperary. Ms Farrell, 37, is a member of the Fianna Fail Ard Comhairle, and will join Deputy Jackie Cahill on the Fianna Fail ticket. Fianna Fail leader, Micheal Martin, encouraged Ms Farrell to return to politics. Shortly after getting elected to the Committee of 15 last year, Mr Martin asked Ms Farrell, to consider putting herself forward as an election candidate in the future. Ms Farrell, a former Mayor of her native Nenagh, is well known for her voluntary work with the vulnerable, the elderly and with early school leavers. She recently launched a Food Bank service in Nenagh and has been asked to set up similar food banks in Roscrea and Thurles. A nursing home operator and qualified nurse, Ms Farrell is the founder of a Christmas Day Dinner service for the elderly. She has been working with the elderly since she began volunteering as a teenager 25 years ago. Improving long-term care of the elderly, and alleviating the financial and emotional strain on families with aging parents, is one of her key campaign issues. # Ms Farrell will be looking to win a second seat for Fianna Fail in a constituency with five male incumbents: three Independents, Mattie McGrath, Seamus Healy, and Michael Lowry; Labours Alan Kelly, and Farrells Fianna Fail party colleague, Jackie Cahill. Ms. Farrell, is a former Labour Party Mayor of Nenagh. She was first elected to Nenagh Town Council aged 23, and later became the towns youngest Mayor. Her great grandfather, Denis Dinny Farrell founded the Fianna Fail Cumann in Nenagh, so a return to Fianna Fail was in the blood. On the night I was elected for Labour, we were in the pub and an old man came up to me presented me a copy of an old document with a signature Dinny Farrell,and said your great grandfather would turn in his grave. My great grandfather had been one of the founding members of the Fianna Fail Cumann in Nenagh. His name was Dinny Farrell, my fathers name. Theres been a line of Denis Farrells since my great grandfather. I knew all my family had been Fianna Fail - the party ran my uncle Hughie McGrath in the same election as me in 2004 and he got a seat as well - but I didnt know until that night that my great grandfather had played such a pivotal role in the Fianna Fail party in Nenagh all those years ago. I was elected at 23, but after a couple of years on the town council I started to feel frustrated. Town Council politics didnt allow you to effect much change at the time. I decided I could probably be more effective as a community activist in my own time. I decided not to stand for election again. Now, I want to offer a new voice for Tipperary. Im returning to politics, older but wiser. I want to offer some ideas and solutions, a female perspective as a wife, businesswoman and healthcare professional, and also as a volunteer. There is a better way of living. Not everyone is feeling the recovery. There are families out there with both parents working, yet they are struggling, because theyre cash poor. They have set demands on their income: rent or mortgage, bills, car loans, car insurance, school, clothes, food. Some of these families are coming to our food shelter because saving money on the food, is what lets them pay the other bills. There are now 20,000 more children living in poverty in Ireland, than there was just two and a half years ago. There are 10,000 people homeless, including 3,000 children living in emergency accommodation. The economy might be recovering, but as a society, were failing. We have enough, more than enough, to help those who need help. I would like to see intelligent debate in the campaign about all the issues facing the people of Tipperary. I will be launching my key policy objectives on caring for the elderly, on housing, mental health, and on jobs, over the course of my campaign. I would like anyone out there whod like to get involved and help with my campaign for A Better Way, to get in touch (Natural News) The more that is uncovered regarding the Obama-era Spygate scandal involving the 2016 Trump campaign, the more we are convinced that the actions of some of the Deep State figures involved rise to the level of sedition. In recent days, members of Congress obtained from the Justice Department another batch of emails between fired FBI counterintelligence official Peter Strzok and former FBI lawyer Lisa Page, his one-time paramour, indicating they plotted with the media to undermine POTUS Donald Trump and his administration. According to investigative journalist Sara A. Carter: Newly released text messages and documents obtained by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee reveal that senior members of the FBI and Department of Justice led a coordinated effort to leak unverified information to the press regarding alleged collusion with Russia to damage President Donald Trumps administration, according to a letter sent by the committee to the DOJ Monday. The letter was sent by Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., chairman of the Oversight and Government Reforms Committees subcommittee on Government Operations, to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein who surely must be getting at least a little unsettled about all of this Spygate business because he has played a role in it. In it, he recounts a text message exchange between Strzok and Page which he says indicates there was a lack of enthusiasm, so to speak, to investigate legitimate wrongdoing in favor of planting derogatory information in the media to justify a continued probe. The letter describes the exchange: April 10, 2017: Peter Strzok contacts Lisa Page to discuss a media leak strategy. Specifically, the text says, I had literally just gone to find this phone to tell you I want to talk to you about media leak strategy with DOJ before you go. April 12, 2017: Peter Strzok congratulates Lisa Page on a job well done while referring to two derogatory articles about Carter Page. In the text, Strzok warns Page two articles are coming out, one which is worse than the other about Lisas namesake. Strzok added: Well done, Page. Meadows said those two texts are problematic in and of themselves but added that events denoting those interactions most definitely call into question their ability to effectively and in an unbiased manner serve justice faithfully. This is sedition During the period of that text exchange, FBI and Justice Department officials were talking to reporters. It was also the same time that The Washington Post published a story about the Carter Page FISA court application (April 11, 2017), which touched off allegations of connections between the president and Russia. Other documents indicate DOJ officials, specifically Andrew Weissman, participated in unauthorized conversations with the media during this same time period, the letter says. Weissman is one of special counsel Robert Muellers top attorneys; hows he supposed to be impartial and unbiased towards the president he schemed against and is now investigating? (Related: Muellers special counsel effort has become nothing more than taxpayer funded opposition research to defeat Trump in 2020.) There is additional evidence, Meadows noted, that senior FBI and Justice Department officials also talked to other news outlets in addition to the Post. Meadows then pointed out that during congressional testimony, both Page and Strzok were advised by FBI lawyers not to answer a number of questions, citing the U.S. Attorneys Manual policy for ongoing investigations. This was a cop-out and a ruse. First of all, there shouldnt even be an investigation because there is no evidence of a crime being committed or evidence of Russian collusion. But secondly, as Meadows pointed out, according to documents Strzok and Page discussed ongoing investigations multiple times with individuals outside of the investigative team on a regular basis. We believe that rises to the level of sedition. Thats the charge these two should be slapped with. But whos going to do it? Read more about the Deep States scheming against President Trump at Trump.news. Sources include: SaraACarter.com TheNationalSentinel.com (Natural News) Mainstream media would have you believe that the fluctuations in the carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere are completely man-made. They insist that technological advances as well as overpopulation have driven our planet to a state of crisis one evidenced by a rapidly warming atmosphere. However, a basic understanding of the global carbon cycle would suggest otherwise. A new study, headed by the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, has concluded that rifting (the breaking up of the continents) greatly contributes to the higher CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. What most people do not realize is that a majority of the carbon found on Earth is bound to its core. Only one-hundred-thousandth of the carbon dioxide on our planet is observed in the atmosphere, biosphere, and oceans. Scientists once believed that deep carbon is released into the atmosphere at mid-oceanic ridges due to volcanic activity. The resulting process bursts out jets of carbon dioxide through a chemical reaction. This process of degassing carbon dioxide through active volcanoes is not, however, properly constrained. Scientists have noted that such fault systems do not account for the increase of CO2 levels seen in the atmosphere over the last five decades. A more likely explanation is hypothesized. Authors of the study posit that a large output of CO2 can be explained by the shifts of tectonic plates, or the movements of these large continental areas across the ocean. Sasha Brune from GFZ and co-author of the research explains: Rift systems develop by tectonic stretching of the continental crust, which may lead to [a] break-up of entire plates. The East African Rift with a total length of 6,000 km is the largest in the world, but it appears small in comparison to the rift systems which were formed 130 million years ago when the supercontinent Pangea broke apart, comprising a network with a total length of more than 40,000 km. Brune and her team came to this conclusion after analyzing plate tectonic models of the past 200 million years and other geological evidence collected from previous research. From there, the team was able to reconstruct how the global rift network evolved and more importantly, how each shift or movement influenced CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. Brune used numerical carbon cycle models to simulate the effect of CO2 degassing from these rifts and saw that rifting periods correlated highly with increased CO2 levels. The global CO2 degassing rates at rift systems, however, are just a fraction of the anthropogenic carbon release today, concluded Brune. Yet, they represent a missing key component of the deep carbon cycle that controls long-term climate change over millions of years. The Earths natural healing process Everything seems scarier when youre at the cusp of something. Global warming and climate change seem all the more real because we are witnessing it happening. Nevertheless, it does more harm than good to panic. A careful look at the Earths natural processes reveal that plate tectonics and their associated movements are a part of our planets cycles. Previous research has proven that tectonic shifts have both a direct and indirect effect on climate change and CO2 concentrations. (Related: Global warming debunked: NASA report verifies carbon dioxide actually cools atmosphere.) These analyses conclude that tectonic processes can cause the planet to heat up and cool down depending on where the Earth is in its cycles. It is speculated that when plates move away or collide with each other (as what has been happening since the breakaway of Pangea), these spark certain reactions. The most obvious example would be earthquakes or volcanic activity. However, these movements may also cause carbon to be forcibly degassed into the atmosphere in the form of CO2. You can read more stories related to climate change, global warming, or tectonic plate movements at ClimateScienceNews.com. Sources include: ScienceDaily.com Nature.com Geo.UMass.edu WHOI.edu A man was arrested for battery after a fight near downtown Madison Friday night. A 21-year-old man battered a 30-year-old man with his skateboard before he fled from Hawk's Bar and Grill on the 400 block of State Street at 12:59 a.m., according to Madison Police Chief Mike Koval's blog. The 21-year-old was eventually apprehended and was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of methamphetamine, battery and resisting arrest. Another 21-year-old man reported being hit by a woman approximately 5 feet and 5 inches, 200 pounds with short blonde hair and dark colored clothing. The suspected woman remains at large, according to the blog post. Police are still investigating. Democrats campaign Red 2 Blue opened a new headquarters in San Francisco Saturday with the goal of flipping the balance of power in Washington from Republican to Democratic. The new political center on Market Street is one of two Red 2 Blue centers that will be operational for the midterm elections in November. The other center is in the East Bay. The idea is to call voters in swing states and Republican majority states, and try to convince them to cast ballots for Democrats. Republicans won control of both the House and the Senate in 2016 when President Trump took the White House, but Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi believes that with lots of effort, Democrats have a good chance at taking control back in November. "These races could be 500 votes one way or another, all over the country," Pelosi said. "So understand that every call you make, every step you take, every door you knock, every post card you send, every sign you plant, every one of those could be what makes the difference in the election." Meanwhile, Republicans are using Pelosi as one if their main targets, as they look to get out the Republican vote for the midterm elections. Republicans are warning that if Democrats take back the house, she may become speaker again and work to unravel tax cuts that were passed last year by Republicans. Midterm elections are 51 days away. What to Know Officials say a husband and wife have died in a plane crash in Woburn, Massachusetts. The Columbia Aircraft LC41 departed from New York and was scheduled to land at Hanscom Field in Bedford, Massachusetts. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash. A couple from New York was killed following a small plane crash in Woburn, Massachusetts. The plane crashed into the woods behind a house on Minchin Drive around 11 a.m. Saturday. The victims were identified as 65-year-old Dr. Michael Graver and his 52-year-old wife, Jodi Cohen, of Manhasset. Investigators say the couple was headed to Massachusetts to meet up with their child when their plane went down less than seven miles from the airport and just minutes before its scheduled landing. Julianne Almeida heard something that didn't sound right seconds before the couple's single engine plane crashed. "You could hear something was wrong," she said. "It was definitely like in the movies when you hear it coming down." Moments later, Almeida says she "heard the boom." Almeida's husband Marc also heard the explosion. "The scene was pretty crazy how close everything was to the houses," he said. No one on the ground sustained any injuries, and no homes in the area were damaged. "There was stuff exploding, and there was debris all over the street," Almeida said. While Almeida has seen a lot in her 15 years as an emergency room nurse, she says nothing has shook her this badly. "Just yelling, 'can anybody hear me? Are you alive? Can you hear me?' Nobody was answering." Dr. Graver was flying at the time of the crash and was a "very experienced" pilot according to his family, District Attorney Marian Ryan said at a 3 p.m. press conference. The 2006 Columbia Aircraft LC41 departed from Republic Airport in Farmingdale, New York shortly around 9:33 a.m. and was scheduled to land at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Mass. just after 11 a.m., according to the Massachusetts Port Authority and the Federal Aviation Administration. Woburn police started receiving 911 calls regarding a plane crash around 11:03 a.m., according to DA Ryan. Dr. Graver was the chief of adult cardiac surgery at North Shore University Hospital, according to the Northwell Health public relations office. Cohen had been working for the past five years at Douglas Elliman Real Estate, where a senior executive manager of sales called her a "terrific class professional and a great woman." The 4-seat aircraft was co-owned by Dr. Graver and another man, who was not identified. The plane will be removed from the area over the next 48 hours. No foul play is suspected. The investigation into the cause of the crash is open and ongoing. The Middlesex District Attorneys Office, Massachusetts State Police, Woburn Police and Fire Departments, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Aeronautics Division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation are investigating this incident. A man who crashed a stolen car on the Indiana Toll Road Thursday night told police he felt like he was in a dream, according to Indiana State Police. Joshua Gene Aaron, 35, of Elkhart, was driving a 2014 Kia Soul that had been reported stolen out of Elkhart County at 9:32 p.m.on I-80/90 when he tried to exit into the 3 North Service Plaza near the 55.9 mile marker at a high rate of speed, police said.He drove the Kia off the road, jumped a curb and went airborne into a traffic sign. The Kia then rolled over into the gravel median between gas pumps and the service plaza, police said. Aaron told responding Trooper Matthew Drudge that he felt like he was in a dream at the time of the crash and identified himself by his brothers name, Matthew J. Aaron, police said. He had 12 credit cards belonging to the owner of the Kia in his possession, police said. [NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More Aaron was taken to South Bend Memorial Hospital where he was reportedly unruly and disturbing other patients, police said. He was then transferred to La Porte County Jail and was charged with vehicle theft, unauthorized control of a motor vehicle, identity deception, theft of property, disorderly conduct, false informing and felony identity deception, police said. Alcohol or drugs may have been a factor in the crash. Toxicology reports were pending, police said. The shine is starting to come off South Korean President Moon Jae-in's engagement strategy with the North. The liberal politician, who reversed nearly a decade of conservative hard-line policy toward North Korea after his election last year, is preparing for a third summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un amid growing public skepticism about his approach. Moon, who goes to Pyongyang on Tuesday, has seen his approval rating fall to 49 percent in a recent Gallup Korea survey, the first time it dipped below 50 percent since he took office in May 2017 promising better ties with North Korea and political reform. Moon's approval rating stood at 83 percent after his first summit with Kim in April. South Koreans are divided over whether this week's summit in Pyongyang will help break a stalemate over nuclear diplomacy between the U.S. and North Korea, according to another survey released in early September. By comparison, surveys after the April summit found overwhelming support for Moon from a public fascinated with the historic handshakes, border crossings and other dramatic scenes the two leaders produced after years of rising tensions. "Our people are beginning to learn that North Korea will not easily give up its nukes, something that many experts had already repeatedly predicted," said Kim Taewoo, former president of the government-funded Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul. Moon may face increasing difficulties if his summit with Kim in Pyongyang fails to make tangible progress on efforts to get North Korea to scrap its nuclear weapons program. Economic woes such as a lackluster job-market growth and soaring real estate prices are compounding Moon's problems, adding to opposition to his North Korea policy, many experts say. "If Moon fails to address economic problems, he can't maintain public contentment with his government only with his North Korea policy," said Nam Sung-wook, a professor at Korea University. "If the economy gets worse, many people will demand that Moon stop looking to North Korea and start resolving our own economic problems." Moon knows how important public support is for his North Korea policy. Most major detente projects with North Korea started by his liberal predecessors during a 1998-2008 "Sunshine Era" were suspended after conservatives took power. Moon hasn't been able to revive them because of U.S.-led economic sanctions on North Korea. Liberal presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun endured withering conservative criticism that their little-strings-attached shipments of aid and cooperation projects with North Korea helped finance the North's weapons program. Moon served as Roh's chief of staff and was in charge of preparations for Roh's 2007 summit with Kim's father, former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. South Korean politics is characterized by a fundamental conservative-liberal divide over how to view North Korea. Liberals consider the North one to reconcile with while conservatives see it more as an enemy state that poses a significant security threat. Moon's conservative predecessors, Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, faced harsh criticism from liberals that their hard-line stances only led North Korea to carry out more weapons tests and attacks such as two in 2010 that killed 50 South Koreans. Opposition to Moon's North Korea policy was initially weak, partly because the conservatives were in disarray following a corruption scandal that led to the ouster of Park, Moon's predecessor. A conservative backlash erupted when Kim sent North Korean athletes and top officials to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea in February, including a former spy chief blamed for the 2010 attacks. But any criticism was soon overshadowed by the April summit, which also improved Kim's image in South Korea in one survey at the time, 78 percent of respondents said they had faith in the North Korean leader. Now, as nuclear talks between the U.S. and North Korea stall, conservatives feel vindicated and emboldened. Professor Lim Eul Chul at South Korea's Kyungnam University said conservatives now "tend to criticize North Korea and distance themselves from the Moon government for their own political gain." During a Cabinet meeting last week, Moon said he needs not only strong international support but also "nonpartisan backing at home" to help make next week's summit produce a major step toward denuclearization. "Please, lay aside partisan politics in the face of these kinds of important things for Korea," he said. Moon even asked conservative opposition leaders to travel with him to Pyongyang for the summit, but they rejected the offer immediately. "Given that North Korea has not taken concrete denuclearization steps even after two inter-Korean summits and one U.S.-North Korea summit, it's overly excessive to ask us to go to Pyongyang," said Yoon Young-seok, a spokesman for the main opposition Liberty Korea Party. "We can't help asking whether the invitation ... is aimed at giving Kim Jong Un a gift." A Silver Alert has been canceled for a 94-year-old man who was reported missing from East Haven on Sunday. A Silver Alert was issued around 4:30 p.m. Sunday for Allen Ziehler. Police canceled it around 6:15 p.m. In honor of a young life taken too soon, Enfield High School students released balloons on Sunday to remember 16-year-old Justin Brady, who was killed earlier this week. Students gathered to honor a young man described as a sweet kid, who had just started his junior year at Enfield High School. Enfield Police said Brady was stabbed to death in the overnight hours last Sunday, outside of a home on Hoover Lane. Investigators quickly identified the suspect and charged 18-year-old Shyheim "Trey" Adams with first degree manslaughter. According to court papers, Adams attacked Brady with a knife outside of 15 Hoover Lane, where Brady had gone to fight Adams after the two exchanged messages on Snapchat. Neither lived at the address, but police said two knives were found in the home. One of the knives was used in the stabbing. Adams is being held on a $750,000 bond and is expected in court again on September 24. Dozens of neon signs reminding drivers to yield to pedestrians were installed at Hartford crosswalks on Friday in an effort to improve safety in a city plagued by frequent pedestrian accidents. The Center for Latino Progress funded the purchase of more than forty signs using part of a $170,000 grant won through the National Safety Councils Road to Zero program, meant to help community organizations reduce roadway fatalities. Hartford has some of the highest accident rates and some of the least compliance with traffic laws, said Gannon Long, who manages the initiative at the Hartford-based center. She and her colleagues identified thirty locations for the signs using pedestrian and bicycle crash data compiled by the citys Department of Public Works, she said. Long believes the eye-catching yellow signs will be effective. Drivers are more likely to take their foot off the gas. They automatically slow down at least a few miles an hour just by seeing something in the road, she said. During the evening rush hour on Friday, people walking in the citys Parkville neighborhood said it can be hard to be sure when its safe to cross the street. Gleyann Fontanez said she frequently observes drivers behaving badly throughout the city. Her clothing store, Latinas Fashion, is located across Park Street from the Parkville Community School. Fontanez said she has seen drivers fail to slow down or stop during times the crossing guard is helping children to and from school. They run red lights. They speed a lot, she said. She was delighted to see one of the new signs installed in the crosswalk outside her store, and said she has already noticed some improvements. Ive been seeing the difference, she said. Infrastructure improvements are very costly, but Long said the signs cost around $300 each, making them a relatively cheap investment. Hartford sees a number of pedestrian-related crashes every year. Earlier this September, security cameras captured a brazen hit-and-run on Albany Avenue that killed 47-year old Chante Tucker. Long said she initially hoped to install many more of the crosswalk signs in other areas of the city they identified as frequent crash zones. One of the issues standing in their way is that some of citys neighborhoods, especially in Hartfords North End, have few crosswalks. Police searches have become an issue in the case of a Connecticut man charged with killing his father and living with the corpse for months before shooting a police officer who entered the home during a welfare check in 2013. Lawyers for Andrew Samuolis, of Willimantic, argue the searches were illegal because no warrants were issued, and any evidence collected should be prohibited from being used at the upcoming trial. A hearing on the searches is scheduled to resume Monday in Danielson Superior Court. Police say they entered the Willimantic home legally after seeing a window covered with flies -- a sign of a possible dead body inside. Authorities say an officer shot by Samuolis survived. Samuolis' lawyers plan to pursue an insanity defense to murder and other charges. Katelyn French was at a loss when her nine months of planning to be married this weekend in North Carolina's mountains was washed away by Hurricane Florence. But then family and friends in Florida's Panhandle stepped up to give her and her fiance, Matt Parsons, a dream wedding a little closer to home. Her aunt, April Crosby, opened up her home on a lake in Chipley, Florida, for the wedding. French tells Panama City television station WMBB that her aunt told her not to worry since the wedding was going to be "fabulous." Friends and family set up benches in front of the backyard lake, strung lights from trees and folded cloth napkins in preparation for Saturday's nuptials. French says what seemed like a disaster ended up being a blessing. And she is not alone. Texans Brendan McLean and Allison Miller were planning on exchanging vows Friday in Charleston, South Carolina. But with the "Southern Charm" city in the hurricane's path, Charleston was under a mandatory evacuation order. Miller and McLean were forced to give up their dream wedding on a plantation and scrambled to plan one closer to home in Plano. With the help of family, friends and even Mavericks owner Marc Cuban, who donated the catering, they were able to pull together a new wedding in just five days. "We've been so overwhelmed by disappointment in the beginning, but then, the love and support of people, just sort of this outpouring from everywhere," McLean said. A day after blowing ashore with 90 mph (145 kph) winds, a weakened Florence slowed to a crawl over the Carolinas, and the storm's relentless rains fueled fears of devastating inland flooding in the next few days. More than 2 feet (60 centimeters) of rain had fallen in places, swelling rivers toward record levels, and forecasters say there could be an additional 1 feet (45 centimeters) before Sunday is out. Adriana Ruggiero and David Robinson decided earlier this year to wed in Wilmington, North Carolina, where her fiance has familial roots. But the venue they chose to celebrate their wedding day is along the edge of the Cape Fear River, which is projected to overrun its banks and flood cities and towns. While the couple say they don't have a backup plan to salvage their wedding if flooding prevents them from marrying in Wilmington, Ruggiero told NBC San Diego that for now they are focusing on praying for people impacted by Florence. The most important part that we have been praying for is that no one gets hurt, Adriana said. Of course we want to have our wedding, but we are also aware that there are other things around this situation that are even bigger than our wedding." Dallas police officer Amber Guyger's explanation that she killed Botham Jean, a neighbor who lived above her, because she mistook his apartment for her own has been dismissed as implausible and self-serving by his family and their lawyers. Experts on police training and psychologists, however, are split as to the credibility of Guyger's story about how she came to kill the 26-year-old Jean, and that credibility will be key to whether a grand jury will indict Guyger and whether she could persuade a trial jury that the killing was tragic, but justifiable. Guyger, 30, has been booked on an initial charge of manslaughter in last week's killing of Jean, whose funeral was Thursday, exactly a week after the deadly encounter. Guyger told investigators that she parked on the wrong floor of her building after returning home from work late that night and she mistakenly entered Jean's apartment, which was right above her third-floor unit. She said it was dark inside and she thought Jean was a burglar, and that she shot him after he didn't obey her "verbal commands." She said she only realized she wasn't in her own home after she had shot him and turned on the lights. Lawyers for the Jean family have criticized the handling of the investigation, alleging that Guyger has been given preferential treatment. They have also criticized Guyger's version of events, saying it is meant to portray her actions in the best light. "Botham Jean is not here to give his version of what happened because he's dead," said one family lawyer, Benjamin Crump. Some experts who aren't connected to the case say Guyger should have recognized what was really going on and stopped short of using deadly force. "Law enforcement has no place for fearful officers," said Jameca Woody Falconer, a police psychologist based in St. Louis. "Fearful officers make hasty decisions and bad decisions. In this situation, the officer allowed her fear to influence her decision-making and it cost an innocent man his life." Falconer said Guyger should have been better trained to de-escalate any conflict with Jean once the two saw each other, and to determine quickly that she was in the wrong apartment. Others say that even though Guyger was in the wrong apartment, she could have had a reasonable belief that she was defending her life and her property. "This is a question about her using deadly force and whether you could say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that there is no reasonable view of what she did," said Eugene O'Donnell, a former police officer and prosecutor who is now a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. O'Donnell said it would require a full investigation to determine all the factors that went into her shooting Jean, and that one or two details could make a difference. "It's a mistake to dismiss something out of hand simply because ... it appears to be implausible or inexplicable," he said. Laurence Miller, a police psychologist in Boca Raton, Florida, said that based on the current information available, Guyger appears to have "basically followed the procedure for handling a potential deadly force encounter." "The main problem is: What was Officer Guyger doing in Jean's apartment in the first place?" Miller said. G.A. Radvansky, a University of Notre Dame professor who has studied cognition and human memory, said that it was "plausible" that someone could falsely misidentify something familiar. "In general, the more similar things are, the more likely such confusion can arise," Radvansky said. "That said, these confusions are often resolved quickly." All of the experts agreed that many more questions would have to be answered before Guyger's credibility could be judged. They include whether Guyger was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, her level of fatigue, any history of emotional or medical problems, or any history she may have had with Jean, though initial reports suggested the two did not know each other. Authorities haven't released the recording of Guyger's 911 call or the results of her toxicology tests. James Whalen, a defense attorney in Dallas, said the tape of Guyger's call to 911 after shooting Jean will be a critical gauge of her credibility. But how Jean may have responded will also be scrutinized as well, he said. "He could be having the same reaction: 'Oh my God, somebody's coming in my apartment. I need to go protect myself,'" Whalen said. "He's viewing her as a threat, she's viewing him as a threat, and then we have this big misunderstanding." A California man has been charged with shooting a Cicero police officer during a chaotic rush-hour encounter that also prompted a concealed-carry permit holder to open fire Thursday afternoon on a busy Stevenson Expressway ramp. Daniel Mageo, of Long Beach, California, faces two counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of aggravated battery with a firearm, Chicago police announced on Saturday. Mageo, 27, is a convicted felon and a registered sex offender who had an active California parole violation warrant out for his arrest, according to Cicero town officials. Authorities say Mageo shot Cicero Police Officer Luis Duarte four times during the encounter near the 4200 block of South Cicero Avenue, but it might have been worse if the armed citizen hadnt stepped in. The incident began after Duarte, 31, and his partner tried to pull over Mageos vehicle about 5 p.m. in the 3900 block of South Cicero, but he took off until he got caught in traffic on the ramp to southbound Interstate 55, Cicero police said hours after the shooting. Mageo then got out and opened fire, hitting Duarte twice in the arm, once in the leg and once in the abdomen, officials said. Duartes partner returned fire, as did a concealed-carry holder who had been sitting in traffic on Cicero Avenue, police said. Mageo was shot once and taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition, officials said. It wasnt clear if he was shot by police or the armed bystander. We were lucky enough to have a citizen on the street there whos a concealed-carry holder, and he also engaged in gunfire, Cicero Police Supt. Jerry Chlada Jr. said outside Mount Sinai Hospital, where Duarte underwent Thursday night. On Friday, police said the four-year veteran officer was recovering in good condition. Mageo, who was arrested by Chicago police because the shooting happened in city limits, was scheduled to be in bond court Saturday afternoon. Illinois State Police are investigating the officers use of force. Bat droppings are being blamed for causing breathing problems that made 13 workers ill at a Florida courthouse. The Lakeland Ledger reports that workers at the Hardee County Courthouse on Thursday complained of coughing, itchy and scratchy throats, chest burning, red eyes, and itchy skin. Two people were treated and released from a hospital. About 1,500 bats infested the third floor of the courthouse in August but they were removed, the droppings cleaned up and the courthouse reopened. Circuit Court Judge Marcus Ezelle has ordered the closure of the floor and court proceedings have been moved temporarily to the Board of County Commissioners building next door. Holly Ober, an associate professor at the University of Florida, says if bat excrement is improperly swept then the droppings can become airborne. What to Know Carlos Alfonso Jr. moved to North Carolina with his parents in 2016. He was born in Richmond Heights, attending Southwest Senior High. The 21-year-old went missing hours before Hurricane Florence - now a Tropical Depression - made landfall. Family members say there is cause for concern that foul play could be involved. A South Florida family is yearning for answers after they say a loved one disappeared in North Carolina right before Hurricane Florence now a Tropical Depression made landfall. Twenty-one year old Carlos Alfonso Jr. was born and raised in Richmond Heights, but moved to Lumberton, North Carolina with his parents a few years ago, cousin Michelle Waldron said. His family is concerned he may be in danger. They have cause for concern that there is foul play involved, she said. Waldron said Alfonso left home with a male neighbor on Sept. 13, telling his mom hed be home later. After about an hour, the neighbor apparently returned with Alfonsos cell phone, saying hed left it in the car, according to Waldron. The neighbor added that a different friend was going to drop Alfonso home, but he never came back, Waldron said. Waldron said Alfonso isn't one to run off and described him as being a "good kid." She said they need authorities to investigate the case, but dont feel it has been a priority because police are focused on the aftermath of Florence. Being that the storm did hit obviously my family is without power. They are trying to do the best that they can with what they have on their own," she said. "They are searching. Theve been searching. His dad hasnt stopped searching." Alfonso was last seen wearing a grey sleeveless shirt, jeans, boots and a camo hat. The family is asking anyone with information to call police or contact 910-671-3100. A Miami-Dade Transit Metrobus remains inside of a clothing business in Little Haiti as officials work to determine what to do with the scene. The incident occurred in Little Haiti at the intersection of NW 2nd Avenue and NW 54th Street at about 9 a.m. on Sunday. A witness told NBC 6 that he helped open the doors on the bus to help people out, adding that the bus driver's head was injured. It sounded like a demolition," Stenley Joseph said. The bus slammed into a support beam outside of the Omega Fashion Store located at 5401 NW 2nd Ave. Officials said a separate vehicle and the bus collided, which diverted the bus into the building. Joseph said the other vehicle was a white truck that was "coming too fast" and struck the bus. Ten people sustained injuries. Two, the people inside of the white truck, were taken to a trauma center. Officials spent hours Sunday attempting to reinforce the building to prevent a collapse. Two teenagers who suffered a brutal beatdown at Florida International University's Biscayne Bay campus have been released from the hospital, family members said, as police continue their search for the perpetrator behind the violent attack. James Critz, 16, is recovering from injuries that include a fractured skull, but the MAST @ FIU student is remaining optimistic. Right now I still cant hear out of my left ear, but Im not nausea...super nauseatedI can get up and walk around now, which is nice, he said. Critz and 15-year-old Isabela Perdomo both students at MAST @ FIU were viciously attacked Monday at the FIU BBC campus by an unidentified subject, police said. According to Perdomo, the suspect attacked both students with a large tree limb for no apparent reason, causing severe injuries. Critz, however, has no recollection of the attack. I dont recall exactly, what exactly happened, Critz said. Me and a friend were after class, we were hanging out outside near the bay. And we were walking somewhere and the next thing I knew, I woke up at the hospital. Both students were transported to the intensive care unit at Memorial Regional Hospital. Perdomo was released Thursday, Critz was released Saturday. Police have released a sketch of the suspect, who is described as a dark-skinned male around 16-18 years old. I really hope that people will really look for this guy because this was so random, and in the middle of the day and you know, just kids. And you know, it could be anyones kids at any time, said Tara James, Perdomos mother. Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to call Miami-Dade Crimestoppers at 305-471-8477. A South Florida family is seeking justice for their loved one after he was shot and killed while on vacation in Colombia. Juan Pablo Cardona, 35, was just wrapping up his eight-day trip when it took a tragic turn, said his sister, Paula Castillo. According to Castillo, the incident happened on August 27, when Cardona was walking through the streets of Colombia with a woman he met online. The pair were approached by two suspects on a motorcycle, police told Castillo. The suspects tried grabbing Cardonas backpack, but he reportedly resisted. Cardona was left with a gunshot wound in the chest and later died. Castillo describes her only sibling as a nurturing son, cousin, brother and friend. Cardona, who attended Hollywood Hills High School, also practiced yoga and was deeply ingrained in the community. Before he left, he said he wanted to do something so adventurous, Castillo said. Castillo said she is searching for her brothers killer. However, getting information from authorities is proving to be difficult. Theyre telling me oh patience, you just have to wait, but theyre not giving me absolutely any updates, because theyre saying that the video quality is too bad, so we cant really tell who it was, she said. Castillo said the family is also having a hard time getting Cardonas cell phone out of police custody. I wanted to know if the American government could step into the investigation, she said. The family has set up a GoFundMe to aid with funeral costs and other expenses. We are struggling to comprehend the situation as it stands, and the details are cloudy. What we do know is that he needs to be brought back home, and that will incur some serious costs, the GoFundMe page reads. The family has raised about $24,000 so far. Click here to view the GoFundMe page. Texas authorities charged a U.S. Border Patrol supervisor with murder following what they described as the serial killing of four female sex workers and a possible attempt on the life of a fifth woman who escaped at a gas station and found help. Juan David Ortiz, 35, an intel supervisor for the Border Patrol, was charged with four counts of murder and aggravated assault and unlawful restraint, Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz said in a tweet. Ortiz was arrested after the fifth woman managed to flee. State troopers found Ortiz hiding in a truck in a hotel parking lot in Laredo at around 2 a.m. Saturday. The border city about 145 miles (235 kilometers) southwest of San Antonio. "We do consider this to be a serial killer," Alaniz said. Alaniz said that after the suspect picked up the fifth woman she quickly realized that she was in danger. "When she tried to escape from him at a gas station that's when she ran into a (state) trooper," Alaniz said. He said that authorities believe Ortiz had killed all four women since Sept. 3. The names of the victims were not immediately released. Alaniz said two of them were U.S. citizens but the nationalities of the other two were not yet known. All of them were working as prostitutes and one was a transgender woman, he said. "The manner in which they were killed is similar in all the cases from the evidence," said Alaniz. He declined to discuss the evidence or say how the women were killed. Alaniz said investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the killings. Authorities said they believe Ortiz acted alone. "It's interesting that he would be observing and watching as law enforcement was looking for the killer, that he would be reporting to work every day like normal," Alaniz said. Ortiz was a 10-year veteran of the Border Patrol. U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a statement saying that it was fully cooperating with the investigation. "Our sincerest condolences go out to the victims' family and friends. While it is CBP policy to not comment on the details of an ongoing investigation, criminal action by our employees is not, and will not be tolerated," the agency said. The Texas Department of Public Safety, whose Texas Rangers are investigating, did not return several messages seeking comment. What to Know Florence continued to crawl westward, dumping more than 30 inches of rain in spots since Friday, and fears of historic flooding grew The death toll climbed to at least 16 on Sunday Florence buckled buildings, deluged entire communities and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses Catastrophic flooding from Florence spread across the Carolinas on Sunday, with roads to Wilmington cut off by the epic deluge and muddy river water swamping entire neighborhoods miles inland. "The risk to life is rising with the angry waters," Gov. Roy Cooper declared as the storm's death toll climbed to 16 and included a mother and her infant. The storm continued to crawl westward, dumping more than 30 inches of rain in spots since Friday, and fears of historic flooding grew. Tens of thousands were ordered evacuated from communities along the state's steadily rising rivers with the Cape Fear, Little River, Lumber, Waccamaw and Pee Dee rivers all projected to burst their banks. In Wilmington, with roads leading in and out of the city underwater and streams still swelling upward, residents waited for hours outside stores and restaurants for basic necessities like water. Police guarded the door of one store, and only 10 people were allowed inside at a time. Woody White, chairman of the board of commissioners of New Hanover County, said officials were planning for food and water to be flown into the coastal city of nearly 120,000 people. "Our roads are flooded," he said. "There is no access to Wilmington." About 70 miles away from the coast, residents near the Lumber River stepped from their homes directly into boats floating in their front yards; river forecasts showed the scene could be repeated in towns as far as 250 miles inland as waters rise for days. Downgraded to a tropical depression overnight after blowing ashore as a hurricane with 90 mph winds on Friday, Florence was still massive. Radar showed parts of the sprawling storm over six states, with North and South Carolina in the bull's-eye. "This storm has never been more dangerous than it is right now," Cooper said Sunday. Tens of thousands were ordered to evacuate from what officials said could be the worst flooding in North Carolina history, but it wasn't clear how many had fled or even could. The head of Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, said officials were focused on finding people and rescuing them. "We'll get through this. It'll be ugly, but we'll get through it," Long told NBC's "Meet The Press." President Donald Trump said federal emergency workers, first responders and law enforcement officials are "working really hard" on Florence. He tweeted that as the storm "begins to finally recede, they will kick into an even higher gear. Very Professional!" Trump is expected to visit the areas affected by the storm next week, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement Friday. The storm's death toll climbed to 16. In North Carolina, it included a mother and baby killed when a tree fell on a house in Wilmington, a man in his late 60s who was electrocuted plugging in a generator, a man in his late 70s who was hurt while outside, a woman who couldn't be treated for a medical condition due to blocked roads and an 81-year-old man who died after falling while packing to evacuate. Three people died in Duplin County, North Carolina, "due to flash flooding and swift water on roadways," sheriff's officials said Saturday in a Facebook post. A husband and wife also died in a storm-linked house fire, officials said. In South Carolina, a 61-year-old woman died after driving into a tree in Union County, and a man and woman died from carbon monoxide poisoning in Horry County. And in Georgetown County, a man died after driving his truck down a road with rushing water. The vehicle overturned into a flooded ditch. A driver also died in Kershaw County after veering off the road and striking an overpass support beam. Two deaths in Carteret County initially said to be storm-related were not; authorities there later said they were a murder-suicide. "Our hearts go out to the families of those who died in this storm, Cooper said. "Hurricane Florence is going to continue its violent grind across our state for days. Be extremely careful and stay alert. Power outages in the Carolinas and Virginia were down to about 650,000 homes and businesses after reaching a high of about 910,000 as the hurricane plowed into the coast. Utilities said some outages could last for weeks. As rivers swelled toward record levels, state regulators and environmental groups were monitoring the threat from gigantic hog and poultry farms located in low-lying, flood-prone areas. The industrial-scale farms typically feature vast pits of animal feces and urine that can pose a significant pollution threat if they are breached or inundated by floodwaters. In past hurricanes, flooding at dozens of farms also left hundreds of thousands of dead hogs, chickens and other decomposing livestock bobbing in floodwaters. Stream gauges across the region showed water levels rising steadily, with forecasts calling for rivers to crest Sunday and Monday at or near record levels. The Defense Department said about 13,500 military personnel had been assigned to help relief efforts. Authorities ordered the immediate evacuation of up to 7,500 people living within a mile (1.6 kilometers) of a stretch of the Cape Fear River and the Little River, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the North Carolina coast. The evacuation zone included part of the city of Fayetteville, population 200,000. John Rose owns a furniture business with stores less than a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the river. Rain-soaked furniture workers helped him quickly empty more than 1,000 mattresses from a warehouse in a low-lying strip mall. "It's the first time we've ever had to move anything like this," Rose said. "If the river rises to the level they say it's going to, then this warehouse is going to be under water." Fayetteville city officials, meanwhile, got help from the Nebraska Task Force One search and rescue team to evacuate 140 residents of an assisted-living facility to a safer location at a church. One potential road out was blocked as flooding forced the shutdown of a 16-mile stretch of Interstate 95, the main highway along the Eastern Seaboard. It also poses a problem for moving resources to storm-damaged areas and allowing evacuees to return home. The North Carolina Department of Transportation advised drivers to bypass North Carolina entirely. The agency is directing motorists to detour through Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. "This is an extremely long detour, but it is the detour that offers the lowest risk of flooding at this time," NCDOT noted in an advisory on its website. Rainfall totals were stunning. In Swansboro, North Carolina, nearly 34 inches of rain had fallen by Sunday afternoon and 20 other places in North Carolina had at least 20 inches, according to the National Weather Service. Another 30 sites in North and Carolina had at least 10 inches. "This is such a slow-moving storm that it will continue to create torrential amounts of catastrophic flooding," NBC Los Angeles meteorologist Shanna Mendiola said, adding that the danger may last for weeks due to hazards in the water like downed power lines or chemicals. Meanwhile, a tornado was reported by the National Weather Service Wilmington at early Sunday, and the National Hurricane Center said more remain possible across North Carolina and eastern South Carolina. "Floodwaters are rising, and if you aren't watching for them, you are risking your life," Cooper said. Officials were warning residents not only to stay off the roads but also to avoid using GPS systems. "As conditions change, GPS navigation systems are not keeping up with the road closures and are directing people onto roads that are confirmed closed and/or flooded," the state Transportation Department said on Twitter. Florence weakened to a tropical depression early Sunday and was crawling west at 8 mph. At 5 a.m., the storm was centered about 20 miles southwest of Columbia, South Carolina. Its winds were down to 35 mph. For some engaged couples, Florence washed away their wedding plans scheduled for the weekend. But family and friends stepped in to help their betrothed loved ones, with two couples marrying instead in Florida and Texas. In Goldsboro, North Carolina, home of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, roads that frequently flood were already closed Saturday by rushing water. Dozens of electric repair trucks massed to respond to damage expected to hit central North Carolina as rainwater collected into rivers headed to the coast. On Saturday evening, Duke Energy said heavy rains caused a slope to collapse at a coal ash landfill at a closed power station outside Wilmington, North Carolina. Duke spokeswoman Paige Sheehan said about 2,000 cubic yards of ash were displaced at the Sutton Plant and that contaminated storm water likely flowed into the plant's cooling pond. In New Bern, along the coast, homes were completely surrounded by water, and rescuers used inflatable boats to reach people Saturday. Kevin Knox and his family were rescued by boat from their flooded brick home with the help of Army Sgt. Johan Mackie, whose team used a phone app to locate people in distress. "Amazing. They did awesome," said Knox, who was stranded with seven others. New Bern spokeswoman Colleen Roberts said 455 people were safely rescued in the town of 30,000 residents. Over in Pender County, officials said Sunday afternoon that there had been 300 water rescues in the last 12 hours. The Marines rescued about 20 civilians from floodwaters near Camp Lejeune, using Humvees and amphibious assault vehicles, the base reported. New Bern's Planet Fitness said Sunday that is had opened ints locker room to the public for "anyone wishing to shower or freshen up." People did not need a membership to use the gym's bathrooms. Spirits were high at the Trent Park Elementary School in New Bern, where 44-year-old Cathy Yolanda Wright took shelter after being rescued from her flooded home Saturday. Wright, who sings in the choir at Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist, led residents at the shelter in an energetic singalong. People clapped and shouted, "Amen!" and "Thank you, Lord." ___ AP writers Alex Derosier in Fayetteville, Jonathan Drew in Wilmington; Emery P. Dalesio in New Bern, North Carolina; Denise Lavoie and Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Virginia; Gary Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina; Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina; Seth Borenstein and Michael Biesecker in Washington; Lolita C. Baldor at the Pentagon; Martha Waggoner in Raleigh, North Carolina; Jennifer Kay in Miami; Russ Bynum in Columbia, South Carolina; Pete Iacobelli in Clemson, South Carolina, and Jay Reeves in Atlanta contributed to this report. What to Know A couple from Long Island died in a small plane crash north of Boston, officials say Dr. Michael Graver, 65, and his wife, Judi Cohen, 52, of Manhasset, were the only people in the plane No one on the ground was hurt A couple from Long Island died when their small plane crashed Saturday in the woods behind a house in Massachusetts, officials said. Dr. Michael Graver, 65, and his wife, Judi Cohen, 52, of Manhasset, were the only people in the plane that crashed in Woburn, just north of Boston. No one on the ground was injured. Graver, a cardiac surgeon, was piloting the plane, said District Attorney Marian Ryan. She said his family described him as a "very experienced" pilot. The pair departed from Farmingdale around 9:30 a.m. in the single-engine, 4-seat aircraft. They were heading to Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Mass., according to the Massachusetts Port Authority and the Federal Aviation Administration. Graver was the co-owner of the 2006 Columbia Aircraft LC41. Graver was the chief of adult cardiac surgery at North Shore University Hospital. He was recently cited as having one of the lowest mortality rates in the state. Cohen was a real estate agent with Douglas Elliman in Manhasset, where she had worked for five years, said Edward D'Amrosio, senior executive manager of sales. He called her a "terrific class professional and a great woman." The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing. No foul play is suspected. A woman was killed and two men were critically injured after being struck by a train in Delaware. Police in Georgetown say the three were hit by a Carload Express train early Sunday morning as they walked on railroad tracks. The woman was pronounced dead and the two men were taken to a hospital in critical condition. Detective Joseph Melvin said police were dispatched to the railroad tracks behind the 600 block of North Bedford Street after the train engineer reported the incident. The names of the victims are being withheld pending notification of next of kin. No charges have been filed. Melvin said the two men were still in critical condition late Sunday afternoon. Carload Express did not immediately respond to calls and emails seeking comment. The San Diego Humane Society is among the local response teams heading to North Carolina to help with Hurricane Florence relief efforts. The Humane Society will be deploying their emergency response team, which is FEMA-certified; the team conducts swift water rescues of both small and large animals. Last year, the team deployed to Texas and Florida to help animals stranded by hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The shelter team also provides medical attention for animals affected by the storms and takes care of animals living in evacuation shelters. The team helps all animals from cats and dogs to pigs and cows and also work to reunite pets with their owners. Whatever animals have needs well do the best we can to get them out of a dangerous situation and reunited with their owners, Laurel Monreal told NBC 7. While their mission is animal-focused, they are able to rescue people as well. Florence, which has killed at least 15 people and prompted hundreds of rescues, has been downgraded to a tropical depression. Chanting indigenous prayers, dozens of people protested the Trump Administrations immigration policies on Saturday morning, outside the Federal Building in downtown San Diego. Activists say the performance art protest was meant to highlight the pain of families separated at the border. This is just a way to get Western culture to understand that we are hurting. Weve been hurting, immigrant-rights activist Stephany Rubio said. The demonstration happened next to the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Office Building, where many court decisions have recently been made regarding migrant children. While the government has made progress is reuniting families, many activists say the government isnt doing nearly enough. There are still 211 children that remain separated from their parents. Many of them will not be able to reunify with their parents, and thats a travesty, American Friends Service Committee director Pedro Rios said. This week the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services revealed that 12,800 migrant children are in its custody the highest number ever recorded. While many of President Trumps supporters stand behind his tough on immigration policies, the detention of children continues to spark public outcry. We have to make a call out to say maybe its time to abolish ICE," Rios said. "Maybe its time to take a bigger step to how we want our society to reflect much more dignified principles. In a statement to NBC 7, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it "fully respects the rights of all people to voice their opinion peacefully without interference. Democrats came out in full force Saturday to try and win one of the most hotly contested races in the country Californias 49th Congressional District. With only weeks to go until election day, the Democratic Party is bringing some of its political heavy hitters to stump for Mike Levin, who is running against Republican Diane Harkey for the seat currently held by retiring Rep. Darrell Issa. Last week, it was former President Barack Obama, this week it was California Lt. Governor and gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom. "President Obama told me I should sprint through the finish line, Levin said. Sprint through that tape at the end. He also has told us that this is the most consequential election we've had in our nation's history and we've got to get the next two elections right." Democrats are fighting hard for this seat as part of what they hope is a Blue Wave in November. Issa, a Republican, has held the seat since 2003 but with him retiring, the seat is considered a major battleground for the control of House of Representatives. Through major rallies, such as this one, Democrats are hoping to reach voters like Samantha Gambels Farr. "I've attended a lot of rallies so far," she said. She lives in the 49th District and wanted to hear what Levin has to say. She knows the country is closely watching what happens in her district. "Coming to events like this are prime opportunities to actually meet the people who are running for these positions and to actually have buy-in and ask the questions you really want to know," Farr said. The Republic Party has also sent its political stars to try and keep the district red. On Friday, President Donald Trumps son, Eric, attend a fundraiser in La Jolla for the party and stopped by Diane Harkeys campaign office. Agencies throughout the Washington, D.C., area are poised to assist with the recovery from Tropical Storm Florence. Virginia Task Force 1 was activated Saturday night and is heading to North Carolina Sunday. The 32 members being deployed do not know exactly where they are going or what they will be asked to do, but they are prepared to assist with water rescues. "We got very little notice," Battalion Chief Kit Hessel said. "We kind of thought we were still going to be kept in reserve, but we're glad we're going and we'll assist as many people as we possibly can." The Maryland Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team also is headed to North Carolina to help with water rescues. They'll leave Sunday, taking two Blackhawk helicopters and search-and-rescue workers from four Maryland counties, including Montgomery and Howard. The Maryland Civil Air Patrol headed to North Carolina Saturday to assist storm victims by handing out supplies. Emergency officials in Virginia have also deployed 25 high-wheeled vehicles and 50 personnel to help with rescue operations in North Carolina. Volunteer firefighters in Charles County were packed and ready to deploy to Raleigh, but because that are wasnt hit as hard as expected, theyve been told to stand by in case they are needed elsewhere. It would be their first natural disaster relief mission in 20 years. At the University of Maryland in College Park, Red Cross volunteers brought supplies like water bottles to Ritchie Coliseum, which is being transformed into a shelter for evacuees from the storm-ravaged Carolinas. So far, the Red Cross is assisting eight people forced from their homes. Five adults and a child were hospitalized after a crash in Bowie involving a motorcycle. The collision occurred before 8 a.m. Sunday on Route 50 at Lottsford Vista Road in Bowie, Prince George's Fire Department said. A motorcycle involved caught fire. Two adults were sent to a trauma center. Three adults and a child were sent to the hospital with less serious injuries that are not considered life-threatening. The crash closed a westbound stretch of Route 50 and many eastbound lanes. The road has since reopened. Stay with News4 for more on this developing story. A registered sex offender jailed since last year has been charged in the kidnapping and killing of two Arizona girls who went missing in 2012 and 2014, authorities announced Saturday. Christopher Matthew Clements, 36, was indicted on Friday by a grand jury on 21 criminal counts, including murder and kidnapping charges in the deaths of 6-year-old Isabel Celis and 13-year-old Maribel Gonzalez, Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus said. Celis went missing from her Tucson home in April 2012, and her body was discovered in what was described as a rural area in March 2017. Gonzalez' body was discovered in June 2014 in the Avra Valley community near Tucson, not far from where Celis' remains would be found three years later. Magnus and other officials held a news conference to announce the indictment. But they declined to answer questions from reporters and did not disclose how the girls died or what prompted authorities to investigate Clements in the killings, except to say that the FBI in 2017 learned Clements might have information about the death of Celis. He then provided information to authorities that led to the discovery of Celis' remains, Magnus said. Investigators later discovered additional pieces of evidence, but they did not describe Saturday what they had found. Clements had already been in a Phoenix-area jail for more than a year facing other charges when the indictment was issued. Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall called the identification of Clements as the killer of the girls "long overdue." "The heart-wrenching tragedies of Maribel Gonzalez and Isabel Celis' murders have been compounded by a very long, long wait for justice," she said. Celis' father reported the girl missing on the morning of April 21, 2012, after he went to her bedroom and she was not there. Police previously did not name suspects, but they said they found "suspicious circumstances around a possible entry point" into the home. A medical examiner last year ruled Isabel Celis' death as "homicide by unspecified means." A heavily redacted autopsy report did not indicate how she died. Gonzalez went missing on her way to a friend's house. Her body was found days later. Clements made his first court appearance Saturday morning. He does not yet have an attorney but will be assigned one at a Sept. 24 arraignment. Clements was being held on a $2 million bond, Tucson Police Sgt. Pete Dugan said. Clements was jailed in April 2017 on suspicion of burglary, theft and fraudulent schemes, Maricopa County Sheriff's Sgt. Bryant Vanegas said Saturday. Vanegas did not have information about when Clements might be transferred to southern Arizona to face charges in the case of the girl's killings. The indictment made public Saturday did not provide any details about how the girls were killed or what evidence linked Clements to the killings. It said he was also charged with burglary, theft and possession or distribution of child pornography in other cases dating from 2012 through 2016. Clements was charged and convicted in Oregon in 1998 of sex-related crimes and was required to register as a sex offender. He was charged and convicted in 2006 in Bay City, Florida, for failing to register, according to Florida law enforcement records. He was also charged in 2008 in Tucson with failing to register as a sex offender. He was convicted and sentenced to serve 46 months in prison and five years of supervised release The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that sentence in 2011, finding that the federal law requiring him to register as a sex offender within three days of moving to a new home was passed after his 1998 conviction and therefore did not apply to his crime. Merrimack Valley residents displaced by a series of gas explosions on Thursday are scheduled to finally return home Sunday. Authorities said residents could begin returning after 7 a.m. At the height of the incident, about 8,600 residents in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover were forced out of their homes. During a press conference this morning, Gov. Charlie Baker and officials recommended residents remain cautious as they return. They stressed that residents without gas should not turn it back on themselves. They also said to ensure all smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are working. A federal investigator says there's no evidence to suggest the gas explosions were intentional. National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Robert Sumwalt said Saturday as federal officials opened their investigation into Thursday's disaster that there doesn't appeal to be "anything nefarious, anything suspicious, anything intentional." The explosions and fires killed a teenager, injured 25, damaged homes and forced thousands of people to evacuate. Sumwalt said it appears Columbia Gas' pipeline control center in Columbus, Ohio registered a pressure increase in the Lawrence area. He said investigators will be working to develop a timeline, including how local utility officials reacted to the pressure increase. Investigators expect to be on site up to 10 days. A final report could take up to two years. The Sherman Playhouse will hold auditions for its production of Jean Sheperds A Christmas Story Sept. 24-25 from 7 to 10 p.m. The cast calls for two men and two women ages 20 to 50, five boys and two girls ages 9 to 12. New Delhi: Even before the results for the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) polls were announced, celebrations had begun in the campus for the Left as red flags were waved and red gulal thrown in the air. United Left's presidential candidate N Sai Balaji, vice-president candidate Sarika Chaudhary, general secretary candidate Aejaz Ahmed Rather and joint secretary candidate Amutha Jayadeep were sitting on the railing outside the counting centre and waving flags as they waited for the results. The Left supporters, outnumbering those of other parties in the fray, danced with glee to the beats of dhol and dhapli. They chanted Lal Salaam and raised slogans demanding justice for Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula and finding student Najeeb Ahmed who went missing from the JNU campus. With their faces smeared with red gulal, they also chanted 'ABVP murdabad'. After the United Left front was declared the winner on all the four central panel posts, the cries grew louder and a victory march was taken from the School of International Studies to the famous Ganga Dhaba. The Left-backed All India Students Association (AISA), Students Federation of India (SFI), Democratic Students' Federation (DSF) and All India Students' Federation (AISF) had come together to form the United Left alliance. Besides the Left bloc, there were candidates of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India (NSUI) and Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students Association (BAPSA). The voter turnout in the keenly contested JNUSU election on Friday was 67.8 per cent, believed to be the highest in six years. Over 5,000 students cast their votes in the poll. Manila : At least three people died and four others were injured as typhoon Mangkhut slammed into the Philippines on Saturday, bringing ferocious gale-force winds and pounding rains, officials said. The Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said two emergency responders died in a landslide in the Cordillera Administrative Region of Luzon Island and another girl apparently drowned in Marikina river in Metro Manila, Xinhua news agency reported. Mangkhut, the strongest storm anywhere on the planet in 2018, made landfall in Cagayan province, on the northern tip of Luzon Island at about 1.40 a.m. (local time), with gusts as high as 325 km per hour. After the centre of the storm passed the Philippines, Mangkhut's winds slowed enough for the typhoon to lose its "super" status, but it remained a very powerful storm system with maximum sustained winds of 215 kph, equivalent to a category 4 hurricane. After ripping through Luzon, the typhoon headed west into the South China Sea towards Hong Kong and southern China. Almost all buildings in the Philippines' Tuguegarao city sustained damage. Strong winds pulled off entire roofs and threw large chunks of debris into the air. Communications were down in places, said officials. Tuguegarao airport in northern Luzon, a vital transportation hub, was also damaged, potentially complicating efforts to bring in humanitarian aid, CNN reported. The Philippines military sent two C-130 airplanes and 10 helicopters to Cagayan province for typhoon relief and rescue efforts, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana was cited as saying by Philippines News Agency. An estimated 5.2 million people in the Philippines were within 125 km of the projected path of the typhoon, the NDRRMC said earlier. Thousands were evacuated amid warnings. The scale of the typhoon could be felt in the Philippines capital Manila, more than 340 km from the eye of the storm, where heavy overnight rains led to widespread flooding in urban areas. Authorities in Hong Kong urged residents to stay indoors. Weather experts said it may be the strongest tropical storm to hit the territory in decades. In nearby Macau, shops were boarded up and residents were sticking tape on their windows. The NDRRMC warned that Mangkhut's devastating impact may be similar to that of Super Typhoon Haiyan, which led to over 7,000 deaths, disappearances and affected 16 million in November 2013. Between 15 and 20 typhoons pass through the Philippines every year during the rainy season, which began this year on June 8. Lagos : Local authorities in Nigeria's southern state of Edo on Saturday said 30,000 people have been displaced by floods in more than 35 communities in eastern and central part of the state. The disaster had gone beyond the purview of local government council areas, Aremiyau Momoh, chairman of Etsako East, told reporters in Benin city, the state capital, Xinhua news agency reported. On his part, John Akhigbe, chairman of Etsako Central, called for urgent intervention from both the state and the federal governments. The duo said camps for the displaced had been placed in strategic locations across the council areas. Similarly, about 700 houses including large farmlands have been affected by flash floods following heavy rains in parts of oil rich Rivers state. Martins Ejike, a coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), told reporters in Port Harcourt, the state capital, that the floods began since August. Ejike advised people living in affected areas to relocate to higher ground for temporary shelters in case of the bigger floods. In neighbouring Anambra state, authority also advised people living in floods-prone areas to immediately relocate to approved Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) centres across the state. The state said it had established 28 camps across the state for possible flood victims. The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency had listed 12 states as areas likely to be affected by floods. The agency said on Wednesday that the water level in central Kogi, one of the states, had neared the 2012 level at 10.66m and called for vigilance by residents. In 2012, NEMA reported that floods killed 363 people and displaced over 2.1 million others in 30 states. New Delhi : Oscar Pistorius was celebrated as a poster boy by many after he became the only double amputee to enter summer Olympics in London in 2012 and went on to win the 400m gold at Paralympics the same year at the same venue. But his life took a drastic turn when he was dubbed the "Blade Runner Killer" after being accused of killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp -- an allusion to the blade prosthesis he uses for his legs and a throwback to the 1982 Sci-fi movie "Blade Runner". But what happened to his legacy? Has his good been erased after he was sentenced for murdering Steenkamp? These are some of the questions that English director Vaughan Sivell wants people to ask after watching "Pistorius", a four-part documentary which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. "I hope people will understand the case better with the series. I hope they will get to understand what was proved to be true about Oscar as a human being and what wasn't," Sivell told IANS in a telephonic interview while talking about the idea behind making the series on the controversial 2013 incident. "One of the most interesting things about examining life of a fallen hero is (the questions that come with it) -- Does the eventual failing, eventual dismantling of legends mean that all the good they did up to that point is erased forever? Is there a legacy of good from Oscar's career or is it completely taken away?" It was a Valentine's Day night back in 2013 which turned out to be deadly for Steenkamp and fateful for Oscar. The South African athlete is in prison for murdering his girlfriend. Oscar claimed that he shot dead Steenkamp after mistaking her for a burglar. He fired four times through a locked toilet door at his home in the capital city of Pretoria. Oscar was initially awarded a five-year term for manslaughter in 2014 but was found guilty of murder after the state appealed in 2015. The sentence was increased from six to 13 years and five months last November. Along with spotlight on the turbulent life of disgraced runner, "Pistorius" attempts to piece together the circumstances that led to the murder and the ups and downs of the case -- all this with the backdrop of South Africa's journey as a nation. "The questions that I would love people to ask at the end are -- What is natural justice and what is legal justice? Which one did he get? Did he get both? And whether all his good work has been completely erased with it?" But the saddest part, as Sivell puts, is that Steenkamp's family has to live without her forever and "only Oscar knows everything and he has to live with that," he said. "I hope that there is some positive to be taken from the series," added the director, known for his documentary on champion boxer Joe Calzaghe. How did he relate Oscar's story with the journey of South Africa? "It struck me that Oscar and (non-apartheid) South Africa were born within a few years of each other. So the country and the man was born with incredible challenges and low expectations of what they could achieve," he said. "Over the course, there came hope for the nation under Nelson Mandela. And Oscar changed the way we think about disability and showed what a young man could do with perseverance and self belief. They mirrored each other," said the director, adding that it was fascinating to tell how the different worlds collided with each other. There were many shocks and surprises in store while investigating the subject for the series. "There were pieces of evidence which were ignored or many strange facts which I can't tell. But there were things which surprised us on a weekly basis," he said. Sivell and his team had a tough time convincing Oscar's family to revisit their dark memories related to the incident. "It was very difficult to convince them to open up. When we started making it, enough time had gone on and lot of people who were involved felt that they have said what they had to say. They didn't want to talk about it. It took a long time and huge effort to convince them that what we were doing was an impartial account and that we were willing to go to great lengths to make sure that we will only tell the truth." But Steenkamp's family refused to revisit the horror tale. "We offered the same to her family but they didn't want to be interviewed by us... We have done our best to show our huge sympathy for them and to acknowledge what is the truth of the story. I just hope that they don't feel that we have portrayed them badly," he said. The team might be tracing a case of murder, but they have made sure that they are detached from it. "We don't make a judgment on him. We just show what was proved and what happened." (Sugandha Rawal can be contacted at sugandha.r@ians.in) Manila : Super typhoon Mangkhut made landfall in the Philippines on Saturday, bringing with it ferocious gale-force winds and pounding rains, as aid agencies warn millions are at risk from rising flood waters and landslides. Mangkhut, the strongest storm anywhere on the planet in 2018, made landfall in Cagayan province, on the northern tip of Luzon Island at about 2.30 a.m., with gusts as high as 325 km per hour, reports CNN. After the centre of the storm passed the Philippines, Mangkhut's winds slowed enough for the typhoon to lose its "super" status, but it remains a very powerful storm system with maximum sustained winds of 215 kph, equivalent to a category 4 hurricane. It's now pounding the Philippines with heavy rain, and heading west into the South China Sea towards Hong Kong and southern China. An estimated 5.2 million people are within 125 km of the projected path of the super typhoon, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. The scale of the typhoon could be felt in the Philippines capital Manila, more than 340 km from the eye of the storm, where heavy overnight rains have led to widespread flooding in urban areas. Mangkhut is on track to be as strong as super typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 6,000 people dead in the Philippines in 2013, though that storm hit a more populated part of the country. Northern Luzon was also devastated in 2016 by super typhoon Haima, with 14,000 houses destroyed and 50,000 homes damaged, according to CNN Philippines. Mangkhut is expected to make landfall early Sunday in southern China. It will make another landfall on Sunday night in western Guangdong. Sorry! This content is not available in your region Dear Newsie Readers, Newsie has now permanently ceased it's services as of Friday 20th December 2019. Newsie has been an owner-funded operation since day one. Coming up to three years old, while we still firmly believe Newsie has a place in the New Zealand media landscape, the cost in both time and money has become too burdensome for the owners to continue alongside other ventures. With the current government looking to restructure public broadcasting, and seemingly supporting NZME buying a ring-fenced Stuff, the time seems right to call it a day. Should it happen, the combination of NZME and Stuff will ensure New Zealands national media will die a death by a thousand opinion-based articles. Newsie has always tried to stick to balanced news, to inform readers of the facts of a situation, amid being largely ignored by government. Hopefully, one day someone else will take up the challenge to fight the good fight. The good news, however, is that there were no job losses as a result of Newsie closing. Thanks to careful structuring, everyone involved in Newsie will retain their current positions. We hope you all have a happy Christmas and new year. Stay safe, and stay out of the news. The team at Newsie Forget rotary phones and dial-up internet. Modern-day senior housing could just as likely to feature voice activation and virtual reality, with the technology industry turning attention to an often-overlooked generation of customers. And with an aging population bringing a growing demand for senior-living communities in Connecticut and beyond, companies that build them, including Westport-based Maplewood Senior Living, are following a growing trend as they look to provide the latest in quality-of life technology for their residents. We are taking every opportunity to inject all sorts of new technology from iPad to smart boards to even telemedicine, said CEO Greg Smith, touring one of the companys newest developments in Fairfield. The technology that were putting into this building is something that is truly unique for us and even for the industry itself. Expanded experiences As development of Maplewood Southport continues, the company is integrating tablets and smart screens, Amazon Alexa with voice activation, and even virtual reality into the communitys daily operations. With locations in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Ohio, the upscale senior living company will be debuting its 98-unit facility at 17 Mill Hill Terrace, in Fairfield by June on a 27-acre parcel just off Interstate 95. Among Maplewoods amenities are smart apartments that allow residents to control appliances including lights, temperature and the television. They can also let people communicate with staff and family while providing information on dining menus and scheduled events upon command. Were leveraging Amazon and Alexa technology to do that now, Brian Geyser, Maplewoods vice president of clinical innovation and population health. Virtual reality systems, provided by Rendever, can be used for recreational tours as well as in some cases as therapy for residents with dementia, offering the possibility of people visiting childhood homes or other much-loved locations. Its so pleasurable for them to go back in time because thats where they feel they are in their mind, and so were able to bring them back in time using virtual reality, Geyser said, adding that the company has plans to retrofit some of its newest technology features into its existing communities. At-home care Technology isnt new to the senior and assisted living industry, but it has grown as a crucial component to improving care, for people at home or elsewhere, according to industry experts. Were finding assisted technology is incredibly helpful as part of an overall plan of care to keep a person in their home, said Marie Allen, executive director of the Southwestern Connecticut Agency on Aging. The Bridgeport-based agency focuses on improving the care of seniors through funding and resource programs geared toward allowing residents to age in place. SWCAA helps more than 3,500 people who are receiving at-home care with a combination of human assistance and technology including emergency response, video cameras, telemedicine and telehealth equipment and more. That array of devices has recently extended into the smart-tech realm with companies like Apple and Amazon breaking new ground on ease of use. Apples latest version of its smart watch serves as an example, with its electric heart sensor and new fall-detection feature that can summon help if the wearer is unconscious or immobilized. These are things that we never had in the past and couldnt use to supplement care plans, Allen said. The growing list of devices has created a means for more cost-effective home care, according to Allen, who said people can receive nursing-home-level care from their homes for roughly half the price theyd pay to live elsewhere. SWCAA is the state contractor for Medicaid, which Allen said helps pay for a variety of assisted living and emergency detection devices and software. Tech is one thing that does cross all different demographics from the low income to the most affluent, she said. But even as tech finds new customers, generational difference remain. For many people, depending on devices and trusting them to do what theyre supposed to goes against a lifetime of experience. Everyone who is creating new products in the market that could have an impact on people who are 50-plus needs to understand that their design process is going to be different, said Kyle Rand, co-founder and CEO of Boston-based tech company Rendever, which focuses on adapting virtual reality systems for seniors. Because those people have grown up in a much different world. Jordan.grice@hearstmediact.com DANBURY Police are seeking the publics help in finding a man accused of committing a burglary earlier this month. In a photo posted on Danbury polices Facebook page, the man is seen running from the crime scene. He was wearing white sneakers, cargo pants and a T-shirts with what seems to be the flag of the United Kingdom. DANBURY Hector Rodriguezs American dream began 20 years ago when his mother petitioned to bring him to the United States from their native Colombia. She had just earned her citizenship and wanted her 20-year-old son to have a chance in the land of opportunities. But instead of just working, Rodriguez took his opportunity to serve. First in the U.S. Army before a law made it possible to gain citizenship through military service and then for the past 14 years as a police officer in New York City and Danbury. On Saturday night hell receive the 2018 American Dream Veteran Award for his service at the fifth annual American Dream Awards Gala hosted by the Tribuna newspaper. I wasnt expecting it, he said last week. Its an honor. Its nice to be recognized and I love this country like its my own, because it is now. The awards honor outstanding members of and advocates for the immigrant community and those first-generation Americans making a difference across the Danbury area. Rodriguezs service exemplifies the often overlooked or dismissed sacrifices many immigrants make to join their adopted country, Tribuna Editor Emanuela Palmares said. We take that as the ultimate example of love and dedication, she said. You are going out there risking your life to fight wars and defend a country, a flag and a Constitution that you have no rights in yet because you believe in the concept of this nation and the promises of citizenship. Rodriguez signed up for the U.S. Army in 1999 and served as a construction and demolition specialist stationed in Fort Wainwright, Alaska, serving on deployments throughout the Pacific Ocean. Although he was not deployed to the Middle East after 9/11, a new law in the attacks aftermath made it possible for him to obtain his own citizenship through his military service. But that was simply another opportunity to serve, first in his adopted home with the NYPD and then for the past 10 years on the force in Danbury, where his wifes family lives. If you come from a foreign country, you have to respect the law as if its your own, he said. I see it every day in my job now ... Its difficult to start in a new country with a different language, but you can do it. State Veterans Affairs Commissioner Tom Saadi also will receive one of four American Dream Leadership Awards at the ceremony for his service to the country and Danbury. His family immigrated from Lebanon and his is now a major in the U.S. Army Reserve and serves as Democratic minority leader on the Danbury City Council. The gala also will present leadership awards to Danbury High School Assistant Director Jessica Coronel, who leads the public schools Collaborative/Upward Bound Program; Nelson Merchan, adviser for the Connecticut Small Business Development Center; and Patti Keckeisen, the co-director of the National Parent Leadership Institute. Eight finalists will also find out who will win the Person of the Year Award and three Student of the Year Awards, each of which include a $2,000 award or scholarship. The finalists come from families who have immigrated from a slew of countries, from Brazil to Haiti to Cambodia. This years awards follow a summer in which already-hot immigration issues became especially inflamed after federal authorities began separating children and parents found to be illegally crossing the southern border with Mexico or seeking asylum in the U.S. THE FINALISTS The 2018 Person of the Year finalists for $2,000 awards are: Sandy Sanchez Jose Nicolas Barcenas The 2018 Student of the Year finalists for three $2,000 scholarships are: Alexandra Charles Christopher Rodriguez Leticia Quintino Franklin Illescas Nary Rath Yago Zoccarato See More Collapse That policy has since ended but it touched a national nerve that remains exposed. Danburys own tumultuous history with federal immigration enforcement bubbled up again this summer amid several local immigrants detention and deportation orders, including one man being hit by a car on White Street while fleeing federal immigration agents. This years American Dream Lifetime Achievement Award will go to Peter Hearty of the Greater Danbury Irish Cultural Center, highlighting that todays vitriolic debate is simply the latest chapter in the countrys long history of discriminating against immigrants. The whole purpose of our event and our organization is to make a connection that the immigrant story of 60 years ago, 70 years ago, 100 years ago is the same as the immigrant story of today, Palmares said. The unifying factor of the immigration of today and of the past is a deep love of appreciation of this country. No one comes here because they hate it. The people who come also love this country, she said. We believe thats what gets lost in translation. zach.murdock@hearstmediact.com ROCHESTER, Mich. - Elissa Slotkin assumed that her campaign for Congress would be built around pocketbook issues such as the rising cost of health care, stagnant wages and unaffordable college tuition. Her first big indication that it would be something entirely different came at a house party last October in Ortonville, a small Republican-heavy town about 50 miles northwest of Detroit. The audience was made up entirely of moms. The presidential election and its aftermath were still raw. "How do you deal with friends and family that are constantly posting things that are not accurate or that go blatantly against what you believe?" Sarah Allen, a 37-year-old mother of two girls, recalled asking. "How do I respond without turning into an angry person that no one wants to be around?" It's a question that Slotkin, a Democrat, has fielded dozens of times at voter house parties that she says often feel more like "therapy sessions." Slotkin's race, which nonpartisan groups rate as a toss-up, is a view into perhaps the biggest paradox of the Trump era. Voters say they are tired of the anger and polarization emanating from Washington. They say they crave compromise. Yet these same voters view the rival party with disdain and frequently punish politicians for reaching across partisan lines. They want the anger to stop but can't stop being angry. This is not the politics that Slotkin says she grew up with, nor the attitude she expected when she returned home after three tours of Iraq and 14 years working at the CIA, the State Department and the Pentagon. But she knows that her ability to navigate this contradiction will determine whether she wins this November in a district that President Donald Trump carried by seven percentage points. To prevail, Slotkin needs to peel off some Trump voters. These days that means she must do more than just convince them she's the better candidate. She also must persuade them to turn away from their tribe and join another. "How does this get better?" Slotkin says these voters often ask. The frustration that inspired Allen's version of this question dates back to the summer of 2016 and what was then the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. Shortly after the Pulse nightclub attack that left 49 dead, then-candidate Trump tweeted, "Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism." Allen took immediately to Facebook: "Largest mass shooting in US History and his first response is to thank himself. If you are voting for him, please defriend me. I don't want to be friends with someone that supports this. #sorrynotsorry." Among those who defriended her was the mother of one of her daughter's friends. "We'd always been kind to each other," Allen said of the friend. When Allen asked why she had dropped her, the friend, Allen said, replied that she had hoped Allen was "more open-minded." Allen hasn't deleted the post but says today that she regrets it. "After time and a cooling-off period," she said, "I wouldn't do a post like this again." The two have resumed their real-life friendship but are still not linked on Facebook. At the house party, Slotkin improvised the best answer to Allen's question that she could, urging her to post three positive things on Facebook for every criticism. "If you turn angry," Slotkin said, "you've lost." In the weeks that followed, Slotkin noticed that other women - and it was almost always women - routinely asked her some version of Allen's question. "The lesson," she said of the encounter with Allen and the others that followed, "was that women were going to win or lose the election for me." --- One of the first things Slotkin, 42, noticed when she returned home last year after decades away was how much politics in her hometown and state had changed. "Neighbor sniping at neighbor. Cousin sniping at cousin," she said. "We never used to have that in Michigan." She's running against Rep. Mike Bishop, R-Mich., a loyal and low-key supporter of the president's agenda who has lived in the area for decades and won his last election handily. He has attacked her as an outsider who doesn't understand the state's people or its politics. Slotkin left home right after high school and was working on a master's degree in New York City when al-Qaida struck on 9/11. After graduation, she joined the CIA. In 2007, with U.S. troop deaths in Iraq at their peak, President George W. Bush asked the agency to start sending over young Iraq analysts to brief him in the Oval Office without their bosses. He wanted an unvarnished view of the war, and Slotkin was an early volunteer. At the time, Vice President Dick Cheney was pushing to take a harder line on Shiite militia leaders who played a role in the Iraqi government but were also responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers. Slotkin argued such tactics would only further inflame the popular uprising against the United States. "She was willing to be candid and stand up to the president's questioning," recalled Stephen Hadley, then national security adviser, who urged Slotkin to take a job working for Bush. Slotkin spent two years in the White House before heading to the State Department and then the Pentagon, where as an Obama administration appointee she helped oversee the strategy to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. One glimpse into her own country's vast and growing divisions came in the Pentagon, the day after the 2016 election. Much of her political staff was shellshocked at the outcome, and Slotkin had to tell one staffer, who was crying at her desk, to go home for the day. She wanted, as much as possible, to keep politics out of the Pentagon. In other parts of the world, troops were celebrating. Another more personal glimpse came a few weeks later. Slotkin and her husband, a retired Army colonel who she met in Iraq, were visiting his parents in Florida. Before the election, they had worried that a vote for Trump was a vote to put their daughter-in-law out of a job. "Vote your conscience," Slotkin had urged them. Shortly after Slotkin arrived in Florida, the parents told her that they wanted to clear the air. They had "prayed on it," they told Slotkin, and decided to vote for Trump because he would appoint conservative Supreme Court justices. Beyond that, they avoided any discussions of politics until her father-in-law began to complain about the way the cast of the musical "Hamilton" had treated Vice President Mike Pence during a curtain call a few days earlier. "We, sir, are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us," one of the stars had told him. Trump tweeted that Pence had been "harassed." Slotkin's father-in-law said the cast was rude. She insisted the actors' message was important and that Pence had been treated civilly. "It was the one time all week that I had an edge in my voice," she said. And it was a moment that would link her with women in her district who complained that political infighting was infecting their lives. --- At almost all of her campaign events, Slotkin takes a rough measure of voters' frustrations. "Raise your hand if, in the last two years, politics has made a relationship with a friend or family member tense?" she asks. Usually, every hand in the room goes up. One morning last month, about a dozen women - an even mix of Republicans, Democrats and independents - were waiting for Slotkin at a cafe one floor down from her campaign headquarters. She had concluded that all-female groups were more open to her message of civility. The women were milling about. Slotkin was fretting over the carb-heavy selection of breakfast foods her staff had ordered. Just then, Sheryl Wragg, 63,rushed up to her and thanked her for her example. "You've kept me so many times from saying (expletive) on Twitter," said Wragg, who uttered two words typically frowned upon in polite company. Slotkin laughed hesitantly and invited everyone to take a seat. She opened with a lesson from her time in Iraq and negotiating with Russia on Syria. "You never start with the hardest issues," she said. "You start with the easier issues where you can build some trust." Only one of the 12 women at the breakfast admitted to having voted for Trump. After the breakfast, Wragg was eager to talk to her. She knew the woman's daughter, a college senior who had volunteered for Slotkin's campaign, and said she found it hard to believe that the "magnanimous" young woman had a mother who had voted for a man she considered a liar, racist and threat to the country. Wragg wanted to know more about the woman's decision-making process. She and the woman were about the same age; both were well-off financially; both of their husbands were auto industry executives. But the woman wasn't eager to discuss her vote for Trump. "She probably regrets it," Wragg said. "I thought she should be ashamed." The woman, who declined to speak on the record, said she admired Trump's bluntness in calling out the country's problems. As for her Trump vote: "I'm still in flux about whether I am happy about it," she said. She was unsure about Slotkin, too, and whether she could be a truly independent voice in Washington. "My biggest issue is creating harmony," she continued. On that score, she thought that Trump, the Democrats and the news media shared equal blame for the infighting and the country's deepening divisions. The woman, however, was willing to listen. Often, Slotkin's biggest problem is finding Trump voters willing to sit through her pitch. Jan Koop and Nancy Strole, two women with a decades-long track record of working for Republican candidates, also had come to the breakfast. Neither had voted for Trump. "I was so depressed and discouraged by the choices," Koop confessed to the women around the table earlier that morning. For the first time in her adult life, she didn't cast a vote for a presidential candidate. Strole voted for Hillary Clinton. Now the two Republican activists were trying to persuade a few dozen of their Republican friends to come to Strole's house to meet Slotkin. They were off to a slow start. Both of their husbands had said they weren't coming. A close friend of Strole's initially had accepted but backed out when she saw that former Vice President Joe Biden had endorsed Slotkin. "I didn't want to feel like a minority," the woman explained. She was tired of being written off as "imbecile, idiotic and Islamophobic," she said, for casting a Trump vote in 2016. Koop pulled out a handwritten list of possible remaining attendees. "I've tried most of the people," she sighed. She was starting to worry. She called an old friend who had worked with her on several Republican campaigns. It went to voice mail. "Hi, Sarah," she began, her voice brightening. "I don't know if you got my email or you're avoiding me. I have something kind of different." She dialed another friend who had worked with her on behalf of Republicans and left another message. Koop didn't mention Slotkin's party affiliation. A few minutes later the person responded via text message. "Sorry I have to say I have no interest in politics or politicians," the message read. "It will be a very long time before I'll vote for that party." Koop showed the message to Strole. "She assumes I'm calling about a Republican," Koop said. --- A big question for Democrats this fall is whether to focus on persuading swing voters to defect from the Republican Party and Trump or motivate progressives with bold, left-leaning policies and angry calls for impeachment. Slotkin is betting that Democrats, who turned out in record numbers for her primary, will be there in November. "People want to win," she said. Her focus is on convincing Republican defectors that it is OK to vote for a Democrat. That, it turns out, is not easy. Among the advice from campaign consultants that Slotkin has ignored is the old saw that "yard signs don't vote." To Slotkin the signs, particularly in Republican parts of her district, give people permission to cross tribal lines. They are the way "people come out of the closet," she said. The last year on the trail also has taught Slotkin, a policy wonk by nature, that voters are more interested in empathy and understanding than nitty-gritty proposals. "There's a whole group that want to know that you care about their problems," she said. "They don't want to hear your treatise on this or that issue." On a recent Saturday morning Slotkin was on what should have been comfortable territory: a veterans festival in the parking lot of a Michigan ski hill. Aging Vietnam veterans on Rascal scooters snaked through crowds of Iraq- and Afghanistan-era service members. Slotkin was waiting for Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., who launched into the crowd like a missile, dragging Slotkin behind. Soon she was introducing her young protege to anyone who wandered into her field of vision. "This is my friend Elissa Slotkin," Stabenow said. "She had a career in the Pentagon and is an Army wife. Now she's running for the U.S. House." Shouting over a country band, Stabenow complimented an older man on being able to fit into his World War II uniform. The man explained that he'd recently lost 25 pounds. "My daughter convinced me to put my wife into a nursing home, and she's stopped cooking for me," he said quietly. Stabenow leaned in and laid a hand on the man's chest. "The good thing is that she don't miss me when I'm gone," he continued. The senator wrapped him in a hug. Slotkin watched from a few feet away. Stabenow's rapid-fire introductions steered clear of Slotkin's work for the CIA, focusing instead on her Pentagon experience, her time working on "national security" issues and her Army husband. When Slotkin mentioned her CIA service to one of the veterans, he reared back in mock horror, then smiled and shook her hand. Trump's occasional diatribes aimed at CIA leaders and the far-right wing media's "deep state" conspiracy theories seemed to have little impact in the district. Before Stabenow raced off in her SUV, she gave Slotkin a quick pep talk and some advice. Stabenow had won her first election in 1975. This was Slotkin's first run for any office. "You need to get a name tag," she told her. "You've got an unusual name, and you want people to remember you." --- In late August, Koop and Strole pulled together about 30 mostly Republican-leaning friends for a meet-and-greet with Slotkin. Neither of their husbands attended. "Our values are the same, other than this one race," Koop said of her spouse. "We weren't asking anybody to get married," Strole added. "Just to listen." Standing in Strole's living room, Slotkin thanked the two women for "taking a risk" on her. In today's polarized political climate, it was "an act of bravery," she told them. Then she ran through her personal story: Her childhood in Michigan and time in the CIA, training with a Glock pistol and M4 rifle. She described meeting her husband in Iraq. "A very standard Romeo-meets-Juliet story in Saddam's palace," she said. And she recalled her mother's struggle to afford health insurance and her eventual death from cancer. The attendees asked Slotkin about health care, the environment, the latest polls and whether one person can still make a difference in Washington. Slotkin asked them if their lives had become more tense since Trump's election. "Hello. Hello," she said, looking out at the room of outstretched hands. Among those with her hand in the air was Barb Hansen, 70. She had voted for Trump and said she "sometimes" regretted it. But she still backed Trump's tough stand on immigration and scaling back of social welfare programs. "I don't like all the people coming into our country and getting free stuff supported by our tax dollars," she said. The more she listened to Slotkin, the more she liked her, too. Her support had little to do with Slotkin's stance on issues. Rather, it was a feeling she got listening to her talk in Strole's living room. "She's a real person, like me," Hansen said, "a country girl." It was only one voter, but it was a start. The late-summer sky was darkening as Slotkin offered up her final pitch. "Over my lifetime, a lot of things have changed in Michigan," she said. "My dad was a Republican, and my mom was a Democrat. I never remember bitter fighting over politics." "We're not New York. We're not Los Angeles," she continued. "We're not Alabama. We're mixed." This was Slotkin's biggest and boldest bet: that the politics of her childhood memory still exist. Your companys logo is the visual figurehead of your brand, so its important to get it right. Whether intentional or not, every detail of your logo will influence people who see it. That's why nothing should be arbitrary. Related: Expert Explains What Makes the Best Logos So Good In fact, its in your best interest to make sure that every logo design choice is intentional and communicates the message you want to convey, because thoughtless design choices lead to misleading or confusing logos. Worse, thoughtless choices can lead to logos that dont say anything at all. What follows is a deeper look at the psychology of logo design, in terms of fonts, shapes, lines, colors and composition -- and how these elements affect your logo's influence on customers' purchasing decisions. The psychology of fonts Fonts have a psychological impact on people. The emotion they generate is directly tied to the shape of the letters and our psychological response to those shapes. So, how do you know which font style will work best for your business? The Software Usability Research Laboratory (SURL) at Wichita State University ran a study that examined the traits people associate with varying fonts. Among the people surveyed, traditional fonts including Arial or Times New Roman were categorized as stable and mature, but were also considered unimaginative and conformist. In contrast, fonts described as youthful and casual fonts -- like Comic Sans -- were considered happy and casual. Most important in anyone's font decision is certainty that the company name is legible and readable. Youd be surprised how many logos weve seen that are unreadable. And, really, how can you remember a business if you dont know the name of that business? The psychology of shapes in logo design All logos -- whether they include an icon and text, an icon only, or even just text -- have a shape. The three major categories -- geometric, abstract and organic -- all come prepackaged with their own psychological associations. Geometric shapes Geometric shapes look man-made. Mathematically precise squares, perfect circles and Isosceles triangles dont tend to appear in nature. So, using these shapes communicates a sense of order and power. The various types: Related: Why Small Businesses Need Strong Logos Squares and rectangles convey stability, reliability, strength, order and predictability. Think of the bricks used to build sturdy, stable buildings. If you want your logo to communicate strength and reliability, consider incorporating squares or rectangles. Circles are never-ending. So, they may be the right choice if you want to make consumers think of harmony, unity, eternity or timelessness. Curves are also considered feminine; and, as such, circles communicate softness, gentility and femininity. Triangles are a directional shape. As a result, they change meaning depending on how they are positioned. When right side up, triangles convey power, stability and upward momentum. Inverted triangles suggest instability or downward momentum. And, triangles pointing to the side convey movement and direction based on where the triangles point is facing. Abstract or symbolic shapes Symbols are simplified shapes that represent something specific in a culture. And, because symbols have clear, common meanings, they are relied upon heavily as a visual language. Stars can convey patriotism or religion or even "show business" and "Hollywood " depending on how they are used. Hearts can be used to communicate love, relationships and marriage, while broken hearts represent break-ups, divorce and sadness. Arrows, meanwhile, suggest a direction, movement and travel. These are commonly used in businesses that ship and deliver goods. FedEx and Amazon are examples of logos that use these symbols well. The arrow in the FedEx logo is subtle and created from negative space -- an unexpected surprise. Amazons logo features an arrow that serves triple duty signifying a package being delivered, the company's range of products (from A to Z) and the recipients resulting smile. Organic shapes Organic shapes include the shapes of organic items occurring in nature (rocks, leaves, tree bark, amoebas, water ripples, etc.). This category also encompasses any irregular non-symbolic shape, even if it's not inspired by nature. When utilizing organic shapes, keep these guidelines in mind: Natural shapes like leaves, grasses, representations of water, and trees tend to have a soothing effect on the viewer. This is why they often appear in logos for spas and holistic medical businesses. Shapes with jagged angles may create feelings of anxiety, while shapes with soft curves make them feel more relaxed. Shapes that dont resemble anything recognizable are open to the viewers interpretation. This means that you will need to work harder to communicate a specific message through other design elements and branding choices. The psychology of lines Lines divide space. They create definition and form. They communicate direction. Lines tell us where to stand and where to drive. But, beyond their practical function, they can also communicate a great deal aesthetically. In fact, geometric line art logos are popular in logo design trends this year. Thin lines, in particular, are delicate and may appear fragile. They communicate elegance and femininity. They can also imply frailty, weakness or flexibility. Alternately, thick lines suggest strength and rigidity. They appear more traditionally masculine than thin lines. Thick, bold lines are used to draw focus and create emphasis where they appear. Straight lines imply order, structure and predictability. They may also be perceived as rigid or harsh. Curved lines, on the other hand, offer more energy and dynamism. Then there's positioning: The position of your line in space impacts the psychological effect that the line creates. Horizontal lines run parallel to the horizon. As a result, they contain the least visual energy of all line positions. They feel comfortable and safe. Vertical lines run perpendicular to the horizon. They appear to rise straight up from the earth, filling them with the potential visual energy to tip or fall. Vertical lines draw the eye upward. And, as such, they are often used in religious iconography to draw focus upward to the heavens. Diagonal lines suggest movement and action. Diagonal lines can be positioned anywhere between horizontal and vertical. This makes them very expressive and the least stable of all the line positions. Smooth lines are clean, calming and restful. Depending on their context, they can convey confidence, fluidity or ease. Jagged and zig-zagging lines are filled with tension. These dynamic lines change direction quickly, communicate erratic movement, and irregularity. They can suggest excitement or anxiety, confusion or danger. The psychology of colors Color contributes the strongest emotional trigger in your logo design repertoire because colors are strongly linked to emotions in the human psyche. Whether our interpretation of colors is hardwired into our brains or is due to cultural influence -- or a combination of the two -- there is a generally accepted language of color. Its also important to bear in mind that how you mix your colors in a single design also has psychological implications for your viewers. For instance: A multitude of bright colors appears youthful, childlike, or full of energy. Black and white is a classically elegant combination that implies maturity and sophistication. Monochromatic schemes allow you to embrace more vibrant colors while maintaining a softer, more unified feel. Combining neutrals with an accent color allows you to take advantage of the emotional influence of a strong, bright color without the childlike implications. Choose your colors wisely to elicit appropriate brand-appropriate emotions. Your color choices should always embody the personality of the brand. The psychology of composition Fonts, shapes, lines, and colors are the building blocks for a great logo design. But dont forget that how you compose those elements also impacts how the logo is perceived and the message it sends. Here are some important considerations to think through when you choose a logo design: Size denotes importance. The larger an object is the more focus it draws and the more important it seems. Western audiences read from left to right. So, things appearing on the left side of the logo will be viewed first and perceived as the most important. Loosely spaced items surrounded by negative space look more restful than items that are closely spaced. If you choose to emphasize negative space, be careful not to leave too much or the logo may lack coherence. Scattered or irregular placement suggests playfulness, chaos or rebellion, while orderly, symmetrical arrangements communicate formality, stability, and conformity. Layering items together creates visual relationships, so be mindful of how you combine shapes and lines. Related: 5 Secrets for Making Your Logo Stand Out Overall, every detail of your companys logo will influence people who see that logo. You can communicate a lot -- and do it efficiently and effectively -- if you understand your brand and make informed, thoughtful choices regarding fonts, colors, shapes, lines and composition. Related: How Your Company's Logo Influences Purchase Decisions 4 Logo-Design Options to Boost Your Startup's or Small Business's Marketing Campaign Make a Name for Yourself: 4 Expert Tips for Choosing a Name and Trademark Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Working playwrights know this to be true: They dont know what theyve wrought until they hear their plays performed in front of a live audience. To that end, Long Wharf Theatre presents its fourth annual New Works Festival Sept. 21-22, featuring a trio of staged readings on Stage II. You know, its such a vital part of the playwriting process, said Torrey Townsend, whose Night Workers, directed by Knud Adams, closes the festival at 8 p.m. Saturday. Night Workers is set, Townsend said, in an Alcoholics Anonymous clubhouse in a neighborhood in Brooklyn. Its a predominantly working-class neighborhood. The play takes place inside of that clubhouse over the course of a couple of months. Long Wharfs literary manager Christine Scarfuto, who serves as curator of the festival, said the work feels particularly relevant given the recent overdoses on the New Haven Green this summer. The play is about people from all walks of life who come together each week for this AA meeting, she said. Its raw, funny and theres an incredible truth to it it humanizes the process of recovery and is a great testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Angella Emurwons play Strings, directed by Leah C. Gardiner, jump-starts the festival Friday at 7 p.m. Set in a village in Emurwons native Uganda, Strings is a family drama about the return of the family patriarch after 20 years. Its a gorgeous family drama with incredibly rich language and storytelling, Scarfuto said. Its a universal story that asks how you reckon with the choices youve made in your life. Kevin Artigues Sheepdog, also directed by Gardiner, takes place at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Scarfuto said Sheepdog is a play about uncovering truth, and it pulls you in every step of the way. The play speaks to issues of police violence in the black community, which is a huge and devastating issue in the country today, said Scarfuto, who read about 150 scripts under consideration for this years festival. The play feels very much in dialogue with the national conversation surrounding this issue. The festival, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Burry Fredrik Foundation, hustles Townsend and Artigue to New Haven for rehearsals two days before curtain time Friday (Emuron, unable to secure a visa, will not attend the festival). Theyll work together on the specifics of staging, rhythm and interpretation. Paramount in the process, however, is the script, and the star of the event is the playwright. Artigue, who, like Emurwon and Townsend, has developed several plays in similar festivals and workshops, said that this festival affords him the ideal opportunity to hear the play anew. More Information Long Wharf Theatre, 222 Sargent Drive, New Haven. Friday-Saturday, Sept. 21-22. 7 p.m. Friday, 5:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday. $10, or all three readings for $24. Reservations at 203-787-4282 or longwharf.org. There will be a happy hour an hour before each reading. See More Collapse I havent heard it in a while, said Artigue, who earned his MFA from Iowa Playwrights Workshop. Itll have been roughly five, six months since Ive heard it in front of an audience, so its going to be incredibly valuable to be in the space with the audience listening in. Im hoping to learn some new things about the play, he added. I imagine, when Im done with those two days, Ill have a ton of rewrites in mind. Artigues primary concern during rewrites is to take a high-profile societal problem and make it personal and specific. For me, thats often writing about my relationship to other human beings, he said. So, its taking a larger conflict, a societal conflict, a political conflict, and then you really ground it in a relationship. Its through the characters their needs and wants that you can tease out an issue and hopefully get to the bottom of it, even if what you are uncovering is more questions. Townsend agreed that the festival grants an opportunity to develop his work and to see how it can grow, and to learn what Ive done wrong. The process is ever ongoing in the theater with a play, said Townsend, a graduate of Columbia University. As the writer, you have to always lend yourself to the process. That means being open to learning new things, and doing rewrites, because its not ultimately about you alone as an individual author. As a writer, youve got to show up and be ready to participate, and give as much as you can. Immediately following each performance, Scarfuto will moderate an audience talkback, a process that playwrights find, in various degrees, useful. I think it really depends where you are in the process, said Artigue. I think, in general, its worth keeping an open ear because maybe you can pick up on the consensus around your play, or someone will see something youre not seeing. The other side of the coin is that playwriting, when it comes down to it, is a really subjective art form, he said. So whats good ... whats bad ... you know ... what is a play ... what isnt a play ... is really up to the individual; so I think the trap would be to listen to everyone. You cant listen to everybody. At Iowa, they taught us a trick, which is: you take a notepad up with you and you just write it all down and you nod your head, he said. I think that your only responsibility is just to listen. Hearst Connecticut Media / Christian Abraham BRIDGEPORT One person was hit during a shootout in the parking lot of the P.T. Barnum apartment complex on Saturday, police spokesman Av Harris said. Around 3:30 p.m., police responded to Building 2 of the apartment complex after a report of a shooting victim. Harris said police units found a male victim who was shot once in the leg. As Hurricane Florence devastated the Carolinas late last week, its death toll rising as buildings were torn apart and people were stranded amid the floodwaters, Connecticuts town, city and state officials have implemented some, but not all, of the measures that would preserve Connecticuts coastline from destruction. Planning, engineering and housing officials were sobered by Superstorm Sandys damage in 2012, but are anticipating the inevitable rise of the high-water mark as climate change increases sea levels. In most shoreline towns, new or renovated houses will be shored up 12 or more feet above sea level to avoid water damage to living spaces and utilities such as furnaces. But many of the major projects, such as raising University Avenue in Bridgeports South End to limit flooding to Seaside Park, are still in the planning stages, with myriad details to be worked out before work can begin. The need is urgent because, as New Haven city Engineer Giovanni Zinn said, sea levels are expected to rise 20 inches by 2050, which really gives you pause when you stop and think about it and then you have your storm surge. In Guilford, Town Planner George Kral and others, working with the Nature Conservancys Connecticut chapter and Yales Urban Ecology and Design Laboratory to develop one of the earliest coastal resiliency plans in Connecticut, Kral said. One of the things thats kind of new about coastal resilience is were looking at projecting flood hazards into the future based on the likelihood of sea level rise, he said. Several houses on Seaside Avenue near Jacobs Beach have been built so that the living space is above even what the Federal Emergency Management Agency requires to be eligible for national flood insurance, but we cant force people in existing homes to build up, Kral said. Only new homes or those who are renovating to increase the value of their homes more than 50 percent in any year must adhere to the new requirements. Gary Nuttall and his wife, Brenda, bought 74 Seaside Ave., an elevated house, in 2014 and doubled its size last year. We wanted the house to look as if it had already been built that way rather than tacked onto, Nuttall said. It had a lot of steel added to the original structure as well as the addition. The house is designed with water detectors so if a flood occurs the garage door and 10 flood vents will open to let the water flow through the ground level without damaging the living quarters upstairs. Nuttall said with marshland near his house and an offshore channel, hes not too concerned about flooding, but Sandy would have left 30 inches of water in his garage. Not every house on Seaside Avenue is elevated and, Kral said, I think its going to be tragic and difficult for people if there is a major storm. There will be properties that will be abandoned, he said. The second most important thing that the town of Guilford has done is infrastructure improvements, in particular roads, Kral said. Old Quarry Road, Tuttles Point Road and Chaffinch Island Road, which typically flood during storms, have been raised. The third category, and its the most innovative thing that were doing and its directly related to mitigating the impact of sea level rise is a living shoreline to reduce the potential for erosion of tidal wetlands, Kral said. A main feature is taking loose fill material, such as that removed in dredging, and creating a soft structure out in the water, perhaps 100 yards out, that would reduce the force of the waves against the shore, he said. It would be a major project, however. Were looking for money to implement it, Kral said. Its in the millions of dollars and its not something the town is likely to be willing to do itself. Its an experimental approach that would require assistance from the federal government, the Army Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, he said. Alex Felson, director of Yales Urban Ecology and Design Lab, has envisioned what the Seaside Avenue area will look like 50 or 75 years in the future. As that road floods, many of these houses are going to be flooded and their access is going to be flooded, Kral said. Instead of looking like a New England shoreline area, it looks like a Florida shoreline area. The point of his visioning in my opinion is it still shows a positive community. Its not devastation of historic neighborhoods; its transformation of them. Maybe its like an island where you can only get there by boat, Kral said. Felsons maps show long-range images of how these communities might function in the distant future. None of us are going to be there. The desire to live by the shore is going to be there. Felson said his lab based its work on the towns transit-oriented development plan, since its close to the railroad station. We showed a transition strategy for Seaside Avenue, he said. We developed a cut-fill strategy to create raised areas where they could have community septic and enhance the recreational value of the area. You increase the size of the beach as a public amenity. The Yale labs work was done in order to get homeowners and others talking about it and recognizing that change is coming, Felson said. Some of the planning work is dry, getting town zoning laws, building codes and flood-management ordinances in agreement to try to get those three permitting systems on the same page so homeowners know what they can do and are required to do to make sure everybodys on the same page as to what the permit requirements are, Kral said. What has been nice, actually, is the building code has actually integrated what is required by FEMA into the Connecticut building code, rather than into insurance policies, said Russ Campaigne of Campaigne Kestner Architects in Guilford, who designed Nuttalls addition. Connecticut has actually been proactive over and above the FEMA requirements. Guilford has exceeded FEMA requirements, as have other towns, by adding 1 foot of elevation to FEMAs rules, which vary depending on location. The extra space above what would be expected in a 100-year flood (one expected only once every 100 years) is known as freeboard. That additional height is actually reflected in your (flood) insurance, with as much as a 20 percent premium discount, Campaigne said. In Bridgeport, the project to create a berm by raising University Avenue and to do something similar in a north-south direction is in early stages of design, according to Rebecca French, director of resiliency for the state Department of Housing. The city will use $48 million of $54.2 million the state received in 2016 as part of the National Disaster Resiliency Competition. Dan Roach, Bridgeports director of government operations, said, Theyre finishing up or tying up loose ends as far as the planning stage is concerned and as far as the exact locations [it] hasnt been completely finished. Theres a lot of property that the project needs to go through, in some cases private property, so certain things need to be worked out. The city also will create a storm water park in the South End near Marina Village, French said. That area is prone to frequent chronic floods during heavy rainstorms, she said. Harry Smith, Branfords town planner, said a three-town study with Guilford and Madison identified many, many, many projects would be required to make the town less flood-prone and the trick is how we would accomplish that, designating a board or commission to oversee work. Until now, Smith said, some of the works has been repair from Sandy and (Tropical Storm) Irene in terms of coastal roads that were damaged. The towns community center is being renovated in a way that will make it flood-proof, he said because part of it is in a low-lying area. Another idea is to install a removable closure on the frequently flooded railroad underpass, known as the cattle crossing, between Indian Neck Avenue and Meadow Street that would seal the underpass during a storm, Smith said. We have a conceptual design for that. We need to triage how were going to approach the whole project. To hold back the tide, New Haven plans off-shore structures similar to the one in Guilford off Long Wharf and East Shore Park, Zinn said. The city is building a long shoreline sand berm kind of thing off Morris Cove, near the beach beside Anthonys Ocean View, Zinn said. It looks more like a beach than a berm, but its an engineered placement of sand. With more frequent rainstorms possible during climate change, New Haven is concerned about overloading its storm drainage system, which is partially connected to its sewage system. The city has created 50 of a planned 200 bioswales 5-foot by 15-foot structures built between the sidewalk and the street that have a rock base, covered with two feet of soil and topped with river rock to make them attractive and easy to keep clean, Zinn said. They can be found on Chapel, Howe, High and George streets downtown as well as Clinton, West Park, Edgewood and Yale avenues and Daisy Street, he said. We use them to both solve drainage problems when we see them and downtown in particular its to divert as much water out of our existing storm system, Zinn said. It basically allows us to take water out of the downtown drainage system. It also slows the time water will take to drain into the storm pipes. We really bake resiliency into everything we do, including how to repair the aged Grand Avenue bridge, Zinn said. Resiliency really touches every infrastructure decision that we make in a meaningful way. We have the responsibility to do that. NEW HAVEN A wrongly imprisoned man has filed a federal lawsuit against the city and four former New Haven Police officials for mishandling evidence that sent him to prison for 17 years. Vernon Horn was convicted of murder and armed robbery in connection with the robbery and murder of 22-year-old Caprice Hardy, who was buying cigarettes at the Dixwell Deli on Jan. 24, 1999. Horn was exonerated in April after a re-investigation found that 137 pages of telephone records from a retired New Haven detective that had never been logged into evidence showed Horn could not have been in the place of the murder. The New Haven Police Department hid 137 pages of exculpatory phone records in a detectives basement for nearly two decades, the suit alleges. They coerced and threatened witnesses. They fabricated evidence. They destroyed evidence. They failed to investigate evidence that would have exonerated an innocent man. Its upon the discovery of the hidden telephone records that Horn is basing his suit against the city and the individual police officials, claiming that the hidden evidence got him sentenced to prison. Three former police officials are named in the lawsuit Leroy Dease, Petisia Adger and Daryle Breland along with the city and James Stephenson, the former firearms examiner who conducted the report on the murder weapon. New Haven Police Department stole this mans life, said Ilann M. Maazel, a member of Horns legal counsel. They stole his best years and theres no amount of money that can give his life back. Were e seeking justice, accountability for a travesty of justice. Maazel said it would be up to the jury to determine how much Horn could receive in compensation for his wrongful imprisonment, but lawsuits brought by exonerated individuals have been in the $10 million to $20 million range. In 2014, a federal judge awarded two men $18 million each in a wrongful conviction case for which they spend 18 years in prison. Its obviously a very substantial case, Maazel said of Horns suit. One thing Vernon wants is for this to never happen again to anyone else, Maazel said. We see too frequently there are many people in prison who are innocent whether from police misconduct, prosecutorial misconduct, hiding evidence, poor witness ID procedure. Many people in prison should not be in prison at all because they are factually innocent. Vernon was one of those people and wants this never to happen to anyone else because its been a nightmare. Dease was the lead detective assigned to the case but retired from the department in April 1999. Adger was a recently promoted detective working with Dease on the case, her first homicide, and later promoted to assistant police chief. She since has retired from the department. Breland is a retired detective who worked closely with Dease and Adger interviewing witnesses. The suit alleges police coerced witnesses into giving false testimony to implicate Horn, fabricating accounts of the night and rehearsing them with suspects, a documented practice in the department in the 1990s. All of these troubling NHPD practices coerced witness statements, spoon-feeding witnesses false information during pre-interviews for repetition in official statements, missing tapes infected the investigation of Vernon Horn and its aftermath, the suit said. Law enforcement is supposed to follow the evidence until they find the suspect, not manipulate an entire investigation to fit a pre-determined suspect, the suit said. But such manipulation is exactly what happened here. The suit alleges Dease, Adger and Breland chose Horn as a suspect on no factual basis and built a case against him around unsubstantiated theories, fabricating outlandish stories to implicate Horn. Horns lawsuit also alleges the General Rifling Characteristics reports done at the time to determine what type of gun was used was altered to align with witness testimony for a stronger case against Horn. Stephenson conducted the reports but never disclosed them to Horns lawyer or provided them to the States Attorneys Office, the suit alleges. The reports were not supplied to Horn until 18 years later during the reinvestigation. Based largely on fabricated witness testimony and manipulated phone records, Vernon was sentenced to 70 years in prison. Vernon spent much of his life in prison, from 18 to 33, and then 35 to 37 after being let out on bail for two years. He maintained his innocence throughout. When the phone records, allegedly hidden in the detectives basement, were discovered, it was the basis for exonerating Horn in April. The totality of information developed to date has sufficiently undermined the states confidence in the judgment of conviction such that justice is done by setting the judgment aside, New Haven States Attorney office said in a statement at the conclusion of the reinvestigation. The charges against Horn were dismissed and he was released. In this case there was a detective who had critical documents in a home basement for years, Maazel said. How is that possible? Thats utterly shocking. Anyone who violates the law should be held accountable, especially where it results in an innocent man spending decades of his life in jail. mdignan@hearstmediact.com Editors note: This is the 43rd story in the Register Top 50 series. NEW HAVEN When it opened 185 years ago, the future Yale New Haven Hospital primarily was a charitable institution that served the poor, sailors and strangers. The nearly two centuries since have been marked by exponential growth and modernization. The hospital quickly expanded to serve the general population. Today, the Yale medical system employs thousands of workers in locations throughout the region and attracts patients from around the nation and world. Modern medicine Dr. Tom Balcezak, chief medical officer, has been working at the hospital for 26 years. While I know the history of the last 26 years intimately, I know a fair amount of our overall history, Balcezak said. Things have changed so much in New Haven and at Yale New Haven Hospital, and in health care and in scientific knowledge. With advances in technology, many treatments that would have taken place in a hospital decades ago now are done on an outpatient basis, according to Balcezak. Lengths of stay have also decreased what used to involve staying for weeks, has now been reduced in some cases to hours, Balcezak said. These are changes all over the United States which are also reflected here. Susan Dee, an archivist at the hospital, said the hospital has grown not only in size, but in technology, throughout its history. Today, for instance, patients can use FaceTime to consult with their doctors. The shift from paper charts to electronic systems has made health information more accessible to patients. When Balcezak arrived, computers were used infrequently. He recalls having to walk to review clipboards and paper charts, to see what other doctors thought about a particular patients case. Now, everything is electronic and everyone involved in a patients care can look up information and images from anywhere across the health care system. Even in emergencies, critical care physicians can assist with managing patients from different hospitals within the network, and off-duty physicians can use technology to assist from home. A doctor can help diagnose without leaving their house when needed in an emergency situation, which saves time and means better outcomes for patients, Balcezak said. According to Balcezak, even the nature of the types of diseases people have has changed. Since tobacco use was linked to cancer, the incidence of smoking has declined, so tobacco-related diseases has fallen, he said. With improvements in vaccines and antibiotics, there are fewer cases of tuberculosis and childhood diseases. Early years The New Haven community began discussing the need for a local hospital in May 1826 at a meeting of the New Haven County Medical Association, which brought the proposal to state lawmakers. Once the project gained support, it needed funding, and it wasnt until the next decade that enough money was raised. A state contribution of $5,000, pledges from Yale Medical School faculty, port fees and donations from private citizens helped secure enough money to buy land and build the hospital, which opened in 1833, according to Yale. The original hospital sat on a 7-acre parcel between Cedar and Howard streets. The three-story hospital, then called the State Hospital, cost just $13,000 to build and could house about 75 patients. At its inception, most of the hospitals patients were local underprivileged residents or visitors from out of the area. Back then, most people who could afford it preferred to be treated for their ailments at home, and doctors visited them, rather than the other way around. At the time, people were mostly treated at home, and the hospital primarily treated the poor and sailors who came in to port, Dee said. It became the place for doctors to practice medicine and to learn. Area physicians often worked in the hospital on a rotating basis, while doing home visitations. In addition to providing the doctors with experience, the hospital served an educational purpose for students from the Medical Institution of Yale College, now the Yale School of Medicine. Mid-to-late 1800s expansion The hospital saw a rapid expansion during the Civil War era. In 1862, the United States government leased the hospital building for use as a military hospital, while non-military hospital operations took place in rented space on Whalley Avenue. This military hospital was named the Knight U.S. Army General Hospital, after Jonathan Knight, a professor at the Medical Institution. The government added temporary quarters around the existing hospital building. According to the hospitals archives, this enabled it to treat about 1,500 patients. Between 1862 and 1865, the hospitals staff treated about 25,000 soldiers. In later conflicts, the facility served as a designated military hospital. Jason Bischoff-Wurstle, director of photo archives with the New Haven Museum, said the hospitals proximity to Long Wharf made it a logical choice for this purpose. The wounded would come in and leave by Long Wharf, Bischoff-Wurstle said. There are accounts of soldiers not wanting to leave, and wanting to return to the comforts of the hospital after they were treated. In the late 1800s, the hospital, which was officially named New Haven Hospital in 1884, continued to grow. Hospital officials decided to add east and west wings to the main building in 1872. These new wings made space for more than 100 additional beds. Patients typically were treated in open wards, though there were a few private patient spaces. In 1882, a dormitory for the Connecticut Training School for Nurses was built on the campus. In the late 1800s, a ride in an ambulance meant a ride in a horse-drawn carriage, and doctors went by horse and buggy to visit patients at home. Because of this, the campus had its own stable. The first motorized ambulance service didnt arrive at the hospital until the early 1900s, according to Dee. Growth, name changes, mergers, formal affiliations The hospitals affiliation with Grace Hospital led to the name Grace-New Haven Community Hospital in 1945, and later, due to its ongoing affiliation with the Yale School of Medicine, its name changed again, finally becoming Yale-New Haven Hospital in 1965, according to hospital archives. While the hospital and Yale had a relationship from the beginning, the institutions made it more official over time due to mutual benefits, including better patient care, clinical instruction for students, opportunities for scientific research and financing for expansion. Yale School of Medicine professors worked at the hospital, often as chiefs of departments. In 1993, the Yale New Haven Childrens Hospital was dedicated, the first full-service childrens hospital in the state. It featured more than 200 beds and, since then, it has offered pediatric care across various specialties. Today, Yale New Haven Hospital has 1,541 beds and two main campuses, making it the largest acute care provider in southern Connecticut. We have grown our footprint, the number of beds, the square footage of our buildings, and our staff, Balcezak said. Every year, our medical staff gets larger. It takes a team to provide high-tech care. It has continued to grow in recent years, including with the opening of the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven in 2009. It encompasses the Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital, and satellite facilities around the region, such as the Temple Medical Center and Shoreline Medical Center in Guilford. Recent years have seen further expansion and affiliations, to include Bridgeport Hospital, Greenwich Hospital, and L+M Healthcare, which includes Lawrence + Memorial Hospital and Westerly Hospital in Westerly, R.I. In 2012, the hospital acquired the Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven, now known as the Yale New Haven Hospital Saint Raphael Campus. Nursing an evolving profession Judith Hahn, director of nursing and professional practice, said the Yale medical system has approximately 7,200 licensed nurses, a number which has been growing. Several nurses said the hospitals culture has changed. While the culture used to be the doctors running the hospital, now it is more progressive and team-oriented, according to Hahn. Margaret OBrien, a patient-service manager at the Saint Raphael campus, who started in 1983, agreed. What has really changed is the technology, and how nurses are more respected, she said. There used to be a lot less staff, and we took care of a larger group of patients. Now, nursing is a highly skilled part of the team. It used to be top down. The staff is encouraged to be involved. Francine LoRusso, vice president of heart and vascular, transplant, and medicine services, said nursing historically was generalized, with nurses supporting doctors in a submissive role. Now, nurses are considered colleagues and professionals. Nurses are looked to to be equal partners in the care we deliver, LoRusso said. Nurses today are more specialized such as a cardiac nurse, while it used to be everyone was a general nurse. Historically, when nursing was in its early days, you didnt go on to advanced degrees; now, nurses see patients independently, LoRusso said. Nurses are leading research and are involved in innovation. LoRusso said the evolution of nursing care has brought about a dramatic change in how nurses dress, from the all-white uniform and special caps to standard scrub-style uniforms. Role in the community, economy, and medical advancements Throughout its history and today, Yale has had an impact on the community and beyond from the economy to health care to scientific innovation. According to hospital officials, Yale New Haven Hospital has a tradition of service to the community. It works to address key health issues, from substance abuse to accident prevention. Through its Now I Know Better: Kids Tell Kids About Safety programs, children talk about their accidents and what they learned about safety because of them. People in the community feel connected to the hospital, Dee said. A lot of people were born here, and when you are born here and have your baby here, there is a connection that you build. The hospital is a leader in the community, and we like to give back. LoRusso said there is an expectation around community involvement, and nurses do a lot of education regarding organ donation and disease prevention. According to Balcezak, todays medical center serves the region because it is a major employer and economic engine. We serve the community because of the care we deliver and because of our research, Balcezak said. Even more important, we are embedded in New Haven and provide world-class care in Connecticut and beyond. New Haven Mayor Toni Harp said the presence of Yale New Haven Hospital has always added to the citys global standing as a center for excellence in education, research and applied learning in this case, specific to the field of medicine. As the teaching center of the Yale School of Medicine, Yale New Haven Hospital produces some of the nations most talented physicians; city residents benefit because many of these doctors choose to stay and practice right here in this area. Ongoing success and expansion of Yale Health makes it one of the citys premier employers, with many positions filled by city residents, and that keeps local capital circulating locally. Many of New Havens new businesses in the emerging bioscience sector are byproducts of research completed and/or still underway at Yale New Haven Hospital, and that bodes well for a vibrant local economy in both the near term and the foreseeable future. Connecticut Senate Democratic President Pro Tempore Martin Looney of New Haven was born at the hospital, and in 2016 was the recipient of a kidney transplant there. You could say my history began there, and I found their kidney transplant care to be extraordinary, Looney said. The staff was superb, and I am feeling terrific now. A lawmaker and lifelong city resident, Looney said the hospital has served as a magnet for the city. Obviously, it is a major employer, and it is important for the city to have a major research center of international renown, Looney said. It is a magnet in terms of physicians, and an economic generator for the entire New Haven region. Bischoff-Wurstle called the hospital central to the community in the modern age. Today, it brings people in and out of the city and is a base for innovation, he said. It is a centerpiece of our local fabric. It is adjacent to downtown and convenient. It is on the cutting edge and the forefront of medicine but it has been from its inception, Bischoff-Wurstle said. It has a remarkable timeline. When you are there, you trust that you are at one of the best hospital networks in the world. Bischoff-Wurstle has firsthand experience of the Yale health system, as his son was born earlier this year at the Saint Raphael campus and received care in New Haven. According to Bischoff-Wurstle, he was impressed with the dedication of the staff and sheer confidence and competence. The staff members have very high-intensity jobs, but the people there were very receptive and confident in what they can bring, he said. Today, Yale has community partnerships with area colleges, such as Gateway Community College and Southern Connecticut State University, including collaborative efforts to help identify gaps between academics and practice, so graduates are best prepared to enter the workforce, according to Hahn. Ena Williams, vice president of patient services and senior chief nursing officer, said this collaboration with schools helped redesign curricula, specifically regarding what nurses need to know before they come out of nursing school. The expansion of the health care system around the state and region has helped further its community role. We see more nurses working in outpatient clinics than we did before, Williams said. We are growing in the community, so we are care systems not just within the hospital walls. Throughout its history, Yale New Haven Hospital has made significant advances in medicine, such as the first successful clinical use of penicillin and first use of chemotherapy as a cancer treatment in the United States. Yale developed the first artificial heart pump in the United States in 1949. Other successes include the discovery of melatonin and the identification of Lyme disease. It is a big and rich history, Dee said. What really stands out to me are the first clinical use of penicillin and the first use of chemotherapy. According to Balcezak, the impact of the Yale medical system includes providing care, jobs, the advancement of knowledge and training to the next generation of health care professionals. There are a lot of firsts which have been done here, Balcezak said. The research and new knowledge go on to provide for the betterment of health care. We are one of about a half-dozen medical centers across the country which are heavily involved in training, and we are a major exporter of clinician talent to the United States. Michelle Tuccitto Sullo can be reached at mtuccittoster@gmail.com. There are many men and women behind bars and some of them are parents. And for them and their children and advocates of prison reform there are too many bars that separate them as a family. As the state looks to more rehabilitative measures to ensure an easier transition for men and women once they are released from prison, a little-known program is providing a common link that keeps incarcerated parents a part of their childrens daily lives. Connecting Through Literacy: Incarcerated Parents, their Children and Caregivers is a statewide program that essentially is a book club but offers much more than words enclosed in spines. Children need their parents and having a mother or father who is incarcerated doesnt change that. Connecting Through Literacy allows the relationship between a parent and child not only to continue to develop, but also strengthen while the parent serves his or her time. Here is how it works: The child and the parent receive a copy of the same book and each receives a mentor with whom to read . The kid-friendly books such as Batman or the Goosebumps series serves as a connection for them while being separated and also removes those potentially awkward first moments on the phone that come with separation and no common bond. The ultimate goal is to create a bond strong enough that the parent wont want to break and recidivate. We think this is a great idea. It is simple and practical, miniscule in cost and pays big dividends now and, more importantly, down the road. These incarcerated parents have had much taken from them for their error in judgment and rightly so but they dont deserve to have their children taken, too. The Institute for Research on Poverty reported that in 2010, 2.7 million children in the United States had a parent in jail or prison and in 2017 reported that at least 10 million children have had a parent in jail during their lifetime. Here in Connecticut, the Connecticut Association for Human Services reported there were 17,000 dependents in our state with a caregiver behind bars and another 5,000 have a caregiver in a supervised community program, such as house arrest or parole. Landon Osborn, program manager of the statewide program, said mentors for the children are recruited from the community. The participants include Yale and Southern Connecticut State universities and the University of New Haven. Mentors undergo three hours of training and a background check by the state Department of Children and Families. The free program is available at six state prisons: York Correctional Institution in East Lyme; Cheshire, Robinson, Osborn and Willard-Cybulski correctional institutions; and the Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center. As the state looks for ways to smooth the path for incarcerated men and women to transition back into mainstream society, probably none is more important or critical than keeping families intact. We dont see a downside here. The Connecting Through Literacy program is a great idea. It felt the award is a fit case for a challenge in the High Court. The Law Ministry has held that an international arbitration panel's ruling rejecting the government's demand for USD 1.5 billion from Reliance Industries and its partners for allegedly siphoning gas from fields of ONGC is a fit case for appeal, sources in know of the development said. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The Law Ministry has held that an international arbitration panel's ruling rejecting the government's demand for USD 1.5 billion from Reliance Industries and its partners for allegedly siphoning gas from fields of ONGC is a fit case for appeal, sources in know of the development said. The Oil Ministry had sought an opinion of the Law Ministry on the July arbitration award going against the government. Sources said the Law Ministry was of the opinion that the majority arbitration award was in violation of the terms and conditions of the production sharing contract (PSC), lacked required reason and was against the public good and public interest. A three-member international arbitration tribunal by a majority vote in July held that Reliance could contractually produce and sell any gas that might have migrated from adjoining fields of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) into its area and that it was not obligated to seek prior permission of the government for doing so. Sources said the Law Ministry was of the opinion that the tribunal had ignored the contractual obligation and statutory duty on part of operators to furnish information to the government about any migration of gas. It felt the award is a fit case for a challenge in the High Court, they said. With one member dissenting, the arbitration panel had held that the production sharing contract for eastern offshore KG-D6 fields "does not prohibit but permits" Reliance "to produce and sell gas which migrated into the sub-sea reservoir lying within (its) Contract Area from a source outside the Contract Area". And so "there is no question of 'unjust enrichment'," it had held. Reliance "has not been and will not be unjustly enriched by any production of migrated gas as a result of Petroleum Operations conducted within its Contract Area". In his dissent note, G S Singhvi said that the PSC prohibits Reliance and its partners from producing and selling gas which migrated into their sub-sea reservoir from the contract area of ONGC. He held that Reliance "unjustly enriched itself by the sale of migrated gas, which did not belong to it and, therefore, it is bound to restore those benefits to the Government". In the 107-page order, the arbitration tribunal headed by Singapore-based arbitrator Lawrence G S Boo stated that although Reliance had always accepted that there could be channel continuity between its KG-D6 block and ONGC's adjoining KG-D5 and IG block, its conduct is consistent with its position that 'reservoir connectivity' has not been proven. Bernard Eder, a former UK High court judge nominated by Reliance, was the other judge who concurred with Boo. Singhvi, a former Supreme Court judge and the government nominee on the panel, wrote a long dissent note. "The Claimant (Reliance) requires no further express permission to produce and sell any migrated gas that could have come into (its) Contract Area," the majority judgment held. On the company not informing the government of a report commissioned by its partner Niko Resources indicating connectivity between KG-D6 and neighbouring blocks of ONGC, the tribunal said "the alleged failure to furnish information if so proven would at best be a breach of the contractual terms of the PSC or at worst attract penal sanctions under the Petroleum and Natural Gas (PNG) Rules". "There is no logical nexus between such breach or non-compliance with the claimant's right to extract gas which might include gas which could have migrated from an area outside the Contract Area. These are distinct and discreet issues," it said. The tribunal had said though Reliance's "production of gas would have included gas which had migrated into the reservoir from a source outside the Contract Area", it is "entitled to all rights granted to it under the PSC and shall be entitled to retain and recover cost petroleum and profit petroleum from the gas so extracted, produced and sold". The panel also awarded USD 8.3 million compensation to the three partners. Reliance is the operator of KG-D6 block with 60 per cent interest, while BP plc of UK holds 30 per cent and Niko Resources of Canada the remaining 10 per cent. In his dissent note, Singhvi said Reliance was required to obtain explicit permission to produce migrated gas. "It is crystal clear that the claimant (Reliance) does not have any rights to the gas which has migrated from ONGC's blocks," he wrote. "There can be no doubt that the retention of the benefit of migrated gas would be 'against the fundamental principles of justice or equity and good conscience' thereby falling squarely within the ambit of the doctrine of unjust enrichment". He also held that quantification of migrated gas determined in D&M report of 2015 was conclusive. Stating that Reliance should have disclosed the 2003 report of its partner Niko Resources, he said it may not have conclusively established reservoir connectivity, but it strongly suggested the same. "It is held that the claimant's failure to comply with its obligation to disclose November 2003 D&M report to the Government constitute a breach of the terms of the PSC and the 1959 Rules," he wrote. "Under the PSC, if a reservoir extends beyond block boundaries, the contractor may either seek permission to enlarge its Development Area, or jointly develop the area with the contractor of the adjoining block, or relinquish its rights to such reservoir," he said. "There can be no effective lease or enjoyment of an area covered by a reservoir, if such reservoir is being drained by a different person on its block boundary." The ministry had on November 4, 2016, slapped a demand notice on Reliance-BP-Niko combine for producing in seven years ending March 31, 2016 about 338.332 million British thermal units of gas that had seeped or migrated from ONGC's blocks into their adjoining KG-D6 in the Bay of Bengal. Reliance on November 11, 2016, slapped an arbitration notice disputing the claim. SPRINGFIELD Years ago, I watched the movie Shawshank Redemption and observed the character Andy Dufresne try to prove his innocence for a murder he didnt commit. He, of course, had to do this while serving a life sentence in a Maine maximum-security prison. It was good cinema, but I remember watching the movie as a young man in my 20s and wondering: Can an innocent person really end up in prison? Now, in my 50s, I feel a bit silly having ever wondered this. Ive met too many people who have been wrongly convicted. Back in the 1990s, when I covered Moline City Hall, I met a kind man named Darrel Parker, who was working for the city parks department. He had been wrongly convicted of murder in Nebraska. It has taken the state of Nebraska more than 60 years to acknowledge its mistake and fully exonerate Mr. Parker. Later when I was a statehouse bureau chief for a chain of Illinois newspapers, a man named Gary Gauger dropped by my office. He was wrongly convicted of murdering his parents in rural McHenry County. He served two years on Illinois death row before his conviction was thrown out. His tale of wrongful conviction left me speechless. And his is hardly an isolated case. There were 13 innocent men freed from Illinois death row. Just how often people are convicted of a crime they didnt commit, no one really knows. But we do know that it happens. Just what is an acceptable number of innocent people in prison? Ben Franklin said, That it is better 100 guilty persons should escape than that one innocent person should suffer. But when I asked a prison guard I knew whether he had encountered any inmates that he thought were innocent, he shrugged and said, Well, the way I look at it is, if they are in prison for something they didnt do, they probably did something else that they ought to be in prison for doing. Sadly, that sort of cynicism has become pervasive. The advent of DNA testing has proven many people once thought guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to be innocent. Too often those individuals have spent decades in prison while the guilty party remained free, committing more crimes. Innocence organizations have cropped up across the nation to advocate for those who have no one left to advocate for them. These organizations are the last hope for the wrongly incarcerated. And typically, they depend on the labor of students, volunteer lawyers and a handful of staff attorneys. Despite these limitations, the Illinois Innocence Project headquartered at the University of Illinois at Springfield has had remarkable success. It has been responsible for proving the innocence of 11 people. Every year, they receive hundreds of requests for assistance but must turn away almost all. We are just drowning here, said John Hanlon, executive director of the Illinois Innocence Project. Every time we have success in a case, we receive even more applications. We are getting to the point that we are considering temporarily not considering more applications. And that is something that none of us want to do. The reason they would have to halt considering applications for a time is so they could deal with the backlog of applications they already have. The Illinois Innocence Project is seeking a $1.5 million appropriation from the Illinois General Assembly to help alleviate the backlog of cases. Yes, the state is struggling financially. But can we really put a price on justice? We spend almost $50,000 a year to incarcerate one person in the Illinois Department of Corrections. For each person, the Innocence Project frees, the state saves at least that much. And those individuals go from being wards of the state to being taxpayers. But more importantly, if it were your son or daughter, sister or brother who was unjustly suffering behind bars wouldnt you want the advocate of last resort there to help them? Scott Reeder is a veteran statehouse journalist. He works as a freelance reporter in the Springfield area and produces the podcast Suspect Convictions. JERSEY CITY A local college and a jazz star teamed up Friday night for an outdoor concert on the waterfront. The New Jersey City University Center for the Arts hosted the annual NJCU Alumni Jazz Big Band Concert on the J. Owen Grundy Pier in the city's Downtown neighborhood, sharing the stage with Latin Grammy Award winner Paquito D'Rivera. Conducted by retired NJCU Professor Richard Lowenthal, the free concert paid tribute to WBGO Newark, the world's flagship jazz radio station, as well as the 80th anniversary of the Benny Goodman Orchestra's performance at Carnegie Hall. Click on the photo gallery above to see the dozens who came out to enjoy the show. A divided Sussex County freeholder board approved a non-binding resolution opposing the legalization of recreational marijuana in New Jersey. The all-Republican board voted 3-2 in favor of the resolution on Wednesday night, joining the governing boards of at least three other counties -- Cape May, Ocean and Monmouth -- that previously declared their opposition. From left to right, Sussex County freeholders Carl Lazzaro, George Graham and Jonathan Rose at a meeting in 2017 (Rob Jennings / NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) Freeholders Jonathan Rose and Carl Lazzaro, who ran as a team in the Republican primary in June and were defeated, took opposing sides on the resolution. Railing against what he described as the harm stemming from marijuana, Lazzaro said, "We don't need to have your mind altered to have fun," according to a video of the meeting posted by Sussex County. He took issue with the arguments of legalization supporters like Gov. Phil Murphy and others who have characterized marijuana as primarily an issue of social justice and fairness. "I see that what New Jersey's doing, not much different than what California did, is the quest for more money," Lazzaro said. "We can't control our spending habits and now we want to get more money, but yet we don't realize that all the money that will be garnered from this will be used in the administration of it, and there won't be any left over, and we've kind of legitimatized a way of life that doesn't lead to anything productive," Lazzaro said. Rose, on the other hand, voted against the resolution. "With the understanding that freedom can be scary and freedom can be dangerous, I am in favor of decriminalization at a minimum, and legalization at a maximum," Rose said. Rose criticized the so-called 'war on drugs,' singling out the prosecutions of otherwise law-abiding citizens for using marijuana. "Drug use is a complicated, difficult topic. I think that it is primarily a mental health issue and not a criminal issue. I think that when we look back at the war on drugs, it's been an absolute, unmitigated disaster for civil liberties," Rose said. Freeholder George Graham joined Rose in voting no on the resolution. In addition to Lazzaro, freeholders Sylvia Petillo and Herb Yardley favored it. The resolution merely offers an opinion; it would not have an impact should New Jersey legalize recreational use. The freeholder board in Monmouth County, where Murphy lives, was the first to formally oppose legalization. It adopted a resolution in January. Similar resolutions were approved in February by freeholders in Ocean County and Cape May. As legislators continue to discuss legalization, New Jersey residents appear somewhat split on the issue. A Quinnipiac University poll released in August found that while 62 percent are in favor of legalizing marijuana, only 50 percent want it sold in their communities -- while 45 percent said they didn't want it in their towns. Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook A New Jersey man has pleaded guilty to disrupting an airplane flight after attendants refused to serve him a fourth drink. Joel Michael Bane, 39, entered his guilty plea in federal court in Louisiana this week. Bane was a passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight from Chicago to New Orleans in October of last year and received three alcoholic beverages during the trip. When he asked for another, he was told he could not have one because the crew was preparing to land. He grew indignant and refused to return to his seat, according to court documents. Bane threatened to put a flight attendant "in a body bag" and told the crew he had served in Iraq and Afghanistan and would have no problem handling the plane's captain and attendants. Some of his conduct was captured on cellphone video, court documents indicate. When the plane arrived in New Orleans, police were waiting for Bane and he punched two of them as they tried to remove him from the jet. Officer eventually used Tasers to subdue the man, who was described in the documents as "large and very muscular." He pleaded guilty to one count of interfering with a flight crew. Bane faces up to 20 years in prison, but his attorney told NOLA.com that his client will receive only probation as part of his plea agreement. Attorney Frank DeSalvo said the incident resulted from miscommunication and because Bane suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. Sentencing is slated for Dec. 13. Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips. A Bergen County man was killed in New York City on Saturday morning after police say he ran from the scene of an auto accident and was struck by a vehicle. Heward Velez, 50, of Moonachie, was driving a Honda Civic north on the FDR Drive in Manhattan near the East 96th Street exit when he sideswiped a Jeep shortly before 5 a.m., New York City Police reported. Both vehicles pulled to the shoulder and the drivers got out to speak. During that conversation, Velez ran across the northbound lanes, crossed the center median and entered the southbound lanes, where he was struck by a Cadillac, police said. EMTs found Velez unconscious and transported him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The driver of the Cadillac remained at the scene. No charges have been filed, but the incident remains under investigation. Authorities did not say why they think Velez was running from the initial crash. Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips. Most rail experts believe that when a giant metal beam smashes through the roof of a commuter train traveling through a decrepit 108-year-old tunnel that needs daily repair, it reflects an exigent need to build a new tunnel. That frightful incident took place aboard an NJ Transit train barreling through the Hudson River tunnel last Friday, and it cannot be dismissed as an anomaly or a bolt from the blue. Every day, the salt and chlorides left behind by the waters of Superstorm Sandy eat away at the bench walls and at the infrastructure protecting the voltage cables. Every day, Amtrak is in triage mode, pouring money and manpower into a "zero defect" plan that changes the moment inspectors encounter a new nightmare. Every day, a tunnel that opened during the Taft Administration is closer to dying. If that tunnel fails before a new one is built, the consequences will be catastrophic. The Northeast Corridor, the nation's busiest passenger route that connects Boston to Washington, would be a screeching, constipated mess. The commute for New Jerseyans into Penn Station would be a daily migraine, with buses and ferries jammed with overflow. Home values in our state would plummet. And as the linchpin to the NEC, the tunnel's failure would cause an economic meltdown to the tune of $100 million per day. But Donald Trump is willing to risk all of it - safety, quality of life, and global commerce - because he would rather play politics than prevent this calamity. He doesn't want to uphold an agreement made by President Obama for the federal government to pick up half the cost of the $30 billion Gateway Project, the key to which is building a new Hudson tunnel while the old one is restored. @emmagf stuck on NJ transit secausus to penn station - train struck by unknown object, lots of sparks, windows punched in, pole through ceiling of a car. Backup generator on. No one hurt. Waiting on a rescue train. pic.twitter.com/P1n68yc3cP Beckie Bintrim (@BeckieBintrim) September 8, 2018 This is a natural disaster happening in slow motion. And with 450 trains carrying more than 200,000 passengers through the Hudson tubes every day - in and out of Penn Station - it wouldn't be prudent to wait for its crescendo to begin a job that should have started a decade ago. "We are clearly on borrowed time here - it's hard to think of a more direct reminder than a metal beam piercing a passenger train to remind us we need to get going," says John Porcari, director of the Gateway Development Corporation. "And what is forgotten is that this will soon be an economic disaster in real time." Both tubes need to be overhauled, and taken out of service for 18 months. If you close just one, it reduces its capacity from 24 trains per hour to just six. And this has become grim consensus: No one in the transit business is willing to predict that the new Gateway tunnel can be built during the current, semi-operational lifetime of the old tunnel. We have passed the tipping point. "We passed that point a while ago," said Tom Wright, president of the Regional Plan Association. "There will be major disruptions before Gateway is built under any scenario. The question is how long we're going to suffer under that math." Lest anyone forget, this should have been on cruise control by now. There was $9 billion in place for the ARC Tunnel in 2010, but Chris Christie - fearing cost overruns - killed the project. Then he swiped New Jersey's $3 billion for his own projects to avoid a gas tax hike, used the Port Authority's $3 billion stake to fix the Pulaski Skyway, and sent $3 billion back to the feds. Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx delivered the valedictory: "Almost criminal," he called Christie's myopic shell game. Christie never offered an alternate plan, and the decline of the tunnel accelerated after Sandy filled it with 13 million gallons of salt water. Five years later, Obama pledged to fund half of Gateway, and shovels were ready to go by 2019. Then came Trump, killing the federal commitment even though his own fortune is based largely on commuter access into Manhattan. So here we are. We're using a tunnel built when your great-grandparents were your age. We need a tunnel that will serve your great-grandchildren and bolster the national economy. We skipped three generations of infrastructure improvement, and it costs more the longer we wait. And now, beams are crashing through the ceiling. Take the hint. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. By Declan O'Scanlon The battle lines over New Jersey's fiscal future are drawn. And they could tear apart the Democratic Party. Here's why Republicans need to help Democrat leaders keep it together. There's no negotiating math. The fiscal choices we face in New Jersey are as sobering as they are absolute. Either we implement serious, deep, meaningful reforms ... or we destroy our children's future by failing to act, leading to insolvency. There is no third choice. The dramatic tax increases that union leaders and our governor stealthily advocate -- their fierce objections to reforms can lead to no other outcome -- would strangle our economy, kill our job market, and ultimately lead to a financial death spiral that destroys everything in its path, including our pension system. The key reforms outlined by state Sen. Steve Sweeney's bipartisan Economic and Fiscal Policy Working Group are the only way to save ourselves. And let's be clear, the largest and essential savings -- by a very long shot -- will be derived from pension and benefits reform. There is nowhere else in the budget that can provide the savings we need. Without those components we, that includes you public workers, are toast. So, it's pension and benefits reform or bust. And here is where it gets interesting. We, Republicans, have to help our Democrat policy-allies in this fight. We must help them fend off attacks from the left and we must resist the urge -- so deeply ingrained in all of us in these turbulent, relentlessly politically hostile times -- to demagogue or exploit their turmoil. The fact that a critical number of Democrat legislative leaders are willing to step up and forcefully advocate what, let's be honest, some of us Republicans have been advocating for years, is a big win. Let's take it with class, embrace them and fight the good fight together. Political victories are fleeting and irrelevant. Policy victories, are real and meaningful and often ascribed to others ... and the only accomplishments worth anything. For now, it must be all about getting the job done. We must reward those who stand with us on reform and show those, at the legislative and executive level who stand against a healthy future for New Jersey, that we won't let their pandering and paralysis destroy our future. There's no better place to draw the line on demagoguery than an issue that amounts to our very fate. Both sides of the aisle need to cross it in defense of those that stand for the right thing. There is room here for both hope and fear. Over the last few weeks consequential Democrat legislators endorsed the reforms outlined by Sweeney's working group. The Star-Ledger's Tom Moran wrote a piece on how reform must be embraced. They were all trashed by some folks on the right as "too little too late" regardless that they were all -- on these critical issues -- a beacon of reason from the left. Sweeney, and the other Democrat legislators now signing on, are playing a dangerous game with their political futures. It's unquestionably the right thing. If we don't embrace them are we not guilty of failing our constituents, Republican and Democrat? Can Moran be an insanely crazy liberal on some issues? Oh yeah.But he, and the editorial board he oversees, have been incredibly consistent in their digging into, understanding and championing the common sense, arguably conservative, fiscal reforms that we're talking about. These folks are huge credibility builders for these critical reforms. We must make clear that those of us, Democrat and Republican, standing up for reform and telling the truth are the good guys. The Democrat legislative champions of reform, no matter their former sins, deserve our support on this front. We are all in this together. We can selfishly perpetuate the battle between our parties, parrying back and forth in the hope that WE will be the victors, vanquishing the other, dancing on their grave. Except political victory in the policy battle we're waging now may lead to all of us laying in that grave together. No one left to dance. This is a pivotal moment in our state's history. We'll seize it like honorable men and women or squander it like pandering, spineless weasels. Every legislator will fall into one of those categories. Just like the consequences of our enacting reform, or failing to act ... no third option. Declan O'Scanlon, R-Monmouth, is a New Jersey state senator. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. By Michael Reagan The stories of chaos, craziness and betrayal going on inside the Trump White House are nothing to worry much about. White House staffers attempting to influence, question or thwart a president's ideas or goals are as old as George Washington, Richard Nixon or Ronald Reagan. As we've recently seen, it's just a lot easier today for un-named White House insiders to get their criticism or embarrassing stories instantly published. It doesn't matter how dubious the journalism is, or who writes it. If it's anti-Trump, it's always fit to print. Bob Woodward's gossipy best-seller "Fear" was built mostly on anonymous sources, unattributed quotes or second-hand anecdotes. Omarosa's crazy White House tell-all "Unhinged" was only slightly less credible. But the New York Times hit a new low in its war on Trump last week. It published an anonymous op-ed piece written by a Trump adviser who claimed that he and some of his fellow White House "resistance" members were so concerned with the president's actions and mental state that they contemplated using the 25th Amendment to remove him. Maybe it's all true. Maybe it's all BS. We'll find out the real story someday, but it's certainly not new. After my father was shot in 1981, some of his top advisers were seriously worried about his mental stability. According to Bill O'Reilly in "Killing Reagan," they considered using the 25th Amendment to remove him on grounds of mental incapacity and even gave him a test. My father passed the test with flying colors and, according to the history books, did his job pretty well afterwards. No one read about those concerns my father's advisers had about his mental state in a New York Times op-ed piece as they were occurring. Likewise, no one read about how he trumped his top advisers on his decision to invade Grenada. When he called a White House meeting to vote on the idea, the final tally was 7-3 to not invade. My father was one of the three. Two days later, the world woke up to see TV images of American forces capturing the island. When one of his shocked advisers called and said, "Mr. President, I thought we had a vote and we decided not to go," my father said, 'Yes. we did. But my vote cancelled your seven." No one at the time read about that "fight" with his White House staff in the papers, just as they never learned how his advisers tried to prevent him from speaking two of his most famous lines. They kept deleting "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall" from his Berlin Wall speech and they also tried to stop him from referring to the Soviet Union as "the Evil Empire." The most important "fight" my father had with his advisers came in 1986, however, when he met with Mikhail Gorbachev at the nuclear missile summit in Reykjavik. Everyone in the liberal media desperately wanted him to sign a nuclear arms treaty with the USSR -- any treaty. My father's staffers were worried about his political legacy. Preferring a weak deal to no deal at all, they urged him to sign a treaty he did not think was good enough. My father shocked his advisers, the media and most everyone in the Free World by saying "nyet" to Gorby in Iceland and walking out of the summit without signing anything. Everyone in the liberal media thought he was nuts, of course. But his decision turned out to be a great geopolitical move that became a key turning point in the Cold War. If the Washington Post had published an anonymous op-ed from one of my father's worried advisers at the time, I bet history would not have turned out so well. Michael Reagan is the son of President Ronald Reagan, a political consultant, and the author of "Lessons My Father Taught Me: The Strength, Integrity, and Faith of Ronald Reagan." Send comments to Reagan@caglecartoons.com. Pardon my French, but when did "shekel" become a bad word? "Shekel" is, of course, not a French word. But the effort last week to put it on a list of banned words certainly is. Those of us who studied French in high school recall learning about the French Academy. That's a panel of so-called "immortals" formed in 1635 that has the duty of protecting the integrity of the French language by banning foreign words. Perhaps it's time we form an American Academy. I came to that conclusion last week after I wrote a column quoting a guy who grew up watching Borscht Belt comedians to the effect that Donald Trump has adopted the comic style of the Catskills. The day after that column came out, Eric Trump found himself being pilloried by the p.c. police for having said on TV that journalist Bob Woodward's new book about the Trump administration was "sensational nonsense" that had earned him "three extra shekels." Before long Trump was being denounced for uttering "an anti-Semitic dog whistle." If we're going to ban terms from the English language, I would start with "dog whistle." It's a term that permits a speaker to be denounced not for what he said but for what someone else thinks he said. Wall Street Journal language columnist - and Jersey guy - Ben Zimmer researched the term a few years ago. He cited a 1988 article by a Washington Post pollster in which he described the "dog whistle effect" in polling as a situation in which: "Respondents hear something in the question that researchers do not." Before long, politicians both Democratic and Republican were being accused of employing "dog whistles" to convey hidden messages to voters, Zimmer wrote. Fair enough, but maybe Eric Trump was just employing a common slang term. When I did a Nexis search on "shekels" I came up with hundreds of examples. Typical was a 2013 San Francisco Chronicle article about the American Indian Film Festival. In it, native-American actress Tantoo Cardinal, who starred in "Dances with Wolves," was quoted about her efforts to find funding for young filmmakers. "It's all about shaking a few shekels loose," she said. Cardinal is from Western Canada, so maybe that was a wolf whistle. But no one accused the actress of dog whistling. As for Eric Trump, he was accused of all sorts of evil motives. But his sister and brother-in-law are Jewish, so I would tend to give him the benefit of the doubt. That's especially true when you consider that he directed that term, which dates back to Biblical times, not at a Jew but at a WASP who grew up in Illinois and went to Yale. Anyway, Eric's got nothing on his dad. Zimmer reminded me of a column he wrote for Politico back in 2015 when The Donald was first emerging as a presidential contender. In an interview in which Trump discussed Hillary Clinton's performance in the 2008 primaries, he said, "She was favored to win and she got schlonged." Now, that's crude - assuming you know that "schlong" derives from the Yiddish word for penis. But Trump was hardly alone in overlooking that etymology. Zimmer went on to document other uses of the term, such as when NPR talk-show host Neil Conan said in a 2011 broadcast that the 1984 Democratic ticket headed by Walter Mondale "went on to get schlonged at the polls." And then of course there is the word "schmuck," which derives from the same root. The comedian Lenny Bruce was once arrested on obscenity charges for employing it in his stand-up routine. So let's put that on the list of banned words as well. Better yet, let's not. Unlike the French, we should be able to accept that words from other languages enrich our language. That was illustrated by a Wall Street Journal article last week about the furor over New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon's lunch choice - a cinnamon raisin bagel topped with lox, among other things. "Lox," as it happens, is the Yiddish word for salmon. But New Yorkers denounced Nixon not for dog-whistling but for dreadful taste. "Lox her up," one wag suggested. Another critic called her choice a "meshugas," Yiddish for "mess." Another called it a "shonda," which means "shame." The biggest shonda is this effort to ascribe evil thoughts to people who use common slang terms. Use those words while you still can. Once that academy starts up, you're going to have to stick to English. These measures as per government estimates is likely to bring in additional capital flows to the tune of $5-$10 billion. MUMBAI: The recent measures announced by the government to curb Indias current account deficit and stabilise the rupee, according to experts, are unlikely to result in any significant shift in fund flows in the immediate future. Some of the measures announced by the government include review of mandatory hedging conditions for infrastructure loans, easing of external commercial borrowing (ECB) norms for manufacturing firm, removal of exposure limit for FPIs in corporate bonds and removal of certain restrictions while issuing masala bonds. These measures as per government estimates is likely to bring in additional capital flows to the tune of $5-$10 billion. These measures are better suited when the sentiment in the global market is positive towards emerging markets and in general when it is relatively easy for emerging market corporates to raise money abroad, said Abheek Barua, chief economist, HDFC Bank. For example, he said the demand for masala bonds from offshore investors is generally driven by the stability of the rupee. In an environment, when the rupee is under pressure, foreign investor would not be much willing to increase its portfolio of rupee denominated assets. Similarly, a lot would depend on how quickly and easily the Indian corporates are able to garner additional short-term debt through ECBs or portfolio investments. We believe that giving additional exposure limits to FIIs might not be much helpful when they are already pulling out money from the Indian markets, Mr Barua said. HDFC Bank noted that some of the emerging markets are considered vulnerable because of the rising current account deficit and worsening short-term external debt situations. Increase in short-term ECBs or FII exposure could lead to further worsening of vulnerability ratios and the global investors might actually take this negatively, it added. Ajay Bodke, CEO PMS at Prabhudas Lilladher said that the measures signal the governments intent to stem the panic that had gripped the currency market. However, he feels that the impact of most of these measures would be felt not immediately, but over the next few months. What the government needs to focus on is how to address the structural deficiencies that have plagued export competitiveness of various sectors and what has hampered indigenous development of sectors such as electronics and capital goods that has led to surge in their import adversely impacting trade and CAD. Rather than focussing primarily on how to fund the growing CAD, policy makers need to think on how to contain it, he said. If you want fresh evidence that Donald Trump has turned American politics upside down, here it is: Former Gov. Christie Whitman, a lifelong Republican, is so appalled by him that she wants Democrats to take over the House. "I'm hoping we lose the House, that would be a good thing," she said Friday. "Congress could stand up to him and could be dialing back a lot of this. They have ceded too much to this president." But be careful, she says. Don't kill the moderate Republicans, they are the ones who can help steer the country back to safe ground. "You have to pick and choose," said Whitman. "It's really bad for the country when both parties are on the extreme. That's happening to Democrats, too. They're not as far along as Republicans, but it's coming." This shocker, to me at least, came during a conversation about Rep. Leonard Lance, R-7th, who is fighting for his life against a strong Democratic challenger, Tom Malinowski, in a district that chose Hillary Clinton in 2016. Whitman says she will vote for Lance in November, and that the bipartisan coalition he belongs to -- known as the "Problem Solvers Caucus" -- could hold the balance of power in a Congress that is held narrowly by one party or the other, as she believes is likely. That could break the partisan standoff, she says. "I don't think it does the country any good if we have a Democratic majority that wants to block everything," she says. Whitman's vision of a return to normalcy has appeal at a time when the two parties can't agree that the sky is blue. My worry, though, is that it's not realistic, and could play into Trump's hands perfectly. Because if Lance wins, then so does Trump. It would improve the odds that Republicans will hold the House, meaning they would appoint every committee chair, and decide which bills get a vote, and which land in the trash. Lance won't be anywhere near the table when those decisions are made. That power will be in the hands of Republicans leaders, who have shown zero interest in challenging Trump. If Lance is there to chirp his protests on the side, what difference would that make? They have given him nothing, so far. Lance's Democratic opponent, Malinowski, is a hero to me for his work opposing torture by the CIA, and promoting human rights across the globe, as Washington director for Human Rights Watch and later in the State Department under President Obama. Most political rating agencies give him an even shot at beating Lance. "There is no hope unless we get a change in leadership in Congress," Malinowski says. "Individual members can put out their own little press releases and tweets, but there will be no action from Congress." To make this more concrete, let's look at how it might play out on one big issue, climate change, in honor of the latest hurricane. Because if the scientists are right about the catastrophic risk we face, this issue alone is enough to peg your vote to. Lance voted for a cap-and-trade bill in 2009, the year he arrived in Congress. It would have imposed a fee on carbon emissions and use the revenue to promote green energy and conservation. But after the Tea Party heaved the Republicans to the right in 2010, Lance reversed himself, saying he wouldn't vote for the same measure again. He was concerned, he told me then, that China wasn't doing enough to reduce its emissions. Of course, nothing had changed but the political landscape here at home. Now, thanks to Trump, the political energy in Lance's district is all on the left. And Lance has followed. He says he favors the Paris Accord on climate and opposes Trump's dismantling of Obama's regulations on coal plants, auto efficiency, and methane leaks. As for that 2009 vote, he says he still would not do it again. "The votes for that do not exist in the Senate," he says. "I want to be practical. I voted my conscience in 2009, but it wouldn't go anywhere." So, would Lance do anything to fight climate change? I can't tell, but I doubt it. And even if he wrote a strong bill, why would Republican leaders permit a floor vote? To Malinowski, the bottom line is obvious: Lance would have zero impact on climate policy, or anything else. "Leonard is a weather vane," he says. "And the problem with a weather vane is that it doesn't change the way the wind is blowing." Whitman is right when she says that Lance is the kind of person who could serve as a bridge between the two parties, if either party had the appetite. But how likely is that under Trump? And if a voter wants to stop Trump, then supporting Lance is a strange way to do it. Despite his high-profile defections on big issues, including Trump's tax cut and the repeal of Obamacare, Lance has voted in support of Trump's position 88 percent of the time. And Lance says that if he wins, his vote for the next Speaker will probably go to Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, an early supporter of Trump during the 2016 primaries, and a man who gets a 3 percent approval rating from the League of Conservation voters. If you like these ferocious hurricanes and floods, McCarthy is your man. I've covered Lance for 20 years, and have never heard him utter a hateful word, or a fake fact. He's a gentleman, with no whisper of scandal around him, ever. He's the only Republican who has held town halls, over and over, to talk to his voters. Even Malinowski likes the guy. He recalled one of the final scenes from the Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy confronts the Wizard and tells him he's a "very bad man." "Oh, no, my dear" says the Wizard. "I'm a very good man. I'm just a very bad Wizard." The comparison is imperfect. Lance was a great state legislator, and probably could make a great Congressman, somewhere beyond the rainbow. But he's in an impossible position in today's Washington, a sensible man trapped in a political party that has fallen into the gravitational pull of our scoundrel president. I asked Lance how he hopes to have more influence next term, and he said members of the Problem Solvers Caucus hope to force Republican leaders to allow votes on bipartisan bills by convincing a majority of Congress to sign what's known as "discharge petitions." It's an act of mutiny, basically, against party leaders who are blocking votes. "That's the big way to be effective," Lance says. Lance has been in Congress for a decade. How many times has this strategy succeeded over all those years? Exactly zero. Whitman is right when she says the current Congress has done little to check Trump's rampages. But as long as Republicans keep control of the House, that's not likely to change. More: Tom Moran columns Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com or call (973) 836-4909. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. WASHINGTON -- As Americans marked the 17th anniversary of 9/11, the House voted to provide federal funding to maintain the memorials erected at the sites of the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history. The House approved the 9/11 Memorial Act by voice vote. It would authorize up to $25 million a year in federal grants for the memorials at Ground Zero in New York, the Pentagon, and the Pennsylvania site where United Airlines Flight 93 was forced down by its passengers. "It's getting harder to remember life before 9/11," the bill's chief House sponsor, Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-3rd Dist., said during floor debate. "We have a whole generation that doesn't know what it's like to go to an airplane and not take off their shoes or not sit on board and wonder whether somebody is meaning them harm." The funds would go for security, maintenance, operations and educational programs. The measure now goes to the Senate, where similar legislation is sponsored by U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. "These memorial sites are sacred ground where Americans come to remember, reflect, and pay their respects," Booker said. "We must never forget the horror of that terrible day, the lives that were lost, and the people whose lives were forever changed." More than 6 million people visit the World Trade Center site a year, according to Booker. MacArthur said that the memorial was built with private donations. "It is now our turn, the United States Congress, to do our part to preserve and protect this hallowed ground and to answer this national tragedy with national support," MacArthur said. The House also voted to upgrade the post of the State Department's special envoy to monitor and combat Anti-Semitism to a full ambassadorship. The ambassador would report directly to the secretary of state. The vote was 393-2. A similar bill, co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., is pending in the Senate. "We are witnessing a chilling revival of anti-Semitic sentiment in many corners of the world," said Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th Dist., the bill's House sponsor and the author of the original 2004 law that created the special envoy post. "In light of this, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive United States government approach to combating anti-Semitism, led by a strong, senior official," Smith said. The U.S. wasn't immune to rising anti-Semitism. The number of such incidents from 2016 to 2017 rose 57 percent to the second-highest total ever, 1,986, according to the Anti-Defamation League. That figure trailed only the 2,066 incidents recorded in 1994. ADL National Director Jonathan A. Greenblatt said in February that President Donald Trump deserved some blame for the increase. "Those tweets and rhetoric have given encouragement to the worst anti-Semites and bigots," he said. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. The Rotary Club of Salem and Salem County Veterans Services are collaborating to offer veterans a bus trip to Washington DC on Oct. 18. The excursion is free for veterans and their spouses or significant others. The bus will leave Salem Community College parking lots A and& B at 8 a.m. and return at 8 p.m. A box lunch will be provided while in Washington and there will be a stop for dinner on the way home. The trip will include visits to the World War II Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Tomb of The Unknown Solider and Arlington Cemetery. Contact the Rev. Dave Bailey of Ranch Hope at 856-935-1555 or Joe Hannagan at 856-339-8603 for an application for the trip or for information on becoming a sponsor. The Nabard has so far sanctioned Rs 65,634.93 crore funds for 93 prioritised irrigation projects out of 99. The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has approved Rs 65,634.93 crore loan so far to 93 prioritised irrigation projects under the government's flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY), its chairman H K Bhanwala said. New Delhi: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has approved Rs 65,634.93 crore loan so far to 93 prioritised irrigation projects under the government's flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY), its chairman H K Bhanwala said. The Nabard is funding the central and state share of 99 prioritised irrigation projects under the PMKSY through long term irrigation fund (LTIF). It is mandated to provide Rs 70,000 crore loan to these projects to be completed by 2019. "All financial support will be available for the projects. There is progress. The timely completion depends on state governments disbursement of their share of funds and union water resources ministry's active role," Bhanwala told PTI. The Nabard has so far sanctioned Rs 65,634.93 crore funds for 93 prioritised irrigation projects out of 99, he said. Already, Rs 23,402.72 crore has been disbursed for 86 projects, which includes the central share of 15,242.02 crore and state share of Rs 8,160.70 crore, he added. The Nabard chief said that so far, 18 projects have been completed and about seven projects are nearing to completion. "The irrigation projects are implemented through state governments. The centre's share is available for many projects, but it takes time to get the state's share," he said. Maximum projects sanctioned are in Uttar Pradesh, Bhanwala said and lauded the UP government for making budgetary allocation of Rs 7,000 crore for the irrigation projects. The bigger irrigation projects sanctioned are also in Maharashtra, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh, he added. The completion of 99 pending projects across the country will develop new irrigation facilities in more than 80 lakh hectare area. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Khandelwal said that the biggest concern for traders would be proposal to allow up to 49 per cent FDI. CAIT said that the government has already issued first draft of the ecommerce policy and a group of secretaries is already in process of examining the draft. New Delhi: Small traders, on Sunday, called for early introduction of the ecommerce policy in India alleging that ecommerce players will indulge in deep-discounts in the forthcoming festival season. Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) also asked commerce minister Suresh Prabhu to restrict preferred sellers of ecommerce firms to sell products on their portal alleging that these sellers are instrumental in all sorts of malpractices. CAIT said that the government has already issued first draft of the ecommerce policy and a group of secretaries is already in process of examining the draft. CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said that there are important provisions on data localisation and checking abuse of FDI which should be remained in the policy to check unauthorised infiltration of goods through e-commerce. The provision for a separate section of ED for looking into Press Note 3 related violations is good but the question must be raised about what is happening with current violations that are very much open and known and whether they will be employed to stop malpractice. Making sure that FDI based e-commerce companies do not violate Press Note 3 provision is more important, he said. Mr Khandelwal said that the biggest concern for traders would be proposal to allow up to 49 per cent FDI in inventory model based businesses as long as the products are 100 per cent Indian made, and ownership controls remain Indian. Such a provision is back door entry of MNCs in retail trade and must be scrapped. The traders will never accept such a provision under any circumstances, he said. BJP national vice-president Prabhat Jha told PTI Bhasha the Congress' love for Lord Ram is just for the sake of elections. Jha said the Ram temple issue is sub-judice and the court will decide on it, but Muslims and Hindus can also resolve the matter mutually. (Photo: File) New Delhi: Days after Congress leader Digvijay Singh said the party will construct "Ram Path" in Madhya Pradesh if voted to power, the BJP has dared him to announce support in Parliament to the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. BJP national vice-president Prabhat Jha told PTI Bhasha the Congress' love for Lord Ram is just for the sake of elections. "Digvijay Singh is himself a member of the Rajya Sabha and senior leader of the Congress. Instead of talking about non-issues, he should promise support in Parliament to the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya," he said. Jha said the Ram temple issue is sub-judice and the court will decide on it, but Muslims and Hindus can also resolve the matter mutually. He said the government has started work on the Ramayan Circuit project, estimated to come up at a cost of Rs 266 crore. The government plans to develop Ramayana-based tourist centres as part of the Ramayana Circuit. It is one of 13 circuits the Tourism Ministry is planning to develop as part of its Swadesh Darshan Scheme. 64D: That question mark means were dealing with some cleverness, eh? So I had salad, um, something, for a while here and assumed this had something to do with the theme, or maybe just a random roughage pun, which are important to mental clarity (they clean the cobwebs right out). I was thinking green juice as in kale and spinach macerated for health; I should have been thinking green juice as ecologically sound electricity, the kind that comes from SOLAR PANELS. 77D: This is another debut. If you travel enough, you know it, but even if you go to stadiums or government buildings with any regularity (and probably a lot of schools these days) you probably make this move reflexively when you see the wand and pat-down coming: ARMS OUT. 88D: This clue Something made to be destroyed made me first think of weaponry, like bombs, which I hope doesnt reflect badly on my psyche. It actually makes perfect sense as a PINATA, the party animal you hit with a stick until delicious candy rains upon you. The clue history for this entry reads like a notepad on a very corny standup comedians bedside table. Todays Theme There are six mangled homophonic puns in this puzzle, at 23A, 35A, 48A, 69A, 82A and 99A. This isnt a groundbreaking gimmick, as Mr. Fagliano freely admits in his notes, but its very fun. To illustrate, I have an insidery one for you (this one isnt in the grid it just popped into my head while I was trying to gracefully explain what Mr. Fagliano calls add-a-sound): What would you call a news radio sound wave? A sine of the times. This is a plain old homophonic pun. But what would you call the publisher of The New York Times? A scion of the Times. Say it slowly, with precision. Get it? Because all our publishers are descendants of the last publisher. So, lets look at 35A, Convert a morgue worker into a spy? If you know a common and crossword-friendly term for morgue worker then youre in to convert one is to TURN THE CORONER. 82A refers to a television show that might be outside your wheelhouse it was in an Erik Agard grid a few years ago, and its had a long run and produced several notable alumni. As far as the clue goes, you definitely would not want to embark on a multipart academic endeavor with at PROJECT RUNAWAY. The party has also sought the Election Commissions intervention in the 'strongest possible manner', Congress spokesperson Singhvi said. Singhvi alleged that out of the total 70 lakh discrepancies, names of over 30 lakh voters were duplicated and 20 lakh deleted on the pretext that they have left for Andhra Pradesh. (Photo: PTI/File) New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday alleged that there were around 70 lakh discrepancies in the voter list in Telangana and said any election held on flawed and inaccurate electoral rolls would be a fraud with the people of the country. The party has also sought the Election Commissions intervention in the strongest possible manner, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said. The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in the state dissolved the Telangana assembly prematurely to swing elections in their favour by manipulating the voter list, he alleged. Sources indicated that the Congress might move court to ensure that the alleged discrepancies and anomalies in the electoral rolls are corrected before any election is held in the state. The Congress has already moved a petition in the Supreme Court on alleged discrepancies in electoral rolls in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, where polls are due this year-end. Singhvi alleged that out of the total 70 lakh discrepancies, names of over 30 lakh voters were duplicated and 20 lakh deleted on the pretext that they have left for Andhra Pradesh. The same have not been added to the voter list of Andhra Pradesh, he claimed. The Congress leader alleged that names of around 18 lakh voters were found in the electoral rolls of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Singhvi said the Congress has demanded that a thorough process of verification and sanitisation of the voter list be initiated before any elections are announced. Any election held on the basis of these deeply and deliberately flawed and inaccurate voter list would undermine the entire process and would lead to a distorted mandate. It would be a fraud on democracy and on the people of the country. It will not only further deepen the doubts of the common electorate in the electoral process, owing to such glaring anomalies, but will further erode the faith that the people of this country need to have in the institution of the Election Commission, he told reporters. Training his guns on the outgoing Telengana government and chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), he alleged it is clear that the caretaker chief minister is sacrificing the integrity of the elections for the sake of petty political ambitions. Did the KCR government dissolve the Telangana assembly prematurely to swing elections in their favour by manipulating 70 lakh votes through contamination of the voter list, Singhvi asked. The Congress MP said the Supreme Courts remark that purity of the elections is an essence of democracy and pure electoral rolls are the hallmark of purity is being sent for a systematically manipulated toss in Telangana. Rao, who rushed to announce the dates for the Telangana assembly elections, has deliberately chosen to ignore the numerous discrepancies in the voter list, which disenfranchise lakhs of eligible voters, he alleged. This also completely erodes the integrity of the polls, whenever they are conducted, Singhvi said. By dissolving the assembly early, KCR has interfered with the process whereby these discrepancies and inaccuracies would have been corrected, he said. The revised electoral roll was published on September 10. This has given the people and other political parties a mere four-week time to identify and highlight these issues by October 8, Singhvi said. This is travesty, as earlier a period of four months had been envisaged by the Election Commission (EC) to come up with a properly revised electoral roll, he said. Singhvi also said on September 14, Congress leader Shashidhar Reddy and Ravi Shankar Jandhyala led a delegation to highlight the above issues and lack of time to rectify the numerous inaccuracies in the voter list. However, the EC has chosen to maintain silence on the matter, he alleged. The Congress leader said the EC, which is charged under Article 324 of the Constitution to ensure the sanctity of voter rolls, cannot choose to be a silent spectator on this grave issue. The party demands that the poll panel goes all out to restore faith by pro-actively attending to concerns of all stakeholders in an election, Singhvi said. Failing, which like many other institutions, another institution of impeccable integrity would lose its credibility permanently under the decidedly and designedly subversion being undertaken in this dark Modi era, he said. She hit her, ran over her twice, Ms. Medina said. This was just senseless. The driver stayed to call 911, the police said. The Suffolk County Police Department said on Friday that there had been a dispute over the placement of the memorial but would not comment further on the specifics of the events. She meant everything to me, Mr. Cuevas said in a brief interview in which he was inconsolable except to praise Ms. Rodriguezs strength and encouragement. Arrangements were made for a wake on Thursday in Brentwood at the same funeral home that buried Kayla. As tributes poured in from Mr. Trump on Twitter, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in a statement and from other leaders, it was clear that in her life, Ms. Rodriguez united people with her undeniable will. No mother, she said, should have to go through what she did. Ms. Rodriguez grew up in the Bronx and in Puerto Rico; her public stance against illegal immigration, she said, was against criminals coming into the country and enrolling in schools. There was never a hint that she was blaming anyone political, Mr. King said. Ms. Rodriguez focused her message to Mr. Trump on getting more money for schools for gang-prevention programs and on safety measures there. She had sued the Brentwood school district for negligence in Kaylas death and her dispute with an MS-13 gang member that the authorities said began at school. She then described the suspect to the officer and provided details about his vehicle and his home, Mr. Alaniz said. He said the woman told authorities that she grew suspicious of the agent after asking him about the spate of killings. Andrew Meehan, the assistant commissioner for public affairs at the Border Patrol, said the agency was fully cooperating with investigators in the case. He said it was the agencys policy to not comment on details of a current investigation, but added, criminal action by our employees is not, and will not be tolerated. Mr. Ortizs arrest came on the heels of a case in April in which authorities in Laredo arrested Ronald Anthony Burgos Aviles, also a supervisor for the Border Patrol, and charged him with killing a woman with whom he was romantically involved and her 1-year-old son. Two years ago, a senior Border Patrol agent stationed farther north up the border in Del Rio, Tex., was taken into custody and charged with distributing child pornography and attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. Federal prosecutors said the agent, Salvador Contreras, 50, sent child-porn images to an undercover agent whom Mr. Contreras believed was the mother of 8-year-old and 14-year-old girls. He had expressed, prosecutors alleged, a desire to engage in sexual conduct with both girls and had made arrangements to do so. Mr. Contreras, who was later sentenced to serve 11 years in a federal prison, had called himself a sex addict who was just looking for his next high, according to prosecutors. In another case, from 2014, a Border Patrol agent in Texas kidnapped, attacked and sexually assaulted three undocumented immigrants: a woman and two teenage girls from Honduras. The agent, Esteban Manzanares, killed himself as officers closed in on his South Texas home. Customs and Border Protection must annually report to Congress all cases of reported sexual abuse by its employees, a requirement prompted by media reports of sexual assault allegations within the agency. In its most recent report in 2016, the agency showed that from October 2014 to September 2015 there were 52 allegations of sexual abuse and sexual assault by Customs and Border Protection employees, including Border Patrol agents. Many of the allegations stemmed from on-duty cases involving people the employees had apprehended. The broader Pearl River Delta area, which also includes Hong Kong, is one of the worlds most important manufacturing hubs and home to more than 60 million people. The sprawling delta is barely above sea level and has struggled with flooding despite years of investment in drainage systems. Climate change has exacerbated the problem. The provincial capital, Guangzhou, has more to lose from rising seas and more severe storms than any other city on the planet, according to a World Bank report. Protecting Chinas nuclear plants The arrival of Typhoon Mangkhut in southern China has raised concerns about the nuclear plants that supply electricity to local manufacturers. But the area is battered by typhoons almost every year, and the Chinese government has stringent standards requiring that all critical infrastructure be able to withstand severe weather. Workers have been taking precautionary measures at two nuclear plants along the coastline, Taishan and Yangjiang. The first reactor of the Taishan complex went online this past summer, so Typhoon Mangkhut will be its first major storm. The plants managers said they had held detailed planning meetings and a thorough safety inspection in the days before the storm. All emergency duty personnel of Taishan Nuclear Power have been on the job, all preparations have been implemented, and the Taishan Nuclear Power Base is ready, they said in a statement on WeChat, a Chinese internet service. The management of the Yangjiang power plant, which is right on the coast, said in a separate statement on WeChat that it had been designed to withstand large storm surges. Outdoor equipment was tied down or removed to make the site more windproof, and the reactor buildings themselves, which have reinforced concrete shells, are extremely rigid, the company said. Driving along the coast, amid flying debris The New York Philharmonic said Sunday that it had decided to fire two key players its principal oboist, Liang Wang, and associate principal trumpet, Matthew Muckey for unspecified misconduct. But it said it had delayed their dismissals while the musicians union reviewed the matter. The orchestra said both players had been placed on unpaid leaves of absence for now, resulting in two important holes in the ensembles roster as it prepares for Thursdays gala opening night concert, which will inaugurate the Dutch conductor Jaap van Zwedens first season as the music director of the Philharmonic. No details of the allegations against the two players including whether they involved sexual misconduct or not, and whether they related to on- or off-duty behavior were provided. The orchestra said in a terse statement only that after it had received reports that the two players had engaged in misconduct, it retained Barbara S. Jones, an attorney at Bracewell and a former federal judge, to investigate. An orchestra official said the investigation took five months. Kate Atkinson has cited Alices Adventures in Wonderland as one of her favorite books, so its fitting that her new novel, Transcription, has its own version of the White Rabbit. He appears relatively early in Atkinsons story: only one jump back in time after a brief 1981 sequence in which the heroine, Juliet Armstrong, is hit by a car. Let it be said again that the endlessly devious Atkinson (Life After Life, Case Histories) knows how to start a book with a bang. Very quickly we are in 1950, reading a chapter titled Mr. Toby! Mr. Toby! after the rabbit a man Juliet spots on a London street. She knew him extremely well during the war, from his work habits to the freesia-scented soap at his home to the ever-wondered-about question of whether there was a Mrs. Toby. (Juliet had been asked by her co-workers to find out). Yet the man in the present day says: I think you have confused me with someone else. Good day to you. And away he goes, leaving a special sort of London fog in his wake. In Transcription, 1950 is a time for resolving all that was unleashed in 1940, when Juliet, 18, was recruited into the world of espionage. Atkinson beautifully conjures London under siege, with the blackout and the bombing and the ack-ack guns being assembled in Hyde Park. Juliet is a young typist, plucked out of virtually nowhere and taken under the wing of Peregrine Gibbons (Do call me Perry) to work in Dolphin Square, right near the place the fascist politician Oswald Mosley calls home. Juliet was not raised by patricians, but she has a certain flair for passing among them. Part of her job will eventually entail mixing socially with the fiercely pro-Nazi, anti-Semitic Mrs. So-and-Sos who gather to discuss what a nuisance the Jews are. But the heart of the operation is bringing British informants to MI5s fully bugged apartment, so comfortingly close to Mosleys, for meetings with Mr. Toby, who poses as a Gestapo officer and elicits everything theyve picked up. Juliets annotated transcripts of the talks make up snippets of the book. They let Atkinson explore the tapings from a heretofore unexamined point of view. 1. Tropical Storm Florence lashed the Carolinas, leaving several people dead and about a million without power on the East Coast. The center of the storm is expected to head west through South Carolina before turning north on Sunday. Rainfall in North Carolina 30 inches in some parts has broken a state record, according to preliminary reports from the National Weather Service. Above, a rescue in New Bern, N.C., on Saturday. A brutal weekend of heavy rain and potential flooding for millions in the U.S. seems likely. Typhoon Mangkhut struck mainland China after battering Hong Kong. Rescuers in the Philippines were scrambling to reach survivors after landslides buried at least two buildings. Rebecca Traister wrote this beautiful line in her New York magazine article at the time, which was like, you look down and suddenly we can see all the scaffolding that were standing on, Ms. Zomorodi said. And it really felt like that for me. Civil, a New York start-up that now aims to help start 100 new journalism outlets by the end of the year, gave Ms. Zomorodi and Ms. Poyant grant money that came partly in the form of dollars and partly in the companys own cryptocurrency, CVL tokens, which will go on sale on Tuesday. Ms. Zomorodi and Ms. Poyant, who worked together for almost three years before starting the new venture, described themselves as creative soul mates. We can kind of read each others minds, Ms. Poyant said. Ms. Poyant is a single mother with a 7-year-old son; Ms. Zomorodi has two children, 11 and 8, and is married to Josh Robin, a political reporter for NY1. The podcast doesnt shy away from going into how hard it is to be a working parent. All of our kids are struggling a little bit right now, with the amount of work time that we are taking for ourselves, often in front of them, Ms. Poyant said in Episode 3. Theres a level of guilt that you feel when youre sitting on a computer and the kids are like, Mom, Mom, Mom, and youre like, I told you I had to work. Go away. Theres definitely a sense of like, Is this kid going to, like, remember this as neglect one day? Ms. Zomorodi often records segments for the podcast on the fly. During a trip to upstate New York, she sat with a blanket over her head to record herself while her children were jumping on a trampoline. Its a juggle, and its exhausting, she said. Ms. Zomorodi got serious about explaining blockchain in the second episode of ZigZag, and she did it with the help of a Schoolhouse Rock-style jingle sung by the musician and podcaster Martin Zaltz Austwick. As recently as 2014, nearly half the City Council accused the Walton Family Foundation, which is funded by the companys founding family, of trying to curry favor with New Yorkers by donating toxic money to local efforts to support charter schools. This time around, many city leaders either declined interview requests or did not return requests for comment on Jets growth plans in New York. Some are skeptical, even if they are taking a wait-and-see attitude. Walmart may think they have found a new, under-the-radar path into New York City by buying up businesses already here, but we should not be fooled, Comptroller Scott M. Stringer, a Democrat, said in a statement. We intend to be watching very carefully. Liberals hold at least as much sway over New York politics as they did when Walmart tried to open a store in Brooklyn in 2011. But since then, some activists say, their concerns about labor and the broader economy have moved beyond Walmart. Maritza Silva-Farrell, executive director of the labor and community group Align, worked to sink Walmarts plans to open a store in the East New York section of Brooklyn. She and others argued that Walmarts low prices would endanger local businesses and that its lower wages would depress pay at other retailers. Ms. Silva-Farrell said she was still concerned about Walmarts business model. But Amazon, she said, is becoming a world threat as the company increasingly dictates the global supply chain and broadens into manufacturing. The message for the public is that healthy older people should not begin taking aspirin. If you dont need it, dont start it, Dr. McNeil said. But those who have already been using it regularly should not quit based on these findings, he said, recommending that they talk to their doctors first. Dr. McNeil also emphasized that the new findings do not apply to people who have already had heart attacks or strokes, which usually involve blood clots. Those patients need aspirin, because it inhibits clotting. The study, named Aspree, is important because it addresses the unanswered question of whether healthy older people should take aspirin, said Dr. Dr. Evan Hadley, director of the division of geriatrics and gerontology at the National Institute on Aging, which helped pay for the research. The National Cancer Institute, Monash University and the Australian government also paid. Bayer provided aspirin and placebos, but had no other role. For healthy older people, theres still a good reason to talk to their doctors about what these findings mean for them individually, Dr. Hadley said. This is the average for a large group. A doctor can help sort out how it applies individually. Its especially important for people already taking aspirin who are over 70. The study didnt include many people who had been taking it, and doesnt address the question of continuing versus stopping. The most widely used guidelines for using aspirin to prevent disease came out in 2016 from experts at the United States Preventive Services Task Force. They recommend the drug to prevent cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer in many people aged 50 to 59 who have more than a 10 percent risk of having a heart attack or stroke during the next 10 years. (That risk, based on age, blood pressure, cholesterol and others factors, can be estimated with an online calculator from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology.) For people 60 to 69 with the same risk level, the guidelines say it should be an individual decision whether to take aspirin. Talking about 5Pointz is still emotional for Jonathan Cohen, better known by his tag name, Meres One. Nearly five years have passed since his distinctive graffiti, and the work of dozens of his fellow artists, were whitewashed from a massive warehouse in Queens under the cover of night on Nov. 19, 2013. I was very numb, Mr. Cohen recalled after the graffiti mecca he had named 5Pointz was erased. With the owners permission, artists from around the world had painted on the five-story, blocklong building in Long Island City for more than 12 years, transforming it into a destination stop and de facto graffiti museum replete with 200,000 square feet of artwork. As the owner, Jerry Wolkoff, was preparing to build high rises on the property, he hired a crew that painted over the murals, then left the building sitting for months until it was knocked down in 2014. [Read more about the whitewashed artwork at 5Pointz.] A heartbroken Mr. Cohen moved to Crown Heights, Brooklyn, soon after 5Pointz vanished. The removal of the artwork was quickly challenged in court. In February, 21 5Pointz artists won a key victory and a $6.7 million award but the case remains under appeal. The NIA court had convicted convicted four persons accused in connection with Dhekiajuli massacre in 2014. The special NIA pronounced death sentence for NDFB (S) cadre Ajoy Basumutary alias B Buhumbua and Bishnu Narzary alias N Berema while co-accused Nitul Daimary alias D Naihab and Sanju Bordoloi alias Sibigiri were given life sentence. (Photo: Representational | File) Guwahati: The special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court here on Saturday pronounced death sentence to two National Democratic Front of Boroland-Songbijit (NDFB-S) rebels and life imprisonment to two other cadres of the outfit in connection with the Dhekiajuli mass killings in 2014. The special NIA pronounced death sentence for NDFB (S) cadre Ajoy Basumutary alias B Buhumbua and Bishnu Narzary alias N Berema while co-accused Nitul Daimary alias D Naihab and Sanju Bordoloi alias Sibigiri were given life sentence. The NIA court had convicted convicted four persons accused in connection with Dhekiajuli massacre in 2014. The NDFB cadres had indiscriminately opened fire on the residents of Santipur village under Rakhakmari Police Out Post in central Assams Sonitpur district. As a result, six persons had died on the spot while two sustained injuries. The NIA, which investigated the case, had arrested the four NDFB cadres and filed charge-sheet against the accused in July 2015. On completion of the trial, the Special NIA Court Guwahati had pronounced verdict on August 29 convicting all the four accused persons. The court decided the quantum of punishment on Saturday. My father wrote Blue Moon, she announced in her freshman dormitory at Skidmore College in 1965. She was remembering the one and only exchange about Blue Moon that she ever had with him, a conversation when she was 9 or 10, or maybe 11. You wrote Blue Moon, didnt you? she asked. She recalled that he did not say no, but he did not say yes, either. His reply was, Who told you that? She said she mumbled something about having heard the stories. He then told the story his way: He would go speed-skate racing on a frozen pond he still had the skates when Ms. Gallese was a child, and he often took her and a sister skating with a cousin. That night in 1930 or 1931, he said, the moon reflected blue on the ice. She said he formed a circle with his hands, like the moon. That was it, the end of the story. He said nothing about Rodgers, Hart, a Tin Pan Alley go-between or a lawsuit. Uncle Dom said that Rodgers and Hart had called Mr. Roman offering to settle for $1,200. As Ms. Gallese pieced the story together, Mr. Roman took the money but did not tell Uncle Chris, who became furious when he heard that Blue Moon had rung up $75,000 worth of sheet music sales in the first year after it was published, with Rodgers and Hart listed in the credits. On the evening of the Democratic primary in Borough Park, Brooklyn, Orthodox Jews clad in black hats and long coats lined up at Public School 192 to cast their votes. Most of them supported Andrew M. Cuomo for governor, but above all else, they had come to the polls for one purpose: to enthusiastically re-elect their local senator, Simcha Felder. Across the state, Mr. Felder has been painted by his critics as a traitor and a turncoat, a rogue Democrat who sits with the Republicans, giving them a one-vote majority in the State Senate. He essentially held the state budget hostage in the spring until he won concessions for religious schools known as yeshivas, and he fought a tax on plastic bags that Democrats saw as a boon for the environment. Because he stands in the way of Democratic control of the Senate, Mr. Felder has been a potent target for progressive ire. But Mr. Felder, who was elected in 2012, has shown an even greater capacity to navigate political headwinds, and escape unscathed. The primary on Thursday was no exception: Mr. Felder dispatched his challenger, Blake Morris, a progressive candidate, winning 63 percent of the vote. In 2002, John R. Bolton, then an under secretary of state, went after the International Criminal Court. The tribunal had recently been created to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes throughout the world, and apparently he felt that it threatened the United States. The court was backed by a crowd of zealous activists who believed law should rule over politics, and its flamboyant first prosecutor seemed to think he could outsmart foxy leaders and generals. Mr. Bolton responded by coaxing or arm-twisting as many governments as he could into pledging that they wouldnt hand Americans over to the court. (By one estimate, 95 states have made that commitment.) Sixteen years later, Mr. Bolton, now President Trumps national security adviser, has resumed his onslaught on the I.C.C., today 123 members strong. In a speech before the Federalist Society in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 10, he flayed the court for mismanagement, corruption, inefficiency and partiality. The I.C.C., he said, is the American founders worst nightmare come to life. He had in mind the intention of the I.C.C.s current prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, to investigate atrocities committed in Afghanistan, mostly in 2003 and 2004, during the United States-led invasion of the country. In 1951 a young boy and his family fled their burning village during a brutal war that brought immeasurable death and destruction to their country. He witnessed pronounced human suffering that would continue to haunt him in the days and years to come. This child uprooted by conflict was me the same boy who would grow up to be elected as the eighth secretary general of the United Nations in 2006. As secretary general, I met so many children around the world, particularly in Africa and the Middle East, who reminded me of my own wrenching experience of displacement. Seeing myself in each of them, I have remained determined to elevate the plight of refugees to the top of the global agenda today. As of the end of 2017, a record 68.5 million people around the world had been forced from their homes, including 25.4 million refugees, according to the United Nations refugee agency. Only 102,800, less than 1 percent of the total number of displaced, were admitted for resettlement in 2017. Furthermore, data from the Missing Migrants Project shows that nearly 2,000 refugees and migrants died during the first six months of 2018 as they made perilous journeys across borders and high seas. This was Beijings intention in the 1980s when Britain and China negotiated the return of Hong Kong with little input from city residents. The Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984 simply informed Hong Kong that its future would be in Beijings hands. Residents could move, or they could stay and accept the rule of a government that five years later would carry out the Tiananmen Square massacre, an event Hong Kong has not forgotten. Since then, Beijing has steadily endeavored to change not only the law and political system in Hong Kong, but also the values of residents, stirring up many conflicts as a result. Democracy, as defined by Beijing, came to mean giving up life in Hong Kong as it was previously known. If people wanted normalcy and financial stability, they had little choice but to support Beijings rule. To undermine those activists who still deeply believed in democracy, freedom and human rights, Beijing and the Hong Kong government instigated slanderous rumors about them. Any activist who supported those values was branded a separatist or a betrayer of the Chinese nation. This strategy helped undermine support for the umbrella revolution in 2014, in which activists called for a greater say in how Hong Kongs leader was chosen. Those protests may have fizzled, but they led to more calls for independence among young activists and helped foster the formation in 2016 of the Hong Kong National Party, which the government now wants to suppress. Many residents are also realizing that Beijing lied about eventually granting Hong Kong a genuine democracy with open elections. According to the Basic Law, Hong Kongs foundational legal text since 1997, the citys chief executive is appointed by a committee of 1,200 members. When Beijing took control, it promised that by 2017 the city would be able to elect its top leader by universal suffrage. Residents pushed hard for this in 2014. They had hope, but it was betrayed. But this notion is difficult to apply when confronting the conflicts arising over monetary union and immigration. The massive challenge of dealing with millions of migrants from Asia and Africa has tested the very concept of unity. In the absence of a common policy, geography is decisive, and the burden falls heavily on the union members least able to bear it. Fears over immigration contributed to the Brexit vote and have led to continuing unease among other member states. At the same time, however, free movement of labor is important to economic growth in Europe, as it is in the United States. The fiscal crisis in Greece and the flood of migrants into Italy and other European Union countries have thrust this debate on the Europeans, and they must continue the debate, even intensify it. They must decide on their objective and then adjust their organization and its institutions and powers to that goal. A continuing mismatch between ends and means will complicate the unions future, and may even threaten its existence. The United States has a huge stake in the outcome. In little more than a year in office, President Trump unwisely has stalled a trade agreement with the European nations and has withdrawn from the Paris climate accord, the agreement with Iran on its nuclear program and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. In addition, the president has sought to resolve trade disputes with China and European countries through tariffs, rather than through the trade-dispute mechanisms of the World Trade Organization. His recent trip to Europe was confusing, contentious and counterproductive, as he continued to criticize our friends and praise President Vladimir Putin of Russia. I respectfully but strongly disagree with Mr. Trump. Cooperative efforts with our historic allies are not harmful to American interests. To the contrary, these recent agreements and the post-World War II institutions have been beneficial to those who participated in them, including and especially the United States. Any American who thinks the world is unsafe now should contemplate a world in which there is no NATO, no European Union, no World Trade Organization, no U.N. In that world, constant trade wars could lead to real wars, and the United States, as the dominant power, invariably would be called upon to lead alone. Our ties with Europe predate the establishment of our country. We gained our independence from England by revolution, but we retained Englands language, the spirit of its laws and many of its customs. Although our early relations were hostile, over time the two countries formed what remains a special relationship. As our nation grew to settle a vast continent, we welcomed millions of immigrants from England, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, Poland, Scandinavia and many more. As a result, we share deep bonds of blood with Europe, not just legal relationships. While we compete in many ways, we should not think of Europeans primarily as adversaries. They also are our partners and our allies. Although they do not always agree with us, or even among themselves, for the most part they admire our country and share our values and interests. It is in everyones interest that we do all we can politically, economically, militarily and otherwise to help the people of Europe remain democratic, united, free and prosperous. If we wish to reap the benefits of gender equality, however, equal parental responsibility and a strong welfare system are crucial. In Iceland things changed radically for both sexes in 2000 when the government established a mans independent right to paternity leave. That meant that employers could no longer assume that only women would be taking parental leave at some point to start a family. Equal access and equal pay for men and women are other important requirements. In June 2017, the Icelandic Parliament passed a law obliging public and private companies to prove that they paid their employees the same wage for the same job, regardless of gender. While I was prime minister, another law requiring that women hold at least 40 percent of seats on company boards and pension funds came into force. My government was also the first in Iceland to ensure that the same quota be met on public committees, boards and councils. When does womens work become real work? When no woman turns up to do it, Jennifer Weiner wrote last year in an Op-Ed in The New York Times. She was exactly right. The jobs women do will not be fully appreciated unless we make it glaringly obvious how important they are. But how can we do that? What Icelandic women chose to do many years ago, in October 1975, was to go on strike. We had had enough of institutionalized gender inequality and we took action, demanding equal pay. The objective was to spotlight womens contributions to society and demonstrate how undervalued our work was. Ninety percent of Icelandic women took part in the strike, refusing to work, cook or look after children. Society was brought almost to a standstill. It was that first act of protest that got the ball rolling. In 1980, Vigdis Finnbogadottir became the first directly elected female president in the democratic world. Following the strike, the number of women elected to Icelands Parliament increased significantly, and even more after the founding of Womens List, a feminist political party, in 1983. In 1975, only 5 percent of members of Parliament were women; by 1983 that number rose to 15 percent and, in 2016, to 47.6 percent. Gender equality is not just about the law and womens formal rights; it is also about ensuring that women have equal access to power and its impact on society. Little more than lip service is often paid to this necessity, and there is often too little political will to enforce any effective change. We need to work harder toward a more substantive and participatory version of gender equality. As Icelands experience shows, giving women an equal say in how business and society are run can change the world for the better. His victory was impressive. Mr. Lopez Obrador was a front-runner for months before the July 1 election, but many pollsters still ended up underestimating his popularity he won more than 53 percent of the vote in a four-way race. Thats how Mexico moved to the left; why the country shifted is not complicated. The last time a leftist candidate Cuauhtemoc Cardenas won a presidential election was 1988. But victory was snatched away from Mr. Cardenas in Mexicos most infamous election fraud scandal, and Carlos Salinas de Gortari was named president instead. (Mexicos modern democracyborn 18 years ago, when Vicente Fox, an opposition candidate, was able to break the decades-long authoritarian rule of the Revolutionary Institutional Party, or PRI seems to be functioning better now, given the fact that the candidate who won the most votes was simply named the winner, even if he was on the left.) Two parties, the PRI and the National Action Party, or PAN, have governed Mexico for the last 89 years, with disastrous results. Mexico has one of the worst income distribution levels in the world, and governmental corruption has become extremely common. (As evidence, just look at the extravagant lifestyles that many politicians and former presidents are inexplicably able to afford on public salaries.) Worst of all, the government is unable to protect people against violence. This is why 30 million Mexicans voted for Mr. Lopez Obrador. He will be, no doubt, a strong president. His party, the National Regeneration Movement, or Morenawhich didnt even exist in the last presidential election in 2012will now hold a majority in both chambers of Congress. And almost every state governor elected in Mexico on July 1 is a member of Morena. If Mr. Lopez Obrador wants to amend Mexicos Constitution, he will have more chances to do so than many of his predecessors. Except he has never indicated that he wants to change the Constitution or seek re-election after his six-year term ends. This hasnt put his opponents at ease, nor has it quelled the concerns of many Mexicans. Is it possible that Mexico will follow the same path as Cuba and Venezuela? What if Mr. Lopez Obrador becomes the next Hugo Chavez or Nicolas Maduro? What if he changes course and decides to seek re-election? The normalization of violence in my community angered me. As one of the leaders of Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace, I called on women to protest the war through whatever nonviolent means were at their disposal. We gathered in the streets and demanded a cease-fire, peace negotiations and the deployment of foreign peacekeepers. Despite President Taylors initial opposition to negotiating with the rebel groups, our movement gathered so much momentum that he finally agreed to enter a dialogue with them. At the onset, when we had this crazy idea to bring women together to call for peace, we did not see it as a political act. We were primarily focused on providing security and safety to our villages. We wanted to be able to feed, clothe and educate our children. We wanted change, but we did not explicitly center our efforts on the Taylor regime. We insisted that we were only working for peace, not politics. Still, unknown to us, the tactics we were using were inherently political. We made public statements, appealed to the United Nations and reached out to politicians, the media, religious groups and the diplomatic community. When we realized that these activities had little impact on the rebels and the government, we turned to more disruptive actions, from organized daily sit-ins and pickets to vigils and street protests. We may not have called ourselves a political movement, but the large, visible presence of women unveiled our latent political power in Liberia. As peace talks began in Ghana in 2003 , we continued campaigning. Every day groups of women would visit the hotel where negotiations were being held. We dispatched observers to the meetings and spent our evenings lobbying the warring parties while continuing to mobilize people in Liberia. And we changed the narrative, showing that women can be legitimate actors in negotiating peace and establishing an interreligious movement that brought together Christian and Muslim women in Liberia. Yes, we use weapons to protect ourselves, but our society has not fallen into chaos. Those who use violence must be held accountable, even when they use it as a last resort. We have established supervised local units of fighters that are allowed to use violence only for self-defense. Meanwhile, Mr. Assads military continues to attack civilians with chemical weapons. Whereas we employ fighters whose power is limited by the rule of law, Mr. Assads weapons are the law. We have not abandoned other means of struggle, either. We organize protests in Syria and abroad, and have set up fair elections in areas protected by the Syrian Democratic Forces. We have proposed a decentralized solution to governance, as we believe that power in the hands of only a few has been responsible for so much of the recent bloodshed and oppression in Syria. Our efforts serve as a reminder of what democracy really is: the rule of the people, by the people, for the people. Since Mr. Assads ascent to power, democracy has served as little more than a cover for expanding his control. The government held elections in 2016, but only in regions it ruled. As a result, the vote overwhelmingly favored the regime, propping up its legitimacy. In the background, activists, journalists and even whole populations continued to be imprisoned, displaced or murdered. Today, the Syrian Democratic Council helps maintain an educational system for more than 80,000 students in the Jazira region, and for more than 50,000 in the Afrin region. We provide education in Kurdish, Aramaic and Arabic, and have established universities in Afrin and in the cities of Qamishli and Kobani. Building a new Syria helps ensure a proper balance between violent and peaceful resistance. While war may make a new democracy possible, a democratic society cannot survive in peacetime without infrastructure and education. Managing such reconstruction amid the ravages of war is a constant struggle. We are literally rebuilding Kobani from ruins. Even while under Turkeys economic embargo, we began industrializing and diversifying Afrins economy. Then the city of Afrin was invaded and occupied by jihadist mercenaries, sponsored by the Turkish government, who have displaced its people and engaged in widespread looting. As long as Syria, or any other country, has a leader who desires more control than a liberal democracy can provide, violence will continue to spread. At a time when hundreds of thousands of people have been killed simply to consolidate power for a few, democracy must be defended by more than just rhetoric. To believe otherwise is to resign oneself to a world of nothing but tyrants and graves. At a state executive meeting in Patna, Kishor joined the JD(U) in presence of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Kishor played a major role in the BJP's 2014 election campaign and was touted as the main man behind the innovative ad campaign for PM Narendra Modi. (Photo: ANI/Twitter) Mumbai: After working closely with the likes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, election strategist Prashant Kishor joined the Janata Dal United (JD(U)) on Sunday. At a state executive meeting in Patna, Kishor joined the JD(U) in presence of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Kishor's decision to enter politics was confirmed last week when he spoke to a group of students at the Indian School of Business (ISB) in Hyderabad. The strategist said he was "done with campaigning for individuals and was ready for politics", reports stated. Kishor played a major role in the BJP's 2014 election campaign and was touted as the main man behind the innovative ad campaign for PM Narendra Modi. He has not only worked with the BJP, but extensively contributed to election campaigns of the JD(U) and Congress. Manal al-Sharif, co-founder and leader of the #Women2Drive movement and founder and CEO of Women2Hack Academy, is author of the memoir Daring to Drive: A Saudi Womans Awakening. As a Saudi Arabian woman who has lived most of her life under one of the last surviving absolute monarchies in the world, the closest I have come to experiencing democracy has been in challenging the status quo through my tweets. For activists and citizen journalists in the Arab world, social media has become a powerful way to express dissent, to disrupt and to organize. Digital activism, however, comes at a high price: The very tools we use for our cause can be and have been used to undermine us. While social media platforms were designed as a way to connect people online, activists used them as technological tools of liberation, devising creative hacks to defy state censorship, connect with like-minded people, mobilize the masses, influence public opinion, push for social change and ignite revolutions. With these opportunities came risks: The more we posted and engaged, the more vulnerable we became, as our aggregated data was weaponized against us. Over time, such data can be used to build an accurate picture not only of users preferences, likes and behaviors, but also of their beliefs, political views and intimate personal details; things that even their family and friends may not know about them. Agnes Heller is a Hungarian philosopher and lecturer. She was a core member of the Budapest School philosophical forum in the 1960s and later taught political theory for 25 years at the New School for Social Research in New York. She lives, writes and lectures in Budapest. As liberals and others lament Prime Minister Viktor Orbans election to a fourth term in April, we must remember one thing: Liberal democracy has never existed in Hungary. And now, as an ever more virulent wave of right-wing populism sweeps over Europe, Mr. Orban is in position to further consolidate his hold on power. To understand what the future holds for Hungary and for other countries facing similar challenges requires an appreciation of both local history and global tendencies. For centuries Hungary has been subject to monarchic, autocratic, despotic and totalitarian governments that were occasionally disrupted by revolutions, only to find relative stability in 1989. The fall of communism ushered in an era of liberty throughout Europe. Yet this liberty came in the shape of what has become known as a system change an event extraneous to the will of people, akin to a gift from the heavens. LONDON Victoria Beckham did not want her runway show on the Sunday of London Fashion Week to be seen as a homecoming. I feel reluctant to call it a homecoming because this is not a big blockbuster event. It is not a spectacle full of specially made clothes that wont ever go on to get made or sold, or a retrospective in any way, Ms. Beckham said, smiling nervously. This was 24 hours before the designer commemorated the 10th anniversary of her namesake brand by unveiling her spring/summer 2019 collection here, after a decade showing in New York. She was deep in last-minute fittings for the show in a studio at her offices, scanning photo boards of models and tweaking looks, this way and that. It is now safe for thousands of Massachusetts residents to return to their homes, the authorities said, three days after gas leaks touched off a series of surprise explosions and fires that killed one and injured more than 20 others. Thousands had evacuated after a series of violent explosions Thursday afternoon. Gov. Charlie Baker of Massachusetts tweeted on Sunday that the police, firefighters and utility crews had safely cleared of gas thousands of homes in Andover, North Andover and Lawrence. The authorities have not, however, explained exactly what caused the explosions, and a spokesman from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency did not immediately answer questions on Sunday. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating but did not immediately return requests for comment on Sunday. The gas lines of Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, which is part of the utility company NiSource, have been the focus of investigators. The new revelation prompted a hurried effort by Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the Judiciary Committee chairman, to set up conference calls to allow Democratic and Republican aides to interview both Judge Kavanaugh and Ms. Ford before Thursdays scheduled committee vote. A spokesman, Garrett Ventry, said it was routine to hold such calls when updates are made to nominees background files. Senate Republican leaders in the hours after The Posts article was published indicated that they intended to move forward with voting on him. Republicans planned to argue that unless corroborating information came to light, they had no way of verifying her story and saw no reason to delay the vote, according to a person involved in the discussions. The decision about any delay in the vote could rest on the opinions of two Republican women: Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine. Both are publicly undecided about Judge Kavanaugh. Ms. Collins said in an interview on Sunday night that she considered the allegations serious and that Ms. Ford needed to be personally interviewed to get a fuller account. But Ms. Collins, who could conceivably decide the outcome in the narrowly divided Senate, said Democrats had done a disservice to both Ms. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh with their handling of the accusations. What is puzzling to me is the Democrats, by not bringing this out earlier, after having had this information for more than six weeks, have managed to cast a cloud of doubt on both the professor and the judge, she said. If they believed Professor Ford, why didnt they surface this information earlier so that he could be questioned about it? And if they didnt believe her and chose to withhold the information, why did they decide at the 11th hour to release it? It is really not fair to either of them the way it is was handled. The White House, which has taken great pains to portray Judge Kavanaugh as a champion of women, sought to bolster him by pointing to statements by women who have known him and testified to his character. Those included a letter from 65 women who said that they knew him in high school and that he had always treated women with decency and respect. Advisers to Mr. Trump were trying to avoid publicly assailing the accuser while hoping that the lack of contemporaneous corroboration for Ms. Fords account would mean that Senate Republicans could move ahead without addressing it in detail. WELLINGTON, New Zealand A teenage thrash metal band screams out Maori lyrics in its latest videos. A popular radio host is learning New Zealands indigenous language and sharing new vocabulary with his audience. And residents of Merivale Retirement Village in Christchurch are studying Maori, greeting one another in the language that had been unspoken by most of them. Its one of the great regrets of my life, that I havent been able to speak Maori or understand it, said one resident, Nancy Rogers, 93, who is Pakeha, the widely used Maori word for a New Zealander of European descent. Maori is having a revival across New Zealand. Indigenous people are increasingly embracing their language, rejecting generations of stigma and shame associated with its use. And white New Zealanders are looking to Maori language and culture to help them make sense of their own cultural identity. LONDON Among the casualties of the March poisoning of a former Russian spy, Sergei V. Skripal, is Londons sumptuous Russian Debutante Ball, where, once a year, the daughters of Soviet-born businessmen have been ushered into adult society in an atmosphere of frothy pre-Revolutionary nostalgia. Elisabeth Smagin-Melloni, who has organized similar coming-out balls for wealthy Russians in 12 cities, said she decided to cancel the sixth annual London event because, in the rancorous atmosphere around the spy scandal, Russians planning to travel for the ball had complained of difficulty getting British visas. Over the summer it became even worse, with all these poisoned spies or not-poisoned spies, and we decided finally at the end of August that we wouldnt do it, Ms. Smagin-Melloni said. She said it was the first time she had encountered this problem since she began organizing such events, in 2003. STOCKHOLM It was a radical experiment in free speech, even for Sweden: Give ordinary and not-so-ordinary people the chance to be, more or less, the official voice of a nation. After seven years of Twitter posts on topics as varied as manga comics, ugly sweaters and the dangers of prescription drugs, Sweden is calling it quits. Since 2011, control of the Twitter account @sweden has been handed to a different person each week, allowing the curators to tweet about almost anything they please. At the end of September, after 356 curators and more than 200,000 tweets, the experiment will end. The messages, largely in English, have ranged from didactic to deeply personal, polite to racy. Along the way, @sweden has provoked heads of state, stirred controversy, got laughs, earned 147,000 followers and even drew some imitators. Finland and Ukraine began @peopleoffinland and @Ukraine. The late-night TV host Stephen Colbert even tried to become a curator for @sweden, but not being Swedish, he did not qualify. Officials said launch of satellites will focus on the Indian Ocean, a region that has been witnessing increasing Chinese presence. ISRO chairman K Sivan (left) and French space agency President Jean-Yves Le Gall during the inauguration of the 6th Bengaluru Space Expo 2018. (Photo: PTI) Bengaluru: India and France have planned 8-10 satellites as part of a constellation for maritime surveillance, French space agency CNES chief Jean-Yves Le Gall has said. This will be Indias largest space cooperation with any country, officials said. They added that the launch of 8-10 maritime surveillance satellites will focus on the Indian Ocean, a region that has been witnessing increasing Chinese presence. France will also share its expertise with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on inter-planetary missions to Mars and Venus, the Indian space agencys two major missions, Gall said. We started (talks) on constellation of new satellites for maritime awareness. Of course, it will take time, Gall told PTI in an interaction. Asked how many satellites will be part of the project, he said, It would be between eight-10. The purpose of the constellation is monitoring sea traffic management, a CNES official said, adding that it would take less than five years to launch the satellites. In March this year, India and France unveiled a joint vision for space, resolving to strengthen cooperation between ISRO and CNES. ISRO and CNES would work together for design and development of joint products and techniques, including those involving Automatic Identification System, to monitor and protect assets in land and sea. In particular, both sides will pursue the study of a constellation of satellites for maritime surveillance, the joint vision statement said. Several crucial sea lanes of communications pass through the Indian Ocean, a region critical to the strategic interests of India and France. While the Indian Ocean region is the prime focus for New Delhi, Paris has its territories spread across the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean, officials said. The robust space cooperation between India and France goes back six decades. Last week, the two countries signed an agreement to share expertise on ISROs human mission programme Gaganyaan. The space agencies of the two countries have also been working on climate monitoring on the joint missions Megha-Tropiques (launched in 2011) and Saral-Altika (launched in 2013). They are also working on the Trishna satellite for land Infrared monitoring and the Oceansat3-Argos mission. Discussing collaboration for the mission to Venus and Mars and Frances expertise on the matter, Mathieu Weiss, the managing director of CNES India liaison office, explained, The eyes and scientific heart of Curiosity Rover (NASA) on Mars were developed by us. France and Russia have jointly worked for the Venus mission in the past. In both the inter-planetary missions, the French scientific community is very strong and among best in the world, Weiss told PTI. In a media briefing at Paris on Friday, Gall said CNES is currently working with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and German space agency DLR on Hayabusa 2/ MASCOT, a mission to asteroid Ryugu. CNES has also scheduled Mission BepiColombo to Mercury. How to Solve the Idlib Problem by the Syrian Side? Limin Wang 09/15/2018 How many troops from the Syrian and its allies can be used to finish any apparent rebel pockets and to siege and retake Idlib? If the Idlib is being made by foreign powers into a grave imminent threat to the Syrian side now, then the Syrian side may use paratroops to take some crucial nodes of the traffic networks in Idlib, and to take control of the traffic gates around any major cities in Idlib. The Syrian side's army then tries to control the traffic arteries there. They also should take control of the customs along the Syria-Turkey border. Turkey at least still acts not as an open enemy to Syria. If such things are achievable, then the Idlib problem will be solved neatly, because any serious military threat needs to use the air or the roads there. -- WangLimin http://www.mitbbs.com/pc/index/WangLimin Sitharaman said both sides recognised that the broad decisions arrived at the informal summit between PM Modi and Xi Jinping in Wuhan. At the same time, Sitharaman added that as defence minister of the country she was conscious of the fact that she will have to keep the border guards alert. (Photo: File) New Delhi: India will not lower its guard along the Line of Actual Control with China, while maintaining border peace in sync with the "Wuhan" spirit, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said. Nearly a month after talks with her Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe, Sitharaman said both sides recognised that the broad decisions arrived at the informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan should govern management of the border. "Absolutely", she told PTI when asked whether India is still on guard and not lowering it despite the Wuhan sprit. At the Wuhan summit in April, Modi and Xi resolved to open a new chapter in ties, and directed their militaries to boost coordination along the nearly 3,500 km Sino-India border, months after the most serious military faceoff in decades between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in Doklam triggered fears of an war. Asked whether the decision of Modi and Xi at the summit to issue strategic guidelines to their militaries to maintain peace along the border is working, she said, "I want to believe it is working." At the same time, she added that as defence minister of the country she was conscious of the fact that she will have to keep the border guards alert. "Then I would also be, as Raksha Mantri, I would also be conscious that I have to keep (them) alert...Wuhan spirit, yes," she told PTI during an interaction. When asked if Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat's comments earlier in the year that the time has come for India to shift focus to its northern border from the western frontier, she said, "I cannot afford to say, at the cost of one border, I will be more alert, more ready in another. A border is a border. I have to be conscious of both my borders." "I will also have be conscious of my sea. It is less talked about," she said. Last month Sitharaman and Wei held extensive talks here during which they decided to work towards firming up a new bilateral pact on defence cooperation and agreed to increase interactions between their militaries at various levels to avoid Doklam-like standoffs. "It is this (Wuhan) spirit, which both the Chinese and we recognise, will have to govern our borders. The Chinese minister referred to the Wuhan spirit more than twice and said we expect the sprit to be governing everything which happens to the last company which comes to the border," Sitharaman said. The Defence Minister also referred to Modi's speech at Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in June, saying his views about the region was even welcomed by China. In his address at the premier defence and strategic affairs conference, Modi said Asia and the world will have a better future when India and China work together with trust and confidence while being sensitive to each other's interests. Talking about the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Sitharaman said as it is not completely demarcated, there are differing perceptions about it by both sides. "There are several areas where the border is not completely defined and demarcated. As a result, the perception of where the border is one thing for us and completely different for them. So they come to a point where we think they should not be coming and we go to a point where they think we should not be going. So periodically this becomes a cause for the flare-up," she said. Much-loved comedian and actor Pat Shortt has traced much of his family roots to Offaly through the RTE series, Who Do You Think You Are. Screened on Sunday, the show traced Pat's family tree from his own native Thurles, to Birr, America and the UK. Pat always knew his family's connection to Offaly and the show uncovered the earliest record of a 'Shortt' headstone in Pallas cemetery near Birr. Pat's great-great grandfather Tom lived there, and had a large number of kids, including William, the youngest, Pat's great-grandfather. William's siblings had all moved away by the time he was born, a great source of sadness for him throughout his life. William was known to cry at Christmas with the longing to know his long lost brothers and sisters, and in fact wrote to one of his sisters late in his life. She had died before it reached her daughters in America, but they wrote back in gratitude of his contact. He had included a photograph of himself with the letter. William was born in 'The Rocks,' a thatched cottage near Birr. Pat remembers visiting there as a child and, during the filming of the show, went back to Birr to meet his cousin Jimmy Shortt. The pair returned to 'The Rocks' which is now an overgrown rundown building and recalled the days of their childhood. Pat also visited the graveyard at Pallas to see his ancestors' grave stone. The show also saw Pat trace his gran-uncle Brendan to London, a noted musician, telephone engineer and inventor who worked on wartime technology in Britain during World War II. Social activist Stephen Mathew has been on hunger strike for the past nine days demanding the arrest of rape-accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal. Social Activist Stephen Mathews was shifted to a hospital after his health worsened on the 9th day of hunger strike. (Photo: Twitter | @ANI) Kochi: Social activist Stephen Mathew, who has been on a hunger strike for the past nine days demanding the arrest of rape-accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal, was hospitalised on Sunday after his health deteriorated. The 54-year-old Roman Catholic Bishop has been accused by a Kerala nun of raping her several times between 2014 and 2016. She has also sought help from the Vatican in this regard. On Saturday, Aloshi Joseph, a member of the Catholic Reformation Movement had joined Stephen Mathew in the indefinite hunger strike demanding the arrest of Bishop Mulakkal. On the same day, the Bishop stepped down, handing over charge of the Jalandhar diocese to Father Joseph Thekkumkattil and Father Subin Thekkedathu. He has been summoned for questioning by the police on September 19 and is expected to head towards Kerala soon. Nuns from the Joint Christian Council to which Mathew belongs have been protesting as they seek justice for the victim. They had staged a sit-in protest at the High Court Junction bus station in Kochi to demand that the Bishop be arrested. (With inputs from Agencies) Army intel office, cops arrested for embezzling 15 kg gold in Bengal India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 16: An Army officer along with five others was arrested for taking illegal possession of 15 kilograms of gold in West Bengal. The police alleged that these persons had take possession of the gold from smugglers in Adilapura district while letting the culprits get away scot free. The police arrested Lt Colonel Pawan Brahma, jawan Dashrath Singh of the Army intelligence unit and police officers Anuraddha Thakur, Satyendra Nath Roy and former police officer, Kamalendra Narayan. The police recovered fifteen gold bars, weighing a kilogram each that were supposed to be part of the evidence. The accused persons were alleged to have intercepted a car bearing a Rajasthan registration, seized the gold and then let the smugglers get away. Also Read | Man arrested for smuggling gold bars worth Rs 7 lakh The information was however leaked following which an FIR was filed. The police arrested the five on corruption charges as they did not report the seizure. They have been remanded in police custody for four days. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 16, 2018, 8:13 [IST] Home Ministry needs to take call on AFSPA withdrawal in J&K: Parrikar BJP legislature party meeting to elect new Goa CM tomorrow India oi-Vikas SV Panaji, Sep 16: With the health of Manohar Parrikar said to be deteriorating, BJP's legislature party meeting to elect a new Chief Minister for Goa would be held tomorrow. Current chief minister Parrikar was flown to New Delhi for treatment at the premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi on Saturday afternoon. Parrikar, who suffers from a pancreatic ailment, is being examined by a team of doctors. The matter of Goa chief minister was discussed between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah a couple of days ago and now BJP national organising secretary Ram Lal and senior BJP leader B L Santosh have been sent to Goa to look into the matter. Also Read | Goa to get a new CM soon; Shripad Naik top contender for the post Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Michael Lobo, who is the deputy speaker of the Goa Assembly, told PTI on Saturday that the party emissaries would suggest to allies Goa Forward Party (GFP) and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) that they should become part of the saffron party. GFP and MGP are allies of the BJP in Goa. MGP, with its three legislators, has given support to the BJP to form the government in the state along with the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and other independent legislators. Also Read | Manohar Parrikar health updates: Goa CM admitted to AIIMS for treatment Leadership is a sensitive issue, with Parrikar seen as the glue holding the BJP's alliance together in Goa. Two of the BJP's allies including Dhavalikar's MGP had made their joining the alliance in 2017 conditional to Manohar Parrikar leading the government. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 16, 2018, 16:06 [IST] Justice BV Nagarathna in line to become Indias first woman Chief Justice of India in 2027 Gujarat: Woman forces 11-year-old girl to dip her hand in boiling oil to prove she was not lying Woman raped by madrasa teacher in UP, forced to undergo abortion Elderly woman stabbed to death India oi-Madhuri Adnal Jamshedpur, Sep 16: An octogenarian woman was stabbed to death by unknown miscreant at her flat in New Green City apartment in Baliguma on National Highway 33 under M G M Police station here on Saturday evening, police said. The victim, A Shakuntala Devi, was alone at home when the incident occurred, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Vijay Kumar Mahato said. She sustained head injuries and there were also stab wounds at two places on her body, he said. Also Read | UP: 16-yr-old girl stabbed multiple times, succumbs to injuries The victim was living with her daughter, who had been to a clinic for an eye operation. When she returned home from the clinic, she found her mother in a pool of blood and raised an alarm, the police officer said adding that the old lady was taken to a nearby hospital but she was declared brought dead. "We are verifying the CCTV camera footages to identify the culprit," he said. The body has been sent for post-mortem in M G M Hospital. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 16, 2018, 12:00 [IST] From RSS worker to PM, how Modi rose to become Indias most powerful man India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Sep 16: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to celebrate his 68th birthday in his parliamentary constituency of Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi district, where he will spend the day with schoolchildren and watch a film based on his life. Modi is best known for rising from humble beginnings to become prime minister of India. He is known for leading his party Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) to a historic win in 2014 elections. He rose from a poverty-stricken tea-selling boy to a development-oriented leader, eventually becoming the longest-serving chief minister of Gujarat for 12 years. Early Life & Family: Narendra Damodardas Modi was born on September 17, 1950 in the small town of Vadnagar, Mehsana, Gujarat, as the third of six children, to Damodardas Mulchand and Heeraben Modi. Since his childhood days, he was confronted with many difficulties and obstacles, but he transformed all the challenges into opportunities by sheer strength of character and courage. After completing his schooling in Vadnagar in 1967, he left home and traveled across India exploring its expansive landscape and diverse culture, visiting Rishikesh, the Himalayas, Ramakrishna Mission and Northeast India. In 1971, Modi returned home after two years and went to Ahmedabad to join Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as a fulltime pracharak (campaigner). He completed his graduation from Delhi University in political science through correspondence in 1978, and obtained a Masters degree in political science from Gujarat University in 1983. Political Career: During the 1975-77 political crisis, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency, banning political organizations such as the RSS. Modi went underground and wrote a book, Sangharsh ma Gujarat (Gujarat in Emergency), which chronicles his experiences as a political fugitive. He joined the BJP in 1985 and was made the organization secretary of its Gujarat Unit in 1987. He contested for Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation elections and won the same, giving BJP its first ever win. In 1987, Narendra Modi joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which stood for Hindu nationalism. His rise through the ranks was rapid, as he wisely chose mentors to further his career. He promoted privatization of businesses, small government and Hindu values. In 1995, Modi was elected BJP national secretary, a position from which he successfully helped settle internal leadership disputes, paving the way for BJP election victories in 1998. Modi was reelected chief minister of Gujarat in 2007 and 2012. Through those campaigns, Modi's hard-line Hinduism softened and he spoke more about economic growth, focusing on privatization and encouraging policies to shape India as a global manufacturing epicenter. His government was accused of not doing enough to curb the Gujarat riots of 2002. The riots occurred in retaliation to burning of Hindu pilgrims in a train near Godhra. He was forced to step down as the Chief Minister following opposition from both inside and outside Gujarat. However, he was re-elected as the Chief Minister in December 2002, after BJP won the assembly elections. After several investigations carried out by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), Modi was given a clean chit by the Supreme Court due to lack of evidence of his involvement in the violence. He was selected as BJP's prime ministerial candidate in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, which was subtly opposed by some party veterans such as L.K. Advani. He, however, won both the seats (Varanasi and Vadodara) that he contested, but eventually retained the Varanasi seat. The BJP won a historic 282 of 534 seats in the 2014 elections, trouncing the ruling UPA led by the Indian National Congress. In 2014 he launched a "Clean India" campaign, which focused on sanitation and the construction of millions of toilets in rural areas. After assuming office as the 15th Prime Minister of India, he has initiated many ambitious projects and programs such as "Swachch Bharat", "Make in India", "Clean Ganga" etc. Personal Life: He married Jashodaben Chimanlal, at the age of 18, according to the traditions followed by the Ghanchi community. As per reports, the marriage was never consummated and eventually resulted in separation. Global Recognition: In 2016 Modi won the reader's poll as TIME's Person of the Year. In previous years, he had received top ranking as one of the most influential political figures in the world in both TIME and Forbes Magazine. He is only second to President Obama for having the most social media followers as a political figure. With high favorability ratings among Indian voters, Modi has a reputation for actively engaging citizens through social media and encouraging his own administration to stay active on its platforms. CNN-IBN declared him 'Indian of the Year' in 2014. He was named as the second most-followed politician on Twitter and Facebook on the '30 most influential people on the internet' list released by Time magazine in 2015. Defence Minister said officers have chosen to go to court as there is a 'certain sense of worry' in their minds which she can understand. New Delhi: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said she has no "grudge" against a group of Army officers who have approached the Supreme Court to present their views on cases relating to the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). The defence minister said the officers have chosen to go to the court as there is a "certain sense of worry" in their minds which she can understand. In an unusual move, around 700 Army officers and soldiers have approached the Supreme Court, requesting it to protect the bonafide action of soldiers under AFSPA, and voicing concerns over reported move to dilute some provisions of the law which protects the security forces from prosecution without the Centre's approval. "Grievance redressal is a right. I will never want to say if you have a grievance, you should not voice it. I will never say that," she told PTI when asked about the issue. "There are institutional mechanisms available for grievance redressal within the Army, Navy and Air Force. So it is possible for men or officers to have grievance redressal institutionalised within the forces. But if in the case of AFSPA, they have chosen to go to the court, there is a certain sense of worry in the minds of men and officers and I can understand that," she said. Sitharaman said AFSPA law was brought "to address situations which are absolutely unique and very challenging." "Now, if that is, from the point of view of human rights, taken to the court and the court is giving a full hearing and justice to hear everybody out, and if the officers and men felt they also would want to give their argument, I cannot grudge that. I really cannot grudge that. We are speaking up for the men and officers who are on the field and that is why the advocate general, attorney general appear on behalf of the government's position. So we will hope that the court gives a good comprehensive hearing," she said Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur and a number of states in the North East were brought under the AFSPA which gives the security forces special rights and immunity in carrying out various operations. There has been a long-standing demand from various quarters in J-K and the Northeast to withdraw it. The Supreme Court has been hearing cases relating to alleged extra-judicial killings in Manipur by the security forces. Army Chief General Bipin Rawat disapproved of the move by the serving officers and soldiers to approach the top court in their personal capacity. At the same time, he had said the armed forces and the defence ministry are steadfastly behind all officers who have conducted operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the north east. Vijay Mallya has applied for another route to stay in the UK, says lawyer Great escapes: Did Mallya, Nirav Modi, Choksi get away easily? India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 16: Under fire for the escape of fugitives like VIjay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, the Central Bureau of Investigation put out a strong defence. In the case of Mallya, the CBI said that there was not enough evidence to arrest him. In the cases of Nirav Modi and Choksi, the agency said that they had received a complaint from the banks almost a month after they had fled the country. Under attack from Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, who has accused the agency of deliberately weakening the lookout circular against fugitive tycoon Vijay Mallya, allowing him to flee the country, the agency also reiterated that the decision was taken as there were not sufficient grounds to detain or arrest him. Also Read | 'Mallya's Great Escape' aided by CBI, had PM's nod: Rahul Gandhi "CBI Jt Director, A K Sharma, weakened Mallya's 'Look Out' notice, allowing Mallya to escape. Mr Sharma, a Gujarat cadre officer, is the PM's blue-eyed-boy in the CBI. The same officer was in charge of Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi's escape plans. Ooops...investigation!" the Gandhi scion tweeted. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said it had received a complaint against beleaguered diamantaire Modi and his uncle Choksi from the bank almost a month after they had fled the country. "Therefore the question of any CBI officer having any hand in their fleeing the country does not arise. Prompt action was taken by CBI in the case immediately after the complaint was received from the bank," the agency's spokesperson said in a statement released on Saturday. Some media reports also named Sharma, now Additional Director, as the man who handled Mallya's case. Defending Sharma, its number three in command, the CBI said the decision to alter the circular was taken at the appropriate level as a part of process and not individually by the officer as alleged. The CBI had in October 2015 issued a look out circular against Mallya asking immigration authorities to detain him upon his return from abroad. Weeks later in November, the circular was changed from seeking his detention to merely informing the agency. Also Read | 'Vijay Mallya was given free passage by Arun Jaitley', says Rahul Gandhi Mallya whose extradition case is being battled out in a London court by India had taken refuge in the UK after fleeing on March 2, 2016 taking advantage of the diluted circular against him. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 16, 2018, 8:20 [IST] Akhilesh may even convert to get Muslim votes: UP minister Hizbuls tentacles in Assam widens as another operative is nabbed India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Guwahati, Sep 16: The police have arrested one Shah Newaz, an associate of the Hizbul Mujahideen operative who was picked up from Uttar Pradesh last week. The UP ATS had arrested Qamar ur Zaman after it was found that he was surveying targets and also planned on carrying out a major terror attack at a temple. Police sources tell OneIndia that Zaman was helped by Newaz and the two were childhood friends. The police said that Zaman had visited Assam last month and met with several persons including Newaz. Also Read | Big terror attack on major temple in UP foiled The police suspect that the mobile phone and a SIM card found on Zaman was purchased by Newaz. The police source said that they suspect that Zaman had visited Assam to build up a strong network. The Hizbul Mujahideen has been making attempts to broaden its network in Assam. OneIndia had reported on September 14 that the Hizbul Mujahideen was making desperate attempts to gain traction in Assam. It had planted its operative in UP to carry out an attack so that it could send across a message which in turn would help recruitments in Assam. Also Read | How Hizbul was trying to get attention in Assam, by blowing up a temple in UP This outfit which is sponsored by the ISI was in fact told specifically to target the states bordering Bangladesh as there was a better chance of traction. Issues such as NRC and also the case of the Rohingya Muslims would be used as propaganda material to set up shop in these states, the IB officer said. Qamer, who was arrested from Kanpur's Chakeri area, had gone missing from Assam. In a video recovered from his mobile, police say, he can be seen surveying temples in the city. He was active on social media and had posted a picture of himself in April 2018 with an AK-47, after which he was under our radar. The photo in which Qamer, who is from Jamunamukh in Assam's Nagaon district, is seen holding an automatic rifle recently went viral on social media. The caption of the photo suggested he had joined Hizbul, which reads: "Org: Hizbul Mujahideen; Name: Qamer Uzzaman; S/O Ibrahim Zaman; R/O: Assam India; Code: Dr Hurairah; Qul: MA English." Qamer is educated with knowledge of computers. He however failed the BA third year exam. He had undergone training in Pakistan in 2017 and had joined the Hizbul Mujahideen there, Singh further said. Sources say that he had come down to Kanpur and had carried out a reconnaissance of a temple. He was plotting a fedayeen strike on the temple. He was planning on targeting a huge crowd, the police officer also added. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 16, 2018, 9:04 [IST] Hizbuls pan India ambition and why it never lost sight of Uttar Pradesh India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 16: The arrest of Hizbul Mujahideen operative, Qamer ur Zaman only shows that the outfit never lost sight of Uttar Pradesh. The outfit which is strong in Jammu and Kashmir has for long being spreading its tentacles outside the state. In Uttar Pradesh, it found that there was a strong potential to set up shop. It has been trying to main inroads into UP, by luring local Muslims. In UP, it worked closely with the SIMI. However the operations were derailed after the government banned the SIMI in 2000. While most of the major operations were carried out by the SIMI and later the Indian Mujahideen, it was the Hizbul Mujahideen which was responsible for the funds and ammunition. In fact the Hizbul Mujahideen was the first outfit to use RDX and ammonium nitrate in Lucknow and Kanpur. Also Read | Hizbul's tentacles in Assam widens as another operative is nabbed The hand of the outfit was found in several terror attacks. The twin blasts in Arya Nagar in 2000 was followed by an attack on the Sabarmati Express the same year. The outfit had also attempted a major attack during the Independence Day celebrations. However the mishandling of the bomb led to the death of four of its operatives. Intelligence Bureau officials tell OneIndia that the Hizbul Mujahideen worked very closely with the SIMI. It was the Hizbul which first contacted the SIMI, which was a very strong outfit in UP. The outfit wanted to set up a non-Kashmir module and it found that UP was a potential hub. Also Read | Big terror attack on major temple in UP foiled Groups such as the SIMI and Indian Mujahideen drew most of its operatives from UP and Azamgarh had become a prime recruiting hub. The Hizbul Mujahideen got in touch with Mohammad Ghaznavi, who was first part of the SIMI and later joined the Indian Mujahideen. The first traces of the outfit from Kashmir was found in 1997. The association with the SIMI went on until 2001 following which there was a lull. However the Hizbul Mujahideen never lost sight of UP and continued to recruit from the state. In several cases, it has trained recruits from UP and either used them for local operations or for fidayeen strikes in Kashmir. Also Read | How Hizbul was trying to get attention in Assam, by blowing up a temple in UP Further the outfit was also using UP as a hub to make a statement in Assam. Zaman originally hailed from Assam and was tasked with carrying out a major strike in UP. The police during the course of investigations learnt that he had also planned on setting up a major module in Assam for the Hizbul. The attack on a temple in UP was meant to convey a message as a result of which the outfit hoped to boost recruitments in Assam. Is security a joke? Bomb at Bodhgaya recovered 8 months later India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 16: Eight months into the investigation of the Bodhgaya blasts case, the National Investigation Agency recovered a grenade from a public toilet. The recovery was made at the public toilet which is barely a few metres away from the Mahabodhi Mahavira in Bodhgaya. The locally made hand grenade was recovered on Saturday. It may be recalled that a blast had taken place following which two bombs were recovered from the vicinity of the temple on January 19. The incident occurred at a time when the Dalai Lama was holding a discourse at the temple. Also Read | As Bengal slept, Bangladeshi terrorists made south India their playground The recovery of the grenade triggered panic among the locals and also raised a pertinent question about the security especially outside the highly sensitive zone. This is not the first time that Bodhgaya has been under the radar of terror groups. In 2014, a module of the SIMI had triggered off a blast at the temple. In 2018, it was the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh which carried out this incident. In both cases, the motive was same and that was to avenge the persecution of the Rohingya Muslims, National Investigation Agency officials probing both the cases told OneIndia. The grenade in the toilet was planted around 8 months back. The information was revealed by prime accused Dilawar Hussain, who is being questioned by the NIA. He was taken to Bodhgaya following which he led the agency to the toilet where the grenade was planted. The bomb was planted inside a non-functional cistern. Also Read | Bodhgaya blasts: Attack was to avenge Rohingya atrocities The NIA has so far arrested 8 persons in connection with this case. All are from the proscribed JMB, which has a strong presence in West Bengal, Bihar and the north-eastern states. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 16, 2018, 10:15 [IST] Guided by ex-Pak army officials, operating in buddy pairs: Why the Poonch encounter has dragged so much J&K: 5 terrorists killed, but spurt in recruitments remains a concern India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Srinagar, Sep 16: The Indian Army carried out a successful encounter in Jammu and Kashmir following which five dreaded terrorists were killed. The terrorists were undertaking a joint operation the post encounter probe showed. Three of the terrorists killed were from the Hizbul Mujahideen while two others were from the Lashkar-e-Tayiba. After the encounter, Brigadier Sachin Malik said that recruitment and number of local terrorists has been rising. "In South Kashmir, approximate number of terrorists is 200, out of which maybe 15% are foreign terrorists. Also Read | J&K: 3 JeM terrorists killed, 9 security personnel injured in encounter Shopian continues to be the epicentre of terror recruitment's. Data compiled by the agencies show that South of Kashmir continued to be most volatile. Shopian, Pulwama, Anantnag and Awantipora posed the most problems where recruitment's were concerned. Ironically the recruitments this year were also made in large numbers into Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, backed by the Al-Qaeda and the Kashmir-ISIS. Data suggests that 91 joined groups such as the Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Tayiba while the remaining were recruited into the Ansar and Kashmir ISIS. Security officials tell OneIndia that urgent and stringent action is the need of the hour. Until July official data showed that this year alone the recruitments stood at 115. If the trend continues, the figure will shoot up and beat last year's recruitment into terror groups which stood at 126. The statistics for 2017 was in fact the highest since 2010, the data presented in the state assembly and Parliament suggested. There has been a steady rise in the number of youths taking up arms in the Valley since 2014 as compared to the period from 2010 to 2013 when the figures stood at 54, 23, 21 and 6 respectively. Also Read | Terrorists killing terrorists: Is Kashmir witnessing a Mumbai underworld like scenario In 2014, the number shot up to 53 and in 2015, it reached 66 while in 2016, the figure was 88, the data showed. This year, youths who joined militancy included Junaid Ashraf Sehrai, 26, an MBA degree holder from Kashmir University, and son of Mohammed Ashraf Sehrai, who took over as chairman of the Tehrek-e-Hurriyat from Syed Ali Shah Geelani. The list also included 26-year-old PhD scholar Mannan Bashir Wani, hailing from Kupwara, the officials said. Wani was studying in Aligarh Muslim University. The IB warns that this trend is likely to continue. With the elections in Pakistan over, the army there would look to make a fresh push and this could spruce the recruitments in the Valley. The IB says that coupled with recruitments, there is also this danger in the number of infiltrations going up as well. With the Jaish-e-Mohammad expanding its facility in Bahawalpur, it is a clear indicator they are planning something big. Security agencies have also blamed the spurt in recruitments to various factors. Many youth are picking up the gun as their handlers have managed to romanticise the cause. Also Read | In a crowded terror market, ISIS looks to set up Global Islamic Council in Kashmir The recent recruitments are also owing to social media posts going viral, where the youth are seen posing with guns. Most youth feel that sense of power and hence are joining these outfits in large numbers, analysts point out. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 16, 2018, 9:29 [IST] Activist Stephen Mathews shifted to hospital after health worsens on 9th day of hunger strike India oi-Madhuri Adnal Kochi, Sep 16: Social Activist Stephen Mathews has been shifted to a hospital after his health worsened on the 9th day of hunger strike. He has been on a hunger strike demanding the arrest of rape accused ex- Bishop Franco Mulakkal. Bishop Franco Mulakkal is accused of raping and having unnatural sex multiple times with a nun from Kerala between 2014 and 2016. Bishop Mulakkal has been summoned by Kerala police for question on September 19. Meanwhile, the group of nuns seeking action against Bishop Mulakkal said Thursday that they would continue their six day old protest till justice is delivered. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 16, 2018, 13:10 [IST] Modi's birthday: PM to spend time with children in Varanasi India oi-Vikas SV New Delhi, Sep 16: Its Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 68th birthday tomorrow (September 18). On this special day, the Prime Minister has decided to spend time with children in his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi. He will reach Varanasi for a two-day visit on Monday afternoon. The prime minister will visit Narur village, where he will interact with children of a primary school, aided by non-profit organisation "Room to Read". Later, he will interact with students of Kashi Vidyapeeth and children assisted by them on the premises of Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW). On Tuesday, Modi will inaugurate or lay the foundation of various development projects, cumulatively worth more than Rs 500 crore, according to a statement by the prime minister's office (PMO). The event will be held at the amphitheatre of Banaras Hindu University (BHU). Among the projects to be inaugurated by Modi are Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) for Puraani Kashi and an Atal Incubation Centre at BHU. Among the projects for which the foundation stones will be laid is the Regional Ophthalmology Centre at BHU. The prime minister will also address a gathering, the statement said. OneIndia News with PTI inputs For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 16, 2018, 17:54 [IST] PM Modi, Shah meet Advani at his residence to wish him on birthday PM dedicates various National Highway and Road projects to the nation Modi to visit Odisha on Sep 22, to hold rallies, launch various projects India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Sep 16: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Odisha on September 22. He will hold 2 rallies & will launch various projects. Modi will arrive at the newly built second airport of the state at Jharsuguda in a special aircraft from New Delhi on the day and dedicate the airport to the nation on that day, the union tribal union affairs minister said after inspecting the facilities at the new airport. The Jharsuguda airport has been built over an area of 909.22 acres at a cost of Rs 175 crore, of which the state government has contributed Rs 50 crore, officials said. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had requested Union Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu to name Jharsuguda Airport after renowned freedom fighter of Veer Surendra Sai. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 16, 2018, 10:57 [IST] Chirag Paswan thanks PM Modi for Padma honour for his late father Paswan vs Paswan: Daughter may take on her father India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Sep 16: Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan's daughter might contest against her father in the next Lok Sabha polls if given a ticket by the RJD, her husband claimed in Patna. Anil Sadhu, who is married to Asha, Paswan's daughter from his first marriage, also accused the LJP of treating Dalits as bonded labourers and claimed there was widespread resentment against the LJP chief within his own caste group. Paswan has backed only his son Chirag whom he got elected to the Lok Sabha and appointed as the chairman of the party's parliamentary board, Sadhu told regional news channels in Patna, adding his daughters from his first marriage have always got a raw deal. Also Read | LJP to demand Lok Sabha seats from NDA in many southern states Asked whether he or his wife would like to contest against Paswan or Chirag in the next Lok Sabha polls, Sadhu said "both of us are ready to take up the challenge, provided Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Yadav agree to give us tickets". Ram Vilas Paswan is MP from Hajipur (reserved) constituency and his son Chirag Paswan represents Jamui (reserved) parliamentary seat. His younger brother Ramchandra Paswan is a Lok Sabha member from Samastipur (reserved) seat. Pashupati Kumar Paras, another brother of Paswan, is a minister in Nitish Kumar's cabinet. When contacted, Sadhu told PTI that their willingness to take on Paswan was "not because of family feud but it's a fight for our maan-samman (honour)". He said his wife was not available for comments as "she is attending some ailing relative out of Patna". He, however, claimed she is of the same opinion as he has on the issue. Asha Paswan is youngest of the two daughters from Paswan's first wife and she is a housewife. Sadhu, son of four-time former Bihar legislator Punit Rai, claimed he had a talk with both Lalu and Tejashwi Yadav during which he expressed desire to take on father-in-law in 2019 poll on that party's ticket. Associated with Paswan's Dalit Sena for long, Sadhu had unsuccessfully contested the 2015 Bihar polls from Masaurhi assembly seat on LJP ticket. Sadhu has been venting his ire against his father-in-law after having reportedly been cold shouldered. He was seen at an RJD function earlier this year which has triggered speculation about his future political future. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 16, 2018, 10:44 [IST] Mission can be rescheduled again: Jitendra Singh after GSLV fails to inject EOS-03 satellite in orbit PSLV-C42 successfully places two foreign satellites in orbit India oi-Vikas SV Sriharikota, Sep 16: Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C42 (PSLV) on Sunday successfully injected two foreign satellites - NovaSAR and S1-4- into the orbit. The ISRO workhorse blasted-off from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 10.07 pm. "Today's success once again proves the prowess of PSLV. The credit goes to entire ISRO's team," said ISRO's chairman K Sivan after the launch. The remaining year is going to be very hectic. We have many launches planned. I thank everyone at the ISRO," he added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to twitter to congratulate ISRO for the successful launch of PSLV C42 with two UK satellites. Congratulations to our space scientists! ISRO successfully launched PSLV C42, putting two UK satellites in orbit, demonstrating India's prowess in the competitive space business. @isro Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 16, 2018 The two satellites, together weighing over 800 kilograms, belong to Surrey Satellite Technologies Ltd (SSTL), UK. The PSLV rocket blasted off from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh today at 10.07 PM. The mission is a commercial arrangement between the company and Antrix Corporation Limited, which is the commercial wing of ISRO. The 33-hour countdown for the launch of two earth observation satellites on-board PSLV from the spaceport of Sriharikota began at 1.08 PM on Saturday. The foreign satellites, meant for forest mapping and flood and disaster monitoring, among other uses, would be released into sun-synchronous orbit at a height of 583 km. However, probe agencies have not been able to establish groups link with the killing of rationalist and communist leader Govind Pansare. Dabholkar, Kalburgi and Lankesh were assassinated by members of this gang because they were raising their voice against the Hindu religion. (Photo: File) Mumbai: The same group of right-wing activists is behind the killings of rationalists Narendra Dabholkar, MM Kalburgi and journalist Gauri Lankesh, a senior police official said quoting investigation reports. However, the probe agencies have not been able to establish the groups link with the killing of rationalist and communist leader Govind Pansare, he said. During the investigation, it came to light that a gang of like-minded people was involved in the killings of Dabholkar, Lankesh and Kalburgi. Almost all members of this gang have links with the Sanatan Sanstha and its offshoot Hindu Janjagruti Samiti, the official said Saturday. Dabholkar, Kalburgi and Lankesh were assassinated by members of this gang because they were raising their voice against the Hindu religion, he claimed. The probe so far indicates that those arrested in connection with the seizure of huge cache of explosives from Nallasopara in Palghar district have direct links with the killings of Dabholkar, Kalburgi and Lankesh, he said. Meanwhile, efforts are on to nab those behind Pansares killing, the official said. The Maharashtra Special Investigation Team (SIT) is probing Pansares killing. While Dabholkar was shot dead in Pune in August 2013, Pansare was shot at on February 16, 2015 in Kolhapur and succumbed to his injuries on February 20. Lankesh was killed at her house in Bengaluru in September last year while Kalburgi was shot dead at the entrance of his house in Karnatakas Dharwad district on August 30, 2015. After the seizure of explosives from Nallasopara last month, the Maharashtra Police has arrested at least 10 people and said it will investigate their role in all detected and undetected cases, including the killings of Dabholkar, Pansare, Kalburgi and Lankesh. During the interrogation, one of the arrested persons, Sharad Kalaskar, admitted to his involvement in Dabholkars killing, police had said. On his information, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating Dabholkars killing, arrested Sachin Andure from Aurangabad. Kalaskar and Andure allegedly shot dead Dabholkar with two pistols in Pune, the official said. The CBI had earlier arrested Virendrasing Tawade, the alleged mastermind of the killing. During our investigation, it came to light that Tawade played a major role in the planning and execution of the three assassinations (Dabholkar, Lankesh and Kalburgi), the official claimed. While investigating Lankeshs killing, the Karantaka Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrested Pune-based engineer Amol Kale, who had names and mobile numbers of the other group members in his diary, including Vaibhav Raut, Sudhanva Gondhalekar, Sharad Kalaskar and others, the official said. Kalaskar had travelled to Karnataka to do a recce of Lankeshs residence, he said. As part of further probe, the Maharashtra ATS Wednesday obtained the custody of Bharat Kurne and Sujeet Kumar, who were originally arrested by the Karnataka SIT in Lankeshs killing case, in connection with the seizure of explosives from different parts of the state. Names of Kurne and Kumar surfaced while going through the documents, diaries and data stored in a computer which was seized during raids by the ATS at various places, including Nallasopara, Pune and Aurangabad, the official said. Sujeet Kumar alias Praveen is also wanted in connection with Kalburgis killing. During the Karnataka SITs investigation, it came to light that Kumar allegedly shot Kalburgi. Kurne and Kumar were allegedly involved in the training of handling of arms and explosives along with those arrested by the Maharashtra Police in the explosives seizure case, the official said. Kurne, a resort owner in Karnatakas Belgaum district, had provided shelter to those accused in Lankeshs killing. His three acre farmland at Khanapur forest was also used for fire arm training sessions, he added. Ayodhya is getting its glory back with new grand Ram Mandir: PM Modi Ram Mandir construction will begin before 2019 polls, says former BJP MP India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Sep 16: Former BJP MP Ram & President of Ram Janambhoomi Nyas Vilas Vedanti on Sunday said that the BJP has resolved to build the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. ''BJP has resolved to build the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The construction of Ram Mandir will begin before the election of 2019 takes place,'' he said. Several leaders have made controversial statements about Ram Mandir even when the matter is being heard in Supreme Court. In August, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya had said that the central government could bring up a legislation in Parliament to facilitate the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. He had said that if all options were closed, this could be done once the government has adequate numbers in the Rajya Sabha. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 16, 2018, 9:33 [IST] Rewari gangrape case: One person taken into custody by SIT India oi-Madhuri Adnal Chandigarh, Sep 16: One of the three accused in the alleged gang rape of a 19-year-old woman is an Army man posted in Rajasthan and a police team has been sent to arrest him, Haryana DGP BS Sandhu said on Saturday. Police also released the pictures of the suspects named Munish, Nishu and Pankaj - the Army personnel. According to the complaint, the woman was allegedly kidnapped by the accused, who arrived in a car, and took her to a secluded place where she was raped after being offered a drink laced with sedatives. The accused left her near a bus stop in Kanina later in the day. Mother of Rewari gangrape victim said,''Some officials came yesterday to give me a compensation cheque. I am returning it today, as we want justice & not money. It has now been 5 days & none of the accused have been arrested till now.'' For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 16, 2018, 11:48 [IST] We will pay Rs 20 lakh if a BJP leader agrees to get gangraped by 10 people: AAP's Naveen Jaihind Rewari rape victim's plight: Could not appear for job exam as she is in hospital Rewari gangrape: One of the prime accused arrested, two still at large India oi-Vikas SV Chandigarh, Sep 16: One of the three main accused in the Rewari gangrape, Nishu Phogat, has been arrested. The other two accused - army man Pankaj and Manish - are still on the run. Two others have also been arrested in connection with the gang rape of a 19-year-old CBSE topper in Haryana's Rewari. "Within 30 hours the SIT has arrested two people - Deen Dayal and Dr Sanjeev. The main accused Nishu has been nabbed, he is on his way," Nuh SP Naazneen Bhasin said. She said that with his arrest, they had also got many important clues about the main accused and their whereabouts. "Deen Dayal is owner of the tube-well where the incident took place. Sanjeev is a doctor who was found to be involved, as per all our evidence. The main accused Nishu, had pre-planned this and then called the doctor to the spot later," Bhasin said. [Rewari gangrape: Superintendent of Police Rajesh Duggal transferred] "Dr. Sanjeev's involvement is proved as it was in his knowledge that the girl was held by 3 boys and she was not conscious about the things happening. He was part of the plan till the end & he didn't inform any authority," she added. When asked about the missing armyman Pankaj, Bhasin said, "He is absconding but he will be arrested soon." According to the complaint, the woman was allegedly kidnapped by the accused, who arrived in a car, and took her to a secluded place where she was raped after being offered a drink laced with sedatives. The accused left her near a bus stop in Kanina later in the day. [Rewari gang-rape case: Police releases pictures of 3 accused] Earlier in the day, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar reviewed with DGP BS Sandhu the progress in the investigation and shunted out the district police chief, as raids continued at several places to nab the men. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 16, 2018, 21:35 [IST] We will pay Rs 20 lakh if a BJP leader agrees to get gangraped by 10 people: AAP's Naveen Jaihind Rewari rape victim's plight: Could not appear for job exam as she is in hospital Rewari gangrape: Superintendent of Police Rajesh Duggal transferred India oi-Vikas SV Chandigarh, Sep 16: The Manohar Lal Khattar-led government on Sunday transferred Rewari Superintendent of Police Rajesh Duggal in the wake of uproar over the gangrape of a 19-year-old girl. Rahul Sharma has taken charge as the new SP of Rewari. Duggal will now lead a battalion of Haryana Armed Police in Hisar. The victim's family had alleged that police had failed to take prompt action on their complaint and delayed action by citing jurisdiction issue between police units of Rewari and Mahendergarh districts. As pressure mounted on the government to act swiftly, the police arrested a registered medical practitioner, who first attended to the woman, and a villager on whose property she was allegedly raped. Khattar, who had a scheduled event in Jalandhar in Punjab, cut short his visit and reached Chandigarh in the afternoon. The Haryana Police on Saturday released pictures of the three accused in the alleged gang rape of a 19-year-old woman. One of the accused is an Army Jawan. The trio allegedly abducted the woman from a bus stop and raped her in Haryana's Mahendargarh district on Wednesday. The family of the teenager, meanwhile, continues to seek justice. The victim's mother, earlier today, declared that she intends to return the Rs 2 lakh cheque given to her husband by the Chief Judicial Magistrate and Secretary of District Legal Services Authority, Vivek Yadav under the Haryana Victim Compensation Scheme 2013. 'There is partnership between TRS and BJP', says Rahul Gandhi in Telangana Telangana polls: KCR wins hands down, Modi leads over Rahul Gandhi India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Hyderabad, Sep 16: As Telangana prepares for an early election, a survey has shown that the K Chandrashekar led Telangana Rashtra Samithi is way ahead of its rivals. 43 per cent were in favour of KCR said India Today's Political Stock Exchange (PSE). The Congress president in Telangana, Uttam Kumar Reddy came a distant second with 18 per cent respondents voting in his favour. The BJP's Kishan Reddy was at third with 15 per cent votes. The findings showed that 48 per cent had expressed satisfaction with the KCR government. 26 per cent rated the government as bad while 16 said it was average. Also Read | BJP will fight on all seats in Telangana, KCR govt failed at every front: Shah The India Today Axis-My India poll was based on telephone interviews across all parliamentary constituencies of the state, with a sample size of 7,110. The voters said sanitisation remains a major issue. Unemployment and agriculture related issues came second and third respectively. On the choice of PM, 44 per cent said they favour Narendra Modi, while Rahul Gandhi came second with 39 per cent. Andhra Pradesh: In Andhra Pradesh, there was not much cheer for Chandrababu Naidu. 43 per cent supported Y S Jaganmohan Reddy as the next CM, while Naidu came second with 38 per cent. 36 per cent rated the ruling TDP government as bad, while 33 per cent said it was good. However in AP, Rahul Gandhi received a better rating for next PM over Modi. 44 per cent voted in favour of Rahul Gandhi, while 38 favoured Modi. Also Read | Telangana Mahakutami: Why has the CPI-M stayed away from TDP-Congress Sanitation followed by agricultural problems, joblessness and price rise emerged as major issues for Andhra residents, according to the PSE survey with a sample size of 10,650. Karnataka: In Karnataka, Modi got the nod of 55 per cent while Rahul Gandhi was preferred by 42 per cent of the respondents. In the case of the ruling Congress-JD(S) government, 35 per cent expressed dissatisfaction, while 28 per cent rated it as average. Only 23 per cent rated the government as good. Drinking water was the major issue, followed by sanitisation, agriculture and price rise, the PSE survey showed. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 16, 2018, 9:17 [IST] TMC delegation to meet Election Commission in Delhi today; To request for early bypolls in Bengal EC declares bypolls to seven Rajya Sabha seats in six states Bypoll: EC notice to Assam minister for 'give and take' remark When Election Commissioner Sunil Arora's bag went missing in Jaipur India oi-Vikas SV Jaipur, Sep 16: Election Commissioner Sunil Arora bag, which had gone missing in Jaipur today, has been found. Arora, along with Chief Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat and Deputy Election Commissioner Sandeep Saxena, was in Jaipur today to review preparations for the upcoming Rajasthan assembly elections later this year. When Arora reached Jaipur airport, he noticed that his bag was missing. It was initially believed that it had been stolen. Even Jaipur Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora had reached the airport. Later, Arora's bag was found. His bag had been mistakenly kept in a car different from the one he was riding in. On Monday, the EC officials will hold meetings with representatives of national political parties. They will also hold meetings with divisional commissioners, district election officers, IGs, SPs and other officers to discuss poll preparations, said Chief Electoral Officer of Rajasthan Anand Kumar. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 16, 2018, 19:46 [IST] 'Will not campaign for BJP in 2019, says Ramdev'; Cautions govt against fuel price rise India oi-Vikas SV New Delhi, Sep 16: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, who is a staunch supporter of the Modi-led government, on Sunday said he will not campaign for the BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. It must be recalled that in 2014 Ramdev had actively worked in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Ramdev cautioned that price rise across the country, if not controlled soon, may prove costly for the Modi government in the next general elections. "Many laud the policies of the Modi government, but some need correction now....Price rise is an big issue and Modi ji will have to take corrective measures soon, failing which 'mehngai ki aag to Modi Sarkar ko bahut mehngi padegi' (the fire of rising prices will prove costly for the Modi government," he said at the "NDTV Yuva" conclave. He said Prime Minister will have to initiate steps to bring down prices including that of petrol and diesel prices soon. Ramdev sidestepped a question on whether he still had faith in Modi which he had reposed in 2014. He said he was a centrist and was neither a rightist nor a leftist and that no one should needle him as he has adopted "Maun Yoga" (silence) on many crucial issues, as per a PTI report. Ramdev also said he was a strong nationalist. Asked if he would campaign for the BJP this time, Ramdev shot back, "Why would I? I will not campaign for them." "I have withdrawn politically. I am with all the parties and I am independent," he said. The 52-year-old Yoga teacher said it was people's "fundamental right" to criticise Prime Minister Modi, while stating he has "done good work" such as launching the Clean India mission and not allowing any major scam to happen. He said the government should bring petrol and diesel under the ambit of Goods and Services Tax and put them in the lowest slab as people's "pockets were being emptied". He said the country will not stop functioning due to revenue loss and this could be made up by imposing more taxes on the rich. Ramdev also termed as shameful that India was being dubbed as "rape capital" by some due to rising cases of rapes and said yoga can help in its prevention. He alleged "nudity" was one of the reasons responsible for rising crimes and he did not support it. "I am modern, but modernity does not mean you indulge in nudity. We are living in a civilised society," he added. OneIndia News with PTI inputs For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 16, 2018, 20:29 [IST] SpaceX booked 'world's first' private passenger On Thursday, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced via a tweet that the company has signed the world's first private passenger for a trip around the moon. However, he didn't reveal the identity of the mystery passenger but has promised to provide details via a press conference scheduled for Monday, September 17, at the company's Hawthorne headquarters. Who Is SpaceX's Mystery Moon Passenger? SpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed that Yusaku Maezawa, a Japanese billionaire and founder of Zozotown, Japan's largest online clothing retailer, will be the first private customer to ride around the Moon on the company's future massive rocket, the Big Falcon Rocket (BFR). Cost of the trip? The high cost of the trip - estimated at around $150m (120m) - means the person is also presumably a billionaire. According to Forbes magazine's rich list, there are 34 Japanese-born billionaires in the world, though many of them may be too old to take the trip. Elon Musk had said two humans take that trip at some point in 2018 SpaceX announced in February 2017 that two people had signed up for a weeklong trek around the moon, which the company aimed to launch before the end of 2018. That mission was to use SpaceX's Dragon crew capsule and Falcon Heavy rocket. Had SpaceX followed through with that plan, it could have returned humans to the moon near the 50th anniversary of NASA's historic Apollo 8 mission around the moon in December 1968. UP B.Ed JEE Exam to be held on July 30 Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to reach Lucknow on July 16; Key meetings scheduled in Delhi before visit Members of farmers' body detained in Lucknow for trying to burn effigies of PM Modi, Shah Man gets death sentence for killing cousin and her mother Lucknow oi-Madhuri Adnal Lucknow, Sep 16: A court here has sentenced a man to death for killing his cousin and her mother in 2013. The court of Additional Sessions Judge Arunvir Vashishtha pronounced the verdict on Friday. The court in its order said the convict, Rishu Grover, "be hanged till death" for the crime. Grover (30) had killed Heena Grover (22) and her mother Usha Rani (55) on the intervening night of May 21 and 22 in 2013 at their residence in Mohalla Fatehgunj near Baba Than Singh Chowk here in the heart of the city. According to an FIR, Rishu and Heena were in a relationship and the accused was infuriated over Heena's marriage getting fixed with someone else. After committing the crime, he managed to escape with cash and jewellery, as per the FIR. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 16, 2018, 12:45 [IST] Diwali 2021: How to perform Lakshmi puja at home, puja samagri, vidhi and shubh muhurat STF nabs two dacoits New Delhi oi-Madhuri Adnal Noida, Sep 16: Two men allegedly involved in several dacoities and killings in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh were arrested Saturday by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force following an encounter in Gautam Buddh Nagar, officials said. The accused - Deepak Bawaria and Pradeep Bawaria - members of notorious Bawaria gang were involved in dacoities and killings, they said. Deepak was from Farukkhabad in UP, while Pradeep a native of Bharatpur in Rajasthan. But both were staying in Delhi, STF officials said. Also Read | 9 dacoits accused of several loots arrested "The Noida unit of the STF has been getting inputs about several dacoities carried out by the Bawaria Gang in Lucknow and Barabanki this year. Four of the gang members were held earlier this year, while these were absconding," a senior STF official said. "The field unit of the Noida STF had learnt from sources that the duo would be coming to Greater Noida to carry out another dacoity. They were held near an engineering college under Knowledge Park police station limits in the district at 2.05 am," the official said. According to officials, Deepak was carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 on his arrest. Police have seized two country-made pistols, bullets and a motorcycle belonging to the two accused. "During interrogation, Deepak (24), said his gang had carried out dacoities in several cities of UP, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh," the STF said. Also Read | Wanted criminal arrested in Haryana The two have been charged with criminal cases in various police stations, including in Lucknow and Barabanki. An FIR was registered against them at the Knowledge Park police station Saturday under Indian Penal Code sections 307 for attempt to murder and under the provisions of the Arms Act. For More New Delhi News, Click Here For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 16, 2018, 11:42 [IST] Ms Mayawati said the effort of the Opposition parties will be to stop the BJP from returning to power at any cost. Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Sunday delivered a major jolt to efforts for Opposition unity against the BJP when she declared that she would join the alliance only if she was given a respectable number of seats for the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. Talking to reporters here, she said she was not against the principle of an alliance but would enter one only if she was given a respectable number of seats. She said that the option of going alone in the polls was always open for her. Earlier, reports from the BSP camp had suggested Ms Mayawati would not settle for anything less than 40 out of the states 80 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. Ms Mayawati said the effort of the Opposition parties will be to stop the BJP from returning to power at any cost. She targeted the BJP, claiming its governments at the Centre and in the states had worsened the condition of the people by offering false dreams. In another significant move, Ms Mayawati snubbed Chandra Shekhar, the Bhim Army chief, and said that she had no relations with these sort of people. The Bhim Army leader, Chandra Shekhar, had on Friday said that Ms Mayawati was like his bua (aunt) and that he appreciated the fact that she was working for dalits. Chandra Shekhar had been released from jail where he had spent 15 months under the National Security Act, Ms Mayawati warned her followers to beware of such elements who set up organisations in the name of dalits for their selfish material motives. Ms Mayawati even accused the Bhim Army chief of instigating caste violence in Shabbirpur in Saharanpur last year and said that he was strengthening the BJP behind the scenes. She denied having any relation or blood connection with Chandra Shekhar, who had claimed he and the BSP president had the same dalit blood. If they are true well-wishers of dalits, where was the need to set up a separate organisation? They should have strengthened the dalit movement under the BSP flag, she said. She also said the BJP will continue to prop up such outfits till the Lok Sabha elections. Ms Mayawati also attack the BJP for using the name of former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to derive political mileage in an election year. The BJP is trying to divert attention from its failures. If the BJP really had any respect for Vajpayee, they should have followed his footsteps in governance and not allowed religious insanity and mob lynching in the name of protecting the cow, she stated. Ms Mayawati attacked the Narendra Modi government for prohibiting the use of the word dalit and replacing it with Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe on the ground that it was used in the Constitution. She said in that case even Hindustan should not be used as the Constitution mentioned only Bharat. The BSP chief thanked the BJP for implicating her in the Taj Corridor scam when she refused to enter into an alliance for the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. Speaking at the press conference, which was held for the first time in her new accommodation in Lucknow after she was forced to vacate her sprawling bungalow on the Supreme Courts orders, Ms Mayawati said: It was after the BJPs attempt to trouble me that my supporters decided to collect small donations with which I could buy a house for myself . This is how I bought this property and another one in Delhi. Diwali 2021: How to perform Lakshmi puja at home, puja samagri, vidhi and shubh muhurat Punjab State Dear Diwali Bumper Lottery Results 2021 Today: How to check, direct link here UIDAI official accused of sexual assault New Delhi oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Sep 16: A woman has accused a senior official of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) of sexually assaulting her in south Delhi's Sarojini Nagar, police said Saturday. Based on a complaint filed by the victim, a case was registered at the Sarojini Nagar Police station, they said. In her statement to police, she alleged the accused called her at his residence in Sarojini Nagar on September 10 and sexually assaulted her, a police official said. Also Read | Indian techie assaulted sleeping woman on flight as wife sat next to him When she resisted, he threatened her, he said. The victim alleged the accused was alone in the house at the time of incident, he added. After recording the victim's statement, the police began investigation into the allegations, he added. The case has been transferred to the crime branch.The victim was employed at an Aadhaar office situated near Pragati Maidan metro station, the police said. Also Read | Pune: Maulana Rahim held for sexual abuse sent to police custody They are probing all angles, including the authenticity of the allegations levelled against the accused, since they also learnt the victim was removed from work the same day the alleged incident took place, the official said. Further investigation is underway, he said. For More New Delhi News, Click Here For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Sunday, September 16, 2018, 10:56 [IST] Group's presidential candidate N Sai Balaji bagged 2,161 votes; Sarika Choudhary bagged 2,692 votes and was elected vice prez. All India Students' Association, Students' Federation of India, Democratic Students' Federation and All India Students' Federation have come together to form the 'United Left' alliance. (Photo: File| PTI) New Delhi: The united front of Left student groups AISA, SFI, AISF and DSF won all four central panel posts in Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) polls, the election committee announced on Sunday. The grouping's presidential candidate N Sai Balaji won after bagging 2,161 votes. Sarika Choudhary bagged 2,692 votes and was elected the vice president. Aejaj Ahmed polled 2,423 votes and won the post of general secretary. Amutha was elected the joint secretary with 2,047. The Left-backed All India Students' Association (AISA), Students' Federation of India (SFI), Democratic Students' Federation (DSF) and All India Students' Federation (AISF) have come together to form the 'United Left' alliance. Besides the Left bloc, there were candidates of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which is the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Congress-affiliated NSUI (National Students' Union of India) and BAPSA (Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students Association). The voter turnout in the keenly contested JNUSU election on Friday was 67.8 per cent, believed to be the highest in six years. Over 5,000 students cast their votes. The fire continues to rage even after 12 hours in the market, near Writers' Building and RBI office. 'I and the chief secretary will be available on the phone anytime. These two committees will look after any emergency situation,' the CM said. (Photo: File) Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said there was no report of anybody being trapped inside the Bagree Market, where a massive fire rages on even after 12 hours. A concerned Banerjee, who left for business summits in Germany and Italy, told reporters at the NSC Bose International Airport that she also had no information of any casualty in the incident. "Nobody is trapped in the building. Also, no report of any casualty or injury has reached us. Steps are being taken. Fire will be controlled soon," she said, adding, two committees have already been formed to deal with any emergency situation and natural calamity during her overseas tour. The committees comprise a group of ministers and senior administrative officials, she said. Read: Massive fire erupts in Kolkata's Bagri market, no casualties reported "I and the chief secretary will be available on the phone anytime. These two committees will look after any emergency situation," the CM said. A massive fire erupted early Sunday at the multi-storey Bagree Market, which houses nearly 1,000 business establishments. The fire continues to rage even after 12 hours in the market, which is around a kilometre away from the Writers' Building and the Reserve Bank of India office here. Thirty fire tenders have been pressed into service to douse the fire at the over 60-year-old building. Around 100 stranded tourists rescued in joint operations. Personnel of the Indian Army and the Air Force personnel can be seen evacuating the stranded tourists from North Sikkim in a joint operation on Sunday. (Photo: Asian Age) Kolkata: The Indian Army and Air Force (IAF) have rescued around 100 stranded tour-ists in a joint operation from North Sikkim. On Sunday morning, the Trishakti Corps of Indian Army and IAF launched the air evacuation of tourists stranded in the rain hit far flung areas and airlifted them. Three days ago, areas of North Sikkim got cut off at several places, due to the incessant rain resulting into multiple landslides, and road and bri-dges getting washed away. A number of tourists were stuck there. On requisition for aid by the civil administration, the Army immediately pr-essed for helicopters of the Army Aviation and IAF for a swift evacuation of stra-nded tourists for last three days requiring urgent assistance, the Eastern Command said in a statement. It elaborated that the helicopters have made several sorties from Gangtok and Sevok and evacuated approximately 100 persons, which included the aged, women and children. A pregnant woman and her husband were also evacuated. In addition to that, medical help was provided to people having medical problems before airlifting. Anticipa-ting the grave situation, the Indian Ar-my also made necessary arrangements of tents, blankets and food for the stranded tourists. On the tourists arrival at Sevok and Gangtok, all requiring medical assistance were again recheck-ed and were facilitated for their onward move to the-ir homes. A senior army officer said that the evacuation operation would continue till all stranded personnel are moved out from the affected area. The dignitaries had visited the state during the Bengal Global Business Summit this year. Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee Sunday left for a 12-day trip to Germany and Italy to attract more investments to the state. Banerjee, accompanied by finance minister Amit Mitra, finance secretary H.K. Dwivedi and chief secretary Malay Dey, left for Frankfurt and Milan at around 9.45 am, official sources said. The chief minister is likely to return on September 28, they said. Banerjee said she was invited by industrialists, businessmen and the government of the two European countries. The dignitaries had visited the state during the Bengal Global Business Summit this year. I am going to Frankfurt and Milan to bring in more business and industry to the state. We will be holding two meetings one in Frankfurt and another in Milan, she told reporters at the NSC Bose International Airport before leaving for Dubai enroute to Europe. She said there were invitations from Poland, where power minister Sobhandeb Chatterjee had recently visited, and that IT secretary Debashish Sen would soon be visiting Silicon Valley in the US. We are benefitted by these kind of visits because they bring in more investments to the state, the chief minister added. The victims, in the age group of 9 to 10 years, were allegedly ragged and their private parts tied with manja (string) by the accused. The boys had complained to the Ved Pathshala director, Sudhir Kulkarni, about the inhuman treatment they were being subjected to on the pretext of ragging but their pleas were disregarded, the official said. (Representational image) Mumbai: The 42-year-old director of a vedic school in Maharashtras Parbhani district was arrested and two juvenile students were detained for the alleged assault and ragging of two other minor students, police said Sunday. The victims, in the age group of 9 to 10 years, were allegedly ragged and their private parts tied with manja (string) by the accused, Parbhanis deputy superintendent of police Sanjay Pardeshi said. The incident occurred at the Ganesh Ved Pathshala, located on Basmat Road in Parbhani, 500 km from Mumbai, between August 26 and September 12, and it came to light last Wednesday when parents of the two victims complained to the police about it, he said. The accused students allegedly ragged the boys, tied their private parts with the string and also beat them up. Following the incident, the victims suffered injury to their private parts, Pardeshi said. The boys had complained to the Ved Pathshala director, Sudhir Kulkarni, about the inhuman treatment they were being subjected to on the pretext of ragging but their pleas were disregarded, the official said. The boys then narrated the incident to their parents who lodged a complaint with the Parbhani city police following which Kulkarni was arrested on Saturday for ignoring the complaints of the victims while the two accused, who are 10 and 13 years old, were detained, Pardeshi said. Offences were registered against the accused under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), and provisions of the Maharashtra Prohibition of Ragging Act and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, he said. Pardeshi said during the investigation, the police found that the Ved Pathshala, where only six students were enrolled, was not registered with the registrar office and was running illegally. Meanwhile, Kulkarni was produced before a local court which remanded him in judicial custody. The two accused students were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board which sent the duo to a remand home, Pardeshi said. Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia: The European Central Bank (ECB) has "no plans" to issue its own digital currency, President Mario Draghi wrote in a letter addressed to member of European Parliament. "The ECB and the Eurosystem currently have no plans to issue a central bank digital currency (CBDC)," he said in the letter. With a healthy economy and a lack of major international disputes, the central bank of the Eurozone sees no need to go crypto. "Nonetheless, we are carefully analysing the potential consequences of issuing such a currency as a complement to cash," Draghi added. The ECB is closely following activities by other central banks and working together with the central bank community in the context of standard-setting bodies such as the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI). "Our analyses consider the implications for the transmission of monetary policy, payment systems, financial stability and the economy more broadly," Draghi said. He said that there are several reasons why they do not consider issuing a CBDC to be a concrete option for the near future. The underlying technology is still fragile and the use of physical cash still high in the euro zone, he pointed out. He further explained saying that the technologies which could potentially be used to issue a central bank digital currency, such as distributed ledgers, have not yet been thoroughly tested and require substantial further development before they could be us...................... To view our full article Click here Breast Implants Market 2018-2024 key companies Allergan, Sientra, Inc., Laboratoires Arion, GC Aesthetics, CEREPLAS, Silimed, Johnson & Johnson, POLYTECH Health and Aesthetics, Hansbiomed Co. Global Market Insights https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/2020 https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/breast-implants-market https://www.gminsights.com https://www.gminsights.com/blogs The Breast Implants Market is poised to surpass USD 4 billion by 2024; according to a new research study published by Global Market Insights, Inc. Rising number of breast augmentation procedures coupled with increasing breast cancer incidence will drive market size over the forecast time-frame.Augmentation procedures enable women to increase their breast size and improves bust and hip contour balance. Reconstruction procedures help to restore one or both breasts to near normal size, shape and appearance.High cost of implantation procedure will impede industry expansion. Risk of complications in the case of both saline and silicone implants further limits procedure adoption. Complications associated with the procedure include infection, scarring, capsular formation and contraction, sensation changes to breast and nipple and chances of implant rupture. Additional surgeries may be required for treating the same.Request for a sample of this research report @Silicone implants accounted for the largest revenue share due to its resemblance to natural breast tissue. Other benefits such as reduced probability of rippling and wrinkling further boosts adoption. However, difficulty of detecting device rupture restrains segment expansion. The rupture can only be detected after conducting an MRI.Anatomical implants are poised to grow at a lucrative pace owing to its sloped contour with more implant material located at the bottom that provides a more natural appearance. These inserts provide greater projection with same volume as compared to round shaped ones. However, risk of rotation and rippling coupled with higher costs restrains segment growth.Browse key industry insights spread across 95 pages with 118 market data tables & 18 figures & charts from the report, Breast Implants Market in detail along with the table of contents:Application of the inserts in breast reconstruction will grow at a rapid rate over the forecast time frame due to increasing incidence of breast cancer. Growing awareness regarding reconstruction surgery has resulted in increasing procedure adoption. Advantages of the reconstruction surgery such as short duration and less complex nature along with little scarring should further escalate demand. However, risks of complications such as infections, bleeding and delayed healing limits adoption rate to some extent.U.S. breast implants market held significant industry share. Increasing number of women opting for augmentation procedures will drive growth.Increasing per capita expenditure on cosmetic procedures will serve to be a high impact rendering factor. South Korea breast implants market is slated to witness robust growth over the forecast years. Increasing number of clinics and hospitals catering to plastic surgery coupled with increasing number of plastic surgeons is driving industry growth. Increasing desire to look attractive for excelling in professional life further fuels demand. Furthermore, growing influx of overseas patients especially from neighboring countries augments industry expansion.Prominent industry players include GC Aesthetics, Sientra, Allergan, Mentor, Arion Laboratoires, Ideal Implant, Groupe Sebbin, Cereplas, Establishment Labs and HansBiomed. The industry players resort to strategic initiatives such as agreements, acquisition and strong emphasis on product development and innovation in order to broaden their product portfolio and strengthen industry presence. For instance, in June 2016, Establishment Labs entered into a ten-year distribution agreement with Human Wellness Corporation to market its Motiva Implants.About Global Market InsightsGlobal Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog: Oregon officials denied a petition, submitted by environmental advocates this summer, to grant protection to the Humboldt marten under the state's Endangered Species Act. The tiny mammals, small carnivores in the weasel family of which there are thought to be fewer than 200 in the state, once roamed the coastal mountains from the Columbia River south to Sonoma County in Northern California, but their population has been decimated by over-trapping and logging of old growth forests, according to the petition, which was submitted in June. In Oregon, only two populations of the marten exist, one in the Siskiyou National Forest and the other in the Siuslaw National Forest, both isolated from one another. A recent study found that even the incidental death of one or two martens per year could lead to extinction of the Oregon populations in coming decades. At a fish and wildlife commission meeting in Bandon on Friday, state officials said the petition lacked the scientific evidence necessary to grant the animal special protection. "Humboldt martens have been nearly wiped out in Oregon, but state wildlife officials are obstinately refusing to protect them," said Tierra Curry, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the groups that filed the petition. "Oregon's decision to ignore the available science could lead to the extirpation of the state's cutest creature." -- Kale Williams kwilliams@oregonian.com 503-294-4048 Portland's elected officials are doing their part to promote the $652.8 million regional housing bond going to voters this November. They have contributed to the campaign, offered their heartfelt support in public meetings and signed on as official endorsers for the bond. But if they really want to help get and keep families housed, they should focus on how their own policies stand in the way. Because regardless of the bond's success or failure, the duration and severity of this housing crisis hinge on whether leaders encourage the market as a whole to add more housing or quash it. Unfortunately, a sweeping proposal being developed by Portland City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly falls squarely in the latter category. Eudaly announced months ago that her office was looking at the process with which landlords screen potential tenants. The intent, policy director Jamey Duhamel told The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board, is to ensure fair rental practices while helping needy renters, whose monthly income, criminal background, or credit history would typically turn off potential landlords. The motivation seems understandable. The method, however, leaves much to be desired. Eudaly's eight-page proposal as currently drafted is heavy-handed, overly complicated and forces so much financial and legal risk onto landlords that many may opt to leave the rental business altogether. And the bigger question remains: How do these policies make housing any more affordable? Among the many concerns in the latest version released: landlords aren't allowed to require that applicants show a monthly income of more than twice the monthly rent, even though three times monthly rent is more typical as assurance that a tenant can afford the payments. Landlords must go through an extensive and confusing matrix of questions in evaluating whether an applicant's criminal history merits a denial. And landlords must issue a written explanation to tenants who are denied after being vetted. The "notice of denial" must detail the reasons for turning down the applicant and establish that they are "highly and substantially more probably to be true than not that the applicant as a tenant will adversely affect the substantial, legitimate, non-discriminatory interest of the landlord." It's not just a daunting set of poorly-written requirements. It's also an invitation to rejected applicants to sue. Duhamel said Eudaly's office is focusing on how to "fine-tune" the proposal, which is tentatively scheduled to go before the City Council next month, to ease the administrative burden. But the flaws in the policy aren't going to be fixed by fine-tuning. The problems are baked into the fundamental assumptions underlying the policy. For example, the screening proposal seems to assert that the city - not landlords - should get to decide how much financial risk landlords should bear. Citizens have not and should not hand over that kind of authority to city commissioners who believe their policy choices trump an individual's financial autonomy. It also fails to consider that there are many landlords and affordable-housing groups that already accept tenants with criminal histories or credit problems. They do so not by following a rigid list of criteria but after considering the mix of tenants or other location-specific issues that make a tenant more suitable in one building than another. And it neglects to address the underlying reason that people are struggling to find affordable places to live - a lack of housing on every income level caused by years of underbuilding. Instead, such onerous mandates on landlords - with limited ways to protect against the risk - could prompt some to drastically raise rent when units become vacant or take the property out of the rental market entirely. Duhamel said that, in her opinion, only a handful of landlords would likely get out of the business altogether, dismissing "what if" concerns as "fearmongering." But she acknowledges the city has no data on how a previous policy - mandatory relocation assistance to tenants whose leases are not renewed - may have affected the rental market. Others, who admittedly represent the landlord viewpoint, say it has definitely led to the loss of many rentals. Since the beginning of the year, 30 landlords who used the Garcia Group property management firm decided to sell their properties, owner Ron Garcia told The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board. That's a tenth of the ownership portfolio, he said, and many of the properties were condos or single-family homes that likely went to buyers seeking to occupy, rather than rent, the property. The region's housing crisis is real with thousands of homeless people living on the street and many more on the brink as wages don't keep pace with rent. But landlords' screening policies aren't the reason Portland is in a housing crisis. Leaders should focus on the true culprit - the need for more housing at all income levels - and make sure they don't unwittingly become an accomplice. -Helen Jung for The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board This editorial expresses the opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, one of whose members owns a rental condominium unit. 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, Therese Bottomly and John Maher. Members of the board meet regularly to determine our institutional stance on issues of the day. We publish editorials when we believe our unique perspective can lend clarity and influence an upcoming decision of great public interest. Editorials are opinion pieces and therefore different from news articles. However, editorials are reported and written by either Laura Gunderson or Helen Jung. To respond to this editorial, post your comment below, submit an OpEd or a letter to the editor. Three people were killed and another person injured Saturday after a two-car crash near the McMinnville Municipal Airport. The crash occurred around 1:10 p.m. along Oregon 18 near milepost 48 when an eastbound 2001 Pontiac Grand Am crashed head-on into a westbound 2005 Subaru Legacy, according to Oregon State Police. The driver of the Pontiac, 19-year-old Joseph Hawkins of Salem, and two passengers in the Subaru, 59-year-old Mary Verdier, of Vancouver and 60-year-old Susan Heffel of McMinnville, died at the scene, police said. The Subaru driver, 70-year-old Roger Verdier of Vancouver, was taken to a hospital. Police have not released an update on Verdier's condition. A police investigation of the crash is ongoing. Everton Bailey Jr. Simple had hoped to invent an entirely different kind of bank. From its start in 2009, the Southeast Portland company cast itself as an altruistic, tech-savvy business, offering new generations a distinct alternative to the stolid financial institutions withering amid the Great Recession. As its name suggests, Simple aspired to a straightforward approach to banking. It offered no-fee accounts built on a smartphone app geared at helping its young, mobile clientele accumulate personal savings and improve their financial health. Simple struggled, though, to resolve a central tension: Was it a bank or a tech company? The business stumbled repeatedly in the early years at basic banking services, enduring occasional outages that briefly cut off clients' access to their money. Meanwhile, Simple was slow to introduce new technology and watched with dismay as the old-line banks it reviled began co-opting some of the concepts it pioneered, and its growth suffered. "Honestly, I think one of the things that happened is we became a little bit complacent," said Dickson Chu, an executive with Simple's corporate parent, the Spanish bank BBVA, who stepped in as interim CEO in May. Simple spent too much time thinking about its own culture, he said, and gave too little thought to the people it initially had hoped to serve. "We forgot about the customer," said Chu, a former PayPal executive. "We really did." Simple has replaced nearly its entire executive team in the past year and laid off 10 percent of its staff. It retreated from its showcase headquarters in Southeast Portland into a smaller annex across the street. Weary from last year's upheaval, Simple is now trying to reboot. Chu wants to instill a new sense of urgency and focus, but some longtime employees are wary of the blunt language from the new guy from corporate. Still, Chu insists he isn't changing Simple's original mission or what set it apart from established banks that profit from hidden fees, overdraft charges and hard-sell pitches from loan officers and account managers. "We do not and should not make any money on customer confusion," Chu said. 'We don't suck' Simple created a local sensation in 2011 when it moved its headquarters from Brooklyn to Portland. Here was a nationally known startup choosing Oregon over New York at a time when the state's tech scene was just awakening after nearly a decade of decline. Simple said it chose Portland for its friendly, tech-savvy vibe, just the image it hoped to communicate to its customers through a cadre of soon-to-be-hired customer service reps, always at the ready to answer questions and solve clients' problems. And Simple became the rare Oregon company focused on consumer technology, a service people could actually use instead of computer hardware or arcane back-end business tools. At a time when Americans reviled the big financial institutions that triggered the Great Recession, co-founder Josh Reich had a single organizing principle for his new business: "We don't suck." Technologists embraced that tagline and the concept of a no-fee bank with amiable customer service and online tools designed to encourage clients to save. Simple makes its money on interest from customers' deposits and merchant fees generated when customers use their accounts. Simple doesn't charge monthly account fees, out-of-network ATM fees, overdraft fees and other surcharges common at legacy banks. The Portland company doesn't have bank branches, offer home or auto loans, or other services like conventional banks. It's just a straightforward place to stash your cash. It's also not a bank. Not technically, at least. And that turned out to be kind of a problem. Federal regulators, wary of the abuses that triggered the 2007-2009 global financial crisis, all but stopped issuing new banking charters. So Simple had to find a partner to do the actual banking while it provided the services. The complex arrangement created regulatory, technical and financial obstacles that persisted for years. "The timing was difficult," said Reich, who ran Simple for its entire history, until last spring. Simple ultimately gave up trying to go it alone, selling to BBVA in 2014 for $117 million. BBVA opened its wallet, and Simple added hundreds of Portland employees. It outgrew a succession of offices around the city's core before moving across the Willamette to a brand-new development near OMSI. "Clumsiness" Outwardly, Simple was thriving. The story inside the company was more complicated. Periodic outages when Simple first started out cut customers off from their accounts, undermining customer faith in the startup. Reich once accidentally emailed disappointing internal business results to a journalist who had the same name as a new employee. And just last year, Simple had to close some customer accounts when it ran out of time to move them all to BBVA from its original banking partner. It chalked up the failure to "clumsiness." Current and former employees say management was unprepared for the scale of the task. All startups struggle to adapt as they grow. Companies like Simple, which place a special emphasis on creating an inclusive, fun-loving workplace, sometimes trigger a backlash if they fail to maintain the tight-knit, unified culture that initially attracted employees. Simple had the added challenge of learning to exist within BBVA, a multinational banking group with $840 billion in assets, 130,000 employees and 75 million customers worldwide. Even with an unusual degree of autonomy, managers and employees had to learn to accommodate corporate systems and imperatives beyond their control. While Simple was coping with growing pains, established institutions from Bank of America to Wells Fargo were upgrading their smartphone apps and adding features that mimicked some of the concepts Simple introduced. "It sucks when you see Wells Fargo, with all its reputational problems, launching features you came up with," Reich said, referencing the years of scandals that have plagued the San Francisco-based bank. Stress was piling up among Simple's nearly 300 Portland employees and its customer growth wasn't meeting projections, making plans to lease additional office space and potentially triple the workforce seem completely out of scale. A federal lawsuit filed last month by a former Simple manager describes rampant infighting ahead of the 2017 layoffs, with executives both undermining and contradicting one another about the company's priorities. The suit alleges Simple violated federal workplace protections by laying off the manager after she took medical leave. Separately, Simple fired two senior, male managers last year after colleagues raised accusations of harassment and bullying against them. Simple has long struggled with the central question of whether its priorities lay in banking or technology. A bank must be dependable, steady and unfailingly reliable. It's holding people's money, after all. A tech company is a different beast, nimble and imaginative, revolutionary and willing to accept failure so long as it innovates. To Reich, there was no question about Simple's identity: It was, and would always be, a tech company. Last year's overhaul was engineered to make that plain, sacrificing a measure of growth to focus on developing and introducing new banking services. "That was probably one of the hardest pills we had to swallow, and that was the decision to go back and focus on building great products rather than just focusing on growth," Reich said. "If we didn't invest in building a better product, we would just become a marketing company." As recently as 2016 Simple envisioned as many as 900 Portland employees at its Southeast Portland campus. Instead, it now has 300 altogether, including 250 in Portland, all of whom will soon consolidate into the smaller office across from the headquarters it moved into just two years ago. It will sublease the original space. The layoffs and management exodus accomplished their goals, Reich contends, and renewed focus on Simple's services and developing new products. It put the business on a more robust path, he says, albeit with some cultural cost. "That's the downside of having a highly empathetic company," Reich said, "is when you go through down times you feel it." And then Reich left, just nine months after the layoffs. He remains on Simple's board but now spends most days tending to a small farm near Silverton. If it's not exactly mission accomplished, Reich says he's confident Simple is in good hands with BBVA, with a cultural and mission that doesn't require his hands-on involvement to stay on track. "I think we have the least-suckiest bank that's out there right now," Reich said. "You need to put some points on the board" Back in Portland, Chu is reckoning with Simple's legacy and its future. Connecting the two is sometimes problematic. In his first all-hands meeting, Chu set out to dispel employees' concerns about their new boss. No, he wasn't here to lay everyone off. No, he wasn't going to change Simple's values. But he also wasn't going to remedy the hard feelings that accumulated in the preceding years. If employees can't move past that, they shouldn't let the door hit them on the way out, Chu said, according to accounts from three people who heard the remark. "Maybe it was unfortunate phrasing on my part," Chu allows. His point, he said this past week, was that employees who aren't able to get over disappointments or lack of trust from past experiences might be better off starting fresh somewhere else. Neither Reich nor Chu will discuss details of the harassment and bullying allegations that led Simple to part ways with two managers last year, nor will they comment on the separate medical leave lawsuit. But Chu notes that Oregon's Bureau of Labor and Industries dismissed the medical leave case when the former employee filed a complaint earlier this year. And he said Simple acted immediately when management learned of the unrelated harassment allegations. "We will never tolerate inappropriate behavior," Chu said. "It's not who we are. It's not the culture we want. It's not the company we're trying to create." Nearing the end of its first decade, Simple is no longer the bright new face in financial technology. Chase and Goldman Sachs each have online banking services (Finn and Marcus, respectively) that emphasize setting and tracking savings goals. There are several Simple lookalikes offering comparable services. Simple aspires to be more than just a pretty interface, according to Chu. He said the company has put together a product roadmap for the first time in its history. The first of these new services, something he teases as "a bit provocative," launches Sept. 26. While the search continues for a new CEO, Chu, 53, is commuting to Portland from his home in San Francisco four days a week. He has a wife and two children there, but said he's open to the possibility of staying at Simple for the long term. Simple continues to enjoy a distinctly light-hearted Portland culture, accommodating employees' dogs in the office and throwing evening parties for the staff. BBVA has their backs, Chu said, but needs them "to put some points on the board." Sometime in the next year, Chu anticipates a big celebration to mark Simple's millionth customer (he won't say how many clients the company has today.) BBVA remains committed to Simple, Chu says, and believes in the broader mission that inspired the business nearly a decade ago. "Simple has enormous potential as a standalone business. If you're here, you want to build an important business. We're not a charity," Chu says. "You've got to do well to do good." -- Mike Rogoway | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699 International Coastal Cleanup Day is held in various parts of the world on the third Saturday of September. The event was conducted and coordinated by headquarters, Coast Guard District (Maharashtra). Mumbai: The Indian Coast Guard Regional Headquarters (West) on Saturday observed International Coastal Cleanup 2018 Day in Maharashtra, as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The event was conducted and coordinated by headquarters, Coast Guard District (Maharashtra), from 8am to 11am at the Worli-Koliwada seafront, Juhu beach, Dadar beach, Khanoji island, Dahanu, Ratnagiri, and Murud-Janjira beach. Around 7,000 volunteers including NCC cadets, school and college students, staff of NGOs and other organisations, members of the local community, and NSS members joined hands with the Coast Guard in this noble initiative, a Coast Guard official said. Additional Director General K. Natarajan, PTM, TM, Coast Guard Commander (Western Seaboard) and Inspector General Vijay D. Chafekar, PTM, TM Commander Coast Guard Region (West) were present on the occasion. Approximate 5,000 kg of garbage was collected and handed over to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for disposal. Participants were enthusiastic about making beaches cleaner through combined efforts, an official statement from the Coast Guard said. International Coastal Cleanup Day is held in various parts of the world on the third Saturday of September. A man died Saturday afternoon from injuries suffered during a shark attack off Cape Cod, authorities said, the first fatal shark attack in Massachusetts in eight decades. Bystanders pulled a 26-year-old bite victim onto Newcomb Hollow Beach and performed CPR, Wellfleet Police Lt. Michael Hurley said in a statement. The man, who had been boogie-boarding with another person, according to the Associated Press, was sent to Cape Cod Hospital, where he later died, Hurley said. The Boston Globe identified the victim as Arthur Medici, from Revere, Massachusetts, a city just northeast of Boston and about a two-hour drive from Wellfleet. The National Park Service, which is responsible for that part of the Cape Cod National Seashore, tweeted that the attack took place about 300 yards south of the beach. It happened about 30 feet from shore, according to the Cape Cod Times. Access to the beach facing the sea was closed. Hurley said the Cape Cod District Attorney will handle an investigation into the incident. The seal population in the area has grown, and with them come sharks in aggressive pursuit, said Gavin Naylor, the director of the Florida Program for Shark Research. There have been recent reports of 10- to 12-foot white sharks in the region, he said. Many attacks occur when sharks mistake humans for prey in hit-and-run attacks, he told The Washington Post on Saturday. Researchers have suspected attacks may increase as sharks may have more chances to encounter people, especially as surfers chase waves brought on by hurricanes, he said. While he did not have details about Saturday's attack, Naylor said it was likely a white shark that attacked the man in a case of "mistaken identity" in the more shallow waters where boogie boarders seek waves. "A 12 foot-long, 1,200-pound white shark moving at 20 knots with an open mouth does a a bit of damage," he said. "They're like a truck when they get bigger." It has been 82 years since a shark attack claimed a life in Massachusetts. Joseph Troy Jr., a 16-year-old, was killed by a white shark in Mattapoisett on Buzzards Bay in 1936. Joe Booth, a local fisherman and surfer, watched the Saturday attack from shore, he told the AP. Medici kicked aggressively, Booth said, telling the Boston Herald that "the thrashing was unprecedented." There was a glimpse of a tail that pierced the water's surface. Then the other boogie boarder, possibly Medici's brother, dragged the injured man to the sand. "I was that guy on the beach screaming, "Shark, shark!" Booth told the AP. "It was like right out of that movie 'Jaws.' This has turned into Amity Island real quick out here." A California man quoted but not named by the Globe said he noticed the commotion as one man was pulling another to shore. Medici had been bitten on his right thigh, was bleeding heavily and was unconscious. Witnesses told the Cape Cod Times that bystanders tried to make tourniquets with a towel, dog leash and boogie-board cord. "I saw that he was bleeding and reached around the back of his leg, and there was nothing there," the California man told the Globe. "And there were bone-deep lacerations down by his calf." A retired physician estimated in The Cape Cod Times that emergency responders took at least 20 minutes to arrive; he and others suggested Medici died at the beach, possibly from loss of blood. Cape Cod National Seashore warned beachgoers on its website that no lifeguards are on duty at its beaches during offseason months, and advises them to watch for white sharks. The man's death Saturday comes exactly a month after an Aug. 15 shark attack off Cape Cod. A shark's powerful jaws clamped down William Lytton's leg a few yards from the shoreline at Truro Beach, about 10 miles north of where Saturday's attack occurred. Lytton freed himself by punching the shark in the gills, he told the Globe. He endured a half dozen surgeries and hopes to leave the hospital by the end of September, he told the paper. Shark attacks have increased worldwide each decade due to booming populations adding more bathers in the water, the International Shark Attack Files said, but nothing indicates a rise in the per capita rate. Attacks occur in nearshore waters, often near sandbars where potential meals congregate. Last month, beachgoers at Cape Cod watched a white shark tear a seal apart just feet away from the beach. -- Alex Horton, Keith McMillan LUMBERTON, N.C. - North Carolina officials warned residents Saturday not to become "complacent" about Tropical Storm Florence, which, despite weaker-than-expected winds, is poised to cause historic flooding and devastation for many days across much of the region. "We're trying to make it totally clear that this is deadly," Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin said, shortly after announcing an unprecedented mandatory evacuation order for all people who live within a mile of the Cape Fear River and the Little River. "We can't force folks to leave, but we are letting them know if they don't get out, they are not going to get help for some time." The Cape Fear River was about 12 feet high on Friday afternoon and is expected to rise to more than 62 feet in Fayetteville by Tuesday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Colvin noted that four people died in his city during Hurricane Matthew in 2016, when the river crested at 52 feet. Florence already has set rainfall records and left tens of thousands of people in shelters and more than 1 million homes without power. Officials confirmed at least 11 deaths, including one Saturday in South Carolina. But Gov. Roy Cooper, D, and other officials repeatedly warned Saturday that although people might think the worst of the storm is over, the volume of rainwater it will drop in the coming days will cause flooding not seen in a generation - if ever. As of Saturday, Florence had dropped 30 inches of rain, shattering the record of 24 inches set during Hurricane Floyd in 1999. And the forecast is for the storm, which has essentially stalled over North Carolina, to continue pouring down rain, perhaps 15 more inches. "We face walls of water - at our coast, along our rivers, across farmland, in our cities and in our towns," Cooper said at a news briefing. "More people now face imminent threat than when the storm was just offshore. I cannot overstate it. Floodwaters are rising, and if you aren't watching for them, you are risking your life." Officials issued several mandatory evacuation orders, including some 100 miles or more from Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, where Florence came ashore Friday with powerful winds and driving rains that only hinted at the catastrophic damage it is likely to inflict. "Know that the water is rising fast - everywhere, even in places that don't typically flood," Cooper said. "This system is unloading epic amounts of rainfall, in some places measured in feet and not inches. Many people who think the storm has missed them have yet to see its threat." Florence's sheer volume of water, much of it sucked up during its slow journey over warmer-than-usual Atlantic water, has left scientists sputtering for adequate descriptions. The storm is going to dump about 18 trillion gallons of water, which is about the volume of the Chesapeake Bay, or enough to cover the state of Texas in four inches of water, said Ryan Maue, a meteorologist with weathermodels.com. Maue said about 6 trillion gallons had fallen by Saturday afternoon. So, he said, "we're only about one-third of the way through this." That means rain will overflow already full rivers and streams far from the shoreline, and that, in turn, will have cascading effects throughout the watershed. In Lumberton, about 90 miles from the coast, the Lumber River was just below the flood stage of 13 feet at midday Saturday, and NOAA predicted that will nearly double by midday Sunday and remain at that level at least into Thursday. Even farther inland, NOAA predicted that the Little River will rise from 18 feet on Saturday to a record 35 feet on Sunday in Manchester, North Carolina, and it is predicted to stay above the previous record of 29 feet until at least Wednesday. Despite the dire predictions and official warnings, some residents were staying put at home, hoping for the best. As many of his Lumberton neighbors moved out Saturday, Tyson Jerald was busy moving in, hauling a dryer into the kitchen and assembling living room furniture. Jerald, a 40-year-old truck driver, had one eye on the move. The other, as he put it, was "24/7 on the Weather Channel," as the swirling red-and-green image known as Florence traveled across the screen and toward his new home. Two years ago, Hurricane Matthew swamped half of this neighborhood, which is divided by a canal that leads to the Lumber River. Jerald lived on the other side of the canal then, and his house was spared. But this storm feels different to him. "We've never seen anything like this," he said. "But Matthew taught us some things. Now I've got gas in all the cars, a generator, cash and we will get out of Dodge if we have to." A few houses down from Jerald's - and a few houses closer to the canal - Charlie McCormick was riding out the storm Saturday, his teenage children "happy and on Xbox and Netflix." But he said that decision could change Sunday, depending on Florence. McCormick was in his home during Matthew, and he watched the canal spill the other way and flood the older section of the neighborhood. "Our concern now is that the river will rise higher than it did with Matthew, and it looks like it will," he said. "We're watching, but there's not much else to do." The storm also is predicted to swell rivers to extreme flood levels well into Virginia. The Dan River in Danville, Paces and South Boston is projected to rise from its current level of about seven to 10 feet to about 30 feet on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to NOAA. In Roanoke, at the foot of Virginia's Shenandoah Mountains and nearly 300 miles from where Florence made landfall on a North Carolina beach, the Roanoke River is expected to rise from less than three feet now to more than 16 feet - major flooding levels - on Monday. Rescue crews - federal, state, local and private volunteers - have helped hundreds of stranded people. And at least 20,000 people have moved into shelters in North Carolina, officials said. Conditions are so poor across so much of the state that the head of North Carolina's transportation department asked that travelers avoid the state altogether. Jim Trogdon suggested that travelers essentially go around the state, detouring through Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia, if necessary. He said he wanted to prevent drivers from getting stranded amid rising floodwater and to keep roads as clear as possible for emergency workers. He noted that roads were flooding fast; the number of closures nearly doubled during the span of a few hours Saturday. Even major arteries such as Interstates 40 and 95 have been affected. "Road conditions across nearly all of our state will be rapidly deteriorating in coming days," he said. Also appearing at the afternoon briefing, Cooper, the governor, added: "Roads you think may be safe can be washed away in a matter of minutes." In Wilmington, close to where Florence came ashore, county and local officials said at a news conference that they are pleased with the state and federal response, but they also pleaded for agencies to help the Wilmington area as soon as possible, before the flooding worsens. "We're just now entering the thick of it," said Woody White, chairman of the New Hanover County Commission. "Overall, we survived this . . . but we're still in the middle of it." Wrightsville Beach Mayor Bill Blair said that his oceanfront community suffered significant damage, but that "the structural damage is not as severe as it looks" on social media. "We had some pretty big surges, and at high tide, the five- to six-foot surges very quickly covered a good portion of the island," he said. "We put out 75,000 cubic yards of sand on the beach a few months ago, and it looks like we lost most of it. But we did not have a breach" through the island. Access to the popular beach community Saturday was still limited to police, fire, government and repair crews. Blair said teams were working to get water and sewer facilities open again. Fallen trees and power lines blocked many Wilmington roads, and traffic lights were out virtually everywhere. Residents, clearly getting cabin fever after a full day indoors, began venturing out Saturday, but officials warned them to stay off the roads. Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo said some water-covered roads hide sinkholes that have developed in some locations. Twenty crews are clearing felled trees, but because many hanging or downed power lines hide within and beneath the trees, crews sometimes have to stop mid-work and call for utility crews to respond. About 112,000 people, out of 127,000 locally, remain without power in Wilmington, and Duke Energy officials warned Friday that it could be weeks before power is fully restored. At a Waffle House on Market Street, one of the very few businesses open Saturday, more than 20 people lined up outside, seeking hot food and a chance to get out of their homes. "My kids are tired of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches," said April Bellamy, 38, who said her apartment in the Creekwood neighborhood is without power and is likely to remain so for weeks. "I've been on that side of town all my life, and we're always the last to get power," she said. (c) 2018, The Washington Post. Story written by Scott Wilson, Patricia Sullivan, Emily Wax-Thibodeaux and Kevin Sullivan. Callahan's Mountain Lodge (7100 Old Highway 99 S., Ashland; 541-482-1299, 800-286-0507) is a family-owned and -operated full-service restaurant and lodge that has become a Southern Oregon landmark since it was established in 1947. The picturesque setting is tucked into a wooded canyon 10 minutes south of Ashland, just below Mt. Ashland Ski Resort and the Pacific Crest Trail. Guest rooms are furnished with corner jetted tubs, most with wood-burning fireplaces and terraces with rockers to while away the afternoon. Lodge amenities include a wine and gift shop, game room, horseshoe pit, rock waterfall features and more. The restaurant serves up breakfast, lunch and dinner. Start the day with basic to fancy egg dishes served with fruit and lodge-made pastries; or opt for crepes, pancakes and French toast. House-cut fries go well with lunch wraps and sandwiches. Dinner entrees are sourced from pastures, freshwater and saltwater. The Columbia River smoked steelhead platter makes for a great starter and the stuffed Tuscan chicken and prime rib stroganoff are tasty entrees. Callahan's is open 365 days a year with nightly live music at dinner. This beautiful location is a favorite of brides and grooms (up to 150 guests). Prices vary; visit in time for the fall color change! Ideal for after-theater and late-night fare, visit Macaroni's Ristorante and Martino's Restaurant and Lounge (58 E. Main St., Ashland; 541-488-3359). Martino's is upstairs and Macaroni's is downstairs; owner Marty Morlan offers the same menu throughout the neo-classic house. You won't be disappointed with the Oregon smoked salmon ravioli served in a mushroom, basil and tomato cream sauce or the rigatoni carbonara made with applewood-smoked bacon. Pizza, salads and pasta dishes also are on the menu, plus drinks and desserts. For dessert, Marty's famous lemon ricotta cheesecake comes highly recommended. If you choose outdoor seating at Martino's, you'll be as close as you can get to the Angus Bowmer Theatre without a ticket; otherwise opt for live jazz 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. every Monday. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday. Martino's stays open and offers a bistro menu 10 p.m. to midnight and a late night menu midnight to 2 a.m. Caldera Brewery & Restaurant (590 Clover Lane, Ashland; 541-482-4677), the first West Coast craft brewery to brew and can its own beer, is another great stop in the area for casual dining and award-winning beers. Alongside the 43 beers on tap, Caldera produces in-house non-alcoholic sodas (root beer, ginger ale, lemon-lime and ice tea) and quality cuisine including artisan pizzas, sandwiches atop scratch-made breads, white truffle mac and cheese, braised short ribs and more. Visit them for yourself 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The all-new fourth edition of "Gerry Frank's Oregon" guidebook is available through oregonguidebook.com; 503-585-8411; gerry@teleport.com; amazon.com; Macy's; and P.O. Box 2225, Salem, OR 97308. SUNDAY "The Miniaturist": Anya Taylor-Joy stars as an 18-year-old whose marriage to an affluent merchant in 1686 Amsterdam may not be what it seems. An early preview makes this "Masterpiece" miniseries look extraordinarily beautiful, with a Vermeer-like visual quality. The atmosphere is moody and mysterious and the cast includes the excellent Romola Garai ("The Hour"). Two episodes air back to back. (9 p.m. PBS) MONDAY Emmy 2018 red carpet coverage: Here's a rundown of what the E! channel and NBC have planned. (Begins at 1:30 p.m. PT on E!) 2018 70th Primetime Emmy Awards: Michael Che and Colin Jost, of "Saturday Night Live," host this year's TV awards bash. (5 p.m. PT on NBC) "Inside the Manson Cult: The Lost Tapes": Well, here's some unusual counterprogramming to the Emmy Awards. Liev Schreiber narrates a documentary that offers a look at Spahn's Ranch, where the Manson cult lived for a time, along with interviews - some new, some from the archives - of former cult members. (8 p.m. Fox) TUESDAY "The Great American Read": In an episode titled "Who Am I?," books that feature first-person narratives or tell stories of characters' personal journeys are the focus. Among those featured are Junot Diaz, Lauren Graham, John Green, Barbara Bush, John Irving, Armistead Maupin and John Irving. (8 p.m. PBS) "The Hunt for the Trump Tapes With Tom Arnold": In a new series, the comedian and non-fan of Donald Trump meets with activists and celebrities as he searches for rumored tapes of Trump that Arnold believes will be damaging. (10:30 p.m. Viceland) WEDNESDAY "America's Got Talent": The winning act for Season 13 is announced in the finale. (8 p.m. NBC) THURSDAY "Naked and Afraid": If you can't guess what this reality wilderness survival show is about, well, you're not paying attention to the title. (8 p.m. Discovery Channel) FRIDAY "Maniac": Cary Joji Fukunaga ("True Detective") directs this limited series, which looks trippy and daring. The cast is certainly familiar, with Emma Stone, Jonah Hall and Justin Theroux starring in what is vaguely described as "a mind-bending pharmaceutical trial gone awry." What could go wrong? A lot, I'm guessing. (Streaming on Netflix) "The Good Cop": Josh Groban and Tony Danza star in a new series about a New York Police Department detective who gets advice from his father, an NYPD veteran who left the department on less than glowing terms. (Streaming on Netflix SATURDAY "My Cat From Hell": The first of two back-to-back episodes finds Jackson Galaxy trying to help a veteran whose therapy cat isn't very soothing. (8 p.m. Animal Planet) -- Kristi Turnquist kturnquist@oregonian.com 503-221-8227 @Kristiturnquist The world's largest aircraft, the Antonov AN-225, made a stop in Oakland this week to pick up emergency FEMA supplies destined for typhoon-ravaged Guam. The arrival of the leviathan aircraft from Kiev, Ukraine, had Bay Area aviation enthusiasts and airline pilots gawking on as it lumbered toward Oakland International Airport on the afternoon of September 9. (See video below.) Walter Colby, who runs a video production company in Hayward, snagged this dramatic video of the arrival from the San Leandro marina, just south of OAK, with a powerful zoom lens. The world's largest plane is huge by all measures. It is 275 feet long-- 37 feet longer than a double-decker Airbus A380- the world's largest passenger plane. Its wingspan is 290 feet-- almost as long as a football field. At 59 feet, it stands as tall as a six story building. Empty, the An-225 weighs in at a whopping 640,000 pounds- and it can take off fully loaded with whatever can fit onboard at about 1.4 million pounds. It has six turbofan engines and 32 wheels. This one-of-a-kind jet, named Mriya, was built in 1988 and is now operated by Ukraine's Antonov Airlines. An airport spokesman says that the big bird landed on Oakland's Runway 30, which is 10,000 feet long. Here's another close-up video of the landing. It took off from OAK for Honolulu and then Guam on Monday morning. (Track the flight here) It's larger than this Russian mystery plane that landed at SFO in 2017. What's the largest plane you've ever seen? Or flown on? Please leave it in the comments. Read all recent TravelSkills posts here Get twice-per-week updates from TravelSkills via email! Sign up here Chris McGinnis is the founder of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission. You can reach Chris at chris@travelskills.com or on Twitter @cjmcginnis. Cancer survivors, volunteers, and community members will unite this month to honor the lifelong contributions of canine caregivers at the annual American Cancer Society Bark For Life event. Funds raised help the American Cancer Society attack cancer in dozens of ways, each of them critical to achieving a world without cancer from developing breakthrough therapies to building supportive communities, from providing empowering resources to deploying activists to raise awareness. EDITOR'S NOTE -- OWI means operating while intoxicated. DWLS means driving while license suspended. (MC) is for Judge Michael D. Carpenter. (L) is for Magistrate Gerald Ladwig. (B) is for Circuit Judge Michael J. Beale. (SC) is for Circuit Judge Stephen P. Carras. Sentences may vary based on previous offenses committed by the defendant. Some sentencings include other fees imposed by the state. Compiled by reporter John Kennett. Beaverton Donald William Parker, 25, two counts of retail fraud--third degree on Dec. 18, 2017; $125 fines and costs; 60 days in jail with 21 days credit. (C) Coleman Jessica Illene Camp, 29, DWLS on Aug. 3; $200 in fines and costs. (L) Midland Aaron Melvin Carpenter, 18, Isabella Street, driving without a valid license on Aug. 10; $250 in fines and costs. (L) Stacey Renee Elmore, East Bombay Road, 40, retail fraud-second degree, second offense; $125 fines and costs; 23 days in jail with credit for 15 days. (C) John Dennis Stine, 39, McKeith Road, domestic violence-second offense; and interfering with electronic communications on May 20, 2018. One year in jail with all but 45 days suspended and credit for two days, $1,475 in fines and costs, two years probation, work release granted. May not use/possess alcohol or drugs, subject to random drug/alcohol screening, take medications as prescribed, attend counseling and may not enter bars. (SC) Bryon Douglas Woodcock, 36, Gerald Court, driving-failure to maintain security; and suspended license--2nd offense on March 20, 2018; $650 fines and costs. (C) BMC spends Rs 24cr for six-years on cleaning project. The cleaning operations started in June this year with the help of new machines. Mumbai: Juhu beach, which is one of the major tourist attractions of the city, has currently donned a fresh and clean, despite the monsoon, thanks to the advanced beach cleaning machines. which were brought recently. In the last three months, the civic body has collected three times more trash as compared to the corresponding period last year. According to civic data, the BMC collected about 3,500 metric tonnes of trash from Juhu beach between June and August, 2017. However, this year, with the help of three beach cleaning machines, the civic body has collected about 10,000 metric tonnes of trash from the beach during the same period. For the Juhu beach cleaning project, the BMC has appointed Spectron engineers at an estimated cost of Rs 24 crore for six years. The contractor has started beach cleaning work from June with the new machines, said BMC officials. The beach cleaning machines, which have a capacity of cleaning 20,000 sq metre of area per hour, are used with the help of a tractor. Their main feature is the six inch-long blade below the machine, which delves deep into the sand and brings out even the tiniest piece of trash like cigarette butts. The mesh inside the machine separates the sand from the trash. While the sand is thrown back onto the beach, the trash is collected in the container located at the machines rear end. To ensure proper cleaning of beaches, we have, for the first time, implemented the cleanliness drive in two phases four months of monsoon and the remaining eight months. During the monsoon period, 120 labourers have been deployed, whereas during the remaining period, 60 workers will be deployed, said Vishwas Shankarwar, the deputy municipal commissioner, solid waste management.), said. Juhu chowpatty, covers an area of 3.60 lakh sq m, is about 6 km long and 60 metres wide. Besides being a major tourist attraction, several religious festivals are also celebrated on the beach. Fishermen, living along the coast, use the beach as part of their business. WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) -- Authorities say a lost dog found at a convenience store in northeastern Pennsylvania led to the discovery of the body of the owner who had been stabbed in the back. Wilkes-Barre police said 58-year-old Fred Boote was found dead early Friday after a city police officer went to his home after finding his Golden Retriever at a Turkey Hill store less than a mile away. Police said the officer found the front door open and the victim's body in a bedroom along with a large bloody knife. Investigators said the room's disarray suggested a struggle. Investigators said a gas can was also found and the spout was under the victim's body, which was draped with a blanket that appeared to have been partially burned. No arrests were immediately announced. Police in Lancaster County are calling them the "lovebird looters," and they're looking for the public's help in finding them. According to the Manheim Township Police Department, a couple, seen in surveillance images holding hands, stole groceries form the Giant store on the 1300 block of Columbia Avenue. They loaded a cart full of $208 worth of groceries and left the store without paying on Friday, police say. Anyone who can identify either of them should call the police, 717-569-6401 or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Watch. Music community steps up to help one of their own battling cancer The United States has decided to reduce its UN peacekeeping contribution from 28.5 per cent of its total budget to 25 per cent. Come September, as a classic Rock Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida film was titled, may well be the description of the annual high-level segment meeting of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). This year it kicks off on September 25, as usual with the Brazilian President being the first to speak, followed by US President Donald Trump, and so on. However, going by the information available so far, most peculiarly, the heads of government of both India and Pakistan will not be attending. Prime Minister Narendra Modis decision to skip the UNGA is understandable as he prepares for crucial state elections followed soon by the Lok Sabha polls that will decide his future. But it is quizzical for Pakistans new Prime Minister Imran Khan to ignore a first-ever multilateral foray to meet a range of global leaders. Perhaps he is doing so for optical reasons, preferring to be seen as focusing on critical domestic issues. He may also have chosen not to box himself into an anti-India corner, as his supporters, particularly in the Army and right-wing clerics, would have expected a toxic anti-India diatribe. Finally, he may have no appetite for Western leaders dishing out a loud anti-jihadi message. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, speaking prior to Pakistans new foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on September 29, shall address the General Assembly. Hopefully, unlike last year, she will rise above Pakistan-bashing to present the Indian vision for multilateralism at a time when the UN is under increasing financial pressure and has its peacekeeping agenda marginalised. The United States has decided to reduce its UN peacekeeping contribution from 28.5 per cent of its total budget to 25 per cent. Washington is also slashing its contribution to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which is a human development agency for five million registered Palestinian refugees. The last is in keeping with President Trumps softer line on Israel without seeking concessions for any resolution of the Palestinian dispute. The US has already withdrawn from the Paris Accord on climate change, Unesco, the Human Rights Council, etc. Thus like during the days of Ronald Reagans presidency, there is a concerted attempt to financially squeeze and diplomatically degrade the UN, as Mr Trump seeks value for his money. It is in the interest of aspiring powers like India that at a moment of global power transition, the UN remains not only relevant but committed to its reform agenda, particularly the reform of the UN Security Council, to reflect contemporary reality. India must thus energise the G-4, consisting of Brazil Germany, India and Japan, to negate this US attempt to cripple multilateralism. A complicating factor may be the India bashing by the UN high commissioner for human rights and now the UN naming India as targeting human rights activists. India must realise that as an aspirant for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council high table, it is vitally important to keep domestic politics aligned with liberal values. While permanent members like China can get away with blatant breaches such as the treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang, including herding them into re-education camps en masse, or Russia can send GRU agents abroad for hamhanded targeting of defectors, India is best served internationally by abiding by its ancient value system of tolerance and non-sectarianism. India has sensibly retained, in the latest round of diplomatic transfers, its UN-honed diplomat Syed Akbaruddin as the permanent representative to the UN in New York. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the first former head of government to hold that position, is shepherding the mother ship of multilateralism at a particularly difficult juncture for the organisation. In a recent interview he has decried the challenge to the liberal, democratic order globally. As the world transitions from a US-led order to perhaps a multipolar system, the Secretary-General needs the cooperation of all key powers. But he concedes that more than ever before the five permanent members of the UN Security Council are divided. The US has sanctions against Russia, supplementing action already taken by Britain and France over Russian actions ranging from suspected interference in the conduct of the US presidential election to nerve agent poisoning of former Russian operatives in the UK. The US has also started a trade war of sorts with China, alleging Chinese theft of US intellectual property and cutting-edge technologies. Even Europe is suddenly closely examining Chinese investment proposals. Germany has woken up after the Chinese takeover of Kuka, a robotics company. Suddenly, the Chinese vision to become a technologically advanced nation by 2025 is no longer seen by the developed Western nations as benign. The US has just announced fresh tariffs on Chinese goods of about $200 billion before the US-China trade talks. On the other hand, there is a growing Sino-Russian strategic convergence, demonstrated by Chinese troops participating in the latest and massive Russian military exercises involving almost a third of the Russian Army. This lack of cohesiveness is impacting the UNs ability to play a role in resolving international crises like over the northern Syrian city of Idlib, where a large civilian population is trapped amid 30,000-odd deadly Islamic militants linked to Al Qaeda or other Sunni radical Islamist groups. There is even less role visible for the UN to resolve the larger Syrian imbroglio, or bring antagonists to the negotiating table in Afghanistan or in Yemen, where there is unmitigated civilian bloodletting by the Saudis and Emiratis. The Secretary-General is consequently turning his attention to other issues, like climate change or digital and cyberspace cooperation. India can play a role in shaping the multilateral discourse on these issues. This is perhaps not a year for bold, visionary moves. Nor should India turn the UN podium into an election rally for domestic audiences by India-Pakistan rhetoric. Ms Swaraj gets one last opportunity to show her intellectual heft, constrained so far by health issues and an overbearing PMO. 536 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard By Jan Wolfe (Reuters) A plea deal by former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort to cooperate with U.S. prosecutors in their investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election suggests he could shed light on unanswered questions revolving around the campaign, legal experts said on Friday. Manaforts agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller to cooperate fully, truthfully, completely, and forthrightly could put to the test U.S. President Donald Trumps denials of campaign collusion with Russia, lawyers not involved in the case said. Randall Eliason, a former federal prosecutor and a law professor at George Washington University, said the agreement, which caps at 10 years a sentence which could have been much longer, was a pretty good deal that suggested the Mueller team valued Manaforts cooperation. Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who is representing Trump in the Russia probe, told Reuters on Friday that Manafort knows nothing harmful to the president and the plea is the best evidence of that. The White House said in a statement that the agreement had absolutely nothing to do with the president or his 2016 campaign. Manafort attended a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between Russian representatives and top campaign officials, including Trumps son and son-in-law, who expected to receive derogatory information about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Any light Manafort could shed on that meeting and other episodes could deepen the Mueller probe, legal experts said, increasing the pressure on Trump. The president and his allies have repeatedly called for the investigation to wind down and he describes the probe as a witch hunt. Donald Trump Jr, who organized the meeting with Kremlin-linked Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya and others, initially said it was mainly to discuss a program on adoptions of Russian children. The president has since acknowledged the meeting was set up to find out damaging information about Clinton but that it was totally legal and done all the time in politics. Moscow rejects the conclusions of U.S. intelligence agencies that it interfered in the election by hacking Democratic Party computer networks and spreading disinformation on social media. Some legal experts said that if Trump and his advisers knowingly solicited help from Russia, they may have violated campaign finance laws, and a statute that criminalizes conspiracies to impair the functioning of the U.S. government. Muellers investigators might also be looking to Manafort to learn whether the Trump team offered anything to the Russians in exchange for campaign help, said Seth Waxman, a former federal prosecutor. Manaforts deal could also prompt other subjects of Muellers investigation to cooperate, causing the proverbial snowball to roll down the hill, Waxman said. Other issues Manafort could be questioned about are his longstanding business and personal ties with Trump ally Roger Stone. Stones communications have been a subject of the Mueller investigation, sources familiar with interviews of other Stone associates have said. Manafort oversaw the 2016 Republican National Convention in which the partys platform on Ukraine was altered in a way that made it more in line with Russian interests. Manafort represented pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine before his stint on the Trump campaign. The structure of Manaforts plea deal limits the effectiveness of any Trump pardon, said Jed Shugerman, a law professor at Fordham University. Manafort admitted to conduct chargeable as state crimes, to which a presidential pardon do not apply. Manafort refused for months to assist Muellers inquiry before admitting guilt to criminal charges that he concealed money from tax authorities. (Reporting by Jan Wolfe; additional reporting by Warren Strobel and Karen Freifeld; editing by Anthony Lin and Grant McCool) 449 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) Cargill Meat Solutions will pay a total of $1.5 million to 138 Muslim workers who were fired after walking off the job in a dispute over prayer breaks at a Colorado meat-packing plant in 2015, the company said on Friday. The dispute arose after the workers, mostly Somali immigrants, were dismissed after they staged a three-day walkout over what they said were insufficient prayer breaks at a plant in Fort Morgan, about 75 miles northeast of Denver. The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said in a statement on Friday that it had reasonable cause to believe that Somali, African and Muslim employees were harassed, denied their requests for prayer breaks and fired. The Wichita, Kansas-based company said in a statement that it disagreed with the findings, but agreed to settle the case to avoid protracted litigation. It added that it was committed to allowing Muslim workers to take short breaks to perform their obligatory prayers. The EEOC said in a statement that it welcomed Cargills willingness to reach a meaningful resolution enabling all parties to move forward. Cargill Meat Solutions is a division of Cargill Inc. (Additional reporting by Brendan OBrien in Milwaukee) 4.9k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard One little-noticed aspect of the plea deal and cooperation agreement between Paul Manafort and Robert Mueller is that they are structured so that a presidential pardon by Donald Trump will do him no good. There has been much speculation that Trump would pardon anyone found guilty (or pleading guilty) as part of the Mueller probe. But whats missing from that discussion is the answer to the question: Whats in it for Trump? A pardon would be a great thing for persons guilty of crimes but it could be a political disaster for the president. There are two main factors that would lessen the impact of a Trump pardon for Manafort: The first factor is that Manafort has already talked to Mueller and his team. A rationale for a pardon would be to reward Manafort for not flipping but its too late for that. Manaforts lead lawyer said Friday his client has already cooperated with Muellers team. And, as we reported yesterday: Manafort has certainly already delivered the goods to the special counsel. He said that, based on his experience of being in the same situation many times, the prosecutors always demand to see the incriminating evidence being offered by the defendant BEFORE a plea agreement is entered into. The big questions that Mueller has for Manafort such as finding out more about the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russians attended by Manafort with Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner have likely already been asked and answered. Manaforts testimony has already been locked in by Mueller so a pardon at this point wouldnt prevent him from obtaining any information. The second factor is that Manafort has already admitted guilt IN WRITING on all of the charges he faced. Each of those criminal admissions have given state prosecutors the ability to charge Manafort immediately for the same crimes, but under state law. So a Trump pardon wouldnt even help, since he can pardon only federal crimes. Former Watergate prosecutor Nick Akerman had this to say: By admitting to all of the facts in both indictments, the conviction is pardon proof in the sense that if Trump ever pardoned Manafort, a state attorney general could take Manaforts admissions in the plea and use them to indict Manafort for state charges. In addition, on Friday, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, warned Trump that if he pardons Manafort, the president will be obstructing justice. There is much to lose for Donald Trump in pardoning Paul Manafort, and little to gain. The genius of Robert Mueller has shown through once again. The steps he took in structuring the Manafort deal make it virtually certain that Donald Trump will conclude that a Manafort pardon is not in his best interest. And Donald Trump is not known for doing things that help other people instead of himself. 661 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Anyone old enough to remember Clarence Thomas confirmation hearing, remembers that Anita Hill came forward at the last minute. She testified and, true to any situation when a woman accuses a man of inappropriate sexual behavior ranging from harassment to rape, she was vilified. For her courage, Anita Hills character was dragged through the mud by Republican members of the Senate Judiciary committee. Two of those members, Senator Orrin Hatch and Chair Senator Chuck Grassley are still on the Senate Judiciary Committee. When the news broke that there was a letter accusing Judge Bret Kavanaugh of inappropriate sexual conduct that sounds to me like attempted rape, both Republican members wiped the dust off their responses to Anita Hills allegations, and repeated them, as if women dont rate consideration of the specific facts of their circumstances. Thats probably just a part of why the woman in this case insisted on anonymity. For misogynists, she is the 11th hour stunt by Democrats. For women who have seen this movie over and over again, shes a woman who knows how this is likely to play out. If she reveals her identity by testifying, she can expect her character and motives to be questioned while Bret Kavanaugh is confirmed. One might be tempted to believe that we live in a post misogynist world because of me too, just as some people wanted to believe we live in a post racial world because we elected a black president. In both cases, baby steps have been made, but we are far from that enlightened society that recognizes the idiocy behind judging people based on the color of their skin or their gender. We still live in a society where, a panel of men decide on womens healthcare needs and our family planning decisions. Its still possible to see a panel of men commenting on if the anonymous woman in the letter is credible or if her claim is just a stunt. Its 2018, and the fact is, women still dont have a seat at many tables where a group of men judge our credibility and assess if we are treated as equals. Were on the eve of putting a man on the Supreme Court who is an ideological extremist, a liar and assuming the claims in the letter are true: a violent criminal. If you or I lied to Congress, we could face criminal charges not a seat on the Supreme Court. The alleged attempted rape is more complicated. Brett Kavanaugh will never face criminal charges for the violent crime of attempted rape because of the statute of limitations. That doesnt mean, the alleged crime should be dismissed as a stunt either. This is a person who will be put on the highest court in our country for life. He will be ruling on all areas of the law, including criminal law the rights of the accused and the rights of victims. At the very least, the accusation laid out in the letter warrants delaying the process to investigate it. Thats especially true when the person who is accused will have a profound effect on the quality of our democracy, of our civil rights and even if being raped precludes us from receiving medical treatment including life-saving medical treatment. Someone empowered with such awesome responsibility, should have a moral character. Contrary to the Republican go-to excuse, everyone doesnt lie and everyone isnt accused of attempted rape. Now, I dont know with certainty if the accusation is true or not. I do know, as a woman who was raped as a teenager, that the fear of not being believed is paralyzing. The reflex is to try to forget it ever happened. I do know that you never really forget. I can see how seeing your rapist, or attempted rapist rising to prominence can trigger memories and the guilt that goes with silence. That fear of not being believed re-emerges, more so because you know how this plays out. Not only do men defend the perp, so do women especially if he is popular and/or powerful. You also know that men will talk about you and judge you in political discussions as if they get it. The absence of a single woman at the table, tells you they dont. You also know that in 2018, theres a sexual predator in the White House, and his Cabinet is composed almost exclusively of white men. His advisors fit the same description. We know from me toos efforts that rape and other forms of sexual misconduct happen. It happens often and for many women, its buried for years and decades. You know that women like Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and Dianne Feinstein are vilified by men on any part of the spectrum for refusing to know their place: a place of silence, smiling on demand and vilifying women who arent nice because we insist on using our voices. We dont need or want knights in shining armor to explain what life is like for women followed by their mutual admiration for each others enlightenment. We want a seat at the table. And we dont want an alleged attempted rapist on the Supreme Court. 312 SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard By Anna Mehler Paperny and Ernest Scheyder WILSON/WILMINGTON, N.C. (Reuters) Florence kept dumping rain on North Carolina on Sunday and officials warned residents that the worst is yet to come from a storm that has already killed at least eight people, as rivers inland were likely to flood. [ngg_images source=galleries container_ids=28 display_type=photocrati-nextgen_basic_slideshow gallery_width=600 gallery_height=400 cycle_effect=fade cycle_interval=10 show_thumbnail_link=1 thumbnail_link_text=[Show thumbnails] order_by=sortorder order_direction=ASC returns=included maximum_entity_count=500] Florence, which crashed into the state as a hurricane on Friday, had weakened to a tropical depression by Sunday morning but was forecast to drop another 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 cm) of rain in North Carolina, bringing rainfall totals in some inland areas to 15 to 20 inches, according to the National Hurricane Center. The most rain so far from Florence was 33.9 inches (86 cm) in Swansboro, North Carolina, a new record for a single hurricane in the state. The previous record was 24 inches (61 cm), set by Hurricane Floyd, which killed 56 people in 1999, said Bryce Link, a meteorologist with DTN Marine Weather, a private forecasting service. In Fayetteville, a North Carolina city of about 210,000 people some 90 miles (145 km) inland, authorities told thousands of residents near the Cape Fear River and Little River to get out of their homes by Sunday afternoon because of the flood risk. If you are refusing to leave during this mandatory evacuation, you need to do things like notify your legal next of kin because the loss of life is very, very possible, Mayor Mitch Colvin said at a news conference on Saturday. The worst is yet to come, he added. A total of about 761,000 homes and businesses were without power on Sunday in North and South Carolina and surrounding states, down from a peak of nearly 1 million. In New Bern, about 90 miles northeast of Wilmington at the confluence of two rivers, Florence overwhelmed the town of 30,000 and left the downtown area under water. It was pitch black and I was just scared out of my mind, said Tracy Singleton, who with her family later fled her home near New Bern. As authorities rescued people by boat and even airlifted 50 stranded people in North Carolina, there were also reports of looting. Five people were arrested for breaking into a Dollar General Store, said the police department in Wilmington, which has imposed a nighttime curfew. A least seven people have died so far in the storm in North Carolina, including a mother and child killed by a falling tree and three people who drowned, state officials said. A woman died in South Carolina when her car hit a fallen tree. CATASTROPHIC STORM This is still a catastrophic, life threatening storm, said Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Services Weather Prediction Center. It has already dumped 20 to 30 inches of rain on parts of the Carolinas with more to come, he said. And many of the rivers will see prolonged flooding, some not cresting for a few days. Many roads were closed and authorities warned of landslides, tornadoes and flash floods, with dams and bridges in peril as rivers and creeks swelled. The flooding could taint waterways with murky coal ash and toxic hog waste. By Sunday morning the storms winds had dropped to about 35 miles per hour (55 km per hour), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. It had picked up pace somewhat, moving west at 8 mph (13 kph), and its center was expected to move across the western Carolinas during Sunday and the Ohio Valley and Northeast United States on Monday and Tuesday. The White House said President Donald Trump approved making federal funding available in some affected counties. Trump, who plans to visit the region this week and he tweeted his deepest sympathies and warmth to the families and friends of those who died. As the United States dealt with Florence, a super typhoon made landfall in Chinas Guangdong on Sunday after barreling past Hong Kong and Macau and killing dozens of people in the Philippines. (Reporting by Anna Mehler Paperny and Ernest Scheyder; Additional reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Jessica Resnick-Ault in New York; Writing by Lisa Shumaker; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Frances Kerry) 4.4k SHARES Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Pinterest Reddit Print Mail Flipboard Republican pollsters and strategists met with the White House and warned them that the issues dont matter because the midterm election is all about how voters feel about Trump. The AP obtained a copy of a presentation that was given to Trump in early September: At the White House, anxiety over the midterms has been on the rise for months as polls increasingly show a challenging environment for the GOP and heightened Democratic enthusiasm. The sheer number of competitive races in both the House and Senate is stretching cash reserves and forcing tough calculations about where to deploy resources and surrogates. And there are growing fears that the coalition of voters that delivered Trump to the White House will not come out for midterms. Even if those voters do show up in large numbers, Republicans could still come up short. The polling presented to White House officials, which was commissioned by the Republican National Committee, showed that Trumps loyal supporters make up about one-quarter of the electorate. Another quarter is comprised of Republicans who like Trumps policies but not the president himself and do not appear motivated to back GOP candidates. And roughly half of expected midterm voters are Democrats who are energized by their opposition to the president. Trump Is Motivating Democrats More Than Republicans Opposition to Trump is motivating Democrats more than support for Trump is motivating Republicans. Trump made the 2016 election all about Hillary Clinton, so 2018 is the first time that he has been the focus of voter ire on the ballot. Trump has tried his best to change the subject. He rants about the Mueller investigation, declares the press the enemy of the people, and has continued to try to divide Americans on immigration, but nothing has worked because this election is all about Trump. Trump is motivating Democrats more than Republicans. It is Democrats who have been inspired by the Trump presidency to get to the polls and vote. The 2016 election reminded Democrats of the urgency of the moment and the consequences of not showing up on Election Day. Trumps base of core support has gotten smaller since he took office. If Democrats follow through and vote in November, the midterm election is going to be a bloodbath for Republicans. For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group. Follow Jason Easley on Facebook. Get the SC business stories that matter. Our newsletter catches you up with all the business stories that are shaping Charleston and South Carolina every Monday and Thursday at noon. Get ahead with us - it's free. Thai deal fast tracks Australian fruit trade PERSIMMON growers across Queensland will have better market access to Thailand thanks to a trade agreement finalised this week. The agreement delivers a new irradiation plan for fresh produce to Thailand, which is newer and faster but also a safe and chemical free way to manage biosecurity. Prior to this our persimmons could only be exported to Thailand under cold treatment. To irradiate the fruit it goes into a giant chamber by conveyer belt and the fruit is sterilised, killing bacteria and pests, in this case the pesky fruit fly. As part of the agreement, mangos from Thailand will also be eligible for export under the new irradiation pathway. Australia and Thailand announce a new irradiation pathway for horticultural exports Queensland persimmons gain improved market access to Thaliand Deal will help open door for other fruit and vegetable growers trading with Thailand Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud said: With this deal done and dusted we can get on to tackling other commodities and get them on this same pathway. This will help get our quality produce onto Thailand supermarket shelves faster. This agreement will help open doors for the Queensland persimmon farmers and deliver speed to market. Fast Facts: Australian horticulture is worth more than $10.5 billion, with the value of production forecast to reach $12 billion in real terms in 202223. Australias main horticultural exports to Thailand are citrus, grapes, nuts and strawberries. For the year ending June 2017, Australia produced 2,516 tonnes of persimmons, valued at $10.5 million. Persimmons are produced primarily in south east Queensland. Deals like this will help Aussie food production grow towards the National Farmers Federation target of a $100 billion agricultural industry by 2030. Agricultural trade between the two countries is currently worth $2 billion dollars and growing. Queensland farmers will also benefit from the recent signing of the Indonesia-Australia comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. The agreement will reduce tariffs on exports of livestock, beef and sheep meat, grains, sugar, citrus and horticulture produce. Farmers can look forward to better access to markets with a combined GDP of $13.7 trillion under the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP-11). The U.S. Coast Guard has removed a member of its Hurricane Florence emergency response team in Charleston after he flashed an "OK" hand symbol during an interview on MSNBC Friday. The Coast Guard says an investigation has been opened into the incident, since the symbol has been associated with white supremacists. Please note the culprit is not the man in the foreground, but the guy in the back. Screenshot. MSNBC. You are the owner of this article. Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations. Political Reporter Caitlin Byrd is a political reporter at The Post and Courier and author of the Palmetto Politics newsletter. Before moving to Charleston in 2016, her byline appeared in the Asheville Citizen-Times. To date, Byrd has won 17 awards for her work. Farming the knowledge and experience of older generations A UNIQUE and award-winning program is helping farmers pass their hard-earned knowledge and experience down the line to the next generations. Farming is in your blood its all you have known. As a child you started with odd jobs as you learned the business from your parents until one day you ran a farm yourself. After a career on the land you have accumulated so much knowledge but now it is time to retire from the land and move to town. All that experience, all that knowledge will no longer be needed. Its a familiar farmers story. But this one has a different ending, thanks to This Farm Needs a Farmer founder and Kyneton local Melissa Connors, who took out the prestigious 2018 Victorian AgriFutures Rural Womens Award in March. The former Melbourne resident, with her family, embraced a tree-change to a hobby farm in Kyneton almost six years ago. But the move proved challenging and highlighted their lack of farming knowledge. Enter local and retired farmer 78-year-old Noel Jenner. After meeting and befriending Noel, Melissa says the idea for This Farm Needs A Farmer was born. These experienced farmers have accumulated so much knowledge and experience over a lifetime, and what a waste to just let that go, Melissa said. This Farm Needs a Farmer is a platform for experienced farmers to pass that knowledge on to the next generation, because we need that knowledge. Melissa said the program also enabled retired farmers living near farms to enjoy being back on farms, while imparting their knowledge. She also said that many retired farmers find the transition from farming into retirement difficult. Being a farmer is the fabric of who they are, Melissa says. Its not just a job, its their identity and when some farmers leave the farm due to retirement they feel lost and isolated and not needed anymore and they start to lose their confidence. Noels wife Heather Jenner, 76, says that when her husband retired and they left the farm she started to notice that he was struggling and spending more and more time by himself in his shed. Since coming on board This Farm Needs a Farmer I have noticed him getting his confidence back and he is so happy going to Melissas farm and passing on his knowledge he feels needed, which of course he is. Noel previously worked on his wifes familys 56-hectacre dairy farm in Gippsland. Although he does not miss rounding up cattle in the dark, moving off the farm and into town proved harder to maintain connections, leaving him feeling isolated. Id encourage other retired farmers to get on board with this project it has really changed my retirement, Noel says. I guess I was expecting to have to leave farm life behind. But being back on a farm and imparting my knowledge has reinvigorated everything about my life, and I have made great new friends. To date around 500 people are on the Farmer Needs A Farmer database, of which 20 per cent are retired farmers. Melissa says the goal of the project is to capture farmers as soon as they are semi-retired, retired or contemplating retirement. Having this project to support them may help ease the transition and could also aid with succession planning, she says. Farming the knowledge and experience of older generations first appeared in the 2018 Seniors Card Magazine, September 2018. For more information visit www.thisfarmneedsafarmercom.au Also in Australian Food News Columbia/Myrtle Beach Managing Editor Andy Shain runs The Post and Courier's newsrooms based in Columbia and Myrtle Beach. He was editor of Free Times and has been a reporter and editor for newspapers in Charlotte, Columbia and Myrtle Beach. For the most part, Ben Carson has maintained a low profile as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Early on in the Trump administration, he announced that HUD will reinterpret the ultra-instrusive Obama housing rule known as Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH). AFFH is an abomination. It enables HUD to order more than 1,200 cities and counties that accepted any part of annual community development block grants to rezone neighborhoods along income and racial criteria. It thus allows unaccountable federal bureaucrats to dictate who lives where, in order to create racially and economically balanced neighborhoods. In January of this year, HUD announced that it is suspending the obligation of most local governments to comply with AFFH until 2020 or, in many cases, 2025. Dr. Carson said his department intends to craft a new, fairer rule that creates choices for quality housing across all communities. Now, reportedly, Carson is finally ready to recast AFFH. Apparently, his plan is to use federal aid to encourage (coerce?) local governments to relax land-use regulations that limit housing supply and, by limiting it, render housing unaffordable for many low-and-middle-income households. Carsons idea has received favorable reviews, including one from the estimable Reihan Salam. He writes: What happens when you limit supply in the face of increased demand? Housing values soar, which is of course a very good thing for incumbent property owners. On one level, you could say that its not the federal governments business if California homeowners vote for stringent land-use regulations that choke off increases in housing supply. Sure, theyre locking poor people out of the region and low-income Californians are four times as likely as other Americans to live in crowded conditions. But thats their problem, right? Not exactly. Because low-income Californians have to spend such a high share of their incomes on housing, theyre more likely than low-income people elsewhere to be eligible for federal rental subsidies, which are paid for by taxpayers across the country. Moreover, there is good reason to believe that the entry limits imposed by productive regions are damaging Americas growth prospects. I asked Stanley Kurtz, my go-to guy on matters relating to federal housing policy, for his thoughts. Stanley doesnt share Salams enthusiasm at all. He responded: Weve seen little detail on this, so comments at this point must be provisional. That said, this looks very disturbing. I worry that developers are trying to save AFFH. There have definitely been cases in which real estate interests have allied with the lefts plans because it makes for more building projects. The regionalists want high-density low-income developments built in suburbs currently zoned for single family homes. Developers are only too happy to oblige. But using the federal government to pressure suburbs to change their zoning practices is an offense against local control. Even a restricted version of AFFH legitimates the principle that local zoning decisions are the federal governments business. That would allow the next Democratic president to claim that the GOP has already ratified the principle of federal interference in local zoning decisions when it brings back the full Obama-version of AFFH. Again, we need more detail. But my initial reaction is that this is a disaster for the principle of local control. I agree. Dr. Carson should take the federal government out of the business of coercing localities to change their zoning and land use practices except when these practices are shown to discriminate intentionally against minorities. How beer consumption is slimming but our guts continue growing A SPIRALLING decline in beer drinking is leading Australia to a 55-year low in alcohol consumption, though figures show ours guts continue growing. The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics report, out this month, shows the average consumption of alcohol of persons aged 15+ is at a 55-year low at 9.4 litres. There has been a steady decline for the past 10 years. This is the lowest annual figure since 1961-62 and it continues the recent downward trend which started around 2008-09, the ABS says. Over three-quarters of alcohol consumed was from either beer (39%) or wine (38%). And while alcohol consumed from wine has declined recently, the drop in beer consumption has been the main driver for falling alcohol consumption with an average decline of 2.4% per year over the last ten years. The substantial decline in beer consumption offset to a small degree by an increase in wine consumption. About 20 per cent of the population reports not having consumed alcohol at all in the past 12 months, other ABS figures, meaning the per person consumption figures can be increased relative to that. The same 2014-15 national health survey shows 28 per cent of Australian adults were obese, an increase of 19 per cent from 1995. The amazing evidence of marketers moving with this change in drinking behaviour is this months launch of a zero-alcohol beer by brewing giant Carlton and United Breweries (CUB). Carlton Zero is on the shelves because consumers told CUB they wanted opportunities to moderate their drinking, and they asked for a zero-alcohol beer, the company says. Its release marks a long-term shift in Australias drinking habits: low- and mid-strength beers now represent 20 per cent of CUB sales as consumers increasingly moderate their alcohol intake. Carlton Zero aims to expand the number of occasions people can enjoy beer while encouraging moderate drinking. While Australian sales of non-alcoholic beers have grown 57 per cent over the last five years, the sales volumes of non-alcoholic beers are modest in the country compared to the US, Canada and Europe. Also in Australian Food News Tom tries Carlton Zero the new non-alcoholic beer Non-alcoholic beeris this the answer to a question absolutely no one was asking?! Posted by 3AW Drive with Tom Elliott on Tuesday, 28 August 2018 Rep. Kyrsten Sinema is the Democratic candidate for the Senate in Arizona. Sinema presents herself as a bipartisan moderate. She did not vote for Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House and reportedly voted with the Democrats only 73 percent of the time in recent years. I suspect that Sinema is a faux moderate. As I documented here, she was a radical leftist when she first entered politics. Later on, as a member of Arizona House, she received honors from the Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood, and the National Association of Social Workers. Moderates and practitioners of bipartisanship dont receive such honors. Only when she began eyeing a U.S. Senate seat did Sinemas moderation emerge. It has served her well. She stands a decent chance of defeating Rep. Martha McSally for the seat Sen. Jeff Flake is vacating. McSally, though, is determined to call Sinema on her radical past. The first woman to fly a fighter jet in combat, McSally is a war hero who led air strikes against the Taliban. Sinema was an anti-war protester during that time. The McSally campaign found a picture of Sinema protesting the war in Iraq while wearing a pink tutu. In an ad featuring that image, McSally called the Senate race a choice between a doer and a talker, a patriot and a protester, an aviator and bloviator. Now, evidence has emerged that shows Sinema to have been worse than a talker, a fatuous protester, and a bloviator. In 2003, Sinema reportedly led a group of protesters who portrayed American soldiers as skeletons waging terror in the Middle East. Local to Global Justice, a group Sinema co-founded, promoted a 2003 anti-Iraq War protest using flyers that read: You can help us push back U.S. terror in Iraq and the Middle East. The flyers depicted three menacing skeletons, including a gun-toting soldier, looming over a crowd of protesters. Sinemas campaign responded to this news with a non-denial. It stated: Kyrsten comes from a military family and is very proud of her record supporting Arizonas service members, veterans, and their families. To me, the fact that Sinema comes from a military family makes it all the more appalling that she viewed American soldiers as terrorists and figures of horror. Sinema isnt running for John McCains seat, but the election comes just a few months after McCains death. One hopes that, as between two members of Arizonas congressional delegation, Arizona voters will prefer a fighter pilot to a slanderer of our servicemen. The confirmation battle over the Kavanaugh nomination might well come down to what Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski make of the allegation of sexual assault lodged against the nominee 36 years after the fact. However, the reaction of two leading GOP members of the Judiciary Committee Charles Grassly and Lindsey Graham are certainly worth noting. I found the Grahams statement particularly interesting. Chairman Charles Grassley caused this statement to be issued on behalf of the committee majority: Its disturbing that these uncorroborated allegations from more than 35 years ago, during high school, would surface on the eve of a committee vote after Democrats sat on them since July. If Ranking Member Feinstein and other Committee Democrats took this claim seriously, they should have brought it to the full Committees attention much earlier. Instead, they said nothing during two joint phone calls with the nominee in August, four days of lengthy public hearings, a closed session for all committee members with the nominee where sensitive topics can be discussed and in more than 1,300 written questions. Sixty-five senators met individually with Judge Kavanaugh during a nearly two-month period before the hearing began, yet Feinstein didnt share this with her colleagues ahead of many of those discussions. It raises a lot of questions about Democrats tactics and motives to bring this to the rest of the committees attention only now rather than during these many steps along the way. Senator Feinstein should publicly release the letter she received back in July so that everyone can know what shes known for weeks. Judge Kavanaughs background has been thoroughly vetted by the FBI on six different occasions throughout his decades of public service, and no such allegation ever surfaced. Furthermore Judge Kavanaugh and others alleged to have been involved have unequivocally denied these claims from their high school days. The Committee has received letter after letter from those whove known judge Kavanaugh personally and professionally, including 65 women whove known him since high school, speaking to his impeccable character and respect for others, especially women. Sen. Graham said this: I agree with the concerns expressed in the Judiciary Committees statement about the substance and process regarding the allegations in this latest claim against Judge Kavanaugh. However, if Ms. Ford wishes to provide information to the Committee, I would gladly listen to what she has to say and compare that against all the other information we have received about Judge Kavanaugh. If the Committee is to hear from Ms. Ford, it should be done immediately so the process can continue as scheduled. Grahams statement is shrewd and on point. Hes opening the door to Ford to speak her piece, while insisting that her claim not become a vehicle for delay. As I argued here, avoiding delay is crucial. Graham doesnt say whether, if Ford provides information to the committee, she would be subject to examination. I assume she would be. Otherwise, whats the point? Hasnt she already said all she thinks she needs to say? Ford probably doesnt relish being cross-examined. Graham, who is rather good at it, would probably love to examine her. It would be a delicate exercise. However, Graham is skillful enough to do it politely but effectively. In any event, Graham has put the ball in Fords court. She can decline to appear before the committee (or try to set ground rules that exempt her claim from scrutiny), which would hurt her credibility or she can risk having her credibility undermined through searching cross-examination. On Friday Paul Manafort agreed to a guilty plea to resolve the pending federal charges against him in the District of Columbia (the pending charges set forth in a superseding criminal information), the charges remaining against him in the Eastern District of Virginia and to the related charge of obstruction of justice. None of it has anything ot do with the Trump presidential campaign, of course, but the agreement leaves open the possibility that Manafort might be prosecuted for any crimes not included within th[e] agreement. I have embedded a copy of the letter agreement below via Scribd. NRs Andrew McCarthy observes that the media are spun up because the plea agreement, which will cap the 69-year-old Manaforts prison time at ten years, requires Manaforts cooperation. Anti-Trumpers have visions of the walls closing in on the president. Like the speaker in Yeatss great poem, they announce: Surely some revelation is at hand[.] One wonders if they themselves believe it. The revelation would of course be the supposed collusion of the Trump campaign in the election with the Russian government. In their eyes, Trump is guilty of something warranting his removal of office, whether or not the pretext for Muellers efforts actually exists. They tout Muellers impeccable record of guilty pleas that miss the mark of anything approaching the Trumps collusion with the friends of Vladimir Putin. They are determined to overlook and distract us from the biggest scandal in American political history, a scandal that indeed involves collusion, but the collusion of the Clinton campaign with the Russian government. If the Steele dossier is taken at face value, we have the ocular proof of this collusion. Ken Vogel usefully explores the background of Manaforts plea in Manafort Plea Deal Casts New Scrutiny on Lobbyists He Recruited. Here Manafort actually has something to contribute. On the Trump-Russia collusion front, the Democrats and their media adjunct will keep at it right through the time some rough beast slouches toward the 2020 Democratic convention to be born as the partys presidential nominee. Manafort Plea Agreement by Scott Johnson on Scribd The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged communication giant, MTN Nigeria, to comply with the directive of the Federal Government to pay the over $10 billion as tax arrears and illegal repatriation. Ayuba Wabba, NLC president, made the call in a statement on Sunday in Abuja. Specifically, he said the NLC will advice MTN to comply, without further delay, the directive of the federal government to pay $2 billion in tax arrears. This is as well as the $8.13 billion illegally repatriated to South Africa over which four indigenous banks have been fined. We similarly urge the federal government to spare no effort in recovering this money as anything to the contrary will send wrong signals to other corporate organisations it had punished for lesser tax infractions. The need to enforce this order is all the more compelling when it is realised that workers pay taxes they can ill-afford, but religiously pay all the same, he said. Mr Wabba noted that governments tax reforms have been skewed in favour of corporate organisations, there was no reason for a default. He added that every taxable person is expected to pay his or her tax as and when due. Mr Wabba said: If companies default, with what is government expected to run the country or conduct its business? In our view, this incident does not only directly test the Thabo Mbeki Report on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa, it is also a major crime against the government and people of Nigeria. On our part, we are, however, not surprised by the unethical conduct of MTN. They are not only engaged in the exploitation of Nigerian workers and turning them into slaves, but have extended their frontiers to unwholesome economic exploitation and sabotage. The questions on every lips are: How many times has MTN done this? How many other companies are doing this? He stated that through the Tax Justice Campaign, labour had relentlessly and assiduously drew the attention of the government and Nigerians to the humongous crime against the vulnerable people of Africa, especially Nigeria. He noted that over 70 million people in Africa are said to be the poorest in the world. Government should use this opportunity to send an appropriate message to everyone, especially corporate organisations who often pay taxes in the breach. Coupled with this, governments tax reforms will only make meaning if they are judiciously executed. We feel vindicated by the latest discovery, while offering an explanation for picketing MTN offices across the country in July this year, we highlighted labour laws, local content law and security breaches by MTN. We exposed other acts of impunity by MTN, in spite of the fact that 60 per cent of its global income comes from Nigeria, he said. He urged critical government agencies to closely look into the operations of the company, especially in light of the Thabo Mbeki report. (NAN) When Mama Adekunle, as she is fondly called, heard the news of the birth of a child to her son, she did what most new grandmothers in Nigeria do she rushed over to perform her traditional duty of taking care of the new mother and child. This duty includes passing knowledge to the new mother on how to bathe the child and take care of its umbilical cord. According to Mama, the umbilical cord needs to heal properly, to avoid stomach pain for the child. It can also lead to health complications for the child in the future if it is not well taken care of. As such, we use a napkin heated on a (bush) lantern to press the umbilical cord until it (the top) falls off. We continue this for about three months. By then we are sure that the navel would have healed, she said. Unfortunately, this simple traditional practice on newborns poses a grave health risk. Health experts say it exposes the infant to a bacteria called clostridium tetani, which causes neonatal tetanus. This is because the lantern tops are often rusted and the napkins not often hygienically handled. Neonatal tetanus in Nigeria Neonatal tetanus (NT) is one of the six major child killer diseases in Nigeria. Though vaccine preventable, many infants in the country still die from exposure to the tetanus within 29 days of birth. The bacteria that causes tetanus can be found in soil, manure or dust. They infect humans by entering the body through cuts or puncture wounds. According the World Health Organisation 2016 report on Maternal and Neonatal tetanus, Nigeria is one of the 18 countries yet to eliminate the disease. NT still accounts for up to 20 per cent of child mortality in the country. A recent UNICEF report on global newborn mortality rates also ranked Nigeria as 11th highest in neonatal deaths. This implies that a reduction in neonatal tetanus cases will translate to a reduction in child mortality rate in the country. Newborns contact tetanus either through the umbilical cord or during circumcision. Vaccine recommended for prevention The Nigerian government targeted NT for eradication or control through the National Programme of Immunisation. Unfortunately much has not been achieved. Tetanus can be prevented through immunisation with tetanus-toxoid-containing vaccines (TTCV). WHO recommends combination vaccines containing diphtheria. According to WHO, neonatal tetanus can be prevented by immunising women of reproductive age with TTCV, either during pregnancy or outside of pregnancy. This protects the mother and through a transfer of tetanus antibodies to the foetus also her baby. Additionally, hygienic practices when a mother is being delivered of a child are also important in preventing neonatal and maternal tetanus. To be protected throughout life, WHO recommends that an individual receives six doses (three primary plus three booster doses) of TTCV through routine immunisation. The three-dose primary series should begin as early as six weeks of age, with subsequent doses given a minimum of four weeks between doses. The three booster doses should preferably be given during the second year of life (12-23 months), at 4-7 years, and at 9-15 years of age. Ideally, there should be at least four years between booster doses. Health advocates speak on field experiences PREMIUM TIMES investigations reveal the governments effort has not been yielding desired result because many mothers, especially in rural areas do not go for ante-natal care or receive such vaccines during pregnancy. Stephen Olusola, a missionary who resides in Kiyi village in Abuja who spoke from his field experience, said women in most of the villages around Abuja metropolis do not visit hospitals for ante-natal services or delivery. Mr Olusola said they do not attend ante-natal services because they do not have access to health facilities or believe in it. Most of the women in about 60 villages around Abuja where we work do not give birth in healthcare centres because they lack the knowledge on the importance of ante-natal services and immunisation. In most cases they also do not have the financial capacity to visit the hospitals and even when some want to, the primary health care centres are usually not within close proximity, he said. Mr Olusola explained that most of the women give birth at home, sometimes on their own while others get assistance from women relatives within the villages or Traditional Birth Attendants. He said for most of the women, it is a thing of pride that they give birth on their own without much assistance. When this happens, they usually have to cut the childs umbilical cord with non-sterilised instruments and this can cause infections, he said. Even when you want to encourage the women to go to the health centres for ante-natal care, the distance is often a challenge. Most of the villages are not accessible, the roads are bad. To access some of the communities, you have to use canoe. But this becomes difficult during raining season as the rivers become full and inaccessible. How do you expect a pregnant woman in labour to cross in such dangerous circumstance? I have had to assist a pregnant woman give birth when there was no health attendant available and the PHC was closed, he added. A PHC is located directly in front of Mr Olusolas house but was under lock on the day our reporter visited. Also speaking with PREMIUM TIMES, Nkwasi Nebo, a medical practitioner and CEO PeachAid Medical Initiative, lamented the high level of ignorance among residents of most of the villages he visited for health advocacy. Mrs Nebo, a maternal health advocate, said experience from most of the villages around Abuja she had visited are the same. Most of the women do not visit health care centres for child delivery. It is often done by the TBAs, most of whom have no training and use unsterilized instruments for delivery. Most of the TBAs or women that assist these new mothers often have little knowledge of what to do right but only rely on the knowledge acquired through constant taking delivery. Some even call on their co-wives or neighbours. In some extreme cases, some give birth on their own without assistance and only call on neighbours to help cut the umbilical cord, she said. Mrs Nebo said the process of cutting the umbilical cord is very delicate because at this point, the child can be infected. Most times they use knives, used blades, broken bottles or blunt and dirty instruments. She explained that her organisation during their medical outreach, educates the TBAs and women who constantly help with delivery. We noticed that most of them use crude tools for delivery and cutting of the umbilical cord. We try to change that by giving them disposable delivery kits, which contains gauze, sterile surgical blade, sanitizer and other minimal necessary tools for each delivery. Though, we advise them to always dispose the blades after use, some might still be tempted to reuse again and this can spread infections. Mrs Nebo also raised concerns on some children not having access to immunisation. She said most of the women they met during her NGOs medical outreach in Kaida village near Gwagwalada on the outskirt of Abuja said they do not visit the hospital for ante-natal. They village is cut off by a river, you have to cross to get there. We did not even get to the village, we had them come out to meet us. The women and most of the children here have little or no access to medical facilities and immunisation. The government needs to do something about this. The women and children need lot of medical intervention and education, she said. What To Be Done A paediatrician, Lawan Tahiru, who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES, attributed the high prevalence of NT in Nigeria to low immunisation awareness among many people especially in the rural areas. Mr. Tahiru said the high prevalence of neonatal cases is a result of many multifactorial issues from background problems. This, he said has to do with cultural beliefs and ways on child delivery and treatment. He said neonatal tetanus is vaccine preventable, but the poor awareness on immunisation especially in the rural areas, is a contributory factor to the high prevalence of the disease in Nigeria. Mr Tahiru said the lack of knowledge and access to rural areas hinder effective implementation of immunisation programmes in the country. Access to some places especially in the rural areas can be very difficult. There are no road. This gets worse during the rainy season. You might need donkeys to get to some of the remote areas to immunise them. This makes immunisation as a preventive measures difficult. This is even more difficult when the people lack knowledge on the importance of immunisation. When people do not understand the importance of something, it makes it more difficult to get them to come out of their farms to be vaccinated, he said. Mr Tahiru said other cultural factors such as dirty delivery places, inadequate delivery skills and crude delivery instruments increase the risk of NT. He however called on everyone, development partners, government and traditional rulers to intensify advocacy on the need for immunisation and ante-natal care during pregnancy, as this can go a long way to help eliminate the disease in Nigeria. As Nigeria edges closer to the 2019 general elections, the major actors are leaving no stone unturned in their preparation for the polls. The outgoing week started on the bright note of party nominations as more politicians picked forms in their respective political parties. Away from the central, Osun election slated for September 22 also stole some headlines while the contention over who will fly the flag of APC in Lagos in the 2019 election made significant waves. Below is a round-up of major political stories in the outgoing week: Sunday In response to opposition claims, the presidency said President Muhammadu Buhari was not opposed to the use of card readers for the 2019 general elections. In an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike accused President Buhari and APC of sponsoring some PDP presidential aspirants. Swiftly, the APC challenged Mr Wike, to name the PDP presidential aspirants allegedly being sponsored by the ruling party. Monday A group of people, under the aegis of One-2-tell-10 association, purchased the nomination form for the re-election bid of Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State. After a meeting in Abuja, PDP Governors Forum condemned the refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill. PDP reappointed Walid Jibrin as chairman of its Board of Trustees for another five years. The presidential candidate of Africa Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, and his party members were tear-gassed during a courtesy visit to the palace of the Ooni of Ife, Enitan Ogunwusi. Tuesday In Kwara, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed indicated interest to contest for the Kwara South senatorial seat. Breaking news: Lagos 2019 promises to be interesting. PDP offers Femi Otedola governorship ticket. Hes accepted and personally confirmed to The Boss newspaper, publisher of Ovation magazine, Dele Momodu tweeted. In a statement they jointly signed, three presidential aspirants of the APC threatened to conduct a parallel National Convention to produce the candidate of the party if the APC does not scrap the exorbitant nomination fees fixed by the ruling party. SKC Ogbonna, Charles Udeogaranya and Mumakai Unagha made the threat. Former Speaker, House of Representative, Yakubu Dogara. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, announced he will seek re-election into the House. Following online circulation of a form purportedly obtained by convicted Nigerian senator, Joshua Dariye, the APC said it would never allowan ex-convict vie for office on its platform, saying both the Nigerian law and its own constitution prohibit election of persons found guilty of criminal offences. In response to a Monday statement by former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido said he would not step down for Mr Abubakar. Both are vying for the coveted PDP ticket. In similar fashion, another PDP presidential aspirant, Jonah Jang, says he would not step down for any other aspirant and his party cannot ask him to do so. President Buhari received the gift of nomination form bought for him by a group the previous week. Senate President, Bukola Saraki. The Senate President and presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bukola Saraki, appointed former presidential media aide, Doyin Okupe as chairman of the Media Council for his campaign organisation. Cautioning its state chapters, APC said consensus, as a mode of producing a candidate, can only be adopted where there is no other aspirantseeking that position. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang, said issues about use of card reader was completely excluded from the Electoral Amendment Bill transmitted to President Muhammadu Buhari for assent on August 3. The PDP said its presidential primary and National Convention will still hold on Friday, October 5 to Saturday, October 6 as earlier scheduled. Wednesday Speaker Yakubu Dogara picked the nomination form to return to the House of Representatives on the platform of PDP. President Buhari submitted his nomination form to seek re-election in the 2019 general elections. President Muhammadu Buhari receives Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms from a socio-political group, the Nigerian Consolidation Ambassadors Network (NCAN) today at the Presidential Villa, Abuja The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) restated that there is no plan to postpone the 2019 general election. Ogun governor Ibikunle Amosun undemocratically emerged the candidate for Ogun Central senate race, as he and elders of the All Progressives Congress unveiled consensus candidates for the National Assembly. Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, said reports of a rift between him and national leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, were untrue. Amidst controversies over his relationship with his estranged godfather, Bola Tinubu, Mr Ambode submitted his APC governorship nomination form on Wednesday. Thursday INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, on Thursday, said the commission is considering banning the use of mobile phones at polling units. Yemi Osinbajo The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, expressed support for the request by young aspirants under the platform of APC to be given quotas in elective offices. The APC said it was not disturbed by the effective defection of Speaker Yakubu Dogara to the Peoples Democratic Party, saying the top lawmaker has no political value to be considered a loss. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) adopted direct primaries for nomination of its candidates and picked early October dates for primary. Friday Truly, I have decided that I will not contest election again. They said they would give me a ticket in the APC but that I must go and beg for it. I said I did not need the ticket. In politics, I have never gone to anybodys house to beg for a ticket, Mr Dogara said on his decision to join the PDP. Former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun (Photo Credit: Chronicle.ng) The finance minister, Kemi Adeosun, resigned her position, over two months after she was exposed to have been parading a forged certificate. In her resignation letter, she explains how got the forged certificate. She left Nigeria a day later. Saturday A former senate president, David Mark, visited Minna, capital of Niger State, where he held a private meeting with the former military ruler, Ibrahim Babangida. A new political party, the Peoples Trust (PT) offered its 2019 governorship ticket to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos. Timothy Owoeye, an Osun State lawmaker seen on a viral video depicting him as bathing in the market square for ritual, was a victim of a ritual syndicate which had operated in the state for a long time, the police have told PREMIUM TIMES. Little was known outside of Osun State about Mr Owoeye until a video showing him being beaten by some men who purportedly caught him taking a midnight ritual shower in a market hit the Internet this weekend. Some of those who circulated the video on social media said Mr Owoeye, who is currently the House Majority Leader of Osun State House of Assembly, was performing the ritual as he intensified activities towards his political success in the upcoming general elections. But Mr Owoeye, representing Ilesa West for the All Progressives Congress, was actually a victim of a high-wire blackmail racket that had seen him part with humongous amount of his personal wealth in a desperate bid to save not only his own career but family image, Osun police commissioner, Adeoye Fimihan, told PREMIUM TIMES Sunday afternoon. The fellow is a victim of some fraudsters who duped him some amount of money, Mr Fimihan said by telephone. They tricked him to that place and did that to blackmail him so that he will not be able to lodge complaint in the public. Mr Owoeyes misery began about six months ago when he agreed to have a midnight shower in a market as recommended by herbalists he had been consulting for traditional prayers. The location is rumoured to be Osun Jela, described as a lull community between Osogbo, the state capital, and Ijesa. But as he undressed himself and started having his shower, some persons whom the police suspect had been lurking in the dark emerged from the nearby bush, turned on lights and focused cameras on the lawmaker. PREMIUM TIMES learnt from sources close to Mr Owoeye that persons were arranged by the fraudsters who had been parading themselves to the lawmaker as herbalists working to help enhance his fortunes through traditional means. They syndicate promised not to circulate the video if Mr Owoeye complied with their demands for cash. He paid the initial cash to the crooks, which subsequently opened a cascade of regular financial flows to their pockets. At some point during the blackmail, about three months ago, Mr Owoeye wanted to sell a filling station he owned after running out of liquid cash to keep hushing his so-called scandal. He did not sell the filling station, but he had paid them more than 40 million before then, the source said. It was when Mr Owoeye was trying to raise money by selling his filling station that an associate pressed him to disclosed what his crisis was about. He was then asked to advised to take the matter to the governor and subsequently to the police. We are happy that he summoned the courage to complain and the police succeeded in arresting some of those fellows and they were charged to court, Mr Fimihan said. Whatever is being circulated is just a way of ensuring that he will not be able to complain. The commissioner said he could not immediately tell how much Mr Owoeye lost to the scheme, but the police had recovered N10 million of it already. Nigerian Police I cannot say precisely now, but the police were able to recover N10 million of the funds he was swindled, the police chief told PREMIUM TIMES. Both the commissioner and Mr Owoeyes associate told PREMIUM TIMES the video was leaked by other members of the syndicate who were yet to be taken into custody. Rauf Aregbesola [Photo Credit: Pearl News] Mr Owoeye could not be reached for comments. It was also not immediately confirmed whether the arrested suspects had hired their legal representatives. Ritual prayer by fake herbalists is a booming trade in which unsuspecting citizens lose billions across Nigeria annually, and the police have spent years combating its spread by regularly smashing hideouts of syndicates. The Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, says in spite of pocket of attacks by remnant of Boko Haram terrorists in Borno North, the army is tightening the noose against them. Mr Buratai, therefore, urged Nigerians and people of the region in particularly not to panic as those attacks do not signal resurgence of insurgency as being insinuated in some quarters. He spoke in an interaction session with journalists at Mongunu after he personally monitored and coordinated onslaught against the insurgents locked in between troops locations in the area. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the recent attacks recorded in the area, particularly at Damasak, headquarters of 145 Battalion and Gudumbali community, were mainly targeted at troops and their locations. While the insurgents attacked Gudumbali on September 7, they attacked Damasak on September 11, shortly after the army chief left the location, but met their waterloo. The attacks were believed to have been carried out by a faction of the terrorist group led by Al-Barnawi, which had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA). Unlike the Abubakar Shekau faction, the Al-Barnawi faction targets military and its locations and not soft target (civilians). Mr Buratai explained that the terrorists carried out those attacks as the noose was being tightened against them and coupled with the fact of their knowledge of the terrain in those areas. He noted that this was so as in the last two years, not much attention was paid to Borno North in the fight against insurgency and terrorism until now. The Nigerian army is now consolidating in northern part of Borno. You will agree with me that for almost two years, we have not paid attention to northern Borno, until about last year 2017, when we directed our focus to this area. We were most concern with our efforts in southern and Central Borno, and very little in the north. But now that we have given attention to northern Borno, especially the Lake Chad basin, we have seen the activities of the Boko Haram terrorists coming up. We have seen their reactions to the way we have been dealing with them. All those attacks were as a result of closing in on them that our troops are doing. We will tighten the noose around their logistics bases. But they are taking advantage of knowledge of the terrain to move in between our troops deployment, he said. Mr Buratai said the recent attacks on troops locations at Damasak and Gudumbali only serve to strengthen the army in terms of intelligence capability, fire power and ability to withstand challenges. He, however, expressed concern about the difficult terrain of the area coupled with the poor condition of roads leading to the communities. Boko Haram Commander, Abubakar Shekau in latest video On the propaganda in some sections of the society, purporting a resurgence of insurgency following the recent attacks, the army chief advised those behind it to desist. When you say resurgence, what does that mean? We have to look at it critically. It is not something you speak about without analysing, without thinking of the consequences on the psyche of Nigerians, on psyche of the traumatised indigenes of this part of the country, he said. Mr Buratai accused those behind the propaganda as having ulterior motive. In this type of propaganda they want these people to perpetually remain in IDPs camps and for certain individuals to continue to be suppliers of relief materials and at the end, not even the IDPs do benefit fully from those materials. Those who benefit are somewhere else and we want this to continue in our country? he asked, and cautioned that certain things must be done with limit. We must get it right, this is our country. Anything that happens here North East, if not contained, be rest assured, it will go round our country. The rumour going on is being propagated to score some cheap interests, whether social, economic, political or whatever. If such propaganda is not contained, it will consume even those who feel they are untouchable, he said. On troops rotation, Mr Buratai also urged Nigerians not to pressurise the army over the issue. He said although the army was addressing the issue, you just cannot say that soldiers must be rotated anyhow. You cannot use the issue of rotation to pressurise the army. We have our system of relief and we will adhere to it. We have system of leave and passes, casual leave, annual leave, compassionate leave and passes are granted. I think we better get it right. Some people may not understand but I believe those that are reasonable and responsible will understand. Mr Buratai clarified that rotation has to do with national security and not politics as the army was apolitical and will remain so. (NAN) The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has written the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to demand an urgent placement of Ekiti State governor on criminal watch list. The anti-graft agency said in the September 12 letter that Ayo Fayose poses a flight risk and may leave the country via land borders, airports or even seaports. Mr Fayose will complete his second four-year term as Ekiti governor on October 16. Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the EFCC, told the Customs headquarters in Abuja Mr Fayose is under probe for conspiracy, abuse of office, official corruption, theft and money laundering. The NCS consequently notified all its commands and formations across the country of the request and recommended immediate and strict compliance in a September 14 memo. Both letters, which PREMIUM TIMES obtained on Sunday, became public a day after Kemi Adeosun left Nigeria as she faces 14 years imprisonment for admitting her youth service scheme certificate was indeed forged as reported by PREMIUM TIMES. Mrs Adeosun, who resigned on September 14 as Nigerias finance minister, is said to have departed Nigeria the next morning to be with her mother and children. She is a British citizen, and the Nigerian government has not given any indication it intends to prosecute her. The moves by federal authorities to tighten surveillance around Mr Fayose came as the governor was making public appeal to the EFCC that he would turn himself in for probe after leaving office. The governor recently wrote the anti-graft office, saying he would be available for questioning in the afternoon of October 16, when he would hand over power and consequently lose immunity from criminal prosecution. EFCC operatives Apparently aware of the moves by EFCC, Mr Fayose released a statement Sunday evening, ridiculing the agency as being wayward and reiterating his firm opposition to the Buhari administration. EFCC, when a woman is being brought to you as a wife, you dont have to peep through the window to see her. As I said in my letter, Insha Allah, I will be in your office on October 16, a day after the expiration of my tenure. EFCC putting my name on watch list after notification of my coming is not only political but petty. Im not among those who are afraid to face tomorrow. Nobody is God. They should expect me on October 16, 2018. I will remain in PDP not minding their intimidation, Mr Fayose said. The United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) has called for effective implementation of nutrition policy to address malnutrition confronting the country. The deputy representative, UNICEF Nigeria, Pernille Ironside, made the call at the National Council on Nutrition (NCN) Sub-Committee Meeting on Nutrition Awareness on Saturday in Kano. She stressed the need for the state and federal governments to invest in nutrition through adequate funding and prompt release of funds allocated to the sector. The reason why Nigeria should invest in nutrition is that early nutrition programmes increase school completion. We must invest in nutrition because malnutrition is hampering survival and development of children, Ms Ironside said. The deputy rep noted that Kano, Katsina and Bauchi States were among the nine states that contributed to stunted children in Nigeria and called for stringent measures to check the ugly trend. She lamented that only 156 out of the 774 local government areas in the country were implementing extensive nutrition programme which is 20 per cent of the total number of the LGAs. According to her, of the 12 million stunted children in the country, Kano State had 1.4 million children. In her opening remarks, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, stressed the importance of the interactive meeting. The minister urged the stakeholders to ensure effective implementation of nutrition policy in their respective states so as to achieve the desired objective. Earlier in his remarks, the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, said the meeting was aimed to highlight the nutrition situation in the country with a view to finding a lasting solution to the problem. He said the meeting would also give stakeholders the opportunity to discuss possible ways of addressing the nutrition crisis in the country. NAN reports that the meeting which was attended by various stakeholders including representatives of the ministries of health, budget and national Pplanning was held at the Emirs Palace. (NAN) What to do about trade mark theft in China REGISTER your trade mark prior to doing business or risk losing your right to register and use it in China, writes Dr Chris Vindurampulle, Senior Associate, Patent & Trade Marks Attorney, Watermark (Victoria). Is your business thinking about going to China to develop relationships, to conduct research and development, set up distributorship or to manufacture products? Are you thinking of using e-commerce platforms like Alibaba or JD.com to sell products to Chinese consumers? If so, make sure to register your trade mark in China before doing business. Why? Its not uncommon to hear stories of companies going to China to have products manufactured or to set up a distributorship, only to find out later that the Chinese company theyd dealt with had registered their trade mark without permission. One client exhibited a range of wines at a trade expo in China, and subsequently found that a Chinese wine distributor had applied to register their trade mark after the exhibition without permission. It may have been the case that the Chinese distributor had taken this action to encourage a business relationship with our client. We were able to help our client retrieve rights to their trade mark in this case, but theft of intellectual property (IP) in China is not always straightforward to resolve. There is no doubt that the Chinese Government is improving its laws to reduce IP theft. This being the case, Australian companies can still be held to ransom which, for smaller players, can result in significant costs for example to rebrand, or in product recall and in the worst case, can even cause a business to shut down. The opportunities for Australian companies to do business in China are huge. Chinas annual online-retail sales are estimated to reach $610 billion by 2018. The potential exposure to Chinese consumers via e-commerce platforms is now bigger more than ever, but brings with it increased risks particularly for IP theft. How does trade mark theft happen? In China exclusive rights to a trade mark will normally be given to the entity who first files a trade mark application market the Chinese Trade Mark Office. If the application is registered, they are then potentially in a position to prevent others from using that trade mark within China. Chinese Law also enables the owner of a Chinese trade mark registration to prevent the export of products bearing that trade mark from China. This therefore presents a concern for the rightful foreign owner of the trade mark who may be prevented from using their trade mark in China, but also from importing to or exporting from China. Also in Australian Food News Preventing theft Before you do anything, apply to register your trade mark. There are two legal avenues to protect your trade mark either by (1)direct filing or (2) under the International System known as the Madrid Protocol. If you are protecting your trade mark in multiple jurisdictions, including China, filing an application under the Madrid Protocol has cost-benefits. With either approach, making sure that your application is compliant with the Chinese system of classifying goods and services is important. Have some certainty that you can use and register your trade mark in China. Just because you have registered your trade mark in Australia, does not guarantee registration in China. Through searching the relevant databases, clearance searching will determine whether someone has already registered a mark similar or identical to yours in China. IP theft is not the only reason for the existence of a prior registered Chinese trade mark that is similar or identical to yours. Such prior rights can block your ability to protect and use your trade mark in China. Given that English is not readily understood by the Chinese, think too of adopting a Chinese language trade mark. Also protect a Chinese language trade mark early, in addition to protecting your English language mark. If the market adopts a Chinese language equivalent of your English trade mark before you do (which happened to Pfizer and their ViagraTM product), you could lose the rights to that mark. Consider protecting your trade mark in a Chinese domain name (ending with, for example, .cn) as a defensive maneuver. If your trade mark is a logo, seek copyright registration in China. As a recordable right in China, and because the effective date of protection can be backdated to the date of its creation, copyright can be a very- effective fallback position where IP theft has occurred. Recovering rights It can be rare for a Chinese entity that has registered a misappropriated trade mark to have a genuine intention to use that trade mark themselves. If the Chinese entity hasnt used the trade mark in China for a period of three years after its registration, it may be possible to apply for cancellation of the trade mark. Challenging a pending trade mark application or prior registration for your trade mark that has been filed/registered without permission can also be surprisingly cost-effective, if: Your company had a business relationship with the Chinese entity before the filing date of the trade mark application; and Your company was the original creator and user of the trade mark. This is because Chinese Trade Mark Law allows removal of a trade mark where a foreign company had a prior right over the trade mark; the foreign company had used the trade mark prior to the Chinese entity filing the trade mark application; and the trade mark enjoyed some reputation. This option is particularly effective for a foreign company if it has taken advantage of the availability of copyright registrability in China. Final words If your business plan includes accessing the Chinese market, directly or remotely via an e-commerce platform , have a China plan. Proactively protecting IP, such as trade marks, should be an aspect of that plan. Its difficult to pursue opposition or cancellation proceedings In China, because a foreign company must be able to provide sufficient evidence to support their petition if they are to have any chance of succeeding. Significant costs are therefore likely to be incurred. The best advice is to make sure your trade mark application is in place before doing business because as they say, prevention is better than cure! ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr Chris Vindurampulle, Senior Associate, Patent & Trade Marks Attorney, Watermark (Victoria). Founded in 1859, Watermark is an Australian intellectual property firm renowned for delivering exceptional client care to match its peerless IP knowledge. The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has urged the federal government to enact a law that would enable it to demobilise telephone networks in all centres during the conduct of its examinations. The head, public affairs of the council, Damianus Ojijeogu, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos. Mr Ojijeogu said this would help to further tackle the rising cases of examination malpractice among candidates in the country. He spoke against the backdrop of activities of some fraudulent persons who operated rogue websites and use it to defraud candidates by posting wrong questions and answers during its examinations. You know, WAEC is not a national body. It is a regional body and as a result, we must always strive to operate within the ambit of the law that sets up the examination body. The fight against malpractice has remained one of our key challenges in ensuring that the integrity of our examination is not compromised. As such, we want all stakeholders, especially the Federal Government to join hands with us in taking it seriously and fighting the scourge. Indeed we want to appeal to the federal government to assist us further by passing a law that will enable WAEC to jam the respective networks in all centres during our examinations. This is because countries where this has been successfully carried out, it is the governments of such countries that made it possible, for the sake of the future of their children and their education, Mr Ojijeogu said. According to him, the council on its own, is doing all it can to tackle the menace by continually deploying cutting edge technologies and training and re-training of staff, to be able to detect and nip all forms of malpractice before it can be carried out. It will be recalled that we use persons who are not WAEC staff during the conduct of our examinations and therefore, we must always be proactive by being ahead. We are always putting measures in place to ensure that operators of those rogue websites are also apprehended and charged to court. In April this year, during the conduct of our West African Senior School Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates, some operators were caught and paraded, same as last year. For this year, we have also been notified about their activities at our ongoing second series 2018 WASSCE for private candidates and we are already investigating to find out their location. We are indeed working hard to get as much information as possible in order to assist the police to swing into action. So far, about 12 persons who have been arrested in connection with these fraudulent activities have been charged to court and our expectation is that the law will take its full course to serve as deterrent to others, he said. Mr Ojijeogu noted that the fraudsters were currently working hard to defraud gullible candidates writing the WASSCE for private candidates by posting past questions of some subjects using various social media platforms. These questions are papers already taken at the Gambia and Sierra Leone and we want to admonish candidates not to fall prey to these persons as it is capable of compromising their performance and their future, he said. (NAN) The Labour Party of Nigeria, on Saturday, admonished the president of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, to focus more on the issues affecting workers, instead of tarnishing and undermining the leadership of the party. In a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES, the national chairman of the Labour Party, Abdulkadir Abdusalam, said NLC is not and cannot be the owners of Labour Party as argued by Wabba. Mr Wabba last week said the NLC was the rightful manager of the Labour Party and would not allow the Mr Abdusalam leadership tarnish the image of the party by giving its presidential ticket to Mr Mimiko who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party. In his statement, Mr Abdusalam also highlighted the 1999 Constitution that states that the law prohibits any association from contributing to the funds of any political party. While we acknowledge the solidarity of organized labour with our party, we state that the Nigeria Labour Congress is not and cannot be the owners of Labour Party as argued by Wabba by virtue of section 221 of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended), which prohibits any association from contributing to the funds of any political party. It is a criminal offence under section 15 of the Trade Union Act, to use Trade Union Funds directly or indirectly to fund a Political Party. Moreover, he said once a political party is registered, it has a life of its own, and it can only be regulated by its constitution (see section 80 of the Electoral Act 2010 (As Amended). According to Mr Abdusalam, in the past, the party had at several times, warned Mr Wabba to focus more on his job as president of the Nigerian Labour Congress and address issues affecting workers not focusing with the administration of Labour Party of Nigeria . Nigerians are not unaware that workers are in want and poverty occasioned by the current low minimum wage, unpaid salaries and allowances while others have been sacked indiscriminately, he said. Mr Abdusalam noted that the declaration by the immediate past governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko, to run for president was not a convention. Let it be on record that the event of 13th September 2018 where the former Ondo State governor declared his intention to run for the office of President of Nigeria, was not a convention but a visit to announce his interest and identify fully with the party. Only people ignorant of basic party procedures will see the collection of expression of interest process as convention! he said. Cancer: Scientists Reveal How To Boost Radiotherapy Scientists have identified a molecular pathway that links the movement of energy-producing centres, or mitochondria, in cancer cells to resistance to radiotherapy. This, they say, could lead to improved cancer treatment. Although previous studies have already revealed that the pathway, called Arf6-AMP1-PRKD2, plays a key role in cancer resistance, how it did so had remained unclear. But scientists at Hokkaido University in Japan who studied aggressive breast cancer found that Arf6-AMP1-PRKD2 controls the movement of mitochondria inside the cells. Nigeria Inaugurates Committee For Ear Care The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, has inaugurated a technical working group for ear care and hearing health in Nigeria. While inaugurating the group, the minister tasked it to develop a National Strategic Plan on Ear Health Care and Community-based Hearing Health programme to improve ear care across the country. He also said that there was need to identify centres where the care could be accessed and to develop a public school for ear/hearing screening programme, targeting one million students. UK Monkeypox Cases The Nigerian government says it is cooperating with authorities in the United Kingdom (UK) to investigate outbreak of monkeypox, after two cases were discovered in the UK from patients with recent travel history from Nigeria. The Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu, said it is working with the UKs public health agency; Public Health England (PHE), and other partners in Nigeria in the investigation. PHE reported that two people were diagnosed with monkeypox in Britain in apparently unrelated cases. The first patients who is said to be a Nigerian national was diagnosed with the disease in Cornwall last week while the second case was first presented at Blackpool Victoria Hospital. Global Hunger Continues To Rise UN report The population of hungry people is rising across the world, a UN report has shown, with more than a quarter of them in Africa. Out of the 821 million people who faced shortage of food in 2017, 257 million were found in the continent. A new report on the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World showed that world hunger rose in 2017 for the third consecutive year, fuelled by conflict and climate change. According to the report, hunger is worsening in South America and most regions of Africa as one in nine people went hungry in 2017. The steady rise in number is fast jeopardising the global goal to end hunger and malnutrition by 2030, the UN warned. Nigeria Wants PHCs To Handle Diabetes, Hypertension The Nigerian government plans to equip primary healthcare centres across the country to screen and treat diabetes and hypertension. The Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, said this while declaring open the 4th Pan- African Diabetic Foot Study Group Conference and the Advance Course on Diabetic Foot/Podiatry in Abuja. Prof. Isaac Adewole. Minister of Health The programme was organised by the Pan-African Diabetic Foot Study Group in collaboration with World Diabetes Foundation and Mark Anumah Medical Mission. Mr Adewole said government wants to ensure screening of diabetes goes beyond teaching hospitals, as having everyone going to tertiary hospitals was not helping the Nigerian health system. Sokoto Disburses N7.4m Medical Assistance The Sokoto State Zakkat and Endowment Commission has disbursed medical assistance worth N7.4 million to various hospitals and pharmaceutical shops across the state. The Commissions Chairman, Lawal Maidoki, said every month the state government supports the commission with N31.5 million to assist the needy in the area of medical, shelter, food and disaster, among others to improve their living standard. Therefore, as usual, we are disbursing N7.4 million to our various partners, hospitals and pharmaceutical shops to assist the needy who cannot afford medication, he said. Zimbabwe Cholera Stops Chamisas Mock Swearing-in Zimbabwes opposition MDC party leader, Nelson Chamisa, will no longer have a mock inauguration due to the ban of public gathering by the government because of the cholera outbreak. Authorities have banned public gatherings in the city as a health measure after a cholera outbreak claimed 25 lives. Map showing Zimbabwe and Zambia The cholera outbreak, first detected in the township of Glen View outside Harare earlier this month, prompted the health ministry to declare an emergency in the city after at least 3,000 cases were reported. Cholera: Cuba To Help In Zimbabwe Cubas medical brigade working in Zimbabwe is willing to cooperate with local authorities to stop the cholera outbreak that has killed 25 people, the Caribbean nations embassy in the capital reported. The diplomatic mission states in a note that events related to the outbreak of cholera and typhus had been observed and followed. About 35 Cuban doctors are in Zimbabwe, and they are prepared to assist in whatever actions the Zimbabwean government deems necessary to stop the disease, the text states. The cholera outbreak in the country was announced on September 1 and about 25 people have died so far and about 3,000 infected. Local health authorities have adopted a series of health measures to control the spread of the epidemic. Combating Malaria In Asia-Pacific The leaders of Asia-Pacific at the 2018 World Economic Forum on Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which held in Vietnam announced a new initiative to accelerate the elimination of malaria in the Asia-Pacific region. . M2030,a platform established on World Malaria Day 2018, aims to bring together some of the most influential businesses in Asia to raise funds, engage consumers as agents of change and sustain political support for malaria elimination by 2030. According to the World Health Organisation, in 2016, there were 216 million cases of malaria globally, up five million cases over 2015. Meanwhile, deaths reached 445,000, a similar number to the previous year. The Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, on Saturday commissioned first set of Combat Motor Bikes to help troops deployed for internal security duties at the warring border communities of Cross River and Ebonyi states to effectively access all the nooks and cranny of the troubled areas with the aim of containing the occasional clashes between them. Recently, there has been resurgence of boundary conflicts between Ukelle and Izzi villages of Cross River and Ebonyi states which resulted in the disruption of economic and social activities as well as the loss of lives and properties. The nature of the terrain especially during rainy season has made it difficult for security agencies to effectively patrol the areas. To alleviate this problem and enhance operational effectiveness of troops in the areas, the army chief authorised the injection of Combat Motor Bikes Platoons to enhance troops mobility and access to the difficult areas. In a brief handing over ceremony of the bikes at Ipollo -Ntagom Security Out Post, the bikes were on behalf of the army chief handed over to the soldiers by the General Officer Commanding 82 Division Nigerian Army, Emmanuel Kabuk, who represented Mr Buratai. The Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Eric Igwe, represented the governor of the state while the commissioner for local government affairs, John Ulafor, represented the governor of Cross Rivers State. In their separate remarks at the event, the governors of the states through their representatives, commended the army chief for the laudable initiative and commitment to ensuring lasting peace and security between the border areas of Cross Rivers and Ebonyi states. Never in the history of our states have we seen such a zeal and uncommon commitment to ensuring peace and security in the our states like what the COAS has done, this gesture is complimentary to the efforts of Cross Rivers and Ebonyi States and we thank General Buratai for that, Mr Igwe stated. Others who graced the occasion include the Secretary to the State Government of Ebonyi State, Chairman Izzi Local Government Area, traditional rulers and elders of the affected communities. Several other army leaders were also at the event. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday welcomed the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, back to its fold from the All Progressives Congress (APC), PDP in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja, said Mr Dogaras return was a courageous response to the partys call on compatriots to rally with it and rescue the nation. Mr Ologbondiyan described Mr Dogaras decision to defect from the APC as a patriotic and nationalistic move that demonstrates that he is a statesman, who is committed to the progress of the nation, particularly at this trying time. He added that Mr Dogaras move was reflective of the wishes and aspiration of his larger constituency and in tandem with the determination of Nigerians across board to rally on the platform of the repositioned PDP to vote out the APC administration. Mr Ologbondiyan said that Mr Dogara had continued to conduct the affairs of the House of Representatives with the highest level of commitment, resulting in a very productive legislature under his leadership, despite the unmitigated efforts by the APC to distract him. Furthermore, the return of Dogara and other leaders, who had earlier left our fold is a clear testament that the issues that led to their exit in the first place have all been addressed under the repositioned and rebranded PDP. The patriotic action of Dogara and other leaders, who left the APC, has further strengthened the surging hope by Nigerians as they collectively rally on the platform of the PDP to rescue our nation from the misrule and return her to the path of national cohesion, peace and economic prosperity for which our party is known. Mr Ologbondiyan assured that Mr Dogaras return is a pointer to the victory of the PDP both in Bauchi state and at the Federal level, saying that his huge electoral value will contribute immensely to the return of PDP to power at all levels. (NAN) The Nigerian Presidency has reacted furiously after British multinational bank, HSBC, issued a confidential business intelligence predicting reelecting President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 could plunge Nigeria into deeper economic hardship. In a July report recently cited by the Nigerian media, the bank had said a second term for Mr Buhari would greatly stunt the economic development of the country. In a statement Saturday, the Presidency accused the bank of thriving on grand corruption and helping past and present Nigerian leaders launder billions of naira. Read the full statement signed by presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu below: PRESIDENCY WANTS HSBC TO RETURN OUR STOLEN ASSETS, NOT GIVE US DOOMSDAY PROPHECY ON 2019 The Presidency wishes to make clear to all Nigerians, and particularly the global banking giant HSBC which said the second term of President Muhammadu Buhari would stunt the economy, that what killed Nigerias economy in the past was the unbridled looting of state resources by leaders, the type which was actively supported by HSBC. A bank that soiled its hand with millions of US dollars yet-to-be-recovered Abacha loot, and continued until a few months ago to shield the stolen funds of one of the leaders of the Nigerian Senate has no moral right whatsoever to project that a second term for Mr. Buhari raises the risk of limited economic progress and further fiscal deterioration. Rather, we ask them to heed President Buharis constant refrain: return our stolen assets, then see how well we will do. From the facts available to our investigation agencies, HSBCs put down on President Buhari is no more than an expression of frustration over the administrations measures put in place which has abolished grand corruption, the type which this bank thrives on in many countries. They may also just be out to discredit the President out of the fear of sanctions and fines following the national assets that are stolen. With the coming of President Buhari, it is not a secret that corruption, corrupt individuals, banks and other corporate entities that aided corrupt practices are under investigation for various offenses. For many of them, including their friends in the media, they would rather have President Buhari out of their way, for business as usual to return. Our investigation agencies believe that HSBC had laundered more than USD 100,000,000 for the late General Sani Abacha in Jersey, Paris, London and Geneva. Among these accounts on the records are: AC: S-104460 HSBC Fund Admin Ltd. Jersey ($12,000,000); AC 37060762 HSBC Life (Europe), U.K ($20,000,000) and AC: 38175076 HSBC Bank Plc. U.K ($1,600,000). The bank is also suspected in the laundering of proceeds of corruption involving more than 50 other Nigerians, including a serving Senator as earlier indicated. In a book, Secrecy World: Inside the Panama Papers Investigation, published in 2017, Jack Bernstein told the story of global money laundering highlighting the unenviable place of the HSBC. This is a bank that states and federal authorities in the U.S. forced to pay $1.92 billion to settle charges of money laundering; fined $1.2 billion in Hong Kong for systemic deficiencies in bond sales and was made to pay $100 million in currency rigging settlement as reported by The Telegraph of 18th January, 2018. Garba Shehu Senior Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity) September 15, 2018 Senate President Bukola Saraki on Sunday restated his stance that it was the turn of the North-central region to produce Nigerias next president in 2019. The presidential candidate who is also from the zone said the 2019 presidential election provides an opportunity for someone from the region to lead the nation. Since the nation began its democratic sojourn in 2019, political power at the centre has been largely rotated between the predominantly Muslim dominated north and the Christian dominated south. Mr Saraki, who recently defected from the ruling APC to perfect his presidential bid, spoke on Sunday at Plateau State Peoples Democratic Party secretariat during a tour to seek the support of the states delegates in the upcoming PDP presidential primary. This is our chance in the North-central and opportunity to produce president. We need somebody that is courageous and can stand for the masses. We need somebody that cant be intimidated . I believe all of us from Kwara, Kogi, Nasarawa, Plateau, Niger and Benue states (North-central) are all one family. We have worked hard for this country. We have been loyal to this country. Are we part of it? Today, in this country we are more divided than ever before. A lot of people are asking where do we belong to. We have to have a government that is inclusive. A government that all of us will have a say, the same voice. This country belongs to all of us. We are all part of it. We need a president that if you see, you will say this man represents Nigeria, he said. Mr Saraki said as the 2019 election draws closer, Nigerians should change the direction of the country. As we approach election, we have to change the direction of this country. We will be fair to everybody in this country. I am here in Plateau, my own home. I said so because anything that affects a member of a family affects the entire family. I will bring succour to those who have suffered too much particularly in this state that lost dear ones. What I can bring you if I become the next president, I will fight to protect all of you. I will make sure anybody that commits any crime would be brought to justice. Mr Saraki, former Kwara State governor, also promised to stand and fight for all Nigerians. I want to give you (a) Nigeria that you will be proud of, he added. The Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Yusuf Lasun, on Sunday, denied reports going the round that he has dumped the All progressives Congress (APC). It would be recalled that a pro-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) group in the House, under the auspices of Parliamentary Democrats Group (PDG), had described Mr Lasuns defection to PDP as a forgone issue. The PDG Spokesman, Timothy Golu (PDP- Plateau), while reacting to the alleged plan to remove Yakubu Dogara as Speaker, following his alleged defection to the party, had said in a statement that a principal officer, including many other members had signified interest to join the bandwagon. As it is now, not only Speaker Yakubu Dogara, we have many other members, including a principal officer, who have signified interest to join the bandwagon. So we can effectively say that on resumption, Dogara will be presiding over a House with PDP in majority, Mr Golu had said. Mr Lasun, who represents Irepodun/Olorunda/Orolu/Osogbo federal constituency in the National Assembly, described the reports as the handiwork of his political detractors. He spoke in a statement made available by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Wole Oladimeji, in Abuja. The statement reads: The defection story of Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Sulaimon Lasun Yussuff to PDP is highly misleading and highly uncalled for. Deputy Speaker has said it repeatedly that he is a progressive to the core and remains in APC. It is the machinations of his political detractors, who are hell bent in maligning his political image that are spreading the rumour. A silence does not mean that he has left the party, the rumour recently being spread is by his political detractors. Corroborating Mr Oladimejis statement, the Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Abulrazak Namdas (APC-Adamawa), said that there was no truth in the reports. He said it was another ploy by the opposition members to destabilise the ranks of the ruling party in the House and urged Nigerians to discard the report. There was nothing like that. I am telling you authoritatively that the Deputy Speaker did not defect. He has not defected and he will not defect. I dont know what those spreading this rumour wants to gain, but this is a mere wish that wont come true. The Deputy Speaker has said it severally, at different fora that he belonged here and will never contemplate leaving the party. He is a committed man, he has been tested severally and found to be a man of his words. Lasun is a member of APC, that, I am telling you authoritatively, he said. (NAN) A senator, Danjuma Laahs bid for a second term received a massive boost on Sunday with professors from his Kaduna South constituency endorsing him for a fresh tenure. The professors endorsement was contained in a statement signed by John Gambo, Chairman, Forum of Southern Kaduna Professors (FOSKAP), and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Jos. Mr Gambo, Dean, School of Post-Graduate Studies, Kaduna State University, in the statement, regretted that the senatorial zone had never returned a senator, and urged the voters to break that jinx. The professors, who premised their stance on Mr Laahs credible performance in the senate, expressed concern that the PDP state executive council were reportedly backing a member of the House of Representatives, Adam Jagaba, who recently defected from the APC, to succeed him. They alleged that facts were being distorted to achieve the infamous feat of not returning a senator, and wondered why Mr Laah was being sacrificed to please some forces. The statement said that Mr Laah had shown an uncommon courage by standing up for his people when many communities came under attack by invaders that killed many people. Incidentally, people seeking to displace Laah disappeared into thin air during those dark moments. They did not have the courage to stand up for the people. Only Laah took the risk to do that. The dons expressed surprise that people spearheading the struggle against Laah were being led by a member of the House of Representatives seeking a third term. The member wants a third tenure because he argues that he can do more as a ranking member, but does not want the area to have a ranking senator. This is puzzling. The professors expressed shock that Mr Laah was being accused of concentrating projects a Police boarding school, primary school, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and the Federal University of Technology in two local governments. It is at least gratifying to note that Laah has projects; so far, no one has told us the projects initiated by Jagaba in his 12 years in the House of Representatives for which he should be rewarded with the senate seat. Professors and other Southern Kaduna academics will be glad to know the achievements of Jagaba in the years he has spent there. We want to be enlightened. They, however, said that they were not against anyone seeking a higher elective office. We are only insisting that Laah has performed and is still performing creditably well to deserve a second shot at the senate. Aside the state government, Laah is the major employer of labour in the zone and has amply demonstrated that he has the interest of Southern Kaduna people at heart, they argued. The professors cautioned PDP delegates against subverting the will of the people during the primary elections, and urged voters to stand firm against the agents of darkness. They wondered why critics would concern themselves with the location of a federal university in an area where youths travel to Lagos, Zaria, Sokoto and Maiduguri in search of university education. When the university is established, people from all directions will benefit in the areas of admission, employment and other multiplier effects. The boarding school is over 60 per cent completed. A Commandant and Deputy Commandant have been appointed and classes will soon start. Everybody will benefit from the project, it said. The professors revealed that Mr Laah had built a secondary school and a hospital with staff quarters in his village which he donated to the state government, long before he became a senator. It is in Sen. Laah to strive for the betterment of his people. A bird does not change its feathers because the weather is hot, the professors said. They commended Mr Laah for volunteering an expansive building for use by NOUN, noting that most of the people enrolled into various degree programmes there, were not from his Kaura Local Government. While noting that the south of Kaduna had remained a PDP stronghold since 1999, the professors cautioned the party against taking the electorate for granted. Efforts to reach Hassan Hyat, PDP chairman in Kaduna State, proved abortive, but a top party official, who craved anonymity, rejected suggestions that the state working council was behind Jagaba. As a party, we are merely a vehicle for contesting elective posts. We do not determine who should contest what. The delegates have the final say over who picks the PDP ticket. Jagaba and Laah are the two aspirants to the senate ticket. We have assured them of absolute transparency and fairness. We shall not renege on that promise, the source told NAN. (NAN) The remains of the late attorney-general of Rivers State, Emmanuel Aguma, were on Saturday laid to rest at his family home at Orogbum, Port Harcourt. Mr Aguma, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), died in August in a hospital in London. The Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike, leading his cabinet members and other top government officials, attended the funeral ceremony held at the Saint Pauls Anglican Cathedral, Port Harcourt, according to a statement issued by Mr Wikes media aide, Simeon Nwakaudu. The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, was at the burial ceremony. Also present at the ceremony were the governors of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi; Sokoto, Aminu Tambuwal; Gombe, Ibrahim Dankwambo; and Akwa Ibom, Udom Emmanuel. The Archbishop of Anglican Province of Niger Delta, Tunde Adeleye, in his sermon at the funeral, urged Nigerians to work towards living according to the desires of God in order to inherit eternal life. Mr Adeleye prayed God to comfort the family of late Aguma and the leaders of Rivers State. Governor Wike in his funeral oration praised the late attorney-general as being responsible for massive infrastructural development in the state judiciary and the bar. The late attorney-general of Rivers was strong-willed and was loyal to the core. He was a man with character. His death is very painful. His service to the state will never be in vain. Having made sacrifices, the state will continue to honour him, the governor said. He thanked the Aguma family for giving out the late Aguma to the state for service and announced that the state government would re-name the Judges Quarters in Port Harcourt after the late attorney-general when the facility is completed. He also said the wife to the late attorney-general would be drafted into the state executive council in order to cement the relationship between the government and the Oguma family. The corpse of the late attorney-general was taken to the hall of Orogbum Community, Rebisi, Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, earlier on Saturday, where the community leaders paid tribute to him and repeatedly fired traditional canons. The casket containing the remains of late attorney-general of Rivers state, Emmanuel Aguma at the Saint Pauls Anglican Cathedral, Port Harcourt The President-General, Orogbum Community Council, Theophilus Akugbo, said the late Aguma was a peacemaker who brokered peace within Ogbum-Nu-Abali community over a disputed land issue that threatened the peace of the area. Former governors of Rivers State, Peter Odili, and Celestine Omehia, as well as the former president of the Nigerian Senate, Iyorchia Ayu, former governor of Imo State, Achike Udenwa, and a senator from Rivers State, Magnus Abe, were also at the funeral ceremony. A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akwa Ibom, Otu Toyo, has said that he wants to represent the state in the Senate because there is a fight that is coming in the future that the state cannot afford to lose. Mr Toyo told PREMIUM TIMES, Saturday, that the debate on restructuring is one big fight everyone in Nigeria was anxiously waiting for. Mr Toyo, from Udung Uko Local Government Area, is aspiring to represent Akwa Ibom South District. Nelson Effiong, the senator representing the district, is from the same federal constituency with Mr Toyo. Mr Effiong was elected senator on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before he defected to the APC. To make it work for Akwa Ibom, send me to the Senate. Send two other very solid guys to the Senate, and 10 very credible, hard fighters to the House of Representatives, because there is a fight coming, he said. I can tell you, the next national assembly is going to be different. People are going to go there and either restructure or carve up Nigeria. There is no two way about it. From the north to the south, east, and west, everybody is fed up with the way Nigeria is, and we are going to go there and do something about it. Mr Toyo, who claimed to have a rich knowledge of the issues around the restructuring debate, said Akwa Ibom have not been fortunate to have good representation at the national assembly. Akwa Ibom cant afford to be like this; we have such good, intelligent, qualified people, why do we send the people we sent? That is self-inflicted, nobody sends them for us, he said, adding that the time has come for things to be done differently in the oil-rich state. In the next assembly, I am expecting that Akwa Ibom will send three very serious people to the Senate because this is a chance in about four generations. The last time Nigeria was restructured was about 1914, it 104 years now. If we miss that next time, we will probably have to wait another 100 years. And so, we cant afford to toy with this one. And so it is time for the people of Akwa Ibom to come together, forget political parties, and now think Akwa Ibom interest. Mr Toyo, before his defection to the APC, was a former chairman of the PDP in Akwa Ibom state. Akwa Ibom interest, he said, could best be protected through the APC. Akwa Ibom people can best be served if they are on the table. And the table is being laid by the APC. So, I do not expect that there will be any member of the national assembly outside APC. Unless we are on the table where things are being shared, we will get nothing. It was unfortunate that we were on the table with the PDP for 16 years and we practically got nothing. It is a real shame, and thats probably because we sent the type of people we sent. The APC was the engine room to stop the rot that the PDP was energising, they made the right noises. The APC papers were one of the finest, very welfarist, they promised restructuring, they promised everything. Those things are germane to the growth of Nigeria. Whether they have put in energy to fulfill them, you cant really take them to the books because I dont think what they saw is what they thought they would see when they came in. I do not think anybody in the APC imagined the level of rot, theft, and gangsterism that was called PDP. None of us, really, was ready, he said. I am here now. If you must take somebody to go to the Senate, please take me. But if you do not want to take me, by all means, please dont. But get somebody who is better. I dont see why we should take anybody with less acumen and less capacity. They say I am arrogant. God have mercy! You need to be arrogant to do the things that must lift this state forward. Timid, unresponsive, and absolutely ignorant people never lead anybody anywhere. So, why do we celebrate those type of people? Arrogance is not a bad thing; Arrogance is a manifestation of preparedness. It is a manifestation of muscularity, and that is what people want. The Osun State Government has released N500 million to Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso. This was contained in a statement signed by the university spokesman, Lekan Fadeyi. To further demonstrate its commitment to the continued existence of the LAUTECH, the Osun State Government has fulfilled its promise to release the sum of N500 million to the university. The money, promised last week by the state governor, Rauf Aregbesola, hit the institutions account on Friday. Mr Aregbesola had, while receiving members of the Governing Council and Vice-Chancellor of LAUTECH, Adeniyi Gbadegesin, last week, explained that the state was committed to the welfare of staff and students of the Institution. He told the visitors that on no occasion had Osun State wanted to shy away from its responsibility to LAUTECH. He added that his government was proud of the various giant strides of the university. The Vice Chancellor also appealed to them to further demonstrate deep love towards the university and its workers, through adequate funding, he wrote. The university has been bedevilled by poor funding leading to strike by staff and protests by students of the institution. The Nigeria Police Force said it has deployed adequate personnel for the Osun governorship election scheduled for September 22. A statement by the force spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, on Sunday in Abuja, said that the Inspector-General of Police has directed a robust and elaborate security arrangement be implemented in Osun. He said that the DIG in charge of operations, who has been deployed and would be assisted by eight commissioners of police and other senior officers. Mr Moshood said the eight police area commands in Osun would be manned by a commissioner of police. He said that two police patrol surveillance helicopters, 30 Armoured Personnel Carriers, 10 Armoured Personnel Vehicles and 300 police patrol vehicles are already deployed to cover the entire state including difficult terrains. He said that police officers and personnel of other security and safety agencies deployed for the elections are under strict Instructions to be strict in discharging their duties. The force will not tolerate, condone, or allow vote buying and selling to take place anywhere in Osun before and during the election. The Force hereby wishes to warn all political parties and their flag bearers to prevail on their agents, members and supporters not to engage in buying and selling of votes which is in violation of the electoral act, he said. He said that special security identification tags would be worn by all security personnel deployed for the election. No personnel of any security agency will be allowed to move to any other location other than where they are deployed throughout the election period, he said. He said that security personnel attached to public office holders and politicians would not be allowed to follow their principals to the polling units or collation centres. The spokesman warned that any deviant security detail, who disobeyed the order, would be apprehended and dealt with accordingly. He directed all commissioners of police and their personnel in states contiguous to Osun to be on red-alert with their personnel. They are to deploy massively within areas neighbouring to Osun to prevent crimes, hoodlums and miscreants and other unwanted elements from infiltrating from their States to Osun to disrupt the election, he said. He said that vehicular movement in the state would be resisted from 12 midnight of September 21 till the end of the election. Travellers, commuters and other road users can use Lagos Ore Benin Highway and Lagos Ibadan Ilorin Highway as alternative routes, he said. Mr Moshood said that those on essential duties on genuine proven course would be granted passage. He advised the 48 participating political parties participating in the election to warn their members, supporters to be law abiding. They are also implored to cooperate with the police personnel and that of other Security Agencies in the discharge of their duties. (NAN) The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Sunday denied that it froze the bank accounts of the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the Osun State election, Ademola Adeleke, and those of his family members. The denial followed an allegation by the PDP on Saturday that the EFCC was unleashing its oppressive, tyrannical and provocative recipe for crisis ahead of the Osun election by freezing the bank account of the governorship candidate. The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, in the statement, said the freezing of Mr Adelekes bank account by the EFCC showed that the All Progressives Congress-led government was afraid of its candidate, knowing that the people of Osun State were solidly behind him. But the EFCC, in a statement by its Head, Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, described the allegation as false. Mr Uwujaren said the allegation was meant to dress the commission in a partisan garb. The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has been drawn to media publications alleging that it had frozen the account of Senator Ademola Adeleke, candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the September 22, 2018 Osun State governorship election and those of his family members, including the musician, David Adeleke, the statement read. The Commission calls on members the public to disregard the report, which is patently false and contrived to dress the agency with a partisan garb in the unfolding political contest in Osun State. For the avoidance of doubt, at no time did the EFCC place a freeze order on any account belonging to members of the Adeleke family. The purported freeze order which has unfortunately been amplified by pliable sections of the media without any attempt at confirmation, is alien to the Commission and another example of fake news. The EFCC frowns at the seeming attempts by faceless forces to drag it into the political fray and, for the umpteenth time, restates its neutrality as a law enforcement organization that is sworn to uphold the law at all times, irrespective whose interest is at stake. Suspended EFCC Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu The Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, recently said the commission would commence the monitoring of bank accounts for the funding of elections ahead of the 2019 general elections. It is, however, not clear if the monitoring of election spending would commence from the September 22 governorship election in Osun State in the face of rising concerns of vote buying witnessed in recent governorship elections in the country. 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. Creates powerful, global portfolio of air transport events, intelligence, data, media and marketing services NEW YORK and GUANGZHOU, China, Sept. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Aviation Week Network group is expanding by bringing together Informa's leading commercial aviation brands serving the full aviation lifecycle into a single portfolio. This expansion follows the combination of Informa and UBM in June 2018. The Aviation Week Network group now incorporates Routes events, Airport Strategy and Marketing (ASM) and Routesonline, alongside brands such as Air Transport World (ATW), Aviation Week MRO, SpeedNews, Aviation Daily and Fleet Discovery. The resulting portfolio serves airline, airport, aerospace and supplier customers, representing more than 200,000 executives and managers in more than 195 countries. Its products, services and people deliver value across the aircraft lifecycle from product design and development, acquisition, operations, air and airport services to maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), resale and retirement. The combined portfolio enables the commercial aviation community including airlines, airports, MROs, suppliers and financial services to make critical decisions, predict and find opportunities and connect with each other. Powering the combined offerings are: Tradeshows and Conferences providing face to face connections across the commercial aviation community including: Routes Events connecting airports and destinations with airline route planners and strategy executives. connecting airports and destinations with airline route planners and strategy executives. Aviation Week MRO Events and Conferences bringing together the global aviation aftermarket, including airlines, OEMs and MRO suppliers. bringing together the global aviation aftermarket, including airlines, OEMs and MRO suppliers. SpeedNews Conferences the leading events for commercial-aviation supplier executives, OEM strategists and aerospace finance leaders. the leading events for commercial-aviation supplier executives, OEM strategists and aerospace finance leaders. ATW's Airline Achievement Awards-- the most coveted and prestigious awards in the airline community. Intelligence & Data enabling critical business decision support and forecasting for new opportunities Airport Strategy and Marketing (ASM) provides expert route development consulting, data, analytics and training, services that support airports and their stakeholders realize their route and traffic growth ambitions provides expert route development consulting, data, analytics and training, services that support airports and their stakeholders realize their route and traffic growth ambitions Aviation Week Fleet Discovery , the most extensive, high-quality database and forecasting service comprising all of the worlds aircraft, featuring specifications, ownership and lifecycle tracking of 215,000 aircraft including 830+ aircraft and 170 engine types. , the most extensive, high-quality database and forecasting service comprising all of the worlds aircraft, featuring specifications, ownership and lifecycle tracking of 215,000 aircraft including 830+ aircraft and 170 engine types. Aviation Week Intelligence Network whose commercial market insights and databases of programs, companies and aircraft are used for decision making and business development throughout the world's airlines, OEMs, suppliers, MROs and regulatory agencies. whose commercial market insights and databases of programs, companies and aircraft are used for decision making and business development throughout the world's airlines, OEMs, suppliers, MROs and regulatory agencies. Market Briefings including Aviation Daily and SpeedNews, the leading airline, MRO, commercial-aerospace supplier executive and financial community newsletters. Media and Marketing Services enabling companies to showcase their brands and generate leads for product and services with a reach of over 1.7 million A&D professionals. Routes Online, and related newsletters including Airlineroute, that connects the route development community year-round and generate more than 2.4 million page views per month. and related newsletters including Airlineroute, that connects the route development community year-round and generate more than 2.4 million page views per month. Air Transport World (ATW), the leading airline-management brand with integrated print, digital and marketing services products that lead the market in user engagement. the leading airline-management brand with integrated print, digital and marketing services products that lead the market in user engagement. Aviation Week & Space Technology , the industry's leading brand covering technology and aircraft development across all industry sectors including air transport, defense, space, business aviation and the aviation/aerospace supply chain. the industry's leading brand covering technology and aircraft development across all industry sectors including air transport, defense, space, business aviation and the aviation/aerospace supply chain. Aviation Week's MRO Media portfolio , including Inside MRO magazine, MRO-Network.com, MRO LINKS Marketplace and MRO Network Daily newsletter. , including magazine, MRO-Network.com, MRO LINKS Marketplace and MRO Network Daily newsletter. ShowNews , the leading show daily published on site at air shows and tradeshows across the global industry. the leading show daily published on site at air shows and tradeshows across the global industry. International Aviation ( China ) and Air Transport Observer ( Russia /CIS), local language air transport brands serving high-growth aviation markets. "Our ability to enable the growth of the aviation industry with high-quality and high-ROI offerings has taken a giant step forward with the addition of the acclaimed Routes and ASM brands," said Greg Hamilton, President of the Aviation Week Network. "It has been thrilling to see our highly experienced and passionate team members learning from each other and beginning to develop our next generation of innovations serving this essential global industry." David Stroud, Managing Director of ASM stated, "We are delighted to be part of Aviation Week Network as we celebrate our 25th year at the forefront of route development, and driving results for our clients. We are excited by the new opportunities and collaboration we are already finding. We see real benefits to our clients particularly within our expanded data products and aviation industry network, that being part of this new group will bring." "We are thrilled to now be part of the Aviation Week Network," said Steven Small, Brand Director, Routes. "It will enable both our events and our online platform to better serve the route development community through the new group's natural synergies. It will really put our customers' needs at the core of our strategic vision." AVIATION WEEK NETWORK The Aviation Week Network is the largest multimedia information and services provider for the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries that has a database of 1.7 million professionals around the world. Industry professionals rely on Aviation Week for analysis, marketing and intelligence. Customers include the world's leading manufacturers, suppliers, airlines, business aviation operators, militaries, governments and other organizations that serve this global market. The product portfolio includes Aviation Week & Space Technology, AC-U-KWIK, Aircraft Blue Book, Airportdata.com, Air Charter Guide, Air Transport World, AviationWeek.com, Aviation Week Intelligence Network, Business & Commercial Aviation, ShowNews, SpeedNews, Fleet and MRO forecasts, global maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) tradeshows and aerospace & defense conferences. ABOUT AIRPORT STRATEGY & MARKETING (ASM) ASM (Airport Strategy & Marketing) has supported airports, airlines, tourism authorities and governments in the development of new routes since 1993. ASM guides and supports clients through every step of the route development process; identifying potential new air services, preparing business cases and presentations, negotiating with airlines and ensuring new routes are sustainable. ASM was the creator of the Routes events. ABOUT ROUTES EVENTS Routes events are unique annual forums dedicated to the development of new air services. Four 'regional' route development forums are held between February and July in the Americas, Asia, Europe and Africa. The flagship World Routes event takes place in September. www.routesonline.com. The events revolve around pre-scheduled meetings, an exhibition and conference which are delivered in partnership with host stakeholders. Hosts tend to be a collaboration between airports, tourism authorities and investment partners (the bidding process takes place two to three years before the event takes place). ABOUT INFORMA Informa PLC is a leading, international business to business information services Group, operating in over 30 countries. We create transaction-led exhibitions and content-based events, specialist data, intelligence and marketing services products, as well as scholarly research and specialist reference-led academic content. Our products and services help businesses and professionals connect, learn, do business and gain an edge over the competition. Informa is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 100. Media Contacts Elizabeth Sisk Director, Marketing Communications Aviation Week Network 860.245.5632 [email protected] Natasha Haggart Head of Marketing - Aviation Portfolio UBM EMEA +44 (0)161 234 2722 [email protected] SOURCE Aviation Week Network Related Links http://aviationweek.com CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy has restored power to more than 830,000 customers so far in North Carolina and South Carolina out of more than 1.25 million total outages caused by what is now Tropical Storm Florence. Currently, 450,000 customers 412,000 in North Carolina and 38,000 in South Carolina remain without power as of 10 a.m. today. The company has 20,000 personnel working to restore power outages, including additional crews from about 25 states. Additional outages are expected today as the storm continues to affect the Carolinas. Follow updated information Latest outage numbers can be found here. With the slow-moving storm and the massive damage in some areas, comprehensive assessments and restoration times have been difficult. "Mobilizing our crews into the most affected areas has been one of our biggest challenges because of the rapidly changing road conditions due to flooding," said Howard Fowler, Duke Energy incident commander. To give customers as much information as possible, Duke Energy has established 12 separate areas for restoration across the Carolinas to provide targeted updates. A map showing these areas will be continuously updated. Customers without power will be sent updated information via text messages. See the latest map. "Duke Energy is providing our customers information as soon as it's available," said Barbara Higgins, the company's senior vice president and chief customer officer. "As the storm progresses, we'll be able to give more specific information about restoration efforts in cities and neighborhoods. "Duke Energy greatly appreciates customers' patience as crews work as quickly and safely as possible," she added. In hard-hit areas, estimated restoration times will be determined after field crews first complete damage assessments. That process could take several days due to road closures caused by severe flooding and storm debris, especially in the coastal areas of both states. In those areas, total power restoration might take weeks, rather than days, due to widespread damage to power lines, utility poles and other key components of the electric grid. How to report power outages Storm updates Storm updates and videos from Duke Energy can be found at www.dukeenergyupdates.com Stay away from fallen or sagging power lines Stay away from fallen and sagging power lines. Keep children, pets and others away from power lines. Consider all power lines as well as trees, branches and anything else in contact with power lines energized and dangerous. Use extreme caution when traversing damaged and flooded areas. Energized power lines could be hidden by debris and flood waters. High-water safety reminders People who live along lakes and rivers, and in other low-lying or flood-prone areas, should pay close attention to local emergency management officials, the National Weather Service and local media for changing weather conditions and rising water levels. Updated lake levels are available at duke-energy.com//lakes and by calling 800.829.5253 (Duke Energy Carolinas lakes) or 800.899.4435 (Duke Energy Progress lakes). Safety information for extended power outages In dealing with extended outages, the company recommends: Never use a generator indoors. Always follow manufacturer instructions. Keep at least one battery-powered flashlight where it can be located easily in the dark. Listen for storm information on a battery-powered radio. Keep an extra supply of fresh batteries. Never use outdoor grills in the house. Duke Energy Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S., with approximately 29,000 employees and a generating capacity of 49,500 megawatts. The company's Electric Utilities and Infrastructure unit serves approximately 7.6 million retail electric customers in six states North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Its Gas Utilities and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to approximately 1.6 million customers in five states North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. Its Commercial Renewables unit operates a growing renewable energy portfolio across the U.S. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center includes news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. 24-Hour: 800.559.3853 SOURCE Duke Energy PITTSBURGH, Sept. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- An inventor from Houston, Texas, has developed the SCHOOL ALERT SYSTEM, a door entrance security system for school or commercial buildings. "I was inspired to develop my idea because I believe too many schools are unsafe and vulnerable to attacks. I wanted to help make schools safe and save lives," said the inventor. The patent pending SCHOOL ALERT SYSTEM prevents active shooters or terrorists from gaining a foothold in a school or commercial building. It protects school and building occupants from deadly attacks. This system utilizes good engineering practice and state-of-the-art ballistic protection materials. It will allow law enforcement to move in on the offenders and secure their arrest. This system, which is producible in different sizes, will provide peace of mind to the concerned public. The original design was submitted to the Houston office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 17-HUN-617, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com. SOURCE InventHelp Related Links http://www.inventhelp.com PITTSBURGH, Sept. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- "I was searching for an undergarment, such as the one I invented, that satisfied me, however I was unable to locate one," said an inventor from Egypt. She developed the MANSOUR BODY SCULPTOR to reshape body parts beneath clothing. The accessory enhances the wearer's appearance. It helps maintain a thin, slender form. The invention is designed to improve self-confidence. It is easily adjustable to meet personal needs. Additionally, the accessory allows the body to be reshaped without the need for expensive and dangerous surgeries. The original design was submitted to the Houston office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 17-HTM-6474, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com. SOURCE InventHelp Related Links http://www.inventhelp.com ABU DHABI, UAE, Sept. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Plug and Play, the largest global innovation platform, and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the leading international financial centre based in Abu Dhabi, today announced BNP Paribas, Boubyan Bank, Finablr Group (whose portfolio of network brands include among others UAE Exchange), First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), and Riyad Bank as the first five corporate partners to join the Plug and Play ADGM Fintech Innovation Platform based in Abu Dhabi. These new corporate partners will join Plug and Play's global ecosystem, with over 80 financial institutions across Silicon Valley, New York, Tokyo, Paris, and Frankfurt, while also leveraging the platform to support their larger innovation strategy. The seven Fintech startups that have been selected to participate in Plug and Play ADGM's three-month accelerator will have the opportunity to work alongside the financial institutions for a possibility to execute POC or pilot projects. There is no cost for the startups to be in the program and they will remain part of the ecosystem post-graduation. "Over the next year, we hope to facilitate engaging relationships between our new financial partners and startups in the program. Our goal is to help support our partners achieve their innovation goals on a global scale," said Omeed Mehrinfar, Managing Partner EMEA, Plug and Play. Plug and Play ADGM has also partnered with K&L Gates to provide legal support for startups who plan to scale in the Middle Eastern region as well as Amazon Web Services to help startups build sophisticated applications to help scale and grow their businesses. "Plug and Play is the world's most active technology venture capital fund and one of the most successful startup accelerators. We are excited with achievements made by the Plug and Play ADGM team in a mere four months and we look forward to supporting their growth aspirations. We are confident that the first five corporate partners will be able to further advance their innovation capabilities and competitive advantages by working closely with Plug and Play ADGM. As an IFC, we will continue to enhance our Fintech ecosystem and regulatory framework to support the growth of financial institutions, Fintech firms, and the startup community," said Richard Teng, CEO, Financial Services Regulatory Authority of ADGM. The Plug and Play ADGM program will begin on September 16th, 2018 with the selected startups residing at ADGM's co-working space in Abu Dhabi. The selected Fintech startups are as follows: Bambu: Bambu is a B2B Robo-advisor firm offering financial and consumer brands the ability to integrate and benefit from the ongoing digital transformation in wealth management. We are looking to market our services worldwide, capitalizing on our traction to tap the growing robo-advisory market. http://www.bambu.life Digiteam: Digiteam is an award-winning sales digitization and gamification solution that has helped top tier banks improve the productivity of sales people and relationship managers by acting as a mobile personal assistant, providing them with optimal actions while allowing managers to track and guide their teams in real-time. http://www.digiteam.com Exate Technology: Exate Technology protects data in order to allow firms to safely use Cloud Technologies, as well as to comply with Cross-Border Data Transfers and Global Data Privacy Regulations. Data is a valuable asset and Exate's patent pending "passport control for data" solution allows clients to apply rules which easily and effectively control how data is accessed and reported. http://www.exatetech.com/ Market IQ: A cognitive intelligence analytics platform built specially for the financial sector, that is able to ingest structured and unstructured data from any source, dynamically run peer-relative and time-series analysis, and deliver insights in real time to drive better decision making. http://www.themarketiq.com Trust Stamp: Trust Stamp authenticates identity and builds trust using proprietary artificial intelligence powered facial biometrics with proof of life technology. They are primarily focused on authenticating the identity of counter parties in Internet-mediated transactions, where digital identities can be augmented from multiple sources including public records & social media. www.truststamp.us Viasema: Viasema's AI Platform Andromeda uncovers relevant information from virtually any source/format, and transforms it into contextualized, actionable business knowledge. This knowledge is combined with captured human expertise to automate complex internal processes in the legal, compliance and regulation fields. www.viasema.com/ Yogosha: Developer of a bug bounty platform designed to discover and resolve security bugs. The company's bug bounty platform provides pentesting, reporting and selling of security bugs and offers resources to correct the bugs, enabling IT industries to identify and correct their security vulnerabilities to prevent future incidents. www.yogosha.com If you are a financial institution looking to work with an international scope of technologies, or a startup enabling the advancement of the financial sector, get in touch today. Please contact Ashlene Ramadan or Ahmed Alireza to learn more: [email protected] / [email protected] About Plug and Play Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services, and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 20 locations globally giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 6,000 startups and 220 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. We provide active investments with 200 leading Silicon Valley VCs, and host more than 700 networking events per year. Companies in our community have raised over $7 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club, and PayPal. For more information, visit www.plugandplaytechcenter.com About Abu Dhabi Global Market Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), an international financial centre (IFC) located in the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, opened for business on 21 October 2015. Established by UAE Federal Decree as a broad-based financial centre, ADGM augments Abu Dhabi's position as a global centre for business and finance and serves as a strategic link between the growing economies of the Middle East, Africa and South Asia and the rest of the world. ADGM's strategy is anchored by Abu Dhabi's key strengths including private banking, wealth management, asset management and financial innovation. Comprising three independent authorities: ADGM Courts, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority and the Registration Authority, ADGM as IFC governs the Al Maryah Island which is a designated financial free zone. It enables registered financial institutions, companies and entities to operate, innovate and success within an international regulatory framework based on Common Law. Since its inception, ADGM has been awarded the "Financial Centre of the Year (MENA)" for two consecutive years for its initiatives and contributions to the financial and capital markets industry in the region. SOURCE Plug and Play Related Links http://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com China's dependence on crude oil increases fast Over the last few years, China has been getting more and more dependent on the import of crude oil and some other energy carriers. Most of those oil imports are of Russian origin. the thing is that CHina's domestic oil and natural gas production has been contracting over the last few years while the country's production capacities have increased and are now in high demand of more energy. In 2019, Russia is planning to increase its import of crude oil and natural gas to China. Even more, Russia is expected to become the primary source of natural gas for China, delivered both through pipelines and in the form of liquefied natural gas. In the meantime, the Chinese customs service reports that the Russian import of crude oil since the start of 2018 has increased by more than 6% against the same reporting period 12 months before. However, the dynamics started slowing down a couple of months ago, mainly thanks to the fact that some CHinese refineries had cut down on their production due to high oil prices. They say that the market situation has been unstable and the prices have been volatile which is why they are not planning to restore their production capacities until the situation stabilizes. Like we said, the production of crude oil in China has been going down. At this point, over 60% of China's oil demand relies on import. So, the dependence is still getting stronger despite the deciling demand form CHinese refineries. The Chinese GDP is still growing which means more production and more energy carriers required to sustain this growth. The Chinese office for national statistics reports an oil production decline by 2,3% in June 2018. At this point, CHina is producting 3,86 million barrels a day. The domestic oil production peaked in 2015 at 4,31 million barrels a day and has been going down ever since. Apparently, the biggest amounts of crude oil have been imported from Russia - over 1.3 million barrels a day, with over 750K b/d delivered though pipelines. As for Russia, it's now capable to spare more crude oil for China due to lower supplies to Europe. As for natural gas, Beijing has been accelerating the import from Russia at even greater pace. In June alone, they increased the NG import all the way up to 7,3 million tons, which is +31% year-over-year. This is happening against a stronger demand for natural gas coming from the Chinese industrial production. It seems like the Chinese authorities want to cut down on the consumption of coal, due to critical environmental situation in certain parts of China. For now, natural gas and crude oil seem to be the only viable options, which makes then load up on these energy carriers. You are free to discuss this article here: forum for traders and investors China declares crude oil war on USA Beijing is now considering the opportunity to cut down on the export of crude oil from the United States in response to Washington's decision to raise the import duties on Chinese products. The energy war between the USa and China may also affect Russia. Apart from the possible oil import cut, China is also reluctant to shrink the import of crude oil from Iran, which is something that the USA wants. International experts assume that this fact alone may have a more significant impact on the global oil market than all the OPEC decision recently made. At this point, Unipec (a trade branch of Sinopec, a Chinese corporation) has suspended the import of crude oil from the United States. The reason is the escalation of the trade conflict between the two major economies. The ultimate terms are not specified but Unipec has suspended the import at least until October 2018. By the way, it's interesting to note that the American export of crude oil to China in 2017 exceeded the joined export to the UK and the Netherlands, which are the third and forth-biggest buyers of American oil. Back in February 2018, China used to head the list of the biggest importers of American crude oil. This is confirmed by the EIA's report. Over the first 8 months of 2018, China bought 335 000 barrels of crude oil a day off the United States, according to Thomson Reuters Eikon. For the sake of comparison, a year before that, China's import of American oil was limited to 100 000 b/d. In September, Reuters expects China to cut down on the import of American oil significantly - under 200K b/d. Apparently, this is not going to be a disaster for American oil companies. Also, the production of crude oil in the United States came close to 15 million barrels a day in June, with only 2,6 millions b/d exported. So, the big trade conflict is still underway. It's interesting to note that the oil import cuts are taking place amid this escalating conflict of the two superpowers. Apparently, this is a response to America's import duty hikes. for those of you who don't know, previously Donal Trump suggested raising the import duties for Chinese products all the way up to 25% instead of 10% planned before. Shortly after that, China urged the USA to resume the talks and announced counter-measures if the conflict escalates. It's highly probable that higher American import duties will result in more Chinese companies refusing to buy American oil. Unipec is not the only CHinese company out there considering this step. PetroChina, Zhenhua Oil, and a range of other Chinese refineries may well do the same. By the way, Dongming Petrochemical Group, an independent Chinese refinery, already suspended the import of American oil in mid-July. Instead of buying American oil, CHinese companies are now buying Iranian oil, which is something Washington doesn't want. By the way, CHina accounts for 30% of the entire Iranian export of crude oil. The rest of the oil demand is covered by Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Angola. At the same time, NordFX experts report that the current WTI oil price is close to $70/b. You are free to discuss this article here: forum for traders and investors Foreign exchange market China's Central Bank Wants to Legalize Cryptocurrencies The People's Bank of China is currently seeking expert advice regarding turning cryptocurrencies into legal financial asset and payment means in China. According to some financial experts from China, the Chinese authorities have been showing keen interest in blockchain-based technologies, ICOs, and digital currencies. However, they have been cautious since they don't want the international community to know about it. In reality, they are not against cryptocurrencies since understand that cryptocurrencies mean foreign investments and a way for Chinese companies to access the international market. Still, they are trying to figure out how to do this the safe way without exposing themselves to significant risks. It was due to cautiousness that the Chinese financial regulator banned ICOs in China 12 months ago. The thing is, the financial authorities were afraid of financial pyramids and scams getting out of control. As for cryptocurrencies themselves, they are neither banned, nor legalized in China. They are somewhere in between. However, trading cryptocurrencies is banned in China. These days, it's impossible for international governments to ignore cryptocurrencies anymore. With that being said, China is definitely moving towards legalizing dignital currencies. It's just that they want to take everything into account to avoid unnecessary risks. In the meantime, Bitcoin is trading somewhere between 6400 and 6500 USD/BTC, NordFX experts report. The market bias still seems to be bearish. You are free to discuss this article here: forum for traders and investors Got a question? Ask it here VWAP Indicator. Usage Peculiarities. In order to get a competitive edge over others and simplify the process of reaching the trading goals, many traders take advantage of a number of helper tools like trading strategies and indicators. Today, we are going to take a closer look at the indicator named Value-Weighted Average Price (VWAP). What are the benefits of using it and why do they recommend using it? Read more Forex Consolidation. EUR/USD and GBP/USD The stock market has been ambitious in its attempt to eliminate September's retracement and take the "blue wave" into account but the forex market has been more conservative recently in terms of restoring risky bets. However, when it comes to the stock market, each and every scenario out there eventually boils down to the smart money, which cannot but affect the international currency market. Still, there are many questions to be answered yet, which makes it really difficult to make more or less clear predictions. Read more Tape Patterns Indicator Traders often use various kinds of technical indicators these days. The list can be rather long, from popular ones like RIS, MACD etc. to less popular ones like Tape Patterns. Read more Bitcoin's Getting Ready For a Strong Rally While Bitcoin could have been more volatile over the recent weeks, the king of cryptocurrencies stoped in the range between 10K and 11K dollars per coin. Do BTC miners know in which way the coin is going in the near future? Read more Bloomberg: Crypto Is Better Than Gold In 2020 According to the recent Bloomberg report, cryptocurrencies are way better than gold in terms of investments in 2020. Which is interesting, most cryptocurrencies have been growing much faster than gold this year. It's not a secret that gold is considered a safe-haven asset amid crises. Bloomberg Galaxy Crypto Index (BGCI) has gained 66% this year,while gold has gained only 20% over the same period. Read more Gold Prices Drop Below $1860/oz, Seeing A Major Downtrend On Thursday morning, the spot price of gold dropped roughly down to $1850/oz withing the scope of a strong downtrend started earlier this week, with a strong gap from the consolidation level. The key factors contributing to the price drop was the sudden strengthening of the U.S. Dollar. Read more Texas Authorities Spot New Crypto Scams The TSSB, which is the financial regulator of Texas, is reported to have revealed a couple of potential scams in the international market of cryptocurrencies. These are named Forex Birds and PEK Universe. From now on, both of these projects cannot work in Texas anymore. These projects were banned on September, 3rd. Read more Cryptocurrencies On Sale: ChainLink and TRON Go Down, Bitcoin Is Stable Wednesday's session is bringing a retracement in the market of digital assets, which is affecting the entire crypto market cap. Chainlink (LINK), TRON (TRX), and Tezos (XTZ) have been the biggest losers over the last 24 hours. They lost 9,7%, 8,7%, and 5,5% respectively. Bitcoins remains stable and one of the very few tokens among the top 20 that are still showing some gains, though modest ones. Read more What's Next For Bitcoin? Some analysts argue the future of Bitcoin, also known as the digital gold. Last week, the Winkelvoss brothers stated that the BTC price may skyrocket all the way up to 500.000 dollars per coin in the near future. This opinion is shared by Bloomberg analysts. But on the other hand, Bitcoin may see the opposite scenario, which is a major crash to make it as cheap as dirt. Read more Masterforex-V Academy Names World's Best Forex Brokers There are quite a lot of FOrex brokers out there, which is why even FX experts may have a hard time finding one of the best representatives of the FX industry. Even a rookie understands that any serious business should combine the following things: - Major licenses issued by major international regulators - Tight spreads - Timely withdrawals - Bonuses - Guiding beginners - High-quality services - No slippage or software breakdowns - Absence of non-market quotes - Excellent support - Positive feedback - And so much more Masterforex-V Rating. New Look at Forex Brokers You can be one of the best Forex brokers out there making milions of dollars a year... and still struggling financially because your broker has let you down and refused to withdraw your profits. In order to avoid such situations, you are recommended to make use of the unbiased rating of FX brokers by Masterforex-V Academy . This one is called a leading indicator when it comes to monitoring FX brokers. Actually, this is one of the most unbiased ratings out there since it's based on more than 20 quantitative criteria. Some of those criteria are statistical - getting points for each year of working in the FX industry. This means, the older the company is, the more reliable it can be. They also include number of offices, serious licenses (a FSA license gives the broker 70 points, a CySEC license means 30 points, while a Mauritius license means only 5 points), and the number of prestigious awards. There are dynamic criteria, which mostly depend on spreads (the wider they are, the fewer points they get), but also include positive and negative feedback etc. There are biased criteria - the average rate by Forex experts ( Masterforex-V Academy ). Also, brokers can be fined for some bad habits, including refusing to pay profits to customers and being banned in certain jurisdictions. It's may sound surprising, but over the 10 years of existence, the Masterforex-V rating has predicted the ups and downs for most FX broker in the industry. In early September 2018, Masterforex-V Academy updated its rating of recommended FX brokers once again. Eventually, you can now enjoy the rating of 14 Forex brokers that are safe to trust and trade with. NordFx, Alpari, and Dukascopy are the 3 brokers leading the rating right now. These are the world's best Forex brokers. They have been operating in the industry for many years and have already won the hearts and minds om millions of traders all over the world. They also offer some of the tightest spreads in the industry and enjoy the best client feedback. As you probably know, NordFX is a broker licensed in the European Union. it has been operating in the Forex industry since 2008. According to pro-rebate.com, around 50% of Masterforex-V have opened several hundred accounts with NordFX ($1000 to $50000) and have been rating the company services really high (the average rate is 9,7 out of 10). Alpari is one of the oldest and biggest Forex brokers out there. It was founded in 1998 and has been innovating and improving the industry ever since. The quality fo its services is confired by respected financial watchdogs like the British NFA. Dukascopy Bank SA is a Swiss bank operating in the Forex and binary options industries. It offers some of the tightest spreads, personal bank accounts for winning traders in a Swiss banks, and so much more. it's rated 9,3 out of 10. Traders' funds are secured by the Swiss law. These 3 brokers are followed by Fort Financial Services, FIBO Group, Interactive Brokers, Swissquote Bank SA, OANDA, FXCM, Saxo Bank, HY Capital Markets, FOREX.com, FxPro, and Forex club. You are free to discuss this article here: forum for traders and investors Tehran, Sep 16 : Iran would increase uranium enrichment if the European Union (EU) fails to implement its obligations following the US withdrawal from the Iranian landmark nuclear deal, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday. "The Europeans and the other signatories must act in order to compensate for the effects of the US sanctions," Zarif was quoted as saying by Press TV. He downplayed the possibility of Iran's withdrawal from the nuclear deal, but cautioned the EU partners that Iran might act if they fail to secure Iran's interests in the deal. "Oil and banks" are the "litmus test," he said, alluding to the EU pledges to help Tehran in the face of US re-imposition of sanctions on Iran's oil exports and banking transactions. European parties need to decide whether being ready to follow their words, Zarif said, adding that "they should also decide if they want to submit to US pressure." Iran and six world powers, namely Russia, Britain, China, France, the United States and Germany, struck a landmark agreement over Iran's nuclear programme in 2015, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). However, US President Donald Trump decided to withdraw Washington from the deal on May 8 and re-impose sanctions, including oil embargo, on Iran. Iran has held several rounds of talks with France, Britain and Germany to revive the blocking statute, a 1996 regulation that prohibits EU companies and courts from complying with foreign sanctions laws. Iran has incessantly urged Europe to take "practical and tangible measures" to protect Iranian interests since the US pullout. Ramallah, Sep 16 : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday that he will address the upcoming UN General Assembly on issues causing suffering to Palestinians. Abbas made the remarks during a meeting he chaired for Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Xinhua reported. "We will go to the United Nations to confront the world with the issues that our people are suffering," said Abbas, who is scheduled to deliver a speech at the UN headquarters in New York on September 27. The addressed issues include the Israeli decision to demolish Al-Khan Al-Ahmar Bedouin village east of Jerusalem, and the status of Al-Aqsa Mosque in the holy city, he added. "We are consulting with our brothers in Jordan to form a unified position to go to the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice on what is going on at the Al-Aqsa Mosque," Abbas noted. The Palestinian President said the final decision will be made by the PLO central council after he returned from the UN assembly. The United States and the Palestinians have almost severed ties since US President Donald Trump declared Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on December 6, 2017. Damascus, Sep 16 : Syria's air defences responded to an Israeli attack near the international airport of the capital Damascus on Saturday evening, state TV reported. The air defences intercepted several missiles targeting the Damascus airport, said the report, citing a military statement. The attack is the latest in a string of Israeli missile strikes that targeted Syrian military bases during the protracted war in the country. Riyadh, Sep 16 : The Saudi-led coalition involved in the Yemeni war announced on Saturday the interception of a missile shot by Houthi militias toward the border city of Jazan, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The missile was intercepted and destroyed in the evening by the Saudi air forces without reporting injuries, said Coalition Spokesman Turki Al Maliki in a statement. The latest attack has brought the number of missiles fired from Yemen toward Saudi cities to 196, most of them destroyed without causing damage. Saudi Arabia has been targeted by Yemeni Houthi rebels for having been leading a war against them since 2015. The Houthis say their missile attacks were launched in response to the coalition airstrikes on Houthi-controlled lands in Yemen. Seoul, Sep 16 : A group of over 90 South Korean officials on Sunday embarked on a trip to Pyongyang to make preparations for the upcoming summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korea's Kim Jong-un. President Moon will visit Pyongyang from Tuesday to Thursday for what would be his third meeting with the North's leader, reports Yonhap News Agency. The advance team of 93 government officials, technology-related staff and reporters, crossed the border on 19 buses. "The South-North summit talks, for which all people long, are just three days away. The advance team will make sure it's well-prepared," Suh Ho, Seoul's presidential secretary for unification policy, told reporters just before departure. Moon, meanwhile, plans to use the direct flight route over the Yellow Sea for his first trip to Pyongyang as the South's President. The North's media carried a series of reports on the upcoming summit. "Regarding the historic Pyongyang summit, expectations and interest are running unprecedentedly high in South Korea," claimed the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the country's ruling party. It said the two sides will certainly established a "unified strong country" by continuing the peace mood. The North's external propaganda websites -- Uriminzokkiri and Meari -- also released similar reports on the upcoming summit. Washington, Sep 16 : A US Border Patrol agent has been arrested in connection with the killings of four people and the kidnapping of a woman who escaped, officials said. Juan David Ortiz, 35, confessed to killing four people between September 3 and 15, according to a criminal complaint filed in Webb County, Texas, on Saturday. Ortiz was charged with four murder charges and one unlawful restraint with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The bodies were found over the past two weeks, a County spokesman told CNN on Saturday. He said investigators were not ruling out the possibility of more victims. Ortiz is accused of killing Melissa Ramirez, Claudine Ann Luera, an unknown woman referred to as "Jane Doe" and an unknown man referred to as "John Doe", according to an affidavit. The women were all shot multiple times in the head and the man was shot once in the back of the head. All of the women were prostitutes, the district attorney told CNN. Even male victim was believed to be a prostitute. "He was profiling certain kinds of victims... The suspect was hunting for his victims," the district attorney said describing Ortiz as a serial killer. Andrew Meehan, a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson, said in a statement to CNN that the agency is fully cooperating with investigators. "While it is CBP policy to not comment on the details of an ongoing investigation, criminal action by our employees is not, and will not be tolerated," his statement read. "Out of respect for the victims' family and friends, we ask that deference and due process be given to the investigation so that all the facts are brought to light and they can receive the closure they deserve." New Delhi : Book: Heart - A history; Author: Sandeep Jauhar; Publisher: Viking Books; Pages: 269; Price: Rs. 599 Dedicated to the beating heart, Dr. Sandeep Jauhar's latest book 'Heart - A history' provides a thumping tribute to the protagonists -- some legendary some unsung -- of medicine, who over the years have innovated and persevered to find cures for cardiac ailments through landmark breakthroughs in their field. Do not mistake 'Heart - A history' as a health digest. Neither is it a prescriptive scribble on how to keep yourself healthy. 'Heart' also spans through progress made vis-a-vis heart care through civilisations right till date, while also combining personal anecdotes and heart disease-related stories from Jauhar's own family and his peers. Jauhar's writing style reads like a Arthur Hailey manuscript, engaging the reader with ease and keeping you hooked with interesting personal anecdotes, historical nuggets, factual nuggets, humorously-narrated tales of torturous perseverance and recounting how some of the most important inventions related to treatment of cardiovascular diseases, were, in fact, stumbled upon by accident. For example, the story of the invention of a pacemaker -- a device which generates electrical impulses via electrodes to contract the heart muscles and at the same time regulate the heart's electrical conduction system -- which it seems was conceived (in a way) in a barn and eventually born, thanks to a transistor and a mistake by electrical engineer Wilson Greatbatch. In the 1950s, Greatbatch, who was testing instruments to monitor heart rate and brain waves in sheep and goats at a livestock farm near New York, when he learned about heart block from two surgeons, who were around on a summer sabbatical. Years later, when he was tinkering with the newly-invented radio transistors, he accidentally inserted a resistor in the gadget's circuit, which in turn triggered rhythmic pulse. Viola! The pacemaker was born. "I stared at the thing in disbelief and then realised that this was exactly what was needed to drive a heart.... For the next five years, most of the world's pacemakers used (this circuit) just because I grabbed the wrong resistor," Jauhar quotes Greatbatch as saying. The "taking charge of the human heartbeat" was a seminal moment in the history of science, according to Jauhar, because "from antiquity to modern times, philosophers and physicians had dreamed of taking charge of the human heartbeat. Like a good doctor humours his patients, Jauhar also leaves a trail of humour you cannot miss in his writing, which is what makes reading him easy, even for the layman. For example, when he writes about how the US Surgeon General's caution on cigarette packets eventually came to be in the 1960s, he slips in a humorous lozenge in parenthesis, like your friendly family doctor. "By the early 1960s, a definite association had been also been made between cigarette smoking and heart disease (smokers in previous studies hadn't lived long enough go draw definitive conclusions). This led to the first Surgeon General's report detailing the health hazards of smoking. In 1966, the United States became the first country to require warning labels on cigarette packets," calling the President Richard Nixon era legislation as one of the great public health triumphs of the second half of the 20th century. Through the book, the writer also introduces medical professionals like Daniel Hale Williams, an African American doctor who performed the world's first open-heart surgery in Chicago; and C. Walton Lillehei, who connected a patient's circulatory systems to a healthy donor's paving the way for the heart-lung machine -- legends who redefined heart treatment, to the reader. However, apart from chronicling the evolution of the disease and medical innovations which tried to arrest and cure heart ailments, Jauhar also tries to pitch the reader a more holistic perspective, to make the point that medical technology is limited and that control of heart disease largely depends more on the life choices we make. The book is extremely relevant to India, where deaths due to heart disease have risen by as much as 34 per cent over the last 26 years. (Mayabhushan Nagvenkar can be contacted at mayabhushan.n@ians.in) Mumbai, Sep 16 : "Raid" actor Amit Bimrot is excited about his upcoming four projects, including "Made In China". "I'm very excited about having four upcoming projects in my hand. I'll be seen in 'Made in China', 'Simmi', 'Bard of Blood' and 'Kasaai'," Amit said in a statement. He believes that everyday is a new day and journey. "You have to work hard again and again because it's a big responsibility when people trust you. I am also doing some beautiful ad films too," he said. "I am getting promising opportunities after 'Raid'," he added. In the 2018 film "Raid", which also starred Ajay Devgn, Amit acted as a newly recruited income tax inspector of the 1980s. New Delhi, Sep 16 : Music is not just for the sighted, as it stems from the body's rhythm, visually-impaired multi-instrumentalist Baluji Shrivastav said at his performance "Antardrishti: Inner Vision" at the British Council here. The Indo-British musician was appointed the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) -- a Queen's honour -- for his services to music in 2016. Uttar Pradesh-born Shrivastav, who has been visually impaired since he was 4, said he grew up listening to his heartbeats and the flow of his blood. "I could feel my heart is thumping, and so is everybody else's, and that was the metre of music for me," he told IANS on the sidelines of his performance, elaborating on the inner vision he developed. "Music itself is not designed only for sighted people, but the whole being," he said, adding that everything is music for him. "You're speaking, I'm speaking. That's also music." His two-hour group performance last week essayed the eleventh chapter of Bhagavad Gita, which carries the essence of the epic Mahabharata, through music, dance and audio-visual media. "I was excited to choose Mahabharata because of Dhritarashtra, who himself was blind. The eleventh chapter of Gita because it's here when Lord Krishna shows his 'Vishwaroopam' (grand avatar) to Arjuna, and makes him look beyond the obvious" the master sitarist explained. The 67-year-old artiste, who has been away from India for over 30 years, seems to be equally fluent in Hindi and English, and recites Sanskrit couplets with ease. Why the Bhagavad Gita? The widely-heard musician said that his father taught him one Gita 'Shloka' (Sanskrit verse) each day, when he was young. "It took me few years to learn the entire Gita by heart, now I can recite it fully," said the Baluji Music Foundation founder. He has also founded the Inner Vision Orchestra, UK's only blind ensemble -- which performed with him -- the idea for which occured to Shrivastav when he was learning at the blind schools in Gwalior and Ajmer. As his Orchestra played striking music at the British Council here, it was accompanied by the graceful gestures and body movements by an Indian classical dance group headed by Arunima Kumar -- all feeding into a beautiful recital of Gita's 11th chapter "Vishwaroopam Darshana". The performance held the audience's attention, as an audio-visual accompaniment played street sounds -- that of a coconut being cut, a street being swept and food items being sieved -- to which the ensemble played the tabla, sitar, flute, piano and violin. It was produced by Baluji Music Foundation with support from Arts Council England, British Council and PRS Foundation. Towards the conclusion of the performance, a poignant Shrivastav said it's a misconception that visually-impaired music artistes cannot play for a dance performance. As British Council's North India Director Tom Birtwistle put it, the performance celebrates the "equal contribution made by differently-abled people to communities". For Shrivastav, music also remains a way to instill confidence in the visually impaired community. Mentioning his India tour, which concludes next week, he also said the joy of coming back to his motherland remains unparalleled. In his usual style, the musician broke into a Sanskrit shloka to illustrate his point: "Janani Janma-bhoomi-scha Swargadapi Gariyasia", translating it to explain that mother and motherland were better than heaven. His next performance is scheduled to be held at the Royal Opera in Mumbai on Monday. (Siddhi Jain can be contacted at siddhi.j@ians.in ) Bhubaneswar, Sep 16 : Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday suggested the Odisha government reduce taxes on fuel to provide relief to the people of the state. "The Odisha government, which was collecting an annual tax revenue of about Rs 3,000 crore from fuel in 2014, is now collecting Rs 7,000 crore. Now that the fuel prices have increased in the international market, it is the duty of the state government to bring down the prices by reducing the Value Added Tax (VAT)," Pradhan told the media here. Reacting to Pradhan's proposal, Odisha Finance Minister Sashi Bhusan Behera said the Centre should first reduce tax on the oil price. "Entrusting the responsibility with the state to reduce fuel price shows callousness of the Centre. People are suffering due to the Centre's hide and seek game," said Behera. Biju Janata Dal (BJD) spokesman Pratap Deb said the Centre, which was charging a 6 per cent excise duty on petrol, is currently levying 19 per cent whereas the excise duty on diesel has increased to 15 per cent. "I want to know what the Central government did with the taxes that it collected during its four and half years reign," asked Deb. New Delhi, Sep 16 : Accusing the Telangana government of trying to vitiate the upcoming Assembly polls by "manipulating voters lists", the Congress on Sunday demanded the Election Commissions (EC) intervention for verification and sanitisation of electoral rolls. Alleging that as many as 70 lakh names in the electoral lists have been manipulated, Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi wondered if the "contamination of the voter lists" was the reason behind the K. Chandrashekhar Rao government prematurely dissolving the Telangana Assembly in order to swing elections in their favour. "Rao rushed to announce the dates for the Telangana Assembly elections and deliberately chose to ignore the numerous discrepancies in the voter lists which disenfranchise lakhs of eligible voters and completely erode the integrity of the elections, whenever they are conducted," Singhvi told the media here. "It is clear that the caretaker Chief Minister of Telangana is sacrificing the integrity of the elections for the sake of his petty political ambitions." Singhvi said that an inquiry by the party has revealed that at least 30.13 lakh duplicate voters exist on the electoral rolls published by the Election Commission on September 10. He also said that close to 20 lakh voters in Telangana have been deleted from the rolls between 2014 and 2018. "When we raised the issue with the EC, we were told that the reduction (of 20 lakh voters) was largely due to voter migration from Telangana to Andhra Pradesh following the bifurcation. "However, it has since been found that even in Andhra Pradesh, there has been a reduction of close to 17 lakh voters. If in fact, a migration of such a large number had taken place, shouldn't there have been a corresponding increase in the number of voters in Andhra Pradesh?" asked Singhvi. Pointing out further discrepancies in the electoral rolls, the Congress leader claimed that close to 18 lakh names featured in both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana electoral rolls. He asserted that the elections held on the basis of the "deeply and deliberately flawed and inaccurate" voter lists would undermine the entire process and lead to a distorted mandate. "By dissolving the Assembly early, Rao has interfered with the process whereby these discrepancies and inaccuracies would have been corrected. After publishing the revised electoral roll on September 10, the public and other political parties have been given a mere four weeks to identify and highlight these issues. This is a travesty," said Singhvi, urging the EC to intervene in the strongest possible manner. Belgrade, Sep 16 : Observing that the Indian parliament has evolved as a democratic forum that listens and responds to diverse concerns, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has invoked first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the Serbian parliament to highlight the importance of democracy for participatory development. On the occasion of International Day of Democracy, Naidu on Saturday addressed the special session of the National Assembly of Serbia wherein he recalled the shared vision with which leaders of both the countries played a key role in launching the Non Aligned Movement (NAM). "Our ties started on a strong foundation of a shared global view of Non-Aligned Movement and we together created a large platform for the third world. The changes in global geo-politics now again give us an opportunity to work together for mutual benefit and for sharing prosperity with others," said Naidu addressing Serbian lawmakers. Recalling Nehru's 1961 address at Conference of Non-Aligned nations in Belgrade, Naidu said: "His call which rings so true and relevant even today was to build in our own countries societies where freedom is real. "Freedom is essential, because freedom will give us strength and enable us to build prosperous societies," he said quoting Nehru and added: "We must strive to strengthen our democratic polities and internalize the concepts of freedom, dialogue, inclusion and rule of law in our governance structures." Giving an detailed account of the growth and consolidation of parliamentary democracy in India, Naidu said the Indian parliament has "evolved as a democratic forum that attentively listens to complex voices from different parts of the vast country and responds to diverse concerns with agility". The Vice President also had detailed discussions with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister Ana Brnabic on various bilateral and multilateral issues. He gave a detailed account of India's progress in various fields including an enabling, predictable and reform oriented financial and investment eco-systems offering mutually beneficial partnerships. Voicing concerns over the menace of terrorism, he called for early finalisation of draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT). New Delhi, Sep 16 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to his parliamentary constituency Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh from Monday. He will arrive in Varanasi on Monday afternoon and will head directly for Narur village to interact with children of a primary school who are being aided by the non-profit organisation "Room to Read", a Prime Minister's Office statement said on Sunday. The Prime Minister will later interact with students of the city-based Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith University at the Diesel Locomotive Works campus. On Tuesday, he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for various development projects, cumulatively worth more than Rs 500 crore, from Banaras Hindu University's (BHU) Amphitheatre. "Among the projects are Integrated Power Development Scheme for Puraani Kashi and an Atal Incubation Centre at the BHU. The projects for which the foundation stone will be laid is the Regional Ophthalmology Centre at the BHU," said the statement. New Delhi, Sep 16 : With "Hindutva" as the central theme, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will hold a path-breaking three-day lecture series here from Monday but the top leaders in the opposition are unlikely to grace the event. The highlight will be talks to be delivered on all three days by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, presenting the Sangh's view on various contemporary issues of national importance. The programme, titled "Future of Bharat: An RSS Perspective", is slated to be attended by dignitaries including religious leaders, film stars, sportspersons, industrialists and envoys from different countries. But Congress President Rahul Gandhi, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav will not be gracing the occasion. While Akhilesh Yadav, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, has made known his decision, the CPI-M said that Yechury was travelling and in any case they had no invite from the RSS. The Congress was more derisive of the RSS. "RSS and BJP have been spreading this fake news for a while regarding sending invites as if it was some kind of a medal of honour," party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said. "No such invite has been received by the Congress party and it is not a medal of honour. Their inherently hate-filled agenda is known to one and all." The RSS, founded in 1925 and the ideological fountainhead of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), explained why the close-knit group was inviting others to an event unprecedented in nature. "RSS is being criticised by one and all, especially by the opposition," an RSS spokesman told IANS. "This event is to present our view, how we see the issues which the opposition has been using to target us and the government." Added RSS chief spokesperson Arun Kumar: "Today, Bharat (India) is moving ahead towards regaining her special and unique position in the world. The RSS is realising that there is a growing eagerness amongst larger sections of the society including the intellectuals and the youth to know and understand the RSS perspective on various issues," The lecture series will be held at Vigyan Bhavan in the heart of Delhi. Bhagwat will also interact with select audience comprising prominent citizens during the lecture series. The event follows Bhagwat's address at a recent second World Hindu Congress in Chicago where the RSS chief urged Hindus to unite. The RSS calls itself a non-political group but critics say it controls the BJP and influences its policies. Kolkata, Sep 16 : The Trishakti Corps of Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF), in coordination with the civil administration, has commenced air evacuation of tourists stranded in the rain-hit far flung areas in northern Sikkim, a defence ministry spokesperson said on Sunday. Three days ago, areas of northern part of Sikkim got cut off at several places due to incessant rain resulting in multiple landslides and roads and bridges getting washed away. A number of tourists were stuck there. "On requisition for aid by civil administration, the Army immediately pressed for helicopters of Army aviation and Air Force, for a swift evacuation of stranded tourists for last three days requiring urgent assistance. "The helicopters have made several sorties from Gangtok and Sevok and evacuated approximately 100 people which included elderly personnel, women and children", the spokesperson said. A pregnant lady and her husband were also evacuated. In addition, medical aid was also provided to people having medical problems before airlifting. In anticipation of the situation, the Indian Army has also made necessary arrangements for tents, blankets and food for the stranded tourists. The evacuation operation will continue till all stranded people are moved out from the affected areas. Mumbai, Sep 16 : Private sector HDFC Bank has become Indias most valuable brand for the fifth year in a row with a 21 per cent rise in its brand value to $21.7 billion over the previous year, according to a survey. According to a release here on Sunday, HDFC Bank retained its top spot in the "WPP and Kantar Millward Brown's BrandZ 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands" ranking that was started in 2014 by the global communication services company. "HDFC Bank's brand value has grown consistently over the past 5 years, from $9.4 billion in 2014 to $21.7 billion in 2018. This year the study covered 120,000 Indian brands across 414 categories with insights from 3.1 million consumers," it said. "A booming economy and an increasingly digital world are re-shaping India's brand landscape and creating new opportunities. Brands that get it right, regardless of whether they are established players or newcomers, are reaping the rewards," The Store WPP Chief Executive (EMEA and Asia) David Roth said in a statement. HDFC Bank is also the only Indian brand to be featured in the BrandZTM Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands ranking released recently by WPP group company Millward Brown, it said. "The Bank moved up 3 notches up to 60 from its last year's rank of 63. The prestigious list is topped by Google. Other brands in the top 10 are Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Tencent, Facebook, Visa, McDonalds, Alibaba and AT&T in that order," it added. Panaji, Sep 16 : The BJP central leadership's attempts to form a consensus between party MLAs and alliance partners in Goa over alternate leadership due to Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's illness remained inconclusive on Sunday. Allocation of portfolios held by Parrikar could take place in the next few days, a ruling alliance Minister said. Emerging out of a city hotel, where BJP's General Secretary (organisation) Ram Lal and party observers B.L. Santosh and Vijay Puranik met MLAs from the BJP, allies Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and Goa Forward, and Independent MLAs for several hours, Lal said that he will address the media on Monday. Earlier in the day, BJP MLAs emerged from their meetings with the BJP observers and supported continuation of Parrikar as CM 'till he is alive'. "Within the BJP, they should find somebody and Parrikar should remain the Chief Minister till he is alive," BJP MLA Nilesh Cabral told reporters. Parrikar is admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi for treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer. MGP leaders, including Public Works Department Minister Sudin Dhavalikar, insisted that no leadership issue was discussed by their representatives with BJP's central leaders. "What was discussed today was not about the government, but about the people of Goa. No leadership issued was discussed," Dhavalikar said. Till Saturday, MGP President Deepak Dhavalikar had insisted that administration was suffering on account of Parrikar's repeated absence and a functional CM was necessary. Dhavalikar on Sunday maintained that Parrikar was well and clearing files, so there was no question of giving any other person the chief ministerial charge. However, Goa Forward President and Town and Country Planning Minister Vijai Sardesai's move to bunch together six MLAs -- including himself and two other Goa Forward MLAs -- and make a collective demand for a "permanent solution" caused discomfiture to the BJP's central observers. "We met the BJP central observers and impressed upon them to find a permanent solution to the leadership issue. Ad hocism is not an option. We asked them to take their time and not act in haste. We also told them to take the views of Parrikar and arrive at a decision," Sardesai told reporters after meeting Ram Lal. Sardesai on Saturday had rejected a proposal mooted by the MGP to appoint Dhavalikar the Deputy Chief Minister, who would officiate as Chief Minister in Parrikar's absence.A Asked if the BJP had discussed finding a permanent solution to the leadership issue with alliance leaders, Ram Lal responded with a firm "no." State BJP President Vinay Tendulkar said that "there is no question of change in leadership". Parrikar was shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi on Saturday. The state BJP's core committee is expected to meet on Monday to deliberate the issue in presence of the three observers. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 14 MLAs in the 40-member Assembly, of which three are severely ill. Support of allies is thus critical to the survival of the alliance government. Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh), Sep 16 : The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch three more satellites to provide high-speed bandwidth connectivity to rural areas as part of the government's Digital India programme, an official said on Sunday. Speaking to reporters after the successful launch of two UK satellites by Indian rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) here on Sunday, ISRO Chairman K. Sivan said: "The ISRO will launch three more satellites, which together will provide international level bandwidth speed." According to Sivan, the satellites are AGSAT 20 (to be launched next year), GSAT 11, and GSAT 29. GSAT 19 has already been launched. Sivan said that the space agency had planned a series of launches over the next six months. He said that there will be a rocket launch mission every second week. Sivan also said earth observation satellites will also be launched in addition to the communication satellites. He said that the much expected moon mission will happen next January. "The launch window for Chandrayaan-2 mission is planned between January 3 and February 16, 2019. We are aiming for January 3. We do not expect any delay in the Chandrayaan-2 mission," Sivan said. Queried about the certifying agency for the rocket that would carry Indian astronauts Sivan said that the ISRO will be the certifying agency. He also said that the norms for certification will be drawn with the help of Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Sivan said that the ISRO would like to get the expertise of other countries in this regard. India on Sunday night successfully put into orbit British earth observation satellites NovaSAR and S1-4 in copybook style. The two satellites belonged to Surrey Satellite Technologies Ltd (SSTL), UK. According to S. Rakesh, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Antrix Corporation Ltd, the revenue from the launch of two UK satellites is over Rs 220 crore. Queried about the next commercial launch, Sivan said that the next PSLV rocket will carry 30 small satellites from third parties apart from carrying an Indian satellite. (Venkatachari Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in) If you've ever glanced at the side of a Kellogg's cereal box, you might have read some words written by Kevin Charles Smith. "Over the past 25 years," Smith says, "I was responsible for the copy on billions of Kellogg Company cereal back panels and side panels. It would be foolhardy for me to believe that this effort prepared me to author any manner of work." And yet, the late-blooming author has just seen the publication of the third book in his Bilge Rat Pirate Adventurer series, Demon Pirate (Journey Publications), which follows the exploits of the Black Tarantula as he sails the seas of the West Indies. Smith admits to having a bit of a pirate problem: "As a pirate aficionado of yore, I have been addicted to, and have systematically sought out a host of, pirate media, be it buried in movies, books, or magazine and internet articles." Smith counts Disney's Peter Pan as a significant early influence, even if it was somewhat lacking in verisimilitude. As he came of age, Smith delved into researching the golden age of piracyan at times challenging venture. As Smith quickly learned, many original historical documents had been destroyed by seawater, and few firsthand accounts existed in the first place: documented evidence of piracy could mean "a date on the gallows," Smith says. "Pirates, for the most part, were illiterate. When the proverbial X marks the spot' is associated with this uneducated band of heathens, it certainly refers more to their inability to read or write." So Smith decided to spin his own pirate yarn, hoping to "fill in the blanks" while offering readers some historical insights. He sought out the expertise of editor Ali Bothwell Mancini, who helped him to streamline 1,000 pages into the first three books in the Bilge Rat series, which is written for young adult and older readers. The first book in the series, Remarkable Rascal, introduces William Eden, an orphaned boy in 1700s London who becomes immersed in the dangerous world of pirates. Books two and three, Black Tarantula and Demon Pirate, continue William's story while chronicling the exploits of a malicious pirate terrorizing the high seas. Smith has a pretty good idea of why pirates have such enduring appeal, particularly for children. "Pirates were the ultimate historical rebels," Smith says. "They refused to follow the standards and norms of the time. In effect, they sought freedom at its most extreme." Fantasy and adventure stories (particularly those that integrate history) are invaluable assets for young readers, Smith says. "I like to think that books like mine are essential for perpetuating an interest in the literature that the Common Core has forced out of the classroom." And Smith has no plans to stop writing his historical pirate adventures. He's currently completing the fourth book and has two more outlined. "In truth," Smith says, "I plan on scribbling these adventures for as long as I possibly can!" Hurricane Florence has arrived on the East Coast of the US, causing massive floods in what the National Hurricane Center has warned could be a "catastrophic" situation. As of 4 a.m. Friday, the storm was 35 miles off the coast of Wilmington, North Carolina. Hurricane-force winds with a maximum sustained speed of 90 mph are lashing the coast, where up to 40 inches of rain and a storm surge 11 feet high surge are expected in some areas, according to the NHC. Hurricane Florence is expected to move across North Carolina and eastern South Carolina on Friday and Saturday. It will not weaken much until it turns inland over the weekend, forecasters said. These images, recorded by a Related content Footage from North Carolina shows massive flooding and high winds Photos and videos shared on social media showed dangerous conditions in North Carolina overnight. Related content Related content Related content Related content The most extreme conditions could be seen on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and on riverfront cities which were hit hard by storm surge waters forced inland. NBC meteorologist Bill Karins shared an image of the levels of flooding in New Bern. Related content Florence's wind speed mean it is now make it a Category 1 hurricane, weaker than it was when further out at sea. But the National Weather Service has consistently warned that the storm is no less dangerous even as the wind speed falls, as most of the danger will come from the rain and floods. Related content North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper warned of impending disaster as the center approaches the state, the Associated Press reported. "The worst of the storm is not yet here but these are early warnings of the days to come, he said. Surviving this storm will be a test of endurance, teamwork, common sense and patience." Millions of people are affected Governors of five states have declared states of emergency: North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and Maryland. More than 80,000 people are already without power and more than 12,000 people in shelters, the Associated Press reported. Another 400 people were in shelters in Virginia, where forecasts were less dire. Mandatory evacuation orders were in place in coastal areas of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, affecting a total of about 1.7 million people, according to the Associated Press. It is not clear, however, how many people did evacuate. Millions of others have been stockpiling supplies such as gas cans, generators, plywood, and sand bags. The homes of than 10 million people were under official watches or warnings for hurricane or tropical storm conditions. Related content Read more of Business Insiders hurricane coverage: Speaking on the Delay Show Saturday, Dzidzor, who had said she tested positive for HIV and was working with the Ghana AIDS Commission, said she has never tested positive, a claim disputed by the AIDS Commission. "I know that I have lost trust," she told host of the show Deloris Frimpong Manso aka Delay. "In the minds of people, I have lost trust, I have lost credibility when it comes to my health issues." "But my health issues shouldn't be somebody's burden," he said, repeating, "It shouldn't be somebody's burden." In the wide-ranging interview,she denied ever testing positive for HIV/AIDS but admitted taking antiretroviral drugs. Asked how long she took the antiretroviral drugs, she answered "only once." READ MORE: Dzidzor Mensah demands compensation from Mahama READ ALSO: undefined Basic education minister Angie Motshekga was appalled after the death of Gadimang Daniel Mokolobate. The stabbing incident happened in full view of a class that was in the process of writing an examination. The death of 24-year-old Gadimang Daniel Mokolobate can only be described as an abhorrent travesty Motshekga said. Motshekga said it was heartbreaking to lose a teacher who had so much potential for greatness. Mokolobate allegedly reprimanded the learner on Wednesday for skipping the queue at the schools feeding programme. READ ALSO: undefined The learner was arrested and the provincial education department is offering counselling at the school. The incident comes after a learner was arrested at the Eldorado Park Secondary School in Johannesburg on Wednesday after pointing a gun at a teacher. Motshekga said delinquency and lawless in schools was unacceptable. In fact, GHS12.7 billion of public funds has been injected into these seven banks following their malfunction," he said Saturday at the 80th anniversary celebratory durbar of one of the countrys finest secondary schools, Presbyterian Boys' Senior Secondary School, Legon. He added: "Depositors savings, however, have been safeguarded; job losses have been minimised and a strong set of indigenous banks, is being born." In 2017, two banks- UT Bank and Capital Bank, were liquidated by the Bank of Ghana and put under GCB management. On August 1, 2018, the Bank of Ghana revoked the licenses of 5 struggling banks and merged them into one and named it Consolidated Bank Ghana limited. These banks are uniBank, Sovereign Bank, The Royal Bank, The Beige Bank, and The Construction Bank. Subsequently, Consolidated Bank as part of staff rationalization fired about 1,700 out of 3,700 of the workers it inherited from the five collapsed banks. READ MORE: 98 CBG branches to be closed down Alumni of both halls protested against the conversion of their Halls but their resistance have been unsuccessful. READ ALSO: undefined Some females possess bad spirits which they can use it to destroy colleague males who are doing better in terms of academics, the old woman who gave her name as Akua Kyeiwaa revealed to MyNewsGh.com. It has never happened before all my life experience. How can boys and girls sleep in the same hall", the old woman quizzed in a video in possession with MyNewsGh.com appealing to authorities of the University to rescind the decision to convert the two halls. Mr Kehinde Aremu, Coordinator of NYSC in the state said this during the cultural carnival held for 2018 Batch B Stream Two Corps members at the Umunya Temporary Orientation Camp, Oyi Council Area on Sunday. Aremu, who said the scheme had received about 600 of such applications, attributed it to fears the corps members have about the state before coming to camp. He said the withdrawal of the transfer applications was due to the interaction which the NYSC created between the corps members with community leaders and local government administrators. He said the process of acculturation had been so effective that they were now relaxed and ready to contribute their quota to the development of the communities where they would be posted for primary assignment. The coordinator said the corps members were able to study, understand and display the rich and diverse cultural groups in Nigeria excellently within such a short time of being together. The bonding is great both among the corps members and between the corps members and the communities. Local government officials have been coming to talk to them and also entertain them, traditional rulers have also been coming and at this event we have a good number of them from Anambra and Enugu. Before now, I had not less that 600 applications for relocation from Anambra but at this moment, more than 300 of them have withdrawn their requests because we have been able to connect them with the people. Their fears were unfounded, they had a wrong idea of the Anambra environment but now they know better, he said. In his remark, Igwe Chris Onyekwuluje, the Traditional Ruler of Umunya said the larger Nigerian society had a lot to learn from what the NYSC was doing. Onyekwuluje gave his blessing to the corps members and urged them to respect the culture of the people they were posted to serve while assuring them of the best of hospitality where ever they found themselves in the state. I am impressed with what I have seen here, the beautiful representation of the cultural endowment of this country by these Corps members really overwhelmed me. I thank the coordinator, he has done well, the good number of traditional rulers here says a lot and I must say that this is the best way to keep Nigeria together. Leaders of this country should understand and appreciate the people they are leading and their ways of life. NYSC is a good example of how to manage this country. For the corps members I welcome them to Anambra and assure them of the best hospitality, he said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that there were cultural parade by the various platoons depicting major cultural groups in Nigeria, dance, drama and other competitions. The gay, whose name is Kenny Badmus, made the allegations in an interview with Punch which was published on Sunday, September 16, 2018. "I once slept with a Nigerian Senator, and Im not surprised he will be the first to put his hands up voting in favour of the same sex marriage prohibition act," Badmus said. Though the brand expert didn't reveal the name of the Nigerian senator he alleged to have had sex with, he said hypocrisy on homosexuality is deafening in Nigeria. ece-auto-gen I have had sex with church ministers - Kenny Badmus Badmus also alleged to have had sex with religious leaders that include church ministers while he lived in Nigeria. "The elephant in the room is denial. We pretend these things are not here. We blame it on the devil or white people. While in Nigeria, I had sex with church ministers who would come in the open to preach against homosexuality as though it was the reason why Nigeria never had constant electricity. The hypocrisy is deafening. We didnt learn about same-sex relationships from western countries. ALSO READ: "Some of my first same-sex encounters were mostly with people who didnt speak English at all or ever set their feet in a Western school environment. Gay people are not the only ones who need to come out. We all need to look into our lives and be upfront with ourselves. Am I living my authentic life or am I living it to please families and friends? To come out is to confront shame and limitations to live our most authentic life. he said The presidents condolence message is contained in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Saturday. While extending his condolences to the family members, the government and people of Plateau, Buhari praised the roles played by the late Wase in conflict resolution efforts in Plateau. Buhari recalled that, even before his appointment as Ambassador, Wase was very prominently involved in community peace activism. He, therefore, prayed to Allah to forgive the sins of the late Ambassador and grant his family the fortitude to bear the loss. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Wase, a non-career ambassador from Plateau, died after a protracted illness on Friday night. The Nigerian anti-graft agency accused the international bank of money laundering. This was contained in a statement which it posted on its Instagram page - @officialefcc. HSBC Banks prediction HSBC Bank had earlier predicted, among many other things, that the Nigerian economy will worsen, if President Buhari wins in 2019. The bank also said that another four years with Buhari will prolong the stagnation experienced since he came into power in 2015. EFCC fires back In its response, EFCC vowed to recover all the funds allegedly being kept by HSBC Bank. The anti-graft agency, in a statement titled: The Story of HSBC, said "HSBC Bank plc is one of the largest banking and financial services organisations in the world. HSBC's international network comprises around 7,500 offices in over 80 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. . "Since inception, HSBC is synonymous with money laundering and has paid billions of US Dollars in fines across the world. "In Nigeria, the bank laundered more than $100 million for the late dictator, late Gen Sani Abacha in Jersey, Paris, London, Switzerland and Geneva. The Bank is also involved with laundering proceeds of corruption for over 50 Nigerians including a Nigerian serving Senator. "Part of Abacha Assets yet to be recovered are: $12 million in HSBC Fund Admin Ltd with account number S-104460 in Jersey; $20 million in HSBC Life (Europe) with account number 37060762 in U.K and $1. 6 million in HSBC Bank plc with account number 38175076 in U. K. "We shall not rest on our oars until every penny belonging to the FRN is repatriated to Nigeria as to improve the lives of the people. Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, who disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja, said that the operation was carried out early morning of Saturday. He explained that the mission was initiated following intelligence reports indicating that a convoy of BHT vehicles had been sighted within the Damasak Gudumbali Axis. Accordingly, a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform was dispatched to search for and locate the convoy of vehicles. The ISR aircraft spotted vehicles at a location 24 Km SW of Gudumbali heading in a Northwards direction. Consequently, a helicopter gunship was scrambled to attack the convoy. The helicopter arrived the location and was vectored to the position of the vehicles, which, at the time, were about midway between Nigerian Army (NA) locations at Metele and Arege. Following communications with ground troops, the BHT vehicles were positively identified, isolated and attacked by the helicopter gunship in successive strikes. Daramola said that in the process, 4 of the vehicles were immobilized and their occupants neutralised. The ISR aircraft continued to track the remaining 5 vehicles, which initially dispersed but later regrouped and continued their retreat to Tumbun Rego. They were subsequently attacked at their harbour location by the freshly rearmed helicopter gunship; with 3 direct hits recorded on the vehicles, he said. He said that a follow-up attack on the newly discovered insurgents logistics base in Tumbun Rego was conducted by 2 Alpha Jet aircraft later in the morning of Saturday. The makeshift buildings and other facilities in the base were accordingly destroyed in the air strike. Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, stated this in a statement in Abuja on Saturday. The presidential aide opined that what killed Nigerias economy in the past was the unbridled looting of state resources by leaders, the type which was actively supported by HSBC. He said: A bank that soiled its hand with millions of US dollars yet-to-be-recovered Abacha loot, and continued until a few months ago to shield the stolen funds of one of the leaders of the Nigerian Senate has no moral right whatsoever to project that a second term for Mr. Buhari raises the risk of limited economic progress and further fiscal deterioration. Rather, we ask them to heed President Buharis constant refrain: return our stolen assets, then see how well we will do. From the facts available to our investigation agencies, HSBCs put down on President Buhari is no more than an expression of frustration over the administrations measures put in place which has abolished grand corruption, the type which this bank thrives on in many countries. ALSO READ: FG approves N3bn to respond, mitigate disaster They may also just be out to discredit the President out of the fear of sanctions and fines following the national assets that are stolen. According to Shehu, with the coming of President Buhari, it is not a secret that corruption, corrupt individuals, banks and other corporate entities that aided corrupt practices are under investigation for various offenses. He said that for many of them, including their friends in the media, they would rather have President Buhari out of their way, for business as usual to return. The presidential spokesman maintained that it was an open secret that HSBC had laundered more than 100 million dollars for the late General Sani Abacha in Jersey, Paris, London and Geneva. Among these accounts on the records are: AC: S-104460 HSBC Fund Admin Ltd. Jersey ($12,000,000); AC 37060762 HSBC Life (Europe), U.K ($20,000,000) and AC: 38175076 HSBC Bank Plc. U.K ($1,600,000), he further revealed. He said the bank was also suspected in the laundering of proceeds of corruption involving more than 50 other Nigerians, including a serving Senator. In a book, Secrecy World: Inside the Panama Papers Investigation, published in 2017, Jack Bernstein told the story of global money laundering highlighting the unenviable place of the HSBC. This is a bank that states and federal authorities in the U.S. forced to pay 1.92 billion dollars to settle charges of money laundering; fined 1.2 billion dollars in Hong Kong for systemic deficiencies in bond sales, he said. The is made known in a statement issued on twitter via the Armys official handle, @HQNigerianArmy. The statement reads: Gallant Troops of 222 Battalion Neutralise BHTs. Reports just reaching us confirmed that troops of 21 Brigade led by Brigade Commander on a clearance patrol in support of Operation Rainbow were ambushed by BHT along Maiduguri Bama Axis at about 11am 16 Sep 2018. There was serious exchange of gunfire. The gallant troops of 222 battalion were reportedly high on morale as a result of the just concluded assurance visit to the theatre of operation by the COAS Lt Gen TY Buratai & they successfully cleared the ambush. As a result, 1 x GPMG and 2 X AK 47 and several rounds of ammunition belonging to the terrorist were recovered. As at the time of filing this report, troops were still exploiting the general areas in search of some BHTs who escaped with gunshot wounds. The Nigerian Air Force also announced that the Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation Lafiya Doletracked and destroyed some vehicles belonging to Boko Haram Terrorists as they were attempting to launch fresh attacks on ground troops at Gudumbali and Damasak in Borno. Saraki said this while speaking to members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo state on Friday, September 14, 2018. The Senate President was in Ondo to gather support for his 2019 presidential ambition. According to Daily Post, Saraki said You cannot give what you dont have. With all due respect to the leadership we have now, they dont have it. It is time to have the leadership that is vibrant, thats young, thats credible, thats courageous and determined. When a man has shown leadership, its time to give it to him. This project is our project and we think we have a good material to sell. He also promised to take the country to greater heights if he is elected President in 2019. The new order Speaking further, the Senate President told the Ondo PDP members that Nigeria needs a leader with proven track records. He said We have seen the new order in the world and the new order is that young people are the ones in the helms of leadership. We all talk about Asian tigers, they did not get there by chance, they got there because they have visionary leaders. It is time for us to bring a visionary leader to Nigeria. The greatest problem of this country is leadership because they dont have vision, they dont have idea, they dont know where they want to take this country to. Lets put sentiments aside, its time to bring in visionary leaders. No progress without unity Saraki also said that there is need now, more than ever to unite Nigeria if the country is to make progress. The Senate President said that the country needs a leader who believes in equity and justice. The country is at the crossroad, the country has never been so bad, many of the citizens do not have a sense of belonging. You cannot have progress without unity. There is need for us to unite this country, there is need for us to have a president that represents everybodys interest. A president that believes in equity and justice. Let us put sentiments aside, let us put a man that can deliver, lets put a man who has shown that he has delivered before, he added. Youths hold rally to support Saraki On Saturday, September 15, 2018, thousands of Youths in Kwara state embarked on a rally to show support for the presidential ambition of Senate President Bukola Saraki. According to Punch, a source in the Lagos Governors camp confirmed that the meeting held in Abuja. Another source also said Yes, it was part of the efforts we are making from this end to save the party from crisis in the state and the nation. The governor came to beg Tinubu in his residence in Abuja to forgive him. I think the appeal helped to reduce the tension and soften the ground for the governor. It is, however, difficult to say if that had ended the crisis. Some governors have also called the national leader, pleading with him to save their poster boy the humiliation of not getting a second term. Their fears are that such development in Lagos, which is the economic nerve centre of the country, could have negative effect on the fortunes of the party in other states. Oshiomhole, Osinbajo failed Ambodes move is coming after APC chairman, Adams Oshiomhole and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo failed to get Tinubu to let go of the reported The duo were reportedly asked to settle the misunderstanding, so it will not affect the Presidents chance of winning in Lagos, which has the highest number of registered voters, in 2019. According to a source who spoke to Punch, The National Leader, however, maintained that there would be wider consultations back home before he would be able to accede to the request. He said the governors matter is beyond him alone. It is difficult to say what happened during the second meeting with Osinbajo but it appeared the vice-president and Tinubu were able to arrive at a meeting point, which is difficult to clarify. Red sea before Ambode Also, Tribune recently reported that Lagos Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode is being asked to sign some conditions if he wants to run for a second term. He stopped over to see the former President before his meeting with members of the Niger state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He made this known in a statement on Twitter on Sunday, September 16, 2018. Saraki is on a nationwide tour to gather support for his 2019 presidential ambition. The time is now Speaking to the Niger state PDP delegates, Saraki said now is the right time to grow Nigeria. The Senate President also told them that he is the right person, because he has all it takes to do the job. He said With rampant unemployment and insecurity across the nation, I made it clear to our party members that right now, it is no longer an issue of how we got here, but how do we get out of this situation. I reiterated to the Niger State delegates that I have what it takes to secure inclusive growth for all Nigerians and will work to make our country safer by redesigning our national security architecture, while empowering our security agencies to protect all lives and property. Three people died in Sunday's raid, he said, while Huthi-run Al-Masirah television said four people were killed, three security guards and a station employee. According to medical sources in Hodeida province, which is controlled by the Huthis, at least 32 insurgents have been killed and 14 others wounded in clashes and air strikes since Saturday. The coalition accuses the Tehran-aligned Huthis of smuggling arms from Iran through Hodeida and has imposed a partial blockade on the port, which the rebels seized in 2014. In June, pro-government forces launched a major operation to retake both the city and its port, the entry point of most of the impoverished country's imports and aid. The troops, backed by coalition air strikes, have retaken a number of towns across Hodeida province but have not yet breached the city. AFP The coalition in July announced a temporary ceasefire in Hodeida to give a chance to UN-brokered peace talks. The UN's Yemen envoy, Martin Griffiths, arrived Sunday in the rebel-held capital Sanaa, without making any statement to the media. Griffiths is pushing for new peace talks after a failed attempt to bring the two sides together in Geneva earlier this month. The rebels kept away from the talks, accusing the UN of failing to guarantee the return of their delegation from Switzerland to Sanaa and to secure the evacuation of wounded rebels to Oman. The Huthis' foreign minister, Hisham Sharaf Abdallah, said his side supported the UN's peace efforts and urged it to pressure the coalition to stop "targeting civilians", the rebel-run news agency Saba reported. He called for confidence-building measures such as the reopening of Sanaa airport to commercial flights and the payment of civil servants' salaries in all areas of Yemen. Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in 2015 in the conflict between embattled Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, whose government is recognised by the United Nations, and the Huthis. Farmers are concerned over proposed new employment laws being reported back to Parliament this week. It would scrap 90-day trials for all large businesses, see greater union access to workplaces, and force employers to accept multi-employer collective agreements. Federated Farmers is worried about the impact these changes will have on farmers. Asked about the affect of Fonterra's first ever loss, Federated Farmers employment spokesman Chris Lewis told RadioLIVE's Rural Exchange most farmers are more worried about the cash return in hand. "The payout for last season - it's very, very good. There's no doubt about that. "So on that side of things, farmers are happy with Fonterra and they see what they're paid as a good result," Mr Lewis said. However, Mr Lewis says a lot farmers have "a lot of money" invested in Fonterra and will be concerned. "They'd like to see it very profitable," he says. "That's the tension between milk price and dividend. "Farmers want a high milk price but they'd like to see a return on their capital, especially when there's opposition companies operating now," Mr Lewis told RadioLIVE. Watch the full interview with Chris Lewis above. Rural Exchange with Hamish McKay, Sarah Perriam and Richard Loe, 5-7am Saturday and Sunday on RadioLIVE with Carters Tyre Service. Click here for all the ways to watch and listen. RadioLIVE. This week the big news from Fonterra. The dairy co-op announced it's first loss since it started 17 years ago. Plus, public consultation is now open for rental reforms. Resident economist Shamubeel Eaqub joins Trudi Nelson for all your money matters. Jonathan Dodd from Ipsos NZ joins Ryan Bradley to discuss the latest research from here and around the world. This week they focus on immigration. A total of 611 New Zealanders over the age of 18 answered questions about immigration in Ipsos latest Global Advisor survey. The results show 55 percent of those who answered believe immigrants make New Zealand a more interesting place to live in 2018. Mr Dodd says if there is a problem in New Zealand it is with Kiwis not adapting and putting into place the appropriate mechanisms to allow immigrants into the country. They also touch on the marketing psychology of priming, refering to how people react differently to something depending on what other information is presented along with it. Mr Dodd explains its all about setting a scene to make you less critical, and more accepting, of the message. Listen to the full interview with Jonathan Dodd above. Weekend Variety Wireless with Ryan Bradley, in for Graeme Hill, 8pm - midnight Saturdays and Sundays, on RadioLIVE and streaming live to the Rova app on Android and iPhone. RadioLIVE. Air Play is a modern circus spectacle. Prepare for flying umbrellas, larger-than-life balloons and giant kites. Ryan Bradley talks with circus duo Seth Bloom and Christina Gelsone on what their show entails. The husband and wife team merge their unique circus and street theatre skills with the sculptural artistry of collaborator Daniel Wurtzel. Last here in 2010, they describe their performance as a visual poem, incorporating Blooms juggling and Gelsones dancing to make comedy without words. Wanting to make people laugh everywhere in the world, theyre bringing their incredible modern circus spectacle to New Zealand direct from New York. Itll be heading to Dunedin, New Plymouth, Tauranga and Auckland from September 28th - you can find out more information here. Listen to the full interview with Seth Bloom & Christina Gelsone above. Weekend Variety Wireless with Ryan Bradley, in for Graeme Hill, 8pm - midnight Saturdays and Sundays, on RadioLIVE and streaming live to the Rova app on Android and iPhone. RadioLIVE. QUIZ: Guess the Road Songs We can't wait to get back on the road again! Play this quiz and see if how many you can get right! Shortly after midnight one Friday last fall, thousands of tons of coal labeled as Russian arrived at the South Korean port of Donghae. The Oct. 27 shipment landed two months after the United Nations Security Council banned purchases of North Korean coal and other materials, and weeks after South Korea's foreign ministry told the president's office of U.S. intelligence about possible North Korean coal shipments and sanctions violations, according to South Korean documents. But in an episode that exposes a gap in the global effort to enforce trade restrictions on Pyongyang over its weapons program, South Korean customs officials ultimately let the shipment throughonly to confirm this summer that the coal had originated in North Korea. In all, seven shipments of North Korean coal and pig iron were determined to have arrived in the South last year, at least three of which came after the U.S. warned the Seoul government. Americans born 17 years ago can now enlist to fight in a war that began before they were born. It's time to end the Afghanistan war. When Rosh Hashanah ended on Tuesday evening, Jews discovered that over the holiday, the Trump administration had enacted two policies one foreign and one domestic that on their face, dont appear to be connected. But actually, they stem from the same rationale. And both together and separately, these two policies give Jews much to be thankful for. First, the administration announced it is closing the Palestine Liberation Organizations office in Washington, DC. US National Security Advisor John Bolton explained Monday that the administration decided to close the PLO office due to the PLOs refusal to carry out substantive negotiations towards the achievement of a peace agreement with Israel. Then too, by working to prosecute Israeli nationals at the International Criminal Court, the PLO is violating the conditions Congress set as law for the continued operation of its Washington office. Second, Kenneth Marcus, Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights determined that from now on, the US Department of Education will use the State Departments definition of antisemitism in adjudicating all complaints regarding alleged acts of antisemitism in US educational institutions. The State Departments definition of antisemitism is based on the definition drafted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. The IHRAs working definition of antisemitism explicitly states that anti-Israel activities which among other things reject Israels right to exist and the Jewish peoples right to self-determination; compare contemporary policies of the State of Israel to policies of Nazi Germany; and apply a standard for judging Israels policies and actions that is not applied to other nations and states, are all acts of antisemitism. As such, they are prohibited under the civil rights statutes that protect Americans against discrimination based on their group identity. The common phenomenon both policies address can be referred to as the Palestinian exception. The Palestinian exception was born with the Oslo process, whose 25th anniversary was marked on September 13. Ironically, the more the process failed, the more entrenched the Palestinian exception became. The Palestinian exception involves giving the Palestinians and their supporters a pass for actions that would otherwise be illegal, simply because they are Palestinians and pro-Palestinian activists. For instance, the Palestinian exception has afforded the PLO and its Palestinian Authority the right to enjoy US political and financial support even as they undercut the US interest of achieving peace between the Palestinians and Israel. The Palestinians have been given a pass for rejecting Israeli peace proposals. They have been given a pass for waging an unrelenting war against Israel by cultivating, encouraging and carrying out terrorist attacks against Israel; prosecuting a political war against Israel whose goal is to delegitimize its right to exist; and disseminating and cultivating hatred of Israel and the Jewish people. Since the dawn of the peace process, every secretary of state has at one point or another said that the PLO and PA must stop abetting terrorism and supporting terrorism. Likewise, every secretary of state has at some point paid lip service to the notion that the PLO and the Palestinian Authority must cease indoctrinating Palestinians to hate Jews and seek Israels destruction. But until President Donald Trump took office, no administration took substantive action against the PA or the PLO for their destructive, racist behavior. On the contrary, until Trumps inauguration, three successive administrations responded to aggressive behavior by the Palestinians by expanding US financial and political support for the PLO, the PA and UNRWA. The Obama administration upgraded the diplomatic status of the PLOs office in Washington. As for the Palestinians supporters in the US, successive administrations have failed to call them to task for their ever-escalating efforts to discriminate against Israels supporters on campuses. This repeated failure has empowered hate groups like Students for Justice in Palestine, the Muslim Students Association, Jewish Voice for Peace and hundreds of aligned groups on college campuses to escalate their anti-Jewish activities. Trump explained the basic rationale of his decision to defund UNRWA and slash funding to the PA and other Palestinian institutions in a conference call with Jewish leaders last week ahead of Rosh Hashanah. This rationale also holds for Trumps decision to close the PLOs Washington office, which Bolton announced four days after the call. Trump explained: I stopped massive amounts of money that we were paying to the Palestinians and the Palestinian leaders Id say, Youll get the money, but were not paying you until we make a deal. If we dont make a deal, were not paying. Trump said that he discussed conditioning US aid to the Palestinians on Palestinian actions on behalf of peace in conversations with former US peace negotiators. I said to some of the past negotiators, Did you ever do that before? Did you ever use the money angle? They said, No, sir. We thought it would be disrespectful. I said, I dont think its disrespectful at all. I think its disrespectful when people dont come to the table. In other words, Trumps policy is not to extend exceptional treatment to the Palestinians. Just as he expects allied states that the US supports to support the US, so he expects the Palestinians to act in conformance with the US interest of forging peace between them and Israel. In this vein, it is important to note that US financial support for the Palestinians, like the US decision to allow the PLO to operate a representative office in Washington, were both initiated in 1994 on the basis of the PLOs formal commitment to work toward peace with Israel. Over the years, as Palestinian bad faith toward Israel became inarguable, Congress passed laws conditioning continued US assistance of the Palestinians on their behavior. Yet the three previous administrations opted to ignore the law and operate instead in conformance with the Palestinian exception that gives the PA and the PLO a pass for everything including breaking American laws. As for the Palestinians supporters on US campuses, the Palestinian exception enabled them to wage a war against American Jews on campuses the likes of which the US has arguably never seen. Over the years, as antisemitic assaults on Jewish students expanded under the headline of pro-Palestinian activism, Jewish students and groups repeatedly sought redress and corrective action from university authorities. In the many cases where those authorities refused to intervene to protect Jewish students, the students and Jewish advocacy groups turned to the Department of Educations Office of Civil Rights (OCR) for protection, but to little or no avail. In one notable instance, in 2011 the Zionist Organization of America filed a complaint against Rutgers University for failing to protect the civil rights of Jewish students, and the Department of Education rejected their complaint by arguing that it couldnt prove the assault in question was antisemitic. That year, a student group named BAKA, (Belief Awareness Kindness Action) organized a campus event that was to be free and open to the public. It was titled, Never Again for Anyone. The title of the event made clear that its intent was to compare Israel to Nazi Germany. That is, it was on its face designed to be an antisemitic event. As the ZOA noted in a statement this week, When the event organizers saw how many Zionists (aka Jews) showed up at the event, they selectively enforced an admission fee against students who were, or were perceived to be Jewish. Jewish students reported this outrageous and painful and hurtful antisemitic discrimination to the University, which failed to address it. Despite the strong evidence that BAKA held an antisemitic event and then deliberately targeted Jewish students for discriminatory treatment, the OCR closed the case claiming that it lacked evidence of discrimination. The ZOAs appeal languished unaddressed for nearly four years. The Obama administrations decision to turn a blind eye to anti-Jewish discrimination undertaken in the name of the Palestinians was part of a general policy of applying the Palestinian exception to pro-Palestinian activists. This policy was made official in 2013. As Politico reported on Tuesday, in response to pressure from Kenneth Marcus, who then served as head of the Louis Brandeis Center for Human Rights and other civil rights groups, the Obama Education Departments OCR outlined what it believed constituted actionable discrimination against Jewish students. The OCR drew a distinction between antisemitism and political views about Israel. It released a statement stipulating that distinction. OCR is careful to differentiate between harassment based on an individuals real or perceived national origin, which is prohibited as compared to offensive conduct based on an individuals support for or opposition to the policies of a particular nation, which is not, the OCR explained. In other words, in the Obama administrations view, while it is illegal to say that Jews are murderers and carrying out genocide, it is permissible to hold an event accusing Israel of carrying out genocide against the Palestinians and then discriminating against Jewish students who try to defend Israel from slander. Needless to say, this position enabled antisemitic assaults against Jewish students to massively expand in recent years. Israeli Apartheid Weeks and BDS drives spread throughout the country even though the basic conflation of Israel with apartheid South Africa and attempts to boycott Israel are both defined as forms of antisemitism under the IHRA definition adopted by the State Department. Now serving as head of OCR as the Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights, Marcus is ending the Palestinian exception in the US education system. Marcus announced that the OCR will use the State Departments definition of antisemitism when considering allegations of antisemitic acts on campuses in a letter to the ZOA. The actual purpose of Marcuss letter was to inform the organization that the OCR is considering the ZOAs four-year-old appeal of the OCRs decision not to take action against Rutgers for its refusal to protect Jewish students from discrimination. Trumps opponents insist that ending the Palestinian exception in relation to the PLO diminishes the already miniscule hope of reaching an accord between Israel and the PLO. Former peace negotiator Aaron David Miller excoriated the Trump administrations policy in a column in USA Today on Wednesday. Anti-Israel and far left groups like Students for Justice in Palestine and the American Civil Liberties Union argue that Marcuss policy harms the free speech rights of pro-Palestinian groups. These criticisms are disingenuous. The only way that peace will ever be achieved is if the Palestinians stop their efforts to destroy Israel and embrace the cause of peace either with the PLO or without it. Discrimination and bigotry are not free speech issues. Allowing pro-Palestinian groups to intimidate Jewish students into silence is not about guaranteeing free speech, it is about blocking free speech and trampling the civil rights of Jews. The Palestinian exception has made peace less likely and it has made antisemitism the only form of bigotry permitted indeed supported by US universities today. The Trump administration should be thanked, not attacked, for finally discarding it. WASHINGTON -- Does the United States enjoy a resilience advantage compared to European democracies? During the long months of the Trump administration, I have been clinging, if with diminishing fortitude, to the conviction that our constitutional system and democratic institutions will shield us through the worst. So it was at least a bit reassuring to hear former British Prime Minister Tony Blair observe that he is more bullish about democracy in the United States than in Europe. "Our challenges over at our side of the water are just as great, if not greater," Blair said during a visit to The Washington Post on Thursday. "You have a resiliency in your institutions that will pull you through." There was, admittedly, a bit of straw-grasping in my overeager response to Blair's assessment, and he wasn't exactly brimming with confidence when asked to elaborate. "I might be completely wrong by the way, but I just feel with America that you've got sufficient checks and balances within your system," Blair said. "My experience of America is that it usually works its way through its problems. I may be completely wrong" -- there he goes again! -- "but if you look at the European situation, it's less clear to me that the same sort of resilience is there." Oh well, comparative resilience is better than none. Sure, there's reason to worry. The Republican Congress has proved exquisitely spineless. The independent judiciary may be fleeting, as Trump, so often incompetent in execution, efficiently stocks the courts like so many trout ponds. Still, as Blair went on to point out, the United States is enjoying a strong economy while Europe struggles with "structural economic issues," including the unresolved Brexit. Similarly, he noted, the U.S. immigration debate, however poisonous, looks mild by comparison to the European divide. To listen to Blair is to be reminded of a different, almost antiquated, pre-populist moment, when Blair in the United Kingdom and Bill Clinton in the United States pursued a middle-ground, Third Way approach to bridging the left-right divide. The last few years have witnessed the trans-Atlantic emergence of populist energy on both ends of the political spectrum and the hardening of tribal identities. So Blair's self-description as an "unashamed globalizer," his assertion that "the West is about values and not just about interests," and, most of all, his argument that it is imperative to "reignite the center ground of politics" carry -- for me, anyway -- a mournful undertone. Can this strategy still work -- or is it a fusty artifact destined to be dismissed as Clintonian triangulation rather than practical problem-solving? What would it take, given the current fractured, angry state of our politics, to arrive at the point of cross-partisan, middle-out cooperation? Are we condemned to go through years, if not decades, of tribal battles before it becomes politically safe to try, again, a more sensible approach? Is that even possible, in an age of instant interconnectedness? In the United Kingdom, after all, what Blair describes as a "changed Labour Party" is led not by Third Way Blair but by the far more radical Jeremy Corbyn. In the United States, the Republican Party of Reagan and ideas has deteriorated into the party of Trump and ego, while the Democratic Party is in the nascent stages of its own ideological and generational transformation. "On the activist side, it's going to be a fight," Blair said. "Sometimes I wake up and think, 'It's all going to be all right,' and sometimes I think, 'No, the world is going to have to experience this before it understands it's a bad idea, the whole populist thing.' "But we've got to rehabilitate the politics of building bridges," he continued. "If you're with the Democrats here you've got a choice: You can stack up your votes ... and hope that our votes overwhelm their votes. ... "My strategy would be to work out not why the people who may turn out for the rallies and lead the chanting vote in that way. But there must be independents that voted this way, so what was motivating them? ... If you don't build those bridges, then your activist base just keeps getting reinforced." The merits of bridge-building in public life should not be a debatable proposition; the politics of it should not necessitate rehabilitation. Whether we can restore any capacity to forge consensus will also help determine whether Blair is correct about our national resilience, comparative or actual. (c) 2018, Washington Post Writers Group WASHINGTON -- What is a racist? There was a time when the answer to that question was pretty clear-cut. A racist was someone who joined a group like the Ku Klux Klan, spewed racial slurs, or supported segregation. A racist was someone who thought that people of other races were inherently inferior. In the last decade or so, that's changed. In a time of expanding definitions, you don't have to be a bigot to be a racist anymore. You just have to have the wrong politics to be branded a racist, or race-baiter or race warrior. Or you can just be associated with someone who has the wrong politics. The Southern Poverty Law Center has listed David Horowitz, 79, a former 1960s radical turned conservative, as an extremist and "driving force" in the "anti-black" movement. On Monday, The Washington Post ran a front-page story that reported that Ron DeSantis, the GOP candidate for governor in Florida, "spoke at racially-charged events" - that is, he spoke at four conferences put on by the David Horowitz Freedom Center. What makes Horowitz anti-black? He is "a vocal opponent of reparations for slavery," the Southern Poverty Law Center wrote. He also makes provocative statements. Like this one: "Unfortunately, as a nation we have become so trapped in the melodrama of black victimization and white oppression that we are in danger of losing all sense of proportion. If blacks are oppressed in America, why isn't there a black exodus?" Horowitz's tone can be insensitive. I think he's dead wrong to dismiss black grievances as melodramatic and I believe he overstates white grievances. He has written things that make me cringe, but I've known him for years and he is no white supremacist. In fact, Horowitz was collaborating with the Black Panthers on a learning center in 1974, when a colleague was murdered; he blamed the group for her death and began to move away from the left. Once the SPLC labeled Horowitz as an extremist, he was supposed to become so radioactive that others would associate with him at their own peril. As DeSantis learned. According to The Washington Post, you see, DeSantis not only spoke at Horowitz events, he also "recently was accused of using racially tinged language." After he won the GOP primary, DeSantis called his African-American Democratic opponent, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum "articulate." The Republican also told Fox News that the last thing Floridians need is "to monkey this up by trying to embrace a socialist agenda." "Monkey," critics argued, is a racist dog whistle. "Articulate" is racist because it can be condescending -- as Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., learned in 2007 after he praised colleague Barack Obama as the "first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy." Biden apologized. Obama later picked Biden to be his running mate in 2008. DeSantis said his "monkey" remark had nothing to do with race. Without proof, one would expect DeSantis to enjoy the benefit of the doubt. Instead he got a front-page story that implied he's a race-baiter because he spoke at conservative confabs. Mark Krikorian is executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a pro-enforcement group branded a "hate group" by the SPLC. He sees the SPLC as a left-wing political organization now dedicated to marginalizing ideas that used to be mainstream. Politicians like former President Bill Clinton, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and the late Rep. Barbara Jordan, D-Texas, used to support enforcing immigration laws. Today, Krikorian said, their positions would be "branded as hate speech" by the SPLC. The SPLC also charged Horowitz with hating Muslims because of his harsh criticism of radical Islamic terrorism and Palestinian groups opposed to Israel. As a proof, the SPLC includes this statement, which really is a political argument: "The difference between Islamic fanatics, or Jew haters, and Hitler is that Hitler hid the Final Solution, and the Iranians and Hezbollah shout it from the rooftops. And the whole Muslim world accepts it." And here's how you know the SPLC's labeling is highly partisan. In 2016, Richard Cohen, the group's president, wrote a piece titled, "Black Lives Matter is not a hate group." "There's no doubt that some protesters who claim the mantle of Black Lives Matter have said offensive things, like the chant, 'pigs in a blanket, fry 'em like bacon' that was heard at one rally," Cohen wrote. "But before we condemn the entire movement for the words of a few, we should ask ourselves whether we would also condemn the entire Republican Party for the racist words of its presumptive nominee -- or for the racist rhetoric of many other politicians in the party over the course of years." No, the SPLC would never condemn the entire GOP as racist because of Donald Trump. Better to cook the frog slowly. Start by isolating David Horowitz. Then let the r-word hang over anyone who associates with him. And then see where that goes. COPYRIGHT 2018 CREATORS.COM Race Analysis The ascent of the Republican Party in most Southern states usually involved some combination of three factors: a vestigial GOP left over from Reconstruction, which provided a base of support; a split in the Democratic Party between conservatives and populists; and a booming metropolis that attracted Northern Republicans southward. States with all three factors present realigned early (Virginia, Texas) while those with fewer factors took longer to fully realign (Georgia, Alabama). Arkansas is a somewhat unique Southern state. There was a small Republican Party in the northwest, but there was never a booming metropolis attracting Northerners, and it traditionally didn't have a deep divide between conservatives and populists. The state also produced talented, centrist Democratic politicians who have managed to keep a strong coalition together in the state. As a result, Arkansas had the strongest Democratic Party in the South for most of the post-Civil Rights Act elections. Mike Beebe governed in the tradition of these centrists and insulated himself from the general decline in the fortunes of Democratic governors across the country in the 2010 elections. But Beebe was term-limited in 2014, and Republican Asa Hutchinson won the governorship against a credible Democratic opponent. The early polling suggests that Hutchinson starts out heavily favored for re-election. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada. Search Real Estate , We're sorry, this article is not currently available As college students, we know it can be extremely tough to get up in the morning. Whether its because we have an 8 a.m. class and have to wake Anyone who has ever been to a University of Georgia football tailgate has seen the full spread of game day comfort and waste that fans pro Roraback appointed vice chairman of bank board TORRINGTON The Torrington Savings Bank Board of Trustees recently voted to appoint Charles E. (Chip) Roraback as vice chairman. Roraback was selected as a corporator of Torrington Savings Bank in July 1997. In February 2007, Roraback was appointed a Trustee of the Bank. Edwin G. Booth, Jr., chairman of the Board of Trustees, said, We are pleased to appoint Attorney Roraback as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Torrington Savings Bank. His years of experience on the Board and his dedication to the community makes him an asset to the Banks Board. Roraback is a partner of the Law Firm Roraback & Roraback in Torrington. He is also a Director of the Connecticut Junior Republic and the Secretary of the Board at the Torrington Library. Pompo receives surgery board certification TORRINGTON Frank J. Pompo, M.D., joint replacement surgeon at Litchfield Hills Orthopedic Associates, has received board certification in orthopedic surgery from the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. Pompo can be reached at the practices Torrington office, located at 245 Alvord Park Road, or Bristol office, located at 281 N. Main St. Call 860-482-8539. Certification in orthopedic surgery is intended to provide assurance to the public that a certified medical specialist has successfully completed an approved educational program and an evaluation in orthopedic surgery. Certification includes an examination process designed to assess the knowledge, experience and skills requisite to the provision of high-quality patient care in the field of orthopedics. As a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in joint replacement surgery, Dr. Pompo offers compassionate, experienced total joint care and specializes in various surgical and nonsurgical procedures, including total knee and hip replacement, knee arthroscopy, joint injections and fracture care. Brokerage expands Litchfield office, moves second office to Salisbury LITCHFIELD William Pitt Sothebys International Realty recently announced that it has renovated and expanded its Litchfield brokerage, and that the firms Lakeville office has moved to Salisbury. Owners say the newly expanded office in Litchfield will take advantage of the latest technological advancements for the modern office, such as cloud based technology, electronic document signing capabilities and virtual meeting spaces. Regional Brokerage Manager Kristine Newell described the new office space as an office for the real estate agent of the future. We are so excited about the changes happening right now in Litchfield County, Newell said. Our fresh and newly renovated space, combined with our global brand and vast marketing connections, allows us to continue to bring the best possible customer service to our valued clients in Litchfield County. Located at 19 East Main Street, the Salisbury office officially opened Sept. 5. A grand opening ceremony is set for October at a date and time to be announced. Regional Brokerage Manager Kristine Newell described the new office space as an office for the real estate agent of the future. The new office will take advantage of the latest technological advancements for the modern office, such as cloud based technology, electronic document signing capabilities and virtual meeting spaces, owners said. William Pitt Sothebys International Realty has cemented itself as a leader in Northwestern Connecticut. In 2017 the firm was involved in the highest residential sales in eight towns throughout Litchfield County. Additionally the firm is currently No. 1 in the region in dollar volume and in sales over $1 million, according to SmartMLS. We are so excited about the changes happening right now in Litchfield County, Newell said. As the only real estate company directly on Main Street, our new office space in Salisbury is in a prime location that is highly visible to the public. This combined with our global brand and vast marketing connections allows us to continue to bring the best possible customer service to our valued clients in Litchfield County. Founded in 1949, William Pitt and Julia B. Fee Sotheby's International Realty manages a $4.2-billion portfolio with more than 1,000 sales associates in 27 brokerages spanning Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Westchester County, New York. William Pitt and Julia B. Fee Sotheby's International Realty is one of the largest Sotheby's International Realty(R) affiliates globally and the 34th-largest real estate company by sales volume in the United States. For more information, visit the website at williampitt.com. Contributed photo / Joe Sefcik / GOSHEN This past weekend, local Boy Scouts, Billy Hekeler and Matthew Sefcik from Goshen Troop 35 attended their Boy Scouts Order of the Arrow Ordeal. The Order of the Arrow is a 103 year old honor society within the Boy Scouts of America that is made up of the best and brightest in Scouting. WASHINGTON As an author who primarily focuses on groundbreaking and trendsetting women who made their mark throughout history, Caroline Weber often seeks to find the parallels between the modern celebrities of today and those of yesteryear. Weber spoke to this topic during a lively discussion at the Gunn Memorial Library recently. During the presentation she discussed and signed copies of her recently released book, Prousts Duchess: How Three Celebrated Women Captured the Imagination of Fin-de-Siecle Paris. According to Weber, her book delves into the lives of three aristocratic Parisian women who rose to become icons between the 1870s and 1890s. In seeking independence from the restrictions typically experienced by women during that time period; the trio sought to reinvent themselves, and in doing so became living legends. I was really struck by how modern their stories were, Weber said. We live in a culture of celebrities, where whats valued is youth and beauty. Webers manuscript illustrates the degree of freedom and fulfillment the women were able to obtain despite considerable obstacles imposed by both their personal lives and the societal and gender roles of the time period. They were very conspicuously going against authority, Weber said. They did all these things to push themselves into the limelight. Webers book is the first in-depth study of three notable women living in Paris during the turn of the century Genevieve Halevy Bizet Straus, Laure de Sade (Comtesse de Adheaume de Chevigne); and Elisabeth de Riquet de Caraman-Chimay, the Comtesse Greffulhe. Against a rich historical backdrop, Weber takes the reader into these womens daily lives of masked balls, hunts, dinners, court visits, nights at the opera or theater, according to a release issued by the library. But we see as well the loneliness, rigid social rules, and loveless marriages that constricted these womens lives. French novelist Marcel Proust was so inspired by the three women that he would later utilize their lives as inspiration for his masterpiece, The Remembrance of Things Past. As a law student in 1892, Proust studied his three muses extensively in order to create his composite fictional character, the Duchesse de Guermantes. In a notable intersection between past and present, Webers book received accolades from Edmund White, author of Marcel Proust: A Life. Thanks to her astonishing, prize-worthy research, Weber knows more about the three real women Proust modeled the Duchesse de Guermantes on than the mythologizing Proust himself did, White wrote. This is social history at its best. According to Weber, the process of researching and writing her book was a painstaking labor of love that encompassed a seven-year time span. Ive been holed up with my manuscript for seven years, Weber said during a recent interview from her Washington home. It was a ton of work. While she was conducting her research, Weber was fortunate enough to connect with various descendants of the three women. The ancestors shared family papers with Weber, which were instrumental in her ability to piece together a comprehensive account of the womens lives. Webers meticulous research has certainly paid off, as multiple publications have issued overwhelmingly positive responses. A recent review of Prousts Duchess in the Yale Review praised Webers engrossing and intelligent work. Readers will delight in Webers lively and detailed treatment of this era and its cast of high-society characters, Hollie Harder wrote. Prousts Duchess provides a rich panorama of historical, political, biographical, artistic, social, and cultural information, the product of years of extensive archival research. Weber has chosen to focus much of her career around 18th century French culture. She is a professor of French and comparative literature at Barnard College at Columbia University. She is also the author of Queen of Fashion: What Marie-Antoinette Wore to the Revolution. Copies of Webers books are available locally at the Hickory Stick Bookshop in Washington. Weber divides her time between Washington and New York City. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. Representatives of the Tajik government and members of banned Tajik opposition groups came to the OSCE's annual Human Dimension Implementation Meetings (HDIM) in Warsaw this last week. British police say that two people have fallen ill after eating in a restaurant in Salisbury, the town where former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned in March. "Police were called by the ambulance service to Prezzo, High Street, Salisbury at 6.45 p.m. today following a medical incident involving two people - a man and a woman," Wiltshire Police said in a statement on September 16. The statement added that the restaurant and surrounding roads had been cordoned off as a precautionary measure, "while officers attend the scene and establish the circumstances surrounding what led them to become ill." The man and woman were said to be conscious. The local ambulance service said it was called to the scene and sent in ambulances and a hazardous-area-response team. Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were found unconscious on a bench in Salisbury on March 4. They were both in critical condition and spent several weeks in the hospital but were later released, with British officials saying they are making a good recovery. Their whereabouts are being kept secret. Sergei Skripal is a former double agent who was convicted of spying and imprisoned in Russia but was released and sent to Britain in a 2010 spy swap. British officials say the Skripals were poisoned with Novichok, a military-grade chemical weapon that was developed in the Soviet Union, and blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin's government for the attack. A British citizen, Dawn Sturgess, died in June and her boyfriend, Charlie Rowley, was made ill when they stumbled across remnants of the poison in a town near Salisbury. Russia denies involvement, and a diplomatic confrontation over the case has led to sanctions and the expulsion of more than 150 Russian diplomats from two dozen Western countries. On September 5, British authorities announced that they had charged two Russian men, identified as Aleksandr Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, with carrying out the poisoning on March 4. British authorities said that a European arrest warrant had been issued for the two Russians. The two men appeared in an interview on Kremlin-funded RT television station on September 13 to proclaim their innocence and said they were merely tourists in the city southwest of London. James Slack, spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May, derided their claims as "lies and blatant fabrications." With reporting by Reuters and The Daily Mirror Georgian Orthodox clerics have led a protest march against the country's decriminalization and possible export of marijuana. After the ailing church leader, Patriarch Ilia II, condemned Georgia's marijuana policies in a Sunday sermon on September 16, hundreds of churchgoers marched from the mass to Tbilisi's city council, where priests and monks read prayers to express their opposition against marijuana. After Georgia's Constitutional Court decriminalized use of marijuana and abolished fines for the drug consumption, Finance Minister Ivane Machavariani declared that the country might export cannabis for medical use. More than 1,000 far-right demonstrators marched against Germanys immigration policies in the eastern town of Koethen, monitored by a similar number of police officers and about 500 counterprotesters. The anti-migrant protesters on September 16 held banners saying, "Patriotism is not a crime" and "Enough, Frau Merkel -- she has to go." Many critics see Chancellor Angela Merkels relatively liberal policies toward immigrants in recent years as the cause of violence blamed on arrivals from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, African countries, and elsewhere. Police said the protests in Koethen, a city of about 26,000 people, were mostly peaceful. Water cannons and mounted police were on hand to keep the peace between far-right groups and the counterprotesters. A local university warned students to avoid what it described as the site of the "potentially violent demonstrations." The rally in Koethen was the latest in a number of far-right marches that have gripped eastern Germany in recent weeks. Far-right organizations, including the anti-Islam group PEGIDA, called the protest over the death of a 22-year-old German man in Koethen a week ago. Police say the man, who had a heart condition, intervened in a fight between several Afghan migrants there. According to the authorities, the man was punched in the face and subsequently died of a heart attack. Two Afghan men, aged 18 and 20, have been arrested. Officials have expressed concern that the incident could lead to physical attacks on migrants of the kind seen in the eastern city of Chemnitz following the fatal stabbing of a 35-year-old man in August. Two men -- a Syrian and an Iraqi -- were arrested over the killing in Chemnitz, while another migrant is being sought by police. Police say a 17-year-old Afghan man was attacked by Germans in the town of Hasselfelde late on September 15. In a separate incident, three Somalis were attacked on September 15 by a group of Germans in the nearby town of Halberstadt. With reporting by dpa and AP Iraq's parliament has elected Sunni lawmaker Muhammad al-Halbusi as its new speaker as the country moves closer to establishing a new government after months of tense negotiations. Halbusi's election on September 15 marked the start of a 90-day process designed to finalize a new government. Halbusi, 37, will be the youngest speaker of parliament in Iraq's history. He was backed by the pro-Iranian bloc led by Hadi al-Ameri's Conquest Alliance, a coalition of former paramilitary fighters. The post of first deputy speaker was given to Hassan Karim, put forward by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose political bloc won the largest share of seats in the May general elections. Ameris bloc came in second in the vote, followed by Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadis coalition. Iran hailed the selections made by the Iraqi lawmakers, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi saying on September 16 that Tehran had "always supported Iraq's democracy, territorial integrity, and national sovereignty." Parliament must next elect a president and give the mandate to the leader of the largest bloc to form a government as prime minister. In an effort to calm sectarian tensions and rivalries, the speaker of Iraq's parliament is reserved for a Sunni member, while the prime minister is to be Shi'a and the president a Kurd. Violent protests in recent weeks have broken out in the southern city of Basra, as demonstrators have raged against government corruption. Some have also complained about Iran's influence in Iraq's government and military affairs. Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and Al-Jazeera Thousands of Macedonians marched in the capital, Skopje, in support of a move to change the countrys name and for eventual NATO and European Union membership. The demonstrators urged a yes vote in the September 30 referendum that will ask if Macedonians want to change the name of their Balkan country to North Macedonia. The referendum follows an agreement with neighboring Greece to end a decades-long dispute over the countrys name. The dispute dates back to 1991 when Macedonia peacefully broke away from Yugoslavia, declaring independence as the Republic of Macedonia. Greece has objected to the name Macedonia, saying it implies territorial claims on the northern Greek region with the same name. Greece, an EU and NATO member, has cited the dispute to veto Macedonia's bid to join the two organizations. Pro-Europe Prime Minister Zoran Zaev addressed the marchers in front of the EU office in the capital, calling the historic deal fair. "The message is: We want the future. We want a European Macedonia! It is our responsibility to secure a future for our children and their children," Zaev said. "EU and NATO is the safe road. For us, there is no other alternative. That's our guide for a better life," he told the crowd. Zaev faces domestic opposition to the name change, mainly from nationalists among the countrys 2.1 million people. Opposition party VMRO-DPMNE held its own rally on September 16 in the eastern town of Stip to urge a crowd of about 2,000 people to reject the name change. Opposition leader Hristijan Mickoski told the crowd the government is taking advantage of the Macedonian people's strong will to achieve European standards, true prosperity, stability and security, to push an agenda that is against our state and national interests." The official referendum question will be: "Are you for EU and NATO membership by accepting the agreement between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Greece?" Opinion polls have shown the yes vote with a clear lead, but it will require a turnout of more than 50 percent of the Balkan nations 1.8 million registered voters to be valid. U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump, and other Western leaders have urged Macedonians to accept the name change. European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on September 13 urged Macedonians to vote yes in the referendum, saying they "hold the key to the future" of their country. U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis was due to arrive in Skopje on September 16 to "show U.S. support for Macedonia during NATO accession and continued U.S. commitment to peace and security in the region," according to the Defense Department. Speaking to reporters on September 11, Mattis said he was concerned about alleged acts of "mischief" by Russia to try to block Macedonia's path to NATO membership. Moscow denies claims of interference but opposes NATO expansion eastward. With reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan Service, AP, and Reuters Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev says citizens must either agree to accept a new name for the country or face a future of "instability" and "isolation." In an interview with the AFP news agency published on September 16, Zaev urged Macedonians to vote yes in the referendum to decide on whether to rename the country the Republic of Northern Macedonia. The referendum is scheduled for September 30 and follows an agreement with neighboring Greece to end a decades-long dispute over the countrys name. The name dispute between Skopje and Athens dates back to 1991, when Macedonia peacefully broke away from Yugoslavia, declaring its independence under the name Republic of Macedonia. Greece has objected to the name Macedonia, saying it implies territorial claims on the northern Greek region with the same name. Because of Greek objections, Macedonia was admitted to the UN under a provisional name, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). Greece, an EU and NATO member, has also cited the dispute to veto Macedonia's bid to join the two organizations. Pro-European Zaev faces opposition to the name change, mainly from nationalists among the countrys 2.1 million people. The referendum will ask, "Are you for EU and NATO membership by accepting the agreement between the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Greece?" A poll conducted in July by the U.S.-financed Center for Insights in Survey Research found 57 percent supported the change. "I am so strongly convinced that the referendum will succeed that I'm not even looking into other options," Zaev told AFP. U.S. and European leaders have encouraged Macedonians to vote for the new name, seeing it as a way to firmly establish the country within the Western sphere and prevent Russia from making further inroads. U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis will embark on September 16 on a trip to Skopje to "show U.S. support for Macedonia during NATO accession and continued U.S. commitment to peace and security in the region," according to the Defense Department. Speaking to reporters on September 11, Mattis said he was concerned about alleged acts of "mischief" by Russia to try to block Macedonia's path to NATO membership. Moscow denies claims of interference but opposes NATO expansion eastward. U.S. President Donald Trump wrote to his Macedonian counterpart, Gjorge Ivanov, on September 6 saying, "The agreement and Macedonia's membership in NATO will bolster security, stability, and prosperity throughout the entire region." German Chancellor Angela Merkel also called on Macedonians to vote in favor of a name change, saying on September 8 that "this is a historic chance that a generation has only once." "Don't stay at home: Seize the democratic opportunity to say what you think about the future of your country, she added. Zaev said, meanwhile, that the Russians "told me that they have nothing against Macedonia's accession to the EU but that they are opposed to NATO integration." With reporting by AFP Representatives of the Tajik government and members of banned Tajik opposition groups came to the OSCE's annual Human Dimension Implementation Meetings (HDIM) in Warsaw this last week. The forum provided both sides an opportunity to air their grievances in a neutral setting, but importantly this year, the two sides actually met face-to-face and spoke with one another. There were moments of friendship and one moment of violence when a member of the government was caught on video punching an activist in the face. RFE/RL's media-relations manager, Muhammad Tahir, moderated a discussion on what happened between the Tajik groups in Warsaw and what the prospects might be for a rapprochement. All the guests on this Majlis Podcast were speaking from Warsaw, where they were attending the HDIM. Mahmudjon Faizrahmon, spokesman for the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, a party banned in Tajikistan since 2015, joined in the discussion. Independent Tajik journalist Hamyara Bakhtiyar, who has written for such media outlets as Anadolu Ajansi, CabarAsia, Asia-Plus, and Ozodagon, participated. Our longtime Majlis friend Steve Swerdlow, Central Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch, was back to give us his insight on what happened between the Tajiks at the HDIM. I was not at this year's HDIM, but I threw in my two cents on events leading up to the meetings in Warsaw. (Note: After we recorded the podcast, there were reports that the Tajik government had agreed to negotiations with the opposition.) Listen to the podcast above or subscribe to the Majlis on iTunes. Hundreds of participants in an LGBT pride parade in Belgrade were joined by the city's mayor, Zoran Radojcic, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, who is herself a lesbian, and a number of ambassadors on September 16. A few dozen Orthodox Christian protesters stood near the route of the LGBT parade and recited prayers. They carried Orthodox icons, banners with slogans such as "Immorality and gay shamelessness -- never more in public life," and a portrait of former Bosnian Serb military commander Ratko Mladic, whom a UN tribunal has found guilty of genocide. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has accused Twitter of closing accounts of "real" Iranians, while allowing antigovernment ones backed by the United States. "Hello @Jack. Twitter has shuttered accounts of real Iranians, (including) TV presenters & students, for supposedly being part of an 'influence op'," Zarif tweeted on September 16, addressing Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. "How about looking at actual bots in [the Albanian capital of] Tirana used to prop up 'regime change' propaganda spewed out of [Washington] DC?, Zarif said. There was no immediate reaction from Twitter. Last month, Twitter and Facebook removed hundreds of accounts linked to an alleged Iranian state propaganda operation. Iranian authorities often accuse foreign governments and Iranian opposition groups abroad of using social media to spread discord in Iran. Iranian media have accused exiled Iranian opposition groups, including the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization, which has some members based in Albania, of launching social-media campaigns calling for regime change in Tehran. On September 6, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the United States and Israel of waging a media war to discourage Iranians, as the country faces economic hardship after the reimposition of U.S. sanctions. Iranian officials have blamed popular messaging apps and social-media campaigns for nationwide antigovernment protests against the flagging economy that erupted in December last year. Based on reporting by Reuters Footage taken on September 15 in New Bern, a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, shows the devastating impact of Hurricane Florence. A local resident compared the noise created by the hurricane to "a grand symphony [orchestra] tuning their instruments." The video also features a U.S. Coast Guard airlift rescue of a man stranded by flooding in Onslow County on September 15. (AFP, DVIDS via AFP) American fugitive arrested, deported to US for criminal charges Chihuahua, Mexico An American fugitive has been arrested and returned to the United States for criminal charges after being detained in Chihuahua. Members of the Criminal Investigation Agency of Mexico have arrested and deported an American man who was wanted on criminal charges in the state of Texas. The American fugitive was arrested in Chihuahua and handed over to U.S. authorities Saturday. The Attorney Generals Office of Mexico City reported that the arrest was made in compliance with an extradition request by the US government. They reported that agents of the Federal Ministerial Police, under the General Directorate of International Police Affairs and Interpol, detained the fugitive without the use of violence or involvement of third parties. Police say that Lorenzo B, who was wanted by the Court of the Judicial District of El Paso, Texas was arrested and handed over to the United States for the crime of continuous sexual abuse to the detriment of minors. More than five million people were at risk. The victims died mostly in landslides and houses that got pummelled by the storms fierce winds and rain. The airport terminal was badly damaged, its roof and glass windows shattered by strong winds that also sent chairs, tables and papers flipping about inside. Nearly 150 flights, a third of them international, were cancelled. The saea travel halted. Philippines officials have ordered evacuations and closed schools on Thursday. We are still evaluating the damage and trying to reach the victims, said Ricardo Jalad from the Civil Protection Service. Its still a life and death situation, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said, citing past drownings in swollen rivers in mountain provinces after storms had passed. Storm warnings remained in effect in 10 northern provinces, including Cagayan, a major agricultural producer, which could still be lashed by devastating winds. Mangkhut is the 15th storm this year to batter the Philippines. Its sustained winds weakened to 105 miles per hour with gusts of up to 161 mph after it blew out to the South China Sea, aiming at Hong Kong and elsewhere in southern China. In nearby Fujian province in China, many thousands people were evacuated. A message from UofSC President Harris Pastides Note: University of South Carolina President Harris Pastides sent the following letter to students this evening, and we wanted to share it with you. -- Office of Parent & Family Programs September 15, 2018 Greeting Gamecock Students, We are fortunate our campus has largely escaped harm from Hurricane Florence. However, beyond the brick walls of the Horseshoe, our neighbors in the Carolinas have experienced incredible hardship. In alignment with Richland County government, which as a state agency we are required to follow, classes and normal operations are resuming on Monday, and it's time to think about your return to campus. Due to a previous announcement anticipating that classes would resume on Tuesday, any student unable to return to Columbia for Monday classes will not be penalized for the absence. Students are still responsible for the material covered in classes on Monday and instructors will be cooperative with students needing to make up this work. A week is a long time to be away during the course of a semester. As an undergrad, I remember an occasional snowstorm which closed school for a day or two at a time, but nothing like this. I hope this isn't our new normal. However, our seniors might argue otherwise, as this is the fourth fall in a row they have experienced either a flood or hurricane. I trust that you all have used your time wisely to catch up on some reading or make progress on a semester project. Patricia and I would like to thank all of you who participated in our short essay contest entitled, "This is How We Can Make USC an Even Better University." The response has been extremely positive. A reminder that Monday morning is the deadline, so there's still time to submit your essay to president@sc.edu. Upon your return, your Carolina family will be right here to welcome and support you. I know we will all be flexible and understanding, yet committed to the task. Despite this lost class time, I especially want you to know that your professors are prepared to work with you to ensure you are right where you need to be by semester's end. As you return to campus, I want to remind you that Monday is also national Constitution Day. The day commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787 and provides all of us an opportunity to recognize the freedoms that we have by becoming more familiar with our Constitution. I encourage you to participate in the range of campus activities we have planned on Monday, including a TurboVote movie screening and conversation, followed by a voter registration drive where pizza and pocket constitutions will be provided. These and a full resumption of services and activities will be available to you as well. I look forward to all of us being back together. The Horseshoe, your classrooms, your professors, and even Williams-Brice Stadium will be ready for you. And I know you will come back stronger and more prepared than ever. After all, you are a Gamecock, and nothing if not resilient! See you soon. Harris Pastides Share this Story! Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO / TNS ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The As rotation has a lot of moving parts here, as manager Bob Melvin said Sunday, but Trevor Cahill might rejoin the group this week, helping to simplify things a bit. Melvin said that Cahill, who received a trigger-point injection for rhomboid (back) tightness last week, played catch Sunday and felt good. Cahill will throw off the mound Tuesday to see if he still feels the issue while extending in his delivery; if all goes well, he is likely to start during the series against Minnesota. 2 1 of 2 Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News Show More Show Less ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. The As arent sure where their next Triple-A affiliate will be, but it will not be in Nashville. Instead, Oaklands top affiliate next season is likely to end up neighbors with the Raiders. The Nashville Sounds have informed the As that the affiliation agreement with the As is over, two sources told The Chronicle. One possibility to ink a deal with Nashville are the Rangers, who are expected to lose their Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock, Texas, to the Astros in the latest round of Pacific Coast League musical chairs. The Nationals potentially could be in the mix for Nashville, too, should Texas head to San Antonio instead. The U.S. Navys latest promise to clean up radioactive soil and buildings at its former San Francisco shipyard relies on an earlier Navy effort to remove less radioactivity in order to cut costs, The Chronicle has learned. The perplexing move has complicated the already-troubled project to rid the site of harmful radioactivity, provoking criticism from multiple government agencies that oversee the cleanup, as well as environmental groups. At stake is the citys dream of one day filling the shipyards derelict land with thousands of new homes and businesses San Franciscos most ambitious redevelopment project in more than a century. A 2012 report obtained by The Chronicle details some of the Navys reasoning behind its new approach to the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. Back around 2010, the Navy was spending a lot of money to dig up and haul away radioactive waste at the shipyard. It paid a major defense contractor to help it find ways of saving money. The resulting report suggested changes to cleanup rules. These changes would reduce costs by allowing the Navy to declare that more soil at the site does not pose a risk and therefore does not need to be removed. In the years since, the shipyard cleanup has grown into a scandal, roiled by allegations of widespread fraud and the criminal convictions of two cleanup supervisors for faking radiation tests. The supervisors worked for Tetra Tech, a multibillion-dollar environmental engineering firm and the main cleanup contractor at the shipyard. Earlier this year, the Navy said that Tetra Tech radiation data from large swaths of the shipyard are unreliable, making new tests necessary to ensure that the site is safe enough that people who might live and work there wont get cancer at increased rates. But to the astonishment of both environmental groups and government health agencies, the Navys retesting proposal contains several ideas from the old cost-cutting plan, which was finalized in 2012. Whats more, that report partly depended on the accuracy of data provided by Tetra Tech. As a result, experts and activists say, the Navys proposed fix isnt really a fix, and wont resolve continuing questions about the propertys safety. In August, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wrote that the situation at the shipyard is highly unusual and serious and criticized the Navys retesting plan, concluding it wouldnt be protective of human or ecological health. Two state health agencies agreed with the EPA, also pointing to flaws in the Navy plan a rare public airing of protest from government institutions that often handle disputes quietly and behind the scenes. This is not a retesting plan to protect the public, said Dan Hirsch, retired director of the Environmental and Nuclear Policy program at UC Santa Cruz and a persistent critic of the cleanup. This is a cheat. This is a game. Navy spokesman Derek Robinson said the Navys goal in retesting is the protection of human health and the environment and he defended the earlier cost-cutting study as an attempt to optimize and enhance the shipyard cleanup. This advice is independent of Tetra Tech EC data and relevant to future cleanup efforts at Hunters Point, Robinson said in a statement. He said the Navys retesting plan is a draft and will incorporate comments from other agencies. What happens next will shape the fate of 500 waterfront acres in a city desperate for space and housing. The shipyard redevelopment project envisions 12,000 new homes, millions of square feet of schools, retail and office space and significant tax revenue. But first the contamination on the site must be cleaned up. Navy activities and experiments on the site during the Cold War polluted soil and buildings with long-lasting radioactive isotopes. The EPA declared the shipyard a Superfund waste site in 1989, meaning radioactivity and industrial chemicals must be dealt with before people can safely live and work there. Related documents A report on low-level radiological waste evaluation Navy's draft evaluation plan for Parcel G work A response from the Department of Toxic Substances Control to the Navy's draft evaluation. A final record of the decision for Parcel G at Hunters Point. An EPA review of Parcel G work plan. See More Collapse The process has been long and tortured. For nearly 30 years, the Navy has been chopping the site into parcels and investigating them one by one, hiring contractors to scan for radiation and analyze soil samples in a lab. The shipyard is riddled with radioactive elements such as cesium-137, a component of fallout from nuclear explosions, and radium-226, which lasts for millennia. Decades ago the Navy used radium in science experiments and took advantage of its glow-in-the-dark properties to paint instrument dials and light up the base at night. Hundreds of these radium devices have been found scattered throughout the shipyard. Just last week, a state worker unearthed a radium deck marker on the hillside housing area known as Parcel A. Depending on the level of radioactivity measured in materials like soil and concrete, the material is either removed and hauled to a landfill, covered with a barrier, or left alone. Until recently, these crucial measurements were being gathered by Tetra Tech. But, starting in 2014, several radiation technicians alleged that the company was cutting corners to save money. Last year, the EPA reviewed Tetra Techs data and found a widespread pattern of practices that appear to show deliberate falsification, failure to perform the work to specifications, or both. Although Tetra Tech has blamed all data problems on what it calls a cabal of rogue employees, the Navy agreed that many of Tetra Techs measurements were unreliable. Earlier this year the Navy said it would retest all areas where Tetra Tech did work. It was supposed to provide a fresh start, a way to return some clarity and public trust to the cleanup process. Instead, the retesting effort has developed into yet another battle. In June, the Navy released a detailed work plan outlining how it will perform new radiation tests on a 40-acre piece of the shipyard known as Parcel G. Slated for 1.7 million square feet of housing and office space, the parcel now contains six buildings with radioactive histories where the Navy has said contamination is likely. The work plan is highly technical and difficult to understand, 391 pages full of acronyms and jargon. But reports like these carry enormous power. They determine what gets cleaned up as dangerous waste and what gets declared safe enough to leave behind. Almost immediately, the plan for retesting Parcel G set off a chorus of objections from experts who say it sets a troubling standard for future retesting and shows why the cleanup became a mess in the first place. Instead of simply checking every questionable area with the most thorough methods available, the Navy is proposing something akin to a Rube Goldberg machine. According to the plan, different testing methods will be mixed and matched. One third of problem areas on Parcel G will get a more thorough type of test, the Navy says. But the rest of the trouble spots including some places most likely to be contaminated, according to the EPA will get more cursory checks. The results of this partial testing will be fed into a statistical model to decide the safety of the entire parcel. While the plan appears to ignore some possible dangers, it also inverts and rewrites established facts. To begin with, the Navy mostly writes about the data-faking scandal as a series of unsubstantiated claims, often using the phrase various allegations. The EPA, however, pointed out in its August critique that some fraud, manipulation, falsification, etc. have been confirmed by multiple investigations, including a federal criminal probe. The Navy plan also makes a provocative claim: The main problem may not be that harmful radioactivity might still be there, but that too much clean dirt has already been removed. According to the Navy, radium-226 measurements at the shipyard were often biased high, causing some soil to be unnecessarily tagged for waste disposal. A large amount of soil (estimated 80 percent) was likely mischaracterized as contaminated, the Navy argues. Many close followers of the cleanup dont know what to make of this statement. Jeff Ruch, executive director of the watchdog group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, called it bewildering enough to give an ice cream headache. They appear to be adopting a new line that is based on fantasy, Ruch said. I mean, to suddenly say, after all this time and all this contamination never mind? As it turns out, the Navys claim about the soil comes from the 2012 cost-cutting report, which also appears to have influenced other pieces of the Navys current proposal. Titled Low-Level Radiological Waste Evaluation Associated with Various Base Realignment and Closure Activities, the 2012 report carries the names of two scientists from Argonne National Laboratory, a well-respected energy research facility in Illinois. The Navy sought Argonnes advice as a third-party expert to help optimize and enhance radiological work at the shipyard, Navy spokesman Robinson said. But although the Navy presents the report as independent, a fine-print disclaimer says the paper doesnt represent the opinion of Argonne because it was prepared as an account of work sponsored by Battelle Memorial Institute. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Battelle is a science and technology organization in Ohio with close links to the Navy. One of the 100 largest defense contractors in the United States, Battelle was awarded $450 million in defense contracts last year and has worked on portions of the cleanup at Hunters Point since the 1990s. Battelle also has financial ties to Tetra Tech. A subsidiary of Tetra Tech, Tetra Tech NUS, is a Battelle subcontractor on an active $100 million environmental contract with the Navy. At least two former Tetra Tech employees who served in senior roles at the shipyard now work for Battelle. (A Battelle spokesperson responded that Tetra Tech NUS wasnt involved with the issues at the shipyard, adding, We work with lots of different subcontractors.) In 2010, the Navy went to Battelle and said it had a problem: Clean soil at the shipyard, it said, was being misidentified as waste tainted with radium-226, costing time and money to excavate and haul to a special landfill. At this point, Battelle being paid by the Navy approached Argonne with a specific question: How could those costs be reduced? We have experience in measurements of radium and environmental cleanups, Kurt Picel, the reports co-author, said in a recent interview. We were suggesting some ways to reduce the unnecessary disposal of uncontaminated soil. Picel described the report as a narrow technical analysis. He and his Argonne colleague werent asked how to improve the cleanup in a broad sense, or to make decisions for the Navy; they were asked only to examine radium procedures with a critical eye and find opportunities to cut costs. So the scientists focused on radium instead of other radioactive contaminants at the shipyard. Their analysis assumed that the data, provided by Tetra Tech and vetted by the Navy, was valid. We analyzed the data we got, Picel said. Based on that data, the scientists concluded the Navy wasnt measuring radium correctly, and these mistakes were skewing the readings high, leading to the potentially pointless disposal of some soil. They argued that, among other errors, naturally occurring uranium at the shipyard was interfering with the radium readings, distorting the scope of the radium problem as much as 80 percent of soil already removed as radium-tainted waste didnt need to be, the Argonne authors wrote. They suggested a different method of measurement that would pick up only radium, resulting in a lower radium reading that the Navy terms more reliable. However, this analysis assumes that all uranium at the shipyard is naturally occurring. Its not. Small concentrations do occur in soil, but uranium is also used to make atomic weapons and spreads through fallout. Large amounts of uranium were brought to the shipyard in the 1940s and 50s following nuclear tests. Said Hirsch: If youre living at Hunters Point and you have kids there, you dont really care if your kid is getting exposed to radium, uranium, or both of them. You shouldnt have them exposed at all. In planning its new tests on Parcel G, the Navy isnt relying on the 2012 conclusions about the extent and amount of contamination, Robinson said, and decisions going forward will be based on new data. But key parts of the retesting plan are clearly inspired by the old report. In the new plan, the Navy argues that the process for measuring radium should be changed in ways that reflect the old cost-cutting suggestions. The Navy also wants to recalculate the accepted background level for radium. The background level is one of the most important numbers in the cleanup because it determines how much radium stays and how much goes. If the background level is lower, more radium gets removed. If its higher, less gets removed. The Parcel G plan describes techniques that would likely raise the background level, meaning that more radium will be considered part of the natural environment. In its critique of the plan, the EPA confronted the Navy on its strategies for changing the background factor, calling one proposed method insufficient for ensuring a complete and defensible analysis a line that, in the polite world of government regulators, is the equivalent of standing on a chair and screaming. The Navy is moving the goalposts as to what they consider to be contaminated, said Ruch of PEER. Although Picel of Argonne defended his 2012 report, he also acknowledged that some of its conclusions rest on data provided by Tetra Tech, whose work across the site is now in question. If that data isnt accurate, All bets are off, he said. Obviously. Jason Fagone and Cynthia Dizikes are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jason.fagone@sfchronicle.com, cdizikes@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfagone, @cdizikes The attempt to clean up San Franciscos U.N. Plaza has almost become an annual event. It usually starts with the closing down of the plazas fountain for cleaning, coupled with an increase in police patrols. The fountain is being cleaned again, but this time the police have upped the ante by bringing in one of the departments bus-size mobile command centers and parking it at the Market Street end of the plaza where it will stay 24/7 for the foreseeable future. We are just trying to restore some order to an area where there has been a lot of criminal activity, Deputy Chief Michael Redmond said. And its not just the command center thats been brought in: On Friday morning, there were four bicycle cops patrolling the block-long plaza, plus a police sport utility vehicle parked on the City Hall side. The plaza and its underground Civic Center BART Station have become ground zero for the open drug dealing and drug use in the city. As of Sept. 3, police clocked 588 criminal or quality-of-life incidents within 500 feet of U.N. Plaza this year, resulting in 637 police bookings and citations. Eric Wong, who has been selling sunglasses at the plaza for 10 years, said he welcomed the rolling substation. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. There used to be booths up and down the plaza, now maybe there are half as many, Wong said. People are scared to come here. Another park denizen, sitting on nearby steps, declined to give his name, but said he was fine with the increased presence as well. Its cool, he said, as he took another hit from his morning spliff. San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX-TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call 415- 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross A federal judge has dismissed nearly all the claims made in a $23 million lawsuit filed by a woman who was pepper-sprayed last year at UC Berkeley during a protest against right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos. Oakland resident Kiara Robles filed the August 2017 suit against six individuals and entities, including the UC Board of Regents, the city of Berkeley and people she said were members of the far-left activist group Antifa. Robles said the defendants willfully withheld police officers to protect pro-Yiannopoulos and pro-President Trump supporters like herself because they were at odds with the defendants political beliefs. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken on Friday dismissed all claims against the regents and Berkeley, and part of a claim against alleged Antifa member Raha Mirabdal. Robles said that Mirabdal shined a flashlight aggressively in her face to incapacitate her and left her prone to attacks by other Antifa members. In a 23-page ruling, Wilken wrote: There are simply not enough factual allegations to show that it is plausible that Berkeley has an official policy or custom of selectively providing police support and withholding police support to conservative events, rallies, and protests. The ruling dismissed individual claims against UC President Janet Napolitano and UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks, noting that the First Amendment does not require the individual defendants to protect Robles against the actions of others. The judge also dismissed a claim against Antifa. Wilken left a window open for Robles to pursue civil action against Mirabdal and gave her 21 days to file an amended complaint. Robles did not immediately respond to requests for comment Saturday. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. In February 2017, Yiannopoulos was scheduled to speak at UC Berkeley. What began as a peaceful demonstration erupted into violence, with masked anarchists hurling smoke bombs, smashing windows and ripping down metal barricades. The university ultimately canceled the event. Robles was doing an interview with a KGO-TV news reporter when an unseen assailant pepper-sprayed her. Robles had filed a similar suit in June 2017 with an expanded list of defendants, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, and liberal philanthropist George Soros, but later dropped it. Megan Cassidy is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meganrcassidy Forty or so members of San Franciscos Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu danced hula at Burning Man this year. The troupe was founded in 1985. This is the first time, however, that heeding the recommendation and model of their leader, Patrick Makuakane, whose artistic vision for this coming season is hula in unusual places some 30 of them got naked together. I dont know if you know of any other dance company that has stripped down and taken a shower together, said dancer and general manager Nalei, but we did. Makuakane, who had arrived before his dancers, told them that getting clean, washing off the Burning Man dust and dirt, would be the best experience, youll feel great. He was right, she said. The shower was in a structure called the Foam Dome, like a big circus tent. When you got into the tent, there were a bunch of naked people running around. Were kind of a modest group. ... It was definitely a group bonding experience ... but very respectful. Makuakane will be honored, and the troupe will perform a work he has choreographed, at a free public event at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 20, at Herbst Theatre, when the San Francisco Arts Commission honors him with an Artistic Legacy Grant. The event also is a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Cultural Equity Endowment legislation that ensured fair access to arts funds for marginalized communities. Proposition E, on the ballot in November, would guarantee funding for the Cultural Equity Endowment, as well as Grants for the Arts, the citys cultural centers and an array of cultural programs. This event isnt political, but there will surely be a hum of cheerleading in the background. The late artist Ruth Asawa, whose work has been treasured for decades in the Bay Area and honored by the naming of the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, is the focus of a retrospective exhibition that opened Friday, Sept. 14, at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation in St. Louis. Theres a permanent display of Asawas wire sculptures in the space that connects the de Young Museum and its tower; in 2006, the museum showed an Asawa retrospective. Her work was the subject of an exhibition at the David Zwirner gallery in New York last year. But Pulitzer Arts Foundation curator Tamara Schenkenberg says this is the first-ever career-spanning museum presentation of her work about 80 pieces, with catalog to be published next year by Yale University Press outside the West Coast. The curator first encountered Asawas work in 2015 at Bostons Institute of Contemporary Art, where Leap Before You Look was a group exhibition that had come out of Black Mountain College, Asawas alma mater. It was love at first sight, said Schenkenberg of her encounter with Asawas work. I was really struck by how light yet voluminous the work was, enclosed but also permeable and transparent. There was a sense of intrigue about it, so visually engaging. I had questions. ... Who was this artist? I discovered this six decades of making things, including drawings and sculpture, all in the spirit of relentless innovation from the time she started making art in the 1940s. ... What Im trying to do is build on that and trace the artistic trajectory, how she evolved her artistic vision. The exhibition will be open until Feb. 16. Family affairs: The Song of Sway Lake, which was directed by Ari Gold, opens nationwide Friday, Sept. 21. Gold, the son of novelist Herbert Gold, will do a Q&A at a New York showing that day; the directors twin brother, Ethan, will do a Q&A at a Los Angeles showing that day; and novelist/papa Gold will preside at the Roxie in San Francisco that day. Best moment of On Your Feet!, which opened Wednesday at the beautifully renovated Golden Gate Theatre: In the middle of a debate with a recording company about whether Emilio and Gloria Estefan should perform in English or Spanish, Mauricio Martinez, playing Emilio speaking with a thick accent, bursts out This is what an American looks like! The audience which included many Latinos as well as people whod worked on the theaters renovations broke into loud applause. PUBLIC EAVESDROPPING What do you think, is this more Twitter or Instagram? Woman holding up a shirt and addressing male companion, overheard at Target by Jason Bennett Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, 415-777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @leahgarchik As Hurricane Florence approached the Carolinas, an overheard line made me laugh. Robin Sutherland, having recently left his seat at the San Francisco Symphony Steinway, emailed that he was aboard Amtrak going East when another passenger joked about the Buddhist view of the storm nearing in South Carolina: You going to evacuate? Namaste here. A day later, live images of the angry ocean as seen from the top of a lighthouse in the Carolinas, broadcast via YouTube, were tweeted around the world. The immediacy of that eclipsed the standard images on TV, the rain-jacketed reporters sacrificing their blowouts to wind and rain while talking about the storm. (Daniel Woodhead says a reporter told MSNBCs Brian Williams that they were battering down the hatches.) In every corner of the country, people were watching, as homes were destroyed, people 19, as of Monday morning, Sept. 17, killed. The regional accent didnt seem so amusing. P.S.: In Mutual Air, a sound installation at the Exploratorium created by artist Rosten Woo, air quality in Oakland, read by sensors, will activate chimes installed on properties in the Bay Area. The public is being asked to provide sites for the chimes. More information is at MutualAir.org. San Franciscos Tokyo Gamine designer Yuka Uehara, often pictured at Opera and Symphony galas wearing dresses of her own design, has created new concert outfits for the Premier Ensemble of the San Francisco Girls Chorus. The outfits a dress and pantsuit will be worn by members of the ensemble for all performances in its 40th anniversary season, 2018-19. Both are black, with removable sashes/drapes created from paintings Uehara created as a reflection of a seasons programming. Those embellishments will be changed every season, in response to programming. The artists work will also be used in promotional materials for the company. Noting that 60s rock is the music of choice at Safeway, Steve Robert reassures those who grew up in the 80s: Your turn has come! A bank commercial he heard on radio was set to the Fixxs Saved by Zero, released in 1983. Marlon Brandos estate in Tetiaroa, in French Polynesia, has been turned into The Brando, an ultra-private resort. Representatives of the folks who run it will be here next week luring customers, who are invited to drink fine wines, sample exquisite artisanal chocolates, and preview Tesla automobiles, whose visionary mission supports The Brandos goal of a self-sustaining environment. Wondering whether Brando really dreamed of luxury cars. The bumpersticker Barbara Britt saw on a PT Cruiser in Walnut Creek: Livermore makes wine/Napa makes auto parts. And in Golden Gate Park, John Odell spotted the sticker, Think about honking if you like conceptual art. (Im honking. I think the first bumper sticker is conceptual art.) As a prelude to a public real estate open house on 19th Street, agent John Twomey researched nearby homeowners, planning to invite them to a preview. Just up the street, he discovered, a house was owned by Her Majesty the Queen. First thoughts: It was the Castro. But it turned out its Queen Elizabeth, and the house is occupied by the Canadian consul general. Reader Doug Nelson assumed that the upside-down cars featured in South County of Gilroy ads that have run in recent Chronicles are a new innovation in automotive marketing, and hes almost right. The car dealerships Bob Mann says its not new. He got the idea years ago when I used to run a consulting company. Most people are bored, because they flip pages. Placing a few upside-down cars on the pages makes people laugh ... Im doing it because I like being different. Many competitors, he said, have turned to online advertising, but he still uses newspapers, to keep the American tradition alive. Because if the power goes out, youre not going to know what the sale is. If youve got a newspaper, youll know. If you have a flashlight. A great endorsement, Bob, and everyone who has a cell phone has a flashlight. The Chronicles Audrey Cooper overheard a man telling his son, as they walked down a befouled section of Mission Street, I think its what real sadness smells like. P.S.: And Chronicle colleague Heather Knight received a press release from Meg Gould, producer of Apology Deodorant, which says the product is taking off, and she would love to get some healthy deodorant into the armpits of San Francisco. PUBLIC EAVESDROPPING I think arugulas giving me nightmares. Man to woman, overheard at Jones and Broadway by Rockwell Townsend Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, 415-777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @leahgarchik WASHINGTON - The White House on Sunday stood by Brett M. Kavanaugh after a woman publicly accused him of sexual assault decades ago, an allegation that triggered the most concrete signs yet of Republican resistance to President Trump's Supreme Court nominee. With the nomination suddenly in doubt, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, was working to arrange follow-up calls with Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who said he assaulted her when the two were in high school. Sens. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Bob Corker of Tennessee, two Republicans who are retiring at year's end, joined Democrats in urging a delay in the vote until the committee hears from Ford. The panel is scheduled to vote Thursday afternoon on Kavanaugh's nomination. The Washington Post published a story Sunday afternoon that included an interview with Ford. The report marked the first time her identity had been revealed publicly and her first public comments about the allegation. Ford told The Post that one summer in the early 1980s, Kavanaugh and a friend - both "stumbling drunk," Ford alleges - corralled her in a bedroom during a gathering of teenagers at a house in Montgomery County, Maryland. While his friend watched, she said, Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed on her back and groped her over her clothes, grinding his body against hers and clumsily attempting to pull off her one-piece bathing suit and the clothing she wore over it. When she tried to scream, she said, he put his hand over her mouth. Kavanaugh "categorically and unequivocally" denied the accusation in a statement, and the White House maintained on Sunday that it is not withdrawing its nomination. The developments marked the latest chapter of a contentious battle over Trump's nominee that has grown increasingly divisive as it approaches its final stages. In an interview with The Washington Post, Flake said that Ford "must be heard" before a committee vote. "I've made it clear that I'm not comfortable moving ahead with the vote on Thursday if we have not heard her side of the story or explored this further," said Flake, who is one of the committee's 21 members. Republicans hold an 11-to-10 majority on the panel, and Flake's opposition to a vote could stall the nomination. Flake would not specify what form the communication with Ford should take or how he would vote. But he emphasized the significance of the allegations. "For me, we can't vote until we hear more," he said. In a statement, Corker said a delay "would be best for all involved, including the nominee. If she does want to be heard, she should do so promptly." Senate Republicans hold a 51-49 majority, and cannot afford the loss of two or more senators voting for Kavanaugh's confirmation. Judiciary Committee spokesman Taylor Foy said in a statement that "given the late addendum to the background file and revelations of Dr. Ford's identity, Chairman Grassley is actively working to set up such follow-up calls with Judge Kavanaugh and Dr. Ford ahead of Thursday's scheduled vote." Republicans reached out to Democrats on Sunday to try to schedule separate calls for Monday with Kavanaugh and Ford. But Democrats had not agreed, officials familiar with the back-and-forth said, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., demanded that the FBI reopen its background investigation of Kavanaugh, 53. Garrett Ventry, another spokesman for committee Republicans, said in response: "Democrats have chosen once again to call for delay." The allegation injects uncertainty into the prospects for Trump's second nominee for the court, roils the midterm elections - which have seen a record number of women seek elected office - and carries high-stakes implications for the court. If the White House withdrew the nomination or Kavanaugh bowed out, the Senate would not have enough time to confirm a justice before the new court session begins Oct. 1, leaving it with eight justices. The court operated with eight justices for almost a year after the February 2016 death of Antonin Scalia and Republicans' subsequent refusal to consider Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama's pick. Any new nominee may have to wait until after the midterm elections, with increasing signs that Democrats could capture the Senate majority. Senate Republicans had argued that the position of red-state Democrats on Kavanaugh would be a factor in their reelection - an issue that would be moot if the nomination is scuttled. Republicans face a potential backlash from female voters, especially suburban women, if they press ahead despite the allegation. In 1991, outrage over the Senate confirmation of Clarence Thomas despite allegations of sexual misconduct from his former colleague Anita Hill was among the factors that led to the election of dozens of female candidates. Twenty-seven years later, the Senate is considering another Supreme Court nominee in the #MeToo era, which has seen a wave of allegations that have cost many prominent men in business, the media and Congress their jobs. Earlier Sunday, Republicans had signaled that they planned to try to confirm Kavanaugh by the end of the month. Foy issued a statement vouching for Kavanaugh's integrity and saying it was "disturbing that these uncorroborated allegations from more than 35 years ago, during high school, would surface on the eve of a committee vote after Democrats sat on them since July." Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he agreed with the committee's concerns about the "substance and process" regarding Ford's allegation - although he said he would "gladly" listen to her if she wanted to talk to lawmakers. "If the committee is to hear from Ms. Ford, it should be done immediately so the process can continue as scheduled," Graham, a member of the committee, said Sunday afternoon. Senate Democrats in leadership and on the committee swiftly called for a delay. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. "To railroad a vote now would be an insult to the women of America and the integrity of the Supreme Court," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement. In a tweet after The Post's report, Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., said it was "a very brave step" by Ford to come forward. "It is more important than ever to hit the pause button on Kavanaugh's confirmation vote until we can fully investigate these serious and disturbing allegations. We cannot rush to move forward under this cloud," said Jones, a potentially key swing vote who has not announced whether he will support Kavanaugh's nomination. A representative for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., did not comment. Hours before The Post's report was published Sunday, a centrist Democratic senator and two of his Republican colleagues argued that the allegation against Kavanaugh - which at that point Ford had not confirmed publicly - should have been raised sooner in the Senate and predicted that it would not prevent the chamber from moving forward with Kavanaugh's nomination. In televised interviews, Jones, Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Neely Kennedy, R-La., expressed concerns that a letter outlining the allegation that Feinstein received was not shared with fellow lawmakers earlier in Kavanaugh's nomination process. Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement that now that Ford has shared her story, "it is in the hands of the FBI to conduct an investigation. This should happen before the Senate moves forward on this nominee." The FBI doesn't plan to investigate the allegation as a criminal matter, but Feinstein wants the bureau to review it as part of Kavanaugh's background check, a spokesman said. Feinstein also wrote an op-ed published in the Los Angeles Times on Sunday formalizing her opposition to Kavanaugh's nomination and briefly referencing her decision to share the letter's contents with the FBI. Many Democratic senators have declared their opposition to Kavanaugh, but not a single Republican has publicly opposed him. The two most closely watched Republican senators are Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, moderates who favor abortion rights and have broken ranks with their party in the past, including during the failed Republican effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act last year. Neither has said how she plans to vote on Kavanaugh. Representatives for the two senators did not immediately respond to requests for comment Sunday. Sen. Dianne Feinsteins treatment of a more than 3-decade-old sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was unfair all around. It was unfair to Kavanaugh, unfair to his accuser and unfair to Feinsteins colleagues Democrats and Republicans alike on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Feinstein, a California Democrat, took the worst possible course by waiting until almost a week after Kavanaughs confirmation hearing was completed to ominously announce that she had turned over information from an individual about Kavanaugh to the FBI, and adding that she would be honoring the womans strongly requested confidentiality. Feinstein has been around Washington long enough to know that her opaque statement guaranteed that the contents of the letter, sent by a Stanford law professor on behalf of the accuser, would be pursued and publicized in short order. And they were. The race was on. The New Yorker published the letters details within 48 hours. The New York Times reported that the episode involved possible sexual misconduct. A BuzzFeed reporter tried to speak with the accuser, a professor at Palo Alto University, as she was leaving class. Another reporter was calling her colleagues. Knowing that her identity was about to be exposed, Christine Blasey Ford decided to take control of her story. Now I feel like my civic responsibility is outweighing my anguish and terror about retaliation, Ford told the Washington Post in a story published online Sunday. The accusation was that Kavanaugh, as a high school student at Georgetown Preparatory School in Bethesda, Md., held down and attempted to force himself on Ford, then a student from a nearby high school at a party at which he had been drinking heavily. I thought he might inadvertently kill me, said Ford, now 51. He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing. Ford told the Post she managed to escape when Kavanaughs male friend jumped on top of them, sending all three tumbling. Kavanaugh had earlier issued a statement in which he categorically and unequivocally denied the allegation. In concealing the accusation she had received in July, according to reports, Feinstein did a disservice to her Judiciary Committee colleagues, who might have wanted to determine if corroborating accounts were available, or at least question Kavanaugh about the accusation in a closed session. Instead, Feinsteins colleagues were left in the dark. The letter had been sent to Feinstein through Rep. Anna Eshoos office. White House spokeswoman Kerri Kupec has called the letter an 11th-hour attempt to delay the confirmation vote. The relevance of a 53-year-old mans alleged criminal act in high school to his fitness for the judiciary is a fair matter of debate. After all, juvenile records are sealed for good reason: Young people who make serious mistakes, even violent ones, should have a chance at redemption without being tarnished for life. Yet a good case could be made that participation in a sexual assault, no matter how long ago, is a disqualifier for a seat on the highest court of the land. The regrettable outcome here is that the Senate Judiciary Committee never had a chance to contemplate those difficult questions or consider the merits of this accusation while they were holding hearings on the nomination. If Ford is willing to testify under oath, Kavanaugh should be required to respond under oath. But the Republicans are showing no inclination to allow such an airing. As we have said before, there are many gaps in the history of Brett Kavanaugh that have persisted because of the ruling Republicans refusal to allow full access to documents from his tenure in the George W. Bush administration. This is one more issue that appears certain to be left unresolved as the Senate Republicans continue their rush toward a confirmation vote Thursday. This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters. Gavin Newsom and John Cox both drive zero-emission Teslas. Thats about where the common ground ends between Californias candidates for governor when it comes to the environment. Until recently, Cox said he wasnt sure how much humans contribute to climate change. Im not a climatologist, the Republican candidate would say. As the Global Climate Action Summit wrapped up in San Francisco, however, Cox clarified his views, telling The Chronicle that climate change is real, and humans contribute to it. But the San Diego-area businessman is skeptical that the state is making a real impact with laws intended to cut greenhouse gas emissions at least, not one worth what Cox says are the economic costs to California. Newsom, meanwhile, not only backs Gov. Jerry Browns goal of California producing 100 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2045, he wants the state to be a net exporter of clean power by shipping surplus electricity to its neighbors. Cox also supports the goal but is wary, saying: Can we get there, thats the question, and time will have to tell. Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle The Democratic lieutenant governor touts himself as a longtime environmentalist, the compost guy who insisted that people separate food waste from their garbage when he was San Francisco mayor. That track record helped Newsom win the endorsement of the Sierra Club and the California League of Conservation Voters. We know that Californias environment and progress on climate is an important priority for Newsom, and we cant say the same for Cox, said Mike Young, associate director of campaigns and organizing for the California League of Conservation Voters. Newsom could turn his differences with Cox into votes: Fifty-six percent of likely voters surveyed by the Public Policy Institute of California in July said candidates environmental positions would be very important in determining whom they would support for governor. Here is where the candidates stand on environmental issues as the Nov. 6 election approaches: Climate change Cox was equivocal in his views during the primary campaign when he was competing for Republican votes against GOP Assemblyman Travis Allen, who said it would be quite some time before scientists pinpointed whether people were responsible for climate change. Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times Now, however, Cox is going one-on-one against a Democrat for an electorate in which 69 percent of likely voters believe the effects of climate change are already evident, according to the July poll. And hes sounding more certain that theres a problem. Ive been taking time to read what climatologists are saying, and many are saying that human activity has a significant impact, Cox said. Its still not quite as definitive a view as Newsoms. He calls climate change an existential threat. Newsom wants to increase Californias output of alternative fuels beyond solar and wind to include geothermal and ocean-based energy. He supports the states cap-and-trade system, in which companies pay for each ton of greenhouse gases they emit, as vital to our climate leadership. He wants to ensure that 35 percent of the revenue generated by the program goes to projects that help low-income communities. Cox, however, says low-income communities are being hurt by the program. He points to a recent study that found the cap-and-trade program adds 12 to 13 cents to the price of a gallon of gas. California has passed more laws on climate change than any state or nation in the world, Cox said. Were making a statement, but are we making a real impact, an impact worth the higher costs in gasoline, utility bills and food prices? Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press With nearly 4 in 10 Californians near or below the poverty line, I think were asking Californians to pay too much for too little. Oil drilling Both Newsom and Cox say they oppose new coastal oil drilling and the Trump administrations plan to open more offshore areas to exploration. But unlike Cox and Brown, Newsom also opposes fracking, the process of injecting high-pressure liquid into rock formations to unlock oil and gas deposits. Newsom said fracking poses potentially significant health and environmental risks that need to be studied, monitored and tested for aggressively. He does not accept political contributions from the oil industry, unlike Brown. Coxs campaign said it has taken no money from big oil. Cox sees little need for restrictions on oil exploration on land. He said Sacramento runs the risk of driving up costs for oil companies, which could pass them along to consumers. California families are already paying higher utility costs, higher gas prices, higher food prices, and facing smaller slices of the state budget in the future for schools, Cox said. Theres a limit to the affordability pain these politicians can inflict. Water policy Cox opposes as a boondoggle Browns $17 billion proposal to move water from Northern California to Southern California through twin tunnels in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Backers say the state has to do something to improve water shipments through the delta, where endangered fish are susceptible to being caught in the pumps that push water through aging canals. Newsom backs a one-tunnel option as more cost-effective. The state has estimated that a single tunnel would cost $10.7 billion and ship two-thirds as much water as the twin tunnel option. Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times Environmentalists are leery of both alternatives, fearing they would disrupt the deltas natural flows. Cox supports Proposition 3, an $8.9 billion water bond that would pay for dam upgrades and watershed improvements. Newsom says he hasnt made up his mind on the measure. Cox points out that while voters have approved three bond measures over the past four years to address water needs, only a fraction of that was specifically dedicated to surface water storage that is, dams. He wants the state to fully fund projects such as the Sites Reservoir north of Sacramento, even if the next governor and Legislature have to tap into nearly $16 billion the state holds in reserve and rainy-day funds. Newsom promised to focus on delivering clean water to thousands of Californians living in poor communities in the Central Valley and Southern California who dont have it. On dams, he said, Im not ideologically opposed to above-ground storage. Wildfires To Newsom, the science is clear: Increased fire threat because of climate change is becoming a fact of life in our state. In addition to improving how the state clears dead trees and vegetation, he is proposing a combination of technological solutions. Newsoms tech wish list includes installing an early-warning infrared camera network that would spot wildfires and alert public safety officials. And he wants to use artificial-intelligence technology to predict and contain wildfires. Newsom conceded that many of these ideas are short- and medium-term solutions. California must continue to lead the nation and the world in fighting the real cause of this increase climate change. Cox said some of the most prominent climate change culprits in California are the Sacramento politicians that have not managed our forests and done the things needed to prevent the severity of recent forest fires. These fires are huge net carbon polluters, and thats one impact we can make immediately to help mitigate our human contribution to climate change. Part of Coxs solution: more logging. Logging is a good thing, he told the online news organization CalMatters. The idea that were hindering logging when its a wonderful business, by the way and can contribute to economic growth and jobs and reducing the wage gap and inequality gap, I think that would be a wonderful thing. And while Newsom is calling for increasing the pay of firefighters across the state and spending more on fire suppression, Cox said that frankly, we are spending a lot on Cal Fire. Our salaries and our benefits for a lot of fire workers border on the excessive. Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli HOUSTON A U.S. Border Patrol supervisor was being held in a Texas jail Sunday on $2.5 million bond, accused in the killing of at least four women and of injuring a fifth who managed to escape. Juan David Ortiz, 35, was held in Laredo on four counts of murder along with charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful restraint, Webb County jail records showed. Ortiz was arrested a day earlier, after being found hiding in a truck in a hotel parking lot in Laredo, at about 2 a.m. Saturday, capping what investigators portrayed as a 10-day string of violence. Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz said Saturday that investigators consider this to be a serial killer. Alaniz described how the Customs and Border Patrol supervisor continued going to work as usual throughout that time. As law enforcement was looking for the killer ... he would be reporting to work every day like normal, he said. It all began with the discovery Sept. 4 of the body of 29-year-old Melissa Ramirez. According to a police affidavit released to the Laredo Morning Times, Ortiz said he killed Ramirez a day earlier. Like the other victims, Ramirez was shot in the head and left in a road in rural northwest Webb County. She was a mother of two. A second victim, 42-year-old Claudine Anne Luera, was found shot and left in the road Thursday morning, badly injured but still alive, according to the affidavit. The mother of five died at a hospital later that day. On Friday, according to the affidavit, Ortiz picked up a woman named Erika Pena. She told police she struggled with Ortiz inside his truck, where he pointed a pistol at her, but that she was able to flee. She made it to a gas station where she found a state trooper whom she asked for help. According to the affidavit, Ortiz told investigators that after Pena ran off, he picked up his last two victims, whose identities have not yet been released by authorities. Jail records dont list an attorney to speak for Ortiz, who had worked for Border Patrol for 10 years. Alaniz said the dead are believed to have been prostitutes and that one of them was a transgender woman. Juan A. Lozano is an Associated Press writer. Figures from a U.S. government survey show some progress in the fight against the ongoing opioid addiction crisis with fewer people in 2017 using heroin for the first time compared to the previous year. The number of new users of heroin decreased from 170,000 in 2016 to 81,000 in 2017, a one-year drop that would need to be sustained for years to reduce the number of fatal overdoses, experts said. Fewer Americans are misusing or addicted to prescription opioid painkillers. And more people are getting treatment for heroin and opioid addiction, the survey found. The Trump administration said the positive trends show government efforts are working. Messages are reaching people about the dangers of heroin and the deadly contaminants it often contains on the street, Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz, an administration health official, said in a video presentation released with the figures. Among the other findings: Marijuana use climbed in all age groups except young teenagers, with 2.5 percent of those 26 and older, or 5.3 million adults, reporting they use marijuana daily or almost daily last year. Methamphetamine and cocaine use climbed in young adults, ages 18 to 25. The uptick may indicate that users are shifting from opioids to other drugs, said Leo Beletsky, a public health policy expert at Northeastern University in Boston. Young adults have increasing rates of serious mental illness, major depression and suicidal thoughts. The number of new heroin users in 2017 81,000 was lower than the numbers in most years from 2009 to 2016. But it was similar to the numbers of new heroin users in 2002 through 2008. Experts said theres still work to be done before success can be declared. Taken together, this does not look like the portrait of a nation with improving mental health and addiction issues, said Brendan Saloner, an addiction researcher at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Its hard to look at this and not think we need to be doing a better job than were doing now. Carla K. Johnson is an Associated Press writer. LAWRENCE, Mass. Residents in communities north of Boston that were rocked by natural gas explosions were given the green light Sunday to return to their homes. Gov. Charlie Baker and other officials announced the move at a morning news conference and said electricity was restored to nearly all affected homes and businesses in Lawrence, North Andover and Andover. Gas service will remain shut off while officials continue investigating what caused Thursdays explosions and fires, and crews inspect the gas lines and connections to homes. Former First Lady Michelle Obama's upcoming book tour for her memoir "Becoming" will bring her to San Jose on Dec. 14. "Becoming: An Intimate Conversation with Michelle Obama" will come to the SAP Center at 8 p.m. that day as part of a nationwide tour that kicks off Nov. 13 in Chicago. In the book, Obama chronicles "the experiences that have shaped her -- from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world's most famous address," according to https://www.becomingmichelleobama.com/ Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Friday, but those who register as verified fans at https://verifiedfan.ticketmaster.com/michelleobama will have the opportunity to purchase tickets starting at 10 a.m. Thursday. Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) Beginning today, the San Francisco Fire Department will host a three-day September 11 memorial event. The Andrew Fredericks Memorial Weekend will also have events on Monday and Tuesday. The schedule of events include a "Never Forget" barbeque that will host approximately 150 people, including members of the New York City Fire Department and their families. There will also be a memorial dinner held at an undisclosed location Monday night. During the dinner, members of the San Francisco Fire Department who responded to Ground Zero in 2001 will be recognized. Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. The body of a 23-year-old UC Berkeley School of Law student was recovered Thursday night from near Toketee Falls, about 40 miles east of Roseburg, Oregon, more than a month after falling from an overlook near the waterfall, Douglas County Sheriff's officials said. Brian Lewinstein fell down a steep embankment near the falls on Aug. 12, sheriff's officials said, apparently while trying to photograph the falls. Weeks of searches by members of Douglas County Search and Rescue failed to turn up any trace of Lewinstein. About 5:45 p.m. Thursday, two hikers called the sheriff's office saying they had discovered a body in a pool near the bottom of the falls. Sheriff's deputies and Search and Rescue personnel rappelled down the steep rock formations. The body was brought up to the Toketee Falls trail about 10 p.m. Thursday, Sheriff's officials said. The Douglas County Medical Examiner's Office identified Lewinstein's body. Willis Casey, who served as San Francisco's police chief in the early 1990s and who later was police chief, city manager and a city councilman in Pittsburg, died Thursday after a seven-month battle with cancer. He was 80. Casey, a San Francisco native, had a 30-year career with the San Francisco Police Department, where he was named chief in November 1990, replacing the retiring Frank Jordan. Casey was fired from that post in 1992 by then-Mayor Jordan. Casey was named Pittsburg's police chief in 1994, and has been credited with helping turn around a department that had been mired in political turmoil. He left the department in 1998 to become the commander of patrol and contract law enforcement units for the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office. He returned to Pittsburg in 2000, this time as city manager. He served three years in that post, and then served three four-year terms on the Pittsburg City Council, stepping down in late 2016. Visitation is scheduled from 5 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday at Sneider and Sullivan and O'Connell's Funeral Home in San Mateo. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Ignatius Church in San Francisco, with interment to follow at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Colma. A memorial service in Pittsburg will be held at a later date. An investigation has begun into the death of a 61-year-old inmate Saturday at the Contra Costa County Jail in Martinez, a Sheriff's Office spokesman said Saturday in a news release. The male victim, whose name was not released late Saturday night, was discovered about 2:50 p.m. Saturday by a sheriff's deputy conducting a room check at the Martinez Detention Facility near downtown, said Sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee. The deputy called immediately for facility medical personnel, who began lifesaving measures, Lee said. Paramedics also responded. The death, Lee said, appears to be related to a medical episode. Following protocol for in-custody deaths, the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office and Sheriff's Office are investigating the inmate's death. Police in San Jose on Thursday arrested two suspects in connection with an August shooting and a third suspect on an unrelated robbery warrant. Marco Antonio Alanis, 18, and Robert Luis Aguirre, 19, both of San Jose, were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, according to the San Jose Police Department. Caesar Roman Angel Cortez, 26, of San Jose was arrested on suspicion of robbery. At about 1:56 p.m. on Aug. 30, officers responded to a report of a person shot in the area of Havana Drive and Tampa Way. They learned that a juvenile victim suffering from at least one gunshot wound had been taken to the hospital. The victim's injuries were determined not to be life threatening. Investigators determined that two men confronted the victim, pulled handguns and fired several shots, striking him at least once. Police identified the suspects as Alanis and Aguirre, and warrants were obtained for their arrests. On Thursday, officers located Alanis at a residence on Midfield Drive, and he was taken into custody as he tried to flee over a backyard fence. Later that day, Aguirre was found at a residence on Ezie Street; he too was captured while trying to flee over a backyard fence. Police used a police dog in the apprehension of Aguirre. During Aguirre's arrest, police learned Cortez was also inside the residence and was wanted on an unrelated robbery warrant. Emeryville police officers have arrested a suspect in an assault in which a man hit a woman on the head with an axe Friday evening, police said. Christopher Jennings, 33, of Oakland, was arrested and jailed Saturday in connection with the assault, according to police. The case began when officers responded to a report of a man hitting a woman on the head with an axe at 40th and Hubbard streets, police said. A passing motorist gave the woman a ride to a gas station, where police met with her. The woman was treated at the hospital for wounds not believed to be life threatening, according to police. The Snell Fire, which since Sept. 8 has burned almost 2,500 acres between Middletown and Lake Berryessa in Napa County, is now 100 percent contained, Cal Fire officials said Saturday. The containment was declared at 7 p.m. Saturday, Cal Fire said in a release. Approximately 27 fire personnel were still on scene patrolling for any possible hot spots. No homes or other structures were damaged by this fire, which has been burning for a week. Much of this area, centered on the Berryessa Estates area northwest of the lake and on the area near the intersection of Snell Valley Road and Butts Valley Road about eight miles southeast of Middletown in unincorporated Napa County, was under mandatory evacuation for two days. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. SAN JOSE (BCN) Police in San Jose on Thursday arrested two suspects in connection with an August shooting and a third suspect on an unrelated robbery warrant. Marco Antonio Alanis, 18, and Robert Luis Aguirre, 19, both of San Jose, were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, according to the San Jose Police Department. Caesar Roman Angel Cortez, 26, of San Jose was arrested on suspicion of robbery. At about 1:56 p.m. on Aug. 30, officers responded to a report of a person shot in the area of Havana Drive and Tampa Way. They learned a juvenile victim suffering from at least one gunshot wound had been transported to the hospital. The victim's injuries were determined not to be life-threatening. Investigators determined two men confronted the victim, pulled handguns and fired several shots at the victim, striking him at least once. Police were able to identify the suspects as Alanis and Aguirre, and arrests warrants were obtained for their arrests. On Thursday, officers located Alanis at a residence on Midfield Drive, and he was taken into custody as he tried to flee over a backyard fence. Later that day, Aguirre was found at a residence on Ezie Street; he too was captured while trying to flee over a backyard fence. Police used a police dog in the apprehension of Aguirre. During Aguirre's arrest, police learned Cortez was also inside the residence and was wanted on an unrelated robbery warrant. Police said Cortez initially refused to leave the residence, but he eventually came out several hours later and was taken into custody without incident. Copyright 2018 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. PITTSBURG (BCN) Willis Casey, who served as San Francisco's police chief in the early 1990s and who later was police chief, city manager and a city councilman in Pittsburg, died Thursday after a seven-month battle with cancer. He was 80. Casey had a 30-year career with the San Francisco Police Department, where he was named chief in November 1990, replacing the retiring Frank Jordan. Casey was fired from that post in 1992 by then-Mayor Jordan. Casey was named Pittsburg's police chief in 1994, and has been credited with helping turn around a department that had been mired in political turmoil. He left the department in 1998 to become the commander of patrol and contract law enforcement units for the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department. He returned to Pittsburg in 2000, this time as city manager. He served three years in that post, and then served three four-year terms on the Pittsburg City Council, stepping down in late 2016. Born in San Francisco on Dec. 13, 1937, Casey graduated from Riordan High School in 1955. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of San Francisco in 1959, and later served two years in the U.S. Army. His wife of 47 years, Patricia, died in 2007. Visitation is scheduled from 5 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday at Sneider and Sullivan and O'Connell's Funeral Home in San Mateo. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Ignatius Church in San Francisco, with interment to follow at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Colma. A memorial service in Pittsburg will be held at a later date. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga welcomed its newest music professor on Friday night. More than two hundred people crowded into Cadek Recital Hall to hear the debut faculty recital of Dr. Lynn Worcester Jones, who joined the music faculty this August. Dr. Worcester Jones presented a program of piano pieces by Ginastera, Glass, Liszt, and Mozart, plus a piano rhapsody by UTCs own Prof. Jonathan McNair. There was a tangible buzz in the hall as the crowd gathered before the performance. Some had come as far as Georgia, and before long the ushers ran out of programs due to the size of the crowd. Dr. Worcester Jones began the program with Mozarts Piano Sonata in F Major, K. 332, a piece that begins with a deceptively light and playful text before diving into rapid passages and mood shifts in the final movement. Next came the sweeping gestures of Liszts program piece Vallee dObermann, S. 160, a suite capturing glimpses of Switzerland and the exploration of nature. Dr. Worcester Jones joins UTC after teaching stints at the University of Northern Iowa and Shorter University in Georgia. Following the intermission, she performed Ginasteras fiendishly difficult Piano Sonata No. 1 and Philip Glasss Metamorphosis One. The performance closed with Jonathan McNairs Rhapsody (2002). JERUSALEM A Palestinian assailant on Sunday fatally stabbed an Israeli settler outside a busy mall in the West Bank. The victim was identified as Ari Fuld, a U.S.-born activist who was well-known in the local settler community and an outspoken Israel advocate on social media platforms. The military said the attacker arrived at the mall in the southern West Bank, close to the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, and stabbed Fuld before fleeing. Video footage showed Fuld giving chase and firing at his assailant before collapsing. Other civilians shot the attacker, whom Israeli media identified as a 17-year-old from a nearby Palestinian village. He was reportedly in moderate condition. Fuld, a 45-year-old father of four who lived in the settlement of Efrat, was evacuated to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Fuld was a well-known English-language internet commenter on current affairs and the weekly Torah lesson. He was known for his hard-line nationalist ideology and strong support for the Israeli military. Settler spokesman Josh Hasten, who said he had known Fuld for about a decade, said his friend traveled widely to showcase the beauty and reality of life in the country. Fuld also was known for an outspoken manner that included verbal clashes with Palestinians and critics of Israel that could land him in trouble. At times, his Facebook account was suspended. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded Fuld on Facebook for fighting his attacker heroically and remembered him as an advocate for Israel who fought to spread the truth. On Twitter, David Friedman, the U.S. ambassador to Israel and a strong supporter of the settlements, called him a passionate defender of Israel & an American patriot. Since 2015, Palestinians have killed over 50 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks. Israeli forces killed over 260 Palestinians in that period, of which Israel says most were attackers. BERLIN German police called in more than 1,000 officers to prevent violence during a far-right protest Sunday in the eastern town of Koethen, where a man died a week ago following a dispute with two immigrants. News agency DPA reported that water cannons and mounted police were on hand to keep the peace between far-right groups and counterprotesters. Far-right organizations, including the anti-Islam group PEGIDA, called the protest over the death of a 22-year-old German man in Koethen a week ago. Authorities have said the man had severe chronic heart disease and that an autopsy showed he suffered a heart attack after being punched in the face. Two Afghan men, ages 18 and 20, have been arrested. Officials have expressed concern that the mans death could lead to physical attacks on immigrants of the kind seen in the eastern German city of Chemnitz following the fatal stabbing of a 35-year-old man last month. A Syrian man and an Iraqi man were arrested as suspects in that slaying, while another migrant is being sought by police. Police reported that a 17-year-old Afghan man was attacked by Germans in the town of Hasselfelde, Saxony-Anhalt, late Saturday. In a separate incident, three Somalis were attacked Saturday by a group of Germans in the nearby town of Halberstadt. Also Sunday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz met in Berlin to discuss immigration policy before an upcoming European Union summit on the topic. The EUs member countries are divided over how to respond to mass migration. Some refuse to accept any asylum-seekers from the southern nations where most newcomers land first. Others are encouraging greater solidarity within the 28-nation EU. DAMASCUS, Syria Syria held its first municipal elections since 2011 on Sunday, amid tensions with the countrys self-administered Kurdish region, which refused to allow polls. Turnout was modest at stations in the Syrian capital and candidates aligned with the ruling Baath party were expected to win. The Baath party has controlled Syrias political and security apparatuses since the 1960s. Hassan Taraqji, a Baath candidate in Damascus, said reconstruction was a top priority for voters after more than seven years of civil war. We hope we can meet the peoples aspirations and improve conditions and services in the city, he said. The war waged by President Bashar Assads government against opposition forces and the Islamic State group has cost the country more than $300 billion in economic damage, according to a recent U.N. study. Observers say more than 400,000 people have been killed. But parts of the country remain beyond Damascus reach, including the U.S.-backed self-administered Kurdish region in northern Syria, which also includes Arab and minority populations. The region is governed by its own Syrian Democratic Council, which refused to allow the Damascus-organized elections to proceed on its territory. The regime wants us to remain under its rule and under the rule of the Baath, said Ibrahim Ibrahim, a spokesman for the administration. Kurdish officials say they want a federalized Syria that respects the northeasts autonomy from Damascus and guarantees rights and privileges for national minorities. High-level meetings between representatives of the SDC and Baath and federal officials in Damascus have yet to produce a breakthrough. And Damascus insists it will assert its authority over the whole country. Opposition-held areas were excluded from the polls. Some 3 million people of Syrias prewar population of 22 million live under opposition rule in the countrys northwestern Idlib province and surrounding areas. Another 5.6 million are refugees abroad; they were also excluded from the vote. Albert Aji is an Associated Press writer. MOSCOW When almost all the protesters at recent anti-government rallies across Russia went home, teenagers and young adults were the only ones left on the streets. In my circle, more and more people are getting protest-minded, said 20-year-old theater student Andrei Zabara, one of about two dozen youths who ended up staying camped on the streets of Moscow last Sunday. The girl who was streaming it on Instagram last night her mom was helping, she brought us food. But as far as the rallies go, (the parents) are afraid to come out. Many born during President Vladimir Putins 18-year-long rule, young Russians like Zabara have long been considered one of his most loyal constituents. But increasingly, the governments anti-Western agenda and reports of widespread corruption are turning young Russians against the leader. In the decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union, street protests were led by 50- and 60-year-olds, disenchanted by the freewheeling capitalism while their children were busy reinventing themselves in a new market economy. In 2011, when Putin announced his return to the presidency, it was the budding middle-aged middle class that took to the streets to protest what they saw as an unfair and archaic political system. But the violent crackdown on a rally in May 2012 and ensuing criminal persecutions of a dozen protesters have scared off the 40-year-olds. Meantime, their teenage children have taken the lead. With Russias rigid political system offering no other outlet for discontent, young people have turned to unsanctioned street protests, ignoring official bans and unafraid of police brutality. Young people are taking to the streets on behalf of their parents, not against them, said Moscow political analyst Ekaterina Schulmann. Those kids enjoy the support of their parents who may be wary of the risks, may be afraid (of coming out) ... but they share the same values. Zabara says his parents are supportive of his activism but are too afraid to join him on the streets, fearing repercussions for their jobs. Yevgeny Roizman, who served as mayor of Yekaterinburg, Russias fourth-largest city, and is considered one of the most popular opposition leaders, said he found last weekends protest crowd in Yekaterinburg substantially younger than he expected. Young people are coming out for us and taking the hit, he said in a video blog, adding that older people should feel ashamed. Nataliya Vasilyeva is an Associated Press writer. KHAN AL-AHMAR, West Bank For the anxious Palestinian residents of Khan al-Ahmar, theres little left to do but wait. After the West Bank hamlet lost its last legal protection against demolition last week, Israeli forces could swoop in any day now to tear down the desert communitys few dozen shacks and an Italian-funded schoolhouse made from recycled tires. Some hold out hope that Israel might be deterred by an inevitable international outcry over razing the community. Major European countries have warned that flattening Khan al-Ahmar poses a grave threat to the already fading prospects of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The seemingly outsized international attention being paid to the tiny community is linked to its strategic location in the center of the West Bank. Its an area deemed essential for setting up a viable Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, areas Israel captured in 1967. Israel has portrayed the battle over Khan al-Ahmar as a mere zoning dispute. Critics of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus policies say the village has become a symbol for what they describe as an ongoing displacement of Palestinians to make room for Israeli settlements. With demolition now looming, dozens of activists, including foreigners, have been spending nights in Khan al-Ahmar to show support. They sleep on mattresses spread out under green tarp covering the front yard of the Italian-funded school. For the past 25 years, the international community has favored the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel as the best hope for peace. But those hopes are quickly fading. The U.S. State Department has said little about the looming demolition. By contrast, European governments have been outspoken. The demolition of this small Palestinian village would not only affect a local community, said EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. It would also be a blow against the viability of the state of Palestine and against the very possibility of a two-state solution. Separately, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom warned in a rare joint statement that demolition would have very serious consequences. Mohammed Daraghmeh and Josef Federman are Associated Press writers. HONG KONG Typhoon Mangkhut barreled into southern China on Sunday, killing four people after lashing the Philippines with strong winds and heavy rain that left at least 65 dead and dozens more feared buried in a landslide. More than 2.4 million people had been evacuated in southern Chinas Guangdong province by Sunday evening to flee the huge typhoon and nearly 50,000 fishing boats were called back to port, state media reported. Prepare for the worst, Hong Kong Security Minister John Lee Ka-chiu urged residents. That warning came after Mangkhuts devastating march through the northern Philippines, where the storm made landfall Saturday on Luzon island with sustained winds of 127 mph and gusts of 158 mph. Dozens of people, mostly miners and their families, were feared to have been trapped by a landslide in the far-flung village of Ucab in Itogon town in the northern Philippine mountain province of Benguet, Itogon Mayor Victorio Palangdan said by phone. At the height of the typhoons onslaught Saturday, dozens of people, mostly miners and their families, rushed into an old three-story building in the village of Ucab, Palangdan said. The building a former mining bunkhouse that had been transformed into a chapel was obliterated when part of a mountain slope collapsed. Three villagers who managed to escape told authorities what happened. The mayor expressed sadness that the villagers, many of them poor, had few options to survive in a region where big corporations have profited immensely from gold mines. They thought they were really safe there, he said. Police Superintendent Pelita Tacio said 34 villagers had died and 36 remained missing in the landslides in Itogon. As Mangkhut spun forward and slammed Hong Kong, the storm shattered glass windows on commercial skyscrapers. Mangkhut also felled trees, tore bamboo scaffolding off buildings under construction and flooded some areas of Hong Kong with waist-high waters, according to the South China Morning Post. The storm made landfall in the town of Taishan in Chinas Guangdong province at 5 p.m. Sunday, packing winds of 100 mph. State television broadcaster CGTN reported that surging waves flooded a seaside hotel in the city of Shenzhen. In Macau, next door to Hong Kong, casinos were ordered closed from 11 p.m. Saturday, the first time such action was taken in the city, the South China Morning Post reported. Authorities in southern China issued a red alert, the most severe warning, as the national meteorological center said the densely populated region would face a severe test caused by wind and rain. Vincent Yu and Jim Gomez are Associated Press writers. Page Content Natural disasters may force employers to tackle both operational and employment law issues. When events like wildfires and earthquakes impact operations, employers will inevitably have questions about how to properly pay workers. Here are some of the main wage and hour issues California employers may experience during a natural disaster. Exempt Employees When natural disasters shut down operations or keep employees from work, employers may question their wage obligations to exempt employees. During a workweek in which a worksite partially closes and exempt employees perform any work, employers must pay such employees their full weekly salaries. However, if exempt employees perform no work for the full workweek, employers are not obligated to pay any salary for the time of the site closure. Since performing any amount of work triggers wage liability, it may make financial sense for some employers to close operations for the entire workweek instead of paying full compensation for limited operations. If employers open their doors but decide to send staff home early due to deteriorating conditions, they should not attempt to deduct pay from their exempt employees' salaries. Employers can require exempt employees to use accrued leave time for absences due to a closed worksite. However, to avoid disputes with upset employees, employers that compel the use of accrued leave should clearly inform employees about the policy before taking any action. Employees without accrued leave who perform any work during the week are entitled to their full salaries. Nonexempt Employees Nonexempt employees must be paid only for the time that they actually work. Uncertainty during an emergency may make the use of on-call time attractive for employers. During on-call time, an employee is available to work if needed but might not actually be called in to work. Natural disasters do not alter California's strict legal requirements for on-call time. Employees are likely owed compensation when they are required to be ready to serveeven if they are off premises. Several factors determine whether an on-call employee is on duty, such as whether the employee has the freedom to engage in personal activities and is free to leave a certain geographic area during on-call time. [SHRM members-only HR Q&A: In California, what rules apply when determining what constitutes hours worked?] Employers should be cautious about allowing employees to volunteer to assist at work during an emergency. Time spent subject to the control of an employereven if ostensibly voluntarymay require compensation. Employers should note that reporting-time pay may be somewhat altered by natural disasters. Generally, employees who report to work but are given less than half their usual day's work must be paid for a half day's work at their regular rateor at least two hours of pay and no more than four hours of pay. However, reporting-time pay is not required when the inability to provide work results from a natural disaster that is beyond the employer's control. Remote Work and Travel Time Working remotely may reduce some transportation challenges, but natural disasters generally do not alter wage and hour requirements for offsite employees. Nonexempt employees must be paid for any work performed remotely, even if the time is not expressly authorized by the employer. Likewise, exempt employees must be paid their full week's salary if they perform any remote work. To curb unauthorized work and promote transparency, employers should structure a time and attendance policy addressing remote work and show employees the policy before they engage in such work. Natural disasters may increase travel time for employees who commute to a worksite. However, time spent traveling to and from work is not generally compensable or counted toward hours of work under California law. This is true even when the employee commutes in a vehicle that is owned, leased or subsidized by the employer and used for ride-sharing. But travel during work time or otherwise at the employer's direction counts as hours worked. Delayed Wage Payments Natural disasters can complicate and delay wage-payment processing for designated paydays. Under California law, employers must give employees written notice of any changes to their respective paydays. Employers concerned about late processing of payroll should notify employees as soon as possible. Patrick J. Wingfield and Kavin A. Williams are attorneys with Murphy Pearson Bradley & Feeney in San Francisco. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The crowd was vibing at the 11th Annual Westerleigh Folk Festival on Saturday in Westerleigh Park. Between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., the free musical tradition of Staten Island returned for 2018 near the intersection of Beal Dow and Maine Avenues in Westerleigh - featuring its signature Folk, Country, Blues and Americana musical acts. The "West Fest" brought three stages of live music to the crowd of nearly 1,000, showcasing all types of different acoustic tunes. "We wanted to build a Newport Folk Festival-type of event here on Staten Island," said festival founder James Indelicato. " "Our main focus is to present the best folk-rock, bluegrass and country acts from our area along with local artists and hand crafters." Families in attendance enjoyed the music from the following local artists between the Gazebo, Meadow and Children's Stage: Allergic to the B's, The Wahoo Skiffle Crazies, Half Moon, Divine Women Showcase, Mrs. Rosemary's Irish Step Dancers, Red Storm Drum & Dance Troupe, The City Stompers with Megan Downs, Karlus Trapp Band, Vincent Vok with Angelo & Hannah, Tina Kenny, Anthony De Ross, Ed Jackson's Time Out, SamiJay, All Hands on Deck, Rob, Elle, Al & Joanne, Carol Ruiz, Music With Patrick, Ruth Powers and Sharon Ostrov. While musicians took care of the acoustics, the event also featured local artists and business owners in the open park setting. Arts, crafts and goods were sold from pop-up tents for parents while children enjoyed pony rides and face painting. Munchies like hamburgers, hot dogs and sandwiches ensured the crowd didn't go hungry during the friendly neighborhood affair. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Rep. Dan Donovan has announced he will donate nearly $10,000 given to his campaign by pharmaceutical executives to help fight the opioid crisis affecting Staten Island. Donovan's reps said they were unaware of the donor's ties to the pharmaceutical industry, but upon learning of them, will donate the funds to two non-profits: YMCA Counseling Services and the Camelot drug-counseling center, a spokeswoman for Donovan's campaign told the New York Post. Jessica Proud, spokeswoman for the campaign, told the Advance Donovan ordered the money to be "immediately donated" to drug treatment programs in the district. "The opioid crisis has touched his family personally and there is no elected leader in New York City who has done more to address it," Proud said. "He was instrumental in getting the state and federal prescription drug databases to prevent doctor shopping, and as DA created the model for Narcan training, had the highest felony conviction rate in the city and one of the nation's most successful drug treatment courts." Proud also stressed that Donovan "helped pass the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Reduction Act in Congress that included a historic funding commitment to address prevention, treatment and enforcement." According to the Post report, Donovan accepted the nearly $10,000 in campaign contributions from two major pharmaceutical executives dating back to 2016. In April, Michael Friedman, former head of Purdue Pharma, donated $1,500 to Donovan's campaign as he battled Michael Grimm in the Republican primary, according to the Post. In March, Philip Strassburger, former general counsel and current senior VP of Purdue Pharma, donated $2,700, in addition to $5,400 he donated to Donovan back in 2016. Purdue Pharma manufactures OxyContin, a highly addictive painkiller some have blamed for the sparking the nation's opioid crisis. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Wagner College celebrated Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, Sunday with Klezmer music, Jewish dancing, and traditional foods. The room was filled with students, Holocaust survivors and community members of all ages dancing and singing together. "Students are valorizing pre-war Jewish culture by literally dancing it out and learning some of the words and music that's so important to Judaism," said a visibly moved Lori Weintrob, director of the Wagner College Holocaust Center. Weintrob said one of the primary goals of the center is to "bring together the Jewish community, Holocaust survivors, and students of all faiths, as well as Hillel students, to build bridges and make us all stronger as a community." Ilya Shneyveys, a musician and Yiddish music teacher, made sure everyone was on the dance floor moving to the melodies of the Tsu Fil Duvids Klezmer Ensemble. Emma Luxemburg, a Holocaust Center intern and Wagner College student, spoke of her powerful experience traveling throughout Poland for 10 days on a Ramah Israel Seminar, where she visited concentration camps including Auschwitz, and then spent six weeks in Israel. In addition to Rosh Hashanah, they also celebrated Holocaust survivor Margot Capell's 98th birthday and sang "Happy Birthday" to her in Hebrew. Wagner's Holocaust Center continues its mission to unite communities with a "Bridges for Crossing Boundaries" event from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25, at CANVAS Institute, 150 Victory Blvd. in Tompkinsville. The event is billed as a look at the intersections of "Jewish & Black Experiences in Music, Art & Film," as a means of exploring "the culture of Jewish and African refugee families, and their journey to America, past and present, as part of a larger dialogue on race, art and social responsibility." **Catch up with SILive's full "Where Life Leads You: Stories of Staten Island's Holocause Survivors" series** MTA NYC Transit President Andy Byford at a recent Advance editorial board with the MTA. (Staten Island Advance/Steve Zaffarano) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Now four weeks into the borough's redesigned express bus network, many riders are still experiencing long wait times and overcrowding on a daily basis. It's easy to get frustrated when a service you've relied on for years is no longer providing the same experience you've grown accustomed to. And it's even easier to vent that frustration in today's day and age, with email and social media giving customers the opportunity to directly berate the MTA and local elected officials at all hours of the day. While some of the blame certainly should fall to them, there are a number of outside factors influencing the daily express bus commute as well. With MTA NYCT president Andy Byford and Borough President James Oddo both allowing themselves to be held accountable for the changes, and working daily to optimize the new system, it's important to look at some of the factors outside of their control. ACCOUNTABILITY Prior to the launch of the new system, Oddo posted to Twitter that he would take responsibility for the outcome of the redesign and has not shied away from that statement since. "If this thing is a failure, I will be the first one to stand up and say, like I did on Twitter before the first bus rolled out, "It's on me, it's a failure and it's not working'," said Oddo. At an Advance editorial board meeting Thursday at the newspaper's Grasmere offices where the MTA announced various changes to the new express bus plan, the borough president later discussed the importance for both him and Byford to ensure that this new system becomes a success. "One of the reasons why I believe we have a good chance to be successful is that Andy has been quite candid in how much he has on the line," said Oddo. "This is the first big test of my tenure," added Byford, who took the position of MTA NYCT president in January. The former head of Toronto's transit system has taken a hands-on approach in tackling the new network, responding to feedback and implementing changes at an unprecedented rate by city agencies standards. "I get complaints every day, but I don't see them as complaints, I see them as feedback in that these people ride it every day. They know what works and what doesn't work. So it's actually quite welcome because I think collectively we can get this right," said Byford. But as previously stated, not everything affecting our commutes is in the control of the MTA. BLOCKED BUS LANES One major issue regularly hindering the efficiency of daily commutes is the blocking of bus lanes by cars, taxis, delivery trucks, tour buses and more. "It's very frustrating and it has been for a long time," said Darryl Irick, senior vice president NYCT buses. "What I am happy to report is that we've, sort of, hit a reboot button on our relationship with NYPD in terms of enforcement." "They've been extremely responsive. I think there's been some growing pains and some opportunities in that group and they've realized that they need to do more... If they continue down this path I think it's another positive element that will benefit the entire city in the long haul," added Irick. So while the MTA remains optimistic that these conditions will improve, it falls squarely on the shoulders of the NYPD and New York City drivers to ensure that the bus lanes are left clear and allowed to effectively serve their purpose. TUNNEL TRAFFIC AGENTS In addition to the issue of blocked bus lanes, enforcement agencies are also to blame for the daily occurrence of traffic agents holding express buses entering the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel to allow cars to pass. "There is a sense from express bus riders that traffic agents will give priority to cars and not to the express buses," said Oddo. These holds can last anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes, according to ATU Local 726 president Danny Cassella. "We are on the state police's case, because the state runs the tunnel, as well as the Bridges and Tunnels people and the Department of Transportation (DOT), and we are going to fix that," said Byford. The MTA has since brought on renowned transportation engineer Sam Schwartz, also known as "Gridlock Sam," to investigate the regularly congested interchange and identify possible solutions. Until a long-term fix is implemented, it is up to enforcement agents to more fairly control the flow of traffic to accomodate express bus riders. OPTIMIZATIONS FROM DOT On top of the enforcement issues, the efficiency of the express bus network is contingent on the Department of Transportation (DOT) providing the best possible traffic patterns and synchronizations. Structural issues have arisen regarding the placement of stops, synchronization of traffic lights and lack of bus lanes, causing delays outside the control of the MTA. All three of these issues come to a head at locations like Steuben Street and Narrows Road South, where officials are now exploring the possibility of moving bus stops, synchronizing nearby lights and implementing a dedicated bus lane. So while the MTA is responsible for the buses themselves, the speed and efficiency with which they travel is likely more dependent on the DOT due to their control of the roads. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS Is the MTA solely to blame for express bus riders' commuting woes? Does NYPD do a good enough job of enforcing the bus lanes? Is being held at the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel a major cause of delay during your daily commute? Has the DOT done a good enough job optimizing the roads to suit the needs of express bus riders? We encourage our readers to reach out to us by posting their responses in the comment section and/or emailing them to tbascome@siadvance.com. I'll be following up on our readers' submissions in future installments of "On the Go?" to find ways to improve the challenging commuting conditions on Staten Island. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The eighth annual Staten Island Black Heritage Family Day Parade was live and jumping Saturday afternoon, as the procession traveled from Clifton to Stapleton. Event coordinator Minnie Graham was ecstatic with participation, declaring the day an overwhelming success. "Our heritage is so vast: Chattel slavery placed people of African descent all over the globe," Graham said. "On heritage day, our cultural differences disappear and we remember and celebrate our common blood" The Delaware State University and Bowie State University marching bands opened and closed the parade, respectively. Baltimore Westside Steppers, Malcolm Shabazz High School and Tottenville High School marching bands also entertained onlookers along the Vanderbilt Avenue and Bay Street route. Graham added: "Its such a feeling of oneness, unity and love for one another. The fact that Charles Fall just made history by becoming Staten Island first Muslim and African American to hold the Democratic North Shore Assembly seat was celebrated by everyone in attendance. We also showed our support by wearing our Nikes. Our community realizes that kneeling doesn't disrespect the American flag. How can we disrespect the flag of a country we help to build." Staten Island Black Heritage 2018 honorees were Yvette Wheatley, founder Brighton Heights Reform Church Youth Orchestra; and Vernon (Dyverse) Wooten, founder of Projectivity Inc. and original member of S.I. Black Heritage, 369th Veterans Association and Baltimore West Siders Marching Band. LOWER MAKEFIELD - The township said thank you to its veterans on Saturday with a flag-waving, patriotic parade down Edgewood Road and a ceremony at Veterans Square that included the unveiling of a new bronze plaque and commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Operation Desert Storm. All along the parade route, applause filled the air as veterans proudly marched and... Australia's biggest aged care companies are calling on the royal commission into the $20 billion sector to provide clarity on how businesses and service providers can keep pace with burgeoning demand as the population ages. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the inquiry into the sector following a string of horrific revelations of elderly abuse and neglect that have shattered public faith in the system. Chief executive of ASX-listed Estia Health, Norah Barlow, has welcomed the royal commission, noting the "enormous responsibility" on providers to care for the elderly. Skyrocketing complaints about the sector, and critical care failures in 2017 at now-closed state-government run nursing home Oakden, fuelled the calls for a probe into the sector. Estia chief executive Norah Barlow has welcomed the royal commission into aged care. Credit:Chris Hopkins "We will continue to work with government to build a viable sector that older Australians deserve," Ms Barlow said. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the government will shut down a dance music festival after two people died and another three were left critically ill after the event on Saturday. Police said as many as 700 people sought medical assistance during the Defqon.1 music festival in Penrith, attended by about 30,000. "We will do everything we can to shut this down, I don't want to see this event happen again," Ms Berejiklian said. A lack of appropriate sexual health education is putting some of Queenslands most vulnerable and marginalised youth at risk of contracting HIV, experts say. As more and more young people reject the traditional notions of sex and gender, health programs are struggling to keep accessible and appropriate information suitable to all backgrounds and genders. The pills used for HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a key medication in managing the disease's prevalence. Credit:Marc Bruxelle In Brisbane, a new social media campaign is being developed to help young LGBTI+ residents better understand the risks of HIV, and how to protect themselves and their partners from the disease. Youth outreach service Open Doors, based in Fortitude Valley, is collaborating with researchers from the University of Queenslands School of Public Health to develop the campaign. Victorians were plunged back into what felt like the depths of winter this weekend, as an icy blast pulled temperatures down and triggered a dump of snow near Ballarat. It was, in the words of one forecaster, the kind of cold front that attacks just once every two Septembers. However, the Bureau of Meteorology believe the worst is over and warmer days lie ahead. Winds coming off icy waters near Antarctica made their way up to Victoria early on Saturday, moving east across the state throughout the day. Australia's Catholic priests have responded to the cathartic experience of the child abuse royal commission with a push for optional celibacy, married priests and a plan to take the issues to the Vatican. The National Council of Priests believes Pope Francis would approve a request from Australias bishops to allow married priests in remote parts of the country where the lack of priests is a critical and long-standing issue, council chairman Father James Clarke said after a conference last week that considered the royal commission findings. The councils submission to the Australian Catholic Church Plenary Council conference in 2020, the first of its kind since 1937, will argue priests who have left the church to marry should be allowed to return to the priesthood as married priests. The councils strong support for reform came in the week Pope Francis called 130 bishops from around the world to a summit in February to discuss the churchs child sexual abuse crisis, after Germany became just the latest country to document decades of abuse by 1600 priests. The National Council of Priests of Australia backs a full debate of all aspects of the churchs current rules on mandatory celibacy at the 2020 plenary council, after the child abuse royal commission concluded it was an unattainable ideal for many priests that led them to lead double lives, and contributed to a culture of secrecy and hypocrisy in the church. Health Minister Roger Cook has reassured West Australians they can eat local strawberries after a needle was allegedly found in a WA-produced punnet in South Australia on Saturday. Mr Cook said he was "very confident" widespread tampering of the fruit did not occur in WA despite the weekend discovery, which is being investigated by SA police. "There has been no incident of tampering of strawberry products in WA," he said on Monday. "People should obviously be cautious but there should be no fear in consuming strawberry products. "We don't know where this [contamination] took place ... it may have taken place in South Australia." The danger for Scott Morrison and his government is laid bare in one of the key findings in this latest poll. A quick glance shows that Morrison has a sizeable lead over Bill Shorten as preferred prime minister, 47 to 37 per cent. But a closer look shows that Morrison has added nothing to the government on this measure since the toppling of Malcolm Turnbull. Former Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull with Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen In fact, Morrison has gone slightly backwards. Turnbull led by 48 to 36 per cent. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has denied claims of billion dollar cuts to aged care ahead of a Royal Commission into the sector which he says will be bruising. Mr Morrison fielded questions about $1.2 billion in government cuts to aged care on Sunday after announcing a Royal Commission that will investigate inadequate care, neglect and other challenges in the scandal-plagued sector. I am not going to put up with lies being told about what is happening in the aged care sector, he said. He said the federal government was pumping one billion dollars of extra funding into the sector every year. The Liberal Party is under pressure to reveal the results of a damaging secret ballot that nearly cost Tony Abbott his seat, as fears mount that local voters will abandon the former prime minister at the next election. Grassroots members in the blue ribbon Sydney electorate of Warringah believe Mr Abbott's campaign against Malcolm Turnbull's leadership has been deeply unpopular in beachside suburbs and will cost him votes. Tony Abbott says he plans to remain in public life for many years to come. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Strategists also believe his 25-year reign has started to shift from a positive to liability, and think the veteran MP's position in Parliament is now vulnerable to a high-profile independent candidate. Mr Abbott's plan to recontest the seat was rocked by a protest vote that may have seen him secure as little as 55 per cent of votes during a fiery preselection endorsement meeting on Friday night. | BY Ricki Green | BHP will today launch the second phase of its Think big advertising campaign via Big Red, Melbourne. The campaign, which starts this morning, includes television, print, online and outdoor billboards. In addition, BHPs brand program will also feature in a range of outlets in international publications over coming months. This second phase builds on the first phase of the Think big campaign launched in 2017 via Big Red, which focused on BHPs history and legacy. BHP chief external affairs officer, Geoff Healy, said the second phase demonstrates the crucial role that BHP plays in addressing global challenges through the supply of essential resources. Says Healy: We are continuing to tell the story of how the people of BHP develop and deliver the resources that underpin global development and support Australias economy. Each advertisement will focus on a key global challenge and highlight the role of our commodities in helping build a sustainable future. The first adverts focus on steel; which is crucial for growing cities and is made from iron ore and coal, and electric vehicles; which need four times more copper than conventional cars. Ouagadougou: - Nine people including an imam have been killed by extremists in two separate attacks on civilians in Burkina Faso, authorities say. The governorate of the country's eastern region says six people including an imam were killed in one attack on a mosque in the community of Diabiga on Friday. Soldiers examine burnt-out cars outside the Splendid Hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in 2016. Credit:AP In a separate attack on Friday, three members of a family were shot dead in Kompienga province. Until now, extremists in that part of the west African country have largely targeted security forces. Geneva: A leading United Nations human rights investigator has criticised Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's civilian leader, for acting as a "fig leaf for military atrocities" against the Rohingya Muslim minority. In an interview ahead of Tuesday's release of a 400-page report on alleged "genocidal" crimes, Australian lawyer Chris Sidoti said that Nobel laureate Ms Suu Kyi could not escape responsibility for failing to act over the violence. The report, by three independent experts including Mr Sidoti, provides the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva with harrowing details of mass killings and rape by Myanmar's military that prompted more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh last year. Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Credit:AP "The very first thing she could have done was not provide cover for the military by dismissing the overwhelming number of reports of mass rape as fake," Mr Sidoti said. "She could have refused to provide a fig leaf for military atrocities of the most serious kind... she has enormous moral authority, she won 80 per cent of the popular vote in the 2015 election." Sidoti is a former Human Rights Commissioner and ex-commissioner of the Australian Law Reform Commission. Dubai: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday accused Twitter of closing accounts of "real" Iranians, while allowing anti-government ones backed by the United States. In August, Facebook Inc, Twitter Inc and Alphabet Inc collectively removed hundreds of accounts tied to an alleged Iranian propaganda operation. Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Credit:dpa "Hello @Jack. Twitter has shuttered accounts of real Iranians, (including) TV presenters & students, for supposedly being part of an 'influence op'," Zarif said in a tweet, addressing Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. "How about looking at actual bots in (the Albanian capital of) Tirana used to prop up 'regime change' propaganda spewed out of (Washington) DC? #YouAreBots," Zarif said. A police officer carries a girl in rain during a No 10 Hurricane Signal raised for Typhoon Mangkhut in Hong Kong on Sunday. Credit:Bloomberg The storm had weakened overnight but was still a severe typhoon, with gusts of up to 250 kilometres per hour, Hong Kong authorities said. Buildings in the city swayed, trees were downed, windows shattered and hundreds of flights were cancelled, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. Typhoon Mangkhut battered Hong Kong and threatened the southern coast of China on Sunday, after cutting a destructive path through the Philippines and killing dozens of people there. Hong Kong : Death tolls are expected to rise as the two storms that have lashed the Philippines and China and North Carolina continue to wreak havoc. In the Philippines, officials said on Sunday morning that the death toll from the storm had risen to 25, although that figure was expected to rise given the communications difficulty and lack of essential services. But despite the suffering, there was relief there that the devastation had not been much worse. Tropical Storm Florence in the US was expected to weaken into a depression but flash flooding and major river flooding were expected to continue over significant portions of the Carolinas. A man and a girl walk against strong winds from Typhoon Mangkhut on a pier on Victoria Habour Hong Kong, on Sunday. Credit:AP The National Hurricane Centre said excessive amounts of rain were still being dumped in North Carolina and the effect was expected to be "catastrophic". In its 2am update on Sunday (4pm AEST), the centre also said there was an "elevated risk" of landslides in western North Carolina. Forecasters say heavy rains also are expected early in the week in parts of West Virginia and the west-central portion of Virginia. Both states also are at a risk of dangerous flash floods and river flooding. ~Despite disruptions, school gains 100% school passes, 98% college passes~ Cul de Sac:--- Despite the hardships after monster Hurricane Irma, moving to a borrowed school building, and having fewer, truncated periods late into the evenings, St. Maarten Academy students were still able to beat the odds and surpass expectations to record 100% passes at the May/June Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations. Once again, the schools Mathematics average continues to top regional averages as well as those of other Caribbean islands. Of the 83 candidates who sat the regional examinations offered by the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC), all of them secured school passes, while 98% achieved college passes, a six percent increase over the previous year. Among the top performers were Chetan Laungani and Naomi Jankee, both of whom secured passes in 13 subjects; and Habeebullaah Mohammed, Zacquel Phipps, Vishwadeo Persaud, Tania Narine, and Sydney Williams, all of whom passed 12 subjects. Ryana Anthony and Chadalina Edwards also successfully passed all 11 subjects at one sitting. Laungani, who wrote 13 subjects, attained Grade I passes in 11 CSEC subjects, seven with straight A profiles. He secured these top passes in Additional Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Electronic Document Preparation and Management, English A, Human and Social Biology, Information Technology, Mathematics, Physics, Social Studies, and Spanish. He copped an A in Cambridge Dutch, and a Grade II in CAPE Communication Studies. Jankee, who also wrote 13 subjects, secured nine CSEC Grade I passes, one Grade II pass, one Grade III pass, a Grade I in CAPE Communication Studies, and a B in Cambridge Dutch. She obtained Grade I passes in Biology, Chemistry, English A, Human and Social Biology, Information Technology, Mathematics, Physical Education and Sport, Physics and Social Studies, a Grade II in Spanish, and a Grade III in Visual Arts. Mohammed, who wrote 12 subjects, secured nine Grade I passes, and one Grade II pass at CSEC, a Grade II in CAPE Communication Studies, and an A in Dutch. His Grade I passes were in Additional Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Human and Social Biology, Information Technology, Mathematics, Physics, Social Studies and Spanish. He coppeda Grade II in English A, an A in Cambridge Dutch, and Grade II in CAPE Communication Studies. Phipps also performed laudably, writing 12 subjects, and securing seven Grade I passes and three Grade II passes at CSEC, an A in Dutch and Grade II in CAPE Communication Studies. His Grade I passes include English A, French, Information Technology, Mathematics, Physics, Social Studies and Theatre Arts, which he pursued under the instruction of Mrs. Arlene Halley of the National Institute of the Arts (NIA). He copped Grade II passes in Biology, Chemistry, and Human and Social Biology. Persaud secured himself six Grade I passes and four Grade II passes for a total of 10 CSEC subjects. His Grade I passes were in English A, Human and Social Biology, Information Technology, Mathematics, Physics, and Spanish. He copped Grade II passes in English B (Literature), Biology, Chemistry and Social Studies. He obtained a Grade III in Communication Studies and a B in Dutch. Narine, who wrote 11 CSEC subjects, obtained five Grade I passes in English A, English B, Mathematics, Information Technology, and Physics; Grade II passes in Biology, Social Studies, Spanish, and Human and Social Biology, a Grade III in Chemistry, and C in Dutch. Noteworthy, however, was her performance in Communication Studies. Narine, one of 13 Form 5 students to sit this examination along with the Year 1 CAPE students, topped the schools merit list in the subject. Anthony, meanwhile, secured four of her five Grade 1 passes with straight A profiles in Electronic Document Preparation and Management, English A, Information Technology, and Principles of Business. Her fifth Grade 1 was in Human and Social Biology, while her four Grade 2 passes were in Integrated Science, Mathematics, Social Studies and Spanish. Anthony, a business major, rounded off her 10 CSEC subjects with a Grade 3 pass in Principles of Accounts. She also copped a B Grade for Cambridge Dutch. Edwards, too, wrote 10 subjects at CSEC and secured five Grade ones in Human and Social Biology, Information Technology, Principles of Accounts, Principles of Business, and Social Studies. Her Grade 2 passes were obtained in Electronic Document Preparation and Management, English A, Integrated Science, Mathematics, and Spanish. Her Dutch grade is a C. Meanwhile, Williams secured CSEC Grade I passes in English A, Mathematics, Human and Social Biology, and Physical Education and Sports. He obtained Grade II passes in Information Technology, Spanish, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Social Studies, a C in Dutch and Grade III in Communication Studies. Of the 23 subjects St. Maarten Academy offers at the CSEC level, all students must write at least eight compulsory subjects, as well as the Cambridge Dutch. For the first time this year, Physical Education and Electronic Document Preparation and Management were offered by the school, and both subjects attained 100% passes. Other subjects with 100% passes were Additional Mathematics, Caribbean History, English B (Literature), Human and Social Biology, Principles of Business, and Theatre Arts. Among the top performing departments offering compulsory subjects to all candidates were Mathematics, which continues to attain passes above the regional average, and Information Technology. Both subjects secured 100% passes. The Department of Mathematics, headed by Alberick Arrendell secured 31 Grade 1 passes, 26 Grade two passes, 20 Grade 3 passes, and only six Grade 4 passes. This means that 69% of the students who wrote Mathematics copped Grades 1 and 2, and a total of 93% passed with Grades 1 to 3, well above the regional pass rate of 48%. Arrendells department also secured 100% pass rate in Additional Mathematics, taught by Olatunde Dalrymple. A comparison can be drawn with countries such as Grenada (39%), Guyana (43%), and Jamaica (50%), where students continue to struggle in Mathematics. The Department of Information Technology, under the leadership of Julian Mason also secured 100% pass rate with 19 Grade ones and 48 Grade twos (81%), as well as 15 Grade threes. Only one student received a Grade 4. Other subject areas which produced outstanding results include Social Studies (100% school passes and 99% college passes), English A (100% school passes and 97% college passes), Physics (100% school passes and 95% college passes), Biology (100% school passes and 91% college passes), Economics (100% school passes and 89% college passes), Chemistry (100% school passes and 87% college passes), and Visual Arts (100% school passes and 80% college passes). Students scoring Grades I III in five subjects are deemed to have met the matriculation requirements into most colleges and universities in the Caribbean and further afield. Grade I at the regional CXC examination is the highest accolade. There were 738 subject entries in 2018, comprising 83 fifth formers and 3 fourth formers. A total of 133 (18%) Grade I passes were recorded, a one percent increase from 2017; 291 Grade II (40%), a nine percent increase from last year; 211 (29%) Grade III, a decline of five percent; and 77 (11%) Grade IV passes, down four percent from last year. The phenomenal performance recorded in the May/June 2018 CSEC examinations were the end-result of the concerted effort of students,support of parents, and hardworking, self-sacrificing teachers, who despite devastating personal losses caused by Hurricane Irma, remained focused and dedicated to their craft. Principal drs. Tallulah Baly-Vanterpool told teachers at the presentation of results last Friday: We have some of the most dedicated teachers. Somebuilt bridges, and took a ladder to cross over and climb higher to meet their goals. Shelauded the radical teachers who sneaked onto the academic campus, currently under construction, to meet with students before school. With the shift system and school starting at 12:30pm since January, many teachers at Academy sought ways to meet their students before school started in order to complete their syllabus. Others held classes on weekends. Their resilience and commitment under the most arduous circumstances played as significant a role to their students success as did their knowledge and presentation of content, said Baly-Vanterpool. As espoused by the schools motto, St. Maarten Academy seeks to provide students with opportunities to not only learn, but also to excel and achieve. It was against this backdrop that head of the English Department, Ms. Doreen Edwards, spearheaded an initiative which allowed thirteen of the candidates who had secured Grade I passes in English A while in the pre-examination class, to pursueCommunication Studies at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) in May/June, while simultaneously writing their CSEC examinations. Not only were all thirteen candidates successful, but six of them also managed to rank on the schools merit list in the subject area. The Board of the Foundation for Academic and Vocational Education (FAVE), under which the school falls, wishes to congratulate all students, their parents, teachers, and the Management team for proving in a year rife with setbacks, that with resilience, laser-focus, and commitment there is always a comeback; and what a comeback it was! Great Bay:--- International Day of Democracy 2018 is held on September 15th every year, and it has been running for 10 years. It is a United Nations, (UN), day of observation, to review the state of democracy in the world and uphold and promote democracy and its principles. The day was founded on the 20th anniversary of the First International Conference of the New or Restored Democracies, which promoted global democracy. On this day, individuals and organizations of all kinds work together for democracy and hold events to raise awareness of democracy, including conferences, discussions, and debates, as well as press conferences and publicity campaigns through distribution of leaflets, posters and flyers. Major events to commemorate the day are held at UN headquarters in New York. Democracy and Human Rights Democracy and human rights are closely linked, and UN covenants on these matters are to the fore on this observance day. Democracy is a state where the people have rights, especially to vote for and elect their government and regulation from among themselves, rather than being controlled by a government over whom they have no right of dissent, election or protest. Lack of democracy can lead to lack of rights or a voice, and this impacts on human rights as set out by the UN, the website quotes. Sint Maarten has a parliamentary democracy, under a constitutional monarchy. The latter is a system of government in which a monarch, in this case, King Willem Alexander, is guided by a constitution whereby his rights, duties, and responsibilities are spelled out in written law or by custom. Over the years Sint Maarten has had and have Democracy - a form of government in which the supreme power is retained by the people, but which is usually exercised indirectly through a system of representation and delegated authority periodically renewed. Via legislative elections, the winning party forms a government with or without other parties, they deem to work with, depending on the minimum amount of seats that is therefore required. Sint Maartens Parliamentary democracy system has control over internal affairs, including aviation, customs, communications and immigration; the Netherlands is responsible for external affairs, such as citizenship, defense and foreign affairs. But, the Day of Democracy goes further than only a political reality. How do we deal with freedom of speech, human rights (including gender equality and women rights, LGBT-rights, children rights, and rights of migrants, etc.)? How are we taken care for the people left behind in our society (such as the disabled, the elderly)? All these themes are meant to be captured in the reflex ion of the Day of Democracy. When it comes to the UN, these themes should be not only 1 day of the year, but a continues effort of Government and its people to leave no one behind. 2030 Agenda The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with its 17 goals, captures mainly with SDG 16 for Peace, Justice and strong institutions, several of these themes on democracy and human rights. In our Sint Maarten Governing program 2018-2022 Building a Sustainable Sint Maarten the key priorities are mentioned. Although other priorities are mentioned, to cope with the devastation caused by hurricanes Irma and MarIa in 2017, other priorities such as Electoral Reform, establishing an Integrity Chamber are mentioned to come to Good Governance, which is fundamental for Democracy. St. Maartens Department of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BAK) is the designated focal point for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda on St. Maarten. Ms. Drs. L. Morales, program manager at BAK can be contacted to be part of the SDGs process. You can reach her via government email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or per telephone number +1721-5271223. The governing program can be downloaded from the Sint Maarten government Website www.sintmaartengov.org By CONGRESSMAN FRANCIS ROONEY and DR. MICHAEL SAVARESE We, a United States Representative and a scientist from our regional state university, have come together to acknowledge that sea-level rise is an urgent problem for our community, but one that we must and can address. Its not uncommon to hear people mention that they are worried about the future, whether environmental, social or economic. Partisanship and polarization seem to dominate our political landscape right now, with little interest in debate or compromise, making it difficult to come together to resolve differences of opinion. However, here in Southwest Florida, we know that our lives are intermingled with the water and the coastal environment, and many people have set aside political affiliations to come together to address serious challenges they face. We have watched as higher seas, stronger storms and more frequent floods have become part of a new normal that is costlier for the average Floridian. This new normal can mean dozens of days of flooding in our homes and streets, even on sunny days, longer commutes caused by flooded roads, and leading to reduced value of our residential properties. For our cities, these changes mean added costs for infrastructure and drainage systems and erosion of our pristine beaches. Rising seas can even push saltwater into our drinking water aquifers and threaten the viability of the Everglades marshes. Collier County and three of its municipalities (Naples, Marco Island, and Everglades City), along with local leaders throughout the region, have recently embraced the need for adaptation to sea-level rise. Through a three-year, $1-million grant awarded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) made to the University of Florida and Florida Gulf Coast University, a team of scientists is working closely with managers and decision-makers to predict the effects of sea-level rise and stronger storms. Our leaders deserve the best information possible with which to evaluate and prioritize how to adapt to these changes, and this is what the science team is delivering with multiple storm intensity and sea-level rise scenarios. Now, these tools will be in the hands of nearly 100 decision-makers who can use them to make a difference in Collier County. Inaction is already costing us billions. Hurricane Irma cost the United States $50 billion. We also know that 40-60 percent of small businesses never reopen their doors following a disaster, which has a ripple effect on our economy. Cities in Florida alone are already spending over $4 billion to harden infrastructure, improve drainage, renourish beaches and combat tidal flooding. This is the result of just 6 inches of sea-level rise over the last 30 years were expecting as much as another 6 inches in the next 15 years alone. Moreover, it is not enough to adapt to these changes locally and move forward without looking at the root causes and working toward a broader and more preventative solution. Adaptation should be accompanied by mitigation which means a change in our nations usage of fossil fuels. We can control our destiny clean energy policies can reduce sea-level rise and mitigate its costly impacts. We know warming of the atmosphere and the oceans melts more glacial ice and causes seawater to expand, both of which increase the volume of water in the oceans. This same warming fuels changes in the development of tropical storms, causing them to strengthen more rapidly and more intensely than in our previous history. Even a few additional inches of sea-level rise can make a hurricane push more water onto shore and further inland, even if the hurricane itself doesnt make landfall. Had Irma continued on its forecast track instead of diverting easterly over Marco Island, more expansive portions of Collier and Lee Counties would have experienced this devastation first-hand. Everglades City and parts of Marco Island, which were located east of the storm eyes landfall, were less fortunate and experienced as much as 9 feet of storm surge. How do we adapt to sea-level rise while working to mitigate the predicted additional rise if we do not change course in our use of fossil fuels? We must all collaborate to influence decisions that can make a difference. What better way to show this as a bipartisan effort than to pair an earth scientist with the Republican Congressman for Floridas 19th District as supporters, advocates, and end users of the NOAA project? Now we look ahead to create solutions, in a bipartisan way, for our burgeoning climate-related problems in Southwest Florida and beyond. Francis Rooney is the U.S. Representative for Floridas 19th congressional district. He is the Vice-Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and serves on the Committee on Education and the Workforce. He previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See under President George W. Bush from 2005 to 2008. Dr. Michael Savarese is a coastal geologist and professor at Florida Gulf Coast University. Nyota Uhura, as played by Nichelle Nicols, and James T. Kirk, as played by William Shatner, starred in the original "Star Trek" series. Despite becoming iconic years later, the series wasn't very popular when it first aired. NEW YORK The original "Star Trek" series is one of the most popular sci-fi series of all time. But for years, it was a flop that left William Shatner performing out of the back of his truck. "Star Trek" broke countless boundaries, solidified science fiction in popular culture, and sparked a relationship with fans for 50 years and counting, and it remains one of the most beloved television shows in history. But it wasn't always this way. On Sept. 5, Shatner, who played Capt. James T. Kirk in the series, joined the podcast "The James Altucher Show" on stage here at the comedy club StandUp NY to discuss his new book, "Live Long And : What I Learned Along the Way" (Thomas Dunne Books, 2018). Space.com attended the event, where Shatner also discussed the show's difficult early years. Indeed, "Star Trek" wasn't an instant success. "We were being canceled every year They were canceling, and they weren't canceling," Shatner recalled during the podcast. "The third year, we limped along Friday nights." And, after the third season, the show was canceled. [The Evolution of 'Star Trek' (Infographic)] William Shatner as James T. Kirk in "Star Trek." As a recent guest on "The James Altucher Show" podcast, Shatner spoke about how difficult life was after the show's initial, lackluster launch. (Image credit: Paramount) In the months and years following the cancellation of "Star Trek," Shatner and the rest of the cast weren't given many offers, jobs or accolades. In fact, as Shatner explained during the taping, after the show was canceled, he toured around the East Coast in his truck, producing, directing and acting in his own performances, often with other known actors. "I had a truck; I put a cab on the back of the truck, took my dog, and I drove across the country," Shatner said. "I toured these 13 weeks, lived in the back of the thing. "I did star in 'Star Trek,' and I was living in the back of a truck," Shatner added, laughing. He performed funny, theatrical comedies and other acts that were popular at the time. Shatner recalled that he started to notice people paying attention to "Star Trek" while at a ski lodge where a blooper reel from the show originally made as a personal gift to cast members was playing. As network executives continued to see interest from the public, Shatner said, "Star Trek" reruns began to play more often on television, and at more popular times. Obviously, the series eventually took off and became astronomically popular and internationally beloved. Still, the actors whose faces and names will forever live in the sci-fi hall of fame struggled financially because they were not getting residuals from the series, Shatner said. Without delving too far into actor compensation and how unionization gave later actors more financial security, Shatner noted that "saying yes" helped him to survive and continues to help him thrive and lead an incredible life. As he put it, "Saying yes to the various things in your life is critically important." Indeed, Shatner is no stranger to saying "yes." The face behind Capt. James T. Kirk has said "yes" to everything from writing, to music, to sending a message to NASA Voyager probes. Follow Chelsea Gohd on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. DC Comics is launching a 12-issue "Martian Manhunter" series this December with writer Steve Orlando and artist Riley Rossmo. First announced by The Hollywood Reporter, this new "Martian Manhunter" series follows his return in "Dark Nights: Metal" and prominence in the current "Justice League" ongoing. (Image credit: Riley Rossmo (DC Comics)) (Image credit: Riley Rossmo (DC Comics)) "I've been calling this my dream project online for more than a year," said Orlando. "I started talking to DC about it at San Diego Comic-Con 2017. Hes always been my favorite character since I was younger, so to be able to fire our best shot across the bow of doing an evergreen story with him, its super exciting. Everyday I'm writing, I just cant believe it; theres no character I wanted to work on more." [Life on Mars? Top 10 Martians of All Time] Orlando previously co-wrote the "Martian Manhunter/Marvin the Martian" one-shot. Orlando and Rossmo's new "Martian Manhunter" limited seris is described by the Hollywood trade as "at once a re-examination of the characters origins and emotional journey and also a detective story on Earth..." In this series, J'onnz will reprise his civlian identity as detective John Jones to solve a murder as it presents possible connections to his homeworld on Mars. According to Orlando, the new "Martian Manhunter" will give the character added depth. "In the past, J'onn has been too perfect. One of the reasons people have not connected to him is that he was a perfect upright cop on Mars, and yes, his family died but it was no fault of his own, and then he came to Earth and he was perfect," said Orlando. "Our favorite characters, thats not them, you know? Spider-Man let the burglar go. Bruce Wayne was too afraid to save his family. This book gives Jonn that moment, and thats the keystone as to why this book will be, is, the Martian Manhunter story, because we finally know the why. Why he strives to be so good on Earth, why he has this journey, because hes never really had one before. All of our favorite characters overcome their faults, and we hope hes going to do it here, but he has to have them first." Originally published on Newsarama. WASHINGTON Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan this week issued a detailed plan for how the Pentagon will move forward to create a Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces by fiscal year 2020. The plan, laid out in a Sept. 10 memo titled "Space Reorganization and Management Tasks," includes actions that the Pentagon will pursue using executive branch authorities standing up a unified command for space, a Space Development Agency and Space Operations Forces. These proposals were presented to Congress in a report on Aug. 9. The establishment of the Space Force as a military branch must be approved by Congress and written into legislation. Shanahan's Sept. 10 memo, a copy of which was obtained by SpaceNews, explains the steps DoD will take to develop a legislative proposal. The memo makes it clear that the space reorganization is being led from the top down. Shanahan is overseeing the entire effort, but the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the undersecretary of defense for policy also have significant roles. The Air Force, which owns 90 percent of the military's space programs and functions, only will have a limited support role in shaping the transition to a future Space Force. [Trump's Space Force Plan Revealed by VP Mike Pence] Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan speaks with Air Force Lt. Gen. John Thompson, commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center Aug. 27, 2018. (Image credit: DoD) The changes directed by Shanahan only apply to DoD and not to the intelligence community, even though organizations like the National Reconnaissance Office and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency have key responsibilities in national security space. "Only DoD space functions would move into the Space Force," the memo says. "National security space components outside of the DoD should not be included in the legislative or budget proposal, but will be considered in an interagency process." The Director of National Intelligence is cc'ed in the memo. Shanahan's orders have short deadlines. Many of the tasks are due in the coming weeks, and the legislative proposal could arrive at the White House as early as Dec. 1, 2018. To avert concerns that a new service will saddle the military with billions of dollars in added overhead costs, the memo says the Space Force should have a "lean" bureaucracy. A "Space Governance Committee" led by Shanahan will have the final word on any reorganization action and on the legislative proposal before it goes to the White House. Shanahan also will establish and designate the leader of a "working group" to help with the implementation that will include representatives from all military branches and relevant DoD agencies. Upcoming steps in the reorganization The first order of business is to stand up U.S. Space Command, a unified combatant command responsible for space. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Joseph Dunford and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy John Rood are responsible for leading this effort. A U.S. Space Command "should be established by the end of calendar year 2018," the memo says The Joint Staff will draft an amendment to the Unified Command Plan to establish U.S. Space Command and the subordinate unified command, and a detailed plan will be developed to "transfer requisite authorities and capabilities." Rood and Dunford will be responsible for "identifying any operational authorities that are needed for U.S. Space Command." [The Most Dangerous Space Weapons Ever] The creation of a Space Development Agency also could happen relatively soon. Shanahan directs Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Michael Griffin and Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson to "each develop a concept for establishing the SDA." The draft concepts are due to the governing committee by Sept 14. The agency "will initially focus on rapidly developing and fielding new space capabilities that leverage commercial space technology and access in support of warfighter and U.S. Space Command," says the memo. "The concepts should clearly define the relationship between the warfighter and the SDA." Over time the SDA will assume responsibility for other space development programs. The proposed concepts should "include a transition plan for consolidating space development efforts under the SDA as the equipping arm for the space warfighter, with an initial operating capacity in calendar year 2019." The chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness will organize what DoD calls "Space Operations Forces." They will "produce a complete inventory of all forces and functions conducting or directly supporting space operations and designating space operations forces." They will have to develop a plan to manage active, reserve, National Guard and civilian workers. The Joint Staff must provide an interim progress review to the governing committee by Oct 1. The Pentagon's chief management office will be responsible to set up a new office for an assistant secretary of defense for space, the memo says. A plan, due Oct. 1, should "include options for consolidating civilian oversight of space and outline how it could evolve into the future headquarters of the Space Force." The White House Liaison Office will begin identifying candidates. The legislative proposal for standing up a new service will be led by Rood, the Joint Staff, the secretaries of the services and DoD's legislative office. The proposal would establish the Space Force as a sixth branch of the armed forces, the memo says. It will include the roles and mission, responsibilities, relationship with U.S. Space Command, and a "lean headquarters model to avoid growing unnecessary bureaucracy." Rood will provide an interim progress report to the governing committee by Oct. 1. A final legislative proposal could be submitted to the White House Office of Management and Budget as early as Dec. 1 Shanahan directed the DoD comptroller to put together a budget proposal by Oct. 15 for the establishment of a Space Force to be included in the fiscal year 2020 request. The Pentagon's director of cost assessment and program evaluation will develop a five-year cost estimate. The memo says the budget should include the cost for the Space Force, the Space Development Agency, the Space Operations Forces, U.S. Space Command and the path for transferring space budgets to the Space Force. This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry. VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. The final launch of the venerable Delta II rocket has left the world a little less blue. That is not to say that the rocket's retirement has not been met with a tinge of sadness. To the contrary, representatives from the U.S. Air Force, NASA and United Launch Alliance (ULA), the latter the company responsible for the vehicle, described the final Delta II launch on Saturday (Sep. 15) as "melancholy" and "bittersweet." No, it was not a matter of sentimentality. Rather, it is one of hue. After 30 years of the Delta II being the United States' only blue-colored launch vehicle, the rocket's end means a future without "Delta Blue." [Meet the Rockets of the Delta Booster Family] "They wanted future vehicles to be the same color, but there was an issue getting that approved," said Kathy McLaughlin, ULA's Delta II site manager, who had been with the program since the first launch on Valentine's Day (Feb. 14) 1989. A rocket by any other color "Delta Blue," the distinctive hue of the Delta II rocket, began as a primer under a coat of paint but came to represent the team behind the now-retired launch vehicle. (Image credit: collectSPACE.com / NASA/Bill Ingalls) The final Delta II to fly lifted off with NASA's ICESat-2 satellite at 6:02 a.m. PDT (1402 GMT) on Saturday from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in southern California. The predawn liftoff, coupled with a low cloud layer, meant the rocket left Earth for the last time out of view for many of the spectators watching. But it was still blue. "I think because it was identifiable, it became a 'this-is-my-rocket' kind of thing," McLaughlin told collectSPACE in an interview. It is not clear who coined the name or when they did so, but the origin of the Delta Blue color itself harkens back to a time well before Delta II, when its predecessor was painted white.[In Photos: The Last Launch of a Delta II Rocket] "The primer underneath the white paint happened to be this blueish, light blue color or 'Delta Blue' as a lot of people have called it," said Jay Witzling, who retired in 2003 as Boeing's vice president for Delta II but whose history with the vehicle extended back to 1974 and the launch of the 100th Delta rocket. "Delta was always fighting more for more performance and so the program elected to not put the white paint on." United Launch Alliance's Delta II rocket is seen rising from Space Launch Complex-2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base for the final time after 30 years and 155 missions. (Image credit: collectSPACE.com) The move saved weight by omitting an unnecessary layer. Though some areas on the Delta II remained white for thermal reasons, from then on, it was easier and perhaps even grew to be preferred to keep using the primer than to find another solution, or color. "There were some customers, commercial customers in particular, who wanted their own colors on the rocket. They wanted a black color or they wanted a yellow color," recalled Witzling. "But we always found a way to way around that because of 'technical issues.' We maintained the color, that's for sure." Two-five-one-nine-three The final Delta II rocket to fly is seen shortly after the mobile service tower at Space Launch Complex-2 was rolled back for the vehicle's 155th and last mission on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018, at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Team members referred to the rocket's distinctive hue as "Delta Blue." (Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls) It took about 10 gallons of AkzoNobel's aerospace coating "Blue Fluid Resistant Primer" to cover a single Delta II. Between 1989 and 2018, 155 of the rockets flew. Outside the space program, "Delta Blue" is formally known as Federal Standard 25193. Considered a shade of cyan, it is comprised of 36.47 percent red, 55.69 percent green and 58.82 percent blue. Delta Blue has an approximate wavelength of 488.02 nanometers. Pantone, known for its color matching system, identifies "Delta Blue" as simply "5483-C." If you wanted to paint your rocket or your room Delta Blue than you could look for Dutch Boy's "Midnight Run," Sherwin-Williams' "Mountain Stream" (no. 7162) or Valspar Paint's "Ocean Voyage." If you wanted to order your next car in Delta Blue, Chrysler's closest match is "Neptune Green," General Motors' offers "Adriatic Turquoise" and at Ford it is just "Medium Turquoise." To the McDonnell Douglas, Boeing and United Launch Alliance teams that worked on Delta II for three decades though, it was and continues to be "Delta Blue." "I think everybody called it 'Delta Blue,'" said McLaughlin. "They likened it to the turquoise waters that the solids [boosters] and the first stage actually eventually went to and became a reef." Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2018 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved. Bir-Lehlou, September 15, 2018 (SPS) - President of the Republic, Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, has sent a congratulatory message to his Honduran counterpart, H.E. Juan Orlando Hernandez, on the occasion of his country's 197th Independence Day. The President of the Republic, on behalf of the people and the Government of the Saharawi Republic, expressed his sincere congratulations on the occasion of the 197th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of Honduras and wished the President and the people of Honduras a better future. He expressed his desire to work alongside his Honduran counterpart to strengthen bilateral relations to serve the interests of both brotherly peoples and countries. (SPS) 062/SPS/TRA NEW CANAAN Police have caught a Norwalk man accused of cashing counterfeit checks. New Canaan police said Andy Mitchell-Maynard, 23, of Norwalk, created fake checks and then used other peoples bank accounts to cash them. Police began investigating the case after receiving a tip in March. Mitchell-Maynard and two others deposited a $5,000 counterfeit check into a bank account on Feb. 26, according to police. This amount was then withdrawn the next day. Police are withholding the names of the two others involved. Mitchell-Maynard turned himself into police last Thursday on an active arrest warrant. He was charged with forgery in the second degree, larceny in the third degree, conspiracy to commit larceny in the third degree and conspiracy. His bond was set at $5,000. He appeared in court last week and is scheduled in court again on Oct. 11. Mitchell-Maynard is also on trial for forgery and speeding charges stemming from an arrest in Westport in October 2017. Westport police had said they found two fraudulent drivers licenses and two business checks in his car when they pulled him over near Hillspoint and Hales roads. He is also scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 11 for this case. STAMFORD Some city residents in the Cove section of the city were awoken early Saturday morning by police racing through their backyards after a burglary suspect. Police officers chased Emory Jean-Louis, 18, of Frank Street in Stamford, throughout the neighborhood in the area of Albin Road, Dora Street and Weed Avenue around 5 a.m., said Lt. Michael A. Noto. Once they caught Jean-Louis on Weed Avenue, he was detained and taken to headquarters to be charged with second-degree burglary, second-degree larceny, criminal conspiracy and interfering. A woman living in the area saw two people acting suspiciously. She called 911 when she saw them break into a neighbors garage and then her own home, Noto said. Police responded to the burglary in progress and immediately gave chase to one of the suspects. We understand it may have been a bit surprising for those in the Cove area to wake up and see the Stamford police running through their backyard but we were not letting this guy get away, Noto said. After an extensive search, Officer Michael Dube spotted one suspect, later identified as Jean-Louis, on Dora Street. Noto said the suspect ran from Dube, going through backyards and over fences throughout the neighborhood. Sgt. Rhett Connelly put together a detailed search plan, Noto said. And officers soon detained Jean-Louis. Police found his car, which was reported stolen from Ansonia, on Albin Road. He is expected in court on Sept. 28. He is being held on a $100,000 bond. The second suspect has yet to be identified, Noto said. Anyone with information is asked to contact Stamford police. The Stamford Police Department is extremely proud of the officers involved in this matter, Noto said. Noto also praised the woman who initially reported the incident and urge residents to call police any time they see suspicious activity in their neighborhood. It is the eyes and ears of the public that help keep this great city safe, Noto said. We cant do it without you. Noto reminded residents that Stamford Police Crime & Gun Stoppers offers rewards for anonymous information provided through the hotline at 203-977-TIPS that leads to an arrest. The program was supported by the Stamford Police Foundation. It focuses on solving high-priority violent crimes. STAMFORD Back-to-school jitters were amplified for a group of Stillmeadow Elementary School students when their bus struck a stop sign during the first days of the new year. The incident, which occurred at the corner of Westover Road and Emery Drive East, has alarmed some parents and several students on Bus 140 were a little scared, Stillmeadow Principal Angela Asaro said. Asaro notified parents via a voicemail at 10:14 a.m. Sept. 4. In the message, obtained by the Stamford Advocate, Asaro said students informed school staff about the accident and said the driver seemed unfamiliar with her route, circling the area a few times before hitting the sign. The school nurse examined the students and there were no reported injuries. A Stillmeadow staff member rode the bus home with students that day. Jim Travers, the citys transportation bureau chief, said his department received a call about the sign on Sept. 4 via the Citizens Service Center. The sign, which was nearly knocked to the ground, was fixed Sept. 5. Sgt. Andrew Gallagher, supervisor of the Stamford Police Departments Traffic Unit Enforcement and commander of the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Squad, said the accident was not reported. He said anyone who causes property damage should notify police. Sharon Beadle, public affairs officer for Stamford Public Schools, said there was no damage to the bus. Asaro told parents in the message that the information was reported to the districts transportation department and to the bus company, First Student. Asaro said a bus company supervisor verified the drivers competence and said the route would be reviewed with the driver. Beadle said the driver, who remains in good standing with First Student, has been transferred to a different route. An employee with the districts transportation department said the driver also reported the incident. The bus company did not return several requests for comment. erin.kayata@stamfordadvocate.com; (203) 964-2265; @erin_kayata Dear Pope Francis, You made a mistake. Seventeen years of Catholic education conditioned me to respect clergy. It also taught me to consider multiple perspectives. To question authority. To seek the truth. I believe you erred by appointing Baltimore Archbishop William Lori to investigate claims that former West Virginia Bishop Michael J. Bransfield sexually harassed adults. Lori pledged to conduct a thorough investigation in search of the truth. Hes not the right person for the job. Thankfully, the attorney generals office is looking into the case as well. But Ive had trouble with Lori and the truth in the past. During his 12 years as head of the Diocese of Bridgeport, he did make some positive contributions, including the introduction of various financial controls. But Lori should have spotted at least one car that was already broken before it crashed. In that case, another priest blew the whistle on the Rev. Michael Jude Fay, who was pastor of St. Johns Church in Darien. Fay used church credit cards to shop at the likes of Tiffany and go on a $23,329 spending spree at Ethan Allen furniture. Fay had the nerve to steal more than $1 million from parishioners, then appeal to them for donations to pay his legal bills. In the interest of truth, I do have a, ahem, confession to make. I may be oversensitive to lies Lori spread about a (follow-up) story we wrote. Our newspaper was the target of his outrage, which rivaled a Serena Williams meltdown with salty language. His office asked to see questions in advance, which were provided. Loris office canceled the interview and deemed the line of questioning condemnatory. We were interested in process. How was the Church trying to get to the truth? Accusations that we were conducting a witch hunt turned surreal when a few priests joined Lori in responding to the story before it appeared. We were told that hed given them a script condemning the newspaper. At least one decried it from the pulpit. Another put his retort in the church bulletin. Lori wrote a statement that we put on the front page when the story ran the following Sunday. All of this happened in 2006, four years after Lori appointed Fay to the diocesan Sexual Misconduct Review Board. Fays lavish spending of church funds was a mockery of his somber duties. Lori is no shamus. But Vito Colucci is. Colucci, a Stamford private investigator, dug up the dirt on Fay. When I told Colucci on Friday of Loris new assignment, he responded, Hes trying to act like a PI? Are you kidding me? I do not trust this guy at all. Hes clueless. The whistle-blower, Michael Madden, was chastised by Lori for hiring Colucci and left the priesthood. Several Fairfield County priests were eventually dismissed and/or convicted for sexual misconduct during those years, but Lori seemed more interested in following the money than the more heinous crimes. He did help craft the so-called zero-tolerance policy regarding such matters, though we seem to have different concepts of math. Sixteen years ago, when U.S. bishops created the Dallas Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People to combat clerical sex abuse, Lori successfully advocated for the flawed reasoning that bishops should be exempt, according to reports from Catholic news agencies. Ultimately, that included one of the documents other framers, former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, now disgraced by accusations of sexual abuse. Here in the Diocese of Bridgeport, Bishop Frank Caggiano has thankfully gone rogue. On Sept. 7, he announced several initiatives, including the declaration that no one is above the law, including the bishop. So, until the rest of the Church and nation catch up, Caggiano subjected himself to investigation by an independent board from outside the diocese if he is ever accused of misconduct or failing to act on allegations of abuse. Caggiano also ordered an independent review of abuse within the diocese as well as an audit of the source of funding for financial settlements to victims. These are records Lori once sought to seal. Im not suggesting Caggiano get the West Virginia assignment. Personally, Id assign nuns before priests (I could never get anything past them). But Loris resume makes him the wrong guy for the job. A probe is never handled best from within, whether it involves schools, municipalities or police. The ideal investigator needs to be from outside the Church. Victims and the many good priests out there deserve a process the public can put faith in. The truth can lead to trust, to healing, to forgiveness. But first, you need to let in light from the outside. John Breunig is editorial page editor of the Stamford Advocate and Greenwich Time. Jbreunig@scni.com; 203-964-2281; twitter.com/johnbreunig. When a facial recognition scanner helped authorities nab a man trying to enter the country using someone else's passport at Dulles International Airport last month, officials heralded the technology as a "step forward" in protecting the United States from threats. Later, when a similar system was unveiled that allows international travelers to have their faces scanned to board flights, officials said it would make the travel experience smoother and more secure by eliminating the need for boarding passes and IDs. Travelers' faces will serve as their identification. "It's convenient, secure and efficient," said John Wagner, deputy executive assistant commissioner at U.S. Customs and Border Protection's office of field operations. "We just have to find better ways than lining everyone up and manually reviewing [documents]." But privacy advocates and civil libertarians are concerned about the devices' accuracy and potential misuse of the information they collect, and they say the technology is being rushed into use before it has been fully vetted. "Right now, there is very little federal law that provides any type of protections or limitations with respect to the use of biometrics in general and the use of facial recognition in particular," said Jeramie Scott, national security counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center, which has filed Freedom of Information Act requests seeking details about the program. At a dozen U.S. airports, customs officers collect photos of travelers' faces when they land in the United States. At 15 airports, including Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson, Chicago's O'Hare and Dulles, cameras do facial scans of travelers before they leave the country. Facial recognition has been used in more than 3 million instances by Customs and Border Protection since June 2017. CBP says the program will expand to all U.S. airports with international service. Privacy advocates agree that efforts to improve the travel experience probably will be welcomed by anyone who's ever trudged through an airport with their baggage, but they say requiring people to submit to facial scanning goes too far. The government, they say, needs to do a better job of explaining why the scans are needed, how it intends to use the information and how long the information will be kept, among other things. Adam Schwartz, senior staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said a system that uses biometrics - particularly facial scans - presents unique challenges to a person's privacy and security because those characteristics can't be changed once they are acquired. "You can't change your face the way you can change a license plate," he said. Congress has pushed for more than a decade to develop programs that would use biometrics to track those who enter and exit the country. In 2016, it authorized up to $1 billion collected from certain visa fees to fund its implementation. The effort received another boost when President Trump signed an executive order in March 2017 directing the Department of Homeland Security to expedite implementation. - - - Improvements in technology have made facial-recognition scans a more attractive option for identifying the more than 350,000 international travelers who move through CBP's systems daily. Cameras are smaller and cheaper. Facial scans often take less time than collecting fingerprints. The improvements also have made airports and airlines more willing to try the programs - especially with the promise that they could speed the boarding process and move travelers through customs more quickly. "The industry vision, broadly, is getting away from paper and the historical approaches for the air travel process," said Matthew Cornelius, vice president of air policy for Airports Council International - North America, a trade group that advocates for airports. "With biometrics, there really are a lot of opportunities and possibilities." The scans are optional for U.S. citizens, but it's not clear whether travelers are aware that they can refuse. CBP said it communicates the information through signs at airports, but critics contend that people often don't read what's posted and unwittingly allow themselves to be scanned. Here's how it works: Travelers from outside the United States who fly into Atlanta, Orlando, John F. Kennedy, Miami, San Diego, San Jose and Los Angeles international airports and on certain flights into Houston International, have their faces scanned at customs before entering the country. The scans are required for foreign nationals entering and leaving the country. First-time visitors also must provide their fingerprints. The scans are compared with images CBP stores on what it says are secure systems and in the cloud. The stored images can include passport photos or photos submitted with visa applications. At Dulles, the system has caught two people - a 26-year-old woman and a 26-year-old man - traveling with passports that did not belong to them. The woman, detected on Monday, had a U.S. passport but was a Ghanaian citizen. The man, nabbed in August, was traveling with a French passport; officers found his identification card from Congo Republic hidden in his shoe. In both cases, the passport photos did not match the facial scans. CBP officials said the two incidents were the first times impostors had been caught by the new technology. Foreign visitors who leave the United States from certain airports also have their faces scanned before they board. Airports and airlines are piloting different versions of the biometric program, but at Dulles, travelers have their pictures taken with iPads installed at departure gates. The image is then compared with a "gallery" of images pulled from DHS records, including passport or visa photos of all travelers on the flight. If the images match, the screen flashes green, and the person is allowed to board. If there is a mismatch, the screen flashes red, and the person may be pulled aside for additional screening. Scans of children younger than 14 are not required. Airlines and airports do not have access to either the stored images or the ones taken at the gate, officials said. - - - A recent demonstration of the technology on an SAS flight bound for Copenhagen showed how quickly it can move passengers from the gate to the plane. For now, gate agents must manually review passports. Eventually, though, only a facial scan will be needed to board. Tad Siembida, 73, watched skeptically as other passengers used the system. "I have mixed feelings," he said. "It's like GPS knowing where I am. You lose your privacy, and I like my anonymity." Nevertheless, the retired postal worker from Ohio relented. "At my age, they probably have all kinds of information on me anyway," he said with a shrug. CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan explained how the technology improved boarding at the Los Angeles airport: Officials were able to load an A380 with more than 350 passengers in less than 20 minutes - half the time it would normally take. "Facial recognition and the capability that it provides is really the next step," McAleenan said. "It's user-friendly, it's fast, it's flexible, and it's cost-effective, and we believe it will change the face of international travel both in the boarding process and in the speed and security of international arrivals." Officials said photos of U.S. citizens are deleted once their identity has been confirmed. With noncitizens, photos taken when they arrive are stored in CBP's system for 75 years. Photos taken when they depart are deleted after 14 days. But critics who have watched the rapid deployment of the technology say there are trade-offs for that convenience. Once the system is in place, they say, there are no guarantees that it won't be expanded. "We need to take a step back because there will be consequences that we might not think about unless we sit down and have a meaningful discussion," said Scott, of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. There also are questions about the legality of collecting biometric information from U.S. citizens. A study last year by researchers at Georgetown University Law School's Center on Privacy and Technology noted that while Congress has passed legislation authorizing the collection of biometric data from noncitizens, it has never explicitly authorized the collection of that information from citizens. "If Congress had wanted to tell DHS to collect Americans' biometrics at the border, it could easily have done so," the report's authors wrote. "It never has. Without explicit authorization, DHS cannot and should not be scanning the faces of Americans as they depart on international flights, as it is currently doing." It's also unclear whether the scans are more effective than the previous system that used data from passports and other travel documents to identify people. A 2014 study by the Immigration Task Force of the Bipartisan Policy Center said biometric exit records "offer mixed value" for the government's efforts to crack down on travelers who overstay their visas. The Georgetown report noted that the scans are less effective at correctly identifying people depending on their race or gender and said that Homeland Security's own data found that the system rejected as many as 1 in 25 travelers - even though they had valid travel documents. CBP officials say their system is able to match travelers who have photographs in existing government databases in less than two seconds 99 percent of the time. "We are not seeing any bias on say, ethnic differences, gender differences," said CBP's Wagner. "We are not seeing any noticeable bias." And then there is the worry about how the information is used. "Even if they're pitching it every two weeks, it's a very ripe set of data that can be misused," Schwartz said. "They say it's for catching people for using fake IDs, but it could be very tempting to expand the system." Schwartz said it is important to remember that DHS is focused on security. "It's not their mission to protect our privacy," he noted. Privacy advocates like Schwartz and Scott said officials should put off expanding the program until there is more discussion about its implications. CBP is undergoing the federal rulemaking process that would allow members of the public to comment on the system's deployment. The agency has found bipartisan allies in Congress, including Sens. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, who in letters to DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen urged the agency to go through the formal rulemaking process. "We believe this formal rulemaking will provide DHS with an opportunity to address the concerns previously raised by us as well as other stakeholders, including airlines, airports, and privacy advocates," Markey and Lee wrote. "It will also ensure a full vetting of this potentially sweeping program that could impact every American leaving this country by airport." When it comes to London Fashion Week's Spring/Summer 2019 schedule, no show has been more talked about than Victoria Beckham's tenth anniversary show. Having held catwalk shows for her eponymous clothing brand in New York for the past decade, the Spice Girl-turned-designer made a special trip back across the pond to celebrate a decade of the VB brand. On Sunday morning Victoria's close friends and family arrived at the intimate show, which took place at Mayfairs Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, situated next to the Victoria Beckham flagship on Dover Street. First to arrive was Victoria's husband David Beckham, who looked very dapper in a black suit as he escorted the couples' children Harper, Cruz and Romeo into the show space. David Beckham and Harper Beckham arrive at Victoria Beckham's10th anniversary show / Rex Features Their eldest son, Brooklyn Beckham arrived separately wearing a white shirt and black jeans, the budding photographer also had a camera in his hand ready to capture his mum's special collection. Victoria's mum Jackie, dad Tony and sister Louise were also seen arriving to show their support. Meanwhile, David took to Instagram after the show to share an adorable snap of his kids front row, saying: "Proud of mummy x 10 years and what an amazing way to celebrate in London...We are so proud of you @victoriabeckham." T he Maldives have long been at the top of our bucket lists and for good reason. With pristine ocean, white sand beaches and luxury over-water bungalows, its the epitome of relaxed luxury. But this quality of luxury can come with a hefty price tag the cheapest Virgin Holidays trip to the Maldives is 1,357 for flights and four nights accommodation at an all-inclusive three-star hotel. While this is a bargain when it comes to the Maldives, there are a number of other destinations which are equally as stunning, but easier on the wallet. Cayo Largo del Sur, Cuba Could the water be any more blue? / Shutterstock With 3,570 miles of coastline, Cuba has some of the best beaches in the world . The island of Cayo Largo del Sur has long white sand beaches, reminiscent of the Maldives and holds the title of the third best beach in the world on TripAdvisor. With flights to Havana just 406 return on average, and another small flight to the island from there, Cuba should be a must visit for 2019. Hyams Beach, Australia The perfect pit stop on your Australian road trip / Shutterstock Just a two and a half hour drive south from Sydney, Hyams Beach is home to some of the whitest sand and crystal-clear waters in the world. Go snorkelling, kayaking, dolphin watching and swimming or explore the forest behind the beach which is great for trail walking and bird watching. A number of accommodation options are nearby, from budget camping grounds to the luxury Paperback Camp a group of bungalows located right next to the sea. Vanuatu One of the 80 islands that make up Vanuatu / Shutterstock A nation located in the South Pacific, Vanuatu is made up of over 80 idyllic islands. Scuba dive among coral reefs, explore underwater caves and wrecks or simply relax on the many pristine beaches. Inland, youll find a number of blue holes, created by the fresh water that flows underground from the mountains and surfaces as alluring azure swimming holes. Koh Lipe, Thailand Clear waters and peaceful surroundings? Check / Shutterstock Found in the South Andaman Sea, Koh Lipe is known for its white sand beaches and turquoise blue water. The most southern island in Thailand, located 60km off the Thai mainland, Koh Lipe is part of the Adang Archipelago formed of 10 uninhabited islands Koh Lipe being the only exception. Day trips to the surrounding islands are a must to find some tranquil solitude in this picture-perfect setting. Mabul Island, Malaysia These over water villas are just as novel as the Maldives - without the price tag / Shutterstock A small island just south of Malaysia, Mabul is a vision of swaying coconut trees, overwater villas, and stunning fish species in the waters surrounding the island. Spend your days snorkelling, diving and kayaking or simply read a good book with the relaxing waves as your backdrop. Hon Xuong Island, Vietnam Clean and pristine, these waters are calling for a swim / Shutterstock Just off the coast of Cambodia, youll find Vietnams best-kept secret. The Phu Quoc district is made up of 28 islands but Phu Quoc is the largest and the one where you will need to stay when visitng. Hon Xuong is the most Instagrammable of the surrounding remote islands, and it can only be reached by boat. The picturesque waters, beaches and forest surrounding the island are unspoilt and unkempt just as they should be. Roatan Island, Honduras Dive into the deep blue surrounding Roatan Island / Unsplash A Breaking Bad-style make-shift crystal meth lab was reportedly found in a tent hidden under bushes in a popular north London park. The suspected-drugs lab was discovered at Hampstead Heath on Tuesday afternoon and initially sparked a terror scare as police feared the chemicals and equipment inside could have been used for bomb-making, The Sun reported. Police cordoned off the area and carried out a five-day investigation. The cordoned was lifted and the crime scene cleared on Sunday. The tent was hidden beneath camouflage sheets, brambles and tree branches so it would not be spotted by passers-by or dog walkers. But one passer-by alerted police after discovering the tent near East Heath Road at about 2.30pm on Tuesday. A police cordon on Hampstead Heath / @MPSWestHampstd A source was quoted by The Sun as saying: There were glass jars, bottles, liquids and paraphernalia which led to fears that someone was making bombs. Further checks established it was in fact a makeshift laboratory for manufacturing Crystal Meth. Police apparently believe whoever set it up probably got the idea from watching the programme Breaking Bad. The park, home to the heaths regularly used swimming ponds, is extremely popular with tourists and local residents. A Met Police spokesman said: Police in the Central North Command Unit are dealing after a suspected drugs-lab was discovered. Officers were called at around 14:30hrs on Tuesday, 11 September, to reports of suspicious items found on Hampstead Heath near to East Heath Road, NW3. A number of containers were found concealed in a wooded area. Specialist officers attended to assess the nature of the items found. Cordons were put in place and the area was subjected to a search by specially trained officers. The material recovered has now been assessed and is believed to be substances used in the manufacture of controlled drugs. No arrests have been made. A south London mother has opened up about the heartache of losing her son to knife crime with a diary detailing the days and weeks after he was stabbed. Rachel Webbs son, Kyron Webb, of Crystal Palace, was knifed to death when he was just 15 years old in Manchester last year. Kyron died three days after he was found gravely injured in Moston on October 17, 2017. Two teenagers were jailed over the attack. Ms Webb, a mother-of-five, kept a diary chronicling the night she found out her son had been attacked and the following days. The 41-year-old said: This novel gives the mothers and families that have fallen victim to knife brutality a voice. I am a victim, I am the mother of Kyron Webb. Below are extracts from Ms Webbs diaries. Kyron's mother, Rachel has opened up about her son's death / Rachel Webb October 17, 2017 the day Kyron was stabbed Kyrons dead, This is followed by tears and screams. I can hear Kyrons Dad crying, groaning. I am stunned what is going on, I feel a little dazed. I am just sitting in stunned silence. More Silence. Kyron's dead!' he says again. I adjust myself on the sofa, 'Don't be silly! Where is my son?' Put Kyron on the phone I say, still in disbelief. Then I hear more screams, I remove the handset from my ear and stare at the phone. I am trying to contemplate if this is actually real, is this actually happening? I bring the handset to my ear again and hear his dads groan: Oh Gosh, they killed him," I hear him say, They killed my Kyron. Then more cries. My brain is trying to process the words I seem to be hearing over and over again. Kyrons dads voice seems to be in a distance, its fading away. I cannot hear him anymore. In fact I cannot hear anything. I look at the television; I see the lips moving but hear no sound. I think I may be going into shock. Everything is spinning; I stand up. I hear my voice. 'Where is he? What hospital is he in?' Still in disbelief I await a response. Nausea is rising. There was no answer; just screams; tears; wailing. I ask again irritation now forming: What hospital is he in? he is speaking now; I take down the name, Manchester Royal infirmary. With a muttered thank you. I hang up, frozen in shock I start to call the hospital in Manchester Kyron, when he was younger / Rachel Webb Ms Webb then writes about how she frantically makes the trip north to Manchester Royal Infirmary, to see her son. After what felt like forever, I arrive. They are waiting for me outside; Two plain-clothes police officers, a male and female officer, stood looking at me, concern already on their faces. I felt as though I had stepped out of a patrol car into an episode of Law and Order. My body shakes as I walk towards them. They began to speak; "Your son has been stabbed the lady officer says. "How many times? I ask, "Just the once she replies. Where? I brace myself for her response. The heart she says then continues with her update. I cannot hear them. Tears have escaped my eyes Sorry the female officer says, as she strokes my arm. She realises her words are ripping my heart into a thousand pieces. I fade in and out. A doctor is in front of me, when did he arrive? Then like I had been given a shot of adrenaline, I was brought back into the moment as he says. Kyron has been stabbed in the heart. He arrived with a faint pulse, he was found groaning, unable to speak and has lost a lot of blood. Paramedics did all they could. His heart stopped upon arrival, he went into cadiac arrest. We opened him up in A&E, but it took us 40 minutes to get his heart started again. We rushed him to theatre, but then he had another cardiac arrest, lasting 20 minutes. Ms Webb said police officers greeted her at the hospital / PA Archive/PA Images His brain was starved of oxygen for over an hour. We are still working on him, but we fear he is brain dead and we cannot stop the bleeding. He is very critical with a one per cent chance of survival. If he does pull through, I am sorry, your son will be severely brain damaged. They speak to me alone to spare those in the waiting room from hearing the devastation. Again, I am screaming, I cannot breathe. I am crying, I am falling, I am becoming dizzy. I fall, it's dark. My older sister Glenna is here, I call to her distraught; all I can say is her name. I call her over and over again, it is becoming difficult to breathe, I am hyperventilating. Glenna holds onto me, no more words. We hold each other tightly and we cry. Ms Webb then recalls when she was allowed to visit her son in the hospital. October 18, 2017 I make my way to the side of the bed and whisper into his ears Mummy is here now darling, sorry I took so long. Sorry I was not there to hold you. I am here now, wake up and I promise I am going to take you home. You can have whatever you want, just please wake up. I kiss Kyron on his forehead, it felt strange, he feels cool and clammy. There is swelling to the left side of his head which is surrounded by an aggressive bruise. Did they hit him? I ask the nurse. No, that bruising is from the blood loss she casually says as she continues to write her reports. Kyron looks really tall, I do not remember him being so tall. Kyrons dad is standing on the other side of the bed. Papa he says, his voice shakes, he leans forward, kisses his son Papa he says again, and then come the tears, he sobs. Two people have been sentenced for Kyron's death / Rachel Webb His dad is broken, weakened by his sorrow, unsure what to say; Papa his voice is breaking. He punches the air, looks over at Kyron, looks at me then sobs uncontrollably. His anguish triggers my tears. I join him, lower my head and cry. Please wake up Kyron, I am here to take you home. All I want is to hear his voice, to see him open him eyes; to hear him say Mum I want to see that smile he would give me when he knew I was there. I want to feel my son again. Oh, Kyron! I just want him to be okay. I cry; I kiss him; I speak to him; I call to him, but he does not respond. Everyone is saying speak to him, youre his mum when he hears your voice he will wake up. Kyron died in hospital on October 20, 2017. Michael Idahen was jailed on his 18th birthday for murdering Kyron, having pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing. Another teenager, a 17-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons, was also detained for five years after pleading guilty to manslaughter. L ondon mayor Sadiq Khan has thrown his weight behind a second Brexit referendum and fiercely criticised the governments handling of negotiations with the EU. Mr Khan has added his backing to a second referendum on Britains European Union membership known as the Peoples Vote. The mayor said there should be a public vote on any Brexit deal obtained by the government or a vote on a no-deal Brexit with the option of remaining in the EU. The intervention by Mr Khan, a senior member of the party, piles pressure on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to throw his support behind another Brexit vote at Labours annual conference in Liverpool next weekend. Jeremy Corbyn with London Mayor Sadiq Khan / PA More than 100 anti-Brexit motions have been put forward by constituency parties for conference, believed to be a record for any single issue in the partys recent history, according to the Observer. Writing in Sundays Observer, Mr Khan said the threat to living standards, the economy and jobs was too great for voters not to have a say. He said the UK faces either a bad deal or no deal. "They are both incredibly risky and I don't believe Theresa May has the mandate to gamble so flagrantly with the British economy and people's livelihoods," he wrote. Theresa May's is facing opposition to her Chequer's deal / REUTERS Mr Khan said voters now need to be given a new referendum. "This means a public vote on any Brexit deal obtained by the Government, or a vote on a no-deal Brexit if one is not secured, alongside the option of staying in the EU," he wrote. But during an appearance on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, he was shown footage of comments he made on LBC radio when he said a fresh poll would lead to "even more cynicism." "The reality is the British public had a say, they voted and they voted to leave," he had said. Explaining his change in position on Marr, Mr Khan said he could have "watched it all fail and said I told you so." Sadiq Khan arrives at the BBC for an interview on the Andrew Marr Show / Rex Features He added: "It's really important that this is not a re-run of the referendum but the British public having a say for the first time on the outcome." Mr Khan was also asked if his calls for a second Brexit vote was a bid to deflect attention away from criticism of his record as mayor. He dismissed the suggestion and said he was "really happy" to talk about his record as mayor over the last two years. Responding to the mayor's call for a second Brexit referendum, Gareth Bacon, leader of the Conservatives at the Greater London Authority, said: "Sadiq Khan has finally come clean - he wants to ignore the will of the British people and undo the biggest democratic decision ever made in this country. "He thinks that people got it wrong and need to be asked over and over again until they get the right answer. This arrogant attitude will only to serve to undermine people's faith in politicians. "With crime going through the roof, TfL in debt and not enough houses being built, the mayor needs to focus on the day job and stop wasting his time obsessing about Brexit." Shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner said a fresh referendum would give Mrs May a lifeline. He told Ridge On Sunday: "Calling for a second referendum is really giving her a lifeline because then she can say 'Oh, if I can't get it through Parliament I'll go back to the people'." Mr Gardiner said the first referendum had caused "real divisions" in the country. "I think the challenge now is to try to heal society," he said. Labour has not taken the option of another referendum off the table. "The reason we have not ruled anything out is because nobody knows what's going to happen over the next few weeks," he said. Britain is due to leave the European Union on March 29 next year. But with Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plans still not accepted, some lawmakers, as well as union and business leaders are increasingly arguing for people to have a final say on any deal struck with Brussels. May has repeatedly ruled out holding a second referendum following the vote two years ago to leave the EU. She says members of parliament will get to vote on whether to accept any final deal. Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary / BBC Mrs May, meanwhile, is facing strong opposition to her Chequers blueprint for leaving the EU from hardline Tory Brexiteers. Without support from at least some opposition MPs, the Government is likely to struggle to get any agreement through Parliament. A loosely-worded deal could be struck that would be able to be sold to all sides. Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer warned on Sunday that Labour will vote down any attempts to force the country into a blind Brexit. He warned government counterpart Dominic Raab the Opposition will reject any "vague" plans put before Parliament. Sir Keir, however, said the Government must meet its key Brexit tests, which include delivering the "exact same benefits" as the UK currently has as members of the single market and customs union, to win support from Labour. In a letter to Mr Raab published by The Sunday Times, he added: "But, let me be equally clear: a vague political declaration would not meet those tests. Labour will not - and cannot - vote for a blind Brexit." K atie Hopkins has applied for an insolvency arrangement a year and a half after losing a libel case brought against her by author Jack Monroe. Official government documents reveal that Ms Hopkins applied for an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA) in May this year in order to avoid bankruptcy. In 2017, she was forced to pay 24,000 libel damages and legal costs to Jack Monroe after she implied that the author had vandalised a war memorial in a tweet during 2015. The legal costs are said to be 107,000, according to the BBC. Katie Hopkins was forced to pay libel damages and legal costs to author Jack Monroe An insolvency agreement means that the applicant will repay the money over a period of time, usually a few years. On Saturday, Monroe told her followers: "I have been paid in full, but many of her creditors, including my lawyer will not be paid what they are owed. "For the want of an apology, a house, a job, a column, a radio show and now financial solvency were lost. It's all very sad actually." Ms Hopkins currently works for far-right Canadian outlet Rebel Media after her radio show on LBC was taken off the air after she called for a "final solution" following the Manchester terror attack. She had been writing a column for the MailOnline however parted ways with the company in 2017. D onald Trump's administration will send a message to all US mobile phones on Thursday to test an alert system that aims to warn the public about national emergencies. The messages will bear the headline "Presidential Alert", the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said in a statement this week. Phones will make a loud tone and have a special vibration, said FEMA, which will send the alert. The test message, scheduled for 2.18 pm EDT on Thursday, will read: "THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed." The test has been scheduled to ensure that the alert system would work in the event of a national emergency. US mobile phone users will not be able to opt out. Donald Trump struggles to pronounce 'anonymous' during address Former President Barack Obama signed a law in 2016 requiring FEMA to create a system allowing the president to send mobile phone alerts regarding public safety emergencies. Since the wireless emergency alert system began in 2012, it has issued over 36,000 alerts for situations such as missing children, extreme weather and natural disasters, but never a presidential directive. Mobile phone users can opt out of natural disaster or missing children alerts. FEMA said in a statement the alerts can only be used for national emergencies. The president has sole responsibility for determining when the national-level alerts are used. In the event of widespread severe weather or another significant event on September 20, the test will be pushed back to October 3, FEMA said. The administration announced in July that it would schedule the test alert for September. The administration will send a test alert via radio and television broadcasters two minutes after the mobile phone alert. It will interrupt programming for about one minute, FEMA said. The US Federal Communications Commission has approved new rules to ensure starting in 2019 that alerts are more precisely targeted, with links to photos or other important information. There have been issues with prior state alerts. Barack Obama calls for sanity in politics in another swipe at Donald Trump In January, Hawaii issued a false alert of a missile attack that went uncorrected for 38 minutes after being transmitted to mobile phones and broadcast stations, causing widespread panic across the Pacific islands state. D onald Trump is planning to visit communities in Carolinas which have been affected by Hurricane Florence this week. In addition to this, the White House said the president approved making federal funding available in some affected areas. Taking to Twitter on Saturday, Mr Trump said: "Deepest sympathies and warmth go out to the families and friends of the victims. "May God be with them!" At the time he said the death count was five, a figure which has since risen. Following this, he shared a post from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, containing pictures of their response to the disaster. Reuters reported that the POTUS plans to "visit the region this week". Hurricane Florence - In pictures 1 /70 Hurricane Florence - In pictures Lt. Keith Ramsey with the Pender County Sheriff's Office walks out to a boat while taking part in rescue operations in Burgaw, North Carolina AP U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media prior to a Marine One departure at the South Lawn of the White House September 19, 2018 in Washington Getty Images Local residents walk along the edge of a collapsed road that ran atop Patricia Lake's dam after it collapsed in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, in Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina Reuters Teresa Nance is licked by her dog as she returns to dry land after checking on her home flooded by Hurricane Florence Getty Images US President Donald Trump greets residents with prepared meals in New Bern, North Carolina AFP/Getty Images Flood waters from Hurricane Florence surrounds two hog houses and it's lagoon near Kinston, N.C AP Jovani Quintano and Carlos Gomez (L-R) walk through a flooded neighborhoom after heavy rains brought on by Hurricane Florence on September 19, 2018 in Lumberton, North Carolina. Getty Images US President Donald Trump walks with officials in Conway, South Carolina AFP/Getty Images Old tree stumps that used to be at the bottom of Patricia Lake are revealed after it emptied when its dam collapsed in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, in Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina, U.S Reuters Water from the flooded Waccamaw River surrounds a house in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence now downgraded to a tropical depression in Conway, South Carolina, U.S. Reuters Dustin Mock navigates a flooded street as flood waters rise in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence now downgraded to a tropical depression in Conway, South Carolina, U.S. Reuters Jose Perez-Santiago, left, and Rosemary Acevedo-Gonzalez, walk with their daughter Jordalis, 2, after retrieving her clothing upon returning to their home for the first time since it was flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in Spring Lake, North Carolina AP Flood waters from hurricane Florence inundate the town of Engelhard, N.C. AP A downed tree rests on a house during the passing of Hurricane Florence in the town of Wilson, North Carolina REUTERS A member of the US Army walks in water while rescuing people during the passing of Hurricane Florence in the town of New Bern REUTERS A downed tree is pictured as Hurricane Florence comes ashore on Wilmington, North Carolina REUTERS Volunteers from the Civilian Crisis Response Team help rescue three children from their flooded home in James City, Getty Images A downed tree blocks a local street during the passing of Hurricane Florence the town of New Bern, North Carolina REUTERS Waves slam the Oceana Pier & Pier House Restaurant in Atlantic Beach AP Shianne Coleman (L) gets a hand from friend Austin Gremmel as they walk in flooded streets as the Neuse River begins to flood its banks during Hurricane Florence Getty Images High winds and storm surge from Hurricane Florence hits Swansboro North Carolina. AP Russ Lewis looks for shells along the beach as Hurricane Florence approaches Myrtle Beach, South Carolina AP Michael Nelson floats in a boat made from a metal tub and fishing floats after the Neuse River went over its banks and flooded his street during Hurricane Florence in New Bern, North Carolina Getty Images Volunteers from the Civilian Crisis Response Team help rescue three children from their flooded home in James City, Getty Images Jamie Thompson walks through flooded sections of East Front Street near Union Point Park in New Bern, North Carolina AP Portions of a boat dock and boardwalk are destroyed by powerful wind and waves as Hurricane Florence Getty Images People walk on a local street as water from Neuse River starts flooding houses upon Hurricane Florence coming ashore in New Bern, North Carolina Reuters Newlyweds Kathryn and Anthony Palmisano stand on the steps of the Charleston City Market in a deserted downtown in Charleston, South Carolina. Getty Images Doug Lewis and Chris Williams use plywood with the words 'Looters will be shot' to cover the windows of Knuckleheads bar as they try to protect the business ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Florence Getty Images Body surfer Andrew Vanotteren crashes into waves from Hurricane Florence AP Members of law enforcement work with the National Guard to direct traffic onto U.S. Highway 501 as Hurricane Florence approaches the East Coast AP A message is posted on a boarded up building before the arrival of Hurricane Florence on Oak Island, North Carolina Reuters People and pets evacuate ahead of the forecasted landfall of Hurricane Florence and seek shelter at Burgaw Middle School in Burgaw, North Carolina EPA Lisa Evers of Oak Island carries clothing to her car while evacuating her house ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Florence in Oak Island, North Carolina Reuters Brady Osborne ties freshly filled sandbags, in Virginia Beach, Va., as Hurricane Florence moves towards the eastern shore. AP Sand bags surround homes on North Topsail Beach, North Carolina. as Hurricane Florence threatens the coast AP This US Navy photo shows a Sailor as he heaves line during a heavy weather mooring evolution in preparation for Hurricane Florence AFP/Getty Images Sam Bedford, left, and Miller Richey move trash bins from the Isle of Palms Marina on the Isle of Palms, South Carolina. AP People wait before departure on an evacuation bus ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Florence in Wilmington, North Carolina Reuters The bread shelves are bare in a grocery store as people stock up on food ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Florence Getty Images Mark Lewis, left, conservator, and Alisa Reynolds, associate registrar, secure the painting "The Shoppers" by William James Glackens at the Chrysler Museum of Art AP A boat is docked partially in the road as workers pull boats from the water in Wanchese Harbor in Wanchese, N.C. as Hurricane Florence approaches the coast of the Carolina AP Marge Brown, 65, says goodbye to her father, George Brown, 90, before he is evacuated from a healthcare home in Morehead City, N.C., as Hurricane Florence approaches the east coast. "I'd like to stay and see what happens. I'm 90 plus," said Brown, a WWII veteran who says he's survived a plane crash and severe burns from a laboratory fire where he once worked. AP U.S. Marine recruits at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island prepare to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Florence at Parris Island, South Carolina Reuters People evacuate ahead of the forecasted landfall of Hurricane Florence as they seek shelter at Emma B. Trask Middle School in Wilmington, North Carolina EPA People queue for shelters during the night ahead of the forecasted landfall of Hurricane Florence EPA People line up to enter a hurricane shelter at Trask Middle School in Wilmington, North Carolina AFP/Getty Images People evacuate ahead of the forecasted landfall of Hurricane Florence as they seek shelter at Emma B. Trask Middle School in Wilmington, North Carolina, USA EPA Up to a million people have been ordered to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Florence AFP/Getty Images People look on as water floods King Street in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, September 11, 2018, where sandbags are being distributed to businesses and residents in preparation before more rain arrives from Hurricane Florence AFP/Getty Images Chuck Ledford (L), watches Looney-Tunes with his daughter Misty as they evacuate ahead of the forecasted landfall of Hurricane Florence as they seek shelter at Emma B. Trask Middle School in Wilmington, North Carolina EPA People line up to enter a hurricane shelter at Trask Middle School in North Carolina on September 11, 2018 AFP/Getty Images A woman holds her dog as she waits to enter a hurricane shelter at Trask Middle School in Wilmington, North Carolina AFP/Getty Images Two women sit with their dogs as they wait to enter a hurricane shelter at Trask Middle School in wilmington, North Carolina AFP/Getty Images South Carolina state troopers work with D.O.T. employees at an access ramp to I-26 Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018, in Columbia AP Families seek shelter during the night ahead of the forecasted landfall of Hurricane Florence EPA A woman closes her eyes in reaction to the line at the shelter EPA Kevin Orth loads sandbags into cars on Milford Street as he helps residents prepare for Hurricane Florence AP Hurricane Florence is seen from the International Space Station as it churns in the Atlantic Ocean towards the east coast of the US Reuters A beachfront home is boarded up ahead of Hurricane Florence, at Holden Beach, North Carolina Reuters An NOAA chart shows the predicted path of Tropical Storm Florence as she develops into a Major Hurricane over the coming seven days. NOAA Jim Craig, David Burke and Chris Rayner load generators as people buy supplies at The Home Depot on Monday. AP Customers line up to buy propane at Socastee Hardware store, ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Florence in Myrtle. Reuters Larry Pierson, from the Isle of Palms, S.C., purchases bottled water from the Harris Teeter grocery store on the Isle of Palms. AP Residents of the Isle of Palms, S.C., fill sand bags at the Isle of Palms municipal lot where the city was giving away free sand in preparation for Hurricane Florence. AP People shop at the Harris Teeter, filling up on water and supplies. AP Brian Franklin prepares more generators for sale as people buy supplies at The Home Depo. AP U.S. Airmen from the South Carolina Air National Guard and 169th Fighter Wing prepare to deploy to support rescue efforts. Reuters Chris Rayner helps customers load their cars as they buy supplies at The Home Depot. AP Walker Townsend, at left, from the Isle of Palms, S.C., fills a sand bag while Dalton Trout. AP After initially having hurricane status, Florence has since been downgraded to tropical storm and now to tropical depression. There have been at least 13 deaths related to the disaster. The toll grew as authorities said two people died from inhaling carbon monoxide from a generator in their South Carolina home. Despite the classification being lowered there are still prominent risks from the extreme weather. "This is still a catastrophic, life threatening storm," said Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Center's Weather Prediction Center. "It has already dumped 20 to 30 inches of rain on parts of the Carolinas with more to come. A former British army solider handed a jail sentence in Turkey for fighting against ISIS says he is "begging" the UK government to intervene. Joe Robinson, 25, was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison after he was accused of fighting ISIS alongside the Peoples Protection Unites of Syrian Kurdistan (YPG). He remains on bail while planning an appeal. The man originally from Accrington, Lancashire has called on Jeremy Hunt to act urgently. He told ITV news: Its got to the point now where Im mentally, physically and emotionally drained. The 25-year-old is now begging the Foreign Office to intervene / PA Im a proud man but I am literally at the point where I am begging, begging the British government to do something. We havent really seen any intervention from them, we havent seen any discussions within a high scale in the government. However a Foreign Office spokesperson said that officials are ready to provide him with assistance adding: We have been following this case very closely and have raised it with the Turkish authorities. The YPG is considered by Turkey as a terror organisation because of its links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party which is fighting for autonomy for the region. However according to Mr Robinsons family, he was unaware of their ideology when he spent a month in Syria with them in July 2015 during which they claim he did not see conflict. Mr Robinson's fiancee Mira Rojkan said his family had written to former foreign secretaries Boris Johnson and Alan Duncan over the case but they now hope that Mr Hunt will intervene. He has stepped up pressure against Iran in the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian mother jailed on a spying charge by the Islamist regime, after Mr Johnson came under criticism. D evastated communities across the Carolinas are bracing for epic amounts of rainfall despite Florence being downgraded from a storm to a tropical depression. The category was lowered at 5am on Sunday, local time, as it continued to sweep inland. There have been at least 13 deaths related to the disaster, with the toll growing as authorities said two people died from inhaling carbon monoxide from a generator in their South Carolina home. "This is still a catastrophic, life-threatening storm," said Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Center's Weather Prediction Centre. "It has already dumped 20 to 30 inches of rain on parts of the Carolinas with more to come. "And many of the rivers will see prolonged flooding, some not cresting for a few days. "This storm is still deadly and dangerous and it's expected to turn northward later today into Virginia and the mid-Atlantic." Hurricane Florence - In pictures 1 /70 Hurricane Florence - In pictures Lt. Keith Ramsey with the Pender County Sheriff's Office walks out to a boat while taking part in rescue operations in Burgaw, North Carolina AP U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media prior to a Marine One departure at the South Lawn of the White House September 19, 2018 in Washington Getty Images Local residents walk along the edge of a collapsed road that ran atop Patricia Lake's dam after it collapsed in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, in Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina Reuters Teresa Nance is licked by her dog as she returns to dry land after checking on her home flooded by Hurricane Florence Getty Images US President Donald Trump greets residents with prepared meals in New Bern, North Carolina AFP/Getty Images Flood waters from Hurricane Florence surrounds two hog houses and it's lagoon near Kinston, N.C AP Jovani Quintano and Carlos Gomez (L-R) walk through a flooded neighborhoom after heavy rains brought on by Hurricane Florence on September 19, 2018 in Lumberton, North Carolina. Getty Images US President Donald Trump walks with officials in Conway, South Carolina AFP/Getty Images Old tree stumps that used to be at the bottom of Patricia Lake are revealed after it emptied when its dam collapsed in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, in Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina, U.S Reuters Water from the flooded Waccamaw River surrounds a house in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence now downgraded to a tropical depression in Conway, South Carolina, U.S. Reuters Dustin Mock navigates a flooded street as flood waters rise in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence now downgraded to a tropical depression in Conway, South Carolina, U.S. Reuters Jose Perez-Santiago, left, and Rosemary Acevedo-Gonzalez, walk with their daughter Jordalis, 2, after retrieving her clothing upon returning to their home for the first time since it was flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in Spring Lake, North Carolina AP Flood waters from hurricane Florence inundate the town of Engelhard, N.C. AP A downed tree rests on a house during the passing of Hurricane Florence in the town of Wilson, North Carolina REUTERS A member of the US Army walks in water while rescuing people during the passing of Hurricane Florence in the town of New Bern REUTERS A downed tree is pictured as Hurricane Florence comes ashore on Wilmington, North Carolina REUTERS Volunteers from the Civilian Crisis Response Team help rescue three children from their flooded home in James City, Getty Images A downed tree blocks a local street during the passing of Hurricane Florence the town of New Bern, North Carolina REUTERS Waves slam the Oceana Pier & Pier House Restaurant in Atlantic Beach AP Shianne Coleman (L) gets a hand from friend Austin Gremmel as they walk in flooded streets as the Neuse River begins to flood its banks during Hurricane Florence Getty Images High winds and storm surge from Hurricane Florence hits Swansboro North Carolina. AP Russ Lewis looks for shells along the beach as Hurricane Florence approaches Myrtle Beach, South Carolina AP Michael Nelson floats in a boat made from a metal tub and fishing floats after the Neuse River went over its banks and flooded his street during Hurricane Florence in New Bern, North Carolina Getty Images Volunteers from the Civilian Crisis Response Team help rescue three children from their flooded home in James City, Getty Images Jamie Thompson walks through flooded sections of East Front Street near Union Point Park in New Bern, North Carolina AP Portions of a boat dock and boardwalk are destroyed by powerful wind and waves as Hurricane Florence Getty Images People walk on a local street as water from Neuse River starts flooding houses upon Hurricane Florence coming ashore in New Bern, North Carolina Reuters Newlyweds Kathryn and Anthony Palmisano stand on the steps of the Charleston City Market in a deserted downtown in Charleston, South Carolina. Getty Images Doug Lewis and Chris Williams use plywood with the words 'Looters will be shot' to cover the windows of Knuckleheads bar as they try to protect the business ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Florence Getty Images Body surfer Andrew Vanotteren crashes into waves from Hurricane Florence AP Members of law enforcement work with the National Guard to direct traffic onto U.S. Highway 501 as Hurricane Florence approaches the East Coast AP A message is posted on a boarded up building before the arrival of Hurricane Florence on Oak Island, North Carolina Reuters People and pets evacuate ahead of the forecasted landfall of Hurricane Florence and seek shelter at Burgaw Middle School in Burgaw, North Carolina EPA Lisa Evers of Oak Island carries clothing to her car while evacuating her house ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Florence in Oak Island, North Carolina Reuters Brady Osborne ties freshly filled sandbags, in Virginia Beach, Va., as Hurricane Florence moves towards the eastern shore. AP Sand bags surround homes on North Topsail Beach, North Carolina. as Hurricane Florence threatens the coast AP This US Navy photo shows a Sailor as he heaves line during a heavy weather mooring evolution in preparation for Hurricane Florence AFP/Getty Images Sam Bedford, left, and Miller Richey move trash bins from the Isle of Palms Marina on the Isle of Palms, South Carolina. AP People wait before departure on an evacuation bus ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Florence in Wilmington, North Carolina Reuters The bread shelves are bare in a grocery store as people stock up on food ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Florence Getty Images Mark Lewis, left, conservator, and Alisa Reynolds, associate registrar, secure the painting "The Shoppers" by William James Glackens at the Chrysler Museum of Art AP A boat is docked partially in the road as workers pull boats from the water in Wanchese Harbor in Wanchese, N.C. as Hurricane Florence approaches the coast of the Carolina AP Marge Brown, 65, says goodbye to her father, George Brown, 90, before he is evacuated from a healthcare home in Morehead City, N.C., as Hurricane Florence approaches the east coast. "I'd like to stay and see what happens. I'm 90 plus," said Brown, a WWII veteran who says he's survived a plane crash and severe burns from a laboratory fire where he once worked. AP U.S. Marine recruits at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island prepare to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Florence at Parris Island, South Carolina Reuters People evacuate ahead of the forecasted landfall of Hurricane Florence as they seek shelter at Emma B. Trask Middle School in Wilmington, North Carolina EPA People queue for shelters during the night ahead of the forecasted landfall of Hurricane Florence EPA People line up to enter a hurricane shelter at Trask Middle School in Wilmington, North Carolina AFP/Getty Images People evacuate ahead of the forecasted landfall of Hurricane Florence as they seek shelter at Emma B. Trask Middle School in Wilmington, North Carolina, USA EPA Up to a million people have been ordered to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Florence AFP/Getty Images People look on as water floods King Street in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, September 11, 2018, where sandbags are being distributed to businesses and residents in preparation before more rain arrives from Hurricane Florence AFP/Getty Images Chuck Ledford (L), watches Looney-Tunes with his daughter Misty as they evacuate ahead of the forecasted landfall of Hurricane Florence as they seek shelter at Emma B. Trask Middle School in Wilmington, North Carolina EPA People line up to enter a hurricane shelter at Trask Middle School in North Carolina on September 11, 2018 AFP/Getty Images A woman holds her dog as she waits to enter a hurricane shelter at Trask Middle School in Wilmington, North Carolina AFP/Getty Images Two women sit with their dogs as they wait to enter a hurricane shelter at Trask Middle School in wilmington, North Carolina AFP/Getty Images South Carolina state troopers work with D.O.T. employees at an access ramp to I-26 Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018, in Columbia AP Families seek shelter during the night ahead of the forecasted landfall of Hurricane Florence EPA A woman closes her eyes in reaction to the line at the shelter EPA Kevin Orth loads sandbags into cars on Milford Street as he helps residents prepare for Hurricane Florence AP Hurricane Florence is seen from the International Space Station as it churns in the Atlantic Ocean towards the east coast of the US Reuters A beachfront home is boarded up ahead of Hurricane Florence, at Holden Beach, North Carolina Reuters An NOAA chart shows the predicted path of Tropical Storm Florence as she develops into a Major Hurricane over the coming seven days. NOAA Jim Craig, David Burke and Chris Rayner load generators as people buy supplies at The Home Depot on Monday. AP Customers line up to buy propane at Socastee Hardware store, ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Florence in Myrtle. Reuters Larry Pierson, from the Isle of Palms, S.C., purchases bottled water from the Harris Teeter grocery store on the Isle of Palms. AP Residents of the Isle of Palms, S.C., fill sand bags at the Isle of Palms municipal lot where the city was giving away free sand in preparation for Hurricane Florence. AP People shop at the Harris Teeter, filling up on water and supplies. AP Brian Franklin prepares more generators for sale as people buy supplies at The Home Depo. AP U.S. Airmen from the South Carolina Air National Guard and 169th Fighter Wing prepare to deploy to support rescue efforts. Reuters Chris Rayner helps customers load their cars as they buy supplies at The Home Depot. AP Walker Townsend, at left, from the Isle of Palms, S.C., fills a sand bag while Dalton Trout. AP Florence was drifting westward over South Carolina, reaching about 20 miles southeast of Columbia South Carolina, at 5am Sunday, the National Hurricane Centre said. Up to 40 inches, 102 cm, of rain is expected along coastal areas of the Carolinas and up to 10 inches, around 25cm, in south-western Virginia. In Fayetteville, a North Carolina city of about 210,000 people about 90 miles inland, authorities told thousands of residents near the Cape Fear River and Little River to get out of their homes. They were advised to do so by Sunday afternoon because of the flood risk. "If you are refusing to leave during this mandatory evacuation, you need to do things like notify your legal next of kin because the loss of life is very, very possible," Mayor Mitch Colvin said at a news conference. "The worst is yet to come. Around 50 stranded people were airlifted by helicopter in North Carolina, said Petty Officer Michael Himes of the US Coast Guard, and more than 26,000 hunkered down in shelters. About 740,000 homes and businesses remained without power in the Carolinas, and utilities said some could be out for weeks. Winds have dropped to about 35 mph, 55 kph, since it came ashore on Friday as a hurricane. It is crawling west over two states at six mph, nine kph, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said on Sunday. A young man has died after being bitten by a shark while boogie-boarding in water off Cape Cod. The 26-year-old, identified by Cape and Islands Assistant District Attorney Tara Miltimore as Arthur Medici of Revere, Massachusetts was attacked around noon on Saturday off Newcomb Hollow Beach, police said. He is the state's first shark attack fatality in more than 80 years and it is believed the man was attacked by a great white shark. Joe Booth, a local fisherman and surfer, said he was on shore when he saw the man and his friend boogie boarding when the attack happened. Police and rescue vehicles fill the parking lot at Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet, Massachusetts / AP He said he saw the man aggressively kick something behind him and a flicker of a tail from the water. He realised what was happening when the friend came ashore dragging his injured friend. "I was that guy on the beach screaming, 'Shark, shark!" Mr Booth said. "It was like right out of that movie Jaws. This has turned into Amity Island real quick out here." He said others on the beach attempted to make a tourniquet while others frantically called the emergency services. The young man is believed to have been killed by a great white shark / Getty Images Hayley Williamson, a Cape Cod resident and former lifeguard who was on the beach at the time, was in disbelief after the man was rushed into an ambulance. "We've been surfing all morning right here and they were just further down," she said of the two boogie boarders. "Right spot, wrong time, I guess." People fought to save the man and he was taken to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, where he was pronounced dead, State Police spokesman David Procopio said. Gregory Skomal, state Division of Marine Fisheries shark researcher, told the Cape Cod Times: "Based on the information I know, the highest probability is that it was a white shark. "I can't think of any other species that would do this." It was the first fatal shark attack in Massachusetts since 1936, and the second shark attack this season. A 61-year-old New York man was severely injured on August 15 after fighting off a shark off Truro, about four miles north of Saturday's attack. A Cape Cod politician said officials who did not take more aggressive action against sharks bore some responsibility for the fatal attack. Barnstable County Commissioner Ron Beaty said he had warned something like this could happen and urged measures to reduce the number of white sharks. V ideo footage shows the shocking moment two men in Hong Kong are swept off their feet after venturing outside during Typhoon Mangkhut. The footage was taken on Sunday afternoon as the storm hit Hong Kong ripping its way through the Philippines, killing over 60 people. A man can be seen on the ground curled up against a wall after going outside. Suddenly another man tries to rescue him and is also swept off his feet, slamming into the concrete wall and gripping onto it tightly. After some time, the two men manage to huddle and get themselves under a shelter. The typhoon has wreaked havoc on the financial hub. It could be the strongest storm to hit the city since Typhoon York in 1999. Buildings swayed as gusts of 195km an hour winds ripped through the city and bamboo scaffolding was filmed falling to the ground. According to the South China Morning Post, storm surges caused sea levels to rise as high as four metres in the popular tourist area of Tsim Sha Tsui. The Hong Kong Observatory had warned people to stay away from the Victoria Harbour landmark where storm surges were battering the water front. A man carries a woman across a flooded road in Hong Kong / Getty Images There were reports of multiple people trapped in lifts after power cuts in several locations in the city; Around 900 flights have been cancelled from Hong Kong International Airport with the airport authority warning it could be a few days before operations return to normal. Hundreds of people are said to be stranded at the airport. Collapsed bamboo scaffolding is seen hanging from a building during Super Typhoon Mangkhut in Hong Kong / AFP/Getty Images Video from the fishing village Tai O showed the water completely flooded. Thousands of people had been evacuated from the village over the weekend in preparation. In the Philippines, over 60 people were killed in typhoon related incidents, mostly from landslides and collapsed houses, according to the national police. Around 45 people are thought to be missing. The typhoon is now making its way across southern China and is expected to weaken on Tuesday. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 16) One of the main roads closed to the public in Baguio City has reopened, to allow search and rescue operations, following the wrath of Typhoon Ompong. Major Gen. Ruben Carandang, from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in the Cordillera Region, said search and rescue forces have been using the Naguilian Road to respond to the needs of affected communities in Baguio City. "Nakaopen ang Naguilian sa ngayon at actually ang ating additional search and rescue contingent doon po dumaan sa Naguilian simula po sa Clark Airbase papunta dito sa Baguio City," Carandang told CNN Philippines. [Translation: The Naguilian Road is open for now, and actually, our additional search and rescue contingents have passed Naguilian from Clark Airbase to Baguio City.] Local authorities closed all main roads to Baguio City, including Naguilian Road, on Saturday to allow clearing operations. READ: Baguio isolated due to #OmpongPH However, Carandang advised the public to remain cautious, adding that government units will maintain red alert status for possible landslides and floods. "Pagpaliban muna natin 'yung normal activities sa ngayon kasi although wala nang bagyo ay marami tayong binabantayan Kahit wala na'ng bagyo, we are still on red alert and vigilant, especially for landslide and flash flood," he said. [Translation:We'll prohibit normal activities for now because although we no longer have a storm, we still have a lot to watch out for. Even though there's no more storm we are still on red alert and vigilant for landslides and flash floods.] According to the OCD's latest data, six have died, and two have been injured, while eight are still missing in Baguio City. Power has also been restored in majority of the areas in the ravaged city, Carandang said. "Nagrerecover po itong Baguio. Unang nagrecover 'yang power restoration, 99 percent na po 'yung power restoration dito sa city ng Baguio," he said. [Translation: Baguio is recovering. Power was first to recover, as it has been restored in 99 percent of Baguio City.] Carandang said they are still looking into the number of barangays who suffered from the typhoon's wrath, but have already requested for additional units and ensured the safety of residents. Cagayan region Carandang said 63.57 percent of electricity in the entire Cordillera region has been restored. Alert status, however, is up in the region even if Ompong has exited the country. The provinces of Abra and Benguet have been declared under a state of calamity. He added that eight gates in Ambuklao Dam in Benguet have been opened as water level reached 751 meters. Water level in Binga Dam, meanwhile, reached 574.31 meters, prompting officials to open six gates. The Bell UH-1Y combat proven utility helicopter that could be built in Romania in the future, at central Ghimbav, near Brasov, was presented in European premiere at the "NATO Days" event organised Saturday and Sunday on the airport near Ostrava, in the Czech Republic. The combat variant AH-1Z is not here, but here it is the multi-role combat version.(...) slated to transport the troops in the conflict area and bring them back in safety from the battle field. (...) It can also complete other missions (...), but its main mission is to defend you, your family and the other people in Romania from the hostile forces outside Romania's borders, Joel Best, director of Global Business Development Europe with Bell Helicopter, told AGERPRES. He appreciated the openness of the Romanian authorities in the talks with Bell Helicopter and stressed the strategic and economic importance a future partnership would have.The plan to bring this aircraft would be an outstanding success for the Romanian people, for the Romanian army. Our partnership with Romania for a brilliant future goes on, Joel Best said.I believe it is very important that the Romanians understand that Bell Helicopter is interested to work in Romania in the future. So, we make no promises about the past, we focus on the future, not on the past. (...) We believe in the Romanians, we believe in them as partners within the NATO. The US is very interested (...) to make sure that it could work closely with Romania. Bell is a leader in industry, technology and innovation, and is looking to the Romanians and the Romanian industry to build successfully the AH-1Z and UH-1Y (...) as an important step towards future opportunities, Joel Best underlined.Joel Best used to say in an interview for AGERPRES at the beginning of August that in Romania the conditions for success exist, and that in the case the agreement with Bell Helicopter will be inked by the Romanian gov't and the US administration, our country will become the only place outside the US (Amarillo, Texas) where the AH - 1Z and UH - 1Y will be manufactured. The southern County of Dambovita recorded its first African swine fever outbreak, and authorities have summoned the Local Centre for Combating Disease, on Sunday told AGERPRES the Dambovita DSVSA (Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Directorate) director Sandu Tolea. When quizzed about this outbreak, Tolea answered: "I cannot give you any further information since we are during a meeting of the Local Centre for Combating Disease." Out of the first information, the authorities were being alerted after a local citizen lost two pigs to this disease.The African swine fever evolves in as many as 207 localities of 12 counties, with over 898 outbreaks (out of which 13 in industrial units, one in a farm's slaughterhouse and another in an A-type commercial exploitation) and 57 cases of wild boars, on Thursday announced the National Sanitary Veterinary Food Safety Authority (ANSVSA).Overall, 232,722 ill pigs were culled since the date the virus's presence in Romania was first confirmed, on 31 July 2017, in northern County of Satu Mare.Satu Mare, Salaj, Bihor (northern Romania), Tulcea, Constanta, Braila, Ialomita, Galati, Calarasi, Ilfov, Buzau and Giurgiu (south-eastern Romania) are the 12 counties affected by the ASF.The first ASF outbreaks occurred in January 2018, in four households of Micula commune were eradicated on 13 August 2018 and on 24 August so was an outbreak in Sarauad, all in Satu Mare County.The President of the Oversight Committee for the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) Claudiu Manda on Friday stated that SRI head Eduard Hellvig maintained he had conveyed the first piece of information related to the danger of the African swine fever to the legal beneficiaries in June 2016. The National Liberal Party (PNL)'s Member of the European Parliament Marian Jean Marinescu on Sunday said in southern Craiova that on 27 September the Committee for Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) of the European Parliament will talk at his proposal, about what has happened in Romania on 10 August, the reunion being to be also attended by the European Commission's Vice President Frans Timmermans. "I tabled this proposal two or three days after 10 August. It is also on that day that the LIBE will tackle the proposal by a French MEP with the ALDE, which I saw it appeared in the media (the French MEP Nathalie Griesbeck's proposal on the debate regarding the protocols closed between the intelligence services and the judicial bodies in Romania, ed. n.). A discussion on 10 August was unavoidable. One cannot leave things like this: to see how people are kicked with the legs, how they sit down or are kicked with the sticks in their heads when they are having their hands up. In my opinion, what has happened is inadmissible. And I repeat what I just said last week: the gendarmes' troops need a psychological analysis and those who are capable of such things must leave," Marinescu told a news conference. The MEP reminded that a debate in a plenary sitting of the European Parliament regarding the 10 August events will be staged on 3 October in Strasbourg, with the Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila being invited."It is the gov't's fault that Romania is discussed in the EP. This gov't must go, because I don't want to follow in the shoes of Hungary and Poland. Last week we have voted for the commencement of activation of Art. 7 against Hungary. It is the gov't's fault and it must take the necessary measures to put out this possibility. It should work on the laws of justice the way they should and make all these things that are against the rule of law, the attacking of those who peacefully protested in the Victoriei Square, included, be ceased," Marian Jean Marinescu stressed. Ukraine has increased its military presence in the Azov Sea region. Ukraines National Security and Defense Council met on Sept. 7 and agreed to take a variety of steps to boost the countrys combat capabilities in the area, including the creation of a missile-equipped naval infantry group to counter potential amphibious attacks and naval shore bombardments. Ukraines Gurza-M-class armored artillery boats have been brought in to boost the naval component of the forces deployed in the region. Russia and Ukraine enjoy free use of the Sea of Azov under the 2003 Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Ukraine on cooperation in the use of the sea of Azov and the strait of Kerch. The document is in place but it does not specify any precise border. The parties agree that the Sea of Azov and the Strait of Kerch are the internal waters of both Ukraine and Russia. Talks have dragged on for a long time but have failed to produce a solution. Ukraine does not want to recognize Russias rights, which are based on the fact that Crimea has joined the Russian Federation. Moreover, Ukrainian authorities insist on their right to detain any ship traveling to or from Crimea without Kievs permission. Ukraine is calling for the imposition of international sanctions against Russian Black Sea ports, due to what it calls the blockade of the Sea of Azov. It has already imposed punitive measures unilaterally. Tensions have heightened since March, when ships were detained and searched. On March 24, Ukrainian border guards stopped the Russian-flagged, Crimean-registered Nord fishing vessel in the Sea of Azov. The ship was hijacked. The crew members reported being interrogated and abused by Ukrainian authorities who held them accountable under domestic laws, not recognizing the crew as Russian citizens. The detained sailors were finally set free to return to Crimea without passports. Ukraine violated a number of international agreements and this marked the beginning of a campaign of provocative actions that has been waged ever since. Last month, the Russian Mekhanik Pogodin tanker was detained in the Ukrainian port of Kherson. Russia compared the move to the activities of Somali pirates. The US is taking sides in order to ratchet up the tensions. The State Department has taken a deliberately provocative stance, urging Ukraine toward confrontation. Without bothering to study the details, it simply puts the blame on Russia as usual for anything that goes wrong. Washington is goading Ukraine into seeking a military solution, including such unrealistic but dangerous ideas as using the warships of NATOs standing force to protect its shipping lanes, mining the Azov Sea, or using fast-moving attack vessels to encircle a large Russian naval asset from all directions like a wolf pack. This tactic was invented by German Admiral Karl Donitz during WWII, when wolf packs of U-boats were used to attack capital ships. The very fact that such ideas have been generated and are floating around shows how unwise it is to abet Ukraine by throwing unconditional support behind it. Stephen Blank of the American Foreign Policy Council, a leading US expert on Russia, believes that the US administration should send anti-ship missiles available from or through the US-AGM-84 Harpoon Block II, AGM-158C LRASM A, and the Norwegian Naval Strike Missile as well as a viable launch platform and a targeting system, particularly a radar. The author thinks this should be done right now, without delay. His article was published on Sept. 7 by the Atlantic Council, the prestigious think tank that advises the State Department and enjoys great influence among those who shape US foreign policy. In another article, Mr. Blanc calls for supplying Ukraine with platforms older ships that have been decommissioned or are about to retire. Last month, Mykola Bielieskov, the Deputy Executive Director at the Institute of World Policy, called for fast-track shipments to Ukraine of the Harpoon Block II ER+ anti-ship missile, enabling it to attack Russian vessels. The idea of providing Ukraine with Island-class coast guard ships is under consideration by the US government. On Sept. 1, Kurt Volker, US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations, stated that the US administration is ready to expand arms supplies to Ukraine in order to build up the countrys naval and air defense forces. The powers that be have failed to keep their promises and improve the lives of ordinary people in Ukraine. The presidential election will be held in March 2019. A threatening Russian bogeyman is needed to explain away the failures. The countrys economy and finances are in the doldrums and corruption is staggering. None of the problems have been solved and the West is getting tired of Ukraine. The fairy tale about Moscows aggressive foreign policy comes in handy right when the Ukrainian rulers need a scapegoat. Nobody needs an armed conflict in the Azov Sea region. A number of countries are interested in protecting the right of free passage, enabling vessels to arrive at their destination ports without risk or delay. The region does not have to be a flashpoint. Russia and Ukraine could sit down at a round table to discuss controversial issues, as the 2003 agreement stipulates the parties should do in order to settle their disputes, should they have any, but thats not what the State Department is calling for. The only option the US administration is considering is that of providing Ukraine with arms to fight Russia and then egging Kiev on to escalate the tensions. And those are already dangerously running high. A spark can ignite a big fire at any time if the problem is not addressed in a positive way without saber rattling. Its a pity the US is playing such a destructive role. The time is right for Russian and Ukrainian experts and officials to set their differences aside and start talking to find a peaceful solution to this urgent problem. US Vice President Mike Pence may not have meant it, but his recent admonition to Paraguay to respect historic relationships between that country, the United States and Israel clumsily provoked sinister memories of the past. The move followed the decision last week by Mario Abdo Benitez, the newly elected president of the South American state, to reverse an earlier order to relocate Paraguays embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Benitez predecessor, Horacio Cortes, had followed the Trump administrations decision earlier this year in May to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. Trumps declaration on the embassy issue sparked international condemnation because it lends support to the Israeli states controversial claim to Jerusalem as its sole capital. International consensus views the final status of Jerusalem to be a matter of historic negotiations to be worked out between Palestinians and Israelis. Significantly, only a handful of UN member states have followed suit in Washingtons embassy decision, Guatemala and Paraguay being two of them. Now that Paraguays President Benitez has reversed the earlier embassy decision by his predecessor, both Israel and the US have shown their acute consternation, no doubt because it undermines the political momentum Trump and Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu intended to generate among other nations to move their embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israel has threatened to close its embassy in Paraguays capital, Asuncion. And Mike Pence was reportedly hot on the phone to Benitez last week urging him to remember past commitments and the historic relations the country has with both Israel and the United States. Given the backsliding from the US over a wide range of its own past commitments, Washingtons exhortation to Paraguay rings decidedly hollow. Withdrawing from the Iran nuclear accord, the Paris Climate Agreement, NAFTA, TPP, and trashing its promise not to expand NATO forces towards Russias borders, are just some of the commitments that the US has shown a self-serving disdain for. But it was the oblique, sonorous mention of historic relations made by Pence to the Paraguayan leader that is intriguing, if not a sign of gross insensitivity in this White House. The vice president didnt spell out what he meant. But given the history between the three states, much of it sinister, it was an unfortunate allusion by Pence. It is hardly an impetus for finding agreement on the Jerusalem embassy issue. Firstly, there is Paraguays dark and not-too-distant past of military dictatorship under Alfredo Stroenesser. Under his decades-long rule with an iron-fist, Paraguay gained the moniker of being a poor mans Nazi regime. The comparison was not merely rhetorical. Stroenesser was notorious for running death squads and torture centers against political opponents. Thousands were disappeared or murdered under his regime (1954-1989). Moreover, the oppression was conducted as part of the US-led Operation Condor program in which the CIA recruited South American dictatorships to eliminate emerging socialist movements. During the 1970s, Stroenesser was a key player in the fascist Operation Condor along with Chiles Augusto Pinochet and the other US-backed military juntas of Argentina and Brazil. So for Mike Pence to pontificate to Paraguay as having historic obligations to the United States is stomach-wrenching. How Pence expects favors from that nation now for its dubious Middle East policies is frankly bizarre in its ignorance of past American-sponsored barbarity in Paraguay. Mike Twopence a better name. As for Israel, the historic relationship that Pence adverts to is also woefully problematic. Paraguay was one of the main South American destinations for Nazi war criminals fleeing justice following the Second World War. The infamous ratlines run out of Europe, from Spain and Italy, were used to spirit top Nazi commanders into hiding on the other side of the Atlantic. As many as 10,000 Nazi officers were reckoned to have evaded war crimes prosecutions by availing of this route. Some of them were aided in their escape by the newly formed American CIA and its Gehlen Organization run by Hitlers former spymaster Major General Reinhard Gehlen who was recruited by the Americans to wage clandestine war against the Soviet Union. Among the most wanted Nazis who fled to South America were Adolf Eichmann, Walter Rauff and Josef Mengele. Eichmann was captured by Israeli intelligence officers in Argentina in 1960, and subsequently executed two years later in Israel after conviction for war crimes. Rauff, who as an SS colonel organized mobile gas chambers to kill East European Jews, reportedly died from natural causes in 1984 while living in Chile under the protection of the US-backed Pinochet regime. Mengele, the SS Doctor known as the Angel of Death due to his macabre and sadistic experiments on Auschwitz inmates, including pregnant women and children, lived for many years in Paraguay under the protected patronage of dictator Stroenesser. Mengele eventually died from a brain hemorrhage in 1979 after moving to Brazil. Here is where the current Paraguayan presidents own family history becomes uncomfortable. Mario Abdo Benitez father was a private secretary to the old Nazi-loving dictator during much of his despotic reign. There is no suggestion that the incumbent 46-year-old Paraguayan leader has any personal affiliation to the crimes of the past committed in his country, nor shares his fathers association with Stroessner and the latters affinity for Nazism. I am proud that the victims who suffered mistreatment and torture at that time are working with me today," Abdo Benitez told AFP. This is another era. If I had been rejected, they would not be with me. But one factor that may be influencing President Abdo Benitez is that he has Arab heritage owing to his fathers ancestry as Lebanese. Any such concern by Benitez for Palestinian national rights is of course legitimate and principled. One does not have to be Arab to share the grievances of Palestinians in being denied a claim to national sovereignty and in particular their historic claim to East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. When the former Paraguayan president, Horacio Cortes, made the decision to relocate his countrys embassy to Jerusalem it was in May. The previous month, Benitez won the national election. He was thus president-elect when the embassy decision was hastily made by the outgoing administration. At the time, Benitez strongly voiced his opposition to that questionable last-minute ruling. Following his inauguration to office in August, the new president has hence moved to reverse the embassy relocation. It therefore seems that President Benitez is simply reversing an earlier decision which was not constitutionally sound. The pressure by Washington and Israel on Paraguay over the embassy matter is thus unwarranted. President Benitez said his decision to move the embassy back to Tel Aviv was to show that Paraguay is a country of laws and principles. Lobbying by VP Mike Pence is blatant interference by the US in the internal politics of this South American state. But so clumsy is Pence in this interference that his bluster about historic relationships dredges up a lot of sinister specters from the past with regard to the United States and its involvement with fascist regimes and Nazi war criminals. In mid-2018 Russia revealed that they had sent 63,012 troops to Syria since mid-2015. That includes army, navy and air force personnel, many having been there multiple times (but are only counted as one of the 63,012). Not included are contractors, who are civilians, even if they took on some of the most dangerous jobs and suffered more casualties than the military personnel. Yet many of the contractors were never near combat and were there mainly to help the Syrians refurbish and revive their rundown military equipment and infrastructure. Out of those 63,000 Russian military personnel who have been in Syria (some for less than a day, few for more than six months) only about a hundred have died in combat so far. There have been half as many military contractors serving in Syria and they have suffered several hundred dead. No official numbers of military contractor fatalities have been released but Russian volunteer organizations have tried to keep track of the funerals or other indications of young men dying in Syria and it is clear that being a military contractor is a lot more dangerous. The point here is that there are still some Russians willing to take dangerous combat jobs but there are not enough them to maintain the million man military Russian leaders want. Russia knew going in that Russian troops getting killed overseas, even if they were not conscripts (who were kept out of Syria from the start) was politically unpopular with most Russians. Even volunteer troops getting killed overseas was unpopular although opinion surveys showed that the average Russian was not upset if a contractor (or mercenary) was killed because they were paid a lot more and were professionals who knew what they were getting into. Russia also revealed that 41 percent of the Russian troops in Syria were officers and that seven percent of the troops sent were artillery specialists. Thats because Russia did have some artillery (tube and rocket) and anti-aircraft units in Syria as well as a lot of artillery officers and technicians to help rebuild the Syrian army artillery and air defense equipment and train personnel. Next to artillery troops there were nearly as many special operations troops. These were there both for training Syrians and carrying out, well, special operations. Most of these were eventually replaced with contractors, some of whom had earlier served in Syria as a soldier. Most of the Russian troops in Syria were there to provide training, combat advisors and, most importantly, technical help in rebuilding the Syrian inventory of weapons and equipment. These support personnel were also hard at work maintaining Russian aircraft and military equipment in general. The Russian aircraft maintainers made it possible for Russian warplanes to fly 39,000 sorties (an average of 36 a day) that, according to Russian estimates, killed at least 86,000 enemy personnel. This air support was a key factor in Syrian forces being able to regain control of most of the country by 2017. Russian air strikes in Syria were directed primarily at rebels and about 70 percent of the dead were Syrians (primarily rebels or nearby civilians) and not Islamic terrorists who were concentrating on their religious war with each other. Russia officially said it was there to fight ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) but most of the targets were non-ISIL rebels who have been taking a lot of territory from the Assad government. The Russian air strikes went after a few key Islamic terrorist leaders and the FSA (the largest secular rebel group, supported by the U.S.). Both FSA and al Qaeda (HTS/al Nusra) are hostile to ISIL but for Russia, these two groups were a major threat to the Syrian government, which has long been a Russian ally. Russian warplanes carried out 50-60 air strikes a day during peak periods, which was far more than the U.S. led air coalition. By 2016 it was obvious that Russia was concentrating most of its considerable firepower on rebel groups that were hurting the Syrian Assad government forces the most. By American count, only about ten percent of Russian air strikes were against ISIL and those targets were usually hit to protect Assad forces. Russia justified (to the UN and the world in general) its military presence in Syria because it was part of the effort to destroy the ISIL threat. While Russia does not hide its support for the Assad government (which the UN and most of the world accuse of war crimes and want gone) it insists that its presence in Syria is not primarily to keep the Assads in power. Yet thousands of Russian troops were working with the Assad forces, the Russian troops were all based in Assad controlled territory and the majority of rebels, who are not ISIL or the local al Qaeda franchise al Nusra (now HTS), are the main targets of Russian firepower. The Russian intervention in Syria was never meant to be a large effort in terms of manpower and intended, from the beginning, to help rebuild and revive the Syrian military forces that were already there. Most of the Russian troops and contractors were technical experts to assist the Syrians in refurbishing elderly (or just overworked) weapons and military equipment. Russia supplied the spare (or improved) parts and any special tools needed to get this done. New weapons and gear also arrived and the Syrian troops had to be quickly taught how to use all this stuff. By January 2016 the impact of this effort was visible to people on the ground. Western photo satellites and aerial surveillance showed the Syrian troops using new Russian artillery as well as more of their own refurbished stuff because the Russians had shipped in lots of ammo along with the new parts. A lot of worn out Syrian artillery and armored vehicles were ready to go again with the right replacement parts and perhaps a few new items (sights, electronics, better batteries) as upgrades. Russian UAVs were providing target information and the Syrian infantry seemed more precise and confident as they called in supporting artillery and air support before advancing. All this made it much harder for the rebels to defeat the Assad government and much easier to accept a peace deal that keeps the Assads in power, which was always a Russian goal. Another advantage the Russian intervention bought the Syrian government was more medical assistance. The Russians brought in lots of badly needed medical supplies and equipment as well as medical personnel. This was a big morale booster for government forces because all these offensive operations meant more casualties. The knowledge that there was better medical care available made government forces more willing to take chances. This meant more Syrian local militias, even ones that are neutral or anti-government, were willing to work with government forces to defeat ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant). There were a growing number of communities that initially (2011-12) sided with the rebels but by 2016 were willing to work with whoever could protect them. The government has always been willing to work with neutral civilians and make deals. The most useful neutrals are the non-Sunni Moslems (Shia, Christian, Druze and so on) that ISIL persecutes enthusiastically and that have long sided with the Assads who themselves come from the local Shia minority. Russia has also made a major effort to help rebuild what is left of the Syrian Air Force, which has suffered enormous (over 70 percent) losses between 2011 and 2016. The Russians also brought in UAVs and electronic monitoring equipment and because of that provided a much better picture of where the best targets were. This caused a lot of damage to the rebels who found their supply facilities and other support operations being located and bombed. These airstrikes were delivered mainly by Russian jets and helicopters at first but soon the refurbished Syrian warplanes were carrying out a lot more airstrikes. Russia had always provided tech and material (spare parts) support for this largely Russian fleet of warplanes and helicopters but not enough for the Syrians to keep more than 30 percent of the 370 aircraft and helicopters operational by the time the Russians showed up. The surge of Russian support meant the Syrian Air Force could be rebuilt and become a major factor once more. By 2018 the Syrian Air Force was able to handle most of the air support Syrian ground forces needed. Russia brought in several thousand of their Spetsnaz (special operations) troops both as active duty Russian army operators and former Spetsnaz serving as contractors. Unlike the popular image of special operations troops, these Spetsnaz were rarely used for raids. Like their Western counterparts Spetsnaz are also trained to do reconnaissance (often deep into enemy territory), provide security for very valuable people or equipment and carry out direct action (raids) as needed. Spetsnaz did a lot of direct action in Afghanistan in the 1980s and in the Caucasus since the late 1990s but not in Syria. Thats because Russia wanted to avoid casualties in Syria as any troop losses here were very unpopular in Russia. Spectacular victories, on the other hand, are still popular. Russian Spetsnaz commandos had been in Syria officially since October 2015 and unofficially up to a year earlier. Russia did not say much about what Spetsnaz was doing in Syria, which is standard for special operations missions. Initially, Spetsnaz were there to train their Syrian counterparts and help hunt down and kill key ISIL leaders. Any successes there were not publicized, which is, again, pretty standard for secretive commando operations. It was more difficult to hide the role Spetsnaz (especially the contractors) played in helping improve the security of senior government officials in Damascus. That operation was also a success. Russia also sent expert snipers, many of them Spetsnaz, who mainly served as instructors for Syrian Army snipers and to set up a program to select troops who could be good snipers and train them. New Russian sniping rifles were seen in Syria after 2015. To make their Syria intervention work Russia had to quietly resort to employing Russian private security companies. By the end of 2017, there were about 1,200 military contractors from the Wagner Group and perhaps as many more from other Russian contractor firms. About half these private security troops were believed to have been organized combat units that were reliable enough to be used in place of scarce army special operations troops. By monitoring Russian language social media activity (which anyone can do) it was noted how many recent military veterans were working for several of these private security companies. These fellows would often post pictures from Syria and Ukraine. Casualties were suffered in both places although the duties of the contractors were different in each of those countries. In Syria, the security contractors mainly guarded Russian bases but were also used in combat when they provided security for Russian artillery units supporting Syrian Army troops. In a few cases, the contractors were sent in to assist Syrian troops who got themselves in trouble. Russia described these men as special operations troops because outside Russia the security contractors often wear Russian military uniforms. But social media revealed that many of these dead Russians in Syria were actually contractors. Among the many Russian civilians in Syria were engineers and other specialists from Russian defense firms that were developing and manufacturing the most modern Russian weapons. This included smart bombs, warplanes, electronic warfare equipment and air defense systems. The defense industry experts were not only there to collect information on how the latest Russian military tech was doing but to also supply the sales and marketing people back in Russia with specific information they could use to improve export sales for new Russian weapons. This angle was widely publicized in Russian state-controlled mass media. One thing these defense firm personnel did not want to comment on was the small number of smart bombs, shells and rockets the Russian armed forces had. Some 90 percent of the bombs dropped in Syria by modern Russian aircraft were unguided (dumb) weapons because the tiny Russian stockpiles of smart bombs were quickly exhausted. By late 2015 Russia was also learning the hard way how difficult it was to maintain modern warplanes in the sand and dust of the Middle East. Russia knew about this problem because for decades it had been selling military aircraft to countries (including Syria) in the region. But it turned out that there were a lot of (often minor) modifications Syrian maintainers made to their Russian aircraft to keep them operational in this environment. Russian maintainers were soon working overtime to adapt to all this. Despite that Russia was getting several sorties a day out of many of the fifty or so warplanes it had (most of the time) in Syria. On some days there are nearly a hundred air strikes. The 50 or so Russian aircraft in Syria initially consisted of Su-34 and Su-30 fighter-bombers, Su-24M bombers and Su-25 ground attack aircraft as well as about a dozen armed helicopters. There are also many transport helicopters. As time went on just about every new Russian warplane showed up in Syria, including the Su-57 stealth fighter and the Su-35 (the new top fighter in service). By 2018 Russian casualties in Syria continued to be remarkably low with nearly all the fatalities were suffered by highly trained troops advising the Syrians or special operations personnel carrying out recon or other intel gathering missions. The few Russian artillery units rarely got close enough to the fighting to be shot at and were their mainly to test new or updated Russian guided rockets or artillery shells. As of the end of 2017, Russia admitted to 45 Russians killed in Syria since mid-2015. The actual number is believed to be 30-80 percent higher because of the growing use of Russian military contractors, who are not, for record keeping purposes, members of the Russian military. The Syrian war effort, despite the low number of Russian casualties, is not popular with most Russians who see Assad and most other Middle Eastern governments (especially former Soviet allies) as losers. By mid-2018 Russia adjusted their official death count to 90 (for members of the armed forces) and still said little about contractor deaths. Shona knew as soon as she finished her offering for the World of Wearable Art extravaganza that she had nailed it, that she had captured that special WOW factor. I thought, yes, Ive got it, says Maori fibre artist, or weaver, Shona Tauwhiao. And I did a little dance around it. The form of her creation was perfect. The silhouette reflected exactly the image in her head. And to have that image woven together in flax in front of me like that was pretty cool and very moving, she says. No, we cant see her creation yet. It doesnt work like that. Its in Wellington and under wraps until WOW, that festival of fanciful fashion, weirdness and wonderfulness, starts its 18-day season later this month. But I can tell you its called Whero is Red, from the colours song we learned at Te Kohanga Reo. Its inspired by Hine Te-Iwaia, the spiritual guardian of weaving. She was a warrior as well, says Shona. She didnt suffer people, didnt take anything from anybody. Most of my pieces are based on warriors. The work-of-art, the garment, the exhibit, is made completely of flax. Add spiky accoutrements like mini piupiu pieces the familiar skirt of flax strands that sway to and fro when the wearer moves. And I have used a flax flower for the headpiece and the shoes are woven as well. Flax is Shonas medium. She started with kete and art pieces while studying at Aucklands Unitec in the 1990s. She started making wearable pieces by accident. I love fashion, love design and wondered what would happen if I drew those together along with my culture, she says. And while most WOW creations are startlingly futuristic, Shona Tauwhiao calls on traditional techniques that are hundreds of years old. I have just given those techniques a modern feel. Her creations start right from scratch. The picking, the prepping, the dyeing, I do everything. While her piece de resistance is safely in a substantial box under the guard of WOW wardrobe police in Wellington, Shona Tauwhiao does have a little number that she can share with us its a flavor of things and a taste of her work. Theres the Roman-esque or Mohawk headdress, the striking black woven tunic and a ball-gown style piupiu made from flax leaves that naturally curl into tubes as they dry. Add the percussion sound effects and the swaying sensation as the wearer moves and you get the full dramatic impact. It was enough to slow traffic to a crawl in Miro Street at the Mount when The Weekend Sun was doing the photo shoot. WOW is not new territory for Shona shes had creations accepted before and one was purchased for the WOW Museum in Nelson. Its always great to be accepted because WOW is such a huge production, says Shona. Theres designers from all over the world, they put in an awful lot of work and spend a lot of time making and creating. So if you arent accepted, it can be upsetting. Soon Shona and her girls, Mia, 20, and Sevare,13, are setting out on a road trip. Theyll be following that big box, Shonas WOW entry, all the way to Wellington. The girls had to find the big box and help me package it so nothing broke. And I wouldnt have finished it in time without their support. So Shonas WOW piece is pretty much a family effort. When its show time later this month, when Shonas creation is revealed to the world, the family, the girls, will be in seats designated for the designers at the bewitching and beguiling World of Wearable Arts. Manawatu-Whanganui Are you looking for a career where you know you make a difference every day? This is the role for you! Our client provides... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz Auckland Our client is screaming out for people to assist them. If you are unsure about the next step in your career, we have several... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz Photo: Contributed Join our wine writer, Allison Markin, every week for a wine review complete with food and music pairings. Featuring Okanagan and Canadian wines, with an occasional international bottle, Castanet celebrates the bottles of our Valley and the diversity of the Canadian wine industry and influences from around the world. For current availability and pricing, consult the winery. Unless indicated, international selections are generally available at government liquor stores or private wine shops. Wine: Tempest (red blend), 2013 Winery: Lake Breeze, Naramata Why drink it? A classic Bordeaux blend or Meritage, as we say here this is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Merlot. A blend such as this lives up to its name, with a complex melange of wild blackberries, blueberries, star anise, and notes of vanilla from the French oak treatment. And thats just after a swirl and sniff. So much more to explore for the taste buds. Dark chocolate, cacao nibs, touches of pepper a rich, ripe, full bodied wine with notable tannins and a memorable finish, like the sudden departure of a fall thunderstorm. Price: $50 Pair with: A homemade chilli with a storm of meats; think Italian sausage mixed in with good beef, and a spice blend that isnt too hot, or a vegetarian stew of slow-roasted fall veggies with plenty of garlic, bold mushrooms, and colourful grilled peppers. Music pairing: After the Storm, Mumford & Sons Have a wine to suggest? Email Allison at [email protected] William Wood, 32 DEWITT, N.Y. -- The suspect accused of shooting and killing two Chili's employees Saturday morning was an ex-employee, police said today. The suspect, William Wood, Jr., 32, was arrested around 1 a.m. today in Fulton, said DeWitt police spokesman Capt. Chase Bilodeau. DeWitt and New York State Police arrested him without incident after receiving information he would be there. Wood worked at the restaurant until about a year ago, Bilodeau said, and Wood knew both victims. That's why the suspect targeted that Chili's, Bilodeau said. He would not say whether robbery was the sole motive. "That's our indication of why that location was chosen," Bilodeau said. Police haven't yet released the victims' names. Bilodeau said neither victim was armed, and it does not appear there was a scuffle or a fight between the victims and the suspect. He would not say how many gunshots were fired. The suspect apparently robbed the store of cash, though Bilodeau would not say of how much. Neither of the victims had items stolen from them, he said. At scene of the crime Sunday morning, a single bouquet from Wegmans sat on the lawn in front of the restaurant, which is surrounded by police tape. Steven Pilant, an investigator who works for Chili's parent company, Brinker International, was at the restaurant Sunday mid-morning. He said a vigil will be held at 7 p.m. today at the restaurant, and it's open to the public. He said the restaurant could reopen mid-week. A Chili's spokesperson, in a statement, expressed condolences for the families of the victims. "We are deeply saddened by this tragic situation and the loss of two of our Team Members. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement officials who were quick to respond. During this difficult time, our focus is doing everything we can to support the families affected and our ChiliHeads at the DeWitt restaurant," a spokesperson said. At the scene on Saturday, family members and coworkers of the victims could be seen gathering in grief. About a dozen people had arrived there by noon, and each new person to arrive was greeted with a tearful embrace and condolences. The employees and loved ones, all of whom declined to comment, could be seen in tears. An employee of next-door Scotch and Sirloin brought the small group a bag of ice for their cooler as the mourners waited at the scene on a hot, humid day. DeWitt police said officers went to the restaurant by ShoppingTown Mall at 1:04 a.m. Saturday where they found one employee dead. A second employee was taken to a local hospital, where he died, police said. The restaurant, 3691 Erie Blvd. E., normally closed at midnight, according to its website. Wood has two previous arrests in the Syracuse area, according to news archives. In 2010, he was accused of criminal possession of a weapon, in addition to second-degree menacing and second-degree harassment. In 2004, when he was 18, Wood was accused of false impersonation and traffic violations. Syracuse, N.Y. -- A Syracuse doctor and his wife are donating nearly $5 million to the Everson Museum's campaign to raise $17 million. The gift is among the largest ever to a Syracuse arts organization. The Everson announced its fundraising effort and the gift tonight at the 50th anniversary gala for the museum's I.M. Pei-designed building. The museum is more than 100 years old, but its current home was built in 1968. Everson Executive Director Elizabeth Dunbar had been raising money for about a year before taking the campaign, "The Everson. First and Forever," to the public. She said they're already more than halfway to the goal: $13.2 million has been raised. Dunbar said the total is the most an arts organization has ever set out to raise in Syracuse. The biggest gift, $4.8 million, is from Dr. Paul Phillips and his wife, Sharon Sullivan. Phillips is the retired head of rheumatology at SUNY Upstate Medical University. He and his wife are on the board of the museum and have been longtime supporters of the museum, Syracuse arts organizations, and Upstate Medical University. "The museum is a jewel," Phillips said. He said Dunbar's energy and plans for the museum are what helped convince him and his wife to donate such a large amount of money to the campaign. "It certainly helps to have an individual like (Dunbar) who can articulate her plans and goals for the institution," Phillips said. He said he hopes his family's gift encourages others to follow suit. Dunbar has only been at the museum for four years. She came in December 2014, right after the Everson had to cancel two high-profile shows to avoid closing its doors. If those shows hadn't been canceled, the museum would have been $800,000 in the red; that's a massive loss for an institution with a $2.5 million budget. In 2012 and 2013, it had losses of $500,000. The building was as underwater as the finances. There were leaks everywhere, including the men's restroom. Now, the budget has been back in the black for four years. The leaks and air conditioning have been fixed. Potential donors don't feel like they're throwing money down a hole, but, instead, funding a future. Some of the money raised will go to the build the endowment, which at $5 million is small for an institution its size, Dunbar said. The goal is to have a $10 million endowment and to continue to renovate the inside of the museum while fixing the outside, so the building will last. Like its contents, the building, too, is a work of art. It's the first museum ever designed by Pei, who later designed the Louvre Pyramid. The opening made national news as a new kind of architecture. Pei also designed the Newhouse 1 building at Syracuse University. "We have this amazing building that needs to be celebrated," Dunbar said. The quirky concrete that makes the building so unique requires lots of maintenance, especially in Syracuse weather. Many needed repairs had been put on hold when the museum was struggling financially. When Dunbar arrived, she started to tick through the list. First up were things like leaks in the roof and the ventilation system. The auditorium also has been completely renovated. It only had a few working lights when Dunbar arrived. Like so much in the building, the wires were encased in cement, which made the fixtures difficult to fix. Now the lighting is all new along with the stage, the seating and the carpet. Also, the row of windows at the top of the auditorium, which allowed natural light in, have been uncovered. They were boarded up for decades because of leaks, Dunbar said. The ceramics gallery, where the pieces and arrangements went largely unchanged, for years, have also been completely renovated. The exhibits are now constantly changing there. For the first time in decades, the museum, known internationally for its ceramics collection, has a ceramics curator. That position is being funded through part of Phillips' gift. The ceramics collection is about 5,000 pieces; the museum's total collection is 10,000 pieces. One of Dunbar's goals is to put more of ceramics collection out into the light of day. One of the planned projects for the future is to create a display space and room where people studying ceramics can examine pieces from the collection. Something many museum visitors wrinkled their noses at has been fixed: the restrooms. While they are still the same size, the bathrooms, which hadn't been upgraded in 50 years, are now completely renovated. A new cafe is also in the works for the museum. It will have a kitchen for catering and something no other museum has: art work you can eat off. Louise Rosenfield, a ceramics collector from Texas who serves on the board, is donating her collection of more than 3,000 plates and cups. The pieces come with one caveat: they must be used. So when you come to eat at the Everson cafe, you will dine on one-of-a-kind pieces of art. "If it's not used, it's ... dead," Rosenfield said of her collection. She had originally planned to donate the collection to a restaurant. Then the idea of the planned Everson cafe came up and it seemed a perfect fit for her collection. Dunbar said she thinks the museum will be the only one to offer such an experience. The Everson is also adding a kiln in its education area, which has also been redone since Dunbar arrived. "You will have a full-on experience here," Dunbar said. Her hope is that someday people will come to the Everson to experience ceramics the same way they go to Corning to explore glass. Under her leadership, the museum has more than doubled its outreach from around 3,000 people to nearly 7,000. The museum has increased its classes and events for kids and adults, offering everything from "Pottery and Pour" events to kids' birthday parties. The museum will be celebrating the building's 50th anniversary with events throughout the year. "Our core mission is our collection and our exhibition. But how do we get people in the door? Every which way possible," Dunbar said. Marnie Eisenstadt is an enterprise reporter who writes about people, life and culture in Central New York. Have an idea or question? Contact her anytime: email | twitter | Facebook | 315-470-2246 No matter how you slice it, the latest government statistics on poverty in Syracuse are dismal. The city cracked the top 10 list of U.S. cities with the worst poverty rates. In 2017, 32.4 percent of Syracuse residents were living below the poverty line. Half of Syracuse children live in poverty. Stop and think about that. One in every two kids. It ought to make your blood boil. Yet we tend to treat poverty in Syracuse like a chronic condition, instead of a dire emergency consuming yet another generation of children. The Census poverty report is ringing the alarm. Policymakers at every level of government - federal, state, county and city -- need to hear it and respond with urgency. It's not that Syracuse's poverty got that much worse since last year's report. But by standing in place, Syracuse actually went backward, because everyone else is doing that much better. Both the national and state poverty rates declined. Why hasn't the rising tide lifted Syracuse's boat? The city already was in a deep hole, and has been for years. A 2015 study found the city had the nation's worst concentration of poverty among blacks and Hispanics. The new Census data found a statistically significant increase in poverty among Hispanics, likely due to an influx of families from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. Language barriers to employment, a lack of affordable housing, a lack of transportation options and stagnant public housing policy reinforce and grow the city's pockets of poverty. Well-meaning people are doing well-meaning things to try to ameliorate poverty. And there is money to do it: $50 million from the state's Upstate Revitalization Initiative and a share of $25 million from Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative. Twenty million dollars came off the top of the URI money to endow the Say Yes to Education program, promising a free college education to graduates of the Syracuse City School District and a suite of wrap-around services to help schoolchildren get to graduation. Because of the URI's regional nature, the other $10 million was spread around to 22 different agencies, many of them outside of the city. Greater Syracuse H.O.P.E., a coalition administering the governor's anti-poverty initiative, is still getting off the ground. It should look to Albany for an example of anti-poverty initiatives that are moving the needle in the right direction. Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said he is focusing the city's anti-poverty efforts on housing stability, bridging the digital divide and economic development to create jobs. Those are long-term strategies. More immediately, attention must be paid to the other side of the economic development coin: the tax incentives the city, county and state throw at companies and developers to build or expand. Every tax dollar not collected is a dollar that cannot be applied to improving housing, stabilizing neighborhoods and strengthening our schools. The same could be said for the tens of millions of dollars New York state spent on economic development projects that over-promised and under-delivered on jobs, while feathering the nests of corrupt developers, lobbyists and government officials. Instead of being cause for despair, the data on Syracuse poverty should be a prod to attack it with more urgency, creativity and boldness. The futures of half of the children in our city hang in the balance. Syracuse.com editorials Editorials represent the collective opinion of the Advance Media New York editorial board. Our opinions are independent of news coverage. Read our Members of the editorial board are Tim Kennedy, Jason Murray and Marie Morelli. To respond to this editorial: Post a comment below, or submit a letter or commentary to . Read our If you have questions about the Opinions & Editorials section, contact Marie Morelli, editorial/opinion leader, at "The impossible dream has at last become a reality," wrote the Post-Standard's Gordon Muck after the Gala opening of the Everson Museum on Oct. 25, 1968. After it opened to rave reviews, the art museum, which was designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei, and which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, finally gave the Syracuse art community a permanent home. Famed architect I.M. Pei, designer of the Everson Museum, visits the museum in 2000. He's standing at the foot of the spiral staircase in the museum's main hall. The Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts had bounced from place to place for almost 40 years after it was chartered in 1897. It began at the Onondaga County Savings Bank before moving to the Syracuse Public Library in the Carnegie Building on Montgomery Street in 1906, then moving again in 1937 to the Knights of Columbus Building on James Street. In 1941, local art patron Helen Everson died, leaving in her will $1 million and a pearl necklace to the city for the construction of an art museum. In 1960, Max Sullivan, recently chosen to be the new director of what was now called the Everson Museum, was asked to find an architect for the new downtown art museum. He took a risk and approached relatively unknown architect I.M. Pei, whose work had caught Sullivan's eye, even though, at that point, Pei had never designed a museum before. "Look here, Mr. Pei," Sullivan asked Pei in his New York City office, "can you do something for us in Syracuse?" The result has been called the "happy marriage between a city and an architect." Pei considered the site chosen at Harrison and State streets, across from the Onondaga County War Memorial and just down the street from a steam plant, to be the "middle of nowhere." But Pei took to the challenge, and was given almost total freedom by Sullivan, and created something completely original, creating a museum that has been described as "quirky and powerful, subtle and complex and majestic and understated." Pei's plans were unique. The building was made of concrete, blended with local granite, then a bush hammer would be used to give the exterior walls their distinctive grooves. The building's greyish-brown exterior fit with Syracuse's cloudy and often somber weather. The shape of the structure was a series of square blocks, while inside a series of basic galleries were joined together by what Pei called "bridges." Pei obsessed over the smallest detail and personally selected the museum's chairs, tables, planters and even the toilets. An imposing lobby and gravity-defying circular staircase helped to finish off the look Pei was working towards: He wanted "the Everson to resemble sculpture." He succeeded. In 1968, the journal "Progressive Architecture" wrote of the Everson: "It is quite conspicuously a piece of abstract sculpture within a civic plaza setting - the sort of sculpture to house sculpture, one might say - a work of art for other works of art." A visitor walks through the exhibits at Syracuse's Everson Museum in July 1974. It would take seven years for the Everson to be finished and cost $3.5 million to be built. There were struggles raising money. But individual donations in Syracuse, which the Post-Standard said had never "been strong in support of the arts," half of which were less than a couple hundred dollars, made up almost half the total donations. Opening night on Oct. 25, 1968 was for the donors and trustees of the Everson. A cocktail party was held in the Sculpture Court and a dinner, catered by the Hotel Syracuse featuring green turtle soup, filet of beef and cherries jubilee, was held in the main gallery. Donors ate while surrounded by six tapestries from Pablo Picasso and everyone was given a commemorative plate from Syracuse China with the Everson logo on it. I.M. Pei scrambled to make every detail perfect. He noticed a concrete planter on a dolly and decided to move it himself. The planter slipped off the dolly and landed on the hand of the architect. Photos of Pei on opening night show him with a heavily bandaged hand. The public were given their first chance to see the museum on Sunday, Oct. 27. The Post-Standard's Walter Carroll wrote that "15,000 persons packed the Everson's three levels so tightly you couldn't see what you went there to look at." "You either had to stand with your nose pressed against the work or back off and see only the top of it if you were tall enough," Carroll grumbled. "It was a great day of culture in Syracuse, if you could just elbow your way through." (Carroll also complained about "youngsters" at the opening, who spent more time "trying out the plumbing" of the new museum rather than appreciating the countless works of art.) With Election Day just 10 days off, the "New Yorkers for Nixon and Agnew" took advantage of the crowds and set their "big festooned bus" in front of the museum, played their recordings loudly and handed out campaign literature. The museum was a hit especially among art critics. Harper's magazine called it a "smashing success." Ada Louise Huxtable, the highly respected architecture critic of the New York Times, gave the Everson its most enthusiastic review: "The Everson Museum sets a standard that other cities will now be called on to match." Time wrote that "seldom has an architect done more to enhance the sense of expectation for the visitor than did Pei in his Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse." Pei went on to be "the emperor of world architecture" according to Vanity Fair. His work includes the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., the glass-and-steel pyramid at the Louvre in Paris and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Pei, now 101 years old, will always have a soft spot for the Everson. "I think of the Everson quite frequently," he told the Post-Standard in 1998. This feature is a part of CNY Nostalgia, a section on syracuse.com. Send your ideas and curiosities to Johnathan Croyle: Email | 315-427-3958. After more than two years of working in Google, Senior Google scientist Jack Poulson has quit the company in revolt against Project Dragonfly. Poulson, who began working for the company in May 2016, revealed that he lifted his interests to the higher-ups at Google after news of them covertly working on a censored version of its search engine in China spread like wildfire. Dubbed Dragonfly, the search system was aimed toward cutting off content that China's government believes as sensitive, including information about democracy, free speech, and human rights. After a thorough discussion with his bosses, Poulson came to a decision in mid-August that he could no longer continue working for Google, citing that the Dragonfly was a forfeiture of everyone's public human rights commitment. Poulson's final day at the company was Aug. 31. "I view our intent to capitulate to censorship and surveillance demands in exchange for access to the Chinese market as a forfeiture of our values and governmental negotiating position across the globe. There is an all-too-real possibility that other nations will attempt to leverage our actions in China in order to demand our compliance with their security demands," Poulson wrote on his resignation letter Before working for Google, Poulson previously served as an assistant professor at the department of mathematics in Stanford University. Other than Poulson, BuzzFeed reports that six other employees quit their jobs at Google, mentioning a lack of corporate transparency as a reason. "It is our policy to not comment on individual employees," a Google spokesperson said when asked for a comment about Poulson's resignation. Google Remains Close-Mouthed It has been six weeks since Dragonfly has been revealed to the public, but Google has yet to address concerns about the project. Just this month, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, was a no-show at the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, where he would have been questioned about the China matter. Reports say that only a few hundred of the company's 88,000 employees had knowledge about Dragonfly before it was openly revealed. Since then, more than 1,400 employees have inked a letter in protest for Google's censorship plans. On a related note, Google also launched a censored search engine in China in 2006, but ceased operating in the country in 2010 after the Chinese government blocked websites, hacked people's Gmail accounts, and limited free speech. Other than Dragonfly, employees also grasped that Google was working closely with the Pentagon to create an artificially intelligent technology for drone warfare in March. Photo: Robert Scoble | Flickr 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Colton Davies Temperatures around B.C. are below seasonal this weekend but, in Keremeos, you could say it was hotter than usual. The village hosted the 17th annual "Similkameen Sizzle" at Memorial Park, which is Canada's only hot pepper festival. "It does bring a lot of people in, and because it's a free community event it brings the whole community together," festival chair Joan Bauman said. At the festival there were vendors selling and sampling pepper-related items and displaying all sorts of other goods. Some noteworthy activities were blind judging of pepper jelly and, the main event, the hot pepper eating contest. The contest itself is well known around the province festival chair Joan Bauman said some taking part this year came from as far as Revelstoke and Vancouver. Patty Giles, a hot pepper vendor from Kelowna, was at the festival for the second straight year. She said the event is a unique setting to show off her produce. "Everything's handmade. I've been canning for 40 years so a long time. But I love doing it, and I love being around the people," Giles said. "I had a great time here last year and that's why I came back." Bauman estimated between 1,000 and 1,500 people attended the festival between Friday night and early Saturday evening, which is right on par with recent years. Its an impressive turnout for a community that has a population below 2,000 people. "It's sort of ringing in the fall, at the same time summer is closing down so everybody likes to get out," Keremeos Mayor Manfred Bauer said, who took part in blind judging hot chilli at the festival. "I think the Similkameen is well known for having the highest concentration of organic products, not just vegetables like peppers but also with fruit... I think we're becoming more and more a little bit of a hot spot... When I walk around Memorial Park and talk to people, they're really just from all over Canada. Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission A former cast member of the History Channel reality show "Swamp People" is the man who died in a car crash in Iberville Parish early Saturday morning, his family said on social media. Randy Edwards, 35, of Donaldsonville, died after crashing his car into a utility pole around 3 a.m. on LA 75 south of LA 66, State Police said. Impairment is suspected in the crash. Donaldsonville man thrown from vehicle, killed in Iberville Parish crash overnight A Donaldsonville man died after he crashed into a utility pole early Saturday morning and he was thrown from the vehicle when it overturned, L Edwards was featured on the first six seasons of Swamp People with his father, Junior, and his mother, Theresa. Edwards' family confirmed he was the man involved in the crash in a Facebook post Saturday afternoon on Junior and Willie Edwards' fan page, written by a family friend. "It is in deep sadness that I make this post. Junior and Theresa's son (and) Willie's brother, Randy, passed away in a vehicle accident early this morning. Randy was 35," the post says. "Please keep the Edwards family in your prayers and please respect their privacy at this time." Participants cheers as their dorm area is announced as students participate in the Tiger Games on the LSU Parade Grounds Monday August 13, 2018, in Baton Rouge, La. The thought of San Francisco Democrat Nancy Pelosi becoming speaker of the U.S. House should scare all Americans, GOP Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said last week when asked what would happen if the Republicans lost their 23-seat majority in the Nov. 6 election. From Turkey Head Walmsley to Crooked Hillary, running against someone has always been easier than running on issues. For better or worse, interim Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin has become the target in the only statewide race on the November ballot. As the offices top assistant, Ardoin took over after Tom Schedler resigned in May when accused of sexually harassing one of his employees. Six times Ardoin told legislators that he wouldnt run. He changed his mind 10 minutes before candidate sign-in closed. More technocrat than politician, Ardoin questioned the experience levels of the other candidates. Third in the gubernatorial line of succession, a secretary of state attracts little attention. Even with all the handwringing over Russian meddling in elections, debate about the technical aspects of computer security flies over the head of most voters, as do detailed conversations about document storage techniques and ideas for streamlining business incorporations. Unlike the state treasurer, who routinely awards multi-million-dollar contracts, a secretary of state handles little work for the private sector beyond contracting for storage space and purchasing voting machines every couple of decades. Its the effort to replace 10,000 voting machines at cost of about $95 million that has weaponized Ardoins opponents. Candidates: Stall work to replace Louisiana voting machines Candidates vying to be Louisiana secretary of state want to pause the work being done to replace the state's 10,000 voting machines until afte Losing bidder Election Systems and Software said Ardoin mishandled the process. That the changes to specifications being complained about were made by Schedler means little. Ardoin is in charge now, and his opponents blame him, including state Rep. Julie Stokes, R-Kenner, the leading money raiser in the race, and Baton Rouges Renee Fontenot Free, the leading Democratic candidate. The Office of State Procurement in August suspended negotiations until the protest is settled. Louisiana delays voting machine contract talks amid protest Louisiana is delaying contract negotiations with the winning bidder for the state's voting machine replacement work, while it considers a prot If thats the experience level were talking about, then that hasnt turned out so well, Baton Rouge Republican state Rep. Rick Edmonds, one of nine candidates for the post, told a Republican Party of East Baton Rouge Parish luncheon last week. Louisiana elections chief pushes back on voting machine contract protest Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin defended the selection of a vendor to replace Louisiana's years-old voting machines, saying Friday that the eva Few, however, are hearing the anti-Ardoin narrative. All the candidates have reported raising only slightly more money, together, than the winner of last falls state treasurer race spent alone. The first forums scheduled are in early October. And any commercials will remain on Facebook sites until the final weeks of the race. That leaves the Republican candidates working the fried fish circuit of GOP clubs. Democrats have the occasional barbecue, but their frequency pales in comparison to the almost daily luncheons thrown by the likes of the Pelican State Pachyderms, the Livingston Parish Republican Women and other GOP clubs across the state. Former state Sen. A.G. Crowe, R-Pearl River, says he has traveled 10,513 miles over 55 parishes in the past month visiting these events with usually no more than 30 people. These folks are the ones mostly likely to cast ballots and are aware of the issues. But, as Crowe points out, hundreds of thousands of other voters have no clue, and the candidates have little means to inform them. Added to the narrative difficulty is the fact that prior to Schedlers resignation, the offices performance left few people frustrated. A generation ago, rural sheriffs deputies fetched favored voters in squad cars and political clubs were given walking-around money on election day. But lately, only five elections included serious allegations of fraud. One of the handful was the 2014 mayoral election in the Acadiana Village of Turkey Creek, which prompted the ballots loser, Republican Heather Cloud, to run for secretary of state, largely because of what she says was Ardoins obtuseness. When leveling the complaint that her opponent had paid a handful of mentally handicapped voters, Cloud met with Schedler. Ardoin, who sat in, gets star billing in the retelling. She was told Louisiana has no elections fraud problems. The flaw in focusing on the chronic voters is that they make up only about 14 percent of the electorate. The race also includes reelection attempts by the states six U.S. congressmen, only one of whom faces a reasonable challenge. The last time Louisiana staged a congressional contest that didnt have to rely on presidential or senate contests to churn up turnout was in 2006, when Bobby Jindal was elected to a full term in Congress, and only 29 percent of the registered voters participated. That could mean a large cadre of voters go to the polls knowing only that Ardoins name is on the voting machine and at the top of the ballot. Photo: Downtown Penticton Association The Downtown Penticton Association has provided just under $1,500 for programs at the OSNS Child and Youth Development Centre in Penticton. The DPA said the funds were raised from a pancake breakfast held on Canada Day. The association noted volunteers and several businesses provided groceries and materials for the breakfast including Smart Shoppers, IGA, Summerland Sweets Boyd Autobody and Glass and the Penticton Legion. OSNS, a registered charity, helps children with behavioural and developmental challenges, and assisted more than 1,400 young people in 2017. "This donation is one small way of acknowledging the important work that OSNS so quietly performs in our community," DPA executive director Lynn Allin said in a news release. For any family thats been touched by the centres dedicated staff or needed their specialized programs, the value of OSNS is difficult to describe." Meg Dimma, OSNS community engagement coordinator, said the centre is grateful the support from the community. The sponsor's contributions allowed us to keep costs to eat very low, granting wider community access. This aligns with our centres core values of ensuring accessibility and removing service barriers for those in need," Dimma said. More information on OSNS can be found here. Aboriginal startups in Victoria have received a $1.4 million funding injection, with calls to further harness the creativity of indigenous entrepreneurs across the nation. LaunchVic will support indigenous business accelerator Barayamal, the Global Sisters business program, entrepreneurship-focused Project Ngarrimili and RMIT University to help launch a new generation of business owners. Cormach Evans, owner of Strong Brother, Strong Sister. The funding support will help recognise and foster the great ideas forming among Aboriginal communities, says Cormach Evans, founder of youth mentoring business Strong Brother, Strong Sister. "For me, as an Aboriginal business person, I think starting a business is quite tricky," Evans says. A conservative think tank has questioned whether unions should keep their tax-free status given their combined income has risen by 42 per cent to hundreds of billions of dollars in the past 14 years as a result of revenue they get from financial services for members. The Liberal-Party affiliated think tank the Menzies Research Centre recently released a report that found union revenue increased by 42 per cent after inflation over the past 14 years while union membership fell by 41 per cent in the private sector. The report said union finances were increasingly drawn from enterprise bargaining and superannuation and insurance products. Minister for Jobs, Industrial Relations and Women Kelly O'Dwyer. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The think tank will now turn its sights to the amount of tax unions would have paid over the past 10 years if they were treated like companies. Menzies research director John Slater said unions were getting an increasing share of their revenue from commercial sources outside of their paid-up membership. He said the centre would investigate how much tax unions would have paid on commercial revenue including from income protection insurance products, superannuation and training they provide, if they were not exempt as registered organisations. Thinking ahead The ABC has made a formal announcement confirming Charlie Pickering and Annabel Crabb are to host a new weekly panel show for the national broadcaster, Tomorrow Tonight. (Though the more keen-eyed newspaper readers among you would likely have already known, as the first details of the show surfaced in print well before Aunty's press release.) The series will challenge a panel of guests with a hypothetical news event, to explore "what happens next". "The escalating lunacy of domestic and global events in recent years is a sombre reminder to us all that we should be prepared for things to get even weirder," Crabb said. The series will air on the ABC later this year. Moonves walks A turbulent week in American television has closed off with CBS CEO and chairman Leslie Moonves one of the most influential personalities in US television and certainly the most prominent of America's network chiefs - stepping down from his post in the wake of a series of accusations of sexual misconduct. Moonves denied the allegations and, in a statement, said he was saddened to be leaving CBS. "The best part of this journey has been working alongside the dedicated and talented people in this company," he said. "I wish nothing but the best for the organisation." The dramatic about face came as CBS is fending off an unwanted merger with its former corporate sibling Viacom. After yesterday's glorious sunshine, that low of -3 felt a bit mean. Chin up though - we're headed for a high of 16 today and 20 tomorrow, so the warmer weather is coming. I bet you struggled a bit to get out bed this morning. Australian Salaried Medical Officers Association ACT secretary Dr Richard Singer (centre), with Australian Medical Association ACT president Dr Antonio Di Dio (right). Credit:Jamila Toderas This story isn't going away any time soon. Amid fears that an upcoming review of the ACT health system will be held behind closed doors, more doctors have come out in support of a public inquiry. Three doctors' groups now agree nothing short of the territory's equivalent of a royal commission will address the deep-seated problems in the ACT health system. I've got the full story for you here. Liberals move to introduce tougher dog attack laws Tough new laws designed to make dog owners more accountable for attacks will be introduced to the ACT Legislative Assembly by the ACT Opposition this week. The Canberra Liberals' push for tighter laws comes as Domestic Animal Services figures show that 218 dog attacks were reported in the ACT between January and late May this year, with humans the victims in 94 of those cases. Dog attacks are a growing problem in the ACT, with 389 reported in 2016-17, up from just 85 in 2012-13. Loading Deputy Opposition leader Nicole Lawder, who will table the proposed laws on Wednesday, said the proposed legislation aimed to protect pet owners and domestic animals, which often struggled to survive an attack. Taking smartphones away from classrooms will cease smartphone distraction, but there is no guarantee it will lead to Aussie kids achieving better standards. Results will only improve if kids are engaged in learning and this happens when they see the relevance in school learning. This relates to what is taught as well as how it is taught. There is no doubt that smartphones can be distracting. Research shows that on average we pick up our phones every 15 mins. For the most part these are "zombie checks"; the main reasoning behind them is boredom. The more tedious the work the more easily distracted we are, and the more we look to our phone or any other technology for stimulation. Many of us spend our working lives shifting between our device and our real work. Many of us remember school as boring. Could smartphones be the antidote to tedious, irrelevant lessons? We all agree kids should not be scrolling through their Instagram feed while sitting in maths lesson. We want kids to be engaged in learning, achieving good results, and developing the skills they need for the workforce today and tomorrow. Australias dismal 39 out of 41 education ranking suggests this is not happening. Our focus on standardised tests is a stark contrast to the digital world we live in. Rote learning, regurgitation of rudimentary facts, and practicing taking tests are do not lead to skills valued by the current workforce. Young people are well aware of this. What they often do in class is far removed from the lives they lead in 2018 and their foreseeable lives in the future. Rather than a ban on smartphones lets shift the focus to making learning relevant, and interesting to this generation of young people. Key to this is teachers and students having the opportunity to select from the best resources we have available to us today to support learning. Some days this may mean no technology use at all, and smartphones stay in schoolbags. Other days it may mean using smartphones to create and record music, to develop e-books, to create apps, organise group work, to identify and critique a series of art images, to use Instagram to identify how young artists today apply Picassos techniques. France had banned smart phones. Credit:AP While France may declare the success of its smartphone ban, this announcement is premature and does not account for the long-term implications of taking away phones from children. As a first step, imagine the logistical daily nightmare of collecting and handing back phones in a typical high school of 1000 students. How many hours of learning will be lost in a school year because of this. Care and support of young people is an important consideration in this debate. A key finding from my research with teens about their technology use is that when their phone is confiscated as a punishment or on any adult-decided grounds, they strategically become more secretive in their phone use, because they dont want to risk further confiscation. The more this occurs the more obsessive young people become about become about keeping this part of their life discrete and unconnected from adults. "I am pleased to see that the Herald (September 13) also thought it odd that Canberras Mid-winter Ball was held deep into Spring," writes Philip Cooney of Wentworth Falls. "Still, it must be hard to glam up in fleeces and ugg boots." Alan Marel of North Curl Curl is disappointed to see that Column 8 readers are sorely lacking a sense of adventure as "the ironing handkerchief dilemma (C8) arises solely from the mistake of reading the instructions in the first place. Surely its widespread knowledge that this is only done as an absolute last resort and never in the case of anything with no moving parts or an Allen key". A reference on ABC radio to a 'top level summit' amused Mickey Pragnell of Kiama: "As opposed to one halfway up?" Lech Sapula of Warwick Farm was somewhat perplexed to hear a comment from the Minister of Education, Mr Tehan, about grades in schools during question time on Monday: "Without grades, how would we mark a geography student who didn't know that Africa is a country, a nation?" Confirmed by checking Hansard, Lech notes: "When I was in Poland, Africa was a continent, so I was surprised to hear the Australian Minister for Education discover it was a country." Still no word on whether Pat Sheil (C8) is going to contest the upcoming Wentworth byelection but Hugh O'Keefe of Rose Bay remembers an interview during a previous tilt when the interviewer asked him why he was running. Pat's response: "I want to spend less time with my family." He got Hugh's vote. It isnt easy being a child or teenager in our society today. There are more and more pressures on our young people to succeed, to live in the fast lane, to handle adult concepts earlier than they should. Social media, 24/7 modes of communication, more intense pressure and scrutiny from the media, more competitive routes to university and a job, a more judgmental and less soft society: all have had a role to play on the great expectations put on our young people. All of these things also put greater demands on schools. Changes in what we teach and how we teach it impact significantly on teachers. So too do myriad other pressures on being a teacher complex mental health issues for students, and helping families deal with the complexities of life, such as death and major illness, relationship breakdowns, and so on. There are also greater adversarial confrontations with parents, greater accountability and compliance, not all of it constructive and beneficial. SCEGGS Darlinghurst head Jenny Allum. Credit:Tomasz Machnik For some time, the prevailing public narrative by politicians, leading business figures and the media - reflects a deficit-model of thinking of education which I find so troubling. I hear and read that schools and teachers and students are "failing" and are in urgent need of repair and reform. These narratives are based on dubious measures or facts; Australias rankings in international testing regimes, out-dated knowledge of what schools are actually doing, an unrealistic expectation of everything schools could actually deliver, biases, agendas and barrows to push. A child entering kindergarten today will leave school in 13 years and enter into a vastly different world than that of today. It's our job as a society to make sure they are equipped with the skills to thrive and flourish in this world, whatever it brings. We want all our young people to be resilient learners who understand they have to work hard to achieve their goals, knowing that making mistakes, and yet still persisting, is fundamental to the learning process. This academic resilience should be underpinned by appreciating challenge, being comfortable with ambiguity and rejecting superficial thinking. And we want to balance individual academic endeavour with a sense of community, generosity of spirit and consideration of others. Photo: CTV Charges have been laid in connection to the killing of a Belgian tourist near Boston Bar last month. Twenty-eight-year-old Amelie Christelle Sakkalis was found dead on Aug. 22 along the Trans-Canada Highway, just north of the Fraser Canyon community. Authorities said she was hitchhiking from Penticton to Vancouver, and may have received more than one ride. A man had been arrested at the scene but was released because there wasn't sufficient information to lay charges. It's not clear if the person arrested was a suspect. Sean McKenzie has been charged and will appear in Chilliwack court on Wednesday. Details on his charges are not known due to a publication ban put in place. Late Satuday night, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said on Twitter that an announcement will be made Monday morning at 10 a.m. at the B.C. RCMP headquarters regarding the investigation into Sakkalis' death. - with files from CTV Vancouver Non-violent offenders now make-up the majority of Queenslands inmates, a public inquiry by the Productivity Commission has revealed. The review body will hand its report into imprisonment and recidivism to the government next August, making it the eleventh major review of Queenslands criminal justice system in 10 years, with many recommendations still to be implemented from previous inquiries. Latest inquiry will be the eleventh major review of Queenslands criminal justice system in 10 years. Credit:Greg Henderson Photography The Commissions issues paper shows Queensland judges are locking up more non-violent offenders than five years ago, meaning, they now comprise 65 per cent of the prison population. The number of non-violent inmates behind bars in Queensland has doubled since 2012, the paper stated, putting pressure on overcrowded prisons. A man reportedly armed with a knife has been shot dead during a stand-off with police at Ipswich train station, south-west of Brisbane. Acting Superintendent Mel Adams confirmed one man died at the scene, and an Ethical Standards Command investigation was in its early stages. In response to questions about the number of shots fired during the incident, about 4.15pm on Sunday, Superintendent Adams said she was not prepared to go into details as it was too early in the investigation. Its really a tragedy here this Sunday afternoon," she said. The weather has delayed an attempt to recover a fallen climber's body from the bottom of a southern Queensland cliff, according to police. The Rescue 500 helicopter and a Queensland Fire and Emergency Service technical rescue team returned to Mount Barney, about 120 kilometres south-west of Brisbane, on Sunday. Mount Barney, located in the Scenic Rim region. The rescuers were still working on their plan to recover the body at midday and they were expected to try to winch someone down from the helicopter to collect the fallen climber. Police were expected to provide a more detailed update on the situation at 2pm. A woman has been taken to hospital after an alleged assault by an off-duty police officer in Geelong. Police confirmed they are investigating an assault at a licensed premises which involved an off-duty officer. Police are investigating the assault involving the off-duty police officer. The incident took place in the early hours of Saturday morning at a nightclub in Geelong. "Investigators have been told the assault took place inside the premises about 2am," a police spokeswoman said. A magnitude 5.6 earthquake that hit WA's Great Southern region near Walpole on Sunday afternoon, shaking glasses off shelves and moving furniture, could be felt all the way up to the Perth metropolitan area. There were no initial reports of damage, a Department of Fire and Emergency Services spokesman said. The quake struck just before 1pm. Credit:LE RESEAU SISMOLOGIQUE DE NOUVELLE-CALEDONIE The Bureau of Meteorology said the quake's centre was near Lake Muir, north of Walpole, and hit at 12:56pm. There was no threat of a tsunami, the bureau said, but the quake was so strong residents in the South West and Perth reported the tremors. It's the illicit drug one in three have used in their lifetime, but could lighting up a joint soon be legal in Canberra? Labor backbencher Michael Pettersson will introduce a bill that would effectively legalise cannabis for personal use, when the ACT's parliament resumes sitting this week. It's a private members bill, meaning it has not been signed off on by cabinet nor is it official ACT Labor policy. The ACT decriminalised cannabis possession for amounts under 25g in 1992 through a scheme called the Simple Cannabis Offence Notice. The scheme aimed to curb unnecessary involvement with the criminal justice system and reduce the cost of policing cannabis use. The Australian Federal Police can pocket dirty money from bank accounts even when it belongs to people who have committed no crime, the NSW Court of Appeal held last week in two cases. The decisions have consequences for at least a dozen other matters around the country involving a total of $50 million to $100 million dollars, according to one barrister. And a former AFP officer believes they show the need for new laws to protect innocent account holders. Both cases hinged on a tactic known as "cuckoo smurfing", where international crime syndicates hijack legitimate money transfers, swapping their proceeds of crime for clean cash. One target of an AFP seizure attempt was Rommy Fernandez, an Indonesian man living in Australia, who received nearly $500,000 in transfers from his father in 2015 via an Indonesian remittance service. More than 11,000 new railway station car parking spaces have been promised for Melbourne and regional Victoria, in a 20 per cent boost to parking numbers across the state, if the Andrews government is re-elected. The parking expansion would cost $150 million, or about $13,600 per space. Premier Daniel Andrews made the election promise at Dandenong station on Sunday, where 150 of the 11,000 spaces are proposed to be built. More than 11,000 new car parks at railway stations have been pledged. Credit:Justin McManus Other stations that would gain new parking spaces include Cranbourne, Lynbrook and Pakenham. Photo: Google Maps UPDATED: 11:44 a.m. One of the two workers who were extricated from a train that derailed south of Thompson, Man., has died. The Arctic Gateway Group, which recently purchased the Hudson Bay Railway, says in a statement that authorities have confirmed the death, adding that a second employee has sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to hospital. Deputy Chief Selby Brown says the workers were trapped in the train for hours as first responders tried to free them on Saturday evening and into the early hours of Sunday morning. He says the train went off the tracks on a washed-out trestle bridge in a swampy area at about 6:30 p.m. The company says the train had three locomotives and several dozen railcars, some of which were carrying liquefied petroleum. It says that based on information it has received, it believes that none of the railcars has been compromised. The Arctic Gateway Group says police are still notifying the affected families. It says it is cooperating with the emergency services teams on site and will also be conducting a full internal review to determine the cause of the derailment. ORIGINAL: 7:38 a.m. Fire officials say two workers were extricated from a train that derailed south of Thompson, Man., on Saturday evening. Deputy Chief Selby Brown says the workers were trapped in the train for hours as first responders tried to free them. He says one of the people sustained serious injuries in the incident, after the train went off the tracks on a washed-out trestle bridge in a swampy area at about 6:30 p.m. It wasn't until 1:30 a.m. that both workers were freed. Brown says the train was carrying a mix of butane and petroleum gas, and no leaks were reported. London: Two people fell ill on Sunday when eating in a restaurant in Salisbury, the English city where former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned in March, police said. Salisbury Cathedral in Salisbury, England. Credit:AP Police were called to the Prezzo restaurant in the evening in response to a "medical incident" involving a man and a woman, Wiltshire Police, said before clarifying that no Novichok nerve agent was used. "Due to recent events in the city and concerns that the pair had been exposed to an unknown substance, a highly precautionary approach was taken by all emergency services," the Wiltshire Police said in a follow-up statement. Rio de Janeiro: In a Brazilian presidential election marked by uncertainties, there is little doubt about one thing: Evangelical voters will have a major impact. They could tip the balance thanks to their growing numbers, presence in remote areas and poor neighbourhoods and organisational muscle, especially since corporations have been banned from making contributions directly to candidates in the wake of a the country's huge corruption scandal. Attempts to woo evangelicals are apparent on the campaign trail ahead of the October 7 election. In recent weeks, one leading candidate wept while receiving prayers during a service at an evangelical church. Another promised no legislative changes to Brazil's abortion ban. A third held meetings with several of the most influential pastors in Sao Paulo, Brazil's richest and most populist state. Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, presidential candidate for the National Social Liberal Party who was stabbed during a campaign event, exhibit a large, inflatable doll in his image to show support for him, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Credit:AP "The evangelical vote is very organic in that pastors and bishops have a relationship with followers that influences how they vote," said Antonio Lavareda, who has written several books on Brazilian politics. "It's the opposite in the Catholic Church, where, despite having more congregants, priests have less direct influence." ICE Officer. Photo: John Moore/Getty Images On the same day a U.S. Border Patrol agent was arrested for murdering four women and abducting a fifth, an ICE officer was arrested for heinous sex crimes. Blake V. Northway, 55, was arrested on ten charges of sodomy and one charge of incest in Oregon on Saturday. Northway worked as a frontline deportation officer, according to Splinters reporting. Authorities said that the crimes he is charged with do not relate to his job as an ICE agent. Northway has been placed on leave at the agency and is currently being held in jail. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold its officers to the highest standards of professional conduct and does not tolerate those who violate the law, ICEs public affairs officer Tanya Roman said in a statement to Splinter. ICE will continue to cooperate until this case has been resolved. Northways arrest is another controversy this year for immigration agencies. Alongside the suspected serial killer who worked for Border Patrol, agents at both government organizations have been accused of beating and sexually assaulting detained migrants. Photo: CTV Today communities across Canada are hosting their annual Terry Fox Runs to raise money for cancer research. For more than 30 years The Terry Fox Foundation has worked to achieve Terrys vision a world without cancer. Researchers, staff and thousands of volunteers are determined to reach that goal. Terry Fox Runs take place throughout the Okanagan today with the three largest ones being held in Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton. Kelowna's takes place at 10 a.m. at Mission Sportsfield, 940 Lexington Drive. Vernon's takes place at 10 a.m. at Marshall Fields, 6891 Okanagan Landing Road. Penticton's takes place at 10 a.m. at the S.S. Sicamous on Lakeshore Drive. The events are open to everyone of all ages. 2 Dead After Suspected Drug Overdose at Sydney Music Festival MELBOURNETwo people died, a dozen more were hospitalized, and hundreds others sought medical assistance after suspected drug overdoses at a music festival in Sydney, the police said. A 23-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman died on Sept. 15 after collapsing at the Defqon.1 festival, the police said. Two of the 13 hospitalized people remain in critical condition, while about 700 sought assistance on site. The police has charged 10 people with drug supply offences, including two teenagers who allegedly carried 120 capsules to the festival, held at the Sydney International Regatta Center. Im absolutely aghast at what has occurred, I dont want any family to go through the tragedy that some families are waking up to this morning, its just horrible to think about, the premier of the Australian state of New South Wales, Gladys Berejiklian, said. This is an unsafe event and Ill be doing everything I can to make sure it never happens again, she added. In 2013 and 2015, two men in their 20s died while attending the festival, both of suspected drug overdose. The festival, an annual event held in Australia since 2009, has been organized by Q-Dance Australia, part of the Dutch event organizer Q-Dance. On Sept. 16, the organizers said they were deeply saddened by the deaths. We are disappointed at the number of reported drug-related incidents, we have a zero-tolerance policy in relation to drug use at the festival, Defqon.1 said in a statement published by the Sydney Morning Herald. By Lidia Kelly Watch Next: The Dark Origins of Pedophile Rings in the US An alleged Soviet spy operation used children as honey pots in the west, to lure politicians and business leaders into committing crimes so they could be blackmailed A Just Society Requires Virtuous Citizens Commentary I live in a small, faith-based college town. Ave Maria University, Florida, is formally Catholic, and the town is informally but predominantly so. The iconic parish church is at the heart of the town, physically and spiritually. So no one was surprised by the experience of a new undergraduate the other day, just settling in. This new undergraduate reported, on the towns closed Facebook page, that she had been having trouble getting her new credit card set up and could not get it to work at the grocery store. She had been running on cash, of which she was now out, until she obtained a debit gift card. The card did not go through at the grocery store register. The lady behind her in line, whom she did not know, paid for the young womans groceries. The new college student addressed her benefactor on the FB page, telling her how grateful she was. If you let me know who you are, I would love to bring you some of the cookies Im baking from the groceries you bought for me. I prayed for you on my way out of the grocery store. There is no way I could fully thank you for your act of kindness. So thank you. A similar spirit of mutual help and support in Ave Maria received national attention a year ago, when Hurricane Irma hit hard. There were many stories of neighbor helping neighbor (putting up the heavy storm shutters, for example); of townspeople joining together to provide extensive help and food to our neighboring and even harder hit town of Immokalee; and of church and university providing shelter to people who had to flee their homes in face of the oncoming storm and found the public shelters full. I mention this, not in the spirit of local boosterism or to suggest that there are no problems in our community. I make just two points. Social Justice First, we see here the exercise of a virtue, of people coming together to help each other. In our book, Social Justice Isnt What You Think It Is, the late Michael Novak and I used the term social justice in its original sense, to name this virtue, the virtue that inclines individuals to come together for the common good. Practicing the virtue does not depend on the state or require making claims on the state for new programs or public spending, though it does not exclude those things. It is the virtue of civil society, of voluntary association, of democracy. Robert Putnams classic Bowling Alone describes in detail the loss of a rich associational life in the United States. There has been a decline of the civic engagement, of the art of association that Tocqueville saw, in the mid-19th century, as being at the heart of democracy in America. Instead, we have an atomized individualism that places personal consent, in marriage and family as in economic relations, above mutual loyalties and obligations. Paradoxically, such hyper-individualisma view of justice that stresses my claims on the state above my obligations to othersleads to hollowing out of the space between individual and state, a weakening of civil society. The other side of the coin of such individualismthe kind that dismantles the natural relations of families and communities, parents and children, boys and girls, husbands and wivesis the expansion of an ever-more coercive state and its intrusion into every aspect of family, educational, and social life. The bureaucratic replacement of such terms for natural relations as mother and father by such terms as parent 1 and parent 2 is a telling example. Teaching gender ideology to young children in public schools, erasing the differences between girls and boys, and requiring parents and teachers to accept childrens subjective view, of the moment, of their own sex or gender are examples of how deep and far gone is the penetration of the state into family life and civil society. Not-so-Random Acts of Kindness Secondly, these apparently random acts of kindness are not as random as they seem. The injunction to practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty was coined by California writer Anne Herbert and evolved from something she wrote on a placemat in 1982 and published as a book in 1993, and reprinted in several editions since then. It gave voice to a charitable impulse in many people, expressed in groups and events around the world, but apart from organized charitable activities of religious organizations and the states to which they had become tied by funding and bureaucratic rules. But for the faithful of Ave Maria, the impulse was a personal and communal expression of faith, a natural expression of the community. As an exercise of the virtues of charity and social justice, it was expressly religious in motivation but arose outside the routine channels of organized charity in the church and community. We know from a mass of research that such giving of time, treasure, and talent in more and less organized forms is not randomly distributed among communities and nations (see especially the work of Arthur Brooks on this). More broadly, some societies, communities, and neighborhoods make it easier to live well than others. Some things inherent in the structure of a society incline individuals to behave virtuously, to build the norms of reciprocity, trust, and social networks beyond the family that make a thriving civil society possible. The absence or decline of such features makes it harder for humans to flourish as individuals and in communities, economically as well as spiritually. Paul Adams is a professor emeritus of social work at the University of Hawaii and was a professor and associate dean of academic affairs at Case Western Reserve University. He is the co-author of Social Justice Isnt What You Think It Is, and has written extensively on social welfare policy and professional and virtue ethics. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Anfield's Shootaring Canyon Uranium Mill in the middle of the Utah desert on Oct. 27, 2017. Anfield with is in partnership with the Russian firm Uranium One. (George Frey/Getty Images) Americas National Security Is Undermined by Reliance on Foreign Uranium Russia and other foreign nations now control 93 percent of our uranium supply News Analysis Nuclear power generation provides about 11 percent of the worlds electricity from approximately 450 nuclear reactors. The United States is far and away the worlds largest producer of nuclear power, accounting for more than 30 percent of worldwide nuclear generation of electricity. The United States has 99 nuclear reactors, which produced 805 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) in 2017, accounting for approximately 20 percent of our electricity needs and providing approximately 60 percent of our carbon-free electrical generation. France is a distant number two in overall generation of nuclear power at approximately 384 billion kWh. However, France generates over 70 percent of its internal electricity needs from nuclear power. China is number three, generating a bit more 210 billion kWh. Russia is fourth with roughly 180 billion kWh. The United States used to be the worlds leader in the design and construction of nuclear reactors. No longer. The U.S. nuclear industry has been dramatically reshaped by the rise of state-owned competition from Russia, China, and Korea coupled with a dearth of domestic investment. China and Russia are aggressively moving to expand their nuclear industries. Both countries are building and commercializing new reactors for domestic and international markets as they pursue the development of complete fuel cycles. Russia, through its state-owned company, Rosatom, is building seven new reactors domestically and reports to have $133 billion in foreign orders. China has brought more than 20 reactors online and today has 19 additional plants under construction. Nearly two-thirds of the new reactors under construction worldwide are using designs from Chinese and Russian state-owned companies. The outlook for the United States nuclear industry is markedly different. In the last five years, six units that produced 4,100 megawatts of power have closed. Nuclear plant operators have announced the scheduled closure of an additional eight units, which provide another 7,100 megawatts of capacity. Based on current developments, it is expected that the share of nuclear-generated power may fall 3-4 percent over the next decade to around 16-17 percent of the U.S. electricity supply. The United States has also experienced a significant underlying nuclear fuel supply chain erosion in recent years. The ability of the United States to produce our own nuclear fuel has been severely reduced, leaving our nation heavily reliant on foreign sources of supply. Our domestic production capabilities have been severely eroded at each point in the nuclear fuel production cycle. The United States is the largest buyer of uranium globally, however, U.S. produced uranium represents less than 5 percent of the uranium (U308) sold domestically. Uranium is generally found as an oxide. U308, also known as Triuranium octoxide or yellow cake, is the most stable form of uranium oxide and is the form most commonly found in nature. Uranium mining has declined in America by 90 percent since 1980. Recent declines have been equally severe. In 2014, our domestic production amounted to 4.9 million pounds of uranium. In 2017, total domestic production had fallen to 1.2 million poundsa 75 percent reduction. Today, the vast bulk of the uranium used by domestic nuclear reactors comes from foreign sources. In 2017, U.S. civilian nuclear power reactors purchased a total of 43 million pounds of U308 equivalent. Of this total, 40.1 million pounds or 93 percent came from foreign suppliers. Uranium mining production is highly concentrated with 71 percent of 2017 worldwide production coming from just three countries: Kazakhstan (39 percent), Canada (22 percent), and Australia (10 percent). Production and marketing of uranium is dominated by four companies: Kazatomprom (21 percent), Cameco (17 percent), Oranopreviously Areva (13 percent), and Rosatom through its mining division, ARMZ, which now owns former Canadian company Uranium One (13 percent). The United States now imports approximately 40 percent of its uranium directly from Russia and Russian satellites (primarily Kazakhstan). China is also becoming a significant player and has specifically targeted our market. Many of the largest suppliers of uranium, such as Kazatomprom, Rosatom, and the China National Nuclear Corporation, effectively operate as arms of their respective governments. Our ability to convert uranium into uranium hexafluoride, the second step in producing nuclear fuel, is now essentially gone. The United States watched its last remaining uranium conversion facility shut down in November of 2017 when Honeywell announced plans to suspend production at its Metropolis plant. That shutdown could be reversed but it remains unclear when or if that will happen. The third step in nuclear fuel production, enrichment of uranium, is the most technically challenging part of the overall process. Here too, we no longer have domestic capabilities, as the last U.S.-owned enrichment facility closed in 2013. The United States has one foreign-owned enrichment facility, Urenco, located in New Mexico, that produces approximately one-third of our commercial demand through advanced centrifuge technology. Urenco is one-third owned by the United Kingdom, one-third by the Dutch government, and one-third by German utilities. Russia, now the largest producer of enriched uranium, accounted for over 40 percent of our enriched uranium imports in 2017. The final step in the nuclear fuel process is the fabrication of enriched uranium into nuclear fuel rods. Westinghouse, owned by Toshiba and the largest domestic producer of fuel rods, filed for bankruptcy in March 2017. Brookfield Asset Management of Canada recently announced the acquisition of Westinghouse as part of its re-emergence from bankruptcy. The production outlook remains unclear. Nuclear power provides almost 20 percent of our nations electricity and is vital to our electrical system. Nuclear plants run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and produce electricity with unmatched reliability. The loss of our internal fuel production cycle and increased reliance on Russia as a supplier at all levels of our nuclear fuel supply chain should be of material concern. As a prime example, following the issuance of sanctions against 24 Russian businessmen and government officials, Russia recently threatened to halt the export of enriched uranium to the United States. The threat was ultimately not carried out, but the impact on our domestic supply chain would have proven material. On Jan. 16, 2018, Energy Fuels and Ur-Energy jointly submitted a Petition to the U.S. Department of Commerce for Relief Under Section 232. Ur-Energy and Energy Fuels are the two main U.S. uranium producers, together supplying more than half of all U.S. uranium in 2017. Their petition noted many of the same concerns highlighted here: Imports of uranium from state-owned and state-subsidized enterprises in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan now fulfill nearly 40 percent of U.S. demand, while domestic production fulfills less than 5 percent. Increasing levels of nuclear fuel are expected to be imported from Russia and China in the coming years, which will compete directly with U.S. uranium production. In 2017, U.S. uranium production fell to near historic lows due in large part to uranium and nuclear fuel imported from state-subsidized foreign entities; 2018 domestic production is likely to be even lower. Russia and China are both pursuing the use of nuclear-power financing and technology as a means of expanding their overseas presence and influence. At the same time, both countries are actively pursuing control of the global supply chain for nuclear fuel used in power production. Given the strategic importance of our domestic nuclear power industry, a refocus on our nuclear power industry and internal uranium supply chain appears overdue. Jeff Carlson is a CFA Charterholder. He worked for 20 years as an analyst and portfolio manager in the high-yield bond market. He runs the website TheMarketsWork.com Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Before and After a Storm, the Supply Stores Are Critical MIAMIBefore and after a hurricane, Ace is the place. And Home Depot and Lowes. And many other hardware and building supply outlets. Not surprisingly, these companies plan for storms such as Hurricane Florence all year. Much like the Federal Emergency Management Agency, supplies are pre-positioned and trucks loaded and ready to go with everything from batteries to gas cans to tarps to chainsaws. Heres the thing: the government can only do so much. Most people must fend for themselves at some point, and the local hardware or building supply store is where they go. Not everything is available easily online. Try to buy some drywall that way. Its a year-round thing for us, said Margaret Smith, spokeswoman for Atlanta-based Home Depot. When its hurricane season, we are operating 24 hours a day. As Florence bore down on the Southeast coast this week, Ace Hardware manager Tom Roberts watched as an employee finished five of the busiest days they have ever seen in their store in the tiny village of Calabash, North Carolina. They sold hundreds of gas cans and ran out of generators, but still had bottled water, sandbags and other items, Roberts said. Were going to be just as busy with clean up once this thing is gone, he said. Home Depot and Mooresville, North Carolina-based Lowes, the two biggest home supply companies, both activated sophisticated emergency command centers that bring together various divisions to work on everything from shipping logistics to ensuring employees in hurricane zones get back on their feet. They have their own meteorologists on duty and are in contact with government agencies. The key is making sure the right supplies are ready at the right time, said Jennifer Thayer, Lowes vice president for store operations in North and South Carolina. For example, people might need more gas cans and plywood before a hurricane and more wet/dry vacuum cleaners or tarps for damaged roofs after the storm, she said. And wind is one thing, while flooding is another in terms of what customers need. We plan it out pre-storm. And then we start shifting into post-storm, Thayer said. We have the ability to put merchandise strategically in the stores. It depends on the event. Smith said Home Depot has about 1,100 trucks loaded and ready to respond to its stores in the Carolinas and Georgia once Florence passes through. Lowes says on its website it has shipped some 2,700 truckloads of supplies to the area threatened by Florence. Both companies plan to open stores in the storm zone as soon as possible. Our communities count on us in storm prep and then recovery in a very big way, Smith said. Many of these chains can also bring in employees from other regions to substitute for those in storm-stricken areas, giving them time to deal with their own personal home damage or other issues from a storm. Sometimes the local workers can get financial assistance. For example, Smith said Home Depot will often provide grants to help pay for hotels or to fill gaps in insurance coverage for damage to an employees home. Thayer said Lowes has an employee relief fund for such circumstances. People can request funds to help them if they cant afford to get back on their feet, Thayer said. In 2017, Home Depot had revenue of more than $100 billion. Lowes earned about $68 billion. Sales of hurricane-related materials spike before and after storms, but the profit is beside the point, Thayer said. At the end of the day, its about the community, its about the stores, she said. By Curt Anderson Car Slams Into Bus Stop Full of People in Arizona A car crashed into a bus stop full of people in Arizona on Sept. 15. The driver swerved the car into the bus stop in Tuscon around 4:30 p.m. after hopping the curb, leaving one person dead and four others injured, according to local authorities. A Tuscon police office told KGUN that one person died within hours after the crash while two of the other four have life-threatening injuries. The bus stop was located on Alvernon Way near Grant Road in midtown. BREAKING: Multiple people seriously hurt when car crashes into crowded bus stop in #Tucson >> https://t.co/uxwlzElAQT pic.twitter.com/9ricBIp8o6 TucsonNewsNow (@TucsonNewsNow) September 16, 2018 Car crashes into bus stop at Grant and Alvernon>>https://t.co/RSmRYStSSO pic.twitter.com/LntPZGh7Ep TucsonNewsNow (@TucsonNewsNow) September 16, 2018 Cause of Crash The cause of the driver swerving into the stop hasnt been confirmed but Tuscon police officers believe the driver ran a red light while traveling southbound on Alvernon, swerving into northbound lanes to go around cars that were stopped at the light, and rear-ending a vehicle. The collision caused the driver to hop the curb and slam into the bus stop. The deceased, described as an elderly man, was in the vehicle that was rear-ended. One dead, four injured after car crashes into bus stop in midtown Tucson. We're live from the intersection of Alvernon Way & Grant Rd at 10. Here's what we know -> https://t.co/ixGE1Gj9Bq pic.twitter.com/14NpzCk9g2 Melissa Egan Tucson News Now (@_MelissaEgan) September 16, 2018 Five taken to hospital after crash near Grant/Alvernon. Witnesses say vehicle ran into a bus stop. Details here: https://t.co/hqenHRlIhk Nick VinZant (@NickVinZant) September 16, 2018 Driver Injured The driver who was speeding and crashed into the stop was taken to the hospital, reported KVOA. That persons injuries are described as nonlife-threatening. Bystanders told KOLD that a number of people were sitting at the bus stop at the time of the crash and that the top of the stop fell on top of an elderly man. Footage showed the stop collapsed onto the sidewalk, with a number of firefighters, police officers, and other emergency responders on the scene. From NTD.tv Chinese Scientist Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Steal Trade Secrets From Drug Giant GlaxoSmithKline A Chinese national has pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal trade secrets from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to benefit a Chinese drug company he helped start thats backed by Chinese-regime funding. Li Tao, 45, is the second person to plead guilty in a scheme that involves five co-defendants, including his friends Xue Yu and Mei Yan. According to the Justice Department, Xue funneled key documents from GSK to Li and Mei that contained information about biopharmaceutical products that were under development, including research data and manufacturing processes related to those products. Xue usually used email or portable storage devices to transfer the documents. Such products usually cost in excess of $1 billion dollars to research and develop, the Justice Department said. On Jan. 5, 2016, the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) arrested Li and seized his computer, where officials found GSK documents sent by Xue, who was employed at GSK to develop biopharmaceutical products, according to a press release by the U.S. Justice Department on Sept. 14. An Aug. 31 report by the Philadelphia Inquirer indicated that she was a protein biochemist working at a GSK research facility in Pennsylvania. Xue was soon fired by GSK and arrested. She faces up to 10 years imprisonment after pleading guilty to a conspiracy charge on Aug. 31. The lifeblood of companies like GSK is its intellectual property, and when that property is stolen and transferred to a foreign country, it threatens thousands of jobs here in America. Not only is this a serious crime, but it is literally a form of economic warfare against American interests, U.S. Attorney William McSwain said in the statement. Li will be sentenced on Jan. 4, 2019, at a federal court in Philadelphia. He also faces up to a decade in prison. Li, also a scientist, along with Xue and Mei, established a Chinese pharmaceutical company, Renopharma, based in the city of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, that was marketed as specializing in the development of anti-cancer drugs. On Chinese job-recruitment websites, Renopharma was touted as a high-tech biopharmaceutical company established by several PhD scientists who studied in the U.S. and has returned to China. In reality, though, Renopharma was used as a repository of stolen information from GSK, the Justice Department release stated. The UK-based GSK is one of the worlds largest drug companies. Renopharma received financial support and subsidies from the Chinese government. In a 2015 interview conducted by the Chinese regimes mouthpiece, the Peoples Daily, Li Tao boasted that his company received close to 2 million yuan (about $291,000) in funding from the Nanjing municipal government, Jiangsu provincial government, and other authoritiesin addition to free rent for the companys office for two years, and favorable loan conditions from banks. A Pattern of Chinese Espionage This is the latest in a string of cases involving Chinese nationals conducting science and tech-related espionage beneficial to Beijing. The Chinese regime has targeted high-tech sectors spanning from pharmaceuticals to new energy vehicles for aggressive development, part of its industrial plans to become a tech superpower. Since then, cases of economic espionage from Chinese actors have sprung up one after the other. The FBI, in particular, has focused on investigating foreign talent recruitment programs that target nationals working and studying abroad. Chinas Thousand Talent program has been under scrutiny, as it targets science and tech professionalsmany of them ethnic Chinesewith lucrative financial packages to work in China. According to a 2016 BBC Chinese report on the GSK case, in 2013 and 2014, Li was selected for a number of talent and entrepreneur reward programs by Nanjing City and Jiangsu Province authorities, designed to encourage overseas Chinese to develop science and tech firms in China with government funding. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 16) The Bureau of Immigration (BI) denied the request of an Australian nun to extend her missionary visa to the country. In a statement released Sunday, the BI said an order was signed Thursday denying Sister Patricia Fox's petition, citing the deportation order issued in July. "The BI already saw that Sister Fox violated the conditions of her stay and is considered undesirable, hence a deportation order was previously issued against her," said BI Spokesperson Dana Krizia Sandoval. "Our legal team saw that approving the extension of her missionary visa will be inconsistent with the findings cited in her deportation order," she added. Fox's camp has not yet given a response to the BI's decision. Fox was arrested on April 16, for "attending protest rallies and engaging in political activities," said the BI. In a statement released after her arrest, the agency said Fox's participation in the activities "violated the conditions of her stay." She was released a day later. The BI also said, under its agreement with the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines, foreign missionaries were allowed to stay in the country only for 10 years. Fox has been in the Philippines for 27 years. Sandoval said Fox is required to apply for the downgrading of her visa---from missionary to temporary visitor--15 days after receiving the denial order. "Downgrading will revert her status to a temporary visitor's visa, with a 59-day validity, starting from the date of the expiry of her missionary visa," she added. In statement Sunday, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said he did not think the BI's decision was appealable. "Sister Fox's missionary visa has been downgraded to a temporary visitor's visa. I think this is not appealable, because it is purely discretionary on the part of the sovereign state whether to grant a visa or not to an alien, more so if said person is the subject of a deportation order (which is on appeal with the DOJ). The deportation issue is entirely distinct from the renewal of visa issue, as the latter is based on other considerations," he said. In June, the Department of Justice (DOJ) revoked the BI's order canceling her missionary visa, allowing the nun to stay in the country. The DOJ said she could appeal the order. In the same month, Fox's camp petitioned the DOJ to reinstate her missionary visa. India accords highest priority to regional cooperation within the BIMSTEC framework which is consistent with the country's "neighbourhood first and Act East policy", Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said Sunday. Members of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) are in favour of regional cooperation to address security concerns amid the growing menace of terrorism across the globe, he said. A week-long military field training exercise for seven member nations of BIMSTEC was held in Maharashtra's Pune district. Contingents of India, Srilanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan took part in the exercise while Nepal and Thailand skipped it and sent their observers instead. Bhamre was attending the concluding ceremony of the BIMSTEC multinational military exercise (MILEX) here. Addressing contingents of the participating countries, he said India accords highest priority to regional cooperation within the BIMSTEC framework, consistent with the country's "neighbourhood first and Act East policy". "Our leaders agreed to intensify the regional cooperation in key sectors of security, counter-terrorism, disaster management, connectivity and trade, agriculture and poverty elevation and people-to-people contact," he said. The Act East policy is an effort by India to boost its influence through economic and strategic linkages with the neighbouring Southeast Asian sub-region. It was originally conceived as an economic initiative, but has gained political, strategic and cultural dimensions including establishment of institutional mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation. Noting that terrorism has shown its presence in every corner the world, Bhamre said BIMSTEC forum is aware of the ill-effects of this menace. "MILEX 18 was a useful forum which provided the opportunity to discuss the issue from a military point of view with an endeavour to create synergy, better understanding and evolve as an institutionalised multi-lateral forum for regional cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism operations," he said. Calling the exercise as a significant event, Bhamre said that with such activities, BIMSTEC has evolved as an effective multi-lateral forum. "This reflects the growing desire among members for regional cooperation to address shared security concerns," he said. Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat was also present on the occasion. -PTI Contemporary Realism by 3 Scandinavian Masters The summer exhibition 'It's About Us' at the Krapperup Art Gallery KRAPPERUP, SwedenRealism and figurative art runs like a common thread through the art of painting, going back to masters like Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Velazquez, Caravaggio, Goya, and Zorneven all the way back to the cave paintings of our ancestors, tens of thousands of years ago. This summer, two of Scandinavias finest oil painters were featured in an exhibition in Krapperup, Sweden, alongside a classical sculptor, on the theme Its about us. The three artists all work with figurative narratives, yet the works of painters Nick Alm and Odd Nerdrum, and sculptor Maud Lewenhaupt du Jeu tell different stories about the human condition. Nick Alm The paintings of Swedish artist Nick Alm bring the internationally renowned Swedish painter Anders Zorn (18601920) to mind as a natural reference. Alm has the same clarity in his representations and seems similarly unconstrained by his medium. One of Alms paintings at the exhibition is a large watercolor of a young woman in front of an oak tree in a damp, snowy winter landscape. How Alm has managed to produce the deepest black in the womans coat may seem beyond comprehension for the medium of watercolor. He simply says that he put a whole lot of paint in there. Most people work with lighter values in watercolors, Alm says. But I want to get the whole value scale into the watercolor, so that creates more of an oil painting feel, with more punch. Alm had an international breakthrough in 2013, when his painting Two Lovers won in the figurative painting category at the international Art Renewal Center salon. This particular painting was featured in reproduction at the Krapperup exhibition, alongside several other previous works. Alm is otherwise perhaps best known for his dreamlike bacchanals, featuring beautiful, young people around tables with white cloths. Their drunken antics may seem crude and shallow, but there is a deep gravity just below the surface. In a note describing Alms work in the exhibitions catalog, fellow artist Odd Nerdrum suggests these scenes may depict a kind of purgatory, where all souls awake to reality. From that perspective, Nick Alms cinematic narrations can be seen as a kind of modern-day history painting, that most prestigious of painting genres, depicting a moment in a narrative story. Crafting a harmonic single image out of a dozen people interacting with each other is a daunting task, but Alm makes it look easy. In the painting Cafe Scene, a central piece at the Krapperup exhibition, the light falls on a happy young lady at the back of the room. She raises her glass in a toast, seemingly unperturbed by the fact that a man is carrying her off across his shoulder through the crowd of solemn, withdrawn people. Some of them give her a casual over-the-shoulder glance, but apart from that, only you, the viewer, appear to pay her any attention. There seems to be a disparity between the lady making the toast and the rest of the guests as to what is actually going on in the room. The painting is filled with exquisite details. The viewers eye moves in a spiral motion from the lady being carried off, down across the face of a centrally placed figure, to the bare shoulder of the woman in blue, and to the light that falls on the coffee cup on the table. The woman in blue is holding a wineglass. Alm is a master of depicting hands and of hands holding glasses: the hand that holds the glass on the front right, in the dim light; the woman drinking her wine just above. At the far left is a man with a comb-over, just about to have a sip of red wine. Just like the rest of the figures at the back, he is slightly dissolved into the rough, gray background. Initially, these figures were going to be even more dissolved, Alm says, but he changed his mind several times during the work. This particular painting was quite a long-winded process, he says. I made three different figures of that one, he says, indicating the aforementioned man sipping wine. At first, he was looking at [the lady making the toast]. In the final version, he comes across as possibly the most aloof of all the guests. Alm finds inspiration in the works of other artists, movies, or books, but his themes often come to him when hes simply walking around. He might see a particular cast of light or an event that catches his eye, or an arm being put around someone in a certain way. His modus operandi is intuitive: Usually, you make a little doodle, and suddenly theres an abstract form, he says. That makes you think, Oh, thats a good place for two people interacting. And then it just builds from there; you dont know how it happened. About the origin of the cafe scene, he says: This one is completely made up. Its from my own imagination. I used one model at a time. There was never even a table. Its all made up. The somewhat uneasy atmosphere in the cafe painting is nowhere to be found in the painting hanging next to it. The sun is shining on a girls face, through the window. She is lying on a bed, fully dressed, with her arms above her head, a half figure. Alm works a lot with contrastslight and darkness, warm and cold colorsto make his pictures lively and dynamic. The way they are cropped also creates tension. One example is Hall 8, a Caravaggio-esque chiaroscuro, in which the main action seems to be unfolding just outside of the frame. The fact that we dont know what is happeningAre there more people in the room? Are they having a conversation? Are they watching television?intensifies our experience of the mood of the man in the doorway. A similar tension can be found in Hall 9, where a girl in a chilly foreground is facing out of the picture, while the viewers eye is drawn to the window at the far end, where a warm and quiet scene is unfolding. Nick Alm is trained at the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy, and Molndal, Sweden. But he was also taught privately by Odd Nerdrum. The prominent Norwegian painter has been an important influence. Odd Nerdrum Nerdrum paints large canvases; the largest at the exhibition is over 11 feet by 6 feet. His characters exist in a parallel universe, outside of time. Alm says that Nerdrum takes elements out of reality and creates a fantasy world of his own. He plays around with objects, colors, and shapes in a completely different way [than artists focused on realism], he says. At the opening of the exhibition, Nerdrum was represented by his son Ode, who talked about how people have lost their religion. The role of religion in society used to be to appeal to peoples morality; without it, people are left to their own devices. Artists used to look for subjects in the Bible, or in myths, but few are using these sources today. Odd Nerdrums themes are religious, Ode Nerdrum says, but not biblical. The artist is creating his own myths, depicting mans vulnerabilities. The human figures populating Odd Nerdrums desolate landscapes seem abandonedto war, exile, and uncertainty. Nerdrum works in a limited palette: black, white, red, and yellow, the so-called Apelles palette used by artists like Rembrandt and Zorn. After half a century as an artist, he has developed a masterful technique and has become the face of traditional oil painting in the Nordic countries. Maud Lewenhaupt du Jeu The third artist featured at the exhibition was Maud Lewenhaupt du Jeu, whose small bronze sculptures are intimate in both size and subject. They are all roughly 10 inches high. Lewenhaupt du Jeu is at her best when she lets her figures interact. The solo pieces are beautifully crafted as well, but the interacting couples are irresistible. The viewer is drawn into a warm bubble with a child and his dog, or a mother and her child, and the background noise seems to fade away; her sculptures have a harmonizing effect on the room. Lewenhaupt du Jeu is mostly interested in relations. She depicts scenes from memory. A sculpture must be complete in your head before you start, she says, which makes memory very important. I draw from models a lot, she says. Thats my yoga, my workout; I do it every week. What remains in my head is what moves me, plain and simple, and thats what will eventually become a sculpture. If it doesnt move me, it wont become a sculpture. That is my only criteria. I want to bring out the tenderness. Or in this case, the calm, she adds, indicating a nude female figure. There are several sculptures of a young boy with a dog in different constellations. He is the artists grandson. There is such confidence there. He loved that dog as a child. Thats what I want to bring out, she says. Hurricane Florence Prompts Mandatory Evacuations in Fayetteville, NC Area Hurricane Florence has prompted a mandatory evacuation order for anyone living within one mile of two rivers, the Cape Fear River and the Little River, in the Fayetteville, North Carolina area on Sept. 15. Florence, which remained a hurricane for around half a day after making landfall on Sept. 14, but is now a tropical storm, has deluged the Carolinas with rainfall, storm surges, and high winds. Officials announcing the mandatory evacuations in a press conference in the early afternoon aimed at people who would ignore them, telling them the threat was serious. Officials said the storm can still be devastating despite being downgraded to a tropical storm, noting how some areas of the state have received around two feet of water. This is For Real This is for real, Mayor Mitch Colvin said during the press conference. We are seriously concerned with the flooding. Please do not become complacent. Please do not become comfortable. Officials said people across Cumberland County are in danger of losing their lives. Cape Fear could crest around 62 feet, officials said, which would be higher than the 58 feet seen during Hurricane Matthew. New Evacuation Orders are in place. Go to https://t.co/Yx3twhyOqj to see if you are in an area with a mandatory or volunteer evacuation. If you decide to leave your home, be sure to check https://t.co/0PMxxOuueW before you leave to ensure your route is clear. #FlorenceNC pic.twitter.com/XzXPUP2gWs NC Emergency Managem (@NCEmergency) September 15, 2018 Whoa. The Cape Fear River at Fayetteville is expected to climb to 62.4 feet. Flood stage is 35 feet Flooding remains a HUGE threat in the days ahead-especially to our communites along rivers. #wral pic.twitter.com/kfQCwP10qJ Aimee Wilmoth (@WRALAimee) September 14, 2018 Everyone in the mandatory evacuation zone, an estimated 2,800 households, according to WCNC, was ordered to leave by 3 p.m. EST. Flooding was expected to start on Saturday night. Those who ignore the order could be on their own, officials said, reported the Charlotte Observer; rescue crews may not be sent into flooded areas that were under the order. Cumberland Countys shelters were around half full, with a total capacity of around 1,225 people. Death Count Hits Eight The Marines, the Coast Guard, civilian crews, and volunteers used helicopters, boats, and heavy-duty vehicles on Sept. 15, to rescue scores of people trapped by Florences shoreline onslaught, even as North Carolina braced for what could be the next stage of the disaster: widespread, catastrophic flooding inland. The death toll from the hurricane-turned-tropical storm climbed to eight. A day after blowing ashore with 90 mph winds, Florence practically parked itself over land all day long and poured on the rain. With rivers rising toward record levels, thousands of people were ordered evacuated for fear the next few days could bring the most destructive round of flooding in North Carolina history. More than two feet of rain had fallen in places, and the drenching went on and on, with forecasters saying there could be an additional 1 feet by the end of the weekend. I cannot overstate it: Floodwaters are rising, and if you arent watching for them you are risking your life, Gov. Roy Cooper said. As of 5 p.m. EDT, Florence was centered about 60 miles west of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, inching west at 2 miles per hournot even as fast as a person walking. In its initial onslaught along the coast, Florence buckled buildings, deluged entire communities and knocked out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses. But the storm was shaping up as a two-part disaster, with the second, delayed stage triggered by rainwater working its way into rivers and streams. The flash flooding could devastate communities and endanger dams, roads, and bridges. The Associated Press contributed to this report From NTD.tv Kerrys Meetings with Iran Send Wrong Message, Former Sen. Lieberman Says One-time vice presidential candidate and former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman said on Sept. 16 that it was a mistake for former Secretary of State John Kerry to meet with Irans foreign minister about the Iran nuclear deal. Kerry told radio host Hugh Hewitt in an interview on Sept. 12 that hes met with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif three or four times in places like Norway and Germany since he left office in 2016. America has only one secretary of state at a given time, one president, and they have a right, as a result of their election, to conduct our foreign policy, Lieberman, a Democrat-turned-independent who represented Connecticut in the Senate, told Foxs Sunday Morning Futures host Maria Bartiromo. Weve got Iran on the ropes now, and a meeting between John Kerry and the Iranian foreign minister really sends a message to them that somebody in America whos important may be trying to revive them, and let them wait and be stronger against what the administration is trying to do. The Trump administration decided in May to pull out of the Iran deal, which had given Iran relief from sanctions, in exchange for making changes to its uranium enrichment program to deter it from developing nuclear weapons. Trump said the deal was ineffective in preventing Iran from building up a nuclear arsenal, pointing to certain restrictions in it that were set to expire after several years, weak inspections of the states facilities, and several breaches in the agreement by Iran. Kerry, who helped broker that deal, denied that he was giving advice to the Iranians on how to deal with the Trump administrations rejection of it, saying that he was instead talking to Zarif about the dynamics in the Middle East. His shadow diplomacy was first reported in the United States by The Boston Globe, which cited an anonymous source with knowledge of Kerrys meetings, as saying he had met twice with Zarif at the United Nations since leaving office. Their conversations, according to the source, revolved around preserving the Iran deal. Zarif has said as much to the Iranian press. Kerry is working with some of his former advisers at the State Department to influence public opinion on the deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The group, called Diplomacy Works, says on its website it provides information and analysis that empowers policymakers and stakeholders to make the case for upholding the JCPOA as a model of effective foreign policy with diplomacy. Instead of trying to rally Democrats to the cause, they are working on foreign leaders because they are more likely to get Trumps attention, according to one of the members. Maybe Macron, Merkel, and Great Britain can persuade the administration, but if they cant theyll be even more essential to protecting the deal absent the United States. We know these voices are powerful. They have an audience with the president and our allies are popular at home, David Wade, a longtime Kerry adviser and adviser to Diplomacy Works, told The Globe. Pompeo Slams Kerry Over Meetings When asked about his predecessors meetings with Iran, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he wouldnt comment on the legality of what Kerry was doing, but called his meetings unseemly and unprecedented. This is a former secretary of state engaged with the worlds largest state sponsor of terror, and according to him He was telling them to wait out this administration, Pompeo told reporters on Sept. 14. Its inconsistent with what foreign policy of the United States is, as directed by this president, and it is beyond inappropriate for him to be engaged in this. He said he saw Kerry at the Munich Security Conference in February with his troika, including former Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and lead Iran-deal negotiator, Wendy Sherman, and said he believed they met with their troika counterparts at the conference. I wasnt in the meeting, but I am reasonably confident that he was not there in support of U.S. policy with respect to the Islamic Republic of Iran, who this week fired Katyusha rockets toward the United States embassy in Baghdad and took action against our consulate in Basra, [Iraq], Pompeo said. The day before Pompeos remarks, President Donald Trump accused Kerry of having illegal meetings with the Iranian regime and suggested he should be registered with the U.S. government as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). John Kerry had illegal meetings with the very hostile Iranian Regime, which can only serve to undercut our great work to the detriment of the American people. He told them to wait out the Trump Administration! Was he registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act? BAD! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 14, 2018 Lieberman, who doesnt support the Iran deal, said he wasnt sure if what Kerry was doing was illegal, but said he does find it very concerning. The only way I would say he should meet with any world leader today is if he was authorized by the current administration, and I would have said that if Condi Rice wanted to meet with somebody when Barack Obama was president, he said. Man Charged With Killing 2 Arizona Girls Who Went Missing TUCSONA registered sex offender jailed since last year has been charged in the kidnapping and killing of two Arizona girls who went missing in 2012 and 2014, authorities announced on Sept. 15. Christopher Matthew Clements, 36, was indicted on Sept. 14 by a grand jury on 21 criminal counts, including murder and kidnapping charges in the deaths of 6-year-old Isabel Celis and 13-year-old Maribel Gonzalez, Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus said. Celis went missing from her Tucson home in April 2012, and her body was discovered in what was described as a rural area in March 2017. Gonzalez body was discovered in June 2014 in the Avra Valley community near Tucson, not far from where Celis remains would be found three years later. Magnus and other officials held a news conference to announce the indictment. But they declined to answer questions from reporters and did not disclose how the girls died or what prompted authorities to investigate Clements in the killings, except to say that the FBI in 2017 learned Clements might have information about the death of Celis. He then provided information to authorities that led to the discovery of Celis remains, Magnus said. Investigators later discovered additional pieces of evidence, but they did not describe on Sept. 15 what they had found. Clements had already been in a Phoenix-area jail for more than a year facing other charges when the indictment was issued. Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall called the identification of Clements as the killer of the girls long overdue. The heart-wrenching tragedies of Maribel Gonzalez and Isabel Celis murders have been compounded by a very long, long wait for justice, she said. Celis father reported the girl missing on the morning of April 21, 2012, after he went to her bedroom and she was not there. Police previously did not name suspects, but they said they found suspicious circumstances around a possible entry point into the home. A medical examiner last year ruled Isabel Celis death as homicide by unspecified means. A heavily redacted autopsy report did not indicate how she died. Gonzalez went missing on her way to a friends house. Her body was found days later. Clements made his first court appearance on the morning of Sept. 15. He does not yet have an attorney but will be assigned one at a Sept. 24 arraignment. Clements was being held on a $2 million bond, Tucson Police Sgt. Pete Dugan said. Clements was jailed in April 2017 on suspicion of burglary, theft and fraudulent schemes, Maricopa County Sheriffs Sgt. Bryant Vanegas said on Sept. 15. Vanegas did not have information about when Clements might be transferred to southern Arizona to face charges in the case of the girls killings. The indictment made public on Sept. 15 did not provide any details about how the girls were killed or what evidence linked Clements to the killings. It said he was also charged with burglary, theft and possession or distribution of child pornography in other cases dating from 2012 through 2016. Clements was charged and convicted in Oregon in 1998 of sex-related crimes and was required to register as a sex offender. He was charged and convicted in 2006 in Bay City, Florida, for failing to register, according to Florida law enforcement records. He was also charged in 2008 in Tucson with failing to register as a sex offender. He was convicted and sentenced to serve 46 months in prison and five years of supervised release The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that sentence in 2011, finding that the federal law requiring him to register as a sex offender within three days of moving to a new home was passed after his 1998 conviction and therefore did not apply to his crime. Ulf Kristersson (L), leader of the Moderate Party in Sweden, speaks at a press conference at the Swedish Parliament on Sept. 12, 2018, following the Sept. 9 general election. (Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images) Parliamentary Deadlock Persists in Sweden News Analysis STOCKHOLMFollowing the elections on Sept. 9, Sweden has entered a period of great uncertainty, as its parliamentary situation seems hopelessly deadlocked. Although the final result isnt in yet, no significant changes are expected. There are currently three blocks in the Riksdagthe Swedish Parliamentnone of which hold the necessary majority to rule effectively, and the likelihood of a breakthrough seems dim. The first block, at 144 seats, is the LeftGreen, consisting of the Social Democrats (100) and their junior partner in government for the past four years, the Green Party (16), as well as the former Communist Left Party (28), which hasnt been part of the cabinet but typically supports the Social Democrats. The second block is the ConservativeNeo-liberal Alliance, at 143, consisting of the Moderate party (70), the Centre party (31), the Liberal party (20), and the Christian Democrats (22). The third block is just a single partythe nationalist/conservative and populist Sweden Democrats, at 62, which all other parties refuse to cooperate with, or even enter into talks with. Although it has now entered the mainstream and is the third-largest party in Parliament, all other parties write it off as racist and xenophobic. Its loyalists, however, argue that Sweden Democrats are the only genuine opposition in Swedish politics. The traditional divide in postwar Swedish politics has been between the dominant Social Democrats, who have ruled for most of that period, and a collection of non-socialist parties. Although there have been a few attempts at non-socialist coalition governments over the decades, the great watershed moment happened in the early 2000s, when the four conservative/neo-liberal parties in Parliament formed the Alliance, a united alternative to the near-hegemony of the Social Democrats. The Alliance came to power in 2006 and won again in 2010, but ran out of steam in 2014 and was replaced by a Social DemocratGreen Party minority administration. But, by then, the Sweden Democrats had entered the picture in full force. The main reason behind their rise is considered to be the growing popular discontent with Swedish migration policy, as well as a rise in violent crime, segregation, and a decline in services such as health care. Since 2014, the Sweden Democrats have been able to tip the balance in Parliament toward either the minority administration or the minority opposition; This is the background to the current political deadlock. Initially, this led to a breakdown in 2014, as the Left-Green government couldnt get their budget billwhich is considered the mark of a functioning governmentthrough Parliament. A much-criticized deal was then struck between the Alliance and the LeftGreen government to allow for the largest minority to rule, thus shutting out the Sweden Democrats. The Sweden Democrats have said that they will vote against any administration that wont negotiate with them, and all other parties have repeatedly sworn never to negotiate with the Sweden Democrats. So far, all Alliance parties have rejected supporting another Left-Green administration, and the Social Democrats have rejected supporting an Alliance administration. This means that forming a government may be impossible. Ideas of a Social DemocratGreenLiberalCentre option and a ModerateChristian DemocratSweden Democrat option have been floated, but both seem highly unlikely at present. So far, none of the two major blocks have blinked, which means it will be left up to the Speaker. In the coming weeks, he will conduct talks with all parties in order to find the most credible option, and try to get Parliaments approval for it. A proposed government need not have a majority of yes votes, just not a majority of no votes against it, as abstentions are possible. If four such rounds fail to produce a government thats approved by parliament, snap elections will be called. Rare 5.3 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Western Australia A 5.3 magnitude earthquake hit south-west Western Australia at 12:56 p.m. local time on Sept. 16, according to Geoscience Australia. The earthquake occurred near Lake Muir which lies around 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of the states capital city of Perth. The epicenter of the quake was around 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) below the surface. A 5.6 magnitude earthquake centred near Lake Muir (north of Walpole) WA occurred at about 1.05pm WST Sunday. Our local forecasters in our local forecasting office building swayed here in West Perth for a few minutes quite disconcerting. Bureau of Meteorology, Western Australia (@BOM_WA) September 16, 2018 Staff at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology office in West Perth reported on Twitter that their forecasting offices were swaying for a few minutes from the uncommonly strong quake, commenting that it was quite disconcerting. Lisa from Walpole, just south of Lake Muir, who did not want to provide her last name told Fairfax that locals had experienced a couple of tremors over the last few days, but this was much bigger. Senior Geoscience Australia seismologist Phil Cummins told the ABC that the quake was the second to hit the region this week. It occurred roughly between Walpole and Kojonup on the south coast, it was felt all the way from Albany up to Perth, he told the ABC. It is quite a large earthquake, it is large enough to cause damage but its unlikely to have done so because it occurred in a relatively remote area. About a week ago there was one offshore from Albany which was felt in that same area, [but] it was much smaller. Cummins said that large earthquakes like the one felt are relatively rare in Western Australia. You would expect to get a 5.6 (magnitude) maybe once every couple of years throughout Australia, he told the ABC. According to the Australian Geographic, despite being in the center of a tectonic plate, Australia still experiences an average of one small earthquake a day. This is the result of the build up of pressure within the Indo-Australian plate, on which Australia sits, from its being pushed around by the Pacific plate in the east and the Eurasian plate to the north, the Geographic explains. From NTD.tv Watch Next: Why did the US Leave the UN Human Rights Council We are withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council, an organization that is not worthy of its name. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) questions witnesses during a House Judiciary Committee hearing concerning the oversight of the U.S. refugee admissions program, on Capitol Hill, in Washington on Oct. 26, 2017. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) DOJ, House Target Injunction Abuse by Federal Judges U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and lawmakers are targeting the growing problem of unelected federal judges taking it upon themselves to veto presidential actions by issuing nationwide injunctions that reach far beyond the confines of a particular case. Sessions has released a new directive to federal prosecutors asking them to try to curb these so-called non-party injunctions that allow judges to function as lawmakers. At the same time, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) is promoting the proposed Injunctive Authority Clarification Act of 2018, in an effort to restore the traditional understanding that a federal courts injunctive power extends only to the protection of the parties before it. Goodlattes committee approved the reform bill last week. Conservatives have long complained that left-leaning judges use their powers to advance left-wing policies after Democrats lose at the ballot box. Thus, Democratic Party policies still end up getting enacted even when they are rejected by the voters. Nationwide injunctions issued by politicized judges are especially problematic because they allow one judge to bring federal government operations to a halt. In recent years, appointed federal judges have usurped the role of the legislative branch, becoming policymakers instead of arbiters of the law, critics say. Judges have issued sweeping nationwidesometimes called universalinjunctions forcing President Donald Trumps hand on so-called sanctuary cities and on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that President Barack Obama created by executive action. Judges have made it difficult for Trump to crack down on sanctuary jurisdictions that provide a haven for illegal aliens and have ordered Trump not to shut down the DACA program even though it was never authorized by Congress. Contrary to Law Judicial activism itself is nothing new, but the issuance of injunctions that block the entire federal government from enforcing a law or policy throughout the country is, Sessions said in a statement. This kind of judicial activism did not happen a single time in our first 175 years as a nation, but it has become common in recent years, Sessions said. It has happened to the Trump administration 25 times in less than two years. This trend must stop. We have a government to run. Sessions continued: The Constitution does not grant to a single district judge the power to veto executive branch actions with respect to parties not before the court. Nor does it provide the judiciary with authority to conduct oversight of or review policy of the executive branch. These abuses of judicial power are contrary to law, and with these new guidelines, this Department is going to continue to fight them. The new memorandum, addressed to Department of Justice attorneys, makes it clear the agency opposes nationwide injunctions and directs staff lawyers to take opportunities as appropriate to reaffirm the constitutional and prudential limitations on the remedial authority available to judges. Litigators should argue, the document states, that nationwide injunctions exceed constitutional limits on judges power and depart from longstanding equitable-relief norms. These injunctions also impede reasoned discussion of legal issues among the lower courts, undermine legal rules meant to ensure orderly resolution of disputed issues, and interfere with judgments proper to the other branches of government. Federal judges have been particularly aggressive in issuing nationwide injunctions against Trumps so-called travel bans. Judges blocked enforcement of the presidents executive orders preventing visits from residents of terrorism-prone nations, which for the most part were Muslim-majority countries. Even though most Muslim-majority nations were excluded from the ban, critics claimed Trump was motivated by so-called Islamophobia, and judges have openly accused Trump of anti-Muslim bias. But on Dec. 4, 2017, the Supreme Court reinforced the traditional understanding of the presidents discretion to unilaterally make decisions about who gets to enter the United States. In a 72 vote, the high court lifted two lower court stays hindering enforcement of Presidential Proclamation 9645, which critics of Trump claimed was a Muslim ban. The proclamation applies to specified categories of nationals from Muslim-majority Syria, Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen. It also applies to North Korean and Venezuelan nationals. This a substantial victory for the safety and security of the American people, Sessions said at the time. Needless Barriers Meanwhile, the House Judiciary Committee approved Goodlattes legislation, H.R.6730, on a vote of 14 to 6 on Sept. 13. The operative part of the bill that takes away federal judges ability to issue nationwide injunctions, is brief. It states simply: No court of the United States (and no district court of the Virgin Islands, Guam, or the Northern Mariana Islands) shall issue an order that purports to restrain the enforcement against a non-party of any statute, regulation, order, or similar authority, unless the non-party is represented by a party acting in a representative capacity pursuant to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The ranking Democrat on the committee, Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, criticized the measure, saying it ought to be named the Injunctive Authority Uncertainty Act because this bill would inject confusion and needless barriers to relief into the legal system. Nationwide injunctions are sometimes imperfect but they are an often essential, equitable remedy in the federal courts when the federal government violates the Constitution or breaks the law on a national scale, Nadler said. The courts should certainly exercise caution and care when determining the proper scope of an injunction. But to prohibit nationwide injunctions in every circumstance, as this bill would do, is a gross overreaction to whatever perceived flaws this legal remedy may have. Goodlatte said his bill is absolutely necessary. No statute or procedural rule permits courts to issue national injunctions, he said. In fact, the traditional view of the law was that courts had no authority to issue them. In 1923, he noted, the Supreme Court decided in Frothingham v. Mellon not to approve a national injunction, because a courts power is limited to declaring the law applicable to the controversy. To go beyond that would be not to decide a judicial controversy, but to assume a position of authority over the governmental acts of another and co-equal department, an authority which plainly we do not possess, the high court stated. This view came under attack in the 1960s, but still, national injunctions remained rare until 2015, when conservative attorneys general used them to block major Obama administration policy actions on labor, immigration, and other issues, Goodlatte said. Now, with the tables turned, the Trump administration has faced over 22 such injunctions. This new reform legislation arrests a disturbing trend of judicial overreach that has frustrated administrations of both parties. The Google logo at the Smart China Expo at Chongqing International Expo Center in Chongqing, China, on Aug. 23, 2018. (STR/AFP/Getty Images) Senior Google Scientist Quits Over Plans for Censored China Web Search A senior researcher has quit his job at Google in protest over the companys leaked plans to create a censored web search app for China, codenamed Dragonfly. Jack Poulson, 32, who worked for the research and machine-intelligence department, left Google on Aug. 31 after discussing his concerns with his bosses for several weeks. He felt that resigning was his ethical responsibility to protest the forfeiture of our public human-rights commitments, he told The Intercept. The Chinese communist regime runs the worlds most sophisticated system of internet censorship and requires foreign companies to censor topics it deems sensitive, such as democracy, human rights, and persecution of groups like Tibetans, Falun Gong practitioners, human rights activists, and others. Companies are also forced to share their data stored in China with the regime. Due to my conviction that dissent is fundamental to functioning democracies, I am forced to resign, in order to avoid contributing to, or profiting from, the erosion of protection for dissidents, Poulson wrote in his resignation letter. Past Censorship Google ran a censored version of its search engine in China from 2006 to 2010, when the company backed out. Its stated reason for exiting was a cyber attack originating from China that targeted Google email accounts of dozens of Chinese human-rights activists. Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who was born in Soviet Russia, said in 2010 he saw some earmarks of totalitarianism in China, which was personally quite troubling to him, The Wall Street Journal reported. The newspaper cited people familiar with the discussions as saying that then-Chief Executive Eric Schmidt and others advocated staying in China. China has been listed for decades by watchdogs as one of the worst abusers of human rights. Among other atrocities, the regime has killed hundreds of thousands of prisoners of conscience to sell their organs for transplants, based on an extensive body of research produced since allegations of the crime first surfaced in 2006. Poulson joined Google in May 2016 and worked on international query analysis, which aims to improve the accuracy of Google search systems. He said he joined viewing Googles withdrawal from China and Brins comments of support for individual liberties as a statement of principle. If Google is betraying such principles, he doesnt want to be complicit as a shareholder and citizen of the company, he said. While Google was applauded by human-rights advocates for its 2010 action, it might have withdrawn for economic reasons. The company struggled to make inroads in the Chinese market, where the regime supports home-grown companies with top cadre connections at the expense of competitors. Poulson warned that if Google chooses to cave to Chinese censors again, it may embolden other regimes to push their demands, too. I view our intent to capitulate to censorship and surveillance demands in exchange for access to the Chinese market as a forfeiture of our values and governmental negotiating position across the globe, Poulson wrote. There is an all-too-real possibility that other nations will attempt to leverage our actions in China in order to demand our compliance with their security demands. Google Response Google reportedly tried to keep its China plans secret to all but a few hundred of its 88,000 employees. Once the info leaked, more than 1,400 employees signed a letter demanding an investigation of urgent moral and ethical issues raised by the project. Still, Google has declined to confirm the Dragonfly project, despite multiple media reports confirming its existence through unidentified sources. Sixteen members of Congress, including Democrats and Republicans, said in a letter to Google they have serious concerns about the project. The letter asked if Google would take steps to ensure that individual Chinese citizens or foreigners living in China, including Americans, will not be surveilled or targeted through Google applications. The company didnt immediately respond. Poulson said about four other employees also quit over Dragonfly. Its incredible how little solidarity there is on this, he said. It is my understanding that when you have a serious ethical disagreement with an issue, your proper course of action is to resign. Reuters contributed to this report. Shark Kills Man in Cape Cod; Police ID Him as Arthur Medici A 26-year-old Massachusetts man was identified as the victim of a fatal shark attack on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, on Sept. 15, said Massachusetts State Police. Officials told WCVB that the man was identified as Arthur Medici of Revere. He was originally from Brazil but came to the United States two years ago to study. He died of his injuries following the attack about 1,000 feet south of Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet at around noon. MassLive reported that Medici was boogie boarding when he was attacked by the shark, making it the first fatal shark attack in Massachusetts since the 1930s. The Truro Police Department said all ocean side beaches in Truro will be closed for swimming due to the shark. Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet is closed to swimmers, police say, until town and beach authorities determine the water is safe. This comes after 26-year-old Arthur Medici was killed while boogie boarding here after a suspected shark attack. pic.twitter.com/iCqOY083rz Sonia Moghe (@soniamoghe) September 16, 2018 Today is just keeping everyone out of water, Wellfleet Police Lt. Michael Hurley told WCVB. Therell be a determination later about what the town wants to do with the beaches going forward. The town of Wellfleet is heartbroken by this tragedy, said Town Administrator Dan Hoort and Wellfleet Select Board Chair Janet Reinhart in a statement. We send our sympathies to his family and the friends of this young man, the statement added. We share the grief and pain you feel. We are grateful to the family, friends, beach staff, public and first responders who worked so valiantly to save his life. Everyone who lives in and visits Wellfleet is part of the Wellfleet community. Today we lost a member of our community and we grieve his passing. Rep. Bill Keating (D-Mass.) wrote on Twitter: First and foremost, Tevis and I send our condolences to the family of Arthur Medici, the victim of yesterdays shark attack. Going forward, I will be convening meetings w/the National Park Service and coordinating w/state and local officials on how best to address this issue. Medicis Facebook page said he was an employee of The Capital Grille in Burlington, Massachusetts, and was a student at Bunker Hill Community College. Shark Species Unknown Its not clear what type of shark was involved in the attack. Great white sharks are known to frequent Cape Cod. Shark attacks dont happen as often, there has only just been a recent rise in incidents, Chris Hargrove, who is the special officer for Cape Cod National Seashore, told NBC News. There are more sharks because of the human population and because of the seal population, [which are] the main food source for great white sharks. On Aug. 27, a great white shark was sighted close to shore in Cape Cod by a father and son. Newsweek reported that the animal was 17 feet in length. In early August, a great white was recorded on video (seen in the video at the top of the article) by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy attacking a seal off the Cape Cod coast. The research team recorded this close up footage of a seal predation in clear water about 100 yards from the beach off Wellfleet, MA, said the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, according to Fox News. The video shows a rarely seen window into the world of the Atlantic white shark in Cape Cod water, it said. Linda McMahon, Administrator of the Small Business Administration at her office in Washington on Jan. 4, 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) Small Business Administration Ramps Up Its Disaster Assistance Program Agency provides low-interest disaster loans to businesses and residents affected by hurricanes WASHINGTONIn advance of Hurricane Florence making landfall, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that it beefed up its disaster loan program, which is the main source of federal assistance for small-business owners. The SBA provides low-interest disaster loans to flood-ravaged businesses and residents to help them get back on their feet. SBA usually guarantees loans for small-business owners, to mitigate lenders risk. However, to provide recovery support to the communities, the agency chooses to lend money directly. It provides disaster loans to businesses of all sizes, nonprofit organizations, homeowners, and renters hit by a disaster like a hurricane, wildfire, flood, tornado, or earthquake. Businesses can borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged machinery, equipment, and property as well as cover losses related to inventory and working capital. In addition, homeowners can get loans of up to $200,000 for fixing or changing their primary residence. Homeowners and renters can also borrow up to $40,000 to replace damaged property such as cars, furniture, and clothing. SBA has staff on the ground to assist with the recovery efforts, SBA Administrator Linda McMahon said in a post on the agencys website. SBA is on the ground immediately after a disaster strikes, helping individuals rebuild their homes and replace personal property while partnering with non-profits and businesses of all sizes so they can get back on their feet with the help of low-interest disaster loans, she said. Michael Marsha, owner and president of Forest Lake Drapery and Upholstery Fabric Center Inc. in Columbia, South Carolina, was one of the entrepreneurs who got assistance from SBA when his business was hit by a storm in October 2015. His companys facility was nearly destroyed, and its entire inventory was ruined. He got an SBA disaster loan to rebuild his more than 50-year-old company, and achieved record monthly sales the following year. Words cant describe it when you go through things like we went through, and then our government picks us up and puts us back in business, said Marsha. And on top of that, they are so easy to work with. Marsha said SBA staff also offered assistance in re-building the companys website. After the flood, we had too much to do. We didnt have time to focus on the website, he said, adding that the SBAs offer was phenomenal. This year, Marsha received the SBAs Phoenix Award for Outstanding Small Business Disaster Recovery, for successfully coming back after the flood. Learning from the experiences of hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria last year, SBA identified many areas to operate more effectively and efficiently, an SBA spokesperson said. To respond to the hurricane events last year, she said the agency recruited 4,000 people in three months, opened more than 400 recovery centers, and handled over a million calls from states hit by the storms. It also approved over $7.2 billion in disaster loans for the three hurricanes combined. Those loans helped more than 141,000 people rebuild their homes, replace personal property, and repair businesses. SBA approved over $1 billion in loans last year in less than 45 days, reaching a record. The average number of days needed for approval in previous years was about 90, the spokesperson said. To improve the efficiency of its operations, SBA launched a new version of its disaster credit-management system, enabling faster loan processing. In addition, the agency revised its staffing strategy to better respond to large events on time. The SBA also has a website with information on disaster assistance, informing people about the options available to them: SBA.gov/disaster The Syrian state media has said that Israeli missiles targetted the Damascus International Airport on Saturday, with the Syrian military launching projectiles in retaliation. "Our air defence systems thwarted an Israeli missile aggression, shooting down a number of enemy missiles," SANA news agency quoted a military source as saying, citing The Jerusalem Post. According to local media reports, several missiles from the Israeli side destroyed an Iranian military weapons depot that consisted of newly-arrived arms. In the past few months, Israel has been largely involved in the seven-year-long civil war in Syria and has voiced its concerns over growing presence of Iran on its border and illegal smuggling of advanced weapons to Hezbollah terror group from Iran to Syria. The Israeli government has given a stern warning to Tehran that it cannot use Syria as an operating base and cannot be used as a transit to smuggle sophisticated weaponry. Although Israel rarely remarks on foreign reports of military activity in the war-torn country, it had last month announced that over 200 airstrikes against Iranian targets were carried by its forces in Syria and fired more than 800 missiles and mortar shells in the last one and a half years. Last month, new satellite images showed the establishment a new Iranian surface-to-surface missile factory in an area in northwestern Syria, which might house weapons, and having the capacity of striking Israel, according to ImageSat International (ISI), as per the report of The Jerusalem Post. Damascus alleged that Israeli forces had carried out an attack on a Syrian army base near Aleppo. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), 22 Syrian troops were said to be killed in the incident. Syria also claims that Israel supports the terrorist groups since the civil war broke out in the war-torn country in 2011. -ANI Florence Delivers More Drenching Rains in Eastern US WILSON/WILMINGTON, N.C.Florence drenched North Carolina with yet more rain on Sept. 16 and officials warned residents that the worst is yet to come from a storm that has killed at least 14 people, as rivers inland were likely to flood. Florence, which crashed into the state as a hurricane on Sept. 14, had weakened to a tropical depression by the morning of Sept. 16, but was forecast to drop another 5 to 10 inches of rain in North Carolina, bringing rainfall totals in some inland areas to 15 to 20 inches and even more in some places, according to the National Hurricane Center. The most rain so far from Florence was 33.9 inches in Swansboro, North Carolina, a new record for a single hurricane in the state. The previous record was 24 inches, set by Hurricane Floyd, which killed 56 people in 1999, said Bryce Link, a meteorologist with private forecasting service DTN Marine Weather. In North Carolina, more than 900 people were rescued from rising flood waters and 15,000 remained in shelters, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper told a news conference on Sept. 16. At least 10 people have died so far in the storm in North Carolina, including a mother and child killed by a falling tree, state officials said. Four people died in South Carolina, including a woman whose car hit a fallen tree. In Fayetteville, a North Carolina city of about 210,000 people some 90 miles inland, authorities told thousands of residents near the Cape Fear River and Little River to get out of their homes by the afternoon of Sept. 16 because of the flood risk. If you are refusing to leave during this mandatory evacuation, you need to do things like notify your legal next of kin because the loss of life is very, very possible, Mayor Mitch Colvin said at a news conference on Sept. 15. The worst is yet to come, he added. In Leland, a low-lying city north of Wilmington, homes and local businesses were engulfed by water on Sept. 16. Gas stations were abandoned, with many pumps keeled over, and trees cluttered many roads, making them impassable. The whir of generators could be heard throughout the city, a sound not expected to dim soon as crews work to restore power. About 756,000 homes and businesses were without power on Sept. 16 in North and South Carolina and surrounding states, down from a peak of nearly 1 million. Five people were arrested for breaking into a Dollar General Store, said the police department in Wilmington, which has imposed a nighttime curfew. Catastrophic Storm This is still a catastrophic, life threatening storm, said Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Services Weather Prediction Center. It has already dumped 20 to 30 inches of rain on parts of the Carolinas with more to come, he said. And many of the rivers will see prolonged flooding, some not cresting for a few days. North Carolina officials warned motorists not to drive on roads in a large areasouth of the I-64 and east of the I-73/74 highwaysas the entire southeast corner of the state had hazardous conditions. Dams and bridges were in peril as rivers and creeks swelled. The flooding could taint waterways with murky coal ash and toxic hog waste. By the morning of Sept. 16 the storms winds had dropped to about 35 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. The storm had picked up some pace and was moving at 10 mph, up from 6 mph. Its center was expected to move across the western Carolinas during Sept. 16 and over the Ohio Valley and Northeast United States on Sept. 17 and Sept. 18. The White House said President Donald Trump approved making federal funding available in some affected counties. Trump, who plans to visit the region this week and he tweeted his deepest sympathies and warmth to the families and friends of those who died. As the United States dealt with Florence, a super typhoon made landfall in Chinas Guangdong on Sunday after barreling past Hong Kong and Macau and killing dozens of people in the Philippines. By Anna Mehler Paperny and Ernest Scheyder Super Typhoon Heads for Hong Kong, China MANILA, HONG KONGA super typhoon swirled towards Hong Kong and the Chinese coast on Sept. 16, gaining in strength over the South China Sea after hurtling through the Philippines, where it wreaked havoc that killed at least 28. Tropical cyclone Mangkhut is considered the strongest to hit the region this year, packing gale force winds of more than 125 mph (200 kph), equivalent to a maximum Category 5 intense hurricane in the Atlantic. Philippine authorities said at least 28 people were killed, including a baby and a toddler, most of them in landslides in mountainous areas that left at least 13 missing. The landslides happened as some residents returned to their homes after the typhoon, disaster response coordinator Francis Tolentino said on DZMM Radio, adding that 5.7 million people had been affected and most were prepared. No matter how prepared we are, there is really some limitation. Mangkhut, the Thai name for Southeast Asias mangosteen fruit, was expected to skirt 62 miles (100 km) south of Hong Kong and veer west towards the coast of Chinas southern Guangdong province, and the gaming center of Macau. According to the present forecast track, Mangkhut will be closest to the Pearl River Delta around noontime (0200 GMT), the Hong Kong Observatory said. #HongKong's Heng Fa Chuen has been hit hard by Typhoon #Mangkhut pic.twitter.com/R9mvY33uBd SCMP News (@SCMPNews) September 16, 2018 Hong Kong raised its highest No. 10 typhoon signal at mid-morning, as fierce waves pounded low-lying areas and strong winds rattled windows in many towering skyscrapers. Some residents have been evacuated from low-lying areas with storm surges of up to 12 ft (3.5 m) expected. Tens of thousands of travelers had plans disrupted after Hong Kongs international airport, a major regional hub, canceled most flights. Airlines such as its flagship carrier, Cathay Pacific, canceled many flights last week. Last year, typhoon Hato, one of the strongest in recent years, pummeled the region, causing nine deaths and damage in Macau, sparking criticism that authorities had not been well prepared. This time, Macau has been cautious, with officials saying it shut casino gambling operations late on Saturday and Chinas Peoples Liberation Army put on standby for any disaster relief assistance. The suspension is for the safety of casino employees, visitors to the city, and residents, the government of the worlds largest gambling hub said in a statement. China has ordered about 6,000 boats to return to harbor, and evacuated thousands of offshore oil platform workers, the state news agency, Xinhua, said. KING OF STORMS The typhoon, or King of Storms, as Chinese media describe it, is expected to make landfall in Guangdong between Zhuhai and Wuchuan in the evening, weather officials say. Ports, oil refineries and industrial plants in Guangdong have been shut. Power to some areas could also be reduced as a precaution, say grid operators. The storm has fueled concern about Guangdongs sugar output, with China sugar futures rising last week on fears for the cane crop. Guangdong produces about 1 million tonnes, or a tenth of national sugar output. The airport in the boomtown of Shenzhen has been shut since midnight, and will be closed until 8:00 a.m. (2400 GMT) on Sept. 17. In Guangzhou, scheduled flights between noon on Sept. 16 and 8:00 a.m. on Sept. 17 have been canceled. More than 400 flights have also been canceled in the neighboring island province of Hainan. Mangkhuts northwesterly track will bring heavy rain and winds to the autonomous region of Guangxi early on Sept. 17, before the storm weakens into a tropical depression to reach southwestern Yunnan on Sept. 18. By James Pomfret and Enrico Dela Cruz A woman runs in the rainstorm as Typhoon Mangkhut approaches, in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, China, on Sept. 16, 2018. (Reuters/Jason Lee) Super Typhoon Mangkhut Slams Into China HONG KONG/MANILAA super typhoon made landfall in Chinas Guangdong Province on Sept. 16, the countrys most populous province, after wreaking havoc in Hong Kong and Macau and killing at least 29 people in the Philippines. Packing gale force winds of more than 200 kph (125 mph), tropical cyclone Mangkhut is considered the strongest to hit the region this year, equivalent to a maximum Category 5 intense hurricane in the Atlantic. The eye of Mangkhut, the Thai name for Southeast Asias mangosteen fruit, skirted 100 km (62 miles) south of Hong Kong but the former British colony was still caught in the typhoons swirling bands of rain and gale-force winds. Hong Kong raised its highest No. 10 typhoon signal at mid-morning as ferocious winds uprooted trees and smashed windows in office and residential buildings, some of which swayed in the gusts, residents said. It swayed for quite a long time, at least two hours. It made me feel so dizzy, said Elaine Wong, who lives in a high-rise tower in the Kowloon district. Water levels surged 3.5 m (12 ft) in some places, waves swamped roads and washed up live fish, washing into some residential blocks and a mall in an eastern district. Its the worst Ive seen, resident Martin Wong told Reuters. Ive not seen the roads flood like this, (and) the windows shake like this before. Tens of thousands of travelers plans were disrupted by flight cancellations at Hong Kongs international airport, a major regional hub. Airlines such as flagship carrier Cathay Pacific canceled many flights last week. Philippine authorities said a baby and a toddler were among the 29 dead, most of them in landslides in mountainous areas that left at least 13 missing. The landslides happened as some residents returned to their homes after the typhoon, disaster response coordinator Francis Tolentino told DZMM Radio, adding that most of the 5.7 million people affected had made advance preparations. In Macau, which halted casino gambling late on Sept. 15 and put Chinas military on standby for disaster relief help, some streets were flooded. The suspension is for the safety of casino employees, visitors to the city, and residents, said authorities in the worlds largest gambling hub, who faced criticism last year after a typhoon that killed nine and caused severe damage. King of Storms The typhoon, dubbed the King of Storms by Chinese media, made landfall in Haiyan town, Guangdong Province, at 5:00 p.m. local time, packing winds of more than 160 kph (100 mph), weather officials said. Ports, oil refineries, and industrial plants in the area have been shut. Power to some areas were also reduced as a precaution. In nearby Shenzhen City, electricity supply to more than 130,000 homes was cut at one point on Sept. 16. The storm has fueled concern about sugar production in Guangdong, which accounts for a tenth of national output, at about 1 million tons. China sugar futures rose last week on fears for the cane crop. Guangdong is also Chinas most populous province, with a population of more than 100 million. The airport in Shenzhen has been shut since midnight, and will be closed until 8:00 a.m. (2400 GMT) on Sept. 17. Flights have been canceled in Guangzhou and the neighboring island province of Hainan. High winds and swells have also hit Fujian Province north of Guangdong, shutting ports, suspending ferry services, and canceling more than 100 flights. Waves as high as 7.3 meters (24 feet) were sighted in the Taiwan Strait, according to Chinas state-run media Xinhua. Mangkhuts northwesterly track will bring heavy rain and winds to the region of Guangxi early on Sept. 17, before it weakens into a tropical depression to reach southwestern Yunnan Province the next day. By James Pomfret and Enrico Dela Cruz An Antonov-225 Mriya plane is seen at an Antonov plant's airdrome near Kiev, Ukraine, on Sept. 8, 2016. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP/Getty Images) Warning Signs Hint at Dangers of Chinese Investment in Ukraine Ukraine and China have increased partnerships in recent years, as the former is badly in need of cash to bolster its infrastructure, while the latter wants to get its hands on Ukrainian technologies. However, a U.S. Pentagon official, while on a trip to the Ukraine capital, warned that Chinas investments could be a double-edged sword. While in Kiev this past summer, the Pentagon official said that China wants to scoop up know-how by transferring manufacturing to China and import [Ukraines] defense industry production so [China] can reverse-engineer and produce [the technology], according to a Sept. 14 report by Kyiv Post, the oldest English-language newspaper published in Ukraine. Additionally, the official warned that China plans to acquire research and development data from Ukrainian companies and hire Ukrainians brains to work in China. The Pentagon official, who spoke to Kyiv Post on condition of anonymity, said briefings were conducted for Ukrainian officials, including those from the presidential administration, the parliament, foreign and economic development ministries, Ukraines secret service, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and the military. According to the Kyiv Post, China is the biggest buyer of Ukrainian arms, at more than $100 million annually. Sales to China include such hardware as engines for trainer planes, helicopters, army tanks, and gas turbines for naval vessels. In 1998, Ukraine sold China a partially completed aircraft carrier, which China eventually converted into its first modern aircraft carrier, the Liaoning. But China isnt simply interested in arms sales; it also has strong ambitions for investing in Ukraines aerospace industry, according to the Kyiv Post. A 2016 agreement to have two Ukrainian Antonov An-225 Mriya, a type of strategic airlift cargo plane, assembled in China would offer China the opportunity to reverse-engineer the planes and eventually produce its own versions, according to the report. The Kyiv Post obtained copies of U.S. documents that the visiting Pentagon official provided to Ukrainian officials, who said Ukrainians found doing business with China convenient because the Chinese were not averse to corrupt deals. In the United States, the Committee on Foreign Investment (CFIUS), an inter-agency committee thats overseen by the U.S. Treasury Department, reviews foreign acquisitions to determine whether deals may harm American interests. According to Kyiv Post, the Pentagon official urged the Ukraine government to set up a similar body. Ukraine is also a major partner in Beijings One Belt, One Road initiative (OBOR, also known as Belt and Road). According to Chinese media reports, Ukraine was among the first countries to publicly announce support for OBOR, launched in 2013 as a project Beijing claims would build up trade routes linking China, Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America. Under OBOR, China has invested in infrastructure projects in more than 60 countries. According to Chinas official OBOR website, Ukraine and China inked a cooperative agreement under the OBOR framework in 2015. Even before the agreement was signed, Beijing had boldly announced its interests in Ukraine. On March 17, 2014, the day that Crimea announced its independence from Ukraine after citizens voted on a referendum a day earlier, Chinas hawkish state-run newspaper the Global Times published an opinion article titled The Crisis in Ukraine Brings China Strategic Opportunities. The article said that China had much to gain from the conflict in Crimea and Ukraine: If the United States and Russia ended up in a quasi cold-war state, that would ease the international pressure against China. If China played its cards right, it could become a successful mediator and an ambassador of peace in the international community, the article claimed. Ukraine currently has several infrastructure projects funded by Beijing. According to another Sept. 14 Kyiv Post article, a solar power plant in Nikopol City in central Ukraine, scheduled for completion by the end of this year, was jointly funded by DTEK, a holding company headquartered in Kiev, and Chinas state-run China Machinery Engineering Co. At the Port of Chornomorsk, which faces the Black Sea, Chinas state-run China Harbor Engineering Co. is funding a dredging project at an estimated cost of about $15 million, according to the Kyiv Post. Another OBOR project is a $2 billion metro line project in Kiev scheduled to begin later this year. According to the newspaper, the Ukraine government took out a 20-year loan from an unidentified Chinese bank to pay for 85 percent of the costs. In July, an OBOR investment promotion center was established in Kiev, according to the official OBOR website. It was created to assist Ukrainian companies in expanding their businesses in China and other countries in the OBOR framework. Debt Trap According to a Sept. 2 article by The Bohr Times, a regional newspaper in Ukraine, the countrys public debt stood at $75.71 billion as of July 31. Its direct external debt stood at $37.51 billion. It isnt known precisely how much of Ukraine debt is owed to China, but according to a policy paper issued by the Center for Global Development, a Washington D.C.-based think tank, in March, Ukraines debt to China stood at $1.59 billion as of the end of 2016. An opinion article published by the Kyiv Post on Sept. 14 warned of the dangers in advancing trade and political ties with China, calling Beijing aggressive mercantilists who see opportunities in Ukrainian agriculture, high technology, and defense sectors. The article pointed out that Ukraine should study cases in Pakistan, Malaysia, and Sri Lankacountries under the threats of a debt trap after China financed expensive infrastructure projects there. Sri Lanka handed control of its Hambantota port to China in December 2017, after it was unable to pay back $6 billion in loans and converted the debt into equity. In Malaysia last month, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad canceled two Chinese OBOR projects, valued at a total of $23 billion, to minimize the countrys debt. In July, Pakistan asked the International Monetary Fund for a bailout after the countrys external debt soared to a record $91.8 billion, far beyond the $62 billion value of its proposed OBOR project, the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). For John Weiss, the decision to ax the SoNo Annex of Lillian August was among the most difficult of his career, with South Norwalk having been home to the home decor retailer in one form or another for nearly a quarter-century. But as the jackhammers and backhoes creep toward Water Street and a lease coming up for renewal, the time had come for the company, which is maintaining its flagship store on Knight Street in addition to fresh showrooms in Stamford and Greenwich. This past week, Lillian August announced it would close down the SoNo Annex, which has long had an enviable perch near the restaurant row of Washington Street and, a few blocks north, Maritime Aquarium and its IMAX Theater. But the IMAX days are numbered as a result of a multi-year plan by the Connecticut Department of Transportation to replace the ancient Walk Bridge nearby that runs commuter trains over the Norwalk River. And a few blocks further adjacent to Interstate 95, construction of the SoNo Collection mall is causing headaches during stretches of the day for drivers, with mall developer GGP aiming to complete the project in time for an October 2019 opening. At the same time, Maplewood Senior Living and Norwalk Hospital are gearing up to build a senior living complex and medical care facility at the site of the former Norwalk YMCA opposite I-95 from the SoNo Collection, even as construction continues on the Waypointe development across the street. The double whammy of the Walk Bridge and the SoNo Collection was plenty enough for Weiss and brother Dan to decide to pull out of the SoNo Annex despite their attachment to the building that once served as Lillian Augusts corporate office. The decision came on the heels of the Klaffs home decor store reaching a similar end a few blocks west on Washington Street, with Klaffs having experimented briefly with a clearance outlet inside the Lillian August SoNo Annex. We are 100 percent supportive of all this expansion and have no problem with any infrastructure build-out in South Norwalk, John Weiss told Hearst Connecticut Media this past week. Its a great place to eat (and) to go out at night but truth be told its always struggled as a retail destination. Parking became very difficult. Still, the tandem closures leave a handful of general, independent retailers left in South Norwalk, with several establishments having organized loosely this year to seek out government assistance to help them ride out the disruptions. Bottlenecks for Norwalkers Over the past several months, the SoNo Annex saw its weekday traffic cut in half, Weiss indicated, though it still performed well on weekends. But even after the gateway to Norwalk is cleared with the completion of the SoNo Collection, he said the new mall represents an unknown as to what retailers will lease space, and any crossover competition they could present to stores already established in South Norwalk. Weiss said he expects the magnet of the mall to benefit Lillian Augusts Knight Street showroom by bringing in more visitors from points farther away. Jackie Lightfield, whose Norwalk 2.0 nonprofit promotes the city through a range of initiatives, said other South Norwalk retailers and restaurateurs should brace themselves for issues with patrons getting to and from their establishments. This is not a new concern SoNo is difficult to get to without construction, and the long-term construction is not good for most retail and restaurant businesses, Lightfield told Hearst Connecticut Media. We plotted out all the approved projects plus the (DOT) projects and saw that they would really cause bottlenecks for Norwalkers, because every east-west path would be constricted for a long time. I dont think that Wall Street is prepared for the traffic it will get. While South Norwalk already has the highest concentration of restaurants in southwestern Connecticut as tracked by Hearst Connecticut Media, SoNo eateries are in for one significant boost as the Stamford-based developer FD Rich proceeds on the Residence Inn by Marriott-SoNo on South Main Street, with the promise of a steady stream of visitors who will head out for lunch or dinner while in town. And Maritime Aquarium remains the biggest tourist draw in southwestern Connecticut, bringing some 500,000 visitors annually, during weekdays many of them via bus from area schools, but to include plenty of families on weekends. Weiss says he is still a believer in South Norwalk and does not rule out a Lillian August return one day but for now, he is happy to escape the construction zone, with the South Norwalk store offering up to 75 percent of its remaining merchandise and Knight Street representing a relatively easy drive for Lillian August customers. The restaurants are going to do just fine and I think the people living down there are going to be just fine, he said. The mall is going to be powerful. ... Were glad were somewhat adjacent to it. Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman Multiple students were hospitalized Friday after a 13-year-old boy brought balloons full of cocaine to a Central Valley middle school, according to the Tulare County Sheriff's Office. At first, after students discovered the two balloons on the playground at Carl F. Smith Middle School in Terra Bella on Friday morning, school officials thought the substance inside was flour and intended to wash it down the drain but they called 911 as a precaution, and law enforcement advised them to wait, Sheriff's Lt. Kevin Kemmerling told the Visalia Times Delta. ALSO: Cops say man faked Down Syndrome and hired women to bathe him "The deflated balloons, similar to drug bindle packaging, had a white powdery substance inside and outside the packaging," the Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Narcotics officers from the Tulare Area Gang and Narcotics Enforcement Team later determined that the mysterious powder was, in fact, cocaine. Traces of the drug were later found on the boy's shorts and at his home after a canine search, the Sheriff's Office said in a statement. The school was searched by deputies, a narcotics K9 and a drone; no evidence of additional drugs was found. CRIME: Man charged with killing two Arizona girls who went missing The scene at Carl F. Smith Middle School was a hectic one Friday as panicked parents flooded campus and tried to make sure their children were safe, the Times Delta reported. Thirteen students were exposed to the drugs, with two being transported 9 miles north to Sierra View Medical Center in nearby Porterville with complaints of dizziness, officials said. The medical transport was only a precaution, and the parents of all affected students have been notified, the Sheriff's Office said. "The school should give more attention to the kids," Maricela Madrano, whose daughter attends the school, told the Times Delta. "This is scary." Filipa Ioannou is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at fioannou@sfchronicle.com and follow her on Twitter Two years after the 2016 election, there has been no single answer to the question: What happened? In an outcome that saw the popular vote and the electoral college diverge, theories abound, opinions are many and consensus fleeting. Now, a trio of political scientists have come forth with their answer as to why Donald Trump prevailed over Hillary Clinton, summed up in the title of their forthcoming book: "Identity Crisis." The co-authors are John Sides of George Washington University, Michael Tesler of the University of California at Irvine and Lynn Vavreck of the University of California at Los Angeles. They have plumbed and analyzed a wealth of polling and voting data, examined surveys of attitudes taken long before, during and after the 2016 campaign. Their conclusion is straightforward. Issues of identity - race, religion, gender and ethnicity - and not economics were the driving forces that determined how people voted, particularly white voters. In an election decided by fewer than 80,000 votes in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, it's been common for people to say that anything or everything could have made the difference. The trio political scientists beg to differ: " 'Everything' did not 'matter' equally," they argue. They are believers in the fundamentals of elections - things such as economic conditions, presidential approval, partisanship and the like. Fundamentals predicted that Clinton would win a greater share of the two-party vote, which she did. They dismiss some theories about what happened: If 2016 was really about anger and change, why did Clinton win the popular vote? Clinton's popular vote victory, they note, was not in line with "casual punditry about voter anger but was in line with the state of the economy and approval of Barack Obama." They question other theories: They doubt, for example, that Russian interference determined the outcome of the election. The release of hacked emails in July and October 2016 "did not clearly affect" Clinton's favorable ratings nor "perceptions of her honesty," they write. They also say that, given the billions of tweets and social media postings during the campaign, Russian content was probably only an infinitesimal share of the total. Claims that the Russians turned the election should be greeted "with something between agnosticism and skepticism - and probably leaning toward skepticism," they say. But if some things were predictable, based on fundamentals, other things that happened were not. One was the unusual pattern of shifts among the states between 2012 and 2016. Normally, from election to election, states move in the same direction, albeit by different percentages. From 2008 to 2012, "almost every state shifted in the direction of the Republican candidate" due to economic conditions that were unfavorable to Obama. In 2016, Clinton should have done a bit worse than Obama across the board. Instead, in some states - Arizona, California, Georgia, Massachusetts and Texas - she did better. In others she did about the same. And in some, Ohio and Iowa among them, she did "substantially worse." Oddly, she did better, comparatively, in red states - such as Georgia and Texas - than she did in a swing state like Iowa. The cause for this was a divide among white voters, well documented during and since the election, a division that saw those with college degrees moving one way and those without college degrees the other. Sides, Tesler and Vavreck go step by step through the reasons for what they call the "diploma divide" among white voters. There were some white supporters of Obama whose views on race and immigration were "out of step" with where the Democratic Party stood on those issues. The fact that the campaign focused on these issues - largely due to Trump's rhetoric and consistency - voters' perceptions of where the two candidates stood on identity issues was "further apart . . . than any major-party presidential candidates in 40 years." Which, in turn, meant that those issues "became more strongly related to how they voted in 2016 than in any recent presidential election." It's not that economic issues didn't matter. But racial attitudes "shaped the way voters understood economic outcomes." The authors describe this as "racialized economics" rather than economic anxiety. "Voters' attitudes on racial issues accounted for the 'diploma divide' between less and better educated whites," they write. "Economic anxiety did not." Their conclusion agrees with that of Alan Abramowitz, a political scientist at Emory University, who has long studied the rise of polarization in American politics and who focuses on racial resentment in his recent book, "The Great Alignment: Race, Party Transformation and the Rise of Donald Trump." Sides, Tesler and Vavreck reached their conclusion by highlighting data that show how identity issues became more important among white voters than in the past. What gives them confidence in their conclusion is that there were no similar signs in how economic issues affected white voters. They found "generally weak relationships between these measures of economic anxiety and how people voted in 2012 or 2016. Moreover, these relationships were not consistently stronger in 2016 than in 2012." Their definition of racialized economics is this: "the belief that undeserving groups are getting ahead while your group is left behind." They say Trump played on these concerns throughout his campaign and has done so as president. They say "racialized economics" was more significant than economic anxiety in affecting how whites with different levels of education voted. "These threads tell a straightforward story," the authors write. The campaign focused on issues of identity more so than in the past. Trump and Clinton differed significantly on these issues, which activated them as important factors in shaping voting decisions. Additionally, there were many Obama voters whose views on these issues were "closer to Trump's than to Obama's or Clinton's," and many of them resided in battleground states. Their shift gave Trump primacy in the electoral college even as he was losing the popular vote. The polarization around these issues predated Trump, but his campaign "magnified this polarization." Sides, Tesler and Vavreck conclude the chapter on what happened by noting that the 2016 election was distinguished not only for the fact that Trump prevailed in the face of so many predictions that he would never be elected president, but also "for how it crystallized the country's identity crisis: sharp divisions on what America has become and what it should be." They argue that the current "identity crisis" in America cannot easily be undone, even though public opinion "contains reservoirs of sentiment that can serve both to unify and divide." The 2016 election did not produce the divisions in America, but it has embedded them deeper into the politics of the country. Voters and candidates will decide in coming elections whether to move in a different direction. WESTBROOK Nine days after turning 35, a New Haven resident was killed in a crash in Westbrook. Shannon Marcus Carey-Wilson, 35, of Norton Street in New Haven, died Saturday after colliding with a state Department of Transportation truck at a work zone. Carey-Wilson was driving a 2008 Dodge Avenger, a Connecticut State Police report said. A spokesman for the Department of Transportation said a crew was doing tree work on Interstate 95 southbound between Exits 65 and 64 in Westbrook when a car hit a bucket truck being used in a work zone. State police said the collision happened around 7:20 a.m. Its unknown how the driver entered the work zone, the spokesman said. This incident still is under investigation, the state police said. No DOT workers were injured, but one crew member was stuck in the air in the bucket of the truck because the impact of the crash damaged the trucks hydraulic system, the DOT spokesman said. A local fire department sent units to help get him down. It took about 20 minutes. The accident report provided by state police indicated that Carey-Wilsons seat belt was on at the time of the crash. The crash caused the cars airbags to deploy, the report said. The report indicated the car Carey-Wilson was driving in suffered front end damage and the DOT truck suffered rear end damage. The southbound lanes of the highway were closed between exits 65 and 64, state police said. During the closure, traffic was diverted off Exit 65. The left lane was reopened around noon. By 4 p.m., traffic was flowing normally through the area. DARIEN New Canaan High School seniors Jenny Loomis and Liza Cuoco were in for a life-changing experience when they arrived in Uganda in August. Through the Darien-based leadership program LEAP4Change, the girls spent a week in the town of Kamuli, where they learned about problems its residents face. The organization encourages students to collaborate with different communities to create local and global change. Loomis focus was health care, while Cuoco centered her project around world peace. On the first day we showed up to this health center to talk to some women, Loomis said. We thought it was going to be a couple people, and there was probably 200 people there. With help from a translator, Loomis and Cuoco spoke to the large group of women to try to understand their health problems. The two worked with Saving Mothers, an organization dedicated to eradicating preventable maternal deaths and birth-related complications in developing countries. We tried to think of ways to make maternal health more accessible, Loomis said. In collaboration with Saving Mothers, the girls sent four doctors to Kamuli in June to train health care workers there. Loomis and Cuoco have raised $3,070 of their $7,500 goal on GoFundMe to help provide materials for maternal health and training. We trained 44 people from 22 health centers, Loomis said. They hope to raise $14,000 total to provide the community a portable sonogram and telemedecine for a year. The two have Skyped with members of the Kamuli community and have maintained an open line of communication. Loomis shaped her project around maternal health and said being in the African town was eye-opening. Its a lot more personal now, she said. It makes it all a lot more real to me. I know theres real people that have been affected by what we have done. Loomis said they spoke to health workers on all levels, including nurses, midwives and village health teams. Many of the health centers she visited in the small town had medical workers, but not what would be considered doctors. She described some of the centers as cinder-block rooms with two midwives and almost no supplies. Its like comparing Everest to an anthill, Loomis said. Its just completely different. The county hospital in Kamuli was a little bigger, she said, with a maternity ward and a doctor available at all times. However, even this facility faced difficulties. There was no running water. We took a picture of an out-of-stock list. There were no rubber gloves, no syringes. ... Its crazy how they manage, she said. Lauren Calahan, founder of LEAP4Change, said the goal is to have enough trained birth attendants for the districts population; the attendants are taught in hospitals so they can help back in the village. Right now, they are less than half of what they need, Calahan said. More Information To donate and for information, visit www.gofundme.com/maternal-health-kamuli-uganda To learn more about LEAP4Change, visit leap4change.org See More Collapse Cuoco worked side-by-side with Loomis, and also worked on building peace between men and women. Right now, the community is very male dominated, Cuoco said. Men and women really dont have much more of a relationship than Youre my wife, you have children and thats your role. To work toward changing that mentality, the girls developed preliminary plans for a leadership education program, with the goal to get men in the community more involved in maternal and child health services, Loomis said. Cuoco said her project for world peace came from who she is as a person. I feel like any conflict in the world would be solved if we just got along, she said. Obviously thats not so simple, but we have to start somewhere. Loomis said the ability to build a personalized program and the connections she made with the Kamuli community are some things that separate LEAP from other programs. It feels weird to come home, Loomis said. The fact we get to come home and now I know their names and Ive talked to them and theyve learned my name. Ive played games with them. Its kind of hard to come back and know that youre leaving so many thousands of people. Theyre like some of the happiest people ever. dj.simmons@hearstmedia ct.com, 203-842-2568 Hundreds of protestors took to the streets of Lahore on Saturday to oppose the arrest of activists Asif Naji and Shabbir Mayar from Gilgit-Baltistan. The protestors shouted anti-Pakistan slogans and demanded the immediate release of Naji and Mayar, who were arrested by law enforcement agencies under schedule IV of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). Naji, an activist from Baltistan Students Federation, and Mayar, an activist of the Awami Workers Party were allegedly arrested for successfully mobilising the locals of Skardu on various occasions and raising their voice against Islamabad. The duo had led the anti-tax movement and the uproar against Chief Secretary Babar Hayat Tarar after he used derogatory words against the locals. Locals have often alleged that the Pakistan Army has been involved in gross human rights violations in Gilgit-Baltistan, and has been meting out brutalities on the common people of the region. "Our perception of Gilgit-Baltistan is a region clad with beautiful mountains and sceneries. You all go there to enjoy those places. The same region is reeling under such atrocities which are beyond worldly description. Numerous attempts are made to silent the reasonable voices of the region, particularly in the case of Naji and Mayar, who were first put in the list of draconian schedule IV and later these two were picked from their homes," a protestor said. Supplementing the views, another protestor added: "If somebody from Gilgit-Baltistan is found guilty of doing something wrong then he should be prosecuted in court. He should not be picked from his house and subsequently killed. Punjab, Gilgit and Pakistan by and large need to understand the pain of mothers and sisters who go through severe consequences after their loved ones are killed. You need to understand the pain of the children who are left orphaned after the deaths of their father. These people are just asking for the rights of their life and unless you support and become their voice, they are not going to get those rights." Echoing the sentiments of the locals, a protester asserted that Naji and Mayar were arrested "just because they were fighting for the rights of Gilgit-Baltistan and their own people." "We appeal to authorities to release them immediately and if they are not released, people from Gilgit-Baltistan, who are living in Lahore, will gather in front of press club and will protest again," he added. -ANI 1 hour ago Think You'll Bump Up a Tax Bracket? Here's What to Do If you have a variable income and think you'll zip up to another tax bracket or if you've made just that much more this year, you may end up paying a boatload at tax time. It's very easy to not take the time to understand how taxes work, particularly if you take all your documents to your accountant every year. However, a growing number of Americans prepare and file their own tax returns. Read Article Missed Delivery? If missed delivery or wet paper please call our office 909-628-5501 ext 110 Leave a detailed message with name, address, and phone number. Readers must call before 1 p.m. on Saturday. Re-deliveries are available for Chino residents until 1 p.m. Saturdays. Click Here Almiron slotted home Josef Martinez's layoff to double the lead in the 18th and sent a long ball forward to Gressel, who crossed it to Hector Villalba for Atlanta's third in the 37th minute. Everything Possible: What Buddhism does and does not say about gay marriage Okay readers, pick the best of one of these statements: Im better than you, Im worse than you, Im the same as you. All-About-BuddhismCulture By Jason Jellison Sunday 16 September 2018, 11:00AM Its no longer about me or you; but all about us. Photo: Honey Fangs / Unsplash Actually, that was a trick question. Those statements are what The Buddhist Canon records as Buddhas Three Conceits. In reality, none of us are any better or worse than anyone else; nor are any two human beings exactly alike. Even identical twins have slight differences, if you know where to look. Yet, when it comes to the explosive issue of gay marriage, we are very quick to forget all of that. Gay marriage is a Western concept. Therefore, many of our Western readers have asked what Buddhism would say about gay marriage. The answer is hardly cut and dried. After all, spinning scripture is a very old game and, just like in the West, different denominations of Buddhism often embrace, reject or cite whatever chapter and verse suits their fancy. In the West, everything Westerners have is descendant from the Greeks. But in Thailand and Southeast Asia, everything that we have is descendant from a combination of what we call a Bodhisattva, as well as our gracious Monarchy. The ultimate goal of Buddhism is to reach Nirvana and Enlightenment. A Bodhisattva is a term that represents a person who is capable of reaching to Nirvana, Enlightenment and all the top stages of Buddhism, yet delays his arrival there out of a selfless conviction to save suffering human beings who otherwise could not get there on their own. You also need to understand that, in Buddhist philosophy, we believe that spirituality is not defined as simply following arbitrary rules or commandments, but as in losing yourself into something much greater much as how table sugar dissolves into a container of water. There, truly, is where the sweetest of things can be found. Thai Buddhism teaches that a good marriage can be like a Mahayana spiritual journey. Its no longer about me or you; but all about us. In a good marriage, you lose yourself into something much bigger. Classical Buddhism is unlike many other religions in that historical Buddhism never sought to define, redefine or otherwise control marriage. We simply accepted the practice within each culture and society largely as we found it. Thai Buddhism does not generally require that you marry within the Faith. Nor does it explicitly teach that marriage needs to be between two or more particular people of any kind (race, gender, creed, etc.). Instead, we teach a number of other critical lessons on marriage. For example, we caution that many marriages will be entered into for the wrong reasons and will increase human suffering, rather than decrease it. Buddha taught that all people, men and women alike, could reach Buddhahood a radical concept for his ancient days. He also taught that reaching Buddhahood, Enlightenment or Nirvana ultimately required us to leave all of our worldly attachments behind, including self and gender. Thus, an objective Thai Buddhist would have to concede that gay marriages suffer from the same overarching challenges as all other marriages: Jealousy, deceit, adultery, revenge, anger, co-dependence, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health; and the list goes on For a Buddhist to either stop a gay marriage, advocate for or oppose gay marriage, or force any kind of marital institution upon other religions would be for us to meddle in the Wheel of Karma and if we were to meddle in the spinning Wheels of Karma & Rebirth, then we would ultimately pollute our own practice by absorbing the sins of others via osmosis. Bad marriages may increase suffering, but we teach that good marriages can be about spiritually, losing yourself into something bigger, seeing things from an entirely new vantage point, and being challenged with questions that you otherwise would never have been asked. Of course, not everyone will ever completely agree on anything in this human world of ours. There will always be dissenting opinions (at a minimum), or preachers of hate (at a maximum). Yet, amidst all of that coil, there are a number of lessons that I think all Buddhists and non-Buddhists can agree upon. Firstly, when we discuss modern issues such as gay marriage or other mighty affairs, we must remember that not all of our answers can be found in arcane books. To understand gay marriage, we have to set aside what we think is right or wrong in order to find out HOW something is right or wrong. Buddha taught us that the real meaning of life is found in empathizing with other beings, not necessarily fully understanding them. Secondly, although he was not a Buddhist, the great songwriter Fred Small perhaps best-summed this entire affair in a song he wrote called Everything Possible. Performed by the Boston Gay Mens Chorus, the lyrics say: Some women love women. Some men love men. Some raise children, some never do. You can live by yourself, you can gather friends around, you can choose one special one; but the only measure of your words and your deeds will be the love you leave behind when youre gone. Now thats the real truth of the matter. Lifes all about the love you leave behind when youre gone. So what, you might ask, would Buddha want for our gay readers who simply want to get married like many others have? Simple: Everything Possible. All About Buddhism is a monthly column in The Phuket News taking readers on an exotic journey into Thai Buddhism and debunk a number of myths. If you have specific queries, or ideas for articles, please let us know. Email editor1@classactmedia.co.th, and I will do my best to accommodate your interests. Phuket Opinion: Our Gold Coast soul sister PHUKET: The news of Phuket taking steps to become Sister City with the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, heralds an incredible opportunity for Phuket officials to learn from a world class beach tourism destination. opiniontourismenvironmentconstructiontransportpollutionnatural-resourceslandmarinepropertycorruptioncrimeeconomics By The Phuket News Sunday 16 September 2018, 09:00AM The beauty of the Gold Coast after years of struggling against the very same issues facing Phuket today. Photos: City of Gold Coast / @happeli.ever.after / @nathanprostamo What most non-Queenslanders, including other Australians, might not be aware of is that the Gold Coast shines brightly today only because over the years it has managed to overcome and outgrow a huge majority of the critical issues facing this island. The Gold Coast started becoming a popular beach destination in the 1960s, and by the 1980s was enveloped in a whirlwind of nigh-unregulated breakneck development. To build the city, local officials overlooked enforcing regulations, reining in only the worst-case examples. Much of those were brought to light only through the local press. Drugs became a serious problem and as for corrupt police, Queensland had that too. So bad was the situation far beyond the public not trusting the police to be involved in anything except emergencies that it took a national inquiry and a mass turnover of voluntary resignations to clear out the stables. On the corruption front, Queensland even had state ministers involved in selling national park land near the Gold Coast to a foreign corporation. It took many years, but that land was finally returned to the government. As for pollution, right now major hotel and condo high rises line the shores of Surfers Paradise like a mini-Miami, while the beaches and the beach water remain pristine for visitors, local residents and tourists alike. As for lifeguards, Phuket has the opportunity to learn directly from some of the best in the world. Also, Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate himself is half-Thai, and surely understands the considerations to take into account for any positive change to be effected here. But as Australia points out in its annual report for 2017, 43% of the revenue generated in an area stays in that area, so that profits directly benefit the community. That just does not happen here. Phuket could be a world class destination. Phuket should be a world class destination. It just isnt. We beg our local officials to learn from their new-found friends. They have much to offer. Not just pithy speeches, but experience to show us the way to Phuket becoming what they keep saying it is. The trillion-dollar firm reportedly initiated an internal probe in May after being alerted to instances of this taking place in China, where it is said to be most prevalent. An Amazon representative confirmed that the company is investigating the claims, saying that the tactics would run afoul of its policy and that action would be taken against employees and merchants who break these rules. EDMONTONBraving the snow, about a hundred people turned out for the grand opening of Edmontons Indigenous Art Park just south of the North Saskatchewan River. (INIW) River Lot 11, pronounced ee-nu, is a permanent public space where Indigenous artists can show their creativity and is the brainchild of the city, Indigenous artists, Metis Nation of Alberta and the Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations. The plan to conceptualize and build it began in 2013 and it finally opened on Saturday. Everyone is welcome here, everyone has something to contribute here, and everyone should be uplifted by each other, Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson said to a crowd of people gathered at the park. Im very, very, very personally grateful and very proud as mayor of the work that is coming together here today, he said. The area sits in Queen Elizabeth Park and has new winding trails through it, a covered seating area and picnic benches for people to relax. The parks permanent installations include colourful mosaic stone turtles, a piece with large Cree syllabics, and sculptures. Audrey Poitras, president of the Metis Nation of Alberta, said the location of the park is perfectly placed in a rich history with the Walterdale Bridge, the Fort Edmonton grave site, traditional burial grounds and a historic reserve a couple miles away. All of this makes this site, I believe, the perfect venue to house Edmontons first curated Indigenous public art park, she said. She praised the city for its work and said she looked forward to further collaboration. Weve signed agreements with the city of Edmonton but, I believe, what it really is, is about relationships and the relationships are not necessarily always about signing agreements, she said. Its about how we work together to make those very important things happen. A drum circle and blessing opened the ceremony and after the speeches those attending walked the snowy paths or shopped at vendors who were invited for the celebration. A flautist played music in the park for those walking through. Chrystal Buffalo, an Indigenous artist from Edmonton that specializes in beading, said while selling her artwork that it was a great venue to showcase her products. We dont have a lot of venues where we can actually show our craft, show our art to the world, as often as we would like in any case, and this is a really great venue for that, she said. Its a really great opportunity to learn about our culture and to teach other people about our world view. Councillor Ben Henderson spoke to media after the ceremony and said that this is one way in which the city has acted on reconciliation something he wants to work more on in the future. I think theres been huge change, I think it is about recognizing something that we have not been very good about recognizing, he said. He said he hoped that people who came to the park would be transported into a deep history which started long before the city started growing. A sense of being rooted back in a much older history than I think weve often recognized, he said. Read more about: HALIFAXA monument erected in Halifax to honour the Polish-Canadian community further cements the bond between the two countries and highlights the centuries of history that forged it, dignitaries said at Sundays unveiling. Dominik Barcz, a fur merchant from a Polish city on the Baltic coast, was the first recorded Polish immigrant to arrive on Canadian soil in 1752, leading many generations of Poles who later found a new home in Canada. In a letter read aloud at a ceremony Sunday morning, Andrzej Duda, president of Poland, said he was proud of the many contributions Polish people have made to Canadian society in areas of science and culture while continuing to carry on their heritage. We want to preserve and develop the closest possible bonds with our compatriots all across the world, and this connection the Canadian-Polonia occupies a very special place, Duda wrote. I trust that it will be a lasting trace of Polish peoples presence in Canada, and inspiration for even better co-operation between our two respective countries. The monument, displayed outside the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, is built with a large piece of natural sandstone from southern Poland, mounted on a granite base from Nova Scotia. A plaque on the front of the monument reads: A stone from Poland in honour of emigrants from Polish lands who contributed to the creation and development of Canada, which in return offered them shelter and new prospects. This is not just an average rock, said Jan Skora, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland, who came up with the idea for a monument in 2016. This is extremely important, emotionally, for Polish people, the people who cannot go anymore to Poland, to touch this rock and be in Poland. This is a special rock. The first Polish migrants came to Canada soon after the First Partition of Poland in the late 1700s, and more would come in the 19th century. In the mid-1800s, two waves of Poles arrived in Canada, forming the countrys first Polish settlements in Ontario. Another wave occurred through the 1890s until the start of First World War, in part because of Prussian and Austrian occupation in their home countries. While immigration was restricted during Depression-era Canada, around 64,000 Polish exiles and refugees came to Canada between the end of the Second World War and 1956. According to Statistics Canada, around one million Canadians claim full or partial Polish ancestry, with about 10,000 people of a Polish background living in Nova Scotia nearly 10 per cent of the provinces population. Chris Solarski, who attended Sundays event with his family, is one of them. His grandparents came through Pier 21, then an immigration facility, in the early 20th century. His ancestors settled near Toronto, where they had his parents, who in turn had him and raised him in the area. Seven years ago, he decided to move back to Halifax, where he found more information about his relatives at the Canadian Museum of Immigration. We found the registry and we found their names, and what they came over with: literally $25 in their pocket and one suitcase, said Solarski. While he said the language got lost over the years as his family settled in Canada, he said he tries to maintain Polands culture and holiday traditions as much as possible with his wife and two children. Its important to carry on so it keeps going. Were Canadians first, but we still have that Polish heritage and we need to maintain that, he said, adding that he was pleased to see a monument dedicated to families like his. The people who came over, like my grandfathers and my grandmothers, they were the building blocks of the country and its important to recognize their contributions. Read more about: Charles Trick Currelly, the renowned ROM archeology director, paid $500 in 1936 for relics supposedly found a few years earlier by prospector Eddy Dodd. At the time, the discovery in Beardmore, Ont., satisfied a thirst to confirm that the Viking voyages described in legends did indeed extend to Canada, and went deep inside the country. But did Norse adventurers of 1,000 years ago really make it inland from Hudson Bay? In Beardmore: The Viking Hoax That Rewrote History, author Douglas Hunter looks at the origins and lasting power of the Beardmore hoax. On Sept. 7, 1936, a small Canadian Press story that related the news out of Fort William of Viking relics caught the eye of an unknown Henry Morgan executive in Montreal. He glued the clipping Historic Armor Stirs Interest to a sheet of letterhead, jotted beside it Can these things be? and mailed it to C.T. Currelly. The director of the Royal Ontario Museum of Archaeology responded on Sept. 9. Although no reply is preserved, the clipping indicates that Teddy Elliotts subsequent letter of Nov. 5, 1936, revealing Dodds weapons cache, could not have come as a complete surprise. The contents of Elliotts letter electrified Currelly. The enclosed drawings of Dodds relics, he would recall, sent me right up into the air. They suggested to Currelly that Dodd possessed one of the early types of the Norse sword, 10th to 11th century. The axe could very well also be Norse, and the pick-like piece might be a good many things. Currelly wondered if Elliott would write Dodd to beg him to send the things down here, if only for the sake of preservation. But instead of mailing the letter, Currelly, like T.L. Tanton before him, decided to set aside his reply to the schoolteacher and to write Eddy Dodd directly on Nov. 12. From the beginning of his collecting activities, Currelly had struggled with two opposing tensions. One was the fear of missing out on opportunities by not acting quickly and decisively, which caused much personal and financial anxiety in his early acquisition years. Currelly routinely encountered what he considered once-in-a-lifetime chances in a market dominated by major institutions and private collectors with far larger budgets than what was available to him. The other tension was the fear of being duped by fakes. Throughout his career, Currelly had to make snap decisions on acquisition opportunities. There was no time for prolonged investigations of provenance, and all museum directors of his generation had to contend with the ephemeral if not nonexistent archeological documentation for many of the objects they collected. Currelly had been fortunate to work under Flinders Petrie, a pioneering figure in scientific archeology in Egypt and Palestine. But most of Currellys collecting from the beginning of his career involved dealers as well as ordinary people who appeared at excavations with purportedly ancient items to sell. His archeology experience ended in 1907; thereafter, he was exclusively a buyer, not an excavator, of relics. Currelly could not know for certain the origins of items, and his memories of collecting in Egypt and the Mediterranean were animated by an ever-present and understandable concern that he would be duped. The rise of public museums along with private collectors in the late 19th century created a ravenous market for relics, which could only encourage fakes. As Currelly advised Sir Byron Edmund Walker at the start of his 1903-04 season with Petrie, forgeries outnumbered authentic items on the market by a margin of 10 to one. Currelly considered Petrie to be one of the best at spotting fakes, and he learned everything he could from him. After Currellys first season in Egypt, he passed a key test with Sir William Ridgeway, Disney Professor of Archaeology at Cambridge, by correctly identifying some Egyptians scarabs as exquisite fakes because he saw that they were made from labradorite. The Ridgeway test was one of Currellys stories, and the wealthy philanthropists who funded Currellys museum acquisitions must have been comforted by the idea that his exceptional eye spared them from underwriting worthless acquisitions. However, there was a difference between items that were forgeries and items that were authentic but had been planted in a sensational location to increase their significance and value. New World archeology had a long history of both authentic and fraudulent items that people claimed to have dug up and that proved the presence of ancient Romans, Phoenicians and other Old World peoples. Discoveries of authentic ancient coins were easy to fake, their being readily available from numismatists. Other items, like the weapons Hjalmar Holand presented as evidence of Norsemen, could be brought to North America by immigrants as heirlooms and then proclaimed as remarkable discoveries. Currelly explained to Dodd that Elliott had sent some quite good drawings of a sword, an axe and a couple of other things that he saw in your house. They are intensely interesting, because if his drawings are right, they may very well be Norse. He asked Dodd to send the items to the museum at the ROMs expense so that, at the very least, they could be preserved. If you can give or obtain proof that these were not planted there by some Norwegian or Swede in recent years, we will be willing to give you a very good price for them. Despite his caution about the possibility of fraud, Currelly volunteered circumstantial evidence to support Dodds find, including the Kensington stone. It is known that the Norsemen came down into Minnesota and left an inscription, and of course Indians may have brought the pieces long ago down into the Long Lac, or Norsemen themselves may have come down there. The last is rather unlikely, I think, though Mr. Stefansson [Currellys friend, Vilhjalmur Stefansson] told me that he had every reason to feel sure the Norsemen had landed in the Hudson Bay and had not come up from the east coast of America. Initially, then, Currelly doubted Norsemen had been anywhere near Beardmore; rather, he suspected the relics had some relation to the Kensington stone. [The Kensington stone, which contained ancient writings, was found in Minnesota in 1898, but decades later came to be considered a fake.] Currellys remarks call to mind an exchange of letters the previous year with Knute Haddeland of the League of Norsemen in Canada. Haddeland had sent Currelly a clipping of an article he had published in the Winnipeg Tribune Magazine on Nov. 16, 1935, Viking Colonies Predated Columbus, which endorsed Holands Kensington stone theorizing and included a map showing the route the Knutson party took deep into the continent via Hudson Bay a route that in Haddelands interpretation employed the Albany River, which empties into James Bay in northern Ontario. The explorations of the intrepid early Norsemen were primarily within the border of what is now Canada and, therefore, should be of particular interest to Canadians, Haddeland had lectured Currelly. In reply, Currelly noted: My friend Stefansson has been very much interested in the matter of the Norsemen in America, and has talked a good deal about the Minnesota inscribed stone, which he found most interesting. Currelly informed Haddeland that the museum had just acquired another Viking sword. It was from a private collection in Paris and was said to have been found in the Seine. Currelly presumed that it had been lost in the great Viking siege of the city in the late 10th century. A year after buying the Paris sword, Currelly had the opportunity to acquire relics that would endorse the view of Norse explorations that Stefansson propounded and that was otherwise contentiously supported by the Kensington stone. Currellys interest in the Beardmore weapons tapped several undercurrents of historical interest, museum policy and cultural framing. The archeology division placed a strong emphasis on European history, which Currelly believed could be taught through its wars. In an object-based educational setting there was no better way to teach wars than with weapons. Currelly knew that a key audience for his museums collection was schoolboys perhaps more than schoolgirls and that weaponry sparked imaginations with a glorious if violent past across the Atlantic. Norse weapons carried deep ethnohistorical connotations. The letter from Knute Haddeland of the League of Norsemen in Canada was a reminder of the continued strength of the home-making myth in Scandinavian communities, which the museums sword purchases fed, even if they were not North American relics. But Currelly was more interested in what Norse artefacts said to most museum goers, who had a British heritage. Since the 19th century, Norse fascinations in North America, especially among Anglo-Americans in New England, had been buoyed by a view of race, culture, and history that scholars call Gothicism. Gothicism embodies a melange of paganism, a hardy warrior ethos, freedom-loving republicanism, chivalry, Protestant morality and white racial superiority. It constantly shifts shape to suit the needs of its advocates, but in its essential form it contends that white people from northern Europe are the finest human race, descended from Japheth, a son of Noah favoured by God. These northern European whites hailed from the wellspring of modern civilization and overthrew the southern tyrannies of the imperial Romans and Roman Catholicism. Gothicism encoded and legitimized powerful notions of race-based entitlement and privilege where colonization in the Americas was concerned In Canada, Gothicism fused the lore of Vikings with the British heritage and allegiance of the countrys dominant class. The Gothicist sentiment within the rom in the 1930s was such that Viking relics were more important than anything that survived from the ancien regime of French Canada, and Indigenous materials were a low acquisition and display priority. The distinction between the British as a biological race and as a culture and nation was as ephemeral as were the distinctions applied to other peoples in the Western worldview, and racial fitness was a bedrock notion of immigration policies in Canada and the United States. White racism was a universal feature of Britannic nationalism in the settlement colonies, John Herd Thompson writes of Canada in the first decades of the 20th century. C.T. Currelly, to his credit, never stooped to the Aryanist racism of Hjalmar Holand in extolling the superior nature of Norse adventurers (especially where Indigenous peoples were concerned). Currellys claims of ancient Italian roots defied the blatant racism that infected the most virulent strain of Gothicism and its intertwined sentiments of British Imperialism, and his respect for craftsmanship inoculated him against a blindered devotion to Britishness at the expense of other cultures. Still, Currellys public discussions of the Beardmore relics would have an undeniable if lightly wielded Gothicist edge. Norse weapons of any origin were freighted with connotations of a deep cultural heritage claimed by the British and their Imperial descendants in Canada through the Norman invasion of England. In January 1938, Currelly would state that the Vikings to a certain degree are our own ancestors (because we must all have a bit of Norse blood in us if we are British). The Beardmore relics were an unparalleled opportunity to bridge the old and new worlds through weaponry, one of Currellys favourite instructive tools, within a complex ethnic and imperialist context. The relics placed the Vikings in the landscape with a sword, which was always treated with the greatest priority by anyone discussing Eddy Dodds find. A sword conveyed power, authority and daring. It conjured the sweep of a Norsemans arm in claiming a new land for the Gothicist descendants who ultimately would settle it. As Premier Doug Fords decision to invoke the notwithstanding clause to cut council almost in half reignites talk of the urban-suburban divide, the Star finds the old differences arent what they used to be. In the occasional series One Toronto, we look at what divides us and what we share, no matter where the ward lines fall. Every day, a small army of service workers in neighbourhoods across Etobicoke and Scarborough board buses, start their cars and climb on the subway to pour the coffee, change the sheets, and serve the food downtown. Torontos core, with its restaurants, bars, retail stores and tourist attractions, is full of service-sector jobs. But many of the people who do them arent living anywhere near their workplace. As part of an occasional series this summer, the Star is taking a closer look at the megacity, 20 years after amalgamation, and some of its old, and new, divisions. This dynamic of lower-paid suburban workers servicing downtowns bankers, lawyers and creative class Sunshine List professionals is turning the city into a kind of Downton Abbey, according to one researcher whos studied the phenomenon. Its a divide that could lead to labour shortages in the core as service workers forced to commute farther and farther lose the incentive to take those positions. The comparison to Downton Abbey is that you have the lords and ladies living upstairs and then you have this cadre of people who support them, said John Stapleton, innovation fellow at the non-profit Metcalf Foundation, of the PBS period drama about an upper-crust Edwardian family with a houseful of servants. But the joke is at least with Downton Abbey you got to live there. Statistics Canada data from the 2016 census shows the so-called suburban-urban divide is true to stereotype when it comes to occupations with old-school white-collar and blue-collar jobs divided by neighbourhood. Higher percentages of sales and service, trades, transport and equipment operation, and manufacturing and utilities jobs, as a percentage of total occupations, are clustered in the more suburban Etobicoke and Scarborough. There are some service workers living in the downtown core especially in pockets around Kensington Market and Queen St. E. but percentage hovers between 10 and 20 as a whole, while in Scarborough its closer to 30-35 per cent, with similar figures in northern Etobicoke. Jobs in management and a broad category including education, law and government services are more clustered in the downtown core and in Midtown. This is true, to a lesser degree, for jobs in business, finance and administration. There are some pockets in the suburbs with higher percentages of these jobs. Management occupations made up 26.6 per cent of jobs in one central census tract at Richmond St. W. and Yonge St., for example, while sales and service only 11.8 per cent. Other occupations, like health, were more evenly spread out across the city. Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport, while making up a smaller percentage of Toronto jobs, are still better represented downtown though not in the financial district and in the west end. While its no secret that downtown is increasingly becoming unaffordable, thats also where those in the industry say the best hospitality jobs are jobs experts say are unlikely to remain a draw if wages dont rise and Torontos cost of living continues to push workers farther from the core. Krystyna Nesterenko, a guest services manager/manager on duty who travels from the western edge of Scarborough to her job at a downtown hotel, says she advanced to the management position after about four years in various hotels. Her commute isnt so bad now that she has a car, about a 35-minute drive one way, often not in rush-hour traffic as she works all kinds of shifts. But before she got a vehicle, she had to do a one-hour-and-15-minute bus/subway/streetcar combination commute each way. On a weekend shift, she took a blue night bus she remembers as a true hustle that required her to leave the house at 5 a.m. for a 7 a.m. start time. Nesterenko worked in Scarborough and North York, but the hotel jobs downtown, she says, offer more opportunity for advancement and a better working environment, as well as better wages. Suburb hotels, they very rarely offer anything thats at the point over minimum wage, said the 29-year-old, adding its very good motivation for leaving her neighbourhood to work. Aside from wages, Nesterenko enjoys the busy dynamic downtown and says the hotels there offer more types of jobs in one building. But living downtown is totally unaffordable, she said. The industry itself, the salary range that we are on, doesnt really allow to be spending that much money on housing, its just not possible. In a 2015 report about the working poor, the Metcalf Foundations Stapleton found a growth of knowledge workers senior managers and professionals in business, finance, law etc. and the service entry people who cater to them, like clerks, chefs and waiters, since 1987. Meanwhile, the number of middle workers, people like Nesterenko who are service managers, retail supervisors or equipment and machine operators, has stagnated in the years since amalgamation. Metcalfs report also found the Toronto region has the highest percentage of working poor in the country, more than 9 per cent of workers, 264,000 adults living on poverty-level wages, an 11 per cent increase since 2006. A lack of better paying mid-range jobs, combined with higher rental and real-estate prices, drives lower paid workers farther out into the suburbs, and even into illegal rooming houses in Scarborough and North York, he said. And of course were not building any new subsidized housing, so in a way we have the perfect storm of a situation, said Stapleton. It means that were going to start looking more and more like Manhattan, he said, adding it also puts a strain on the environment and the transportation system because of so many commuters travelling longer distances to afford housing. Deena Ladd, with the Toronto-based Workers Action Centre, believes its critical to have minimum standards like the planned minimum wage hike and other protections around precarious work introduced in fall 2017, to make sure workers across sectors can live in the city. Otherwise what were doing is were basically saying to them, youre good enough to work, but youre not good enough to live in the city that you work in, and thats ridiculous, she said. The $14-an-hour minimum wage is supposed to go up to $15 an hour in January. Its a hike that Ladd said workers sorely need but Premier Doug Ford promised to axe it during the campaign trail, and may still scrap it. Its cost of living that led Roberto Perez to seek housing outside the city limits 13 years ago. The 43-year-old Burlington resident commutes daily for a job as a housekeeper at the Toronto Marriott Bloor Yorkville Hotel, a job he loves, but knows even Burlington housing is too much for many of his coworkers. Perez looked for a house in Etobicoke, Mississauga, Port Credit, Oakville, Appleby, but had to go even farther west before he could afford one. I dont live in Burlington because I want to, he said during a busy lunch hour at the hotel. People ask me how do you do it? I do it because I have no choice. Despite his brutal hour-and-a-half commute on the bus, GO train and subway, Perez considers himself lucky. Out of almost 150 colleagues, he estimates maybe three live in the downtown core. Theyre driven, like him, to seek jobs in the higher-end hotels downtown, as many of them are unionized, his with Unifor Local 7575, and offer higher wages and a better environment. People have pride in what they do, he said of the staff. Its a big family. Abdalla Idris, on leave of absence from a housekeeping position at the Chelsea Hotel on Gerrard St. W., usually commutes from Scarborough by car and said it can be frustrating living so far from work. Sometimes we get written up by the management (for being late), they dont understand how we get here, he said, adding some of his colleagues work two or three jobs to make ends meet. We want people to have one job, a good living wage, to live in Toronto. Unchecked, the situation could lead to a labour shortage for the service and sales industry downtown, and even businesses closing, said Cherise Burda, executive director of Ryersons City Building Institute. It is a gutting out of our city if were not putting in place the right types of policies and investments to ensure that a range of family incomes can live in the city where they work, she said. Its something thats already starting to happen in downtown Vancouver, where a popular bagel shop had to close one of its locations for a few weeks in August because of difficulty finding staff. One exception to the trend of low-to-middle-income workers leaving the core is the artist community. But musician Lily Frost says if not for the fact that shes co-parenting, shed consider leaving for Prince Edward County or Hamilton, where many artists fleeing high rent have already settled. Frost returned to the city after three years in Caledon where she had a much bigger house for way less, to get back to a community of artists in the west end. The problem with being out of the city as an artist is that its really hard to find people to connect with, and people you can collaborate with, she said. Its about proximity and the people and the exposure to culture, Frost said. Burda said its crucial to build more affordable housing, as well as a transit network to reduce commutes, and get away from this divisiveness of suburbs vs. downtown, to solve the problem as a city. It really is a bit of a perverse correlation because the more people who are lower income and might not have enough money to own a car are doing some of the longest travelling across the city, on some of the slowest transit service, Burda said. Read more about: David McCann, part of a long line of farmers to ply his familys 200 acres near Milton, had a very different experience at the local farmers market this weekend than hes had in recent months. People were coming up to our stand to congratulate us, or give us high fives, said the elated farmer, whose family has been working the same land here since 1827. It was sure a lot nicer than the last few months of condolences and regrets. McCann and family had plenty of reason to celebrate. On Friday, the Halton Catholic District School Board withdrew a plan to expropriate 20 acres of the McCann familys farm to build a high school. It ended nearly five months of anxious waiting: The McCanns had been informed in April that the board, which under the Ontario Expropriations Act had the power to force a sale of the land from the family, was seeking a portion of the farm on which to build. An outcry in the community quickly produced an online petition of more than 37,000 signatures, and caught the attention of the school boards board of trustees. We were really just looking at lines on a map, said board trustee Anthony Quinn. As far as we were concerned, this was the best site it had the best drainage, the best access to roads. When we discussed this process around the table, I dont think any of us understood that this was a family farm. Quinn became aware of the growing petition and suggested that the board consider their options. We asked staff to come up with some alternatives and I think weve come up with something that should satisfy everyone. Quinn couldnt say where the new site would be, but he believed it would be acquired in a development already undergoing site preparation. Colin Best, a Milton city council member, said the school boards expropriation caught the town off guard. We were completely floored, he said, noting that building a high school beside a cattle farm would carry with it unique challenges. What happens when youre sitting in math class and theyre spreading fertilizer next door? he said. I just dont think it was thought through. But Im glad they smartened up and withdrew the plan. Quinn said the school board is straining to accommodate significant growth in its student population in the region. All its current schools in the Milton area are at capacity, he said. By 2020, there will be 3,000 students expecting to be in this school. As to the decision to expropriate the McCann farm, he explained: We were pressed for time and it was what appeared, on paper, to be the best solution. We didnt fully understand the family situation. Had there been no other option, our clear duty was to the students. Happily, we were able to find one. As for McCann, he gives credit to the community for turning the tide. Id heard, when (a school board) wants to expropriate, you pretty much have no hope, he said. With the petition, I think they realized we were actual human beings down here, and we wanted to stay and farm. On Friday, the family thanked the community as well as the school board on their petition page: This makes our family immensely proud that right here we have an indisputable example of a community that really does care and that together we can and did make great things happen. MEXICO CITY - Mexicans heading into the weekend's Independence Day celebrations were jolted by a brazen shooting by men dressed as mariachi musicians who killed five people and wounded eight in Garibaldi Plaza, an iconic square in the capital where the bands serenade tourists. The Mexico City prosecutors' office said at least one foreigner was among those wounded in Friday night's attack, which local media said was staged by three gunmen. Four people died initially and a fifth died of her wounds at a hospital Saturday afternoon, authorities said. The news outlet La Silla Rota circulated surveillance video of the alleged assailants wearing traditional embroidered jackets and pants as they fled on motorcycles. The shooting cast a bloody pall over Independence Day festivities. Many Mexicans will wear mariachi costumes, a symbol of national pride, on Saturday night to commemorate the launch of the revolt against Spanish rule on Sept. 16, 1810. It is also the busiest time of year for Garibaldi Plaza, a beloved but seedy square that draws heavily on Mexican folklore. Lisa Sanchez, director of Mexicans United Against Delinquency, described the shooting as a "piercing portrait" of Mexico. The shooting in a crowded public square demonstrates that impunity prevails in the country, she said. The prosecutors' office said investigators were trying to find those responsible for the attack. Few crimes in Mexico are solved. On Saturday night, President Enrique Pena Nieto is to shout "Viva Mexico" or "Long Live Mexico" shortly before midnight from a balcony of the National Palace. Thousands crowd into Mexico City's central Zocalo square every year to hear the shout, and the celebration usually spills into Garibaldi Plaza. Business quickly resumed around the square following the shooting. Videos circulating on social media showed musicians in the plaza playing their music around the time of the shooting, without skipping a beat. In one video, a man plucking a large harp continues to belt out the Mexican civil war anthem "La Cucaracha" as dozens of gunshots can be heard in the background. In another, brass instruments and melancholic voices fill the air as the flashing lights of police vehicles descend on the plaza. Patrons continued to down tequilas and tuck into tacos. At the Tenampa cantina, which bills itself as having first brought mariachi troupes to the plaza in the 1920s, a manager said it was business as usual Saturday. "We haven't had any reservations cancelled and we continue to book tables," he said, asking that his name not be published for fear of retaliation by criminal groups. Crimes and scams have plagued Garibaldi Plaza for years. Malcolm X's grandson Malcolm Shabazz was found beaten to death outside a bar there in 2013 after a dispute over a bill. A Mexican security expert, Alejandro Hope, said the Friday shooting appeared to be a hit by an organized crime group. Garibaldi Plaza borders the gritty Tepito neighbourhood, home to the Union Tepito gang that has been extorting businesses across the capital. The suspected head of Union Tepito, a man known as "El Betito," was arrested in August. That arrest may have set off a battle for leadership and turf. A rival gang called the Anti-Union Force is believed to hang around Garibaldi. Hope said the shooters targeted a specific restaurant on the plaza in what may have been a shakedown for protection money or a hit on rivals. "It was not random," he said. Read more about: WELLFLEET, MASS.A man was bitten by a shark Saturday in the water off a Cape Cod beach and died later at a hospital. It was the states first shark attack fatality in more than 80 years. The man, identified as 26-year-old Arthur Medici of Revere, was attacked around noon off Newcomb Hollow Beach, police said. Joe Booth, a local fisherman and surfer, said he was on shore when he saw the man and his friend boogie boarding when the attack happened. He said he saw the man aggressively kick something behind him and a flicker of a tail from the water. He realized what was happening when the friend came ashore dragging his injured friend. I was that guy on the beach screaming, Shark, shark! Booth said. It was like right out of that movie Jaws. This has turned into Amity Island real quick out here. Booth said others on the beach attempted to make a tourniquet while others frantically called 911. Hayley Williamson, a Cape Cod resident and former lifeguard who was on the beach at the time, was in disbelief after the man was rushed into an ambulance. Weve been surfing all morning right here and they were just further down, she said of the two boogie boarders. Right spot, wrong time, I guess. Life-saving measures were attempted on the beach before the man was taken to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, where he was pronounced dead, State Police spokesperson David Procopio said. The beach on the side of the cape facing the Atlantic Ocean has been closed to swimming. It was the first fatal shark attack in Massachusetts since 1936, and the second shark attack this season. A 61-year-old New York man was severely injured Aug. 15 after fighting off a shark off Truro, about 6 kilometres north of Saturdays attack. Hes recovering in a Boston hospital. Today is just keeping everyone out of water, Wellfleet Police Lt. Michael Hurley said. Therell be a determination later about what the town wants to do with the beaches going forward. Beachgoers said the Wellfleet beach is popular with surfers, and with sunny skies and warm temperatures Saturday it was busy, even though the summer season was over and lifeguards were no longer on watch. There have been frequent shark sightings this summer along the outer Cape, often leading to beach closings. The National Park Service, which manages many of the beaches, said it had closed beaches for at least an hour about 25 times by the end of August this year more than double the annual average. A Cape Cod politician said officials who did not take more aggressive action against sharks bore some responsibility for the fatal attack. Barnstable county commissioner Ron Beaty said he had warned something like this could happen and urged measures to reduce the number of white sharks. It is my personal belief that the responsibility for this horrible shark attack rests squarely upon the shoulders of the aforementioned officials for their utter lack of attention and inaction regarding the growing shark problem on Cape Cod of the last few years, he said. The states last shark attack fatality was on July 25, 1936, when 16-year-old Joseph Troy Jr. was bitten in waters off Mattapoisett. Troy, of Bostons Dorchester neighbourhood, was visiting an uncle and was swimming about 15 metres offshore when the shark attacked. WASHINGTONPresident Donald Trumps bid to confirm Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court was thrown into uncertainty on Sunday as a woman came forward with explosive allegations that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers more than three decades ago. The woman, Christine Blasey Ford, 51, a research psychologist at Palo Alto University in Northern California, said in an interview with the Washington Post that during a high school party in the early 1980s, a drunken Kavanaugh pinned her on a bed, groped her and covered her mouth to keep her from screaming. I thought he might inadvertently kill me, the newspaper quoted her as saying. He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing. Kavanaugh has denied the accusations, and in a terse statement on Sunday, the White House stood by those denials. It signalled that it had no intention of pulling the nomination. But Fords decision to put her name behind accusations that began to circulate late last week a choice made after weeks of reluctance appeared to open a door to a delay in a Senate committee vote on the nomination scheduled for Thursday. The disclosure also injected a volatile #MeToo element into the confirmation debate, one that is playing out in the overwhelmingly male Republican-led Senate during a midterm election that has energized Democratic women. One Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, told Politico that he was not comfortable voting yes on the nomination until he learned more about Fords account. A single Republican objection on the committee, which has 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats, could force a delay. Read more: Brett Kavanaugh denies allegation of sexual misconduct in high school Brett Kavanaugh accused of sexual misconduct in secret letter Kavanaugh grilled at Supreme Court confirmation hearing on abortion rights and alleged spying Another Republican on the panel, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said on Twitter that if Ms. Ford wishes to provide information to the committee, I would gladly listen to what she has to say and compare that against all other information we have received about Judge Kavanaugh. But he said he hoped to keep the process on schedule. Sen. Bob Corker made a similar statement to Politico. Fords account comes as Democrats are already raising questions about Kavanaughs truthfulness during his confirmation hearings this month. They have accused him of dissembling on a range of issues from his time in the George W. Bush White House, including a breach of secret Democratic files on judicial nominations and discussions about detainee policy and torture. The new revelation prompted a hurried effort by Sen. Charles E. Grassley the Judiciary Committee chairman, to set up conference calls to allow Democratic and Republican aides to interview both Kavanaugh and Ford before Thursdays scheduled committee vote. A spokesperson, Garrett Ventry, said it was routine to hold such calls when updates are made to nominees background files. Senate Republican leaders in the hours after the Posts article was published indicated that they intended to move forward with voting on him. Republicans planned to argue that unless corroborating information came to light, they had no way of verifying her story and saw no reason to delay the vote, according to a person involved in the discussions. The decision about any delay in the vote could rest on the opinions of two Republican women: Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine. Both are publicly undecided about Kavanaugh. Collins said in an interview Sunday night that she considered the allegations serious and that Ford needed to be personally interviewed to get a fuller account. But Collins, who could conceivably decide the outcome in the narrowly divided Senate, said Democrats had done a disservice to both Ford and Kavanaugh with their handling of the accusations. What is puzzling to me is the Democrats, by not bringing this out earlier, after having had this information for more than six weeks, have managed to cast a cloud of doubt on both the professor and the judge, she said. If they believed Professor Ford, why didnt they surface this information earlier so that he could be questioned about it? And if they didnt believe her and chose to withhold the information, why did they decide at the eleventh hour to release it? It is really not fair to either of them the way it is was handled. The White House, which has taken great pains to portray Kavanaugh as a champion of women, sought to bolster him by pointing to statements by women who have known him and testified to his character. Those included a letter from 65 women who said that they knew him in high school and that he had always treated women with decency and respect. Advisers to Trump were trying to avoid publicly assailing the accuser while hoping that the lack of contemporaneous corroboration for Fords account would mean that Senate Republicans could move ahead without addressing it in detail. More delicately, advisers were privately urging Trump, who has been accused of sexual harassment by more than a dozen women, not to speak out about the allegations against Kavanaugh on Twitter for fear that he would only inflame the situation. Still, some of the presidents allies on the right excoriated Ford a registered Democrat as a partisan. But Democrats and their liberal allies rallied around her, praising her courage and deeming her allegations credible. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, called the accusations extremely serious and said they bear heavily on Judge Kavanaughs character. She urged critics of his accuser to stop the attacks and stop shaming her. Sen. Patty Murray went one step further, invoking Anita Hill, who came forward during Justice Clarence Thomas 1991 confirmation hearings to accuse him of sexual harassment. I was motivated to run for the Senate after watching the truly awful way Anita Hill was treated by an all-male Judiciary Committee interrogating her about the sexual harassment she endured at the hands of now-Justice Clarence Thomas, Murray said in a statement, adding that the hearings must be delayed. There is an important difference between the two cases, however: Hill detailed harassment that took place in the workplace, when she and Thomas were adults. The Posts article included an interview with Fords husband and her lawyer, Debra Katz, and described a therapists notes from 2012 in which Ford told of the attack. At Katzs urging, Ford also underwent a polygraph examination in early August; the retired FBI agent who conducted the examination, Jerry Hanafin, said in an interview Sunday that the results showed no deception indicated in effect, she was being truthful. Her account has also been detailed in a confidential letter that Feinstein has shared with the FBI. She disclosed its existence Thursday, although she had been in possession of it at least since late July. Most lawmakers have yet to read the letter Feinstein sent to the FBI, and Senate aides and lawmakers were privately weighing the implications of Fords interview on Sunday. Republicans on the Judiciary Committee said that if Feinstein had taken the allegations seriously, she should have brought them up much earlier. It raises a lot of questions about Democrats tactics and motives to bring this to the rest of the committees attention only now, the statement said. But Katz said that throughout August, Feinsteins aides had checked back with Katz from time to time to see if Ford would go public. But Ford, fearing she would be attacked, wanted to remain private and the senator respected her wishes, Katz said. She said Ford decided to reveal herself only because journalists began contacting her, and inaccurate stories about her began circulating. We do think that Feinstein did well by her and we do think that people took this decision away from her and thats wrong, Katz said. If the #MeToo era teaches us anything its that a person gets to choose when where and how and now this person is going to be injected into a life-altering bloodbath. The New York Times published an account of the letter on Friday. In her interview with the Post, Ford offered further detail, saying that one summer in the early 1980s, Kavanaugh and a friend, both stumbling drunk, led her into a bedroom at a home in Montgomery County, Maryland, in suburban Washington, where teenagers had gathered. The woman was wearing a bathing suit under her clothes. While his friend watched, the woman said, Kavanaugh pinned her down, grinding his body against hers and trying to pull off her one-piece bathing suit and the clothing she wore over it. She said she was able to escape when Kavanaughs friend, Mark Judge, jumped on top of them, sending all three tumbling. She told the Post that she ran from the room, briefly locked herself in a bathroom and then fled the house. In the interview, Ford said the lasting trauma from the attack had derailed me substantially for four or five years, and had caused anxiety for years after that. Kavanaugh, in a statement released last week, said: I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time. In an interview with The Times on Saturday, Judge, who had learned from reporters that he was the other student named in the letter, denied that any such episode had taken place. It never happened, he said. I never saw anything like what was described. Further, he said it did not match Kavanaughs character: It is not who he is. Fords account opens a window into the exclusive prep school culture in which Kavanaugh grew up. The alleged assault occurred while he was a student at Georgetown Preparatory School, and Ford was a student at another private school, Holton Arms, where she was a cheerleader in her senior year. She graduated in 1984. Read more about: JERUSALEMA Palestinian assailant on Sunday fatally stabbed an Israeli settler outside a busy mall in the West Bank. The victim was identified as Ari Fuld, a U.S.-born activist who was well-known in the local settler community and an outspoken Israel advocate on social media platforms. The military said the attacker arrived at the mall near a major junction in the southern West Bank, close to the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, and stabbed the Fuld before fleeing. Video footage showed Fuld giving chase and firing at his assailant before collapsing. Other civilians shot the attacker, whom Israeli media identified as a 17-year-old from a nearby Palestinian village. He was reportedly in moderate condition. Fuld, a 45-year-old father of four who lived in the nearby settlement of Efrat, was evacuated to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Fuld was a well-known English-language internet commenter on current affairs and the weekly Torah lesson. He was known for his hard-line nationalist ideology and strong support for the Israeli military. Settler spokesman Josh Hasten, who said he had known Fuld for about a decade, said his friend travelled widely to showcase the beauty and reality of life in the country. He delivered care packages to Israeli soldiers and would go on solidarity trips to communities near the Gaza Strip during times of fighting with the Hamas militant group, Hasten said. When the rockets were falling, thats when he would get in his car and go down to Sderot, Hasten said. Fuld also was known for an outspoken manner that included verbal clashes with Palestinians and critics of Israel that could land him in trouble. At times, his Facebook account was suspended. He did not hold back on his opinions, Hasten said. If that meant 30 days of Facebook jail, so be it. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded Fuld on Facebook for fighting his attacker heroically and remembered him as an advocate for Israel who fought to spread the truth. On Twitter, David Friedman, the U.S. ambassador to Israel and a strong supporter of the settlements, called him a passionate defender of Israel & an American patriot. Since 2015, Palestinians have killed over 50 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks. Israeli forces killed over 260 Palestinians in that period, of which Israel says most were attackers. Read more about: DAMASCUS, SYRIASyria held its first municipal elections since 2011 on Sunday, amid tensions with the countrys self-administered Kurdish region, which refused to allow polls. Candidates campaigned on promises to promote reconstruction after seven years of civil war left cities and towns in ruins. We hope we can meet the peoples aspirations and improve conditions and services in the city, said Hassan Taraqji, a Baath party candidate in Damascus. The Baath party, which has controlled Syrias political and security organizations since the 1960s, was expected to sweep the elections. The war waged by Syrian President Bashar Assads government against local opposition forces and Daesh (also known as ISIL or ISIS) has cost the country more than $300 billion (U.S.) in economic damage, according to a recent UN study. Observers say more than 400,000 people have been killed. But parts of the country remain beyond Damascus reach, including the U.S.-backed self-administered Kurdish region in north Syria, which also includes Arab and minority populations. Read more: Opinion | Why the Battle for Idlib will explode globally Last Daesh redoubt under attack in Syria Bombings and air raids kill four in Syria's rebel-held Idlib The region is governed by its own Syrian Democratic Council, which refused to allow the Damascus-organized elections to proceed on its territory. The regime wants us to remain under its rule and under the rule of the Baath, said Ibrahim Ibrahim, a spokesperson for the administration. Kurdish officials say they want a federalized Syria that respects the northeasts autonomy from Damascus and guarantees rights and privileges for national minorities. High-level meetings between representatives of the SDC and Baath and federal officials in Damascus are yet to produce a breakthrough. Damascus insists it will assert its authority over the whole country. Hussein Dabboul, a member of parliament from Aleppo, a north Syrian city near the edges of the self-administration zone, said the SDC was linked to foreign powers and to the United States, and it has certain objectives and targets. Human rights groups have criticized the Kurdish-led administration for single-party rule. The administration held local elections in 2017. More than 40,000 candidates are competing for 18,478 council seats, according to the Ministry of Local Administration. Opposition-held areas were excluded from the polls. About three million people of Syrias pre-war population of 22 million live under opposition rule in the countrys northwest Idlib province and surrounding areas. Another 5.6 million are refugees abroad; they were also excluded from the vote. Presidential elections were held in 2014 in limited areas of government control. Read more about: The Mexico City prosecutors' office said at least one foreigner was among those wounded in Friday night's attack, which local media said was staged by three gunmen. Four people died initially and a fifth died of her wounds at a hospital Saturday afternoon, authorities said. The 43rd Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) comes to a close Sunday and Toronto was again at the centre of the film world with new screenings, Oscar and award hints, high profile events and business deals. The festival attracts the worlds top stars but is also an important platform to showcase Canadian content and talent. Toronto is home to a thriving film industry that in 2017 generated $1.6 billion in revenue for the citys economy, hosted close to 7,000 productions and employs close to 32,000 full time equivalent jobs, making it the third largest employer by sector. This is an incredible achievement that need to be celebrated and protected. Back in March, I had the pleasure of accompanying Mayor Tory on his third annual mission to Hollywood. I was representing The Hazelton Hotel and was joined by like-mined leaders in various industry sectors, such as production, post production, unions, accommodation, support services, and hospitality. The goal was to further solidify the relationship for making TV and movie magic north of the border. The mission had a strong sense of community and a Canadian win-win mentality a quality that is fuelling further success and positive reputation for the industry outside Canada. The success of Hollywood North can be attributed to a few areas working in tandem, including: the depth of our talent pool; a top down commitment exemplified in Mayor John Torys continued advocacy for the industry; the key role of the sector development office; a bottom up activism and sense of community; the quality product services that the city offers, and much more. Like in the hotel business, everything starts with people. In our citys film industry, we see this at multiple levels. The private sector experience of our Film Commissioner Zaib Sheikh and Sector Development Officer Magali Simard and their expertise has accelerated the strategic alignment, policy shaping, and this perfect scenario of private-public partnership. For example, with the The Shape of Water, in addition to award-winning producer J. Miles Dale, the top-notch crew was almost a full Canadian contingency. Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro is known to sing Torontos praises on various occasions saying: You can feel film in Toronto and then you can make it in Toronto. Its one of the best film towns in the world. What the film and TV production industry has managed to achieve in our city is a true economic success story that needs to be celebrated, however, we cannot rest on our laurels. Despite all these great successes, competition remain fierce. Other cities including Vancouver, Atlanta, and increasingly Montreal, are increasingly competing for the film industrys attention and investments. We must keep listening and improving. It is disappointing that the city lost and estimated $130 million of potential revenue last year because of a lack of studio space. Solutions for more studio space is on the way, however. The tax credits extended for productions remain one of the most important incentives for studios and production companies when considering Toronto, something that has been repeated by film executives to Tory when we were in L.A., and we need to firmly protect this advantage. Talent development will remain key if Toronto is to cement a leading position in this industry. We need to continue enriching our talent pool and xoTO Schools, a Toronto District School Board co-op student placement program, that enables enhanced access for location filming in 11 pre-approved Toronto District School Board properties across the GTA. It has been a promising initiative in this area. Falling short on any of the areas above might compromise a key economic sector in our city. The presence of movie productions in the city cast a massive spotlight here that ripples outward to include adjacent industries such as hotels, caterers, shops, transportation, and bars all benefiting from our entertainment ecosystem. Films allow us to showcase our city and our country and tell the Canadian story to the world. They are a form of artistry that bring people together. When Toronto is in the spotlight, on screen or in real life, we are all winners. Hani Roustom is the general manager of the Hazelton Hotel. Follow him on Twitter: @haniroustom Read more about: Pot users, investors, may be banned from U.S., Sept. 14 As with many other unintended consequences of pot legalization, the Trudeau government has been less than forthcoming regarding this very serious issue, which potentially could affect hundreds of thousands of Canadians trying to travel to the United States. I recall Safety Minister Ralph Goodale stating that there is no reason legalized pot should prompt tighter screening at the U.S. border. This makes me wonder: was he ever in actual contact with U.S. Border Patrol officials during the legalization process? A potential life-time ban could be issued to many former high-ranking police officers and politicians who are now directly involved in the pot business. Thousands of Canadians likely now own pot stocks in their portfolios and could find themselves barred from the U.S. Canadians with no involvement with pot may find their travel also seriously delayed, as the U.S. steps up screening post-legalization. Larry Comeau, Ottawa So U.S. Customs and Border Protection plans to ban Canadians who have invested in cannabis companies from entering the U.S. and says that it doesnt recognize cannabis as a legal business. Constellation Brands, based in New York state, owns 38 per cent of Canopy Growth Corp., based in Ontario, with the possibility to increase that stake above 50 per cent. I guess this means that any Constellation executives visiting Ontario to check on their investment in an illegal business should be refused re-entry into the U.S. Good luck with that. Chris Churchill, Scarborough How can we expect young people not to use marijuana when so many parents will use and advocate its use? This decision will doom many youth before they even get started in life and careers. What adults do once they are established and support themselves is their own business. But sadly even more young people will fall into drug use and the inevitable problems drugs are proven to cause. In my 65 years of life, this is by far the most irresponsible political and societal decision I have witnessed. VANCOUVEROn Friday morning, cannabis products being distributed to drug users by the High Hopes Foundation for the purpose of opioid replacement, were seized by Vancouver Police officers. Sarah Blyth, founder the High Hopes Foundation which distributes the cannabis products for free, said that she was approached by officers in the Downtown Eastside at 62 East Hastings St.,who then seized the cannabis products. She posted a video of the seizure on Friday to Twitter. https://twitter.com/sarahblyth/status/1040657609987022848 Blyth said that High Hopes returned to the DTES on Saturday morning, and officers came back and told her that they would be making arrests if they did not leave. She posted another video of this interaction on Saturday. Today we put it back up, and they came in and said if you do this were doing to arrest all of you. We set up for a bit and decided since they were making threats to people its like, how can we deal with that? she said. Blyth posted another video of this interaction on Saturday. https://twitter.com/sarahblyth/status/1041133714451849216 Constable Jason Doucette, media relations officer at the Vancouver Police Department, said that the officers involved tried to identify who the products were owned by. Our officers attempted to identify the owner of the products but no one took ownership, including a woman seated near the table, he said in a statement. The product, including two plastic bottles of unknown powder, was seized and tagged at the VPD property office for destruction. Doucette also said that the products were illegal, and that selling them will continue to be illegal following the decriminalization of cannabis on Oct. 17. The cannabis (still an illegal substance) was in plain view at the market and was seized for destruction. Although our officers tried to identify the owner of the cannabis products being openly sold, no one took responsibility for it Selling cannabis in this manner is illegal now and will continue to be illegal after cannabis is decriminalized in October. But Blyth said that the High Hopes Foundation was known to police, and that VPD officers had not seized any products from her until now. She that she will return to the DTES to continue her work, likely in the next few days. Were trying to figure out what to do but were not giving up well be back. Blyth said that the distribution of cannabis products has helped save lives, especially for former opioid users who experience pain and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We run this program so vulnerable people have safe access to it. We t have it taken away in the middle of a crisis where people are dying every day is incredibly horrific. Blyth, who is running for Vancouver city council, said that the timing of the raid is suspiciously close to the election. She said that she plans get onto the Vancouver Police Board if elected. Youve got to wonder why this is happening right now i mean honestly people can do the math there If I end up on the police board Im going to try to help push for changes. Dr. Keith Ahamad, a clinical researcher at the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU), said that he fears that this incident will increase fears of police and other authority figures and discourage people who use drugs from seeking help. I am working on the front lines of a opioid overdose crisis where people are dying in that neighbourhood in the hundreds and thousands of a health issue, he said. My concern as a doctor working on the front lines, these people will be driven to hide away again as they are dying. He said that in his work with drug users, he finds that many view the police as part of a greater system, which includes first responders, doctors, nurses,and other professionals as part of one greater institution which means that police behaving in this way could discourage people from accessing other services. My concern is when anyone under the umbrella is behaving in a way that is intimidating it doesnt foster the relationship with these people that we need in the middle of a health crisis, Ahamad said. Read more about: FIELDON The annual fall supper will be served at Fieldon United Church of Christ on Saturday, Sept. 22, and cookbooks honoring the churchs 150 years of history will be sold. We have been serving our famous annual fall supper for more than 60 years, said member Janice Hagen, who has belonged to the congregation since 1957. The tradition started when the church needed a new furnace and the congregation came up with the idea to have a supper to help pay for the furnace. The supper hours will be from 4 to 8 p.m. on Saturday in the Family Life Center, which is on the left corner of the second block. The church is located in Fieldon, 10 miles west of Jerseyville on Route 16 West. The all-you-can-eat family style fish and roast beef dinner features deep fried buffalo fish (secret recipe), beef and homemade dressing and sides, as well as dessert. Hagen said a lot of work goes into the homemade applesauce that is one of the menu items. Volunteers sterilize jars and lids and wash apples, cook them and place into a grated rice blender. The cooks then return to a pan to be cooked with sugar and cinnamon. The apples are then placed in jars, sealed and placed in a large pan of water to process, boil and can the applesauce. It is a lot of work, but it is so good! Hagen said. The anniversary cookbooks will have 700 Heavenly Delights recipes for $15 each. Quilt Raffle, 50/50 drawing, Sunday School Basket Raffle, and a Country Store with homemade goods will be other features of the event. Hagen said preparation for the supper involves a thorough cleaning of the kitchen and lists of necessary items needed to serve the meal, which are posted and members are notified of the work days and hours in order to serve hundreds of people. We are able to seat 200 at one seating. Little did church members realize in the beginning how much fellowship and outreach would develop from the annual supper, and how the congregation would become known for the delicious meal and fellowship, Hagen said. While his friend watched, she said, Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed on her back and groped her over her clothes, grinding his body against hers and clumsily attempting to pull off her one-piece bathing suit and the clothing she wore over it. When she tried to scream, she said, he put his hand over her mouth. Violence marred the Jawaharlal Nehru University students' union (JNUSU) polls, as the RSS-affiliated ABVP and the left parties accused each other of fomenting trouble. The left parties even alleged that an attempt was made to kidnap a woman member outside the university. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) claimed their activists were assaulted by the left bloc. "We were 25 in number and they were 250. They assaulted one of our members and he is currently in hospital. Some of their women members even tore the clothes of some of our women members," the ABVP claimed. The SFI-AISA goons brutally assaulted the #JNU students demanding the free & fair counting of the ballot papers. Leg fracture, torn clothes tell all about the JNU left. This is how they react when faced with strong political challenge. #JNUelections2018 pic.twitter.com/g3VWeKYaZS Abhinav Prakash (@Abhina_Prakash) September 15, 2018 This happened outside the School of International Studies where the counting of votes was then underway. Meanwhile, the left members accused the ABVP members of attacking them in the evening and making an attempt to kidnap them around 10.30pm. "While coming from the police station after registering a complaint against the goons of ABVP who violently attacked us, four men started assaulting us from all corners," alleged a woman member of the left bloc. She claimed they were armed. Meanwhile, the left also claimed ABVP members were stationed inside the campus armed with sticks, a charge denied by the ABVP. Police said they are stationed at all gates of the campus. They denied receiving any complaints so far. Counting of votes was suspended for over 14 hours on Saturday, as election authorities cited "forcible entry" and "attempts to snatch away ballot boxes" at counting venue, after the ABVP staged protests claiming it was not informed about the start of the process. The counting, which was suspended at 4am, resumed at 6.30pm after two teachers from the grievance redressal cell were appointed as observers for the exercise, officials said. "The election committee had resumed counting process at 6.30pm. Counting agents for central panel for combined science schools and special centre remain same. Observers of the election committee will testify for the transparency in which the ballots were counted," the election committee said. According to figures available, the left and the ABVP are locked in a close fight on the central panel posts of president, vice president, secretary and joint secretary, with the left leading on all fronts. The voter turnout in the keenly contested JNUSU election on Friday was 67.8 per cent, believed to be the highest in six years. Over 5,000 students cast their votes. The left-backed All India Students' Association (AISA), Students' Federation of India (SFI), Democratic Students' Federation (DSF) and All India Students' Federation (AISF) have come together to form the united-left alliance. Besides the left bloc, there are candidates of ABVP, NSUI (National Students' Union of India) and BAPSA (Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students Association). The left alliance has fielded N. Sai Balaji of the School of International Studies as its presidential candidate. DSF's Sarika Chaudhary will be contesting for the post of vice president, SFI's Aejaz Ahmad Rather will be contesting for the post of general secretary and AISF's Amutha Jayadeep will be contesting for the joint secretary's position. All three of them are from the School of Social Sciences. The Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India (NSUI) has fielded Vikas Yadav of the School of International Studies for the president's post. Lijy K. Babu of the School of Life Sciences will be contesting for the post of vice president. Md Mofizul Alam will be contesting for the post of secretary, while Ngurang Reena of the School of International Studies will be contesting for the post of joint secretary. ABVP has fielded Lalit Pandey for the president's post, Geetashri Boruah for the vice-president's post, Ganesh Gurjar for the post of general secretary and Venkat Choubey for joint secretary's post. The adage that failures can teach many lessons seems quite... Lahore, Sep 16 (PTI) Pakistan's railways minister has proposed the sale of railway land to end nearly Rs 37 billion deficit and requested Prime Minister Imran Khan to promulgate an ordinance for the purpose. Railways currently faces a deficit of Rs 37 billion as induction of new trains and high expenses take toll on the state-owned entity's revenue. With costs running high, and several Railways' assets unable to add to the company's bottom line, the entity has run into losses for years now, The Express Tribune reported. "The prime minister has sought details of the precious land owned by the railways in different cities within a fortnight," Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad said on Saturday. Ahmad, the newly-appointed minister for railways, said all the land, which belongs to Pakistan Railways, would be retrieved from those who had grabbed it as the state-owned entity owns a huge amount of land but it is either been encroached or has not been used commercially. However, "no action will be taken against dwellers of shanties on the railway land because of directives from the prime minister". Describing the condition of Pakistan Railways' hospitals as deplorable, the minister said he was contemplating involving the private sector for bringing about improvement in the organisation but without compromising the rights of railway employees. "We plan to run these hospitals under the public-private partnership mode. We are even ready to hand over control of these hospitals to the private sector on 'as-it-is' basis," he added. Ahmad said that talks were under way to hand over control of all railway hospitals to the army medical corps. Talking about freight operations, the minister said Pakistan Railways was working internally to correct its freight business. "Railways will try to improve things in the freight sector, we will wait for a month to see these improvements, later we will involve the private sector," he said, adding it would include opening one-window operations to facilitate people. The minister said the railways had planned to run 12 to 15 additional freight trains. He sought government's directives for Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and other state-run organisations to use train services for their cargo delivery. He said 318 acres of land would be acquired by Pakistan Railways in Gwadar while train services would be initiated for border posts of Taftan and Torkham to facilitate passengers and freight traffic. PTI AMS AMS AMS Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 16) President Rodrigo Duterte has picked Army chief Lt. Gen. Rolando Bautista to be the new National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator. At a command conference Sunday in Tuguegarao City, Duterte said he wanted Bautista to rationalize the current structure of the NFA. This comes after the President said last week that he was looking for a replacement for current NFA head Jason Aquino who asked to be relieved from his post. "He (Aquino) said he's tired and cannot cope up with the laro dyan sa [dynamics there] inside, which is always ordinary happening in the government because we cannot be in agreement all the time. I will scout for a new one," Duterte said in a televised interview with Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Sal Panelo Aquino is facing calls to step down amid the rising rice prices and dwindling supply of NFA rice. Bautista has yet to comment on whether or not he would accept the post, but he is set to retire from the military in October. Richard had a way with words but also a way with life, and he was a fierce defender of the First Amendment and of intellectual freedom, which I believe can probably be traced back to his early experiences as a journalist and as a writer, said former Arlington Heights Library Board member David Unumb. As part of that, he placed a high value on not only freedom of thought but Id say the ability to sort of pierce to the heart of a situation. Any time an issue came up that smacked legally of censorship, Dick was right up on the ramparts. New Delhi, Sep 16 (PTI) He maybe vocal about social issues like water conservation, but superstar Aamir Khan said Sunday he has no plans to join politics. The 53-year-old Bollywood actor said he is "scared" of the idea and believes he can be a better influence through his films. "I don't want to be a politician. I am not meant for that. I am a communicator. I am not interested in politics... I am also scared of politics. Who isn't? "So, I stay away. I am a creative person. Politics is not my thing. I want to entertain people. I feel I will be able to do more as a creative person than as a politician," Aamir said during a session at NDTV'S special youth conclave 'YUVA'. The actor has been extensively working towards water crisis for the past three years in Maharashtra through his Paani Foundation, which aims at imparting knowledge at the grassroots level in the state about water conservation and watershed management. Aamir said the issue of water scarcity can be countered only when the "people own the problem". "They have to be the solution. It has to be a people's movement... Our approach has always been very inclusive. We want more and more people to join the cause," he added. The actor believes it is the lifestyle of the people which is responsible for the degradation of the environment. "We need to give up cellphones, TV sets, give up watching movies, computers etc... the lifestyle is such that we are using so many resources. To survive we need to redevise our lifestyle." Aamir said it is easy for the public to blame the government for its woes, but things cannot get better without the participation of the citizens. "It's easy for us to blame the government. Maharashtra government has made a lot of efforts to hit back the problem... As citizens, we should question our government. They are answerable to us. But change only happens when we become part of the solution," he added. Aamir will next be seen in "Thugs of Hindostan", which also features Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif and Fatima Sana Shaikh. PTI RDS SHD SHD SHD Islamabad, Sep 16 (PTI) Pakistan's anti-graft body has moved the Supreme Court against Islamabad High Courts decision to hear the appeals of jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law against their conviction in a corruption case, according to a media report. Sharif, 68, along with his daughter Maryam, 44 and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar, 54, are serving jail terms of 10-years, seven years and one year respectively in the Adiala Jail after the accountability court convicted them on July 6 over the family's ownership of four luxury flats in London through illegal means. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Saturday moved the top court against the Islamabad High Courts (IHC) decision to accept the application of the Sharif family members for hearing their petitions, Geo News reported. The petition submitted in the apex court by NAB Chairman Javed Iqbal stated that Sharif family members appeals against their conviction in the Avenfield property case and their bail pleas cannot be heard simultaneously. According to a petition, the high court did not send the NAB a notice before accepting the Sharif family's petition for hearing. "The high court cannot rule on the Sharif family's petition without listening to NAB's perspective," the petition said. The NAB chief said in his petition that ruling on the suspension application is not in the high court's jurisdiction and thus the IHC should be stopped from hearing the petition at all, the report said. PTI NSA NSA NSA New Delhi, Sep 16 (PTI) Following are the top foreign stories at 2000 hours: FGN26 SERBIA-NAIDU-LD NEHRU Naidu invokes Nehru, addresses Serbian Parliament Belgrade: Vice President Venkaiah Naidu invoked India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in his address to the Serbian Parliament as he underlined the need to strengthen democratic polities by internilising the concepts of freedom, dialogue, inclusion and the rule of law. FGN23 UK-MAY-BREXIT Theresa May 'irritated' by speculation over her future as British PM London: Theresa May on Sunday revealed her irritation at the constant speculation over her future as British prime minister as her Conservative party MPs continue to be divided over the direction the Brexit negotiations should take. FGN22 UK-BREXIT-MAYOR London Mayor calls for second Brexit referendum London: London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Sunday called for a second Brexit referendum as he criticised the Conservative party-led UK government's increasingly "chaotic approach" to the negotiations with the 28-member European Union (EU). FGN21 PAK-SHARIFS Pak anti-graft seeks to stop hearing of Sharifs' petition for suspension of corruption conviction Islamabad: Pakistan's anti-graft body has moved the Supreme Court against Islamabad High Courts decision to hear the appeals of jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law against their conviction in a corruption case, according to a media report. FGN18 US-2NDLD FLORENCE Killer storm weakens, but officials warn devastation far from over New Bern: A killer storm that left up to 13 people dead weakened to a tropical depression on Sunday, but US authorities warned the devastation it caused - including catastrophic flooding - is far from over. (AFP) FGN24 CHINA-TYPHOON Super Typhoon Mangkhut hits China; over 2.45 million people evacuated Beijing: China has relocated over 2.45 million people and cancelled over 400 flights as super Typhoon Mangkhut made landfall in southern Guangdong province on Sunday after battering Hong Kong and killing 49 people in the Philippines. (By K J M Varma) PTI PMS PMS The Hague, Sep 16 (AFP) The Dalai Lama said Sunday he has known about sexual abuse by Buddhist teachers since the 1990s and that such allegations are "nothing new". The Tibetan spiritual leader, revered by millions of Buddhists around the world, made the admission during a four-day visit to the Netherlands, where he met on Friday with victims of sexual abuse allegedly committed by Buddhist teachers. He was responding to a call from a dozen of the victims who had launched a petition asking to meet him during his trip, part of a tour of Europe. "We found refuge in Buddhism with an open mind and heart, until we were raped in its name," the victims said in their petition. "I already did know these things, nothing new," the Dalai Lama said in response on Dutch public television NOS late Saturday. "Twenty-five years ago... someone mentioned about a problem of sexual allegations" at a conference for western Buddhist teachers in Dharamshala, a hill town in northern India, he added. The Dalai Lama, 83, lives in exile in Dharamshala. People who commit sexual abuse "don't care about the Buddha's teaching. So now that everything has been made public, people may concern about their shame," he said, speaking in English. Tseten Samdup Chhoekyapa, a representative of the Tibetan spiritual leader in Europe, said Friday that the Dalai Lama "has consistently denounced such irresponsible and unethical behaviour". Tibetan spiritual leaders are due to meet in Dharamshala in November. "At that time they should talk about it," the Dalai Lama said in his televised comments Saturday. "I think the religious leaders should pay more attention." (AFP) RAX RAX Javadekar clarifies his 'ask alumni not government' remark Pune, Sep 16 (PTI) Union Minister Prakash Javadekar Sunday issued a clarification on a statement he made at a school function here. Javadekar, while speaking at the Jnana Prabhodini School Friday had said that schools should utilise their alumni for betterment rather than only approaching the government. "Whatever I spoke during an event at a school two days ago, I have understood that some misunderstanding has arisen from my statement. I would like to clarify that I did not intent to say that government will not spend on education and former students should spend on educational institutes," Javadekar's clarification read. "The meaning of my statement was that the government will continue to spend on education. In the last four years, Modi government has increased the budget on education by 70 per cent and we will continue to increase it," the Union HRD minister said in the statement. He said that the government would continue spending on education and former students should also contribute. "This is the exact crux or meaning of my statement. One will understand what exactly I wanted to say only after hearing my entire speech," he added. "To help the education sector is the duty of the government and we will continue to do that," the minister said. He added that since former students of Jnana Prabhodhi are contributing towards the school, he cited its example. PTI SPK BNM BNM Mumbai, Sep 16 (PTI) The same group of right-wing activists is behind the killings of rationalists Narendra Dabholkar, M M Kalburgi and journalist Gauri Lankesh, a senior police official said quoting investigation reports. However, the probe agencies have not been able to establish the group's link with the killing of rationalist and communist leader Govind Pansare, he said. "During the investigation, it came to light that a gang of like-minded people was involved in the killings of Dabholkar, Lankesh and Kalburgi. Almost all members of this gang have links with the Sanatan Sanstha and its offshoot Hindu Janjagruti Samiti," the official said Saturday. Dabholkar, Kalburgi and Lankesh were assassinated by members of this gang because they were raising their voice against the Hindu religion, he claimed. "The probe so far indicates that those arrested in connection with the seizure of huge cache of explosives from Nallasopara in Palghar district have direct links with the killings of Dabholkar, Kalburgi and Lankesh," he said. Meanwhile, efforts are on to nab those behind Pansare's killing, the official said. The Maharashtra Special Investigation Team (SIT) is probing Pansare's killing. While Dabholkar was shot dead in Pune in August 2013, Pansare was shot at on February 16, 2015 in Kolhapur and succumbed to his injuries on February 20. Lankesh was killed at her house in Bengaluru in September last year while Kalburgi was shot dead at the entrance of his house in Karnataka's Dharwad district on August 30, 2015. After the seizure of explosives from Nallasopara last month, the Maharashtra Police has arrested at least 10 people and said it will investigate their role in all detected and undetected cases, including the killings of Dabholkar, Pansare, Kalburgi and Lankesh. During the interrogation, one of the arrested persons, Sharad Kalaskar, admitted to his involvement in Dabholkar's killing, police had said. On his information, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating Dabholkar's killing, arrested Sachin Andure from Aurangabad. Kalaskar and Andure allegedly shot dead Dabholkar with two pistols in Pune, the official said. The CBI had earlier arrested Virendrasing Tawade, the alleged 'mastermind' of the killing. "During our investigation, it came to light that Tawade played a major role in the planning and execution of the three assassinations (Dabholkar, Lankesh and Kalburgi)," the official claimed. While investigating Lankesh's killing, the Karantaka Special Investigation Team (SIT) arrested Pune-based engineer Amol Kale, who had names and mobile numbers of the other group members in his diary, including Vaibhav Raut, Sudhanva Gondhalekar, Sharad Kalaskar and others, the official said. Kalaskar had travelled to Karnataka to do a recce of Lankesh's residence, he said. As part of further probe, the Maharashtra ATS Wednesday obtained the custody of Bharat Kurne and Sujeet Kumar, who were originally arrested by the Karnataka SIT in Lankesh's killing case, in connection with the seizure of explosives from different parts of the state. Names of Kurne and Kumar surfaced while going through the documents, diaries and data stored in a computer which was seized during raids by the ATS at various places, including Nallasopara, Pune and Aurangabad, the official said. Sujeet Kumar alias Praveen is also wanted in connection with Kalburgi's killing. During the Karnataka SIT's investigation, it came to light that Kumar allegedly shot Kalburgi. Kurne and Kumar were allegedly involved in the training of handling of arms and explosives along with those arrested by the Maharashtra Police in the explosives' seizure case, the official said. Kurne, a resort owner in Karnataka's Belgaum district, had provided shelter to those accused in Lankesh's killing. His three acre farmland at Khanapur forest was also used for fire arm training sessions, he added. PTI DC GK SRY Bhopal, Sep 16 (PTI) Congress president Rahul Gandhi will on Monday launch his party's campaign in the poll bound Madhya Pradesh, known to be a BJP bastion, from Bhopal, where posters have come up describing him as a devotee of Lord Shiva. He will take part in a roadshow and also address party workers during his day-long visit to the state capital. Gandhi will arrive here by an aircraft at around noon on Monday. He will then embark on a 15-kilometer-long roadshow from Lalghati Chowk, located close to the airport, after seeking the blessings of more than 11 Hindu priests, state party spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi told PTI on Sunday. Gandhi's roadshow, in which he will ride an open vehicle, will conclude at Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd's Dussehra Maidan, where he will interact with party cadres, he added. "A T-shape ramp has been constructed near the stage from where Gandhi is going to take questions from party workers and interact with them," Chaturvedi said. Besides, he is going to address a meeting of Congress workers, which is open to public, before leaving in the evening, he added. "We are upbeat as our leader is coming to launch the election campaign," Chaturvedi said. Ahead of the visit, the main opposition party has put up posters and banners in Bhopal describing the 48-year-old Congress chief, who just returned from a pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar, as a 'Shiv bhakt'. As part of the pilgrimage, devotees undertake an arduous journey to Mount Kailash, which is considered the abode of Lord Shiva in Hindu mythology. Security has been tightened in the city in view of Gandhi's visit, Bhopal Inspector General (IG) of Police Jaideep Prasad said. "We have got an extra force of 1,500 policemen who have already been deputed," he said. Asked about the possibility of protests during the Gandhi's visit, Prasad said they have not yet received any inputs in this regard. "All steps are being taken to maintain law and order. I am personally monitoring the security arrangements and the routes Gandhi is going to pass through," he said. Congress workers are arriving in Bhopal from all over the state to welcome the party chief and take part in the meeting. "We are expecting more than one lakh Congress cadres in the state capital," a police officer said. Meanwhile a BJP leader said party chief Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend a function in Bhopal on September 25. Earlier, a visit by Shah to Ujjain district on September 12 was put off. "It was a tentative programme of Shahji that has been postponed as he along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to grace a function on September 25 here," state BJP spokesperson Rajnish Agrawal said. Preparations are underway to make the September 25 event a huge success. So the September 12 event was put off, he added. Asked whether Shah had deferred his Ujjain visit to avoid the ire of upper caste organisations, Agrawal replied in the negative. On September 6, some upper caste groups called for a 'Bharat Bandh' against Parliament approving amendments in the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act after some of its provisions were read down by the Supreme Court. Four days ahead of the bandh, members of an anti-quota organisation had allegedly hurled a slipper at Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan during a public meeting in Sidhi district and showed him black flags. PTI LAL RSY DIV DIV Ahmedabad, Sep 16 (PTI) Candidates appearing in a competitive examination held for clerical posts in the Gandhinagar civic body Sunday were asked a question related to Patidar leader Hardik Patel. The 25-year-old Patel quota spearhead ended his 19-day-long fast Wednesday which was undertaken to demand reservation for his community and loan waiver for the farmers of Gujarat. The question was related to his hunger strike. The multiple choice question was: Which political leader offered water to Hardik Patel who recently sat on fast? The four choices offered to candidates were: Sharad Yadav, Shatrughan Sinha, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Vijay Rupani. The right answer is Sharad Yadav, a former Union minister and ex-chief of the JD(U). Hardik Patel started his fast on August 25 and shunned water from September 6. On September 7, the 14th day of his fast, he was shifted to a private hospital here after his health deteriorated. The next day (September 8), he was offered water by Yadav in the hospital. The Patidar leader continued his fast after being discharged from the hospital on September 9 and ended his hunger strike on September 12. Several political leaders visited Hardik Patel when he was sitting on the indefinite fast at his residence near here. While Yadav offered water to Hardik Patel, Sinha, a dissident BJP MP, also visited the Patidar leader to express support. Asked how and why Hardik Patel featured in the competitive examination paper, Gandhinagar Mayor Pravinbhai Patel said he had no idea. He said elected representatives of the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation were not part of the examination process. "The Gujarat Technological University was outsourced the task of conducting the examination and no elected representative of the civic body was involved in any way," said Pravinbhai Patel. Hardik Patel launched his hunger strike in support of two demands -- quota in jobs and education for his community members under the OBC category and loan waiver for the farmers of Gujarat. Later, he added a third demand -- the release of his aide Alpesh Katheria, arrested on sedition charge. However, there were no talks between him and the Gujarat government over the demands. PTI KA PD RSY AAR Panaji, Sep 16 (PTI) Central observers of the BJP are expected to arrive in Goa Sunday to take stock of the political situation, even as the opposition Congress says it is watching the developments and will explore the possibility of forming government in the state. The coastal state, currently ruled by the BJP-led government, is witnessing hectic political activity as Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who has been ailing since sometime, has been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. BJP's central observers B L Santhosh and Ram Lal are likely to arrive in Goa Sunday afternoon to take stock of the political situation and initiate a discussion with party leaders and alliance partners for a possible merger. The Parrikar-led government is ruling the state with the support of the Goa Forward Party (GFP), the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and Independents. "The central observers will meet BJP legislators and office-bearers followed by a meeting with the GFP, MGP and Independents," a senior BJP leader said. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Michael Lobo, who is the deputy speaker of the Goa Assembly, had told PTI Saturday that the party emissaries would suggest to allies that they should become part of the saffron party. "A proposal will be made to the GFP and MGP, asking them to merge with the BJP. Only after that, we will take up issues such as who will be the next chief minister or who will take over the charge or anything related to it," Lobo said. The BJP currently has 14 legislators in the 40-member assembly while the GFP, the MGP and Independents have three each. The Congress has 16 MLAs while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has one legislator. Meanwhile, the Congress said it was watching the developments and may explore the possibility of forming government in Goa but "not by compromising the state's interest". "Our stand is very clear. We will definitely explore all possibilities but that does not mean that we will do it by compromising the ideology or the interest of Goans," All India Congress Committee secretary A Chellakumar, who is also Goa in-charge of the party, said. "We are not in a hurry to capture power by compromising the interest of the people of Goa. The Congress is accountable to the people," he added. Chellakumar said his party was watching the developments in the state. "All our MLAs are together. We are simply watching what is going on in the ruling camp. The internal bickering has already started. The cabinet ministers have started throwing stones on each other," he said. The Congress leader said all legislators in Goa, cutting across party lines, should take a stand for the sake of the state. "All this time there was no government at all in Goa since the BJP took over in 2017. The governance was totally nil. The BJP has miserably failed in all aspects. So why you (referring to allies) take onus of all these things by being part of that government?" he said. Chellakumar said it is the time for legislators who went with the BJP to rectify their mistake. "It is in their hand whether to remain in the same sinking boat or leave it. They are there against the wishes of people of Goa and against the wishes of their own voters," he said referring to MLAs of parties having an alliance with the ruling BJP. Parrikar, 62, was admitted to the AIIMS Saturday morning. He had undergone a three-month-long treatment in the United States for pancreatic ailment earlier this year. The MGP had said Saturday it was "high time" Parrikar handed over the charge to the senior-most minister in his cabinet during his absence. PTI RPS GK SRY Gangtok, Sep 16 (PTI) Over 100 tourists, including a pregnant woman, who were stranded in North Sikkim due to incessant rains and landslides were evacuated by the security forces Sunday. The evacuation exercise was carried out jointly by the Trishakti Corps of the Army and the Indian Air Force. The helicopters made several sorties from Gangtok and Sevoke and nearly 100 people, including elderly persons, women, and children, were evacuated from remote villages of Dzongu, Chungthang, Lachung and Lachen, an Army statement said. All these tourists were bound for Yumthang valley in North Sikkim. Medical help was extended to the people facing problems before the airlifting began, the statement said. On arrival at Sevoke in West Bengal and Gangtok, the tourists requiring medical assistance were re-examined and their onward journey to their homes was facilitated. The evacuation operation will continue till all stranded personnel were moved out from the affected areas, it said. The Army has also made necessary arrangements for tents, blankets and food for the stranded tourists. PTI COR MM CK According to David McCulloughs biography of John Adams, Congress passed a series of extreme measures, known as the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, that Adams hadnt asked for or encouraged. The context that brought them about was tumult and fear, not the thin skin of John Adams. McCullough gives Adams credit for resisting popular pressure to escalate the undeclared war with France into something worse, which suggests a personality of composure and restraint. New Delhi, Sep 16 (PTI) Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav Sunday urged all opposition parties to unite to oust the BJP and said if the saffron party is defeated in Uttar Pradesh, it can be stopped from coming to power in the Centre. The Congress has the biggest responsibility and it should show a big heart by taking everyone along. It should hold discussions with all opposition parties, he said. The opposition will choose its leader after the Lok Sabha polls and it should set aside differences to achieve the larger goal of ousting the BJP, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said. "We will choose our leader (of the grand alliance) after the elections. We have to stop the BJP. If we can stop the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, we can stop them in all of India," Yadav said at the NDTV Yuva conclave. Taking a dig at BJP chief Amit Shah over his claim that his party will rule for the next 50 years, he said, "Forget 50 years, people will give their verdict in 50 weeks." "The Congress has the biggest responsibility today, they need to open their hearts and should take everyone along. I am in constant touch with (BSP chief) Mayawati ji," he said. Yadav said for the sake of a crucial alliance to be put in place, "I am willing to play a supporting role". Speaking at the conclave, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said, "I am here to save the country." He said he opposed the RSS-BJP ideology and not individuals. "They say we only oppose Prime Minister Modi, we have no other agenda. Did we not oppose the BJP and the RSS earlier? Our fight is against the ideology not individuals," the RJD leader said at the conclave. Tejashwi Yadav alleged that currently, there is a practise of vindictive politics and either one has to stand with folded hands or else face harassment by the present dispensation. Lok Janshakti Party leader Chirag Paswan claimed that Modi will come to power and will be the prime minister again in 2019. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the Samajwadi Party lost in Uttar Pradesh because the RSS misled people, but people have now seen through them. He said the faith of opposition parties has been shaken. "Not just our parties, but to save the country we have to stay away from the RSS. RSS creates a divide between us based on religion, caste. That is why I am against them," he said. The BJP's plan was to keep the youth fighting among themselves over religion and caste so that they do not ask for jobs and income, Akhilesh Yadav said. Asked about the alliance with the Congress ahead of the Uttar Pradesh polls, he said, "My alliance with Rahul Gandhi in UP was the right thing to do at the time, people did not understand our message, we were not able to communicate our message properly." PTI SKC SKC ANB ANB Bhopal, Sep 16 (PTI) The Centre has refused to share a copy of note sheets related to six-month extension to Madhya Pradesh Chief Secretary Basant Pratap Singh, citing a provision of RTI Act that bars disclosure of "third party" information. Singh was in late June given six-month extension, till December this year, as the chief secretary of the state in the poll year. "It is also to state that note sheets and all other correspondence involved third party information under Right to Information (RTI) Act," the Ministry of Personnel said in a reply to an RTI query filed by activist Ajay Dubey. Dubey said he would file an appeal against the denial as transparency at the highest level was very important. However, the Personnel Ministry has shared a noting of the Prime Minister's Office that mentions a note (seeking extension) sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April this year by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Chouhan, in his letter to the prime minister, supported Singh's continuance in the post citing key pro-farmer initiatives being taken by his government among other reasons. "Presently, State has embarked on major policy path to provide relief to farmers and unorganised labourers. Basant Pratap Singh is leading the initiative to stabilise 'Bhawantar Bhugtan Yojana' which aims to ensure remunerative price for agriculture produce and 'Asangatith Mazdoor Suraksha Yojana' which will cover almost 1.5 crore workers in the state. His continuation shall provide stability and sustainability to the new initiative, the chief minister said in the communique. Chouhan had sought six-month extension from July to December 2018 through the letter dated April 7, 2018. The Personnel Ministry extended Singh's term after two months of receiving the Madhya Pradesh chief minister's letter to the prime minister by issuing an order dated June 22. Singh, a 1984 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, was appointed the chief secretary in November 2016. The extension in a poll year is second such instance. Earlier in 2013, R Parasuram was given extension in service. The Madhya Pradesh elections are due in November this year. PTI AKV SRY New Delhi, Sep 16 (PTI) ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan, who has been awarded Rs 50 lakh compensation by the Supreme Court for being subjected to mental cruelty in the 1994 espionage case, says he became a pawn in the case in which the conspirators were different with different motives but the victims were the same set of people. The Supreme Court Friday ordered a high-level probe into the role of Kerala Police officials in the fabricating the case and arresting and causing tremendous harassment and immeasurable anguish to Narayanan. Terming the police action against the 76-year-old former scientist as psycho-pathological treatment, a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra said his "liberty and dignity", basic to his human rights, were jeopardised as he was taken into custody and, eventually, despite all the glory of the past, was compelled to face "cynical abhorrence". According to Narayanan, the ISRO spy case was a lie, right from Maldivian national Mariam Rasheedas arrest on October 20, 1994. He was then the director of ISROs cryogenic project. Rasheeda was arrested for allegedly obtaining secret drawings of ISRO rocket engines to sell to Pakistan. Though the Maldivian womans arrest marked the beginning of the case, the genesis of it all was a chance meeting she had with K Chandrasekhar (Indian representative of a Russian space agency) at the Trivandrum airport on June 20, 1994, Narayanan says. The ISRO spy case is unusual in that though the conspirators were different with different motives, the victims were the same set of people. When a desperate police inspector found (the then deputy director of ISROs cryogenic project) Sasikumarans name in Mariam Rasheedas diary, ISRO was dragged into it. When a master conspirator found an opportunity to slow down, if not stop, ISRO in its march to the global satellite launch market, I became a pawn, he says. Narayanan makes these comments in his book, which was published recently by Bloomsbury. He was arrested along with other ISRO scientists besides some other persons in November 1994. They were released on bail three months later. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a report before a Kerala court, saying the espionage case was false and there was no evidence to back the charges. The court then discharged all the accused. In 1998, the Supreme Court awarded compensation of Rs 1 lakh to Narayanan and others and directed the Kerala government to pay the amount. Last year, the Supreme Court began hearing on Narayanan's plea, seeking action against former Kerala DGP Siby Mathews and others who had probed the matter. In Ready To Fire: How India and I Survived the ISRO Spy Case, Narayanan and journalist Arun Ram unpick the ISRO spy case, revisit old material and discover new details to expose the international plot that delayed Indias development of a cryogenic engine by at least a decade. Narayanan suspects a vested interest in the whole episode as the ISRO spy case delayed Indias cryogenic engine by at least 15 years. What does one gain from that? For one, a lot of money. India today offers to launch a satellite at a fraction of the price that NASA charges. A 2015 report of the Colorado-based Space Foundation pegged the global space economy of 2014 at USD 330 billion, with a 9 per cent growth over the previous year. Satellite launches and related commercial activities constitute 75 per cent of it, he writes. It is in public domain how the US applied sanctions on India and Russia in 1992, a year after the two countries signed a contract for transfer of cryogenic technology. Piece together the timing of the ISRO spy case and a few later incidents, including a top IB man being given marching orders for supping with the CIA, and you see the plot, he goes on to say. For Narayanan, this book is not an effort in revenge but an experiment in something more powerful: truth. This book is not just an account of the ISRO spy case in which I was an accused. The case that broke out in the late 1994 as a potboiler of sex, spies and rocket science before dying down as a police misadventure that eventually fed an international conspiracy, however, forms the fulcrum of this book, he says. PTI ZMN RDS RDS TN BJP leader courts controversy again, DMK demands action (Eds: Adds details on case against Raja) Chennai, Sept 16 (PTI) BJP National Secretary H Raja has waded into a controversy yet again, picking up a quarrel with police over an immersion procession of Lord Ganesh idols in Pudukottai district of Tamil Nadu. As a video of Raja angrily arguing with policemen went viral in the social media, the opposition DMK Sunday demanded action against him while the AIADMK government deprecated the BJP leader's remarks. Raja, known for stirring controversies by his remarks, Saturday engaged in a verbal duel with the policemen in Meiyyapuram village, calling the force as "anti-Hindu" and "highly corrupt." His outbursts came after police declined permission for taking out the idol procession through a particular route citing "a court order." Raja, however, refused to accept the police contention and spoke against the order. DMK organising secretary R S Barathi, in a tweet on Sunday demanded that the Tamil Nadu government take legal action against Raja for his remarks against the policemen and the judiciary. Senior Minister D Jayakumar deprecated the outburst against police and said the government was considering taking action and holding consultations with legal experts. He also expressed hope that the court would take action on its own against Raja for his remarks against the judiciary. Hours after the Minister said action was being contemplated, Tirumayam police in Pudukottai district registered a case against the BJP leader under several sections of the IPC. The sections include those relating to promoting enmity on grounds of religion, unlawful assembly, public nuisance,use of obscene words, preventing a public servant from discharging his duty and criminal intimidation. Raja, meanwhile, addressing a meet ahead of a Ganesh Chaturthi procession in Tiruvarur district Sunday said his remarks were "selectively edited," and being disseminated. He alleged that anyone who spoke in defence of Hindus were being targeted. The BJP leader has been embroiled in several controversies in the past over his remarks on various issues. In March this year, a row erupted over Raja's remarks indicating that statues of rationalist leader E V Ramasamy "Periyar" could be the next to be pulled down after a Lenin statue was razed in Tripura. He, however, sought to blame his Facebook administrator for the gaffe and expressed regret over the comments. PTI VGN VS APR APR APR Searches in jails after expose on prisoners having good time Chennai/Coimbatore, Sept 16 (PTI) Searches were conducted Sunday at Central prisons in Tamil Nadu, days after photos of prisoners of Puzhal jail at Chennai using smartphones and enjoying the choicest food went viral. The searches were carried out in Coimbatore, Salem and Cuddalore jails by special teams of jail and police personnel for several hours beginning this morning, officials said. The teams wanted to ascertain if banned items like smartphones and cigarettes had been smuggled into the prisons, they said. Law Minister C Ve Shanmugam said steps were being taken to prevent smuggling of mobile phones into the prisons. A senior official said searches at Chennai Puzhal Central jail concluded days ago following which 18 televisions were removed from A-class cells and five prisoners shifted to other jails at Palayamkottai, Salem, Tiruchirappalli and Coimbatore. Though televisions are allowed for A-class cells, they were removed 'as of now' to prevent its misuse to charge mobile phones, officials said. "We are looking at effective ways and means to prevent misuse of TVs to charge mobile phones. TVs are allowed as per the jail manual," a senior official told PTI. After photos of prisoners at the Puzhal Central Jail using smartphones and enjoying choicest food items went viral, authorities had launched a probe. The photos were retrieved from a mobile phone seized from a prisoner during a search at Puzhal Central Jail in which six other handsets were seized on September 3. The images found in the mobile showed prisoners taking 'selfies' with other inmates, sporting sunglasses and wearing branded shoes. One prisoner was seen standing with a badminton racquet an another reclining on a cot in a cosy looking cell with a television. The prisoners in the photographs were mostly narcotic offenders and had easy access to items like induction stoves and juicers. PTI VGN NVM APR APR Ghaziabad, Sep 16 (PTI) A wanted criminal having reward of Rs 50 thousand on his head was arrested Sunday from Indira Puram area here, police said. Azmal Pahadi, a native of Muzaffarnagar, is an active member of Nafees Kaliya gang, they said. On a tip-off, police intercepted a motor cycle on Elevated Road here and arrested the accused, Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Krishna said. Police have recovered a country made pistol, two live cartridges and a stolen motorcycle used in crimes, he said. Pahadi was wanted in cases of extortion, loot and killings in Bijnor district. The inspector general of police of Moradabad zone had declared a reward of Rs 50 thousand on his arrest. Nine criminal cases were registered against him at Nazibabad and two at Indira Puram Police Station, the SSP said, adding he has been sent to jail. PTI CORR DPB DPB New Delhi, Sep 16 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Sunday space scientists for the successful launch of PSLV-C42, saying it shows India's prowess in competitive space business. The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) PSLV-C42, carrying two foreign earth satellites, took off Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh at 10.08 pm on Sunday. "Congratulations to our space scientists! ISRO successfully launched PSLV C42, putting two UK satellites in orbit, demonstrating India's prowess in the competitive space business," the prime minister tweeted. PTI NAB DPB DPB We round up the Sunday newspaper share tips. This week, Midas looks at Anglo Asian Mining, while the Sunday Times assesses the prospects of soft furnishings retailer Dunelm. MAIL ON SUNDAY Anglo Asian Mining has been through the wars. Shares in the Azerbaijan-based gold miner shot up after it joined Aim, the London Stock Exchanges junior stock market, in July 2005, rising from 77p to more than 120p by the end of the year. They have never been anywhere near that level since. The stock slumped to a low of less than 4p just after the financial crisis and, even today, Anglo Asian shares trade at just 45p. But the future is starting to look a lot brighter. Anglo Asian is now producing gold, copper and silver, is one of the lowest-cost operators in the industry and about to pay shareholders a maiden dividend. The stock should respond. Dividend-paying gold stocks are a rarity on Aim so the announcement could act as a spur to the share price. Upbeat exploration updates should help too, as the company hopes to increase gold production to more than 100,000 troy ounces a year by 2021. Midas verdict: Anglo Asian is increasing production, cutting costs and it has money in the bank. Directors own more than 40 per cent of the shares so they are clearly incentivised to make the business work and expected news of a maiden dividend is a sign of confidence. The gold price has also been rising, amid growing fears about the impact of trade wars on economic growth. Anglo Asian has disappointed in the past but, at 45p, the shares could provide substantial gains. >>>Read the full Midas column here THE SUNDAY TIMES 'Dunelms near 12% share price jump last week tells you a lot about the difficulties facing retailers,' writes Sabah Meddings of the Sunday Times. 'The home furnishings-to-furniture chain did not post soaring profits. Nor did its new chief executive, Nick Wilkinson, announce a big acquisition. Dunelm merely said that pre-tax profits (flat at 93.1m) were in line with analysts expectations.' Meddings says investors took reassurance despite an 8.4m hit from the integration of internet business Worldstores in 2016 which Wilkinson admitted had reduced the companys focus. That focus should now return to improving profit margins and managing stock better, while the firm has also promised more emphasis on digital sales and a TV advertising campaign. 'Wilkinsons every move will be scrutinised in the coming year: it is a tough environment and those with large store estates are vulnerable. Even the new chief executive admitted it had been a difficult and disappointing year,' says Meddings. 'However, as the only homeware specialist now with a stronger online offer, soon to include click and collect there should be rewards if he succeeds. The shares have fallen 24% over the past 12 months, leaving room for a meaningful recovery if Wilkinson executes his plan.' Police are examining allegations by MPs that a 1 billionn fraud carried out at HBOS's Reading branch at the height of the financial crisis was covered up by bosses. Six HBOS employees were jailed last year for a combined total of 47 years after they were found to have wrecked dozens of family businesses instead of helping them, and spent the profits on prostitutes, holidays and luxury goods. An internal report by HBOS-owner Lloyds that was leaked earlier this year claimed HBOS directors, including then chief executive Andy Hornby, knew his staff were ruining small businesses for their own personal gain. Hornby, 51, is now the joint chief operating officer of GVC Holdings, which owns bookies Ladbrokes Coral. Allegations: A group of MPs have now called on police to conduct a fresh probe into the fraud A group of MPs have now called on police to conduct a fresh probe into the fraud to ensure all of those involved in the scandal are held accountable. The all-party parliamentary group on fair business banking said it believes the fraud 'extends to a higher level than those that have already been convicted'. It adds: 'The boards of both HBOS and then Lloyds Banking Group knew about the HBOS Reading fraud from an early stage. If dealt with appropriately at the time, years of suffering for hundreds of individuals could have been prevented. Instead, both institutions concealed the fraud and went after the victims for their remaining assets.' Lloyds rescued HBOS from the brink of collapse in 2008, but a memo written by a former Lloyds employee claimed bosses knew about the fraud before it sealed the 12 billion takeover. Kevin Hollinrake MP, co-chairman of the parliamentary group, said: 'They not only failed to act on the evidence of serious criminal fraud but fired the whistleblower that had revealed the extent of the criminal activities. In an act of calculated naivety, they believed that the fraud will simply go away. 'Quite honestly, it would have gone away, had it not been for the extraordinary efforts of dedicated individuals who had been the victims of a severe injustice and wished to hold those responsible to account.' A Police Scotland spokesman said: 'We have received a report from the parliamentary group and the information is currently being assessed. This is at an early stage.' A Lloyds spokesman said: 'We would always fully assist with any such inquiry were one to be launched.' A rogue trader behind one of the biggest losses in the City's history is making a last-ditch legal bid to avoid deportation to Ghana. Kweku Adoboli, 38, who lost 1.8 billion in secret trades while working for Swiss lender UBS, has been fighting efforts by the Home Office to send him back to the country where he was born. He has been moved to Colnbrook immigration removal centre near Heathrow Airport and is due to be escorted on to a charter flight tomorrow, but is expected to file for a judicial review of his case today. The former trader has lived in the UK since he was 12. He spent four years in prison after being found guilty of fraud in 2012 in a scandal which saw UBS's chief executive sacked and helped trigger 10,000 job losses as the bank scrambled to cut costs due to the financial damage he had caused. In an interview from the detention centre last week, he said: 'I've served my time, but I'm being given an extra punishment a banishment. This is so much worse than being in prison.' A Home Office spokesman said: 'Foreign nationals who commit crimes in the UK should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them.' One of Britain's biggest online pharmacies is stockpiling up to a million Viagra pills in preparation for a hard Brexit. London-based Zava is the largest digital healthcare company in Europe and specialises in prescribing sexual health treatments for patients who avoid visiting their GP for fear of embarrassment. The company, whose online pharmacy platform is used by Superdrug and which has a million active patients in the UK, usually keeps about two weeks of stock. Planning ahead: Zava is the largest digital healthcare company in Europe and specialises in prescribing sexual health treatments for patients who avoid visiting their GP But chief executive David Meinertz told The Mail on Sunday the firm aims to extend that to three or four months by the end of the year or about a million Viagra pills. 'We've gone through the different medicines we typically prescribe in volumes and looked at various ways of sourcing them to make sure that if it's really coming to a no-deal or a hard Brexit we're prepared,' he said. 'Whatever happens we need to make sure we can care for the patients who come to us.' Drugs firms fear a hard Brexit could disrupt medical supplies between the EU and Britain. Last month, Pfizer, the American pharmaceutical giant which makes Viagra, hinted that it was stockpiling in case of a no-deal Brexit. The key ingredient for Viagra is made in Ireland, but the pills are manufactured in France. Pfizer estimates that at least a fifth of men in Britain suffer from erectile dysfunction, but few seek treatment. Tesco is poised to launch a string of discount retail stores called Jack's but it will be operating for a whole month without watertight protection over its trademark. More than 15 complaints have already been registered in both the UK and the EU against the name and, separately, the brand's red logo. Lawyers said anyone who thinks the new logo is similar to their own has until October 17 to file a complaint at the EU's Intellectual Property Office. It means the discount chain will be trading for four weeks during which the legal position over its trademark will be wide open to new complaints which one trademark source described as 'absolute madness'. 'Absolute madness': The supermarket giant decided to go ahead with its launch plans despite the challenges to its name The supermarket giant decided to go ahead with its launch plans despite the challenges to its name. The first branch opening is expected this week in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, and this could be followed by 60 more in the next few months. The Jack's chain is expected to be a rival to German discounters Aldi and Lidl, which have proved to be stiff competition to British supermarkets. The name is a salute to the Tesco founder Jack Cohen who launched the group in 1924. The company appears to have gone to extreme lengths to keep the name a secret. It is believed to have first registered the trademark in Sri Lanka in June 2017 which one lawyer said would make it 'much harder' to find. That added to the protection when it finally registered in the UK last December and the EU in April using an obscure subsidiary known as PTLL. But a delay in the EU application process appears to have led to a slip-up over dates. Sarah Redmond, trademark director at Fox Williams, said: 'Their logo is still open to objections for another month so further oppositions could be filed against this application.' National Bank of Canada provides various financial products and services to retail, commercial, corporate, and institutional clients in Canada and internationally. It operates through four segments: Personal and Commercial, Wealth Management, Financial Markets, and U.S. Specialty Finance and International. The Personal and Commercial segment offers personal banking services, including transaction solutions, mortgage loans and home equity lines of credit, consumer loans, payment solutions, savings and investment solutions; various insurance products; and commercial banking services, such as credit, and deposit and investment solutions, as well as international trade, foreign exchange transactions, payroll, cash management, insurance, electronic transactions, and complimentary services. The Wealth Management segment provides investment solutions, trust and estate services, banking services, lending services, guaranteed investment certificates, mutual funds, notes, structured products, and other wealth management solutions through internal and third-party distribution networks. The Financial Markets segment offers risk management products and services; and debt and equity underwriting; advisory services in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, and financing. The U.S. Specialty Finance and International segment provides specialty finance expertise; financial products and services to individuals and businesses in Cambodia; and the activities of targeted investments in certain emerging markets. The company also offers credit cards. It provides its services through a network of 483 branches and 1,573 banking machines. The company was founded in 1859 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada. Read More "In Mexico this is our big celebration for the year. It's like our fourth of July," Herrera said as she perused the $5 sombreros offered for sale by one of the dozens of vendors. "The streets would be filled with people enjoying food and music where I grew up." Albany Workers at the Port of Albany this month carefully lowered six shrink-wrapped subway cars that will eventually carry commuters in metropolitan Boston. Shipped from China on a freighter, these cars now are squarely in the cross-hairs of an escalating trade war that those Beantown riders might end up paying for. Tariffs ordered by President Donald Trump this summer now apply to the rail cars, and to hundreds more that are expected to come through Albany in coming years, as part of a massive contract between a Chinese rail company and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Whether those tariffs derail imports remains unclear. This summer, the tariffs also hit ongoing imports to Albany of Chinese-made machinery used for ongoing power plant projects in New York and Pennsylvania, said Bill Ring, general manager of Federal Marine Terminals, which operates the Albany port. "The orders for these (subway) cars are three years out and it will not halt the business, but the tariffs will have an impact," said Ring. And since the power plant projects are already under way, with another set for the Great Lakes region, there are contracts in place and "orders will have to be filled," he added. Trade data on ports nationwide, compiled by the Associated Press and analyzed by the Times Union, showed that about half of the port's $97 million in machinery imports during 2017 would have been impacted by the Chinese tariffs. For the first half of this year, about $8 million out of total of $46.7 in machinery imports would have been charged tariffs. Tariffs are a kind of tax placed on imports. In July, President Trump imposed tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese-made goods, and has been threatening to impose tariffs on another $200 billion of imports from that country. Current tariffs could add up to 25 percent to the cost of the Chinese-made subway car shells and imported components used to assembly them at a new $95 million factory in Springfield, Mass., built by CRCC, the Chinese-based manufacturer. After being shipped to Albany, the car shells will be taken to Springfield for completion. Each finished car is valued at about $2.4 million, based on reporting from Masslive.com. If the tariff were to apply to all of that, it could raise the cost of each car by up to $600,000. These potential prices increases could be borne by the Boston transit system, said Lydia Rivera, a spokeswoman for CRRC MA, the owner of the Springfield factory. Currently, she said, the company is preparing to seek waivers from the U.S. Trade Representative to lift the tariffs on the car shells and about 100 different rail car components from China. "We are now entitled to be reimbursed for these extra costs (tariffs) by our clients," said Rivera. If the tariff waivers cannot be obtained, she added, the bill "ultimately will have to be paid by the taxpayers" of Boston. "The MBTA continues to monitor the potential impacts on tariffs on the ongoing production of the 404 new vehicles," said Lisa Battiston, deputy press secretary for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. In 2014, CRRC received a $566 million contract from the authority to build 404 subway cars in Springfield in a to-be-built new Chinese-owned factory, which state and local officials, and union leaders, hailed as the most significant industrial development in western Massachusetts in decades. In 2016, the transit authority contracted CRCC for an additional 120 cars for $277 million starting in 2022. Altogether, tariffs could increase those total costs to the transit authority by up to $200 million or more. The tariffs had threatened to scuttle a similar subway project between Chicago and the Chinese company, prompting Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to visit China in July and return claiming he had saved the $1.3 billion deal, which also included a new assembly plant like the facility in Springfield. To the north, New York ports from Buffalo to Ogdensburg are another front in Trump's trade war, this time aimed at Canada. After he imposed tariffs in March on imports of Chinese and Canadian steel and aluminum, Canadians retaliated against U.S. exports of those commodities. From 2017 to mid-2018, these ports handled about $8.3 billion in imported steel and aluminum, with about $5.5 billion that would have been included under the new Canadian tariffs, according to the Times Union analysis of the Associated Press data. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. During that same period, these ports handled about $5.4 billion in exports of U.S. steel and aluminum to Canada, of which some $2.6 billion would have been hit by corresponding Canadian tariffs. All this is being eyed warily auto makers, who warn that metal and auto components can cross the border several times between plants, which can mean adding tariffs with each border crossing that would drive up the price of a vehicle. Earlier this month, Trump warned he could cause the "ruination" of Canada by imposing additional tariffs on automobiles and related components, since major automakers have set up production on both sides of the border, with materials moving back and forth. "Anything that is disruptive of our economic integration is of great concern," said Garry Douglas, executive director of the North Country Chamber of Commerce. The group represents 3,200 companies in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton and Warren counties, as well as in the Canadian province of Quebec. Douglas said the economic relationship between New York and Canada has nothing in common with America's relationship with China. "People ought to even stop calling it trade. We are post-trade, and now are in integrated production," he said. For example, he said, the Plattsburgh-based Nova Bus company sends U.S. steel to be fabricated at a Canadian plant near Montreal, which then ships it back to Plattsburgh for final assembly. Similar cross-border exchanges are done by rail car maker Bombardier from its Plattsburgh facility. Overall, between 2017 and mid-2018, New York's northern ports handled about $16.1 billion of imported vehicles and components from Canada, while exporting about $7.2 billion worth of those same commodities to Canada. New York is part of an overall Canadian vehicle and component import market valued at more than $70 billion. The Trump administration has used the threat of further tariffs on vehicles in an effort to force Canadian acceptance of new trade terms under the North American Free Trade Agreement, which also includes Mexico. Douglas said that Trump's tariffs to the north are "self-harming," since more than 8,500 New Yorkers in his region now work for U.S. affiliates of Canadian companies. "In Clinton County alone, about 15 percent of our work force is linked to Canadian investment," he added. Douglas also discounted Trump's oft-repeated claim that the U.S. must punish Canada for not allowing complete access for American dairy products, adding that Canada currently imports five times more U.S. dairy products than the U.S. imports from Canada. Albany Had the decision rested with Capital Region voters alone, Andrew Cuomo would be licking his wounds. Cynthia Nixon beat him here in Thursday's primary. But if voters in these parts were making the call, Cuomo would not even be governor. Four years ago, the ill-tempered Democrat lost the region to Zephyr Teachout in the primary and Republican Rob Astorino in the general election. The numbers from 2014 are remarkable, actually. I'd forgotten how big the margins were. Teachout, then an obscure lawyer, garnered 62 percent of the cumulative vote in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady counties. Cuomo mustered a measly 35 percent. Fast forward to that year's general election, when Rob Astorino, another little-known and underfunded challenger, won 49 percent to Cuomo's 40 percent in the four counties as the governor won re-election statewide in a cakewalk. Even in deep-blue Albany County, which Hillary Clinton would later win by 25 points, Cuomo barely eked out a victory against Astorino, in part because Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins received 13 percent of the total. It doesn't take a rocket scientist, or even a political scientist, to figure out why the governor is unpopular around here. We're the voters who know him best. State politics is our game. In and around New York City, many voters couldn't find Albany on a map, and they care not a whit what happens here. When those voters think about politics, they obsess over who will be mayor and what's happening in Washington. Out in Buffalo, the state capital feels like a far-away destination; Detroit is closer. Plus, most voters have had their brains addled by the Bills and Sabres. But here, we pay attention. We have reason to take personally the endless corruption scandals, the rot that makes Albany a statewide epithet and a national punch line. We know that Cuomo has made the problem worse, despite promising to do otherwise. Many of us work for state government or know somebody who does. That means we've heard stories of awful Cuomo behavior, how he bullies subordinates and foes alike. We've seen the depth of his cynicism, the ease with which he distorts the truth. And though the economy here is generally strong, we are close enough to the widespread and distressing decay to know Cuomo's upstate economic policies are not working. Most of us have neighbors or family members who have fled to states where taxes are lower and jobs are more plentiful. Of course, the Capital Region has just a small say in statewide decisions, and so once again voters here watched as Cuomo stormed to an Election Day victory. Give him credit. He knows how to wield and maintain power. And this year, in this blue state, he knows it is wise to focus as much as possible on President Trump. Expect much more of that in the general election. Let's be honest. In the end, Cynthia Nixon was not a strong candidate, especially from an upstate perspective. The actor and activist was famous enough to make the tabloids pay attention, but she never gave the impression that she was up to the complexities of the job. Her inexperience showed. And as is typical among denizens of that self-important downstate island, her ignorance of our geography was obvious. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. "Once you get to Ithaca, by around there, you're starting to get upstate," she infamously said, as voters from Wappingers to Fredonia groaned. Still, New York should thank Nixon. She stepped up to oppose Cuomo when it seemed no other Democrat would have the courage. It isn't easy to run a race you are destined to lose. More Information Contact columnist Chris Churchill at 518-454-5442 or email cchurchill@timesunion.com See More Collapse The governor had daunting financial advantages, and he had the benefit of state voting laws, the most restrictive in the nation, that are designed by the political parties to stymie outsiders. There's a reason establishment figures at the top of the ballot Cuomo, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General candidate Letitia James all won Thursday. But Nixon made the governor sweat a bit. She got in his face. Heck, she even got him to sit on a stage and debate. In the Capital Region, Nixon didn't come close to replicating Teachout's margins from four years ago, and there are other signs Democrats here had reservations about her. In Albany County, for example, 1,112 voters, about 4 percent of the total, chose to write in names rather than vote for Cuomo or Nixon. That's unusually high. Yet Nixon did edge out a win in Albany County. And though she lost nearly everywhere else and got blown out statewide she won in each of the Capital Region's four counties and in all the bordering ones, too. That shouldn't have been a surprise. In these parts, Andrew Cuomo would lose to a ham sandwich. cchurchill@timesunion.com 518-454-5442 @chris_churchill Washington As Democrats enter the fall midterm campaign with palpable confidence about reclaiming the House and perhaps even the Senate, tensions are rising between the White House and congressional Republicans over who is to blame for political difficulties facing the party, with President Donald Trump's advisers pointing to the high number of GOP retirements and lawmakers placing the blame squarely on the president's divisive style. Yet GOP leaders do agree on one element in the battle for Congress: They cannot rely on the booming economy to win over undecided voters. To the dismay of party leaders, the healthy economy and Trump have become countervailing forces. The decline in unemployment and soaring gross domestic product, along with the tax overhaul Republicans argue is fueling the growth, have been obscured by the president's inflammatory moves on immigration, Vladimir Putin and other fronts, party leaders say. These self-inflicted wounds have helped push Trump's approval ratings below 40 percent and the fortunes of his party down with them. "This is very much a referendum on the president," Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., said of the November election. "If we had to fight this campaign on what we accomplished in Congress and on the state of the economy, I think we'd almost certainly keep our majority." Glen Bolger, a leading Republican pollster working on several top races this year, was even blunter: "People think the economy is doing well, but that's not what they're voting on they're voting on the chaos of the guy in the White House." Democrats still face challenges of their own, namely the unpopularity of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader, and the party's tilt left on issues like immigration, both of which could chill support from some otherwise persuadable voters. And the threat of a Democratic majority impeaching the president, which Trump is eager to raise, could rouse some of his supporters who otherwise may not show up in a year when he's not on the ballot. Even so, Bolger and many other prominent Republicans believe they are likely to lose the House, where they have a 23-seat majority and as many as 60 seats are being fiercely contested by Democrats. In the narrowly divided Senate, both parties see eight or nine seats, most of them held by Democrats, on a knife's edge. Instead of attempting to highlight positive economic news, Republicans have turned to a scorched-earth campaign against Democrats in a bid to save the House majority and salvage their one-seat Senate edge. Republican electioneering groups have spent millions in recent weeks attacking Democratic candidates in intensely personal terms. The committees, along with some Republican candidates, have blasted one Democratic hopeful in New York for rap lyrics he once wrote; branded another, in Pennsylvania, as a "trust fund baby" and "tax dodger"; and aired commercials featuring veterans in wheelchairs to sow doubts about the patriotism of some Democrats. The Republican lurch away from economic issues amounts to a bet on the politics of Trump-style cultural division as a means of driving up conservative turnout and disqualifying some Democratic candidates among more moderate voters. Party leaders say individual attacks are only the first step in a broader campaign to shift the midterms away from the Trump focus and toward the implications of Democratic majorities in Congress. Laying out the strategy in an interview this week in his Capitol office, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the would-be successor to House Speaker Paul Ryan, warned that if Democrats took power they would swiftly impeach the president, stymie immigration enforcement and seek to enact universal health care. McCarthy acknowledged House Republicans would suffer losses but predicted they would keep a narrow majority so long as Trump's approval rating rebounded. He even settled on a specific threshold, saying Trump's approval rating had to be above 43 percent to hold on to the House. "It's week by week of where the weather is at and it's ever changing," McCarthy said of the political environment. "Let's just hope it's a sunny day on Election Day." Yet there are already clouds forming over the GOP-controlled capital, visible in the growing anger between the Trump White House and those in the party aligned with congressional Republicans. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. After a summer in which the administration implemented a policy of separating migrant children from their parents, and the president sided with Putin over U.S. intelligence services and then showed little sympathy following the death of Sen. John McCain, GOP strategists say Trump is alienating a sizable bloc of moderate and Republican-leaning voters who favor right-of-center economic policies but recoil from the president. Yet the intraparty finger-pointing goes beyond skirmishing between the White House and Congress. Republican strategists affiliated with the Congressional Leadership Fund, the House super PAC, are privately voicing exasperation with the National Republican Congressional Committee for not raising more money, and for being unwilling so far to begin a triage that would transfer resources toward their most viable incumbents. America First Action, a political committee aligned with Trump, conducted a series of focus groups over the summer and concluded the party had a severe voter-turnout problem, brought on in part by contentment about the economy and a refusal by Republicans to believe that Democrats could actually win the midterm elections. Conservative-leaning voters in the study routinely dismissed the possibility of a Democratic wave election, with some describing the prospect as "fake news," said an official familiar with the research. Breaking that attitude of complacency is now the Republicans' top priority So Republicans are turning toward more hard-edge tactics. America Rising, a GOP firm that specializes in finding damaging information on Democrats, is working on three times as many House races as it did in 2016, according to a group official. In the Senate, a mood of highly guarded hopefulness has spread among Democrats, who see a path to a majority that runs through a mix of right-leaning and solidly conservative states. By this point in the cycle, some in the party had feared several incumbents would be headed to certain defeat, and once-inviting takeover opportunities would have slipped off the map, including in Tennessee and Texas. But both of those states remain competitive. "Despite the difficulty of the map's geography, if there's a big wave I think our odds are very, very good," Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the minority leader, said in an interview, adding that when "you're feeling the wave in September it rarely changes much by November." And the main reason Democrats are sensing a wave is obvious to party veterans. "He won't allow himself to get credit for the economy," said James Carville, the Democratic strategist, referring to Trump. "He's made himself bigger than the economy. Every conversation starts and ends with Trump." Travis, now a seventh-grader at Mannheim Middle School, was in preschool when he learned about one of the darkest days in U.S. history. His father, Scott Hall, a Cook County Sheriffs Deputy, shared that explaining 9/11 to his young son was one of the hardest things he has had to do. Albany They're baaaaaaack. The ghost of gangsters, a Capitol Building night watchman, bawdy women and doomed lovers are among of the spirits who legendarily haunt Albany's downtown. Philip Schoenberg tells their stories during his Ghosts of Albany walking tours Sept. 15 through early November, now in its 6th year. Gangster Legs Diamond was rubbed out downtown and is one of the Albany ghosts Schoenberg can discuss in detail. The ruthless yet supposedly charming bootlegger who was pumped full of bullets in his downtown rooming house while sleeping off a drunken bender. Schoenberg describes another far more sympathetic ghost as an Italian stone mason who fell through a collapsing floor and then the construction crew poured concrete on him. It sounds like the hero from the novel "Christ in Concrete," a tragic classic. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. "Happy ghosts don't come back to Earth to haunt places they love," commented Schoenberg, a professor of government and global civilization at Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology. "But maybe the happy ones are out there somewhere for us to find." The tour is less than a mile of easy walking. It starts at the Hilton Albany, 40 Lodge St. Tours are schedule Fridays-Sundays, with additional days Halloween week. For further information, go to our website at www.ghostsofalbany.com or telephone (718) 591-4741 or our email at drphil@nycwalks.com COLONIE In December 2016, police responded to a call about a suspicious person at a Green Island Dunkin' Donuts. When they arrived, they found a man surrounded by drugs and needles on the floor of the public restroom. "We immediately had a reaction," one of the responding officers told a local news station. "I started getting dizzy. I wasn't talking right for a couple minutes." The other officer, from nearby Watervliet, said it felt like his throat was going numb. The two were taken to a local hospital, where their symptoms faded, and released later that day. The culprit of the mysterious symptoms seemed to be fentanyl, a synthetic opioid created in the 1960s and used for medicinal and veterinary purposes, that very recently started popping up in local and national heroin supplies and killing people at far higher rates than heroin alone. Fentanyl is up to 100 times stronger than morphine and up to 50 times stronger than heroin, so someone overdosing on fentanyl is much harder to revive than someone overdosing on heroin. Just a few milligrams can be deadly. But deadly how? To inject? Snort? Touch? Look at? No one quite knew, and stories like Green Island's began circulating in small towns nationwide. In the most famous incident, a police officer in Ohio was said to have overdosed last summer after he brushed a small amount of white powder he believed was fentanyl off of his uniform. He was given three doses of Narcan, a drug that reverses an opioid overdose, and recovered. The story went viral, and toxicologists had an immediate reaction: That just isn't possible. Fentanyl can be deadly when injected, ingested or inhaled. But it's highly unlikely if not impossible, they said, to overdose or experience toxic effects from merely touching it. Even airborne exposure accidentally breathing in an aerosolized form of the powder is unlikely to cause much of an effect unless "vigorous sniffing" is involved, they said. The American College of Medical Toxicology and American Academy of Clinical Toxicology had been in the process of drafting a position paper on fentanyl exposure one that would debunk the growing lore around skin and airborne exposure when the Ohio story broke. The symptoms that police in towns across the nation seemed to be experiencing, medical professionals said, were more consistent with panic attack than opioid overdose. The CDC last summer even had to update its web page on fentanyl, which previously stated that skin absorption could be deadly. Now the CDC, under a post titled Preventing Occupational Exposure to Emergency Responders, states: "Responders are most likely to encounter illicitly manufactured fentanyl and its analogues in powder, tablet, and liquid form. Potential exposure routes of greatest concern include inhalation, mucous membrane contact, ingestion, and percutaneous exposure (e.g., needlestick). Any of these exposure routes can potentially result in a variety of symptoms that can include the rapid onset of life-threatening respiratory depression. Skin contact is also a potential exposure route, but is not likely to lead to overdose unless large volumes of highly concentrated powder are encountered over an extended period of time. Brief skin contact with fentanyl or its analogues is not expected to lead to toxic effects if any visible contamination is promptly removed." Unfortunately, many EMTs and paramedics had already received misinformation about exposure routes in the form of public health and safety advisories, said Daniel Gilmore, director of operations at Mohawk Ambulance Service. That matters, he said, because first responders change their safety precautions based on what they expect to encounter at any given scene. A drug that's toxic to touch or even breathe near would require much more involved safety measures than a drug that's toxic only to ingest. The misinformation and hysteria surrounding fentanyl has reminded some public health experts and first responders of another public health crisis. Gilmore worked as a firefighter, EMT and paramedic throughout the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s, and said it took time for accurate information about exposure and transmission to trickle down to first responders, let alone the general public. "It was a lot of hype," he said. "We didn't understand it, we didn't know how it was transmitted, and I think we're seeing the same thing here. But the reality is, the initial scares about exposure to this drug just have not panned out." While the misinformation was ultimately corrected, he said, some worry the damage may already have been done. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. If first responders are worried they might get sick or overdose by accidentally touching or being near fentanyl, they may take longer to suit up and respond to a scene, said Keith Brown, director of health and harm reduction at the Katal Center for Health, Equity and Justice, a nonprofit that advocates for a public health approach to drug use over criminalization. "By causing fear and panic among such key partners in responding to the overdose crisis, we're putting people's lives at further risk and adding to the stigma around drug use," he said. When someone overdoses on opioids, their breathing slows and eventually stops. The brain starts dying after four to six minutes without "good oxygenated blood," Gilmore said. After eight to 10 minutes, their chance of being resuscitated drops dramatically. CDC guidelines currently recommend nitrile gloves for first responders who suspect that fentanyl may be present at the scene, and suggest adding a disposable facepiece respirator if small amounts are visible. Such measures are unlikely to slow down first responders, Gilmore said. It's when the scene involves guns or some other criminal element that first responders are often slowed down, he said, because it must first be cleared by the lead law enforcement agency. To his knowledge, none of the 220 EMTs and 60 paramedics who work for Mohawk Ambulance have ever experienced symptoms after encountering fentanyl at the scene. The ambulance company serves municipalities in Albany, Rensselaer and Schenectady counties, where opioid overdoses have risen along with every other county in the state. The company has responded at least once, Gilmore said, to a local police department to evaluate and treat several officers who believed they might have been exposed to fentanyl. Their symptoms, he said, were not consistent with an opioid overdose. "You hear all this bad stuff about a drug and now you're a police officer who realizes he has potentially exposed himself to something that can be very, very bad for you? Of course you become concerned for your well being," he said. "It's not surprising they end up with symptoms." United Nations The United States has called an urgent meeting of the U.N. Security Council for Monday in response to what it says are efforts by some countries "to undermine and obstruct" sanctions against North Korea. The U.S. Mission announced that the meeting will "discuss the implementation and enforcement of U.N. sanctions on North Korea." The mission didn't name any countries, but U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley accused Russia Thursday of pressuring an independent panel of U.N. experts to alter a report on North Korea sanctions that included alleged violations "implicating Russian actors." Haley said the panel should release the original report, which cited "a massive increase in illicit ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products" for North Korea in violation of U.N. sanctions. It said some products allegedly were off-loaded from Russian ships. A summary of the experts' report obtained in August by The Associated Press also said North Korea has not stopped its nuclear and missile programs and it said North Korea is violating sanctions by transferring coal at sea and flouting an arms embargo and financial sanctions. The Security Council initially imposed sanctions on North Korea after its first nuclear test in 2006 and has made them tougher in response to further nuclear tests and an increasingly sophisticated ballistic missile program. Haley said earlier this year that successively tougher Security Council sanctions resolutions adopted unanimously had cut off all North Korean exports, 90 percent of its trade, and disbanded its pool of workers sent abroad to earn hard currency. Many diplomats and analysts credit the sanctions with helping promote the thaw in relations between North Korea and South Korea as well as the June meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at which they agreed to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. But in July, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused North Korea of "illegally smuggling" in refined petroleum products beyond the annual quota of 500,000 barrels allowed under U.N. sanctions. U.S. documents sent to the Security Council committee monitoring sanctions against North Korea and obtained by AP cited 89 instances between Jan. 1 and May 30 in which North Korean tankers likely delivered refined products "illicitly procured" via transfers from other ships at sea. The U.S. said Russia and China both informed the sanctions committee they were supplying refined products to North Korea. China is responsible for more than 90 percent of the isolated country's trade. Pompeo said North Korea is also evading sanctions by smuggling coal by sea and across borders, by using cyber thefts and other criminal activities, and by keeping workers in some countries that he didn't name. All these activities are "generating significant revenues for the regime and they must be stopped," he said. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. At the time, Haley criticized "some friends who want to go around the rules," and especially Russia and China for blocking the sanctions committee from demanding that all countries halt shipments of petroleum products to North Korea immediately. After the experts' report was released in August, Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said he put a hold on its official release to all U.N. member nations "because we disagree with certain elements" that he refused to disclose. Russia and China then blocked the U.N. from imposing sanctions on Russia-based entities and vessels sanctioned a week earlier by the U.S. Treasury Department. The Russian news agency TASS quoted Russia's U.N. Mission as saying the proposed sanctions were "unjustified." The Security Council has remained united in imposing tougher and tougher sanctions on North Korea. U.N. diplomats familiar with discussions said Russia was angered that the panel used a lot of U.S. intelligence in the initial report that Moscow claimed was incorrect. Haley expressed disappointment in the panel, "for caving to Russian pressure and making changes to what should have been an independent report." A Hoffman Estates man will spend at least a year and a half in prison for dumping the body of his emaciated dead dog in a wooded part of Naperville, one of two dogs he starved to death, the DuPage County States Attorneys Office said. [September 16, 2018] Van Wagoner Ventures to present smartgrid transportation ecosystem vision at US Commerce Dept. Middle East Trade Mission SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- To support the US Commerce Department in their mission to broaden partnerships with Middle Eastern investors, Van Wagoner Ventures has been selected to be part of the US Trade Mission from October 20-25, 2018. Van Wagoner Ventures will meet with the US Commerce Department's network of private equity and venture capital investors to share their investment thesis for their new Fund and forthcoming whitepaper on building the smartgrid of the future. Van Wagoner Ventures' thesis is aligned with major trends already present around the GCC states including mega-city projects such as NEOM, King Abdullah Economic City, and Masdar City as well as transportation initiatives like the etro lines in Dubai and Saudi Arabia. Garrett Van Wagoner Managing Director says, "We are currently marketing our fourth product in the mobility connected space and our portfolio companies will be at the vanguard of the Fourth Generation Industrial Revolution reshaping society by connecting the way people live, work, and travel. Intelligent transportation will be a critical piece of the puzzle ultimately creating impact through an inter-dependent cleaner more efficient sustainable interconnected grid." "This paradigm will be led by new economy technology solutions from entrepreneurial ventures in many disciplines including software applications for connected services, telematics and logistics, alternative fuels, infrastructure support and smart grid connected solutions," says Nikos Acuna, Partner at Van Wagoner Ventures, futurist, and Chief Visionary at Sizmek, an AI martech company. As part of the US trade mission in October VW Ventures aims to develop long term relationships in the region to bring the following benefits to its partners: Limited Partners can expect top tier results which, VW Ventures has consistently earned, Access to two way dialogue to keep partners informed of new emerging technology and its effect on the region and their daily lives, Co-investment opportunities in many of VW Venture's target portfolio Companies, Extended business opportunities with target portfolio companies that have not addressed international expansion, either as joint venture partners or local/regional distribution arrangements. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/537525/Van_Wagoner_Ventures_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Residents share concerns, wants for east side development Fixing the east side was main topic at a public forum in Kansas City on Saturday. "I'm actually a resident, I live off of Paseo. Issues affecting the east side are very important to me personally," said Michael Kelley, Bikewalk KC. People voiced their concerns about the public persona of their neighborhood. Credit where it's due . . . This politico goes further into the East Side than any of the other politicos in the outer districts and/or the lawyer interlopers.The reality is that the East Side vote will likely determine the next Mayor of KCMO and everyone is working to win hearts and minds among voters in the inner-city.Read more: Kansas City Community Rescue Community rallies to help wheelchair-bound man KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A local man who'd essentially been trapped in his home received a new beginning thanks to a community's generosity. Arthur Buford's plight surfaced last month. He needed a new wheelchair ramp to be able to get out of his home. Buford, 68, is wheelchair-bound and blind in his right eye. Local Lawman Reconsiders Weed Judgement, Crime & Punishment Former U.S. Attorney Grissom backs cannabis legalization | The Kansas City Star As Missourians prepare to vote in November on whether to legalize medical marijuana, proponents have support from someone who used to prosecute federal laws. Former U.S. Attorney for Kansas Barry Grissom said Saturday that the federal classification of marijuana as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, along with heroin, is "absurd" and he said advocates of marijuana legalization were patriots because they are standing up for individual liberty. Show-Me Broke-Ass Accounting Officials Now Clear Why Missouri's Budget Is $100 Million In The Hole Missouri lawmakers and administrators are trying to figure out what has caused a $100 million budget shortfall in the first two months of the current fiscal year. Cash Crop Redux Kansas takes moves toward growing industrial hemp | The Wichita Eagle Kansas took its first step this week in joining 40 other states in the U.S. that are growing industrial hemp, according to a spokesperson for the Kansas Department of Agriculture. A law passed by the legislature and signed by Gov. Saving Inner Suburban Resources Raytown in negotiations to transfer emergency medical services to fire protection district Raytown in negotiations to transfer emergency medical services to fire protection district Raytown Fire Protection District could begin providing emergency medical services on Nov. 17 Raytown officials are negotiating to transfer emergency medical services to the Raytown Fire Protection District. Trucking Consequences As fatal truck crashes surge, U.S. government won't make an easy fix KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Angela Arvanitakis of Overland Park, Kan., fears sharing the road with big rigs, and even more so after one plowed into her daughter's car last year in Nebraska. "They go too fast," she said. "I'm nervous every time I see a semi coming near." Local Forecast Hotness Summer heat in place for the start of the week Starting Thursday, fall conditions arrive Another quick look at the big picture . . .Closer to home, Kansas City MSM news for the midday . . .is the song of the day and this is thefor right now . . . uttara@tribuneindia.com New Delhi, September 16 US retail giant Walmart paid Rs 7,439 crore tax on payments it made to buy out shares of 10 major shareholders of Flipkart but has not yet done so for another 34 who exited the Indian e-commerce company in the $16 billion deal, tax officials said. As many as 44 shareholders of Flipkart, including significant ones like SoftBank, Naspers, venture fund Accel Partners and eBay, had sold their holdings to Walmart. Walmart on September 7, the last date for depositing taxes with the Indian authorities, paid Rs 7,439 crore withholding tax on payments made to 10 shareholders of Flipkart. "Of the 44 shareholders in Flipkart who have sold shares, Walmart has deposited taxes for only 10 funds and entities. We have asked Walmart to explain the rationale followed while deducting or not deducting taxes from the shareholders. They have been asked to give a case to case explanation," a tax department official said. Withholding tax, or retention tax, is an income tax to be paid to the government by the payer of the income rather than the recipient of the income. The tax is withheld or deducted from the income due to the recipient. In case of the Walmart-Flipkart deal, the withholding tax pertains to the capital gains made by the shareholders of Flipkart. Responding to an e-mail query by PTI, a Walmart spokesperson said: "We take our legal obligations seriously, including paying taxes to governments where we operate". Following our Flipkart investment, we have completed our tax withholding obligations under the guidance of the Indian Tax authorities. We will continue to work with authorities to respond to their queries, the spokesperson said without elaborating. Industry sources said Walmart may have followed the withholding tax provision for small investors in not deducting tax on payments made to them. Flipkart shareholders can broadly be divided into three categories -- foreign investors whose holding is more than 5 per cent, foreign investors with holding less than 5 per cent and Indian residents. Walmart is legally not required to withhold tax on payments made to foreign shareholders with a stake of less than 5 per cent and no right to management, they said. Nangia Advisors LLP Managing Partner Rakesh Nangia said I-T Act's Section 9(1)(i) read with Explanation 5 and 6, that is the Indirect Transfer Provisions, impose capital gain tax liability on the foreign shareholder holding shares in Flipkart Singapore. However, Explanation 7 to Section 9(1)(i) carves out the applicability of Explanation 5 to small investors holding no right of management or control of such company and holding less than 5 per cent of the voting power/ share capital/ interest of the company that directly or indirectly owns the assets situated in India. "It is imperative to note that Walmart's liability to withhold tax arises only if the underlying capital gain is liable to tax in the hands of the shareholder under the provisions of the Act read with the relevant tax treaty. Accordingly, there is a possibility that some of the shareholders fall within the ambit of Explanation 7, thereby absolving Walmart of any liability to withhold tax at source," Nangia said. Certain shareholders of Flipkart had last month approached the tax department seeking exemption from levy of the taxes. Their application is still being studied by the I-T department. "We are still studying the exemption application filed by some shareholders of Flipkart. We have not yet decided on granting or not granting exemption or lower tax rate for them," the official said. The Income Tax law provides for a buyer to seek withholding tax certificate from authorities after providing details of the transaction and make a case for availing lower or nil tax rates. The tax rate could be lower in case the non-resident seller invokes the provision of the double tax avoidance agreement. US retail giant Walmart Inc had on September 7 said it has complied with the tax obligations of its USD 16 billion acquisition of India's largest online retailer Flipkart but did not say the quantum of taxes it paid. Walmart Inc had completed the acquisition of 77 per cent stake in Flipkart for about $16 billion in mid-August. As per the provisions of the I-T law, Walmart had to deduct withholding tax on payments made to sellers and deposit it with the Indian authorities on the seventh day of the subsequent month, which in this case is September 7. As per domestic tax law, long-term capital gains tax is levied at 20 per cent for shares sold by foreign investors after 24 months of purchase. However, the I-T law also provides for a taxpayer to pay taxes at a lower or nil rate if he is eligible to claim the benefits under the double taxation avoidance agreement between India and the country from where the investment was routed. The I-T department has been reviewing Section 9 (1) of the I-T Act, which deals with indirect transfer provisions, to see if the benefits under the bilateral tax treaties with countries like Singapore and Mauritius could be available for foreign investors selling stakes to Walmart. Singapore-registered Flipkart Pvt Ltd holds a majority stake in Flipkart India. PTI editorial@tribune.com Our Correspondent Sonepat, September 16 OP Singh, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Chief Minister and Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), has said that Rahgiri was a social campaign which was aimed to inspire people to have an active and positive lifestyle. He was addressing a meeting of the district officers and representatives of various social organisations. It is also a platform to make people aware about the policies, programmes and achievements of the government, he said. He asked for maximum use of social media to make the campaign popular among people. He said as per the World Happiness Index of 2018, India was at the 133rd position among 156 nations and was behind the neighbouring countries of Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. As far as health record is concerned, one out of every 20 persons in India is a patient of depression, Singh said. He stated that about 25 crore people were suffering from obesity, 10 crore from diabetes and five crore suffered from blood pressure and diabetes in the country. As per the report of the United Nations Population Fund, there were around 35 crore people in the age group of 10 to 35 years in the country, he said. The need of the hour was to have a liaison with them to develop a society of positive thinking, progressive and responsive people, he added. shalender@tribune.com Vijay C Roy Lush green Italian chilli farms have roots in Haryana, thanks to Harbir Singh, an enterprising farmer of Dadlu village in Kurukshetra. He has been exporting chilli seedlings to Italy for the past three years. So far, he has exported about 1 lakh seedlings. Holder of a master's degree in political science from Kurukshetra University, Singh chose farming over a nine-to-five job. Like others, he started his farming career with wheat, paddy and vegetables. He, however, wanted to do something different that would be exciting besides more remunerative than the traditional farming. "The earning from traditional agriculture was diminishing, so I was compelled to diversify. Finally in 2005, I took a plunge into raising a nursery for vegetable farming," says Singh. Initially, he began with a nursery on a small land spread over around 2 kanals (roughly 1,000 square yards). Despite having burnt fingers after incurring huge losses in the first two years, he did not give up. He experimented with several vegetables including green chilli, tomato, capsicum, brinjal, onion and cauliflower of different hybrids and varieties. Now his vegetable nursery is spread over 15 acres. Out of the total 14 acres are open while one acre is under the polyhouse. Today, on an average, he raises around 10 crore seedlings per annum. What made Singh famous was the uniqueness of his crops. His plants that were first popular only in Haryana, soon became a favourite of people across the country and abroad. He developed a low-cost vegetable nursery at his farm and helped other farmers in diversifying from traditional crops to remunerative vegetable farming. He made refinement in technologies and management practices for cultivation at the micro level. "We have evolved innovative ways of nursery media preparation with available local material," he says. The nursery media preparation developed by him were biogas slurry, river bed sand containing silica and burnt rice husk ash for growing vegetables. Later, he also added drip irrigation and micro sprinklers. He has established a laboratory for experiments and after trials the plants are recommended for cultivating vegetable nursery. Currently, he is meeting the seedling requirements of over 7,000 farmers from neighbouring states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Bihar. A large number of farmers are associated with him and getting the nursery on advance booking. His skills in diversification and innovative ways of cultivation have earned him several awards and recognitions from government and private agencies. In 2015, he was awarded as best horticulturist of Haryana. Due to his achievements in farming sector, Singh was awarded the NG Ranga National Farmer Award by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in 2017. He also got Haryana Nursery Ratan award in the third Haryana Agri Summit, 2018. "Each and every farmer wants to earn profit, but to earn profit we have to walk hand in hand with technological advancements in agriculture", says Singh. He has specially brought papaya seeds from Taiwan and America for his nursery. Startups in India Application for startups 16,324 Officially recognised 11,129 Mentored for incubation 550 Government funding Corpus Rs 10,000 cr To be released by 2025 Startups received funds 142 Total funds received Rs 602.60 cr Incubators: Existing and proposed* Indian School of Business Punjab National Institute of Technology Kurukshetra Entrepreneurship Development Institute J&K JCBL Limited Chandigarh *Under the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) Technology Business Incubators (TBIs) IIT Mandi Himachal Pradesh IISER Mohali Punjab NIT Jalandar Punjab (Source: Lok Sabha, Q&A, July 23, 2018) Agri startup funding $3.23 bn was invested in agricultural sector worldwide of which, 53 Indian agritech startups raised $313 mn AgFunder's AgTech Investing Report editorial@tribune.com Ajay Joshi Tribune News Service Jalandhar, September 15 Following the orders of the state government, Jalandhar Municipal Corporations Tehbazari Department has been seizing polythene bags stored at various warehouses. On the second day of its raid, officials seized nearly 16 quintals of plastic carry bags from the Maqsudan Sabzi Mandi. The team, led by Superintendent Mandeep Singh seized more than 30 quintals of banned polythene bags so far. He said the raid was conducted at godowns at Sabzi Mandi. From these warehouses plastic carry bags were further sold to wholesalers and to fruit and vegetable vendors. Though fines has not been imposed on manufacturers yet, if found guilty again, hefty fine would be taken from the violators, he added. However, perturbed over what kind of carry bags to be used for commercial purpose, vendors in the city continued using banned or low-quality poly bags. Almost every trader and vendor is using prohibited polythene bags even after weeks of ban imposed on them. Sunil, while selling clothes. in the Sunday haul market said everyone was using polythene bags, therefore he also preferred to use them. Due to the high cost of eco-friendly bags, he could not afford to buy them, he added. Jashan Singh, another fruit seller, said customer dont take chargeable carry bags therefore, they had to resort to using these carry bags. They said the authorities should try to reduce the price of compostable bags and poly bags ranging above 50 microns. Mandeep Singh said, as per the state government, poly bags either of above 50 microns or below 50 microns, were banned in the state. However the low-quality poly bags have been replaced by poly bags above 50 microns. Meanwhile, traders and manufactures under All plastic manufactures and Traders Welfare Association have asked the state government to allow them to manufacture plastic carry bags of thickness more than 50 microns. President of the association Manmohan Singh said the manufactures should be allowed to manufacture them and instead non-woven Polypropylene cotton bags used unabated should be banned as these were hundred per cent manufactured with plastic and no quantity of cotton and clothes were used for its manufacturing. Therefore these carry bags,deemed as cotton bags were not at all eco-friendly, he added. Pollution Control Boards district engineer Arun Kakaar said the non-woven Polypropylene cotton bags comes under ban category. Pollution Control Boards district engineer Arun Kakaar said the non-woven Polypropylene cotton bags comes under ban category. "We got out, we turned the corner and at first we only saw smoke, but then the windows blew out in the whole unit (on the sixth floor) and there was just a huge ball of flame," Swietlik said. "It was just engulfed in flames. I think within a matter of about three minutes, everything was black." editorial@tribune.com Banihal, September 15 The forest department seized 33 kg of 'nag chhatri' (trillium govanianum), a high-value banned medicinal herb, from a vehicle of a postal department in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district on Saturday, a senior official said. The forest produce, packed in three bags, was being sent to Delhi from Kishtwar district through the postal department courier service. A team of officials at a forest checkpost intercepted the vehicle at Batote along the Jammu-Srinagar highway and during its checking seized the material, Forest Range Officer Surinder Singh Chib said. "The involvement of postal department officials in smuggling of the banned forest produce cannot be ruled out," he said, adding that no one had been arrested so far. An FIR was registered against the Kishtwar postal department and further investigation is on, the official said. PTI editorial@tribune.com Sumit Hakhoo Tribune News Service Jammu, September 16 A day after the J&K Chief Electoral Officer announced the schedule for the urban local bodies election in the state, the mainstream parties National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have termed the decision as a mockery of democracy. Their contention is that the notification for the four-phase poll for the Srinagar Municipal Corporation in itself shows that the security situation is grave even in the summer capital. They said it validated their contention of deteriorating law and order situation in the Valley. For the Srinagar Municipal Corporation, the poll would be held in four phases. There are 37 wards in the city having a population of 12 lakh as per the 2011 Census. On the other hand, the election for the Jammu Municipal Corporation would be conducted in a single phase. The NC and PDP have already decided to boycott the poll asking New Delhi to first give a commitment on safeguarding the controversial Article 35A of the Constitution. They see the poll as a BJP plan to implement its political agenda in Kashmir. Interestingly, the poll would be conducted on a party basis. The BJP-led Central government is trying to reduce the democratic process to a military exercise in the Valley. If the security situation is the reason for dividing the poll in four phases in Srinagar city, the condition in municipal committees is even worse, said Ali Mohammad Sagar, NC general secretary and an MLA from the volatile Khanyar constituency in Srinagar city. The Congress is yet to officially announce its decision, but senior party activists said its workers in the Valley were insisting that the party should not take part in the poll process in view of militancy. Its just a formality. We are not against the election but the government is not bothered about taking political parties on board. Unless people willingly participate, democracy will be reduced to just a security drill, said Rafi Mir, PDP spokesperson. pardeepdhull@gmail.com The Hague, September 16 The Dalai Lama said on Sunday he has known about sexual abuse by Buddhist teachers since the 1990s and that such allegations are nothing new. The Tibetan spiritual leader, revered by millions of Buddhists around the world, made the admission during a four-day visit to the Netherlands, where he met on Friday with victims of sexual abuse allegedly committed by Buddhist teachers. He was responding to a call from a dozen of the victims who had launched a petition asking to meet him during his trip, part of a tour of Europe. We found refuge in Buddhism with an open mind and heart, until we were raped in its name, the victims said in their petition. I already did know these things, nothing new, the Dalai Lama said in response on Dutch public television NOS late Saturday. Twenty-five years ago... someone mentioned about a problem of sexual allegations at a conference for western Buddhist teachers in Dharamsala, a hill town in northern state of Himachal Pradesh in India, he added. The Dalai Lama, 83, lives in exile in Dharamsala. People who commit sexual abuse dont care about the Buddhas teaching. So now that everything has been made public, people may concern about their shame, he said, speaking in English. Tseten Samdup Chhoekyapa, a representative of the Tibetan spiritual leader in Europe, said Friday that the Dalai Lama has consistently denounced such irresponsible and unethical behaviour. Tibetan spiritual leaders are due to meet in Dharamshala in November. At that time they should talk about it, the Dalai Lama said in his televised comments Saturday. I think the religious leaders should pay more attention. AFP pardeepdhull@gmail.com Ananya Panda Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 16 Following a night of tension (September 15-16) over apprehension of more violence on the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University, it was a clean sweep on Sunday yet again for the Left forces in the JNU Students Union elections this year. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the RSS, finished second on the top four central panel posts and lost councillor elections too in the individual schools, including all the three councillor seats in the School of Life Sciences, even as it downplayed its performance rejoicing in being the single largest student outfit on the campus. A stronger Left alliance (AISA, SFI, DSF, AISF) tightened its hold on the JNU campus winning all the four central panel posts by a whopping margin and left-leaning sides pocketing 15 of the total 29 councillor berths which went to polls this year. The remaining largely went to independent candidates and the Congress' NSUI settled with one. The CPI-backed All India Students Federation's (AISF) joining the Left unity in JNU this year has contributed to the victory margins of the alliance candidates in a big way as compared to last year when AISF had contested the student polls separately. United-left's candidate N Sai Balaji (AISA) was elected the new president by a huge margin of 1,179 votes from his nearest challenger Lalit Pandey of the ABVP followed by BAPSAs Praveen Thallapelli. Balaji secured 2,161 votes of the total 5,170 votes while Praveen settled with 675 votes. Scoring a thumping victory, Sarika Chaudhary (AISA) walked away with the vice president post with 2,692 votes, a lead of 1,680 over ABVP contender Geetasri Boruah who polled 1,012 votes. BAPSAs Purnachandra Naik trailed on third position with 644 votes in the same race ahead of Liji K Babu of Congress NSUI with 457 votes. SFI activist Aejaz Ahmad Rather bagged the general secretary seat defeating Ganesh Gurjar by 1,300 votes. Aejaz sealed the race securing 2,423 votes while second runners-up Vishambhar Nath Prajapati of BAPSA polled 827 votes and NSUIs Md. Mofizul Alam stood third with 328 votes. The berth of joint secretary of JNUSU was clinched by Amutha Jayadeep (AISF) by a comfortable lead of 800 votes over ABVP's Venkat Choubey. Amutha pocketed 2,047 votes as compared to Venkat's 1,247 votes and 689 votes were received by Kanaklata Yadav of BAPSA. Science schools vote for Left; it's anti-Modi, ABVP vote, says Left While the science schools had voted for the Left unity unlike previous years, the winning trends had started emerging once the counting of votes of the Schools of Language, Literature and Culture Studies (SLL&CS) and School of Social Sciences (SSS), considered as decisive schools along with School of International Studies, for the central panel began early morning. Otherwise last night the ABVP had managed to maintain lead on all four central panel posts with the Left combine candidates trailing by small margins till the counting of 1,500 odd votes had been completed. Gradually after the counting of School of International Studies (SIS), which is largely divided between left and right wings, the Left surged ahead of the ABVP candidates on the top seats with its candidates gaining by nearly 200-350 votes on the four posts as seen after the counting of 1,717 votes. Thereafter there was no looking back for the Left unity as it galloped on all 4 central panel posts gradually widening the margin from its nearest contender ABVP after the counting of 2,931 votes. Interestingly, the Left was leading even in the science schools, traditionally the stronghold of saffron cadre, both in the race for the central panel as well as the councillor positions with later the ABVP taking over the race on two posts after 500 votes. Much before the final results were announced by the JNU student election committee this afternoon the celebrations outside the counting venues had begun in full swing. Chants of "Left unity ko inquilab, inquilab zindabad" and "dekho kaise pad gaya thanda khaki nicker bhagwa jhanda" (jibe at RSS) and beats of tambourine added to the fervour outside the counting centre. As soon as chairperson election committee of JNUSU Himanshu Kulshrestha declared the winning panel the area was immersed in cheers and colours. The Left sees today's results as a strong message to Modi regime and its alleged witch-hunt and continuous attacks on JNU and JNUSU. It is a mandate against ABVP and its nexus with the administration, claimed Om Prasad, a Left activist. "JNU mandate is a rejection of the hate politics and fascism practised by the Modi government and RSS. From running the vicious shut down JNU campaign to destroying the GSCASH, shielding teachers accused of sexual harassment and trampling upon the decision-making bodies to intimidating JNU students slapping false charges against them, the present regime has done all," alleged Sucheta De, national president of AISA. Congress draws solace from vote share The Congress' NSUI on its part drew solace not just from ABVPs defeat but also from a better performance this year. It compares its vote share with that of last year when it had polled half the votes polled for NOTA. "This year our joint secretary candidate alone polled more votes than our votes combined for last year. Left unity in four organisations with one post each and we fought independently. Our votes should be seen in that perscpective," said Ruchi Gupta, AICC joint secretary, adding that students of JNU have defeated the forces of hate and bigotry. However, the ABVP accused the JNU student election panel of favouritism and questioned its neutrality in the electoral process. The biased act of election commission in JNUSU elections is against the universitys democratic system, said ABVP activist Monika Chaudhary. The counting of votes for the JNUSU began on Friday night but the counting had to be stopped for over 14 hours till early evening yesterday due to forcible entry into the counting room, attempts to snatch away the ballots and manhandling of the EC members by ABVP activists, including two of its candidates. Later, counting resumed in the presence of faculty poll observers nominated by the Grievance Redressal Cell. The ruckus is said to have occurred after the ABVP started losing councillor posts in science schools which this time is understood to have voted in favour of the left group. This was followed with unruly protest and vandalism of campus property by the ABVP alleging it was not informed before the counting for the top panel had started, charges later denied by chairperson of the EC. The JNUSU has always been a Left bastion though the ABVP has made some inroads during the recent years, especially after the 2015-16 polls when the Sangh brigade made it to the top panel after a long gap of 14 years. pardeepdhull@gmail.com Dehradun, September 16 A joint India-US military exercise began on Sunday at Chaubattia in the foothills of the Himalayas in Uttarakhands Almora district. Yudh Abhyas 2018 is one of the longest running joint military training exercises and a major bilateral defence cooperation endeavour between India and the US. This is the 14th edition of the joint military exercise, which is hosted alternately by the two countries. Set to conclude on September 29, the combined exercise simulates scenarios where both nations are working together in counter insurgency and counter terrorism operations in mountainous terrain, a defence press release said. The two-week exercise will see the participation of about 350 personnel of the US Army and similar strength from the Garud Division of the Indian Army. The exercise curriculum is progressively planned where the participants will initially get familiar with each others organisational structure, weapons, equipment, confidence training and tactical drills. Subsequently, the training will advance to joint tactical exercises and battle drills of both the armies. The training will culminate with a final validation exercise in which troops of both countries will jointly carry out an operation against terrorists in a fictitious but realistic setting. PTI vermaajay1968@gmail.com Pune, September 16 Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat today said countries like Nepal and Bhutan have to be inclined to India because of geography. To a query on the growing closeness between Nepal and China, he said ties between nations change along with the global scenario. Rawat was speaking on the sidelines of the closing ceremony of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation-Field Training Military Exercise. Geography favours inclination towards India and as far as alliance (with China) is concerned, it is a temporary thing, he added. Citing the example of Pakistan and the US, the General claimed that the dynamics of ties keep changing. We need not be bothered about all these issues. We need to concentrate on how to keep our country strong, he said, adding that the leadership believed in developing ties with neighbours. We are a bigger country and if we take the lead, everybody will follow suit. That is why we stepped into this (by organising the military exercise), he said. PTI uttara@tribuneindia.com New Delhi, September 16 The ruling BJP has sent its national general secretaries BL Santhosh and Ram Lal, and Goa in-charge Vijay Puranik to Goa on Sunday afternoon to take stock of the political situation after Chief Minister Manohar Parrikars hospitalisation. Parrikar, 62, is suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer and was admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, on Saturday. He has been in and out of hospitals in the US, Mumbai and Goa since February. The ruling BJP has sent its national general secretaries BL Santhosh and Ram Lal, and Goa in-charge Vijay Puranik to Goa on Sunday afternoon to take stock of the political situation after Parrikars hospitalisation. Some media reports have suggested that the BJP is exploring alternatives for the chief minister's position in Goa till Parrikar gets well. The BJP came to power in the state with support from regional outfits and Independents. They will be holding a series of meetings on Sunday and Monday with BJP leaders and also the alliance partnersthe Goa Forward Party, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and Independents, BJP state chief Vinay Tendulkar told reporters. BJP leader Michael Lobo, who is the deputy speaker of the Goa Assembly, told PTI on Saturday that the party had suggested the allies merge with the BJP. Only after that, we will take up issues such as who will be the next chief minister or who will take over the charge or anything related to it, Lobo had said. The BJP currently has 14 legislators in the 40-member assembly while the GFP and the MGP have three each. The national party is also supported by three Independents. The opposition Congress has 16 MLAs while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has one legislator. Watching Meanwhile, the Congress on Sunday said it was watching the developments and could explore the possibility of forming government in Goa but not by compromising the state's interest. "Our stand is very clear. We will definitely explore all possibilities but that does not mean that we will do it by compromising the ideology or the interest of Goans," All India Congress Committee secretary A Chellakumar, who is also Goa in-charge of the party, said. "We are not in a hurry to capture power by compromising the interest of the people of Goa. The Congress is accountable to the people," he added. Chellakumar said his party was watching the developments in the state. "All our MLAs are together. We are watching what is going on in the ruling camp. The internal bickering has already started. The cabinet ministers have started throwing stones at each other," he said. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited AIIMS to inquire after Parrikar's health on Sunday. "Also spoke to the doctors who are supervising his treatment. I pray for his good health and quick recovery," Rajnath Singh tweeted. Agencies pardeepdhull@gmail.com Belgrade, September 16 Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu invoked Indias first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in his address to the Serbian Parliament. India and Serbia shared a common perspective on many issues and have a deeper affinity that brings the two countries closer, Naidu said while addressing the special session of the National Assembly of Serbia on the International Day of Democracy on Saturday. Naidu, who arrived here on Friday, said that relations between India and Serbia were deeply rooted in history. It was here that the first Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit took place in 1961. Prime Minister of India Pandit Nehru and other world leaders of Non-Aligned Movement addressed the NAM Summit in this hallowed hall, Naidu said. He said it would be good to recall Nehrus words at the conference of NAM nations in Belgrade on September 2, 1961. His call which rings so true and relevant even today was to build in our own countries societies where freedom is real. Freedom is essential, because freedom will give us strength and enable us to build prosperous societies. We must strive to strengthen our democratic polities and internalise the concepts of freedom, dialogue, inclusion and rule of law in our governance structures, Naidu said. The Vice-President said he was glad that Serbia shared Indias views on the need to reform the UN, particularly the UN Security Council. Our two countries also agree that terrorism is one of the foremost threats to international peace and security. There is an urgent need to strengthen the global counter terrorism legal framework to combat this scourge by expediting finalisation of a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) under the UN umbrella, he said in a statement. Naidu hailed the steps the two countries have been taking to strengthen the bilateral ties and emphasised that need to further boost the trade ties. Our annual bilateral trade is currently about USD 200 million. Undoubtedly, this is much below the true potential. More exchange of business delegations is necessary to boost our bilateral trade further. While there is a need for boosting our bilateral trade, investment in each others countries and more innovative approaches are necessary for strengthening of economic ties, he said. Naidu praised Serbia for abolishing visa requirements for short-term visit by all Indian passports holders last year. From the early days of Independent India, both countries laid great emphasis on the NAM and contributed much to the creation of a new and democratic world order, particularly for the post-colonial third world that challenged the concept of bipolar world, the vice president said. Marshal Tito was a familiar name in many Indian households. I understand that he addressed Indian Parliament during his visit to India in 1954. Thus, the Parliaments of our two countries had the privilege of and benefit of learning from each other, Naidu said. Today is the International Day of Democracy. This year marks the 70th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries, he said. This place is the historic meeting ground of nations that decided to launch NAM in 1961. It is good to recall that India and the then Yugoslavia were the pioneers of that movement, Naidu said. Serbia and India share a common commitment to democratic values and the need to continuously nurture the democratic spirit for improving the quality of the lives of our people, he added. PTI editorial@tribune.com Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 15 A Delhi special court has dismissed former Punjab DGP SS Sainis plea to recall Justice (retd) Rajive Bhalla of the Punjab and Haryana High Court as a witness for further cross-examination in a 24-year-old kidnapping case, saying he has been sufficiently cross-examined. Justice Bhalla was the counsel for Vinod Kumar, one of the three missing men feared murdered, before his elevation to the Bench as a High Court judge. He was appointed the chairman of the Punjab Education Tribunal after his retirement. I find substance in the arguments of the prosecutor that the defence has been adopting delay tactics so that the patience of the witness gets exhausted, Special CBI judge Anju Bajaj Chandna said on Friday in her order rejecting Sainis application seeking recall of Justice Bhalla as a witness. Noting that similar tactics were adopted when another witness Bala (wife of victim Vinod) was being examined, the court said the trial is not a matter of convenience nor the provision under Section 311 of the Criminal Procedure Code is meant for convenience of the defence. Justice Bhalla had deposed before the then Special CBI judge MK Nagpal in January this year as a prosecution witness. Sainis counsel had cross-examined him and the cross-examination ran into 22 pages. Special judge Chandna also rejected Sainis plea to direct the prosecution to produce Justice Bhallas statement purportedly recorded by the investigating officer during the probe after the retired judge categorically stated that the agency had not recorded his statement and that it had only asked certain questions regarding the case. William Sattler, 71, was riding his bike in the 1400 block of West Lincolnway, just east of Clifford Road, when witnesses say he was struck by a 2008 pickup truck also traveling eastbound, according to the Porter County Coroners Office. uttara@tribuneindia.com Balwant Garg Tribune News Service Faridkot, September 17 Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal on Sunday accused radical Sikh preachers Baljit Singh Daduwal and Dhian Singh Mand of being Congress puppets, once again raking up an issue that rocked Punjabs monsoon session. Addressing SADs controversial rally at Faridkot, Badal claimed he had bank statements to show Daduwal received payment of Rs 16 crore, while Mand made a land purchase of Rs 20 lakhboth transactions he hinted were suspicious. 'Sabotage' Also addressing the rally that sparked a tussle between his party and the state Congress government, former minister Bikram Majithia drew parallels between Punjab Government denying them permission for the event and the National Emergency former prime minister Indira Gandhi called in 1975. SADs senior vice-president Mahesh Inder Grewal accused Congress and Aam Aadmi Party of using sacrilege incidents to exploit religious sentiments in the state and called Justice Ranjit Commission fraud. The commission recently indicted SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal for having ordered police firing at peaceful protests during anti-sacrilege protests in 2015 while he was chief minister. The rally sparked a tussle between SAD and the Congress state government over permission for Sundays rally. The battle reached Punjab and Haryana High Court, which ruled in favour of SAD. This isnt the first time that Badal suggested there was something amiss in the transactions: his party has hinted on occasions that Daduwal received the money from Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligencean allegation the Sikh leader has denied. SAD has been accusing Congress Chief Minister Amarinder Singh as well as the Aam Aadmi Party of having nexus with ISI-backed radical Sikh leaders. HIGHLIGHTS Parkash Badal claims one Sikh radical arrested with a pistol meant to kill him and his son at the rally. Parkash Badal invokes 1984 riots, attack on Golden Temple to counter sacrilege allegations. More the attempts to suppress us, the stronger we Akalis emerge: Parkash Badal. Parkash Singh Badal thanks high court for "saving" democracy. Says: "HC order is a victory of democracy and defeat of dictatorship and feudalism imposed by state government". Parkash Singh Badal honours Dhamanbir Sobti, advocate who fought party's case in the high court. A robe of honor also sent for Advocate Ashok Agarwal. pardeepdhull@gmail.com September 16 The Texas police on Saturday arrested a veteran US Border Patrol agent, who is suspected of killing four women within the past two weeks and kidnapping a fifth. Juan David Ortiz, a 35-year-old who has worked for Border Patrol for a decade, was found hiding in a Laredo parking lot after a woman he allegedly abducted was able to escape and alert law enforcement, local media reports said. "We feel that our efforts have gathered strong evidence against this killer. Our community is safe from this killer," Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar said in a statement, adding that Ortiz would be formally charged later on Saturday. The four victims' names were not immediately disclosed. According to local media reports in Laredo, 150 miles (240 km) southwest of San Antonio, they had been working as prostitutes. The bodies of two of the women were discovered earlier this month along Interstate 35 in rural northwest Webb County, the Laredo Morning Times reported, while the third and fourth were found in the same area this weekend. A senior US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official, Andrew Meehan, said in a statement that the agency was cooperating fully with the investigators. While it was not agency policy to comment on the details of an ongoing investigation, Meehan said, criminal conduct by CBP employees is not and will not be tolerated. "Our sincerest condolences go out to the victims' family and friends," Meehan's statement said. Reuters -:- Message from Tripadvisor staff -:- This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one. To review the Tripadvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason. There is a direct ICE from Amsterdam to Germany: Oberhausen, Dusseldorf, Cologne...so this is the most convenient line. I would suggest Cologne, it will comply with all your requirements: history, culture, food...and you can walk around the city for hours. Dusseldorf isnt a bad choice too but I prefer Cologne. Another suggestion would be Essen in the Ruhr Area, you can change the train in Oberhausen or Duisburg. There are the famous Zeche Zollverein, Villa Hugel, Folkwangmuseum...you can have a walk along the Baldeneysee (Lake Baldeney) and visit Kettwig, a small scenic neighbourhood town with half timbered houses. May I ask where your husbands ancestors have lived? Perhaps it would be an option to visit this area? Edited: 3 years ago Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 16) Filipino-American Broadway actor Josh dela Cruz will help track the clues left by beloved dog Blue in the reboot of "Blue's Clues." Dela Cruz was tapped to be the host of Nickelodeon's "Blue's Clues & You." Steve Burns, the host of the original "Blue's Clues," which was launched in 1996, helped pick out dela Cruz. "I had the great honor of being a part of the search for the new host, and I give Josh two thumbs up! He can definitely fill my shoes and the rugby shirt," he said. The Filipino-American actor will host 20 episodes of "Blue's Clues & You," where he will join Blue, as the blue-spotted animated dog invites viewers to join her on a clue-led adventure and solve a daily puzzle. The production of the educational children's television series will start this month in Toronto. Dela Cruz also recently appeared in Disney's Aladdin on Broadway, as the understudy for Aladdin and a member of the ensemble. We like to be involved with the neighborhoods as much as possible, said Emmanuel Verdi, chapter president. It is something nice, and something to put us out there. And kids love seeing motorcycles. We are planning a 4 weeks trip to Australia next Oct/Nov 2019 (last 2 weeks of Oct, first 2 weeks of Nov), although we are flexible and could move this earlier (Sept-Oct?). We are interested in: scenery, wildlife, photography, some relaxation, good food. Not interested in beaches, but love snorkeling. We prefer nature and small towns, but would like to spend a couple of days in some cities. With that in mind, here are some initial thoughts on a draft itinerary: Land in Sydney, transfer directly to Port Douglas. Spend 7-8 days here taking maybe 4 different day snorkeling tours, and the other 3-4 days in Daintree for wildlife and rainforest. Would it be a better idea to go to a reef island, where we can snorkel from shore? Any recommendation? Do different snorkel tours take you to different areas? Or will we get more of the same every day? I am allergic to jelly fish stings, and I read about stingers. Is an island better? Is going earlier better? Fly to Melbourne and spend another 7-8 days in the area. Visit Phillip Island and drive GOR to the 12 Apostles and back, with stops at Apollo Bay, Kenett River and Great Otway Forest. Spend 1-2 days in Melbourne. If going earlier (Sept) will this be bad for this area? Not worried about temperatures, but rain. Fly to Uluru (Ayers Rock Airport) and spend maybe 3 days in the area. Would like to do the Kings Canyon rim walk, so I guess we need a night in Kings Canyon. Fly to Sydney (from Ayers Rock Airport, I guess, right?) and spend 2-3 days there, then fly back home to US. Is this a good itinerary for that part of the year? Any recommendation for better wildlife opportunities in a different area that we havent considered? Thanks. Edited: 3 years ago -:- Message from Tripadvisor staff -:- Tripadvisor staff has removed this post because it did not meet Tripadvisor's forum guidelines with regards to off-topic chat. Please limit conversations to subject matter directly related to the host forum. For example: when in the London forum, please stick to topics that relate to travel within the London Metropolitan Area. Off-Topic Chatter is a forum for discussions gone afield from the topic of travel. Please note that the Off-Topic Chatter forum is un-moderated -- the Forum Posting Guidelines are not enforced, with the exception of pornographic images or text, hate speech, unauthorized re-prints of copyrighted text, and messages that promote or encourage illegal activities. Each user is expected to take responsibility for his or her own conduct. To review the Tripadvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason. I am planning to make a one way trip in 4 days from October 2nd to October 6th from Houston, TX to Wes New Yourk, NJ I would like have recommendations for my trip such as where to stop. I am planning to drive from 6 top 8 hours per day with stops for gas, quick food, restroom. Thanks - The opposition leader was among convicts who had requested for clemency in June, 2018 - Ingabire was sentenced in 2013 and was serving 15 years on charges of terrorism - Charges against her were claimed to be politically motivated because she tried to challenge Kagame in the 2010 elections Rwandan president Paul Kagame has finally released opposition leader Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza from prison According to a Rwandan cabinet statement released on Friday, September 14, Ingabire's release was part of an early release program for about 1,140 people who had been jailed. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Washukiwa wengine wa mauaji ya Sharon Otieno wakamatwa, wahojiwa na makachero The opposition leader had been jailed for allegedly running against Kagame in 2010 election. Photo: Iinyarwanda Source: UGC READ ALSO: Fans turn up in large numbers for burial of radio presenter Okebiro who committed suicide TUKO.co.ke has learnt the opposition leader was among convicts who had requested for clemency in June, 2018. Ingabire's pardon was further made public by Rwandan Ministry of Justice through its official Twitter handle. Cabinet today approved the early release of 2,140 eligible convicts. Among them are Kizito Mihigo and Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza, who received a Presidential commutation of the remainder of their sentences, following their most recent requests for clemency in June 2018, Rwanda Ministry of Justice tweeted. Victoire had requested for presidential pardon. Photo: Nation Source: UGC READ ALSO: Uganda MP Bobi Wine's bodyguard charged with treason According to Rwandas constitution the president has the authority to exercise the prerogative of mercy in accordance with the procedures provided for by law and after consultation with the Supreme Court,'' The opposition leader, Ingabire was sentenced in 2013 and was serving 15 years on charges of terrorism. Her release was confirmed by Rwandan Ministry of Justice. Photo: Kenyabwala.com Source: UGC READ ALSO: Bobi Wine rearrested shortly after Museveni drops charges against him She was accused of working with the Hutu Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebel group operating in neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ingabire's imprisonment had been condemned by most Rwandans and the world a whole with the Human Rights Watch holding the charges against her were politically motivated because she tried to challenge Kagame in the 2010 elections. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Top 3 Pastor Scandals: Who Betrayed The Trust Of Parishioners? - On Tuko TV Source: Tuko.co.ke Every person below the age of 32 years have never seen any other leader serving as Uganda's president apart from Yoweri Kaguta Museveni but that could not be the only fete by the president if a message by one of his cabinet's sentiments are anything to go by. Museveni who turned 74 years old on Saturday, September 15, had not only led the East African country for 32 years but the man 'himuselef" had never gone for a single leave since he immersed himself in the nation's politics through military front. READ ALSO: Yoweri Museveni is a superhuman being and gift from God - Uganda government chief whip Yoweri Museveni led a rebel army to topple his predecessor Idi Amin Dada and took over as Uganda's Head of State in 1986. Photo: Janet Museveni/Twitter. Source: Twitter READ ALSO: President Museveni warns lovers against using their mouths while making love Frank Tumwebaze, Uganda's Minister of ICT in his birthday message to the Head of State, maybe out of sheer loyalty or veiled sycophancy poured bountiful of praises on Museveni, lauding his unmatched, extra-ordinary leadership ability. "We thank God for the gift of life and anointing he has given our leader with extra-ordinary abilities to work 24 hours, seven days a year without leave for the last 58 yrs," said Tumwebaze in his birthday message. This was an insinuation the no nonsense president began fighting for the citizens when he was only 16 years old as a rebel soldier who gradually graduated to a dreaded Army General who ousted dictator Idi Amin. READ ALSO: Looming showdown in Parliament as MPs differ over Uhuru's fuel taxation proposals The minister also extended a message of good luck prayer to First Lady Janet Museveni for keeping her husband and father of four who had reminded citizens on the functions of the mouth, sex not being one of them, fit all through his leadership tenure. The First Lady also could not sit on her compliments and good luck wishes for her husband and tweeted a sweet message to the hardened General. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram : Tuko news. Kenyans Angry Over High Fuel Prices - On Tuko TV Source: Tuko - Air Gate Mall, commonly called Taj Mall, came down days after notice for its demolition expired - The building was allegedly sitting on road reserve, hindering expansion of the Outering Road - Owner, Ramesh Gorasia, had dared the government to go ahead with the demolition - After the demolition, Gorasia asked DCI to go after those who approved construction of the mall The dramatic demolition of Air Gate Mall, formerly Taj Mall, has triggered fresh push for dismantling of Deputy President William Ruto's high-end city hotel alleged to be sitting on a grabbed public land. Demolition of the multi-million mall kicked off on the mid-morning of Saturday, September 15, weeks after expiry of a public notice to vacate the premises. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: Washukiwa wengine wa mauaji ya Sharon Otieno wakamatwa, wahojiwa na makachero Demolition of the Air Gate Mall, formerly Taj Mall, kicked off on Saturday, September 15, weeks after expiry of public notice to vacate. Source: Twitter READ ALSO: Taj Mall demolition ongoing TUKO.co.ke observed destruction of Taj Mall evoked mixed reactions with a section of Kenyans demanding for the dreaded green bulldozer that descended on the mall to proceed to Weston Hotel next. According to the netizens, it would not be fair to bring down Taj Mall and spare illegal properties owned by powerful people in government, arguing the law must not be applied selectively. READ ALSO: Heartbroken Taj Mall owner turns to DCI for help following demolition of multi billion property In an earlier poll conducted by TUKO.co.ke, majority of Kenyans believed Weston Hotel was erected on a stolen public land and therefore wanted to see it demolished just like others. The poll conducted between Wednesday, August 15 and Thursday, August 16, found that 71% of the netizens wanted the DP's luxury hotel in Westlands, Nairobi, demolished while 21% felt it should be spared. READ ALSO: DP Ruto's Weston Hotel assures customers its not set for demolition Taj Mall was brought down because the government insisted the property, situated at the North Airport Road at the junction of Outering Road, was sitting on a road reserve and wayleave. A public notice was issued on August 16, 2018, directing the mall's owner, Ramesh Gorasia, to remove the structure. The notice indicated the mall encroached on road reserve and was hindering further construction and design of the Outering Road. "The owners and/or developers are asked to remove this illegal development before August 30, 2018. The occupants are asked to immediately vacate the building prior to the expiry of the notice," the notice read in part. READ ALSO: William Rutos Weston hotel is built on public land, should be demolished - Economist David Ndii The mall however remained standing past the August 30 deadline and for weeks despite the directive for its demolition and even after the building's owner dared the government to bring it down. Gorasia on August 16 accused the government of frustrating investors in the country through the ongoing demolitions. "If you want to demolish the building, go ahead, I don't care. But If you have to demolish come and demolish it completely, don't come and demolish it partly. If you don't have money to clear it off please don't try to demolish it," he said. And when the demolition commenced, the billionaire businessman turned the heat on the DCI to go after the government officials who approved construction of the property in the first place. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Massive Demolition in Kileleshwa with JAVA House and Shell Station down - On Tuko TV Source: Tuko Breaking News Latest - Constable Peter Maingi is said to have shot Peter Upsaye accidentally - The two were pursuing suspicious people in a Kitengela estate - Upsaye succumbed to his injuries after being rushed to a Nairobi hospital - The incident happened early Sunday morning at around 2:55am A police officer in Kijiado County on Sunday, September 16, died after he was shot by a colleague as they pursued suspicious people in Kitengela. According to a police report filed at Kitengela Police Station, Constable Peter Maingi, accidentally discharged a bullet from his pistol which hit Peter Upsaye on the head. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens. READ ALSO: Washukiwa wengine wa mauaji ya Sharon Otieno wakamatwa, wahojiwa na makachero READ ALSO: Why criminals will have nowhere to hide under the new police reforms The two officers, according to the report, had received reports of suspicious people as they patrolled in Kitengela. "While on patrol duties at Orata area, Peter Upsaye and James Karugu got information that there were three suspicious men riding on a motorcycle spotted within Orata estate. The officers boarded two motor bikes and on arriving at the area, they spotted the said suspicious people," reads the report. READ ALSO: Moses Kuria asks Speaker Muturi to ban all foreign trips for MPs to save Kenyans Moses Kuria asks Speaker Muturi to ban all foreign trips for MPs to save Kenyans On reaching the estate, the suspects spotted the security officers and begun speeding away but the officers pursued and caught up with them. "During the confrontation Constable Peter Maingi accidentally discharged one round from his Jericho pistol body and as a result Peter Upsaye was shot on the head," the report further reads. Upsaye was rushed to Nairobi Women's Hospital but later succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment. His body has since been moved to Shalom Funeral Home awaiting postmortem. Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) visited the scene and investigations into the incident launched. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Teresiah Wambui Story: The Struggles of a Kenyan Woman With Beards -Tuko TV. Source: Tuko News - Kisumu residents have gone wild after photos of patients sleeping on hospital corridors emerged - The patients are believed to be at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Referral Hospital - They want Governor Nyongo to address the matter urgently - County health boss has said the patients had been discharged but lacked bus fare Residents of Kisumu have called upon county's leadership to rain into its health services and cushion patients at regions largest referral hospital from suffering. They have complained that patients are being met by hardship circumstances at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) where some of them are spending on the cold corridors. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens. READ ALSO: Washukiwa wengine wa mauaji ya Sharon Otieno wakamatwa, wahojiwa na makachero They have complained that patients are being met by hardship circumstance at JOOTRH where some of them are spending on the cold corridors. Photo: Achia Awich Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Kakamega man shoots dead neighbour over land dispute Photos of patients recuperating on the hospital's corridors have since emerged and residents are worried saying the county's health department does not have its priorities right. Some have accused the leadership of registering residents into health insurance schemes while hospitals where the services are set to be acquired remain largely under-equipped. Photos of patients recuperating on the hospital's corridors have since emerged and residents are worried the county's health department does not have its priorities right. Photo: Achia Awich Source: Facebook READ ALSO: President Kagame pardons jailed female Rwandan opposition leader The residents claim no proper care is accorded to patients and that the facility is still grappling with short supply of drugs and equipment to cater for all patients. They further state no local leader has expressed interest in having the current situation addressed. Health CEC Rosemary Obara, said that the two patients seen sleeping on the hospitals corridors were treated and discharged but they lacked means to go back to their homes. Photo: Achi Awich Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Fake police officer who terrorised villagers in Homa Bay set ablaze However, Kisumu County Health CEC Rosemary Obara, has said that the two patients seen sleeping on the hospitals corridors were treated and discharged but they lacked means to go back to their homes. "My dear people allow me to clarify on some concerns. There are two patients trending at JOOTRH who were treated and discharged to go home and are waiting for their relatives to collect them. They came in coma and were treated, their bills were waived. They are from Siaya County and have no transport. These are the social issues we have," said the CEC. Obara said the county had plans afoot to expand bed capacity of all hospitals in the county and also bolster supply of drugs. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Raila Odinga - Kenya's Fuel Crisis Will Not Occur | Tuko TV. Source: Tuko News The U.S.-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music will hold its inaugural season of the China Now Music Festival in October, presenting seven world premieres by some of the well-known Chinese composers in the 21st century. The festival's concerts will take place at the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York State, and at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall in New York City from Oct. 19 to 22. The theme of the 2018 China Now Music Festival is Facing the Past, Looking to the Future: Chinese Composers in the 21st Century. All concerts feature Bard College's The Orchestra Now, conducted by Jindong Cai, artistic director of the festival and director of the U.S.-China Music Institute. The creation of the China Now Music Festival, according to Cai, was inspired by the richness and vitality of music in Chinese society. "Western classical music is developing in China at phenomenal speed, but just as exciting is the freshness that Chinese composers bring to the Western world," said Cai in a press release. "With the China Now Music Festival as our looking glass, we hope to bring people and cultures from East and West together through music." The festival is part of Bard's partnership with China's Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, through its five-year Chinese Music Development Initiative. Seven composers from the faculty of the Central Conservatory have been commissioned to compose new works that will receive their world premieres during the festival. The opening concert, at 8 p.m. on Oct. 19 at Bard's Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, includes world premieres of two works by composers from the Central Conservatory of Music. The concert also includes the U.S. premiere of the contemporary compositions by Ye Xiaogang, Zhou Long, and Cheng Yi inspired by the Opium Wars and the Nanjing Massacre. The festival will present two concerts in New York City: at 3 p.m. on Oct. 21 in Lincoln Center's Geffen Hall and at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 22 in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall. A preconcert panel discussion will be held from noon to 2 p.m. on Oct. 20 at the China Institute in New York City. Volker said the United States is concerned about the expansion of Russian naval operations in the Sea of Azov. The United States special envoy for Ukraine said Saturday that Washington would consider providing more armaments to the country's army. Envoy Kurt Volker told reporters in Kyiv that Ukraine has improved its defense capabilities in recent years, but "there are still some gaps in those capabilities. And wherever those gaps are, we are prepared to sit down and talk with Ukraine about what their needs are. They can buy things through our foreign military sales," The Associated Press said. U.S. President Donald Trump this year reversed the Obama administration's refusal to provide lethal aid to Ukraine and has sent more than 200 Javelin anti-tank rockets. Volker said the United States is concerned about the expansion of Russian naval operations in the Sea of Azov, which borders Ukraine, Russia and the Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula. Read alsoVolker: World must keep situation in Donbas under public spotlight "We do not accept Russian claims about territory in the waters. We believe the presence of Russian military forces has become a provocative, aggressive step, so we are very concerned about that," he said. The Russian-led forces in eastern Ukraine have long threatened the Azov port of Mariupol; taking the city would be a key step toward their establishing a land corridor between Crimea and Russia. The U.S. envoy also criticized the elections that de-facto leaders in Russian-occupied Donbas have called for November in two eastern regions, saying any voting would be a "completely illegitimate exercise." He criticized Russia's resistance to full deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping mission in eastern Ukraine, where more than 10,000 people have been killed since 2014. "Russia is insisting this be negotiated directly with the proxy entities," Volker said, referring to the self-declared "republics' governments" in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. "Russia is, in fact, the decision-maker" in eastern Ukraine, he added. Instead of blaming Putin's regime for the bloodshed, Mr Murray has pointed the finger at the pro-Western Kyiv government for obeying the 'dictates' of the EU and NATO. Jeremy Corbyn's most influential Commons adviser has been barred from entering Ukraine on the grounds that he is a national security threat because of his alleged links to Vladimir Putin's 'global propaganda network.' Former communist Andrew Murray, Mr Corbyn's chief political adviser, was slapped with the three-year ban in June on the advice of the country's security service, the SBU, Daily Mail said. "But last night Mr Murray, who has played a key role in a campaign to support pro-Moscow separatists in Ukraine, angrily denied being part of any 'so-called propaganda network,'" Daily Mail said. Mr Murray, who was a member of the Communist party for 40 years, helped to launch a campaign in 2014 called Solidarity With The Antifascist Resistance In Ukraine (SARU) to protest at the West's backing of the "Kyiv regime." Russia made its first incursions into Ukrainian territory that year. After President Putin annexed Crimea and backed pro-Moscow separatist forces in the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, Mr Murray used SARU events to describe the conflict as 'a war waged by the Kyiv government' against 'peoples exercising their right to self-rule.' Instead of blaming Putin's regime for the bloodshed, Mr Murray has pointed the finger at the pro-Western Kyiv government for obeying the 'dictates' of the EU and NATO. He also questioned whether Moscow was responsible for the shooting down of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew, over eastern Ukraine in that year. This newspaper spoke to a serving SBU officer in Kyiv this weekend who claimed that Mr Murray had been put on the banned list because he was 'regarded as being part of Putin's global propaganda network, peddling Russian lies, particularly about Crimea and the war in Eastern Ukraine.' Read alsoBritish brass band sparks diplomatic row with Ukraine by performing concerts in Crimea media He added: 'It is extremely unusual for us to ban anyone from entering the country, especially a Briton. 'It is not a step we take lightly and it means he is considered a potential threat to our national security.' In a formal statement, the SBU said: 'We made a decision to ban the entrance of the citizen of Great Britain [Mr Murray] starting from June 2018 for three years based on the law of Ukraine about the legal state of foreign citizens ... in order to insure the national security of Ukraine.' A spokesperson for Mr Murray said: 'Andrew completely rejects the suggestion of being part of a so-called propaganda network and is a frequent critic of Putin and his government. He has never been to Ukraine, nor has any plans to visit the country.' Two armored artillery boats were floated off on September 16. Ukraine plans to create a naval base on the Sea of Azov before the end of the year. "This [the creation of the base] will create conditions for repelling Russian aggression in that region," the Ukrainian government said on its Facebook page. It was also announced that two armored artillery boats of the Ukrainian Navy were floated off the shores of the town of Berdyansk on September 16. Read alsoUkraine's envoy for Crimea reports about Russian provocation in Sea of Azov (Photo, video) Earlier Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko warned that Russia's purpose is to occupy the Sea of Azov the same way it did Crimea. "This is a brutal violation of international law, and we cannot accept it. We are strengthening our military there and launching a case against Russia in the international Permanent Court of Arbitration. We have absolutely clear legal status in the Sea of Azov. Russia has no right to attack or stop our vessels, which carry goods and passengers from two important Ukrainian ports, Mariupol and Berdyansk. If Russia does not stop, we have only one instrument, which is sanctions," Poroshenko told The Washington Post in an interview published on September 13. A possibly repeat release of sulfuric acid in the town of Armyansk was reported on September 13. New chemical leaks have been reported in the north of Russian-occupied Crimea because of the local emergency service's mistake. The cause behind the deterioration in the environmental situation in the town of Armyansk could be "recklessness of the local officials from the occupying administration and emergency service workers of the Russian Federation" in addressing a chemical disaster at the Crimean Titan plant, Ukrainian Member of Parliament from the People's Front parliamentary faction and head of the Information Resistance OSINT group Dmytro Tymchuk wrote on Facebook. Read alsoExcess of harmful substances in air recorded in northern Crimea Russian media According to him, the inhabitants of the north of the peninsula are now in fact being poisoned with chlorine. "The occupying authorities ordered to neutralize acid in settling tanks [at Crimean Titan] 'with anything' to prevent the spread of toxic dust. Executing the order, local workers used, among other things, chlorine lime, which reacted with the substances from the tanks, which led to the release of chlorine," he said. The expert noted that the invaders began to spread a theory that the cause behind the deterioration of the situation could be "the release of chemical substances from the territory of Ukraine." "But in fact there is not a single facility in neighboring [Ukrainian-controlled] Kherson region that can pose even the slightest chemical threat," Tymchuk added. As UNIAN reported earlier, acid leaks at the Crimean Titan plant were reported in Crimea's north in the early hours of August 24. Crimean environmentalists explained the leaks by heat and the lack of water in the North Crimean Canal. Children were evacuated from the affected areas for two weeks. A possibly repeat release of sulfuric acid in the town of Armyansk was reported on September 13. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has not been able to visit Crimea as the Russian Federation continued to deny access to the peninsula in contradiction to the General Assembly resolutions. The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine says there has been no improvement in the human rights situation in Russian-occupied Crimea and its monitors continued recording violations there in the past 10 months. The mission has prepared its second report on the human rights situation in Crimea, Head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine Fiona Frazer told the dt.ua online portal of Dzerkalo Tyzhnia (Mirror Weekly). The document covers the period from September 13, 2017 to June 30, 2018. The UN mission analyzes the situation based on international human rights law and through the prism of international humanitarian law (IHL). Each of these systems gives a certain degree of protection to the inhabitants of the occupied territory. The IHL norms are applicable because in December 2016, the UN General Assembly recognized that Russia is an occupying power. "IHL imposes a number of obligations on the Russian Federation as an occupying power, for example, it should not apply its laws and should not impose its citizenship, residents of the occupied territory should not be forced to join the army of the Russian Federation," Frazer is quoted by dt.ua as saying. "Nevertheless, we see all this in Crimea, for example, according to official statistics, 12,000 Crimeans have been conscripted into the Russian Federation army since 2015. In addition, the occupying state should not move detainees and prisoners from Crimea to the territory of the Russian Federation. In reality, people detained or convicted since 2014 have been transferred to the territory of the Russian Federation in order to stand trial or serve their sentence," she added. Read alsoOHCHR documents 81 cases of human rights violations in Russian-occupied Crimea The report was prepared in accordance with UN General Assembly resolution 68/262, reaffirming the territorial integrity of Ukraine, and General Assembly resolutions 71/205 and 72/190, recognizing Crimea as a territory of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation. The report covers the period from September 13, 2017 to June 30, 2018. The findings of this report are based on nearly 200 in-depth interviews and meetings conducted in mainland Ukraine with victims, witnesses, lawyers, Crimean residents, internally displaced persons (IDPs), members of national communities and religious groups, as well as site visits to the administrative boundary line. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has not been able to visit Crimea as the Russian Federation continued to deny access to the peninsula in contradiction to the General Assembly resolutions that reaffirm the territorial integrity of Ukraine and recognize the Russian Federation as an occupying power. The report provides a detailed analysis of human rights and international humanitarian law violations committed within 10 months and ends with 20 recommendations to the Government of the Russian Federation that is primarily responsible for human rights protection, accountability and redress for victims in Crimea, as an occupying power. A number of recommendations are addressed to the Government of Ukraine and international community. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine was deployed to Ukraine in March 2014. It has offices in Kyiv, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kramatorsk, Luhansk, Mariupol and Odesa, working in the conflict-affected area on both sides of the contact line. Zhu Xu draws facial makeup himself. [Photo/VCG] Zhu Xu, a renowned performing artist of Beijing People's Art Theatre, died at 88 due to illness on September 15, 2018. Born in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, northeastern China in February 1930, Zhu Xu studied drama in North China University and worked as an actor at the art ensemble in the university following his graduation. In November he became the actor of Drama troupe in Central Academy of Drama. Zhu Xu was only 22 when he entered Beijing People's Art Theatre, where he spent his drama life for more than 60 years. On the stage of Beijing People's Art Theatre, he dedicated dozens of unique and colorful drama characters, leaving deep impressions on audiences. Zhu Xu played in countless dramas home and abroad, such as Wei Moxiang in the "Salesgirl", Master Jacques in "The Miser", Ah Q in "The Story of Xianheng Hotel", Charlie in "Death of a Salesman", etc. At the age of 82, Zhu Xu still played in the "Jiazi Yuan" on the stage to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of Beijing People's Art Theatre. "Jiazi Yuan" is a drama that tells a story about a girl who studied abroad but returned home when her father died. The girl wants to quickly sell the house that has been in her family for generations, thus unexpected conflicts occur. That was his last performance before he retired. Aside from dramas, Zhu Xu also impressed people with his numerous films. He first screenplay was a movie created in 1984, when he was 54. He starred in films such as Girl in Red, Gu Shu Artist, Lane Celebrities, Bell Ring in Chiang Liang Temple, Sunset of Forbidden City etc. His performances has helped him gain not only the audience's praise, but also won him numerous domestic and international awards in drama, film, and Television. Zhu Xu was awarded the first prize by the Ministry of culture for his charming performance in the drama "Red and White" in 1984, and in 1991, he won the Golden Lion Award. In 1996, he received Best Actor Award from the Japan Broadcasting Cultural Foundation and the Galaxy Award from NHK for Son of the Earth. Due to his excellent performance in the film "Scraping", he also won the Best Actor Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival. He has also won many titles and awards in the new era such as the title of "100 Excellent Actors in Chinese Films" in 2005 and the twenty-eighth China Film golden rooster prize jury special award, etc. Even though he was retired, he was highly concerned about drama development in China, and he was devoted to performance and guidance whenever he was needed by Beijing People's Art Theatre. As he put it, "A good actor ultimately rests on his own literary and artistic accomplishments ". He kept reading and sharing his theory and experiences in performance via books. He was also keen on playing chess, singing Chinese operas, making kites and Chinese calligraphy. Zhu Xu is the third well-respected Chinese artist that passed away in September 2018, following Shan Tianfang, the legend teller of China's Pingshu, who passed away on September 11, and Chang Baohua, one of the sixth generation of well-known Chinese Xiangsheng, or crosstalk actors that left us on September 7. The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine also honored the memory of Ukrainian journalist Georgiy Gongadze. Ukraine on September 16 is commemorating journalist Georgiy Gongadze, who was kidnapped and killed in 2000. In November the same year, a decapitated body was found in the forest near the village of Tarashcha, Kyiv region, which, according to experts, could belong to the journalist. Ukrainian journalists and human rights activists have appealed to the authorities to investigate into the murder of Georgiy Gongadze. This is stated in a joint statement by several journalists' organizations and NGOs, the media outlet Radio Liberty said. "On September 16 every year for all 18 years, we, journalists and human rights activists call on Ukrainian officials with the same request investigate the murder of journalist Georgiy Gongadze. All presidents and all chiefs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor General's Office pledged to find and prosecute those who ordered the assassination. But the same thing happens from year to year. We, members of Ukrainian media organizations, human rights organizations and journalists' community are outraged by continuous empty promises, and we demand from the President of Ukraine, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor General that the investigation be completed and the names of those who ordered the murder of our colleague be disclosed," the statement says. The journalists and the public also demand an immediate investigation into the murder of Belarussian-born journalist Pavel Sheremet, who was killed in a blast in the center of Kyiv on July 20, 2016. Read alsoCourt of Appeal upholds life sentence for Gongadzes murder "We want to hear a public report by the authorities on the progress of these investigations, and we are waiting for their speedy completion and punishment of those guilty," reads the statement signed by the Institute of Mass Information (IMI), the Media Detector media watchdog organization, the Center for Civil Liberties, the Human Rights Information Center, Pylyp Orlyk Institute for Democracy, the Donetsk Institute of Information (the think tank about Donbas), and NGO Digital Security Lab Ukraine. The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine also honored the memory of Ukrainian journalist Georgiy Gongadze. "Today, on the 18th anniversary of the disappearance and subsequent murder of Ukrainian journalist Heorhiy Gongadze, we pause to remember and honor Gongadze and other journalists who have died or suffered intimidation and attacks because of their work," the Embassy tweeted on September 16. UNIAN memo. Georgian-born Georgiy Gongadze, 31, a co-founding editor of the online newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda, was kidnapped in Kyiv in autumn 2000 during Leonid Kuchma's presidency. Later, his decapitated body was found outside Kyiv. Three former officials of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry's foreign surveillance department and criminal intelligence unit (Valeriy Kostenko, Mykola Protasov and Oleksandr Popovych) accused of his murder were arrested in March 2005 and a fourth one (Oleksiy Pukach, the former chief of the unit) in July 2009. A court in Ukraine sentenced Protasov to a sentence of 13 years and Kostenko and Popovych to 12-year terms in March 2008 for the murder. On January 29, 2013, Pukach was sentenced by Kyiv's Pechersk District Court to life imprisonment. Gongadze's widow Myroslava Gongadze and their two daughters received political asylum in the United States and have lived there since 2001. His mother, Lesya Gongadze, a native of Lviv, died on November 30, 2013. Gongadze's body was buried in Kyiv on March 22, 2016. The police said that teaching a workshop counts as a labor activity, which requires a visa. Ukrainian journalist and fact-checker Oleksandr Gorokhovsky faces deportation in Kazakhstan, where he came to teach a journalism workshop. Kazakhstan authorities say he was supposed to get a visa to lead a workshop, while the journalists' colleagues see it as a part of the authorities' crackdown on the free press, and say Kazakhstan is borrowing a page from Russia's book, the Kyiv Post said. Gorokhovsky arrived in the city of Uralsk in Kazakhstan on September 14 without a visa, benefitting from the agreement between Ukraine and Kazakhstan which allows a visa-free stay for up to 90 days. He was supposed to teach a two-day journalism workshop for local journalists on September 14-15 by invitation of the independent newspaper Uralskaya Nedelya (Ural Week). But as he was teaching on September 15, local police interrupted the workshop. Read alsoUkraine commemorates journalist Georgiy Gongadze on 18th anniversary of his disappearance The police said that the Ukrainian was supposed to get a visa to hold training in Kazakhstan. However, they failed to specify what kind of visa was needed. The visa-free agreement between Ukraine and Kazakhstan doesn't limit the visa-free stay to private or tourist visits. The Ukrainian journalist's trial will take place on September 17. If found guilty of violating visa conditions, he faces a fine of $6, a 10-day administrative arrest or deportation. Lukpan Akhmedyarov, the chief editor of the Uralskaya Nedelya and the organizer of the journalism school that brought Gorokhovsky to Kazakhstan, believes that Gorokhovsky's case is linked to his newspaper's criticism of the authorities. Gorokhovsky is the chief editor of the Ukrainian website Bez Brehni (Without Lies) that focuses on fact-checking politicians' statements and claims. Akhmedyarov invited Gorokhovsky to visit Uralsk and share his experience with the attendees of the journalism school that is held for the second time in the city. Financed by grants, the school offers free journalism lessons to anyone interested, including school and college students, journalists and people of other occupations. The police officers told Gorokhovsky that they received a phone call about an alleged violation. According to Akhmedyarov, the police said the caller told them "there was a seminar about Ukraine." The police said that teaching a workshop counts as a labor activity, which requires a visa but they failed to specify what kind of visa, Gorokhovsky says. Gorokhovsky says that he didn't apply for a work visa because he didn't come to Kazakhstan to work. The journalism school paid for his travel and accommodation but he didn't receive an honorarium for the training. "This is a private visit for the exchange of experience. There was no commercial component, we did not sign a work contract, so it wasn't a labor activity," Gorokhovsky told the Kyiv Post. The journalist said that the police officers pressured him and the organizers during questioning and tried to slip into the report the terms that Gorokhovsky and the organizers didn't agree with like calling the training a public gathering. The occupation forces mounted 28 attacks on Ukrainian positions on Saturday alone. The losses of Russian-led forces in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, in the past day, September 15, included five killed and one wounded, according to Ukrainian intelligence reports. "There have been no Ukrainian army casualties. However, five members of the Russian-occupation forces were eliminated and another one was wounded in the past day," the press service of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation (JFO) headquarters said on Facebook in an update on Sunday morning. "During the last day, September 15, the situation in the JFO zone remained fully controlled by the Joint Forces. The occupation forces mounted 28 attacks on the positions of our troops. In six cases, the enemy used weapons prohibited by the Minsk accords," the press service said. Enemy shelling was reported near the villages of Krymske, Novotoshkivske, Pivdenne, Novhorodske, Luhanske, Novoluhanske, Pisky, Novotroyitske, Chermalyk, Pavlopil, Hnutove, Vodiane, Lebedynske, and Shyrokyne, as well as the towns of Svitlodarsk, Avdiyivka, Krasnohorivka, and Maryinka. Read alsoEnvoy: U.S. willing to consider further lethal aid to Ukraine media The Russian occupation troops opened targeted fire there, using grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns and small arms. In addition, they resorted to 82mm mortars to attack Ukrainian positions near the villages of Novoluhanske, Hnutove, Vodiane, and Lebedynske. Ukrainian troops stationed near Hnutove were twice attacked with the use of 120mm mortars. What is more, enemy infantry fighting vehicles attacked Krymske and Hnutove. Since Sunday midnight, the enemy has already shelled Ukrainian army positions four times. "Three attacks were recorded near the village of Opytne and Maryinka in the Donetsk sector, the fourth one was near Vodiane in the Mariupol sector. In all cases, the enemy opened fire from grenade launchers, large-caliber machine guns and small arms to attack Joint Forces' positions. No JF casualties have been reported on Sunday," the press service said. (@rukhshanmir) DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 16th Sep, 2018) The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industrys representative office in Panama recently hosted an event which explored potential for enhancing cooperation between maritime and logistics companies in Panama and Dubai. The event was attended by Ibrahim Mohammed Al Mansouri, UAE Ambassador to Panama, and representatives from the Panama Canal Authority, Panama Chamber of Commerce, Agriculture and Industries, Panama Pacifico Special Economic Zone, as well as key stakeholders from Panamas maritime and logistics sector. Attendees were briefed on the advanced infrastructure, logistics services and expertise that Dubai offers as a leading maritime and logistics hub, in addition to the advantages that the emirate can provide to Panamanian companies. During the event, Mohammad Ishtiaq, Head of Dubai Chambers Panama office, pointed out that Dubais logistics sector was a major contributor to the emirates GDP in 2017, and noted that sector growth is being driven by Expo 2020 Dubai, a fast-growing population and major infrastructure investments. He explained that Dubai was recently named as one of the worlds top five shipping hubs in the International Shipping Centre Development Index, making it the first Arab city to achieve this level of international recognition. He also highlighted several successful Dubai-based companies and organisations such as DP World, Emirates Airline, and JAFZA that have become major players within the global logistics and maritime sectors. Panamas maritime and logistics sector is the main engine of economic growth in the country. The sector, which includes activities of the Panama Canal, port and air cargo movements, contributes 20 percent to Panamas GDP. Dubais non-oil trade between with Panama grew from AED40.4 million in 2012 to AED75.7 million in 2017, an increase of 87.4 percent. The UAE's main imports from Panama are pineapples and marine products, while Dubai's major exports are vehicles, their parts, and spare parts. KABUL, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 16th Sep, 2018) The UAE participated in a meeting of the Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process in the Afghan capital, Kabul. The countrys delegation included Ahmed Al Hay Al Hameli, Director of the West Asia Administration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Hamad Rashid Al Habsy, Head of the South Asia Administration of the Ministry. In her speech at the start of the meeting, Adeela Raz, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, stressed the importance of the process in supporting peace in Afghanistan. The Istanbul Process aims to cover topics related to supporting the relations between Afghanistan, its neighbouring countries and Central Asia, as well as to promote trade and achieve peace and stability. The participants at the meeting discussed means of supporting Afghanistan under the process, as well as promoting cooperation, consultations and coordination between its member countries to combat terrorism. In the UAEs speech, Al Hameli affirmed the nation's full support for political reconciliation and the peace process led by the Afghan Government, while urging all segments of the Afghan community to assist in ensuring that these efforts succeed, which is the appropriate step to guarantee the future of Afghanistan. He added that achieving security and peace in Central Asia is the key to achieving global stability and is a priority of the UAEs policy, which is based on the United Nations Charter and International Law. He went on to say that achieving peace in Afghanistan is necessary to ensuring stability and prosperity in the region while highlighting the importance of the participation of the international community in resolving the countrys security situation. The UAE welcomes the declaration of Ashraf Ghani, President of Afghanistan, regarding the extension of the ceasefire period with the Taliban, while noting that the UAE supports President Ghani and his suggestion to start peace talks, and lauding his ongoing initiatives to promote political solutions and dialogue between Afghans and reject violence, Al Hameli continued. He also confirmed the UAEs unequivocal condemnation of all forms of terrorism, while adding that the UAE is deeply concerned about the deteriorating security conditions in Afghanistan, as well as the increasing presence of Al Qaeda and Daesh, and the activities of armed criminal groups. Al Hameli noted that the UAE was a target of these terrorist groups while it performed its duties to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan, recalling that six Emirati diplomats were killed in a terrorist attack that targeted the Governor of Qandahar Hospitality House on 10th January 2017. He went on to highlight the UAEs ongoing development aid efforts in Afghanistan while noting the launch of the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Residential City in Kabul at the end of April, which included 3,330 residential units at the cost of AED708 million. LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Sep, 2018 ) :Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab Muhammad Tahir has sent a summary to the government for approval of aerial surveillance and monitoring of Youm-e-Ashur processions and suspension of internet services in 12 districts of the province. Official sources told APP that all main mourning processions in 12 districts including Lahore, Gujranwala, Sargodha, Rawalpindi, Multan, Jhang Dera Ghazi Khan and others would remain under aerial surveillance. The routes of processions will be sealed through barbed wires," they added. BAIKONUR COSMODROME (Kazakhstan) (UrduPoint news / Sputnik - 16th September, 2018) AIKONUR COSMODROME (Kazakhstan), September 16 (Sputnik) - The assembly and testing facility of the BAIKONUR COSMODROME (Kazakhstan) (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th September, 2018) aikonur cosmodrome which will be used for the launch of OneWeb satellites atop Russian rockets will go through a reconstruction ahead of the beginning of the launches, a source at the cosmodrome told Sputnik on Sunday. "In the central hall of the assembly and testing facility floor is being replaced ... The floor replacement will help to improve considerably the air quality in the hall," the source said. Besides, the facility's ventilation system and electricity are being examined by the specialists, according to the source. The source recalled that the first launch of the OneWeb satellites from the Baikonur cosmodrome will take place six months after a qualification launch from the Guiana Space Center, which, according to the existing schedule, will be held in mid-February 2019. OneWeb aims to launch almost 900 satellites to provide internet broadband service to millions of consumers. Proposals put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the fourth Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) will inject fresh impetus in the bilateral cooperation between China and Russia and the cooperation in the wider region, international observers have said. Xi attended the Eastern Economic Forum in the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They outlined directions for further bilateral practical cooperation and agreed that the two sides should continue to work together on the cooperation with potential synergy under the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union. They also agreed to explore potential new areas to grow the cooperation and leverage the strong political relationship to drive the concrete practical cooperation. Xi's attendance of the Eastern Economic Forum is "a new milestone in the development of the bilateral relations," said Anton Kobyakov, executive secretary of the organizing committee of the forum. Andrey Ostrovsky, deputy director of Institute of Far Eastern Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said he expects the latest meeting between the two leaders to help drive the bilateral relations in various respects, especially the economic and trade cooperation. "The close cooperation with China is very important for Russia. It is important for us to explore the Chinese market and proactively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative. By riding on the initiative, Russia will be able to better improve its infrastructure, especially in the Far East, which will in turn create better conditions for the bilateral economic and trade cooperation over the long term," he said. "The Eastern Economic Forum will help promote the cooperation between Russia and countries in Northeast Asia," said Alexei Mukhin, director general of the Moscow-based Center for Political Information. He said that Russian federal authorities in charge of its Far East development have been following the progresses in the related regional cooperation projects and are encouraging Russian businesses to participate. The speeches by the presidents of the two countries show increasing concrete results in the economic cooperation between China and Russia. The close bilateral cooperation will also help boost the the wider regional cooperation, said Ling Xingguang, a professor emeritus at the Fukui Prefectural University in Japan. The experts believe that Xi's proposals conform with the interests of regional countries, providing a workable roadmap for the regional cooperation. Nikolay Tsekhomskiy, first deputy chairman of Russia's Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs, regards China as an advocate for and a key player in further regional integration and globalization, which will be helpful in countering the headwind of protectionism. "I think the direction China is leading in development is very important to the international community, since the trade and economic growth in the long run can only come from robust trade and fair competition," he said. Tsekhomskiy said he agrees with the appeal by the Chinese leader for aligning the development strategies and integrate the regional economic development. Japanese economist Hidetoshi Tashiro said increasing country-to-country cooperation benefits regional prosperity and stability, noting that Japan and China joining hands within the regional framework will help bring about win-win cooperations. He hoped that the EEF this year will be an important step in opening a new chapter in Japan-China cooperation. An Yuhua, a professor of finance with South Korea's Sungkyunkwan University, said Xi's attendance of the forum "sends a clear, strong message that China will remain committed to its reform and opening up, and strengthen cooperation with other countries in the region." In Northeast Asia, regional cooperation can not only reinforce stability, she said, but also show the significance of openness, cooperation and win-win relationship in today's world. Dashdorj Bayakhuu, a professor at the Mongolian Diplomatic Academy, said Xi's speech assures China's support for comprehensive cooperation and common development in Northeast Asia, and this offers an extraordinary opportunity for regional countries including Mongolia. The Mongolian government knows that deepening economic cooperation with neighboring China and Russia and other regional countries will help it in achieving steady economic growth, he added. Vice-Premier Han Zheng urged relevant authorities across the country on Friday to prioritize the welfare of disabled people and make sure they achieve all-around development and lead well-off lives. He made the remarks while speaking at the opening ceremony of the seventh national congress of the China Disabled Persons' Federation on behalf of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council. President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, as well as other leaders Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning and Zhao Leji, joined more than 600 delegates across the country at the opening ceremony. Han said China has made prominent achievements in promoting the welfare of people with disabilities since the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012, and President Xi has made specific requirements regarding the sector, which has pointed the direction for its development in the new era. Han urged authorities to stick to the principle that assistance should be accessible for the disadvantaged, and to make sure that those with disabilities enter a prosperous society by 2020 together with their nondisabled counterparts. He also encouraged the country's 85 million disabled people to connect their own dreams with the dream of the country and work together to create a new situation for the disabled. Zhang Haidi, president of the China Disabled Persons' Federation, made a work report to the congress. She said the past five years have seen great success in helping those with disabilities to eliminate poverty. "More than 5 million disabled people were lifted out of extreme poverty, and 1.7 million households with disabled members have had their unsafe houses renovated," she said. In the past five years, about 20 million disabled people received physical rehabilitation services, and 4 million benefited from care services. Around 44,300 disabled candidates were admitted to mainstream universities via gaokao, China's university entrance exam, and 2.11 million have benefited from improved accessibility at home, according to the work report. Zhang pledged to come up with solutions for families with special difficulties in a more timely manner and lift all disabled people out of poverty by the end of 2020. "The task remains arduous, with more than 2.8 million disabled people nationwide still living below the poverty line," she said. China has pledged to eradicate extreme poverty in the country by the end of 2020. The country's poor population, which numbered more than 98 million at the end of 2012, was cut by two-thirds in the most recent five-year period, according to the central government. The central leadership has stressed that poor people with disabilities should not be left behind while the nation works toward the goal of zero poverty. Top Indian and U.S. defence and foreign policy officials last week held the inaugural session of the much-hyped "2 plus 2" dialogue in New Delhi. It has further strengthened their bilateral relations and streamlined the ongoing consultations to cultivate closer strategic ties through a structured and institutional process. After going through the joint statement, issued at the end of the meeting, and the statement of India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, the compelling conclusion one comes across is that from the U.S. perspective, the growing security relationship is about how to checkmate China in the Asia-Pacific region by actively engaging India and encouraging it to play a role. The Pacific region is quite important for the U.S. due to a variety of reasons. Rightly it has been trying to bring together more partners and supporters to bolster its position. India has shown a willingness to become part of this arrangement, as it not only provides an opportunity to access the latest Western defense technologies, but also an opportunity to share a platform with world powers. An interesting concept also a terminology of the "Indo-Pacific" has been added to the vocabulary of international relations and strategic politics. Though not entirely new, as the term has been used to denote the confluence of the Pacific and Indian oceans, the U.S. has changed its meaning by making it a point of reference for greater regional geo-political considerations. The term Indo-Pacific has been more frequently employed by the Trump administration. His predecessor Barack Obama, despite having a soft spot for India, often preferred to use the term Asia-Pacific. Obama and Modi also used the "Asia-Pacific" in their joint statements in 2014 and 2015. The 2017 National Security Strategy of the Trump administration describes the Indo-Pacific as a region where "a geopolitical competition between free and repressive visions of world order is taking place" and where allegedly "China is using economic inducements and penalties, influence operations, and implied military threats to persuade other states to heed its political and security agenda." Here enters the idea of "freedom of seas and skies" vis-a-vis the Indo-Pacific. This concept is closely linked with China due to the South China Sea issue. By creating a perception of fear, India is being propped up as a regional power having legitimate security and economic interest in the Indo-Pacific region. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, after the "2 plus 2" dialogue, said that, "India and the United States have a natural starting point for advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific." U.S. policy towards China is becoming clearer. On the one hand, tariffs are being imposed to offset the economic development and exports of China, and on the other hand it is being portrayed as a disruptive rising power that can threaten the free flow of trade and other commercial activities in the Indo-Pacific region. The U.S. unease is understandable due to the challenges of the 21st century. But why is India entangling itself in the tricky regional power game? Traditionally, India maintained its non-aligned stance which served it well, though it suffered due to a lack of access to the latest military hardware from the West. The obligations of having a security alliance with the U.S. are often cumbersome and India might not be able to shoulder the burden. So, despite being drawn in to the inner circle of the U.S. system of allies, India will have to highlight the red lines otherwise it will be soon thrown into the vortex of unnecessary conflicts from the Middle East to the Far East. India, being one of the fastest growing economies, cannot afford any kind of conflict. It needs a long period of peace for uninterrupted progress to reclaim its true position in the world and also to uplift millions of impoverished people. Indo-Pacific politics will get murkier in the long run, as the U.S. will try to offset the rise of China by all means, including pursuing the policy of containment. It may not be able to catch up China in the economic field but it can slow down its progress by creating roadblocks. India's long-term interest lies in having good ties with both China and the U.S. and not moving closer to one at the cost of ties with the other. It will have to avoid the lure of the "Indo-Pacific." Sajjad Malik is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SajjadMalik.htm Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. Uh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here. Flash Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) meets with Nguyen Thien Nhan, Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and also Member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Sept. 15, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua] Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Nguyen Thien Nhan, Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee in Vietnam on Saturday. Nhan, who is also Member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, welcomes Wang's visit to Ho Chi Minh City chairing the 11th meeting of the China-Vietnam Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation in Vietnam, saying that the committee plays a vital role in planning and developing Vietnam-China relations. Nhan said that China's success not only benefits the Chinese people, but also brings opportunities for the development of Vietnam. He said that as Vietnam and China are both neighbors and comrades, "we should cherish and inherit the friendship forged by the older generation of leaders of our two countries, to facilitate positive outcome of the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation and to benefit people of both countries." Nhan said that Ho Chi Minh City, with an important position in Vietnam's economy, is dedicated to build itself into a smart city, hoping to cooperate closely with related provinces and cities of China in this regard. For his part, Wang said China and Vietnam are good brothers, good partners and good comrades, and the two countries have forged the deep friendship from living in harmony with each other for a long time. China and Vietnam are two important socialist countries in the world, and the two parties and two countries have established mutual trust, mutual support and mutual cooperation which have not only promoted development and revitalization for each other, but also resulted in positive and deep influence to the development and progress of the mankind, Wang said. The importance of China-Vietnam relations have gone far beyond the bilateral scope and they are of strategic importance, Wang noted. Sub-national cooperation is an important component of the China-Vietnam relations, Wang said, noting that China-Vietnam friendship is a shared cause of all the people of the two countries. The Chinese delegation includes leaders from Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and Chongqing, which shows that the China-Vietnam ties are growing more and more profoundly with ever expanding cooperation. The Chinese side stands ready to strengthen communication and cooperation with Ho Chi Minh City and make positive contributions to the enrichment of China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. At the invitation of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh, Wang is in Vietnam to chair the 11th meeting of the China-Vietnam Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, Septemnber 16) President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to visit areas ravaged by Typhoon Ompong on Sunday. Special Assistant to the President Bong Go said Duterte will leave for the cities of Tuguegarao and Laoag on Sunday noon. He is expected to "check the situation and damages, then assess." Several parts of the Philippines have taken a hit from the destructive winds and heavy rains caused by Ompong. The typhoon fury toppled trees, torn off roofs made of galvanized iron, and scattered debris on roads. Typhoon Ompong left 25 people dead, Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Francis Tolentino told CNN Philippines on Sunday. Related: Typhoon 'Ompong' kills 25 authorities Disaster management officials said Saturday 42 landslides have been recorded in the Cordillera region as Ompong battered Luzon. Meteorologists described Ompong as the strongest for the country this year, prompting the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to raise Signal No. 4 in some areas, including Cagayan province, where Ompong hit land early Saturday. More than 100,000 fled to safe grounds to escape the typhoon's fury. PAGASA on Sunday lifted all storm signal warnings in the country after the typhoon exited the Philippines on Saturday. It is moving closer to Southern China. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 16) At least seven people were injured after an improvised explosive device went off in General Santos City Sunday noon. According to Lt. Col. Ezra Balagtey, spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Eastern Mindanao Command, the explosion occurred at 11:55 a.m. along the national highway in Barangay Apopong. The victims, he said, are not in critical condition as they were just "slightly wounded." Authorities have yet to identify the suspects and motive behind the incident as of writing. The explosion happened despite the ongoing implementation of martial law in Mindanao. Malacanang condemned the incident and assured that authorities are looking into it. "This (explosion) comes at an unfortunate time when the nation is reeling from the effects of Ompong. Authorities are now conducting an investigation. We vow to bring the perpetrators of this brazen attack to justice," it said in a statement. The Philippine National Police (PNP), meanwhile, said it is conducting necessary moves to capture the people behind the "dastardly and vicious act." "We join the entire Filipino nation in strong condemnation of this senseless act of terror for whatever motive its perpetrators may have," PNP chief Oscar Albayalde said in a statement. "We likewise enjoin our citizens to continue to remain calm but vigilant as we tackle together this scourge of terrorism in our midst," he added. (CNN) Two sisters have died in Somalia from complications that arose after undergoing female genital mutilation, according to Hawa Aden Mohamed, who campaigns against the procedure. Ten-year-old Aasiyo Abdi Warsame and her sister, Khadijo, 11, died a day after they were subjected to the procedure in the remote village of Arawda in Puntland State on September 11, said Aden Mohamed, director of the Somalia's women's rights group Galkayo Education Center for Peace and Development. According to Aden Mohammed, the sisters were cut the same day by a local circumciser. They continued bleeding 24 hours after the procedure, and died while their mother was taking them to a health center, Aden Mohamed said. "Unfortunately, they never made it to the hospital as they all died on the way," said Aden Mohamed, who has been calling for legislation banning the practice commonly done on young girls in Somalia. The sisters' death comes two months after Somalia's government vowed to pursue a landmark prosecution in the case of a 10-year-old girl who died after female genital mutilation, a practice that is legal in the country. Deeqa Dahir Nuur died two days after she was subjected to one of the most extreme forms of female genital mutilation, according to doctors who tried to save her after she suffered complications from the procedure performed by a local cutter in another village in Somalia on July 17. Aden Mohamed, a survivor of the procedure, said young girls continue to bear the consequences of the practice because of the government's reluctance to pass anti-female genital mutilation laws. "It is another sad story coming even before the dust settles and action is taken in the Deeqa case. Yet there seems to be reluctance in discussing and passing the anti-FGM law," she said. "We hope that this will serve as a wake-up call for those responsible to see the need to have the law in place to protect girls from this heinous practice," Aden Mohamed added. In Somalia, 98% of women between the ages of 15 and 49 have been cut, the highest rate in the world, according to United Nations statistics. The report said around 200 million girls and women in the world are affected by the practice. Female genital mutilation involves the altering or removing of the female genitals, such as the clitoris or labia. The procedure can cause severe bleeding and health issues including infections and infertility, as well as complications in childbirth. The practice is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women, but remains widespread in Somalia, where more than half the female population believe it should not be abolished. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Two sisters die after undergoing FGM in Somalia, campaigner says." MARGARET RIVER, Australia, September 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Cape Mentelle takes part to the JournAes ParticuliAres, a bi-annual event by the French luxury group LVMH MoAt Hennessy Louis Vuitton, created in 2011 at the initiative of Antoine Arnault. This year's edition of Les JournAes ParticuliAres will run from October 12th to 14th, welcoming the public on four continents, and stretching to Australia for the first time. To view the Multimedia News Release, please click: https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8403051-cape-mentelle-journees-particulieres/ The JournAes ParticuliAres are characterized by the discovery of heritage and savoir faire. For the occasion, Cape Mentelle - part of the LVMH group - has designed a 1.5 hour visit, including a tour of the vineyards, the winery and a tasting of Cape Mentelle's wine range from barrels. Guided by Cameron Murphy, Estate Director, and FrAdArique Perrin, Technical Director, the visitors will discover the outstanding setting of the estate, with birds chirping providing an harmonious atmosphere to their visit. Cape Mentelle will exceptionally open the wooden doors of its historic vat cellar, where visitors will have the chance to create a blend of their own. "Les JournAes ParticuliAres is an opportunity for us to invite visitors to look behind the scenes, and share the history and the secrets of Cape Mentelle. We are proud to participate to the 4th edition of the event for the first time this year," says Cameron Murphy. Les JournAes ParticuliAres at Cape Mentelle A From October 12th to 14th. By registration only. Limited number of participants. Pre-Registration on September 22nd: on http://www.lvmh.com/lesjourneesparticulieres Future visitors will be able to create their online profile starting September 13th to prepare for pre-registration, and receive their pass to visit Cape Mentelle. CAPE MENTELLE 331 Wallcliffe Road, Margaret River WA 6285 ABOUT CAPE MENTELLE A Established in 1970 by wine industry pioneer David Hohnen and his brothers, Cape Mentelle is one of Margaret River's original three founding wineries. It was bold exploration and love for challenge that led Cape Mentelle's founders to plant the first vines in 1970, in a place where no one dared to try before. Today Margaret River is recognized as one of the finest wine producing regions in the world. PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY. Media ContactA Aurore CORNIC Cape Mentelle - Communication Manager acornic@moethennessy.com A A A A (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/744394/Cape_Mentelle.jpg ) Video:A A A A A https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8403051-cape-mentelle-journees-particulieres/ 1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war. 2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war. 3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength. 4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war. 5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites. 6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination. 7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N. 8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N. 9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress. 10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N. 11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.) 12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party. 13. Do away with all loyalty oaths. 14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office. 15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States. 16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights. 17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks. 18. Gain control of all student newspapers. 19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack. 20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions. 21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures. 22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms." 23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art." 24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press. 25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV. 26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy." 27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch." 28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state." 29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis. 30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man." 31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over. 32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc. 33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus. 34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities. 35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI. 36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions. 37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business. 38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand. 39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals. 40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce. 41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents. 42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems. 43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government. 44. Internationalize the Panama Canal. 45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike. Lee Chatfield is a state House Representative from northern Michigan and a white man with a real fetish for guns. He loves his guns so much that he proposed a bill in 2016 that would have made illegal local gun ordinances even more illegal. Apparently not a big fan of local government control, Chatfields bill was described as super-preemption: Yeadon explained at last nights meeting, as well as in a memo submitted in conjunction with the meeting, that if the bill passes, the City will have no real option other than to repeal any existing ordinances that might set off the penalties described in the bill, and to not attempt to pass any new ones. The way the bill is designed was described as consisting of super-preemption, meaning it attempts to stop local governments from even considering doing anything against the will of those in power at the State level, in this case, pro-gun-rights Republicans. Linda Brundage, Executive Director of the Michigan Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, spoke in total opposition to the bill during Public Comments last night. Brundage warned Council that if this bill passes, any kind of regulation involving firearms, even the most mundane, would become too risky. Chatfield, the House Speaker Pro Tempore (the number two Republican in our state legislature and clearly being groomed to be the Speaker of the House unless Democrats crush it on November 6th), is a darling of the Koch brothers and, like other corporatist water-carriers, either promotes or works to diminish local government control as it suits his corporate benefactors needs. But the truth is that Chatfield actually appears to have a gun fetish problem. The 30-year old father of five and graduate of Jerry Falwells Liberty University attempted to bring a loaded handgun onto a commercial flight this past summer. He has paid one fine and now faces an additional, much higher fine from TSA: Michigan state Rep. Lee Chatfield (R-Levering) has paid one fine associated with a July a incident in which he had an unregistered, loaded handgun in his carry-on bag as he attempted to board a commercial flight in Pellston, but it will likely be several more weeks until he finds out what a second, more costly fine will be. According to officials with Emmet Countys 90th District Court, the Emmet County Sheriffs Office filed a state civil infraction complaint for failure to register a pistol against Chatfield on Aug. 21. Court officials noted that when Chatfield came to the court office the following day, he admitted responsibility and paid the associated $250 fine. A state civil infraction is similar to a traffic ticket in that it is not considered a crime and therefore a person admits responsibility rather than pleads guilty. However, a representative with the Transportation Security Administration recently said it will likely be several more weeks before officials with that agency determine what fine they will assess against Chatfield for the same incident. TSA documents show a person who brings a loaded handgun into a security checkpoint is subject to a civil infraction fine ranging from $3,920-$9,800. According to officials with Emmet Countys 90th District Court, the Emmet County Sheriffs Office filed a state civil infraction complaint for failure to register a pistol against Chatfield on Aug. 21. Court officials noted that when Chatfield came to the court office the following day, he admitted responsibility and paid the associated $250 fine. A state civil infraction is similar to a traffic ticket in that it is not considered a crime and therefore a person admits responsibility rather than pleads guilty. However, a representative with the Transportation Security Administration recently said it will likely be several more weeks before officials with that agency determine what fine they will assess against Chatfield for the same incident. TSA documents show a person who brings a loaded handgun into a security checkpoint is subject to a civil infraction fine ranging from $3,920-$9,800. Not only did Chatfield attempt to bring a loaded weapon onto a commercial flight, the gun itself was not properly registered: Chatfield had a loaded, unregistered .380-caliber handgun in his carry-on bag while going through a security checkpoint on July 15 at Pellston Regional Airport. Emmet County Sheriff Pete Wallin said Monday morning Chatfield will be issued a civil infraction because the firearm brought to the airport was not registered within 10 days of purchase, which is required by law. Wallin said he didnt know exactly how long Chatfield owned the gun, but the lawmaker was in possession of the firearm for a while. Guns arent the only thing Chatfield has trouble controlling. His reelection campaign is now engaged in push-polling to tear down his Democratic opponent Joanne Galloway. The political geniuses at Davis Research LLC who were conducting the push poll actually called Galloways campaign office. A sharp office staffer recorded the several-minute call. After a few minutes of standard poll questions, the survey took a radical turn and the pollster began seeking feedback on statements of glowing praise about Chatfield and deceitful, inaccurate statements about Galloway. You can listen to the push poll part of the call here: Clearly Chatfield knows he faces a real threat from a solid Democratic opponent. Galloway raised nearly twice as much money as Chatfield did in the most recent reporting cycle and is part of an increasingly more powerful coalition of strong female candidates looking to change the face of our state and federal government in 2018. You can learn more about Joanne Galloway on her Facebook page and on her website JoanneGalloway.com. Donate to her campaign HERE and help to retire the out of control Chatfield and send a message that corporatist gun fetishists have no place in our state government. By Free Beacon , Sep. 12, 2018 Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum has aligned himself with several prominent anti-Semitic organizations known for promoting boycotts of Jewish goods and individuals, fueling questions about how the Democratic candidate would handle issues of import to the state's large pro-Israel community. Gillum, who is riding a progressive a wave of young Democrats highly critical of Israel, is running against Rep. Ron DeSantis (R., Fla.), a prominent Israel supporter. The Democrat has a history of working with several organizations promoting the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, or BDS, an anti-Semitic movement that seeks to wage economic and political warfare on the Jewish state. Read More: Join us - become an Elderado today at: LarryElder.com Follow Larry Elder on Follow Larry Elder on Twitter "Like" Larry Elder on Facebook By Daily Caller , Sep. 14, 2018 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused his predecessor, former Secretary of State John Kerry, of attempting to undermine U.S. policy toward Iran. Pompeo called Kerrys admitted meetings with Iranian officials unseemly and unprecedented, adding that it is beyond inappropriate. Read More: Join us - become an Elderado today at: LarryElder.com Follow Larry Elder on Follow Larry Elder on Twitter "Like" Larry Elder on Facebook BMW SA Open hosted by the City of Ekurhuleni Glendower GC, City of Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, South Africa SALMON Gums will be the first pit stop for the Great Southern Hearts Drive For Life, when famous outback trucker Glenn Yogi Kendall and colleague Peter Wright and company leave on a fundraising drive from Kojonup to Gunnedah, New South Wales, starting on Monday, September 24. The Salmon Gums Community Centre will host the convoy from 5pm, where visitors will be able to purchase a $10 meal with all funds going toward the Country Womens Association (CWA) Drought Appeal. The three-week-old campaign has already collected about $90,000 worth of donations. Mr Kendall, of Kendall Trucking and Co, Katanning, best known for his appearances on Outback Truckers, said the generosity of WA farmers had blown them away, with way more than what two drivers could take on their own. We have about 10 truck loads with 20 tonnes a load, Mr Kendall said. People have really rallied around. No one has hesitated. Mr Kendall said while he was the face of the Drive For Life, a lot of the background work had been done by Mr Wright, of Peter Wright Transport, Kojonup. He said they decided to support the drought farmers in the Eastern States by taking across hay, feed, pellets, and any other personal necessities (for the whole family) that have been donated from local farmers, community groups and the public. Theres a pallet of beer and a pallet of dog food in the mix as well, Mr Kendall said. We know a lot of people and its not bad for couple of truckies who have been flat out working as well. Weve done all of this in that time. The Drive For Life team was supporting Sue McDougal at the CWA stand at the Newdegate Machinery Field Days last week. Farm Weekly ran into them as they walked around the Family Interest Display Pavilion talking to people about the campaign. Mr Kendall said farming is a tough gig and, right now, tough doesnt even begin to describe what our mates in rural NSW are going through. They need more than just a hay run. They need feed, but they also need to know that Australia has their back; that the Great Southern has their back; that we know they need our love, support, and the mateship that comes with lending an ear and having a yarn. The backbone of our country needs our help, and these farmers need to know that we care. Every single cent raised, every single donation is going where it is needed. The convoy plans to cross the Nullarbor, stopping off at key locations along the way including Eucla, Ceduna, Kimba, Mildura, Hay and Cowra to share stories, meet locals, raise awareness, visit schools and local businesses, as well as rest on the way to where the supplies were needed most. Everyone who has heard about this campaign wants to help, Mr Kendall said. The more people we can reach, the more we can get to these communities who are in dire need and not just feed for the animals and supplies for the farmers, but mateship, support, understanding, and raising awareness of mental health and wellbeing in our rural communities. Mr Kendall said the stop at Mildura coincided with the AFL Grand Final in Melbourne so there would be fundraising in the morning and then they would watch the game. There is a big barbecue planned for when they reach Forbes, NSW, on Monday, October 1, with others in the Eastern States wanting to contribute to the cause by donating meat for the party, as well as water to fill the farmers tanks. Information about the campaign, the businesses helping out, the convoy itinerary and donating can be found at greatsouthernhearts.com.au. There is also a blog for those wanting to follow the campaign as it makes its way across to NSW. Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. A man in Ohio wasnt allowed to have it his way in a Burger King drive-thru Thursday. The 73-year-old customer went to the fast food chain in Lakewood for lunch and tried to use a buy-one-get-one Whopper coupon for his purchase. MCDONALD'S CUSTOMER CALLS 911 OVER COLD BURGER AND FRIES According to a police dispatch recording, the man claims the fast food worker took his coupon, but would not honor them. The unidentified customer then refused to leave the drive-thru without them. "No Im not moving anywhere until you give me back my coupons, anyway the managers taken, Im calling the police," the caller said to 911 dispatch, FOX8 reports. BOY CALLS 911 BECAUSE PARENTS SERVED HIM SALAD "Anyway the guy took my coupons and he wont give them back to me and he wont give me the free whopper that they call for either, the customer continued to tell dispatch. The police arrived at the scene Thursday afternoon and discovered the man had received the coupons in Texas and was advised that they are no good in Ohio, according to the police report. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS In the report, police state the man was advised he is not allowed to return to this Burger King. Police did confirm that the man received his coupons back and no one was charged in the incident. The manager had no comment, FOX8 reports. Twice a week, at around 11 p.m., Jeff Goldstein stretches out, turns on his spa playlist, lights a candle and gets a 90-minute massage courtesy of his childrens nanny. At first, [I felt] a little awkward, admitted Goldstein, 41, who has two kids and co-owns the celeb-favorite clothing boutique Blue & Cream in the Hamptons and East Village with his wife, Samantha Greenes. But then, it was so, so good. Having a nanny who can teach your kid a second language doesnt cut it anymore in New York Citys elite circles. Now theres a fleet of super nannies who will design custom dresses for the tots, give moms daily blowouts and, yes, even massage the boss. Just ask Limor Weinstein, who owns a nanny-consulting business, LW Wellness, in Manhattan. Wealthy families have a certain way of looking at things." Seth Norman Greenberg, vice president of the Pavillion Agency One Upper West Side family, whose kids are 4 and 7, asked her to procure a yoga-certified nanny: They wanted to make sure everybody in the household was balanced and mindful. Weinsteins search was successful, and after-school playdates at the familys apartment now include yoga lessons. Its definitely an attraction, Weinstein said of the familys new popularity. Once a week, when the kids are in school, the nanny travels to the fathers real-estate office for a 30-minute yoga session. It might sound extravagant. But as Erin Maloney-Winder, the president of Abigail Madison, a household staffing company in Manhattan, said, If youre able to afford something and you treat the people well, theres no limit to what a nanny can do. She added that these super nannies often command $10 more an hour than the $20-an-hour going rate. Recently, Maloney-Winder secured a nanny for a Greenwich, Conn., CEO and mother of four who wanted her caregiver to blow out her hair daily in addition to caring for the two girls locks, driving them to school and preparing three meals a day. (Her sons have their own nanny). The girls nanny, a former beautician, not only handles all three ladies tresses, but does the moms manicures and facials, too. Wealthy families have a certain way of looking at things, said Seth Norman Greenberg, vice president of the Pavillion Agency, a domestic staffing company in Midtown. They realize when interviewing people that they might be able to get a lot more than what their basic needs are. Greenberg had one New Jersey client request a nanny who could drive a Zamboni because the kids had their own ice-skating rink. He filled the slot, but some demands are too great even for him. One time, a family lived in a remote area in the Midwest where there were bears, said Greenberg. They wanted a New York-savvy nanny [but one] who knew how to use a blank gun to scare the bears. I couldnt get anyone, unfortunately. Not a lot of New York nannies are open to that. While plenty of employers have wild requests, families sometimes strike gold without even realizing it. One Tribeca mom, who asked to remain anonymous for fear that someone might poach her nanny, said her childs caregiver of five years has designed nearly a dozen custom frocks for the 6-year-old. She turned my Lily Pulitzer skirt into a dress for my daughter, made her a Disney-themed birthday outfit and even made her and her best friend kindergarten graduation dresses. Anonymous mom She turned my Lily Pulitzer skirt into a dress for my daughter, made her a Disney-themed birthday outfit and even made her and her best friend kindergarten graduation dresses, said the mother. Goldstein, who splits time between Sagaponack and Tribeca, was similarly surprised by his nannys secret talent. He learned that Lairen was in school to become a certified massage therapist only after she was hired to care for his and his wifes 4-year-old and 1/-year-old children. She will massage my sons toes when he has a sinus condition, to drain the sinuses, said Goldstein. It blows my mind. Meanwhile, he and Greenes take advantage of Lairens skills after hours. After dinners done and the kids are asleep, its massage time, said Goldstein, who said they tip Lairen extra for the rubdowns. Im seriously considering launching a massage business: Nannies Who Massage. This article originally appeared on the New York Post. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! The Supreme Court nomination seems like a new season of House of Cards, with many in the media helping write the script. Its had everything it needed to be a hit: lies about what nominee Brett Kavanaugh said; journalists thrilled by a self-aggrandizing senator who was lying and fantasizing he was Spartacus; another senator who promoted a phony video of the testimony; hundreds of radical protesters intent on shutting down the hearing and even attempts to threaten or possibly bribe a senator into voting him down. Now theres a last-second allegation from high school. The accusation was Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinsteins First-Monday-in-October surprise. It pushed a claim from a woman who accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct when they were both in high school, according to The New Yorker. Kavanaugh turned 53 in February. That means the claim is about 35 years old. The attacks were so bad that even MSNBC Anchor Joe Scarborough skewered Democrats, complaining that this is why a lot of people just dont get involved in public service. Vox, HuffPost and CNN brought up comparisons to Anita Hill, who charged Justice Clarence Thomas with harassment during his nomination. Vox emphasized The striking parallels between Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas. Of course, whats also implied is that Kavanaugh will be approved, just as Thomas was. The broadcast stories didnt explain that the letter was dropped just before a weekend and as a huge storm was hitting strange if Democrats actually believed in the allegations and wanted them to get attention. ABCs Chief Political Analyst Matthew Dowd was quick to assign blanket guilt. I dont know if the allegations against kavanaugh [sic] are true, but keep in mind every high profile man accused of sexual abuse denies it and has released a list of women saying they are a good guy. And each one turned out to be an abuser, he tweeted. Teen Vogue columnist Lauren Duca used her Twitter feed to bash Kavanaugh at least 11 times in two days, along with whining about the white supremacist patriarchy. She retweeted a call for him to withdraw, saying, Extremely f--- this #StopKavanaugh. (Dashes added by yours truly.) Feinsteins stunt didnt resonate with everyone. ABC hit the timing hard, with World News Tonight Anchor David Muir asking, and why was the letter just now revealed? Chief Foreign Correspondent Terry Moran stressed, almost incredulously, that Feinstein had received the letter back in July and two months after she received it. NBC also noted the odd timing, with Nightly News Anchor Lester Holt noting it was less than a week now until a key vote. The story added that Feinstein was given the letter weeks ago. The broadcast stories didnt explain that the letter was dropped just before a weekend and as a huge storm was hitting strange if Democrats actually believed in the allegations and wanted them to get attention. 2. More or Les: CBS has now lost three of its most powerful figures in a downward spiral of #MeToo allegations. This week saw the ouster of the man Vanity Fair described as legendary longtime C.E.O. Les Moonves plus the executive producer of CBS 60 Minutes and former chairman of CBS News Jeff Fager. This follows the firing of anchor Charlie Rose in the wake of eight women accusing him of sexual harassment and unwanted advances, explained NBC News. Moonves lost his job after The New Yorkers Ronan Farrow dropped another devastating #MeToo report. The story was horrifying 12 women accusing Moonves of sexual harassment, as well as claims that Moonves forced them to perform oral sex on him, that he exposed himself to them without their consent, and that he used physical violence and intimidation against them. Politicos Chief Political Correspondent Tim Alberta called it a stupid unforced errorhanding Trump yet more ammunition to delegitimize all the objective, airtight, fact-based reporting out there. CBS awaits the results of an internal investigation it said will be kept private. [W]e must have transparency, demanded CBS This Morning co-host Gayle King, in response. Moonves departure put Fagers job in jeopardy. The New York Times said: It would be hard to overstate Mr. Fagers power inside CBSs news division, where he succeeded the legendary producer Don Hewitt in overseeing 60 Minutes. The paper credited Moonves as having collected 76 Emmy Awards and 13 Peabody Awards Fager also had sexual misconduct allegations against him and then he got fired for sending threatening texts to a CBS reporter. National Correspondent Jericka Duncan went on air soon after Fagers firing and said she had asked him to comment on allegations that he groped or touched CBS employees at company parties. Fager was incensed and sent her texts that appeared to threaten her job. If you repeat these false accusations without any of your own reporting to back them up, you will be held responsible for harming me, went one text. With his firing, Fager became the second CBS employee in a row to have the Fred Friendly First Amendment Award rescinded, according to the Times. 3. More Shady Journalism: Journalists pretend almost daily that there is no such thing as fake news. And then the New York Times and its State Department Correspondent Gardiner Harris do something so egregious that even liberals would have to call it fake news. Harris took a story about expensive curtains ordered by the Obama administration for the UN ambassadors residence and turned it into a hit job on Trumps UN Ambassador Nikki Haley. Several Times reporters retweeted it, each with their own little narrative. Investigative Reporter Eric Lipton wrote in a now-deleted tweet that, Nikki Haleys View of New York Is Priceless. Vogue picked the story up only to modify it later. Rolling Stone still hadnt fixed its story as of Saturday morning. Track the story in NewsDiffs. It was originally headlined: Nikki Haleys View of New York Is Priceless. Her Curtains? $52,701. Then it became State Department Spent $52,701 on Curtains for Nikki Haleys Residence more than 14 hours later. But, by that time, the story was widely mocked on Twitter because even the original story itself admitted that the curtains had been ordered by the Obama administration, though it buried that detail in paragraph six. The Daily Beasts Matt Lewis summed it up nicely. Every time someone in the MSM does something like this (and it happens a LOT), they lend credence to the 'fake news' narrative Conservatives were joined by liberals and major media figures blasting the Times. The Washington Post headlined: New York Times wrongs Nikki Haley with curtain headline. Another story followed: New York Times backtracks on a tale about some expensive curtains. Post Media Reporter Paul Farhi embarrassed the biased author a bit: Reached by phone on Friday, the reporter of the Times story, Gardiner Harris, hung up without comment. He did not respond to follow-up messages. The Times caved to the pressure and added a 97-word Editors Note. It wasnt an apology. It did explain the extent of the problem. The article should not have focused on Ms. Haley, nor should a picture of her have been used, it explained. CNN Anchor Jake Tapper spent six tweets to fact check the false meme bopping around about @nikkihaleys $52,701 curtains, though he effectively disproved it in his first. Politicos Chief Political Correspondent Tim Alberta called it a stupid unforced errorhanding Trump yet more ammunition to delegitimize all the objective, airtight, fact-based reporting out there. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Divorce is difficult for children. It disrupts their lives in ways they are often ill-equipped to handle. It can have life-long adverse effects. The good news is that the long term harms of divorce on children can be largely avoided if adults properly handle post-divorce parenting. And a compelling and growing body of scientific research tells us how to deal with parental separation to minimize the damage done to children. The bad news is that a great many of Americas domestic relations courts seem completely unaware of this research and, as a result, are persisting in applying guidelines for post-separation parenting that exacerbate the damage divorce does to children. Thats true, at least, if Ohio is as representative of America as it is alleged to be. National Parents Organization has just completed a ground-breaking studythe first of its kindof the local default parenting time guidelines of all 88 of Ohios county courts of common pleas. These guidelines, required by state law, indicate default parenting time schedules and significantly shape the actual parenting patterns of divorced parents. The results are illuminating, and depressing! The best research on the well-being of children when parents live apart shows that children typically do best when they enjoy substantially equal time in the care of each of their parents. And this is true for infants and toddlers as well as for older children; and its true even when the parents have a high level of (non-violent) conflict. On all measures of child well-being, children raised in shared physical custody score about as well as children raised in an intact family; and they do much better than children raised in sole-custody situations. (Some of this research is listed on the NPO website.) The Ohio parenting time guidelines of most counties are not only sadly behind the times, they lead to results that are capricious and bizarre. One would think, then, that court rules, which are supposed to be guided by a best interest of the child principle, would be encouraging shared physical custody. Unfortunately, most of them are not; instead, steeped in a 1950s mindset, they are imposing rules that harm children. Of Ohios 88 counties, 64 have parenting time guidelines that allow children to spend only two overnights and 60 hours or fewer in a two-week period with one of their fit parents. Some of these have schedules that prevent the children from being in the care of one of their parents for 12 consecutive days during that two-week period. None of these counties have parenting guidelines that allow the children to be in the care of their non-residential parent on a school night. What that means is that this parent, now demoted to a second-class status, is never charged with ensuring that the children do their homework, get ready for school, and so forth. This takes one fit parent out of a true parent-child role at a time when it is more important than ever for children to be reassured that both parents are fully engaged in their livesthat both parents are doing the hands-on, day-to-day tasks of raising them. There were bright spots, too, but only a few. Just three Ohio counties have adopted guidelines that provide children with equal, or almost equal, time with each of their fit parents. The Ohio parenting time guidelines of most counties are not only sadly behind the times, they lead to results that are capricious and bizarre. For example, children whose parents divorce in Sandyville, Ohio (Tuscarawas County) will presumptively be in the care of each of their parents for seven overnights and 168 hours in a two-week period. Identical children in an identical family, just 4 miles away in Magnolia, Ohio (Carroll County), will presumptively be in the care of one of their parents for just 2 overnights and 48 hours in the same periodand those children will go 12 days straight without seeing that parent. NPO has published the results of its study of Ohio parenting time guidelines as well as an interactive map showing county-by-county results. We believe that Ohio is, unfortunately, typical of the approach that many courts across the country are taking toward parenting time guidelines: behind the times and ungrounded in research. We encourage those who are concerned about the effects of divorce on children to call for changes that will truly promote the best interest of children. Sadly, many courts are failing our children. Our children deserve better. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! As a prosecutor, a superior court judge as well as elected district attorney. The way it works is you are innocent until you are proven guilty. Clear, unambiguous words etched in stone. Why would anyone ignore this truth, especially the ranking Democrat on Senate Judiciary, Senator Dianne Feinstein, is stunning. But you shouldn't be surprised. The left is committed to the removal of a duly elected president, the destruction of our system of capitalism, and now an all-out assault on our system of justice. To them you are guilty guilty until proven innocent. But no one in all the years I've spent in courtrooms has ever been able to prove a negative. So forget the time-honored notions like due process, probable cause, beyond a reasonable doubt or a jury of your peers. Today, unsupported, uncorroborated, untested words, not facts are sufficient to convict not just in the court of public opinion, but in the esteemed hallowed halls of the United States Senate. Forget the right to counsel, the ability to defend yourself, the right confront your accuser or even cross-examine your accuser. Truth in this scheme is nothing more than collateral damage if a Republican is on the receiving end of an anonymous allegation. So Dianne, let me see if I get this. Another Democrat, a congresswoman from California, no less, forwards a July letter to you containing a completely unsubstantiated claim that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh while in high school tried to force himself on another high school student almost 40, I said 40 years ago. Kavanaugh for anyone who even cares has categorically and unequivocally denied the allegation. So why are we just hearing being this now? Dianne, when you get the letter, what do you do to make sure it's real? That the person is even real? Given the left's penchant to buy fake dossiers, make up facts and collude with the media to sabotage even the President of the United States, forgive me if I think it's all hogwash. Okay, you say quote, "The individual strongly requested confidentiality, declined to come forward or press the matter further. And I honored have that decision." Dianne, you honored that decision. Did you even speak to this alleged person? Did you meet with her, talk with her, interview her? Did you ask her to meet with others? Did you ask why she said nothing for almost 40 years? And Dianne, why would you wait to even send it to the FBI? Is it because nothing in you and your pack of demon rats, that's what I said, demon rats, aka, Democrats bag of tricks was working against Kavanaugh. Nothing was working that you were doing beginning with Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and every unhinged lunatic you could find. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DIANNE FEINSTEIN, US SENATOR, CALIFORNIA, DEMOCRAT: Mr. Chairman ... UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brett Kavanaugh to serve as associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. FEINSTEIN: Mr. Chairman, I'd like to be recognized for a question before we proceed? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're out of order, I'll proceed. FEINSTEIN: We cannot possibly move forward, Mr. Chairman with this hearing. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I extend a very warm welcome to Judge Kavanaugh ... FEINSTEIN: We have not been given an opportunity to have a ... UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... to his wife, Ashley, their two daughters ... FEINSTEIN: Mr. Chairman, I agree with my colleague, Senator Harris. Mr. Chairman, we received 42,000 documents that we haven't been able to review last night and we believe this hearing should be postponed ... UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Chairman, I move to adjourn ... UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... directly from Judge Kavanaugh this afternoon. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Chairman, I move to adjourn. (END VIDEO CLIP) PIRRO: Then, Dianne, you've been sitting on this letter for almost two months. You let Brett Kavanaugh go through days of Senate hearings, meeting with Senators, answered then an additional 263 pages of 1,300 follow-up written questions, and now, you want to character assassinate this man who has undergone six FBI full field investigations where no such allegation resembling this anonymous nonsense has ever surfaced? Dianne, as a ranking member of the committee interviewing Kavanaugh, how could you possibly let a moment pass without addressing the issue when Kavanaugh was right in front of you and would have had the opportunity to respond? What were you thinking? Are you stupid? Why would you let it go? Let me tell you why you let it go, Dianne. Because even you didn't believe it. What other reason could there be? Now, I know about women who have been sexually assaulted and the kind of pain they go through. It is different from other crimes. It lingers and rears its head throughout their lives. I have prosecuted on their behalf for decades. One of the ways that we establish their credibility is with how recent their complaint is. A recent outcry is enormously powerful. An anonymous one almost 40 years later, not so much, Dianne. But silence? I guess, I shouldn't be surprised. You bozos in Congress actually had a fund of taxpayers' money, our money, to pay congressional staffers who were victims of sexual misconduct by your coworkers. It's a fund that even you as a woman, a powerful senator kept quiet about. Whose side are you on? Does it depend on the politics? Does it depend on the politics of the accused? Your audacity to destroy and try to destroy a man with impeccable credentials, harm his family and shift the burden of proof to the accused by alleging one of the most of heinous allegations imaginable shows your complete disregard for truth, justice and the American way. Adapted from the September 15 edition of "Justice with Judge Jeanine." NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Parents of students attending the Georgia School for Innovation and the Classics received a surprising addition to the new school year stack of paperwork: the public charter school in Hephzibah, Georgia, solicited permission from parents to reinstate corporal punishment by asking them to fill out a consent to paddle form. School Superintendent Jody Boulineau said parents at the school, which serves students from kindergarten through ninth grade, are not required to give consent, WRDW-TV in Augusta, Georgia reported. The station reported on its website that If parents opt out of paddling, they have to agree to up to 5 days of suspension as an alternate punishment for misbehaving students. Clearly, when it comes to punishment, the school is truer to the classics than it is to the innovation in its name. Its disappointing that schools continue to return to an antiquated form of punishment in light of all we know about the numerous ways in which spanking causes more harm than good. Its also disappointing that approximately one third of the returned forms from parents have granted permission to the school to paddle their children. The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) has summarized research on corporal punishment, including paddling, in schools. It found disparities in the use of corporal punishment by race, gender and disability status. Boys, black children and children with disabilities are many times more likely to be subjected to corporal punishment than their peers, with often devastating consequences. In light of its findings, the SRCD has called for a review of whether corporal punishment violates federal laws against discrimination in public schools by race, gender and disability. But corporal punishment isnt just bad because its discriminatory. Its bad for a lot of other reasons. Three of the most common arguments in favor of spanking are easily refuted by looking deeper than the surface. Here are three claims used to justify spanking with an explanation of why they are wrong: I was spanked, and I turned out fine. This is like saying I smoked, I didn't get lung cancer, so smoking doesn't cause cancer. Just because you dont immediately see negative effects in one case does not negate the vast number of studies that link corporal punishment with higher rates of aggression and other unwanted outcomes. Corporal punishment can lower self-esteem and cause students to become disengaged from learning. Particularly in the above-mentioned groups, feelings of being discriminated against through corporal punishment can exacerbate anxiety and depression, as well as the very behaviors the punishment was meant to correct. Spanking teaches respect. This stance is counterintuitive. Spanking teaches aggression, violence and lack of respect for a childs body. While receiving a spanking might chasten a child in the moment, it doesnt teach him or her anything constructive about how to behave better in the future. Indeed, research has shown that spanking does little if anything to correct behavior long-term. When one considers the hypocrisy of using aggression like paddling or spanking as punishment when a child acts aggressively, it becomes clear that authority figures should instead model respectful, self-regulated behavior. If the majority of parents do it, its OK. The vast majority of American children are spanked, and so we have a culture that supports spanking. Thus, parents often dont learn alternative disciplinary methods that are more effective in the long run. Parents fall back on spanking because it is a quick fix and that is what they know, but discipline should teach children how to self-regulate and behave appropriately and spanking is not effective for teaching this. When a school sends home permission slips for parents to opt their child in or out of corporal punishment at school, it only perpetuates this incredibly detrimental practice. The American Psychological Association and the Association of American Pediatrics have issued policy statements against spanking and listed several resources for positive discipline that parents and school leaders should look to as alternatives to corporal punishment. With so much research and a wealth of resources available, schools have no excuses left. In this case, the innovation has already been done, studied and improved. Theres no reason to return to the classics when paddling has proven to be an ineffective method of discipline. Gwynn Morris is an associate professor of psychology at Meredith College. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Joe Biden continued to stoke speculation about a possible 2020 presidential run during a speech Saturday night at the Human Rights Campaigns National Dinner in Washington, where the former vice president lamented the fact that he had not spoken out against President Trump and his administrations policies sooner. Barack and I agreed to remain silent to let this administration get up and running, Biden said of himself and the former president. God forgive me, but I could not remain silent after Charlottesville. Biden went on to attack Trumps response to a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., that erupted in violent clashes between the white nationalists and counter-protesters and left one person dead after someone drove a car into a crowd. We are in a fight for Americas soul and we have leaders who at the time, when that occurred, making a comparison and said there were good people in both groups, Biden said. What has become of us? Our silence is complicity. Trump drew criticism from both sides of the aisle last year for comments he made, following the incident in Charlottesville, during a press conference at Trump Tower. I think there is blame on both sides, the president said in a combative exchange with reporters at Trump Tower in Manhattan. You had a group on one side that was bad. You had a group on the other side that was also very violent. Nobody wants to say that. Ill say it right now. Speaking to an audience of HRC members, one of the countrys largest LGBTQ-rights groups, Biden compared Trump to a bully and added that the forces of intolerance have an ally in the White House. These forces of intolerance remain determined to undermine and roll back progress, Biden said. This time they, not you, have an ally in the White House, the president uses the White House as a literal bully pulpit. Biden has recently taken a much more vocal stance against Trump and his administrations policies, fueling speculation that the former vice president is looking at a third run at the White House. Biden, who previously ran for president in 1988 and 2008, has been crisscrossing the country since Labor Day ostensibly to make a push in key battleground states ahead of Novembers midterm elections, but leading many experts to speculate that he is gauging interest in a potential 2020 run. "He is not someone who needs to run to cement his place in history. He's not someone who needs to run to feel he's making a significant contribution to the public discourse and the Democratic Party," Anita Dunn, a former adviser to President Barack Obama, told the Chicago Tribune. "But he is someone who, at the end of the day, feels a great deal of responsibility to listen to those people who are urging him to run." Next month, Biden will head to California and Nevada to raise money and hold public events for Democratic congressional candidates, including most likely a stop with Senate candidate Jacky Rosen in the Silver State. The former vice president has said that after the midterm elections he will have an altar call to gauge public interest and will consult his family, before making a final decision whether or not to run by January. Should Biden decide to run in 2020, he will be able to employ a large network of supporters, donors and aides that spans decades of service in both the Senate and the White House. He would also, at least currently, have an advantage in the polls against Trump. A Politico/Morning Consult poll released last month found that in a head-to-head match-up Biden leads Trump by 12 points. A Harvard CAPS/Harris poll in June also put Biden atop what is expected to be a crowded Democratic field, with the former vice president getting the support of 32 percent of Democrats polled, compared to 18 percent for the partys 2016 nominee, Hillary Clinton, and 16 percent for Bernie Sanders. Trump in July boasted that it would be a dream for Biden to run against him and that Biden was incapable of winning the White House. Well, I dream, I dream about Biden. Thats a dream, Trump said during a CBS Evening News interview. Trump said that Biden by himself could never do anything, adding that President Obama took him out of the garbage heap ... made him vice president, and he was fine. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! The woman accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault came forward with her explosive allegations on Sunday, saying the supposed attack "derailed me substantially for four or five years" and claiming that the episode rendered her "unable to have healthy relationships with men." The woman, Christine Blasey Ford, is a professor at Palo Alto University, according to The Washington Post, which published her account on Sunday. Her decision to go public has capped a whirlwhind week that began when Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., sent shockwaves through Washington by announcing she had sent the FBI information about Kavanaugh she received from an anonymous accuser in July. It's also threatened to upend Kavanaugh's confirmation, as top Democrats call for a full investigation. Many Republicans immediately pushed back Sunday, saying it was "disturbing" that the decades-old allegations surfaced just days before the Judiciary Committee is set to vote on whether to advance Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Senate floor. Republicans have given no indication that they intend to delay Thursday's key vote, as a series of Democratic senators demanded throughout the day; however, Senate Judiciary Committee spokesman Taylor Foy said Chairman Chuck Grassley was working to set up follow-up calls with Kavanaugh and Ford in light of the Post report. "Its disturbing that these uncorroborated allegations from more than 35 years ago, during high school, would surface on the eve of a committee vote after Democrats sat on them since July," Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a statement. "I thought he might inadvertently kill me." Christine Ford "If Ranking Member Feinstein and other Committee Democrats took this claim seriously, they should have brought it to the full Committees attention much earlier," he continued. "Instead, they said nothing during two joint phone calls with the nominee in August, four days of lengthy public hearings, a closed session for all committee members with the nominee where sensitive topics can be discussed and in more than 1,300 written questions." Grassley called on Feinstein to publicly release the letter she received in July, "so that everyone can know what shes known for weeks." He added that the sudden reveal of the allegations "raises a lot of questions about Democrats tactics and motives" and noted that no similar allegations had surfaced in Kavanaugh's past despite six separate federal background checks throughout his career. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican on the committee, said late Sunday he'd "gladly listen" to Ford so that he could compare her accusations "against all the other information" the panel has on Kavanaugh. But, he said, if Ford does testify, "it should be done immediately" so as not to delay the confirmation vote. Another GOP member of the committee, Jeff Flake of Arizona, told Fox News that he was "uncomfortable moving forward with a 'yes' vote until we hear from" Ford. Feinstein tweeted late Sunday that she agreed with Flake that the committee vote should be delayed. "There's a lot of information we don't know and the FBI should have the time it needs to review this new material," she wrote. "Staff calls aren't the appropriate way to handle this." Republicans hold a 51-49 advantage in the Senate and can afford only one defection to keep the nomination alive. Ford, a 51-year-old registered Democrat who has published in academic journals and has trained students in clinical psychology, described the alleged incident in The Washington Post on Sunday, saying it occurred during a summer day in the 1980s at a Maryland house where teens had gathered. Ford claimed she headed upstairs to a bathroom when she was suddenly pushed onto a bed, as rock-and-roll music blared. However, Ford told The Post she did not recall exactly who owned the house, how she came to be at the house, or how the gathering was arranged. She remembered only that the house was in Montgomery County, near a country club, and that parents were not present. 65 WOMEN DEFEND KAVANAUGH AS A 'GOOD PERSON' AFTER ABUSE ALLEGATION EMERGES Ford said Kavanaugh and a friend, Mark Judge, were "stumbling drunk" and laughing "maniacally" when Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed and tried to forcibly remove her one-piece bathing suit, as well as the clothes she was wearing. According to Ford, Kavanaugh put his hand over her mouth when she attempted to scream. "I thought he might inadvertently kill me," said Ford, who works as a research psychologist in California. "He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing." Ford claimed she was able to escape to a bathroom and then outside of the house when Judge jumped into the fray and sent everyone in the room "tumbling." Judge strongly denied the allegations on Friday, when they were anonymous, saying the claims were "just absolutely nuts" and insisting that "I never saw Brett act that way." After Ford went public on Sunday, Judge repeated his denial. "Now that the anonymous person has been identified and has spoken to the press, I repeat my earlier statement that I have no recollection of any of the events described in todays Post article or attributed to her letter," Judge said. A classmate of Kavanaugh's at Georgetown Preparatory School, Judge has gone on to write for a variety of conservative publications, including The Daily Caller. Debra Katz, a D.C. attorney specializing in sexual harassment cases, provided The Post with results of an August 2018 polygraph test showing Ford was truthful when she said a summary of the allegations was accurate, the newspaper reported. Also on Friday, Kavanaugh released a statement through the White House as the allegations surfaced: "I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time." The White House stood by that denial on Sunday in the wake of The Post's report. "As the story notes, we are standing with Judge Kavanaughs denial," White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah told Fox News. The Post reported that she had contacted the newspaper in July, along with Feinstein. According to Ford, she kept the episode mostly to herself until 2012, when she mentioned it in a couple's therapy session. The therapist's contemporaneous notes, provided to The Post, reportedly confirmed that Ford maintained she had been attacked by four individuals "from an elitist boys school" who are now "highly respected and high-ranking members of society in Washington." The therapist, Ford said, had confused the number of people involved in the alleged attack with the total number of people in the house. Although Ford said she initially wanted to remain anonymous, she later changed her mind after Kavanaugh's defenders argued that the allegations were unfair. "Now I feel like my civic responsibility is outweighing my anguish and terror about retaliation," Ford told The Post. She added that the incident "derailed me substantially for four or five years" and that "I was very ill-equipped to forge those kinds of relationships" going forward. Republicans had accused Feinstein of orchestrating a last-minute smear after she announced she had forwarded the then-anonymous account of sexual assault to the FBI. After Ford's interview was published Sunday, Feinstein said Kavanaugh's confirmation should be delayed pending a federal investigation -- a move that would potentially push a confirmation vote until after the midterm elections. "From the outset, I have believed these allegations were extremely serious and bear heavily on Judge Kavanaughs character," Feinstein wrote. "I support Mrs. Fords decision to share her story, and now that she has, it is in the hands of the FBI to conduct an investigation. This should happen before the Senate moves forward on this nominee." That sentiment was echoed Sunday by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who has previously suggested Kavanaugh's hearings should be delayed for other reasons. Senator Grassley must postpone the vote until, at a very minimum, these serious and credible allegations are thoroughly investigated," Schumer said. "For too long, when women have made serious allegations of abuse, they have been ignored. That cannot happen in this case." Last week, the FBI, which conducts background checks on judicial nominees, said that it already had reviewed the allegations. "Upon receipt of the information on the night of September 12, we included it as part of Judge Kavanaughs background file, as per the standard process," the FBI said in a statement. Fox News has learned that the White House would have to request that the bureau follow up on the letter for the matter to be investigated further. On Sunday, before Ford's name came to light, Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy said he was embarrassed for Congress by the unsubstantiated accusations of decades-old sexual misconduct leveled at the Supreme Court nominee. "So far, its pretty much been an intergalactic freak show," Kennedy, a member of the judiciary committee, told Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday." "Most Americans are looking at this most mainstream Americans and theyre thinking that Congress has hit rock bottom and started to dig." Kennedy said Kavanaugh's vote before the Senate Judiciary Committee would continue as planned on Thursday. And on Friday, more than five dozen women came forward to defend Kavanaugh, calling him "a good person" in a letter to the committee. "We are women who have known Brett Kavanaugh for more than 35 years and knew him while he attended high school between 1979 and 1983. For the entire time we have known Brett Kavanaugh, he has behaved honorably and treated women with respect," the letter read. "We strongly believe it is important to convey this information to the Committee at this time." Fox News' Chad Pergram, Mike Emanuel, Matt Leach, Alex Pappas, Andrew O'Reilly and Chris Wallace contributed to this report. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Sunday treaded carefully into the conversation over President Trumps controversial comments on the death toll in Puerto Rico from last falls Hurricane Maria. Speaking to Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday, FEMA chief Brock Long said that the agency itself does not conduct a count of how many people die because of the storm, but added that its hard to make an accurate judgment of how many people were actually killed by Maria. I think the president is fully supportive and supportive of FEMA and he realizes the mission that we went in to help support was incredibly complex, Long said. There is a difference between direct deaths and indirect deaths. President Trump was heavily criticized last week for making a baseless assertion that massive deaths on Puerto Rico did not happen. While it is difficult to pin down a precise number, independent researchers at George Washington University estimated 2,975 excess deaths related to Hurricane Maria in the six months following the hurricane, which hit last September. Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello commissioned the study and accepted the death toll as the best available. Rossello rejected the findings of a different study that estimated more than 4,000 died, saying he found the GWU research with its lower number to be scientifically sound. The study found that 22 percent more people died than would have been expected during that period in a year without the storm. Its central finding has been roughly corroborated by other, similar studies. A second phase will examine the circumstances of specific deaths to arrive at a more precise number. Trump's claim that the death toll was no more than 18 when he visited Puerto Rico, nearly two weeks after the storm, ignores the fact that the U.S. territory's official death toll was raised to 34 later that day, Oct. 3. After that, it climbed to 64. With services devastated, most power out, many people desperate for food and water and roads impassable, it was impossible to know how many died directly from Maria or from floodwaters or deprivation in its immediate aftermath. "3000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico. When I left the Island, AFTER the storm had hit, they had anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths. As time went by it did not go up by much. Then, a long time later, they started to report really large numbers, like 3000...." Trump tweeted earlier in the week. Concerning direct and indirect deaths, FEMAs Long said that Puerto Ricos outdated power grid and other flagging resources contributed to the high death toll and that that situation needs to be addressed to prevent another disaster. Puerto Rico had one of the oldest power grids on the globe, he said. That escalates problems in the future and thats what we are trying to focus on and we have the full support of the president. The Associated Press contributed to this report. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Federal officials and lawmakers on Sunday said that while they are well prepared for the disaster relief efforts as the damaging winds and rains from tropical depression Florence continue to batter the Eastern Seaboard, the long-term impact of the storm is still yet to be determined. "This is going to be a long, frustrating recovery," FEMA Administrator Brock Long said during an interview on "Fox News Sunday." As the death toll from Florence mounted and hundreds of people were pulled from flooded homes, North Carolina is bracing for what could be the next stage of a still-unfolding disaster: catastrophic, widespread river flooding. After blowing ashore as a hurricane with 90 mph winds, Florence virtually parked itself much of the weekend atop the Carolinas as it pulled warm water from the ocean and hurled it onshore. Storm surges, flash floods and winds forged a wide path of destruction and the Marines, the Coast Guard, civilian crews and volunteers used helicopters, boats and heavy-duty vehicles on Saturday to conduct rescues. The death toll from the hurricane-turned-tropical depression climbed to at least 14. Rivers are swelling toward record levels, forecasters now warn, and thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate for fear that the next few days could bring the most destructive round of flooding in North Carolina history. "We are going to have more evacuation notices as the rivers rise; you need to heed the warnings," Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said on "Fox News Sunday." Stream gauges across the region showed water levels rising steadily, with forecasts calling for rivers to crest Sunday and Monday at or near-record levels: The Little River, the Cape Fear, the Lumber, the Neuse, the Waccamaw and the Pee Dee were all projected to burst their banks, possibly flooding nearby communities. Authorities ordered the immediate evacuation of up to 7,500 people living within a mile of a stretch of the Cape Fear River and the Little River, about 100 miles from the North Carolina coast. The evacuation zone included part of the city of Fayetteville, population 200,000. Florence weakened to a tropical depression early Sunday and was crawling west at 8 mph. At 5 a.m., the storm was centered about 20 miles southwest of Columbia, S.C. Its winds were down to 35 mph. Despite the weakening of the storm, officials said that -- given its slow speed and the possibility for catastrophic flooding Florence could be one of the most destructive storms in the history of the Carolinas. "We are still recovering from Hurricane Matthew," Tillis said. "I think this storm will produce a greater impact." He added: "Its fair to say in economic impact, the rebuilding could cost in the billions of dollars." The Associated Press contributed to this report. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Sen. John Kennedy called the confirmation hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh an intergalactic freak show and said he was embarrassed for Congress by the accusations of sexual misconduct leveled at the Supreme Court nominee. So far, its pretty much been an intergalactic freak show, Kennedy, R-La., told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday. Most Americans are looking at this most mainstream Americans and theyre thinking that Congress has hit rock bottom and started to dig. Kennedy added: I have been embarrassed by the whole process and, frankly, Im no disrespect to Senator Feinstein or to Stanford Law School but Im a little bit offended. I sit on Judiciary Committee. Theyve had this stuff for three months. If they were serious about it, they shouldve told us about it. The Louisiana lawmaker was referencing a secret letter that has been the subject of intrigue on Capitol Hill over the last week. A source familiar with the confirmation proceedings told Fox News that California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., received the letter back in July, but did not make its existence known publicly until Thursday. The letter was relayed to lawmakers by 51-year-old research psychologist Christine Blasey Ford and concerns an alleged incident involving the 53-year-old Kavanaugh and her while they were in high school. The Washington Post first reported that Ford was the letter's author. In a statement released by the White House Friday, Kavanaugh said: "I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time." Senate Republicans insist Kavanaugh's confirmation remains on track for a committee vote this upcoming Thursday. But the allegation has inflamed an already intense political battle over President Trump's nominee. It also pushes the #MeToo movement into the court fight, less than two months before congressional elections that have seen a surge of female Democratic candidates. The New Yorker magazine reported that the alleged incident took place at a party when Kavanaugh, now 53, was attending Georgetown Preparatory School. The woman making the allegation attended a nearby school. The accusations against Kavanaugh resurfaced similar ones leveled against Associate Justice Clarence Thomas during his own confirmation hearings in 1991. Anita Hill accused Thomas, who was her supervisor at the Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, of sexually harassing her. Thomas denied those allegations and was confirmed. Hill, who is now a professor at Brandeis University, urged the Senate to put in place a process for people to come forward. "Even in the #MeToo era, it remains incredibly difficult to report harassment, abuse or assault by people in power," she said. The eleventh-hour revelations drew sharp criticism not only from Feinsteins Republican colleagues in the Senate, but from the media in her home state of California, with the San Francisco Chronicle calling the allegations unfair all around. "Feinsteins treatment of a more than three-decades-old sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was unfair all around, the newspapers editorial board noted on Sunday. It was unfair to Kavanaugh, unfair to his accuser and unfair to Feinsteins colleagues Democrats and Republicans alike on the Senate Judiciary Committee. The editorial continued: Feinstein took the worst possible course by waiting until almost a week after Kavanaughs confirmation hearing was completed to ominously announce that she had turned over information from an individual about Kavanaugh to the FBI, and adding that she would be honoring the persons 'strongly requested' confidentiality. While Kavanaughs confirmation to the Supreme Court seems likely, it is not guaranteed and he will certainly not be a unanimous pick. Feinstein penned an opinion piece for the Los Angeles Times over the weekend, explaining that she strongly opposes Kavanaugh's nomination because of his stance on issues ranging from reproductive rights to judicial deference. Supreme Court justices should not be an extension of the Republican Party, Feinstein wrote. They must also have unquestionable character and integrity, and serious questions remain about Judge Kavanaugh in this regard, as indicated in information I referred to the FBI. For these and other reasons detailed below, I strongly oppose Judge Kavanaughs nomination to the Supreme Court. Kennedy told Fox News Sunday that he believes it will be a close vote for Kavanaugh, but in the end the judge will join the Supreme Court. I think the vote will be 11-10 Wallace, Kennedy said. Straight party line vote. I think the nomination will come to the floor; thatll be up to Senator (Mitch) McConnell (a Republican from Kentucky). I think every Republican will vote for Judge Kavanaugh. I think at least two and probably more Democrats will. Fox News' Chris Wallace and The Associated Press contributed to this report. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! More than nine months after the FBI opened its highly classified counterintelligence investigation into alleged coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia, FBI lawyer Lisa Page said investigators still could not say whether there was collusion, according to a transcript of Page's recent closed-door deposition reviewed by Fox News. "I think this represents that even as far as May 2017, we still couldn't answer the question," Page said. Page was responding to Republican Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas, who wanted more information about a May 2017 text where Page, and her then colleague and lover FBI agent Peter Strzok discussed the merits of joining Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team. Page sat for the transcribed interview before the House Judiciary and Oversight committees in mid-July as part of a joint congressional investigation into the Justice Department's handling of the Russia and Clinton email probes. According to the transcript, Page stopped mid-answer."...sorry. Can I consult with counsel? I'm sorry. I need to consult with FBI counsel for a moment." Sections of the transcript reviewed by Fox show Ratcliffe pursued the line of questioning at least three more times, and Page provided varying answers. "I cannot provide the specifics of a confidential interview," Ratcliffe told Fox News when asked for comment. "But I can say that Lisa Page left me with the impression, based on her own words, that the lead investigator of the Russian collusion case, Peter Strzok, had found no evidence of collusion after nearly a year." "Lisa Page left me with the impression, based on her own words, that the lead investigator of the Russian collusion case, Peter Strzok, had found no evidence of collusion after nearly a year." U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas The May 18, 2017, text was highlighted by Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz in his recent report about the handling of the Clinton email probe by the FBI and the Justice Department. The day after Special Counsel Robert Mueller's appointment to the Russia probe on May 17, Strzok and Page discussed whether Strzok should join Mueller's team. "Who gives a f*ck, one more A(ssistant) D(irector)...(versus) (a)n investigation leading to impeachment?" Strzok texted on May 18, according to the IG report. Strzok later continues, "...you and I both know the odds are nothing. If I thought it was likely I'd be there no question. I hesitate in part because of my gut sense and concern there's no big there there." The transcript shows Ratcliffe read the text exchange nearly verbatim to Page, and asked her to explain it, specifically if the lead investigator on the Russia collusion case, agent Strzok believed "the odds were nothing and that he had a concern that there was no big there there regarding any collusion..." Page said: "No, I don't think so. I think it's a reflection of us still not knowing...It still existed in the scope of possibility that there would be literally nothing, probably not nothing nothing, as we probably knew more than that by that point. But in the scheme of the possible outcomes, the most serious one obviously being crimes serious enough to warrant impeachment; but on the other scale that, you know, maybe an unwitting person was, in fact, involved in the release of information, but it didn't ultimately touch any senior, you know, people in the administration or on the campaign. And so the text just sort of reflects that spectrum." During the deposition, Page said she was not trying to be "cagey," but that there were restrictions on what she could reveal. "I'm not supposed to talk about the sufficiency of evidence, so that's why I am weighing my words carefully." Page continued: "Investigations are fluid, right? And so at various times, leads are promising and leads fade away. And so I can't -- I can't answer more his sentiment with respect to this particular text, but certainly at this point the case had been ongoing. We didn't have an answer. That's obvious. And I think we all sort of went back and forth about like what -- what the answer was really going to be." May 2017 is a key month because FBI DIrector James Comey was fired by President Trump and Mueller was designated special counsel. In August, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller, wrote the still-secret "scope memo" spelling out the boundaries for the special counsel investigation. The texts, and Page's response, congressional sources said, raise significant questions about the probe's predicate and whether by the summer of 2017 it had largely shifted to an obstruction case, not Russia collusion. Fox News asked Page's lawyer to comment on the congressman's assessment of the deposition, but there was no immediate response. When Horowitz asked Strzok about the no big there there text, Strzok said: "My question (was) about whether or not this represented a large, coordinated conspiracy or not. And from that, as I looked at what would give me professional fulfillment, what I thought would be the best use of my skills and talents for the FBI and for the United States, whether to take, which path to take." NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's plea deal with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team is a sign that he has some "very helpful information" for the ongoing Russia probe, onetime Independent Counsel Ken Starr said Sunday. And Norman Eisen, who served as White House Special Counsel for Ethics and Government Reform in the Obama administration, flatly predicted that President Trump wouldn't "survive" Manafort's testimony. Manafort pleaded guilty in his Washington, D.C., trial on Friday and agreed to fully cooperate with federal officials looking into the possibility of illegal cooperation between President Trump's campaign and the Russian government, although none of Manafort's charges directly related to any alleged collusion. Joined by Eisen, Starr told ABC's "This Week" that the news was a "very significant breakthrough." "I think this is really good for the country," Starr, who led federal probes into former President Bill Clinton, told host Jon Karl, suggesting that the deal might help bring an end to the long-running Russia probe. "Lets get to the truth of the matter. As part of the deal, Manafort has forfeited multiple bank accounts and several properties in New York. However, he will keep his properties in Florida and Virginia, where his family lives. WATCH: GIULIANI SAYS MANAFORT PLEA 'IRRELEVANT' TO RUSSIA PROBE "Given the seriousness of the charges that were awaiting him, he did the right thing," Starr said. "He did the smart thing. In August, in a separate trial in Virginia, a federal jury found Manafort guilty on eight counts of federal tax and banking crimes. He is still awaiting sentencing in that case. President Trump had praised Manafort for not accepting a plea agreement prior to that case, writing on Twitter in August that his former aide was a "brave man" who had "refused to 'break.'" Eisen, the Obama ethics lawyer, said there is a possibility Manafort will lead prosecutors to Trump -- which many observers, including the presiding judge in Manafort's Virginia trial, have said was the goal of prosecuting Manafort for tax and bank fraud in the first place. "In our profession, those who defend and prosecute criminal matters, you only get a deal like this if you go up the chain," Eisen said. "Who is up the chain from Paul Manafort, who was the chair of the Trump campaign? Don Jr., [political consultant] Roger Stone, the campaign itself, and perhaps ultimately the president. ... I think theres a substantial possibility that this evidence that Manafort is offering will implicate somebody up the chain." Eisen called this week a "historic turning point" and a "new chapter" in the Russia probe. EXPLAINER: HOW PAUL MANAFORT IS CONNECTED TO TRUMP, RUSSIA PROBE Last month, President Trump's former lawyer and personal fixer Michael Cohen also pleaded guilty to federal charges, admitting to violating campaign finance laws by arranging hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal at the direction of then-candidate Trump. But legal experts were split on the significance of the plea, because campaign finance laws are notoriously murky, and Cohen's plea does not necessarily indicate that prosecutors could have successfully prosecuted a campaign finance case against Cohen or Trump. Cohen was also accused of violating numerous other banking and fraud laws, and could have pleaded guilty to the campaign finance charge to lighten his potential sentence, experts said. And a former chairman for the Federal Election Commission has said that campaign finance laws are often an unfair lose-lose proposition for candidates, which is why they are often pursued as civil matters, rather than criminal ones. "Hes not going to survive Manaforts testimony. That's my prediction." Former Obama ethics lawyer Norman Eisen MANAFORT JUDGE TAUNTS, TORMENTS MUELLER TEAM: 'TEARS IN YOUR EYES' "Suppose Trump had used campaign funds to pay off these women," former FEC chairman Bradley Smith wrote in The Washington Post. "Does anyone much doubt that many of the same people now after Trump for using corporate funds, and not reporting them as campaign expenditures, would then be claiming that Trump had illegally diverted campaign funds to 'personal use?'" But on Sunday, Eisen suggested that Manafort may be able to help Mueller show something more nefarious than technical violations of obscure campaign finance laws. "For the first time we have somebody who was at the infamous Trump Tower meeting," Eisen siad. "We have his notes, he can explain his notes, he can talk about the run-up to the meeting, the afterwards. Donald Trump Jr., his brother-in-law Jared Kushner, and Manafort were known to have attended the June 2016 meeting with Kremlin-linked attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower -- but the Trump team's version of the events that transpired has shifted repeatedly. An initial July 2017 statement, dictated by President Trump and issued by Trump Jr. immediately after the meeting came to light, read in part: "We primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children that was active and popular with American families years ago." The statement made no mention of Trump officials seeking damaging information on Hillary Clinton. At first, Trump officials denied that the president had dictated the statement. But Trump's lawyers have since acknowledged in a letter to Mueller that the president dictated a short but accurate response to initial reports of the meeting. Trump has repeated, however, his previous claims that he did not know in advance about the meeting -- backing up Trump Jr., who told the Senate Judiciary Committee the same thing in September 2017 and would face potential criminal liability if he were lying. Hes not going to survive Manaforts testimony, Eisen said, referring to Trump. Fox News' Alex Pappas contributed to this report. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! Two incumbent red-state Democratic senators who have been the targets of some of President Trump's ire are facing increasingly tough odds to win re-election in November, a new poll shows, underscoring the challenges Democrats face in their bid to retake the Senate in November -- as well as Trump's continuing presence in key battleground states. Montana Sen. Jon Tester and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill are locked in dead heats with their Republican challengers, according to the CBS News poll, with Tester leading Matt Rosendale by only two percentage points and McCaskill tied with Josh Hawley at 45 percent. Both results are firmly within the polls' margins of error, which are 5.2 and 3.3 percentage points respectively. The results echoed the findings of a Fox News poll last week, showing McCaskill leading by only a whisker. Republicans hold a narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate, and because Vice President Mike Pence could break any potential 50-50 ties, Democrats need to take two seats to seize control of the chamber. WATCH: TRUMP RIBS MONTANA VOTERS ABOUT TESTER, ASKS 'HOW DID HE GET ELECTED?' But where polls have shown increasing prospects that Democrats may regain control of the House of Representatives, their chances in the Senate have always been lower, owing to the smaller number of seats on the ballot and Trump's popularity in key states that are holding Senate elections. Trump has endorsed both Rosendale and Hawley, and plans to attend a rally for Hawley in Missouri this week. The president won both Montana and Missouri by double-digits in the 2016 presidential election, and he has made no secret of his disdain for both Tester and McCaskill, mocking them as "very dishonest" and "phony," respectively. This past April, Trump called for Tester to resign after the White House issued a report disputing his allegations against the president's pick for the next secretary of Veterans Affairs, Ronny Jackson. "Jon Tester doesn't share your values," Trump said at a July rally in Montana. "He showed his true colors with his shameful, dishonest attacks on a great man -- a friend of mine." Trump called Rosendale a "really good man" and said it is time that Big Sky Country "retire liberal Democrat Jon Tester." Tester responded: "It's my duty to make sure Montana veterans get what they need and have earned, and I'll never stop fighting for them as their senator." Outside groups, including the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), have heeded Trump's call to oust Tester and have funneled advertising money into the state. But they voiced concern initially that Tester's rival had limited name recognition. Senator Tester has obstructed President Trump at every turn and now hes paying the price, Calvin Moore, a spokesman for the NRSC, told Fox News this summer. These developments really nuke his campaign strategy of trying to cozy up to President Trump, when all hes really done has been to obstruct, obstruct, obstruct. As for McCaskill, Trump tweeted in June that she was "so phony" for using a private plane for two of the three days of her supposed campaign RV tour. "Senator Claire McCaskill of the GREAT State of Missouri flew around in a luxurious private jet during her RV tour of the state," Trump wrote. "RVs are not for her. People are really upset, so phony! Josh Hawley should win big, and has my full endorsement." For her part, McCaskill acknowledged that she had used a private plane, but insisted she had not used office funds and made no apologies for taking trips to see her constituents. "I added some stops with the use of the plane, but I was on the RV so much that the broken drawer drove me crazy." Trump's popularity and endorsements have been key factors in several races this midterm season, including pivotal contests in Ohio, South Carolina, Georgia and elsewhere. Republicans are hoping his influence will keep the Senate in GOP control for the next two years. The Massachusetts home that once belonged to former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez is back on the market for $1.6 million. An open house for the 8,100-square-foot home in North Attleborough is scheduled for Sunday. Current owner Arif Khan bought it from Hernandez's estate for $1 million and made about $100,000 in renovations. Hernandez bought the home in 2012 for $1.3 million. Khan tells WFXT-TV he hopes people will be more comfortable buying the home from him rather than directly from Hernandez's estate. The five-bedroom, eight-bathroom home has a movie theater, sauna, gourmet kitchen and saltwater pool. Hernandez was acquitted of a 2012 double killing in Boston just days before his prison suicide in April 2017. His death erased his 2015 conviction in Odin Lloyd's killing in 2013. Wildlife rehabilitators in Wisconsin on Thursday worked to untangle the tails of five young squirrels after they became "hopelessly entangled" in their nest. The "Tale of Five Tails," as the Wisconsin Humane Society's (WHS) wildlife rehab program dubbed it, started when someone spotted the juvenile grey squirrels and reached out for help. Their tails had become entwined with "long-stemmed grasses and strips of plastic their mother used as nest material," the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center wrote on Facebook. Rehabbers anesthetized the squirrels and carefully worked to detangle the little tails a puzzle the Humane Society jokingly described as a "Gordian Knot," a reference to a challenge faced by Alexander the Great, according to ancient lore. 6 SQUIRRELS STUCK IN A JAM AFTER GETTING THEIR TAILS TANGLED "It was impossible to tell whose tail was whose, and we were increasingly concerned because all of them had suffered from varying degrees of tissue damage to their tails caused by circulatory impairment," the post read. Eventually, they were able to cut away "at the grass-and-plastic knot with scissors, being very careful to make sure we weren't snipping anyone's tail in the process" in about 20 minutes' time. The WHS said on Friday the squirrels were "bright-eyed" and three of the five critters were "bushy-tailed," while the other two seemed to have a little less fur. Rehabbers said they'll continue to monitor the squirrels to make sure their tails have sufficient bloodflow. Google built a prototype of a censored search engine for China that reportedly links users searches to their personal phone numberstherefore making it easier for the Chinese government to monitor its citizens queries. The app-based project, codenamed Dragonfly, also would remove content deemed sensitive by Chinas authoritarian Communist Party regime, including information about freedom of speech, dissidents, peaceful protest and human rights, The Intercept reported. Previously unknown details about Dragonfly included a censorship blacklist allegedly compiled by Google that included terms such as student protest and Nobel Prize in Mandarin. Human rights organizations have criticized Dragonfly and seven engineers resigned in protest over the lack of accountability and transparency for the controversial project. GOOGLE PRESSURED BY HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS TO ABANDON CENSORED SEARCH IN CHINA This is very problematic from a privacy point of view, because it would allow far more detailed tracking and profiling of peoples behavior, Cynthia Wong, a senior internet researcher with Human Rights Watch, told The Intercept. Linking searches to a phone number would make it much harder for people to avoid the kind of overreaching government surveillance that is pervasive in China. Fox News reached out to Google for comment and received the following statement from a spokesperson on Sunday: We've been investing for many years to help Chinese users, from developing Android, through mobile apps such as Google Translate and Files Go, and our developer tools. But our work on search has been exploratory, and we are not close to launching a search product in China. Back in August, more than a dozen human rights groups sent Google CEO Sundar Pichai a letter asking him to explain how Google was safeguarding Chinese users from censorship and surveillance. The search giant told Fox News at the time that it had been been investing for many years to help Chinese users, from developing Android, through mobile apps such as Google Translate and Files Go, and our developer tools. But our work on search has been exploratory, and we are not close to launching a search product in China. GOOGLE EMPLOYEES QUIT OVER CONTROVERSIAL CHINA SEARCH ENGINE PROJECT In 2010, Google announced it was leaving China, mentioning the Communist countrys censorship tactics as a reason for its decision. However, Pichai has said that he wanted the worlds most-used search engine to be in China serving its 800 million Internet users. Fox News Chris Ciaccia contributed to this report. This is a rush transcript from "Fox News Sunday," September 16, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. CHRIS WALLACE, HOST: I'm Chris Wallace. Florence turns deadly as its devastating winds and flooding move inland from the Carolina coast. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do want to emphasize that this is only the beginning. Florence is a very slow mover. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an uninvited brute who doesn't want to leave. WALLACE: We'll have live reports on the ground and get an update on the federal response from FEMA Administrator Brock Long. And we'll learn about the impact on people in the storm's path from North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis. Then, an allegation of sexual misconduct over 30 years ago. Will it affect the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court? We'll ask a key member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Republican John Kennedy. Plus, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort strikes a plea deal to cooperate with the special counsel Robert Mueller. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tough day for Mr. Manafort, but he's accepted responsibility. WALLACE: We'll ask our Sunday panel what Manafort's about-face means for President Trump. And our power players of the week, men of honor. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was doing it for my country and my fellow marines. I had to win a war, just imagine the great loss (ph). WALLACE: All, right now, on "Fox News Sunday". (END VIDEOTAPE) WALLACE: And hello again from Fox News in Washington. As devastating as Florence has been so far, the worst may be yet to come. The slow moving storm is now responsible for at least 14 deaths, more than 30 inches of rain falling in some places and forecasters are warning of catastrophic flooding across the region for days. In a moment, we'll discuss the threat and response with FEMA administrator Brock Long, and North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis. But first, we have Fox Team coverage, Leland Vittert on the Carolina coast with the latest on the rescue effort. But we begin with Steve Harrigan and a look at the damage further inland -- Steve. STEVE HARRIGAN, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Chris, 50 miles inland from where this storm made landfall. There are already parts some North Carolina towns which are seven feet underwater. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) HARRIGAN: Families stagger to safety. This woman is asked why she is shaking. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to leave my house. So, that's my big thing. HARRIGAN: Despite round-the-clock efforts by power crews, hundreds of thousands are without electricity. Homes and businesses cut off, flooded or torn apart by the wind. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've been through worse than this. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We sure have. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we will make it. We'll start over. HARRIGAN: The only way to reach some neighborhoods is by 7-ton trucks last used in the war in Iraq. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've never seen anything like this. We didn't anticipate it like this. We've just -- we've never seen it -- we've been here 11 years, we've never seen nothing like this. HARRIGAN: As the rain continues, more residents of North Carolina may soon be saying the same thing. (END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIGAN: An evacuation order has already been issued for the city of Fayetteville -- Chris. WALLACE: Steve Harrigan reporting from Sneads Ferry, North Carolina. Steve, thank you. Now, let's bring in Leland Vittert off the coast in Atlantic Beach -- Leland. LELAND VITTERT, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Chris, Florence roared ashore here Thursday morning and heavy rain has not stopped since. Many of the hardest hit areas we can even get to. Behind me is the Crows Nest Marina, so many of the charter fishermen and shrimpers who work these waters raced to pull their boats out of the water to protect them only to have them destroyed on land. Not only are so many homes here flooded or leveled, but Florence took people's ability to make a living. In the channels and estuaries further east, locals told me there are still lots of residents who chose to ride out the storm and are now cut off. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VITTERT: The rescue business right after the storm is a dangerous one. We are right now just off of Beaufort in the channels. And you can see all of the boats that were trashed here. Believe it or not, people actually try to ride the storm out on a couple of these boats. Now, we are out looking for them. The coast guard has been overwhelmed by the number of calls. We've seen their helicopters circling above here. (END VIDEO CLIP) VITTERT: As the storm moves west, so do the floodwaters, so do the rescuers, including the military who were lending a hand. Florence continues to move slower than most people walk, meaning conditions that normally last for hours during a hurricane are lasting for days. And what we can see an account for much of the wind damage like what is behind me, the flooding and rain destruction continues and is getting worse, Chris. WALLACE: Leland Vittert reporting from Atlantic Beach -- Leland, thank you. Joining us now from FEMA headquarters here in Washington is Brock Long, the head of that agency. Mr. Long, let's start with an overview. How much damage has Hurricane Florence done? How much more damage isn't likely to do in the days and even weeks ahead? BROCK LONG, FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: Yes. You know, unfortunately, we've still got several days to go. Not only are you going to see more impact across North Carolina, particularly from the central to the western area, dumping copious amounts of rains, but we're also anticipating you are about to see a lot of damage going through West Virginia, all the way up to Ohio as the system exits out. WALLACE: I saw an astonishing figure that this storm is going to dump enough rain to fill Chesapeake Bay, trillions of gallons of rain. How much damage is this going to do in terms of inland flooding of rivers? And how do you compare this storm in terms of inundating an area to last year's Hurricane Harvey? LONG: Yes. You know, I don't think -- Hurricane Harvey is a little bit different than what we are seeing. If you want to compare what type of damages, go back and look in 1999 at Hurricane Floyd or the most recent events with Matthew. South Carolina is probably looking at something like a Joaquin (ph) that occurred several years ago. So, what we do is we work with the state, as well as -- and we do modeling and we try to figure out ahead of time where we think the impacts are going to be. The thing I'm most worried about is the isolated communities, those who are stuck in their homes right now that may not have access to pharmaceuticals, food and water and medical supplies, whatever. So, we're highly focused on taking care of people and fulfilling that mission as well as the hundreds of people have already been rescued, and that's a coordinated effort from the urban search and rescue teams that we pre-deployed many days ago, all the way down to the local neighbor helping neighbor. WALLACE: What is your sense of the response from the federal level, from the state level, from the local level so far? How much, for instance, did prepositioning of assets, personnel and supplies, help? And do you see at this point any holes in the response from government? LONG: I don't see any holes. I think we were as prepositioned from the federal government's standpoint as we can be. And what's great about this situation is, you've got strong state emergency management agencies and strong governors that have built capability. North Carolina, Mike Sprayberry is one of the most talented state directors out there. North Carolina has been through this. They built a capability that we backfill. So, the way this works is, you know, it's locally executed, state-managed, federally supported and that's the model that we shoot for. So when Governor Cooper has a shortfall or is having trouble meeting a response to recovery goal, then these guys behind me are coordinating the assets and resources down through him to that local level and that's what you are seeing play out. WALLACE: What's your biggest concern right now, sir? LONG: Taking care of people, life safety. You know, I think the message that's got to be put forward to the people is please stay out of the flooded waters. The waters can be charged from electric lines. Sometimes when people walk on streets that are flooded, the manhole covers could be missing, the road may not even be there. It could have been washed out. So please stay out of those waters. Don't become a victim and we'll continue to support as best we can, but you have to set the expectations. This is going to be a long, frustrating event for people that have lost everything, that are isolated, the power is off. But we're doing everything that we can to help our state and local partners get this corrected. WALLACE: You know, I think most people focus on something like this on the impact on the coast and the storm surge, but as I understand it, we could have inland flooding of rivers, that they could reach a crest sometime next week. I mean, that is a very strong potential danger, isn't it? LONG: You're absolutely right. So, what happened about a week before this event hit was the remnants of Gordon, Tropical Storm Gordon, pushed through the Mid-Atlantic States saturating the rivers. So, all that water has got to come down and make its way to the coast and it's traveling south. So the rivers are pretty saturated which exacerbates this problem. And, you know, you're going to see some -- we are seeing some dams, like in Bowling Springs, North Carolina, be compromised. Luckily, there's no life safety implications. So, what we have to focus on, are there any dams that are going potentially going to break that could cause great impact to loss of life, and right now, we monitor all those situations. WALLACE: Mr. Long, obviously, one of the things you want to do in these disasters is learn from your mistakes and the response to Hurricane Maria last year became an issue this week. Here is President Trump. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think Puerto Rico is an incredible unsung success. I think it is certainly the best job we did was Puerto Rico but nobody would understand that. (END VIDEO CLIP) WALLACE: But this summer, FEMA did an after-action report that said this. The agency could have better anticipated the severity of Hurricanes Irma and Maria would cause long-term significant damage to the territory's infrastructure. So which is it? LONG: Look, I mean, our after-action report is an open and honest assessment. But the way that this works and I keep saying this, is emergency management -- successful disaster response and recovery is like a chair with four legs. One leg is the federal government, the second leg is the state and local, the third leg is the private sector, which owns 85 percent of the infrastructure and then the fourth leg is the citizen being properly prepared and neighbor helping neighbor. I think what you saw in the California wildfires, Texas, to Florida, is all four of those legs were present, so the chair is stable, you know, going in to that. Obviously, in Puerto Rico, there were several parts of that chair missing. You know, the commonwealth and the local municipalities where we are concentrating on building a robust emergency management capability. So, I'm one of the largest employers. FEMA is now one the largest employers in Puerto Rico trying to build that capability. But when it comes to the infrastructure, the greatest thing the deferred maintenance, the dilapidated infrastructure, infrastructure that was -- that crumbled is nothing that's within my control, but now, we got to go back in and fix and make sure that we are rebuilding Puerto Rico in a manner that it's more resilient, economically viable, so that we don't go through this again. So, what the nation learned is it takes all of us coming together like what we are doing in North Carolina. WALLACE: Mr. Long, whoever is responsible, officials in Puerto Rico now accept a study that there were around 3,000 hurricane-related deaths but this week, Mr. Trump tweeted this: This was done by Democrats, this number, to make me look as bad as possible. Question, simple factual question: do you dispute this number of 3,000 hurricane-related deaths? LONG: Well, there are several different studies that are all over the place when it comes to death in the official stance of FEMA is we don't count deaths. You know, the only thing that would come remotely close to data that we would have is the funeral benefits that we push forward. You know, I think the president is fully supportive -- I know he is fully supportive of FEMA and he realizes that the mission that we went in to help support was incredibly complex. And there is a difference between direct deaths and indirect deaths. One study could have studied the entire year that's gone by about a number of indirect deaths over time or whatever, versus a six-month study in George Washington. So, that's -- you know, there's a lot of issues with numbers being all over the place. It's hard to tell what's accurate and what's not, but we have got to come together as a country to focus on the rebuilding of Puerto Rico and building a resilient infrastructure. At the bottom line is, you know, Puerto Rico had one of the oldest power grids on the globe, 44 years old, it did not work. And when the power is out, you see escalated problems big time when it comes to a functional hospital system or whatever it may be, working water and different things. That escalates problems in the future and that's what we're trying to focus on. That's where our attention is focused and we got the full support of the president behind us. And, you know, he understands how complex this has been and he's frustrated by it. WALLACE: Mr. Long, thank you. Thanks for taking the time to talk with us and obviously you've got a big situation on your hands right now. Thank you, sir. LONG: Thank you. WALLACE: Let's move now to a Red Cross shelter in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Senator Thom Tillis is standing by. Senator, what are you seeing on the ground in your state? Did people obey evacuation orders and are they finding shelter? SEN. THOM TILLIS, R-NORTH CAROLINA: Well, they are finding shelter. I want to thank the Red Cross for the work they are doing here and across the state. But there were some people who made the dangerous decision to not heed the evacuation notices. Down in New Bern, a number of people who had to be rescued over the past 24, 36 hours were largely people who decided to stay in an area that was judged unsafe. We're going to have more evacuation notices as the rivers rise and after they overflow their banks. You need to heed the warnings, get out of harm's way. WALLACE: What can you tell us about problems with looters? TILLIS: Well, down in -- we've had one report down in Wilmington. I don't think that is widespread and law enforcement takes it very seriously. In that particular report, I think the store manager chose not to have law enforcement intervene. For the most part, I think people have really been focused on keeping themselves safe and obeying the law and order that we need as we go through the recovery. WALLACE: How much damage -- obviously, it's just a guesstimate at this point, but how much damage will this do to your state? Are we talking billions of dollars, and how long before life in North Carolina gets back to anything close to normal? TILLIS: Well, Chris, they gave you a comparison, Matthew had about two years ago, a little less than two years ago, we are still recovering from Hurricane Matthew. I think that this storm is likely going to produce impacts greater than Hurricane Matthew. The agriculture industry, the largest industry and our state is hard-hit. We will have to sort out the crop damage. The floods that are going to come, as you mentioned with the FEMA director, the floods that come midweek are likely to be as damaging or more damaging than the original event. So, we've got to sort all that out. I think that it's fair to say, in terms of economic impact, rebuilding that we are talking in the billions of dollars. WALLACE: And how long before life in North Carolina gets back to normal? TILLIS: Well, it's very difficult to say. With the rivers and with the statewide impact, I mean, I'm in Charlotte right now. We are beginning to get the rain bands that have been taking days to get here. Then, it's going to move up into the mountains. Those are all going to fill river basins. They're going to flow down to North Carolina and South Carolina or out to our coast, and it's very difficult to really understand what's ahead. But I did a flyover about 36 hours after Matthew at the eastern part of the state and we thought it was bad then. And two days later, we saw damage that far surpassed what the initial impact of that category one storm. So, people need to take it seriously. The fact that it's a tropical depression means that it's a very serious weather and rain event. So, listen to local authorities, find access the help. I was also going to mention also, FEMA has an app that you can get on an Android or iPhone that will give you access to resources. You may be able to volunteer in your community and help other people know what their resources are that out there at the state and local and federal level to help us as we go through this disaster. WALLACE: And, finally, Senator, I've got about a minute left and you took me just where I want to go. What have you thought of the response from government at all levels, federal, state, local? Were they as prepared as they could be for a terrible storm like this? TILLIS: Well, I think so, because with the way the storm was tracking, you know, there were some people that would say position here or position there. I think they positioned in a central location and got them out of there as quickly as they could. The governor is doing a great job. I agree with the FEMA director, Mike Sprayberry is one of the best at what he does for disaster management. They're coming together. We've had, sadly, experienced this with before. I'm proud of what they've done. I'm sure we'll do an after action and see things we can do better. But I think North Carolina does it about as well as anybody in the country. WALLACE: Unfortunately, you have too much experience with it. Senator Tillis, thank you. Thanks for your time. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those caught in the storm, sir. TILLIS: Thank you, Chris. WALLACE: Up next, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort reaches a deal to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller. We'll bring in our Sunday group to discuss what it means for the president and the Russia investigation. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He worked for me for a very short period of time, but you know what? He happens to be a very good person and I think it's very sad what they've done to Paul Manafort. KEVIN DOWNING, MANAFORT ATTORNEY: Tough day for Mr. Manafort, but he's accepted responsibility. And he wanted to make sure that his family was able to remain safe and live a good life. (END VIDEO CLIP) CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS HOST: Well, President Trump last month expressing support for his former campaign chairman and Manafort's attorney on Friday explaining why his client took the plea deal, agreeing to cooperate with the special counsel. And it's time now for our Sunday group. GOP strategist Karl Rove, former Democratic Congresswoman Jane Harman, director of the Woodrow Wilson Center, Julie Pace, Washington bureau chief for The Associated Press, and author of "The Deep State", former Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz. Well, Julie, Paul Manafort has long ties to pro-Russian Ukrainians. He was one of the people who attended the Trump Tower meeting in June of 2016. How significant, potentially, is his decision to cooperate with the special counsel, and how concerned are they in the White House by Manafort's decision? JULIE PACE, WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF, ASSOCIATED PRESS: I think there are a lot of unknowns here still. If we don't know the extent of what Paul Manafort is going to be telling Bob Mueller. We don't know what Mueller's team is hoping to get out of Paul Manafort. But it actually is that unknown that I think is really unnerving the White House, because despite what the president and a lot of his advisors say about Manafort playing just a small role in the campaign, he was the campaign chairman and he was there for a significant period of time, both during the Trump Tower meeting. And also, one thing that hasn't gotten quite as much attention is he was there during the Republican convention when there was a change in language on the platform that related to Ukraine and Manafort was directly involved in it. And so, the unknown, what he could tell Bob Mueller and what Bob Mueller is after in this deal with Paul Manafort is what does have the White House nervous right now. WALLACE: And we should point out it's not like Mueller just bought on speculation. The fact is to get a deal, lawyers have to offer something called a proffer, where they in effect say, if you were to give us a deal, here's what our client would say. So, they -- PACE: Exactly. Bob Mueller knows what Paul Manafort can offer him. It's the White House that doesn't know. They're the ones that are in the dark right now, but Bob Mueller would not have made this deal with Manafort presumably unless they thought there was some amount of information that would be helpful to their case. WALLACE: Congressman Chaffetz, how worried should President Trump and his team be about Manafort's decision to make a deal? JASON CHAFFETZ, R-UTAH, FORMER U.S. CONGRESSMAN: I think there's a reason to be very worried. And as long as there's a special counsel, I think the president has some degree of peril. You combine that with Cohen and his striking a deal, you just don't know exactly what it is that they have. There's been no evidence of any collusion, there's been no evidence that has anything affecting the outcome of the election, but it still is a huge question mark. WALLACE: Karl, your thoughts? KARL ROVE, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, like Julie, I think one of the interesting things that we are likely to learn more about is the Republican National Convention where an official, J.D. Gordon, tells the chairman of a subcommittee, you need to change language on Ukraine from calling for supplying defensive -- lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine to a more generalized assistance. But at the end of the day, I'm not certain that that involves anything that's chargeable. It simply shows how much -- it could show how much Manafort was attempting to use his involvement in the Trump campaign to heal his relationships with his paymasters in Moscow and Kiev. I have to, as a matter of personal reveal, Paul Manafort for some strange reason in his letter to Trump offering his assistants declared that I was his blood enemies since college days. I haven't seen the guy in 20 years and haven't had any interaction -- WALLACE: You weren't in college 20 years ago. So, maybe he's still feeling the (INAUDIBLE) (LAUGHTER) ROVE: OK. But I -- you know, look, I -- this is a parlor game, we don't know what we don't know, but I go back to one fundamental thing. This was a campaign that leaked more than any campaign that I've seen in my lifetime. And if there was collusion, we would have known it by now. This -- I think we'll see some entertaining things. We'll see some important things, but I'm not certain that were going to see anything that touches necessarily the Oval Office. WALLACE: President Trump kept saying how much he respected Manafort for not caving to prosecutors, but a few weeks ago, he almost seemed to anticipate Friday's developments. Take a look. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: For 30 or 40 years, I've been watching flippers. Everyone's wonderful and then they get ten years in jail and they flip on whoever the next highest one is, or as high as you can go. It almost ought to be outlawed. It's not fair. (END VIDEO CLIP) WALLACE: Congresswoman Harman, I mean, let's be realistic here. The special counsel crushed Manafort. He crushed him financially, he crushed him legally in the sense that Manafort is a man of 69, faces at least 10 years in prison or did at least before this deal. Is the president right, is there something wrong with flipping? JANE HARMAN, D-CALI., FORMER U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN: I don't think so. I mean, Congress does have a role in setting procedures for federal courts and in defining what is a crime. And so, Trump isn't wrong that, you know, maybe someone could argue that maybe some of the procedures should be changed, but we have a vested interest in speedy trials. That's one of the laws that Congress passed while I was a staffer, and making deals with people is a way to resolve their issues. And the goal is the truth. The goal isn't crushing people. If Manafort did all these things wrong, I'm sorry, I'm not particularly sympathetic. Let me say just one other thing, though, to support what Karl said. Karl, I'm agreeing with you. A lot of what's going on is Manafort's bluster, that's my view. I mean, it's out there that he directed some think tanks to do stuff, including the Wilson Center, he didn't. But my point is that Mueller is meticulous and he's doing a mob prosecution here, circles within circles, and Manafort, my guess is has a lot to explain and that's why he made this deal. WALLACE: But I want to pick up on that with you, Congressman Chaffetz, because this is what happens, not to say this is any comparison to President Trump on the White House, but this is what prosecutors do in mob deals. You get the little fish, you get them, you convict them, and you squeeze them and you get them to flip on the bigger fish. CHAFFETZ: Well, that's been done for eons. WALLACE: Right. CHAFFETZ: But what is so different to conservatives who look at this, that's not how they dealt with the Hillary Clinton situation. Five times they handed out immunity and in those immunity agreements which I have read, there is no requirement that they cooperate with the federal government. And yet you go and look at how this is handled and it's totally different. It's the duplicity that is driving conservatives crazy here in Washington, D.C. It's just not fair because it's not done the same way. WALLACE: Julie, I want to pick up on one other issue and I don't expect you to have an answer. I'm asking it basically for theory, because the expectation was that one of the reasons that Paul Manafort was hanging so tough and going to trial and spending all this money was that if he stayed true to the president and the president kept praising him, that eventually he'd get a pardon from the president and his problems would go away. Why do you think that Manafort decided to give up on that strategy? PACE: Well, I think there are a couple of reasons and you alluded to some of them. Paul Manafort is 69 years old. He has a family to worry about. He's had so much financially taken away from him already. I think he is concerned about what happens to his family if he does go to jail after his first trial. And I think if you are anybody, not just Paul Manafort, and you are hanging your future on a decision that President Trump is going to make, that's probably about strategy because Trump is so unpredictable, and certainly, he was signaling at some of his rhetoric after the first trial that if Manafort did hang, if he didn't make a plea, stayed firm, that he could get a pardon, but Trump, again, is so predictable. I think if that is your strategy to go through a second trial and hope for a pardon, I think he was probably getting some pretty strong advice to think otherwise. WALLACE: And he apparently took that advice. Panel, we have to take a break here. We'll see you all a little later. Up next, the bitter confirmation battle over Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh takes a new turn involving an allegation of sexual misconduct decades ago. We'll talk with a key Republican on the committee, John Kennedy, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) WALLACE: Coming up, Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh denies an allocation of sexual misconduct while he was in high school, as the Judiciary Committee prepares to vote. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHUCK GRASSLEY, R-IOWA, SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHAIR: All I know is whatI've read in some two or three sentences that was in some report that came out overnight. (END VIDEO CLIP) WALLACE: We'll ask Republican Senator John Kennedy about the fallout, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) WALLACE: The Senate Judiciary Committee has scheduled a vote this week to send the nomination to the Supreme Court of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Senate floor. But will a letter accusing Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct in high school derail his confirmation? Joining us now from Louisiana, Senator John Kennedy, a Republican member of the Judiciary Committee. We should note, we invited all ten committee Democrats to join us today. None of them accepted. But we're happy to have you, Senator Kennedy. What do you make of this allegation against Kavanaugh back when he was a teenager? Do you think it will do anything to derail his nomination, his confirmation? JOHN KENNEDY, R-LA, SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: I'm fairly confident that our founding fathers did not intend the process to work this way. So far it's pretty much been an intergalactic freak show. Senator Grassley, our chairman, did the best he could at the hearing. Senators kept interrupting him. They ignored the rules. We had over 240 protesters who stood up screaming. The only thing missing, I think, was the -- the genitalia-shaped headgear. There were wild accusations about Kavanaugh that he's evil and he hates women, he hates children, he hates little warm puppies. And now we have this recent allegation by Senator Feinstein. I mean, here's what we know. She -- she's produced a letter, it's a secret letter, and we're -- we're not entitled to see it or know who wrote it. It supposedly was put together with the help of Stanford Law School. The lady in the letter says that 35 years ago, when she was a teenager, and Judge Kavanaugh was a teenager, he allegedly made sexual advances against her at a party. Now, Kavanaugh denies it. The only other person in the room denies it. Senator Feinstein has had the letter since July. For three months she's said nothing. Nothing. Zero. Nada. Zilch. She didn't say anything in the confirmation hearing. She didn't say anything in our -- in our confidential session with Judge Kavanaugh when the senators and the nominee met privately. And now, after it's all over, she produces the letter. I think, Chris, in my opinion, most Americans are looking at this -- most mainstream Americans -- and they're thinking that Congress has hit rock bottom and started to dig. And -- and I have been embarrassed by the whole process. And, frankly, I'm -- no disrespect to Senator Feinstein or to Stanford Law School, but I'm a little bit offended. I sit on Judiciary Committee. They've had this -- this stuff for -- for three months. If they were serious about it, they -- they -- they should have told us about it. WALLACE: OK. So, that was -- that was a full answer. Do you think that your committee will send -- will approve the Kavanaugh nomination and send it to the floor on -- this week as scheduled? KENNEDY: Yes. I think -- I think the vote will be 11-10. A party line vote. WALLACE: That's a straight party line vote. KENNEDY: Straight party line vote. I think the nomination will come to the floor. That will be up to Senator McConnell. I think every Republican will vote for Judge Kavanaugh. I think at least two, and probably more Democrats will. You may disagree with Judge Kavanaugh's political -- or judicial rather philosophy. I don't. Kavanaugh believes that the role of a judge is to interpret the law, not make a lot, and I agree with that. No fair-minded American can believe that he's not qualified. He went to Yale Law School. He didn't get his law degree from Costco. He has a total command of Supreme Court precedent. I think he's a legal rock star. Now, this new allegation, I don't know what our Democratic friends expect us to do. What do they want us to do? We got a letter, but it's -- it's secret. We don't know who wrote it. All we know is that a female wrote it from California and Stanford Law School helped to write it. And we can't -- we can't see -- who - -who are we going to cross-examine, Senator Feinstein? I mean give me a break. WALLACE: I want to ask you. You -- you -- you -- as I think folks already recognize, if they didn't know you already, your colorful. And one of the things that you say is that this hearing shows that crazy never takes a vacation in Congress. I want to ask you about two Democratic senators and what they did in the hearings. First of all, Cory Booker, who said he was defying the rules and releasing confidential e-mails. Here he is. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CORY BOOKER, D-NJ, SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: I will say that I did willingly violate the chair's rule on the committee confidential process. I take full responsibility for violating that, sir. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WALLACE: But, of course, as we all know now, it turns out that the committee had already released those confidential e-mails before Cory Booker made such a big show about releasing them. KENNEDY: Right. WALLACE: And then there was Democratic Senator Kamala Harris, who sounded like she had a bombshell. Here she is. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KAMALA HARRIS, D-CALI., SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Have you discussed Mueller or his investigation with anyone at Kasowitz Benson and Torres, the law firm founded by Marc Kasowitz, President Trump's personal lawyer? BRETT KAVANAUGH, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: Ah -- HARRIS: Be sure about your answer, sir. (END VIDEO CLIP) WALLACE: But as alarming as that sounded, Senator Harris never produced any evidence that, in fact, Kavanaugh had talked to anyone at the law firm about Robert Mueller. What do you think was going on with the Democrats in this hearing? KENNEDY: Well, I'm not going to impugn the motives of Senator Harris or Senator Booker. In fact, I was -- I was presiding for Senator Grassley when Senator Booker first started his cross-examination of the judge with a document that was supposed to be confidential. And I was asked to cut him off. I said, no, I'm not going to cut him off. Let's let it rip. Let it rip. Let it all come out. But here's -- here's the bottom line. Both Cory and Senator Harris, they want an activist, liberal judge. They want a judge who will rewrite the Constitution every other Thursday to -- to advance political agendas that they can't get by the voters and a representative democracy through Congress. Now, I don't. I think that -- I think that judges are supposed to call the balls on the strikes. WALLACE: OK. KENNEDY: They're supposed to say what the law is, not with the law ought to be. We just disagree. Now, that's why God made Congress. Let's go vote. Here's where we are. Let's go vote. We -- we've done everything we can do. We -- I know we got the last minute secret allegation but there's nothing we can do about that. Kavanaugh has been through six, not four, not five, six FBI background checks. None of this stuff has ever come up before. WALLACE: Senator -- KENNEDY: Let's go vote. WALLACE: Senator, I've got about a minute left, so I am going to ask you -- KENNEDY: OK. WALLACE: I'm going to invoke closure here. I want to switch out subjects with you and ask you about Paul Manafort's decision to take a plea deal and agree to cooperate with the special counsel. Your thoughts on how big a deal this conceivably could be? KENNEDY: I -- you know, all of this is just speculation. I can speculate as well as anybody else, but none of us know, Chris. Here's what I do. I do know that Russia tried to interfere in our election in 2016. They've only been doing it for 50 years. And other countries probably did and are trying to do it right now for the midterms. That's number one. Number two, I don't think that Mr. Mueller should -- should be -- should be fired. Think we ought to let him finish his investigation. I wish he would hurry. He needs to get to the bottom of this, but do it quickly. WALLACE: Right. KENNEDY: Number three, I want him to report to the American people, give them the facts. The American people are smart enough to figure it out. And then let's -- then let's get back to the business of trying to fix this country. WALLACE: Senator Kennedy, thank you. Thanks for your time. And, of course, we'll follow this week's vote by the Judiciary Committee. Thank you, sir. KENNEDY: Thank you, Chris. WALLACE: Up next, the face-off between Secretary of State Pompeo and his predecessor, John Kerry, over the Iran nuclear deal. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHUCK GRASSLEY, R-IOWA, SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHAIR: All I know is what I've read in some two or three sentences that was in some report that came out overnight. And I -- since I don't know anything more about it then just what I read, that's all I can say at this point. (END VIDEO CLIP) WALLACE: Senator Chuck Grassley, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, reacting to news his Democratic counterpart, Dianne Feinstein, referred a letter to the FBI alleging sexual misconduct by Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh when he was in high school. And we're back now with the panel. Karl, what do you think of this latest allegation against Judge Kavanaugh about something that he did when he was -- or allegedly did when he was a teenager? And, generally, how do you think Democrats handled the confirmation hearing? KARL ROVE, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, look, this has gone from bad to worse. I mean Senator Spartacus, (INAUDIBLE), embarrassed himself. Kamala Harris mistook the hearing for an addition for "Law and Order" for a minor part as a prosecutor in "Law and Order." And now we have this dreadful letter from Dianne Feinstein, who's had this since July. The letter is anonymous from somebody who doesn't want the issue pressed, and doesn't want her name exposed, and suddenly we're supposed to take this as a reason to either delay the process or, worse yet, to take one of the most distinguished persons ever nominated for the Supreme Court and deny him a seat. And I think this is shameful. It's a sign of the depths to which our Congress has fallen. And this all started with -- with a great man doing a bad thing by borking Robert Bork. And it has gotten worse and worse and worse over the years. Ninety-five percent of Republicans voted for Ginsburg, 75 percent voted for Stephen Breyer, half the Democrats voted for Roberts, 10 percent of them voted for Alito. And I would be shocked if more than one or two or three Democrats voted for -- for Brett Kavanaugh, thus far the decline. WALLACE: Julie, do officials at the White House think that this allegation about something that happened decades ago, literally, could derail his confirmation? How confident are they even at this point that Judge Kavanaugh will be Justice Kavanaugh when the Supreme Court starts its new session in October? JULIE PACE, ASSOCIATED PRESS: One of the things that give them a bit of confidence towards the end of last week, after this letter from Feinstein came out, was that you didn't see a lot of Democrats really jumping on this. Democrats have been looking for some way to slow down the nomination. And there was a sense that if the letter from Feinstein was real, if they felt like it could actually have an effect at holding off his confirmation, that you would see Harris and Booker and some of these other Democrats really piling on. And that hasn't happened, to your point earlier, that you didn't have any Democrats from the committee -- WALLACE: Yes, we asked every single -- ten members, Democrats, on the committee and we assumed that one of them would want to come on to -- PACE: And it's striking. If you do feel like -- if you're a Democrat and you do feel like this is something that could slow down the nomination, you would expect to be out here pushing this forward. I think that Republicans are still a little worried about Collins and Murkowski, the two swing Republicans who haven't said either way what they're going to do. A lot of attention will be on them early this week. But at this point I think the White House is fairly confident that this is going to move forward. WALLACE: I do know that Collins spoke to Kavanaugh on the phone for an hour on Friday. So whatever she's going to do, she's -- she had a full time to ask him about it. Let's turn to another interesting story this week. It turns out that former Secretary of State John Kerry has been talking -- this is file tape -- has been privately talking with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif several times since leaving office. And he acknowledges that they discussed the Iran nuclear deal. A deal, of course, that President Trump pulled out of. This spark the current secretary of state, the successor to John Kerry, Mike Pompeo, to blast Kerry this week. Take a look. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOHN KERRY, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: I think everybody in the world is sitting around talking about waiting out President Trump. MIKE POMPEO, SECRETARY OF STATE: Actively undermining U.S. policy as a former secretary of state is literally unheard of. (END VIDEO CLIP) WALLACE: Congresswoman Harman, did John Kerry do anything wrong? JANE HARMAN, DIRECTOR, WOODROW WILSON CENTER: I don't think so. The Logan Act has to do with directly negotiating with a foreign power when you're not an employee or authorized by the United States to do so. He wasn't negotiating, he was taking meetings. My understanding is that he informed our government, I'm not sure where, that he was taking the meeting and he gave them the summary of what happened at the meeting. I think he has a right, as a private citizen, to meet with whoever he wants to. But I don't think -- I think -- I understand why Mike Pompeo is upset, because this is a tricky moment for the administration and I think they wrongly -- I personally think they wrongly pulled out of the deal. But I don't think that Kerry crossed a red line in anyway. I just want to say one thing about that letter, Chris, if I could. And that is -- WALLACE: The Kavanaugh letter. HARMAN: The Kavanaugh letter. And that is that it is unsubstantiated. And I think Feinstein delay doing anything because the woman didn't want to come forward. On the other hand, if that did happen, if there's any proof that the activities alleged happened, I think that might reflect on Kavanaugh's character. And all I would recommend is that the committee meet again now that all members have a redacted version of the letter, without the names and -- in private session. They're not voting until Thursday. They could meet tomorrow and then decide whether there ought to be an additional public session so that the rest of us could catch up on where they are. I think that should have been part of the formal hearing and I'm sorry it wasn't. WALLACE: OK. Well, let me just say on that, we've only got a couple of minutes left, she had plenty of opportunity. She had the letter since July. She met for an hour alone with Kavanaugh. She was there in the hearing. She didn't attend, apparently, the private hearing that -- she had plenty of opportunity to bring this up. Let -- let me -- let me just go on with -- back to Kerry. Do you think there's anything wrong -- I mean this is a delicate moment. The president has pulled out. Our European allies may want to continue to do business. And here you have John Kerry, who's one of the architects of the deal, talking to Foreign Ministers Zarif. JASON CHAFFETZ, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: I -- I understand former officials, whether it be members of Congress or administration, meet with other government officials on a regular basis. Where it crosses the line, where I do think Secretary Kerry should be interviewed by the Department of Justice is, was he actively trying to subvert the Trump administration? You have a very serious charge by the current secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, but I do think it is worthy, based on Kerry's comments and his actions, plus what he's done in the past, that somebody from the Department of Justice should investigate this. I think you cross a line when you're actively trying to subvert the current administration. WALLACE: Well, I mean, you say when you're actively -- you don't know that he was trying to -- CHAFFETZ: All I'm suggesting is, it's worthy of an investigation by the Department of Justice to sit down and do that interview and look at the facts and find out if he did potentially violate that -- that act. WALLACE: Got less than a minute left. Karl, where do you come down on this? ROVE: Look, it's important that previous administration officials have the freedom to, you know, talk to foreign leaders and share those insights with the current administration. It's valuable. What we don't know is, what did he say? Was he listening, was he discussing or was he advocating? In his body language, in his television appearance, leads me to believe that he was maybe advocating, yes, wait him out until the next administration. If so, that's problematic. Now, it's -- I -- I don't think it's worthy of a Justice Department investigation. The Logan Act has had two unsuccessful prosecutions in its entire history since being passed in, whenever it was, 1803. So and that's wrong. But it -- but if John Kerry walked into that meeting and said, my advice to you as a former secretary of state of the United States of America is, wait this current administration out, that was wrong and unhelpful to our country. WALLACE: All right, we're going to have to leave it there. Thank you, panel. See you all next Sunday. Up next, some very special "Power Players of the Week." Three of America's bravest who went above and beyond the call of duty. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) WALLACE: This week I had a once-in-a-lifetime, unforgettable opportunity to sit down with some of America's bravest at the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's annual convention. I moderated a town hall for the more than 4,000 midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, a sea of white, where I got to speak with three of the nation's 72 living Medal of Honor recipients, the nation's highest military honor. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) WALLACE (voice over): Woody Williams, the only living marine from World War II to receive the Medal of Honor. At the battle of Iwo Jima, he took out a network of Japanese pillboxes to clear the way for the infantry. HERSHEL "WOODY" WILLIAMS, MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT: The flame thrower was the most effective weapon that we had against the pillboxes because they were reinforced concrete. WALLACE: Kyle Carpenter, who took the blast from a grenade in Afghanistan to shield a fellow Marine. KYLE CARPENTER, MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT: I essentially came to terms with reality that this was it and I was bleeding out and this was the last few seconds I would have. WALLACE: Edward Byers, the most decorated living Navy SEAL. He jumped on top of an American doctor, taken hostage by the Taliban, to protect him from the firefight. MASTER CHIEF EDWARD BYERS, JR., MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT: The doctor finally said, hey, I'm -- I'm over here, I'm over here. And in that time I was adjusting my night vision to get some facial recognition on the person that I was on top of. WALLACE: Speaking to the brigade of midshipmen, I asked how their training prepared them for the heat of battle. WILLIAMS: Other Marines taught me what I knew, but I'm a farm boy. BYERS: There are so many unknowns that go into a hostage scenario, and it takes a lot of highly confident people and a lot of support personnel behind them to give them the tools they need to be able to execute a mission like that. WALLACE (on camera): Do you feel any sense of fear in that moment? WILLIAMS: I've always said, if you're being shot at and you have no fear, there's something wrong with you. You don't think that way. You think victoriously. You think achievement. You're going to accomplish this thing. It makes no difference what it takes to do it. CARPENTER: I truly feel like no matter what the situation was or who was in my position, you know, if they were a United States there with me, they would have done the same thing. WALLACE: I think I know the answer to this question, Woody, do you think your hero? WILLIAMS: Absolutely not. No. I was just doing a job that the Marine Corps taught me to do. And that was my duty. I was doing it for my country, my fellow Marines, and to win a war. Just imagine if we'd lost. WALLACE: What advice would you give to these young men and women? BYERS: I mean post 9/11, willingly signed up to support and defend the Constitution of our United States, and that experience will transcend the rest of your life. CARPENTER: You could have gone to any other big school. You could have gone to the party schools. You could have done anything else and you chose to come here. WILLIAMS: Less than one-tenth of 1 percent of our people serve in the military. So every one of you have something in you that the average person doesn't have. Every one of you, at some point in time in life, if you haven't already, you will realize that, hey, I'm doing one of the most noble things that a human being can do, and that's to serve somebody else. (END VIDEOTAPE) WALLACE: What a special evening that was. In case you're wondering, Woody Williams, veteran of the Battle of Iwo Jima, turns 95 next month. And that's it for today. Have a great week and we'll see you next "Fox News Sunday." END Content and Programming Copyright 2018 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2018 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of CQ-Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. This is a rush transcript from "Sunday Morning Futures," September 16, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. MARIA BARTIROMO, HOST: Good Sunday morning. Florence is now a tropical depression, as it continues to batter the Southeast, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. We will have a live report coming up right from the scene straight ahead. President Trump is set to impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods in an escalating trade war with Beijing, as threats to our national security loom large. And will the president declassify documents related to FISA and Bruce Ohr? The Republican push for transparency in the investigation is gaining steam this morning. We will talk with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes on both of those issues. We're also getting reaction this morning from Congressman John Ratcliffe, who sits on both the House Judiciary Committee and the Homeland Security Committee. Plus, a heated back and forth between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his predecessor, John Kerry, over U.S. policy toward Iran. All that coming up. Good morning, everyone. Thanks so much for joining me. I'm Maria Bartiromo. This is "Sunday Morning Futures." All of those stories coming up this morning. But, first, at least 12 have been confirmed dead in the Carolinas. As Florence downgrades to a tropical depression, it is still dumping historic amounts of rain in North Carolina, posing a major risk of even more flooding. Dozens of devastated communities already coping with historic levels of floodwaters and power outages. Florence is now drifting westward over South Carolina, where at least one person was killed Friday and tens of thousands are without power this morning. Forecasters are warning that the worst is still yet to come. Griff Jenkins is live from Jacksonville, North Carolina, with the very latest. Griff, good morning to you. GRIFF JENKINS, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Maria. Anyone who has ever been to Jacksonville knows this late-night landmark spot, Marina Cafe, behind me, you can see it's taken on flooding. This is the New River. The rainfall and the storm, the New River is causing the problems. And let me just walk you through the parking lot of the marina. Now, in the distance is where the New River comes up. There's actually a marina, obviously, behind us, but it is at almost record levels, Maria. At 14 feet, the New River floods. That's the flood stage level. But it's at 24.08 this morning. The record is 25.1. What I'm standing in right now, this is the parking lot. The dockmaster you see in the distance has been back in a boat trying to see what the damage is, assess the damage. We have a little reprieve in the rain. It's been raining all morning, but he's getting his first look at the dock, to the damage back there. But if you look out there, you can see just unbelievable what it's been doing to Onslow County, where we are, officials saying they have already made rescues this morning trying to get to people. But with rain in the forecast, it's made life difficult. You can see, on the highway, on the bridge, there are cars moving, and getting some power back on. But they're having to do these rescues while they do the restoration. And it's made it more complicated with more rain in the future. I want you to look just all the way across the New River for me, though. That orange roof, the yellow building, that has been a bright spot in all of this misery. That is Monster's Pizza. It's the only restaurant that's been open. The owner in there, Tom Sanders, he decided he's got to stay open. And he's been working for three straight days with -- oh, a fish is jumping here near us. Just told you, now that you have fish in the parking lot, it's just a testament to how deep this water is. But Tom Sanders has been staying open for three straight days feeding the community. There have been hundreds lining up in his parking lot. And here is why Tom says he did it. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TOM SANDERS, OWNER, MONSTER'S PIZZA: Well, I'm doing it because it's needed. I mean, there's nothing open. The storm closed everybody down, and most of the places around here are corporate-owned or something like that to, where they don't open. As long as the law lets me do it, I do it. (END VIDEO CLIP) JENKINS: And, Maria, the dock master just coming around. He doesn't want to talk to us. He's busy, but he says it's about 10 feet underwater back in the back, as people try and get back to life. But with rain in the forecast, it's going to be pretty tough, Maria. BARTIROMO: That is an incredible shot, Griff. You are in a parking lot. The water is almost up to your waste. Just extraordinary. Thanks so much, Griff Jenkins, reporting. Twelve people are dead as a result of this hurricane, thousands of damage. We have got more now. President Trump is expected to announce new tariffs on about $200 billion of Chinese imports as early as tomorrow. National security concerns continue over China's theft of U.S. intellectual property as well. The tariffs are expected to be set at about 10 percent. That is a lower level than the initial 25 percent rate suggested by the president earlier this year. Let's bring in House Intelligence Committee Chairman California Republican Congressman Devin Nunes from the World Ag Expo in Tulare, California. And it is good to see you, Mr. Chairman. Thanks very much for joining us. REP. DEVIN NUNES, R-CALIFORNIA: Great to be back with you, Maria. Thank you. BARTIROMO: A lot to talk about with you. Let me kick it off with China, because I know that your committee has been investigating China from a national security angle. Your response or take on what the president is trying to do here? NUNES: Well, I think, ultimately, we're going to win this trade war. I'm glad that NAFTA seems like it's on better footing now. We have made an agreement with Mexico. I believe the Canadians will come forward. And it'll be good to get that solved. The fact that finally we have a president who is taking on China, this has long been needed. We have been running an investigation into -- from the House Intelligence Committee into Chinese activities around the globe. We have talked about them on your show before. But what people need to really focus in on are a couple of items. One is that the Chinese are stealing us blind. So they are beginning to steal our intellectual property and they're moving it to China. In fact, I think it's very possible within just a few years, you will see the Silicon Valley and the Austin, Texas, and those places where it's kind of a hotbed of think tanks and people who really develop new technology, you could easily see that code be transferred over to China and you could see China become the new Silicon Valley. So that's first and foremost. Secondly, you have economic subversion that they're doing to countries all over the globe, including what I think many people understand, many Western European countries, where they own major financial institutions, power grids, electric companies, ports. They have loaned a lot of money to countries all over the globe. And just this past week, you saw that you have countries in Central America who have long supported Taiwan, the island of Taiwan. They actually pulled their support and switched from supporting Taiwan to China. We actually went and pulled out our ambassadors, I believe, in Panama and Honduras. So this is something that continues to move forward. The president has these tariffs that he's talking about putting on the table and implementing. And I think, look, if the Chinese don't come to the table and, number one, stop stealing our intellectual property, number two, stop dumping products on the market, I don't think we have a choice, because if we really wait too long, our military is not going to be able to go up against the Chinese in parts of the globe. BARTIROMO: Wow. I want to just take a look at how the Chinese are using their economic strength and putting it toward their military strength. We have got a map here of China's militarized islands. And I know this is something that your committee has been looking at, the fact that China is going into the sea and building islands, and saying that this is Chinese territory, and then building military sites there. Tell us what they're doing in particular in the South China Sea. NUNES: Well, and all of that started under the Obama administration. So the irony in all this -- and it's always good to go back and look at recent history, so that we get the facts on the table. So, you have the Obama administration, who said, we're going to reset relationships with Russia. We're going to actually withdraw troops from Europe, because the Russia threat is no more, and we're going to pivot to Asia. Now, what happened? They completely botched Russia completely and now tried to blame it on the Trump administration. And at the same time, they have militarized -- I can't see your map, but I'm familiar with the map -- they have militarized, building these islands which are essentially stationary aircraft carriers, where they have complete, military control, command-and-control, of the entire South China Sea. So it makes it very hard for the United States to keep those major trade waters open in the event of any type of conflict, because on any given day, you have two-thirds of the world's commerce transiting through that region. BARTIROMO: Yes. We want to keep up with you on this. I'm going to keep checking back with you in terms of how your investigation is going. This is real important. And we wanted to make sure to point it out, because we talk a lot about trade as it results -- as it relates to China, but not as much about national security. And that's what you are focused on. Let me move on, Mr. Chairman, and that is -- and get your update on where you are in your investigation into the FBI, the DOJ, and its handling of the two investigations, Trump-Russia and the Hillary Clinton investigation. There's been a call from your colleagues for the president to declassify documents related to the Trump-Russia investigation. You have been asking the president to do just that. You also have depositions of important interviews that you have done. Will you declassify all those interviews? NUNES: Yes, Maria, so the American people now are beginning to see the walls are beginning to close in on the corrupt officials at the Department of Justice and the FBI. Many of them have been fired. Many of them are on leave. Many of them have been demoted. But you are -- you are slowly starting to see this collapse in on them, even though the mainstream media is not covering this, because they seem so focused on drinking the Russian Kool-Aid on terms of what is -- who is getting indicted by the special counsel, and instead focus on, look, was there any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, which the answer is no. So, we have known this for a long time. Our committee really led this investigation. If you look at a lot of the facts that are now out, it's the facts that we found on the House Intelligence Committee. So, we believe that the depositions that we took, I think nearly about 70 people, those need to be published. And they need to be published, I think, before the election. Published, I mean being put out for the American people to review, so that they can see the work that we did and they can see all of the people that were interviewed by us and their answers to those questions. I think full transparency is in order here. So I expect to make those available from our committee to the American public here in the next few weeks. BARTIROMO: So -- so, let me just go back here. This is breaking news right now. You are going to declassify your depositions of some 70 individuals related to the Trump-Russia collusion narrative? NUNES: Yes. So some of them are not even classified. Some of them are just held at the committee. So, matter of fact, I think 70 or 80 percent of them are not classified. The ones that are classified, we will have to send to the department of the-- or the director of national intelligence to declassify, but we hope that that would only take a matter of days, and they don't do their normal foot- dragging, where they slow-roll and we don't get these before the election. But just for the sake of full transparency, because there's so much that's out there that's misinformation or disinformation on the -- on this Russia- gate fiasco, that we need this information out before the election. And that's why we have been asking the president of the United States to declassify many more documents as it relates to not only Bruce Ohr, but also with the Carter Page FISA. BARTIROMO: Will the president declassify those documents before the midterm elections? NUNES: Well, look, I think he doesn't have any choice. If -- the president talks a lot about how this Russia investigation has hampered his administration. And I totally agree with the president on that. And if the president wants the American people to really understand just how broad and invasive this investigation has been to many Americans, and how unfair it has been, he has no choice but to declassify. And I will tell you, if -- as we continue to move forward here, it's in the best interests of our intelligence agencies to have full transparency on this, because you're -- you're really dealing with many Americans who are living in an alternative universe, who have drank this Russia Kool-Aid. There is a large -- there is a large number of Americans, Maria -- and I know it's probably not the people watching your show right now, but you would be shocked at the number of Americans who have drank the Russia Kool- Aid, and they actually believe that Donald Trump is under control of Vladimir Putin. BARTIROMO: Right. NUNES: They actually believe that House Republicans are somehow under the control of Vladimir Putin. BARTIROMO: Yes. NUNES: I mean, there's a -- I bet 10, 15, 20 percent of Americans believe this. BARTIROMO: It's incredible. NUNES: And it's absolutely nuts. BARTIROMO: And not only that, but this has to do with a media leak strategy now, we understand. I have got to get your take on this, because they were pretty effective with their media leak strategy, if you're telling me that 20 percent of the American people actually believe it. We are going to take a short break, Mr. Chairman, but I have got to get your take on these new texts that we just -- were revealed this past week, where we hear Peter Strzok say, well done, Page. You just planted two negative stories about Donald Trump and company. We will get to that. Stay with us. More with Devin Nunes when we come back. Follow me on Twitter @MariaBartiromo, @SundayFutures. Let us know what you would like to hear from the chairman of Intel, as we look ahead on "Sunday Morning Futures." Back in a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) BARTIROMO: And we're back now with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes from Tulare. Mr. Chairman, let me ask you to comment on what we learned this week, some of these texts that were revealed from Peter Strzok to his girlfriend, Lisa Page, about a media leak strategy. So here is one, where Peter Strzok says to her: "I had literally just gone to find this phone to tell you that I want to talk to you about media leak strategy with DOJ before you go." Twelve days later, he says: "Article is out. Well done, Page." Your reaction to this? NUNES: Yes. Well, and what you see is the mainstream media and even Strzok's attorneys have said, no, no, he actually wanted to get to the bottom of leaks. He was really worried about getting to the bottom making sure nobody was leaking. Look, that's not what was happening. What was happening here -- and this ought to scare American people -- it scares me to know that the FBI and DOJ would go out and leak fake news stories in many cases, plant them in many cases, and then pick up those fake news stories to use it as a pretext -- and that's the word that they use in their texts, in one of their text messages -- a pretext to go out and interview American citizens, knock on their door and say, look, we read these three news stories that we're not going to tell you we actually planted with the news, and we want to talk to you about these new stories. So that's first. Second, don't forget that the Page -- the Carter Page FISA, it wasn't just that they used the Clinton dirt to -- as a basis to go out and get the FISA. They also used planted news stories to corroborate the -- the dossier in front of the court. So they went to the court and said, look, look at these news stories, Judge. They actually match this dossier, never telling the court that actually, no, those were planted news stories by the Clinton campaign and the FBI. So these -- these people are really dirty. I hope that we continue to get all of this information out before the election, so that people know just how sick this Russia Kool-Aid that's been poured upon the American people, how bad it's really been. BARTIROMO: It's just been extraordinary to me how all of these agents were politicized. Here we are, the summer of 2016. It's a major presidential election, and all of this misconduct, not just from this cabal of people at the top of the FBI and the DOJ, but also perhaps the CIA. And then we see John Brennan all over town trashing the president. Here is the Peter Strzok text on December 15, 2016, referring to the CIA, we believe: "We think our sisters have begun leaking like mad. Scorned and worried and political, they're kicking into overdrive," says Peter Strzok to Lisa Page. Your thoughts on this? And is that the CIA, "our sisters"? NUNES: Well, it's hard to know from that -- from that text. But what I -- I can tell you is that we -- we saw, I think, an unprecedented level of coordination between the Clinton campaign, their associates, like Fusion GPS and others, who had ties and tentacles into the FBI and other agencies, the Department of State, where they were able to generate fake news stories, and dozens and dozens, really. BARTIROMO: Right. NUNES: If you go back, you can probably pick out about two to three dozen authors of -- reporters... BARTIROMO: Incredible. Yes. NUNES: ... that actually were fed this directly, and then spread that out... BARTIROMO: Right. NUNES: ... in order to use it as a basis for an investigation. BARTIROMO: We got to jump, Mr. Chairman. But I know that if the House slips in November, you will no longer be the chairman. Perhaps your colleague on the left, Adam Schiff, may very well be. We won't hear another word about this story. We will see you soon, Mr. Chairman. Thanks very much. NUNES: Thank you. BARTIROMO: Chairman Nunes joining us. A war of words erupting between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Secretary of State John Kerry, meanwhile, over Iran. Is Kerry conducting backdoor diplomacy, at the expense of U.S. foreign policy? Former Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman will join me next. And then we will talk with Congressman John Ratcliffe, pick where we left off with Devin Nunes. We're looking ahead on "Sunday Morning Futures" right now. Back in a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) BARTIROMO: Welcome back. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lasting his predecessor, John Kerry, for -- quote -- "actively undermining U.S. policy in Iran" by meeting with officials in Iran since leaving office. Pompeo tweeted this: "What John Kerry has done by engaging with Iran's regime, the world's top state sponsor of terror, is unseemly, unprecedented and inconsistent with U.S. foreign policy. The deal failed. Let it go." Former Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman joins me right now to talk more about that. He's the chairman of United Against Nuclear Iran. He's also former chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee. And he was the Democratic vice presidential candidate in the year 2000. Good to see you, Senator. Thanks so much for joining me. SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: You too, Maria. Thank you. BARTIROMO: I mean, people are talking about the Logan Act. What is your take on John Kerry going around Pompeo and talking with Iran? LIEBERMAN: Yes, I think the Logan Act is probably beside the point. It's been on the book for almost two centuries. I don't know that it's ever been enforced. But here is the point. America has only one secretary of state at a given time, one president, and they have a right, as a result of their election, to conduct our foreign policy. When a former secretary of state goes to see the foreign minister of Iran, particularly when that former secretary of state, John Kerry, has a totally different position than the Trump administration, Secretary Pompeo, myself, I'm really grateful that the Trump administration pulled out of the Iran nuclear agreement. I thought it was a bad agreement for the United States. We have got Iran on the ropes now. And a meeting between John Kerry and the Iranian foreign minister really sends a message to them that somebody in America who is important and maybe trying to revive them, and let them wait and be stronger against what the administration is trying to do, which is to get a better nuclear agreement with the Iranians. So I think it was a mistake for John Kerry to meet with the Iranian foreign minister. The only way I would say he should meet with any world leader today is if he was authorized by the current administration. And I would have said that if Condi Rice wanted to meet with somebody when Barack Obama was president. BARTIROMO: Of course. You were against the Iran deal from the beginning. LIEBERMAN: Right. BARTIROMO: But John Kerry, basically, he admitted it in his memoir book tour, that he met with him three times. What is he trying to do? LIEBERMAN: Well... BARTIROMO: We're out of the deal. What is John Kerry going to do? LIEBERMAN: Right. Right. Elections have consequences. And in this case and, in my opinion, thank God, the election had the consequence of pulling us out of a bad agreement that didn't stop the Iran nuclear program, which is why we adopted all those economic sanctions in Congress all those years that just forced them to put the brakes on for a while if they keep their word. So I think, with John Kerry meeting with the Iranians, it encourages them, whether he said this or not, to believe they could wait it out, they should be tougher with the U.S. The fact is, though even our allies in Europe seem to be clinging to that bad agreement, their businesses are exiting Iran, because, if you give them a choice, as President Trump and Mike Pompeo have now forced them to make, between doing business with Iran, $500 billion GDP, and doing business with America, $21 trillion GDP, it's an easy choice. BARTIROMO: Yes. (CROSSTALK) LIEBERMAN: They're going to get out of Iran. And that's what's happening now. And we ought not to -- John Kerry ought not to lessen that impact on the Iranians, when we got them at a point where they may really want to make a better deal. BARTIROMO: It seems to me that the president's skeptic, whether it be John Kerry and the Obama administration talking and trashing the president in these outings, or the mainstream media ignoring important stories, they are out of their minds over the outcomes that this president has had, 4-plus percent economic growth, the outcome of his economic policy, the outcome of these judges. Look at the Kavanaugh hearing. You have been a student of this for many years. Have you ever seen anything like the circus that we saw for the Brett Kavanaugh hearing two weeks ago? LIEBERMAN: Well, we have had some circuses, even on Supreme Court nominations, which are so important. They probably first began in a way that seems quite tempered and civil now with Judge Bork being nominated to the Supreme Court by President Reagan. And, of course, last, under President Obama, Merrick Garland, Judge Garland was delayed, didn't come up, but these hearings on... BARTIROMO: But I'm talking about Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, the theatrics that they staged. They wanted the whole thing shut down. (CROSSTALK) LIEBERMAN: Yes. Right. I have found these hearings on Kavanaugh, whatever you think of Judge Kavanaugh, to be, well, unseemly, to be very disappointing. And it's hard to believe, that not so long ago, Justice Scalia was unanimously confirmed by the bipartisan Senate. Justice Ginsburg was confirmed 96-3. And what we have got now over the highest court is a mud fight, which brings the court and the country down. And it's just another example of the way partisanship, the parties and ideologies have taken over, and the best interests of the country are not served. BARTIROMO: I don't think this is what the American people want, particularly going into the midterm elections. They want to see progress. If the Democrats take control and flip the House, nothing will get done in the next two years. Nothing. LIEBERMAN: Well, that's the challenge. You know... BARTIROMO: They will stop everything that the president wants to do. LIEBERMAN: Yes, absolutely. And when I talk to people -- and I see it on polls. What do people really want? They want problems solved. BARTIROMO: Right. LIEBERMAN: They want the country to seize its opportunities for a better future. And they are really disgusted by the mess in Washington, by the partisan reflex back and forth, because as my friend John McCain -- God bless him -- would say, they're not putting -- people in Washington are not putting their country first. BARTIROMO: Yes. And yet that's what we see. We will keep watching. Good to see you, Senator. Thanks very much. LIEBERMAN: You too, Maria. Thank you. BARTIROMO: We appreciate you joining us, Joe Lieberman there. How has the federal response been to Florence? We will talk with Congressman John Ratcliffe, who sits on that committee who oversees FEMA. We will also get back into the testimony from Lisa Page in which she said collusion was still unproven by the time of Mueller's special counsel appointment. That was in 2017. We're looking ahead on "Sunday Morning Futures" right now. John Ratcliffe other side of this break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) BARTIROMO: Welcome back. Back to our top story right now. Florence has been downgraded to a tropical depression, but the danger is far from over. As we told you earlier, it continues to dump heavy rainfall on the already flooded Carolinas. The White House keeping a close eye on the unfolding situation, with all eyes on FEMA and its response. Texas Republican Congressman John Ratcliffe sits on the House Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees. That committee oversees FEMA. He is also a member of the House Judiciary Committee and a former federal prosecutor. Congressman, it's good to see you this morning. Thanks very much for joining us. REP. JOHN RATCLIFFE, R-TEXAS: You bet. Good morning, Maria. BARTIROMO: I want to get into one of our top stories. And that's the FBI and the DOJ investigation. But, first, let me kick it off with Florence, because 12 people are dead now as a result of this storm. How has FEMA done in this event? And were there things that needed to be done that have not been done so far? Give us your take on where we stand in terms of Hurricane Florence. RATCLIFFE: Sure. As the storm dissipates, it's a little bit difficult to get final grades for how FEMA has been doing. But I think they have been very smart and very strategic with respect to prepositioning and prestaging assets, everything from rescue helicopters and vehicles, rescue personnel, medical personnel, power and utility personnel, as well as supplies, six million meals, four million liters of water, hundreds of thousands of cots and blankets for those impacted. So I think, under really difficult circumstances, FEMA has done a really great job. You mentioned casualties. And any number is too many, but when you look at a storm of this size and this magnitude, we're talking about a tiny, tiny fraction of what we typically see or expect here. So we will wait until relief and rescue efforts turn to remediation efforts, and then we will bring FEMA in, assess the final damage and give final grades. But right now, I think they are doing a good job under really, really difficult circumstances, and hope to see that continue this week. BARTIROMO: Our thoughts and prayers to the Carolinas. Congressman, let me move on and ask you about the breaking news that we have had this morning. Earlier, we heard Devin Nunes say that he is going to declassify some of the classified depositions that he's taken. That's important. Got to get your take on that. And then we have got this. Catherine Herridge has gotten her hands on the transcript of testimony. You were interviewing Lisa Page, the former lawyer at the FBI recently, in that hearing. And we have these texts from Peter Strzok to Lisa Page back in 2017, when Peter Strzok was questioning whether or not he should move over to the special counsel Robert Mueller investigation. And he says: "An investigation leading to impeachment? You and I both know the odds are nothing. If I thought it was likely, I would be there, no question. I hesitate in part because of my gut sense and concern there's no big there." Explain this, Congressman. RATCLIFFE: Well, as I told Catherine Herridge yesterday, I wish I could say more about it. But until those transcripts become public, I can only really talk about the around the edges. But Lisa Page's testimony, I can say, is consistent with a lot of other testimony, to the point that neither she or Peter Strzok and the folks at the center of the Trump-Russia collusion investigation had any evidence of collusion with Russians nearly a year into the investigation. So I asked her about those questions in detail. I was heartened to hear Chairman Nunes say he was going to release those transcripts from the House Intelligence Committee. I would urge Chairman Goodlatte to do the same with respect to Lisa Page and Peter Strzok and others, because the sooner those transcripts become public, the sooner the public will see that this Russian collusion narrative is at best misleading and at worst false from the onset. BARTIROMO: So, we know that he said there's no there. They had informants trying to lure Trump campaign officials to get them into meetings. They had a media leak strategy, apparently, all the while knowing that there was no collusion. This is just extraordinary, Congressman. We have some more texts for you to walk through us with. Walk us through them, because here is another one from Peter Strzok to Lisa Page. After two negative articles were out, he says: "Well done." What was this media leak strategy, sir? RATCLIFFE: Yes, I will concede that there is such a thing as a media leak strategy, having been a national security and terrorism prosecutor. Sometimes, you do have to deal with leaks in high-profile cases. But the texts really underscore that what Lisa Page and Peter Strzok were doing there wasn't trying to control the leaks, but to get information out that they wanted to influence this narrative. So, it's very troubling. Again, all of this ties in. It's not just Lisa Page and Peter Strzok, Maria. What's important and significant about what Devin Nunes told you earlier is more than 70 witnesses appeared before the House Intelligence Committee. All of them were asked the same question. What evidence do you have of Russian collusion with Donald Trump or the Trump campaign? What evidence do you have of conspiracy? What evidence do you have of coordination? And they batted 1000 in their response. These are folks like Susan Rice and Samantha Power, senior DOJ and department officials and intelligence and law enforcement officials. And they all said, we don't have any. So what we have known and what I want the public to see from these transcripts is that our law enforcement and intelligence communities have known for a while that there isn't evidence of Russian collusion with Donald Trump or the Trump campaign. The sooner the public finds that out, the better off we will all be. BARTIROMO: So, where does this leave the special counsel, Congressman? As a former federal prosecutor yourself, what is Robert Mueller doing? What is he going to have to do in the coming months? RATCLIFFE: Well, part of what he's doing is still a mystery and a source of frustration to some of us in Congress, because we have only seen of order appointing Robert Mueller. We haven't seen the second scope memo that Rod Rosenstein signed in August of 2017. And so when folks say, let Robert Mueller do his job, I'm all in favor of that, but we need to know what his job is. And so it seems incredible to me that members of Congress with oversight responsibilities at the Department of Justice, none of us have seen that scope memo. So it's hard to comment on that with respect to Robert Mueller. I am one that has not questioned his integrity, but I have questioned his judgment at times. I think the way he has staffed his team with folks that are very clearly anti-Trump and very pro-Clinton partisans, some of whom attended her victory party, some of whom have given her money, and some of whom have made derogatory statements about Donald Trump, all call into question whatever findings he comes up with. And what I don't want is for the American people to end up in a hung jury, where regardless of the work that he's doing, half the folks are going to conclude that it's not accurate because of who has been involved in his team. So we will have to see with respect to that. BARTIROMO: Well, I want to see when you're going to see all of this. Whether or not it happens before the midterm elections, you are in a fight in terms of the midterms. And we know, if the House flips, we're not going to hear another word about this. I want to ask you about the cost of the special counsel investigation. How much is it costing taxpayers? Let's take a short break and get into that when we come back. We're looking ahead on "Sunday Morning Futures," speaking with Congressman John Ratcliffe. More with him coming up. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. BOB GOODLATTE, R-VIRGINIA: We are working right now to schedule them. If they don't appear voluntarily, we will subpoena them. We're going to do that work right through the fall. And whether it falls before or after the election, we're going to persist. But we want them in as quickly as possible, as well as some other key people, Nellie Ohr, the wife of Bruce Ohr, Glenn Simpson, her employer at Fusion GPS, and others. (END VIDEO CLIP) BARTIROMO: That was House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte of Virginia with me last weekend on this program when I asked him whether the committee is going to be bringing back people like Loretta Lynch, James Comey and Sally Yates before the midterm elections. I'm back with Republican Congressman John Ratcliffe of Texas, a member of the House Judiciary Committee. What is the plan, Congressman, in terms of bringing back those people? You called it, when we spoke earlier, a rolling production of data, forcing you to bring people back, because, otherwise, it looks like perjury. RATCLIFFE: Right. So Chairman Goodlatte identified Nellie Ohr as one of the folks coming in. She's planning to come into our committee later this week. She, of course, is the wife of Bruce Ohr. As I told you last time I was on this show, Maria, before Bruce Ohr's deposition, I was hoping to find out whether folks at the Department of Justice and the FBI were aware of certain material facts and exculpatory evidence before the first FISA application. And I can tell you that, based on his testimony, without getting into the specifics, did nothing to ameliorate my concerns. It only exacerbated them. He identified half-a-dozen people at the FBI and at the Department of Justice that knew of his operational role, his wife's operational role, the fact that they were being paid for those roles. So we're going to continue to bring in the Nellie Ohrs. I would like to bring in George Papadopoulos at this point. And with respect to Comey and Lynch and Yates and others, Chairman Goodlatte has tried the nice way. I think the not-so-nice way of a subpoena is going to be necessary and appropriate at this point, because... BARTIROMO: Yes. RATCLIFFE: ... you have alluded to this, Maria, about justice delayed can be justice denied. And if Republicans are not in control of the House, we may never get a chance to question these folks again. BARTIROMO: Real quick, Congressman, is it even possible that Robert Mueller will not look at -- with all of this blatant wrongdoing in our faces that we talk about every Sunday, is it even possible that Robert Mueller is not going to look at this? And how much is this special counsel investigation costing us, where he is not looking at any of this? RATCLIFFE: I will be honest with you, Maria. I don't think he is looking at this angle of it. I have seen no indication that he's doing that. And I think that that's why many of us think there need to be a second special counsel dedicated to investigating the Department of Justice and the FBI. And when I say that, I mean the senior folks within the Obama administration that we have been talking about. You know, Bob Mueller, the cost of this, obviously, we're in the millions of dollars, tens of millions of dollars. And you know what? It's all worth it if he does write the definitive narrative on Russian interference in our elections. But that's different than Russian collusion with Trump or the Trump campaign. And what I don't want Bob Mueller to do is to fall into the same circle with Jim Comey and allow their actions to influence the outcome of an election or attempt to influence the outcome of an election. The American people deserve to know that Donald Trump wasn't colluding with the Russians, if, in fact, that determination has been made by the special counsel. BARTIROMO: Congressman, it's good to have you on the program this morning. All I can say is, this upcoming midterm election seems like the most consequential midterm elections we have seen in a long time. Thank you for joining us, sir. We will be watching the developments. And we have only 50 days away until the midterms, both sides calling it a consequential election. Will the economy play a starring role? Our panel is on that angle, as we look ahead on "Sunday Morning Futures" next. Stay with us. Ed Rollins and James Freeman. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) BARTIROMO: Welcome back. We are joined now by our panel. Ed Rollins is a former campaign manager for Reagan-Bush 1984. James Freeman is an assistant editor of The Wall Street Journal's editorial page. Both are FOX News contributors. Great to see you, gentlemen. ED ROLLINS, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Thank you. JAMES FREEMAN, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Good to be here. Thanks. BARTIROMO: Thank you so much for joining us. We're talking a little China with these tariffs that we're going to see tomorrow from the president, as well as midterm elections. Your thoughts on this new doubling down of these new tariffs, 10 percent rate? FREEMAN: Yes. Yes. It is a serious move. It's a politically dangerous move, because this, unlike the previous rounds, which kind of hit manufactures, these are tariffs on a lot of consumer goods. So consumers are going to see higher prices. And you have to believe the retaliation from China, as has been their pattern, is going to target Trump states, agriculture. So there's a question here of how patient farmers, who generally like the president, are going to be with this trade fight. BARTIROMO: You say, on the one hand, the tariffs are going to hit every day, ordinary Americans because it's just consumer goods. FREEMAN: Right. BARTIROMO: On the other hand, the retaliatory tariffs are going to hit the farmers. FREEMAN: Yes. And bicycles, luggage, all kinds of stuff, people are going to see those prices. The president has been popular in the Farm Belt. He's obviously trying to set the table either to permanently advantage the United States, in his view... BARTIROMO: Yes. FREEMAN: ... or to get a deal out of China. But we will see if the voters will have that patience. BARTIROMO: Ed, how do you see it? ROLLINS: I see it exactly the same way. I think -- I think it's very precarious. The Chinese are planners. I have been -- spent a lot of time in China in the past. They have a 50-year plan. And they probably have a 10-year plan relative to how they screw up Trump and screw up the Congress. So my sense is, they know every single congressional district. They know what's going to happen, what impact it's going to be. Once the president... BARTIROMO: That's amazing. ROLLINS: No, it's just -- well, that's the way they are. They are big thinkers. And they're very oriented to plan. And our planning in the U.S. is lunch next week. So I think, to a certain extent, we shouldn't underestimate that. Equally as important, I think the 10 percent tariff, we can probably get through that. But if it goes higher, and it goes to more subjects, I think it is going to have a big impact, and it could be all the way through the presidential election. BARTIROMO: But look at this op-ed in The New York Post today going into the midterm elections. The writer writes: "One question Republicans needs to ask voters to keep Congress, are you better off today than you were two years ago?" Look at every economic metric. ROLLINS: I agree. BARTIROMO: Unemployment, income, poverty, household income, wages. I mean, will voters... ROLLINS: I think it's very important that congressmen make that challenge: Are you better off? The problem is, it's -- an election like this, it's all about the president. And the president has popularity in some places and unpopularity in other places. What people always forget is that both sides of about 90 percent of their voter base. There are 40 percent of the electorate that are independents. It's like Florida last week. It was a closed election. None of the independents could vote. So you have 40 percent of Floridians who now will vote for the first time in November. BARTIROMO: Yes, I don't think we can underestimate, though, the misconduct on the left and the theatrics with the Kavanaugh hearing or the theatrics or the putting your finger on the scale. I think voters remember this. I wouldn't be surprised to see they keep the House majority for the Republicans. What do you think? ROLLINS: Yes, I hope so. FREEMAN: Yes, I wouldn't be surprised either. I think this is the great story Republicans have to tell. You mentioned all the economic statistics that are moving in the right direction. And we should say, if the president gets a win on China trade, that's still another victory. But all of those statistics you're talking about have definitely been appreciated by the American people. You go back two years ago. Pollsters always ask, right track/wrong track. Tell us about the direction of the country. Vs. two years ago, it is up 22 points. It's improved by 22 points. BARTIROMO: Yes. FREEMAN: So all of these -- this good economic news, which comes from the tax-cutting and the deregulating, is understood by voters. BARTIROMO: You have got more money in your pocket. You have got unemployment at record levels. Thanks, everybody. Have a great weekend, everybody. END Content and Programming Copyright 2018 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2018 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of CQ-Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. Its a story thats so shocking it beggars belief, and has resulted in a man being awarded $3.34 million in compensation. Ilija Loncar was employed as a waiter onboard the Norwegian Breakaway when he developed flu-like symptoms including nausea. But when the 30-year-old, from Serbia, made what should have been a simple visit to the ships doctor for some relief, he never could have predicted the events that were to follow. The doctor, Sebastian Campuzano, had been hired by the cruise line just a few months prior, and was described as a young, inexperienced, Columbia-trained physician. According to documents tabled in a Florida court, Dr. Campuzano prescribed the antihistamine promethazine, which was injected by nurse Marco Oracion in a huge dose over a short period of time. This lead to an intense reaction that plunged the crewmate into a catastrophic situation that resulted in his arm being amputated. Loncars lawyer Thomas B. Scolaro, from Miami-based company Leesfield Scolaro, alleges the medication wasnt even suitable for the workers illness and that the anti-nausea drug Zofran would have been a better option. The drug had also allegedly been injected intravenously into Mr Loncars arm, instead of intramuscularly in his buttocks which is the recommended technique. They gave (Mr. Loncar) the most dangerous type of medication they could give to treat this very simple, common problem that can be treated with a very light and easy medication Zofran. Its all they needed to do. Thomas B. Scolaro, Lawyer (Dr. Campuzano) gave the wrong medication, the wrong dosage by the wrong route through the wrong injection site, and it was administered over the wrong time and by the wrong method, Mr Scolaro said. They gave (Mr. Loncar) the most dangerous type of medication they could give to treat this very simple, common problem that can be treated with a very light and easy medication Zofran. Its all they needed to do. Its like taking a Howitzer to destroy something when all you need to do is take a little BB gun and it would do the same thing. The Howitzer will destroy everything in its path. It was overkill. He claims that the 25 milligram dose that was administered was well above the usual amount prescribed, the Miami Daily Business Review reports of the March 2016 incident. All the medical data out there strongly suggests six and a quarter milligrams is a perfectly therapeutic dose. Campuzano orders it by intravenous injection when there is a pill, theres a suppository, theres a syrup. He orders it by IV injection into the vein when if you are going to order this medication through the injectable method theres a FDA black box warning on IV promethazine, which says the preferred route is deep intramuscular, which is a shot in the tush. Even when Mr. Loncar reported a reaction, the medical staff werent alarmed. As soon as the medication went in he immediately reported burning, Mr Scolaro said. All the warnings out there say when there is a reported burning, you stop. The court document also claim that: The FDA issued the warning because the caustic drug tends to overwhelm vascular walls and cause severe damage to surrounding tissue. Intravenous and intra-arterial injection of promethazine has led to many publicised amputations for unfortunate patients it was completely unnecessary. Oracion missed the median cubital vein altogether and instead injected the drug into the ulnar artery in that forearm Whereas intravenous administration of promethazine is merely improper and dangerous, shooting 25 milligrams of promethazine into an artery is never medically indicated, is extraordinarily reckless, and is nearly certain to cause catastrophic vascular damage. A few hours later, Mr Loncars right forearm turned black and blue. But instead of immediately evacuating him from the ship via helicopter, an expensive exercise, the medical staff massaged the affected area for 24 hours and waited until the ship reached the next dock. [Now, he] has a nub for a right arm, his life is forever changed." Thomas B. Scolaro, Lawyer As a result of the series of events he developed Compartment Syndrome, where pressure builds up due to internal bleeding and swelling. This required the amputation of his right arm once he finally reached hospital it was too late to save his gangrene-ravaged arm. A few days later, after emergency operations, the arm was amputated at the elbow. Now, he has a nub for a right arm, his life is forever changed. Mr Loncar also suffered mental anguish, loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life, loss of future earning capacity, aggravation of pre-existing conditions, inconvenience, humiliation, scarring, and disfigurement. All, Mr. Scolora alleges, because of willful, wanton, and outrageous violations in the form of medical errors and the failure to evacuate him in a timely manner. The defense argued that Mr. Loncar had a venous anomaly which made him vulnerable to the reaction he suffered. In an arbitration case at a Florida court, Mr. Loncar was awarded $3.34 million for past and present pain, medical expenses and loss of earning capacity. news.com.au has contacted Norwegian Cruise Lines for comment. This article originally appeared on news.com.au. The driver responsible for leaving an unattended rental car near a terminal at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport on Sunday morning and throwing Terminal 4 into chaos as a result is getting off with just a ticket and a towing fee. The man, whose mistake resulted in the delay of hundreds of flights and dozens of cancellations, has been issued a ticket for $52 and ordered to pay an additional fee of $75 for towing the car, Phoenix police confirmed. Police have submitted a report to the Transportation Security Administration for possible civil penalties, the Associated Press reported. PARTS OF AIRPORT SHUT DOWN AFTER WOMAN SLIPS THROUGH SECURITY ZONE Officials had initially shut down part of the Arizona airport and evacuated all passengers after someone called to report a suspicious rental car left in a curb lane at the airport shortly after 7 a.m, AZ Central reported. Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport officials announced shortly before noon on Sunday that operations were finally returning to normal after shutting down Terminal 4 as a precaution during a police investigation into the unattended vehicle. The terminal closure caused flight delays and cancellations of Southwest flights, as well as American Airlines, Air Canada and British Airways aircraft. PHILIPPINES AIRPORT PASSENGERS PANIC AFTER SEEING SNAKE IN DEPARTURES LOUNGE Phoenix Police Sgt. Tommy Thompson confirmed that a bomb squad had worked to make sure the vehicle was not a danger before the terminal could be reopened. An airport spokeswoman said three of the four security checkpoints at the terminal had closed as a result of the incident, and the Sky Train stopped dropping passengers at the terminal. Sgt. Thompson later stated that the driver, who was not named, would likely be facing nothing more than a parking citation, which he was told would amount to $56. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS Displaced passengers on Twitter, meanwhile, had called for the driver to be punished much more severely. One woman, who claimed she missed out on a friend's bridal shower as a result of the delays, shared an open tweet to the driver, saying she hopes the convenient parking job was "worth the trouble" he or she was about to get into. Another, Ryan Hintze, called the driver an "idiot." "An inconsiderate person decided to waste thousands of people's time and inconvenience them," wrote Hintze in a Twitter direct message, according to AZ Central. "I hope the idiot who left the rental car gets tracked down and punished to the fullest extent of the law." A Border Patrol agent was arrested early Saturday after allegedly killing four women -- believed to have been prostitutes -- and kidnapping a fifth, officials say. Juan David Ortiz, an intel supervisor for the Border Patrol, was found about 2 a.m. when state troopers tracked him to a hotel parking lot in the border city of Laredo, Texas. He was found hiding in a truck. Officials say they were alerted about the 35-year-old Ortiz after a fifth woman allegedly escaped from him and notified authorities. Despite withholding information surrounding the killings, including the victims identities, Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar said investigators have "very strong evidence" that Ortiz is responsible for the deaths of the four women. Cuellar said investigators believe heacted alone. Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz said that the evidence suggests that the manner in which they were killed is similar. He said authorities are still trying to pinpoint a motive for the killings, but that all of the women worked as prostitutes. "We do consider this to be a serial killer," he said. In a statement, Andrew Meehan, assistant commissioner for public affairs for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said his agency is fully cooperating with all investigators. "Our sincerest condolences go out to the victims' family and friends. While it is CBP policy to not comment on the details of an ongoing investigation, criminal action by our employees is not, and will not be tolerated," Meehan said. The district attorneys office intends to charge Ortiz with four counts of murder and one count of aggravated kidnapping. The Associated Press contributed to this report. In a story Sept. 16 previewing a trial in the death of a North Dakota woman whose baby was cut from her womb, The Associated Press misidentified the victim. She was Savanna Greywind, not Samantha Greywind. A corrected version of the story is below: 2nd trial in case that shined light on missing Native women The case of a North Dakota woman who bled to death when a neighbor cut her baby girl from her womb will be replayed in court this week when a second suspect in her killing goes to trial By DAVE KOLPACK Associated Press FARGO, N.D. (AP) A second suspect in the killing of a North Dakota woman whose baby was cut from her womb will stand trial this week, more than a year after her disappearance transfixed the state and shined a light on what advocates call oft-overlooked violence against Native American women. Savanna Greywind was 22 years old and eight months pregnant when she vanished in August 2017. Her disappearance sparked vigils and searches before her body was found eight days later, shrouded in plastic and dumped in the Red River. A neighbor in her apartment building, Brooke Crews, admitted that she killed Greywind and cut her baby from her womb. Crews' boyfriend, William Hoehn, goes on trial Tuesday on a charge of conspiracy to commit murder. Hoehn has admitted that he helped cover up Greywind's murder, but he said he didn't know Crews had planned to kill her. Here's a look at the case and the trial: MODELING A DRESS, THEN AN ATTACK Crews and Hoehn lived in apartment two floors above Greywind's, and Crews had befriended the young woman. Shortly before her disappearance, Greywind texted her mother that she was going upstairs to model a dress that Crews was sewing. According to prosecutors, Crews told investigators that she and Greywind got into an argument and that she pushed Greywind down and knocked her out before cutting her open. Greywind bled to death. When Crews and Hoehn were arrested and the newborn was found with them, Crews claimed that Greywind, who was still missing at the time, had given her the child. When Crews pleaded guilty in February, she apologized to Greywind's family, saying there was "no excuse" for what she had done. HOEHN'S ACCOUNT Hoehn told police that he came home to find Crews cleaning up blood in their bathroom. Hoehn said Crews presented him with an infant girl and said: "This is our baby. This is our family." Hoehn said he took garbage bags containing bloody shoes and his bloody towels and disposed of them away from the apartment complex. Hoehn earlier this month pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and lying to police, a misdemeanor. The remaining conspiracy charge carries a penalty of up to life in prison. WILL CREWS TESTIFY? Though Crews gave some details of the crime at her sentencing, she hasn't given a public accounting of Hoehn's role. It isn't clear whether she will testify at his trial, but she is on a list of more than 50 potential state witnesses. Cass County prosecutor Ryan Younggren declined to say whether he'll call Crews to testify. Bruce Quick, a prominent Fargo defense attorney who isn't involved in the case, said Crews might have an incentive to testify if it gives her a shot at parole. Steve Mottinger, who represented Crews in her proceedings, declined to comment. SAVANNA'S ACT Greywind was a member of the Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe and her family has ties to the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, two North Dakota groups that traveled to the Fargo area to search for Greywind. Her death prompted North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp to introduce Savanna's Act, which aims to improve tribal access to federal crime information databases and create standardized protocols for responding to cases of missing and murdered Native American women. A similar bill has been introduced in the U.S. House. Attorney Gloria Allred, who represents the Greywind family, said after Crews' sentencing that the only good to come from such a horrific crime is the possibility that other Native American women may benefit from the legislation. ___ Sign up for the AP's weekly newsletter showcasing our best reporting from the Midwest and Texas: http://apne.ws/2u1RMfv Police in North Carolina on Sunday asked the public for help identifying alleged looters at a dollar store in Wilmington a city cut off in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. The police department posted eight photos online of the alleged thieves, many of whom appeared to be holding large black garbage bags to carry the stolen items. Police said the thefts took place at a Family Dollar store in Wilmington, but did not specify which location. Officers tweeted Sunday that they had a zero-tolerance policy in looting: "If you loot, you will be arrested." FLORENCE AFTERMATH: 'CATASTROPHIC, LIFE-THREATENING' FLOODING RISK AS STORM SHATTERS RAINFALL RECORDS Five people were arrested in Wilmington on Saturday for allegedly stealing from a Dollar General store in town, police said. Management of the store initially asked police "not to intervene." However, the department later announced on Twitter it was working to identify the alleged thieves and vowed to "charge them to the fullest extent of the law." Florence, now categorized as a tropical depression, triggered severe flooding that cut off roads to the city. Officials from New Hanover County and Wilmington said Sunday that additional rainfall on Saturday night caused more problems for the area. Woody White, chairman of the county Board of Commissioners, said Sunday that "there is no access to Wilmington." Wilmington has survived its share of hurricanes, but the city of 120,000 had not suffered the amount of rain that fell from Florence, which has killed at least 17 people. Fox News' Paulina Dedaj and The Associated Press contributed to this report. A 13-year-old boy brought balloons full of cocaine to his school Friday, resulting in medical exams for a group of his schoolmates, police said. Fortunately, all of the children tested negative, FOX 26 of Fresno reported. The students at Carl F. Smith Middle School in Terra Bella, about 43 milles north of Bakersfield, discovered two balloons in the playground, the Visalia Times Delta reported, citing law enforcement. School officials assumed the white powdery substance inside the balloons was flour, but as a precaution called authorities around 8:30 a.m., Sheriffs Lt. Kevin Kemmerling said. The deflated balloons, similar to drug bindle packaging, had a white powdery substance inside and outside the packaging, the Tulare County Sheriffs Office said in a statement. Narcotics officers determined the substance was cocaine. Authorities found traces of the drug on the boys shirt and in his home after a K9 search, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. No additional cocaine was found at the school, the Sheriffs Office said. The reasons (the students) contacted school staff is they were messing with the balloons and they pulled open the balloons and saw white powdery substance and two students became very dizzy, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said. In all, 13 kids were exposed to the drug, and transported to a hospital 9 miles away, officials said. Classes resumed after investigators gave an all-clear. Meanwhile, ivestigators were questioning the boy. Upon hearing the news, parents flocked to the school to ensure their childrens safety, the Times Delta reported. Some heard the news through social media, while others did not know until they picked up their kids. Im very concerned for my daughters safety at school after today, said one paper cited by the Times Delta. The school should give more attention to the kids. This is scary. Authorities are continuing to investigate. Tropical Depression Florence, which caused at least 17 deaths and knocked out power for almost a million people, has inundated parts of North Carolina with record-shattering rainfall thats expected to push rivers over their banks in the coming days and could spawn dangerous mudslides. The slow-moving storm is expected to dump another 5 to 10 inches of rain in western North Carolina and southwest Virginia, on top of the 20 to 30 inches that have already fallen since Florence came ashore Friday as a Category 1 hurricane with 90 mph winds. "This storm has dumped nearly two feet or more in some places. The strongest storm bands are dumping nearly two to three inches per hour," said North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper during a midday Sunday news conference. The 17 fatalities include a mother and her 8-month-old child, who were killed when a massive tree crushed their house; a 61-year-old woman who was killed when the vehicle she was driving struck a tree; a 77-year old man died after he went outside to check on his dogs and was blown down; three additional people died because of flash flooding on roadways; a truck lost control on a flooded road, killing the driver. In North Carolina, 703,184 homes were without power and an additional 59,000 were without power in South Carolina. Over 26,000 people were in shelters in three states and more than 3,375 flights were canceled as a result of the storm. "Eventually the skies will clear and the floodwaters will recede. When they do, we're ready to take on the challenge of rebuilding North Carolina," Cooper said during the briefing. FEMA Administrator Brock Long said Florence would continue to impact North Carolina and that rebuilding could cost "in the billions of dollars" during an exclusive apperance on "Fox News Sunday." "This is going to be a long, frustrating recovery," Long said. A few tornadoes were also possible, forecasters said. A tornado watch was issued early Sunday morning for New Hanover County until 5 p.m. EDT. New Hanover County spokeswoman Janine Powell told the Port City Daily that evacuated residents should "stay away and off the roads altogether." We have sent damage assessment teams out this morning, Powell said. We just got word from the state highway patrol that I-40 is impassable. I-40 is the main corridor between Wilmington and Raleigh. Flash flood warnings were issued for parts of North Carolina on Sunday extending into the afternoon and officials urged residents to stay off of roads. Officials have already rescued more than 500 people in high waters around New Bern and Jacksonville, North Carolina. "There were some people who made the dangerous decision to not heed the evacuation notices down in New Bern a number of the people who had to be rescued over the past 24 36 hours were largely people who decided to stay in an area that was judged unsafe," said Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina on "Fox News Sunday." In Fayetteville, the Cape Fear River on Sunday was 3 feet away from flooding levels hitting 32 feet Sunday morning, rising 18 feet in 24 hours. The National Weather Service said the flooding will worsen in the early part of this week as the river eventually will reach a height of more than 62 feet there. FLORENCE WEAKENS TO TROPICAL DEPRESSION, BUT FLOODING THREAT REMAINS In other areas, such as the Tar River in Greenville, the National Weather Service reported devastating flooding similar to Hurricane Floyd. "As Florence moves through North Carolina, the shallow-water, surface response and port reconstitution of the Coast Guard will continue to accelerate," said Capt. Bion Stewart, leader of the Coast Guard's response to Hurricane Florence in North Carolina, in a statement. "Our teams have been coordinating with our local, state and federal partners to ensure that as favorable operational conditions increase, we work together as efficiently and effectively as possible." Numerous homes adjacent to the river in the city of Greenville are inundated. All roads in and around Greenville are flooded and impassable. Tributaries back up and flood homes, businesses, and roads in areas that are miles away from the river, the NWS reported on its website early Sunday morning. Meteorologist Ryan Maue, of weathermodels.com, calculated that Florence could dump a staggering 18 trillion gallons of rain over a week on North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Maryland. That's enough to fill the Chesapeake Bay or cover the entire state of Texas with nearly 4 inches of water. North Carolina alone is forecast to get 9.6 trillion gallons, enough to cover the Tar Heel state to a depth of about 10 inches. In Lumberton, the Lumber River is experiencing major flooding after rising to 19 feet early Sunday. Forecasters predict the waters will hit 24 feet by midday Monday, which could tie a record set by Hurricane Matthew in 2016. State officials warned that travel is extremely hazardous across North Carolina, and drivers were asked to avoid all roads south of U.S. 64 and east of Interstate 73/74. Officials published a map with a safer route that bypasses North Carolina entirely. Hazardous driving conditions aer expected to continue for several days. US COAST GUARD MEMBER REMOVED AFTER MAKING OFFENSIVE OK SIGN ON LIVE TV Duke Energy said on Saturday that heavy rains from Florence caused a slope to collapse at a coal ash landfill at a closed powe station outside Wilmington, North Carolina. Duke spokeswoman Paige Sheehan told the Citizen times that about 2,000 cubic yards of ash have been displaced at the Sutton Plant and that contaminated storm water likely flowed into Sutton Lake, the plant's cooling pond. The company hasn't determined if any contamination may have flowed into the swollen Cape Fear River and Sheehan said the company had reported the incident to state and federal regulators. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper called Florence an uninvited brute that could wipe out entire communities as it grinds its way across land. The face is this storm is deadly and we know we are days away from an ending, Cooper said. Fox News' Barnini Chakraborty and the Associated Press contributed to this report. A federal judge on Friday dismissed most claims in a $23 million lawsuit brought by a woman who said she was pepper-sprayed last year during a violent protest at the University of California at Berkeley that lead to the cancellation of a speaking event with Milo Yiannopoulos. Oakland resident Kiara Robles sued the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley, and college officials in June 2017, claiming her free speech rights had been violated when a protester tried to prevent her from attending the Yiannopoulos talk in February, Courthouse News reported. In a 23-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken dismissed Robles' claims, writing: Robles does not allege any facts showing that Berkeley took any affirmative acts to burden or infringe upon Robles First Amendment Rights. The First Amendment does not require Berkeley to protect Robles against the actions of others. The judge dismissed Robles' claims against UC President Janet Napolitano, UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks, and Antifa, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Yiannopoulos scheduled talk on the UC Berkeley campus on Feb. 1, 2017, stirred up violent protests from the far-left, which ultimately led to the events cancellation. Robles said she was pepper-sprayed during an interview with a television station on the schools premises. In a suit filed on Robles behalf in June, her attorneys alleged authorities stood down amid the escalation violence, writing: [N]early 100 campus police and SWAT members waited in the Student Union building, within eyesight of the violence happening outside, watching as protesters became more belligerent and dangerous. In deliberately holding back law enforcement, Robles attorneys unsuccessfully argued that the administration of UC Berkeley had been motivated by political beliefs that were at odds with the attendees of the Yiannopoulos event, according to Courthouse News Service. In a rebuttal cited by the Washington Times, UC Berkeley has said authorities responded to the event in a manner designed to minimize injuries to innocent members of the surrounding crowd, defend the building from incursion by massed attackers and protect and safely remove the speaker. The February debacle ultimately cost the college $100,000 in damage. Residents evacuated from their homes in three suburban Massachusetts towns were allowed to return following Thursday's gas explosions and fires that killed one person and injured at least 25, Gov. Charlie Baker announced Sunday. Residents in North Andover, Andover and Lawrence were cleared to return to their homes as of 7 a.m. Sunday. Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency said in a news release that workers have turned off nearly 8,600 meters that were impacted, cleared homes of gas and restored electricity. "We still have a long way to go, but I am so happy that people can return back home this morning [Sunday]. There will be 120 representatives from the utilities out in neighborhoods in the three communities to assist with any questions people may have as they return home," Baker tweeted. "The explosions have brought heartbreak for numerous familiesand the loss of a young life," Baker said. "After spending some time visiting shelters and the local hospital, it is evident that the residents of the Merrimack Valley and Massachusetts are coming together to be supportive and kind." Power for all residents should be restored shortly after returning to their homes. Two phases still remain in the recovery operation. "Phase 2 will consist of assessing the damage to the low pressure gas system, and Phase 3 will consist of technicians inspecting every piece of equipment from the meter, where gas enters a building, to the equipment throughout a building that distributes gas to all the appliances," the governor said. On Friday, Baker, a Republican in a heavily Democratic state, declared a state of emergency for the three towns and placed a company called Eversource in charge of repairs instead of Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, the utility that serves the area. 'Major issues' On Saturday, Baker said at a news conference that Columbia Gas was simply too slow in responding to the crisis, and that "raised major issues in our mind, about the leadership team's ability to deliver," the Boston Herald reported. Investors apparently lost confidence as well, as Columbia Gas parent NiSource saw its shares drop by 11.8 percent Friday, its worst day since 2001, CNBC reported. Meanwhile, USA Today reported Saturday that NiSource units have been linked to three prior gas explosion incidents -- in Springfield, Mass., and Sissonville, W.Va., both in 2012, and in Upper Arlington, Ohio, in 2015. The explosions, which set off scores off fires, affected about 8,600 homes and businesses, and permanently displaced about a dozen families in Lawrence, according to the paper. Baker urged returning residents to exercise caution and call 911 if they smelled gas. A report of a strong gas odor Saturday morning brought officials back to a part of Lawrence most affected by the explosions and fires. Firefighters and gas workers opened manholes, tested gas levels and tried to gain access to businesses on the city's south side, but the situation was mostly contained after 11 a.m. Cause remains unknown Still, the official cause of the explosions remained unknown, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) chairman Robert Sumwalt said. Were not here on scene to determine the probable cause, Sumwalt said. That will occur at a later date. He said NTSB investigators expect to be on site up to 10 days but a final report about what happened could take up to two years to complete. Late Saturday, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., tweeted: We need a minute-by-minute accounting of what happened before and during the #MVGasFire MV referring to the Merrimack Valley, the region comprising the communities affected by the explosion. U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., told the Herald that human error was to blame. This is not something that should be happening in 2018. Houses were literally blowing up. I was told by someone that overpressure of the gas line and not by a little is to blame," Moulton said. Sumwalt said the Columbia Gas pipeline controller in Columbus, Ohio, had reported a surge in pressure in the areas affected by the Thursday explosion. He said a review of the pipeline controllers procedures for handling such events is pending. So far, the evidence does not indicate criminal conduct, Sumwalt said. Sumwalt said the NTSB will review the pipeline controllers pressure regulators that control the flow of gas to the Merrimack Valley as well as its records up to three weeks before the explosion, the Globe reported. Fox News' Katherine Lam and The Associated Press contributed to this story. An illegal immigrant charged with killing Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts is headed to court Wednesday. Mexican national Christhian Bahena Rivera, 24, is due in court in Montezuma, Iowa, to be arraigned on a murder charge in connection with the 20-year-olds death. Prosecutors said Tibbetts was jogging July 18 in the Iowa town of Brooklyn when she was killed. The search for the young woman generated national headlines for more than a month. The search ended when Rivera led cops to her body in a cornfield. Defense attorney Chad Frese told the Des Moines Register Friday that he requested that the arraignment be conducted in open court. "Since this is a class A felony for a homicide, I want it to be on the record so theres no confusion whatsoever," Frese told the paper. "Because his education is about a fifth- or sixth-grade education in the country of Mexico." On Wednesday, a judge granted a motion for the services of a private investigator to assist Riveras defense at public expense, KWWL-TV reported Friday. Without the appointment of an investigator at state expense, defendant will be deprived of his constitutional right to a full and complete defense and equal protection under the law, Frese and his wife and co-counsel Jennifer Frese said in motion papers. The motion granted the Freses $5,000 in state funds to hire a Des Moines private investigation firm. The lawyers pointed out that its likely there will be other requests for money for the private investigator, the station reported. Rivera said in an affidavit attached to the motion that he was indigent. It said he had no job and no cash. It said he has epxenses of $270 a month in car payments. Previously, the judge appointed a Spanish interpreter at public expense to assist the defense. Riveras family is paying for his lawyers, the Register has reported. A U.S. Border Patrol supervisor accused of killing four Texas women and kidnapping a fifth was jailed Sunday on $2.5 million bond. Juan David Ortiz, 35, was arrested early Saturday after he was found hiding in a truck parked outside a Laredo hotel. He is charged with four counts of murder, as well as of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful restraint. Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz said Saturday that investigators "consider this to be a serial killer." He noted that all four of the dead had worked as prostitutes and all four were shot in the head and left in a road in the rural south Texas county. Investigators said the violence took place over 11 days, beginning with the Sept. 4 discovery of the remains of 29-year-old Melissa Ramirez. According to a police affidavit, Ortiz said he killed Ramirez, a mother of two, the previous day. A second woman, 42-year-old Claudine Anne Luera, was found shot and left in the road Thursday morning, badly injured but still alive, according to the affidavit. The mother of five died at a hospital later that day. On Friday, according to the affidavit, Ortiz picked up a woman named Erika Pena. She told police she struggled with Ortiz inside his truck, where he pointed a pistol at her, but that she was able to escape. She made it to a gas station where she found a state trooper whom she asked for help. BORDER PATROL AGENT ARRESTED, ACCUSED OF KILLING 4 WOMEN AND KIDNAPPING A 5TH According to the affidavit, Ortiz told investigators that after Pena ran off, he picked up his last two victims, whose identities have not yet been released by authorities. Jail records don't list an attorney to speak for Ortiz, who had worked for Border Patrol for 10 years. Alaniz said one of those killed was a transgender woman. At least two were U.S. citizens; the nationalities of the others were not known, he said. He said investigators were still working to determine a motive. Ortiz was believed to have acted alone. The federal agency issued a statement offering its "sincerest condolences" to the women's families and saying criminal activity by its employees is not tolerated. The Texas Department of Public Safety, whose Texas Rangers are investigating, referred questions on the case to the Webb County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Martin Cuellar did not return several messages seeking comment. Fox News' Paulina Dedaj and The Associated Press contributed to this report. A Michigan teen accused of fatally stabbing a classmate was smiling and laughing during the attack, according to reports. Two dozen students watched in horror as Tanaya Lewis, 17, killed Danyna Gibson, 16, with a kitchen knife in a classroom Wednesday at Fitzgerald High School in Warren, Mich., Fox 2 Detroit reported Friday. Witnesses said the defendant was smiling and laughing as she was chasing the victim, Detective Donald Seidel of the Warren Police Department told a judge Friday, WXYZ-TV reported Saturday. One blow penetrated Danynas heart, the station reported. Prosecutors said Lewis screamed, Im going to kill her as a teacher tried to shove her out of the classroom, according to the station. Police said there was animosity between the two straight-A students over a boy. Lewis is being held without bail on a capital murder charge. She said "yes" to the judge when asked if she understood that she is facing life behind bars without parole. Danyna's family is soliciting funds on GoFundMe for her funeral. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A teenage girl in Washington state is being credited with saving her 6-year-old brother from being attacked by a cougar earlier this month. Amaya Simpson, 16, of Inchelium, picked up a bow and arrow and struck the animal behind one of its ears, scaring it off. Amaya told Fox News that she and her brother Cole Seymour had been out practicing elk calls on the evening of Sept. 8, Wash., about 80 miles northwest of Spokane. She sensed that danger was afoot while she and her brother were out walking -- and suddenly saw the cougar about three yards away from her brother, she told the Tri-City Herald of Kennewick, Wash. I just remember getting chills, turning around, and seeing only its big brown head blending with the trees and bushes, Amaya said, then telling my brother to run to me. I just remember getting chills, turning around, and seeing only its big brown head blending with the trees and bushes -- then telling my brother to run to me. Amaya Simpson, 16 After realizing his sister was not joking around, Cole ran toward her, he told Spokane's KHQ-TV. Thats when Amaya fired the arrow toward the cougar. My adrenaline was pumping, and in that situation, it was probably record time, she told the Herald. The cougar ran off into the woods. Amaya told her father what happened, and he grabbed an AR-15 rifle and went to find the animal with the help of the familys dog, the Herald reported. He then finished off the animal, she said. Her father subsequently took the cougar to a taxidermist, she said. next Image 1 of 2 prev Image 2 of 2 The death toll from Typhoon Mangkhut in the Philippines has reached 28, a police director said Sunday, attributing the count mostly to landslides in the nation's northern provinces that were triggered by the storm. Police Director General Oscar Albayalde told the Associated Press that 20 people had died in the Cordillera region, four in Nueva Vizcaya province and another outside of the two regions, as the typhoon battered the rice-growing and mountain area Saturday. Three more deaths have been reported in northeastern Cagayan province, where the typhoon made landfall. On Sunday morning, Mangkhut was barreling toward densely populated southern China and Hong Kong, where authorities raised the highest storm warnings and moved nearly a half-million people to shelter from seven cities. Presidential adviser Francis Tolentino said about 87,000 people had been evacuated from high-risk areas and advised not to return home until the danger has passed. Mangkhut pummeled the country Saturday with ferocious winds and rain that also damaged an airport terminal and ripped off tin roofs. Mayor Mauricio Domogan said three people died and six others were missing in his mountain city of Baguio after several houses were destroyed. Landslides in the area blocked roads to the popular vacation destination, hindering emergency response efforts. Authorities also were were verifying the drownings of three people, including two children who reportedly died as the typhoon approached. Mangkhut's winds weakened to 105 mph after the storm blew across Luzon island toward the South China Sea, aiming at southern China and Hong Kong, where residents braced for the worst. Earlier Saturday, Philippine officials were assessing damage and checking on possible casualties. Authorities also were checking what happened to about 70 men who reportedly returned to their coastal village to check on their homes during the typhoon onslaught. The Associated Press contributed to this story. next Image 1 of 2 prev Image 2 of 2 For the anxious Palestinian residents of Khan al-Ahmar, there's little left to do but wait. After the West Bank hamlet lost its last legal protection against demolition late last week, Israeli forces could swoop in any day now to tear down the desert community's few dozen shacks and an Italian-funded schoolhouse made from recycled tires. Some hold out hope that Israel might be deterred by an inevitable international outcry over razing the community. Major European countries have warned that flattening Khan al-Ahmar poses a grave threat to the already fading prospects of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The seemingly outsized international attention being paid to the tiny community is linked to its strategic location in the center of the West Bank. It's an area deemed essential for setting up a viable Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, areas Israel captured in 1967. Israel has portrayed the battle over Khan al-Ahmar as a mere zoning dispute. Critics of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's policies say the village has become a symbol for what they describe as an ongoing displacement of Palestinians to make room for Israeli settlements. With demolition now looming, dozens of activists, including foreigners, have been spending nights in Khan al-Ahmar to show support. They sleep on mattresses spread out under green tarp covering the front yard of the Italian-funded school. "We cannot prevent demolition," said activist Mohammed Abu Hilweh, 30, from Jerusalem, as he stretched out on a mattress on a recent evening, settling in for the night. "But we can resist, delay and when it happens, we can rebuild," he said. Khan al-Ahmar is located a few dozen meters from a four-lane highway that runs east-west, effectively slicing the West Bank in half at a narrow waist and linking Jerusalem with the Jordan Valley. The highway is also flanked by several Israeli settlements, including Maaleh Adumim, the West Bank's third largest. A new settlement across the highway from Maaleh Adumim, called E1 by Israeli planners, would effectively block the remaining land link between West Bank Palestinians and east Jerusalem, their hoped-for capital. Khan al-Ahmar sits just outside the area mapped for E1, which until now had largely been frozen under U.S. pressure. Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Palestinian official, called the planned demolition a "blatant attempt" by Israel to separate the Palestinians from Jerusalem. "It is absolutely imperative that the international community intervene," she said. For the past 25 years, the international community has favored the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel as the best hope for peace. But those hopes are quickly fading. In a departure from predecessors, President Donald Trump, who has promised a new peace plan, has refused to endorse the two-state solution while recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital, over Palestinian opposition. The U.S. State Department has said little about the looming demolition, referring reporters to the Israeli government for details. By contrast, European governments have been outspoken. "The demolition of this small Palestinian village would not only affect a local community," EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini recently told the European Parliament. "It would also be a blow against the viability of the state of Palestine and against the very possibility of a two-state solution." Separately, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom warned in a rare joint statement that demolition would have "very serious" consequences. For now, Israel appears to be moving ahead. After a decade-long legal battle, Israel's Supreme Court rejected a final appeal earlier this month. Late last week, a moratorium on demolition expired. Israel has not announced a date for the demolition, but earlier this week dismantled five corrugated metal shacks near Khan al-Ahmar that had been set up by villagers a few days earlier in a show of defiance. On Friday, troops returned with heavy equipment, removing earthen mounds set up to slow demolition. Two Palestinians and an American-French law professor were detained. The 180 residents of Khan al-Ahmar are members of the Jahalin Bedouin tribe that has lived in the area since being expelled from the southern Negev Desert after Israel's establishment in 1948. The United Nations granted them refugee status. Shani Sasson, a spokeswoman for COGAT, the Israeli defense body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, said Israel has offered to relocate the villagers. She said the tribe squats on land that is not safe for living, and that the Israeli government has prepared an alternative site just a few kilometers (miles) away with sewage treatment and access to water and electricity. She said Israel has invested over $2 million in the relocation project. "We are doing them a service," she said. "This is not against them, this is for them." Residents acknowledge that life in their village is tough. But they say there is no place they would rather live. They say Israel is trying to move them to a site that will be too crowded for their livestock and that sits near a sewage facility and a garbage dump. "We Bedouin people like the desert life," said Yousef Abu Dahouq, a Khan al-Ahmar resident, sitting on a wooden bench near the school, sipping tea and smoking a waterpipe. "We live next to each other, support each other." The Palestinians and Europeans see a deeper Israeli agenda. Khan al-Ahmar is in the 60 percent of the West Bank that is known as Area C and remains under full Israeli control, according to interim peace deals from the 1990s that are seemingly locked in place because of diplomatic paralysis. The remainder of the territory is administered by a Palestinian autonomy government. Area C is home to about 400,000 Israeli settlers and an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 Palestinians. Israel places severe restrictions on Palestinian development while supporting and promoting dozens of settlements in the area. The EU has attempted to build numerous structures for Palestinians in Area C, only to see them demolished or rejected because of a lack of hard-to-get permits. Khan al-Ahmar's Italian-funded school was built from car tires because a construction permit could not be obtained. "This is the situation on the ground: New settlements for Israelis are built, while Palestinian homes in the same area are demolished," said Mogherini. "This will only further entrench a one-state reality, with unequal rights for the two peoples, perpetual occupation and conflict." The village chief, Eid Khamis, promised to put up a fight. "They want to kick us out and build settlements and we will not let that happen," he said. "It's our land." ___ Federman reported from Jerusalem. At least five people were killed and eight others were wounded Friday night after gunmen disguised as mariachi musicians opened fire in Mexico Citys iconic square, sending residents and tourists fleeing as they head into the weekends Independence Day celebrations. Three gunmen opened fire with pistols and rifles at Plaza Garibaldi, known to be a place where bands serenade tourists, city officials said. Four people died at the scene while another woman was pronounced dead after succumbing to her wounds at a hospital Saturday afternoon. At least one foreigner was among the five killed in the shooting rampage, the Mexico City prosecutor's office said. Surveillance video from the deadly incident showed the alleged gunmen dressed in mariachi garb as they fled on motorcycles. A Mexican security expert, Alejandro Hope, said the incident appeared to be a targeted shooting on a specific restaurant in the plaza by an organized crime group. "It was not random," he said. The shooting cast a bloody pall over Independence Day festivities. Many Mexicans will wear mariachi costumes, a symbol of national pride, on Saturday night to commemorate the launch of the revolt against Spanish rule on Sept. 16, 1810. It is also the busiest time of year for Garibaldi Plaza, a beloved but seedy square that draws heavily on Mexican folklore. Despite the incident, shops and restaurants appeared to be operating normally. Mariachi musicians returned to the square around the same time the shooting took place a day prior. A manager at Tenampa cantina, which bills itself as having first brought mariachi troupes to the plaza in the 1920s, said there was no change in the number of customers. "We haven't had any reservations canceled and we continue to book tables," he said. The number of homicides have increased in Mexico City since 2014. The city known to be a popular tourist destination for those looking to experience the arts, food and culture has relatively stayed out of the drug violence plaguing other tourist hotspots, Reuters reported. This year, Mexico City is also on track for a record number of homicides. The Associated Press contributed to this report. next Image 1 of 2 prev Image 2 of 2 They dug trenches around towns, reinforced caves for cover and put up sand bags around their positions. They issued calls to arms, urging young men to join in the defense of Idlib, the Syrian province where opposition fighters expect to make their last stand against Russian- and Iranian-backed government troops they have fought for years. This time, it's "surrender or die." As the decisive stand for their last stronghold looms, this motley crew of tens of thousands of opposition fighters, including some of the world's most radical groups, is looking for ways to salvage whatever is possible of an armed rebellion that at one point in the seven-year conflict controlled more than half of the country. In its last chapter, just as it has throughout the long, bloody war, the Syrian rebellion's fate lies in foreign hands. This time, the splintered and diverse rebels have only Turkey. "The whole world gave up on us, but Turkey will not," said Capt. Najib al-Mustafa, spokesman for the Turkish-backed umbrella group known as the National Front for Liberation. Idlib, with its 3 million residents and more than 60,000 fighters, is Turkey's cross to bear. Ankara has appealed to Russia and Iran, its uneasy negotiating partners, for a diplomatic resolution to the ticking bomb. At the same time, it has sent reinforcements of its troops ringing Idlib, a move designed to ward off a ground assault, at least for now. A wide offensive is only likely after a green light from Russia. But delicate diplomatic moves are at work. Moscow is keen on strengthening ties with Turkey, at a time when Ankara's relations are at their lowest with the United States. Turkey, by calling on the United States and Europe for support, seems to be playing on that interest to pressure Russia to accept its proposals for a solution on Idlib that avoids an attack. On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets for the second time in 10 days with Russia's Vladimir Putin, this time in Sochi, Russia. "After proving its influence in Syria and the Middle East, Russia wants to pull Turkey away from the West much more than achieve a military victory over the armed Syrian opposition," Mustafa Ellabbad, an expert on Turkish-Arab relations, wrote in Kuwait's al-Qabas newspaper. The province, the size of Lebanon, has been the beating heart of the rebellion for years. In rebel hands since 2015, it is the largest contiguous territory they controlled. It has access to Turkish borders, securing supply lines for weapons, fighters and aid. For the past two years, Idlib became the shoe-box into which were pushed an estimated 20,000 rebel fighters from around the country, after their losses to government troops and surrender deals negotiated with Russia and Damascus following devastating sieges. Civilians who refused to go back under government rule were also bussed there, nearly doubling the province's population. Among the estimated 60,000 opposition fighters in Idlib are at least 10,000 radicals affiliated with the al-Qaida-linked group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (Arabic for Levant Liberation Committee). Thousands of foreign fighters, from China, Europe and the Middle East, are the backbone of the radical groups. The Turkish reinforcements are going to 12 observation points that Ankara set up around Idlib last year under a deal with Russia and Iran creating a "de-escalation zone." The deal also effectively stopped an earlier government advance and set Turkey up as Idlib's protector. Separately, Turkey has troops stationed in the enclave under its control north and east of Idlib, where it backs Syrian opposition fighters and a civilian administration. It is part of its plan to create a safe area along the border where some of the more than 3 million Syrian refugees it hosts may return. Ankara initially sent in its troops more than two years ago to push out the Islamic State group and Syrian Kurdish fighters. For Ankara, the increasingly assertive, U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds were an existential threat that encourages the aspirations of its own Kurdish insurgents. "In the mind of the rebellion, the hope is that from Turkish support they can have ... a republic of northern Syria, protected by Turkey like Northern Cyprus," said Fabrice Balanche, a Syria watcher at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. These Turkey-administered areas are likely to be the destination of the displaced and rebels of Idlib in case of an offensive. An Idlib offensive holds multiple threats for Turkey right on its border a humanitarian crisis, a security nightmare with thousands of gunmen loose and a defeat to its plans for the safe zone. If Syrian forces retake Idlib with no agreement on the fate of the opposition fighters, they could threaten the Turkey-controlled enclave, and Ankara would lose credibility with the fighters and leverage with Damascus on any future deal. "There is really no way for the Syrian military and Damascus' allies to launch a military offensive on Idlib that doesn't have deeply negative, injurious effects on Turkey. There is no real way they can cushion this for Turkey," said Sam Heller, a Syria expert in the Brussels-based International Crisis Group. Turkey's strategy in the opposition areas has been complicated by the presence of radical fighters. By backing the National Front, it argued it can draw fighters away from the al-Qaida-linked HTS, the dominant power in the province, forcing it to dissolve and creating a new opposition force ready to negotiate with the Syrian government. The strategy has had limited success. The National Front in recent months gained control of territory in Idlib from HTS, which still controls nearly 70 percent of the province. HTS began to show signs of splits and two weeks ago, Turkey declared it a terrorist group. But with the onset of a military offensive, HTS has set up joint operation rooms with different National Front factions. Making a rare video appearance in late August, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani wearing an olive-green military uniform vowed to fight Assad's forces and said Turkish observation points were no protection. The HTS spokesman in Idlib said now was not the time to talk about dissolving into Turkish-backed rebel groups. He underlined that an arrangement must eventually be made for the foreign fighters in the group. "Right now, no sound is louder than that of the battle," Imad Eddin Mujahed said. "We have many military surprises; enough to upset the balance and ward off aggressors." In rallies around Idlib the last two weeks, protesters took to the streets to deny that the province is a hotbed of extremists. Thousands raised only the flag of the Syrian revolution, a reminder that there was once a popular uprising against Assad, and Idlib is now its last bastion. Some raised banners reading: "The rebels are our hope and the Turks are our brothers." Syrian forces and Iranian-backed militias are likely to avoid a clash with the Turkish troops. But the stance of the Syrian government and Iran is clear-cut: they vow to recapture all Syrian territory and are loath to see an expansion of Turkish and American influence. They argue the West fueled jihadis with past support of the opposition and now must let Syria get rid of them. "Assad and Russia gave the choice to the international community: first we kill everybody. Second thing, (they said) if you want to protect (Idlib) then take those people you think are nice ... It is cynical but puts the international community before its contradictions," said Balanche. Al-Mustafa, the National Front spokesman, said the rebels are prepared for a battle he called "existential." But, he added, "our cause will not end if we lose this battle." next Image 1 of 2 prev Image 2 of 2 Mexico's president-elect kicked off a nationwide tour Sunday with his new head of security in tow: a restaurant owner named Daniel Asaf who will coordinate a civilian brigade in lieu of the Mexican equivalent of the U.S. Secret Service. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who takes office Dec. 1, introduced Asaf to reporters at Mexico City's international airport before departing for Tepic, capital of the western state of Nayarit. He said Asaf will organize 20 civilian assistants who will rotate five at a time to accompany him so he can interact with voters without getting squashed. The wildly popular Lopez Obrador enjoys engaging with everyday Mexicans and is mobbed daily by well-wishers. He shakes hands. He poses for pictures. And he pauses to listen to pleas that range from tearful requests for assistance locating kidnapped or missing loved ones to humble requests for jobs. Lopez Obrador reiterated his desire to continue "collecting the feelings of the people" via direct contact with Mexicans. Standing before a cheering crowd of thousands in Tepic later in the day, Lopez Obrador lambasted the way the 8,000-strong official Mexican security force cordons off presidents. "You are all going to take care of me," he shouted to the crowd. "The people will take care of me." Many Lopez Obrador supporters, though, are concerned for his safety. The incoming president has vowed to tackle corruption, which could pit him against powerful vested interests that some fear might seek to harm him. Myrna Manjarrez, a teacher who applauded Lopez Obrador in Tepic, thinks his personal security plan is dangerous but doable with the help of regular Mexicans. "It can work because he's a person who is very attentive with the public. He's a likable person," she said. Manjarrez expressed gratitude that Lopez Obrador plans to do away with mandatory skills testing and evaluations for teachers. Bernardo Narvaez, a retiree who attended the rally, hopes Lopez Obrador changes his mind and incorporates professional bodyguards once he becomes president. "He and the people close to him should find a way to take care of him and protect him as much as possible," said Narvaez. Mexico is a dangerous place for politicians. More than 145 politicians most local figures have been killed in Mexico over the past year. Mexico had 25 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2017. By comparison, Honduras and El Salvador, two of the deadliest countries in the world, have homicide rates of around 60 per 100,000. ___ Associated Press writer Sofia Ortega reported this story in Tepic and AP writer Amy Guthrie reported from Mexico City. next Image 1 of 2 prev Image 2 of 2 More than two decades after fighting a war, Montenegro and Croatia have resolved almost all of their differences after fighting a war, except for one: a dispute over an 85-year-old former Royal Yugoslav Navy training ship. The majestic sailing vessel called Jadran, or the Adriatic, is currently part of the Montenegrin naval fleet based in the port of Tivat. Croatia is demanding the return of the tall ship, which Montenegro adamantly refuses to do. The disagreement is so serious that Croatia is threatening to block Montenegro's efforts to join the European Union, and it's also reviving old tensions. Being part of shrunken Yugoslavia together with Serbia, Montenegrin troops launched an assault against the medieval Croatian town of Dubrovnik in 1991, keeping it under siege for months. The town, a UNESCO heritage site, was shelled from land and sea before an international outcry stopped the onslaught. Before the war between the two Adriatic Sea neighbors, the 60-meter (200 feet) white vessel with three masts was docked in the Croatian port of Split before it was moved to Montenegro in 1990 for repairs. Croatia says its home port has always been Split, thus it must be returned after it was "illegally" taken. Montenegro claims that an agreement between the warring sides after the bloody breakup of the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s calls for all military equipment that found itself on a state's territory belongs to that state. "Jadran became part of this town's history 85 years ago and I'm confident that it will outlive us all and in the next 85 years continue to welcome new generations, new sailors and new visitors," Montenegro Defense Minister Predrag Boskovic said last month in Tivat during Jadran's 85th-anniversary celebrations. He said that Montenegro's government in 2013 provided significant funds for its overhaul, indicating it is not willing to hand it over to Croatia anytime soon. The Croatian Defense Ministry says that the return of Jadran is one of its main foreign policy priorities and some Croatian officials have hinted the European Union-member state would block Montenegro's membership in the bloc if it isn't. "The training ship Jadran is in the ownership of the Republic of Croatia and is an integral part of Croatia's naval history," Defense Minister Damir Krsticevic said in a statement. "Croatia will take all legal steps to return it to the Croatian dock, and demands that Montenegro respects ... international laws." Krsticevic said that "in the spirit of good neighborly relations and as a goodwill gesture," Croatia has offered to share the ship for training purposes, but that it first has to be returned to Split. The ship has had a turbulent history, serving in the navies of eight different countries. The vessel was called Marco Polo when it was taken over by Italy during World War II. It was abandoned in Venice and left to decay. The ship's equipment was looted and was barely floating, serving as a bridge over one of the Venetian canals at one point. The ship's Montenegrin sailors said they will never surrender their beloved vessel to Croatia because of its history and the fact that its first docking after delivery from a shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, in 1933 was in Montenegro. "For Montenegro's navy, this is the most important vessel in historic, cultural and technical terms," said its captain Zoran Ivanovski. "To be honest, I'm not paying attention to the Croatian demands. My job is to command this ship. I have my crew and the ship belongs to Montenegro." ___ Darko Bandic contributed to this report. A well-known American-born activist on behalf of Israeli settlers was stabbed to death outside a West Bank mall Sunday, reportedly by a 17-year-old Palestinian attacker. The victim was identified as Ari Fuld, a 45-year-old father of four who lived in the nearby settlement of Efrat. The Israeli military said the attacker arrived at the mall near a major junction in the southern West Bank, close to the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, and stabbed Fuld before fleeing. Video footage showed Fuld giving chase and firing at his attacker before collapsing. Other civilians shot the assailant, whom Israeli media identified as a 17-year-old from a nearby Palestinian village. The Times of Israel reported that the attacker was in "moderate" condition. Fuld was a well-known English-language Internet commenter on current affairs who was known for his hard-line nationalist ideology and strong support for the Israeli military. He also was known for an outspoken manner that included verbal clashes with Palestinians and critics of Israel. At times, his Facebook account had been suspended. "He did not hold back on his opinions," settler spokesman Josh Hasten told The Associated Press. "If that meant 30 days of Facebook jail, so be it." Hasten, who said he had known Fuld for about a decade, added that his friend traveled widely to showcase "the beauty and reality of life" in the country. Fuld delivered care packages to Israeli soldiers and would go on solidarity trips to communities near the Gaza Strip during times of fighting with the Hamas militant group, Hasten said. "When the rockets were falling, that's when he would get in his car and go down to Sderot," Hasten said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lauded Fuld on Facebook for fighting his attacker "heroically" and remembered him as "an advocate for Israel who fought to spread the truth." On Twitter, David Friedman, the U.S. ambassador to Israel and a strong supporter of the settlements, called him "a passionate defender of Israel & an American patriot." Since 2015, Palestinians have killed over 50 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shootings and car-ramming attacks. Israeli forces killed over 260 Palestinians in that period, of which Israel has said most were attackers. The Associated Press contributed to this report. next Image 1 of 2 prev Image 2 of 2 Thousands of people marched in Macedonia's capital Sunday to promote support for changing the country's name in an upcoming referendum that also could clear the way for NATO membership. The referendum scheduled for Sept 30 will seek voter approval of an agreement with Greece to rename the small Balkan nation "North Macedonia." The deal is designed to end a bitter 27-year dispute over rights to the Macedonia title and to remove Greek objections to its northern neighbor becoming a member of NATO and the European Union. Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, who reached the agreement with Greece's prime minister in June, addressed the marchers in front of the EU's office in Skopje. He urged citizens to grasp a historic opportunity and back the name deal, which he described as "fair." "The message is: We want the future, we want a European Macedonia! It is our responsibility to secure a future for our children and their children," Zaev said. Opposition party VMRO-DPMNE staged its own rally Sunday in the eastern town of Stip to encourage voters to reject the name change. Opposition leader Hristijan Mickoski, who has criticized the government for accepting a deal that in his view prioritizes Greek interests, said, "Citizens have the right to fight until the last breath". Despite the forceful words, VMRO-DPMNE and the rest of Macedonia's political opposition have advised supporters to vote according to their consciences. Voter turnout will be a crucial factor in the referendum is crucial: 50 percent plus one of Macedonia's 1.8 million registered voters must cast ballots for the referendum vote to be valid. Opinion polls indicate the name change would be approved, but turnout could fall just short of the required threshold. For A Good Cause: Ways you can help others This graphic shows how the ancient land masses of Laurentia, Avalonia and Armorica would have collided to create the countries of England, Scotland and Wales. The British mainland was formed from the collision of not two, but three ancient continental land masses, according to new research. Scientists have for centuries believed that England, Wales and Scotland were created by the merger of Avalonia and Laurentia more than 400 million years ago.However, geologists based at the University of Plymouth now believe that a third land mass -- Armorica -- was also involved in the process.The findings are published in Nature Communications and follow an extensive study of mineral properties at exposed rock features across Devon and Cornwall.They reveal a clear boundary running across the two counties, with areas north of it sharing their geological roots with the rest of England and Wales but everything south being geologically linked to France and mainland Europe.Among other things, scientists believe the research explains the abundance of tin and tungsten in the far South West of England -- metals also found in Brittany and other areas of mainland Europe, but not so evident in the rest of the UK.The research's lead author, Lecturer in Igneous Petrology Dr Arjan Dijkstra, said: "This is a completely new way of thinking about how Britain was formed. It has always been presumed that the border of Avalonia and Armorica was beneath what would seem to be the natural boundary of the English Channel. But our findings suggest that although there is no physical line on the surface, there is a clear geological boundary which separates Cornwall and south Devon from the rest of the UK."For the research, Dr Dijkstra and Masters student Callum Hatch (now working at the Natural History Museum) visited 22 sites in Devon and Cornwall that were left exposed following geological events, such as underground volcanic eruptions. These took place around 300 million years ago and brought magma from depths of 100 km to the Earth's surface.They took rock samples from each site, subjecting them to detailed chemical analysis in the lab using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry.The samples were also then dissolved in acid in order to conduct a more intensive isotopic analysis, with scientists examining the levels of two elements -- strontium and neodymium -- to understand the full history of the rocks.These findings were then compared with previous studies elsewhere in the UK and mainland Europe, with the results showing the clear boundary running from the Exe estuary in the East to Camelford in the west."We always knew that around 10,000 years ago you would have been able to walk from England to France," Dr Dijkstra added. "But our findings show that millions of years before that, the bonds between the two countries would have been even stronger. It explains the immense mineral wealth of South West England, which had previously been something of a mystery, and provides a fascinating new insight into the geological history of the UK." Toto Wolff says F1 should consider slashing the number of races on the annual calendar. Recently, FIA president Jean Todt said he backed Liberty Media's apparent intention to blow the number of races out from 21 currently to as many as 23 in the near future. But Mercedes boss Wolff said F1 should actually consider reducing the races to as few as 15 or 16. "This means less revenue in the short term, but a more exclusive and valuable product in the long term," he told Der Spiegel. Wolff also said there should be less action from lights to flag, with the races reduced from a maximum of 2 hours to just 80 minutes. "This would help to pick up some of the young people who have a shorter window of attention due to the new digital formats," he said. He does, however, back efforts to cut costs, saying the "resource race between Ferrari, Red Bull and us for a few hundredths of a second" is crazy. But Wolff is worried about Liberty Media's plans for a $150 million budget cap. "If the top teams today spend $290 million, they cannot say 'Hurray, in two years time we will have $150 million'. It would mean an awful lot of restructuring," he said. (GMM) Geely Autos flagship B-segment hybrid sedan Bo Rui GE has been selected as an official diplomatic concierge vehicle by the Beijing Service Bureau for Diplomatic Missions. The Bo Rui GE comes in either a MHEV 48V mild hybrid or full PHEV plug-in hybrid version. The Bo Rui GE MHEV is its first mass-produced mild-hybrid B-segment sedan. The 1.5TD engine provides 132kW of power and a maximum torque of 265 Nm. The 48V BSG mild hybrid system provides an additional 10kW of power and 35 Nm of torque giving the model a combined 142kW power and 300 Nm torque, as powerful as a 2.0T engine on the market today. The mild hybrid system improves response to 0.3 seconds from take-off compared to the 1 second that traditional ICE engines need, making it more suitable for urban road conditions. Acceleration to 100 km/h takes 8.9 seconds, but the real highlight of the mild hybrid system is its improved fuel economy. According to Geely Auto Group CTO Feng Qingfeng, the Bo Rui GE MHEV delivers fuel economy of 5.8L/100 km (40.5 mpg US). By 2020, we aim to bring that level up to 25% improving the fuel economy of B-segment vehicles to under 5L/100km. In regards to MHEV technologies, Geely has already become the global leader and will continue leading far into the future. Feng Qingfeng Although Geelys MHEV offers significant improvements, the companys PHEV system offers even more. With the same 1.5TD engine, the Bo Rui GE PHEV comes with a combined maximum power of 192kW and maximum torque of 425 Nm. With an 11.3 kWh Li-ion pack, it delivers an all-electric range of 60 km (37 miles). In green travel mode, the Bo Rui GE PHEV has an average fuel economy of 1.6L/100 km (145 mpg US). In addition, the PHEV version can accelerate to 100 km in 7.4 seconds, fully charge in 1.5 hours, and uses smart technologies to improve efficiency. All Bo Rui GE models comes equipped with a 7DCTH transmission jointly developed by Geely and Volvo. The transmission specially developed for hybrid powertrains have a transmission efficiency of 97%, an unobtainable figure for transmissions on traditional ICE powertrains. It improves fuel economy by 42.4% and improves power by 24%. In the future, Geely expects fuel economy improvements to increase to 50% and power to 30%. By using navigation data the vehicle can automatically select the most efficient driving mode in all road conditions. During a traffic jam, it switches to pure EV mode, on the expressway it switches hybrid travel mode, when the battery is low it uses the engine and regenerative braking to charge it. In areas where electricity is expensive, the vehicle can be set to charge at off-peak hours through the use of a mobile app. The Bo Rui GE is the first mass-produced B-segment vehicle in China to be equipped with Level 2 autonomous drive technology such as ICC Intelligent Cruise Control, ACC Adaptive Cruise Control, APA Automated Park Assist, etc. At a handover ceremony held in the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, 35 new Bo Rui GE were delivered to the Service Bureau to be part of Chinas diplomatic vehicle fleet. For the fourth year in a row, the Geely Bo Rui has been selected by the Beijing Service Bureau for Diplomatic Missions to be used as part of their diplomatic fleet in China for use by visiting presidents, prime ministers and senior diplomats. On March 20, 2015, the first batch of 20 Geely Bo Rui official diplomatic vehicles were delivered, marking a major milestone for the promotion of Chinese automotive brands. Since then, Geely Auto has delivered more than 185 vehicles to be used as diplomatic concierge vehicles including the full electric Emgrand EV and now the Bo Rui GE. In addition to being a diplomatic vehicle, the 2017 model year Bo Rui has previously been selected as the official car for various international events held in China in the past such as the G20 Hangzhou held in September 2016. Its role as an official car has helped to change the perception of Made in China products. Geely Bo Rui has become a sales leader among Chinese brands and broke the monopoly held by joint-venture brands in Chinas B-segment sedan market. The models success was partly due to its status as a national diplomatic fleet vehicle as well as its leading technology package. Since its launch, the Bo Rui has sold more than 160,000 units. This past August, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir praised the new Bo Rui GE after test driving it during his visit to Geelys headquarters. Comment Trump Is Giving Protectionism a Bad Name Tariffs and subsidies to support infant industries can be key for economic development in the Global South. BY WILLIAM G. MOSELEY | September/October 2018 This article is from Dollars & Sense: Real World Economics, available at http://www.dollarsandsense.org This article is from the September/October 2018 issue. While it might not seem like it now, President Donald Trump is a gift to free marketoriented economists and policymakers. His clumsy approach to protectionism has ignited a trade war that inevitably will harm the U.S. economy. When the pendulum inexorably swings the other way after the Trump fiasco, free-trade ideology will return with a vengeance. This is a potential tragedy for left-leaning policy analysts who have long been concerned about the excesses of neoliberalism and argued for a more measured use of tariffs to foster local economic development. As such, it critical that we distinguish between Trumps right-wing nationalist embrace of tariffs and the more nuanced use of this tool to support infant industries. As a development geographer and an Africanist scholar, I have long been critical of unfettered free trade because of its deleterious economic impacts on African countries. At the behest of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the majority of African countries were essentially forced, because of conditional loan and debt-refinancing requirements, to undergo free market oriented economic reforms from the early 1980s through the mid-2000s. One by one, these countries reduced tariff barriers, eliminated subsidies, cut back on government expenditures, and emphasized commodity exports. With the possible exception of Ghana, the economy of nearly every African country undertaking these reforms was devastated. This is not to say that there was no economic growth for African countries during this period, as there certainly was during cyclical commodity booms. The problem is that the economies of these countries were essentially underdeveloped as they returned to a colonial model focused on producing a limited number of commodities such as oil, minerals, cotton, cacao, palm oil, and timber. Economic reforms destroyed the value-added activities that helped diversify these economies and provided higher wage employment, such as the textile, milling, and food processing industries. Worse yet, millions of African farmers and workers are now increasingly ensnared in a global commodity boom-and-bust cycle. Beyond that cycle, they are experiencing an even more worrying long-term trend of declining prices for commodities. One of the consequences of the hollowing out of African economies has been the European migration crisis. While some of this migration is clearly connected to politics, war, and insecurity in the Middle East and Africa, a nontrivial portion is related to grim economic prospects in many African countries. After the global financial crisis of 2007, as well as the global food crisis of 2008, even mainstream economists and policy analysts began to realize that unfettered free markets were a problem for the development of African economies, not to mention other areas of the world. As a consequence, some in the development policy community began to reconsider the strategic use of limited tariffs and subsidies to protect and support infant industries. After being demonized for 30 years, import substitutionthe idea that some goods could be produced at home rather than imported from abroadwas beginning to have a renaissance. For example, the middle-income African nation of Botswana has long mined and exported diamonds. In fact, Botswana was and continues to be the largest exporter of gem-quality diamonds in the world. Nearly all of these were exported as rough diamonds, with the actual cutting and polishing done in countries like India and the Netherlands. Beginning in 2013, Botswana made a concerted attempt to onshore some of these value-added activities by subsidizing a domestic diamond-cutting and -polishing industry. Such industries take time to develop, since you need to cultivate a highly skilled labor pool. But the payoff is more and better-paid employment for a countrys population. While the Botswana example is still unfolding, it is worth noting that both South Korea and Taiwan also skillfully protected industries in the 1960s and 1970s before breaking onto the world stage as export-oriented manufacturers. Now the recent Trump fiasco with tariffs is threatening to tar and feather the whole idea of fostering local economic development for decades to come unless the left pushes back with a more nuanced perspective. After the inevitable crash of the American economy, not to mention the collateral damage, the global policy community, and broader publics, will likely reembrace free-market policies because they appear to be the opposite of Trumps racist, nationalist, and nativist stance. This potential scenario is eerily reminiscent of what unfolded in South Africa in the early 1990s. With the African National Congress (ANC) and Nelson Mandela coming to power, one would have expected that they would have adopted left-leaning, redistributive economic policies given their socialist history and the economic divisions in the country. Instead, what ensued was the full embrace of free-market policies. This remarkable shift has been attributed to a global policymaking community that deftly associated any use of tariffs, subsidies, and protection with the Apartheid regime and South Africas National Party. This sleight of hand allowed them to position free-market policies as the foe of Apartheid and the friend of the rainbow nation. Sadly, while these policies initially spawned economic growth, they also deepened inequality, creating a problem that continues to plague the ANC and South Africa today. We need to be sophisticated enough to disentangle policies that promote local economic development from the horrific antics of the Trump regime. Import substitution and the fostering of infant industries are critical aspects of economic development for many countries in the global South. These policies must not forever be associated with the right-wing nationalism of Donald Trump. is a professor of geography and director of the Program for Food, Agriculture, and Society at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minn. He may be found on Twitter @WilliamGMoseley. Cadman Atta Mills, Structural Adjustment in Sub-Saharan Africa, Economic Development Institute of the World Bank, October 1989 (worldbank.org); A hopeful continent, The Economist, March 2, 2013 (economist.com); Gumisai Mutume, Loss of textile market costs African jobs, Africa Renewal, April 2006 (un.org); William G. Moseley, Judith Carney, and Laurence Becker, Neoliberal policy, rural livelihoods, and urban food security in West Africa, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, March 2010 (pnas.org); Mark J. Perry, Julian Simon: Still More Right Than Lucky On Commodities In 2013, Seeking Alpha, January 13, 2013 (seekingalpha.com); Africa: International migration, emigration 2015, African Studies Centre Leiden (openaccess.leidenuniv.nl); Andrew England, Botswana seeks to reap more than diamond dollars, Financial Times, December 27, 2015 (ft.com); Dani Rodrik, Getting Interventions Right: How South Korea and Taiwan Grew Rich, Economic Policy, April 1995 (nber.org); Richard Peet, Ideology, Discourse, and the Geography of Hegemony: From Socialist to Neoliberal Development in Postapartheid South Africa, Antipode, January 2002 (wiley.com); Jason Beaubien, The Country With the Worlds Worst Inequality Is... Goats and Soda, April 2, 2018 (npr.org). Did you find this article useful? Please consider supporting our work by donating or subscribing. Mutiny by Nancy Ohanian Early in the cycle, I noticed that a reasonable theme to cover would be Trump as an albatross whose reverse coattails would pull down Republican candidates across the country-- particularly in districts with large numbers of independent covers. I asked Nancy Ohanian, the best of the political artists, what she thought about it. She came up with these two graphics: Washington Post column, Dana Milbank went right for it: Yesterday, in hiscolumn, Dana Milbank went right for it: The Trump Albatross . He wrote that Senor Trumpanzee "is getting his wish: Its all about him. The election, that is. New evidence indicates that the midterm elections in seven weeks will be the clearest referendum on a president in at least 80 years. But while it may delight the narcissistic president that the 2018 midterms are entirely about him, this is precisely what his fellow Republicans were hoping to avoid. With Trumps support at historic lows-- 60 percent overall disapprove of his performance, including 59 percent of independents-- Republicans scrambling to hold the House and Senate have been struggling in vain to make the election about other issues: tax cuts, Democrats personal foibles-- anything to avoid the election being about Trump.This has failed, bigly." Midterm elections have generally come to be seen as the electorates reaction to a presidency. But this one is on a whole different level. In no previous election, Gary Jacobson, a University of California political scientist who crunched the numbers, tells me, has the linkage between opinions of the president and how people are likely to vote been as strong as this time. Jacobsons research goes back to the 1930s, before which there was no polling and therefore no ability to compare... [He] found in 93.1 percent of cases this year, voters approval or disapproval of the president is correlated with their planned votes for or against the presidents party in House races. Thats an all-time high. It averaged 86 percent in recent elections, 74 percent in the 1980s and 1990s. And its more than a casual correlation. Using regression analysis, Jacobson determined that for every percentage point movement in Trumps job approval rating, support for Republican House candidates in the midterm elections move by 0.75 percentage points-- the highest effect ever seen. ...Trumps unpopularity seems to offset the benefit Republicans should get from the strong economy [and gerrymandering]. Using results from previous midterms and factoring in the presidents approval and the growth in real disposable income, Jacobson reports that in conditions close to the current situation-- 2 percent income growth and Trumps approval at 40 percent-- Republicans would, by historic models, lose 33 House seats. Republicans in competitive races are in a bind. Among independent voters they need to win, Trump is a pariah. But among the Republican voters they need to turn out in high numbers, Trump has 78 percent approval. Their dilemma was evident on Thursday when Trump made the outrageous and false claim that the official death toll of 2,975 from last years storms in Puerto Rico was inflated by Democrats to make me look as bad as possible. (Even storm deaths are all about him.) Delicately, Republican candidates in Florida, who had been trying to win over Puerto Rican voters, tried to step away from Trump. Gov. Rick Scott, running for Senate, tweeted: I disagree. Rep. Ron DeSantis, running for governor, issued a similar statement. Good luck with that. Trump, later in the day, repeated his insulting and bogus claims. As Trump continues to repel, opinions of him drop and support for a Democratic Congress rises. It has the makings of a wave, but one that could recede before the election. We are destined for one of two outcomes: a massive repudiation of Trump or an unthinkable affirmation of him. The stakes could hardly be higher. I spoke with David Keith, campaign manager for Randy Bryce and one of the sharpest minds on the political landscape. He told us he "gets the feeling that a lot of pundits and pollsters and operatives are going to wake up on November 7 and say, 'How did I miss that? No one knew the wave was going to be that powerful.' The 'Trump factor' hasn't been properly factored in to Beltway projections. Trump is an albatross around the neck of every Republican on every level. Even those progressives who ousted those 6 IDC state senators in New York last week. No one beat Jeffrey Klein before but this time, he collapsed, in part thanks to people disgusted with Trump wanted to get out and vote. He's driving turn out and he's turning independent voters away from the GOP. People who may have found him amusing at one time, have woken up and they're starting to worry for their families and their country. There are going to be a lot of Republicans in 'safe' seats looking for jobs after January." Yesterday Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns wrote from a very similar perspective about why GOP candidates are so worried going into the midterms. "As Democrats," they wrote, "enter the fall midterm campaign with palpable confidence about reclaiming the House and perhaps even the Senate, tensions are rising between the White House and congressional Republicans over who is to blame for political difficulties facing the party, with President Trumps advisers pointing to the high number of G.O.P. retirements and lawmakers placing the blame squarely on the presidents divisive style. To the dismay of party leaders, the healthy economy and Mr. Trump have become countervailing forces. The decline in unemployment and soaring gross domestic product, along with the tax overhaul Republicans argue is fueling the growth, have been obscured by the presidents inflammatory moves on immigration, Vladimir V. Putin, and other fronts, party leaders say. These self-inflicted wounds since early summer have helped push Mr. Trumps approval ratings below 40 percent and the fortunes of his party down with them. This is very much a referendum on the president, said Representative Tom Cole, an Oklahoma Republican, about the November election. If we had to fight this campaign on what we accomplished in Congress and on the state of the economy, I think wed almost certainly keep our majority. Perhaps... but voters' seem to have decided that what the midterms are about are not countervailing claims about so-called GOP "accomplishments," but on Trump. They know it and they're freaking out. If you drive straight south from Ardmore in Cole's district, you'll hit TX-10, where entrenched Republican multimillionaire Trump rubber-stamp Michael McCaul is getting the battle of his life from Austin City Attorney Mike Siegel. Siegel doesn't have to mention Trump as he crisscrosses the gerrymandered district stretching from Austin to the exurbs west of Houston. The voters are already aware of Trump, but what they hear from Siegel is about what trade wars have done to the price of sorghum and how climate change denial is causing flooding. He talks about healthcare and jobs and environmental and racial justice, not about Trump. He won his primary election with 70.2% of the vote and now faces one of the architects of Trump's family separation agenda. Still, the DCCC is refusing to back his race. This morning I asked Mike about a path to victory in a district where Trump beat Hillary 52.3% to 43.2%. A while back, he told us McCaul is less "safe" than Beltway pundits all assume he is. "Even though the 10th was gerrymandered to be a 60/40 District in favor of the Republicans, Texas cities keep growing, and Austin and Houston continue to sprawl towards each other. In the 2016 presidential election, Trump beat Clinton by nine points in the 10th. And since that time, McCaul has only inflicted harm on his constituents, by cutting our healthcare and transferring a trillion dollars from working families and essential government programs to the richest among us. McCaul has also neglected the most basic aspects of representation. The 10th includes Katy, Cypress, and Tomball, three Harris County cities that were dramatically impacted by Hurricane Harvey. McCaul has done little to nothing to help those affected. And instead of obtaining federal support to fund fixes to decrepit flood control facilities, McCaul trumpeted his demand for $20 billion to fund a useless Border Wall." McCauls base of support is brittle, and can be dislodged by a strong field campaign supplemented by targeted outreach across the nine counties of the 10th. We can motivate volunteers because we are fighting for the needs of our friends and neighbors. We are fighting for healthcare for all and a reversal of the 2017 cuts; for fair immigration policies that keep families together; for a living wage and a retirement with dignity. We are fighting to keep corporate and NRA money out of politics. To win the primary in a field of seven Democrats, I recruited 250 volunteers from diverse constituencies, including labor organizations, Indivisible activists, and the immigrant rights community. "To win the general," he continued, "we will need to multiply efforts and reach out to additional communities who are suffering under the Trump-McCaul paradigm. The 10th is not first on the "flippable" lists, but McCaul is not invincible, and his disdain for regular Texans is an Achilles heel." Glen Bolger, a leading Republican pollster working on several top races this year, was even blunter: People think the economy is doing well, but thats not what theyre voting on-- theyre voting on the chaos of the guy in the White House. ...Bolger and many other prominent Republicans now believe they are likely to lose the House, where they have a 23-seat majority and as many as 60 seats are being fiercely contested by Democrats. The party is preparing to shift advertising money away from some of their most beleaguered incumbents toward a set of races in somewhat more favorable territory. In the narrowly divided Senate, both parties see eight to nine seats, most of them held by Democrats, on a knifes edge. And instead of attempting to highlight positive economic news like the 3.9 percent unemployment rate, Republicans have turned to a scorched-earth campaign against the Democrats in a bid to save their House majority and salvage their one-seat edge in the Senate. Republican electioneering groups, including the Congressional Leadership Fund super pac and the National Republican Congressional Committee, have spent millions in recent weeks attacking Democratic candidates in intensely personal terms. The committees, along with some Republican candidates, have blasted one Democratic hopeful in New York for rap lyrics he once wrote; branded another, in Pennsylvania, as a trust fund baby and tax dodger; and aired commercials featuring veterans in wheelchairs to sow doubts about the patriotism of some Democratic nominees. The Republican lurch away from economic issues amounts to a bet on the politics of Trump-style cultural division as a means of driving up conservative turnout and disqualifying some Democratic candidates among more moderate voters. From the very first day of his campaign in southeast Wisconsin, Randy Bryce started talking about Medicare-For-All. It's part of his sterling @IronStache brand and it's expected to help win in a red district where Trump beat Hillary 52.6% to 42.3%. Bryce seems very focused on what he wants to do for his neighbors in Racine, Kenosha, Janesville and points in between. "When people in WI-01 learn what Medicare for all actually involves they like it," he told me yesterday. "A Koch Brother funded study shows that well actually save ten trillion over ten years with it in place. Premiums keep getting higher and higher. Healthy people are getting charged more every year for health care some cant afford to actually use. Those who have insurance will always be paying for those who dont so why is it so much to ask to do the right thing and give everyone access to health care? With regular checkups we can catch a problem before it gets too big." Katie Porter has gone from being a long-shot to being a slight-front-runner in her Orange County district. I suspect a lot of that is because of messaging similar to what she told me today: "Mimi Walters," she said of her Trump-enabling opponent, "voted for Donald Trump's health care bill that would have gutted protections for pre-existing conditions, while allowing insurance companies to charge older Californians up to five times more. I will take on the big insurance companies and fight for a Medicare for All system that ensures every American has high-quality, affordable health care." has gone from being a long-shot to being a slight-front-runner in her Orange County district. I suspect a lot of that is because of messaging similar to what she told me today: "Mimi Walters," she said of her Trump-enabling opponent, "voted for Donald Trump's health care bill that would have gutted protections for pre-existing conditions, while allowing insurance companies to charge older Californians up to five times more. I will take on the big insurance companies and fight for a Medicare for All system that ensures every American has high-quality, affordable health care." Kara Eastman, who is campaigning on issues that directly impact Nebraska voters, because she was in a punk rock band when she was in college, decades ago. That's what GOP desperation looks like. I asked Kara's communications director what they think of the pounding Ryan's SuperPAC is giving them with those personal, vicious ads. She told me that they "find it ironic that the opposition would want to attack Kara, and Beto, for doing something many American teens do-- join a band, sing songs about issues that matter to them, and express themselves through music. Congress would be a better place with more musicians, and while we were joking about a College Band Congressional Caucus, Kara is looking forward to working with politicians like Beto who lead with heart-- and music." Meanwhile, Kara's another candidate who doesn't have to spend time talking about Trump. Omaha voters don't like him at all and he lost the district in 2016. What Kara is Another weak Republican incumbent whose reelection bid in Omaha is failing, is backbencher and Trump enabler Don Bacon. Ryan's SuperPAC, desperate to save the seat has been attacking progressive Democrat, who is campaigning on issues that directly impact Nebraska voters, because she was in a punk rock band when she was in college, decades ago. That's what GOP desperation looks like. I asked Kara's communications director what they think of the pounding Ryan's SuperPAC is giving them with those personal, vicious ads. She told me that they "find it ironic that the opposition would want to attack Kara, and Beto, for doing something many American teens do-- join a band, sing songs about issues that matter to them, and express themselves through music. Congress would be a better place with more musicians, and while we were joking about a College Band Congressional Caucus, Kara is looking forward to working with politicians like Beto who lead with heart-- and music." Meanwhile, Kara's another candidate who doesn't have to spend time talking about Trump. Omaha voters don't like him at all and he lost the district in 2016. What Kara is concentrating on are the issues Nebraska voters care about : healthcare, education, jobs, the environment and getting dark money out of politics. Kevin McCarthy, in laying out the Republican strategy for the GOP campaign to The Times reporters, said they plan to warn voters that if the Democrats win, they will "seek to enact universal health care." I guess he doesn't realize he will be helping Democrats, not hurting them, with that message. Kendra Fershee doesn't mind that kind of advertising at all. She reminded us she's "running for Congress in West Virginia, home to the people whose backbreaking labor made it possible to build America. West Virginians got almost nothing in return. Healthcare is about freedom. You cant live free if you cant see a doctor when youre sick. And our drug addiction crisis is bringing us to our knees. I dont know what it looks like for a state to collapse, but I fear without universal healthcare, West Virginians may find out." James Thompson, is appealing to voters in the Wichita Metro-- Koch country-- and he's making enough headway to scare the Republicans, even if the DCCC still refuses to notice. "Article I Section 8 of the Constitution," he told us, "states that Congress is to 'provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States.' If people in this country are unable to get healthcare then Congress is abdicating its role to provide for the general welfare of the United States. Healthcare must be available to every single person in this country and based on their healthcare needs not their ability to pay. Opening up Medicare to everyone is the answer. It allows for a greater pool of people paying in to Medicare making it more solvent while also making health insurance affordable for everyone at 1/3 of the costs of current private insurance companies. Healthcare decision should be made by patients and doctors, not bureaucrats and politicians. Republicans are great at making suggestions for destroying healthcare but have yet to provide any reasonable alternative to our current system. One suggestion they make is health savings accounts, but what they forget, or often simply ignore, is that people have to have money to put it into savings. With wages remaining stagnant for the past 40 years while health costs have climbed exponentially, people in this country are broke, struggling to make ends meet, and simply need their government be responsive to the needs of the people rather than big corporate donors. People who are not rich deserve healthcare too. So Republicans need to either put up or shut up when it comes to healthcare in this country. All they have done since the passage of the ACA is complain and promise to provide alternatives. They have had 8 years to come up with a plan and failed to provide even one viable alternative that they could agree on. If Republican politicans cannot agree amongst themselves, then there is no hope that Republicans can fix this problem. Having said that, this is not a Republican problem or a Democrat problem, it is an American problem that must be solved. Everyday that we continue to argue, more people die because they do not have access to healthcare. As Americans, we are better than this and must answer the call of our citizens to provide a healthcare system for everyone and Medicare is the answer." , is appealing to voters in the Wichita Metro-- Koch country-- and he's making enough headway to scare the Republicans, even if the DCCC still refuses to notice. "Article I Section 8 of the Constitution," he told us, "states that Congress is to 'provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States.' If people in this country are unable to get healthcare then Congress is abdicating its role to provide for the general welfare of the United States. Healthcare must be available to every single person in this country and based on their healthcare needs not their ability to pay. Opening up Medicare to everyone is the answer. It allows for a greater pool of people paying in to Medicare making it more solvent while also making health insurance affordable for everyone at 1/3 of the costs of current private insurance companies. Healthcare decision should be made by patients and doctors, not bureaucrats and politicians. Republicans are great at making suggestions for destroying healthcare but have yet to provide any reasonable alternative to our current system. One suggestion they make is health savings accounts, but what they forget, or often simply ignore, is that people have to have money to put it into savings. With wages remaining stagnant for the past 40 years while health costs have climbed exponentially, people in this country are broke, struggling to make ends meet, and simply need their government be responsive to the needs of the people rather than big corporate donors. People who are not rich deserve healthcare too. So Republicans need to either put up or shut up when it comes to healthcare in this country. All they have done since the passage of the ACA is complain and promise to provide alternatives. They have had 8 years to come up with a plan and failed to provide even one viable alternative that they could agree on. If Republican politicans cannot agree amongst themselves, then there is no hope that Republicans can fix this problem. Having said that, this is not a Republican problem or a Democrat problem, it is an American problem that must be solved. Everyday that we continue to argue, more people die because they do not have access to healthcare. As Americans, we are better than this and must answer the call of our citizens to provide a healthcare system for everyone and Medicare is the answer." [T]here are already clouds forming over the Republican-controlled capital, visible in the growing anger between the Trump White House and those in the party aligned with Congressional Republicans. After a summer in which the administration implemented a policy of separating migrant children from their parents, the president sided with Mr. Putin over American intelligence services, and then showed little sympathy following the death of Senator John McCain, Republican strategists said Mr. Trump is alienating a sizable bloc of moderate and Republican-leaning voters who favor right-of-center economic policies but recoil from the president. Theres 15 percent of the electorate thats happy with the direction of the country but angry with the president, said Corry Bliss, who runs the Congressional Leadership Fund. But this sort of talk infuriates Mr. Trumps aides, and one senior White House official swiped back at Mr. Bliss, accusing him of attempting to lay the groundwork for deflecting blame for the loss of the House majority. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to be candid about the partys predicament, said the Republicans were facing deep losses because of the 40 House Republicans who chose not to run again-- a list, the official pointedly noted, that includes Mr. Ryan himself. Yet the intraparty finger-pointing goes beyond the skirmishing between the White House and Congress. Republican strategists affiliated with the Congressional Leadership Fund, the House super pac, are privately voicing exasperation with the National Republican Congressional Committee for not raising more money, and for being unwilling so far to begin a triage that would transfer resources toward their most viable incumbents. For example, the committee still has $8 million committed to two lawmakers, Representative Barbara Comstock of Virginia and Keith Rothfus of Pennsylvania, who many in the party do not think can win. ...Republican officials say privately that the performance of the economy under Mr. Trump has not been a major motivating factor for pro-Trump voters. For some Americans on the right, it may even be contributing to the mood of political apathy that has so alarmed G.O.P. leaders, since voters who are optimistic rarely vote with the intensity of those who are angry or afraid. America First Action, a political committee aligned with Mr. Trump, conducted a series of focus groups over the summer and concluded the party had a severe voter-turnout problem, brought on in part by contentment about the economy and a refusal by Republicans to believe that Democrats could actually win the midterm elections. Conservative-leaning voters in the study routinely dismissed the possibility of a Democratic wave election, with some describing the prospect as fake news, an official familiar with the research said, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the data was not intended to be disclosed. Breaking that attitude of complacency is now the Republicans top priority, far more than wooing moderates with gentler messaging about economic growth. ...[T]he main reason Democrats are sensing a wave is obvious to party veterans. He wont allow himself to get credit for the economy, said James Carville, the Democratic strategist, referring to President Trump. Mr. Carville, who fashioned Bill Clintons Its the economy, stupid mantra in 1992, continued: Hes made himself bigger than the economy. Every conversation starts and ends with Trump. Columbus Dispatch Wexner, a billionaire and chairman and CEO of Limited Brands, I want to end with an example of what kind of thing Trump's chaos and dysfunction bring. Leslie Wexner has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the political process-- all of it to Republicans and GOP organizations (except a few fat checks to Joe Lieberman, essentially a Republican masquerading as a Democrap). He gave lots of maxed out contributions to lots of Republicans-- including to far right extremists like Marsha Blackburn-- as well as $250,000 to a SuperPAC backing Romney and $500,000 to a SuperPAC backing Jeb. So... yeah, a high roller. One of his most recent was to the successful campaign of Troy Balderson ($2,700) in his home state of Ohio. That may be the last to a Republican for a while. According to theWexner, a billionaire and chairman and CEO of Limited Brands, renounced his affiliation with the Republican Party after hearing Obama's speech on the same Columbus Partnership panel Wexner was speaking at. He called Obama's speech a "great moment for the community. I was struck by the genuineness of the man; his candor, humility and empathy for others... I just decided Im no longer a Republican." He's the Ohio GOP's wealthiest contributor and losing his campaign cash will hurt. He says he's an independent now and he "wont support this nonsense in the Republican Party." Haiti - DR : Tensions in Pedernales following the hiring of Haitian workers... The fire on Thursday night that destroyed one of the Pedernales Free Zone's clothing warehouses, whose population lives mainly from informal and bilateral trade with Haiti, has exacerbated tensions at the border of a population already prey to a difficult economic situation. Friday, the community of Pedernales woke up, worried about the survival of families who depend on the sale of ball clothes (clothes in bundles), bought in this free zone. In addition, the fact that the fire truck that went to the scene of the incident ran out of water and could not prevent the destruction of the warehouse and the stock of clothing, angered the population in front of the lack of resources of the fire department. So far, the causes of the fire remain unknown, but according to several concordant sources including some of the Dominican investigators, it would be a fire arson lit by former local Dominican workers, to avenge themselves for having been returned and replaced by Haitian workers. SL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Justice : The PNH dismantles an important network of counterfeiter Following an investigation by the Directorate of Traffic and Road Police (DCPR) initiated after the discovery of the use of "false authorizations" to travel with tinted windows, during a roadside check, the Departmental Service of the West Judicial Police announced this week that they have reassembled the chainand dismantled an important network of counterfeiters in the West Department. At least 4 people were arrested during this operation, whose identity was not communicated so as not to interfere with the investigation and scare away any accomplices. A 9 mm weapon, false badges of the parliamentary police and the National Palace, false authorization, false driving license and identity and many false seals of almost all government ministries and institutions were seized during the operation, confirmed the Commissioner Michel Ange Louis Jeune, new spokesman of the National Police of Haiti (PNH). TB/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Politic : Towards a reinforcement of the communication with the Diaspora ? Friday at the Brasserie Creole in Queens (New York), a delegation from Haiti, led by Calvin Cadet, the Director General of the Ministry of Communication, composed of Martine Denis Chandler, Spokesperson of President Jovenel Moise, the Special Adviser Jude Charles Faustin and Councilor Daniel Joseph gave an information press conference to the Haitian diaspora. At the conference table, Martine Denis Chandler and Councilors Daniel Joseph and Jude Charles Faustin answered the journalists' questions, in the presence of the Consul General of New York, Thomas Gandhi and several personalities of the local Haitian community. This conference was an opportunity to share the latest information about the Caravan of Change and the achievements of the Moise Administration. Other points were also discussed such as : the use of the National Fund of Education (FNE), the PetroCaribe file, the fight against corruption and the integration of the diaspora in the development of Haiti. Calvin Cadet thanked the press and all the personalities of the Haitian community of New York who honored by their presence this meeting, which took place in a spirit of "tolerance" despite the "political differences expressed". He was convinced that such communication exercises can only strengthen the spirit of democracy and the call for the inclusion of all our compatriots in the process of development of the country advocated by the Head of State. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... Ratification of PM, congratulatory messages PrEsident Jovenel Moise : "Congratulations to the Lower House, which, like the Senate of the Republic, voted in favor of the General Policy Statement of Prime Minister named Jean-Henry Ceant. With my support, I wish every success to the new government he leads." Prime minister Jean Henry Ceant : "I thank the Deputies for approving the statement of my general policy, as the Senators have already done. I thank again the President for giving me the opportunity to serve my country. Dear fellow citizens, let us join forces for the happiness of the country. Long live Haiti !" Former Prime minister Premier ministre Jack Guy Lafontant :"Chapo ba pou Palman peyi m pou desizyon sajes li pran pou ratifye yon premye minis pou Ayiti. Pm Jean-enry Ceant, mwen swete w bon chans e mande w kore Prezidan Jovenel Moise nan mete Ayiti sou wout chanjman an !" See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25543-haiti-flash-vote-of-confidence-at-the-chamber-of-deputies-for-jean-henry-ceant.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25536-haiti-flash-vote-of-confidence-in-the-senate-for-jean-henry-ceant.html PetroCaribe : Gary Bodeau calls for an international audit Saturday evening in his opening speech on the vote on the general policy of Prime Minister Jean Henry Ceant, Gary Bodeau, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies called for an international audit on the management of the fund PetroCaribe. Note that this Sunday at 4:40 am the Chamber of Deputies ratified the General Policy of Ceant and his ministerial cabinet by 84 votes for, 5 against and 4 abstentions https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25543-haiti-flash-vote-of-confidence-at-the-chamber-of-deputies-for-jean-henry-ceant.html . Recall that the Senate has already ratified the PM Saturday around 7 am https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25536-haiti-flash-vote-of-confidence-in-the-senate-for-jean-henry-ceant.html Resumption of work at the Solidarity Village The Town Hall of Delmas has taken over the construction work of scuppers and reinforced concrete canals at the Village Solidarite, near the airport road. Miss Univers Haiti 2018 Ambassador of the Environment Samantha Colas Miss Universe Haiti 2018 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24880-haiti-news-zapping.html appointed Ambassador of the Environment for the activity of the Ministry of the Environment "sport-nature, from the mountains to the sea". Samantha Colas will be responsible for supporting the Ministry in raising public awareness in order to preserve, maintain and transmit a pleasant living environment to future generations. Conference on the entrepreneurial ecosystem The world-renowned American professor, Daniel Isenberg, accompanied by his colleague Vincent Onyemah was in Haiti where he gave Friday at the Triumph a conference on the entrepreneurial ecosystem and development of the private sector. HL/ HaitiLibre Magazine is a bimonthly Christian lifestyle magazine read primarily by people in their 20s and 30s. The mission of the magazine and website is to explore the intersection of faith and pop culture., under the umbrella of "God, life, and progressive culture." Based just outside of Orlando, their latest issue carries a piece that asks the question How Should Christians Vote? 91% of the members of Congress, they write, professes to be Christian-- 99% of the Republicans and 80% of the Democrats. "What," they ask, does that actually mean?"And they go right to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to find the answer! In a column she wrote for Jesuit magazine America, she explained that it was her Catholic faith and the teachings of Christ that led her to run, partly on a platform of criminal justice reform: Innocence, in its mercy, partly excuses us from having to fully reckon with the spiritual gifts of forgiveness, grace and redemption at the heart of the Catechism: I believe in the forgiveness of sins. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is also a Democratic Socialist. That word-- socialism-- has long been lobbed as an insult by conservative politicians. Politicians like former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who is a Southern Baptist, and current Vice President Mike Pence, who is an evangelical, hold to the same faith as Ocasio-Cortez, but have a polar opposite view of politics and policies. But in terms of their religious beliefs, they agree on far more than they disagree. The paradox raises interesting questions: How could people read the same religious teachings, devote their lives to the same faith and come to such dramatically different conclusions about how it informs their politics? What does the Bible really say? In an increasingly polarized political landscape, how can a Christian actually vote their faith? One of the tricky things about trying to figure out how to vote according to ones faith and values based on the example of Jesus is that the system of government operating in Jesus time is dramatically different than the American democracy, says Dr. Alan Noble, a college professor and conservative writer and thinker. He says that yes, the Bible is clear that we are supposed to submit to governing authorities to honor the authority to obey the law, but context is important. At the time, Jesus lived under the rule of the Romans and was subjected to their policies. A democracy-- which is made up of the people it rules and whose laws are created by individuals voted on by the citizenry-- is much different. Noble says the starting point for determining how Jesus would vote is to look at a teaching that transcends politics, policy and legislation: the command of loving our neighbor. Part of loving our neighbor means we cant just say, Politics are such a mess, its just so depressing, he says. Thats not an option. Being an American citizen you dont just get to relax and follow orders. Youve got to pay attention to whats going on. You have an obligation to act. Greg Boyd, the senior pastor of Woodland Hills Church and vocal critic of the Christian Right, agrees that engagement shouldnt be optional for Christians. Politics comes from the Greek word polis, which means city-state, but can refer to any defined people group, he explains. Anything that affects society, then, is political. Voting and protesting is one way of affecting the polis. We happen to have the good fortune of living in a society in which government invites us to share our opinion about what [it] should do, and so long as Jesus-followers are careful not to get sucked into the polarizing partisan politics that afflicts our current political atmosphere, I see no reason why we shouldnt give it. Indeed, since we are called to be in solidarity with the least of these, treating them as we would Jesus Himself, I dont see how we can refrain from giving it whenever our governments policies are oppressing, marginalizing or otherwise discriminating against people who are largely, if not entirely, defenseless. For Shane Claiborne-- who advocates for immigration reform, gun control and the abolishment of the death penalty-- what that obligation looks like starts with Jesus most well-known teachings: the Sermon on the Mount. That sermon opens with praise for the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who seek righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers and the persecuted. We dont really have to wonder how Jesus would vote because He tells us, Claiborne explains. I think the Beatitudes are pretty beautiful in showing literally who God is aligned with: the poor, the merciful, the meek, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, right? Boyd agrees that Scripture is clear about serving less fortunate people: While political issues are always complex, I would think this should incline Jesus followers to vote for those candidates whom they believe will do the most to alleviate the pain of the afflicted, address issues surrounding homelessness and poverty, alleviate oppression and discrimination, address the injustices of our current justice and prison systems, and eliminate discrimination against those who are the most judged and looked down upon in our society. However, even if you start with those two basic ideas-- that our call to love our neighbors means we are required to be involved in a democracy, and Jesus aligns with societys least of these-- the challenge arises when voting comes down to essentially two parties, neither of which perfectly encapsulates both of these ideas. What happens when Jesus principles dont fall cleanly down partisan lines? Aimee Murphy is the founder of Rehumanize International, a group she says is dedicated to bringing about a culture of peace and culture of life and working to bring an end to all forms of aggressive violence against humanity. Though the organization itself doesnt have a religious affiliation, Murphy is a devout Catholic. Our central philosophy is that every human being has inherent dignity and inherent worth, she says. She understands the dilemma of voting when principles dont break neatly on political lines. Though the group stands against things like the death penalty and torture (views that tend to align with Democratic Party principles), they also oppose abortion, embryonic stem cell research and euthanasia (issues that mostly align with Republican candidates). Before choosing to vote for a candidate, she starts with the questions, What do they have an effect over? How many lives will that affect? What sort of moral calculus do you have to do in this situation? When it comes to voting for city council, for example, theres a big difference in how their influence will be applied to communities than when voting for president. Understanding not only a politicians position-- but also their ability to actually have any effect on implementing it-- is essential, Boyd explains. Even if a Christian finds a candidate who stands for many of the things they stand for, they still must consider whether this candidate has the kind of character and competency to actually advance these causes, he says. For as we all know, political candidates have been known to sometimes claim to stand for things only because they know this is what the voters theyre appealing to want to hear. Voting for a candidate who agrees with you but is unwilling to compromise and work with others to get things done may simply ensure that none of what you hoped would get accomplished actually gets accomplished. Murphy gives the example of a recent election in her home state of Pennsylvania. First, she looked at the stakes of the election based on her values of nonviolence, justice reform and peace. She noted that because it was a local election, the candidate didnt have control over going to war, but the county home to a local immigrant detention center-- something she is passionate about reforming. And state officials could also create policies that affect the death penalty and abortion. If Im going to vote for the pro-life candidate-- because more lives are affected by abortion-- then the thing that I am going to do is, I am going to write a letter to his office every week about why, as a pro-life person, he should end the death penalty in the state of Pennsylvania, she explains. That was the moral commitment that I made to myself, because I was like, OK, if I am going to make a compromise on this, I have to do something to make sure that I do not become complacent on this issue. In this case however, the compromises on both sides seemed too great, and she decided to vote for a third-party candidate. The outcome is similar to the situation many Christians have faced when they enter the ballot box and are forced to decide between two flawed candidates who represent two flawed parties. The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez is the senior pastor of New Seasons Christian Worship Center, the president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and is one of President Trumps evangelical advisers. He also prayed at Trumps inauguration. He believes that though issues like religious liberty and biblical justice should be important to Christian voters, the starting point should be the sanctity of life. It truly does begin with life, he says. Every skewed, deviated, egregious public policy or political ideology begins with negating that every life is sacred in and out of the womb. However, he is clear that this doesnt mean that Christians should have a single political allegiance. [We must] not marry politics or one political party, he says. We must engage but not marry. We must engage with the understanding that Uncle Sam may be your uncle but he will never be your heavenly Father. It begs the question, is the current system one that represents the way of Jesus? In the modern American political system, two main parties have emerged as the most dominant. And in the age of marketing and brandingwhere consumers frequently tie their identity to the companies, products and brands they likethose parties have developed large bases of supporters who have made their partisan affiliation part of their personal identities. Instead of saying, I voted for the Republican or Democrat candidate, many voters say, I am a Republican or Democrat. That I am can become an extremely loaded phrase, because, as Noble points out, it ties a political party to an individuals identity-- an identity that, if you are a Christian, should only be found in Christ. When we go [to] the polls, and we have to make a decision between two bad options, you need to be committed to a higher vision of what a good society looks like, he says. You need to be able to say, Whatever this person does, Im not going to be your cheerleader or their fan. I am holding them accountable. Whatever they do right, I will hold them accountable. And when they go astray, Im going to look at it critically, and I will write and call and publicly critique. The problem comes, however, when a voter becomes so identified with a party or a candidate that they see an ideological threat to their party as a threat to their own identity. Noble says political affiliation makes us feel like we belong to a tribe, we have a place, were making a difference, were important, were significant. However, he explains, The problem is, when you tie your identity to a political movement or a politician, and then as inevitably will happen, that movement, that groups politician party fails you. You dont have the freedom to criticize them because its like criticizing and betraying who you are. Claiborne recalls an approach that activist and public intellectual Cornel West took prior to the last presidential election. West said, Were gonna vote for Hillary and start protesting her in January. Claiborne suggests that the approach shows how loosely we should hold our support for candidates. You dont have a party that has a consistent life ethic so you always feel like youre choosing the evil of two lessers, he says. Both Claiborne and Noble agree that democratic elections-- which, by design, allow the values of the majority to be placed on ideological minoritiesare part of an imperfect system, but what happens in the ballot box isnt the only way to effect change. I cant tell you how many times people said things like, Oh, Jesus would vote Republican because of abortion, or Jesus would vote Democrat because war and poverty, Murphy says. My gut tells me that Jesus would probably be more involved in just encountering people. Yes, Christians should take part in elections-- knowing that their vote isnt an endorsement or a pledge of support. But that there are other ways we can vote our faith. Vote, voice and devotion all sort of share the same root, Claiborne explains, breaking down the linguistic origins of the words. What that means is voting is more than casting a ballot. We can vote with our voice, vote with dollars, vote with our time and emotional investment. Another of the imbalances that folks would have, [is saying] the only chance we have to change the world is once every four years or every two yearsand I think thats also a lie, Claiborne explains. We change the world all the time by where we put our money or withhold our money. I think how we vote on the day after and the day before the election is just as important as what we do on election day. And we can never confine our voice to a ballot box. We have a lot of ways of being a voice for things and people that matter. Murphy says the strategy her organization has found the most effective to enact change isnt necessarily through partisan politics but by engaging with the people who are actually affected by policy. One thing we have noticed is that stories can be very disarming, she says. Through their site, publication and visits to political events, they engage people in the stories of families who have been affected by inequality in the justice system, by having an abortion or even assisted suicide legislation. Their goal is to tell real peoples stories. Ultimately, effecting major change starts by making very small ones. Not by changing the government, but by being willing to change oneself. The only way for a Christian to ensure that their decision on who to vote for reflects the teachings of Christ and the values of the Bible is to allow these teachings and values to fundamentally shape their character and mindset over a long period of time, and in community with other disciples, Boyd says. When that is in place, all of a Christians decisions, including their political decisions, will naturally reflect the teachings of Christ and the values of the Bible, for decisions always flow out of a persons character. Iran has criticized the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) for allowing Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to turn the body into a tool in the hands of the US. AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Iran has criticized the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) for allowing Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to turn the body into a tool in the hands of the US. "Saudi Arabia and the UAE are turning OPEC into a tool for the US and consequently the organization has not much credit left," Iran's OPEC governor, Hossein Kazempour Ardebili, was quoted by media as saying. "It is a fact that OPEC is losing its organizational character and becoming a forum," Kazempour Ardebili added. Elsewhere in his remarks, Kazempour Ardebili suggested that a deal reached between OPEC and non-OPEC producers in 2017 over production ceilings had already lost effect. He said some key producers including Iraq, Algeria and Nigeria were already violating the deal and producing much beyond the levels they had agreed on in the deal. This, the official warned, could eventually enable the member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to store more oil whereas one of the objectives of the deal was to prevent this from happening given that it could lead to the crash of oil prices internationally. Kazempour Ardebili further accused Russia and Saudi Arabia of trying to take over Irans share in the global oil market. He said efforts by US President Donald Trump to remove Iran from the oil market through sanctions had allowed Russia and Saudi Arabia to take OPEC as a hostage. Any country will naturally try to sell its oil at the highest rate possible to increase its own revenues, said the Iranian official, who added, Nevertheless, the behavior of Saudi Arabia and Russia in dealing with Iran in terms of their oil production will be recorded in history and the future generations will realize that both of these countries chose to welcome the sanctioning of an OPEC producer. The official had warned earlier in August that Trump was apparently duped by Saudi Arabia into believing that the kingdom could replace Iranian barrels cut from the market. "It seems President Trump has been taken hostage by Saudi Arabia and a few producers when they claimed they could replace 2.5 million barrels per day of Iranian exports, encouraging him to take action against Iran," Kazempour Ardebili was quoted as saying by media. /257 Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. McCann School Committee Chairman Gary Rivers, left, presents Thomas Mahar with a plaque recognizing his years of service as a McCann representative. Mahar, of Williamstown, spent more than 20 years on the committee and five of those as chairman. McCann Honors Former School Committee Members Rebecca O'Hearn is a McCann graduate who served on the school council before being elected to represent Florida on the School Committee. NORTH ADAMS, Mass. The McCann School Committee on Thursday recognized former members Thomas Mahar and Rebecca O'Hearn. Mahar and O'Hearn, who both recently stepped down from the committee, were awarded plaques from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. "I have always noticed over the years what a great committee this is with so many different resources from all different areas," School Committee member Daniel Maloney Jr. said. "There is so much expertise here that the school has relied upon and what is best for the students has been our common goal throughout the years and both of you exemplify that." Chairman Gary Rivers said Mahar has been involved with McCann for more than 20 years and for five of those years served as chairman. Mahar was a Williamstown representative. "Tom is a person that leads by example whatever we had going on at McCann he was there," Rivers said. "I think we can take measure of what Tom has done as a committee member and I think we can all benefit from that and we can pattern ourselves after his commitment and dedication." Maloney added that Mahars background in construction and project management was critical when he came to McCann because the school was undergoing many renovations. "Things move very quickly here and when Tom came on he asked me for some advice and I told him to buckle his seat belt," he said. "It has been an incredible ride you couldnt have arrived at a better time with your background you have been a tremendous resource." He asked Mahar to take a moment and look at everything he was part of at McCann. "I do hope you look around here and see all of the things that you have been part of throughout the years," he said. "You have been such an important part of this team thank you for everything that you have done." The committee then honored O'Hearn, who served for five years on the committee as the Florida representative. "I met Becky when she was a freshman at McCann and I got to know here really well because she was one of the shining stars in that class," said Rivers, the school's former principal. "She was a very bright young lady and she worked really hard she was very diligent in everything she did." Rivers said when O'Hearn was a student he asked her to join the school council and after she graduated, he asked her to come back again. "We had an opening for Florida Mountain and I thought why not Becky? So sure enough, she decided this is something she would like to do," he said. "One of our core goals is to produce kids that want to give back to the community and that is certainly Becky." Superintendent James Brosnan said O'Hearn was at McCann when the school changed from electronics to information technology and he'd had to call upon her experience as a student on the committee. "She was part of that student group that said this is what we want in the curriculum," he said. "She was a customer but came back to give that advice back. We are very grateful for you as the student, the graduate, and a school committee member." The members said they hope O'Hearn returns to the committee in the future. iciHaiti - Politic : Nearly 100 days later... The resignation of Mayor of Les Cayes refused ! Nearly 100 days after the resignation of Jean Gabriel Fortune the Mayor of Les Cayes, on June 3 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24570-haiti-flash-gabriel-fortune-the-mayor-of-les-cayes-resigns.html , Jean-Marie Reynaldo Brunet, the Minister of the Interior (renewed in his functions in the Government Ceant) wrote to Mayor Fortune to inform him that his resignation was not accepted... Letter from Minister Brunet to Mayor Fortune : "[...] Mr. Mayor, The Ministry of the Interior and Territorial Communities (MICT) acknowledges receipt of your correspondence Ref. COR:SM/SM/04-06-18/063 dated June 4, 2018 by which you announced him your resignation as President of the Municipal Council of the Commune of Les Cayes. The Minister informs you that your resignation can not be accepted. He invites you therefore, to continue to occupy responsibilities that are yours. The Ministry of the Interior and Territorial Communities (MICT) takes the opportunity to renew, Mayor, the expression of his consideration." See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24570-haiti-flash-gabriel-fortune-the-mayor-of-les-cayes-resigns.html IH/ iciHaiti Vanguard The spokesperson for President Muhammadu Buharis 2019 presidential campaign, Festus Keyamo, SAN, has joined the minister of Information and Culture, Lai Muhammed and the social media aide to the president, Mrs. Lauretta Onochie to defend the appointment of Yusuf Bichi as new DG DSS and Kemi Adeosuns resignation. The Nation The All Progressives Congress, (APC) in Ekiti state on has adopted and inuagurated a new 35-member State Executive Council.The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that an immediate past state Secretary of the party, Mr. Paul Omotoso, emerged as its new state Chairman. ThisDay Former President Goodluck Jonathan has described ex- Jigawa State governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirant, Alhaji Sule Lamido, as a courageous and experienced leader, capable of uniting the country, if given the mandate next year. A statement by Lamidos media aide on the Social Media , Mansur Ahmed, said Jonathan made Guardian Sun, 16 Sep 2018 The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti state on has adopted and inuagurated a new 35-member State Executive Council. The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that an immediate past state Secretary of the party, Mr. Paul Omotoso, emerged as its new state Chairman. The adoption and inuaguration of the new exco was held at The Sun Senate President Bukola Saraki has urged Nigerians to ensure they vote in a president who understands.. The Authority The governor of Ebonyi state and chairman of the South East governors forum, Engr. Dave Umahi has declared that Sokoto Daily Times Some election observer groups in the country have cautioned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum to desist from making careless and reckless statements capable A senior official with the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought (WFPIST) said the next edition of the International Islamic Unity Conference is slated to be held in the Iranian capital of Tehran in late November. AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): A senior official with the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought (WFPIST) said the next edition of the International Islamic Unity Conference is slated to be held in the Iranian capital of Tehran in late November. (The 32nd edition of) the International Islamic Unity Conference will be held in Tehran from Nov. 23 to 25," Hojatoleslam Seyed Hamed Alamolhoda, a deputy to the world forum, told reporters in Iran's northeastern city of Gorgan on Sunday. The 31st edition of the international event was held in Tehran in December 2017. He added that hundreds of dignitaries, academics and scholars from all over the Muslim world would participate in the three-day conference to support unity among Muslims. It will be held with a focus on the issue of Palestine, Hojatoleslam Alamolhoda said. The event is held annually on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) in an effort to lay the ground for stronger unity and solidarity among Muslims and provide appropriate solutions for their problems. /257 The Yoruba Council of Elders, YCF has commended the former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun over her resignation. Buhari on Friday accepted Adeosuns resignation letter as Minister of Finance while also replacing her with Zainab Ahmed. Adeosun had in her letter said she resigned following allegation of forged NYSC certificate against her. However, reacting to the development, Secretary General of the Yoruba Council of Elders, Dr Kunle Olajide in a statement on Saturday said Adeosun was a victim of mischievous individuals involved in the process that produced the forged certificate. He noted that there were government officials who had been accused of one fraudulent practice or the other but still in government in various capacities. YCE also commended her for leaving behind a glorious achievement as a minister, having steered Nigeria out of recession when she was given no chance. He said, YCE received the news of Adeosuns exit from the cabinet with sadness and joy. It was with sadness because she was exiting office in an inglorious circumstance. Her pedigree and antecedent as mentioned in her resignation letter, however, speak volume of her confidence, character and capability. We are proud of her achievements in office because she assumed duty at a difficult time in the history of the country. She steered Nigeria out of recession when many did not give her a chance to do so. YCE commends her courage to resign honourably when she discovered that her NYSC certificate was not genuine. Olajide urged the former minister not to be deterred by the setback, saying that her services would still be required by the country. A Palestinian youth was shot and injured by Israeli forces on Sunday near the illegal Israel settlement of Gush Etzion, south of Bethlehem in the southern occupied West Bank, after the youth allegedly carried out a stabbing attack. AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): A Palestinian youth was shot and injured by Israeli forces on Sunday near the illegal Israel settlement of Gush Etzion, south of Bethlehem in the southern occupied West Bank, after the youth allegedly carried out a stabbing attack. Hebrew-language news outlets reported that a Palestinian youth stabbed two Israeli settlers, near the illegal Israeli Gush Etzion settlement. Sources confirmed that one of the Israeli settlers, Ari Fold died after the stabbing attack. Meanwhile, the other Israeli settler suffered serious injuries. Sources also reported that Israeli forces immediately opened fire and shot the Palestinian youth. The youth was reported to be in moderate condition. According to local sources, the youth was identified as 17-year-old Khalil Yousef Ali Jabarin, a resident from the Yatta village in the southern West Bank district of Hebron. Local sources confirmed that the youth was detained by Israeli forces and taken to an unknown location. A number of Palestinians have been arrested, shot, or killed by Israeli forces for allegedly attempting to carry out attacks or being in possession of a knife at the Gush Etzion junction. Though Israeli forces have claimed that Palestinians were allegedly attempting to carry out attacks in a majority of instances when Palestinians were killed, rights groups have disputed Israel's version of events in a number of cases, and argued that many alleged attackers could have been subdued in a non-lethal manner. /257 Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) meets with Nguyen Thien Nhan, Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and also Member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Sept. 15, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Gang) HO CHI MINH CITY, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Nguyen Thien Nhan, Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee in Vietnam on Saturday. Nhan, who is also Member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, welcomes Wang's visit to Ho Chi Minh City chairing the 11th meeting of the China-Vietnam Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation in Vietnam, saying that the committee plays a vital role in planning and developing Vietnam-China relations. Nhan said that China's success not only benefits the Chinese people, but also brings opportunities for the development of Vietnam. He said that as Vietnam and China are both neighbors and comrades, "we should cherish and inherit the friendship forged by the older generation of leaders of our two countries, to facilitate positive outcome of the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation and to benefit people of both countries." Nhan said that Ho Chi Minh City, with an important position in Vietnam's economy, is dedicated to build itself into a smart city, hoping to cooperate ly with related provinces and cities of China in this regard. For his part, Wang said China and Vietnam are good brothers, good partners and good comrades, and the two countries have forged the deep friendship from living in harmony with each other for a long time. China and Vietnam are two important socialist countries in the world, and the two parties and two countries have established mutual trust, mutual support and mutual cooperation which have not only promoted development and revitalization for each other, but also resulted in positive and deep influence to the development and progress of the mankind, Wang said. The importance of China-Vietnam relations have gone far beyond the bilateral scope and they are of strategic importance, Wang noted. Sub-national cooperation is an important component of the China-Vietnam relations, Wang said, noting that China-Vietnam friendship is a shared cause of all the people of the two countries. The Chinese delegation includes leaders from Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and Chongqing, which shows that the China-Vietnam ties are growing more and more profoundly with ever expanding cooperation. The Chinese side stands ready to strengthen communication and cooperation with Ho Chi Minh City and make positive contributions to the enrichment of China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. At the invitation of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh, Wang is in Vietnam to chair the 11th meeting of the China-Vietnam Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation. [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] The Tian En cargo ship of China's COSCO SHIPPING Specialized Carriers Co., is seen at the Swedish port of Harnosand, on Sept. 15, 2018. Chinese cargo ship Tian En arrived Saturday at the Swedish port of Harnosand, ending its maiden voyage across the Arctic region to deliver wind power equipment to Europe. (Xinhua/Liu Hongxia) ABOARD TIAN EN, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese cargo ship Tian En arrived Saturday at the Swedish port of Harnosand, ending its maiden voyage across the Arctic region to deliver wind power equipment to Europe. "After all the ice-zones and storms, we made it," said Chen Xiangwu, captain of the multifunctional ship built in 2017. Prior to Harnosand, Tian En docked at the French port of Rouen on Sept. 5 to a warm welcome from local authorities, and swarmed by a media frenzy. She also docked at the Dutch port of Eemshaven on Sept. 9. "European reporters were keen to know what we'd been through in the Arctic, and, of course, why we chose that route," Chen said. "I told them some stories along the 'Polar Silk Road,' and that the route via the Arctic is much shorter and safer than the traditional one passing the Suez Canal," he said. Lu Yi, second officer of the ship, told Xinhua that the route across the Arctic has saved about one third of sailing days and around 300 tons of fuel. "It's really economical, both for us and our European clients." In a white paper on its Arctic policy early this year, China said it would intensify cooperation with other countries to jointly build the Polar Silk Road, part of the Belt and Road Initiative. Tian En, which is owned by COSCO SHIPPING Specialized Carriers Co., is expected to berth in Finland on Sept. 23 before heading back to China. 5 1 [ Editor: Zhang Zhou ] MEDFORD, Ore. -- Oregon State Police said on Thursday, September 13, 2018, Oregon State Police Detectives arrested 55-year-old, Blake V. Northway of Medford on multiple counts of Sodomy. Troopers said Northway is a Deportation Officer with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) assigned to the Medford office. His arrest is a result of a joint investigation between the Oregon State Police and ICE - Office of Professional Responsibility. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold its officers to the highest standards of professional conduct and does not tolerate those who violate the law, said ICE Public Affairs Officer Tanya Roman. "ICE will continue to cooperate until this case has been resolved. Northway has been relieved of all authority and will be placed on leave pending the results of the criminal investigation. Northway was lodged in the Jackson County Jail. These charges are not related to Northways position with ICE. SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- About 30 volunteers went door-to-door Saturday in Springfield to encourage voters to vote no on Measure 105. Supporters of the measure said it will allow citizens to come first. People in opposition said it will leave minorities to live in fear. Measure 105 would repeal the state's so-called "sanctuary status." Right now, the sanctuary law prohibits state agencies from asking about a person's immigration status if they haven't committed another crime. It also bans state and local law enforcement from coordinating with federal immigration officials on raids and roundups. If 105 does pass, our families are going to be targeted. Theres going be a lot of profiling, said Johanis Tadeo of Springfield Alliance for Equity and Respect. Theres going to be a lot more fear so we want to make sure families and communities feel safe. We need to say no to it, said Springfield resident Tanya Gomez. Its just that simple. When Gomez received a knock on the door from a volunteer, her answer took no convincing. Everyone is part of the community. We shouldnt be a state that distinguishes between black, white and brown, she said. Everyone needs to feel a majority and not a minority. She said as a child of Mexican immigrants, she pledged to vote no on Measure 105. However, not everyone will be voting no this November. "Were fed up with being second class citizens in our own county based upon this sanctuary law that protects illegal aliens, said Jim Ludwick, founder of Oregonians for Immigration Reform. Ludwick said he supports Measure 105 because illegal immigrants are more likely to commit crimes. His group believes the U.S. should turn to history when it comes to deciding the number of legal immigrants that are allowed in the country per-year. 1776 to 1976 we averaged 230,000 immigrants, he said. We became the most successful country in the history of the world and we believe we should return to those immigration numbers. To learn more about Oregonians for Immigration Reform and their efforts, click here. To learn more about Springfield Alliance For Equity and Respect and their efforts, click here. DAKOTA CITY, Iowa Two people are facing attempted murder charges in Humboldt County. Authorities say Nicholas Joseph Bradley, 35 of Fort Dodge, and Vilma Cyreena Velasquez, 26 of Humboldt, tried to kill Austin Dean on April 29. Court documents allege the two were angry with Dean and looking to attack him. Authorities say that while Dean was riding his bicycle, Bradley intentionally ran into him with his truck while Velasquez was chasing after Dean with a bat. Law enforcement says Bradley and Velasquez actions happened in Humboldt and were recorded on video. Charges were filed against the two on June 29. Velasquez was arrested on August 6 and a warrant was served on Bradley on September 7. GARNER, Iowa A guilty plea is entered in the case of child hit with a belt. Charles Pennington, 33 of Mason City, was accused of spanking a four-year-old with the belt on March 12. Authorities say the child was left with one-inch-wide red bruises on the lower back and bruises on the butt and lower legs that were black, blue, and purple. Pennington is pleading guilty to child endangerment, a class D felony which is punishable by up to five years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for October 26 in Hancock County District Court. 31 years later, were got another Predator movie. Thats 31 years after the original, 28 years after the sequel, and eight years after threequel that starred Adrian Brodybecause who else could step into the shoes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny Glover? And if youre wondering why it took 18 years to make a threequel and eight more years to make a fourquel, stop wondering. Predator 2 and Predators were just that bad. Will The Predator break that pattern? Will the franchise at long last equal Alien by having a second good film? Are they ever going to do the Alien vs. Predator movie we all want to see with Schwarzenegger and Sigourney Weaver? This edition of KIMTs Weekend Throwdown will only answer those first two questions. Predator (1987) is one of the films that cemented Schwarzenegger as the biggest movie star on the planet for a time. I suspect the younger generation that knows him most for his forays into politics and his cartoonish persona doesnt appreciate that he wasnt just another action hero. He wasnt Chuck Norris or Steven Seagal. He wasnt even Sylvester Stallone, who basically strip mined his successes to compensate for an immense amount of failure. For almost a generation, Arnold Schwarzenegger was as successful and as famous as any actor in Hollywood history and he achieved that by starring in a string of legitimately great motion pictureslike Predator. "We're men! We're manly men!" Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is the leader of a six man rescue team called down to the jungles of either Central or South America, the movies never quite clear on which, to save a government minister from the clutches of evil guerilla fighters. Joined by a CIA hardass named Dillon (Carl Weathers), these men of war find themselves becoming the prey of an alien hunter looking to add to its collection of human skulls. I dont want to give away much more than that because Predator is genuinely one of the movies you need to see before you die. Its the sort of film thats so good and so memorable, it would normally be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of its star, except Schwarzenegger has got at least four movies that rank above it in his career. One of the things I can tell you about Predator is that it is one of the most male-oriented motion pictures you will ever see. It is about manly men doing manly things in the manliest way possible. It is not interested in making itself appealing to women or children or couples. It gives a great big hug to masculinity and embraces all its glories and ridiculousness. This is the kind of movie where one character says without a hint of irony I aint got time to bleed and another character teases him by responding You got time to duck? It is about hard men doing a hard job in a hard world that suddenly turns stranger than they ever imagined. "No one can make us take a bath!" What makes all that machismo work is that its harnessed by a great story with some great performers and a great director. Its a well-structured plot that gives you real reasons to care about its characters. It starts off at lightning speed, slows down just long enough to get the viewer invested in what happens to the rescue team, then pivots off an adrenaline-pumping action scene to descend into fear and horror, before climbing back to a peak of human triumph and its shattering aftermath. I dont want to make it sound like the greatest story ever told. It is a bunch of dudes with guns getting shot up by a surly extraterrestrial with a ray gun. However, Predator does deserve to be ranked as perhaps the best version of The Worlds Most Dangerous Game in the history of cinema. The Predator isnt quite the exact opposite of thatbut its damn close. It is, by far, the worst Predator movie ever made and when you consider that Predator 2 was so bad they could only revive the franchise by teaming up with Alien, that is awesomely terrible. The story literally makes no sense at several points. Not only do characters know things they cant possibly know but you cant explain how characters even get from one place to another. "We love to smell our own farts..." Quinn McKenna (Boyd Holbrook, who will not become the biggest movie star on this or any other planet) is a sniper in an undefined branch of the military on an undefined mission to kill some members of a drug cartel when he encounters a Predator that crashes to Earth. The rest of McKennas team is killed. He steals some of the alien technology and ships it to his PO Box back in America so he has proof of what happened becauseyou knowtaking a picture of it with his phone or putting it on Facebook Live wouldnt have worked even better for some reason. McKenna gets captured by Mexican authorities, even though he still has the alien cloaking device that can make him virtually invisible, and shipped back to the U.S. as a prisoner. Meanwhile, the government recruits Casey Bracket (Olivia Munn), the worlds sexiest evolutionary biologist, to join their research project and study the Predator they somehow captured after it killed McKennas men. Also meanwhile, the alien tech shows up at McKennas old house and falls into the hands of his son (Jacob Tremblay), who is somewhere on the Autism Spectrum a little to the right of Rain Man and quickly masters the technology like its a new app for his phone. Also also meanwhile, a bigger and more powerful Predator shows up hunting the first Predator and the missing technology, including the first Predators ship which we see the alien escaping from to start the movie because its crashing only to have it turn up later having landed perfectly with nothing more than a cracked windshield. "...and flexing 'til our arms hurt!" AnywayMcKenna gets thrown in with a bunch of psychologically disturbed military prisoners and they escape and save Casey when the first Predator gets free, during which we visibly see that the super-strong hunter from the stars cant outrun model/actress Olivia Munn. McKenna and his predictably colorful crew realize his son has the alien tech and the Predator will be after him, then the evil Predator shows up, then the evil government guys show up again, and the whole production starts swirling the bowl. Theres one truly clever bit about the practical realities of force fields but otherwise The Predator is one of those films that isnt merely dumb but goes out of its way to demonstrate how dumb it is, as if Hollywood intended it as the most expensive IQ test ever conceived. This is the sort of stupid movie where the bad guys are willing to murder a prominent scientist because she knows too much but take endless amounts of lip from McKennas suburban wife. This is the sort of stupid movie where Autism is treated like a super-power. This is the sort of stupid movie where Tourettes syndrome is treated like a punch line. This is the sort of stupid movie where a vicious alien dog gets shot in the head and becomes comic relief. This is the sort of stupid movie that ostentatiously make a meta-criticism of the original film, even though lasting affection for the original is the only reason The Predator got made. "WE'RE...MANLY...MEN!!!!" What might be the most striking idiocy of this forsaken mess is how little effort it makes at getting you to like or care about any of its characters. Viewers might care a little about the kid because hes a kid and about Casey because Olivia Munn is beautiful and seems a good enough actress to be in a much better movie, but the rest of the cast might as well be sides of beef hanging in a meat locker. Its not that theyre bad actors, though Boyd Holbrook shouldnt quit his day job, but its because theyre playing people whose personalities range from indifferent to annoying and have about as much in common with living human beings as I do with the Rock of Gibraltar. "For pete's sake, someone stop them before they start the second verse!" One of the loudest criticisms of modern screenwriting is that the people writing scripts have never done anything but watch other movies and TV, so everything they write is a secondhand copy of somebody elses fiction. Theres not a lot of realism in fighting for your life against an alien hunter but Predator showed us people acting out of believable motivations like fear and guilt and obsession. The people in The Predator act the way the script says they act whether it makes a lick of sense or not. The movie even acknowledges this with a scene where the other military guys have a chance to bail on McKenna and instead they join him in saving his son, even though the movie explicitly recognizes theres no real reason for them to do it. It tries to turn it into some sort of joke but bad writing doesnt stop being bad writing just by making fun of it. Predator takes this Throwdown, not because its a modern Hollywood classic but because it doesnt suck. They could have replaced Schwarzenegger with Dom DeLuise and it still would have been better than The Predator. On the other hand, Olivia Munn is basically the manliest thing in the sequel. Predator (1987) Written by Jim Thomas and John Thomas. Directed by John McTiernan. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Elpidia Carrillo, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura, Sonny Landham, Richard Chaves, R.G. Armstrong, Shane Black, and Kevin Peter Hall. The Predator (2018) Written by Shane Black and Fred Dekker. Directed by Shane Black. Starring Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Jacob Tremblay, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown, Thomas Jane, Alfie Allen, Augusto Aguilera, Jake Busy, Yvonne Strahovski, and Brian A. Prince. Unless you count the strange invader from another world still needing to wear a codpiece. Mu Cang Chai is a mountainous district of Yen Bai province located at the foot of the Hoang Lien Son Mountains and is about 300km far from Hanoi. Visitors must travel through the Khau Pha Pass one of the most dangerous and beautiful passes of the Northwestern region to arrive in Mu Cang Chai. In mid-September, the yellow colour of ripe rice begins to cover all the terraced fields in the district. The most well-known tourist attractions in Mu Cang Chai are the terraced fields in the three communes of La Pan Tan, Che Cu Nha and Ze Xu Phinh. The locals still preserve and practice customs, rituals and beliefs related to rice cultivation on the terraced fields. The magnificent layered fields express the well-off lives of the local people. The Nam Kim stream winds around the yellow fields. Peaceful villages nestle on the mountain slopes. Developed by the locals, the terraced fields not only reflect the unique way of farming but also feature local historical and cultural values. Ethnic minority people are harvesting ripe rice on the fields. In addition to admiring the stunning natural scenery, visitors can also explore the cultural identity and join the daily lives of local ethnic minority groups. ANKENY, Iowa (AP) Iowa authorities are investigating a fatal police shooting in the Des Moines suburb of Ankeny. The Des Moines Register reports Ankeny Police Lt. Brian Kroska says an officer fatally shot a man suspected of robbing a Hy-Vee gas station Saturday after he pointed a handgun at the officer. Kroska says officers responded to the robbery call around 4:30 Saturday afternoon and found the suspect a couple blocks away near another gas station. That's when the suspect pointed the gun. Police didn't immediately release the identities of either the suspect or the officer. The officer will remain on paid leave while the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation reviews the shooting. GARNER, Iowa The second defendant in a bunch of storage unit burglaries in Hancock County is pleading not guilty. Christopher Michael Hoeft, 39 of Forest City, is charged with eight counts of 3rd degree burglary, four counts of 2nd degree theft, and two counts of 3rd degree theft. Authorities say he and Kristen James Nelson of Forest city repeatedly broke into storage units in the 100 block of Industrial Drive in Forest City in January. Kristen Nelson Kristen Nelson Court documents say Hoeft and Nelson stole items worth thousands of dollars. Nelson previously pleaded not guilty to nine counts of 3rd degree burglary, one count of attempted 3rd degree burglary, four counts of 2nd degree theft, and two counts of 3rd degree theft. Both men are now set to stand trial on October 17. April Joyner NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. technology and consumer discretionary stocks have been insulated from global trade tensions, but if another round of U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods goes into effect, even those high-flying sectors could come down to earth. The United States and China have already imposed tariffs on $50 billion worth of each others goods. The White House has proposed tariffs on an additional $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, including furniture, handbags and some computer parts. U.S. President Donald Trump has said he is prepared to move forward with levies on an additional $267 billion - in essence, all Chinese imports into the United States. The inclusion of consumer goods is a shift from previous rounds of U.S. tariffs, which have primarily hit the industrial sector. Shares of companies such as Boeing Co and Caterpillar Inc have risen and fallen in tandem with trade sentiment. On Wednesday, the Trump administration said that it invited Chinese officials to restart trade talks, which has been welcomed by Beijing. U.S. stocks have perked up on the news, but that optimism could be fleeting. Investors in general are too predisposed to react too positively to any signs of improvement in the situation, said Kristina Hooper, chief global market strategist at Invesco in New York. I dont expect the (Trump) administration to back down. Companies in the tech and consumer discretionary sectors have begun sounding alarm bells. A broad array of U.S. industry groups, representing companies such as Microsoft Corp, Amazon.com Inc, Walmart Inc and Mattel Inc, has voiced opposition to the new tariffs. Even Apple Inc, whose stock has contributed heavily to the S&P 500s gains, has warned that the proposed tariffs would affect several of its products, including the Apple Watch and AirPods headphones, though it did not mention the iPhone. In part because of trade issues, shares of tech companies have gotten off to a rocky start in September. As of Thursdays close, the S&P 500 tech sector had fallen 1.2 percent this month, versus a 0.1 percent rise for the S&P 500 as a whole. S&P 500 consumer discretionary stocks had risen 0.2 percent, less than the 2 percent advance in industrial stocks. The next round of escalation really does impact the leadership of the market, said Lisa Shalett, head of investment and portfolio strategies at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. In anticipation of heightened trade tensions, companies have built up inventory, which could have an adverse effect on supply chains later on, Shalett said. Inventory pile-ups have already pushed down pricing in the semiconductor industry. The Philadelphia SE Semiconductor Index had fallen 2.8 percent in September as of Thursdays close. Consumer-oriented companies face a catch-22 in their response to tariffs. Those that compete on price, such as Walmart, will likely have to absorb the cost of levies, which will cut into their margins. But companies that pass costs onto consumers, as Apple has indicated it will do, risk dampening demand for their products. Invescos Hooper pointed to washing machines as an example. Tariffs on steel and aluminum caused Whirlpool Corp to raise prices on its appliances, and its second-quarter earnings slumped as a result. To be sure, consumer electronics are flashier products than a washer-dryer set. And U.S. tech companies can skirt some tariffs by shipping Chinese-made parts directly to other countries for assembly and then importing the finished items into the United States, said Scott Yuschak, equity strategy analyst at SunTrust Advisory Services in Atlanta. The list of targeted items in the next round of tariffs excludes cell phones, for instance. With such mitigating factors, many investors are reluctant to make sweeping changes to their portfolios, though Morgan Stanleys Shalett has recommended a rotation into defensive sectors. Many are likely waiting for third-quarter earnings for more details on the impact of trade, said David Joy, chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial in Boston. But further signs of escalation in the U.S.-China trade war could quickly raise the stakes for the S&Ps leading sectors. The final round of levies would include consumer electronic products imported from China. Some market watchers fear that China, which cannot match the United States in tit-for-tat tariffs, would respond by restricting U.S. companies ability to sell products in the country. If you look at the broad base of technology, there isnt much impact at this point, said Daniel Morgan, portfolio manager at Synovus Trust Company in Atlanta. But if you include the iPhone into tariffs, then that changes the whole game. Reporting by April Joyner; Editing by Alden Bentley and Phil Berlowitz Richard Cowan, David Ljunggren WASHINGTON/OTTAWA (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi on Friday warned the Trump administration that NAFTA should be maintained as a trilateral pact between the United States, Mexico and Canada and not just as a U.S.-Mexico arrangement. Pelosis remarks are significant because whatever deal to renew the North American Free Trade Agreement is ultimately reached will be reviewed by the next Congress that convenes in January. Pelosi could be the speaker of the House if Democrats win this Novembers congressional midterm elections. Talks to update NAFTA, which U.S. President Donald Trump says is unfair to the United States and must be radically revised, have been bogged down amid disagreements between Canadian and American negotiators. Trump last month announced a side deal with Mexico and has warned Ottawa that he is prepared to leave Canada out if it fails to accept terms more favorable to the United States. As House speaker, Pelosi sets the legislative agenda, and often has the political muscle to assure passage or defeat of initiatives. I think it should be trilateral, she told reporters, adding she did not think it would be in the interest of this hemisphere to turn NAFTA into a bilateral deal. The U.S. administration wants the text of a deal ready by Oct. 1 but Canadian officials say they are not rushing, given the remaining differences. The two sides are arguing over dispute settlement mechanisms and a U.S. demand that Canada open up its protected dairy market. Canadian officials say privately that some concessions will be needed on dairy, an approach that has alarmed the politically influential farming community. Most Canadian dairy farmers live in the populous provinces of Ontario and Quebec, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus ruling Liberal Party needs to do well if he is to retain power in an election set for October 2019. Pierre Lampron, president of the Dairy Farmers of Canada lobby group, planned to meet Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland on Friday to ask her about NAFTA. The DFC said it had asked for the meeting. Freelands office did not respond to a request for comment. Trudeau said on Thursday he wanted a good NAFTA deal as soon as possible, but did not answer directly when asked if he felt the end of September was the final deadline for talks. Mexico said on Wednesday it had to be ready to pursue a bilateral deal with the United States if Ottawa and Washington did not come to terms. But Pelosi said she was seeking more details on the results of the U.S.-Mexico negotiations, adding she had instructed aides to set up briefings for rank-and-file lawmakers. Any arrangement of that kind, of that length of being in effect should be subjected to some scrutiny, she said. Reporting by Richard Cowan and David Ljunggren; Editing by Marguerita Choy Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 62F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 43F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. The delegation, led by Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh, paid a working visit to the RoK from September 12 to 14, to attend an ASEAN-RoK deputy defence ministerial meeting and the seventh Seoul Defence Dialogue. Vietnam has strong economic, diplomatic and political links with the RoK, so the latter also looks forwards to Vietnams support, Deputy Defence Minister Vinh said. Meanwhile, this years Seoul Defence Dialogue focused on how to build sustainable peace in Northeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific. Officials from 51 countries and leading military-defence scientists from around the world attended the event. At the dialogue, the Vietnamese delegation highlighted the cooperation to ensure marine security, noting that issues relating to this matter need to be solved by peaceful measures on the basis of international law, Vinh said. He added that the Vietnamese sides speech attracted a lot of attention and support from many foreign officials and researchers. He emphasised that the countrys viewpoint on security, including maritime security, has been consistent despite situational changes. In particular, it has to ensure that it safeguards national sovereignty and security, pays attention to the security of the region and other nations, adheres to international law, and does not use or threaten to use force to solve conflicts. Vietnam also demands that the international community behaves in the same manner, the officer noted, adding that its consistent stance received great global support. Aside from participating in the two aforementioned events, the Vietnamese delegation also met with high-ranking officials of the RoK Ministry of National Defence to review their bilateral cooperation and prepare for a defence policy dialogue between the two countries deputy ministers in Hanoi this December. Vinh said the RoK has cooperated with Vietnam in various fields and that this partnership has proven effective. The two sides have also worked together to ensure defence and contribute towards peace and stability. The two sides agreed that in the bilateral strategic partnership, defence cooperation must always be one of the key pillars to enhance mutual trust, he added. During their stay in the RoK, the Vietnamese delegation also had working sessions with RoK post-war settlement agencies, the foreign ministry, and the Korea International Cooperation Agency. The Deputy Minister said Vietnam had thanked the RoK for its assistance in addressing the consequences of war. The RoK recently provided Vietnam with 20 million USD in non-refundable aid to solve unexploded ordnance problems in Binh Dinh, Quang Binh and certain other provinces. It has also helped improve Vietnams capacity of settling war consequences. Additionally, the RoKs support at international forums is particularly important as it affirms that, although Vietnam is a war-torn nation with the international communitys assistance, the country has made active efforts to address those consequences, Vinh noted. Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Ngo Duc Manh congratulated the awardees and highly appreciated the solidarity and positive contributions of the OV community in Russia. He stressed that the success of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trongs recent visit to Russia was significantly contributed to by the OV community in Russia. He pledged that the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia will work closely with the OVs in building a united and strong community, and make positive contributions to fostering the Vietnam Russia strategic partnership. * Also yesterday, the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia hosted a celebration marking the 73rd anniversary of Vietnams National Day. Ambassador Ngo Duc Manh reviewed the glorious history of Vietnam over the past 73 years, as well as the development of the Vietnam-Russia traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership. For his part, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Morgulov Igor Vladimirovich spoke highly of Vietnams achievements during its Doi Moi (Renewal) process, pledging closer cooperation with Vietnams relevant agencies in hosting the Year of Russia in Vietnam and the Year of Vietnam in Russia in 2019. Kim Je-dong speaks about KBS news talk show "Tonight, Kim Je-dong" during a meeting with the press at a cafe in Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of KBS By Park Jin-hai Comedian and TV personality Kim Je-dong, who hasn't been shy about voicing political opinions, has landed a job as a host on KBS's new current affairs talk show, "Tonight, Kim Je-dong." KBS, in a bid to widen its audience appeal, tapped the 44-year-old outspoken liberal for the Monday-Thursday late-night show, which premiered last Monday. It looks at the major issues of the day from the perspective of viewers and explains them in easy-to-understand, witty words. "I've never thought that citizens' opinions are less valuable than those of experts," Kim said during a meeting with the press at a cafe in Seoul, Thursday. "In the hope that there could be a new talk show to deliver viewers' opinions, I accepted the job. In our show, viewers are not just passive consumers of news delivered by experts, but are active suppliers of news. I as a host want to listen to people's voices more." The show's producer Jung Byung-kwon said: "There was a shared opinion among producers that we should come up with a daily news talk show. We wanted to have a show that helps viewers connect dots for the social issues but in a less restrictive format." Although Kim is a popular "socialtainer" and receives overwhelming public support for his social awareness, having him as a news show host has faced controversies. The KBS labor union previously said in a statement, "after the Moon Jae-in administration, many leftists have been hired for major KBS news programs and now it has placed a comedian-turned-talk-show host in the job of news presenter," raising concerns for a possible breach of fair and balanced reporting. Kim, who had been blacklisted by the conservative Lee Myung-bak government, along with fellow liberal entertainers, made it clear that he disapproves of "mechanical" neutrality, which is taking no sides at all. "News programs should not be left-leaning or right-leaning," he said. "But on subjects that require pros and cons opinions, I think we should not take just a mechanically neutral stance. Basically, my role is to deliver expert views impartially. "Apart from a brief news summary in the beginning, my major role is to interview people. The reason that I really wanted to join this program was that I wanted to have a diary-like news show that wraps up the day before people go to bed. "There were many controversies prior to its broadcasting on its format of having an entertainer hosting a news-like show. Many countries had experienced similar controversies before settling down as new form of news show." "Tonight, Kim Je-dong" airs at 11:30 p.m. on KBS, Mon-Thur. By Jon Dunbar For photojournalist Brenda Paik Sunoo, life has gone full circle. She now finds herself in her 70s, living with husband Jan in a stone house in the land of her ancestors. Paik Sunoo is known for her deeply personal books, which explore the world around her while coming to terms with her grief over losing her 16-year-old son Tommy in 1994. In her 2006 book "Seaweed and Shamans: Inheriting the Gifts of Grief," she explores the continuance of life through 21 essays inspiring hope, comfort and renewal. Her 2011 book "Moon Tides: Jeju Island Grannies of the Sea" explores her growing affinity for Korea's southernmost island territory. For her latest book, "Stone House on Jeju Island: Improvising Life Under a Healing Moon," she offers 25 essays on finding her new home on Jeju Island. Broken into three sections _ "Seduction of Jeju Island," "House Construction" and "Village Immersion" _ she walks readers through the process of her resettling. "Coming to Jeju it kind of mirrored my inner landscape," Paik Sunoo, a third-generation Korean-American, told The Korea Times in an interview. "Certainly turning 70 and being in the last years, or last quarter or last third or last decade of life, one wants to renew, reinvent, create, and when you build a house, it's really about creating, reinventing, of course healing, and definitely touching base with the ancestral homeland, even though my personal family didn't come from Jeju." First, she introduces what brought her to the island that she called home seasonally over 2007 to 2009, living in three villages over that time. "I was always attracted to Jeju because the women and the shamanism and just the history have a confluence of all the things I feel passion about _ there's something that just brought it all together," she said. Next she looks at the process of building her current house, a "unique and humble" renovated stone house, or "doljib." "I thought if I'm going to build or renovate a house, I don't want to just build some Western-style house," she said. "I wanted to do something that perpetuated or promoted the notion of cultural preservation. I was dead set to find a stone house we could renovate." After a painstaking search they located a dilapidated old house in the northern coastal village of Aewol in August 2015. Of the three structures on the property, almost everything had to go. "We didn't replicate a traditional stone house, but it informed a kind of modern rustic version of a doljib," she said. "I see in building this house echoes from my own past." One house, built out of cinder blocks, was completely torn down, giving them a nice open yard. The main house also had to be gutted, leaving only some authentic wall materials, as well as clay roof tiles, the hanji wallpaper, the maru (exterior deck) and the floor heating system. But the third building, a cow stall, remained the most intact. Paik Sunoo had it made into a hwangtobang, a communal room for sitting. She estimates it's large enough for six to sit in a circle. In her essays she recounts encounters with a giant spider and a snake. But when she asked workers to kill the snake, they refused, as it is a revered creature on Jeju. And in the case of the spider, she and her 24-year-old granddaughter took it outside rather than kill it. "I'm not really a country girl by design, more of a city girl enamored by country living, and had to adapt to centipedes and snakes and bugs," she said. "I've made peace with all these critters, so if I see a snake I'm just going to say hello and let it slither around and do its thing." She said her human neighbors were first skeptical of the renovation process, figuring she and her husband were wasting their money. One of their workers even asked them "Aren't you kind of old to be starting a house?" But after the project was complete, the community welcomed the addition, with one neighbor even repainting his roof so it wouldn't clash with theirs. "It's nice that it's not competitive and jealous, but collegial and people inspire each other," she said. "They want to see the community improve. After we moved in several others started to build and renovate to even greater dimensions than ours, so ours initially looked like it would stick out like a sore thumb but turned out to be more humble." Paik Sunoo characterizes her life on Jeju as "simplicity and living with less," citing the low cost of living and good healthcare, as well as the strong community. "I'd say overall it's living with less, smaller and cheaper," she said. "Those are not bad adjustments, but more of benefits." For Paik Sunoo, living in Korea is a return to her origins. In 2013 she received an award from the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs on behalf of her grandfather, Reverend Yim Chung-koo, who moved to the U.S. in 1905. An independence activist, he first lived in Hawaii for a year working at a plantation, then resettled in California where he was a minister at a Methodist church founded in 1914. Because she was his descendant, she was qualified to apply for Korean citizenship, which she did in 2016. "When I took the oath it was very emotional for me," she recalled. "It reminded me of the Korean immigrants to the United States taking the oath. There were so many stories of how they were emotional and started to feel they wanted to contribute to the country because they were so grateful. It made me ponder more seriously what it means to be a global citizen." The book is out in print and e-book on next month. Visit for more information including the book's release. A U.S. top nuclear envoy met with his South Korean counterpart Saturday to discuss a war-ending declaration and North Korea's denuclearization ahead of next week's inter-Korean summit. Stephen Biegun arrived in Seoul earlier in the day, following trips to Beijing and Tokyo, where he met with his counterparts. He is to meet key officials in South Korea during his two-day stay here. It was his second trip to Seoul in less than a week. Biegun held a meeting with Lee Do-hoon, South Korea's top nuclear envoy, during which the U.S. negotiator briefed Lee on the outcome of his trip to China and Japan, according to diplomatic sources. They are also known to have consulted on practical ways to realize denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, a key agenda item for the inter-Korean summit that will be held in Pyongyang from Tuesday to Thursday. The two officials are said to have focused on discussing denuclearization steps that the North should take and the declaration of an end to the 1950-53 Korean War. Denuclearization talks between the U.S. and North Korea have been stalled since their leaders' historic summit in Singapore in June. The North has strongly called for the war-ending declaration in response to what could be the dismantlement of its nuclear test and missile launch sites. But the U.S. first wants sincere action by Pyongyang toward denuclearization, such as the submission of a list of nuclear weapons. Earlier in the week, the former Ford Motor Co. executive made his first trip to Seoul since his inauguration, during which he paid a courtesy call to President Moon and held meetings with officials, including Unification Minster Cho Myoung-gyon and Seoul's top nuclear envoy Lee. He has returned to Seoul days before Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are to meet in Pyongyang for their third summit meeting, which is expected to focus mostly on denuclearization and inter-Korean relations. Biegun earlier said that a "tremendous opportunity" has been created by the various summit meetings between the leaders of the two Koreas and the U.S. "(It is necessary to) do everything we can to make the most of this moment of opportunity," he emphasized. (Yonhap) North Korea's state-controlled media criticized Japan's top diplomat Sunday for his negative view on declaring an end to the Korean War anytime soon. The criticism is seen to reflect Pyongyang's yearning for security assurances associated with such a declaration. The two Koreas plan to hold another round of summit talks next week in the North's capital. And the end-of-war declaration will apparently be among the key agenda items, along with Pyongyang's denuclearization. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono, however, said publicly such a declaration is premature amid no progress in efforts to denuclearize North Korea. "In conclusion, the nonsense of Kono clearly shows Japan's wicked intention to hide the wretched situation that it has been completely marginalized from the surrounding structure and to poke into the regional issue by inciting the confrontation atmosphere," Pyongyang's official news agency KCNA said in an English-language commentary. By Lee Kyung-min A dozen people were indicted over their involvement in the illegal use of intravenous injections of propofol, a sleep inducer used for surgery or medical procedures, prosecutors said Sunday. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office arrested and indicted a plastic surgeon in Gangnam, southern Seoul, surnamed Hong, for allegedly administering 21,905 milliliters of propofol to 10 people on 247 occasions between April and June. He received 550 million won ($530,000) as payment. Two medical staffers at his clinic were also indicted without detention. Prosecutors said the amount of propofol Hong injected and the compensation amount he was paid for it at his clinic were the largest since 2011 when propofol was designated as a narcotic. Prosecutors said Hong charged 500,000 won per 20-milliliter ampoule of propofol, 170 times the original price. He also did not heed dosage restrictions, which is highly dangerous given that 61 people have died due to propofol overdose between 2010 and last year. It is alleged that Hong and his staffers falsified records of the propofol use on the patient treatment logs to give the injection to anybody who paid for it, without a specific medical purpose. Prosecutors said a sex worker spent 115 million won over three months at Hong's clinic. The worker was among seven people who were indicted without detention for habitual propofol use. In a separate case, a person surnamed Jang, 32, was arrested for allegedly receiving 10,335 milliliters of propofol injections on 81 occasions between March and August. Jang spent nearly 200 million won in the process. Jang visited multiple clinics in Gangnam to get the injections and he also bought about half of the propofol from a former hospital salesperson, surnamed Shin, who provided and administered the narcotics to Jang at hotels, prosecutors said. Shin was also arrested. The prosecution will expand the investigation to other clinics, suspecting more cases exist. Those who buy or sell narcotics without a doctor's prescription or use them for non-medical purposes are subject to up to five years in prison or up to 5 million won in fines. Students protest against sexual harassment. Yonhap By Jung Hae-myoung Students across Korea are raising their voices against sexual harassment, saying they, too, have long been victimized by abusive teachers. This month alone, students from 19 middle and high schools have accused teachers of using their authority to sexually harass them, sharing stories via social media and calling on authorities to take proper action. A girl who introduced herself as a middle school student in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, claimed her ethics teacher told her he would give her a perfect score if she sat on his lap. More cases are reported on Facebook, with reports not only from students but also female teachers victimized by fellow teachers. At a middle school in Incheon, dozens of students have accused a teacher of repeatedly using foul language. They covered windows and blackboards with sticky notes that said "We'll win" and "Come clean!" Some schools and regional education offices have taken appropriate measures such as launching their own investigations and making the teachers apologize to students and punishing them for their behavior. However, many students say their headmasters and teachers are only working on hushing the students and preventing the claims from spreading. Following a series of "school #MeToo" incidents, a petition post came up on the Cheong Wa Dae website recently, demanding active response from the government to protect students from sexual harassment at school. "Korean students are sending out an SOS through social media that they are exposed to constant sexual harassment at school," the petitioner said. "The government should not disregard the school #MeToo movement but protect female students' human rights." The petitioner also said teachers should receive mandatory sex education and those accused of sexual assault should be permanently disqualified under a zero-tolerance policy. Experts say sexual harassment at schools is like workplace sexual harassment, where senior workers have power over their subordinates. "Students cannot say no to their teachers because teachers have power to control their grades for college," said Lee Hyeon-sook, the director of Tacteen, a social organization for the human rights of women, children and teenagers. "Students today have been raised with better education on human rights and gender equality than their teachers. The teachers usually think the students are acting too sensitive, which creates the problem." Lee also said the government should punish the offending teachers, and that middle and high schools also need professional counseling offices like those in universities, to prevent further sexual violence and offer treatment for victims. "It is important to create a culture at school in which teachers can hear out students' voice and appreciate them for raising their voices," Lee said. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the super typhoon made landfall at 1:40 a.m. local time on Saturday, packing maximum sustained winds of 205 km per hour and gusts reaching 305 km per hour. According to PAGASA, Mangkhut has been slightly weakened and is now heading towards Ilocos Norte province in the northern Philippines. "Stormy weather is expected over many areas (in the Philippine main Luzon Island, including Metro Manila)," PAGASA said. Ricardo Jalad, undersecretary of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said 56,000 people have been evacuated to safer grounds when typhoon smashed into northern Luzon Island. Jalad said nearly 5 million people have been affected by the typhoon, mostly farmers and fishermen from the provinces. So far, no casualties have been reported, except for some houses and town halls damaged by the super typhoon. In Tuguegarao City, the capital of the Cagayan province, local media reported that the ceiling of the city hall was damaged. Some reporters in the city said they could not venture out of their hotels because of strong winds. "Our hotel is being shaken," a reporter told Xinhua. Strong winds are shaking trees and shattering windows a few hours before the Mangkhut slammed the province. The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines told media that the provinces of Isabela and Cagayan in the northern Philippines have begun to have power outages since Friday (September 14) night. In the Batanes province, communication signal has started to become static because telecom operator has already shut down its facility in the province, said the governor Marilou Cayco. Days before the typhoon hit land, authorities urged residents in the direct path of the typhoon to evacuate, especially those living in coastal communities, warning the storm could bring intense rains that could trigger flash floods, landslides and waves as tall as three-storey buildings. Forecasters said the southwest monsoon enhanced by the typhoon will continue to bring gusty winds and heavy rains. Forecasters also warned of storm surge or waves that could climb up to six meters. "Fisherfolks and those with small seacrafts are advised not to venture out over the seaboards of areas with (storm signals) and the seaboards of Visayas and of Mindanao," PAGASA said. Many domestic and international flights were suspended hours before the landfall. Classes and work in government offices in most parts of the northern Philippines were also suspended. The super typhoon is predicted to exit the Philippines on Saturday night toward the South China Sea (East Sea). The Philippines is a tropical country and experiences around 20 typhoons every year. An Egyptian family seeking asylum in Korea participate in a rally calling for better refugee rights in front of Bosingak pavilion at Jonggak Station in downtown Seoul, Sunday. /Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk By Lee Suh-yoon Civic groups for and against refugees held opposing rallies near Jonggak Station in downtown Seoul, Sunday, showing the growing rift over refugees especially after more than 550 Yemeni refugees arrived on the country's southern island this year. Supporters mostly members of refugee rights groups and labor unions urged people to abandon racism and hatred toward refugees and called for a fairer and more transparent refugee screening process in front of Bosingak bell pavilion. They chanted slogans such as "Freedom for All" and "Welcome Refugees" in both Korean and Arabic while playing video clips explaining the Arab Spring crisis. Just across the street from them, counterprotesters held up signs that read "Fake Refugees Out" and "Koreans First" as the Korean national anthem played on speakers. Asylum seekers, mostly from the Middle East and North Africa, were also present. "I feel the immigration office is racist, they do not respect me, dismissing what I say," Ahmad, 20, an Egyptian who had been imprisoned from July to August 2016 for participating in a protest against the military government, told The Korea Times at the rally. "We can't return home, just like Koreans 50 years ago." Despite their plea, fear of refugees, especially toward Muslims, is growing here. A protester holds up a sign reading "Fake Refugees Out" at a rally in front of Jongno Tower at Jonggak Station, Seoul, Sunday. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk Seen above is a screen capture of the official website for the upcoming Pyongyang summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. By Lee Min-hyung North Korea has expressed a welcoming gesture for the upcoming Pyongyang summit, saying the world is paying "unprecedented attention" to next week's historic meeting between President Moon Jae-in and the regime's young leader Kim Jong-un. The planned inter-Korean summit comes as part of the April 27 Panmunjeom Declaration in which the two leaders agreed to hold a meeting sometime this fall in the North's capital city. "We are going to build a unified and strong country on the Korean Peninsula by marching toward unification," Rodong Sinmun, the North's mouthpiece, said Sunday. "The South is also paying increasing attention to the scheduled summit in Pyongyang." The Moon-Kim summit will take place for three days from Tuesday in Pyongyang. On Sunday morning, a South Korean pre-summit delegation led by Suh Ho, presidential secretary for unification policy departed for Pyongyang. Maeari, a pro-North Korea media outlet, also promoted the upcoming inter-Korean summit, calling for the need to achieve independent unification by extending the ongoing peace momentum. "Pyongyang and Seoul will continue to join forces to fight against anti-unification groups and open a new era of lasting peace by achieving an autonomous unification," it said. The reaction is aimed at highlighting the fact that the planned summit will take place in Pyongyang, thereby seeking to show global society that the regime is no longer reclusive and that Kim Jong-un has taken the lead to hold the summit. The North's propaganda website, Uriminzokkiri, also urged the two Koreas to continue walking on a reconciliatory and cooperative track. By fulfilling the Panmunjeom Declaration, the two Koreas can progress toward a bright future and dramatically improve bilateral relations, it said. Starting from the first-ever meeting between Moon and Kim this April, the two Koreas are on track to stabilize peace on the peninsula. During the landmark summit in the inter-Korean border village, Kim pledged to stop any military provocations against the South and join hands with Moon toward the goal of lasting peace here. Pyongyang has since urged Seoul and Washington to declare an end to the technical state of the 1950-53 Korean War as soon as possible, in return for the regime's pledge for complete denuclearization. Whenever other countries had been skeptical of the North's demands, it reacted fiercely to their criticisms. On Saturday, the North stepped up its provocative rhetoric against recent remarks by Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono who said it is "too early to declare an end to the war." The North's Korea Central News Agency reacted fiercely to the remark, calling him ignorant for not grasping the ongoing political trend on the peninsula. A TV crew sets up equipment for broadcasting at the media center for the upcoming inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang, which opened at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, Sunday. / Yonhap By Lee Min-hyung Opposition parties have called on President Moon Jae-in to receive "specific and definite" answers from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un over the latter's timeline for denuclearization during their meeting in Pyongyang this week. With the Pyongyang summit starting Tuesday, the opposition parties urged President Moon to avoid unilaterally lifting sanctions on the North unilaterally and to take steps for peace in accordance with the country's denuclearization. "The development of inter-Korean relations should be in line with the speed of the North's denuclearization," Rep. Yoon Young-seok, senior spokesman for the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP), said Sunday. "The agenda for the third inter-Korean summit this year should be the North's denuclearization. If the President seeks to speed up easing sanctions without any progress on denuclearization here, the step is nothing more than an obstacle for the nuclear disarmament of the regime." The remark came on reflection of the unpredictable nature of the regime. Inter-Korean relations have for decades had unstable ups and downs, and for this reason, critics have argued that the government should not be deceived by the North's peace gestures this time, unless it takes appropriate and verifiable steps for denuclearization. "The President should return after receiving the North's clear answers that it will abolish nuclear weapons, materials, facilities and programs," Yoon said. A rash lifting of sanctions against the North could even lead to a possible crack in the Seoul-Washington alliance, so the South should not be in a hurry to satisfy the North's demands, including the declaration of the end to the 1950-53 Korean War, the lawmaker said. He also raised a skeptical voice against the South's ongoing move to ease military tension against the North. The alleviation of tension is necessary, but the step should be jointly taken carefully, he said. President Moon is expected to sign what is called a "comprehensive military agreement" during the summit. This is a follow-up measure to the April 27 Panmunjeom Declaration in which the two leaders agreed to put an end to any military provocations on the peninsula. The genda for the agreement will include disarmament in the Joint Security Area at the inter-Korean border village and the repatriation of war remains. The minor opposition Bareunmirae Party criticized Moon for his plan to bring leaders of the nation's conglomerates to the Pyongyang summit. "We doubt the plan at a time when the international economic sanctions against the North are ongoing and the regime's nuclear issue has not been resolved," party spokeswoman Kim Jeong-hwa said. The party demanded Moon focus on speeding up denuclearization of the regime without linking businesspeople to political issues. "The government needs to concentrate on moving up the timeline for the North's denuclearization, and corporations should do their best to enhance business competitiveness," she said. "Businesspeople should no longer fall victim to any political events." By Jung Hae-myoung, Jung Min-ho The Supreme Court has struck down a lower court decision to allow dog electrocution, saying the method is "too cruel." The top court sent the case back to the Seoul High Court, Friday, ordering judges to rethink whether using electric shocks to kill dogs violates the animal protection law, which bans cruel methods of slaughter. Previously, the high court upheld a lower court's ruling that a dog farm owner, surnamed Lee, 66, who was indicted on charges of killing more than 100 dogs with electric shocks between 2011 and 2016, was not guilty of violating the animal protection law. Lee admitted he slaughtered the dogs but argued that electrocution is a common method of killing livestock such as pigs and chickens. He said it was the most effective way available. But the Supreme Court rejected his claims, saying the degree of pain the method may cause to animals could differ depending on their species and other factors. "Judges at lower courts should have considered various factors, including how long it took to kill dogs, how strong the electric shocks were and how their rulings would affect social perception in terms of how dogs should be treated," the court said. Article 8 of the Animal Protection Law bans cruel methods of killing, but it does not mention specific methods other than hanging. Courts allowed dog electrocution because it was a common method of killing livestock, though dogs are not legally categorized as livestock in Korea. Many animal rights groups, including the Korean Animal Welfare Association and Korea Animal Rights Advocates, welcomed the top court's decision, calling it a "victory for animal rights" and saying it is an important step toward banning the consumption of dog meat. By Baek Byung-yeul LS Cable & System said Tuesday it will lay extra-high-voltage submarine cables in Malaysia after winning a contract worth 40 billion won ($36 million). In the deal with Malaysia's state-run electricity company Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), the Korean wire and cable maker will lay extra-high-voltage submarine cables that will Malaysia's northern state of Perlis with the island of Langkawi. The company said the distance between them is about 28 kilometers and the installation will be finished by September, next year. LS Cable & System said the project is expected to double the power supply to Langkawi. There have been growing demands for power cables in the region as more Southeast Asian countries are seeking economic development. The company said the Malaysia contract is meaningful as a means to enter the Southeast Asian market for extra-high-voltage cable. Japanese firms have dominated the market with medium-voltage cables. "As we have successfully completed submarine cable projects in North America, Europe and the Middle East, we won the contract after a fierce competition with other cable makers," an LS Cable & System spokesman said. LS Cable & System has been extending its reach into Southeast Asia. Last year, the company secured a contract worth 62 billion won with Singapore Power Grid. The contract is for 1.5 kilometers of extra-high-voltage submarine cables to connect Singapore's northern new town of Woodlands with Malaysia's southern resort city of Johor Bahru. LS Cable & System CEO Myung Roe-hyun said the company predicts there will be increased demand for extra-high-voltage cables in Southeast Asia and has accelerated its marketing efforts there. By Kim Jin-hyeon In 2008, the majority of the Korean people opposed former President Lee Myung-bak's Four Major Rivers Project. Experts and environmentalists also criticized him, warning that the project would bring catastrophe as a result of the disturbance of nature. Regardless of the citizens' resistance, the Lee administration dredged the four riverbeds and constructed numerous dams, investing $22 billion. In the process, many swamps disappeared and an astronomical amount of sand and pebbles were eradicated. Now that the undertaking is over, the dams have prevented water from running, causing all sorts of water pollution such as blue algae. Accordingly, tens of thousands of fish have been killed. The ruthless development has also caused an accumulation of sediment, which has threatened the safety of dams. The cost of maintenance has been roughly $500 million every year. In this situation, experts have suggested the works should be demolished, because if the water is not restored, it will disturb the ecosystem around the four rivers. Masoala National Park in Madagascar shows us how important and valuable the conservation of biodiversity is. Diverse types of plants and animals live in the rainforest, which provide materials for new pharmaceuticals. The forest not only prevents the terrain from eroding, but also conserves carbon and eases rapid temperature rise on Earth. And it also provides various other benefits. This shows ecological conservation also protects the Earth and humanity. Moreover, it brings tremendous economic value. Nevertheless, during the 20th century, scientists said almost 45 percent of the planet's forests have disappeared due to humanity's rapid development and overpopulation, whose desires brought about habitat destruction, invasion of species, pollution and overharvesting. These phenomena stimulated the disappearance of dozens of species. Just as nature changes, rapidly owing to the killing off of one species, the indiscriminate destruction of the environment by human beings causes the collapse of organized systems. Experts warn that if every country continues to destroy the biosphere, 2 percent of all plant and animal species will disappear. By the end of the 21st century, half of them will be extinct. It also may mean the destruction of humanity's nest. Therefore, it's time to listen to the screams of the ecosystem and look after our living foundation. The writer (shinykim60@hanmail.net) works at Yeosu Chungmu High School in South Jeolla Province. Image from Unsplash By Amanda Price You do not need to be a psychologist or a counselor to understand that North Korean refugees arrive in South Korea often deeply scarred by their experiences. Human compassion and simple logic would suggest that they would be met by fellow Koreans with understanding and kindness. No doubt there are cases where this occurs. Unfortunately, these are the exceptions, not the rule. If there is such a thing as a "rule" in responding to North Korean refugees, it is to treat them as if they are Korean, but not quite as Korean as they should be. Much is written of the common problems that North Korean refugees face regarding employment, education, language and learning how to survive in a thriving metropolis where consumerism is the key and class systems still exist. Less is written of an underlying belief among many, that the refugees are, by virtue of the above, a rung below South Koreans South Koreans whose political freedoms and educational opportunities have lifted them above their new and less fortunate neighbors. These differences have all been man-made. Not only man-made, but enforced, sometimes brutally, on North Koreans who previously never questioned their ethnicity. Even in the ruthless, oppressive Kim Jong-un regime, North Koreans thought of themselves as Koreans in every sense. When escape became the only option and the opportunity became (barely) possible, North Koreans left their homes hoping to find a world in which "all men were created equal." Equality is the cornerstone of democracy. Equality is what led the student revolts that eventually freed Korea from occupation. Equality is a word used by every modern politician hoping to stay in or gain office. If the fictitious Inigo Montoya responded to the "equality for all" campaigners, he might be likely to repeat that famous line, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." For far too many North Korean refugees the word "equality" does not mean what it is supposed to mean. "Where is their gratitude and appreciation?" some may ask. "Isn't the government already taking steps to help them assimilate and conform to this new society?" Others argue that their focus should be on fitting in to South Korean culture and learning how to be, well how to be less North Korean and more like everyone else. The underlying message is the same as yet they are not equal to their new neighbors and fellow citizens. Being "not enough" when one has already known the shame of being "not enough," is a cruel irony for the refugees. For some, it is more than they can bear. Finding the words to explain these feelings, without sounding ungrateful, only results in further anxiety. Responding to South Koreans who see North Korean refugees as "Koreans by geography" alone can be just as difficult. From the 1960s to the 1990s, the message spread by those who needed anger to control the population was that the average North Korean was "the enemy." Communism was a plague and North Koreans the rats that spread it. For those influenced by the message of this time, their prejudice can run deep. On the other side of the parallel line, the message was even stronger. At the time both governments saw the benefit in creating unbreachable chasms between the two Koreas. Both sides appealed to a greater ethnic purity and ancestral advantages. Both sides claimed to have a more accurate understanding of Korea's origins. Both sides were utterly wrong. All Koreans shared a common history and ancestral lineage. The real challenge seemed to be who was able to denigrate the other most effectively. But North Korean refuges are not of this ilk. They have chosen freedom of thought, mind and body over the claims of North Korean supremacy. Essentially, North Korean refugees bargained with their lives in the hope that equality really did exist outside North Korea. For those still not convinced, the most common arguments for North Koreans' inferiority can be looked at one by one. 1. The first is language. Despite popular belief, the overwhelming majority of the refugees say they have little trouble understanding South Koreans. The differences in their dialects are minimal, estimated at 15 percent. Understandably there are new words that North Korean refugees come across, but they are all able to be learnt. The people of Jeju-do do not speak a Korean dialect. Their language is distinct from Korean, yet no one questions that the inhabitants of Jeju-do are Korean, despite the significant gap in language. 2. North Korean refugees also face discrimination as it is often assumed they have deserted their families to escape North Korea. I find this hard to imagine myself, but I have since found out that there is no one answer to this dilemma. One mother reasoned that the chances of being caught and imprisoned, or worse, were astronomically high. She told her two sons to tell the authorities that she had deserted them, knowing that this would put them in a good light with their patriotic father. After a year she had earned enough to pay a broker to rescue her children and bring them to South Korea. The stories why some refugees leave vary enormously, but almost all of them are heartbreaking. 3. Though few would admit it openly, a pernicious attitude exists among some who believe that North Koreans are less intelligent than South Koreans. The first problem with this attitude is the false assumption that only one type of "intelligence" exists (see Gardner's "Frames of the Mind"). While a lack of educational opportunities and a lower standard of schooling cannot be denied, what should be equally remembered is that most North Korean refugees have a skill that few of us need, the skill to survive. Among the refugees are stories of plans to escape that require immense discipline, coordination and often ingenuity. Secretly earning money, knowing who to trust, reading the signs and then knowing how to survive the arduous journey out of North Korea all testify to their intelligence. Unfortunately, many arrive in a land of "book intelligence," where academic knowledge, often the least used in everyday life, is held in disproportionate regard. Refugees with skills and master's degrees can be found driving delivery trucks, while middle-aged executives can find themselves working long hours in a corner shop. There is no justification for disregarding the skills and levels of education that North Korean refugees arrive with, even though that level of education may need to be updated or improved on. There is also no justification in paying North Korean refugees less, insisting they work longer hours (if they can find a job at all). It is almost as if they were paying some debt to society for crimes they had not committed. Thankfully, there are employers that have found this belief to be false and treat their employees with equity and fairness, regardless of where they are from. Whether adapting to a new language, deciphering a new culture, coping with loneliness and family separation, it is essential to be aware that these issues are simply that, issues. They do not define the North Korean refugees. They are challenges and hurdles, not a reflection of nature or character. North Korean refugees are the most vulnerable sector of Korean society. They are, by their own choice, no longer North Korean citizens, but, by no choice of their own, they are often not considered equal to Koreans from the South. The refugees regularly deal with post-traumatic shock, depression, anxiety, insomnia, recurring nightmares, fear of being kidnapped, displacement and loneliness. To have the further burden of being treated as if they are "lesser Koreans" adds insult to injury. Sometimes it is the straw that breaks the camel's back. A horrendous past and a present lack of acceptance will do that to anyone. North Korean refugees need not be treated as people to be pitied, but as Koreans, equal in their ancestral heritage, equal in intelligence and generosity, and perhaps even more determined in their desire to learn. North Korean refugees are not a threat. The threat is what they have escaped. What may be wanting for some North Korean refugees can all be learned, especially when they are educated with respect and without judgment. Nothing is set in stone, least of all people. We are made to be creatures of change. What is already evident in North Korean refugees is that they have a will to live and to live as citizens, created equal in every sense to their fellow Koreans. Amanda Price is the former Director of Hillcrest College's International Student Department. She is the founder of Griffith University History Readers and now writes full time. She can be reached at amanda-price@bigpond.com. By Ricardo Hausmann CAMBRIDGE Have you ever wondered why business schools do not teach the proper way to whip a worker to obtain maximum effort without damaging the asset? Had business schools existed before the American Civil War, one can conceive of at least a lecture, if not a full course, on the subject. Instead, business schools teach about corporate culture and values, on the assumption that maximum effort can be obtained from workers if they identify with the firm's mission and goals. So why have slavery and other forms of bonded labor declined so dramatically in so many places around the world, and what can be done to abolish them completely? It might be tempting to assume that the decline of slavery is the consequence of human moral progress. But in his masterful book "The Other Slavery," Andres Resendez shows how inadequate this assumption is. The book addresses the history of slavery and other forms of bondage of indigenous peoples in the Americas, a topic that has received much less attention than African-American enslavement. As the book shows, Indian slavery in the Americas was outlawed by Charles I of Spain in 1542 and abolished in Peninsular Spain even earlier. The legislation against Indian slavery was further strengthened during the regency of Mariana of Austria (1665-1675), the mother of Charles II. The laws were based on Catholic values and pushed by an activist group that included Bartolome de las Casas, who championed the rights of indigenous peoples as children of God and subjects of the king. But, despite legal prohibitions, slavery proved remarkably resilient, with colonists using subterfuges such as debt peonage, "just wars" (which sanctioned enslavement of captured enemies as a more moral outcome than justified slaughter), and other tricks. The reason for this resilience is probably best understood not as the consequence of poor law enforcement but of the profitability of slavery, which generated incentives too strong for laws to contain. The implication is that the dwindling of slavery today and its potential further reduction may depend on market rather than legal incentives. Slavery was widespread, including in Europe, when it developed in the Americas, where from the perspective of the Spanish settlers acute labor shortages prevailed. Mining and plantation agriculture were labor-intensive, but the population had collapsed precipitously upon contact with Europe, owing to some combination of war, disease, oppression, and the disruption of livelihoods. Moreover, those jobs were dirty, dangerous, and demeaning. Gold mining in particular was almost a death sentence: Workers seldom survived more than three years before succumbing to mercury poisoning or accidents. Slavery did not succeed in keeping labor costs down because the slaves themselves were expensive. In the 16th century, slavers invaded other Caribbean islands to abduct workers and sell them to gold miners on the island of Hispaniola (today's Dominican Republic and Haiti). In the 17th century, slavery was used in Bolivia to operate the silver mines in Potosi. In the 18th century, Comanches would hunt Apaches to sell to Mexican silver miners. Even after the U.S. Civil War, the Fourteenth Amendment did not protect Native Americans: in the 1880s, the Supreme Court ruled that it did not cover them, and they gained citizenship rights only in 1924. After the end of the international slave trade in the 1830s, what developed in the Caribbean was not free labor but indentured labor, with East Asians making the journey in exchange for what could be thought of as fixed-term slavery, similar to debt bondage. In the U.S., after the end of the post-Civil War period known as Reconstruction, southern states enacted vagrancy laws, which permitted the authorities to imprison displaced former slaves and condemn them to forced labor if it could be argued that they were idle. How is bondage different from free labor, and why did the latter displace the former? Part of the answer may be technological: technologies that require effort that is hard to observe, or that use expensive and fragile equipment, may be inappropriate for slavery. For example, entrusting valuable assets to disgruntled slaves may be unwise. But this logic should not be exaggerated. After all, Nazis enslaved millions of gentiles from occupied countries, transported them to labor camps, mostly in Germany, and forced them to produce, inter alia, war materiel. One fundamental difference between free labor and slavery is that slaves must be bought, meaning that the gains from exploitation do not necessarily accrue to the current slave owner, but are anticipated in the purchase price of the slave. This also means that capital would have to be expended in owning the slave, an expense not required of free labor. In a world of less-than-perfect capital markets, this expense may have had a serious opportunity cost in terms of the forgone investments in equipment and other inputs. The fundamental difference between the two institutions is the range of options given to the worker. Bondage means that the worker cannot leave if he finds the conditions disagreeable. If the alternative to slavery is starvation or death, people may well choose slavery. Today, migrants often face limited options. If they are undocumented, as millions are in the U.S., they cannot turn to the authorities to protect their labor rights, making them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. If they are legal, they often get a visa that allows them to work only for the sponsoring firm. If they find the conditions disagreeable, they cannot just change employers: They must leave the country. By restricting the workers' outside options, employers may get them to accept terms that freer individuals would reject. That may be a reason why there is so little urgency in solving the problem of undocumented immigrants in the U.S., and why many countries protect citizens differently than foreigners. It may also be the reason why countries have refused to empower refugees, whether Syrians or Venezuelans, with rights. So long as the incentives to enslave persist, the effort to end slavery by whatever name will have to continue. Ricardo Hausmann, a former minister of planning of Venezuela and former chief economist of the Inter-American Development Bank, is director of the Center for International Development at Harvard University and a professor of economics at the Harvard Kennedy School. Copyright belongs to Project Syndicate ( By Trudy Rubin Twenty-five years ago last week I stood on the White House lawn and watched the famous handshake between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, as President Bill Clinton nudged them toward each other. The occasion was the signing of the 1993 Oslo Accords, mapping a path to a two-state solution with Israel and Palestine living peacefully side-by-side. The Oslo process failed, with plenty of blame on both sides. Yet President Trump has rashly pledged a "deal of the century" he says will produce Mideast peace. His negotiators led by first son-in-law Jared Kushner keep promising to unveil their plan soon, but the thrust is already clear: A series of punitive U.S. measures against Palestinians (the latest: the closure of the Palestine Liberation Organization's office in Washington last week) appear aimed at forcing them to abandon the Oslo promise of statehood. Trump's coercive diplomacy has been rejected by Palestinian leaders (and has yet to receive buy-in even from Arab leaders friendly to Israel). And it ignores the demographic reason a reluctant Rabin and subsequent Israeli premiers until Benjamin Netanyahu accepted the premise of Oslo: If Palestinian sovereignty is ruled out, a majority of Israeli Jews will retain permanent control over a disenfranchised majority of Arabs. This is the road to an apartheid-style Israeli state. Yet the Trump team seems determined to dismantle every premise of the Oslo Accords, and reshape a peace framework that parallels Netanyahu's demands. "The Trump moves can't be seen in a vacuum," says Aaron David Miller, a vice president at the Woodrow Wilson Center and an adviser on Israeli-Palestinian negotiations to both Republican and Democratic secretaries of state. Trump's "broader objective," Miller says, "is to reframe U.S. policy for a two-state solution." Trump wants to dismantle three core elements of the Oslo process: Jerusalem, the issue of Palestinian refugees and the division of territory into two states. In recent months the president has made the following unilateral moves: On Jerusalem: Trump declared this critical issue has been taken "off the table" meaning little or no possibility that the Palestinians could have their capital in Arab areas of East Jerusalem in an undivided city. On Palestinian refugees: Trump is trying to limit the definition of Palestinian refugees to those who fled or were driven out of Palestine in 1947-48, not including their descendants. He has ended the U.S. contribution to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the Palestinian refugee agency. These moves are meant to end discussion of any "right of return" for millions of Palestinian refugees to Israel. In truth, no solution was ever possible unless the Palestinians reduced this demand to a symbolic "return"; Palestinian refugees should have been resettled long ago. But U.S. diktats aren't going to resolve the problem of hundreds of thousands of refugees who still live in camps in Arab countries that are drowning in new waves of Syrian refugees. With no Palestinian state to return to, where will the refugees go? And Trump can hardly request third countries to resettle these Palestinians when he is trying to zero out American acceptance of any refugees at all. On the two-state solution: The most basic White House rejection of Oslo is its redefinition of a two-state solution. Kushner appears to have bought into Netanyahu's concept of a "state-minus." This means Palestinians would only be given local autonomy over around 40 percent of West Bank land in disconnected chunks which means they could administer local services but would have no broader sovereign rights. Gaza would nominally be under control of Palestinian leadership, but Israel would control security; most land, sea and air access; electricity; and trade. "It would not be the Palestinian idea of a state," says Ofer Zalzberg, the International Crisis Group's senior analyst for Israel/Palestine, who lives in Jerusalem. "But the United States could frame it as a state with provisional borders, or a state-minus." However, Israel would control the remaining 60 percent of West Bank land, within which Israeli settlements could expand unimpeded. Some Israeli leaders want to annex the 60 percent, known as Area C, or even the whole West Bank. However, that would raise the question of giving Palestinians Israeli citizenship, which Netanyahu wants to avoid, since Arab voters could ultimately outnumber Jews. Instead, the Kushner plan focuses on a pretend "state," as does Netanyahu. The Kushner sweetener would apparently be a large dose of economic aid to the West Bank and Gaza to make Palestinian lives easier. Yet past experience has shown that the West Bank and Gaza economies can't thrive when the political future of those areas remains uncertain. "To achieve long-term calm, the question of citizenship must be addressed," Zalzberg says, "and this is still missing." A "state-minus" unless it leaves open the prospect of sovereignty in the future will leave Israel ruling over a disenfranchised Arab majority between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean. Trump may not care or may not know this. But, without confronting this reality, his "deal of the century" will fail. Trudy Rubin is a columnist and editorial-board member for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Her commentary was distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Economic cooperation should not be priority of Moon's NK trip President Moon Jae-in's visit to North Korea begins Tuesday. He will be the first sitting South Korean President to travel to Pyongyang by plane since Kim Dae-jung did so in 2000. It remains to be seen whether North Korea leader Kim Jong-un will personally greet Moon at the airport like his late father did to meet former President Kim. The images of the two leaders passionately shaking hands at the airport with huge smiles on their faces and the wild cheering of North Koreans deeply moved many South Koreans. But this time, the Moon-Kim meeting is unlikely to arouse a similar level of emotions here. One of the biggest reasons for the lack of public enthusiasm is that the novelty of an inter-Korean summit has worn off as this will be the third time for Moon and Kim to get together. They met for the first time on April 27 at the truce village of Panmunjeom where they produced the Panmunjeom Declaration, in which both leaders agreed to meet again in Pyongyang. They met again in May without prior announcement at the northern side of Panmunjeom, as North Korea was having difficulty in arranging a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump had threatened to cancel the U.S.-North Korea summit in an open letter after continued spats over North Korea's denuclearization. The repeated meetings between the leaders of the two Koreas is good for improving inter-Korean relations, but more people are becoming weary of the meetings that have not resulted in much changes in North Korea. Cheong Wa Dae is mistaken if it thinks the meeting itself will be moving and will help drive up the President's falling ratings. Amid a grave economic crisis, most people really do not care if relations with North Korea are getting better or not. Cheong Wa Dae should be mindful of the people's increasing frustration with the government's rush for economic cooperation with North Korea and its willingness to spend astronomical sums in the process. Cheong Wa Dae on Sunday announced a list of people who will accompany the President to Pyongyang. The list includes representatives from the nation's four biggest conglomerates, including Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman of Samsung Group. This could give out a sign that the government is eager to shower North Korea with economic benefits when the country has not made sufficient progress in denuclearization. The inclusion of the nation's biggest tycoons in the President's entourage also sends the wrong signal to the U.S., which has been firm about the need to retain economic sanctions against North Korea. Moon must keep in mind where his priorities are during his third meeting with Kim. Chinese President Xi Jinping (2nd R) and his wife Peng Liyuan (1st R) pose for a group photo with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (2nd L) and his wife in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 14, 2018. Xi held talks with Maduro in Beijing on Friday. (Xinhua/Ju Peng) BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro held talks in Beijing on Friday, agreeing to promote bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership to a higher level. Xi welcomed the tenth visit of Maduro to China, expressing appreciation of Maduro's high value of the development of bilateral ties and firm support for China-Venezuela cooperation. "China always views and develops Sino-Venezuelan ties from a strategic and long-term perspective," said Xi. In the face of new circumstances and new challenges, China and Venezuela should jointly deepen friendly mutual trust, promote mutually beneficial cooperation in an innovative way, continue to advance common development, and drive China-Venezuela ties to a new height to better benefit the two peoples, Xi said. The two sides should cement political mutual trust, maintain the momentum of high-level exchanges, and integrate their bilateral friendship in all aspects of cooperation between the two countries, he said. China appreciates Venezuela's understanding and support on issues concerning China's core interests and major concerns, said Xi, noting that China will continue to support the Venezuelan government's efforts in seeking stable development and a development path suited to its national conditions, and China is willing to strengthen exchanges with Venezuela on governance. China and Venezuela should improve and innovate pragmatic cooperation, said Xi, calling on the two sides to take the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on building the Belt and Road as an opportunity, to forge ahead the synergy and implementation of bilateral cooperation consensus, enhance the independent development capability of Venezuela, and promote the sustainable development of cooperation between the two countries. The Chinese president called for r people-to-people and regional exchanges, to consolidate the social foundation for bilateral friendship. "The two sides should strengthen multilateral coordination and cooperation, continue to intensify communication within such international and regional organizations as the United Nations, participate together in the reform and construction of the global governance system, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries," said Xi. Xi said that China has always promoted cooperation with Latin American countries on the basis of the principles of equality, mutual benefit, and common development, and is willing to promote the building of the China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum and the steady development of China-Latin America ties. Maduro said the two peoples enjoyed a long-term friendship. Thanks to the joint efforts of both sides, bilateral ties had withstood various tests and become increasingly solid and fruitful. The fact that the two sides reached consensus on expanding cooperation in a wide range of fields during his visit fully demonstrated that the bilateral cooperation is comprehensive and compatible with Venezuela's economic recovery, growth and prosperity program, he said. The Venezuelan side appreciated China's long-standing understanding and support, said Maduro, expecting to learn more about China's successful experience in reform, opening up, and governance. Venezuela is willing to actively participate in the construction of the Belt and Road, explore effective financing methods, strengthen cooperation in such areas as energy and production capacity, and expand people-to-people exchanges, said Maduro. Maduro said he highly agrees with Xi's concept of advocating to build a community with a shared future for humanity, adding that Venezuela will work with China to safeguard multilateralism. He also expressed firm support for the development of the China-CELAC Forum, saying Venezuela will make positive efforts to enhance China-Latin America cooperation. After the talks, the two leaders witnessed the signing of several cooperative documents, including an MOU on jointly promoting the Belt and Road Initiative. By Chang Se-moon The June 2018 issue of the AARP Bulletin had a lead article on how life would change 10 years from now. Let me introduce predictions made by experts in their own fields as reported in the publication. In the home segment, the garage door will be so smart that it will automatically open when you get into car, and close when you are out of the garage. Alarms will also be set automatically. Your bed will adjust itself for your position and your room lighting will also adjust itself on its own for when you read and when you wake up. Appliances in the kitchen will set timers, preheat ovens, and help you step by step in your cooking. Robots will take care of major chores at home. In the morning, the tempo of your alarm clock will tell you whether it is a busy day or not, while lights in your kitchen will tell you the daily weather. In the health segment, many very small hospitals with emergency care facilities will be built. New voice technology will create "a range of brain, muscle and respiratory health measurements that provide a broad picture of your health in seconds," which includes depression, Alzheimer's disease, and mild cognitive impairment. Rather than needles, patches will deliver injections painlessly. You "might be able to use" your own stem cells "for 3D printing of patient-specific bone and cartilage implants to create custom joints for treating osteoarthritis." Surgeons will use holograms to remove tumors, and take biopsy samples. Also, "stem cell patches will replace damaged heart tissue." To care for our brain, next generation medications "will help re-grow brain cells," and reduce symptoms of depression and other brain disorders. Blood tests in your doctor's office will allow you to "screen for early signs of Alzheimer's disease decades before symptoms develop." Periodic tests based on artificial intelligence will be able to provide "a much clearer picture of your memory loss over time." There will be changes in transportation also. Large cities already have bike sharing arrangements. Ten years from now, bikes will be powered by electricity with technology that charges bike batteries "while the rider coasts." This technology will expand bike sharing "to a broader group of commuters," which includes the older generation. There will be a "push to create more livable, all-encompassing downtowns" that will reduce the need for vehicles. The Vision Zero approach that is the Swedish project for road safety will reduce the loss of life of pedestrians through improved road design. There will be "advancements in aircraft engine design, making for greater fuel efficiency and less noise." Further, "electric-powered aircraft will open up new, more affordable ways of flying shorter regional routes." There are predictions that relate to privacy issue. Due to tightening regulation over the privacy issue, a new kind of social media is likely to emerge, which is "entirely subscription-based, but built with data protection and privacy in mind." We will be able to access "credit, marital and criminal records" through "retinal identification," meaning that we just look into a lens to have these records read. The expert who made this prediction states that "retinal credit reviews are no more invasive than those generated by paper." Due to rapid technological advances, there will also be a "great increase in surveillance." Stating that "passwords are for tree houses" based on a 1964 technology, in the next five, not 10, years, "we will do away with passwords." The final segment of predictions relates to money. The Great Recession was triggered largely by excessive home mortgage debt, which has been increasing again. This leads to the prediction: "We'll repeat our past mistakes." You will be able to file tax returns "with a touch of a key or a tap on a screen" because all the information will be in the cloud. Payment will be "authorized by some sort of bionic eyeball authorization scheme," allowing your car to make payments "when you order food at the drive through." Finally, "computers will recognize and authenticate us by listening to our voices or scanning capillary patterns beneath the skin of our faces." All these predictions, stated in the AARP Bulletin article, are made by real professionals who are working in the fields in which they made them. I am, personally, not smart enough to make any predictions beyond that we all will get 10 years older in 10 years. I do have some concern, however, when I think about the future. Where are we, human beings, going with such rapid changes in technology? Do all technological changes represent progress in the quality of life? If not, what will be the collateral damage? What are the dangers that we are not aware of but lurking closely behind these changes? I think I am more worried than curious. Chang Se-moon (changsemoon@yahoo.com) is the director of the Gulf Coast Center for Impact Studies. By Sim Chang-hyun Canceling a reservation and getting a refund is one of the most common problems a consumer faces. Many of us have stories of hassles encountered while trying to get our money back. In the sharing economy, too, the number of issues reported regarding cancelations and refunds has been increasing as more people begin to use related services. In Korea, this is exemplified by a dispute between Airbnb and the Fair Trade Commission (FTC), the Korean government's regulatory agency for economic competition. Here is a short description of what happened in 2016 and 2017. The FTC stated on March 4, 2016, that some clauses in Airbnb's refund policy were disadvantageous to consumers and subject to the Act on the Regulation of Terms and Conditions. On November 15, 2016, the FTC officially forbade Airbnb from using its refund policy. Airbnb filed a revised policy to the FTC on March 15, 2017. According to this policy, the refund conditions were supposedly less disadvantageous than before. Airbnb began to apply its revised refund policy to Korean guests on June 2, 2017. Unfortunately, it seems that the FTC did not believe that the new policy was satisfactory. The FTC filed a complaint with prosecutors, arguing that Airbnb did not fulfill its administrative order effective on November 15, 2016. The media paid a lot of attention to this action by the FTC, as it was its first complaint against a global company. Airbnb argued that it conducts business all over the world, and every one of the 191 countries where it is present has its own policy, so that made it impossible to change all its policies to follow the FTC's directive. Further developments on the prosecutors' side are still unclear. Neither the FTC nor Airbnb has shown any definitive steps since then. However, the complaint by the FTC suggests that Airbnb guests have been forced to pay refund charges to both Airbnb hosts and Airbnb. The FTC initially raised this issue, stating that the structure of the refund charges levied by Airbnb was too disadvantageous to consumers. It is perhaps a sign that, as the sharing economy increasingly becomes global, local regulatory agencies and service providers will clash more and more. Sim Chang-hyun started his career as co-founder of a social venture before he joined Kyunghee University Law School. Three years of work experience in startups will help him provide HMP Law's clients with the best legal solutions. The return to Korea By Jacco Zwetsloot In early 2004, Jimin and I returned to Korea to live. We each had new educational qualifications and were ready to put them to use. After four-and-a-bit years of life in Australia, we felt that our futures somehow lay in Seoul. One of the major motivating factors for my move to Australia in late 1999 was to be near my lonely widowed father, but now that he was remarried, the need to stay close was diminished. We hadn't visited Seoul during our sojourn down under, so we weren't sure what to expect. I packed an espresso maker and several kilograms of coffee beans. When we left Seoul, there was one Starbucks, and every other coffee house sold a weak concoction infused with hazelnut scent, so we were determined to drink home-brewed coffee as much as possible. The coffee explosion that took place in the early 2000s was completely unknown to us. Including the coffee, our clothes, books and some other household items, we shipped nearly half a container-load of possessions to Korea (some of which we had previously taken to Australia). Meanwhile, we flew to Seoul, landing on Valentine's Day. My former colleague and our friend Robert agreed to let us stay with them until we found a place of our own. He and his wife opened up their house to us and to this day we remain truly grateful to them for their hospitality. We ended up staying there for almost six weeks before finding a place to live. Having subsequently played host to visiting relatives at our apartment, I understand what an undertaking of tolerance and patience it is to allow a guest to stay that long. Over 250 years ago, Benjamin Franklin wrote "fish and guests stink after three days." That's as true now as it was then, and whenever I feel frustrated at some peccadillo or habit of a house guest, I call to mind our period at Robert's house, and wonder whether we were the ideal guests. One of the first things we had to do upon arrival was onerous bureaucratic paperwork. Although legally married in Australia, we had omitted to have that marriage registered with the Korean embassy. To apply for a spouse visa in Korea, I had to first be married to a Korean. So we went to the local gu office to learn the procedure. Firstly, we had to visit the Australian embassy in Seoul to acquire a document that verified that our marriage certificate was genuine. With that in hand, we returned to the gu office and registered our marriage. There was a fine being four years late, but luckily it was only about 50,000 won. Now I needed to convert my tourist visa to a spousal visa. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Korean wives of foreign husbands fought long and hard to change Korean visa regulations. Spousal visas had always been available for foreign wives of Korean husbands, but the reverse was not true. Perhaps because it was assumed that Korean wives would follow their foreign husbands to live in his country. When some Korean women married men who wished to stay and work in Korea, this was only possible as long as the man had a working visa sponsored by his workplace. If he lost his job, his visa would be canceled, and he would be forced to leave the country or become an illegal immigrant. I am indebted to those couples for fighting that battle, so that by the time I returned in 2004 I could, as a foreign husband, apply for and receive a spousal visa. At least, that was the theory. In practice, there were still some hurdles to surmount: we needed a registered abode, and Jimin needed a full-time job and/or a considerable amount of savings. We immediately registered ourselves as living at Robert's house, which at the time was quite true. As for the bank balance (I forget the minimum amount that was required it may have been 40 million won), that is where I am grateful to my in-laws for their short-term loan. It took a week or two, but we finally had all the paperwork in order, or so we thought. I distinctly remember having to go back to Robert's house from the Immigration Office for yet one more document, though I don't recall what it was. At the time, from my own experience and listening to others, it seemed like every trip to Immigration had to be made at least twice. Things may be better now. Fortunately, my application was approved and I got a "certificate of alien registration" with an F-2-1 class visa. This meant that as long as I remained married to Jimin, I could legally reside within Korea. It did not yet entitle me to work wherever I wanted to, or even be active as a freelancer. That right came a couple of years later, so I still needed to get Immigration approval whenever I started a job. One weekend a few weeks after arrival, we were buying strawberries in a market in a neighborhood of Bucheon, on the way to visit my father-in-law. I looked around the market and saw a new residential building. Down the side was draped a red banner that had some words I did not yet know. Jimin explained that it meant apartments were available inside the building, so we went to take a look. And that's how we came to sign a rental contract on our first new home in Korea, a "villart", a Konglish portmanteau of the words villa and art. It was clean and spacious, was situated right above a marketplace, and a short walk from a subway station. Daehwa "Villart" in Yeokgok-dong, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, became our residence for the next three years. We started off with a low deposit and high monthly rent, but over time we raised the deposit to lower the monthly payments. Our stuff from Australia had not arrived yet, and we had no money left to furnish the place, so my mother- and brother-in-law together bought the basics and had it all delivered before the day we moved in. I'll never forget the hot-pink bedding that greeted us upon arrival the kind of pink you see on rubber kitchen gloves. My mother-in-law may not have my taste in color, but nevertheless, I was, once again, grateful. Thae Young-ho with participants at the Teach North Korean Refugees forum in Seoul on July 22. Courtesy of Casey Lartigue Jr. By Casey Lartigue Jr. Thae Yong-ho, former deputy ambassador of North Korea to the United Kingdom before defecting with his family to South Korea in 2016, was the featured speaker at a Teach North Korean Refugees forum on July 22. Near the end of the forum, he praised TNKR, discussed that he had learned the importance of North Korean refugees learning English, and mentioned the importance of offering North Korean refugees choice in education. Thae: I happened to meet Casey on one occasion, and all of a sudden Casey gave me one small pamphlet. I kept it in my shirt for a period of time and all of a sudden I read it and I was surprised that he founded this kind of, I think, very useful NGO network for North Korean defectors. I learned that many North Korean young generations are in great difficulty in university education because of their English. Of course there are many English education programs in South Korea but I think Casey's TNKR is the first one of its kind to actually provide matchmaking between the North Korean defectors and native speakers. What I was more surprised and moved by is the TNKR's education system. I was told that when native teachers and the North Korean defectors and the native volunteers meet each other, it is always the student's choice to choose the teacher, not the native speakers to choose. I think that is very important because the North Korean society is based on a top-down culture. For instance, in North Korea, even the students in university do not know how to ask a question because we were not raised to ask questions. We were raised and educated to accept the instructions from the top, not to ask any questions. But this time, you try to not only give English to the North Korean defectors, but also to give basic human rights to the North Korean defectors the rights to choose. That is very important. Casey Lartigue Jr., co-founder of the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center, is the 2017 winner of the "Social Contribution" Prize from the Hansarang Rural Cultural Foundation and the 2017 winner of the Global Award from Challenge Korea. He was the MC of the "Understanding North Korea" forum on July 22 at which Thae Yong-ho was the featured speaker. Participants of a drawing festival held by Korean Air wave after finishing a collaborative art piece during the event held at the carrier's hangar in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, Sunday. / Courtesy of Korean Air LG Electronics' UltraGear gaming monitor. / Courtesy of LG Electronics By Baek Byung-yeul Lee Seung-min, a 36-year-old officer worker living in Seoul, often goes to a "PC bang," or internet cafe, to play the popular online shooting game "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds." Lee recently changed from his favorite cafe after he found another near his home equipped with widescreen monitors. "I decided to settle down in a new PC bang as I cannot forget the immersive widescreen experience there," Lee said adding he may consider buying a new monitor with an aspect ratio of 21:9. Though the global PC market has experienced sluggish growth, local electronic firms _ LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics _ are finding their breakthrough in gaming monitors. According to market researcher TrendForce, the global shipment of gaming monitors this year will be about 3.5 million to 3.7 million. This is about a 40 percent increase compared to last year's shipment of about 2.5 million. The global gaming monitor market has seen rapid growth thanks to the growing popularity of online shooting games that usually require high quality hardware. In 2017, the global shipments of gaming monitors saw a growth of 80 percent. To attract gamers, LG Electronics unveiled its new UltraGear monitors at the IFA electronics show in Berlin last month. With its immersive 34-inch display, the UltraGear monitor has a 21:9 wide aspect ratio. "The UltraGear monitor will be a good choice for gamers especially for those who enjoy playing online shooter games as its wide ratio makes it easier to see details off to the side that might normally be missed," an LG Electronics spokesman said. On the backside, the UltraGear monitor has a ring of LEDs called Sphere Lighting so that users can have ambient lighting when using the monitor. "It can be set to one of six different colors. The lighting can create some ambient lighting effects that gamers can customize based on their preferences," the LG spokesman said. LG will launch the UltraGear monitors in Europe and the U.S. market this month and will release the products globally soon. Samsung is also beefing up its gaming monitor lineup. During last month's Gamescom exhibition in Berlin, the tech giant unveiled 27-inch and 32-inch CJG5 curved monitors. Saying that the monitors will be globally available in the third quarter, Samsung said they feature key gaming technologies such as WQHD resolution, the curved display and a 144 MHZ refresh rate. By Jung Min-ho India has excluded Huawei and ZTE from participating in trials to speed up 5G technology in the country amid security concerns surrounding the Chinese telecoms equipment providers. Local media reported Friday that the Department of Telecommunications has asked Samsung, Cisco, Ericsson and Nokia to be project partners for the trials. "We have excluded Huawei from these trials," the Economic Times, an Indian business daily, quoted telecom secretary Aruna Sundararajan as saying. The paper reported that the department also did not reach out to ZTE. India's government is planning to showcase India-specific 5G use cases by early 2019. On the same day, SK Telecom, Korea's No. 1 mobile operator, said it has selected Samsung, Ericsson and Nokia as its preferred bidders for 5G equipment over Huawei. All this comes after the United States and Australia acted against the Chinese companies due to cyber-espionage concerns. Last month, the Australian government decided to ban the two from its 5G roll-outs. Before that, all U.S. government agencies had been barred from buying any technology from them. By Jun Ji-hye LG Uplus has joined with global partners in Japan, Taiwan and the United States to offer subscribers a blockchain-based overseas payment service, the Korean mobile carrier said Sunday. LG Uplus CEO Ha Hyun-hwoi GM Korea CEO Kaher Kazem By Nam Hyun-woo GM Korea is facing another strong headwind in its effort to put business back on track, as its labor union strongly opposes management's plan to set up a new corporate body in charge of research and development (R&D). Amid a deepening feud, there are growing calls for the Korean unit of the U.S. auto giant to address internal conflicts promptly to rule out suspicions it is planning to withdraw from the country. The management said that by opening the new entity, it aims to develop Korea as a regional R&D base. But the labor union claims the plan is a preliminary attempt to sell off the Korean unit by splitting the firm into manufacturing and research divisions. According to industry officials Sunday, GM Korea's management and labor are squared off over the July 20 plan on spinning off the company's R&D division as a separate corporate body by the end of this year. GM Korea said the new R&D body will communicate directly with GM headquarters and the company plans to hire 100 engineers to have it as "GM's global R&D hub leading new SUV development." GM Korea said it is "necessary" to set up the separate body, to expand the coverage of the current compact car designing division and lead GM's global SUV development projects. The company said the separate body will streamline decision-making processes and cooperate more closely with the headquarters. However, GM Korea's union raised the suspicion it is "a prelude" to GM's withdrawal from Korea. GM Korea union head Lim Han-taek said the plan will divide the company into a manufacturing body and R&D one, and will eventually make the former a subcontracting factory, which could be later closed or sold. "The reason why the labor union is suspicious over the plan is the spinoff will not raise GM's corporate value and there is no obstacle limiting the company's R&D under the current structure," Lim said. "Rather, more manpower will be required for the new body, bringing more side impact." Lim said that the union will make its "strongest efforts" to stop GM's bid to set up the separate body, and the Korea Development Bank (KDB), a state-run lender which funded GM's normalization effort and the No. 2 stakeholder in GM Korea, should exercise its veto of the plan. The union sent a letter to the company calling for a negotiation over the separate body and plans to take the issue to the National Assembly, which will run state audits next month. Industry officials are skeptical over KDB's possible veto as its stake in GM Korea remains at 17.2 percent, while the remainder is held by GM and GM-affiliated companies. Reportedly, KDB's veto is limited to certain agendas, including selling or buying assets surpassing 20 percent of GM Korea's total assets, leaving a slim chance of KDB using its rights. Thus, KDB Chairman Lee Dong-ggul said last week the bank applied an injunction to a local court prohibiting GM Korea's new body because the plan seemed to be containing risks. "There is no pretext to have pros or cons over the plan because it was unavailable to learn the detail of the new body, but KDB applied the injunction because it seemed to be containing risks," Lee said. The court's decision is expected to be made as early as this week. BEIJING, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Proposals put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the fourth Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) will inject fresh impetus in the bilateral cooperation between China and Russia and the cooperation in the wider region, international observers have said. Xi attended the Eastern Economic Forum in the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They outlined directions for further bilateral practical cooperation and agreed that the two sides should continue to work together on the cooperation with potential synergy under the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union. They also agreed to explore potential new areas to grow the cooperation and leverage the strong political relationship to drive the concrete practical cooperation. Xi's attendance of the Eastern Economic Forum is "a new milestone in the development of the bilateral relations," said Anton Kobyakov, executive secretary of the organizing committee of the forum. Andrey Ostrovsky, deputy director of Institute of Far Eastern Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said he expects the latest meeting between the two leaders to help drive the bilateral relations in various respects, especially the economic and trade cooperation. "The cooperation with China is very important for Russia. It is important for us to explore the Chinese market and proactively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative. By riding on the initiative, Russia will be able to better improve its infrastructure, especially in the Far East, which will in turn create better conditions for the bilateral economic and trade cooperation over the long term," he said. "The Eastern Economic Forum will help promote the cooperation between Russia and countries in Northeast Asia," said Alexei Mukhin, director general of the Moscow-based Center for Political Information. He said that Russian federal authorities in charge of its Far East development have been following the progresses in the related regional cooperation projects and are encouraging Russian businesses to participate. The speeches by the presidents of the two countries show increasing concrete results in the economic cooperation between China and Russia. The bilateral cooperation will also help boost the the wider regional cooperation, said Ling Xingguang, a professor emeritus at the Fukui Prefectural University in Japan. The experts believe that Xi's proposals conform with the interests of regional countries, providing a workable roadmap for the regional cooperation. Nikolay Tsekhomskiy, first deputy chairman of Russia's Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs, regards China as an advocate for and a key player in further regional integration and globalization, which will be helpful in countering the headwind of protectionism. "I think the direction China is leading in development is very important to the international community, since the trade and economic growth in the long run can only come from robust trade and fair competition," he said. Tsekhomskiy said he agrees with the appeal by the Chinese leader for aligning the development strategies and integrate the regional economic development. Japanese economist Hidetoshi Tashiro said increasing country-to-country cooperation benefits regional prosperity and stability, noting that Japan and China joining hands within the regional framework will help bring about win-win cooperations. He hoped that the EEF this year will be an important step in opening a new chapter in Japan-China cooperation. An Yuhua, a professor of finance with South Korea's Sungkyunkwan University, said Xi's attendance of the forum "sends a clear, strong message that China will remain committed to its reform and opening up, and strengthen cooperation with other countries in the region." In Northeast Asia, regional cooperation can not only reinforce stability, she said, but also show the significance of openness, cooperation and win-win relationship in today's world. Dashdorj Bayakhuu, a professor at the Mongolian Diplomatic Academy, said Xi's speech assures China's support for comprehensive cooperation and common development in Northeast Asia, and this offers an extraordinary opportunity for regional countries including Mongolia. The Mongolian government knows that deepening economic cooperation with neighboring China and Russia and other regional countries will help it in achieving steady economic growth, he added. (Xinhua reporters Li Ao, Luan Hai, Wang Kejia, Lu Rui and Askhan also contributed to the report.) TEHRAN, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Iran would increase uranium enrichment if the European Union (EU) fails to implement its obligations following the U.S. withdrawal from the Iranian landmark nuclear deal, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday. "The Europeans and the other signatories must act in order to compensate for the effects of the U.S. sanctions," Zarif was quoted as saying by Press TV. He downplayed the possibility of Iran's withdrawal from the nuclear deal, but cautioned the EU partners that Iran might act if they fail to secure Iran's interests in the deal. "Oil and banks" are the "litmus test," he said, alluding to the EU pledges to help Tehran in the face of U.S. re-imposition of sanctions on Iran's oil exports and banking transactions. European parties need to decide whether being ready to follow their words, Zarif said, adding that "they should also decide if they want to submit to U.S. pressure." Iran and six world powers, namely Russia, Britain, China, France, the United States and Germany, struck a landmark agreement over Iran's nuclear program in 2015, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). However, U.S. President Donald Trump decided to withdraw Washington from the deal on May 8 and re-impose sanctions, including oil embargo, on Iran. Iran has held several rounds of talks with France, Britain and Germany to revive the blocking statute, a 1996 regulation that prohibits EU companies and courts from complying with foreign sanctions laws. Iran has incessantly urged Europe to take "practical and tangible measures" to protect Iranian interests since the U.S. pullout. Aerial photo taken on Sept.15, 2018 shows fishing boats harbor at a port in Maoming, south China's Guangdong Province. According to China's National Meteorological Center, Mangkhut is expected to land in Guangdong between Sunday afternoon and evening. (Xinhua Photo) Flights at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport have been canceled as super Typhoon Mangkhut is expected to make landfall in south China's Guangdong Province on Sunday afternoon or evening. The airport announced early morning on Sunday the cancellation of all arrivals and departures between 12:00 p.m. local time on Sunday to 8 a.m. local time on Monday. China's National Meteorological Center (NMC) on Saturday issued a red typhoon alert, the highest in a four-tier warning system. Heavy rain is expected to hit Guangdong Province, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region, parts of Fujian Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the island province of Hainan as well as Taiwan in the next 24 hours. The Hong Kong Observatory raised its alert to No. 9 storm signal at 7:40 a.m. on Sunday as Typhoon Mangkhut came within striking distance. According to the NMC, Mangkhut, the 22nd typhoon of this year, could become the strongest to make landfall. At least 13 people were killed and five others went missing as Typhoon Mangkhut tore through the northern Philippines on Saturday. A cacophony of sounds emerged from a warehouse in Newbury Park: the hum of the wood-sanding machines, the hiss of paint sprayers and the occasional bark from two dogs roaming the factory floor. And then there were the twangs from Tom Andersons electric guitar playing. The founder and owner of Anderson Guitarworks was testing his instruments one last time before they were shipped to dealers around the world. Contrary to the well-known narrative of bankruptcies and struggles among some of the countrys largest guitar manufacturers, Anderson and other smaller builders around the state arent just surviving, theyre thriving. By producing a small number of electric guitars, focusing on a specialized market and limiting their backlogs, some of these boutique makers known as luthiers are doing better than ever. We just had one of our busiest years, Anderson said in a recent interview, as he tuned one of his guitars. Saddled with heavy debt and an over-saturated market, longtime giants such as Fender and Gibson have been forced to redefine themselves to maintain sales and relevance. Fender has moved into online ventures such as subscription-based guitar teaching. Nashville-based Gibson, which infamously purchased Philips audio division four years ago, filed for bankruptcy protection from creditors last year with at least $100 million in debt. But boutique guitar manufacturers are prospering, said Tim Olsen, founding editor of the Guild of American Luthiers, a nonprofit organization that seeks to educate people on guitar making. He estimates there are more than 200 independent guitar makers in California, the largest concentration in the country. Because they occupy a specialized market that targets high-end buyers, smaller builders havent been as heavily affected by cultural shifts that have shrunk the prominence of electric guitars, he said. People werent interested in hand-made guitars until the 90s, Olsen said. Now in the past 10 years, thereve been a lot of them. Were seeing a renaissance. Anderson earned a reputation for making some of the finest electric guitars on the market, with artists such as Keith Richards, Kirk Hammett and Graham Nash all owning one of his namesake guitars. Amid an industry-wide downturn, the company has experienced small but steady growth since its founding in 1984. It produced a record 925 guitars last year, up from 863 in 2016. Anderson would not disclose profits, but said the company generates more than $2 million a year in sales and is profitable. In contrast to mass market guitars, which are mostly made in China and other overseas markets, boutique guitar makers specialize in higher-quality guitars that are mostly made in Southern California. Many boutique guitars are meticulously made by hand, some to the exact specifications of a customer. A boutique guitar typically costs $2,500 but can run as high as $6,000, considerably more expensive than many other guitars on the market. In the past 10 years, theres been a lot of these builders. Were seeing a renaissance. Tim Olsen, founding editor of the Guild of American Luthiers Californias ties to guitar-making run deep. When Leo Fender created the Telecaster originally called the Broadcaster in 1950 in Fullerton, everything changed. His guitars helped shape rock n roll, with his instruments evoking the images of legends such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Bruce Springsteen. His models inspired many of Californias boutique makers too, with many of their guitars based on Fenders now-ubiquitous designs. Fender still makes some of its higher-end guitars in Southern California, but most of the instruments are now made in Mexico and East Asia. Fenders headquarters has been in Scottsdale, Ariz., for more than 20 years. By the 1970s, lots of high-profile musicians were flocking to Los Angeles toward the record labels, and boutique luthiers were there to serve them. And with dry, consistent weather that keeps wood quality high, California is an ideal spot to make a guitar. John Suhr, based in Lake Elsinore, operates one of the largest boutique makers in the country. Starting as a two-man operation in 1997, Suhr now employs more than 100 people who work out of a 30,000-square-foot factory. Suhr declined to disclose financials, but he said the company has enjoyed steady sales growth for years. His most popular guitars sell for $2,500 to $3000, and most of the buyers are 35 to 45 years old. Like many of his peers, Suhr keeps costs down by making only what he can sell, rather than stocking large inventories. We thought of making guitars to stock for a little while, Suhr said. But I dont like the idea of guitars sitting in a hot warehouse for a long period of time, and I dont want to run a business guessing what the demand is. Bill Asher, a guitar maker for more than 35 years, has a considerably smaller operation in Santa Monica, producing about 80 guitars a year. Hunter Martin, 24, a lead stainer at Guitarworks, stains a Tom Anderson Cobra guitar at the company's headquarters in Newbury Park in July. Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times Asher works in a 1,500-square-foot shop, and hes the only full-time builder, which keeps his costs low. Like Anderson and Suhr, Asher makes most of his instruments to order. Its a very small business, and we all have to wear multiple hats, Asher said. Asher services a star-studded clientele, with musicians such as Neil Young, Lindsey Buckingham and Ben Harper all using Asher for repairs or buying his instruments. Many of Ashers guitars list for $3,000 and up, but it isnt uncommon to see some of his glitzier models sell for at least $5,000. He recently invested $40,000 to buy a Computer Numerical Control Machine, a device that helps make guitar bodies. He expects the machine to help him boost his guitar output to 125 units a year. Annual sales are currently about $300,000 a year. All it takes is another Jimi Hendrix. And then everything changes. Lance Lerman, founder of LsL Instruments The competition can be tough for some small guitar makers. LsL Instruments in Santa Clarita has been in business since 2008. Though the company makes $450,000 a year in revenue, it is barely profitable, said owner Lance Lerman. Were making products here in the United States, in Los Angeles where its even more expensive, making high-end products and selling them to broke people musicians. [Thats] some business model, Lerman quipped. LsL sells about 400 guitars a year, and with a team of 10 people to pay and an expensive rent for his factory, covering costs is a challenge. Theres no room for OK in this business, Lerman said. The only way to survive is to make great instruments. If we dont do it, somebody else will. With popular music straying from a guitar-centered sound, fewer teenagers are looking to learn an instrument than 20 years ago, Lerman said. Like other guitar makers, Lerman sells instruments to an older audience, and hes doubtful if the electric guitar will ever reach its 1980s rock-god height, but hes not counting out a comeback yet. All it takes is another Jimi Hendrix, he said. And then everything changes. Ethan.millman@latimes.com @MillmanEthan A spokesperson from China's embassy in Sweden has said that the embassy is "deeply shocked" at the treatment of three Chinese tourists by Swedish police in Stockholm in the early hours of the morning of September 2. This photo published by the Global Times allegedly shows Swedish police ejecting a Chinese national from a hotel in Stockholm, Sweden on September 2, 2018. [Photo: huanqiu.com] A statement issued by the spokesperson on Saturday said the embassy "strongly condemned the actions of the Swedish police", which "seriously violated the safety and basic human rights" of the three Chinese citizens. According to the statement, the embassy and China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs have both made representations to the Swedish government, in Stockholm and in Beijing. The embassy urged the Swedish government to conduct a thorough and immediate investigation, and respond to the tourists requests for punishment, an apology, and compensation. "We cannot understand why the Swedish side has not given us any feedback," said the embassy on its official website. "We hope that the Swedish side will handle the case in accordance with the law, and once again urge the Swedish side to take immediate actions to protect the safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens in Sweden." The statement comes amid claims published by China's Global Times newspaper on Saturday that three Chinese tourists a man and his elderly parents were forcibly ejected from a hotel by police in Stockholm earlier this month and severely mistreated. According to the Global Times, the authorities in Sweden have not responded to the allegations. Early on Friday, China's embassy in Sweden issued a warning to Chinese nationals visiting the country. The statement, published in Chinese, said that Chinese people in Sweden have been the victims of robbery and threats, and that some Chinese tourists were recently "treated harshly by Swedish officials". The embassy said it is "highly concerned about the safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens in Sweden", and that it has made representations to Swedish authorities. Hello! Im Mark Olsen. Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies. Our team of reporters at the Toronto International Film Festival have scattered from the city, but not before covering the fest from start to finish. Trevell Anderson spoke to Barry Jenkins about If Beale Street Could Talk, which had its world premiere at the festival. Amy Kaufman spoke to director Sam Taylor-Johnson and actor (and her husband) Aaron Taylor-Johnson on their collaboration of the adaptation of James Freys A Million Little Pieces. Glenn Whipp wrote about the premiere and awards prospects of Steve McQueens Widows, with Viola Davis leading an impressive ensemble in a keenly smart heist thriller. Advertisement I spoke to actress Elisabeth Moss and writer-director Alex Ross Perry about their third collaboration, the emotional journey of a 90s alternative rock star in Her Smell. And French filmmaker Claire Denis spoke to me about High Life, her English-language debut starring Robert Pattinson and Juliette Binoche. And Justin Chang and Jen Yamato sat down together for a conversation wrapping up the festival. There were nearly 40 new releases reviewed by the paper this week. So, needless to say, while this newsletter might help winnow down a few essentials, theres still some weve had to leave out. Like the one-of-a-kind psychedelic revenge thriller Mandy, directed by Panos Cosmatos and starring Nicolas Cage and Andrea Riseborough. In his review for The Times, Noel Murray called the film a fusion of kitsch and pulp, underscored with a genuine spiritual yearning. It shouldnt even be shown in theaters; it should be projected onto the side of an old hippies van. Weve got a screening this week of Monsters and Men followed by a Q&A with director Reinaldo Marcus Green. For info and updates on future screenings, go to events.latimes.com. Actor Thomas Mann, left, writer/director Nicole Holofcener and actor Ben Mendelsohn of The Land of Steady Habits at the Toronto International Film Festival. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) The Land of Steady Habits Any new film from Nicole Holofcener is a must-see. That she has pushed herself so capably into new territory with The Land of Steady Habits, pitching more toward drama with an element of tragedy without losing her flair for comedic insights, makes her latest even more compelling. An adaptation of the novel by Ted Thompson, the film tells the story of a suburban man (Ben Mendelsohn) who walks out on his wife (Edie Falco) and family only to realize he has no idea what to do with himself. Reviewing the movie for The Times, Kenneth Turan wrote, Though Holofceners films invariably make us laugh in rueful recognition of the inane complexities of lives that manage to echo our own, Steady Habits also conveys a melancholy darkness, a more somber cast than usual. Everything seems amusing until suddenly it is not. I spoke to Holofcener and Mendelsohn about their collaboration and the movies unusual mix of tones for a story that will be publishing soon. As Mendelsohn said, Its much more challenging acting than it hopefully looks like. And I think thats part of the pleasure for actors with Nicoles stuff. It really does require you to be able to move between those different pitches pretty effortlessly in order to make it work. For the New York Times, A.O. Scott called the film a funny, sweet-and-sour study in envy, cruelty, bad decision-making and forgiveness. Ms. Holofcener, for more than two decades one of the sharpest anatomists of upper-middle-class American life, is more interested in the idiosyncrasies of behavior and the texture of specific relationships than in easy generalities. So even though Anders and the people around him can be sorted into recognizable types (a fault, mostly of Mr. Thompsons book), they are also amusing and awful in ways that can feel disconcertingly real. At Time, Stephanie Zacharek added, Holofcener reassures us that its OK to laugh at human foibles we have to, since so much of life is ridiculous and awful but wed better not consider ourselves exempt from them . She always favors warmth over sarcasm. And as if she could read our minds, she puts in her characters mouths words that we ourselves have sometimes failed to find the guts to say. Kristen Stewart and Chloe Sevigny of Lizzie. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Lizzie Chloe Sevigny gives a powerful, enigmatically possessed lead performance in Lizzie, a telling of the story of Lizzie Borden and the 1892 murder of her father and stepmother. Directed by Craig William McNeil from a screenplay by Bryce Kass, the story imagines Lizzie as a woman oppressed by her father and unable to fully realize her passion for a young maid (Kristen Stewart) working in their house. In her review for The Times, Katie Walsh wrote, Lizzie is a deep dive into the supposed psychology behind the gruesome murders that have captured our collective imaginations for over a century. If the jury who acquitted Lizzie couldnt have imagined how a woman of her social standing could possibly commit this heinous crime, well Lizzie the movie offers an assist with that, and contributes another square to the quilt of Lizzie Borden lore that continues to fascinate. Trevell Anderson spoke to Sevigny and Stewart about the movie. On her 10-year journey in producing the film, Sevigny said, I wanted to star in a movie. I wanted to provide myself the opportunity and I said I wanted to play this complex character and explore it in depth and come up with our interpretation of the myth of her, the legend of her. Anna Kendrick, left, and Blake Lively in A Simple Favor. (Peter Iovino / Lionsgate) A Simple Favor Directed by Paul Feig, whose previous films include Spy and Bridesmaids, the new A Simple Favor is full of surprises, consistently reinventing itself along the way. A mommy blogger (Anna Kendrick) turns detective when her friend (Blake Lively) goes missing. Adapted by Jessica Sharzer, the film gives its stars room to be stars, fun and glamorous and just the right amount of silly. In her review for The Times, Katie Walsh calls the film consciously campy before adding, thats exactly what you want for this brand of soapy, stylized, sexy, female-driven thriller. Its about as deep as a champagne coupe, but the performers, slick execution and pop-art style make it a delightfully fun and kitschy ride. Sonaiya Kelley spoke to Feig and Kendrick for a story that will be publishing soon. Of the movies unusual tone, Feig recalled when he was first sent the script: They said, Its a thriller, but its crazy, but it seems funny, but its also really dark. You do comedy, maybe you can figure this out. And I read it and I was like, I have to direct this. At Vulture, Emily Yoshida wrote, With its martini-swilling leads and swingy French pop soundtrack, A Simple Favor seems to yearn for a bygone era of nail-biter, but rather than wallow in pastiche, it comes up with something truly contemporary feeling. Its a thriller in which two women are the centrifugal force of the intrigue, and unlike their pensive noir contemporaries, the sum total of all human nature doesnt hang in the balance just one womans mommy vlog. Email me if you have questions, comments or suggestions, and follow me on Twitter @IndieFocus. SIGN UP for the free Indie Focus movies newsletter Former Secretary of State John F. Kerry sat down with the Los Angeles Times Patt Morrison at the Theatre at Ace Hotel on Saturday to discuss his new book, Every Day Is Extra. In a wide-ranging discussion with Morrison, Kerry talked about President Trump, truth, Chinas rise, and the 2020 presidential election. Advertisement Trump tweets Kerry responded to Trumps allegation that the former secretary of States talks with foreign leaders were illegal by bringing up the presidents former campaign manager, who recently pleaded guilty to federal charges. The conversation he ought to be worried about is the one Paul Manafort had with [special counsel Robert] Mueller. Democracy in danger Kerry said he believes American democracy is imperiled by three things: money in politics, gerrymandering and the misguided loyalties of current politicians. 2020 rumors Kerry says talk about whether he will run for president in 2020 doesnt make sense right now, but hes not ruling anything out. Stanford Universitys leaders plan to strip some prominent campus references to Junipero Serra, the canonized 18th-century priest who established the California mission system that critics now blame for decimating Native American communities. The Franciscan friar was credited with bringing Catholicism to California when it was under Spanish rule, and he evangelized indigenous people. Critics note that he sometimes used harsh methods and many see him more as an oppressor than a protector of early Californians. Serras name will be removed from a dormitory and an academic building, both now called Serra House, and from Serra Mall, one of the most prominent and recognizable features of the campus, the university announced Thursday. Stanfords board will seek approval from local and federal agencies to rename Serra Mall as Jane Stanford Way, after Jane Stanford who, with her husband, Leland, founded the university. Advertisement The committee that recommended that Serras name be removed included attorneys, Stanford students and faculty. University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne recommended prominently using Jane Stanfords name. The committee argued that Serra, who was canonized by the pope in 2015, created the mission system that pervasively mistreated and abused Californias Native Americans. His founding and leadership of that system was at the time and remains today a central and inextricable part of his public persona. Forced labor supported the missions, critics point out, and Spanish troops garrisoned near some missions were blamed for spreading syphilis and other diseases that devastated local communities. Native American students and staff and tribal leaders in Northern California told the committee that the impacts of the missions were long lasting and harmful: Generations as recent as their parents and grandparents had been sent to boarding schools to force assimilation. Those in the school community spoke of visceral feelings of harm, trauma, emotional damage, and damage to their mental health from seeing Serras name around campus, according to the committees report last month. They said the university also has failed to acknowledge the history of the land that it occupies and the groups from whom the lands were taken. Serra is not the only name from the Mission era that appears on campus, but the committee recommended against any other changes without evidence of a persons misconduct. The committee also recommended that the university go beyond taking down names to correct the harm that some have experienced, in part by diversifying its campus naming practices and implementing relevant community and campus education programs. Members also said Stanford should acknowledge the history with plaques putting it into perspective. Serra Mall, open only to pedestrians and bicycles, leads to Serra Street. The committee did not recommend trying to rename the street, but recommended that it bear an explanatory plaque. Tessier-Lavigne in a statement argued that Jane Stanford deserves more recognition. She was, he said, instrumental in establishing the university, shaping its mission and vision, and guiding it through the many struggles of its early years, particularly after her husbands death. Curiously, we currently have no major campus feature that appropriately honors her. Times staff writer Noah Bierman contributed to this report. Reach Sonali Kohli at Sonali.Kohli@latimes.com or on Twitter @Sonali_Kohli. Wind gusts topping 70 mph rattled a hot Sunday night last October in the northern foothills of Calistoga in the Napa Valley. The unusually powerful winds were dangerous enough. But then a fire started in those hills and raced toward Santa Rosa. Within hours, whole neighborhoods were on fire. By the time it was fully contained weeks later, the Tubbs fire was the most destructive in state history, killing 22 people and destroying more than 5,000 homes. For nearly a year, investigators have been trying to answer one question: What caused the fire? Tubbs fire (Los Angeles Times) Advertisement The answer will have huge implications for residents who lost their homes and are trying to rebuild, insurers faced with massive claims and, perhaps most importantly, to Pacific Gas & Electric. Wall Street estimates the utility giant faces up to $15 billion in liabilities from this and other fires that devastated Californias wine country last year. It has raised the possibility of bankruptcy if it cannot get some relief. Investigators have already linked PG&E lines to some of the other October fires, including the Atlas fire that killed 6 people and destroyed 400 homes, and the Redwood Valley fire that killed nine and destroyed 500 structures. But the Tubbs was by far the worst. According to Fitch Ratings, that fire alone may ultimately account for up to two-thirds of wildfire-related damages. Most destructive wildfires (Los Angeles Times) The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has been painstakingly retracing the fires path of destruction and collecting evidence trying to determine how it started and who is to blame. Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean said the investigation has been slow in part because of the level of devastation in the area. Winds in the blazes first hours carried embers across hillsides and from home to home, creating multiple ignition points that investigators have to map out. That will help them create a timeline for the fire. They have to study the fuel types it burned through, the topography it spread across and what the weather was like as it did it, McClean said. Tubbs fire (Los Angeles Times) Investigators have used drones and aerial photography to help put together a comprehensive picture of the fire and gathered evidence on the ground to figure out how it started. Despite the agency announcing months ago the causes for most of the fires that started that October weekend, McLean gave no indication of when the Tubbs fire cause would be announced or if it would be anytime soon. They have to review everything and anything that presents itself, he said. Early on in the investigation, focus turned to electric equipment that fire investigation seized at 1128 Bennett Lane in Calistoga. There was speculation the equipment was the cause of the fire and that it belonged to PG&E. Some plaintiff attorneys have alleged that PG&E failed to properly trim trees near power lines and that the winds might have sent branches falling onto equipment, sparking the blaze. But a court filing from PG&E last year indicated the equipment was owned by an unidentified private party, not the utility. Moreover, the filing claimed, it did not appear that PG&E equipment in that area had burned. Attorney Jim Frantz, whose firm the Frantz Law Group represents more than 1,100 claims tied to the October fire siege, including hundreds from the Tubbs fire, disputed the utilitys conclusion. I know that fire like the back of my hand, Frantz said. We believe its complete and utter BS when they talk about a private wire causing that fire. Cal Fire declined to comment on the assertion. Almost immediately after the October fire siege began, focus turned toward PG&E equipment as a potential culprit. Attorney Steven Campora filed a lawsuit on behalf of two Napa County residents who lost their home in the Atlas fire. In it, he claims the utility has a longstanding corporate culture of favoring profits over public safety that leads to large-scale disasters like the October fire siege and resulted in the San Bruno gas pipe explosion in 2010. They put in power lines they dont insulate them. They dont put them underground. They put in wood poles instead of metal ones to save money in the beginning, Campora said. Coffey Park was hit hard by the Tubbs fire. (Los Angeles Times) In more than a dozen of last years wine country fires, investigators found that PG&E equipment either started the fires or contributed to their spread after the equipment came into contact with trees or brush. In three fires, Cal Fire determined PG&E violated public resources codes regarding vegetation clearance around their equipment. But the origin of the Tubbs fire remains a mystery. The utility maintains that its programs leading up to the fires met state standards. Were not going to speculate about the Tubbs fire. More broadly, what I can tell you is that the loss of life, homes and businesses in these extraordinary wildfires is simply heartbreaking, and we remain focused on helping communities recover and rebuild, said PG&E spokeswoman Lynsey Paulo. But with the investigation still ongoing, the utility has moved to shore up its financial position as lawsuits have piled up. PG&E halted dividend payments to shareholders late last year, then wrote down $2.5 billion in pre-tax charges for wildfire liabilities. It warned consumers and lawmakers that if it was going to have to pay under the states unusual inverse condemnation laws that holds utilities financially liable if their equipment played a role in a fire even when maintained prudently under state laws the company could face bankruptcy. To that end, lawmakers last month ratified Senate Bill 901, which is awaiting the governors signature. Dubbed a PG&E bailout by critics, the law allows the company to borrow money for its 2017 wildfire costs while using money collected from ratepayers to pay back the loan. The amount ratepayers would be on the hook for would come after PG&E underwent a financial stress test to determine how much it could pay and still remain solvent. The last thing we want is a utility company to be unable to pay their victims 100% of what they lost, because they deserve that, said Frantz, who supports the legislation. In light of the utilitys role in the other fires and with the Tubbs investigation looming, the Moodys rating agency downgraded PG&Es credit rating this month. The rating downgrade reflects the potential exposure to significant future wildfire-related costs from Californias continued application of inverse condemnation that could be mitigated by cost recovery tools outlined in the recently passed SB901, however, the uncertainty of how this framework will be implemented by state regulators remains, the agency said. The outcome of the Tubbs fire investigation is being watched closely beyond Northern California. Many of Californias most destructive fires have been fueled by powerful winds, which in some cases have caused power lines to snap off and spark blazes. Southern California Edison said last week it hopes to spend $582 million for a series of improvements to its electrical grid to reduce the fire risk, a move that would likely would mean higher bills for ratepayers. A registered sex offender jailed since last year has been charged in the kidnapping and killing of two Arizona girls who went missing in 2012 and 2014, authorities announced Saturday. Christopher Matthew Clements, 36, was indicted on Friday by a grand jury on 21 criminal counts, including murder and kidnapping charges in the deaths of 6-year-old Isabel Celis and 13-year-old Maribel Gonzalez, Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus said. Isabel went missing from her Tucson home in April 2012, and her remains were found in a rural area in March 2017. Maribels body was discovered in June 2014 in the Avra Valley community near Tucson, not far from where Isabels remains would be found three years later. Advertisement Magnus and other officials held a news conference to announce the indictment. But they declined to answer questions from reporters and did not disclose how the girls died or what prompted authorities to investigate Clements in the killings, except to say that the FBI in 2017 learned Clements might have information about Isabels death. Clements then provided information to authorities that led to the discovery of her remains, Magnus said. Investigators reported that they later discovered additional evidence, but have not elaborated. Clements had already been in a Phoenix-area jail for more than a year facing other charges when the indictment was issued. Pima County Atty. Barbara LaWall called the identification of Clements as the killer of the girls long overdue. The heart-wrenching tragedies of Maribel Gonzalez and Isabel Celis murders have been compounded by a very long, long wait for justice, she said. Isabels father reported the girl missing on the morning of April 21, 2012, after he went to her bedroom and she was not there. Police previously did not name suspects, but said they had found suspicious circumstances around a possible entry point into the home. A medical examiner last year ruled Isabels death as homicide by unspecified means. A heavily redacted autopsy report did not indicate how she died. Gonzalez went missing in 2014 on her way to a friends house. Her body was found days later. Clements made his first court appearance Saturday morning. He did not have an attorney but will be assigned one at a Sept. 24 arraignment. Clements was being held on a $2-million bond, Tucson Police Sgt. Pete Dugan said. Clements was jailed in April 2017 on suspicion of burglary, theft and fraudulent schemes, Maricopa County Sheriffs Sgt. Bryant Vanegas said Saturday. Vanegas did not have information about when Clements might be transferred to southern Arizona to face charges in the girls killings. The indictment made public Saturday did not provide any details about how the girls were killed or what evidence linked Clements to their deaths It said he was also charged with burglary, theft and possession or distribution of child pornography in other cases dating from 2012 through 2016. Clements was convicted in Oregon of sex-related crimes in 1998 and was required to register as a sex offender. He was convicted in 2006 in Bay City, Fla., for failing to register, according to Florida law enforcement records. He was also charged in 2008 in Tucson with failing to register as a sex offender. He was convicted and sentenced to 46 months in prison and five years of supervised release. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that sentence in 2011, finding that the federal law requiring him to register as a sex offender within three days of moving to a new home was passed after his 1998 conviction and therefore did not apply to his crime. Florence weakened into a tropical depression Sunday morning as it slogged inland over the mid-Atlantic states, but the slow-moving storm, which has killed at least 15 people, remains a major threat to the regions millions of waterlogged residents. The biggest problem now for residents in Virginia and the Carolinas isnt high winds and ocean storm surge, but rain and flooding. Florence is expected to unload an additional seven to 10 additional inches of rain over central North Carolina after dumping more than 32 inches over parts of the states southeast. Heavy rains are also expected to spread into southwest Virginia and southern West Virginia, where officials warned of potential landslides in the Appalachian mountains. By the time Florence weakens as it turns toward New England, forecasting officials expect, some parts of North Carolina which has borne the brunt of the storm will get the kind of weekly rainfall totals statistically expected once every thousand years. Advertisement As of 9 a.m. Sunday, the city of Wilmington, N.C., with a heavy assist from Florence, reported receiving 86.79 inches of rain so far this year, breaking a record set in 1877. All that rain has to go somewhere. Much of it will eventually end up dumping into the Atlantic Ocean. But to get there, storm water will have to pass through the regions coastal river networks, and thats where officials expect new perils in the days to come. Rivers across North Carolina, South Carolina and southern Virginia have been pushed past their limits and hit major flood stages, in which the flooding of buildings and roads require significant evacuations. Catastrophic flooding is expected on the Cape Fear River near Fayetteville, N.C., where the river is expected to crest to its highest level since 1945, National Weather Service forecasters said. Transportation officials said hundreds of roads, including some key freeways, remained flooded or blocked, primarily in southeast North Carolina, where the storm knocked out nearly half of the cell towers in some areas, according to the Federal Communications Commission. GPS services are sending unwitting drivers onto flooded roads, said North Carolina state officials, who have been asking out-of-state drivers to avoid North Carolina entirely. State troopers reported responding to 48 collisions and 128 calls for service overnight. More than 700,000 customers about 14% of the states consumers have lost power in North Carolina, energy officials reported. Fewer than 55,000 customers remain without power in South Carolina on Sunday morning, down from a high of 167,000 customers a day earlier, according to the U.S. Energy Department. Evacuees have started to return to coastal South Carolina even as local officials warned of catastrophic river flooding. In northeastern Horry County, S.C., where two people died during the storm, National Guard troops attempted to divert water from the swollen Waccamaw River. The river drains into an area the size of Rhode Island, parallel to the coast near Myrtle Beach. If it rises as expected, 12 feet by Wednesday, it could wash 200,000 tons of toxic coal ash into neighborhoods from a shuttered Santee Cooper power plant in Conway. Officials were also rushing to construct temporary dams on the Pee Dee and Lynches rivers to prevent flooding that could cut off coastal Myrtle Beach and portions of surrounding Georgetown County from the mainland. Even as flood preparations accelerated, South Carolinas governor lifted an evacuation order for Georgetown and Horry counties, leading to bizarre scenes as shuttle buses ferried waterfront residents home past National Guard crews and other emergency responders. In Myrtle Beach, residents ventured out on foot to grab a bite at beachfront restaurants or buy groceries at the reopened Piggly Wiggly and Food Lion. Workers were removing plywood from the windows of Dirty Dons Oyster Bar, where owner Don Cauthen said he planned to serve returning residents as of noon Sunday. Cauthen, who lives near the Intracoastal Waterway, said he expects the Waccamaw River to flood, which could strand those returning to the coast in coming days. But he said it made sense to allow people to try to make a mad dash home before the two major highways are flooded. Neighbors alarmed by initial dire warnings about the storm calmed down when it was downgraded and now are more curious than concerned about flooding, he said, Which might not be a healthy thing. Ned and Anna Marie King decided to stay in their waterfront home facing the Intracoastal on Riverside Drive, which is marked by a flood zone sign. So did the rest of their neighbors. They sandbagged the doors, removed area rugs and propped wood blocks under the furniture as they kept an eye on a dock across the churning channel to monitor the water level. Theyd propped their house up when they moved in two years ago. I wish we had gone up two more blocks, said Ned King, referring to the foundation they raised by five cinderblocks. It takes a long time for it to rise and a long time for it to go away. Its just miserable. Their son, who had evacuated before the storm, called from Orlando, Fla. They were not sure when he would be able to return, given the flooding expected inland. Even though the evacuation has been lifted, Anna Marie King said, the biggest concern is people trying to get back in. Hennessy-Fiske reported from Myrtle Beach and Pearce from Los Angeles. More national headlines As his friends and relatives tell it, Leonel Rondon was excited to start the next chapter of his life. The 18-year-old had just passed his driving test and was ready to celebrate. With his friends by his side, Rondon sat in the drivers seat of a car that was parked in the driveway of a friends house. Suddenly, an explosion ripped through Lawrence, Mass., crumbling houses and setting off fires. The impact of the blast sent a chimney tumbling down on the car, killing Rondon. The high school junior from Lawrence was the only person killed after a series of gas line explosions and fires erupted Thursday in Massachusetts Merrimack Valley. As family and friends mourn Rondons death, firefighters on Saturday investigated a new gas odor in Lawrence while crews continued to visit thousands of homes, looking for potential danger. Advertisement The explosions sent thick black smoke in the air and touched off fires in 39 homes, officials said. Some houses were reduced to charredruins. Residents covered their faces with clothing or wore gas masks because of the intense smoke. Officials estimate that the blast injured at least 25 people and that about 8,000 people were forced to evacuate. The Andover fire chief, Michael Mansfield, that day told reporters, It looked like Armageddon; it really did. By Saturday evening, more than 13,000 people in the affected areas Lawrence and the towns of Andover and North Andover still were without power. The three towns lie in the Merrimack Valley, about 26 miles north of Boston. Republican Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency the day after the blast. Baker said more than 900 people were deployed Saturday to check on the 8,600 homes in the affected areas. Crews could be seen lifting manhole covers to detect the possible odor of gas. The odor reported in Lawrence was a false alarm. Baker expected that officials would finish Saturday night and that residents would be able to start returning home Sunday morning. The incident has left shaken residents demanding answers. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency pinned the disaster on gas lines that had become over-pressurized, but Baker said an official explanation could take weeks. The chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, Robert Sumwalt, said there were no indications that the blasts were intentional. It does not appear the disaster was caused by anything nefarious, anything suspicious, anything intentional, he told the Associated Press. Columbia Gas, which serves the areas affected by the explosion, asked residents for patience. We are focused on providing as much support as possible to our customers, residents and communities, the company said in a statement. We are grateful for the communitys patience as well as the tremendous support we have received from our first responder and law enforcement partners. As they wait for an official explanation, Rondons family members grappled with their loss. Shortly beforethe explosion, Rondons father, Miguel Rondon, had dropped his son off at his friends house, according to family friend Luis Medina. This family is broken apart from this accident, Medina said in a news conference Friday. I have no words for what they are going through. Rondon enjoyed cars and fashion, particularly sneakers. But it was the students contagious personality and ambitious ideas that made him stand out. He was full of life and love, his older sister, Lucianny Rondon, said in an interview Saturday. He was like that with everyone who met him. He cared a lot about his friends and family. Rondon had a special talent for making mundane tasks enjoyable, said Armany Mendoza, his friend of five years. Two years ago, the pair teamed up for a school project about hip-hop culture. After writing a song, they designed a sweater with a logo that read Just Watch Me on the front. Mendoza and Rondon bonded and became close friends. He was super fun. Anything that would happen we would laugh about it, Mendoza said. He even met my mom. Rondon and Mendoza wanted to take their project to the next level and start a clothing line. We would talk about different clothing styles, Mendoza said. We wanted to keep going. Even though that didnt happen, Mendoza and Rondon still spoke about it years later in high school at Phoenix Charter Academy. School officials in Lawrence said Rondons teachers remember him as an outgoing and determined student. Itd been about six months since they last spoke, but news of his friends death has encouraged Mendoza to reflecton the meaning of friendship. He always said he had my back, and that was important to me, Mendoza said. If I did something wrong, he would tell me. I felt like he was a real friend. UPDATES: 7:30 p.m.: This article was updated throughout with staff reporting and comments from Lucianny Rondon. This article was originally published at 10:35 a.m. President Trump has decided to impose tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods, two people briefed on the decision said, one of the most severe economic restrictions ever imposed by a U.S. president. An announcement is expected to come within days, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they werent authorized to discuss internal plans. The new tariffs would apply to more than 1,000 products, including smartphones, televisions, toys and a range of other products. These penalties could drive up the cost of a range of products ahead of the holiday shopping season, though its unclear how much. Trump has ordered aides to set the tariffs on these products at 10% across a range of consumer products, probably leading to higher prices for American consumers. These tariffs are paid by U.S. companies that import the products, though they often pass the costs along to American consumers in the form of higher prices. Advertisement The United States imports roughly $500 billion in Chinese goods each year, and combined with existing tariffs these new penalties would cover half of all goods sent to the U.S. from China each year. The 10% tariff is scaled back from Trumps initial plan, which was to impose 25% penalties on all of these imports. But the impact will still probably be felt by millions of American consumers, as it would apply to smartphones, computers, toys, televisions, and many other middle-class staples. A White House spokesman didnt immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday afternoon. On Friday, White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said the president has been clear that he and his administration will continue to take action to address Chinas unfair trade practices. We encourage China to address the long-standing concerns raised by the United States. Trumps top advisors have been united in his effort to push China to change it economic practices, but they have been split on his tactics. Some have advocated a more cautious, diplomatic approach. But Trump has signaled that he believes only the threat of real economic pain will coerce Beijing into major changes. He has recently boasted that he believes Chinas economy is suffering because of his hard-charging style. Trump has accused China of a number of unfair trade practices, and he has threatened to impose tariffs on all Chinese imports if changes arent made. He wants China to buy more American products, make more U.S. investment and stop stealing U.S. intellectual property, among other things. The tariffs come as a number of top White House advisors have been trying to deescalate tensions between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin was planning to restart talks with Chinese leaders soon, but they have vowed to retaliate to any escalation of the trade battle between the two countries with punitive steps of their own, and Trumps move could further push Beijing to retaliate. Trumps decision was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Trump has tried to use tariffs as a way to penalize a number of countries this year, including Mexico, Japan, Canada and members of the European Union, hoping that the threat of driving up costs on their products will make them more open to his demands. This tactic has had mixed success. Trump first imposed tariffs on roughly $50 billion in Chinese products, and the list of products mostly included industrial equipment that would not directly impact consumers. China responded by imposing tariffs on U.S. products like beef and soybeans, a response that spooked the U.S. agriculture industry and angered Trump and other White House officials. Trump responded this summer by ordering his advisors to come up with a list of $200 billion in other Chinese goods to penalize, a package of items that includes many consumer products. And two weeks ago he said he was preparing a third package of penalties on what he said would be $267 billion in additional items, a list that probably encompasses all remaining goods produced in China. For the near term, this combination of tactics seems to signal that unless and until China comes to the table with significant actions on the issues the U.S. is hammering, the U.S. will keep tariff pressure going, said Claire Reade, a former U.S. trade negotiator. Talks without action wont do the trick. The open question, of course, is how much action is enough and can China find a way to move that will be seen as being in its own interest, not kowtowing to the U.S. The U.S. ran a $233.5-billion deficit in goods trade with China during the first seven months of the year, an 8% increase compared with the same period in 2017. Corporate executives increasingly believe the trade dispute can only be resolved by direct talks between Trump and Xi. The two leaders may see each other at the United Nations General Assembly in New York this month and are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires in November. Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee entered the confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh with concerns about his record and his views. After four days of testimony and questions, those concerns remain and in some cases have increased considerably. Setting aside the serious problem that Republicans withheld millions of documents related to Judge Kavanaughs years in the George W. Bush White House, our biggest apprehensions have to do with the very real-world implications of putting him on the Supreme Court. We already knew that Judge Kavanaugh held highly ideological views on the 2nd Amendment, womens reproductive rights and the executive power of the presidency. Judge Kavanaughs testimony shed new light on these positions and on his loyalty to President Trump and his political agenda. Supreme Court justices should not be an extension of the Republican Party. They must also have unquestionable character and integrity, and serious questions remain about Judge Kavanaugh in this regard, as indicated in information I referred to the FBI. For these and other reasons detailed below, I strongly oppose Judge Kavanaughs nomination to the Supreme Court. Advertisement Reproductive health Judge Kavanaugh declined, more than a dozen times, to say that Roe vs. Wade was correctly decided and reiterated that he has no hesitation about using courts to deny women access to reproductive health care, including contraception. Judge Kavanaugh also declined to distance himself from his dissent in Garza vs. Hargan, the case in which he denied a 17-year-old woman being held in an immigration detention center access to abortion care, even after she had jumped through all of the hoops Texas has in place. The federal government subjected the young woman to harassment; forced her to go to a pregnancy crisis center, where she received unnecessary ultrasounds and was lectured on others religious beliefs; notified her abusive parents about her decision; and improperly interfered with her case before a Texas judge. When arguing against that young womans rights, Judge Kavanaugh not only ignored Supreme Court precedent, he created additional burdens in an effort to delay her ability to end her pregnancy. By stating that his decision in her case did not run afoul of existing precedent, Judge Kavanaugh could not have made clearer his hostility toward Roe vs. Wade and the landmark 1992 ruling Planned Parenthood vs. Casey. Partisan language During last weeks hearing and in his past opinions, Judge Kavanaugh repeatedly employed the language of the far right, at times sounding more like a Republican politician than a conservative judge. For instance, in justifying his extreme record on guns, Judge Kavanaugh adopted the language of the National Rifle Assn. and refused to acknowledge the devastation and havoc caused by guns. Instead, he pivoted to the NRAs line about the need to harden schools. That phrase, code for arming teachers, was used by NRA President Wayne LaPierre two weeks after the Parkland massacre. Judge Kavanaugh also used ideological language in his dissent in the Garza case, calling the prolonged process Jane Doe went through abortion on demand. Writing about the Hobby Lobby case, Judge Kavanaugh argued that requiring employers to provide contraception coverage to employees imposed a burden on their religious liberty and ignored completely the burden that is imposed on women when their insurance fails to cover birth control. In testimony last week, Judge Kavanaugh went even further and used an inaccurate and political term for contraception, abortion-inducing drugs, yet another ideological phrase that contradicts medical evidence. Judge Kavanaugh chooses his words carefully, which makes his reliance on extreme political language all the more troubling. Judicial deference While Judge Kavanaugh dodged questions about Roe vs. Wade and other issues, he talked extensively with Republicans about overturning the decades-old Chevron doctrine governing what courts should do when Congress passes a law with an ambiguous interpretation. Chevron deference says that a federal court will defer to a federal agencys views, on the logic that the agency has more expertise. It allows federal agencies to write the rules that protect consumers, clean air and water. Although Justice John Paul Stevens opinion in Chevron has been cited in more than 15,000 judicial decisions, big business has been pushing to overturn it and hamstring the ability of federal agencies to write such rules. At his hearing, Judge Kavanaugh gave every indication that he would undermine the Chevron doctrine, thereby siding with corporations that pumped money into his nomination fight. Civil rights Judge Kavanaugh demonstrated that, if confirmed, he would probably become the fifth vote to overturn the constitutionality of affirmative action plans, even though the Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld them, most recently in 2016 when Justice Kennedy sided with the majority in Fisher vs. Texas. While in the White House counsels office, Judge Kavanaugh advocated for race neutral programs that fail to account for race discrimination. In testimony, he would not say that he opposed such programs. When pressed in the confirmation hearings on his support for voter ID laws, which have a disproportionate effect on low-income and minority voters, Judge Kavanaugh argued that Congress not the courts should enforce constitutional rights. This flies in the face of the role that courts have historically played in protecting against majorities overrunning the rights and liberties of the American public. If the court had adopted this view, it probably would not have desegregated schools in Brown vs. Board of Education. Misleading statements Judge Kavanaugh has repeatedly made misleading and at times false statements, in last weeks hearing and in past hearings. Because of his evident partisanship, Judge Kavanaughs nomination to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals was highly controversial. Newly released emails from his time in the White House counsels office now show that he went to great lengths to mislead senators about his work. In 2004, Judge Kavanaugh said he had never received information stolen from Democrats by a Republican staffer, Manuel Miranda. However, emails now show that Judge Kavanaugh was in regular contact with Miranda, and that he did, in fact, receive stolen material. Asked about the new evidence, Judge Kavanaugh doubled down, arguing that it was common for the White House to receive information about Democrats strategy. This is simply not credible. Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion Judge Kavanaugh also downplayed his involvement in pushing two controversial judicial nominees, William Pryor and Charles W. Pickering Sr. Judge Kavanaugh claimed Pryors nomination to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals was not one he had handled or worked on personally, and also that he had not primarily handled Pickering nominations to the 5th Circuit Court. In fact, emails show that Judge Kavanaugh participated in a range of meetings and strategy sessions about both nominees. Judge Kavanaugh was involved in Pryors interview process and pitched positive opinion pieces about him to the Washington Post. He also drafted letters and prepared briefing binders for senators in support of Pickering. Lack of transparency More than 90% of the documents related to Judge Kavanaughs years in the White House have been kept from the Senate and the public. Its simply impossible to know what else is being hidden or covered up. Coupled with Judge Kavanaughs own tendency to give misleading and false statements, this lack of transparency should motivate senators to oppose his nomination. With so many serious questions outstanding, Judge Kavanaugh should not be rewarded with a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat, is Californias senior U.S. senator and the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- China's national observatory on Sunday renewed a red alert for Typhoon Mangkhut. Mangkhut is expected to land in the coastal areas between Zhuhai and Wuchuan of south China's Guangdong Province on Sunday afternoon or evening, the National Meteorological Center said. After the landfall, the typhoon will continue to move northwest, but its force will dwindle. The eye of the typhoon was located on the South China Sea about 420 kilometers to the southeast of Taishan City, Guangdong, as of 5:00 a.m. Sunday, according to the center. Southern regions including the provinces of Guangdong, Fujian and Hainan will be hit by gales and storms on Sunday and Monday, the center said. China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system for severe weather, with red the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue. As Israel rushed its reserves to meet the surprise Syrian-Egyptian attack opening the Yom Kippur War in 1973, it simultaneously dispatched contingents to Israeli Arab enclaves for fear of unrest. But Israels Arabs did not rise up. Instead, during this most trying period, they volunteered to replace Jewish reservists whod been mobilized, worked on kibbutz farms, signed up for civil defense work, gave blood, and bought government bonds to help finance the emergency. For almost the first two decades after Israel was founded in 1948, its Arabs had lived under martial law, restricted in their movement and closely monitored by security services. They cheered on the Arab armies that had attempted to annihilate Israel at its birth, and their loyalty to the Jewish state remained suspect, at best. However, in 1966 the government, in a turn to the left, abolished military rule in the Arab sector, offering residents there a sense of normality for the first time. They have lived these recent years in a calm and positive atmosphere, said Shmuel Toledano, the prime ministers advisor on Arab affairs, in an interview at the time, referring to the seven years since the end of martial law. Theyve gotten the feeling that its possible to live in Israel as a minority. In volunteering their services at such a time, the Israeli Arabs who did so were in effect identifying with the state. Advertisement The government initially refrained from involving the Arab population in efforts to stabilize the home front. But after a few days, said Toledano, we saw that they were offended by this attitude. Offices were opened in seven Arab communities to register volunteers. The bonds sold to thousands in the Arab sector had the word war deleted from the war bond certificates. This way, Israeli Arabs could express support for the state without overtly funding a war against Arab states. Some Israeli observers cautioned against reading too much into such demonstrations of loyalty. Much of it is organized by Arab leaders who want to establish credit which can be drawn on in the future, said a kibbutz leader familiar with the Arab community. Theres nothing wrong with that and the volunteering is certainly a positive step. But we need to maintain perspective. Given the fierce war raging in the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights, virtually no notice was taken in the rest of Israel then or since of this exceptional moment in Arab-Jewish relations. In the first days of the war, the Syrian and Egyptian armies, in coordinated attacks, broke through the Israeli defenses; it looked like they might win. In volunteering their services at such a time, the Israeli Arabs who did so were in effect identifying with the state. (Israeli Arabs were not drafted.) I stumbled on the story during the second week of the war as I was driving back from the Golan, where I had been reporting, to Jerusalem. Passing a road sign, I glanced at it idly and then braked. Nazareth, it said. I had not thought about the impact of the war on Israeli Arabs until that moment. What was happening with them? Nazareth was the largest Arab city in Israel. I turned the car around. Climbing the Galilee hills, I came on a roundabout that lay between Arab Nazareth and the Jewish town of Upper Nazareth, which had been founded in the 1950s as a sentinel overlooking the Arab city. The traffic circle was lined with tables bearing soft drinks, sandwiches and cakes. Several military vehicles had stopped and soldiers descended for hurried snacks. In villages and towns throughout the country local women had set up similar roadside refreshment points for soldiers heading for the fronts. But there was something different about this one: All the women at the tables catering to the soldiers were Arab. Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion In his office in Upper Nazareth, Mayor Mordecai Allon told me that residents of Arab Nazareth and nearby villages had been driving up the hill since the war began to volunteer their services to the municipality. Jewish-Arab relations had never been better, he said. He urged me to visit his counterpart in Arab Nazareth, Mayor Seif e-Din Zouabi. He telephoned him to say that a reporter would soon be down to see him. The two chatted amiably, like old friends. Zouabi told me that he and Allon spoke with each other by phone at least twice a day since the war began. On the second day of the war, Zouabi held a rally in the Arab city, he said, to express support for the state. Six hundred residents turned up. The rally was clearly expedient politically in the charged circumstances; Israel was at war with Arab states and the authorities were closely watching. (It would be learned from Syrian military maps left behind on the Golan battlefield that the only specific objective designated by Syria inside Israel was Nazareth.) But Zouabi offered an insight that sounded more like empathy than expedience. Israeli Arabs appreciate that the Jews have sent their children to war, he said, while we sit home at night and count our children. Abraham Rabinovich is author of The Yom Kippur War, The Boats of Cherbourg and The Battle for Jerusalem. He was a reporter for the Jerusalem Post and Newsday. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook To the editor: Any activity by pro-Palestinian advocates and the so-called boycott, divestment and sanctions movement that makes pro-Israel Jewish students uncomfortable to the point they are afraid to exercise their freedom to advocate for Israel is discriminatory, anti-Semitic and a violation of those Jewish students right of free speech. (Is speech critical of Israel anti-Semitic? In a case that could redefine campus politics, Trump administration weighs in, Sept. 14) Your free speech rights end where your aggressive conduct amounting to intimidation infringes on the free speech rights of others. It is no one elses place to decide whether supporting Israel is an important part of a Jewish identity. It is for some, and it isnt for others. It is, in short, an individual choice. Furthermore, the process of singling out Israel as having special burdens because it is a Jewish state is anti-Semitic. Israels existence is perfectly legal, having been recognized by the United Nations 70 years ago. It is a fact on the ground. To delegitimize Israels right to exist because it is a Jewish state is anti-Semitism. Advertisement Robert J. Firestone, New York .. To the editor: Do we need to suspend the 1st Amendment because some students feel uncomfortable with criticism of Israel? Arguments about Israels origin, validity and treatment of the Palestinian people are legitimate and should remain so. Why should our government even consider excluding some issues from discussion on college campuses? What we are really looking at is some sort of right-wing power play, and it is a clear departure from the 1st Amendment. Richard Klug, Beverly Hills .. To the editor: The definition of Zionism, according to a UCLA professor who teaches on the topic, is that a people with a culture, a history and a language is entitled to a place to live. Criticizing Israels policies is something anyone, including Jews, can do but anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism. Edward Gilbert, Studio City Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook. To the editor: Your editorial about the Roman Catholic church abuse and cover-up crisis nailed it with this one line: Pope Francis needs to recommit his papacy and the church he leads to protecting the faithful. All too often, church officials and observers talk of the need for healing. This implies that the bulk of the child sex crimes are behind us, which is questionable at best. Even if that were true, adults can recover from childhood trauma. But only the Catholic hierarchy can take tangible steps to safeguard the vulnerable in parishes today. Sadly, it demonstrates little willingness to do this. Joseph C. George, Sacramento Advertisement The writer is an attorney and a psychologist who specializes in child sex abuse cases. .. To the editor: I was baptized in the Roman Catholic church and attended Catholic school. During that time, missionary priests would visit our parish and we would be marched over to the church from the grade school to listen to these so-called men of God twice a day. I vividly recall one of these priests screaming at the top of his lungs to us grade-school children: If you die in the state of mortal sin, you will go to hell. That priests, monsignors, auxiliary bishops, bishops, archbishops, cardinals and possibly even the pope have protected these criminals is a heinous act far more grievous than the mortal sin we children were warned about. Kudos to Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano for bringing this subject into the open. Joann M. Duray, Playa del Rey .. To the editor: A larger issue that needs to be addressed is the tradition of clerical celibacy, which came by way of the monastic movement. Going back to the apostles, Peter himself had a wife, and Paul said in I Corinthians Chapter 7 that because of cases of immorality, every man should have his own wife, and every woman her own husband. Later in that chapter, Paul says that celibacy is a spiritual gift that not everyone has. This is consistent with what Jesus said in Matthew Chapter 19. To enforce celibacy on those who do not have the gift could be a major part of the problem. Ken Savage, Palm Desert Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook. To the editor: Erik Castillo, a 12-year-old-child, arrived home in Guatemala after four months of illegal detention in the U.S. Relatives noticed that his behavior was not normal. He was hospitalized for depression while in custody, and he appears to have been given the drug risperidone. Erik said he was given medication while in the U.S. to quiet him down. We dont know if his unusual behavior now that he is home is a result of respiridone exposure, but we do know that the drug is not used to treat depression. There are other serious issues. First, Erik was medicated without parental consent while being held against his will and against the will of his parents; second, risperadone has potential serious and sometimes permanent side effects; third, it is an illegal act, not to mention an immoral one. Bottom line, the persons responsible for ordering and administering drugs to incarcerated minors must be held accountable. This includes President Trump. Advertisement Michael Gross, MD, Woodland Hills The writer is a psychiatrist. .. To the editor: Recently I received an email from a friend who lives in Louisiana. He called me a crybaby because I expressed disapproval of separating children from their parents; he saw nothing wrong with doing this. This friend is no fool. He happens to be an attorney with a doctorate from a top-tier university. Your article about Erik Castillo moved me from figuratively being a crybaby to actually being a crybaby. But my friends email reminded me that there are many people in our country who simply accept anything that Trump does, no questions asked. I pity these people. Karl F. Schmid, Los Angeles Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Even before Hurricane Florence made landfall in North Carolina, President Trump was kicking up a storm of controversy. Outraged over criticism of his handling of Hurricane Maria last year in Puerto Rico, he falsely blamed Democrats for inflating the death toll to 3,000. Discounting an academic study produced by George Washington University and accepted by the island territorys local government, Trump tweeted that the number had arisen like magic. The barrage of angry tweets guarantees that his handling of the current storm, which is still battering North and South Carolina, will be under the microscope. Eleven people had been reported dead by Saturday evening, and hundreds needed to be rescued from flooded homes. Hurricanes have been political minefields for presidents in the past, most notably President George W. Bush. He was excoriated over his administrations poor handling of Hurricane Katrina, which killed between 1,000 and 1,800 people in 2005. Advertisement Bushs delay in visiting New Orleans was fiercely criticized he was infamously photographed looking down on the city from a window on Air Force One. The controversy over Katrina contributed to Bushs political problems, which included a war in Iraq that was longer and bloodier than his administration had promised, and Democrats won back control of Congress the following year. This year, Democrats are angling to pry the U.S. House of Representatives away from Republicans. Trumps job performance is already a key issue in the midterm election in November. Despite strong economic numbers, he remains deeply unpopular. The Real Clear Politics average of polls places his disapproval rating at 53.4% and his approval rating at 40.9%. Its unclear, however, how much Hurricane Florence might affect voters decisions. Opinions about Trump have largely hardened, with Republicans making excuses for his missteps and Democrats adding to their list of outrages. The White House has taken pains to show the president is on top of the situation. Days before the storm made landfall, reporters were ushered into the Oval Office for a briefing with Trump, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. On Saturday evening, the White House released a photo of Trump on the phone with emergency officials as Vice President Mike Pence stands to his right with arms crossed. The president is also planning to visit the region next week once it is determined his travel will not disrupt any rescue or recovery efforts, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. Trump hasnt stopped tweeting grievances about his political opponents, but he has mixed in positive messages about the response to the storm. Great job FEMA, First Responders and Law Enforcement not easy, very dangerous, tremendous talent, he tweeted on Friday. America is proud of you. Keep it all going finish strong! Trump expressed sadness and support for Florences victims on Saturday evening in another tweet Deepest sympathies and warmth go out to the families and friends of the victims. May God be with them! but he appeared to have outdated information, mentioning only five deaths. By the time he tweeted his message, the toll had risen to at least 11. Its too soon to fully assess the federal governments performance in Hurricane Florence. The operation has been massive, including local first responders, out-of-state emergency crews and National Guard units. But South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican and early Trump supporter, said he had spoken to Trump, who told him his state would get what it needed. He has said they would do whatever it takes to see that everything is available for South Carolina, McMaster said. Times staff writer Laura King contributed to this report from Washington. Follow the latest news of the Trump administration on Essential Washington chris.megerian@latimes.com Twitter: @chrismegerian Substitute Sam Querrey rallied from a deep hole to keep the United States alive in the Davis Cup semifinals. The American, who was playing in place of Steve Johnson, beat sixth-ranked Marin Cilic 6-7 (2), 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-4 Sunday to even the best-of-five series at 2-2. Croatias Borna Coric was to face Davis Cup rookie Frances Tiafoe in the decisive fifth rubber. The winner will face France in the Nov. 23-25 final. Advertisement After winning the opening set, Cilic wasted a 6-1 lead in the second-set tiebreak, then completely fell apart with a series of errors under pressure from the big-serving Querrey. I just hung in there, said Querrey, who jumped into the arms of U.S. captain Jim Courier to celebrate. After being 6-1 down in the tiebreak, I just played aggressively and from then on the pressure just builds. Chair umpire Carlos Ramos issued a code violation to Croatia after Cilic slammed his racket to the clay and mangled the frame late in the third set. Since it was the first violation of the match, it was only a warning. No points were deducted and Cilic did not exchange any words with Ramos. Ramos was also the umpire who gave Serena Williams three code violations in her straight-set loss to Naomi Osaka during last weekends U.S. Open final. The American great argued she wasnt being treated the same as some male players. It was a memorable win for Querrey, who had never beaten Cilic in six previous meetings and whose ranking has fallen from 11th to No. 61 this year. Querreys previous match was a first-round loss to Andreas Seppi at the U.S. Open in which he retired in the fourth set due to cramps. Its one of the best matches of my career. Thats for sure, Querrey said. Considering my year, its been tough lately so this is a huge boost. In a matchup featuring two players standing 6-foot-6, Querrey was the more efficient server. While both struck 16 aces, Querrey led in every other category and averaged 132 mph on his first serves to Cilics 126 mph. A 32-time champion, the U.S. is aiming to reach its first final since winning the title in 2007. Croatia, which won its only title in 2005, is looking to reach its second final in three years. Croatia has won all four previous meetings. Typhoon Mangkhut barreled into southern China after lashing the Philippines with strong winds and heavy rain that caused landslides feared to have buried dozens. More than 2.4 million people had been evacuated in southern Chinas Guangdong province by Sunday evening to flee the typhoon, state media said. Prepare for the worst, Hong Kong Security Minister John Lee Ka-chiu urged residents. That warning followed Mangkhuts devastating march through the northern Philippines on Saturday with sustained winds of 127 mph. National police said 64 people had died there as of Sunday, mostly due to landslides and collapsed houses, with two additional deaths reported in China. Advertisement Landslides caused by the pounding storm hit two villages in Itogon town in the Philippine mountain province of Benguet. Police Superintendent Pelita Tacio said 34 villagers had died and 36 were missing. Itogon Mayor Victorio Palangdan said that at the height of the typhoons onslaught Saturday afternoon, dozens of people, mostly miners and their families, rushed into an old three-story building in the village of Ucab. The building a former mining bunkhouse that had been transformed into a chapel was obliterated when part of a mountain slope collapsed. Three villagers who managed to escape told authorities what happened. They thought they were really safe there, the mayor said Sunday. A woman uses her umbrella as she walks past collapsed bamboo scaffolding hanging from a building during Typhoon Mangkhut on Sunday in Hong Kong. (Anthony Wallace / AFP/Getty Images) The rescue work halted for the night before resuming Monday morning. Men used pikes and shovels to dig into the mud since the soaked ground was unstable and limited the use of heavy equipment on site. Mangkhut made landfall in the Guangdong city of Taishan at 5 p.m. Sunday, packing wind speeds of 100 mph. State television broadcaster CGTN reported that surging waves flooded a seaside hotel in the city of Shenzhen. The storm shattered glass windows on commercial skyscrapers in Hong Kong, sending sheets of paper pouring out of the buildings, fluttering and spiraling as they headed for the debris-strewn ground, according to videos on social media. Mangkhut also felled trees, tore scaffolding off buildings under construction and flooded some areas of Hong Kong with waist-high waters, according to the South China Morning Post. Casinos on Macau were ordered closed for the first time due to the typhoon. A red alert, the most severe warning, was issued for densely populated southern China, which the national meteorological center said would face a severe test caused by wind and rain. Flights over the weekend and into Monday were canceled in Hong Kong and the mainland cities of Shenzhen, Haikou, Sanya, Guangzhou and Zhuhai. All high-speed and some normal rail services in Guangdong and Hainan provinces were also halted, the China Railway Guangzhou Group Co. said. Pedestrians pass Casino Lisboa, which was closed, as Typhoon Mangkhut edged toward Macau. (Isaac Lawrence / AFP/Getty Images) UPDATES: 8:10 p.m.: This article was updated with more information about damage caused in China. 2:35 p.m.: This article was updated throughout, including information on evacuations in China and the increased death toll in the Philippines from 36 to at least 64. 4:45 a.m.: Updated to raise the Philippines death toll from 28 to 36. This article was first published at 12:05 a.m. The first inter-Korean summit of 2018, a sunny spectacle in late April, reduced war fears on the peninsula. The second, an emergency one in May, helped ensure a historic meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Trump came off. Now, at a third summit with Kim next week in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, South Korean President Moon Jae-in faces his toughest challenge yet: delivering something substantive that goes beyond previous vague statements on denuclearization and helps get U.S.-North Korea talks back on track. Negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have sputtered in recent weeks, raising doubts about whether Kim is truly willing to relinquish his nuclear arsenal and putting pressure on Moon to broker progress once again. The result will probably be a crucial indicator of how the larger nuclear negotiations with the U.S. will proceed. Moon will try to get Kim to express more clearly that hes prepared to abandon his nuclear weapons, which could create momentum for a second Kim-Trump summit. Advertisement Whether Moon succeeds, fails or falls somewhere in between, the session could help answer a persistent question: When Kim says he supports the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, what does he actually mean? Moon heads to Pyongyang on Tuesday facing lingering questions over his claim that Kim, during his conversations with South Korean officials, has privately expressed a genuine interest in dealing away his nuclear weapons and missiles. The wave of optimism that surrounded the first two inter-Korean summits in April and May and the Singapore meeting between Trump and Kim in June conveniently overlooked disagreements about what exactly Kim had committed to. The third summit will bring more clarity to what North Korea means with the complete denuclearization of the peninsula, said Kim Tae-woo, former president of Seouls government-funded Korea Institute for National Unification. If the North has been negotiating with goodwill all this time, Moon will be able to return with good results. But, regrettably, I see that possibility as low. At his meetings with Moon and Trump, Kim signed statements pledging the complete denuclearization of the peninsula. But the North for decades has been pushing a concept of denuclearization that bears no resemblance to the American definition, vowing to pursue nuclear development until the United States removes its troops from South Korea and the nuclear umbrella defending South Korea and Japan. The differences prompted Trump to cancel Secretary of State Mike Pompeos planned visit to North Korea last month. After an earlier Pompeo visit, Pyongyang accused Washington of making unilateral and gangster-like demands on denuclearization and bristled at the idea that it must take significant steps toward dismantling its nuclear program before a peace treaty is signed or international sanctions are lifted. Moon, the son of North Korean war refugees, is eager to keep the nuclear diplomacy alive, not just to keep a lid on tensions, but also to advance his ambitious plans for engagement with the North, including joint economic projects and reconnecting inter-Korean roads and railways. These projects are held back by the sanctions against North Korea. U.S. aerospace manufacturer SpaceX is planning to fly a private passenger around the moon on one of its spacecraft, the company said in a tweet. In a messager on twitter on Thursday, SpaceX announced that it "has signed the world's first private passenger to fly around the Moon aboard our BFR launch vehicle an important step toward enabling access for everyday people who dream of traveling to space." "Find out who's flying and why on Monday, September 17," it added. The BFR, or the Big Falcon Rocket, is SpaceX's upcoming two-stage reusable spaceship system that will be capable of taking a 330,000 pound payload to Mars and lower-Earth orbit LEO. It will eventually replace SpaceX's other launch vehicles, the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, as well as its Dragon spacecraft. Given that the BFR has yet to be built, the around-the-moon trip presumably is at least a few years off, according to the CNBC. When asked about the identity of the passenger, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk responded on Twitter with an emoji of the Japanese flag, leading some to believe it might be SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son. SpaceX's mysterious passenger won't be the world's first space tourist. American engineer and multimillionaire Dennis Tito, who was the first non-astronaut to travel to the space, paid 20 million U.S. dollars to spend eight days on the International Space Station in April 2001. The seventh and last space tourist was Canadian businessman Guy Laliberte, who flew to the ISS aboard the Soyuz TMA-16 in 2009. Brazilian politics has never lacked drama. During the last 16 years, two presidents have been impeached and a third is serving a 12-year prison sentence for corruption. More than 100 other high-ranking politicians from 14 parties have been implicated in the ongoing corruption investigation known as Car Wash. The run-up to the presidential election next month has continued the political theater. The left-wing Workers Party had been poised to reclaim the presidency, which it held from 2003 until the 2016 impeachment of Dilma Rousseff. But two developments this month have flipped the odds. Advertisement First, Jair Bolsonaro, the major candidate on the right, was stabbed Sept. 6 during a rally, landing him with an extended hospital stay and an unexpected boost in the polls as he enjoys national sympathy and free television airtime. Then on Tuesday, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the convicted ex-president who had been staging a comeback from jail, was forced to pull out of the race, leaving the left in turmoil. The vote is Oct. 7. Heres a look at the major players. What happened to Lula? The former steelworker and union leader left office in 2010 with an 87% approval rating, largely for his success in dramatically reducing the poverty rate. But in July 2017, he was found guilty of accepting $1.2 million in bribes from contractor OAS in exchange for helping the company win contracts with state-run oil giant Petrobras. Lula maintained his innocence, but in April, after losing a series of appeals, he was ordered to report to prison. He then spent two nights at the steelworkers union headquarters, where his supporters created a blockade to shield him from police, before turning himself in. The more days they leave me [in jail], the more Lulas will be born in this country, he told the crowd. In August, his Workers Party announced he was running for president, and in a poll late that month he was the clear front-runner at 39%. That level of support reflected widespread loyalty for his efforts on behalf of the poor. But Brazils top electoral court ruled this month that the so-called Clean Slate Law which bars convicts from holding office for eight years after completing their sentences made Lula ineligible to run. Lula continued to insist he would be on the ballot. But on Tuesday the deadline set by the electoral court for a replacement to be named he passed the baton to his running mate, Fernando Haddad. Brazilian presidential candidate Fernando Haddad attends a campaign event in Rio de Janeiro. (Marcelo Sayao / EPA/Shutterstock) Who is Fernando Haddad? The 55-year-old Haddad was a popular philosophy and political science lecturer at the University of Sao Paulo before entering politics. He was an aide to the planning minister in 2005 when Lula appointed him education minister, a job he kept under Rousseff. Haddad left that post in 2012 to run for mayor of Sao Paulo during a time when the Workers Party was still held in high regard. Lulas backing clinched the win. As mayor, he focused largely on transportation in the core of the city, adding new bus routes and bike lanes. But perceived neglect of the citys periphery made him seem out of touch to many voters, and he lost his bid for reelection in 2016 to businessman and first-time candidate Joao Doria. Lula has urged his supporters in the upcoming election to carry on his legacy by supporting Haddad. Fernando Haddad will be Lula for millions of Brazilians, he wrote on the Workers Party website. But Haddad lacks Lulas charisma and man of the people appeal. He is also largely unknown outside of Brazils southeast. Support for Lula does not necessarily translate to broader support for the left. That was reflected in a poll this month by Datafolha, which showed Haddad at 13%. Where does that leave the right? The big winner from Lulas removal from the race is Bolsonaro, a former army captain and a longtime conservative congressman who is known for his vocal support of torture and guns as well as his disparaging comments about women, black people and homosexuality. Stabbed at a campaign rally in the town of Juiz de Fora, he is recovering in a Sao Paulo hospital after surgery to stop internal bleeding and repair intestinal damage. A 40-year-old waiter named Adelio Bispo de Oliveira, who was taken from the rally and handed over to police, has confessed to the stabbing. Its unclear whether he had a political motive. He told police that God told him to do it. Bolsonaro has continued to campaign from his hospital bed. Daily news coverage of the attack and his recovery has given him an inordinate amount of publicity. His competitors are concerned about fairness but dont want to come across as unsympathetic. The Datafolha poll this month put him in the lead with 26%. Disgust with corruption and distrust of current political leaders has made him popular among Brazils wealthy, well-educated voters, particularly those between the ages of 18 and 25. But his candidacy has also been divisive. A Facebook group called Women Against Bolsonaro has grown to more than 2.2 million members since it was created two weeks ago, and protests it has organized are expected to bring hundreds of thousands of people into the streets of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Bolsonaro is expected to get the most votes Oct. 7 but fall short of 50%, setting up a runoff with the second-place finisher. Presidential front-runner Jair Bolsonaro is shown Sept. 8 while in the hospital recovering from a stabbing attack. (National Social Liberal Party) What about the current president? Michel Temer was the vice president under Rousseff and took over the top job when she was impeached. He promised to put Brazil back on track but instead came to represent much of what Brazilians hate about the political class. Last year a recording surfaced that appeared to show him condoning the payment of hush money to protect a billionaire from the Car Wash corruption investigation. That was followed by the release of a video of one of his close aides receiving a suitcase full of cash. But Congress voted 263-227 to keep him in office and avoid a corruption trial before the Supreme Court. Temers austerity measures, including a pension overhaul and government spending caps, didnt help his waning popularity, as healthcare and education were already suffering from a lack of investment. Last month his approval rating was 4%. Not surprisingly, he decided not join this years race. Who else has a shot at the presidency? The latest poll showed Ciro Gomes, a former mayor of Fortaleza and governor of Ceara state from the left-leaning Democratic Labor Party, tied with Haddad at 13%. Geraldo Alckmin, a former Sao Paulo governor and pro-business centrist running as the Brazilian Social Democracy Party candidate, polled at 9%. Marina Silva, a previous presidential candidate and environmentalist from the center-left Sustainability Network Party, had 8%. Meanwhile, 12% of those surveyed were divided among other candidates, and 6% were undecided. An additional 13% said they would cast blank or null ballots. Protesters shouted Corrupt! and Resign! last week as Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales began a ceremonial speech on the eve of his Central American nations independence day. The protests outside the national palace were the latest to rock the administration of Morales, a key U.S. ally in the region. Morales vows to shut down an internationally backed anti-corruption panel have sparked a constitutional crisis and demonstrations across the country. The heightened presence of soldiers in the streets as protests mount has recalled, for some, dark memories of past military governments in a nation still haunted by a decades-long civil war that formally ended in 1996. Advertisement After three decades, a Guatemalan village ravaged by war brings home its dead The constitutional standoff pits Morales against supporters of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, as the anti-corruption body is known. The commission which played a key role in the resignation and arrest of Morales predecessor -- has been investigating reports of illegal campaign financing against Morales. Guatemalas President Jimmy Morales delivers a statement at the Culture Palace in Guatemala City on Sept. 6. (Johan Ordonez / AFP/Getty Images) The countrys Constitutional Court is deliberating the legality of Morales efforts to shut down the panel. But a ruling may not resolve the crisis, as calls for Morales to step down increase. Guatemala is agonizing, said Blanca Juarez, one of a group of market vendors who made a 130-mile journey to the capital last week to participate in a protest march. He [Morales] should resign, Juarez added, raising her voice to be heard above the din of demonstrators pouring into the central plaza. Morales has denied any wrongdoing and has not commented directly on recent calls for his resignation. A former television comedian, Morales was elected in 2015. The idea of a political outsider resonated with many Guatemalans heading to polling stations mere days after incumbent President Otto Perez Molina resigned and was arrested on corruption charges. Perez Molina, a former head of military intelligence, remains jailed pending his trial. Morales began his four-year term in January 2016. The constitution prohibits presidential reelection, so he cannot be on the ballot in next years elections. The International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala played a crucial role in bringing down the Perez Molina administration. The United Nations-backed commission has been working alongside Guatemalan prosecutors since 2007, successfully building cases against high-level officials, judges and corporate executives. Morales was initially supportive of the anti-corruption body, vowing to renew its two-year mandate so that it could continue throughout his presidency and beyond. The relationship quickly began to sour, however, as Morales, his relatives and his political party all became subjects of investigations into corruption, including illegal campaign financing. Last year, Morales declared the panels head commissioner, Ivan Velasquez, a former judge from Colombia, persona non grata. A ruling by the Constitutional Court, which has the last word on all constitutional matters, reversed the move. This year, Morales extended his offensive against the anti-corruption panel. On Aug. 31, he announced the non-renewal of the commissions current mandate, which ends in September 2019, four months before Morales term is up. Four days later, the government announced that Velasquez, the head commissioner, was a security threat and would not be permitted back into the country. Banning Velasquez violates the 2017 court ruling in support of the commissioner, according to Jordan Rodas, the countrys human rights ombudsman, who is challenging Morales moves in court. The ombudsmans action is one of several legal petitions aimed at ensuring the continued presence of both the commission and its chief. A ruling is expected any day. For the past two weeks, Morales has been insinuating he will disregard an unfavorable ruling from the high court a move that could exacerbate the constitutional crisis. The United Nations, Canada and the European Union rallied behind the anti-corruption commission and issued statements lamenting Morales actions, but the Trump administrations response has been tepid. Morales is an important U.S. ally in the region and beyond. Guatemala supported Washingtons controversial recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a move welcomed by the Israeli government but denounced by Palestinian representatives. Guatemala moved its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem in May, the same month as the United States. Also in May, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., moved to freeze $6 million in U.S. funding for the anti-corruption commission, contending that the panel was being manipulated. The funds were unfrozen last month. Washington has been the anti-corruption panels largest funder, providing more than a quarter of the commissions $167 million total budget from 2007 to the present. But the U.S. position in the current crisis remains unclear, given Washingtons strong support for Morales. Morales has publicly portrayed the anti-corruption commission as a threat. No state or international body can undermine our sovereignty or threaten our peace, our security and our governance, Morales said Saturday in his independence day message. But many Guatemalans see a threat in the increased military presence on the streets since Aug. 31, when Morales moved to shut down the anti-corruption panel. The president has strong support from hard-line, right-wing factions of the military, which remains a powerful force in Guatemala, despite a history of human rights violations. They want to re-militarize the country, said Feliciana Macario, a leader of an organization of women whose husbands were killed during Guatemalas civil war. The government is trying to intimidate the civilian population. State forces carried out acts of genocide during the 36-year internal armed conflict that ended in 1996, according to a U.N.-backed truth commission. An estimated 200,000 civilians most of them of indigenous Maya ancestry were killed. Throughout Guatemala last week, independence day marches were riddled with protest signs and banners supporting the anti-corruption commission and calling for Morales resignation. More protests across the country are planned for this week. Cuffe is a special correspondent. Staff writer Patrick J. McDonnell in Mexico City contributed to this report. patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com Twitter: @PmcdonnellLAT Flooding and damaged buildings were reported across the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and South China's Guangdong province on Sunday, as Typhoon Mangkhut, a record storm bringing fierce winds and intense rain, sweeps past the Pearl River Delta. Smashed windows, uprooted trees, swaying buildings, collapsing external walls, and flooded lobbies in residential estates, along with rough waves crashing against the breakwater, were seen from images and videos posted on social media across cities in the river delta. In Hong Kong, by 2 pm, a total of 111 people - 60 men and 51 women - had sought medical treatment at public hospitals during the typhoon. There were 76 reported cases of fallen trees, the Hong Kong SAR government said. As a heavy rainstorm affects the city, with more than 100 millimeters of rainfall recorded in the past few hours, the Hong Kong Observatory announced flooding in the northern New Territories at 11:25 am. The Drainage Service Department received five confirmed flooding cases by early Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile, the weather authority also issued a landslip warning at 2:20 pm. It said Hurricane Signal No 10, the SARs highest typhoon signal, will remain in force in the afternoon. Signal No 10 Super Typhoon Mangkhut wreaks havoc near Heng Fa Chuen, a private residential estate in Eastern District, Hong Kong Island. In August 2017, when Signal No 10 Super Typhoon Hato battered Hong Kong, the Heng Fa Chuen promenade was inundated, with sea water flowing into the estate and its underground car park. [Photo by Roy Liu / China Daily] Typhoon Mangkhut, a severe storm named after the fruit mangosteen in Thai, was centered about 100 kilometers southwest of Hong Kong at average speeds of 118 kilometers per hour or more. This is the first Signal No 10 typhoon to hit the region since Typhoon Hato seriously damaged the delta's west coast in August last year. The Macao SAR issued a No 10 signal at 11 am. The SARs Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau issued a black storm surge warning at 2 pm and warned of possibly worse flooding in the city than last years Hato, which killed 10 people and caused billions in economic losses. In Hong Kong, 745 residents were in temporary shelters set up by the government by early Sunday afternoon. Signal No 10 Super Typhoon Mangkhut wreaks havoc near Heng Fa Chuen, a private residential estate in Eastern District, Hong Kong Island. [Photo by Roy Liu / China Daily] In Guangdong province, governments of coastal cities, such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhongshan and Jiangmen, have announced the suspension of business, markets and schools. All high-speed rail services are suspended on Sunday in Guangdong province, and thousands of flights were cancelled. Zhou Jing, a 30-year-old endocrine physician at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, the provincial capital, was stranded in Shenzhen after visiting her husband on Saturday. Her bullet train to Guangzhou at 9 pm on Sunday was cancelled after the typhoon almost paralyzed the city. Zhous hospital in Guangzhou, however, was open on Sunday. Zhou, who is supposed to be at the outpatient clinic at 8 am Monday, planned to take a regular train at 10 am Monday. She said she hadn't expected the typhoon to be this severe, and made another reservation for a high-speed bullet train on Tuesday just in case, hoping that high-speed train service will resume by then. According to the current forecast from the National Meteorological Center, Mangkhut will be closest to the river delta in the next few hours and make landfall near Zhuhai and Wuchuan at dusk in western Guangdong province. Mayor Herbert Bautista QUEZON City Mayor Herbert Bautista on Sunday commended the citys disaster risk reduction and management council for its proactive approach in preparing for typhoon Ompong. I congratulate you for all your efforts in helping make our city resilient. Our early warning, preemptive evacuation and pre-positioning of assets did us well. We did our best, but we still can do better in the future, Bautista told the council. He thanked the personnel of the emergency services and disaster response and relief clusters for being on full alert since Friday until early Sunday evening.Over 500 personnel from different departments of the city government and reinforced by volunteers from the militarys joint task force in the National Capital Region, Quezon City Police District, Bureau of Fire Protection and 150 2nd Army Ready Reserve Brigade were on standby and mission-ready during the full alert period. According to Bautista, there were no reported typhoon-related casualties, except for a 10-year-old reported missing in Barangay Silangan. At least 1,413 families or 6,266 individuals from nine flood-prone barangays sought shelter in evacuation centers and were provided hot meals by the QC Social Services Development Department, he said. All of the citys health centers were open 24 hours during the alert period, he added.Meanwhile, to celebrate 100 years of Philippine cinema, the QCinema is touring Quezon City to show local independent films in public schools and barangays in an effort to inspire young people to become the next generation of filmmakers and artists. We are doing this roadshow to promote good cinema from local independent film makers, and to expose young people to quality film-making that delivers a good message about life, Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte said. Speaking to high school students at Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo High School she said, were doing this all over the city for young people like you because, in the future, you may submit your creative works of art through film, so we could help you. The first leg of the caravan included stops in Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo High School, followed by Barangay Bahay Toro High School and San Francisco High School. Succeeding legs of the roadshow will especially target young people from impoverished areas in the city in order to inspire talented individuals who may want to explore further their skills in film and art, Belmonte said. After the 2017 edition of the Dubai Watch Week, the Seddiqi family decided to make their comprehensive cultural exhibition and educational forum a bi-annual event. Nevertheless, they were keen to keep the momentum of their widely acclaimed formula going in 2018. Thus the Horology Forum was born in London in association with auction house Christies. With a more compact format that consisted of back-to-back panel discussions with a couple of insightful presentations, members of the watch industry ecosystem from watchmakers to brand CEOs, collectors to journalists, were once again given an independent forum for discussion that is so desperately lacking in the industry, as the numerous issues discussed and questions raised during the panels showed. The two-day forum kicked off with a panel entitled The Battle of the Soothsayers, which attempted to take a glimpse into the future of the watch industry. The presence of Aldis Hodge, a 32-year-old home-schooled designer with some high-calibre watch designs in his satchel (who you may recognise as MC Ren from the 2015 film Straight Outta Compton) was a genuine breath of fresh air. Here was someone who had taught himself watchmaking, has a background, an image and a charisma that appeal to a demographic that possibly nobody else in the industry could ever hope of reaching and, to boot, could talk with an eloquence that could make even the most seasoned of journalists and public speakers blush. I will be severely disappointed if I dont see him exhibiting at the SIHH or Baselworld in the next few years. Aldis Hodge The Cultural Clout The iBuyer Cult panel left me with an identity crisis. Intended to consider the role of the online buyer in todays watch industry, the discussion inevitably digressed to discuss aspects of online retail and the influencer a term that, like blogger has now become derogatory for many stakeholders in the watch industry. Fortunately, I do not consider myself to be either, but with alternatives such as editorialist and advertorialist being offered up during the discussion, it left me wondering whether I fitted into any of these pigeonholes at all. There was a welcome emphasis on British contributors to the watch industry, in the form of expatriate watchmakers such as Peter Speake-Marin and Stephen Forsey, designers like Fiona Kruger or home-based talent like Roger Smith and relative newcomers like Rebecca Struthers and Richard Stenning of Charles Frodsham. The British Watch Industry Colonizing Greenwich Meridian looked at how the watch industry has developed in the country despite a chronic lack of educational and training options. When David Clocks Goliath segued nicely from this topic to look at the wider context of small independent brands versus the large groups. In addition to the obvious advantages (no stock exchange pressure, greater freedom) and disadvantages (lack of budget, difficulties with communication and awareness), interesting points were raised about side issues such as the Swiss Made legislation, which poses a risk to innovative companies like HYT (whose CEO, Gregory Dourde, was on the panel), which rely on importing high-technology components from the west coast of the USA. George Daniels was rightly given a prominent place in the forum as part of a discussion about his and Gerald Gentas legacies, which looked at the different perspectives of a watchmaker and a designer. A number of personal anecdotes from people who worked very closely with both personalities (not least Roger Smith, George Danielss apprentice) shed new light on these legendary figures. To conclude the discussions, the Dubai Watch Week set the bar higher and once again showed the way forward for all other watch-related events and exhibitions. In a fast-paced thirty-minute session entitled British Roast, the audience were given carte blanche to ask any question they liked of the all-British panel. They took the organisers at their word, subjecting Stephen Forsey in particular to some tough questions. My favourite was which cheese the panellists would use to make a watch, given the choice. It was one of a number of questions that raised a laugh and brought a much-needed touch of humour to the industry. Ironically, it was Edouard Meylan, CEO of H. Moser & Cie. (the first watch brand to produce a watch made of cheese), who had bemoaned the lack of humour in the industry earlier in the day. British Watchmakers: (left to right) Peter Speake-Marin, Rebecca Struthers, Richard Stenning, Roger Smith, Stephen Forsey and moderator Dr Andrew Hildreth. The Dubai Watch Week has once again proved that it is the example all other industry events should follow. But dont just take my word for it. You can watch all the panels on the Dubai Watch Week Facebook Page. The Minister of Antiquities Khaled el-Enany and an entourage of foreign ambassadors embarked on an inspection tour Saturday to the San Al-Hagar archeological site to assess the progress being made to develop the Sharqiya Governorate site into an open-air museum for ancient Egyptian art. The minister was accompanied by Mostafa Waziri, General Secretary of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mamdouh Gurab, Governor of Sharqiya, and a group of a dozen foreign ambassadors to Egypt from Brazil, Lithuania, Congo, Greece, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and other attaches. El-Enany explained that the project aims to lift the monumental blocks, reliefs, columns, statues, and stelae laying on the sand at the site and to restore and re-erect them onto concrete slabs to protect them for future generations. The artifacts have been laying on sands since their discovery in the 19th century. Waziri also said that the Egyptian mission restored and lifted-up ancient Egyptian blocks, statues, columns and obelisks onto stone mounts to isolate them from the ground and protect them from subsoil water, salts and moisture, as well as putting the objects on a better display to visitors. The most important objects that the mission restored and re-erected are the northern and southern colossi of King Ramses II, which had been left on the ground in pieces since its discovery in the 19th century, along with two obelisks and two columns of the King Ramses II era. San Al-Hagar boasts many monumental relics and is one of the countrys largest and most impressive sites, causing Egyptologists to dub it the Luxor of the North. During the 21st and 22nd dynasties, Tanis was a royal necropolis housing the tombs of the Pharaohs as well as nobles and military leaders. Pierre Montets excavations between the 1920s and 1950s were the most important carried out at Tanis. Montet put an end to the enigma of the identification of the site, as some Egyptologists saw Tanis as Pi-Ramses, while others suggested that it was the ancient Avaris. Montet showed that Tanis was neither Pi-Ramses nor Avaris, but rather a third capital in the Delta during the 21st Dynasty. He also unearthed the royal necropolis of the 21st and 22nd dynasties in 1939, with their unique treasures now on display in the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square. This discovery was not recognised in the way that the discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb in 1922 was recognised because of the outbreak of World War II, Waziri said. Among the tombs that were uncovered were those of the Pharaohs Psusennes I, Amenemonpe, Osorkon II and Sheshonq III. The site houses large number of tombs and temples among the largest is the one dedicated to god Amun. It also houses the Temples of deities Mut and Khonsu and Horus along with a collection of obelisks, columns and colossi of King Ramses II. In December 2017, the ministry launched a comprehensive rescue project to restore Tanis and to develop the site into an open-air museum of Ancient Egyptian art. Search Keywords: Short link: KABUL Foreign Minister H.E Salahuddin Rabbani met with the Pakistani Foreign Minister H.E Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi. Leading a high-level delegation in a one day visit to Kabul, H.E Quraishi presented a good will letter along with announcing a 40 ton wheat aid for Afghanistan. He emphasized the implementation of the Afghanistan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity. The Afghan Foreign Minister thanked his counterpart and said, On time implementation of the commitments according to this program is advantageous for both countries and the region and will bring stability and development. H.E Rabbani once again asked Pakistan to transfer the murderer of the Afghan Diplomat Muhammad Zaki Abdo who was killed in Karachi, Pakistan last year. Both sides talked and exchanged views on the trilateral meeting of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China; ulemas meeting; the working group meeting between Afghanistan and Pakistan within the framework of Afghanistan Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity; and bilateral and Economic Relations. We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. 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, A train derailed on Sunday in Egypt's Nile Delta governorate of Menoufiya leaving at least 12 injured, spokesperson to the health ministry Khaled Megahed said. The train derailed in Shebin Al-Koum railway station at the Menoufiya governorate. Megahed said that 15 ambulances were sent immediately to the station to help all passengers and transport them to the Shebin Al-Koum hospital. The Health ministry spokesperson said that the injuries are not serious and that they are ranging from fractures and bruises in different places in the body. He also stressed that all of injured are receiving the necessary treatment and care. Egypt's railway system is notorious for its poor safety record, mostly blamed on lack of maintenance and poor management. Successive governments have failed to enforce basic safety measures for the network. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi had highlighted the need to upgrade the railway network to prevent deadly accidents, saying last year the system needs EGP 180 billion (approx. $10 billion) to be modernised. In July, a train on its way from Cairo to Qena derailed leaving at least 55 injured with no fatalities. Search Keywords: Short link: By By: Dr. Francis R. Souder, 85, formerly of Telford, died Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007 in the skilled nursing unit of Peter Becker Community, Franconia Township. He and his wife Marion R. (Parker) Souder celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary in July. Born in Souderton, he was a son of the late Elvin B. and Mary (Rittenhouse) Souder. A 1938 graduate of Souderton High School, he received his undergraduate degree in 1941 from the University of Pennsylvania where he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa. Dr. Souder went on to receive his medical degree from Hahnemann Medical College in 1944 and completed his internship at Hahnemann Hospital from Oct. 1944 July, 1945. He served with the U.S. Navy Medical Corps for 30 months in San Diego and Long Beach, Calif. during WW II and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant prior to his discharge. He entered his second tour of duty during the Korean War where he served in Panama City, Fla. as the medical officer for the Panama City Naval Air Station and the Tyndal Air Force Base. Dr. Souder owned and operated his family practice on Main Street in Telford from 1947-1989. He served on the staff of Grand View Hospital, and as its president, and taught at the Grand View Hospital Nursing School. He was a member of the Pa. Medical Society, the Bucks County Medical Society, Diplomat American Academy of Family Practices, and served on the board of trustees at Grand View Hospital, Sellersville. He was a member of Trinity United Church of Christ in Telford, where he sang in the church choir. He was also a member of the MacCalla Lodge #596 in Souderton, the Raja Shrine, and Lehigh Consistory. In addition to his widow, he is survived by a son, Dr. Ronald L. Souder, and his wife Susan L. of Green Lane; a daughter, Susan J. Souder, and her husband Stephan Russo of New York, N.Y.; five grandchildren: Jennifer A. Souder of Philadelphia; Emily E. Souder of Philadelphia; Kathryn A. Souder of Washington, D.C.; Noah Russo of New York, N.Y., and Rebekah Russo of New York, N.Y., and two brothers: Attorney Elvin B. Souder of Souderton and Dr. Lawrence Souder of Souderton. Memorial services will be held on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 12 p.m. in Trinity United Church of Christ, 101 S. Main St., Telford, with calling hours following the service. Interment will be private in Trinity UCC Cemetery Telford. Memorial contributions may be made to Grand View Hospital, 700 Lawn Ave., Sellersville, Pa. 18960. Arrangements are by Sadler-Suess Funeral Home, Telford. Letter to editor: Congress can get this right September 16, 2018 Syria - The Rationale Behind The Delay Of Idleb's Liberation - Updated 2x Updated (twice) below Southfront has an excellent longread on the Turkish role in the war on Syria from its very beginning. The piece includes a list of the groups Turkey currently supports and gives an outlook on Turkey's plans: Turkish Strategy In Northern Syria: Military Operations, Turkish-backed Groups And Idlib Issue. The conclusion: In the contemporary military and diplomatic reality surrounding the Syrian crisis, Ankara is pursuing the following tactical goals: To eliminate or at least disarm and limit influence of US-backed Kurdish armed groups in northern Syria; To strengthen a united pro-Turkish opposition Idlib and to eliminate any resistance to it, including in some scenarios the elimination of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its allies; To facilitate return of refugees from Turkey to Syrian areas under its own control; If these goals are achieved, Ankara will significantly increase its influence on the diplomatic settlement of the crisis and on the future of the post-war Syria. The returned refugees and supporters of militant groups in the Turkish-controlled part of Syria will become an electoral base of pro-Turkish political figures and parties in case of the implementation of the peaceful scenario. If no wide-scale diplomatic deal on the conflict is reached, one must consider the possibility of a pro-Turkish quasi-state in northern Syria, confirming the thesis that Erdogan is seeking to build a neo-Ottoman empire. bigger (pdf) Elijah J. Magnier confirms our take that the Syrian-Russian operation to liberate Idleb is on hold but not canceled: What is clear so far is the certainty that President Assad is not ready to give up Idlib to President Erdogan. Assad is said to be ready to start the attack in a few weeks even alone, at the cost of dragging everybody behind him onto the battlefield. The operation has to wait until the Congressional elections in the U.S. are over and the danger of a U.S. escalation for domestic policy reasons recedes. Russia also fears that an attack on Idelb right now could re-unite the U.S. and Turkey and lead to a new coordinated onslaught on Syria. Thomas Seibert at The Arab Weekly points to an upcoming change in the balance that will lower this risk: Moscow would wait until October or November before ordering an all-out attack because the Kremlin expects the crisis in Turkish-US relations to deepen even further by then. ... Comprehensive action will start at a time when Turkey desperately needs Russian support and Ankara is unlikely to add a crisis with Russia to its difficulties with the United States, [Kerim Has, a Moscow-based analyst of Russian-Turkish relations,] said. US sanctions against the Iranian oil industry starting in November are one reason why tensions between Turkey and the United States could worsen soon. Turkey buys about half its crude oil imports from Iran and has said it will not abide by the new sanctions. But Turkey still does not want to remove al-Qaeda from Syria. It wants to move the group around while keeping it under its own control. They are excellent shock troops which, if transferred to Jarabulus in Turkey's Euphrates Shield area, could potentially be used against the U.S. supported Kurds in the northeast of Syria: Erdogans government is proposing to transfer extremist groups such as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an alliance led by al-Qaedas former Syrian affiliate, out of southern and western Idlib into the northern part of the province or to Afrin and Jarabulus, two Turkish-controlled areas in northern Syria. ... News reports said Turkey would then deploy rebel forces of the Ankara-backed National Front for Liberation (NFL) to take up positions abandoned by HTS. The chance for Turkey to achieve that is quite small. Just today HTS published a fatwa against showing the Turkish flag in Idleb. Other Jihadi groups in Idleb also issued statements against the "apostate Turkish army" and its presence in Idleb. It is likely that the situation in Syria will now calm down for a while only to escalate again in two month when the operation to liberate Idelb will get its final go. --- Update (Sep 17 - 16:30 utc): President Erdogan of Turkey and President Putin of Russia met today in Sochi. The main discussion point was the Idleb operation. Elijah Magnier provides a first insight of the results: Elijah J. Magnier @ejmalrai - 16:21 utc - 17 Sep 2018 #BreakingNews: #Syria #Idlib postponed until 15 of #Decembre to start with, with a 15km buffer zone and an engagement of #Turkey to disarm Nusra ( or merge it) and neutralise all other jihadists. #Moscow has accepted to give #Ankara more time (for after the US sanctions really) to sort out #Idlib and the jihadists in the city, defusing the #US intention to bomb #Syria. So: no job for warmongers for the next couple of months. Find another war. #turkey wants the #idlib case to be postponed until the constitutional changes and the peace process to kickoff in #Geneva: more time for Idlib and Turkey to sort out its affairs with Syrian proxies. [...] More: #Turkey has the right to pursue any group in #Idlib and to bring further military forces in the city to stop Jihadists. #Damascus approves the Moscow-Ankara signed' agreement between the two defence Ministers (Russian and Turkish). What is huge is: #Russia signed a military agreement with a #NATO member (#Turkey) in #Syria. NATO won't like it at all. Turkey will get one month more than expected. The Turkish controlled Jihadis will attempt to kill the al-Qaeda aligned Jihadis and vice versa. The Turkish army will also pay a death toll. The al-Qaeda aligned groups, coming under Turkish attacks, will likely try to slip into Turkey to commit attacks there. Update (Sep 17 18:00 utc) More information: Turkey will not be allowed to give air support to its proxy forces or to its own forces when they fight in Idleb. An additional 'demilitarized area' with 15-25 kilometer depth will be created and patrolled by Turkish and Russian forces. This area will allow transports on the M5 highway. It is of high value for Syria and its economy. bigger Posted by b on September 16, 2018 at 15:05 UTC | Permalink Comments next page next page Editors note: The latest in an ongoing series marking MidState Medical Centers 20th anniversary. MERIDEN When Life Star helicopter lifts off from MidState Medical Center, Tricia Margarido is focused on the tasks at hand. You're not really thinking about the emotion that is attached, Margarido said. You're just focused on getting the patient the care they need and getting the mission completed. Margarido, 46, has been a respiratory therapist with Life Star for 17 years and has taken on more leadership responsibilities over the years, now serving as a medical crew manager. The Boston-native said when she first started the job she didnt expect to stay long, but it has been the perfect combination of her previous respiratory therapy and emergency medical service experience working in ambulances and intensive care units, including neonatal and pediatric ICUs. You have days where its challenging, but to be able to help people in that time when it's their critical moment is a blessing, she said. Margarido said sometimes after they drop a patient off in the ICU or emergency room, shell see the families and start to process the emotions of the call. I think we each try to remember we gave them the best we can and then that's how you rest easy, that they got the best chance and the rest was sort of out of control, Margarido said. During shift change, colleagues will stop and chat with each other about what happened during the previous shift and the entire team has meetings to go over challenging calls. Margarido said they are trained in identifying signs of stress in themselves and others. We have to trust each other, communicate with each other, to make it a successful mission, Margarido said. Not one person could go out and do the calls without the others. The Life Star team has about 50 members, including communication specialists, maintenance workers, flight nurses, respiratory therapists and pilots. Hartford HealthCare operates the critical care helicopter for the state and beyond. Two years ago Life Stars base of operations in Central Connecticut was relocated from Hartford Hospital to MidState Medical Center. Bringing the hangar to the MidState campus has improved emergency response times, said David Lowell, executive vice president of Hunters Ambulance Service. When looking at the state and the runs the helicopters were making from Hartford Hospital, it made sense to relocate to MidState, said longtime MidState President and CEO Lucille Janatka, who retired in December. "We found it increased our volume and the location has served us very well," Janatka said. The two other hangars are at Baystate Hospital in Springfield, Mass. and Backus Hospital in Norwich. Embracingthe unknown Each team member has to be able to continually learn new skills and have a broad knowledge base, as they handle a wide variety of calls, including heart attacks, car accidents, and transporting a very sick patient to another hospital for specialized care. You just have to be ready to embrace the unknown situations, Margarido said. The ability to work with other disciplines is also important for team members along with liking or at least tolerating flying in a helicopter, she added. Dr. Lauri Bolton, Life Stars medical and program director, said many people are qualified for the job, but not everyone can learn the extra skills that are necessary, like functioning on a helicopter with night vision goggles. I think attitude and being able to work with a team is the most important (characteristic) because you can give a lot of that training to almost anybody that's had the prior experience, but they have to be able to work well with a team, in a very confined and high risk environment, Bolton said. Margarido loves spending time with her family, and her two daughters, ages 3 and 6. Her husband is active in the National Guard and worked in EMS also. Together they travel often to visit family in Ireland, where Margaridos parents are from, and Portugal, where her husbands family is from. This year they visited her ancestors farms in Ireland. That was very special to me to have my parents and my children see that together, Margarido said. bwright@record-journal.com 203-317-2316 Twitter: @baileyfaywright Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is expected to meet on Sunday with European Council President Donald Tusk and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, said presidential spokesman Bassam Radi. Tusk said on Saturday that the meeting will discuss holding a summit between the European Union and the Arab League as well as the latest developments at the regional level and means of combating illegal migration. Search Keywords: Short link: Editors note: This story includes reporting from Meriden and Puerto Rico. Theres no relation between the author and Johanna Roman. MERIDEN Johanna Roman, a bilingual tutor at Maloney High School, never expected to leave her home in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. She remembers the day nearly a year ago that Hurricane Maria ravaged the island with high winds and torrential rain. Roman, speaking in Spanish, said she has lived through hurricanes before, but Hurricane Maria was unlike anything shed ever seen. During the storm, she decided to stay with her sister because she lives on the second floor of a building, but they still experienced flooding. It came in through the windows. So much water came in, Roman said during an interview in Meriden last week. All of us with towels, drying and drying and we got tired. We went to the living room and waited until it passed. Roman said even after her experience during the hurricane she never considered leaving the island. But after waiting months for assistance, she realized help would not arrive. Thats when she decided to leave. We understood that it was a crisis but I think that they took too long, Roman said. I think that in a crisis they could have resources in a week, maybe even one month. But it was months, months without power, months without water. Roman said because resources on the island were scarce, food and gasoline purchases were rationed. She had to wait in line for eight hours to buy gasoline, which was limited to $20 worth. Roman said typically $10 worth will provide four hours of power from a gas generator. My father who is 80 years old, who had a heart operation, also had to make the line, Roman said. In San Juan, numerous blue tarps could still be seen speckled across homes in the city during a visit this reporter made in mid-July a sign of roof damage yet to be repaired. Fallen light poles and billboards lay untouched since the storm. The conditions in towns farther inland were often much worse because of either geographical challenges or the remoteness. In Utuado, roughly 35 minutes from Arecibo, houses are built on top of hills or sometimes into the mountains. In addition to flooding, the people of Utuado faced multiple landslides that left some homes buried in the mountainside. Some residents had no choice but to live in their basements because their homes were severely damaged. Other homes were simply abandoned. Roman said she knows people from Meriden who said they sent food to Puerto Rico, but food did not arrive for her and her family. She said she knew she had to try to find a job elsewhere out of concern for her 3-year-old granddaughter. It was then that Roman decided to leave. She sold her home and left with only a few personal belongings. On Nov. 15, she arrived in Connecticut, with no coat, and started from zero. She went to agencies like New Opportunities and The Salvation Army to begin to rebuild her life. While living on government assistance and the generosity of others, Roman began looking for a job. With Maria I didnt expect to leave because I have to help the family, Roman said. But as a professional, I was the one who could leave the easiest thing for me was to leave, find work and help the family. Roman taught in Puerto Rico for 11 years, including six years teaching technology education at a private college. But despite her prior experience, finding a job in Puerto Rico was difficult. She applied for a bilingual tutor position at Maloney High School in December and started working in January. Roman continues to work at Maloney with students from different Spanish speaking countries and some from Puerto Rico. There is so many opportunities for those kids, Roman said. I have felt there like weve known each other for years. A traumatic event In the weeks following Hurricane Maria, an additional 125 students from Puerto Rico enrolled in Meriden schools, according to Assistant Superintendent Miguel Cardona. That number peaked in April with 165 displaced Puerto Rican students enrolled. Cardona said as of this academic school year there are 85 students. In August, the U.S. Department of Education granted funding for school districts that took in displaced students from Puerto Rico. Cardona said the allotment of federal funding will offset the number of bilingual staff and tutors hired to teach these students. Bilingual Speech and Language Pathologist Marjorie Eager said language is only one of the many challenges she has faced as an educator when working with her students. Eager said students arrive with different skill levels in Spanish, English, reading and math. She said some of her students may have special needs or learning disabilities. They just went through a traumatic event, Eager said. They were displaced, they moved here after going through trauma, but for some its exciting (to be in Meriden) because its a new place. Eager, along with Mariah Abatan, a second grade bilingual teacher, taught a class last year that was made up of third, fourth, and fifth grade students directly impacted by Hurricane Maria. Both teachers went to Sweden in July as part of the Fund for Teachers fellowship program. They received training specifically in how to work with immigrant and refugee children and how to integrate them into a new school setting. Its important to develop a community in the classroom, Abatan said. Theres an emotional component too They understand that its OK to feel different emotions in the day. Abatan said this year the classroom is made up of students from various Spanish speaking countries along with students from Puerto Rico. She said the goal is to have a safe learning environment and for the students not to feel isolated. Roman has four children. Two of her daughters are completing university degrees in Puerto Rico. She lives in Meriden with another daughter, her son, his wife and their 3-year-old son. Roman said her family in Meriden is small now but is coming together piece by piece. Roman said she misses Puerto Rico. She misses her family still there, she misses the food, and doesnt like the cold, but she has decided to stay in Meriden for now. She said she wont go back because she understands there are more opportunities for her in Meriden. She said she communicates with her family regularly and that more are considering a move to Meriden. I miss the island in a sense that is patriotic, I cant deny that, Roman said. But the truth is that the opportunities are here. jroman@record-journal.com 203-317-2420 Twitter: @JenieceRoman After winning his partys endorsement last month, Republican 5th Congressional District candidate Manny Santos is spending his time in the districts 41 towns and cities building name recognition and raising campaign funds. The campaign is going very well, Santos said. Im getting good feed back from everyone I talk to. They are excited to get this election over with and finally get someone else to represent us. Santos, a former Meriden mayor, faces an uphill battle against Democrat Jahana Hayes, a Waterbury teacher and Wolcott resident who has the support of top state Democrats including U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut. She is also receiving financial help from Democrats inside and outside the state. Hayes has prioritized direct voter contact since the primary, said spokesman Andrew Doba. Shes gone to events in every corner of the district and the positive response to her candidacy has been overwhelming, Doba said. When it comes to the issues, voters seem to know that she shares their values and ideals. Santos said his campaign war chest is in better shape now than during the primary, but he isnt expecting much help from the National Republican Congressional Committee. They are focused on other races, the seats they can keep, Santos said. Republicans are working nationally to try to retain their majority into the next Congress. As of the last filing on July 27, Hayes had raised $459,386 and had $359,058 cash on hand. Santos had raised $25,652 and had $1,579 on hand. There is also some thought out there Im going to do well no matter what I raise, Santos said. I think I have a great chance despite the disparity. During the primary, Santos focused on convincing Republican voters he was the best of the three Republican candidates. After victory, he switched his focus to concentrate more on his policy positions. Santos has also made some changes in his campaign staff by bringing on a manager with a broader skill set outside of Connecticut. He would not name the new manager. Santos has hit barbecues, fundraisers, and gatherings from New Fairfield to Farmington in recent weeks. He is also coordinating efforts, not cash, with other statewide GOP office seekers and U.S. Senate candidate Matthew Corey. There has been substantial coordination with various campaigns throughout the state, he said. We cant intermingle money but we do coordinate efforts. Santos doesnt expect to do any television advertising because its expensive and not well targeted, he said. Well have a much larger presence online, he said. There are several debates planned with Hayes. The Greater Waterbury Chamber of Commerce is hosting the first one, which is only for invited guests and the media, in Prospect on Oct. 4 The Republican State Central Committee will be working on an extensive get out the vote campaign that will benefit Santos, said Chairman J.R. Romano. I think hes a tremendous candidate, Romano said. He is working really hard. Hes someone that will represent the district well in Washington, D.C. mgodin@record-journal.com 203-317-2255 Twitter: @Cconnbiz MERIDEN Family and friends of Alex Comforte, who died of a drug overdose in 2016, said he was kind and had a great sense of humor. A local man was charged this week with supplying the drugs that caused the 24-year-old Comfortes death. Paula Comforte, Alexs mother, said she had been working with police for two years, providing information in the case. Her son was found dead in a detached garage that was being used as an apartment by William Roberts, the man charged in his death. Paula Comforte said she lost her first son about ten years ago to cancer when Alex was 16. Alex, who grew up in Wallingford, was depressed following his brothers death and she felt like it haunted him throughout his life. Just before his death he had become involved in missionary work and went on a medical mission trip to Haiti, she said. Alex was such a wonderful person, smart, handsome, funny, Paula Comforte said. He had a reckless streak in him too. I tried to keep him on the straight path, but he would veer off it and have troubles. Its just such a loss and Ill never get over it. Glen Carney, who moved to Wallingford when he was in eighth grade, said Alex Comforte was one of his first friends. They eventually became best friends. Growing up with Alex was a blessing, Carney said. I cannot think of anyone who made me laugh and cheered me up as much as him. Every day with Alex was an adventure and something to look forward to. Roberts 28, of 247 New Hanover Ave., was charged Sunday with second-degree manslaughter and three counts of sale of a controlled substance. He is currently released on $500,000 bond and scheduled to appear in Meriden Superior Court on Sept. 25. According to police, text messages show that Roberts was aware Comforte was not breathing normally, but decided to let Comforte sleep it off. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined Comforte died as a result of acute intoxication from combined effects of cocaine, cocaethylene, heroin and alprazolam. His death was ruled an accident. Paula Comforte said she plans to attend court proceedings and hopes, if convicted, Roberts does prison time. All my sons are is memories, she said. Sunitha natti By Express News Service Our story marking the tenth anniversary of the 2008 financial crisis following the collapse of the Lehman Brothers bank: MUMBAI: One fine spring morning in 2006, Alan Greenspan, chairman, US Federal Reserve, broke bread with 10 central bankers, including our very own Dr YV Reddy. They all hunkered down in Washington DC for a breakfast meeting to discuss global imbalances and, in particular, dollars future. Reddy shared his anxiety about economic vulnerabilities, seconded by Jean-Claude Trichet, chairman, European Central Bank, who was visibly worried. But Greenspan wasnt concerned and the culinary diplomacy to devise corrective action ended inconclusively. Months later in 2007, select governors and riband investment bankers like Goldman Sachs, Citibank and HSBC met again to identify the extent of central banks support if the US housing bubble bursts. Investment bankers batted forever friendlier accounting standards to show profits that were non-existent in some and fast-thinning in others. This, a furious Trichet asserted, was like changing the thermometer to declare a patient healthy, instead of treating him for fever, but the other side maintained that it could aid recovery. The meeting ended inconclusively yet again, but it was after this moment that Reddys worst fears were confirmed: A global crisis was coming and it was time to buckle up. He came back and put in place contingency plans, not for one, but three anticipated scenarios: sudden massive capital outflows, sustained large outflows, and slow continuing outflows. The extent of his preparedness was exhaustive, to even include draft press releases to be issued following the aftermath. All done, Reddy shot his final salvo. Delivering a speech, he offered an invaluable advice to strategically manage the capital account should a crisis erupt. But this warning went unnoticed, Reddy recalled in his autobiography Advice and Dissent: My Years in Public Service. That was January 2008, just when the world was basking in the New Year revelry. The crisis eventually broke out eight months later. Our policymakers realised early on that India could be vulnerable and a framework for external sector was spearheaded by none other than Dr Manmohan Singh, when he was RBI Governor and further strengthened by Dr C Rangarajan. Besides a calibrated approach towards external and financial sectors, one of the first things Reddy did was to sock away forex reserves. Consequently, the daily average forex market turnover jumped fivefold from $7 billion to $34 billion between April 2004 and 2007 the highest among 54 countries covered by the Bank of International Settlements. In the run-up to the crisis, Reddy sewed up sectoral limits tight that averted damage. For instance, amid asset quality concerns and potential systemic risks to real estate, the risk weight on banks exposure to commercial real estate was increased from 100 to 150 per cent in April 2006. Similarly, risk weight for consumer credit and capital market exposure too rose from 100 to 125 per cent. While encouraging foreign investment, especially FDI, a cautious, nuanced approach was adopted for debt flows, including ECBs, which were subjected to ceilings and end-use restrictions. Portfolio investment in government securities and corporate bonds too were modulated on a need-basis. These prudential policies prevented excessive recourse to foreign borrowings and dollarisation of the economy. The policy framework was progressively liberalised enabling non-financial corporates to invest and acquire companies abroad, while resident individuals were permitted outflows subject to reasonable limits. Eventually, when the crisis hit, India took the blow, but didnt drown itself in financial misery like others. Banks, the lifeblood of Indian economy, remained unscathed, thanks to measures like restrictions of overnight unsecured market for funds, as well as imposing prudential limits on banks inter-bank liabilities. Less than a fortnight after Reddy stepped down and Dr D Subbarao took over as RBI Governor, Lehman filed for bankruptcy. The financial contagion was set on fire and hell broke loose, but Rao kept calm and carried on. Though a few Indian banks had indirect sub-prime exposures, the impact was minimal with a few suffering mark-to-market losses caused by widening credit spreads. Capital flows fell from $17.3 billion in April-June 2007 to $13.2 billion in 2008. FDI grew from $16.7 billion in 2008 as against 2007, while FIIs net outflow stood at $6.4 billion in April-September 2008 compared to net inflows of $15.5 in 2007. Sensex rallied significantly from 13,000 points in March 2007 to peak to 20,800 by January 2008 on heavy portfolio inflows, but fell with a giant thud to 11,300 by October 2008 due to reversing portfolio flows. Raos immediate task was to maintain liquidity, ensure supply of dollars and contain market volatility, which he managed making use of monetary policy tools like Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Statutory Liquidity Ratio. To provide short-term liquidity, CRR, which was increased from 4.5 per cent in 2004 to 9 per cent by August 2008, was sliced to the bone by 50 bps in October 2008 the first cut in five years. Another 100 bps cut followed later. Benchmark repo rate too was cut by 250 bps. Besides, rates on foreign currency deposits were raised, while banks were allowed to dip into the mandated SLR to avail liquidity. Rao put to rest rumours of a bank run on ICICI, even issuing a rare clarification about liquidity availability and support. Government too weighed in, dismissing fears of the private lenders collapse. On its part, the government pumped fiscal stimulus via reduction of VAT, and additional government spending in infrastructure and export sectors, which some believe was over boarded, leading to a jobless growth in subsequent years. WHAT WAS DONE One of the first things the RBI did was to sock away forex reserves. The daily average forex market turnover jumped fivefold from $7bn to $34bn between April 2004 and 2007 The risk weight on banks exposure to commercial real estate was increased from 100 to 150 per cent in April 2006; that for consumer credit and capital market exposure was raised from 100 to 125 per cent. By Express News Service CHENNAI: For incorporating green concepts and environment-friendly features in Chennai Central Station, Southern Railway was awarded with Green Building Certification by Indian Green Building Council governed by the Confederation of Indian Industry as part of the Railway SWACHCHTA program on Saturday. The award was given under Green Railway Stations Rating System for adopting green concepts in the stations operation and maintenance in a bid to reduce adverse environmental impacts, a press release said. The rating system evaluates railway stations based on energy efficiency improvements, ways of water management and rain water harvesting and in the overall care taken to keep up the health and hygiene conditions. At present, the council is working with 40 other railway stations for their certification. Presence of facilities like seating, waiting hall, pay and use toilets, emergency medical care, e-shuttle vehicle inside station building, mobile charging points on every platform, drinking water points and more has earned Chennai Central this certification. Some of the green features implemented at Chennai Central station evaluated by the council include 100 per cent LED lighting fixtures, 100 per cent BEE 5-star rated fans, installation of solar panels on roofs, segregation of waste at source, rainwater harvesting for recharging the local aquifer and smart passenger information systems. Swachhta Hi Seva campaign Southern Railway kick started this years Cleanliness fortnight - Swachhta Hi Seva on Saturday with a signature campaign and awareness at Chennai Central Station. Rail passengers, employees and children signed the Swachhta banner to express their solidarity with railways cleanliness mission. A mime show by scouts and guides was organised as part of the awareness campaign. Egypts Minister of Education Tarek Shawki signed on Sunday the protocol for regulating the earning of the US diploma in Egypt with representatives of accredited educational institutions in the United States. The Ministry of Education's Spokesperson Ahmed Khairy said that the protocol is part of the ministry's efforts to ensure that foreign certificates earned inside Egypt meet the educational standards in home countries, referring to an earlier decision by the ministry to regulate the accreditation of British certificates in the country. The protocol aims at preserving the rigorous standards of the American diploma through examination and assessment methods, while protecting student's rights and bettering their education. Minister Shawky said that the protocol will help provide affordable, world-class education to Egyptian students. According to the ministry, the implementation of the protocol and the subsequent accreditation of US diplomas in Egypt will be provided by the legally acknowledged US accreditation bodies including the New England for Schools and Colleges, and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Search Keywords: Short link: Sanskriti Talwar By Express News Service NEW DELHI: A united Left alliance has retained all four posts in the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) election, beating RSS-affiliated Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) with a considerable margin for all four seats. The university, which until Saturday night was on the boil after counting of votes was suspended as ABVP leaders had allegedly stormed into the counting centre, erupted in celebrations on Sunday morning. Four organisations Left-backed All-India Students Association (AISA), Students Federation of India (SFI), Democratic Students Federation (DSF) and All India Students Federation (AISF) had come together to contest JNUSU polls under one umbrella. Congress-backed National Students Union of India (NSUI) and Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students Association (BAPSA) were also in the fray, but their main opposition was ABVP. N Sai Balaji of AISA won the presidents post, defeating Lalit Pandey of ABVP by 1,179 votes. For the vice-presidents post, Sarika Chaudhary of the DSF got 2,692 votes, defeating ABVPs Geetasri Boruah by 1,680 votes. Aejaz Ahmed Rather of SFI bagged the general secretarys post, polling 2,423 votes against nearest rival ABVP candidate Ganesh Gurjars 1,123 votes. The post of joint secretary went to Amutha Jayadeep of AISF, who got 2,047 votes against 1,247 of ABVPs Venkat Choubey. According to the data obtained from the universitys election committee, a total of 1,148 NOTA votes were polled for all four posts. This years election recorded 67.8 per cent voter turnout, the highest in six years. Balaji gave the credit of victory to the students saying they chose an alliance that is not afraid to fight for them. Ajay Kanth By Express News Service PAMPA: For anyone who has been to Pampa before the floods, the sights here now are devastating. There is nothing but sand dunes 6 to 8 feet high and debris of collapsed buildings scattered all around. A month has gone by after the gushing waters of the Pampa ravaged the entire area serving as the base camp of Sabarimala. The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has no other priority but to make Pampa accessible for pilgrims set to arrive for the monthly pooja on September 17. A team of engineers from Tata Projects Ltd is working round the clock to remove the debris and shift the large sand deposits to make Pampa approachable for pilgrims. The most tedious task at hand for TDB is restoring power and potable water supply. It required a weeks effort to recover the Triveni bridge from the debris and sand. Work is also on to prepare a path from Triveni to Ganapathi temple situated on the foothills of the trekking path. We are not thinking about anything else but to make Pampa at least approachable for the pilgrims who will be arriving for the monthly darshan. All basic amenities, right from potable water to toilets have to be set up. The damage is huge. We need to begin from scratch, said TDB (PWD) assistant engineer K Hareesh Kumar. Currently, the sand deposits are being shifted to various parking lots in Pampa.We need to clean the entire area and sanitise it. All buildings on the river bank have been rendered useless, said another TDB officer. In fact, the TDB officers are clueless on any plan as clearing the debris will take at least 50-60 days. We have been asked to clear the debris first and we are on the job, said an officer with Tata Projects. A team from the National Health Mission (NHM) is camping in Pampa to restart the functioning of the government hospitals Emergency Medical Centre. It will take at least 40 days to make the building fit to restart the hospital, said NHM consultant Venugopal V Nair. We have suffered a loss of Rs 1.5 crore. Seven to eight feet high sand is still inside the hospital building. We have decided to entrust the engineering wing of BSNL with the task of clearing the debris and to make the building fit for functioning. By Express News Service KOCHI: Additional Chief Secretary P H Kurian issued an order on Saturday to speed up the disbursal of post-flood compensation to the eligible claimants in the district. The order restricts new entries being made, and people who have missed to submit their claims can approach their respective Tahsildars. The Chief Secretary has instructed thorough investigations of claim requests and settling the same at the earliest. Till Saturday, 1,58,577 households have seen the compensation getting credited to their account. Paravur leads the list with 76,982, Aluva with 33,310, Kanayannur with 19,950, Kunnathunad with 9,712, Muvattupuzha 8,411, Kochi with 8,174 and Kothamangalam with 2,038. Gautam Chintamani By Express News Service Filmmakers, more often than not, are judged by the quality of their work that meets the audience, but there are instances when the films that never got made end up revealing a lot more about the artist behind. In 1960, Satyajit Ray, who by then was not just an established filmmaker but also famous for his science fiction writing, wrote a screenplay for what could have become Indias first sci-fi feature. The film was titled 'The Alien' and although it never got made, it nonetheless ended up becoming a part of filmmaking folklore. The screenplay impressed Arthur C Clarke and buoyed by the enthusiasm from one of the worlds foremost science fiction authors, Ray pitched the script to studios in Hollywood where Columbia Pictures came onboard. Despite an international star such as Peter Sellers agreeing in principle to play a major role and several trips to the US, the UK, and France, the film had many starts but failed to make it beyond the discussion stage. The non-making of 'The Alien' that was described as the Ordeals of the Alien by Ray has been chronicled in a fascinating volume aptly called Travails With the Alien and offers a hitherto undocumented cinema history including not just the original screenplay but also the correspondence between the filmmaker and the other dramatis personae. Among the other things such as telegrams and letters of producers who expressed their desire to produce The Alien, the book also contains an essay by a student at Columbia Graduate School of Journalism that revealed how one of the biggest filmmakers in the world, Steven Spielberg, was inspired by Rays script. Since the mid-1960s, Rays screenplay had been orbiting Hollywoods hallowed circles and legend has it that two of Spielbergs features Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) borrowed heavily from Rays screenplay. Some years later Spielberg denied the charges but the similarities between key moments in his films and Rays vision are too uncanny. The book also contains Rays concept sketches and storyboards that make reading Travails With the Alien a fulfilling experience. Today, when an appearance of an actor in a foreign production is treated akin to breaching Hollywood, Rays production could have been the defining moment for an Indian. Intriguingly enough, even after the likes of an Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, an Irrfan Khan and a Priyanka Chopra becoming recognisable faces in the US, a mainstream Indian filmmaker is yet to helm a Hollywood production. Reading the original short story, which formed the basis for Rays script, along with the screenplay in its entirety and juxtaposing the two with exchange that Ray had with studio officials and icons such as Marlon Brando, reveals the mind of a master craftsman as well as the heart-wrenching process the (un)making of a film can be even for someone like a Satyajit Ray. By PTI NEW DELHI: Sarah Kay is a poet but ask her to define a poem and she says, "I wouldn't". In fact, her mission as a poet is to bring down the walls that "alienate" several readers from the literary form and make them feel "excluded". The American, known for spoken word poetry, says she wants to expand people's definition of what a poem is and who is allowed to write them. "I wouldn't define a poem. I am more interested in having my definition of what poetry is being constantly shifted and changed," Kay told PTI. The 30-year-old's claim to fame is her idea to take poetry beyond the pages of books and on to the stage. She performs her writings with animated vigour -- in her voice and in her actions. Her journey as a poet began when someone signed her at the age of 14-year-old for a poetry slam workshop. Unaware of what lay ahead, she was pleased to find herself in the company of other children who loved poetry. "The experience was so transforming that I fell in love with the art form and went back to it as many times as I could," said Kay. In less than two decades since that workshop, Kay has established herself not just as a world renowned poet and performer but also an internet sensation. Kay, who never thought practising poetry professionally was even a possibility, now tours the world, taking jam-packed auditoriums by storm with her heart-warming recitals that redefine poetry in a brand new light. She is also the founder of Project Voice, a programme that uses using spoken word poetry to entertain, educate and inspire. The venture is dedicated to promoting empowerment, improving literacy and encouraging empathy and creative collaboration in classrooms and communities around the world. Kay's subjects of choice are varied and wide ranging. She will talk about love and also abuse, she will talk about fond memories of her elementary school principal, the precarious mother-daughter relationship and also women's empowerment. What makes her works identifiable to thousands of fans is that, autobiographical or not, she manages to make every poem she pens "personal". "Sometimes it is a personal experience or a relationship with someone in my life, but even if it is something that feels like a larger societal theme, the only way I know to access it is by making it personal," she said. For Kay, writing poetry is equivalent to solving a Rubik's cube -- a puzzle solving strategy. "That's what it feels like in my brain when I am trying to write a poem," she said. Kay performed at the Mountain Echoes Literary Festival in Bhutan last month, and also hosted the first Indian National Youth Poetry Slam (INYPS) in Bangalore in 2016. "I remember (of INYPS) feeling proud of the young women stepping on stage and showing the power of femininity, and also of the men who showed that vulnerability was not a weakness but a kind of strength," Kay said. By IANS BEIJING: Google has developed a prototype of the censored search engine for China codenamed "Dragonfly" that links users' search history to their personal phone numbers, the media reported. This means if security agencies were to obtain the search records from Google, individuals could easily be tracked and users seeking out information banned by the government could potentially be at risk of interrogation or detention, The Intercept reported on Saturday. The search-engine giant is reportedly developing the "Dragonfly" browser especially for China, that would remove content deemed sensitive by the country's ruling Communist Party regime, including information about political dissidents, free speech, democracy, human rights and peaceful protest. According to sources familiar with the project, "Dragonfly" would be operated as part of a "joint venture" partnership with a company based in mainland China and people working for this venture would have the capability to update the blacklists of the search-terms, the report added. However, citing lack of corporate transparency on the project, seven Google employees, including former Google Senior Scientist Jack Poulson have resigned so far. "I view our intent to capitulate to censorship and surveillance demands in exchange for access to the Chinese market as a forfeiture of our values and governmental negotiating position across the globe," the report quoted Poulson as saying in his resignation letter. Nearly 1,000 employees also signed an open letter asking the company to be transparent about the project and to create an ethical review process for it that includes rank-and-file employees, not just high-level executives. Last week, 16 US lawmakers addressed Google CEO Sundar Pichai expressing "serious concerns" about "Dragonfly" demanding information about the company's China plans, the report noted. "Dragonfly" has also come under heavy criticism from a former Asia-Pacific head of the tech giant, who called it a "stupid move". Google had launched a search engine in China in 2006 but pulled the service out of the country in 2010, citing Chinese government efforts to limit free speech and block websites. The company has so far declined to publicly address concerns about this project. Sangram Parhi By Native flavours are travelling far and wide, serving nostalgia on a plate at your current home. So next time you travel to Indore, and while coming back if you forget to pack tomato-flavoured sev, you may not be censured by family and friends. For, a smorgasbord of regional foodsfrom sweets, namkeens, staples, health foods, pickles to spicesis available on a host of online marketplaces. And the trend is catching up as millions of people, who migrate for jobs and due to marriage, miss the food of their place of birth. So, be it banana chips from Calicut, guava bar from Goa, sohan halwa from Jaipur or Karachi biscuits of Hyderabad, the internet is bringing them all homebridging the great Indian food divide. Every place is rich with specialities, which makes it stand out in the countrys vast culinary map. For example, while Kolkata is known for its sandesh variety, Pune for its biscuits and Odisha for its chhena poda, namkeens are synonymous with Indore. These ethnic foods are no more limited to their geographical boundaries; the e-commerce platforms source them from their authentic outlets to deliver at your doorstep. Snacks and namkeens apart, the websites also spice up your kitchen with their range of condimentsfrom Bhallapur chilli powder from Andhra Pradesh, Tezpur chilli from Assam, Nagalands famous cinnamon and black pepper to cardamom from Wayanad. Startups such as placeoforigin.com and flavorsofmycity.com act as link between sellers and buyers, there are stores such as Om Namkeen of Indore, which sell their products on their websites. This is a win-win situation for both the food lovers who whet their appetite for hometown foods, and the sellers who see an expansion of their customer base due to online presence. So missing Dulals tal mishri (palm candy) from Kolkata, Banarasi jackfruit pickle from Sardarji Papadwale in Varanasi or Malabar tapioca slices from Altom foods in Thrissur? Heres a list of websites that are ready to tickle your longing tastebuds. Flavorsofmycity.com Their promises make you long for the food: Authentic regional savoury, indigenous to that place; rare products, not easily available everywhere. You can search by cities, themes, categories, stores, bestsellers, new arrivals. For example, their Flavours for our Bappa section offers ukadiche (steamed) modak from Dodboles Modak, Pune, to make your Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations a palatably affair. Placeoforigin.com You name the pickles, jams, namkeens, dry fruits from your place of choice, placeoforigin.com has them. With a wide range of products from over 450 brands, this is a marketplace of all things capable of triggering fond memories. Craving the juicy and delicious dhokla from Ahmedabad, authentic tea from Darjeeling and stick jaws from Dehradun? Just click the mouse. And its worth the wait. Nativespecial.com Their owners gave up cushy jobs abroad to realise their dream of bringing the native specials to your doorstep. And now they deal in delicacies as localised as Tirunelveli Halwa, popular as Iruttu Kadai Halwa, Manapparai Murukku, Thoothukudi Macaroons, a French delicacy made in Indian style, etc. For the health-conscious customers, there are items such as Karuppatti Nei Mysorepak, Karuppatti Mysorepak, made of Karuppatti, one of the oldest sweeteners used by mankind, Kombu Thaen, from the hills of Nilgiris, etc. And they reach homes the world over. Salebhai.com Be it Agras petha, Ahmedabads khakra, Bengalurus chocolates, Salebhai.com not only caters to thousands living away from home but also to a growing number of well-travelled foodies who can tell an authentic Mysore Pak from an imitation. They source sweets, savouries, dry fruits and even spices, tea and coffee from across the country and deliver them to customers in 195 countries. Omnamkeen.com They began in 1984 as a small shop that sold namkeen and snacks in Indore. Subsequently, their wafers sold like hot cakes. Be it specialties such as aam jalebi (aam papad made of mango pulp in jalebi form) or the unique chutney sev, Om Namkeen has carved a gastronomic niche for itself in snacks and munchies. Namkeenwale.in If you are craving Bhavnagar gaathiye or lehsun sev, Namkeenwale.in is the website to be logged in to. It operates from the cradle of namkeens and snacksIndore. Founded in 2013 by a team of self-proclaimed foodies, it offers best of all at reasonable prices. Khaochatpata.com Yes, it lives up to its name. From sev bhujiya to Jain namkeen, cookies, dry fruits and squashes, Khaochatpata has everything at an affordable price. You can shop by brands too. So the namkeens from Bikaners Bhikaram Chandmal or the famed Jain Misthan Bhandar of Indore are a click away. Ravi Shankar By Being a minority is a death sentence in Pakistan. Not just for a Hindu, Christian or Sikh, but even for a Musliman Ahmadi, Ismaili, Bohra or Hazara Shia. In Pakistani society, whose Sunni Muslimisation has turned a most virulent shade of green over the past three decades, any sect that does not follow rigid Wahhabi dogma is deemed a kafir and fair game for a jihadi with a gun. Minorities are moreover discriminated against on all fronts, including the right to employment, education and worshipconsidered natural in India. The Pak media, especially the Urdu press, is fanatically anti-minority and has even published entire editions attacking the Ahmadis, one of Pakistans most victimised minorities. Princeton professor Atif R Mian, who was dropped from PM Imran Khan's Economic Advisory Council Thousands of Muslims in Pakistan have been killed, jailed or attacked by mobs; their mosques burned, women and children murdered, innocents stoned to death and schools and hospitals bombed simply because they do not conform to the Sunni majority concept of Islam. The persecution of minorities in Pakistan has brought the country worldwide shame. It proves bigotry is the real power in the country, ruling at the expense of modern models that could spur an economic miracle and rescue it from a multi-billion debt morass. Last week, Imran Khan, who had opened his innings with the promise of Naya Pakistan, was forced by the extremist Islamist party Tehreek-i-Labbaik to sack Atif R Mian from Pakistans Economic Advisory Council (EAC). The only crime of the Princeton professor, who is considered one of the top 25 economists in the world, is that he is an Ahmadi. Outraged by the prime ministers capitulation to the radicals, London-based economist Imran Rasul quit the EAC. In a country where teachers have been replaced by clerics who radicalise its youth instead of informing them, revival is a distant hope. WAVE OF DEATH Hope is in short supply for Pakistans Ahmadiyya community, which accepts their founder Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as the last prophet; considered a heretic belief that repudiates Islams tenet that there is no other prophet than Muhammad. As gods vengeance, they are murdered, arrested, jailed or executed for various imaginary crimes, including under the appalling blasphemy law of Pakistan. The wave of anti-Ahmadiyya hatred hit its shores in 1953 when prominent theologians led rioting mobs demanding the removal of Jinnahs associate and then foreign minister, Sir Zafarullah Khan, an Ahmadi. The agitators also clamoured for the scalps of all Ahmadis in top government posts, and their formal excommunication. The Ahmadi plight worsened in 1974 when the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto government passed the second Constitutional Amendment taking away their right to be called Muslims; they are now registered as non-Muslims on the countrys voters list. In 1984, Islamist military dictator Zia-ul-Haq, who later executed Bhutto, passed Ordinance XX preventing Ahmadis from practicing their religion in public. Thousands of Muslims in Pakistan have been attacked by mobs; simply because they do not conform to the Sunni majority concept of Islam They cannot call the azan. They cannot use Islamic terms and titles, read Islamic texts for prayers, name their places of worship masjid and greet people in the Islamic manner; acts punishable with three years in jail and a fine. Ahmadis are also banned from Haj pilgrimage. Their life just became even more dangerous when Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of the Islamabad High Court ordered that Ahmadis should append the word denoting their faith to their names: Qadianis should not be allowed to conceal their identity by having similar names to those of Muslims, therefore, they should be either stopped from using name of ordinary Muslims or in the alternative Qadiani, Ghulam-e-Mirza or Mirzai must form a part of their names and be mentioned accordingly.(Ahmadis are derogatorily referred to as Qadianis; the eponymous birthplace of Ahmad.) This ruling is meant to prevent them from entering the civil services and the judiciary since declaration of denomination is necessary to obtain a national identity card, passport, birth certificate and voter ID; all requirements for top government and semi-government jobs. Lawyer Yasser Latif Hamdani, visiting fellow at Harvard Law Schools Human Rights Programme called the ruling the Yellow Star of Pakistan in reference to the deadly anti-Semitism of the Nazi Holocaust. The international community must act before there is genocide of Ahmadis in Pakistan, he warned. In January 2018, the US State Department placed Pakistan on its Special Watch List for severe violations of religious freedom. But Imran, whose election plank was anti-US, may not be easily scared. He declared last week that Pakistan would not fight another countrys war. VICTIMS OF HATE Pakistan is fighting an internal war of its own, against its own people. Farahnaz Ispahani, former media advisor to the Pak president from 2008 to 2012, said in an interview in 2016: When Pakistan was being formed in 1947, its population of non-Muslims was 23 percent, today we are somewhere between 3-4 percent. So there has been a purification of minorities. Such purification is being carried out by militant squads which routinely target Shias and followers of Sufi Islam. The extremist clerics of Pakistan and their Saudi sponsors have for decades tried to strip Pakistan of its Sufi legacy, which they consider a dilution of Islam. Failing to escape its India obsession, Pakistani governments have successively acted to assimilate Sufi shrines into an exclusive narrative that eliminates the syncretism with which the saints are worshipped by different faiths in different ways. Last years Islamic State suicide attack on the Sufi shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan, Sindh, killed around 90 people and injured hundreds. 2017 was a bloody year for Shias; their mosques and shrines were targeted by Saudi-backed Takfiri terrorists from Parachinar to Quetta. More than 3,000 Hazaras have been slaughtered since September 2011, according to official figures. Minority persecution is official state policy: human rights activists note 140 Pakistani Shias have disappeared over the past two years, arrested by the intelligence services. Hazaras are the majority indigenous population of Gilgit-Baltistan, where the Pakistani military establishment has let loose a wave of genocide and rape to suppress their demand for autonomy. In 2015, 43 Ismailis16 women and 27 menwere butchered on a bus in one of the worst terror attacks in Pakistan. The mullahs see Ismailis as a liberal, reformist and Westernised sect that does not ask females to cover their hair in public; the majority of Ismaili women do not wear hijabs. After Ahmadiyyas, Shias and Ismailis, the miniscule but prosperous Dawoodi Bohra community has come under the jihadi gaze. A Bohra mosque in Karachi was bombed in 2015. In the last few years, members belonging to moderate Sufi and Barelvi Muslim sects have been massacred by religious extremists as part of jihad. In the insane communal mosaic of Pakistan, many Barelvis have now taken up arms against the Shias. The founding principle of jihad is takfir, which ejects a person or a group from the Islamic faith, making their lives forfeit. It also allows the killing of Muslims who are considered not Muslim enough. The self-defeating cycle of Pakistan shows the state itself operates on takfir. In the 1980s, the Pak military was behind the first organised terrorist outfit in the country: the Sipah-e-Sahaba whose members were recruited and trained to bomb Ahmadi mosques and Shia imambargahs. After changing its name subsequently to Millat-e-Islamia and now Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, it functions in the mainstream as a political party. Ahmadiyya community members hold the names of victims as they stand over their graves in Chenab Nagar in Pakistans Punjab in May 2010 PATRIOTISM LOSES TO ISLAMISATION The cardinal cause of Pak radicalisation is the gradual de-Pakistanisation of Pakistan, led by regressive clerics and their organisations funded liberally by Saudi Arabia, which has been exporting violent Wahhabism for decades. After Mian was dropped from EAC last week, Pakistans foreign minister Fawad Chaudhry fumed, The entire world is speculating that Atif Mian will receive a Nobel Prize in five years, we have appointed him to the EAC and not to the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII). But historically the Nobel is not considered an honour in Pakistan. Its only Nobel laureate Dr Abdus Salam was an Ahmadi, whose name has been dropped by the new government from the premier Quaid-i-Azam Universitys Physics Department under pressure from the all powerful CII: the body that constitutionally governs all religion-related matters. Dr Salams post mortem debasement had started with the desecration of his tomb in 2014, when the word Muslim was erased from his gravestone at the Bahishti Maqbaraan Ahmadi cemetery in Rabwah; the inscription had initially read the first Muslim Nobel laureate. Dr Salam being an Ahmadi is not considered a Muslim in Pakistan. Wrote Husain Haqqani, former Pakistani ambassador to the United States, Now that the Islamic State in Pakistan had established the right to determine who was and was not a true Muslim, religious identity and religious correctness became larger issues in Pakistans political discourse. He believes the schismatic policies of Zia ul-Haq who ruled from 1977 to 1988 aggravated sectarian conflict in the country. However, religious fanaticism had been flourishing at the high levels of the Pak government even in the 1950s. Khawaja Nazimuddin, the second Pak Prime Minister, had enshrined the prevailing ultraist state philosophy by stating, I do not agree that religion is a private affair of the individual nor do I agree that in an Islamic state every citizen has identical rights, no matter what his caste, creed or faith be. SAUDI POISON Saudi Arabia, Islams self-chosen representative on earth, wouldnt agree more. The deepest root of minority genocide and targeted killings of advocates of soft and modern Islam in Pakistan is the Saudi influence. When Pakistan was formed in 1947 as a state for Muslims, many moderates played a major role in the nations birth; the first president of the All India Muslim League was Sir Agha Khan III, an Ismaili. The founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, was a Shia. So was Jinnahs patron Raja Sahib of Mahmudabad. Pakistans first Foreign Minister Sir Zafarullah Khan was an Ahmadi. Their moderate legacy would be anathema to the Salafists. Terrorist organisations such as the Taliban, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat are affiliated to the ultra-conservative Deobandi sect, whose beliefs are similar to Saudi Wahhabism. In two decades, the Taliban have massacred over 60,000 peoplemostly minorities. Wahhabi Islam, the official religion of the Saudi kingdom, is the surging voltage of international terrorism. Its severe interpretation of life is a bleak puritan social landscape governed by merciless religious laws better suited to medieval desert conditions than the modern world. The most powerful Saudi puppet in Pak history was Zia who made Islamisation the state policy and included religious parties such as the Jamaat-e-Islami in governance. He established new religious laws, a federal sharia court and promoted compulsory Islamic education in schools. The madrassas were funded generously with Saudi riyals. Zia also inserted Islamic teachings into the militarys training syllabus, thereby effectively radicalising the army. Muslim misogyny entered the judicial system after laws were passed that recognised the value of a womans testimony only as half of a mans on trials over sexual offences. Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military written by Haqqani lays out how the Mullah-General nexus benefitted both parties to control Pakistan politics and society. This bigoted bond changed the geopolitics of not only the subcontinent but also affected the world. America, now Islamic terrors main target, had turned a blind eye to Zias desecration of Pak democracy since he was the main conduit of Saudi money and support for the mujahideen who were waging a bitter war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Around 35,000 militants from 43 Muslim countries were trained jointly by the intelligence services of the US, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in madrassas and army camps. In 2008, Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid had warned in his book, Descent Into Chaos, that Pakistans slide into religious anarchy will sow the seeds of al-Qaeda and turn Pakistan into the world centre of jihadism for the next two decades. Before 9/11, there was only a single recorded suicide attack in Pakistans history. But after 9/11, their numbers are in the hundreds. Former Foreign Minister of Pakistan Khawaja Asif has argued that Pakistan has to get rid of the ghosts of Zia and Pervez Musharraf if it has to move forward. Imran Khan was forced by the Tehreek-i-Labbaik to sack Atif R Mian THE EDUCATION BACKLASH The ghost of Zia will not be easily exorcised from the vast Islamic madrassa network funded by Saudi petrodollars to promote hardline Wahhabi and Salafi fundamentalism. Pakistans slide from nationhood to Islamisation has gained at the expense of the moribund state education system. In 2016, The Economist put the number of madrassas at 24,000 where around two million boy students are taught the scriptures in place of science, math or the liberal arts to make them competitive in the global employment market. The government spends only two percent of the countrys total GDP on education. Tahir Ashrafi, head of the Pakistan Ulema Council, affirms that 60 per cent of madrassa students are not involved in any training or terrorist activities though he is not sure about the remaining 40 per cent. Lamented author William Dalrymple, If only the Pakistani government could finance schools that taught respect for the countrys own indigenous and syncretic religious traditions, rather than buying fleets of American F-16 fighters and leaving education to the Saudis. The Saudi psychological colonisation was apparent last week when Pakistani social media exulted over Mias sacking, heedless of the dire economic straits of the country and the debt burden that is driving it even deeper into the China orbit. Mian, a firm patriot, was opposed to the China Pakistan Economic Corridorlikely to benefit China the mostwhich has saddled Pakistan with a $62 billion loan to pay for Islamabads part in the construction. Pakistans forex levels have dropped to a four-year low and the government may not be able to meet its monthly export bills. But economic reality flees in the face of fanatic hatred as has been witnessed often in the Islamic Republics history. Chaudhry declared last week, Pakistan belongs as much to its minorities as it does to the majority. Former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal argued talent and competency should matter and merit should not be mixed with religion. The madrassas couldnt care less. THE DECLINE OF A SOCIETY Former Pakistan Director of the Human Rights Watch and activist Ali Dayan Hasan tweeted in 2015 after the Ismaili carnage in Karachi, Increasingly, formulaic condemnations and condolences by state institutions in the face of carnage just add insult to injury. Blaming India & others for atrocities against minorities does not absolve the state of failing in responsibility to protect. In the recently published book Purifying the Land of the Pure: Pakistans Religious Minorities by scholar and parliamentarian Ispahani, Pak history has been dissected into four consequential stages. 1. Muslimisation of Pakistan between 1945 and 1951 followed by the rise of the Islamic identity from 1958 when state-sponsored education rejected pluralism, demonised religious minorities and highlighted and glorified Islamic history without historical proof. 2. The states redefinition of the Pakistani identity as purely Islamic. 3. Islamisation further consolidated through legislation to make Islamic law supreme and hostile to the minorities. 4. State supported organised violence towards minorities in the form of terrorism and lynching. The dilemma of modern Pakistan is while it strives to retain a place in the world, it also functions as a non-secular nation founded on an anti-inclusive Islamic foundation that feeds on ultra conservative hatred of its nonbelievers. Abdus Salam, pioneer of Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme; Zafarullah Khan, president of the UN General Assembly; Air Marshal Zafar Chaudhry, Pakistans First Air Chief; and Lt Gen Abdul Malik, hero of the 1965 conflict, were all disgraced like Atif Mia because of their beliefs. People dishonoured and their mosques reduced to rubble. Is this the Homeland for Muslims that Mohammed Ali Jinnah created? asks G Parthasarathy, former Indias High Commissioner to Pakistan. In the 1940s, pre-Partition Deoband clerics such as Syed Abul Ala Maududi and Ashraf Ali Thanvi opposed the All India Muslim Leagues (AIML) demand for Pakistan on the grounds that AIML leaders were too liberal to be true Muslims who wanted a liberal and pluralistic Pakistan instead of a country where Allahs will would be supreme. The senseless savagery towards the Ahmadis and other minorities can be traced back to AIMLs hasty politics that ignored the geographic and sociocultural differences among Muslims in the new country and chose Islam as the only glue. But once Pakistan was formed, its clerics demanded that Islam should be the preeminent force. They compelled the government to adopt the Objectives Resolution in 1949, which serves as the Constitutional base of Pakistan. The Resolution had two Islamic provisionsGods will supersedes the peoples and Muslims must live according to Koranic laws. This left Pak parliament with limited space in democracy since its responsibilities were deemed a sacred trust thereby making it subservient to the Islamic edifice. By sacrificing the rights of its minorities to sectarian loathing, Pakistan is yielding to the bleak laws of a bygone preacher in an Arabian desert instead enriching peace by embracing the all-encompassing heritage of the Indian subcontinent. The Flashpoints 1947: Almost 23 percent of Pakistans population comprise non-Muslims. 1974: Ahmadis declared non-Muslims 1990s: Nearly 1,000 Hindu temples targeted by Islamists 1998: Census reports that a little over 3 percent non-Muslims 2005: 32 Hindus killed in firing by the government forces during clashes between Bugti tribesmen and paramilitary forces in Balochistan 2009: Mass anti-Christian violence in Gojra. The Taliban impose Jizya on non-Muslims 2010: Hindus attacked and ethnically cleansed with 60 fleeing Murad Memon Goth in Karachi. Lahore bombings kill 50 people and wound 200 others in two suicide bombings on a Sufi shrine. 2012: Jundallah militants stop buses and massacre 18 passengers. All but one of the victims are Shia Muslims. 2013: Twin suicide bomb attacks at a church in Peshawar; 127 people killed and over 250 injured 2013: Bombings on Shias in Quetta 2017: Pakistan ranked fourth on the Christian support group Open Doors World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian Pakistans Muslim Sects and Their Tribulations Ahmadiyya The community originated with the teachings of its founder Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (18351908). He saw himself as a renewer of Islam and claimed to have been chosen by Allah. His followers regard him as the messiah and a prophet. In 1947, the community moved its religious headquarters from Qadian in Indias Punjab, where the movement was founded in 1889, to Rabwah in Pakistan. The movement follows the Korans teachings. But it is regarded by orthodox Muslims as heretical because it does not believe that Mohammed was the final prophet sent to guide mankind, as they believe is laid out in the holy book. Shia In 632, after the death of Islams founder, the Prophet Muhammad, tribal Arabs disagreed over who should succeed him and inherit the political and religious office. The majoritylater known as the Sunnisbacked Abu Bakr, a friend of the Prophet and father of his wife. Others considered Muhammads cousin and son-in-law, Ali, the rightful successors. This group became known as the Shia, and are considered a minority. Ismailism Throughout their 1,400-year history, the Ismailis have been led by a living, hereditary Imam. They recognise His Highness Prince Karim al-Husayni Aga Khan IV as their Imam in direct lineal descent from Prophet Muhammad through his cousin and son-in-law. The community can be found in over 25 countries around the world. They have faced thousands of years of persecution and targeted propaganda by other Muslims. Dawoodi Bohra The Dawoodi Bohras follow Shia Islam as propagated by the Fatimid Imamate in medieval Egypt. Also known as the Mustali Ismailis, the sect is derived from early Hindu converts to Ismailism who split from the Nizaris in 1094. The Bohras split around 1600 into a majority Dawoodi and a minority Sulaymani sub-sect. Both resulted from disputes over succession of leadership. The Second Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan and Ordinance XX declares Ahmadis to be non-Muslims and further deprives them of religious rights. Thats the issue which returns to haunt Pakistan from time to time. The Imran Khan government accepted Princeton economist Atif Mians resignation from the nations Economic Advisory Council after it came under pressure from radical elements within Pakistan. The 18-member Council was set up by the new Prime Minister to facilitate the best economic advice to the government at the current time of severe economic crisis. Atif Mian is an Ahmadi and relented to the pressure to allow the Council to function. The Ahmadis follow all Articles of Faith and practices of Islam. However, in addition they owe allegiance to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (MGA) who in 1889, with belief in him being the expected Messiah of Islam, founded the sect to revitalise the faith and deliver it from its challenges. They opened themselves to the allegation that they do not believe in the finality of the Prophet as the last Messenger of God. They claim MGA was sent to end religious wars, condemn bloodshed and reinstitute morality, justice and peace just as it is predicted in Islam but they have never questioned the finality of the Prophets word. There are four million Ahmadis in Pakistan and 10-20 million around the world. Although Pakistan professes that radical belief is sporadic and not translated into political strength as witnessed by the election results such practices as keeping the Ahmadis virtually excommunicated from mainstream society confirms that nothing has changed and that Pakistans politics and society are yet embedded with deep set radical ideas on faith, all counterproductive and sometimes alien even in the Islamic world. Imran Khan, despite his education and earlier supposed egalitarian image, rode the sentiments of radical belief to gain political legitimacy. He has now to dismount from the tiger he chose to ride if he wishes international legitimacy, which will help Pakistan overcome its deep set economic woes. Even its closest ally China is apprehensive of radical Islamic ideology which helps fuel unrest in its western region of Xinjiang. The internal pulls and the external pressures on Imran Khan are unlikely to allow him to settle down to overcoming the serious challenges within. His political inexperience remains a liability and having attained power he is unlikely to squander his gains through risky experiments. Pakistan is unlikely to see internal peace and quiet under Imran in near future and further societal turbulence could well ignite fires in the region where a tenuous peace holds. The author is former Commander, Srinagar-based 15 Corps By UNI NEW DELHI: In a major outreach and rather surprising move, the Sanghparivar fountainhead RSS has invited BSP supremo Mayawati and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to attend three-day meet with public leaders and political parties at a grand three day meet beginning September 17, Monday. RSS would also release a vision statement on the theme 'Future of Bharat -An RSS perspective'. There would be series of lectures and interactive sessions at the three day meet. Among others, sources said invitation has been extended to former UP Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who according to his party leaders have decided to give it a miss. Meanwhile, sources said there are 'chances' that Mayawati attend the same. "But there is no confirmation yet," according to the source. Sources further said RSS has also invited Mamata Banerjee, who may also may not come for the conference given her strong inclination to stick to the established 'secular' agenda. According to sources, while a section of BJP leaders suggested that even Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge be invited. But ultimately Congress top guns may not be called. RSS leaders are expecting turn out of about 2,500 people for what is being billed a major communication platform by the Sangh fountainhead. Sources say even Muslim and Christian leaders have been invited. The first conference on combating illegal migration and human trafficking kicked off on Sunday under the auspices of Interior Minister Mahmoud Tawfiq. The conference aims at identifying the risks of illegal migration and human trafficking and their relation to organized crime. It will also shed light on the role of police agencies in countering the smuggling of immigrants and human trafficking, while highlighting the need for uniting efforts to confront such crimes. Attending the conference are Assistant Interior Minister and Head of the Drug and Organized Crime Combat Sector General Mohamed Barakat, Director of the Illegal Immigration Administration General Mohamed Awad, and the Head of the General Administration for Drugs and Organized Crime Combat General Magdy el Semari. Cairo raised its focus on this issue and introduced an illegal migration law following a September 2016 migrant boat disaster off its Mediterranean coast that killed hundreds. According to the latest figures issued in June by the United Nations, there are 228,941 registered refugees in Egypt from 58 different countries including Syria, Iraq, Somalia and Sudan. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has said in previous speeches that Egypt is hosting more than five million refugees. *This story has been edited by Ahram Online Search Keywords: Short link: By PTI CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh will hold a rally in Lambi, the home turf of Parkash Singh Badal, to challenge his predecessor's "misleading" claims on sensitive cases of sacrilege, a spokesperson said Sunday. ALSO READ: Ready to sacrifice my life and my son Sukhbir's for Punjab's peace: Parkash Singh Badal The chief minister will hold a rally in Badal's assembly constituency Lambi in the last week of September after zila parishad elections in the state, the spokesperson said. He said Amarinder Singh had taken serious note of Badal's "continued and wilful attempts to create communal unrest in the state through his deceitful statements on the report of Justice (Retd) Ranjit Singh Commission on the widespread incidents of sacrilege that had taken place during the SAD-BJP rule". "Badal has a habit of raising communal passions by spreading a web of lies and misusing religion every time around the elections," the spokesperson quoted Amarinder Singh as having said. The chief minister has "vowed to expose" the Akali leader's "real face" to the people of Punjab, he said. Notably, addressing party's 'Pol Khol' rally in Faridkot on Sunday, Badal said he and his son Sukhbir were "ready to sacrifice" their lives for defending the cause of peace and communal harmony in the state. Badal had alleged at the rally that the "Congress was in collusion with the forces that had already put Punjab through a period of turmoil, violence and bloodshed". "The former chief minister has been trying to spread a disinformation campaign on the issue of Bargarhi and other sacrilege cases (in 2015), as well as the incidents of police firing on innocent and peaceful protestors in Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura, since the commission had come out with its report," Amarinder Singh said. Badal, who has been under fire ever since the report was tabled in the state Assembly, was clearly "desperate to divert public attention from his own role" in these cases, the chief minister said, lambasting his predecessor for "exploiting the religious sentiments of the people to protect his interests. " "Badal has always misused religion to further his political ambitions and agenda," Amarinder Singh alleged, pointing to the incidents of communal strife that had rocked the state ahead of every election, including the 2017 Assembly polls. "Fortunately, however, the people of Punjab had seen through his attempts to destabilise the state and had voted him and his party decisively out of power," he added. "With the parliamentary elections now around the corner, Badal is once again trying to whip up communal passions in a desperate bid to retrieve the lost political ground for his Shiromani Akali Dal," Amarinder Singh alleged further. The chief minister made it clear that he would not allow Badal "to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere of the state at any cost," and would expose his "mal-intentions" through the proposed rally. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: Calling for the ouster of the BJP from the Centre, BSP chief Mayawati on Sunday said her party was not averse to joining a prospective grand alliance against the saffron outfit but would do so only if it was offered a respectable share of seats. Otherwise, it was prepared to go it alone in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, she said. At the same time, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister rejected the political overtures of Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad. Interacting with media persons on Sunday, the BSP chief said that in the previous Lok Sabha elections, though her party failed to get a single seat in UP, it gave a commendable fight to BJP candidates and secured a respectable vote share. "The performance of my party was better than many others in 2014. Our vote share had increased and we were at number two position on a number of seats," claimed Mayawati. The BSP chief said that the BJP was trying to cash in on the name of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "While Atal Bihari Vajpayee was alive, they did not follow his footsteps. As the elections are approaching, BJP leaders are using different tricks," said Mayawati. She also attacked the ruling party over the Rafale jet deal, saying that the Central government had not responded suitably to the charges of irregularities against it. "The BJP has become expert in hiding corruption in all these years," she said. She accused the Centre of suppressing those who were backing Dalits and the backward and fighting their cases in courts. She claimed that the deprived, Dalits and the downtrodden were feeling hurt and annoyed with the BJP. The BSP chief charged the BJP with favouring corporate houses through demonetisation and GST, instead of creating jobs for the unemployed. She also raised the issue of mob lynching and condemned it. Mayawati said that she had no intention of forging any relation with Azad, who was released from jail on Friday. "For the past few days, a person just released from jail is trying to strike a chord with me by calling me 'bua' (aunt) for political gains. I make it clear that I can't have an association with anyone who has been jailed for violence, rioting and anti-social activities. He has been freed to counter the BSP. These people are not Dalit messiahs as they pose to be. They make organisations to bolster their own agenda and run their business. I have no relation to such people. I am only related to common man, Dalits, Adivasis and backwards. Had they been Dalit supporters, they would have backed the BSP instead forming a separate organisation," stated Mayawati. The Bhim Army chief, while replying to a question after his release from Saharanpur jail, said he had no differences with Mayawati as she had been fighting for the rights of Dalits like him. Following his release, Azad met Imran Masood, the Congress heavyweight in western UP. Political observers see the meeting as a testimony to talk of 'Ravan' being in touch with the top Congress leadership, which is a matter of concern for the BSP leadership as it reportedly does not want to see the Congress in an Opposition alliance. Harpreet Bajwa By Express News Service CHANDIGARH: The Haryana Police on Saturday released the pictures of three accused, including an Army personnel, who are on the run after the abduction-cumgang rape of a 19-year-old CBSE topper in Mahendragarh district. Pankaj, who is an Army personnel posted in Kota, Manish, and Nishu had abducted, drugged and gang-raped the girl on September 12. The police have also announced 1 lakh reward for information leading to the arrest of the trio. In an unfortunate turn of events, Union minister Birender Singhs wife and BJP MLA Premlata Singh drew widespread condemnation after she said the youth in frustration commit such crimes as they are unemployed. This statement came on a day when the National Commission for Women (NCW) stepped in to ask Haryana DGP BS Sandhu for an update on its investigation. Of the three accused, one is an Army man posted in Rajasthan. We are in process of procuring warrants against him and then a police team will go to Rajasthan to arrest him. The hunt for the other two accused is also on and they will be arrested soon, Sandhu told the media, adding that the three accused were known to the victim. Lt. Gen. Cherish Mathson, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief South Western Command, assured full cooperation of the Army to ensure the arrest of the absconding jawan. As the media and public glare remained riveted on the case, Premlata the BJP MLA from Uchana Kalan waded into controversy for blaming frustration among unemployed youths as the reason for rapes. The frustration that has crept into the minds of our youths is one of the reasons behind such incidents (rapes). Youths who are frustrated, unemployed and unsure of their future commit such heinous acts, she said. A wrong tradition has started in our society...Men develop bad intentions when they see a woman anywhere, Superintendent of Police, Nuh, Naazneen Bhasin said a medical report has confirmed that the student was violated. I have spoken to the victim. Her condition is stable. We are investigating every aspect of the case. As per the mobile details, the accused fled from the area immediately after dumping the girl on September 12, said Bhasin, who is leading a Special Investigation Team to probe the case. By PTI PATNA: Poll strategist Prashant Kishor joined Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) here on Sunday, party sources said. Kishor was inducted into the party by Kumar, who is also the national president of the JD(U), at the organisation's state executive meeting which is underway at the chief minister's official residence, the sources said. Kumar welcomed the 41-year-old into the party by presenting him with an "angavastram" (stole) and the poll strategist was given a seat next to the chief minister at the state executive meet, they said. It was not immediately known what role he has been assigned to in the party wherein he has been inducted barely a few months ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Earlier, Kishor had tweeted "excited to start my new journey from Bihar". A resident of Buxar district in the state, Kishor had shot to fame in 2014 when he managed the poll campaign for Narendra Modi, then the prime ministerial candidate of the BJP, which went on to put up its best-ever electoral performance. A year later, he collaborated with Kumar who returned to power for his third consecutive term after registering a handsome victory in the assembly polls which the JD(U) had fought in alliance with the RJD and the Congress. The chief minister rewarded Kishor by appointing him as his adviser and giving him a cabinet minister rank. Kishor thereafter worked with the Congress in Punjab where the party returned to power dislodging the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP combine which had been ruling the state for a decade. His collaboration with the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, however, failed to bear fruit as it won less than 10 seats in the 403-member assembly. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched the Swachhata Hi Seva campaign, saying the movement aimed at fulfilling Bapus dream of a clean India. The PM reached Baba Sahib Ambedkar Higher Secondary School in Delhis Paharganj and picked up a broom to clean the surroundings, and senior Cabinet ministers participated in the cleanliness initiative at different places across the country. Modi was seen picking up pieces of paper and disposable plastic glasses with his hands. He also used a shovel to gather the garbage at one place. Officials said no special traffic arrangements were made for the movement of the prime minister and that he had reached the venue in usual traffic conditions on Saturday. Earlier in the day, the PM was joined by celebrities, including cine star Amitabh Bachchan, in an interaction streamed live on the Narendra Modi app. Indians in every part of the country should take Swachhata Abhiyan forward. Swachhata coverage is 90 per cent now. This has happened in the last four years; around 9 crore toilets have been constructed. The credit goes to the people of India as the government couldnt have done this alone, the PM said. Remembering Mahatma Gandhi ahead of Gandhi Jayanti, Modi said, From today till October 2, let us rededicate ourselves towards fulfilling Bapus dream of a clean India. On Friday, PM Modi wrote to almost 2,000 citizens from different walks of life, inviting them to be a part of the cleanliness drive. Those invited by the prime minister include former judges, retired government officials, winners of gallantry awards, and CWG and Asian Games medallists. Chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of all states, governors and lieutenant governors also received personalised letters. The PM also hailed the contribution of women in the cleanliness movement, saying that the contribution of Indias nari shakti (women power) in the Swachh Bharat) mission was immense. Youngsters are ambassadors of social change. The way they have furthered the message of cleanliness is commendable. The youth are at the forefront of a positive change in India, Modi said while interacting with Assamese students via his NaMo App. By PTI MUMBAI: Under fire for his comments that the rise in petrol and diesel prices doesn't bother him as he is a minister, Ramdas Athawale Sunday regretted his remarks and said he had no intention of hurting the sentiments of the common man. In a statement issued in Mumbai, Athawale, a BJP ally and the Union Minister of State for Social Justice, said that he understands people are getting affected by the rising fuel prices. "I do understand the feelings of people who are getting affected by the rising fuel prices. I had no intention of hurting the sentiments of the common man," he said. Athawale, who heads a faction of the Republican Party of India (RPI), made the controversial remarks at a press conference at Jaipur Saturday. "I am not suffering from rising fuel prices as I am a minister," he had said, referring to the allowances he gets. I may suffer if I lose my ministerial post," he had said. Athawale was asked if he was personally affected by the rising fuel prices. However, at the same press meet, the minister acknowledged that others are affected more by the rising prices of petrol and diesel. The price of fuel can be reduced if the states cut the tax on it. The Centre is seriously working on the issue, he had said at the press conference. By PTI KANPUR: A Dalit girl was stabbed to death allegedly by a man after she turned down his marriage proposal in the Kakadev area here, police said Sunday. The girl, 19, was a third year BA student, they said. The accused, Ajay, 22, had been following the girl for the past few days and wanted to make a friendship. On Saturday he barged into the victim's house after finding her alone and proposed her for marriage, officiating in-charge, Kakadev, Qamar Khan said. When she rejected, he tried to strangle her before stabbing her multiple times, he added. She was rushed to the Lala Lajpat Rai (LLR) hospital, where she succumbed to injuries Sunday morning, Khan said. A case has been registered and efforts are on to nab the accused, he said. By PTI PANAJI: The BJP Sunday ruled out change in leadership in Goa, claiming Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, admitted to the New Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), is fine. BJP president Amit Shah has sent three senior members of the party -- B L Santhosh, Ram Lal and Vinay Puranik -- to Goa to take stock of the political situation in the coastal state in view of Parrikar's indisposition. "Whatever was discussed today will be briefed to you tomorrow. There is no issue about the government and there is no demand of change in leadership from anyone," Ram Lal told reporters after a series of meetings with state BJP leaders and MLAs here. The three-member team, which is on a two-day visit to Goa, also met BJP's allies in the state. He declined to divulge details about the meetings, but Goa BJP president Vinay Tendulkar said there is no question of leadership change in the state as Parrikar is "fine". "During the meetings with central observers today we discussed organisational issues. There is no issue of leadership," Ram Lal said. Parrikar has been admitted to the AIIMS for follow-up treatment reportedly for a pancreatic ailment. The 62-year-old IIT engineer-turned-politician is running the BJP-led government with the help of two regional allies -- the Goa Forward Party (GFP) and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) -- and three Independents. When pointed out that the GFP has asked for a "permanent solution" for the situation arising out of Parrikar's indisposition, Tendulkar said there is no need to change the leader. "The chief minister is in good health and there is no need to change the leadership. The core committee (of the Goa BJP) will meet tomorrow," he said. Earlier, alliance partners had asked the BJP's central observers to a provide permanent solution to the situation arising out of Parrikar's illness and his absence from day-to-day administrative work. All the three MLAs of the GFP and the Independent legislators met BJP observers this evening in a city hotel. The series of meetings began in the afternoon when BJP legislators and leaders met the emissaries. This was followed by BJP's alliance partners meeting them. "We have put forth our points about a present political situation in Goa. We have asked them to provide a permanent solution," GFP president and Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai told reporters outside the hotel after meeting the observers. He said the discussion centred around the current political situation in Goa and also preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. BJP leader and Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo said the future strategy of the state government would be decided after the observers submit their report. Lobo said there is no problem in the party but the chief minister not keeping well is a problem. "The observers are sent by the party high command and they are monitoring the situation. Let them report to the high command (and) come back to us with the solution for the problem," Lobo said. Health Minister Vishwajit Rane of the BJP said he has given his views about the political situation to the observers and it is now for the party to take a decision. "We have briefed them about the facts. Each one of us have our own view and we briefed them about it. It is not right to come out in public with what we discussed," Rane said. All the three MLAs of the MGP separately met the BJP observers but did not speak to mediapersons. Meanwhile, the main opposition Congress said it is closely watching the developments. The BJP currently has 14 legislators in the 40-member Assembly, while the GFP and the MGP have three each. The national party is also supported by three Independents. The Congress has 16 MLAs while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has one legislator. The Congress said Sunday it may explore the possibility of forming a government but "not by compromising the state's interest". "Our stand is very clear. We will definitely explore all possibilities but that does not mean that we will do it by compromising the ideology or the interest of Goans," All India Congress Committee secretary A Chellakumar, who is also Goa in-charge of the party, said. "We are not in a hurry to capture power by compromising the interest of the people of Goa. The Congress is accountable to the people," he said. "All our MLAs are together. We are watching what is going on in the ruling camp. The internal bickering has already started. The Cabinet ministers have started throwing stones at each other," he said. The Congress leader said all legislators in Goa, cutting across party lines, should take a stand for the sake of the state. Parrikar was admitted to the AIIMS Saturday morning. He had undergone a three-month-long treatment in the United States earlier this year. The MGP had said Saturday it was "high time" Parrikar handed over the charge to the senior-most minister in his Cabinet during his absence. Shankkar Aiyar By An old adage preaches rather piously that you cannot escape responsibility for tomorrow by evading it today. Well, it turns out that the kings of good times have managed precisely that, inverted the axiom to evade consequences. It is not surprising that it happens. It is surprising that the system continues to be detained and denied. This week, Vijay Mallya, the much-advertised king of good times now facing deportation charges, made a calculated legal move, but outside the court where his case was being heard. He let it be known that he had met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and offered to settle before he left for London. In response, the finance minister dismissed the claim. The cat, though, has been set among the pigeons. Indias political landscape must witness a re-run of old rhetoric. Every decade scam artists have used the system to flee. On the night of December 3, 1984, poisonous methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, killing thousands and maiming more for life. On December 7, a state government aircraft ferried Warren Anderson from Bhopal to Delhi, from where he fled to the United States. Justice was denied to the thousands affected. The long arm of the law typically takes its course and runs into a dead end. In 1989, the Rajiv Gandhi government was ousted on allegations of corruption in the Bofors deal. The VP Singh regime, which won the polls on the Bofors scam plank, promised to nail the middlemen but collapsed under the weight of its contradictions in a year. The law continued to crawl its way. In July 1993, the Swiss courts permitted to make public the names of the beneficiaries behind the Swiss accounts, and Ottavio Quattrocchi was named. Even as the CBI tried to move the court to impound his passport, Mr Q fled on July 29, 1993. Whether it was the escape of Anderson or that of Quattrocchi, neither were required to do a Houdini! The system, it would seem, had built-in mechanisms for those with affordability and ability to enable the accused to simply take a flight. The standard operating practices are well-known to defrauded institutions and to fraudsters. Theoretically, there should not be a recurrence. Practically, systemic sloth enables sequels. In 2010, Lalit Modi, who authored the recipe for the Indian Premier League, found himself in the cauldron of charges ranging from shadow ownership of teams to betting. In April 2010, the BCCI stumped Modi and suspended him pending enquiries. Amidst the high-decibel allegations, enquiries by various agencies and speculation about his imminent arrest, Modi departed for London. In March 2011, his passport was revoked. Modi denied charges and sought asylum as a victim of a political witch-hunt. A request for his extradition is pending since February 2017. Mallyas plight was scarcely a secret. Doom had been prophesied --for Kingfisher and the Group. As early as 2009, the ides of excess caught up with Vijay Mallya and Kingfisher Airlines. By November 2010, the airline was reporting losses and laden with Rs 6,000 crore debt, and by November 2011, Mallya was seeking a bailout. Notwithstanding the bleeding balance sheet, Mallya got the attention of the government and therefore banks to lend more money The Mallya case is a textbook case of poor diligence, ever-greening of loans and wilful neglect. Since 2009, it was clear that the enterprise would crash. By July 2014, Kingfisher was declared an NPA. Thereafter it was one way downhill. In October 2015, the CBI conducts searches relating to the grant of loans by IDBI. Mallya offers to pay principal amount but banks move debt recovery tribunal for recovery in February 2016. Even as bankers mull moving court to impound his passport, Mallya flees to London. On March 10, 2016, the escape of Mallya triggered uproar and a slugfest between the government and the Opposition. Rahul Gandhi asked who stole money and who let Mallya leave. He charged the government with allowing Mallya to leave the country. Ghulam Nabi Azad dubbed it a criminal conspiracy. The BJP accused the UPA and Congress of forcing banks to lend money to Mallya. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley pointed out the Congress had let Quattrocchi flee. Others accused Congress of ferrying Anderson to safety. It was no different from August 2015 after LalitGate. The Congress questioned the role of government ministers in granting exemptions to Modis kin. Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj hit back and asked Rahul Gandhi to check with his mother about the escape of Quattrocchi and questioned who benefited from the escape of Warren Anderson. Both national parties traded charges, quoted from history and presented moral equivalence of the worst kind. Earlier this year, history repeated itself as Nirav Modi fled the country as the Rs 14,000 crore letter of undertaking Punjab National Bank scam unravelled. Close on the heels of Modi, another exporter, Mehul Choksi, left the country. The debate in Parliament and the rhetoric that followed were almost a replay of the 2015 and 2016 debates on Modi and Mallya. The BJP charged Rahul Gandhi with meeting Nirav Modi and the UPA making exceptions for Modi and Choksi before the elections. The Congress retaliated by citing Modis presence in Davos as proof of collusion. The political parties are chasing rhetoric points at the annual sessions of accusations and allegations, leaving the systemic fault lines unattended. Soon after the passage of the law on fugitive economic offenders, on July 25, 2018, the government informed Parliament: The number of Indians involved in financial irregularities with the banks as well as who are under criminal investigation (who are living abroad/fled abroad) during the last three years is 23. The government is pursuing extradition of 16 individuals from UK alone.The parade of rhetoric, the versions of history and the ensuing whataboutery have derailed accountability.shankkar.aiyar@gmail.com T J S George By Here is the noblest summing up of civilisational values by an Indian:I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth... Sectarianism, bigotry and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often with human blood, destroyed civilisation and sent whole nations into despair.... The present convention is in itself a vindication of the wonderful doctrine presented in the Gita: Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him. All men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to Me. Swami Vivekananda Here are the most despicable understanding of values that Indians can possibly have: Please donate to help Kerala Hindus. The Christians and Muslims worldwide raising lots of money to help mainly their own people and agenda. Rajiv Malhotra (USA). Floods in Kerala are due to tantric and mantric worship. Tsunami was Gods wrath in India for idol worship. Evangelist Lazarus Mohan (Tamil Nadu) In a way it is abhorrent to mention in the same breath the names of Vivekananda, the swami of enlightenment, and the latter-day peddlers of religious hatred. Chicago, where Vivekananda addressed the World Parliament of Religions, was picked as the venue for the World Hindu Congress recently. But Chicago heard this time a different voice that called for a sectarian war lest the lone lion is destroyed by wild dogs. This lone lion must be a new contraption because Hinduism can never be destroyed, not even by those who are misusing it from within. Vivekanandas short address in Chicago is still remembered, 125 years later, as a historic marker in the march of ideas. At the assembled parliament of spiritual leaders from all corners of the world, Vivekananda stood out as a majestic figurea 30-year-old in saffron a robe with a maharaja-like turban. His opening words, My sisters and brothers of America, led to applause that made the speaker pause for a while. The message of brotherhood and universal tolerance he conveyed in the next few minutes made him the star of Chicago. It was the first time the West heard a credible Indian voice from India, and it helped demolish the British-projected view of a benighted India lost in primitive superstitions. Vivekanandas India, too, appears to be lost. These are days when, for every genuine holy man, there are a dozen fakes. Some flourish with ashrams spread across vast acreages. Some start business empires that conquer everything they set their sights on. Some are in jail. The religious exploiters come in many robes. Madrasas are rife with scandals of child abuse while convents are exploding with charges of nuns being used for the pleasure of priests. Perhaps for the first time in the history of the church in India, nuns have come out in the open protesting against the sexual escapades of a bishop. Under our prevailing criminal law, a formal charge by a woman is enough to take the accused into custody for interrogation. But this bishop has proved to be special. Forces stronger than God are protecting him.When Vivekananda said, I am proud to be a Hindu, he must have had in mind the Hinduism that respected all. The greatness of Hinduismand the uniqueness of itis that you can reject all the gods in the Hindu pantheon and still be a Hindu. But the corollary is that you can worship all the gods in the pantheon and still be not a Hindu. The politicians who divide people on religious grounds are not helping their religion. They are just exploiters. A saint who said we accept all religions as true is being appropriated by a party that suppresses minorities for political gains. Vivekananda was an original liberal. He promoted the cause of modern education and modern science. The casteism in Kerala provoked him to describe that state as a lunatic asylum. How would he describe the states where people lynch people in the name of religion? How would he describe Raja Singh Lodh, BJP MLA in Telangana, who said, Till the cow is accorded the status of Rashtra Mata, killings for gau raksha will continue? Swami Vivekananda was blessed that he lived in another, civilised, India. A Cairo criminal court ordered on Sunday the release of Amr Ali, the coordinator of the April 6 Youth Movement, under precautionary measures pending investigations into charges of incitement against the state. The prosecution had accused Ali of joining an illegal group, calling for protests, and inciting against the state. The prosecution has the right to appeal the court order within 24 hours. Amr Ali was arrested in September 2015 on charges of conspiring against the government. A Cairo misdemeanor court sentenced Ali in February 2016 to three years in prison and fined him EGP 500 for conspiring against the state, obstructing the work of state institutions and joining an illegal organization. In July 2016, an appeals court reduced that sentence to two years. Ali was elected as the April 6 Youth Movement coordinator in October 2013, succeeding its founder and long-time coordinator Ahmed Maher. The April 6 Youth Movement was founded in 2008 to support protesting workers and developed into one of the leading opposition groups during the last days of the Mubarak era. In April 2014, the movement was banned by an Egyptian urgent matters court in a case of defaming the state. Search Keywords: Short link: Prabhu Chawla By Isolation petrifies ideas even as ideology is the Petri dish of ideation. The self-imposed solitude of the 93-year-old Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has yielded no mystique but has at best generated curiosity and at worst, demonisation. This stark reality has dawned on RSS chief Dr Mohanrao Bhagwat. Come Monday, for a total of six hours over three days he will speak on Bhavishya Ka Bharat (India of the Future) to over 1,000 prominent citizens from across the national spectrum at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, to start a meaningful dialogue between the powerful and the hopeful. For the first time in its history, the ideological citadel of Hindutva is letting the drawbridge down to engage elements hostile not only to what it represents but its very existence. Bhagwats strategy is clever and innovativeinventing a new rule of engagement by sending out informal feelers through non-political contacts to top political leaders of the public canvas from the Congress to the CPM. The RSS has also invited heads of religious organisations, including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and other sects. Stung by the aggressive attack led by Rahul Gandhi for the past few months, its game plan is to elaborate its stand on contentious issues such as cow vigilantism and lynching, Jammu and Kashmir, Ayodhya, Article 370, womens empowerment, education, culture, and also the Modi governments mark sheet. Since the RSS has been the whipping boy of sections of the foreign media, it has invited heads of over 100 foreign missions in New Delhi to the meet. Since an ideologically compatible government rules at the Centre and in over two-third of the states, it couldnt have found a better time and opportunity to counter critics and convey its message in loud and clear octaves. With elections round the corner, most non-BJP leaders and secularists may turn down the overtures. But the saffron mother ship has shown its openness to debate and dialogue over its character and activities. So far, no other national organisation with a semi-political and substantial socio-cultural agenda has made such an attempt to capture the national spirit and define the contemporary narrative. Because the RSS is seen as an organization of the Hindus, by the Hindus and only for the Hindus, its leadership has decided to define its real DNA. Bhagwat is likely to reiterate it doesnt classify the Hindu as faith-inclusive but as an idea that ensures unity in diversity. The outfit has never been defensive about its commitment to Hindutva. Bhagwat is expected to build his central theme around the twin ellipses of vision and mission. The RSS website prominently and proudly claims, A unique phenomenon in the history of Bharat in the twentieth century is the birth and unceasing growth of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The Sanghs sphere of influence has been spreading far and wide, not only inside Bharat but also abroad, like the radiance of a many-splendoured diamond. Sangh-inspired institutions and movements today form a strong presence in social, cultural, educational, labour, developmental, political and other fields of nationalist endeavour. Sangh-initiated movementsbe they social-reformist or anti-secessionistevoke a ready response and approbation from the common multitudes as well as from vast numbers of the elite of different shades. It has increasingly been recognized that the Sangh is not a mere reaction to one or another social or political aberration. It represents a corpus of thought and action firmly rooted in genuine nationalism and in the age-old tradition of this country. It is obvious the RSS does not confine India to geographical borders but emphasises Bharat is Indias unifying cultural identity. For over nine decades, its cadres and communicators have grown as Bharatiyas, not Anglophiles. At next weeks saffron summit, Bhagwat is determined to project the RSS notion of Bharat. Since independence, it has been abhorred by a large section of the media and Left-liberals as a body that abjures inclusiveness, democratic dialogue and minority rights. It is accused of propelling India towards a finite Hindu nation where other religious beliefs are redundant. It is accused of ignoring the stake of women and interfering with the cultural right of Indians to eat and wear what they want. RSS baiters argue it advocates majoritarianism in all spheres of Indian society. It is charged with infiltrating institutions, from the judiciary to academia, and even NGOs to eject contrarian and liberal elements. Despite such acerbic attacks, it has grown phenomenally during the past five decades. Its swayamsewaks now hold the top four constitutional posts of President, Vice President, Prime Minister and Lok Sabha speaker. They occupy 20 Raj Bhawans. Eighteen of them are chief ministers. Half the Union Cabinet comprises RSS members. The political initiation of over 1,000 MLAs and 250 MPs has been through the RSS. About a million Indians daily attend over 55,000 shakhas across the country. Its 500-odd frontal organizations manage colleges, schools, media, hospitals, and tribal and Dalit NGOs. Ten thousand full-time pracharaks are active in politics, culture and various think tanks at home and abroad. With such an enviable pan-India presence, the RSS now is moving with the times. Previously it wasnt concerned much about expanding its outreach to traditional foes. But when Bhagwat took over as chief in 2009, it decided to open itself to others. Till 2000, it restricted its connect to holding regular shakhas and local functions where prominent citizens were invited to speak. Tata Group mentor Ratan Tata visited the RSS headquarters in December 2016. But non-partisan political leaders were rarely invited. Last year it broke with tradition, inviting former president Pranab Mukherjee as the chief guest at the annual function in Nagpur, thereby creating a political storm. Moreover, the saffron monolith has abandoned its No Publicity philosophy, opting for wide visibility and even scrutiny of its help and rescue efforts during the Kerala floods and its work in fields like education and health. The high-powered Vigyan Bhawan meet will articulate the message that the RSS doesnt need the BJP to defend or promote it. The BJP has so far been unable to define the contours of New India with a suitable ideological vocabulary. Now, Bhagwat will fulfil the long-standing RSS dream, since 1925, of unfurling the real identity and idea of Bharat. It wont be a surprise if the Sangh Parivars opponents find fundamental faults in Bhagwats India of the future to eclipse Modis New India package in 2019. Chetana Belagere By Express News Service BENGALURU: The special investigation team (SIT) probing the Gauri Lankesh murder case is now on the lookout for two people -- Nihal alias Dada and Murali alias Shiva -- who are said to be the brains behind the killings of four rationalists and several bomb blasts. Meanwhile, following a tip by SIT from Amol Kales diary which mentioned a mechanic, the Maharashtra police have arrested another accused Vasudeo Suryavanshi alias Mechanic. The arrest of these two men is expected to be the main part of the investigation which will help the police not only go into the heart of the conspiracy, but also find out the names of the organisations suspected to be behind the murders. While it is yet to be revealed if Nihal is the Dada whom the investigating teams are looking for, the fact that Murali is the man behind all the killings and blasts have been revealed by the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) officers in their investigation report (IR). Excerpts of this report has been revealed by an investigating officer to Express. In arms cases involving Vaibhav Raut, Sharad Kalaskar, Sudhanva Gondhalekar, Shrikant Pangarkar and Avinash Pawar, it mentions Murali as an elusive figure and calls him the brain behind several bomb blasts and the murders of rationalist Dr Narendra Dabholkar in Pune, M M Kalburgi in Dharwad, Govind Pansare in Kolhapur and Gauri Lankesh in Bengaluru. He is also the chief recruiter for a shadowy organisation spanning Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa that spread terror. Murali headed the unit responsible for the blasts and the killings. Amol Kale, a 37-year-old engineer from Pune who was arrested for murdering Lankesh, was his deputy. Virendrasinh Tawde, accused of murdering of Dr Dabholkar, reported to Kale, the report says. Meanwhile, as Express had reported earlier, the report mentions that it was in 2014 that some of these people from several right wing organisations, named in Kales diary, met at a conference organised by Sanatan Sanstha in Goa. This is one of the important milestones in the terror organisation built by Murali. He met Raut and eight others, some of whom have been arrested for their alleged involvement in Gauri murder, report states. Inspirational figure During interrogation, Raut allegedly told the investigators, We all looked at Murali as an inspirational figure and he is the one who incited many of his recruits by highlighting alleged atrocities perpetrated by Muslims on Hindus. The report describes in detail how the training sessions were conducted with air guns and indoctrination meetings that happened at Belagavi, Aurangabad, Mumbai and Jalna. It was there that the recruits were shown inflammatory videos. Meanwhile, another training session with air guns was conducted at Belagavi following which they also had a session on making Molotov cocktails. The final training sessions for the shooters were given with pistols at a farm near Ahmedabad. All teams behind Murali and Nihal Multiple agencies, including SIT in Karnataka, ATS in Mumbai and the CBI, are looking for Murali and Nihal. There were many more in the hit list prepared by this unnamed organisation, but before Raut and Pawar could execute the hits in Mumbai, the SIT probing Gauris murder arrested Kale. After Kales arrest, all of Muralis recruits went into hiding. We have to nab him as it is extremely important. He might even have prepared another team to execute more killings. They are all fanatics and we cant say that they will stop their subversive activities, said an SIT officer. It is becoming difficult to trace them as the recruits were given pseudonyms and were expected to address each other by those names only at all times, including phone conversations, explained an officer. While the main ones Sharad Kalaslar was Sarwan or Vishnu or Dada, Vaibhav Raut was Vaman, Sudhanva Gondhalkar was Pandeji, Avinash Pawar was Ajit Dada and Vasudeo Suryavanshi was Mechanic. Who is Vasudeo alias Suryavanshi The 29-year-old is a skilled two-wheeler lifter and is suspected to have provided stolen bikes to be used for the murder of Gauri. Recently, Maharashtra ATS had recovered a Bajaj Pulsar bike from a friend of Sharad Kalaskar, the key accused in the Dhabolkar case. During investigations, he had reportedly claimed that the bike was used by Ganesh Miskin and Parashuram Waghmore during the murder of Gauri. The ATS officials, who are still on the lookout for the owner of the bike, suspect that Vasudev could be the one who stole the vehicle and gave it to Sharad Kalaskar. By Express News Service BENGALURU: Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar urged Indians to keep their homes clean as he launched Prime Minister Narendra Modis Swacchata hi Seva movement here on Saturday. The movement will mark Mahatma Gandhis 150th birth anniversary. Modi interacted with Ravi Shankar at The Art of Living International Center, and with groups of people across the country through video conference. He also spoke to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, actor Amitabh Bachchan and industrialist Ratan Tata. Modi said 9 crore toilets had been built and 4.5 lakh villages had been declared open defecation-free during the four years of his government. India will not become clean only by building toilets. Cleanliness is a habit which we should follow every day, he said. Addressing the video conference, Ravi Shankar said, Aggression and depression are the two main reasons for lack of hygiene. To come out of these two tendencies, we need to fill people with confidence that they can take the country to great heights.Exhorting people to keep their homes clean, he pointed out how windowsills and sinks were neglected at many homes and advised them to clean them. He said that when the Prime Minister himself urges people to do something, it has a bigger effect on them. We should keep public spaces clean too, and for that we should have a feeling of ownership of such spaces, he said.Following the session, residents of the the ashram started cleaning four villages near the Ashram Udaipalia, OB Chudahalli, Laxmi Pura and Saldoddi. They were joined by panchayat leaders of the villages. The cleanliness drive will be carried across India by volunteers of the organisation from September 15 to October 2. Sovi Vidyadharan By Express News Service KOZHIKODE: Schools which collect Transfer Certificate (TC) attestation charges from students and force them to appear for various talent search exams of unauthorised institutions against payment of a fee, may soon face the music. CBSEs regional office in the state has launched a crackdown on schools engaged in such malpractices, violating affiliation by-laws.CBSE regional officer Tarun Kumar has written to the Deputy Secretary (Affiliation), CBSE, New Delhi, citing instances in which schools in the state violated norms. An affiliated school in Thrissur was found to be collecting TC attestation charges from students who had passed out of the institution, in violation of the rules, said Tarun Kumar. The CBSE regional officer has recommended disaffiliation procedures be initiated against the school. The school had also subscribed to several private examinations conducted by unauthorised agencies, which were generating profit from such activities. In many instances, we had found uniforms and books were sold at higher prices, which is purely a commercial activity and against the affiliation rules, the officer said.The CBSE had earlier cracked the whip on schools which flouted norms regarding infrastructure and student strength. While some schools faced action for inadequate infrastructure facilities, others were pulled up for fudging the number of students on the rolls. Ajay Kanth By Express News Service ARANMULA: A month after the deluge, the main road along the Pampa at Aranmula continues to wear a deserted look. Many people are yet to return to their houses. A few have literally abandoned their houses as they were left unsafe to live in after floodwater damaged the foundation. Express found people stacking up damaged household items, wet clothes and furniture on the premises of their homes. Aranmula was among the worst-affected areas in Pathanamthitta where water from Pampa rose to a height of 16 ft above the level of the road, destroying houses and establishments 3 to 5 km on either side of the river. The residents are now trying to organise everything from scratch. "We haven't started living in our house again," said Girija S Kurup of Kadakkal House. "Though we returned home on August 24, it took a week to remove mud from the house. We have been coming to the house daily and cleaning it. So far, we have spent Rs 40,000 to clean the house. We can't use the utensils and dress materials which got damaged in the floods." Sreekanth Babu, an Irrigation Department overseer stationed at the irrigation pump house in Aranmula, said there are a minimum of 50 houses which people have not returned to."The flow of water was so severe the walls of many houses developed cracks," he said."The houses may look safe outwards but only a proper structural study will confirm whether they are safe for living." Edasserimala NSS Karayogam secretary Chandran Nair said the people were struggling to find workers to repair electrical wiring and other basic facilities at homes. "Many social welfare organisations have come forward to clean the wells but they just pump out water. That alone won't make the water in wells usable. We have to shell out Rs 30,000 to clean a well," Nair said. By Express News Service KOCHI: The Kochi NIA court on Friday framed charges against a Thodupuzha native who travelled to Syria and Iraq allegedly as an Islamic State (IS) member in 2015. When produced before the NIA court on Friday, Subahani Haja Moideen alias Abu Jasmine, however, denied the charges and agreed to face trial. The court will commence trial in the case on September 26. The trial against Subahan Haja Moideen will be held along with another case against members of IS module busted from Kanakamala in Kannur. There are numerous common witnesses in both the cases, sources said.The court has scheduled the trial of Kanakamala case and the case against Subahani Haja Moideen from September 26 to January 22, 2019. Acting on a tip-off from intelligence agencies, the NIA in October 2016 raided a clandestine meeting held by IS members at Kanakamala in Kannur district. There were around 15 members in the group. They conducted preparations to attack foreigners, political leaders, attack an event of Jamaat-e-Islami in Kochi, High Court judges, senior police officers, rationalists, and Muslims belonging to the Ahmadiyya sect.Later, Subahani Haja Moideen was arrested by the NIA team. NIA received information he travelled to Iraq/Syria in April 2015 and fought for the IS. Moideen returned to India in September 2015 and continued his activities in support of ISIS in India. He confessed that he was working for the IS regiment named Omer-Kathi-Kaliph. The accused, currently lodged at Thrissur Central Prison, will be shifted to Ernakulam District Jail when trial begins. Bagalavan Perier B By Express News Service VILLUPURAM: While stating that a jokers rule was taking place in the State, DMK president MK Stalin on Saturday called the BJP government fascist. Every year, the DMK celebrates the birth anniversaries of Periyar, Anna, and the launch of the party as Mupperum Vizha. This year, the event was held in Villupuram. Lakhs of cadre gathered at the municipality ground here to take part in the first public meeting conducted after Stalin became the partys chief. Addressing the gathering, Stalin said AIADMK rule in Tamil Nadu should be put to end to bring back the self-respect of the State. If the party took rest, there would be no dawn for the State, he said. Like the Hitlers in Germany and the Mussolinis in Italy, BJP rule was taking place at the Centre, said Stalin, adding that BJP had blocked the passport of a woman for calling them fascist. BJP says it provides security for Hindus, but most of the victims of the Thoothukudi shooting incident belong to the religion, Stalin said. The girl who had committed suicide over NEET was a Hindu and most of the students who were struggling to clear the exam are Hindus, he said. Stating that Tamil Nadu had become the worst-affected State due to the Centre and the slavish State government, Stalin said corruption prevailed in all sectors in the AIADMK government. Ministers had been involved in all sorts of robberies except burgling houses, Stalin said. Recalling that Modi had asked if anyone was ready for a debate with him about his 48 month-rule, Stalin asked the Prime Minister what happened to `15 lakh for each citizen and the 10 crore-job opportunities promised by Modi during the election campaign. He complained that offices of Governors had become CCTV cameras of the Centre and asked BJP government to point out at least one good scheme implemented by them in TN. The DMK should end the rule through democratic way, he told the cadre. Stalin announced that a trust would be set up in the name of Muthamizh Aringar Kalaingar to grant financial support to people for their medical and educational needs. The trust would open an IAS academy to train students, he said. Bechu S By Online Desk Accusing the Pondicherry University administration of promoting saffronisation and thereby muddling the secular fabric of the campus, over 400 students went on an indefinite strike from the Gate 2 of the institution. The protestors, under the united banner of seven students' organisations, alleged that the authorities have taken away their right to free speech and right to peacefully organise and protest through a new set of rules and regulations. READ | PU students claim victory, calls off indefinite strike after meeting Vice Chancellor If their demand for a meeting is denied, the protestors are planning to gherao the administrative block and the University Vice-Chancellor, another student said. However, a conversation between the University Registrar and the student-representatives ended midway without any resolutions. A second-round of talks are expected to happen soon, a protestor said. Their other demands included better security for female students, proper supply of drinking water and access to wifi connection on the campus. The students said that they will not disperse until the authorities come out and address their demands. Following the agitation, the varsity has suspended the internal examinations which were scheduled to begin on Monday, a campaigner said. "From the beginning of this academic year, the administration has passed new rules banning all political activities unless organised by the students' union. No gatherings are permitted after 6:30 PM," said Abhijeet Sudhakaran, a first-year MA South Asian Studies student. Meanwhile, sources said police personnel have reached the campus. The protestors carried a notice board which was earlier put up in the Aurobindo girls hostel, where a 'pro-Hindu' quote of Sri Aurobindo was displayed. Some students had earlier taken out the poster and replaced it with another saying, "This is a Central University and not a RSS Office." The student leaders reportedly addressed the gathering by holding the board upside down and said that the attempts to divide the students on the basis of socio-cultural parameters will be resisted. It was from the same hostel that the protesting students started their procession to the gate. Write-ups put up by the protesting students in the campus (Facebook image) "SFI had earlier conducted a protest march in the campus extending PU's solidarity to the students of the Central University of Kerala, who are fighting the attempts to saffronise the institution. The support this programme received among the students motivated other organisations to come out and protest against our own administration. All other major organisations except the ABVP are part of this protest," Abhijeet added. NSUI, ASA, AISF, APSF, SIO and MSF are the other organisations participating in the strike. The students also alleged that the authorities are promoting Hindutva agenda in the campus with the support of the ABVP. They also accused the varsity for publishing state-wise list of inhabitants outside each hostel building, which they say, is a move to create division among the student fraternity. "Initially we thought the campus wifi connections were down due to some technical glitch and hence included it in our demands. But later we learned that the connection was working fine in the administrative block, but was purposefully switched off everywhere else to curb our communications in order to break down the protest," said Ajmal Rasheed of the SFI. By Express News Service PUDUKKOTTAI, CHENNAI: A day after a video clip of BJP national secretary H Raja allegedly passing derogatory remarks against the HC and his heated exchange with an inspector in Pudukkottai went viral, a case was booked against him under 9 sections of IPC on Sunday. Raja, however, denied the charges and said the video had been edited. Raja was in Meiyapuram that falls under Thirumayam police limits on Saturday to participate in a Vinayagar idol procession. When the organisers reportedly tried to take a detour into a road where a church was situated, police intervened and said they must stick to the permitted one. Following this, Raja engaged in heated arguments with inspector A Manoharan and others. In the clip, inspector Manoharan is seen referring to High Court order on the subject of Vinayaga procession routes, followed by an outburst by Raja. The BJP leader singles out Manoharan and alleges he was receiving monetary favour from certain groups and goes on to accuse the whole police force as corrupt. He even questions why the policemen were still wearing uniforms even after DGPs house was raided by CBI. As the clip went viral, there was condemnation from advocates, politicians, and social activists who demanded that Raja be arrested. On Sunday, police booked a case, following a complaint by inspector Manoharan, against Raja under 8 sections, including 153 A, 353, 505 (1) (b) (c), 506(1) of IPC. Cases were also booked against 7 others, including the functionaries of Hindu Munnani and BJP ,on same charges. Ponnamaravathy inspector S Karunakaran would handle the case. Speaking at the inauguration of Vinayakar procession at Koothanallur in Tiruvarur district on Sunday, Raja claimed the clipping was an edited version of what he spoke. Take action for remarks The AIADMK and DMK on Sunday opposed BJP national secretary H Rajas alleged remarks against the police and judiciary. DMK organising secretary RS Bharathi, in a tweet, demanded that the Tamil Nadu government take legal action against him. Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar deprecated the outburst against police and said the government was considering taking action and holding consultation with legal experts. He also expressed the hope that the court would take action on its own against Raja for his remarks against the judiciary. By Express News Service COIMBATORE, CHENNAI: A couple of days after the police officials seized 18 television sets and two radios from the A cells of Central Prison at Puzhal in Chennai, police personnel inspected Coimbatore, Salem and Cuddalore prisons and seized a handful of beedis and cigarettes. Ganja was seized from Salem prison. TV sets as per rule: Law minister Prisoners of Puzhal Prison were enjoying TV facility as per the rule for first-class prisoners, said C Ve Shanmugam, Law Minister, in Chennai on Sunday. He said As per rules, the prisoners can also paint their cells, adding the only concern was smuggling of cellphones. Mohamed El-Sewedy, the current president of the coalition, said he will not run for a new term. Gamal Essam El-Din reports Mohamed Zaki El-Sewedy, an electric cables tycoon and head of Egypt's parliamentary majority "Support Egypt" coalition, announced Sunday that he will not run as president of the coalition. El-Sewedy invited the coalition's general assembly to hold a meeting tomorrow 17 September - to elect a new president. Abdel-Hadi El-Qasabi, head of parliament's social solidarity committee and leader of the Sufi sects, announced Sunday that he will run as president of the coalition. In a letter sent to members of the coalition, El-Sewedy said "I really want to thank all of you for all the great efforts you have exerted since parliament was formed in January 2016." "And as we are entering a new fourth legislative season, let me inform you that I have decided to not run as president of the coalition." "I will remain a member of the political bureau of the coalition to support the new leaders who will take the helm of our majority bloc in parliament." "I invite all members of the general assembly of the coalition to hold a meeting at InterContinental City Stars Hotel at 1 pm tomorrow to elect a new president," El-Sewedy said. Egypt's parliamentary majority "Support Egypt" coalition was formed following the conclusion of parliamentary elections in January 2016. It is composed of 14 political parties who decided to join ranks to support the policies of President Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi and his appointed governments. The coalition comprises around 400 MPs - or almost two thirds out of a total 596 MPs. There was wide speculation that the "Support Egypt" coalition would move to be licensed as a political party. El-Sewedy said some legal obstacles still stand against the coalition becoming a majority or a ruling political party. Later, however, he said last June that many members of the coalition reject turning it into a political party. "A coalition is much better than a political party because it gives MPs the flexibility necessary to do their job without the bureaucratic demands required by a political party," said El-Sewedy. Search Keywords: Short link: Ajay Moses By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Ever since the fatal bus accident in Kondagattu that killed 61 people, TSRTC has been facing the public ire from across the sections of society. Even netizens have stepped up the criticism for the cash-strapped corporation. A congratulatory post shared on Twitter by TSRTC on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi backfired after netizens pointed out that recruitment should be first completed for the Managing Director post which has no full-time officer. First, appoint the MD for TSRTC. What rights would in-charge MD have in maintaining the corporation, tweeted Mani Kumar. It is not just the executive job role which is being chaired by an in-charge - senior IAS officer Sunil Sharma - but the department is facing a crunch of drivers, conductors, and mechanics, the posts for which are yet to be filled. A host of senior-level staff are set to retire in the coming months, especially, executive directors, and recently there were others who retired. The lack of leadership puts an added work pressure on others, often leading to issues in work culture, informed a senior official. In Kukatpally bus depot in Hyderabad there is a crunch of 34 drivers and 26 conductors, according to the information given by the trade union representatives. What is worse is the crunch of mechanics in the depot. While the total workforce at the depot should be 125, there is a vacancy of 54 staff members including mechanics, helpers, sharamiks etc. The mangled RTC bus, was lifted from the gorge at Kondagattu road on Friday. The transport authorities held a detailed inspection of the bus to decipher the cause of the accident. Experts from a private agency were also involved in process. (With inputs from Naveen Kumar Tallam) K Amruth Rao By Express News Service MAHABUBNAGAR: Wondering if caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was planning to make his son KT Rama Rao the next Chief Minister of Telangana, BJP national president Amit Shah recalled the surgical strike on Pakistan in 2016 as he urged the people of Telangana to strengthen the hands of the BJP to take Telangana on the path of development. Shah also took on Congress president Rahul Gandhi saying he was day dreaming about winning elections in Telangana and other states which are to go for polls this year. Kickstarting his partys election campaign from Mahbubnagar district which saw massive participation from the people, Shah said: Make it clear if you (Chandrasekhar Rao) want to make the chair of the Chief Minister available for your son (KT Rama Rao). What happened to the promise of making a Dalit the CM of Telangana ? he wondered, and sought the support of the people. The elections in the state had to happen in 2019 along with the Lok Sabha elections but Chief Minister KCR cut short the tenure by nine months. I want to ask you if you are afraid that holding simultaneous elections in May 2019 will not allow you to form a government, he said. Shah also ridiculed Rahul Gandhi for daydreaming. He said: Rahul baba is not just dreaming during the night but also during the day to form a government in several states of the nation. I want to remind him that the BJP has removed the Congress in Haryana, Jharkhand, Assam, among many others, and the same will happen in Telangana. The BJP will form the government, said a confident Shah. Countering the criticism over the report of NRC where about 4 lakh immigrants would be deported, Shah said: There are Bangladeshi immigrants in Hyderabad and Mahbubnagar who should be removed. I want to ask the CM his stand on the issue of NRC and if he would take any steps in driving them away. They have hijacked the rights of the people and the BJP will ensure that each one of them will be driven out of the country, Shah said. The surgical attacks of 2016 was an act of bravery, Shah reminded the crowd, as India was one among the three countries which could conduct such a feat of entering into a neighbours territory and defeating its army. He asked the people to bring BJP to form the government and make the hands of Prime Minister Modi strong. Liberation Day The annexation of Hyderabad into Union of India after a military operation, Operation Polo, on September 17, 1948, would be observed as Telangana liberation day to uphold the pride of Telangana. The tagline for BJP in the upcoming elections, as evident at Mahbubnagar elections, is Ajay Bharath - Atal BJP meaning Invincible India - Determined BJP. Anuraag Singh By BHOPAL: Abduction and courtesy dont go hand in hand. A Bihar-based gang learnt it the hard way after the MP Police Special Task Force (STF) identified the outlaws, courtesy their unusually courteous ransom call to the family of a private contractor. When Sant Bahadur Singh was abducted from Rewa district on July 23, the local police focused on local gangs and criminals from adjoining Uttar Pradesh. But, the calls for `40 lakh ransom made by the kidnappers to Singhs family made the STF work on a different theory. Those making the ransom demand began their calls with namaste uncleji or namaste auntyji. Kidnappers addressing the victims kin in such a respectful manner is a rarity. In the past, it has only been done by members of Bihar-based gang of Ajay Singh, which usually target wealthy morning walkers. This made us zero in on the gang as one of its key members, Balindar Singh had escaped from custody while undergoing treatment at a government hospital in Rewa in May 2016, a senior police officer, who was a part of the operations to rescue the contractor from Bihar, told The Sunday Standard. Balindar and his accomplices were convicted in 2007 for the kidnapping of an automobile dealer in Indore. He was kept in different jails but had escaped from custody in 2012. He again gave police the slip from the hospital. The MP Police, in coordination with their Maharashtra, Bihar and UP counterparts, trailed the gang members based on the places where they asked the contractors kin to leave the ransom money. This gang operates from train and asks the kin of victims to board trains and throw the ransom money near the rail tracks at locations decided by it. The police of four states kept a watch on the gang based on ransom diktats, said an MP police officer. The hunt for the gang took the police from Rewa to Jabalpur, Nashik, Kanpur, Allahabad and Dhanbad on a 19-day operation that ended with the arrest of Balindar and his close aide Narayan Lohar in Bihars Rohtas district. Their arrest led to the rescue of Singh from a house in Bihars Muzaffarpur district. Bihar gang has spread wings to other states Questioning of arrested men revealed that the gang no longer comprised criminals only from Bihar. Hardened criminals from Indore, too, were part of the gang. While one of the criminals from Indore, Narayan Lohar, was arrested, another member, Tamim alias Tammu, who carries J50,000 bounty on his head for murders and loot, is on the run. Instead of smartphones, Balindar and his team used low-priced 2G phones purchased from Bihar and SIMs purchased from Asansol, West Bengal, to make ransom calls. They destroyed the phone sets and SIM cards after making a series of phone calls. In 2003, the gang was involved in two high-profile kidnappings that of a family member of the owner of a well-known battery-making company in Kolkata and of the wife of a jeweller in Jaipur. It is also suspected to be involved in the 2017 abduction of a poultry feed processing unit owner from Giridih, Jharkhand. Mukesh Ranjan By RANCHI: The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is using two unlikely weapons to wipe off the traces of Maoist influence in Karamdih village of Latehar in Jharkhand newspapers and loudspeakers. Located on the foothills of Budha Pahar, Karamdih, having 287 households, used to be a Naxal hotspot until just two months ago and was completely cut off from the outside world. The village, geographically locked because of its terrain, was used by the Maoists as a transit point and to organise logistics. It remained out of the reach of the administration even as it provided a safe passage to the Maoists. The security forces, after having pushed the Red rebels on the backfoot in the Budha Pahar region, have ushered in a new light of awareness in the once-isolated village, located on the borders of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The 112 Battalion of CRPF, under a community policing initiative, installed four loudspeakers at different locations in the village and started reading out daily news from local newspapers to make the assembled villagers aware of the happenings in the world and also of the government schemes launched for them so that they could avail the benefits. When the camp was established here in June, we observed that the villagers were completely cut-off from the outside world. The place did not even have basic facilities like power and water supply. Though the village is located only about 125 km from the district headquarters, the residents did not have television or radio sets and were absolutely unaware of whats going on outside the village, said CRPF Deputy Commandant Ravi Ranjan. Hence, we thought of a plan to make people aware of the happenings around them as a goodwill gesture under a programme, Andhere Se Ujale Ki Ore (from darkness to light). The programme was started on September 4 after a visit by a team of officials lead by Inspector General (CRPF) Sanjay A Latkar. Mic and amplifier were installed in the camp while loudspeakers were installed at different locations in the village. One of our personnel reads out news daily. The initiative is gaining popularity and people are responding positively, Ranjan said. The villagers are happy. We are learning a lot from this initiative of the CRPF. We were completely cut-off from the outside world, but now we are getting all news and updates on daily basis, said 35 year old Sunita Devi. The villagers also believe that the intervention of CRPF personnel has minimised Naxal activities. Earlier, the Maoists used to come here regularly due to which was a sense of fear among the villagers. Since the CRPF camp was established here, their intervention has completely stopped while the CRPF is providing all basic facilities, said Jagdev, the village head. The CRPF has also provided electricity to every household in the village from 6 pm to 11 pm daily through a generator installed in the camp, he added. Now, our children can study and women can cook at night. Household chores ceased after the sunset earlier, but thats no longer the case, said the village head. The CRPF also organises medical camps from time to time. Harpreet Bajwa By CHANDIGARH: Three and half years ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to well-to-do sections of society to voluntarily give up the subsidy on LPG cylinders, saying that it would enable the government to provide more benefits to the poor. About 4 per cent of the LPG buyers in the country gave up the cooking gas subsidy. In Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Chandigarh, this figure is higher than the national average, at 6 per cent. But in Himachal Pradesh, the figures are less impressive, as only 75, 475 of the 15 lakh consumers (about five per cent) have given up the LPG subsidy. As per the data with oil companies, there are 26 crore LPG customers all over the country, with 25.7 crores of them being domestic customers. But only 21.9 crore LPG connections are in use, and of these about 44 per cent consumers have two domestic connections. About 1.25 crore consumers have surrendered their subsidy till date across the country. Every LPG consumer who surrenders the subsidy is linked to a BPL household that gets the LPG connection in turn. When this scheme was started by Modi in March 2015, the Central government decided to encourage consumers with a taxable income of at least `10 lakh to give up the subsidy. The north-eastern states, Maharashtra and Delhi are at the top in consumers surrendering the LPG subsidy, said sources. A leading LPG dealer said many politicians, judges, bureaucrats and other senior officials, besides well-to-do people, had given up the subsidy. More than the rich the middle-class consumers had responded to the governments initiative, he said. The non-subsidized LPG cylinder costs `831, and the subsidized cylinder costs `500. Rajesh Asnani By JAIPUR: Tilonia, a small village in Ajmer district of Rajasthan, is helping light up the lives of people in remote, backward areas across the world. The Barefoot College in this village teaches women from under-developed regions to assemble solar-powered equipment. Last week, the 20th batch a group of 45 women from 10 countries graduated from the college. Diplomats from five countries attended the event to celebrate the success of this initiative to make a better world. These women, who will now be known as Solar Mamas were taught the skills for making solar panels, lights and photovoltaic circuits during a special six-month course. Interestingly, the trainers of these Solar Mamas are modestly educated women from Tilonia and neighbouring villages. The Barefoot College, set up four decades ago to give vocational training to women from less privileged backgrounds, has trained over 15,000 women till date, through training in solar energy applications is a relatively recent initiative. Naw Nwin Nay, a 52-year-old grandmother from Myanmar, has proved that age is no bar for learning. There is a major scarcity of electricity in her village. Life is difficult, especially for children who cant study after dusk. We have to depend on kerosene, but its availability and price is an issue. Initially, we faced a lot of problems here because of language, food and culture, but slowly we managed, she exclaimed. Ilivani from Fiji said the Winston cyclone devastated the country three years ago and life in her village became miserable, with no roads and electricity and rising kerosene prices. The mother-of-five got an opportunity when she was selected to attend the training in India. These technical skills were new for me. Dealing with diode, resistance, IC, condenser was difficult initially. Language was a barrier; teachers here talk in Hindi. So, we communicated through signs. Now, I have made lots of friends from across the world. I hope I can earn my livelihood by selling solar lights, batteries, roasters etc., said Ilivani, who will move to Lautoka, the second largest city of Fiji. Of the 45 new Solar Mamas, 10 are from war-torn Afghanistan and eight of them lost their husbands in Taliban attacks. Said Shashie Ahmedi from Gazni: Our children have seen so much violence, pain and suffering. We are taking a gift from India for their future. There are 35 master trainers underprivileged local women who empowered themselves by learning the skills and are now sharing their knowledge with the world at the Barefoot College. Leela Devi, 45, from Kishangarh, has studied only till Class 3. In 2003, she took the training and became a teacher. We teach foreigners with the help of sign language and gestures. Sometimes, we teach them simple Hindi words so that they can understand us. Ziaulhaq Akhondzada, second secretary in the Afghanistan Embassy, said, India is helping us rebuild in various ways. The skill training by Barefoot College will not only light up our villages but also give strength to our women. Bhagwant Nandan, HoD, Solar Department, at the Barefoot College, said this training helped provide light to 84,000 houses in 1,293 villages, benefitting about 7 lakh people. About 7.86 crore litre kerosene was also saved in the process. We will miss Tilonia. Life has given us this opportunity and we are filled with gratitude. Thanks Tilonia, thanks India, said an emotional Ilvina. By PTI JERUSALEM: An opposition Israeli lawmaker on Sunday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to dismiss his ambassador to the United States for failing to report sexual assault allegations against a top Netanyahu aide, ballooning an already embarrassing scandal for the Israeli leader. Karin Elharrar of the centrist Yesh Atid party said Ron Dermer should be recalled from Washington for not reporting the warnings he received about David Keyes, Netanyahu's spokesman to foreign media. She also lashed out at Netanyahu himself for staying mum on an issue that has engulfed his close associates. "His silence is thundering. I would expect from the prime minister a clear condemnation, if not at least a mention that the allegations were being looked into," Elharrar told The Associated Press. "Who if not the prime minister should be an example on this matter? It's time that this issue of sexual harassment be at the top of his agenda. " Last week, Julia Salazar, a candidate for New York's state senate, accused Keyes of sexually assaulting her five years ago. Wall Street Journal reporter Shayndi Raice tweeted she too had a "terrible encounter" with Keyes before he became Netanyahu's spokesman. She described him as a "predator" and someone who had "absolutely no conception of the word 'no. '" At least a dozen other women have since come forward with varying allegations, some of which are said to have been committed since Keyes took up his current position in early 2016. Keyes, 34, denies the allegations, saying all "are deeply misleading and many of them are categorically false. " Keyes says he has taken a leave of absence amid the uproar to try and clear his name. But the scandal has since spread to the rest of Netanyahu's inner circle, which has previously been rocked with accusations of sexual improprieties. Natan Eshel, a former top aide, was forced to resign in 2012 after allegations emerged that he harassed and intimidated a woman in the prime minister's office, including taking pictures up her skirt. Earlier this year, Netanyahu's son Yair came under fire after a recording emerged of him joyriding at taxpayer expense to Tel Aviv strip clubs and making misogynistic comments about strippers, waitresses and other women. Over the weekend, Dermer, who was perhaps Netanyahu's closest associate before taking office in Washington, confirmed he was warned in late 2016 by New York Times columnist Bret Stephens, then of the Wall Street Journal, about Keyes' aggressive behavior toward women. The New York Times reported that Stephens, who said he had barred Keyes from visiting the Wall Street Journal opinion section because of harassment complaints women there made against him, warned Dermer that "Keyes posed a risk to women in Israeli government offices. " Dermer said he did not report this further since he did not consider the harassment allegations criminal. But Elharrar noted in a formal letter to Netanyahu that Dermer was unqualified to judge this. Under Israeli law, sexual harassment is a crime and public servants are required to report any knowledge of it. Dermer, as an Israeli ambassador, is subject to its laws even on American soil, Elharrar said, and therefore she demanded his dismissal since "it is unreasonable that someone holding such a prominent position would violate the law so blatantly. " "I'm sure that if it were any other diplomatic or even gossipy issue he would have reported it further," she told the AP. "We need to make clear that the issue of sexual harassment is no less important. " Media reports in recent days have included the testimonies of various women detailing what they called aggression on the part of Keyes, where in some cases he coerced them into sexual acts. The New York Times reported that in addition to Stephens' move, some organizations Keyes worked for himself took measures to keep him away from interns because of his history of unwanted advances. Salazar, a Democratic socialist who went on win her New York state senate primary last week after an ugly campaign that scrutinized her past, said she only decided to go public with her allegations against Keyes after a conservative news outlet planned to out her. Netanyahu has yet to comment on the affair and made no mention of it in comments given at his weekly Cabinet meeting Sunday. Michal Rozin, a legislator with the opposition Meretz party, said his silence could be interpreted as tolerance of the alleged acts and she demanded he take a clear stance against sexual assault and harassment. Rozin, who formerly headed Israel's umbrella organization for victims of sexual valence before elected to parliament, has appealed to Israel's Civil Service Commissioner asking for the allegations against Keyes to be investigated because of the "serious concern of serial behavior. " She demanded Dermer's conduct be examined as well. It's not the first case the #metoo phenomenon has erupted in Israeli public life. Last year, shortly after the allegations against Harvey Weinstein rocked Hollywood and sparked a flurry of allegations in other American industries, a senior Israeli TV journalist revealed on air that Israeli media mogul and International Olympic Committee member Alex Gilady had made an "indecent" proposal to her during a job interview 25 years ago. A well-known columnist then added that Gilady exposed himself to her during a 1999 business meeting at his home and two other women later came forward saying Gilady had raped them. (AP) PMS PMS 09161851 NNNN By PTI LONDON: London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Sunday called for a second Brexit referendum as he criticised the Conservative party-led UK government's increasingly "chaotic approach" to the negotiations with the 28-member European Union (EU). The Pakistani-origin Opposition Labour Party leader said the fresh vote should offer voters the choice of staying in the EU against any deal the UK government manages to strike or against a "no-deal" Brexit, if an agreement cannot be reached. Writing in the 'Observer' newspaper, Khan warned that with the UK due to leave the EU in six months, by March 2019, it now faced either a "bad deal" or "no deal". "Both these scenarios are a million miles away from what was promised during the EU referendum campaign," Khan said, claiming that independent analysis had forecast 500,000 fewer jobs across Britain by 2030 if a Brexit deal is not reached. "I've become increasingly alarmed as the chaotic approach to the negotiations has become mired in confusion and deadlock, leading us down a path that could be hugely damaging not only to London, but the whole country," he said. The former Labour Party MP from Tooting in south London warned that the whole Brexit debate had become more about former foreign secretary Boris Johnson's "political ambitions" than what was good for the UK. "The need for another public vote on Brexit was never inevitable, or something I ever thought I'd have to call for," he said. "But the reality is that the abject failure of the government and the huge risk we now face of either a bad deal or a 'no deal' Brexit means that giving people a fresh say on our future is now the right, and only, approach left for the good of our country," Khan added. He said the government had failed to put the national interest ahead of party politics. As calls for a People's Vote campaign for a second referendum has been building up, British Prime Minister Theresa May had said that "giving in" to such calls for a second referendum on the final terms of the UK's withdrawal from the EU would be "a gross betrayal of our democracy". People's Vote, a cross-party group that includes several high-profile figures and MPs, has been trying to sway the Labour Party to back its campaign and Khan's open support will come as a welcome boost for the drive. Meanwhile, in a letter to UK Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, published by 'The Sunday Times', Labour's shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer warned the government that Labour MPs will vote down attempts to force the country into a "blind Brexit". The Labour Party's official policy remains to respect the outcome of the EU referendum in 2016, and not to call for a new one but to "leave all options on the table" if a deal is not agreed by Parliament. Party leader Jeremy Corbyn himself has repeatedly failed to rule out the prospect of a second vote, but has consistently said it is not party policy and Labour is not advocating the issue. He will now be under pressure to make a more vocal stance in favour of a second referendum. In a referendum in June 2016, 51.9 per cent voters had backed Britain's exit from the EU and 48.1 per cent had voted to Remain. According to a series of recent opinion polls, the chances of the vote being overturned in favour of Remain has been gaining ground as the Brexit negotiations between the UK and EU fail to reach a decisive phase. By Reuters BUDAPEST: Around 1,000 Hungarians protested against Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Sunday at a pro-EU rally organised by leftist opposition parties, demanding that the government respect democratic rights and other EU values. The European Parliament voted on Wednesday to sanction Hungary for flouting EU rules on democracy, civil rights and corruption in an unprecedented step that left Orban isolated from some powerful allies in the European Parliament. Hungary said it would seek legal ways to challenge the ruling which it described as "petty revenge". However, Hungary is unlikely to be suspended from voting in the EU since Poland and the Czech Republic have said they would back Orban and veto any sanction against Hungary. "Europe stood by us, now it is our turn," the organisers of Sunday's rally in Budapest said in a statement on their Facebook page. "Orban and his Fidesz party lost in European parliament, and Hungary has won." Demonstrators at the rally waved both Hungarian and EU flags. Since he came to power in 2010, Orban has used his parliamentary majority to pressure courts, media and non-government groups in ways his opponents say breach European Union rules. He has been one of the strongest opponents of the EU's migration policies. The leftist opposition of the Democratic Coalition, and the Socialists and Parbeszed (Dialogue) party is in disarray after Orban won a third consecutive term in April with a landslide election victory. By Reuters WILSON/WILMINGTON, NC: Deadly storm Florence drenched North Carolina with yet more downpours on Sunday, cutting off the city of Wilmington, damaging tens of thousands of homes and threatening worse flooding as rivers fill to bursting point. The death toll rose to at least 14 from Florence, which crashed into the state as a hurricane on Friday, bringing record rainfall. It had weakened to a tropical depression by Sunday, but was forecast to drop another 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 cm) of rain in North Carolina, bringing rainfall totals in some inland areas to 15 to 20 inches and over 30 inches (76 cm) closer to the coast, according to the National Hurricane Center. "The storm has never been more dangerous than it is now," North Carolina's emergency management office said on Twitter, quoting Governor Roy Cooper. "Many rivers are still rising, and are not expected to crest until later today or tomorrow." More than 900 people were rescued from rising flood waters and 15,000 remained in shelters in the state, Cooper told a news conference on Sunday. At least 10 people have died so far in the storm in North Carolina, including a mother and child killed by a falling tree, state officials said. Four people died in South Carolina, including a woman whose car hit a fallen tree. People who evacuated were eager to return home but officials urged them to stay away. "Our roads are flooded, there is no access into Wilmington," New Hanover County Commission chairman Woody White told a news conference. "We want you home but you can't come yet." Fresh evacuations were ordered further inland as rivers crested and spilled out of their banks. In Fayetteville, a North Carolina city of about 210,000 people some 90 miles (145 km) from the ocean, authorities told thousands of residents near the Cape Fear River and Little River to get out of their homes by Sunday afternoon because of the flood risk. "The worst is yet to come," Mayor Mitch Colvin told a news conference on Saturday. North Carolina Emergency Management Director Michael Sprayberry said it was too early to estimate how many people in the state would be made homeless by the storm. "Right now, we are thinking that there will tens of thousands of homes that are going to be damaged," he said. In Leland, a low-lying city north of Wilmington, homes and local businesses were engulfed by water. Gas stations were abandoned, with many pumps keeled over, and fallen trees cluttered many roads, making them impassable. The whir of generators could be heard throughout the city, a sound not expected to dim soon as crews work to restore power. About 756,000 homes and businesses were without power in North and South Carolina and surrounding states, down from a peak of nearly 1 million. In Belville, just south of Leland, some shops had power restored on Sunday. "I thought I'd come out here and see if I could get more fuel, but no luck," said Steve McLean outside a Harris Teeter gasoline station that had electricity, but no gasoline. "So far we've been holding up pretty well," said McLean, 72, a self-employed heating and air conditioning contractor. "We'll see how long this lasts." Five people were arrested for breaking into a Dollar General Store, said the police department in Wilmington, which has imposed a nighttime curfew. Florence set a record in the state for rain from a hurricane, dumping 33.9 inches (86 cm) in Swansboro, North Carolina. The previous record was 24 inches (61 cm), set by Hurricane Floyd, which killed 56 people in 1999, said Bryce Link, a meteorologist with private forecasting service DTN Marine Weather. North Carolina officials warned motorists not to drive on roads in a large area - south of the I-64 and east of the I-73/74 highways - because of hazardous conditions in the southeast of the state. Swelling rivers and creeks threatened dams and bridges. The flooding could taint waterways with murky coal ash. But so far officials said the state's many lagoons of toxic hog waste had withstood the storm. By Sunday morning Florence's winds had dropped to about 35 miles per hour (55 km per hour), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. The storm was moving at 10 mph (16 kph), with its center expected to cross the western Carolinas during Sunday and the Ohio Valley and Northeast United States on Monday and Tuesday. The White House said President Donald Trump approved making federal funding available in some affected counties. Trump, who plans to visit the region this week, tweeted his condolences to the families and friends of those who died. As the United States dealt with Florence, a super typhoon made landfall in China's Guangdong on Sunday after barreling past Hong Kong and Macau and killing dozens of people in the Philippines. Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed in a meeting in Cairo Sunday efforts in fighting illegal migration and a number of regional issues with the President of the EU Council Donald Tusk and the Chancellor of Austria Sebastian Kurz, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement. El-Sisi reviewed with Kurz and Tusk Egypt's own efforts in combating the illegal migration problem and securing its land and sea borders especially with instability in neighboring countries. The Egyptian president also stated during the meeting that the EU enjoyed an important place in the framework of Egypt's foreign ministry, not only because it is the country's main trade partner but also due to the common challenges Egypt and the EU face on both sides of the Mediterranean. The President also stressed to his European guests that Egypt had not recorded a single case of illegal migration since 2016. El-Sisi said that millions of refugees enjoy equal treatment in the country among the population without any isolation in refugee camps. The President discussed with Tusk and Kurz the latest developments in the Middle East especially in Libya and Syria, where they all agreed political settlements can put an end to fighting as well as illegal migration. From their side, Tusk and Kurz expressed their appreciation for the bilateral relations with Egypt, stressing on Egypt's important role in the Middle East. Egypt's foreign minister Sameh Shoukry, the head of General Intelligence Directorate Abbas Kamel, the head of the EU commission in Cairo and Austria's ambassador's attended the meeting. El-Sisi and his guests agreed on the importance of Arab-European coordination to face regional challenges and threats, and stressed on the importance of the upcoming EU-Arab summit as a perfect opportunity to exchange views and boost cooperation. 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